John Drake

It does begin to look as if Pita has been thoroughly outmaneuvered.

The same John Lee who is the face of Hong Kong's "See You in Hong Kong" and "Hello Hong Kong" tourist reboot?

Degenerates.

I think the children of faculty and administrators are also considered legacies. And that is a chunk of the enrollment that is simply going to mushroom. They'll also be disproportionately non-White. It used to be that faculty and secretarial work at private universities were relatively low paid, if not underpaid, jobs. These sort of perquisites made sense then. They don't now, in an age especially when admins are more numerous than faculty. Interesting little piece in the Harvard Crimson about it: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2022/11/29/anderson-bureaucratic-bloat-harvard/

Yes, SCB is one of my three accounts. I have two others at Bangkok Bank. A fourth account if you include my mattress. I have become chary of using SCB, which used to be my main account, and through which my employer paid me. But two trips to them trying to get the facial recognition approved has been a failure. They keep saying it's not for farang. Then, why does the facial recognition work on my Bangkok Bank account? SCB seems to be just cutting corners. They've led the way with ATM and branch closers. Now, SCB Easy.

I have always tried to avoid using the phone for banking or any business transaction. More than 90 percent of my banking is done online on my desktop.

Reduce the number of bank branches Radically reduce the number of ATMs Eliminate online SCB Easy Net banking Funnel everyone into a glitchy, unsecure phone app.

Triads.

Would rather have Ruby Red Grapefruit.

Yes, that is what I did, too. Mine was put in my PO Box sometime last week; I retrieved it on Friday and sent it regular air mail.

And thought I saw in the news last week that Japan has just now raised the age of consent from 14 to 16

Uplift quality for the Chinese. What? Don't care about anybody else?

Exactly. The US Embassy allowed us to register and participate in a discussion with Social Security sometime last year. Can't remember when now. But my question was why can't they allow us to register and affirm online. Perhaps using My Social Security. It would be no more and no less safe than signing through the mail. The representative from SSA said they were planning on doing something like that. Don't know if we will all die first or not, however.

I'm ready to live with the 90 day. Just as long as they leave everything else alone. Once they start "reforming" immigration, who knows where they'll go.

Why stop at 60 years? There is also Korea and Tibet. And Xinjiang is much more of a conquest than a Chinese territory. The Qin conquered it in the 18th century. That's a century later than when the East India Company under Royal Patronage became a proxy for British expansion and conquest in India in the 17th century. Yet nobody thinks Britain still retains the rights to India. Uighurs are a subject and conquered people who should have the right to self determination.

Biden had to make this statement, because the Blinken visit to China was such a disaster. Blinken was humiliated and the US made to look like a beggar searching for scraps. The reaction, especially in the region, was to reduce American influence. So this is Biden trying to regain some degree of leverage. In that regard, I think he did the right thing, although I think the craven attitude towards China over the past few months has done permanent damage that cannot be repaired until the US steps up and draws a line in the sand.

Some people it seems have made an emotional investment in the new government. But I too think we should wait and see--especially on immigration issues that might directly have an effect on us. By no means do I think some guy is a savior for Thailand simply because he's youngish, smiles a lot, and seems to edge towards the West. I remain concerned that China will continue to pull the strings, here. And that's not good for anybody, Thai or foreign. By all means give the new government a chance. But when it comes to immigration I just hope they keep their hands off and let it remain as is. No changes.

And this is why you have the triads rushing in to Thailand. Cut corners on visa issuances. And this is why we're all now being forced into facial recognition updates at our Thai banks. At least that is what one of my bank's managers said: multitudes of Chinese setting up grey business bank accounts through Thai third parties.

The Myanmar military is someone to compromise and talk with, yes?

Sounds like Russia/Ukraine. Morally questionable or something else?

That's why I wear a pith helmet.

Have you asked Arnold?

Balance has not been maintained. Seventy years ago, China was a peasant society suffering from famine whose navy couldn't challenge a row boat. Today, thanks to diplomacy and US offshoring, China threatens and takes what it wants. That's what diplomacy got.

I have gone to SCB twice. The first time three weeks ago and they said the software for "foreigners" would be ready by 17 June for facial recognition. Today, they just said "sorry for the inconvenience." Both times the bank manager used her phone to call SCB main office. Now, with a 50,000 daily limit coming up and no SCB Easy. (And SCB closing branches left and right so going in person is harder.) What are these people thinking? Bangkok Bank did the facial recognition for me three weeks ago. SCB is just trying to squeeze out more profits.

Can't use SCB Easy anymore. Can't get facial recognition done at my SCB branch. So must go in person every time I want to make a transfer? What happens if I'm in the hospital and need to transfer a couple of hundred thousand?