it’s a drag, it’s a bore, it’s really such a pity to be looking at the board, not looking at the city (13. 206)

Having coming across this fact elsewhere a few weeks ago, we enjoyed the chance to hear again the full name of the Thai capital known to outsiders by the toponym Bangkok (village on a stream in reference to the marshy area where King Rama I established his new residence in 1782, nicknamed Venice of the East for its canals and islands) and in common parlance as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (กรุงเทพมหานคร) or abbreviated even further to Krung Thep (กรุงเทพฯ), the City of Angels—see also. With some variation over the centuries, the metropolis has the ceremonial title of: 

 กรุงเทพมหานคร อมรรัตนโกสินทร์ มหินทรายุธยา มหาดิลกภพ นพรัตนราชธานีบูรีรมย์ อุดมราชนิเวศน์มหาสถาน อมรพิมานอวตารสถิต สักกะทัตติยวิษณุกรรมประสิทธิ์  

Transliterated from the Thai script and translated from the combined Sanskrit and Pāli (the classical sacred language of Theravada Buddhism), the title reads: 

Krung Thep Mahanakhon: City of Angels, Great City.
    Amon Rattanakosin: Eternal land of the Emerald Buddha.
    Mahinthara Ayuthaya: The impregnable city of God Indra.
    Mahadilok Phop: Grand capital of the world.
    Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom: Endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city.
    Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan: Abounding in enormous royal palaces.
    Amon Piman Awatan Sathit: Resembling the heavenly abode wherein dwell the reincarnated gods.
    Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit: Erected by Vishvakarman at Indra’s bidding. 

This demonstration and claim of course drew some quibbling over technicalities and comparisons to Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll—“pool of the white hazels of the Church of St Mary”—and its full placename elaborated during the Victorian era to encourage tourism (see also) to the second longest single albeit agglutinative word toponym in the world in: Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch. The longest officially recognised is the Maori name of a hill on Te Ika-a-Māui (New Zealand’s North Island) Taumatawhakatangi­hangakoauauotamatea­turipukakapikimaunga­horonukupokaiwhen­uakitanatahu, with the narrative epithet of the summit where big-kneed Tamatea (a celebrated fifteenth century cheiftain and explorer), climber of mountains, the land swallower, travelled about and played his flute to his beloved. Also in the top ten is the Cree Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik for a lake in Mantioba “where wild trout are caught by fishing with hooks.” More from Language Log at the link up top with pronunciation help and more contenders.

there’s a hole in my heart that’s as deep as a well for that poor little boy who’s stuck half-way to hell (12. 568)

Happily every one was rescued safely due to an international effort but it really astonished me to be reminded that the Tham Luang Nang Non (ถ้ำหลวงนางนอน, the Great Cave of the Sleeping Lady) rescue was taking place seven years ago, with the final remaining four adolescent members of a Thai junior association football league and their assistant coach retrieved on this day in 2018. The party of thirteen were spelunking as monsoonal rains flooded the cavern, blocking their way out and leaving them stranded without a means of communicating their whereabouts and distress and were eventually led to the group’s—nicknamed the Wild Boars— last known location by a teammate that had chosen to stay behind. A British caver named Vernon Unsworth living in the area and with experience of the cave complex heard about the missing boys and counselled the government and emergency response to procure the assistance of Navy SEALS for the operation, one of who tragically died during the rescue—which was an ultimate success thanks to the persistence and expertise of a large network of helpers. The remove strikes as strange and somewhat outside of time, evoking memories, more distant but as persistent of the 1987 rescue of Baby Jessica from that well in Midland Texas with the same cast of sensationalism and international media coverage. Forty-five hours into the ordeal, a roofing contractor, Ron Short—born with the rare condition cleidocranical dysplasisa that left him without collar bones and was accustomed to working in tight confines, volunteered to go down the narrow shaft, and whilst considering his offer, a paramedic ended up descending into the well and saving the trapped infant. There’s some strange pre-Mandela Effect going on here that almost forms a false memory of how The Simpsons might have parodied the Thai incident as well in the fullness of time—“Dig up, stupid!” As the drama played out for the latter, Elon Musk offered and delivered a tiny submarine. Whilst thankful for the efforts and affirming that continued development of such manoeuvrable submersibles was worthwhile, Musk’s assistance was ultimately dismissed as implausible for the environment. Unsworth, who helped coordinate the effort, ridiculed Musk’s contribution as a publicity stunt, garnering the ire of Musk for his perceived ingratitude and counter-accusations that the seasoned explorer was a pedo, falsely accusing him of paedophilia, going so far as to engage a detective to further discredit and besmirch his character—with Musk issuing a public apology later. As with Baby Jessica, numerous adaptations came out in book, cinematic and song form and most significant the pledge to end the Thai policy of statelessness for residents of the so called Golden Triangle, a region with porous and poorly-defined borders with Myanmar, Laos and China, which affected several members of the team who were subsequently granted full citizenship.

synchronoptica

one year ago: scanning code from magazines (with synchronopticæ), the artistic side of Samuel Morse plus Surrealistic logos

thirteen years ago: demographic devolution among the German constituency  

sixteen years ago: a potential life-extending compound isolated on Easter Island 

you can basically just be gay and you are fine in thailand (12. 174)

Joining Taiwan as the only other country in the southern Asia to recognise marriage equality for same-sex unions, hundreds of couples in Bangkok and elsewhere held wedding ceremonies as the legislation passed by the National Assembly in June 2024 came into effect, written into law by King Maha Vajiralongkorn following a long campaign and petition decades in the making by the country’s community for rights and respect. Though many obstacles and ostracism remain domestically and regional, this moment sanctified of the movement marks historic progress.