Stocky

I thought the US was supposedly the Land of the Free, if 4% of Americans wish to still wear a mask then that's their choice and none of your business. Given the cost of medical care in the US if your health is at all fragile a simple mask is probably a good investment.

Q.E.D.

That it is. The southern border is lucrative territory, as most borders are. There's plenty of money to be made in smuggling, whether cigarettes & alcohol, drugs & people or anything else there's a market for. Gangs kill to control the best routes and maintain monopolies, and the southern insurgency provides a handy cover. Those 'gangs' include local mafia, various Muslim separatist groups, as well as corrupt officials, police, army and defence volunteers.

Yes, we had a spell, prior to COVID, of Mormon missionaries canvassing our neighbourhood looking for converts. The ones doing the talking were Korean women, with a couple of young American men loitered around giving orders, the Koreans could speak Thai. Thankfully not seen them since COVID.

Reform now have some work to do, no longer simply on the side-lines throwing stones, they have 10 councils to run, budgets to manage, resource allocations to juggle, voters to keep happy. Let's see how they do.

Reform have largely been a single issue party simply throwing stones from the side-lines, they now have 10 councils to run. It will be interesting to see how they fare.

North Korean level sycophantic butt kissing

The Russian/Nork Bot farmers are busy this morning

Indeed, he's Mr Ganja

Anutin is well remembered for his rant about foreigners not wearing masks during the pandemic, I have no idea if he genuinely dislikes foreigners but he carries that tag. Importantly Anutin is rich, the family owns Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction to which he is the heir, and he's ambitious, he wants to be prime minister.

If done properly it probably is a good idea. Currently the Immigration Bureau is one of the many arms of the Royal Thai Police, and reports to the Office of The Prime Minister, not to the Minister of The Interior which would be more usual and logical set up. However, given the current incumbent is one Anutin Charnvirakul, this could simply be empire building rather streamlining of government.

Your eyes must be painted on. Just back from a trip to the UK and the place is awash with ink, airport departure lounge ink everywhere. Here in Hat Yai I see far fewer people with tattoos, particularly large ones. Personally I find tattoos, especially the large ones, ugly and disfiguring, but understand that that is increasingly a minority view.

Insult, no, just highlighting, in a joke format, the MAGA faithful's inability to accept what's before their eyes. I'm not expecting you to accept the room is still dark.

Q. How many MAGAs does it take to change a light bulb? A. None. Trump announces the light bulb has been changed and the MAGA faithful applaud and cheer, whilst sitting in the dark.

I wasn't mocking, just stating the obvious

I said nothing about immigrants, the numbers don't add up with or without immigrants, people live far longer and the demographics have changed with more elderly and fewer youngsters.

Putting a clown in the White House doesn't make him a President, it just turns the White House into a circus.

Anomalies they probably wish they could get out of. The fact is there is a overweight of wrinklies and a shortage of tax paying workers, that and the pension age was set when life expectancy post retirement was about 5 years, the maths no longer work and governments are struggling to pay their pension commitments. There is a snowball's chance in hell this will ever be rectified in favour of the pensioner, if anything those anomalous countries where increases are paid are more likely to be brought inline with the majority.

Exactly, so in my book that makes him a moron, harsh but fair Though given he's seemingly reliant on a state pension only, 'Banker' might be an exaggeration, former bank employee might be more accurate.

Moron should have done his homework

Laughable, just shows how apposite the Trump light bulb joke is. Q. How many MAGAs does it take to change a light bulb? A. None, Trump says the light the bulb has been changed and the MAGA faithful, sitting in the dark, applaud.

Private Eye's Easter cover was accurate too

The cover of this week's Economist says it all

I know it's in Thailand but Songkhla is a pleasant town to do nothing much of anything

Nelly the elephant ?