27-year-old Vorayuth Yoovidhya, who recently received a large inheritance after his grandfather, Chaleo Yoovidhya, died in March, was arrested in Bangkok after hitting a policeman with his Ferrari and dragging him for several blocks, killing him. A police official tried to cover for Vorayuth, whose family is worth $5.4 billion, by turning in a decoy suspect. However, this just led higher-ranking police officials to raid the family’s home, where they found a smashed-up Ferrari. Vorayuth was charged with reckless driving and escaping arrest, but released on $15,900 bail. (AP Photo)
Obit of the Day: Inventor of Red Bull
The most famous energy drink in the world was created by a 50-someting, Thai recluse. Chaleo Yoovidhya created Red Bull (which is the English translation of the original Thai name Krathing Daeng) in the 1980s and marketed the high-caffeine carbonated beverage to truck drivers and blue collar workers.
Not long after its introduction, a German pharmaceutical sales rep named Dietrich Mateschitz, tried the drink on his worldwide travels and found that it was the only cure he could find for jet lag. He partnered with Mr. Yoovidhya (each contributed $500,000 and owned 49% of the company) to introduce Red Bull to an international market. Red Bull was introduced first to Austria in 1987.
Twenty-five years later Red Bull owns 70% of the energy drink market and both Yoovidhya and Mateschitz have become billionaires. When Mr. Yoodvidhya died his age was listed by various news outlets as 80, 88, or 90.
(Image of a bottle of Red Bull from Thailand is courtesy of forum.loyat.net)
He gave you wings.
This issue was about individuals and the targets were specific. This was something personal.Thailand’s national police chief, Gen. Prewpan Dhamapong • Discussing recent attacks committed by Iranians in his country. Here’s the big reveal: They now “know for certain that (the target) was Israeli diplomats.” This bolsters Israel’s evidence that a series of diplomatic attacks earlier this week might’ve been tied to Iran.
imwithkanye asks: What is the one piece of news you wish you would had written or reported? Whose work do you admire the most?
» SFB says: Regarding the first half of that, I feel like, honestly, I try to catch as much as I can, but sometimes the beast that is limited resources can really get in the way. I wish the site could’ve done more with Occupy Wall Street some nights. I wish I could give equal weight to the natural disasters that come along (we covered Thailand’s recent flooding a little too lightly, for example). But with just a handful of writers, you have to be careful to ensure that your appetite is as big as your stomach. So often we’ll cover one story really well if it’s big enough, or touch on four or five at a time.
As for the second part: I’ve always told people that my two biggest inspirations in doing this blog are Andrew Sullivan and Charles Apple. You guys all know Sullivan. Some of you hate his work or obsessions with Trig Palin or whatever. I tend to think that he set many of the basic templates for mixing news and opinion in a blog; he’s a trailblazer, plain and simple. As for Charles Apple, he runs a newspaper-design blog that is more of a direct influence on what I do. When I started the site, I asked him for feedback; I still cite his site pretty regularly. I came from news design, and while SFB’s focus is broader than that, the numbers and blurbs come from those roots. Beyond that, I find ProducerMatthew’s work to be super-inspiring. — Ernie @ SFB (Alright, Office Hours over for now; we have one or two still sitting around and we’ll get to those over the next few days.)
» A harsh effect, a long reach: With the Thailand floods causing billions of dollars in damage and putting numerous people out of work, Among other industries, the auto industry and the computer industry could suffer significantly due to the Thai flooding. Hard drives could rise in price by up to 40 percent, and car manufacturing plants as far away as North America have had to shut down as a result of the floods — and it’s so bad, some companies are considering sending Thai workers to Japan to continue their work. Many expect the drop in Thailand’s growth forecast to be a sign that the country plans to enact measures to support the economy.
Thailand To Tattoo Tourists: Think Before You Ink : NPR
The Asian kingdom has long welcomed foreigners, but urges them to respect Thailand’s customs when getting tattoos. When tourists get religious tattoos below the belt, it can be offensive to Thais. The Culture Ministry says it will print guidelines for religious tattoos and inspect tattoo parlors.
Also known as “The Hangover 2 Rule”: “The issue came up after an incident in the southern tourist haven of Phuket Island. Exactly whose tattoo offended whom is not clear. Nor is any sort of tattoo illegal under Thai law. But Thais consider the head sacred and the feet profane, and some foreigners get Buddhist tattoos below the waist, which can upset Thais.”
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It seems to have been a result of a misunderstanding. There is no point in fighting because it could escalate and damage relations… We don’t want that.Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha • Attempting to explain why his country’s troops got into a conflict with Cambodia Friday – which killed two Cambodian soldiers and one Thai villager. The two countries fought in an area surrounding a 900-year-old Hindu temple that has been a source of much conflict in the past. The Cambodian government accuses the Thai army of targeting villagers after they entered Cambodia’s territory. “We said to them ‘don’t come in the area’ and they still came. We fired into the air and they began to shoot at us,” said spokesperson Khieu Kanharith. source (via • follow)
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