Instagram Takes Lesson From Snapchat With New ‘Stories’

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3 August 2016, 13:13

Instagram's new 'Story' feature in a video announcement.

NEW YORK — Instagram is launching a new feature that should sound familiar to Snapchat users. It’s called “Stories,” and it lets users share photos and videos from their day that will disappear after 24 hours.

The new feature will stitch together photos and videos in a slideshow format. Users can add text and doodles.

Snapchat also has a “Story” feature that works in a similar way. Copying or at least using other services as inspiration for new features is common among big tech companies. Of course, just because a feature is popular on one service doesn’t mean it will translate well to another one.

Instagram owner Facebook is no stranger to this. It tried an ephemeral sharing app a couple years ago called Slingshot, but it never caught on.

Story: Barbara Ortutay

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIm9-50BOuf

See Greats of Art and Culture in 8 Docs at River City

By

Kaewta Ketbungkan, Staff Reporter

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3 August 2016, 13:04

BANGKOK — From an acid attack on the former director of the Bolshoi Theater to the life of senile fashion icon Iris Apfel, eight engaging documentaries will screen this month for art and culture lovers.

To celebrate its 31st anniversary, River City Bangkok will reaffirm its stance as a shopping center for unique art and antiques for the whole month by arranging various exhibitions and activities, including screening eight gripping documentaries from Bangkok’s Documentary Club.

A selection of talk-of-the-town docs are to screen at the festival including “Man on Wire,” a look at high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s 1974 crossing of the World Trade Center’s twin towers; and “The Wolfpack,” Sundance’s 2015 Best Documentary about seven New York siblings locked away from the outside world for 17 years with only movies providing their knowledge of the world. There’s also “Iris,” about the creativity and soaring spirit of 93-year-old fashion hipster Iris Apfel; and “Bolshoi Babylon,” which follows the investigation into the 2013 acid attack of former Russian ballet director Sergei Filin.

For art aficionados, there’s “The New Rijksmuseum,” and premiering exclusively at the festival, 2014’s “Art and Craft,” which examines the life of Mark Landis, an American painter who went on to become the most prolific art forger in U.S. history.

All films are screened in their original languages with Thai subtitles. Tickets, which include a drink and snack, are 120 baht and can be reserved online.

Other events for the shopping mall’s anniversary include live performances, pop-up galleries and an auction. Full details available online.

River City Bangkok is located along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok’s Talat Noi area. It can be reached by an hourly, free ferry from beneath BTS Saphan Taksin.

Bangkok Gov Sues Auditor for Going Public With Corruption Allegations

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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3 August 2016, 12:16

The ‘Bangkok Light of Happiness’ show seen Dec. 31 in front of Bangkok City Hall.

BANGKOK — Bangkok Gov. Sukhumbhand Paribatra sued a top government auditor Tuesday for publicly implicating him in collusion over a lavish city event.

A lawyer for Sukhumbhand went to the Criminal Court on Tuesday to file suit against Auditor General Pisit Leelavachiropas over a May 3 news conference at which he alleged the two-term governor made under-the-table deals to pay emergency funds to a vendor for a 39 million baht light show for the new year.

Sukhumbhand said it Pisit did not have the legal authority to hold a news conference which he said created a false impression that he was engaged in corrupt practices.

Sukhumbhand’s lawsuit asked the court to order Pisit to publicize a verdict in his favor in 11 newspapers for 30 days.

Pisit responded that although the governor has the right to take legal action, it was his duty to inform the public about the allegations. He insisted the news conference was based on information gathered by his office.

At that May 3 event, Pisit’s Office of Auditor General said the “Bangkok Light of Happiness” project installed December to January was a product of bid rigging. It also questioned why City Hall would have hired a company with no prior experience with such projects.

Sukhumbhand, who is already nearing the end of his second term, said last month he would only step down if found guilty by the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Woman Won’t Be Charged for Video of Man Exposing Herself

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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3 August 2016, 12:03

PRACHINBURI — It seemed like a routine enough occurrence: Man harasses woman in public place by masturbating in front of her, woman films it and uploads video to internet to warn others.

But due to the vague language of a law that bans any dissemination of pornographic material online, some people voiced fear the woman could end up being charged for uploading her warning on Tuesday, though a police officer said that wouldn’t happen.

“This offense carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, or a 100,000 baht fine, or both,” wrote admin of a Facebook page called Your Companion Lawyer. “You can see that one can turn from a victim into a suspect.”

Some people also expressed confusion at the law’s harsh punishment, comparing to a relatively light fine for exposing oneself in public.

“I suppose, as a woman, I have to carry a gun, because the law doesn’t protect me at all,” wrote user Ami Lovelove in the Facebook thread.

The Computer Crime Act is notorious for its sweeping language that bans a variety of offenses on the internet, from posting porn to writing remarks that “damage the reputation” of other people or affect the “good morality of the people or national security.” Activists have long criticized the use of the law by corporations and state agencies to silence critics.

But after the unidentified woman uploaded the video of her Monday encounter at a public van stop in Prachinburi province, Lt. Col. Worawuth Suwannawik, deputy chief of Prachinburi city police, said fears she could be prosecuted were unfounded, because police also take intent into account.

“If she published the video with the intent to shame or damage the person, then she’d be guilty,” Worawuth said Wednesday. “But in this case, her intentions were to tell people to be careful, to let them know that this man is a danger to the society, so she lacks the intent to break the law.”

In fact, his superviser already ruled out any prosecution of the woman who posted the video, Worawuth said.

“There won’t be any charge. The station superintendent told us so last night,” he said.

The man in the video was also arrested on Tuesday evening, Worawuth said. He was identified by police as Bundit Pimpa, 40. He told officers that he was drinking before he went to the van station to wait for a ride home, and he exposed himself to the woman out of intoxication.

Bundit was fined 500 baht for indecent exposure, Worawuth said.

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All the Things: Music, Fashion, Art Collide in One Night of ‘Badassery’

By

Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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3 August 2016, 11:44

Gene Kasidit, center, in a promotional video

BANGKOK — A trans glam rocker will join a celebrity architect, fashionistas and more for a perilously hip and artsy event in a literally old school venue.

Over a dozen artists from music, art and fashion will release their creativity at The Sweet Escape, a one night only art party coming later this month.

Hear: Glam blondie Gene Kasidit, indie electrosynth wonder duo DCNXTR, theatrical pop-rock trio Chanudom, new electro duo X0809 and more on a stage lit by designer Jiro Endo.

See: Art and fashion by the likes of architect Duangrit Bunnag, fashion art designer Jitsing Somboon, beauty blogger Pearypie, along with other designers and photographers.

“The party’s theme is Badass because I want people to let loose of themselves and do whatever they want to do and have never done anywhere before,” said organizer Note Panayanggool, one half of X0809.

Tickets are 400 baht and available online.

Hosted by Nylon Thailand, The Sweet Escape starts at 6pm on Aug. 27 at Acmen Complex. The former-school complex is located between sois Ekkamai 13 and 15.

Zika Outbreak Prompts Travel Warning for Part of Miami

By

Associated Press

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2 August 2016, 20:25

A Miami-Dade County mosquito control worker sprays around a home in the Wynwood area of Miami on Monday. Photo: Alan Diaz / Associated Press

MIAMI — In a highly unusual travel warning, health officials advised pregnant women to avoid a part of Miami where mosquitoes are apparently transmitting Zika directly to humans.

Health officials last Friday announced that mosquitoes have apparently started spreading Zika on the U.S. mainland, citing four cases they strongly believe were caused by bites. Ten more cases were announced Monday, even though Florida authorities have yet to find any mosquitoes actually carrying the virus.

Of the 14 people infected, two are women and 12 are men. Eight patients showed symptoms of Zika, which can include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. The others had no symptoms. The disease is often so mild that most people don’t know they are infected.

All 14 cases are thought to have occurred in Miami’s Wynwood arts district, a trendy, fast-gentrifying neighborhood of warehouses, art galleries, restaurants and boutiques.

Rosemary LeBranch was doing laundry in Wynwood when health officials came to her house a few days ago and took urine samples from her, her daughter and her father. Her father, Gabriel Jean, tested positive for Zika, she said Monday.

He had already spoken with a doctor and was advised to wear long shirts and pants outdoors.

“He said nothing hurts; he doesn’t have any pain. He doesn’t feel anything,” she said.

More than 1,650 cases of Zika have been reported in U.S. states. Nearly all have been the result of travel to a Zika-stricken country or sex with someone who was infected abroad, but now more than a dozen people have been infected in the U.S.

Florida health officials said they have tested more than 200 people in Miami-Dade and Broward counties since early July. An emergency response team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will help Florida authorities investigate the outbreak, collect samples and control mosquitoes.

Scott asked for a CDC emergency team to help Florida combat Zika, which has been sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean in recent months and now may be gaining a long-dreaded foothold in the U.S. The White House said a team will be sent quickly.

“We will continue to keep our residents and visitors safe utilizing constant surveillance and aggressive strategies, such as increased mosquito spraying, that have allowed our state to fight similar viruses,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement Monday.

Government health officials warned pregnant women Monday to avoid the Zika-stricken part of Miami and told couples who have been there recently to put off having children for at least two months, after the number of people feared infected through mosquito bites in the U.S. climbed to 14.

The CDC also said expectant mothers should get tested for the virus if they have visited the neighborhood since mid-June.

Jordan Davison and Melissa Felix work for a cruise line and were enjoying their day off Monday looking at Wynwood’s spray-painted murals.

“It’s not like a big thing, right?” the 25-year-old Davidson said. “It’s kind of freaky. There’s so much going on we didn’t know, didn’t really think about it. … I might wear bug spray going forward.”

CDC officials said they could not remember another time in the 70-year history of the disease-fighting agency when it told members of the public not to travel someplace in the U.S.

Zika infections in pregnant women can cause severe brain-related birth defects, including extremely small skulls. The global outbreak has led to more than 1,800 serious defects.

The virus can linger in the blood and urine for weeks and has been found in sperm for months. As a result, the CDC said men and women who have recently been in the affected area should wait at least eight weeks before trying to conceive a child. And men who have had symptoms of Zika should wait at least six months, the CDC said.

The travel warning covers an area of about one square mile in Wynwood to the east of Interstate 95 and south of I-195. It’s large enough, health officials said, to provide a buffer around the suspected hot zone. The tropical mosquito that spreadsZika travels less than 200 yards in its lifetime.

Dr. Peter Hotez, a tropical medicine expert at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, said the CDC should be more cautious and expand the travel advisory to all of Miami-Dade County.

“If you’re pregnant or think you might be pregnant, avoid travel to Miami, and possibly elsewhere in South Florida,” he said. “I’m guessing most women who are pregnant are doing that. I don’t think they’re sitting around waiting for the CDC to split hairs and fine-tune it to a specific area.”

CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said the narrowly drawn warning was dictated by science and not by any concern for Florida’s crucial tourism industry. He said it was based on the nation’s ability to contain previous outbreaks of other diseases carried by the same mosquito.

“There wouldn’t be a technical or scientific basis to give a broader recommendation,” Frieden said.

Speaking Tuesday morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Frieden said officials were finding it hard to eradicate the mosquito in the affected area.

“It could be that the mosquitoes there are resistant to the insecticide being used,” he said, adding that it could take weeks for federal and state officials to figure that out.

He also said mosquito control is difficult in that neighborhood.

“This is an unusual neighborhood, or an emerging neighborhood,” Frieden said. “It’s mixed use. It has industrial, business and residential and that makes mosquito control very complex.”

Story: Kelli Kennedy, Josh Replogle, additional reporting Mike Stobbe, Tamara Lush, Josh Lederman

Iran Acknowledges Porn Star Visited Country

By

Associated Press

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2 August 2016, 20:16

A partial image of adult performer Candy Charms from her promotional website.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Apparently unaware she could face a death sentence, a British porn actress says she flew to Iran to undergo a nose job and later wrote online about it, immediately sparking a social media outcry in the largely conservative Islamic Republic.

The buxom performer, known by the stage name Candy Charms, posted a photograph on Instagram several days ago showing her in the back of a car, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses with a scarf partially covering her blonde hair.

“Hey guys I have been on holiday in Tehran,” she wrote online. She later added: “My nose was not straight and they are the best in the world in nose surgery. I had my nose done.”

Iran is one of the top countries in the world for undergoing rhinoplasty, with more than 20,000 surgeries carried out each year.

The actress deleted the Instagram post and her account following a torrent of comments from Iranians, some friendly and others hostile. On Tuesday, the semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Hasan Qashqavi, a deputy foreign minister in charge of consular affairs, as saying a British-American actress visited Iran after she “applied for a visa through a travel agency” under a different name.

While not naming the actress, the story implied it was the adult film performer. An ISNA report Monday suggested she listed her occupation as a “hair stylist” on her visa application form.

Qashqavi was quoted by ISNA as telling tourism companies and officials to carefully examine the documents of those trying to visit Iran.

“We have clerics and lawmakers who have cultural sensitivities and these sorts of events may cause problems later,” Qashqavi said.

That may be a bit of an understatement in the Shiite power. Under Iranian law, spreading corruption via broadcast carries a possible death sentence. Pornography likely would fall under the law’s purview.

It’s unclear whether the actress knew the risk before she made the trip. She did not respond to a request for comment made via Twitter by The Associated Press and an email address listed on her website bounced back as undeliverable.

How Referendum Sunday is Supposed to Go Down, Step-by-Step

By

Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

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2 August 2016, 19:38

A portion of a sample ballot for Sunday's charter referendum.

Ed. note: Concerns have been raised about the integrity and credibility of Sunday’s vote in light of the political climate and the exceptional measures taken by the military regime in the run-up to the vote. Pravit Rojanaphruk spoke to top election officials and reviewed their procedures to provide this step-by-step guide to how it’s supposed to play out.

Read: We Took Top Concerns About Sunday’s Referendum to Elections Officials

Ballot boxes and papers will be transported and kept in secured places until referendum day. The roughly 95,000 polling stations will be examined for readiness prior to in the early morning of Aug. 7 before polling starts. Every polling station is supposed to have eight staff: a director, many of whom are school teachers; two security officers, at least one of which is a police officer while the other could be military; and five local volunteers trained for the job.

At around 6am on Sunday, polling staff will arrive at each station carrying ballot boxes and papers to prepare for the polls to open at 8am. It opens with election officers showing that the ballot boxes are empty to the public and voters. They then will seal the ballot boxes with tape and plastic thread or some similar permitted materials before voting commences.

Voters have to affix his or her right hand index fingerprint to the top part of the ballot that will be kept by the Election Commission, or EC. Officials then tear out the ballots with two questions, the top one comprised of two square boxes. Once voters have the ballots, they will use a pen to mark an X sign to the left box if they support adoption of the charter and the right if they reject it. The second question, written somewhat confusingly, is about allowing an unelected prime minister to be selected by the appointed senate jointly with the elected MPs by voting for the five years after the House of Parliament convened. The affirmative answer is the lower left box.

Once the polls close at 4pm, three people – the polling station director, a volunteer and a security officer – will affix their names and signatures on each of the ballot books (which contain 20 ballot papers) to verify that everything is accounted for.

All eight poll workers will then play different roles in the on-site vote counting process. One person will read aloud the counting results which will be marked on a board visible to any observer from outside the polling station.

The final count will then be tallied and reported through Rapid Report, a proprietary app being used for the first time. Only 95 percent of those returns will reported by the central EC in Bangkok. The application, with its names and passwords, are said to only be accessible to each polling station director.

The ballot boxes and papers will then be transported to district-level centers. The results are put together and checked at the center before being sent to the central Election Commission headquarters at the Chaeng Wattana Government Complex in Bangkok.

Anyone at the polling station has the right to object if he or she believes the counting of a particular ballot paper or papers was inaccurate and the poll station director has the duty to stop the count and address the issue on site.

The counting is done once, and a recounting of the whole station can only be done if a citizen files a formal complaint to the EC which the commission deems reasonable.

The Election Commission then has three days to make public the results of the referendum.

We Took Top Concerns About Sunday’s Referendum to Elections Officials

Death Traps: How Many Bangkok Theaters Lack Sprinklers, Smoke Detectors?

By

Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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2 August 2016, 19:19

Smoke rises above Major Cineplex Pinklao prior to the theater’s roof collapsing as it was engulfed in flames Thursday in western Bangkok. Photo: Matichon

BANGKOK — Revelations that no smoke detectors or fire suppression systems were installed inside a large cinema destroyed Thursday by fire has prompted officials to inspect 300 other cinemas in the capital city to find out if they comply with fire regulations.

Instead of smoke detectors, Major Cineplex Pinklao in western Bangkok relied on heat detectors, which take longer to set off an alarm, according to Bussakorn Saensuk, a fire hazard expert for the Engineering Institute of Thailand.

Even more so, the theater relied on fire extinguishers should disaster strike.

No One Hurt in Fire at Major Cineplex Pinklao, Police Say

“Major didn’t have any sprinklers,” Bussakorn said Tuesday by telephone. “And the fire alarm there didn’t detect smoke. It was a heat detector, which works slower.”

Attempts to put out the blaze using hand-held extinguishers failed, she said.

“Because of the lack of smoke detectors, and because of building materials which easily caught fire, the blaze spread quickly until fire extinguishers could not contain it,”

The law allows use of either type of detectors, but smoke alarms are far more reliable, Bussakorn said.

No one died when fire ravaged four of Major Cineplex Pinklao’s cinemas and eventually caused its roof to collapse, as the theater had not yet opened when the blaze started.

Had the cinemas been packed with movie-goers at the time, Bussakorn said, the results could have been devastating.

“It was very risky,” the official said.

Alarms Raised

In light of the Friday’s fire, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has dispatched teams to inspect more than 300 cinemas in the capital. Bussakorn said there’s no central database where each cinema registers its fire safety equipment equipment and building material, so officials have to visit each place.

In the first first venue they visited, Central Plaza Rama IX, officials already found problems.

“We found that there were many flaws that have to be fixed, such as their fire escape routes,” Taiwut Khankaew, director of the administration’s Building Control Division, told reporters. “Furthermore, some of the decorations inside the venue were of a highly flammable material. They have to fixed by coating them with fire retardants.”

On Wednesday teams will inspect theaters at Paradise Park, with Siam Paragon to follow. Bussakorn said officials hope to complete the citywide inspection this month.

Fire hazard is a recurring issue in Thailand, where code enforcement is lax and officials’ attention usually comes only after tragedy strikes.

A school dorm in Chiang Rai province was allowed to operate for decades despite violations of fire safety laws, such as the lack of smoke detectors and alarms, until it burned down in May, killing 17 children sleeping there.

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Nok Air Drops Pet Travel After Beloved Husky Passenger Dies

By

Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

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2 August 2016, 18:14

Pojai, at left in better times and dead at right as her owner found her after a July 12 flight aboard Nok Air. Photo: Itsares Khumdee / Facebook

BANGKOK — Nok Air announced Tuesday it will no longer provide pet transport services after a Siberian Husky died during shipping.

The airline’s announcement came in response to a viral Facebook post by Itsares Khumdee about Pojai, his Siberian Husky, who died after traveling aboard a July 12 Nok Air flight from Don Mueang International Airport to Trang.

In the post shared more than 4,000 times, Itsares speculated that Pojai died because she was kept in a hot cargo storage room for almost two hours before the flight took off or because the plane’s cargo hold was not properly pressurized.

“Was the pressure adjusted, and was there enough air for a dog to breathe in the cargo compartment?” Itsares wrote. “Because it looks like she suffocated from atmospheric pressure.”

Itsares said he asked airline staff to ensure Pojai was kept in an AC room during the two hour wait before the flight. When he went to inspect the security camera three days later, he found out after 15 minutes, his dog was moved to into a warm room without so much as a fan.

After waiting 14 days for the airline to respond, Itsares went public, spreading his story online after Nok Air refused to take responsibility or pay compensation.

According to conditions listed their website, Nok Air says it is not responsible for any death or injury or disorder that happens to animals during transport.

Nok Air CEO Patee Sarasin Tuesday morning posted on his Facebook that Nok Air would cease the service and compensate Itsares.

“In order to prevent same situation from happening again, we will no longer fly pets,” Patee wrote.

The CEO could not be reached for further comment.

The airline Tuesday said the cancellation of the service is effective immediately, although guide dogs will still be allowed to travel with visually impaired passengers.

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