Flashermac

Same thing in California these days.

PHITSANULOK: Two cars collided on Highway 117 in Muang district of this lower northern province on Sunday, killing the driver of one car and seriously injuring the other, police said. A police investigation revealed that Samroeng Chanthornrak, 41, of Phitsanulok's Wat Bot district, was driving a Toyota Vios along the out-bound side of Highway 117 at kilometre marker 123 when his car collided with a Mercedes Benz driving against the legal traffic flow. Both vehicles were badly damaged in the violent head-on collision. The accident happened five minutes after midnight. Samroeng was seriouly injured and later pronounced dead at Phra Phutthachinnarat Hospital while Attharot Thong-ngamkham, 35, the driver of the Mercedes Benz, suffered head injuries and bruises all over his body. Police were investigating witnesses and checking footage from security cameras in the area to establish the cause of the accident. The driver of the Mercedes Benz, who was being treated in an intensive care unit at the same hospital, would undergo an alcohol test to find out whether he was driving under the influence, police said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1816499/collision-kills-one-hurts-another-in-phitsanulok#cxrecs_s So the driver of the Merc was going down the wrong side of the road, but we have to "investigate" to see who was to blame! Bet they blame it on the dead guy in the Toyota. Amazing Thailand.

The folks what own the country. (No surprises.) The Chearavanont family retains No.1 spot in the Forbes Thailand Rich list with US$29.5 billion (938.6 billion baht), followed by the Chirathivat family with $21 billion (668.2 billion baht) and the Red Bull owner Chalerm Yoovidhya with $19.9 billion (633.2 billion baht). Forbes said Thailand's top 50 richest list "hit a speed bump" this year as half of the top 50 saw their fortunes decline, including each of the top four. ... https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1674600/thailands-rich-list

Thomas Cook is set to be relaunched by its Chinese owner, who plans to use the 178-year-old British tour operator’s brand on a travel platform targeting European customers. Fosun Tourism Group, the Shanghai-based company that bought Thomas Cook’s trademark following its dramatic collapse in September, will introduce the platform in the first half of next year, according to a person familiar with the plans. Some of Fosun’s existing travel offerings will be grouped together and re-branded as Thomas Cook, with the aim to lure travellers — particularly those in Europe familiar with the name — to the company’s resorts around the world, said the source, asking not to be identified. Tapping Thomas Cook’s former glory may prove challenging after its bankruptcy led to 9,000 job losses in the UK and left 150,000 tourists stuck overseas, with the holiday plans of thousands more ruined. Fosun, which owns the Club Med resort chain, had acquired 18% of Thomas Cook but balked at the cost of funding its rescue. The Chinese company, part of a wider group spanning insurance to pharmaceuticals, paid US$14 million in November for the trademark and its two hotel brands — Casa Cook and Cook’s Club — along with their domain names, apps and social media accounts. “Fosun Tourism Group salvaged a few remaining bits from a broken Thomas Cook, and while they may become profitable to some degree, they probably won’t become core assets,” said Brock Silvers, managing director of Hong Kong-based Adamas Asset Management. Buying the brand and intellectual property was a relatively low-cost way for Fosun to acquire a bit of upside in the hopes of ameliorating its initial miscalculation, he said. Silvers and Adama don’t own Fosun-related shares, he said. Founded in the 1840s as an operator of train trips through the English midlands, Thomas Cook’s demise raised questions about the viability of the packaged tour model as tourists pivot more toward individual and self-directed travel. Making the rebranding work could be tough for Fosun’s tourism arm, which has lost more than a third of its market value since listing in Hong Kong about a year ago. The new platform will offer services including resort and hotel bookings, show tickets and club memberships, said the person. A spokesman for Fosun in the UK declined to comment. Controlled by the Chinese billionaire Guo Guangchang, the Fosun group drew attention with a raft of global acquisitions over the past few years, from the fashion house Lanvin to the circus troupe Cirque du Soleil. It has been focusing on smaller purchases since the start of 2018, as the Chinese government began to crack down on some of the country’s other big acquirers. Along with Club Med, which has resort properties from Thailand to France, Fosun also owns the Atlantis resort on China’s Sanya island, an online platform targeting Chinese travellers called Fuckyou Travel and Miniversity, an international learning and play club for children. It’s also building new resort facilities that include housing near Shanghai, and in the scenic mountain area of Yunnan province. Last year, European tourists paid about 6 million visits to China, a 2.2% increase from 2017, most coming from Germany and the UK, according to the statistics office. While inbound tourism has grown slowly in China, travel outside the country has boomed. Last year, Chinese took 149.7 million international trips, a 15% increase from 2017. The bankruptcy chaos surrounding Thomas Cook in Europe tarnished its image in the short-term, but the brand is still “extremely established” in markets like the UK and the company did very well in Northern Europe and Germany, said Alexander Göransson, a consultant at Euromonitor International. “The brand can be revived,” Göransson said. “I would say under new management, Thomas Cook could be redeveloped.” https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1815454/chinese-owner-reviving-thomas-cook#cxrecs_s

Election results 2019: Boris Johnson hails 'new dawn' after historic victory Boris Johnson has promised to deliver Brexit and repay the trust of voters after he led the Conservatives to an "historic" general election win. The prime minister - who has met the Queen to ask to form a new government - has a House of Commons majority of 78, with one seat still to declare. He said he would work "flat out" and lead a "people's government". Jeremy Corbyn said he would not fight another election as Labour leader, amid recriminations over the party's defeat. The opposition was swept aside by the Conservatives in its traditional heartlands in the Midlands and north-eastern England, and lost six seats in Wales. With just one constituency - St Ives, in Cornwall - left to declare, the Conservatives have 364 MPs, Labour 203, the SNP 48, Liberal Democrats 11 and the DUP eight. Sinn Fein has seven MPs, Plaid Cymru four and the SDLP has two. The Green Party and Alliance Party have one each. The Conservative Party's Commons majority is its largest since Margaret Thatcher won a third term in 1987. Mr Johnson has returned to Downing Street, having visited Buckingham Palace, and is expected to make a statement outside Number 10 this afternoon. In his victory speech earlier, he told activists the election result represented a "new dawn" for the country. He thanked Labour voters, many of whom, he said, had backed the Conservatives for the first time, vowing to fulfil the "sacred trust" placed in him. "You may intend to return to Labour next time round, and if that is the case, I am humbled that you have put your trust in me, and I will never take your support for granted," he said. Jo Swinson has quit as Liberal Democrat leader after losing her Dunbartonshire East seat to the SNP by 149 votes. Mr Johnson said the Conservatives' victory had "smashed the roadblock" in Parliament over Brexit and put an end to the "miserable threats" of another referendum on Europe. He said: "We will get Brexit done on time by 31 January - no ifs, no buts, not maybe." https://www.bbc.com/news/election-2019-50776671 So now what, send the wogs packing?

The pound surged against the dollar after an exit poll suggested the Conservative Party was on course for a comfortable general election victory. Sterling gained 2.7% to $1.35 - its highest level since May last year - on hopes that a big majority would remove uncertainty over Brexit. The pound also jumped to a three-and-a-half-year high against the euro.

Trump is runnerup for the second year in a row. Another opinion: "There's a reason we don't let people run for president until age 35. Greta is a good example," said Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip.

Three patients died when hundreds of lawyers attacked a hospital in Lahore during a furious dispute with doctors. Video showed the lawyers ransacking wards at the cardiac hospital, beating up staff and smashing equipment. As panic spread, doctors and paramedics hid, leaving patients unattended, including those in a critical state. Riot police fired tear gas to disperse the lawyers and more than 20 arrests were made. It took more than two hours to restore order, officials said. The lawyers had been protesting over the alleged mistreatment of some of their colleagues by hospital staff last month. But the final trigger for the violence appears to have been a video posted on social media by a doctor on Tuesday night in which he poked fun at the lawyers. According to hospital administrators, more than 200 lawyers wielding sticks stormed Lahore's Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) at midday on Wednesday. Hospital officials said the lawyers forced their way past security and split into groups, attacking various departments and wards. Video footage shared on social media showed lawyers - in suits and ties - smashing medical equipment and windows, and beating up staff and officials including Punjab information minister Fayazul Hasan Chauhan who had arrived on the scene to try to restore calm. They also stormed the nurses' hostel, breaking furniture and beating some of the staff, an official complaint from the hospital says. Lawyers also damaged several cars parked outside the hospital and set at least one police van on fire. Some of the protesters allegedly fired gunshots in the air when riot police intervened. Hospital sources said at least three patients - a woman and two men - died because doctors could not attend to them during the violence. It is believed that the woman had been in the intensive care unit. Police reinforcements were eventually deployed, leading to more scuffles in which several lawyers were injured. Officers said later they had arrested more than 20 lawyers and filed complaints against about 250 on charges of violence and assault. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50757383?fbclid=IwAR0cZcsSzzeashnb28m1rxbZsP1t30g3FzTd1FWJhTjdkw5XqKrdZLTJggA

It looks like the Tories are whomping the crap out of the Labourites at the polls. Maybe Labour can impeach Boris.

And now for something that has absolutely nothing to do with Trump! Full university scholarships offered to video gamers in Pennsylvania In America where sports scholarships have long been a way into university, the big new college championships are for teams playing computer games like Overwatch and League of Legends. Several universities are even offering incentives, including full scholarships and housing for the best e-sports players. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-50750070/full-university-scholarships-offered-to-video-gamers-in-pennsylvania I wonder what the major will be called.

The Saudi Army officers were polite (if thick as a brick and totally unable to communicate in English), but the one civilian I taught really was a "stuck up sticky-beak". He had more money than he could possbly spend, and that apparently made him superior to mere mortals.

Meanwhile, having taught Saudi officers once upon a time when I was an Army instructor, I agree with this completely. They are next to useless but think they are special. And now ie have he murders at Pensacola. ... The Saudi terrorist checked in on Monday and seemed “normal”. He held the “dinner party” on Thursday night with more than 10 Royal Saudi Air Force Officers in attendance. At this party, they watched videos of mass shootings, mostly Islamic propaganda. The next morning, Friday, he systematically attacked building 633 while one of his fellow officers followed and filmed, several other Saudis waited and observed the attack from a car. The attacker started at the Quarterdeck (front desk), and the 3 killed were on duty at the time. Ensign Watson was the duty officer, was shot 5 times and still managed to call first responders and evacuate the building and personally direct them to the location of the shooter prior to dying of his wounds. The other 2 killed were also in the immediate vicinity of the quarterdeck. Many of the wounded were as well, some being wounded as they tried to climb out of windows. Per Navy policy, none had weapons to defend themselves with. The first responders that confronted the shooter were from the local sheriff’s department. Two were wounded in the gun battle, and the terrorist was killed. Three active duty Americans were dead, 8 more wounded, 2 deputies wounded. Many of the wounded were shot through the doors of classrooms on multiple floors of building 633. Most of the base remained on lockdown well into the afternoon as the base was systematically searched for the missing Saudi terrorists officers. By day’s end, 6 additional Saudi Arabian officers were in FBI custody, and several were at large in the community and a man-hunt is still underway. So, over a 5 day span, the terrorist checked in, acquired a handgun with 4 extended magazines and ammunition, posted a manifesto online condemning the US as a “nation of evil” along Islamist and anti-Semitic lines, planned and executed his attack with at least 3 accomplices. At least 10 Saudi Military Officers knew of the plan, and either participated or did nothing to stop it. Each one of these individuals had passed the screening process to come train in the United States. That brief recount of the chain of events begs a series of questions, some of which are easier to answer than others. ... The Saudi students have an entirely different reputation and structure to their training. While all of the other nations employ a form of meritocracy to be in the flight program, the Saudi students are typically the child of a Saudi sheik, politician, or member of a rich/important Saudi family. They all drive luxury vehicles, and flaunt their wealth to the other students and instructors. It isn’t unusual to see a Saudi student wearing designer shoes that cost thousands of dollars in their uniforms instead of their issued shoes or boots. The Saudis do not stand any of the squadron watches (Like assistant OOD, where the flight schedule is executed), while other nations participate fully in squadron functions. The Saudis also have a cadre of senior officers in Pensacola, ostensibly to monitor and aid the progress of the students. They employ a number of former/retired (US) Navy pilots to serve as tutors to the Saudis, and also to provide instruction on how to properly interact with their US instructors and inside of American society. The retired officers also act as a liaison to the American command structure. ... Should we have seen this coming? Absolutely. When I told my father (a retired Naval Aviator) that a foreign student was responsible, he responded “I’ll bet it was a Saudi.” A brother is a veteran Naval Flight Officer who trained in Pensacola. His response, “It’s probably a Saudi.” My neighbor from Pensacola who now flies for an airline, “Mother F***, you know it was a Saudi!” For some reason, there is a political push to excuse these attacks as one-off, or that the perpetrator was “radical”. The news is already saying “There is no direct link to a terrorist organization.”…as if ISIS gives out membership IDs and T-Shirts. The Politically Correct folks tell us to not judge an entire religion or culture by the actions of a single individual. online condemning the US as a “nation of evil” along Islamist and anti-Semitic lines, planned and executed his attack with at least 3 accomplices. At least 10 Saudi Military Officers knew of the plan, and either participated or did nothing to stop it. Each one of these individuals had passed the screening process to come train in the United States. That brief recount of the chain of events begs a series of questions, some of which are easier to answer than others. ... Defenders of Islam will say that it is a “Religion of Peace” and only “extremists” join the terror groups. With sad irony, many critics of Islamic terrorism have observed the rise of ISIS with their pool of men and resources flowing largely from Sunni Saudi Arabia have said said that it’s the extremist Muslim who is actually fighting, but the peaceful Muslim is the majority….they just write the checks. The example in Pensacola shows us that it’s the minority extremist shooting his classmates, it’s the peaceful Muslim standing alongside filming. Students of history will know that these terror attacks are not random nor motivated by “extreme” thinking. It is an American tendency to think that history started in 1776, or maybe 1492 at the earliest. Our schools teach world history and battles that took place in Europe as being between empires like the “Romans” and “Ottomans”. They leave the parts out where it was the HOLY Roman Empire that defeated the ISLAMIC Caliphate in Vienna, September 11th 1683. This military defeat and it’s date is etched into the cultural identity of every Muslim just like the Alamo and San Jacinto are taught to kids in Texas. The only difference is that Texas school children don’t have a religious document telling them that the conquest continues and it is their life-long Jihad to install islam as the law of the entire world. The events in Pensacola last Friday are minuscule in the scope of world history. It is, however, a perfect illustration of the war of cultures (and yes, religions) that we currently find ourselves as particpants in. While the Politically Correct in Washington will likely downplay the details and work to wipe the event from the headlines to preserve an alliance, the Factually Correct among us are still walking the streets with Saudi terrorists at large. Those in our military will follow the orders they gave their oaths to follow, though we strongly disagree with them. We will likely continue to risk our lives and work to train people that hate us, and would kill us if given the opportunity. The King of Saudi Arabia can say that the actions don’t reflect those in his Kingdom. The facts make him a liar. https://dbdailyupdate.com/index.php/2019/12/09/what-really-happened-at-nas-pensacola-and-why/?fbclid=IwAR1_y6vT1FlWYdgLZed54MRUmX3D7e7EQi-61ye-lQPiy10XGPevuwIiuYc

I'm sure this will get him many more votes ...

Democrats are going to vote on TWO charges against the president, charging Trump with “abuse of power” (pretty vague) and “obstruction of Congress” (for fighting their subpoenas in court, I guess). At best, both of those are flimsy, politically motivated and created out of thin air.. I guess they’re afraid was one wasn’t enough! What’s interesting is the very thing the media isn’t talking about. There was a third charge, but they aren’t bringing it against him. Democrats did not include bribery in the articles they put forward today. Pretty odd, if you ask me. If you’ve been following this impeachment charade (then I’m sorry for you), then you know the entire case hinges on bribery. This entire thing started because the Democrats accused Trump of trying to get Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden. They claim he withheld military aid in order to get them to do that. That is what they’ve been calling bribery or a “quid-pro-quo.” But why was that dropped from their charges? Even in 1998, House Republicans voted against abuse of power in Clinton’s impeachment. They voted only for the criminal offenses of perjury and obstruction of justice (Clinton was accused of encouraging false statements in court). No president has ever been impeached over non-crimes, until today. Democrats have entered into absurd-land. Their kangaroo court is bringing shame to our Congress and our government. Adam Casalino Adam Casalino is a freelance writer, cartoonist, and graphic designer. He is a regular contributor for My Right America

The US has had its own problems .... "The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption was the most destructive in U.S. history. Fifty-seven people died, and thousands of animals were killed, according to USGS. More than 200 homes were destroyed, and more than 185 miles of roads and 15 miles of railways were damaged. Ash clogged sewage systems, damaged cars and buildings, and temporarily shut down air traffic over the Northwest. The International Trade Commission estimated damages to timber, civil works and agriculture to be $1.1 billion. Congress approved $950 million in emergency funds to the Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration to help with recovery efforts." https://www.livescience.com/27553-mount-st-helens-eruption.html

Not bad where I live, but I can see the grey haze in the distance. Maybe the TAT can issue face masks to tourists on arrival at Swampypoom.

Flimsy paper face masks will be the only winner in the latest round of air pollution smoking up Bangkok at the moment. The Thai Pollution Control Department reports that excessive PM2.5 particulate is currently on the rise in the capital, suburbs and two neighbouring provinces. PM2.5 particulate is the term used to describe very fine dust particles that reduce visibility and can make the air hazy and smoky. Studies show that an increase in PM2.5 can cause or worsen respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis, with those exposed to excessive levels at increased risk of heart and lung disease. Thai PBS World reports that The Pollution Control Department puts the air in Bangkok and surrounding areas as below standard, with PM2.5 exceeding 100 microns in some areas, up to 180 in one location. Bangkok, Samut Prakan, and Samut Sakhon have all recorded PM2.5 at 29-63 microns, with 50 microns detected in Pathumwan, Bang Kor Laem, Khlong Sarn, Phasi Charoen, Bang Khen, Bangsue, Laksi, Tambon Mahachai of Samut Sakhon’s Muang district, Tambon Om Noi of Krathum Ban district of Samut Sakhon and Tambon Paknam of Samut Prakan’s Muang district. (Latest readings from aqicn.org on the link) Residents in those areas are advised to protect themselves while outdoors. The usual response from the BMA and Thai government is to roll out the water cannons and requests for people to only use their cars if necessary. Meanwhile, the main polluters – factories, dirty diesel buses and regional burn-offs – continue unabated. SOURCE: Thai PBS World

The speaker doesn't say that China is going to disintegrate, just that the CCP will lose its hold on power. But even that is hard to see, unless the military turns against the party as well. Not much chance of that. Still, no one expected it in the USSR either.

The Chinese Communist Regime is on the Brink of ‘Disintegration,’ Says Leading China Expert Crick on da rink. https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-chinese-communist-regime-is-on-the-brink-of-disintegration-says-leading-china-expert_3167543.html

Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi used to be seen as a symbol of human rights, and spent years under house arrest for promoting democracy. Now, as Myanmar's civilian leader, she is at the International Court of Justice to defend her country against charges of genocide committed against the Rohingya Muslim minority. She will, in fact, be defending the very people who had previously imprisoned her - the military. How did this peace icon wind up in the dock? https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-50709830/aung-san-suu-kyi-how-a-peace-icon-ended-up-at-a-genocide-trial