Thailand under bumbershoot alert
Good morning all, it's a pleasant Thursday, but it's the rainy season, so take your brolly.
Thailand under bumbershoot alert
Summer is over, the rains begin
More rain expected today - and on most days from now through October, maybe November.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2311890/
THAILAND JUSTICE CORRUPTION
The prosecutor who dismissed all charges against the phenomenally rich young playboy who killed a cop 10 years ago was finally fired on Wednesday.
Nate Naksuk, was the deputy attorney general who dropped charges against international fugitive Vorayuth Yoovidhya in the high-profile hit-and-run killing of a Bangkok policeman.
There are no public signs (yet) that Nate's personal bank accounts swelled after that decision.
Vorayuth, nickname "Boss" drove his Ferrari into the back of the motorcycle of the policeman, who died on the spot. Vorayuth was likely under the influence of drugs.
The Yoovidhya family invented and exploited the Red Bull (Krating Daeng) energy drink, and have more money than anyone can count. The family is the third richest in Thailand, and "Boss" has lived like a jet-setting playboy since his car killed the cop.
PHOTO 1: Police inspect the killer car on the day of the accident, 10 years ago.
PHOTO 2: Despite the Interpol warrant, "Boss" enjoys days out at the Formula 1 race with his Mommy, sister (right) and brother (left)
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2312014/
Suicide by nosedive
Someone in the cockpit...
Who could that possibly be?
And what lengths will China, Chinese media, President4Life Xi Jinping, friendly western media and the Chinese Communist Party go to deny this?
It is eerily odious, the lengths that airlines and governments push back on obvious facts and details.
The China Eastern plane crash in March may have been intentional. Black box data suggests someone in the cockpit put the Boeing 737-800 into a nosedive.
PHOTO: Would-be rescuers stand in a silent tribute for victims at the site of the China Eastern Airlines plane crash in China's Guangxi region, on March 27.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/china-eastern-black-box-points-to-intentional-nosedive-11652805097
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-17/boeing-rises-on-report-that-china-plane-crash-looks-intentional
Fair enough. Now do his empty-suited speech to ASEAN.
Why Joe Biden's Buffalo Speech Was So Disappointing.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/05/why-joe-bidens-buffalo-speech-was-so-disappointing/
U.S. warns over risk of hiring North Korea IT workers
There are thousands of North Korean hackers in Asia, most of them posing as a different nationality
IT workers from North Korea are trying to get remote working jobs by hiding their true identities for the purpose of stealing money for Pyongyang.
Many of them pretend to be from other parts of Asia, according to three US government agencies.
They are allegedly helping to fund North Korea's weapons programmes, in violation of international sanctions.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61474771
ZOMG! I guess the forward-looking Mister Chinh's Leninist idea of a 'national minority' would have appointed leaders who can be 'managed'. Hardly a new idea, but you can't really get more Stalinist.
Recognize Vietnamese in the US as ethnic minority group: PM
Here's the full (up to now) story from the government-controlled VNExpress newspaper.
PHOTO: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) speaks at a meeting with the Vietnamese community on the East Coast of the U.S. earlier this month.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said he would request that the Vietnamese be considered an ethnic minority community in the U.S.
Meeting with 70 ethnic Vietnamese representing the community in the U.S.'s East Coast, he thanked them for their contributions to Vietnam, saying it helped strengthen Vietnam-U.S. relations.
He asserted that the diaspora was an "inseparable part" of the Vietnamese community and the government sought to foster unity among them with various measures including laying legal foundations.
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/recognize-vietnamese-in-the-us-as-ethnic-minority-group-pm-4463782.html
TRIVIA (according to the Socialist Republic Vietnam)
There are around 5.3 million Vietnamese living abroad.
The largest portion, about 2.2 million people, live in the U.S.
Flippin' and Floppin' with Thailand's ruling junta
Oh wait! We've changed our minds.
Thailand's junta loyalist said on Wednesday that, uh, no, he has decided not to try to redefine the coronavirus scare as "endemic" after all.
Satit Pitutecha, deputy minister of public health, said that the ministry had not yet introduced the proposal to the Cabinet, even though the Covid-19 situation in the country was looking better every day - in infections and fatalities.
Full Story:
https://thepattayanews.com/2022/05/17/thai-ministry-of-public-health-wont-propose-redefining-covid-19-as-endemic-to-the-thai-cabinet-until-covid-19-center-gives-final-ok/
Class struggle
The resumption of on-site learning for the first time in almost two years has seen the joyful yet cautious reunion of students and teachers.
Nothing beats a face-to-face encounter, a welcome break from almost two years glued to computer screens for online classes. The pandemic confined students to their homes and limited their interactions with school friends to FaceTime and phone calls.
"I'm overjoyed to meet my friends again. It's been more than a year of separation," said Natthawara Boontae, a sixth-grader at Wat Ratchanatda School run by City Hall. "Still, hugging each other is a no-no," she said.
Students performed a wai as they arrived for the first day of term at Wat Rajabopit School. Strict measures were enforced including the constant wearing of face masks and random ATK testing of students.
CORONAVIRUS THAILAND
Thailand's junta dictates the narrative for all coronavirus stories of the week:
The number of new infections and deaths are slowly falling, which is why we must maintain all rules and lockdowns.
The graphic shows the numbers for one day, Wednesday, May 18.
https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40015654
Joe Biden promised that if elected president, he would get COVID-19 under control.
But he hasn't and the U.S.A. death toll is now:
1,027,285
and climbing - 305 yesterday, 387 on Sunday, etc, etc.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
WATCH: 'I will end this,' Biden says of pandemic
YouTube:
Thailand prepares record budget, spending
NOTE: This is a draft proposal
It's the highest budget ever presented in Thailand. To be legal, it must pass parliament.
The Thai fiscal year begins on October 1.
The junta government approved a draft budget bill for the 2023 fiscal year worth 3.1 trillion baht and gave the green light for the formation of a 64-member parliamentary committee to vet it.
According to a Government House source, the draft budget bill is scheduled to go to parliament for its first reading May 31 to June 2.
The bill will require two more readings, probably in August of the junta lasts that long, before being sent for Senate and royal approval.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2311478/
U.S.A. president on his way, but...
President Joe Biden will launch a long-awaited economic initiative for increasing US involvement in Asia.
Places to visit:
Seoul
Tokyo
That's enough.
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/18/1099680608/biden-will-visit-south-korea-and-japan-to-reinforce-alliances-in-the-region
Indonesia bans palm oil exports
The world's top palm oil producer announced plans to ban exports of the most widely used vegetable oil - a shock move that could further inflame surging global food inflation
VIDEO¨https://www.bangkokpost.com/vdo/business/2299504/
Speaking of inflation, supply chains, etc
2 children hospitalized in Memphis because their specialty formula is out of stock
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/18/health/memphis-children-hospitalized-formula-shortage/index.html
Doctor who fought pro-communist China gunman in California shooting remembered as epitome of kindness
https://www.inquirer.com/wires/ap/ap-top-news-337-pm-edt-20220518.html
The Russians have Mariupol. What will they do with it?
Rumoured Step One: All Ukrainian defenders will be charged with terrorism
Ukraine ceded control of Mariupol to Russia. Ukrainian soldiers were ordered to abandon the steel plant that had served as the site of a months-long siege.
Latest from The Guardian, CNN
Hundreds more Ukrainians surrender at Mariupol steel plant, Russia claims
US reopens embassy in Kyiv
Ukrainians 'take over' Koh Samui resort island
At least there is no war there
SURAT THANI: Seventy Ukrainians, mostly women and children, who fled from their war-torn homeland have found peace and safety since arriving on Koh Samui.
Supachai Pongchabapnapa, owner of The Kala Samui Hotel in tambon Maret, said he opened all of the hotel's 38 rooms to the Ukrainians, who had gradually arrived on the island since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24.
PHOTO (below): One of the Samui hotels organised a Songkran fiesta for its Ukrainian guests last month.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2311910/
McDonald's is leaving Russia, after more than 30 years
McDonald's is closing its Moscow outlet to show how angry they are about the Ukraine invasion.
Russians rushed and swamped the outlet for just one last bite.
ANALYSIS
McDonald's expects its Russia shutdown will cost the business $50 million a month, but that's just 3% of the fast-food chain's operating income. The impact on Russia itself will be much bigger.
As companies flee the country, their employees will be set adrift in an economy where inflation is at a 20-year-high, and where diverse, flourishing jobs were hard to find even before the Ukraine war. The 62,000 people who could be let go from McDonald's, whose history in the country is a handy lens for viewing Russia's regression to the Soviet era, may add their numbers to a jobs crisis already in progress.
In making this kind of bold move, McDonald's pushes others in the restaurant industry to consider what they'll do. Yum! Brands, the second-biggest restaurant operator in Russia and owner of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, may be next to pull out.
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/16/1099079032/mcdonalds-leaving-russia
No Robin Hoods wanted
U.S.A. Supreme Court rules 5-4 against illegal immigrant seeking to avoid deportation
... Pankajkumar Patel, who entered the U.S. illegally from India with his wife Jyotsnaben three decades ago, according to court documents, applied for discretionary adjustment of status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency in 2007.
The adjustment, which would have given Patel and his wife green cards, was denied by the agency after it found he previously intentionally misrepresented his citizenship on a Georgia driver's license application.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/supreme-court-5-4-illegal-immigrant-deportation
DRUGS TRAFFICKING
Discovers Massive Drug-Smuggling Tunnel from Tijuana, Mexico to California.
Law enforcement doesn't even know how long the tunnel was operating but seized almost 2,000 pounds of cocaine, 165 pounds of meth and 3.5 pounds of heroin in connection with the investigation, valued at around US$25 million.
https://globalnews.ca/news/8841660/drug-tunnel-us-mexico-border/
Burmese turn deadly serious
Myanmar's resistance groups ask the west for arms to use against the Tatmadaw.
PHOTO: Photo shows members of the People's Defence Forces (PDF) who became guerrilla fighters after being protesters on the country's streets.
The defence chief of Myanmar's shadow government has called for international help to arm its resistance forces fighting the ruling military - and compared Myanmar's resistance to Ukrainians battling the invading Russians.
"The people of Ukraine and Myanmar's pro-democracy militias are all fighting for freedom and giving their lives, but those taking on Myanmar's well-equipped army need more than international solidarity," said Yee Mon, the National Unity Government's (NUG) defence minister.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2311918/
CORONAVIRUS CHINA
Shanghai Hails 'Zero-COVID' Milestone, With 860.000 People Still on Lockdown
China has two big problems with the claim:
It's probably untrue.
No one believes it, including Shanghainese.
VIDEO: World's strictest lockdown in Shanghai is getting more extreme.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/05/17/china/china-covid-shanghai-reopening-intl-hnk/index.html
Yes, it's biased. What's your point?
First outright mention in the U.S. media of the obvious:
There was Another Mass Shooting in America. You Didn't Hear About It Because the Suspect is a Chinese Communist – Trending Politics
https://trendingpolitics.com/there-was-another-mass-shooting-in-america-you-didnt-hear-about-it-because-the-suspect-is-a-chinese-communist-knab/?utm_source=whatfinger
Don't trust Orange County Sheriff. Orange County Sheriff is asshoe.
Scary. We are so screwed.
Weekend Reading
World renowned human rights expert Vitit Muntarbhorn:
Remembering Thailand's Bloody May 1992
The exact death toll, mostly due to the Royal Thai Army shooting directly into crowds of protesters, is still a mystery.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2311654/
ALL FOUR OF THE HORSEMEN: Ready to Ride.
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/67663.html
Extremely useful, and amazingly well done. These people know what they're talking/writing about:
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Blockchain
Blockchain, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, Web3 and NFT are the talk of the town. Almost everyone has an opinion, but hardly anyone understands the foundations or relationships. The goal of this series, whose first part you are currently reading, is to provide a structured presentation of promises, the technology behind, and the reality. Using everyday analogies.
Great Excerpt
Blockchain advocates criticize the current economic system as being plagued by greed, inefficiency, lack of transparency, and excessive complexity. However, the goal toward which these advocates work, is a new, now digital, economy, plagued by greed, inefficiency, lack of transparency, and excessive complexity.
https://netfuture.ch/2022/04/hitchhikers-guide-to-the-blockchain/
CORONAVIRUS MASKS
[It seems the ginned-up 'controversy' over the blessed masks won't go away until the masks do. But just wondering: Can all these 'researchers' be lockced up for spreading mis- disinformation inside the U.S.A.? And if not, why not?]
"Researchers found there may be 'harmful unintended consequences' of mask wearing." Study Finds "Positive Correlation" Between Higher Mask Usage and Chinese COVID-19 Deaths
https://thenationalpulse.com/2022/05/16/study-finds-correlation-between-mask-compliance-and-covid-deaths/
U.S.A. DIPLOMACY
Biden Junta Makes Skin Color a Litmus Test for Being a U.S. Diplomat
The State Department has tossed merit out as a criterion for promotion within America's diplomatic corps and replaced it with wokeness.
https://thefederalist.com/2022/05/16/biden-administration-makes-skin-color-a-litmus-test-for-being-a-u-s-diplomat/
Which could account for the junta order to Thai mass media to print and broadcast this week-old photo.
The United States government, which claimed last month that Thailand continues to do a pi*s-poor job on human trafficking, leaves one major trafficking bust to local cops:
FBI not involved:
... The Lubbock (Texas) Police Department's Special Operations Division, the Texas Department of Public Safety (i.e. Texas Rangers) busted 25 people in a single raid on human traffickers supplying women and girls to a Texas prostitution operation.
https://breaking911.com/25-arrested-6-human-trafficking-victims-rescued-in-lubbock-texas-prostitution-sting/
TECHNOLOGY
The guy who just evaporated $40 billion of imaginary money wants to do it again. (Bloomberg)
And some people actually think this is a good idea.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-16/do-kwon-proposes-creating-another-blockchain-from-terra-s-ashes
In case you're shopping for DDRs:
DDR5-6000 is now less than twice the price of DDR4-3200. (AnandTech)
Unfortunately it so far doesn't give you all that much benefit in real-world performance.
(Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory)
https://www.anandtech.com/show/17391/at-deals-kingston-beast-ddr56000-16gb-now-218
Definitely worth a read:
Web3 is just expensive P2P. (Net Future)
And often it's not even P2P.
Web3 claims to be the only way to save us from commercial entities defining what we can see and what not. Yet, it does exactly this: It results in commercialized entities defining what we can see and what not.
https://netfuture.ch/2022/05/web3-is-just-expensive-p2p/
For the first time in his life, U.S. President Joseph Biden admits he has heard something or other about 120-year-old Great Replacement (French: Grand Remplacement), and starts throwing trashy misinformation about it.
VIDEO:
NOTE: Biden himself challenged fans and the media (but I repeat myself) to puh-leeze link the Buffalo mass-shooting to his "insurrection" of January 6, 2021. And immediately called for gun confiscation. And "address the reckless exploitation of the internet to recruit and mobilize terrorism."
QUOTE UNQUOTE
We're going to see stagflation for the first time since Jimmy Carter's 1970s' malaise. It will last for years.
Ben Bernacke, former chairman, U.S.A. Federal Reserve
==
A recession is looming. The risk is very, very high.
NOTE: Stagflation happens when the first is down and the last two are up.
Lloyd Blankfein, chairman, Goldman Sachs
VIDEO:
Give the U.S. president the moment in the sun he craves and demands. Fine.
"We can keep assault weapons off our streets. We've done it before."
The problem and provable fact is that there are no assault weapons on U.S. streets.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., current president U.S.A
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., current president U.S.A
VIDEO:
I have been in the real Pontypool (Ontario) probably 50 times, but can anyone tell me what the heck happens at the end of the eponymous movie?
Ooooh, that's going to leave a mark!
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to the news media: "I will absolutely leave the Court when I do my job as poorly as you do yours."
Clarence Thomas, justice, U.S.A. Supreme Court, in an interview broadcast by C-SPAN.
