Thaksin horns in on the debate. Or tries to.
Hello girls, boys, the others. It's the 122nd Thursday of your pandemic panic.
So pull up your mask, and keep your social distancing.
Prayut 1, U.S.A. 0
When Don Tony Blanken was in Bangkok three weeks ago, Prayut asked the U.S.A. Secretary of State
Very, very nicely
How about upgrading Thailand's measly standing in the U.S. Index of Human Trafficking Fighters? Please?
And on Wednesday...
Blanked upgraded Thailand from 'Tier 3' (North Korea, Myanmar, China and many other ne'er-do-well nations)up to Tier 2, where dwell civilised places like Canada, Norway, Japan, etc. - and now, for at least another year, Thailand.
https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-tip-status-upgraded-to-tier-2-local-activist-awarded-hero-status/
TV Report:
Thaksin is not allowed into parliament for the debate, of course, but that doesn't mean he'll stay silent.
From his very comfortable villa in Dubai, the ex-prime minister had words.
 "I would like to warn that the next [national] elections could be like what happened in Bangkok," Thaksin said at a late-night talk on Clubhouse.
 Meaning: Voters could turn on Prayut and the junta just as they did during the recent election for Bangkok governor.
 Thaksin also warned of troubles if the junta goes ahead with its plan to allow foreigners to buy one rai of land to build a home.
 "If they open the market to this scheme, I can assure you that demand will rise, supply will not be able to meet the demand and prices will rise, and the underprivileged would not have a place they can call as home."
 In short: I'm not back yet but hear me out.
RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR
Czech Republic is not playing.
It is planning to buy 24 F-35 Lightnings to replace their current fleet of 14 Gripen fighter jets.
It is the equivalent (population, economy, etc) of Thailand purchasing 168 F-35s.
Performance-wise, replacing 14 Gripens with 24 F-35s is like trading in your Honda Accord for a pair of Corvettes.
But by all means, now do Gripen-crippled Thailand.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2022/07/czech-republic-buy-24-f-35s-modernize-air-fleet-wake-ukraine-war-ministry-announces/374690/
ALSO RUSSIA
OOPS. OOPS A DAISY.
In late June, Russia took delivery of 10 advanced Su-34M fighter bombers. Spiffy. Modern as all get out.
Russia immediately deployed them to the Ukraine war. Last Sunday, one of them was shot down.
The Russians shot it down. Russia shot down its own advanced jet, weeks after delivery.
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/russia-shoots-down-their-own-advanced-jet-just-weeks-after-delivery/
Russian lawmakers have finally - FINALLY! explained why the Ukrainian armed forces are kicking the living [four-letter word redacted] out of Russians.
 Nearly five months into its senseless war against Ukraine, Russia has concocted a wild new explanation for why the Kremlin's plans for a quick takeover fell apart so spectacularly: because Ukrainian troops were turned into superhuman killing machines during "secret experiments". In American-run (of course) biolabs, of course.
 "And we see: the cruelty and barbarity with which the military personnel of Ukraine behave, the crimes that they commit against the civilian population, those monstrous crimes that they commit against prisoners of war, confirm that this system for the control and creation of a cruel murder machine was implemented under the management of the United States.
https://bityl.co/DLZh
THAILAND ECONOMY CRYPTO
Thailand junta's plan to force everyone to use digital money suffered a setback on Wednesday.
Without warning, the crypto exchange Zipmex shut down. Hours later, it reopened part its operation - the Z Wallet.
The company said it has "liquidity problems with partners", including Celsius, as well as market fluctuations.
The Securities and Exchange Commission ordered the company to clarify the issue without delay, protect clients and comply with relevant laws.
Obfuscation Begins
Akalarp Yimwilai, chief executive and co-founder of Zipmex Thailand, said on the company's Facebook page that problems with its ZipUp+ product were to blame.
He also said that his company planned to woo potential investors, including large companies, to buy Zipmex, promising it would spend the proceeds on refunds for all clients.
(Isn't that the definition of a Ponzi?)
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2350103/
CLOSE CALL
This speedboat was 8 kilometres (5 American miles) out of the southern city of Chumphon, carrying 18 passengers and two crew to the Tao Island.
 Onshore rescue workers and police saw the smoke and rushed to their aid. Most passengers jumped into the sea and were slightly injured while the other four suffered burns.
 Early reports by the Chumphon Karnkusolsongkhoh Foundation said that 20 minutes after the boat left Chumphon, there was a sudden explosion.
 Police said one of the speedboat's three engines exploded.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/really-easy/2350078/
CORONAVIRUS THAILAND
It ain't over till it's over. And the Fat Lady has not even begun to sing.
In Bangkok, City Hall has reopened two of its field hospitals, with 500 beds.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt set out a new plan: to how to best manage the rising number of Covid-19 patients.
City Hall has converted facilities at the Bangkok Arena in Nong Chok district and Chaloem Phrakiat Sport Training Centre in Thung Kru district into field hospitals.
Big school steps back into the past
The prestigious Triam Udom Suksa Pattanakarn said 910 of its students have caught the Rona.
So they sent all students home, locked the gates, and informed pupils and parents to get on the computer for yet another round of 'online learning' effective today.
GLOBAL WARMING
China builds 'Luxury EV' with Huawei Infotainment inside
The new Arcfox, not yet available outside the People's Republic has terrific 5G entertainment.
But wait! There's more. Sit back and relax. Let the car do the driving for you.
 The car has Huawei's HiCar solution which offers access to level-3 autonomous driving features.
https://bityl.co/DLZ9
Very Closely Related
Japanese documentary maker Ryo Takeuchi has released his latest - '100 Faces of Huawei'.
He said that, among other things, that the vid shows the successes of Huawei in Thailand - and the reasons why.
Huawei brags it has been fulfilling its mission of "Grow in Thailand, Contribute to Thailand", continuously enabling Thailand's digital transformation journey and contributing social values.
PHOTO: Major 'star' of the Huawei docu is Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/2022/04/25/japanese-documentary-director-reveals-the-success-factors-behind-huawei-thailand/
30-MINUTE VID
TECHNOLOGY
Western Digital's 22TB drives are available at retail now. (AnandTech)
In any colour as long is it's gold, or red, or purple.
Spoiler: Don't buy the red or purple, they kinda sorta suck.
https://www.anandtech.com/show/17501/western-digital-22tb-wd-gold-red-pro-and-purple-hdds-hit-retail
U.S.A. C.I.A. INTELLIGENCE ROPE PANIC
It says someth... quite a lot about the Central Intelligence Agency that it went full ape-[four-letter word redacted] at the discovery of a piece of rope near one of their Virginia small-town rented offices.
 "C.I.A. has zero tolerance for actions or symbols of hatred and treats any such incidents with the utmost seriousness," Susan Miller, a CIA spokesladywoman, told the outlet.
 The director of the C.I.A. also panicked.
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3564968-noose-found-near-cia-facility-in-virginia-report/
WEEKEND READ and something to think about. Could it be coordinated?
Liberal bias on campus does not just happen: The professors, administrators, students, and activists turning college campuses into kangaroo courts for woke justice are real people.
https://www.campusreform.org/article?id=19847
Students continue to pack into flagship universities and brand-name colleges. Less-prestigious schools are struggling. The number of colleges closing down in the past 10 years, around 200, has quadrupled compared with the previous decade. And now they are merging.
Yes. Now do Thailand, which is ripe for these developments.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/broke-colleges-resort-to-mergers-for-survival-11658239445?mod=trending_now_news_3&fbclid=IwAR3_uXTI1QD5s4wsLCGMPK2WUEhshon91C3phV9ujpbHR98xjuYfy_h7ctc
And of course, always providing thoughtful weekend reads, there's Iran.
IRAN: Cover Your Head, Shoot Your Dog.
https://tinyurl.com/2s3689m8
How dare you!
There is a heat wave in parts of Europe, and this is quite concerning to - not only to Al Gore, but also to Greta.
Canadian news media report that the two of them have warned and will warn that, "The worst is yet to come."
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/greta-thunberg-and-al-gore-react-as-climate-change-bakes-europe-with-record-heat-183215009.html
KPOP ENTERTAINMENT
No K-Pop artist in world history has recorded 500 million Spotify views as quickly as Buri Ram's Lisa Blackpink for her new hit 'Money'.
https://bityl.co/DLYz
Good lord. Thank you, Internet for reverse photo-ID.
Confession: I owned and played an autoharp for quite a few years, along with a 12-string guitar, and I loved the sound of both of them. I knew many of the songs and many of the artists. But...
If you gave me another 10 years from today, I would not have guessed the identity of this young musician.
