Russia is done for. Now they don't even have Netflix
Good morning all, it's Monday morning March 7 in Thailand, the start of another busy week/
THAILAND ECONOMY TOURISTS
How's that "We're going to stay neutral" working out for you?
One word: Badly
How Russia's invasion of Ukraine could hurt travel's recovery
Thailand was among the most booked destinations. But now? Nah.
STORY, PHOTOS and CHARTS
CLICK chart to enlarge
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/russia-ukraine-hurt-travel-recovery-cmd/index.html
Hotels in Thailand's Phuket and Krabi stop accepting credit cards from Russian tourists
Hotels in Phuket and Krabi have stopped accepting credit cards from Russian tourists, after many of them find themselves unable to pay bills following the exclusion of Russia's major banks from the SWIFT financial global messaging system.
 An executive of a resort on Phi Phi Island in Krabi province said that they now only accept cash from Russian tourists.
 Similar problems are being experienced by hotels in other provinces, including Bangkok.
https://www.thaipbsworld.com/hotels-in-thailands-phuket-and-krabi-stop-accepting-credit-cards-from-russian-tourists/
The graphic below shows the latest situation of flights between Russia and Thailand.
 Since last November 1, 55,294 people have flown into Thailand from Russia. It is not known how many Russian tourists are left here, but it is known tha life is damned unpleasant for them.
 Russians are... were the NUMBER ONE country of origin for Thai tourism.
And everybody knows how competent and trustworthy is the World Health Organization.
 WHO says... WHO warns that Ukraine has low vaccination rate but Covid-19 cases are surging.
 WHO also tsk-tsks attacks on healthcare centres in Ukraine 'are in violation of international humanitarian law'
 WHO provides example of run-on sentence:
"Low rates of testing since the start of the conflict mean there is likely to be significant undetected transmission, coupled with low vaccination coverage, and this increases the risk of large numbers of people developing severe disease."
 Where "disease" means Chinese Covid-10 coronavirus. But WHO dares not speak its name.
PHOTO: The WHO is worried that COVID will spread fast among unvaccinated Ukrainians who are gathering in metro stations to avoid Russian attacks.
STORY and VIDEOS
https://bityl.co/BCnd
True Story
The real-life Dr. Strangelove, in a Beijing conference room:
Gentlemen, we can't talk about peace here!
This is Beijing!
https://bityl.co/BCnV
Text orders by Beijing, President-for-Life Xi Jinping and the Communist Party of China to 8 million Hong Kong citizens and residents:
Do not panic!
This is only a test!
Well, okay, it's mass testing for Covid-19 inside the latest CCP colony.
Corrupt, grifting U.S. Congresspeople bypass Thailand during their Depraved Trips of Rottenness.
They received 8,000 'free trips' donated by groups and companies they gave tax money.
The five most popular destinations by the graft-driven legislators:
 Israel
 Berlin
 Tokyo
 Paris
 Brussels
Belgium? Belgium beat Bangkok in corruption? What is this world coming to?
https://www.based-politics.com/2022/03/05/members-of-congress-received-8000-free-trips-some-from-groups-they-gave-tax-money/
A survey of likely voters in Bangkok came out exactly as expected.
The National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll, says independent party candidate Chadchart Sittipunt is so far ahead it's hardly worth having the election.
The poll was conducted between Feb 28-March 2 by telephone interviews with 1,313 eligible voters aged 18 and over of all levels of education, Â occupations and incomes in Bangkok to sound out who they wanted to be Bangkok governor. The gubernatorial election is expected to be held by the end of June.
He got the votes of 38% of those polled, while the current military-appointed governor came in a weak second.
Chadchart stepped into politics about 10 years ago as minister of transport under Thailand's last elected prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
PHOTO: Chadchart Sittipunt talks to a woman during a campaign trip in Soi Charoen Krung 91 in Bangkok's Bang Kholaem district.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2274663/
As of this morning, it appears that Thailand's ruling junta may "allow" cn election for Bangkok governor in May.
Many of you have demanded IN ALL CAPITALS to present some irony.
You'll love this irony:
 On the day that PayPal resumes full operations in Thailand,
 Paypal Shuts Down Services in Russia Over Ukraine Invasion.https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-paypal-technology-war-putin-shut-1685193
Visa, Mastercard grant Zelensky's request, ban all operations in Russia.
 NOTE: Visa and Mastercard cards account for 74% of payment transactions in Russia.
I am impressed by how much Putin just doesn't give a shit
Commenter, Discord.com
The hot season arrives.
"Summer" is hotter than Hades and also the start of the rainy season in upper Thailand. The rains move south and the year progresses.
Here is how the Meteorological Department puts it:
Outbreaks of summer storms are expected in the Northeast over the next few days, then it will spread to the North, the Central, the East, and the upper South regions.
PHOTO: The yellow part on the map is where people are getting the hardest rain today.
tmd.go.th/en/index.php
Thai medical experts will perform an autopsy today on the remarkable Ozzie cricketer Shane Warne.
He died late last week in his bungalow at a Koh Samui resort.
Unofficially it was a heart attack that got Warne at just 52 years of age - and there is no current suspicion of any foul play.
PHOTO: An ambulance carrying the body of Australian cricket player Shane Warne leaves a ferry port on Koh Samui to mainland Surat Thani town.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/sports/2274679/
CORONAVIRUS THAILAND CHINA
The "medical experts" and their military-political junta bosses are making little headway against the 7th Chinese Covid-19 outbreak.
On Sunday, the disease put yet another 21,881 cases in hospitals.
The death toll rose slight to 59 - the sixth day in a row of increased pandemic deaths.
PHOTO: It's not funny, but a little humour never hurts. A nurse administers a Covid-19 vaccine shot to a boy at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2274659/
As of midnight Sunday, the bad news for the past 805 days in Thailand:
3,026,695 Covid-19 cases since November, 2019
5,416 deaths (59 on Sunday)
3,123,151 recovered and released from hospital
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
Almost certainly correct:
With US distracted by Ukraine, Xi is plotting his own invasion
 While Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine dominated the geopolitics portion of President Biden's State of the Union this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ambitions for a "special military action" against Taiwan.
 Thais say that when elephants fight, the grass gets trampled.
 Chinese, like president-for-life Xi last week, think, It is best to sit on the mountain top and watch the tigers fight."
 Americans, snarky as always, hold that when an argument escalates too far, "Let's you and him fight."
 Whatever the aphorism, Xi is relaxing, watching the Ukrainians try to defend their homeland and hoping like mad that Putin wins the invasion-war.
https://nypost.com/2022/03/05/with-us-distracted-by-ukraine-china-plots-its-own-invasion/
'Peace for Ukraine': Paralympians make peace plea
Russian Paralympics athletes do what Vlad Putin's father forgot - and pull out.
https://rumble.com/vwgapo-peace-for-ukraine-paralympians-make-peace-plea.html
Netflix suspends service in Russia
 The streaming giant announced that it's halting all productions and acquisitions in Russiaใ
 Netflix has been working on four Russian originals. According to Bloomberg, Netflix currently has around 1 million subscribers in Russia.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/6/22964565/netflix-shuts-down-services-russia-ukraine-invasion
More Virtue Signalling
As of Monday morning...
 TikTok has halted all new video uploads and livestreams in Russia
 Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Samsung have also suspended sales to the country.
Canadian government continues its non-stop censorship orders.
All of Netflix's Marvel shows are moving to Disney Plus in Canada
https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/23/22948263/netflix-marvel-disney-plus-canada
In a huge major world-shock surprise, Beijing censored the Opening Day speech of the International Paralympic Commiee so that he didn't say (inside China) "Olympic truce for peace".
PHOTO: Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee, gave an impassioned anti-war speech to open the Games.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220305-paralympic-committee-asks-beijing-why-anti-war-speech-censored
U.S.A. TRUCK CONVOY
American truckers chose Sunday for a 35-minute-long convoy to Washington in order to protest mask mandates, and got plenty oif support.
BREAKING NEWS The number of truckers and supporters arrested in the U.S.A. for seditiion and secession and Mischief remains at zero.
https://wtop.com/local/2022/03/trucker-convoy-plans-to-encircle-dc-beltway-sunday/
VIDEO
America's Paper of Record
 Ukraine Museums Desperately Working To Preserve Priceless Hunter Biden Paintings.
https://ggle.io/4jq2
Monday Joke of the Day
Stalin appears to Putin in a dream.
"Why is everything here so bad?" asks Putin, "what can I do to make Russia great again?"
Stalin replies, "Execute half of your population and paint the Kremlin blue."
"Why blue?" asks the inquisitive Putin.
"Yeah," said Stalin, "I knew you wouldn't object to the first part."[h/t Ace of Spades]
Also courtesy of Ace...
If you discover people arguing on Twitter and claiming they are brilliant. Send this sort post:
1. Do you think you are brilliant?
2. Are you arguing on Twitter?
Then note
If you answer "yes" to Number 1 or Number 2, you are not brilliant.
I've started saying "mucho" to all of my Mexican coworkers.
It means a lot to them.
French poutinerie tells customers it's not linked to Russian president after threats
https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/french-poutinerie-tells-customers-it-s-not-linked-to-russian-president-after-threats-1.5804493?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark
Related, and also true
Quebec diner drops word 'poutine' over dish sharing name with Russian president
https://globalnews.ca/news/8654811/quebec-diner-drops-word-poutine-over-ukraine-war/
Absolutely true story. A place in Washington, D.C., which is the capital city of the U.S.A.
Sure, Let's Punish Cats and Crippled Athletes for Being Russian.
 Yes, the Paralympics are being held in a country that unleashed a deadly plague on the world and is currently committing genocide against the Uighurs. But so what? It just feels good to show that rotten prick Putin what we can do to his disabled athletes. Standing up to those who cannot stand.
https://bityl.co/BCiK
Oh wait, you know what else Russians like? Cats. Let's punish Russian cats!
Get an iron bar and stick it in his wheelchair spokes. What's he going to do, chase you?
Also 100% factual:
 Stolichnaya vodka rebrands as Stoli to distance itself from Russia.
https://nypost.com/2022/03/05/stolichnaya-vodka-rebrands-as-stoli-in-response-to-russia/
For your next Pub Trivia Night
 Stolichnaya is not Russian and the vodka it sells is not a Russian product. The company is based in Luxembourg and the vodka is made in Latvia.
Bonus Question and Answer
 Smirnoff hasn't been Russian since 1917, when the CEO Vladimir legged it to get away from the bloody Boshiviks.
China Outlines Plan to Stabilize Economy in Crucial Year for Xi
Beijing called for heavy government spending as Xi Jinping and the country's other leaders sought to project confidence in the face of global uncertainty.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/world/asia/china-economy-congress.html
TECHNOLOGY
This is totally unacceptable. It's certainly the Russians, who have a stranglehold on the world's best (worst?) criminal hackers.
 Elon Musk says SpaceX focusing on cyber defense after Starlink signals jammed near Ukraine conflict areas.
 But it is also, as U.S. Democratic Party wokest know, an opportunity. Elon would/could be one of the world's greatest leaders of an anti-jammer movement.
https://www.space.com/elon-musk-spacex-starlink-cyber-defense-ukraine-invasion
Is there anyone, anywhere, who disagrees?
I've Dealt With Foreign Cyberattacks. America Isn't Ready for What's Coming.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/opinion/ive-dealt-with-foreign-cyberattacks-america-isnt-ready-for-whats-coming.html
A lot of people like the Financial Times (FT) coverage of many matters.
 For now at least, the @FT's rolling coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine is free to read, here:
https://www.ft.com/content/77ab8dcf-cb02-4e57-aff0-85c8a84f5a1f
An interesting and impactful thought on Xi's thinking:
Xi unlikely to ditch his 'best friend' Putin despite Ukraine pressure
China changes tone on peace talks but remains reluctant to abandon 'no-limits' alliance with Russia
https://www.ft.com/content/be540dde-c3d1-4050-bce8-64b5de7514fa
The jibber-jabber never ends and the "decisions" are as important asd a Prayut speech.
The painful birth of EU's latest sanctions
Countries negotiated for two days over which banks to delist from Swift and on curbing Russian media outlets
yadda-yadda and so on and so forth...
https://www.ft.com/content/ec871b0d-9ef0-487c-9818-27210e1da84b
Fauci - check
Debbie Brix - check
Bil... wait! You know who else is missing from the media's non-stop efforts to assure us that we're exceptionally stupid, but they've got us covered?
Bill Gates, the world's top Number One expert on virology who knows NOTHING about virology, real or virtual.
How come he's missing?
