Thailand begins search to enter OECD
6 Ramadan Nong Bon Thailand Fajr 0512 Sunrise 0622 Maghrib/Iftar 1827
Thai prime minister kicked off a campaign to become a full member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Photo shows Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery in Berlin.
Srettha asked specifically for Germany's help in the campaign for OECD membership.
Scholz said Germany attaches importance to strengthening ties, particularly in areas of economic cooperation with countries in Southeast Asia -- which is still a major step from helping Thailand.
Srettha's spokesman Chai Wacharonke claimed to reporters thatGermany is also ready to consider supporting Thailand's bid to join the OECD, key word "consider" -- as in "maybe".
Scholz and the Thai PM officially agreed to elevate ties between the two countries to a strategic partnership -- details to be released in due course.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2758821/
Naturally, naysayers tried to snare Srettha by labeling his two-week foreign trips as expensive and useless.
CANNES: Srettha begged to differ.
 My trip was about connecting Thailand to the world and the world to Thailand.
Excellent summary of the past two weeks:
Khao Sod (Fresh News) https://shorturl.at/almAD
Then it was back to Thailand and straight into more business, with Gina Raimondo, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
Ms Gina Raimondo arrived in Bangkok on Thursday, leader of a U.S. government delegation of the U.S. president’s Export Council -- chairman Mark Ein (centre-right in photo) included. Their jobb is to discuss trade and investment policies and opportunities with both the Thai government and the private sector.
Srettha, who is both prime minister minister of finance, told them his aim is to promote America as the leading investor in Thailand’s target industries, including clean energy, semiconductors, data centres -- and electric vehicles, of which Thailand produces none. Japan used to be the top investor in Thailand, but no more.
https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/economy/40036400
Srettha urged the Americans to boost investment in Thailand's microchip and semiconductor industry.
At their meeting at Government House, Bangkok, the prime minister and Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told Ms Gina and her fellow travellers that Thailand is ready to cooperate with the US Department of Commerce and PEC in promoting economic, trade and investment relations.
https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40036383
Raimondo promised to increase U.S. investment in Thailand for the manufacture of semiconductors to cope with the growing global demand.
Just how she will keep that promise is unknown.
https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/economy/40036396
TECHNOLOGY
Let's ban TikTok! (Tech Crunch)
[Thinking of the result of 170 million delusional TikTok users infesting every other social network.]
Let's ban TikTok users from the rest of the world!
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/13/creators-are-frustrated-but-energized-as-tiktok-ban-gains-momentum/
If an 8 core 5.1GHz laptop CPU just doesn't do it for you anymore maybe the Cerebras WSE-3 is more your speed. (Tom's Hardware)
900,000 cores. Yes, on one chip. Yes, it's a very big chip.
https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/cerebras-launches-900000-core-125-petaflops-wafer-scale-processor-for-ai-theoretically-equivalent-to-about-62-nvidia-h100-gpus
Epic Games is back in court seeking a contempt order against Apple for violating its existing injunction. (Reuters)
Godspeed. You're also assholes, but to a lesser degree.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/epic-games-accuses-apple-violating-app-store-injunction-2024-03-13/
The M3 MacBook Air received a 5 out of 10 for repairability. (WCCFTech)
5 points for not glueing the battery in place.
https://wccftech.com/m3-macbook-air-teardown/
The NEW SPACE RACE: Russia and China announce plan to build shared nuclear reactor on the moon by 2035, 'without humans.'
https://www.space.com/russia-china-shared-nuclear-reactor-2035-moon
USA AIRCRAFT BOEING
Ever-so conveniently... https://shorturl.at/iBCV9
 Boeing "overwrote" camera footage of work on MAX jet door that blew out, and now can not identify the employee who worked on it.
 Boeing has no records of the work being performed.
WOEING: Dish soap, hotel key cards, and confusion: Boeing FAA audit unearths dozens of issues.
TOTALLY UNEXPECTEDLY, right? This is what Gates and Tedros and Associates insisted that we must prepare for, and they're completely unprepared, just like the congenitally unprepared U.S. CDC.
 Major Measles Outbreak reported in U.S. as migrant shelters become infectious disease breeding grounds.
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/major-measles-outbreak-reported-us-migrant-shelters-become-infectious-disease-breeding
SPACE RACE
Some parts of the USA still work https://t.ly/hJwC2
 SpaceX Nails It on Starship Testflight. According to one of SpaceX's anchors, there are already four more Super Heavy first-stage rockets ready or nearly ready to go.
USA NORTH_AMERICA ECONOMY
A $22 Burrito? Yes, a $22 burrito. https://t.ly/UuziB
Owner of San Francisco Mex grub joint La Vaca Birria in San Francisco raises the cost of his Signature Burrito, as he calls it -- from US$11 ro US$22 -- which is 790 baht in real money.
But he deftly explains that he's not trying to make money; no, not at all, and the U.S. media covers him with a shield that Patriot missiles couldn't penetrate.
TECHNOLOGY
Global communications are under attack. Terrorists can cut cables but they can’t knock out satellites. (Spacenews)
What are the alternatives to undersea cabling? Elon Musk's Starlink, which now provides coverage to more than 70 countries, including Ukraine (and, according to reports, Russia).
https://spacenews.com/global-communications-under-attack-optical-satellite-networks-bolster/
Who knew? Thailand has a Population Crisis. [https://t.ly/lp6RV]
At a press conference, Varawut Silpa-archa (photo), Minister of Social Development and Human Security (MDDHS) claimed that a recent, closed forum has produced solutions.
The ministry broke this 'crisis' into five parts, identified in a White Paper entitled Developing Thai Family Security to Strengthen Human Security. He'll seek cabinet approval next month.
Specifically, Varavut and others define the crisis as the shrinking Thai population.
USA POLITICS
'White House Lies' is the newest version of 'Dog Bites Man' https://t.ly/z8R2U
White House Lies about using digitally-altered photos of U.S. President Joseph Biden. The point being, Why?
From The Archives https://archive.is/Acnze
Jonathan Haidt
 The Terrible Costs of a Phone-Based Childhood
 For a little over a decade, we have been raising children in an environment that is hostile to human development. We need to change that now.
 The problem was not limited to the U.S.: Similar patterns emerged around the same time in Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, the Nordic countries, and beyond.
FLASHBACK, Still Valid: https://shorturl.at/lquUV
 We must make public health authorities accountable for their Covid lies.
JRB: Israel's TikTok problem https://t.ly/o-5_P
GLOBAL WARMING
Well, that escalated fast!
 Have we reached Peak EV? It definitely looks like.
 Srettha Thavisin, Call Your (Government House) Office. Your prediction that Thailand will be "the EV Hub" in eastern Asia is not looking good.
 There'll be zero growth in sales volumes for the electric-vehicle maker this year, Wells Fargo's Bank's Colin Langan has just predicted. And in 2025, it'll be worse. How worse? Volumes will drop.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-growth-company-no-growth-130559327.html
otoh... demand for hybrids is still strong. So they say. https://shorturl.at/efux4
AMERICA HAITI MURDERS HILLARY
The violence in Haiti, which the Clinton Foundation failed so spectacularly, is back in the news, with gangs in control of most of Port-au-Prince.
The funny part is that Haitian cities are safer than Chicago or Washington -- safer than dozens of U.S. cities.
NETFLIX' NEWEST
Hardly original but a decidedly Thai taste -- lots of laughs and giggles.
The world is running out of men, and the women have to compete to find even a half-decent partner.
Filed under Laughter Is the Best Medicine.
