John Drake

Forgot about the Gourmet Market about 1 km from my house. Doesn't have bad produce or deli products but still not as good as Foodland and some of the prices are insulting, frankly. Package of sour cream for 540 baht!!! Can get it in Foodland for 39 or 49. I had to ask someone at GM to help me find the sour cream. When he located it, even he was shaking his head and laughing. A store that does that has little respect for their customers. Not to let Foodland off the hook, either. I remember the time they tied together a tiny package of walnuts for over 1400 baht.

A Lotus Go Fresh was opened about 600 meters from my house. So, I usually walk there a couple of times per week. Better products than the market across the street, although I still go there, too. For Western food and deli meats, I walk to the Foodland about 3 km away. Only drawback to this arrangement is that the Go Fresh does not stock the same items consistently. But when they do, their potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and apples are much, much better and cheaper. Yes, it's a lot of places to visit to get what you want at the preferred prices. But I've got the time to do so these days. And the exercise walking is a healthy alternative to driving around in some polluting car or truck.

Putin behavior due to roid rage and susceptibility to Covid because of steroid addiction. https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2022-03-03/putin-junkie-madman/65578

Things being reset to 1949. The Communist giants closely aligned and threatening their neighbors, while being cut off from the rest of the world then. And now a replay. Quemoy and Matsu for a return engagement.

First they came for the avacados.

And they hate each other. No solidarity, there. Not to mention that when the time comes for China to infiltrate and absorb vast amounts of territory in Russia's east, there will now be a clear precedent established by Russia itself for them to do so.

Actor Jack Palance had a similar reaction:

Beyond Japan is there one country in Asia, including India, that has a functioning democratic system that does not regularly reset to a strongman in charge? And remember what it took to get Japan to be that way. The US occupied the country, wrote their constitution, executed their war criminals, and made them produce Godzilla movies. Fortunately, they already had baseball. Maybe that's it. You need to have baseball to become a democracy.

Wait, before everyone gets all excited about their vote, thinking they've changed their mind. They have an "explanation" that somehow never mentions Ukraine or Russia.

To its credit, the true government of Myanmar condemned Putin and Russia. It was the military dictatorship that overthrew the government that is backing Russia.

If there is one good thing to result from this conflict it is that there has been a worldwide shake-out. And now we know where nations' true loyalties and interest lie. And it's not only Asean countries that proved themselves to be Putin sympathizers. It's also countries like India, which many people had been positioning as America's great ally in the Indo-Pacific. That idea should be dead after this. And there should be ramifications for the countries taking Putin's side. Limit their entry visas, remove their citizens from being in line for naturalization, limit their companies (such as Chicken of the Sea [a Thai company]) from new expansion into the US market. And be very, very careful with their exports--can't be too careful, must inspect every single item, even if it takes months to get through customs.

Wonder where Edward Snowden is. The last I checked, his twitter account had been silent for several days following the invasion.

The Russians just started a new service this week. I presume all these Russian tourists had a round trip ticket. Isn't that part of the Thai Pass, unless Thailand is giving Russians a special deal? So return home is paid for.

Must be the midnight shift at the troll farm.

Duh.

Of course they're sanctions. The US and Europe are sanctioning Russia by kicking it off SWIFT. And Thailand is talking about evading it. Otherwise, why would Thailand need to go through third countries to ship things and receive them?

So the Thai elite are backing Putin against Nato. And, yes, they are backing him, not being neutral, on Thai social media. But funny, they go and buy houses and homes and even live long term in Nato countries, not Russia. They send their children to American and British schools and universities, not Russian ones. They buy UK and Italian soccer teams, not Russian ones. And when it came time for them to panic for an effective Covid shot, they got on the first plane for the US and Pfizer/J&J, not Russia and Sputnik. Odd.

I think thailand can kiss good bye those thoughts of buying 8 F-35s

It is a thing of wonder to watch Thailand build and implement new relationships with governments such as that in Saudi Arabia and the newly installed military in Myanmar. So wise of them to reinforce ties with North Korea, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran rather than expand diplomatic and trade initiatives with such unnecessary countries as the US and UK and the EU.

The history is this: today, people from all over eastern Europe are volunteering to go fight Russians in Ukraine. Why? Because Russians either brutalized them personally or killed, starved, beat, humiliated, or imprisoned their parents, grandparents, or great grandparents. Now they want payback, bub.

China doesn't hesitate to tell Thailand what it must do--or else. In the past, Putin has made similar threats as well. Unfortunately, the US and Europe have been pusillanimous, bragging about how they don't want to make Thailand or SE Asia choose. The result has been that Thailand along with nearly all of Asean has chosen to support Russia and go onside with China, albeit quietly. And now we see from your article that the Thai ruling class has also outwardly proclaimed its animus towards America and Europe. Okay, let them do so. But they need to pay the price for doing so. Let the elites send their children to study in China and Russia, not the West. Like the oligarchs, perhaps some freezes on Western bank and property holdings could come down the pike as well.

Whatever you want to claim there is only one clear message in all this: Ukrainians don't like you and yours and they're willing to kill Russians even if it means taking a bullet themselves.

Evading sanctions. Great way to get sanctions applied to Thailand in response.

Thailand runs a huge trade surplus with the US. Thailand meanwhile runs an almost as huge trade deficit with China. It also runs a sizable trade deficit with Russia. Plenty of US leverage there.

That's what "talk'n down" to someone looks like.