Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

I’ve been traveling to Bali for 40 years. This is how it’s changed for better and worse
adventure.com/40-years-bal...

I’ve been traveling to Bali for 40 years. This is how it’s changed for the better and worse

Writer Peter Wilmoth has been heading to Bali for over forty years. In that time, he’s seen Seminyak go from outpost to overtouristed, and watched the last rice paddies in towns disappear.

adventure.com

November 28, 2025 at 1:26 AM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

The 2025 BirdLife Australia photography awards – in pictures
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The 2025 BirdLife Australia photography awards – in pictures

A preening brush turkey, a wise cassowary and some hungry terns are among the winning and shortlisted photos in this year’s prize

www.theguardian.com

November 27, 2025 at 5:44 AM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

Rare tropical storm Senyar forms in Melaka Strait for the 1st time ever
www.nst.com.my/news/nation/...

Rare tropical storm Senyar forms in Melaka Strait for the 1st time ever | New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: A low-pressure weather system that formed over the northern Melaka Strait has intensified into a tropical storm — the first time such strength has ever been recorded in the strait.

www.nst.com.my

November 26, 2025 at 12:35 PM

Reposted by James Clark

David Luekens

@dluek.bsky.social

Done my best to summarise a tragic situation:
thaiislandquest.substack.com/p/special-re...

Special report: Floods devastate Hat Yai and other parts of Southern Thailand

The flood situation in Southern Thailand's largest city and several other districts has become desperate after a week of nearly nonstop rain.

thaiislandquest.substack.com

November 26, 2025 at 10:01 AM

Reposted by James Clark

The Pattaya News Thailand

@thepattayanews.bsky.social

November 26, 2025 at 11:04 AM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

Catstanbul: Inside the city where cats rule the streets
www.bbc.com/travel/artic...

Catstanbul: Inside the city where cats rule the streets

From Ottoman "cat sitters" to modern-day street guardians, Istanbul's bond with its cats runs centuries deep.

www.bbc.com

November 26, 2025 at 5:20 AM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

UN: Jakarta Overtakes Tokyo as World's Most Populous Capital City
en.tempo.co/read/2068182...

UN: Jakarta Overtakes Tokyo as World's Most Populous Capital City

The Indonesian capital, Jakarta, has become the world's most populous capital city with 42 million residents, according to the United Nations (UN).

en.tempo.co

November 25, 2025 at 8:53 AM

Reposted by James Clark

Andrew Clark

@qandrew.bsky.social

For those following along, the third chapter of my memoirs is out today, telling the tale of our 1992 Cambodia Beer Run. A snapshot of early-90s Southeast Asia through the haze of dust, border checkpoints, and questionable judgement. qbarandrew.substack.com/p/chapter-3-...

Chapter 3: The Great Cambodia Beer Run of 1992

The next, not necessarily chronological installment of Andrew's Memoirs.

qbarandrew.substack.com

November 24, 2025 at 11:09 AM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

Reinventing Kaohsiung: Taiwan’s port city transcends its industrial past
www.scmp.com/week-asia/op...

Opinion | Reinventing Kaohsiung: Taiwan’s port city transcends its industrial past

From shipyards and smokestacks to a smart, green metropolis, Kaohsiung shows urban renewal can succeed in the unlikeliest of places.

www.scmp.com

November 24, 2025 at 4:40 AM

Reposted by James Clark

kottke.org

@kottke.org

On living life at your own pace. “From then I thought, life is fast. Death comes so easily. If I just drift, in no time I’ll be an old man.” [kottke.org]

My Pace

Goro Obata went to the woods because he wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if he could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when he came to die, discover that he had not l

kottke.org

November 20, 2025 at 3:16 PM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

Step into 1880s Bangkok at this cardboard city in Talat Noi
www.timeout.com/bangkok/news...

Step into 1880s Bangkok at this cardboard city in Talat Noi

A young artist rebuilds historic Bangkok and Ayutthaya using recycled paper and years of research

www.timeout.com

November 23, 2025 at 1:41 PM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

Notes on Buon Ma Thuot - The coffee hub in the heart of the Central Highlands
www.nomadicnotes.com/notes-on-buo...

November 23, 2025 at 5:51 AM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

Battambang is a cool little city

Kiripost @kiripost.bsky.social · 7d

More than 35,000 people attended Battambang’s six-day S’Árt Urban Arts Festival, which featured international muralists, performances, workshops, exhibitions and Cambodia’s first permanent outdoor mural gallery, reinforcing the city’s growing status as a cultural hub

S’Árt Urban Arts Festival Transforms Battambang Into Cultural Powerhouse

More than 35,000 people attended Battambang’s six-day S’Árt Urban Arts Festival, which featured international muralists, performances, workshops, exhibitions and Cambodia’s first permanent outdoor mural gallery, reinforcing the city’s growing status as a cultural hub

kiripost.com

November 22, 2025 at 6:07 AM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

6 cities in SE Asia are among the 31 coolest streets in the world in 2025 by TimeOut
- Vĩnh Khánh Street, Ho Chi Minh City
- Joo Chiat Road, Singapore
- Jalan Kemang Raya, Jakarta
- Nakpil Street, Manila
- Charoen Nakhon Road, Bangkok
- Jalan Pudu, Kuala Lumpur
www.timeout.com/travel/coole...

The 31 coolest streets in the world in 2025

Food, fun, culture and community – these streets have it all

www.timeout.com

November 21, 2025 at 10:27 AM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

An Ode to Vũng Tàu, Saigon's Unwavering Summer Crush
saigoneer.com/vietnam-trav...

November 20, 2025 at 9:05 AM

Reposted by James Clark

Rail Vietnam

@railvietnam.bsky.social

Dong Ha in Quang Tri province has a station on the North-South Railway, and there is also an old station that has been turned into a war memorial park.
www.railvietnam.com/old-dong-ha-...

November 19, 2025 at 11:33 AM

Reposted by James Clark

Andrew Clark

@qandrew.bsky.social

After years of telling these stories over drinks & meals, Chapter 1 of my memoirs is now live – a story from my early Bangkok days – part adventure, part nostalgia, part “how on earth did that actually happen?” Hope you enjoy the read. substack.com/@andrewclark...

Sukhumvit Under Siege: A Bar, a Coup, and a Very Bad Idea – Bangkok, 1991

The very first installment of Andrew's Memoirs

substack.com

November 17, 2025 at 12:55 PM

James Clark

@nomadicnotes.bsky.social

"As the rice harvest season comes to an end, farmers in Ninh Binh are no longer burning their leftover straw. Instead, they are using baling machines to collect and sell the once-discarded byproduct, turning it into a valuable source of income."
vietnamnet.vn/en/turning-s...