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One could make the argument that total expenditures on personal care products correlate more strongly with homely than with handsome.

Ah San Francisco. In my opinion, its attractiveness was highest from the 70's to around 2000. Now, it's full of oligarchs and other nouveaux riches on the one hand and the down and out on the other. It used to be my favorite city but I have no desire to visit anymore. It's also gotten noticeably scruffier in many parts. I think San Diego is now the nicest big city in California, although it's a totally different vibe than SF, which still has its great cultural jewels.

I love gay Thai movies as they seem to explore the soul more than movies made else where. There is a new gay Thai movie out called How to Win at Checkers Every Time. I must see it. It is also about the red card drawings that every Thai male must face in order to determine if they must do military service. I went through this with both of my boyfriends. Anyway, check out this movie. If you see it, please let me know. Here is a review and 2 different trailers. http://ticketing.frameline.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=3519&fid=52

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25156588-post1.html

BE STILL MY HEART! someone else(esides me) has posted a link to Flyertalk! BTW=that price goes down to under $1000 if you travel in August!

I attended a fundraiser in Las Vegas recently for an organization that, among other projects, helps to keep Black young folks in school. http://www.palazzo.com/entertainment/events/topspin.html I was amazed at the music the DJ played during the main event. Lots of misogynistic, violence promoting, crap "Urban" music filled with obscene and filthy language. I wrote a note to the event coordinator regarding my take on this ( pandering to an incredibly low base while chasing folks who might help their charity ((me)) away with a bad impression of their charity. They are blaming the DJ-but they were paying the DJ and they were in the same room as I was-and have invited me back to next years event. I am no prude- but I do hope that some standards are maintained. This music would have been fine in a raunchy night club or event, but it was totally inappropriate at this event.

Yes, Mr. Clemens. On the other hand: "Winter temperatures in San Francisco are quite temperate, with highs between 55øF and 60øF and lows in the 45øF to 50øF range..." http://ggweather.com/sf/narrative.html

How do the "down and outers" stand either the weather or the prices in SFO? I was never so cold as one day in June at Candlestick Park. Best regards, RA1

I was getting a manicure/pedicure today and CNN was on and watched the president of Kenya say that gays were a "non-issue."

African Christianity is far more conservative. Many conservative Episcopal parishes in the U.S. break away from their local diocese and join an African one.

So, the guys at Meio Mundo had money in the bank! Who Knew?! Despite having money enough to buy a better business they never spent a penny on their own business, Just to enumerate a few to those who have never been there-for at least a decade hot water ( a essential on any sauna establishment) was only available in a single shower, the last time I was there, 7 months ago, all toilets were "out of order" on the ground floor at the same time! and let's not talk about the one-person-at-a-time spiral staircases in the back, but let's say all is forgiven, it's a new beggining and let's hope the rather nice 202 won't fall in desrepair in just a few months. How about some innovation, like bringing back the "boys nus" night ("naked boys). I know, the hot boys were never fond of the event at both 117 or Meio Mundo, they feel it showed too much to everybody, but what about something more tame like a "sarong night" once a week, aren't we all tired of the godamm towels all the time? This way the good boys would feel confortable and the bad boys would have lots of possibilities making the customers very happy. Hopefully this and other ideas will be considered. In the meantime congratulations to Tomcal for the scoop of the year on the sauna business in Rio, or maybe the biggest scoop ever!

Not something so very different than even the most liberal politicians would have said for much of my lifetime. And certainly much milder than your average American pol would have put it even 30 years ago.

They're going to have to lean something up against the wall to urinate or they could just urinate on an angle instead of urinating flat against the wall.

I agree whole hearted with this sentiment..we need more uplifting positive music these days Thanks for sharing!

I applaud you for writing to the coordinator. He/She should share your concerns with the Board and change the music next time. If I had been in attendance, I would have approached the dj and ask him to play something different or much more appropriate. In March of this year I was at an event and just happen to have served on the committee who sponsored the event. Since I did not want to be out amongst the tight crowd prior to the event, I went into the ballroom to await its beginning and to perfect the table on which the special awards had been placed. When I heard the music which the dj's were preparing, I walked over to them and shared my concerns. Luckily, I had some great jazz cds in my auto, so I left and retrieved them. These dj's played what I had given them, and upon leaving I got my cds back. Attached was a very cordial note which they had addressed and thanked me! All said, I do hope that the organization will address music selections, etc. for its next event and that the Board take your concerns seriously! Adults should not be perpetuating musicians and their foul lyrics at special events given by non profit or not-for-profit organizations. The music should reflect the mission!

I'm very glad the USA has nuclear weapons. I also hope we never have to use them. But, perhaps the most "leathal" weapon today is the electronic / magnetic bomb. If one is detonated over a major city it would render most cars, banks, computers, power systems, and infrastructure inoperable.

I Did Not Know That... Rock Star/Astrophysicist Dr. Brian May Goes Backstage with New Horizons Queen lead guitarist and astrophysicist Dr. Brian May and NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden discuss the New Horizons mission prior to a science briefing on July 17, 2015 in Washington, D.C. Dr. May described the long weekend with the New Horizons team as “the best birthday gift ever.” Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky As lead guitarist for the legendary rock group Queen, Brian May has spent an entire career in the spotlight. But last week, May traded the music for his other passion – science – and spent some time backstage with the New Horizons team as it dived into the first results from the Pluto flyby. May, who has a doctorate in astrophysics, was awed by the opportunity to meet the team and sift through images and other Pluto system data in real time. And he’ll have other opportunities down the road, as mission principal investigator Alan Stern added May as a New Horizons science collaborator. Astrophysicist Dr. Brian May is recognized during a July 17, 2015 New Horizons science briefing at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. May spent a long birthday weekend with the science team, attending two morning science plenaries, a meeting with the Student Dust Counter group, and working on stereo images of Pluto with the Geology, Geophysics and Imaging (GGI) team. http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/nh-brian-may-conference.jpg

I was just at a place for lunch the other day and noticing that it now seems fine to play "music" full of the n-word to a room full of diners/customers. Is it only us middle-aged white guys who find it offensive anymore?

Dr. Brian May blogs about his experience with the New Horizons team and shares his stereo images of Pluto in this July 20, 2015 entry from his website: "***Mon 20 July 15*** FIRST HIGH QUALITY REAL STEREO IMAGE OF PLUTO First high quality REAL stereo image of Pluto. I had an unforgettable 3 days with the amazing New Horizons team. I’m still 'coming down’. Alan Stern, leader of the Science Team at APL in Laurel, Maryland, personally made sure I was treated like one of the family, as a collaborator, and I felt privileged to the nth degree. I was, of course, as always, obsessed with finding stereoscopic opportunities while I was there, and the Gods of the Underworld must have been with me, because I was there when the first 2 by 2 mosaic full-planet picture was downloaded from the probe, and assembled into exactly the required highish res partner to the iconic ‘last-look’ photo which preceded the final fly-by. Baseline must be a few hundred thousand miles, but I’ll need to check that. Of course the New Horizons guys were already doing serious science on this image as it arrived, but I was able to assemble the two images to make the most satisfying stereo view I can ever remember making. I got some help making some prints on site, so I was able to show this 3-D to the entire team through the lenses of some OWLS I took over. So this is definitely the first REAL high quality stereo image of Pluto in history. And we can say it’s officially NH approved ! No fiddling this time. The right image is the ‘last-look’ photo from 15th July, and the left image is the ‘two-by-two downloaded from NH on the 17th. All I did was fine-adjust the orientations to match up, and match up the colouring by eye. ENJOY ! High quality stereo image of Pluto assembled by Brian May. Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI If you’ve been following the New Horizons mission closely, you’ll have seen Amy Teitel’s Pluto in a Minute videos. Well, before I left, we did one together, which I think will make you smile. It features this stereo view, so now you can see it as she saw it at that moment (we got a good ‘wow!'). We’ll post up a link to that vid as soon as we have it. Cheers Bri" Republished with permission of the author. To view the images of Pluto in 3-D, you need to buy or make a stereoscopic viewer.​ Dr. Brian May has been fascinated by stereoscopic imaging since he was a child. In this interview with "Pluto in a Minute" producer Amy Teitel, he demonstrates how he brings New Horizons Pluto photos to life in 3-D.

my name is eric, who are about to travel or live in Vietnam Vietnam, you feel lonely and need someone to talk to next, do not hesitate to contact me with your phone number: (84) 1679960689 very happy if I can help you with anything!

What a great time waster instructional resource! http://www.samueljohnson.com/index.html

I love the shower scene in most of the saunas. Esp. the one at Lagoa where you can actually see them inside. I don't pay much attention to those damn Americans when they go inside. In fact, I have a pair of rose colored glasses that filters out all those over the age of 30. They often come in handy at saunas but it causes my friends to think I'm ignoring them when we go to dinner.

My very favorite Johnson bon mot was what he said about Paradise Lost: "None ever wished it longer."