From the Wall Street Journal. Monday March 26 2018. Special Thailand edition.

Expectations for a vote have grown since Gen. Prayuth

told U.S. President Donald Trump during a visit to the

White House last fall that Thailand would hold an election

in November. He later reversed that plan, saying the

government would make a decision in June, and that

February 2019 was a more likely date.

by James Hookway

The land has got ten thousand smiles for tourists and the press;

But those who crave democracy are under some duress.

The military junta that is pulling all the threads

Wants to see all protestors sleep on Procrustes beds.

Though beaches and the Thai cuisine are popular worldwide,

Nobody seems to care abroad that voting rights have died.

Each year the promise of elections soothes the stormy scene.

Each year elections are postponed with some excuse routine.

Thailand wants our money to beef up their uniforms

But doesn’t want to hear from us about needful reforms.

I, for one, will not vacation in or near Bangkok

Until the military will remove their sad gridlock.

Baseball teams used to get any old dirt for infields and pitchers
mounds, scooping soil from a nearby hillside or riverbed.
Now, egged on by specialist baseball-soil suppliers,
they apply nearly as much science to the dirt as they do to the
pitching rotation. They demand just the right mixture of sand,
clay and silt to provide a smooth, predictable surface—
even if that means dirt is no longer dirt cheap.

Baseball is a funny sport; despite the player’s toil,

The managers are paying more for extra special soil!

A southpaw may be worth his weight in gold, but precious dirt

For pitcher’s mound makes owners pay until they lose their shirt!

So if you want to make a pile in diamonds, go to Burma

And bring back several tons of earth to sell as terra firma!