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Couldn't agree more, OZ. I've never felt that Black Lives Matter means that white lives don't matter. What it's always meant to me is that black lives seem not to have mattered in the past and now it's time that they do. As far as I can tell, those who hear Black Lives Matter and then parrot All Lives Matter or White Lives Matter are folks with a zero-sum viewpoint. They think that, if a black life matters more, then a white life must matter less. Personally, I don't believe that's true, nor have I ever been a fan of zero-sum thinking. Like our President, I enjoy making deals but, unlike our President, I don't enjoy zero-sum deals where, in order for me to win, the other person has to lose. Maybe that's what his life experiences have taught him but it's sure not what my life experiences have taught me. I've found that, if I've got a deal where the other person is a loser, there's still more work to do. A deal where there's a loser is unstable. The "loser" is going to be unhappy and will be looking for a do-over at best and revenge at worst. Much better for both parties to end up with a smile on their face. For me, it's always been a matter of increasing the size of the pie so that both parties get a bigger slice. It may take a little more work, but it's well worth the effort. Even if it takes a lot more work, it's well worth the effort. Who wants to be surrounded by disgruntled colleagues? And even if I come out of a deal with a little bit less than I otherwise might, it's worth it to have partners who are content and who will look forward to doing another deal in the future. My white self has certainly got enough privilege throughout my life that I can afford to get by with a little less in the future so that my black partner can get a better deal than he has in the past. The payoff of mutual support, stability and, inshallah, friendship is well worth any conceivable shift in the balance. More than dislike of those who believe that a zero-sum deal is the only kind there is, I'm saddened that their life experiences have given them a win-lose mindset. My hope is that life will be kinder to them in the future. And that they will be kinder and more generous to others.

Completely agree. President Trump has moved so far right, he is unwilling to rename Fort Hood and Fort Benning, venerable locations named after Civil War legends of the Confederacy. Reminds me of when radical conservative Francis Cardinal Spellman of New York was Chaplain of the United States military. Update: The Republican controlled Senate Armed Services Committee disagrees with Trump. The committee favors renaming these forts. Fu*k, good move.

LOL! Thank you for the laughs. One is better than the other.

3rd Lady!

Top U.S Military Official, General Mark Milley, Apologizes for Role in Trump Photo-Op Better late than never, I suppose. General Milley should not have agreed to go in the first place, especially dressed in combat fatigues. Given how much Trump hates apologies, this should be one more prick up his sorry ass.

Are you dismissing Brown v. Board of Education, the Voting Rights Act and the legacy of Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson?

But I want to be more clear about where I stand. Negotiations in business are not the same as managing relationships outside of business. Rarely do the makings of good friendships and lovers involve lawyers and written contracts. No one can fix a dysfunctional family member or an addicted loved one by serving him smiles 24/7 or the deal of the century. Human beings are far more complicated than that. I also don't think a business negotiation has much to do with Black Lives Matter, at least as far as this discussion goes. A social contract to end racism will not be a contract negotiated on paper (thinking big picture). Racism will most likely always exist. People have prejudices for all kinds of reasons. Getting institutional racism out of institutions is a good cause, but if it goes the way of Affirmative Action and quota markers, I can see lots of "negotiation" problems arising. Who doesn't love smiles and a peaceful environment? But what if you're dealing with a Trump, who thrives on chaos and destruction? How does one deal with a real TROLL in real life? How do you attack and extinguish evil, if you even believe that evil exists? What if you come face-to-face with a warrior adversary threatening your life? Not every human being smiles by default when confronted. Many people are miserable by default, looking for a fight. We are not pre-programed machines. The human condition is far more complicated than a business negotiation between two business entities. The world is full of angry, bitter, hateful people, and no huge number of smiling faces is going to change that. Except you've just defined the essence of competition. Show me an Olympic Gold winner who isn't happy, please. Or a business brand that put a competing brand out of business. How about an Oscar winner? Happiness means many different things to different people. Let's not get too Pollyanna here. IMO, life is much more enjoyable when there is no war to win, except competitive-minded people need a war to thrive and enjoy life. Our culture and society are currently at war on numerous fronts. People we don't personally know are bringing war to our doorsteps this very minute. If you want to win at war and survive, you better know how to fight. Hitting a warrior with smiles, no matter what type of TROLL the warrior is, may invite death. "Getting even" has been with us since Cain and Abel. Don't like it? Take your beef up with God. Much love to lookin.

I walked thru Sunee Plaza today and spoke with the Danish owner of Winner Boys. He said curfew lifted and alcohol allowed in restaurants but bars will not open on 15th. Later I passed by freshly painted Nice Boys and asked a boy I know when the bar will reopen. He said ‘long time’ . July 1st would be nice.

Why would you believe for a second that anyone agrees, especially @RockHardNYC

Calling someone a cunt on the internet may be fine for someone who dropped out of high school as a sophomore. It destroys the myth of a business man, @RockHardNYC

Thanks for the thoughtful response, @Caeron. I think what @RockHard and I are both trying to say is that there's room in a good deal for both parties to come out winners. I care about myself a lot and a peaceful environment with lots of smiles around matters much more to me than the ability to shit on other people. (I say this with some modest authority, but that's a post for another forum. ) I think folks who believe they become winners by turning other folks into losers are setting a very low bar for a happy life. Anyone who's had the experience of cutting a deal with all winners will know that life is much better without the "losers" trying to get even.

And, much like Muhammad Ali, Mr. Daniels was stripped of his title. I have read about that entire episode and what a shit-show it was for everyone concerned (it seems to me....) I would only posit that fetishizing a big black cock is not a form of anti-racism.... it can be, in fact, quite the opposite.

I totally agree with you - there is definitely a weird enactment of a bizarre power dynamic happening over there - And it's a special space where one can be totally objectionable and hateful and have zero reprecussions as long as you bow and scrape to the Regime in power One forum member pointed out to me that the attacks on me intensified and became wayyyy more personal once I posted pictures of myself and revealed myself to be a fit young Asian guy.... And you are right about choosing not to participate - at first I thought that airing and supporting my beliefs served a purpose there - but then I realized that discussion there really is not about principle, it is about staking about one's turf - like a dog with a bone. A place that puts power (no matter how illusory) in the hands of a nasty bigot is a dangerous place to be.

Yes, Someone is constantly seeking attention here by using words like queens, drag and hypocrite. Just as he did on the other site

it's not a question even of being "racist" or "non-racist"..... one is either "racist" or "anti-racist - there are no innocent bystanders setting the bar high.

@SexyAsianStud Beware of the controlling OLD queens. Many are HYPOCRITES. They will try to shut you up, try to get you to move your questions and interests elsewhere, and then try to denigrate your curiosity. All the while as they continually add useless and self-serving posts to this thread. Total HYPOCRITES. Succinct but well said. Made me laugh, too. A much better characterization of the TRUTH. And I suspect OZ sees and fully understands this. There are only a few drag queens here who like to exaggerate as they attempt to control others, using terms like "constant dwelling." There is no evidence of "constant dwelling" on this board. All the while their post count rises as they themselves DWELL. Total HYPOCRITES. Controlling bitches.

There is more going on here than Daddy saying All Lives Matter. You guys seem to have years of built up contempt for the things that happened when you posted on his site. Naturally I think timeouts are not deserved for pointing out someone else's attacks. I also had my share of timeouts. But am I going to carry that with me going forward? How long? When we see people trying to bring others together to understand that Black Lives Matter, it seems we need to bring ourselves together as well. Rock Hard accurately points out that some pretty bitter exchanges occurred in earlier days. But either you devote yourself to this site going forward, or you try to reconcile past grievances with the other site. Options beyond that? I am all ears.

COVID-19: Thailand’s Looming Second Wave Can Thailand avoid following in Singapore’s footsteps by upgrading its treatment of migrant workers? Health experts warn that Thailand is vulnerable to a second wave of COVID-19 infections due to neglect of the country’s massive migrant labor sector. Migrant workers often live in squalid, cramped conditions without adequate sanitation and poor access to medical care. Thai media has fanned anti-migrant prejudice creating a “us” (Thai citizens) versus “them” mentality. But Dr. Vit Suwanvanichkij, an epidemiologist with long experience of assisting migrant communities, warned that “COVID-19 does not distinguish between Thais and non-Thais. An outbreak in any of these crowded migrant settlements affects all of us; there is no such thing as ‘us’ or ‘them.’ From a COVID-19 standpoint, these are the proverbial ticking time bombs.” The 3.9 million migrants in Thailand — approximately 10 percent of the total workforce — have been hit hardest by mass lay-offs of workers since the COVID-19 outbreak. Johnny Adhikari runs a migrant charity called Metta in the Thai -Myanmar border town of Mae Sot. He told The Diplomat that “90 percent of all Myanmar migrants have lost their jobs, leaving over 750,00 people stranded in Thailand since the borders were closed without any income. Many are desperate for food and shelter.” Three Thailand-Myanmar border checkpoints have been partially reopened since May 19 to permit migrants to get back home. But with Myanmar ill-prepared to provide sufficient quarantine facilities for returnees, only 50,000 have been accepted for repatriation so far at the Mae Sot immigration checkpoint. Many fear that Thailand is highly vulnerable to the kind of second wave of COVID-19 infections that caught Singapore by surprise. In early April, Singapore was being hailed as one of the countries that had got its coronavirus response right. It appeared that the city-state seemed to have suppressed cases without imposing the restrictive lockdown measures endured by millions elsewhere. But the authorities sadly neglected to include the migrant labor dormitories in their COVID-19 prevention management plan. Tommy Koh, Singapore’s former foreign minister, wrote on Facebook: “The dormitories were like a time bomb waiting to explode. The way Singapore treats its foreign workers is not First World, but Third World.” As a result of this oversight, more than 20,000 of Singapore’s migrant workers caused an unexpected “second wave” of confirmed cases, with the city-state regularly reporting over 1,000 new cases a day at one point. The country now has over 34,800 confirmed cases after having a total of exactly 1,000 cases on April 1. Adisorn Kerdmongkul, the manager of the Migrants Working Group (MWG), is worried that Thailand’s neglect of the plight of 700,000 vulnerable migrants could also bring about a dramatic surge in infections, as happened in Singapore. “They are not able to take care of themselves financially and their health suffers,” Adisorn added. “At the same time, without thorough testing and medical checks, it is feared that many poor people may be infected.” The problem of the migrant health in Thailand was summed up by Brahm Press, the director of migrant support agency MAP Foundation in Chiang Mai: “Migrants are always the last to be considered in health care. and the last to receive PPE protective aids.” At Thailand’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Supakit Sirilak, the deputy permanent secretary, told The Diplomat the authorities “are aware of the threat of a second wave, but we think Thai situation is less vulnerable than Singapore.” “We have alerted all provinces to mount health checks on migrant communities,” Supakit continued. “We have done saliva testing for COVID-19 on 6,000 migrants in the provinces and they all turned out negative.” However migrant organizations are not convinced there has been enough Thai government support. Migrant adviser Adisorn reported after the economic shutdowns, “We found that around 500,000 migrants had not received health insurance renewals due to their loss of work permits and around 1,000,000 migrant workers were without social security.” But that would not stop migrants from getting hospital treatment, according to the government. Dr. Supakit claimed that “if migrants have no health insurance and no money to pay for it, then the hospital has to provide free treatment.” However, Adisorn disputed this claim, saying, “Migrants are too afraid to visit a hospital without any money. because many hospitals will not accept them.” This is why the migrant NGOs like the Mekong Migration Network and other humanitarian agencies have appealed to the Thai government to declare “a clear policy of access to free public healthcare appropriately prepared to deal with the complexities of a pandemic.” That a major outbreak of COVID-19 infection among migrants has not already occurred in Thailand can largely be attributed to the dedicated work of the Migrant Health Volunteers (MHVs) network, which reaches out to the migrant communities. Migrant workers make up a large share of people in provinces like Ranong and Samut Sakhon in central Thailand where certain pockets are known as “Little Myanmar.” Viroonsiri Arayawong, a researcher of the Department of Health Service Support, told the Bangkok Post that “MHVs and the VHV [Thai Volunteer Health Workers] form the backbone of manpower controlling the spread of diseases in migrant worker communities.” MHVs are usually from the same nationalities as the migrant workers, and act as interpreters for Thai officials passing on information about COVID-19 infections. The Health Ministry’s Dr. Supakit also cited the Migrant Health Volunteers as very important, saying, “We have provided medical training to the volunteers with 500 operating in Samut Prakhon alone. They are effective in five provinces.” But what will happen in the capital, Bangkok, with a large migrant worker population not covered by the volunteer scheme? The health ministry admits that Bangkok, where at least 16 migrants have already tested positive, is a major concern. The health ministry concedes that they need more funds to help migrants, but Dr. Supakit noted “we cannot use the special Thai budget for unemployed workers” for that purpose. The budget only covers Thai workers, “and the cabinet says it cannot be extended to cover migrant workers.” At the same time, the ministry admits that with migrants living in dormitories, sometimes with eight people in one room, social distancing is impossible, and their accommodation especially in the capital, needs to be improved. Is the Thai government doing enough to avert another Singapore-style disaster? Dr. Vit Suwanvanichkij predicts that “the cramped and squalid migrant living conditions that give rise to these heightened vulnerabilities will continue to pose omnipresent threats to Thailand’s prospects of being able to sustain successful control initiatives in the country.” But the COVID-19 emergency also provides an opportunity for Thailand to reflect on the importance of migrants to the Thai economy, and to take better care of their welfare and rights in accordance with International Labor Organization conventions. The strong message from migrant aid groups and UN agencies is that protecting the rights of migrants will also benefit Thai citizens, by taking all necessary precautions to avert a second wave of infections.

From South China Morning Post Coronavirus turns Teflon Thailand’s wealth gap into a economic chasm As Covid-19 eats into exports and tourism, the gap between rich and poor in one of the world’s most unequal countries is only getting wider With both the lower and middle classes now facing ruin, ‘Teflon’ Thailand’s reputation for weathering financial crises is feeling the heat like never before On a roadside in a mixed Bangkok neighbourhood stands a shiny metal box – a “Pantry of Sharing” – where the haves in one of the world’s least equal countries can leave food for the have-nots, the ranks of whom are bulging as the coronavirus lays waste to the Thai economy. Each day, maids from the grand mansions nearby drop off an inventory of essentials – eggs, noodles, milk, sugar and water, sometimes a bag of mangosteens or rambutans – charity for those suddenly jobless. Opposite the pantry, Sumarin Boonmee says her life has been pitched into uncertainty since she was put on unpaid leave from her job at a supermarket three months ago. “I have no idea when I can go back, so I am selling meat skewers here for a little income,” she says, tending to a tabletop grill. She is a member of the Leelanut community, a slum of day workers and stallholders living under corrugated roofs amid cluttered walkways beside a mucky canal. The community is flanked by wealth – gated villas, wood-panelled cafes, condos and high-end salons. It is a hangover from old Bangkok, before money poured in and breakneck development airbrushed most of the poor from prime areas of the city. There are millions of newly unemployed like Sumarin, according to the Thai government, which last Sunday secured a near-US$60 billion stimulus package – the largest in Thai history – to resuscitate an economy flatlined by the virus. Bangkok locked down in late March. It is stuttering back to life. But jobs have been shredded, especially for those who depend on daily wages or low-paid jobs as cleaners, motorbike drivers and security guards. At the pantries, most are embarrassed for being forced to turn to handouts. “I’m just taking enough for now, so that others have something too,” says Suthep, a 49-year-old truck driver, taking a red-bean bun and a carton of milk for his granddaughter. Thailand’s economy leans heavily on exports and tourism and has been cruelly exposed by the impact of the virus, which has closed international travel and shrunk global demand. Now the “Teflon Thailand” tag, earned for resilience through financial crises, disasters and cycles of political turmoil, is being tested like never before. There are now scores of pantries across Bangkok, lifelines for those in need but also rare connection points between the rich and the poor. The pantry at the Leelanut community is filled twice daily by an heir to a large sock company, who lives 100 metres along the road in a grand house. “My business has been hit hard by Covid. But I’m very lucky,” says Pinnarat Sethaporn, 51. “I really feel for those living hand-to-mouth at times like this.” But it is not just the poor who are facing ruin. Middle-class workers are losing their office jobs, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are bleeding cash, with knock-on effects on mortgage, car and school payments. Between six and seven per cent will be hacked off annual growth, according to an IMF estimate. The damage is already worse than the “Tom Yum Goong” crisis of 1997, when Thai banks overly leveraged with foreign debt collapsed, leading to a slump in the baht, white-collar redundancies and capital flight – problems that spread across the region and led to the Asian financial crisis. “This time, those who will be hit the hardest are the low and middle classes,” says Pavida Pananond, an academic at Thammasat Business School in Bangkok. “This crisis will further widen Thailand’s inequality.”

and so do governments policies everywhere. it's nobody's fault as situation is dynamic and too many great unknowns still apply but it's better to be ready for grand opening,

Since it has been raining all days and the sun has not been shining except the day of my arrival, I used free time to create contacts on internet trying to find a guy liking "coroas" (older gentlemen). Among some contacts, I started discussing with J. He was gorgeous in the picture he had posted. He was obviously interested by coroas and he was the one who first contacted me. I imagined that he was an escort and was rather cautious discussing with him. There are many boys on Grindr who appear as next door guy but who finally, once you are hooked, ask for money either when they propose to meet you or, worse, when they manage to meet you. Since I did not find him on Grindr, but on a bear site where there are few escorts, I had some hope that he might not be an escort. When we exchanged some private pictures, and finally the face, I realized that I had already met him, the last time being at a gay bloco during the Carnaval. He was barechested and stunning, his large torso and perfect abs drawing lot of attention from bloco participants. I was mesmerized by his torso and looked at him, making eye contact. But he was totally uninterested. I even thought he had not seen me ... I wondered if the guy I was chatting with was really the guy I had seen or someone using the pictures of the guy I had seen. Only one solution : meeting in person. We agreed to meet in the afternoon close to my appartment. The guy who arrived was indeed the guy I had seen. Even though he is gorgeous and around 30, he genuinely likes hairy daddies. We were soon in my flat, drinking and chatting. We started kissing and then proceeded for more serious action in the bedroom. Worshipping J's muscular body and hairless torso is a treat. We plan to meet again of course and I might skip some sauna sessions this trip :-)) J's torso and abs. I love Rio.

This has not been mentioned anywhere and I have no evidence of any kind whatsoever to back this up. It's just a thought on my part, so don't be alarmed - but I can't help wondering if and when the bars do reopen, will the powers-that-be ban taking boys off . . . ?