Thailand's errant ex-premier Thaksin will try to get home today.

Good morning Fellow Fishwrapians.
Another week slipped by and we still haven't any proof of whether Sunday is the last or first day of the week.
Never mind. In 200, maybe 300 years when an historian asked the librarian for a copy of Fishwrap for February 18, 2024, this is what she'll get.

We hope you have something enjoyable planned for this Sunday Number 210 of the Pandemic?

(Above) Thailand's Democracy Monument in the Historic Rattanakosin region of Bangkok
Thailand's global democracy rank and reputation fall 8 places
The decline -- according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) -- shows simply the lack of elected officials at all tiers of government.
Thailand is among the large number of flawed democracies with scores between 6 and 8.

Countries are scored 1-to-10 on five categories.
Thailand is among the large number of flawed democracies with scores between 6 and 8. The country earned
 7.00 for electoral process and pluralism, 6.07 for functioning of government, 7.78 for political participation, 5.00 for political culture and 5.88 for civil liberties.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2743780/

Just FYI, the top five countries in the index, i.e. that most democratic on Earth (in order) were Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden and Finland.
The 2023 survey shows that less than eight percent (8%) of the world’s 7.9 billion humans live in full democracies, and that 39.4% are under authoritarian rule -- up from 36.9% in 2022.

Today's the Day (Yet Again) for Thaksin Shinawatra
The 74-year-old ex-prime minister, out of voluntary exile six month ago without serving a night in prison for his crimes*
is supposed to walk out of Police General HoSpital room in central Bangkok, to be transported to the Shinawatra family mansion
at Charan Sanitwong Road, Bang Phlat subdistrict, across the Chao Phraya River from the main part of the city.
*Correction ALLEGED crimes

OPED OPINION EDITORIAL
Thaksin case leaves a stain
... Yet the convicted premier never set foot properly in jail but spent almost the whole time in hospital.
Thaksin is one of the 930 prison inmates to be released on parole today (Sunday).
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2743666/


Thai PM Srettha claims that he knows why Taylor Swift skips Thailand
It's a little bit complicated (Battle of the Billionaires) but the truth is
A Singapore company has locked Tay-Tay's company into an exclusive contract for all of East Asia -- Japan to India --
 for the American country star to appear only in Singapore (a week of shows coming in June) and never in any other country.

Thai political analyst and Chulalongkorn University Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak has no patience with the continuing delays by the ruling Pheu Thai (for Thais) Party and its Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
 Digital Wallet plan must be implemented Now!
 The 500-billion-baht stimulus deserves to be implemented because it is an election campaign promise of the Pheu Thai Party, which now leads the coalition government.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2742839/

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin (inset in photo), who is the other billionaire in this Rascality of the Rich
 believes Thailand can capably match that price-performance. Because... non-Thais would flock to Thailand to see her show.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/arts-and-entertainment/2743369/

Putin Hearts Biden, endorses him for another term as U.S. president
Russian leader prefers predictability of Biden [https://t.ly/vj33X]
  During an interview with the state-owned television channel Russia-1, President Putin was asked which presidential candidate, President Biden or former President Donald Trump, would be better for Moscow. “Biden,” President Putin replied. “He’s more experienced, more predictable. He’s an old-school politician. But we will work with any U.S. leader who the American people have confidence in.

New (Woke) Math earns yet another, solid 'F'
It failed the students and baffled parents, mentors and teachers.
San Francisco brings back 8th-grade algebra, admits 'equity math' failed.
 For years, San Francisco Unified claimed “equity math” was improving minority students’ success rates.
 The first draft of California's new [lying, fraudulent, parent-student-cheating] math framework cited San Francisco's successful math reforms as its model. The final version eliminated the call to delay algebra till ninth grade.
Today? The San Francisco Unified School District admits that algebra for none was a flop.
https://www.joannejacobs.com/post/sf-brings-back-8th-grade-algebra-admits-equity-math-failed

Wretched U.S. Congresspersonlady Rashida Tlaib (D-AQ) grins.

https://twitter.com/TitaniaMcGrath/status/1727782631280873796

TECHNOLOGY
Transheuser-Busch stock prices rose after Trump told his MAGA supporters to give the woke beer "a Second Chance”. (Marketwatch)
Anheuser-Busch InBev shares saw their best one-day rise in three months on Wednesday after getting an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, who said people should give the brewer a second chance.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/anheuser-busch-inbev-stock-rises-as-trump-says-bud-light-maker-should-get-second-chance-8a67fae1

1/ Who knew that the formerly good-read Rolling Stone now is down to publishing just once a month?
2/ She's got balls, but anyhows

 One to one hundred, where would you rank this cover?