Know your place! Take off that bikini!
Hello boys and girls and the rest of you.
For your information, it's no longer Friday. Saturday, July 30, has dawned and we hope you have a good weekend.
Know your place!
The Royal Thai Navy controls four small-ish, fabulously beautiful white-sand island beaches just off Chon Buri province in the Gulf of Thailand.
On Monday the 'No Bikinis' signs (English only) went up on Samae San Ialand, off Sattahip district, site of the navy's main base.
Yesterday, Vice Admiral Pokkrong Monthatpalin explained that some foreign guests are not 'in accordance with Thai culture and tradition'.
But to make it clearer, he has ordered large billboards that will explain "the navy's endorsement of conservative seaside fashion". He actually said that. Also: no overnight stays, no alcohol, no noisy groups. He said that as well.
The island also caps the number of visitors at 500 daily.
Large billboards on beautiful island beaches - That's what we need more of!
https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40018308
https://www.todayonline.com/world/thai-navy-asks-women-not-wear-bikinis-its-beaches-1956846
SIDEBAR: Part of the weirdness: The model for the bikini top has no cleavage. The model for the bottom has no navel.
The first news of the signs was on the Facebook page of Quotidien de Thailande.
The Vice Admiral, caught in the act, claims it's not actually a real ban. But in reality, if you wear a bikini, expect navy personnel to follow, stalk and try hard to ridicule you.
According to the Tourism Thailand website, Koh Samae San is one of the nine islands in the Plant Genetic Conservation Project —part of a Royal Initiative by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn — the objectives of which include promoting the island as a place for learning and conservative travelling.
Thailand's political protests are probably not going to stop.
The Rona won't leave Thailand alone. In the 24 hours of Friday, ending last night at midnight:
• 2,480 new cases in hospital
• 37 deaths
• 24,550 active cases
• 901 serious cases
• 24,550 recovered
CORONAVIRUS THAILAND VACCINE
The Bang Sue Grand was erected as a massive train and Skytrain station, but Rona changed it into an inoculation centre. And Rumour Centre.
The latest internet nonsense was a post claiming that the Moderna vaccine being used was out of date, by a month.
But it's not. It's not out-of-date until September. Details will be provided. In the meantime, come into Bang Sue Grand Station and Get Shot.
otoh the story shows that the internet is equally happy to spread news or fake-news.
https://www.thaipbsworld.com/free-covid-booster-shot-on-offer-for-all-at-bang-sue-vaccination-centre/
The 'experts' are gathering in Bangkok
"Thailand is not going to be like Sri Lanka for sure," 2014 coup leader and incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said in the parliament during the no-confidence debate.
But the heavy household debt of 14.65 trillion Baht, coupled with the outflow of funds as Thailand continues to keep its policy rates low to continue to help the economy recover, has prompted a gradual outflow of funds.
That is U.S.$402 million; 515 million loonies.
https://www.thaienquirer.com/42119/thailand-is-far-from-reaching-the-stage-of-sri-lanka-but-country-cannot-be-complacent-warn-economists/
Jack Ma: 'All right, all right I surrender'
The best-known Chinese billionaire by Thailand emerged silently from a two-year mystery disappearance, and took for for Europe.
Jack has agreed to 'step back from my business empire'. But the details are sketchy.
In 2020, Jack criticised China's leaders and the Chinese Communist Party, and that's when he disappeared. Or was disappeared.
Ma has had to make significant concessions to get out of the government dog house. After regulators torpedoed Ant's hotly anticipated initial public offering in 2020, the company overhauled operations to comply with tighter controls and have discussed regularly with the country's central bank how to "rectify" operations.
Bottom line: Jack Ma surrenders his fintech giant Ant Group to the Chinese Communist Party.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/billionaire-jack-ma-plans-cede-control-chinas-ant-group-report-2842001
So now China is threatening to assassinate Nancy Pelosi.
 The Chinese believe that Biden is on his back foot and stumbling, and intend to take full advantage.
That's not funny. Repeat, this tweet is Chinese state media.
NOTE: Pelosi's office and Taiwan's foreign ministry both said this morning that her trip to Taiwan is 'tentative'.
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4610277
QUESTION ASKED: What was it when Chinese government "security agents" invaded Pattaya and kidnapped Swedish citizen Gui Minhai? Not an invasion, right?
ASEAN MYANMAR
The foreign minister of Singapore said Friday that the lynching of four men by the Myanmar dictators was 'a grave setback'.
Vivian Balakrishnan said neither Singapore nor ASEAN would forget it.
 "We reiterate our call for the release of all political detainees, including president Win Myint and state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi."
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/myanmar-executions-grave-setback-asean-efforts-facilitate-peace-vivian-balakrishnan-1953761
ALSO
U.S. Secretary of State Don Tony Blinken will attend Asean talks in Cambodia next week.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2357257/
SPORTS
The Premier League's annual Community Shield means we're just a week away from regular League plan.
https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/harvey-elliott-plenty-positives-take-community-shield
MONKEYPOX THAILAND
Junta chief Prayut takes control of the Monkeypox Narrative.
And that narrative states:
Panic is forbidden. There is no new pandemic. But Thai authorities are alertly tracking a European guy who might have infected a Thai man in Phuket.
As always, Phuket sent out is official spokespersonlady to do his work. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchansa said:
The prime minister has asked people not to panic while also warning them to avoid high-risk behaviour, to ensure safety in the capital following the report.
Is that clear?
Also, she said:
Monkeypox is not highly transmissible unless there is direct contact with bodily fluids or lesions, or prolonged contact with an infected person.
Generally, most patients recover by themselves at home within two to four weeks.
And also, as part of the 'let's ratchet up that panic'...
Doctor Yong Poovorawan, chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, expressed concern that animals may become carriers and pose a risk to humans they come into close contact with.
[Like the genteel Ms Thanakorn, he refused to say what is "close contact".]
Dr Yong said the number of patients has been increasing since the onset of the outbreak in Africa. Currently, there are more than 17,000 cases across 75 countries - mostly in the US and Europe.
The time for America to panic has arrived.
San Francisco Declares State of Emergency over Monkeypox Outbreak.
https://www.nationalreview.com/news/san-francisco-declares-state-of-emergency-over-monkeypox-outbreak/
Hard to argue
Team Biden's refusal to admit we're in a recession is just another reason Americans don't trust our institutions.
https://nypost.com/2022/07/28/team-biden-denies-were-in-a-recession-americans-dont-trust-government/
Old Thailand hand Richard Barrow gets it right yet again.
I squean, you squean, we all squean for ice queens.
Set your time machine for 1918, and you can chat up these workers.
RIP
Tony Dow, 77, who played Wally Cleaver for 234 episodes of Leave It To Beaver (1957 to 1963), died of 'agressive cancer'.
https://americanupdate.com/uncategorized/leave-it-to-beaver-star-dead-at-77-rs-mf/
U.S. Headline du Jour
Republican Party politicians Bash Duchess of Sussex For Inserting Herself Into American Politics
https://americanupdate.com/celebrity-news/republicans-bash-meghan-markle-for-inserting-herself-into-american-politics-rs-mf/
U.S. Offers to Exchange Russian Arms Dealer for WNBA Star and Former Marine.
aka Viktor Bout: Episode duzentos e cinquenta e três
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
Well, take for example the elaborate U.S.-Thai sting that arrested Bout on March 6, 2008, at the Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square. You need fabulous luck for such an operation.
And now CNN claims openly that this "offer by Biden" is not at all an offer by Biden or by the White House or the U.S. State Department. It is U.S. foreign policy by a couple of worried, American families.
CNN: The families of the disgraceful thief and ex-Marine Whelan, who has been held by Russia for alleged espionage since 2018, and dopey WNBA star Griner, jailed in Moscow for drug possession since February of 2022, have urged the White House to secure their release, including via a prisoner exchange if necessary.
https://bityl.co/DWm6
 "If the swap is successful, wouldn't this set a very bad precedent? Yes, it would, but the political benefits to Biden outweigh any danger to Americans traveling abroad. Biden's agreement to exchange a terrorist for a basketball star and security consultant puts a bullseye on the back of Americans overseas — not just in Russia but everywhere that a thug thinks he can grab an American and exchange him or her for someone in our jails. Future hostages have Joe Biden to thank for their ordeal."
The U.S. State Department, hard at work trying to suss out the evil Russians who elected Trump.
Right brain or left brain? This test will tell you.
Personally, I'm a lizard-brained person. But how do they teach a horse to do that?
Possible Movie of the Weekend?
Yanqui Go Home!
'You're A F*cking Plague': Mexico City Residents Want Americans To Leave
 This is a short Daily Caller story that links to a longer LA Times article, but the Times article is paywalled and I don't feel like spending the effort to get around the paywall, and I'm sure as hell not going to subscribe.
 The gist of it is that tens of thousands of Americans who can now work remotely are flooding Mexico City where their salaries allow them to live in a very grandiose style.
https://dailycaller.com/2022/07/27/mexico-city-locals-angry-americans-tourism/
'It Ends With China Having All Your Data'
Yes it does.
 Joe Rogan reads TikTok's Terms Of Service
https://dailycaller.com/2022/07/27/joe-rogan-tiktok-terms-service-china-social-currency/
SPACE CHINA
Be sure to carry your umbrella everywhere. And buy a helmet.
Chinese rocket stage to hit Earth in uncontrolled descent
The falling Chinese space debris is 53.6 metr2es high and, due to the uncontrolled nature of its descent, there is 'a non-zero probability' of the surviving debris landing in a populated area.
https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2022/07/27/rocket-stage-falling-to-earth-in-unctrolled-descent-long-march-5B/5511658935981/
But stop being such a nancy about it!
Don't panic! Yes, the Chinese space junk will crash before Monday. The chance that you will win the space junk lottery are incredibly slim.
https://www.space.com/chinese-rocket-space-debris-fall-no-panic
Also SPACE
Russia Says It Will Leave the International Space Station in 2024.
 The new head of Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, says that Russia will stop participating in ISS missions when its commitment to the program ends in 2024.
 "The decision to leave the station after 2024 has been made," said Yuri Borisov, who was appointed this month to run Roscosmos.
 Early this month, Borisov replaced Dmitry Rogozin, a belligerent anti-American Russian nationalist who once threatened to crash the ISS on a populated area.
PHOTO: The ISS has orbited Earth since 1998.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62308069
But here's the deal: Russia wants to build its own space station, as early as 2028. Kind of like China.
https://www.space.com/russian-space-station-ross-2028-timeline
What is the single biggest advantage to having your own space station?
You don't need bilingual signs on the washroom doors.
Immediately related
U.S. Congress approves International Space Station extension to 2030.
https://www.space.com/congress-approves-iss-extension-2030-chips-act
TECHNOLOGY
palus delenda est
