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I was a gay in the military (85-99). I was lucky (?? really careful more like) in that I was never outed and thus not discriminated against. Yes, I chose to pursue a career where I knew it was illegal to be gay and that's my own fault. It was still a shock to find how anti-gay, racist and sexist the military was. I also saw the incredibly poor treatment of servicemen whose careers were ruined by an instance of bad luck or lack of care. Sometimes straight guys were kicked out because they were a little effeminate. I'm glad that things are finally improving somewhat. That period of my life reinforced to me how no one should be outed, nor be forced out and should only come out when they are ready. People being forced out by social media such as 18 year old Kit Conner and many other actors and celebrities is pretty sickening. I won't then vilify Spacey for when or how he came out. Yes, it looked a little ugly and self-serving but I don't know what pressures he was under or what advice he was being given. I can only think he may not, or thought he did not, have a choice.

From Pattaya News Pattaya City has come up with tougher regulations to address issues related to speedboat operators at Bali Hai Pier, including the introduction of standard ticket prices and the ban on “herding” guests. On Thursday, September 7th, the Pattaya City Council assembled to devise strategies for organizing and overseeing tour boat operators, following a violent altercation among operators vying for guests aboard a boat to Koh Larn from Bali Hai Pier in South Pattaya. Most importantly, the city eventually ruled that from now on tour boat operators will be prohibited from approaching and herding tourists who are looking for a boat to Koh Larn. Essentially, they used the word herding to describe pressure selling customers to speed boats versus allowing customers to approach a ticket queue. To tackle confusing ticket fares, the council has also established fixed and standard ticket prices for boat trips to Koh Larn as follows: From Bali Hai Pier to Na Baan Pier: 150 baht for a one-way trip per person, 300 baht for a round-trip per person. From Bali Hai Pier to Tawaen Beach: 200 baht for a one-way trip per person, 300 baht for a round-trip per person. Boat charter prices: For 12 passengers with one-engine boat, the rate is set at 2,800 baht (up from 2,500 baht). For a two-engine boat, the rate is set at 4,500 baht. The operators have signed an agreement with the council to follow the above regulations at the meeting. Violation will lead to a suspension of business operations at the pier for 7 days for the first offense, 15 days for the second, and 1 month for the third.

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From the Thaiger Free rides are on the horizon for Thailand’s Pink Line mass-transit system in November as announced on the government’s Thai Khu Fah Facebook page. The 34.5-kilometre monorail system is currently undergoing trial runs, a crucial step in the preparation phase before its official launch, as revealed by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA). The Pink Line’s trial runs are divided into two phases, with the first phase covering the stretch from Min Buri station (PK30) in eastern Bangkok to the Government Complex (PK12). This initial phase will continue until October 22. The subsequent phase, which will encompass the entirety of the 30 stations, will run until November 19. These free ride trials were originally announced a month ago with a lead-up to opening the Pink Line full in November, but the launch appears to have been pushed back. Commuters can anticipate free rides on the Pink Line from around mid-November, serving as a one-month trial period before the tentative start of commercial operations on December 18. The Pink Line, providing a crucial link between Min Buri and Nonthaburi, includes interchange stations that facilitate transfers to and from the Purple Line, BTS’s Green Line, and the forthcoming Orange Line. In terms of capacity, the Pink Line will utilise the same monorail train model as the currently operating Yellow Line. Each train can consist of four to seven passenger carriages, with a total capacity of up to 28,000 passengers per hour. The proposed fare structure for the Pink Line indicates a starting tariff of 14 baht, capped at 42 baht. Adjustments to these fares will align with the consumer price index, ensuring affordability for commuters.

In Japan, the name Johnny Kitagawa was until recently revered. In the 1960s he had started up the all-male agency which went on to manage most of the country's mushrooming boy band entertainment groups. He was arguably the most influential and powerful figure in Japan's entertainment industry. His agency was the gateway for many thousands of young men hoping to become stars. When he died in 2019 aged 87, his death was a national event. Even the Prime Minister sent his condolences. For those not clued in on Asian pop prior to K-Pop, J-Pop was its predecessor and a huge favourite both in Japan and around Asia for decades. When I worked in Japan in the 1990s, it was almost impossible to turn on the television without at least one programme featuring J-Pop bands. Now, thanks to an investigative team of reporters from the BBC, it has been discovered that Kitagawa was a sexual predator of the worst kind even before starting his agency. In the new documentary Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop, the reporters uncovered a scandal that is at the least on a parallel with that of Harvey Weinstein in the USA - only it seems to have gone on for much longer and involved many more individuals, in his case boys. As with Weinstein, there were many in the know - but no-one dared to speak out. Several singers openly tell the BBC they were scared their careers would be over if they did not give in to Kitagawa's sexual demands. One states the abuse started when he was 15 and lasted four years. When Kitagawa was alive, some of the allegations against him were proved in a civil case. But Kitagawa sued for defamation on more than one occasion. Japanese media failed to cover the allegations against him for decades. The reporters discovered that Kitagawa's family management knew of the abuse and allowed it to continue for decades. Even his niece knew what was going on. After his death, she took over the management of his company. She finally resigned today. But in her place is Noriyuki Higashiyama. He was one of the first talents recruited by Kitagawa's company. He states he was never abused by Kitagama. The future of the agency which was once known for fame and glamour which has been so publicly disgraced will no doubt be a matter for a long public debate as more and more men tell their stories of sexual abuse at the hand of a monster. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66737052

it needs to be said that in last years they did impressive job building web of public transit on rails. For tourists gives an option of exploring Bangkok's nooks and crannies otherwise less accessible. Next steps- integrated payment system and Latin letter directions on the busses (on some they are already, I know ). I understand that all those 30 days free rides are not coming from government soft heart but are enshrined somewhere in the law.

Based on 21 years of experience in such matters, there's an 89.6% success rate in this category 🚀

Which is one of the reasons the GOP are once gain trying to force a default on the debt ceiling. A destructive act on the US economy and putting party over both country and the world economy. I wonder who would get the blame for that piece of economy sabotage?

If we get into the differing semantics in the use of "innocent" we are exposing ourselves to a "Steve Thesis" that may not sit on a single page of content. Let's just agree that in the legal sense KS is still "innocent" (ignoring the HoC law suit). As for OJ, he was acquitted of murder (criminal) and then found guilty of wrongful death (civil). He has since been found guilty of numerous other charges (criminal), sentenced to 33 years and released on parole early for good behaviour (hardly innocent in either meaning. The LGBTQ community should get over itself. Not everyone has the same upbringing, work life or life in general. People should come out when they are completely ready to and not before. That includes Spacey. Let's get something clear though. It's not the "LGBTQ community", it's always a relatively small but vocal subset with a string of keyboard warriors who will hound just about anyone.

Red White & Royal Blue on prime video and Gay torrents (with the book). https://www.gay-torrents.net/torrentdetails.php?torrentid=ccd08fd06c9b584ccdba96a60a778f468c8235ef1335b06c https://www.gay-torrents.net/torrentdetails.php?torrentid=447e113a95e0f515cdba96a60a778f46b1247034e673929e

You are watching porn again ! You were supposed to paint kitchen

Hi guys, Semi-recently returned from a short trip to Bangkok and would like to share a few things from what was my 7th trip to Thailand now. Rather than write a day-to-day account of my trip, I will just include an assortment of things I got up to. Arrival Flew into Bangkok on Thailand's flagship airline (Thai Airways) and when I started hearing the familiar sounds of the Thai language, it put me in a good mood as I knew I would be arriving to my happy place soon. I was fed so much food during the flight, however when we arrived into Suvarnabhumi, we had to disembark into a bus to take us to the terminal. Wasn't expecting this from a full service carrier and also considering how big Suvarnabhumi is, but I digress. Immigration didn't take too long and I didn't have checked baggage so I headed straight down to the basement floor to take the airport rail link to Makasan, where I then changed to the MRT Petchaburi to Silom. I managed to successfully use my credit card to go through the gates at the MRT (although I tapped my card on the wrong area at first, until the attendant showed me where to tap, which was very clearly marked and I was very clearly blind. Hotel My hotel of choice for this trip was the Crowne Plaza, not particularly cheap (for me) at nearly 4000 baht per night, but I decided to treat myself. It was a very short walk from Silom MRT, the room itself was quite large, with a decent view and a toilet with an electronic bidet. As I booked direct through IHG, I even received a small toy elephant as a thank you. Breakfast was included, and even though I don't usually eat breakfast, I decided that I would on this trip. The breakfast buffet was quite good quality actually, with many options that catered to all tastes. I felt as though the hotel was not particularly full during my stay as I didn't really see a lot of people around. The hotel was also very guest friendly, and there were absolutely no issues with taking guests back to your room. You do need to go up the elevator to the 23rd floor, to where to reception is and then change to another elevator to get to your room. They are also quite generous with towels - I tipped housekeeping each day, and left a note to ask for an extra towel, and they gave me 4 extra towels (in addition to the regular 2) as well as 6 bottles of water. I remember when I asked for extra towels at the Tarntawan, they were a little apprehensive to give me just one! Bars I only managed to go to one bar this trip - Dreamboys. I usually see my favourite boy at least once per trip, but I never tell him that I'm coming so then it's always a surprise. This time was no exception. And it was quite coincidental this time actually because he had just finished his set in the show, and as he was coming off the stage, I had just come in. So I gave him a quick wave and smile, he did a double take and then joined me in my preferred seating (up the back) a few moments later. We had a drink and went back to the hotel where we had some fun times. He knows what I like, I know what he likes so it's pretty comfortable. The bar wasn't particularly busy the few times I went with probably the exception of a Saturday. My guy even helped me pick some other guys that I wanted to take back, by advising me who was good and who wasn't. I did off another 2 guys from here - one of which was quite attractive, very chatty (very good grasp of the English language), and very decent in bed, although when I paid him his (generous) tip, he was a bit cheeky and ask for and extra 200 baht taxi money, so I just gave him 100. He definitely knows the business and what he is doing, and I will most likely repeat. The other was absolutely beautiful (face and body), didn't speak a lot of English and although he tried his best, just seemed like he didn't have much experience and was at times a bit awkward. Never mind, you win some, you lose some. He was nice though but probably would not repeat. On my final night, I offed my favourite boy one more time and he wanted to sleep over but I said no because I was flying out early the next morning. I'm not really a long-time sort of person, short-time being more preferable. Next time, I have some catching up to do as I want to revisit hotmale, screwboys, possibly moonlight, freshboys, and tawan, and I also want to visit banana as I haven't been there yet. Massage Apart going to Prime for my 1 hour foot/1 hour Thai or 1 hour Thai/1 hour oil (even went to a new building which I hadn't been to before), I visited Kman and Apollo. Kman first. This was the first time I ventured outside the Silom/Sathorn area for a massage. Getting there was pretty straight forward - caught the BTS to Saphan Kwai but somehow I went down the wrong exit onto the wrong side of the road and I only realised when I saw a sign for Gbeat massage (which I knew was on the other side of the road), that I back tracked and went up and back down the correct exit, and found the shop shortly after. I don't usually book anyone when I go for a massage, rather I see who is available at the time. The manager came over with his iPad and showed me who was available, and I chose this guy who was T&B, and then got to choose which oil I would like (not that it really made a difference). I also decided to use the VIP room which was only 100 baht more than the regular room and it has a shower. It was 700 for 90 minutes, with a minimum tip of 900. After following my chosen guy up endless stairs (as is usual in places like these), got to the room and had a quick shower before the massage started. There is an art to a sensual/sexual massage and this guy definitely knows what he is doing. He was naked from the start, there was a lot of body contact, mutual touching, and I was on edge the whole time. I had chosen him as he was T&B as I didn't feel like bottoming that day, but when he asked to fuck me I couldn't resist so I said that I will fuck him first, then he can fuck me to which he happily agreed. It was actually a really nice experience and I would definitely repeat. I ended up tipping him 2000 as he deserved it, and did a hell of a lot more than some guys I've paid 2000+ for. Apollo - this experience was a little less exciting. After making the trip all the way to Bearing BTS, the shop was really easy to find - you can see the sign as you are walking down the stairs. When I walked in, I was met with confusion as to why I was there, but then the manager (or similar) came over and asked me 'boy massage?' to which I answered yes, and all was understood. This place also does legit massages as there are foot massage chairs on the ground floor, as well as Thai massage beds on the next floor (separated by curtains). The oil massage rooms are up another floor. As I didn't book ahead, the manager told me there was only one guy available, but there were a few more that he could call and they can come in about 10 minutes. He asked me if I was a top/bottom and usually I am pretty versatile but today I wanted to be a top, so I narrowed my selection and chose a quite attractive guy, the managed called him and he wanted 2000 baht tip to which I agreed. I was shown where the room was and then to the shower (which is in a little bit of a public area), and then waited for him in the room. Since the aircon was shared with the room next door, I could hear what the people in the next room were up to. Anyway, he arrived and we got started. A lot of the time was spent with dry pressing, where I was wondering if anything was going to happen. Eventually it did, but it wasn't super exciting, and there wasn't much of a build-up, and not especially worth the tip I paid. Would I repeat? With him, probably not, but they do have a line account where they send pictures every day so I guess it all depends who you choose. Plus it is quite far away! And as I mentioned before, you win some, you lose some. I know that every experience is not going to be magical, but it's good to try! Other things Food - some notable places that I ate included Sunrise Tacos (the carne asada fries are quite nice, as is the waiter with the face tattoos), Silom night market (pad krapow moo or gai for 80 baht, cooked right in front of you, and also mango sticky rice yummm), 7-11 (toasted sandwiches and banana cupcakes are great at any time of the day and night), and Coffee Grinder (the cafe coco was quite delicious as were all of the staff). Grindr - only met with one guy from Grindr (not a money boy), he is from Koh Samui and just here for a holiday. I think he must be well off though as he said he had stayed at Crowne Plaza quite recently, and was now staying at the Pullman. He also had no less than 3 cell phones on him that day. Malls - visited Icon Siam and Siam Paragon, and they are pretty much just same same. Currency exchange - X-One on Surawong road is always my place of choice. Conclusion I had a good trip and tried to fit as much in as I could, but I became tired quite a lot. The timezone is not exactly that different to that of my home country, but my sleeping pattern is massively different and wreaks havoc on my body. Anyway, I digress. My next trip will likely be in January and I will spend most of time in Bangkok, but wanting to stay in a slightly different area - anyone stayed at Trinity Silom or Furama Xclusive? Do bar boys walk that far? I also want to spend some time in Pattaya (not Jomtien this time as I never seem to have a great time there), instead I'll explore BoyzTown and massages around there. Classrooms hotel will likely be my hotel of choice (as I remember our esteemed Vinapu recommending it), and just by perusing the website, it is super clear and has all the information that I need. I like clarity like this. I may also spend some time in Phuket because why not. Thanks for reading!

What's your best cities with moneyboys and how easy to find them? Let's build the golden list of the World's best cities together, using the format below for easier digestion and please order them by your top choices. Here's my world's top-6. What's your? 1. Sao Paulo - Sauna: Lagoa <My #1 heaven> 2. Rio de Janeiro - Sauna: Clube 117 <My #2 heaven> 3. Bangkok - Massage parlors. Use Line app and add Jey Spa, V Club 7, Sabaidee Rama 4, or G Male. 4. Mexico City - mx.mileroticos.com, sexoservidoras.com 4. New York City - RentMen <Great collection but pricey> 5. London - RentMen I'm looking forward to hear from everyone! Note to admin: I couldn't find the category for this, since the only category about moneyboys has became about the dating apps. I posted on the most active room instead but feel free to move this to the right room if any. Thanks!

I'm in Japan at the moment and it is all over the media. Julie Fujishima controls 100% of the company shares and had promised compensation. At the end of the day, it is just another example of the "casting couch" culture which is also prevalent in the West. But in Japan it is difficult to question those above you. The role of the media is also being questioned as they apparently knew what was going on. It is now being reported that sponsors are abandoning the company. This could be the beginning of the end.

Cant argue with your opinions, listened to the book (download PDF to phone, use App To read aloud while walking). book was light on content too. reads like fanfiction/BL novel, not serious literature.

I notice this in Canada with social media making a big deal about protests and anti-protests attended by about a dozen people attacking and defending trans people and all of them arguably there only to get attention on social media. And unfortunately the trans people have become the lightning rod for all the different subsets of people who hate homosexuals, immigrants, women.... basically anybody who they can blame for their own unsuccessful lives or insecurity. The great majority Canadians continue to dislike confrontation in society and prefer to mind their own business despite their own personal likes and dislikes.

I'm not judging any ones sins. This is about power, influence and connections. Would the son have ever been considered for a life-long membership of Britains Upper House only upon his own merits?

we can't blame sons for their fathers sins. Can't son of serial rapist become cancer cure discoverer?

I hope to increase it!

I think as progress continues to be made, as fewer queer children grow up with homophobia, and more grow up in homes where their sexuality is allowed to develop in the open, it will become less important for queer actors to play queer roles - and for straight actors to play straigh roles. The biggest issues I think surrounding this are Straight actors cannot have the same understanding of a queer character, because they did not grow up facing the challanges the character would have. Queer actors are often locked out of roles in big movies because the character is straight... even if there is no romance in the movie. I think as time goes on, it'll be less important what the actors sexuality is. I think the issue with queer-baiting will also subside for the same reason. There are examples of queer-baiting - corporations do it every year when they slap a rainbow flag on everything and pretend they give a shit. But when it comes to famous people, I'm minded to allow them privacy to think what they want or be what they want. People today are far more interested in celebrities than is healthy for anyone.

Blood flow is a key also to cellular nutrition. More frequent blood (erections)- better health. More exercise (masterbation) resuting in optimal growth. Less victorianism and more sleepless sleepovers/campouts. The result of the internet and cams might be yielding a huge result- good things to come. Soon BoCox, P-shot, and shockwave will be adding to that as it becomes mainstream.

Watched this recently... A little on the nose with the names of the British royalty But also a lovely, feed good movie. A bit too "fairy tale" though. I prefered Heartstopper for its exploration of characters insecurity and uncertainty.

Please use multi-factor authentication where possible; ideally with an authenticator app rather than SMS. Microsoft and Google provide free authenticator apps that can work with many different sites/apps. Use different & strong passwords for each app or site - Apples keychain is good for storing the passwords. Simple guide for good, strong passwords: https://xkcd.com/936/ PSA over I looked at BIGO... just seemed to show me lots of girls Couldn't seem to get the filters to show me the hot guys

Not sure there is much unexpected here. On average, food has become more availible and fewer children grow up malnourished than they did in the first half of the 20th Century. That's resulted in populations getting taller on average, its only natural that proprotions of other appendages would also increase.

The UK is 6th/7th in the GDP rankings. That hides the the fact that its GDP is dwarfed by U.S.A, and is smaller than California's or Texas's GDP. It was Government policy to 'accomodate' wealthy individuals, especially since 2010. A glaring example of how deep the corruption goes is exampled by the son of a billionaire ex-KGB agent being elevated to the House of Lords.

I don't know anything about the British justice system. I did cover a lot of court cases in Canada over a thirty year period as a news reporter. The terms like innocence and somebody being "cleared" are often used by the media when they should be used only rarely. You're right people are presumed innocent when the trial begins and they're still presumed innocent when the trial is over if they're not convicted. But presumed innocent and truly innocent are completely different. Presumed innocent is a legal term... the word innocent has a much broader meaning including what is actually the truth. That's because in Canadian courts in a not guilty verdict... the judge, or jury, usually find there was not enough evidence to convict the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. In the U.S. OJ was cleared in criminal court, but convicted in civil court. So is he innocent or not? I have seen on occasion a judge say at the end of the trial that he/she/they "accepts the evidence of the accused completely," or in its "entirety." That's the closest I've seen to somebody being cleared.

It's not mandatory that you read any posts. 😵 And I think you must be aware that mine do tend to be on the longer side!

Too long!

Interesting that all the likely Plan B's are from California. The betting averages RCP posts suggest that the most likely Democratic nominee, if it's not Biden, is my Guv, Gavin Newsom. It's not clear how that would happen, since he just said there is no chance that's gonna happen. Of course, they always say that. I like watching Bill Kristol's interviews. He is an inside player who clearly talks off the record with lots of very smart politicos. So I believe him when he says behind the scenes lots of Democrats will say that they wouldn't mind if neither Biden nor Harris were the nominee. But here's the thing, they say: how do you actually make that happen? The only way of course is Biden and Harris would both have to agree not to run. Which is a little bit like saying that maybe Trump and DeSantis will decide not to run and somebody like Nikki Haley will be nominated. Don't hold your breath. I can see two scenarios where Biden is not the nominee. The most obvious and likely one is he dies, or almost dies and has to resign. As you said, Plan B is Veep becomes POTUS. The interesting question then is, would someone like Newsom run against Harris, assuming there was time to do so? I would not bet on it. The polls say in a competitive primary, she'd beat anyone. Including Michelle Obama, who btw says she has zero interest in being POTUS. There would be a lot of public pressure to rally behind the new POTUS and let her focus on her day job. Privately, the same politicos that gossip with Kristol would be saying our best chance of winning is to rally behind her. Rather than have a divisive primary loaded with questions about whether people think Harris is not up to the job simply because she's a Black woman. It's interesting that everybody speculates about whether Trump will end up in jail, and nobody speculates about whether he will end up in a coffin by next year due to a heart attack. He'd seem to be a candidate for that, as well as Biden. If I assume Biden dies or can't run and Harris is POTUS and the nominee, I think that could be exciting. Immediately, age is an advantage for Democrats, who are presumably running against Trump. Yes, people will say Kamala Harris is not up to the job. That looks different when the alternative is Trump. Whose problem is that 53 % or so of Americans are horrified by the idea of putting him back in a job they never wanted him to have in the first place. The cherry on the icing on the cake for me, in this situation, would be name some like Gretchen Whitmer Veep. It obviously helps in Michigan. It adds experience to the ticket. And I think it would be a thrilling alternative to Trump. It would be like the female version of Clinton/Gore in 1992. Two younger figures that reinforce this dynamic image. And I also include it because Bill Clinton, like Harris, is someone who many Democrats thought was a problem that would lead us to disaster if nominated. It also solves the Hunter Biden problem. Kick his sorry little ass out of the White House permanently. I'm guessing Republicans would immediately lose interest in his art, bank accounts, guns, and past drug addictions. All that said, I still go back to the economy, stupid. If Harris is POTUS, she's still running on the incumbent Administration's record. The economy is the main thing dragging both her and Biden's approval ratings down. There is no getting around it. Which is why they are at least trying to turn it into a positive. Time will tell. Which leads me to the other Plan B I can see for Democrats. Assume by the end of 2023 the economy is tipping into recession, but despite that gas prices are on the rise again. The S & P tanks and is back to 3500, or lower. If we really want to speculate and channel 1968, assume Biden can't even get 50 % of the vote in the New Hampshire primary. RFK, Jr. humiliates the sitting President by nearly beating him with 42 % of the vote. That's the kind of situation where I could remotely imagine Biden and Harris being begged privately to step aside, for the good of the party. Like in 1968, it probably would not end well for Democrats. I love to worry. But these circumstances are so remote that I don't plan to spend time worrying about it.

I don't support bullying actors over accusations of queer-baiting but I really would have loved to see Nicholas Galitzine as a gay man in real life. His roles as a gay character in the many movies he made, which are superb, to me seem to suggest that he has had extensive prior experience. Also, doesn't it seem odd that a straight actor would play so many gay roles in his career so far? All the same it is best to respect his privacy and enjoy his marvellous acting talent.

fully agree, in reality how much we need to eat if we sit on the plane doing nothing for 10-15 hours ? I'm slowly coming to the stage when I will we asking them NOT to wake me up for a meal if I happen to be sleeping when they serve. It happened on my last two longish flight and I was upset at myself I did not do it since sleeping on the plane is rare feast for me.

I used to collect them. Nowadays I don’t bother and take the best deal on offer rather than being stuck with one airline.

There is by definition a plan B in place in case of Biden's incapacitation. It's almost nobody's *first* choice but that doesn't change it. Would Kamala have a harder time than a "spry" Biden, yes. Would a LOT of people line up to vote for a ebola-laced ham sandwich on fire over Trump? Also, yes (inclusive). Biden's the nominee. Kamala is the VP nominee. A vote against them (including the bullshit "no-labels" shills) is a vote against the continued existence of our democracy, as shown January 6th and by the bloviators saying right now "Trump or Death" and actively promoting further armed insurrection. I'd fucking vote for Diane Feinstein over that (only thing worse than an ebola-laced ham sandwich I could think of). More likely is Trump not being the nominee on the Republican side as his health is, as mentioned, clearly worse plus his legal entanglements and the possibility of the 14th amendment keeping him off ballots... but I find the possibility of a smarter, more capable person who's learned from Trump following in his footsteps the most terrifying of these potentialities. Which is why hope is for Biden's continued good heath and actual accomplishments continue long enough to have a definitive "blue wave" that breaks the back of the MAGA fascist wing of the Republican party and either restores the party to sanity or makes it irrelevant forever.

If you're paying money, and its a short term thing, it's always transactional. If you're pleasing to the boys eye, then its an easy job for them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. If everything about you turns them off, it's just a tough day for them; but they've had worse days. Probably. In relationships where wealth of each partner is significantly different, the lines between romance and transaction become more blurred. One can see it as paying in arrears... or as just one of those quirks of love.

Actually I think Michelle Obama had a pretty decent shot. But that's just me.

Be a sweetie, and let's say we round it up to 40 %? Okay? 🙂 Since you want to talk math, I have a comment and then a math question. I'd love you to tell me how you think Trump wins. I'll go first. The comment is that I didn't start this thread to criticize Biden. Or to suggest he should not be the nominee. I started it because I think the economy is the reason Biden could lose. I'll cite Clintonista Democratic strategist Doug Sostik, who recently told this to errant Never Trump Republican Bill Kristol. If the 2024 election is about the economy, Trump has a strong case, he thinks. If it is about whether people want more crazy, Biden wins. Sostik said he thinks the 2020 and 2022 elections came down to whether people wanted more crazy. And both times Democrats did well. Asked what 2024 was more likely to be about, he said he thinks Trump will be the nominee. Which will make it about whether people want more crazy. Again. So Biden wins. I'm guessing you disagree. I know what the polls about Biden running again say. But it's not about whether Biden tops the ticket to me. It's about the economy, stupid. And, more narrowly, the inflation, stupid. What solves the economy problem, like with senile old Reagan in 1983, is if people feel the economy improves. So far Biden is selling. But the people he needs ain't buying, yet, as those articles I posted make clear. So here's my question. Right now Trump and Biden are exactly the same in the RCP favorability averages, 56 % unfavorable and 40 % favorable. Ain't that sweet? They're like two peas in pod. 😉 Even so, an overwhelming majority of Americans don't want a Trump/Biden rematch. So who do you think is more likely to be able to overcome that 40 % number, and win a majority or plurality? Trump or Biden? Call me biased, but I think Biden. Simply based on the math. I'll lay out my case, and you tell me yours. As you can see from that poll, Trump has never been viewed favorably by any more than 45 % of Americans. If we go by his approval ratings as POTUS, the very highest he reached, for a matter of weeks, was 47 %. He lost in 2020 by 46.8 % of the vote. So something like 47 % seems to be his hard limit. I can see one clear way to change that: by making Donald Trump NOT be Donald Trump. Which is what sucks about these trials, in particular. When Republicans line up to testify next year about how they told Trump he lost the election, or Mar A Lago employees detail how Trump ordered them to obstruct the FBI, Independents will be thinking, "Yup. Sounds like crazy Trump to me." Biden won with 51.3 % of the vote in 2020. Until about August 2021, his approval rating was over 50 %. Did I mention that his approval rating crashed below 50 % right around when inflation crashed above 5 %? Did I mention his approval rating hit bottom in mid-2022, when inflation peaked? Biden' average approval rating was 37 % then and 42 % now, according to RCP. Hence, whether I go by the poll numbers or what real people in those articles say, it's very clearly the inflation stupid. And the economy, stupid. So you can see where the math is headed, @Moses. Trump's chances of cracking 47 % for the first time since .................. NEVER! ........................ is pretty low. But if inflation continues to subside and the economy continues to improve, Biden has more than a 0 % chance of seeing his approval ratings improve. 50 % of Americans could vote for him, and did, not that long ago. Why might his ratings improve? The economy can and does change. Trump can't and won't change. Trump may be criminal, but he's not stupid. I think he knows that to win, it helps to run in a split field. Both in the primary and general. In 2016, Trump did worse than Romney in 2012 (47.2 %) or Trump in 2020 (46.8 %). He barely did better than McCain in 2012 (45.7 %). The reason 46.1 % was enough to win in 2016 was a relatively strong third party candidate, and the electoral college in the Rust Belt. So in addition to a weak economy, or a recession, Trump has to be hoping somebody like Manchin runs. I don't think Cornell West does it. But a recession and a No Labels third party candidate that could maybe get 5 % of the vote would open up a whole new MAGAverse. Vlad would love it, I'm sure. That's my scenario. What's your scenario? How do you see Trump winning when 53 % of Americans never have and never will vote for him?

From the BBC website today. The poor man cannot remember if he asked boys to "eat his saussage" or not. I know what I think! The new boss of a J-pop agency disgraced by the extensive sexual abuse committed by its late founder Johnny Kitagawa has also been accused of sexually assaulting young boys. Noriyuki Higashiyama said he could not remember the reported acts which he said may or may not have occurred. He was named the new boss of Johnny and Associates after Kitagawa's niece stepped down on Thursday. He will lead the agency's efforts to compensate victims and seek amends. However, on Thursday at a press conference announcing Julie Fujishima's departure and his appointment, he was also faced with questions about his own reported abuse. Journalists asked him if allegations published in a book saying he massaged the crotches of boys, exposed his genitals and told them to "eat my sausage" were true. He replied: "I don't remember clearly. Maybe it happened, maybe it didn't. I have trouble remembering." Alluding to claims that he had bullied younger performers, the 56-year old added it was possible that he had been stricter with them, and that he may have done things as a teenager or in his 20s that he would not do now. More at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66748236

I don't expect anyone to "get behind" KS. As far as I've seen he's simply being left alone. If he indeed committed crimes then he should be prosecuted and I mean criminally, not just sued. He sounds like a pretty horrible person who uses his fame to get what he wants. As for the 30 people, if they don't come forward then nothing will happen. Masterson, Weinstein, Epstein, R Kelly, Harris all show that celebrities can be held to account under criminal law no matter who their lawyers are. Given that civil cases are decided on the balance of probabilities rather than reasonable doubt, the evidence must be extremely weak if no one is willing to sue Spacey.

I always assume that it is transactional though it is interesting to me how this may morph into something in addition to this if, over time, you develop a connection/friendship of sorts with someone you see regularly - but yes, in this context, certainly not love or romance !

Well mine hasn't gotten any bigger over the last 30 years

Whether in Thailand or Egypt of Latin America regardless, what drives young fit men who are in many cases straight to have sex with strangers,tourists, is money. It is a financial transaction and anything else is just a minor detail, money is the key that opens closed doors. The problem is that some tourists are so disillusioned that they actually think that these young men are offering their sexual services because of love and romance. The only exception to this is if you yourself are young and cute and white. Then yes you might attract sex for free.

More bad news for Biden. Two articles worth reading. I'll summarize with a key paragraph from each. Biden is selling an economy on the rise. Voters aren’t buying it so far. Democrats beware: These Black voters are fed up, and looking for a political home There's a few things that both stories make clear. The most important one is ............................. it's the inflation, stupid. Had Trump been POTUS, there's no way he would have escaped the global inflation experienced by (name most any large industrialized nation, except China). But since Biden was POTUS, he will be held accountable for it. The other thing that is clearly a factor is all the stuff about age, and being out of touch. There is one reasonably good comparison we can make on that, which I keep bringing up: Ronald Reagan in 1983. At this point he was still net unfavorable. One 1983 poll showed Mondale beating him by 10 points. Inflated prices won't deflate, any more than they did in 1983. Biden won't grow younger, any more than Reagan did in 1983. The gamble is obviously that a year from now, things will be different. What we know now, that I mentioned above, is the misery index was 7.7 in January 2021 and it is now lower - 6.8. So if Trump wants to talk about inflation and unemployment, right now it is lower than when Biden kicked his ass. (New flash: Joe Biden won the 2020 election.) No one in that second article is saying they are itching to vote for Trump. If inflation and unemployment stay low, there's no particular reason to think Black voters who are disappointed in Biden or even Harris will decide MAGA is their political home. As someone said in that article, most Republican efforts to reach out to Blacks are as cringeworthy as what Biden said in 2020 about how Blacks who vote for Trump "ain't Black." As an aside, some poll I read recently seemed to say that Black Republicans actually prefer Vivek Ramaswamy to Tim Scott. I guess you could score one for diversity. But it made me feel sad. Scott, to me, is a good guy who articulates a right-of-center vision for a colorblind Main Street America. Nikki Haley, to me, is a good gal who does the same. I'm glad she is connecting. Vivek is a culture warrior who is telling conservatives what they want to hear. I'm biased. But it says something to me about the true ugliness in the MAGA movement. They just want their red meat. And lots of it! The S & P 500 was at 3850 or so when Biden took office. It's at 4450 now. Who knows where it will be a year from now. But many prognosticators think it will set a new all time high, above the all time high it already set under Joe Biden. If that plays out, which is what my money in the stock market is betting on, it undercuts Trump's argument about the great Trump economic boom and the horrible Biden economic bust. All that said, this scares the shit out of me. Is anyone else scared?

rightly so. In condo where I live in the lobby there's table on which residents can place unwanted but usable items. If not picked up within 24 hours they are supposed to reclaim them or super will dump them out. Works great. Now you know where my vacuum cleaner comes from and where most of Christmas gifts are landing

I'm here now, is worse than what people told me....streets are dead, even on weekends. Talked to a couple of guys on Gay Romeo, one showed up, was obviously on drugs, pills. Sketchy, scratching himself nervously, scars on his legs from scratching, glassy eyes. Of course he denied using drugs, sent him away. Hard to find soda or anything decent to eat..... even at the Hotel National 😲 Was out all night drinking on the Malecon, don't get me wrong, there are some people out but nothing that you would look at twice. I saw 1 guy that looked interesting, was with a group of friends, not even eye contact. only 3 people outside Las Vegas on Fri & Sat night and in the park behind there, a couple of desperate guys that might have been good 15 years ago...... I'm still holding out hope, a friend I've had for 20+ years is 40 yrs old now, been hanging out with him and is still the best thing on offer.

To be fair, depending on your definition of what justifies "danger", this place could lead you down some dangerous rabbit holes. Financial holes also.

ranging from that to 1000.....I'll never understand someone paying for another person to sleep. If I'm getting along with someone and like them, I offer to let them stay the night. In most cases they will sleep in a much more comfortable bed, a/c or heat, have a hot shower in the morning, not wake up to noise/roosters. I've had a few that mention that they charge more for that and I tell them, I won't charge them for the nights rent and we'll be even.....I prefer to sleep alone, I only offer if I know they live far and I feel good with them. People throwing money expecting the GP's to like them more is stupid, if you want to help the guy out, help him open a business and show you really care.. They perceive that as an easy mark, next thing you know all the guys in the sauna know what you pay. Again, I wouldn't want to go car shopping with someone like that.

I just told a few friends in Brasil your offer, they remarked the only time they quote such high rates, is when they REALLY don't want to go with someone. But if the customer is wiling to pay THAT much in Brasil, what the fuck, why not. I wouldn't want to go car shopping with you, lol

A finding of 'not guilty," desirable as it may be, is not a finding of innocence.

It is almost 2 decades since I spent 4 nights in Luang Prabang - and loved them. It is a completely charming small city but never felt like a city. I flew in on Bangkok Airways. I understand there is a long boat service down the Mekong from Chiang Mai, but that would need to be checked to see if it still runs. Just meandering through the centre with its plethora of small temples and colonial houses was a joy. As was the gentle climb up Pussy Hill (although it is spelled Phousi!) to get an overview of the city. The former Royal Palace is now a Museum. And there is a lovely boat ride about 25 kms up the Mekong to the Pak Ou Caves where there are many hundreds of small Buddha sculptures. I had booked through the long dead Utopia Tours. I had a non-gay guide during two days but frankly a guidebook would have been just as good. One evening I had a gay guide. Funnily, that evening I had had an early dinner in a little restaurant around the corner from my guesthouse and spent the meal lusting after the two cute waiters. I was then amazed when my evening guide arrived. He was one of the waiters! Gay nightlife then was mostly limited to one very large bar cum disco with very few people and one smaller bar, again with few patrons. But I did get a feeling of Luang Prabang being quite cruisy. On my last afternoon before my flight back to Bangkok, I was sitting at one of the tables outside the guesthouse looking at the boat traffic on the Mekong. Soon three cute boys - not sure if they were in the last year at school or first at university but they were in uniform - came and sat nearby. As they were drinking their tea, they obviously were aware that I was looking at them. Soon one came over. He said one of his friends liked me and asked if I lliked him! Of course I did and told him so, but sadly I had absolutely no time to do anything. Bummer! One anecdote. The guesthouse on the banks of the Mekong was quite new. It was the idea of a Lao architect who had spent about 20 years in Sydney stuying and working before returning home. As I returned from sightseeing one afternoon, he told me I had just missed meeting Mick Jagger and his daughter and how he had had a fascinating chat with them. Another bummer! The Rolling Stones had had a concert in Bangkok cancelled when the plane taking all their stage and technical gear from the previous gig in Mumbai had broken down. So Jagger had hired a plane specifically to visit Luang Prabang. Since he was sitting on a table across from the guesthouse, the owner went up to say how nice it was to see him again. It turned out that the guesthouse owner had met Jagger during a concert in Sydney some years earlier. Then he formed part of the security guard. At a rehearsal, seeing that he was Asian Jagger had gone up to him to say the band had run out of pot and was there any way the Lao guy could obtain some more! It turned out that the owner had a friend in the Lao Embassy. So overnight, a stash of pot was sent down in the diplomatic bag!

I apologize for concentrating solely on the fun part of this thread, as I didn't realize how important this issue is for some posters, as well as for TY and OZ. Thank you all for thinking this through and sharing your thoughts and solutions. It also got me thinking about what I'd do if I got into a dustup with a poster here. My first inclination would be to ignore him. Not put him on ignore, but just not engage him on the Board. If the person had some redeeming features, it's possible I'd send a PM to figure out if a rapprochement were in the cards. But if I got back a rude response, I'd be done. If it seemed threatening, I'd probably forward it to OZ and TY so they knew who they had on the Board. But I wouldn't ask them to ban the poster or take any action on my behalf. I'd just never engage the person again. I hope we continue to keep our social skills on an upward arc and resolve our differences ourselves. It would be a shame to harsh TY's mellow or interfere with OZ's continuing Search for Enlightenment.