England: England will do better at the next World Cup
Good Monday morning, kids and any otherx.
Today is the beginning of Week 151 since Thailand and much of the world began locking up their citizens and visitors.
SPORTS SOCCER WORLD CUP
Seriously? AYFKM
England arrive home but will be 'stronger' next time
And the official BBC mouthpiece says so!
Penalty-comic Harry Kane said he is absolutely gutted, where "absolutely" is an absolute word. England will use yet another defeat by France [again] to be "mentally and physically stronger for the next World Cup in 2026 in Mexico, Canada and, um, oh, right, America."
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/63934519
Tonight (0200) Argentina vs. Croatia
Wednesday night (0200) France vs. Morocco
With the final-final on Sunday, 2200
at Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar.
Thailand's largest known wild elephant became annoyed at all those darned cars swishing through Khao Yai National Park. So he did what any huge beast-monster would do.
He took over the highway, in a dare against all motorists.
Just a word of advice. If you see the well-known Plai Nga Thong [the Great Golden Tusker] on or near your roadway, stay out of his way..
He will go back in the jungle once he displays his ownership.
Photos Lak Khao Yai, FB
SPORTS SOCCER WORLD CUP QATAR
They've been hearing it constantly since 1776, you'd think they'd be used to it by now.
 Englander Go Home!
World Cup Final: Sunday, 2200 Thailand time.
CRUTCH does it again
Bred, born and raised on a small island east of Newfoundland, Roger Crutchley unerringly (and weekly) understands and writes about what's really going on in his adopted Thailand.
These are just excerpts from this week's Sunday column, which is always worth reading, currently at
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2457717/
SURPRISED NOT SURPRISED
Thaksin's baby daughter, nickname Ung-ing, is the official Pheu Thai Party candidate for prime minister.
If there is an election. Maybe in May.
The Readers' Polls begin
Opinion: Where Do You Stand on 600 Baht Minimum Wage by 2027?
PHOTO: De facto leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra speaks to the Pheu Thai faithful at a recent meeting.
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2022/12/11/opinion-where-do-you-stand-on-600-baht-minimum-wage-by-2027/
CORONAVIRUS CHINA POLITICS
Gordon Chang, who is arguably the single best-informed expert on China under the Communist Party, has a bleak outlook:
 China faces Covid "nuclear winter"
Perhaps as many as 90% of China’s 1.41 billion people will come down with Covid-19, said Feng Zijian, former deputy chief of China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Feng predicts 60% of the population will be infected in the first wave.
The coronavirus is devastating China, but Xi and fellow Chinese communists currently face simultaneous crises: accelerating debt defaults, collapsing property prices, a contracting economy, worsening food shortages, and a deteriorating environment.
There is already a fast-moving wave ripping through Beijing.
The capital city is not prepared.
"It came too fast, we didn't have time to prepare," said China's version of "medical experts" and so-called trained scientists.
During the winter, the forecast is one million Covid deaths. Or maybe 2.1 million.
 The most dangerous crisis, however, is that of confidence. Right now, the Chinese people are suffering "whiplash" as the regime for two years exaggerated the potency of the disease and now is trying to convince them it is mild.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/12/china-is-facing-a-covid-19-nuclear-winter-the-ccp-cant-stop-it/
Also, China refuses to help to find the origin of Covid.
AIRBRUSH NEWS EXPERTS
The new rule is that all published and broadcast news in the United States must be airbrushed to suit those in power.
 Example
The U.S. national news broadcasting network NBC published and broadcast their story that Putin had offered to Biden to release either Brittney Griner or 'the American spy' Paul Whelan, in a trade for the international arms dealer and 'lord of war' Viktor Bout.
 Then
Biden and his people chose Brittney, for the maximum tearful bathos.
 Then
NBC airbrushed its story, removed all references to Whelan and reported that, no way, Biden only wanted Griner, solid choice, and removed every NBC reference to the original (and apparently) factual story.
 The White House thrilled at the airbrushing.
The U.S. media began immediately to explain that Bout wasn't such a bad guy, really, and he wasn't cruel or ruthless.
 All he wanted to do was to sell a huge stock of weapons to Colombian drug dealers and terrorists, is that such a bad thing?
https://tinyurl.com/2dhw57kx
The U.S. young-adult website Vox.com makes an attempt to analyse Xi's trip to Saudi Arabia.
Vox reckons it was quite a big deal
China's alliance with Saudi Arabia signals a potential shift in the global order
The article is well-structured and -edited.
And there is much more of it at
https://www.vox.com/2022/12/10/23502903/chinas-saudi-arabia-united-states-relations-strain
The release of Viktor Bout, a global weapons merchant, was hailed as a victory in Russia.
Yes, well, because it is.
Bout was arrested at the Novotel Siam Square in Bangkok on March 6, 2008.
He was in Bangkok in reply to a sting by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and was actually arrested and held by the Royal Thai Police, based on his Interpol Red Notice.
For two years, he appealed against Thailand's decision to deport him to the United States. The Russian government and the Russian embassy in Bangkok paid for the excruciating case.
Thailand's three-level legal system, known as The Courts of Justice, was messed up over Bout's case, because of the heavy diplomatic and undercover pressures from the U.S. and Russia. In the end, the then-prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva ruled that Bout had to go to the United States, and he was whisked out of Bangkok and onto a U.S. Department of State airplane within hours.
Thus it is entirely credible when The New York Times crows:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/09/world/europe/viktor-bout-welcome-russia.html
It seems a rotten shame when Americans have to travel a considerable (virtual) distance to read opinion/analysis about events in America, but that's where we are.
This is from the Times of London:
 The secrets of Hunter Biden's laptop spell trouble for Joe. When a trove of emails raised questions about the lucrative business dealings of the Biden family, America's tech, media and intelligence elites stifled the story.
https://althouse.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-secrets-of-hunter-bidens-laptop.html
https://instapundit.com/558318/
This is a substantial article (by Douglas Murray) so go slowly:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-secrets-of-hunter-bidens-laptop-spell-trouble-for-joe-ssn3c59b8
It's 1995 all over again, and the China-controlled so-called World Health Organization can't find anything new to scare people.
Superbugs on the rise: WHO report signals increase in antibiotic resistance.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-12-superbugs-antibiotic-resistance.html
TECHNOLOGY
The CEO of crypto news site The Block has resigned after it was revealed that collapsed Ponzi scheme Alameda Research provided the funds for him to buy out the investors in, well, crypto news site The Block. (Crypto news site The Block)
 Crypto news site The Block swears this did not affect its coverage of collapsed Ponzi scheme Alameda Research in any way, because there wasn't any.
https://www.theblock.co/post/193753/the-block-ceo-resigns-after-failure-to-disclose-loans-from-bankman-frieds-alameda
Meanwhile in Europe
 A key policy maker on cryptocurrencies and one of the vice presidents of the European Parliament (how many do they have?) has been arrested on corruption charges involving Qatar. (Crypto news site The Block) How could this happen?
 The Greek policymaker has been suspended from the Socialists and Democrats parliamentary group as well as the Greek national party PASOK until further notice.
Oh, right.
https://www.theblock.co/post/193821/the-european-parliaments-crypto-ally-arrested-following-corruption-allegations
Here's a 1300W PC power supply in case you need the edge over your crazy neighbour with his 1000W power supply. (AnandTech)
 Not sure exactly what this is for; it's overkill.
https://www.anandtech.com/show/18679/the-msi-meg-ai1300p-pcie5-1300w-psu-review
TECHNOLOGY
Instagram unveils Reels, a TikTok clone. Facebook will soon do the same.
The copycats confirm the almost global belief that the Communist Party of China's cute little data-gathering software is 'the best in the world.
https://news.filehippo.com/2019/11/instagram-unveils-reels-a-tiktok-clone/
And speaking of data gathering...
Every time you vacantly type in your phone number because some website or app asks for it, you're handing over bushels of your personal information.
Credit or blame The New York Times for revealing this revolting truth.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/15/technology/personaltech/i-shared-my-phone-number-i-learned-i-shouldnt-have.html
I think I see the problem here.
