Another week, another.... few baht
Another week, another.... 10 baht.
It'a Friday, March 18, and the weatherman is advising that everyone carry a brolly all weekend.
Cambodia needs tourists.
Like... really badly.
Hun Sen's nation has dropped all the previous requirements for anti-pox shots and recent negative tests.
But there will be no Thais allowed. At least, not yet.
The main land-border crossing near Aranyaprathet won't be open for a while.
Even though it's the main gateway to legal gambling, in Cambodian casinos.
Cambodia reported 140 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday. The country has suffered 3,049 deaths from the virus.
"Now it's the stage to open the economy by learning how to live with Covid."
Hun Sen
What a statesman!
No surprise. Thailand set to copy Cambodia.
Thailand is considering whether to scrap a mandatory pre-arrival Covid-free certificate for vaccinated tourists to support an economic recovery facing headwinds from the pandemic.
And few Rooskies because Tovarich Putin had invaded Ukraine.
Thailand's ruling junta preparing a long-ish list of thing you cannot do while enjoying their celebrations of Songkran (April 2-17)
One of the most interesting items:
Water fights, a major feature of Songkran celebrations, spreads Covid-19 infections.
The Public Health Ministry, run by the richest government official in all of Thai history, has recommended a total ban on splashing water.
Anyhow, on Friday, the junta's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will meet under the gavel of alleged 'prime ministe' Prayut and try to sort it out.
Here is the sort of extremes you can expect:
Merit-making, and the rod nam dam hua ceremony (pouring water on respected and aged relatives' hands) — will only be allowed to take place in special areas under strict disease-control measures.
Yes it's stupid, but not as dumb as possible answers to the question: "How would you enforce that? At gunpoint?"
Dr. Somsak Akkasilp, director-general of the Medical Services Department, urged people who planned to return to their hometowns - but carry a one-metre measuring stick to self-enforce 'social distancing'.
Does it get weirder?
Tune in again tomorrow for another update of Songkran rules.
Deltacron mutation: Who cared?
Anutin Charnvirakul, the medically untrained richest 'government minister' in Thai history, warned the nation on Thursday to stop panicking.
Public health agencies across Thailand are totally prepared to fight Deltacron - vaccines, washing hands, wearing masks and so on should work.
It it worth noting that Anutin has overseen every of the 3,276,098 Covid-19 cases and the 23,998 deaths it has caused.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2280902/
The War of Words continues. Which is much better than the War of Worlds.
If you're not busy late this morning...
More details at
The China-owned World Health Orgfaniztion has earned a horrible reputation during the Chinese Covid-19 years of terror.
Now, WHO wants everyone to believe that the rising numbers of Covid cases and deaths are 'the tip of the iceberg'.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (photo below), former major-general of a Maoist rebellion in Ethiopia, says this:
"These increases are occurring despite reductions in testing in some countries, which means the cases we're seeing are just the tip of the iceberg."
https://bityl.co/BMSI
The bad news is everywhere...
New infections jumped by 8 per cent globally compared to the previous week, with 11 million new cases and just over 43,000 new deaths reported from Mar 7-13. It is the first rise since the end of January.
The biggest jump was in the WHO's Western Pacific region, which includes South Korea and China, where cases rose by 25 per cent and deaths by 27 per cent.
Okay, I admit it. I did not realize there was a U.S. response to the Chinese Covid-19 pandemic.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/key-senators-push-9-11-style-commission-investigate-covid-u-n1288640
And it was another bad day for Thailand, where lack of leadership and mostly useless "medical experts" compounded the pain.
On Thursday...
25,456 confirmed new cases, plus 21,244 probable cases
39 new cases carried in from abroad, and 54 inside prisons.
The death toll increased again, from 70 on Wednesday, to 77.
Thailand totals as of Thursday evening:
65,207 in hospitals, an increase of 1,827 from a week ago.
1,402 are in ICU
504 on ventilators
SCOOP EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS
April 2 is two weeks from tomorrow... So, factually, the wait is still on.
Anyhow, as of 2 weeks from tomorrow, you can buy one (1) ticket to the Man U-Liverpool exhibition match on July 12 at Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok for just 25,000 baht.
Yes, there are cheaper prices for the pox-impoverished - but the cheapest seat in the stadium is 5,000 baht in real money - 190 loonies or $U.S.150.
www.thaiticketmajor.com
https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40013492
Thai (and most other) stock exchanges boom on the Fed's uptick decision
The U.S. Federal Reserve raised the base interest rate by 0.25% on Thurday. And promised another half a dozen of "positive" decisions to come.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2281006/
PHOTO: Pedestrians walk past an electronic share price board in Tokyo, showing the closing numbers on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
After-dark entertainment laws may be eased
The junta-operated Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will meet on Friday.
Dictator/'prime minister' will chair the meeting.
Topic One:
Should we ease the after-dark lockdown on restaurants, bars, massage parlours, night clubs and so on?
PHOTO: The once busy and backpacker-packed Khao San Road in central Bangkok has just about zero tourists.
Shift Shock
You've never heard of it. But now you're going to hear that phrase, a lot.
BLOWBACK FROM THE GREAT RESIGNATION:
Survey shows a majority of job quitters regret their exit: Nearly 3 in 4 say their next job didn't live up to expectations, and almost half indicate they'll try to get their old jobs back.
... Nearly a third (29%) of the acknowledged Shift Shock victims said their disappointment extended both to the new position and the company they joined. Roughly 2 of 5 (41%) indicated they’d give the new gigs two to six months before doing something about the job.
Nearly half (48%) said they'd try to get their old jobs back.
https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/workforce/survey-shows-majority-job-quitters-regret-their-exit
If it's not in The New York Times, it didn't happen, right?
Ukraine meme brigade is on the case
Kyiv has picked up the Biden-Trudeau "war criminal" slogan.
Ukraine accused Russia of bombing a theatre sheltering more than 1,000 civilians in the city of Mariupol, after US President Joe Biden branded Vladimir Putin a "war criminal".
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2280666/
The Ukrainian theatre was sheltering 'more than one thousand' civilians bombed. And then the bombing began.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/ukraine-invasion-shells-hit-mariupol-theatre-sheltering-civilians-russia-2569532
How is that invasion going for ya, tovarich?
Background
In 36 days of fighting on Iwo Jima in 1945, the Japs killed 7,000 U.S. Marines.
In 20 days of Vladdie's invasion of Ukraine, he has lost more Russian soldiers than that.
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2022/03/in-36-days-of-fighting-on-iwo-jima.html
The Corbynization of the U.S.A. Democratic Party continues apace
Biden Blames the Jews for His Ukraine Policy
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/new-iran-agreement-would-let-russia-cash-in-on-10-billion-contract-to-build-nuclear-sites/
Speaking of Ukraine, Israel, Russia, and Iran:
New Iran Agreement Would Let Russia Cash in on $10 Billion Contract To Build Nuclear Sites. Biden admin will waive sanctions so Russia can build contested nuclear plant.
What, you want Biden to help the Iranians? No way, man.
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/new-iran-agreement-would-let-russia-cash-in-on-10-billion-contract-to-build-nuclear-sites/
TECHNOLOGY
Nvidia has quietly cut the cost of its GPU chips to graphics card makers by 8-12%. (WCCFTech)
Does this mean the price of graphics cards is finally coming down? Apparently, yes.
https://wccftech.com/exclusive-nvidia-quietly-informs-aics-of-a-8-12-drop-in-cost-for-its-gpus/
Not hacked. Deliberate.
Okay, Russia and Belarus suck, but so does Node.js. Don't use it.
Recent versions of the node-ipc module had a 25% chance of deleting all your files if it thought you were located in Russia or Belarus. (Reddit)
https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/tfz2ma/nvd_cve202223812_a_98_critical_vulnerability/
Does the Australian government know about [insert very very long list of incredibly NSFW websites here]. (ZDNet)
Google could ask for your licence or passport on YouTube and Google Play in Australia. Within a month, users will have to provide proof-of-age if they want to access or download mature content from YouTube and Google Play.
[To be truthful, Oz has been a world leader in censorship for more than a decade.]
[And now it has a law called 'Online Safety (Restricted Access Systems) Declaration 2022'. Go ahead, look it up.]
To be fair, America has hundreds of verified adults fully trained to teach your children the techniques of masturbation. "Hands on".
https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-could-ask-for-your-licence-or-passport-on-youtube-and-google-play-in-australia/
But thank goodness,
Satire lives on...
Russia's desperate bid to replace Mcdonald's exposed
New chain's logo 'suspiciously familiar'
The article is well done. The art and accompanying Eddie Murphy video are hilarious. (Unles you heart Uncle Vlad and the FSB.)
Background
ITV reported that the Kremlin was now drafting a bill that would allow it to seize the assets of multinational companies that withdraw from Russia.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1581864/russia-news-desperate-bid-replace-mcdonalds-uncle-vanya
True story. The president of the United States actually said this.
But how does he know. Is there an informer inside my house?
