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Can you explain your motivation for adding "The Jew" to describe the owner of the museum? Was there another owner at the same time who was not Jewish? In other words, why didn't you simply write "The owner..."? What did "The Jew" add to your comment?

I think many of us have similar regrets, although both my grandfathers had died before I was born. My father, a doctor, enlisted at the start of WWII. He was sent with the 340,000 or so to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1939. He was doubly unfortunate in that he had just got married and was soon to learn that my older sister was on the way. Then, as the Germans advanced in 1940 and Churchill realised he had to evacuate the British troops from Dunkirk, a small detachment was sent west to the port city of St. Valery-en-Caux where it was believed they could be more quickly evacuated. But so much attention was placed on Dunkirk that more than 10,000 at St. Valery had to surrender. They were all captured. My father then spent the next four years in prisoner-of-war camps, ending in one near Gdansk where he was liberated by the advancing Russians. Following his reunion with his wife and daughter, my brother and I eventually came along. But apart from a week-end reunion which he aways attended, we learned precious little about those four years. It was almost as though he did not want to talk about them. After his death in the 1970s, we assumed his memories died with him. But after my brother retired, he became much more interested in family history. Over the years, he has talked with a handful of fellow prisoners-of-war and others associated with that war. He has now amassed a very large collection, part of which he has privately published and which will all eventually become part of a book. As a doctor, my father was duty bound not to escape, He had to look after his fellow prisoners. But he did help quite a number escape by, for example, placing cuts on tongues and telling his captors that the man suffered from epilepsy. He even helped those who had been circumcised appear uncircumcised! It is a fascinating story. The sad thing is that like @traveller123's father and grandfather most such often heroic tales have gone untold.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Myanmar’s military regime, which came to power in a February 2021 coup, is in serious trouble. The military leader senior general Min Aung Hlaing has admitted that the country could split if his forces are unable to stop an insurrection in the huge and lawless Shan state which borders China, the junta’s largest trading partner. Military spokesman Zaw Min Tun has separately conceded that several northern towns have fallen to the Three Brotherhood Alliance which has overrun dozens of military posts, forced the surrender of hundreds of soldiers and cut off the junta’s access to the 2,000 kilometers of the Chinese border. Jason Tower, Myanmar program director for a US-funded think tank, said about half the entire countryside was in the hands of insurgent groups which have, for example, cut oil and gas pipelines from the Bay of Bengal to the China border. The junta still controls the main cities, at any rate from the barracks, and has firm control of the capital Naypyitaw and the commercial hub of Yangon. The problem is that the fighting is getting closer to urban centers and even garrisoned towns are under threat. There is speculation that senior general Myint will be forced to resign, although it is not clear who is successor would be and whether he could be any more effective in countering a civil war. In the south of the country, the Karen National Liberation Army has attacked towns which link Yangon with the Thai border. There are rumors that members of the State Administration Council (as the junta calls itself) have already bought properties in Thailand, to flee to if necessary. Some generals are believed to be in favour of a less incompetent leader who would enter negotiations with the disparate resistance groups. It would be no easy task. The consequences of Myanmar’s internal chaos are far-reaching for its relations with other countries. Russia and China have both supplied arms to the junta, but China’s support has waned the Myanmar authorities have failed to check the growing number of cyberscam gangs operating in the border regions. Thailand has followed an ambivalent policy towards post-coup Myanmar and the Thai army maintains good relationships with its senior colleagues over the border. The deteriorating security situation means that foreign tourism, which had shown some small signs of picking up in the last 12 months, is again dead on its feet. Unless there is very soon international intervention to steady the political chaos, Myanmar could be on a course for total collapse or ad hoc division into separatist regions.

The following exhibit will be on display through Nov. 26 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Center, located opposite MBK and Siam Discovery. From Thai PBS World In the realm of photojournalism, James Nachtwey is a name with resonance and significance. He has traversed the globe, documenting the most pressing issues of our time with a lens that captures the essence of human suffering and resilience. With a career spanning over four decades, Nachtwey has dedicated his life to bearing witness to some of the world’s most significant and harrowing events and has covered nearly every armed conflict in the world. His evocative and heart-wrenching photographs have not only garnered global recognition, but have also been a catalyst for social change. Recently, Thailand has had the privilege of hosting a captivating exhibition of his work in ‘James Nachtwey: Memoria’, which serves as a poignant reminder of the power of photography in bringing about social change. The ‘James Nachtwey: Memoria’ exhibition, a large-scale retrospective by James, has been organised by The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, with support from The Embassy of the United States of America in Thailand. One hundred and twenty-six photographs are on display. Each photograph in this exhibition represents a fragment of a memory, captured within the continuum of the events Nachtwey experienced. Each image was intended to reach a mass audience during when these events were taking place, as a way of raising public consciousness; one element amongst many in the process of change. He has presented numerous solo exhibitions in New York, Paris, Milan and Stockholm. This is his first exhibition in Thailand and the Asia Pacific region. Naphat Ratanasakdi, Secretary of The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, said that “James Nachtwey shows the truth of the event with very hard, depressing, and aggressive photos. The photos of James Nachtwey have a lot of photogenic sense, they have a lot of aesthetics in his works. So, this is why James Nachtwey’s photos are very special and stand out.” One of the most moving sections of the exhibition showcases Nachtwey’s extensive documenting of global conflicts. His lens has captured the devastation of war in Bosnia, the brutality of apartheid in South Africa, the terror of the siege of Kabul, the September 11th attacks in New York City and war in Iraq, among many other tragic events. These images not only chronicle the horrors of conflict, but also convey the resilience, courage and hope that persist amidst the darkness.

It's hard to believe that in a matter of hours in Europe the armistice following World War 1 will be officially marked. It's a time for remembrance - and yet sometimes I wonder remembering what? Unquestionably, the number of deaths and the tragedy of those who died in utterly horrible circumstances in the muddy trenches in Flanders, Ypres, Paschendale, the Somme and elsewhere in northeast France as competing armies fought for years over meters of ground. It was a war that wiped out almost a generation of young men, certainly from the UK. With many being first sons, it was to be one of the nails in the coffin of the entrenchant aristocracy. Do we mourn today at the demise of the 19th century Age of Empire? The German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire all collapsed. The British Empire was so weakened it too died after a second World War. There was a new world order with two immediate effects. That order was to see the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, a result partly of the crippling sanctions placed on Germany by the Versailles Peace Treaty - a result never considered back in 1919. Then there was the rise of Communism which was to consume politics in Europe and the USA for nearly three-quarters of a century. But then that war in 1914 caught so many unawares. The hotchpotch of allliances formed earlier in the century was encourged by a Britain determined to maintain the balance of power thought to make Europe stronger. Yet within many countries there were simmering tensions that required resolution. The waning Austro-Hungary hated the Serbs; an ascendant Russia was determined to support them. Above all, everyone feared the rise of Germany under the Kaiser - the eldest grandchild of Britain's Queen Victoria. Austro-Hungary was a total mess. The last vestige of the 1,000 year-old Holy Roman Empire, its one-time alliance between hundreds of individual cities and small states had been reduced to one betwen Austria and Hungary. Like many Empires it was rotting from within. Its parliament operated in 12 languages without the aid of official interpreters. Its Imperial family was totally dysfunctional. Emperor Franz Joseph (1848-1916) was a determined reactionary who treated his children very strictly. In 1853 he had survived an assassination attempt on his own life. His wife Elizabeth was introverted, increasingly emotionally distant from her husband and travelled away from Vienna as often as possible to get away from the Emperor and their children. In this far-from-loving home, the couple's surviving son the Crown Prince Rudolf was a psychological mess. In 1889 in what has become known as the Mayerling incident, 30-year old Rudolf and his 17-year old mistress fled to the family's hunting lodge where it seems (but historians are divided on this) they committed suicide. This all but destoyed Elizabeth who then increased her travels and determination to get away from the Court. She was assassinated in Geneva in 1898. With their other son dying in 1896, Franz Ferdinand's nephew immediately became heir presumptive and Archduke. He was next in line for assassination - in Sarajevo in 1914. Then the dominos fell into place as the alliances screamed accusations at each other before war quickly broke out. By the end, the new Europe was never the same. As we remember the scale of carnage and destruction, I guess we should also remember the words of Graham Allison, the famed international relations scholar most renowned for his analysis of the Cuban missle Crisis. He made clear that for him, World War I’s most important lesson is that “despite the fact that there’s many reasons for believing that something . . . would make no sense, and therefore would be incredible, and therefore maybe even impossible, shit happens.” What a dreadful epitaph for four years of misery on an unbelievable acale!

I stand corrected. The source is VERY reliable: The Economist. Not concerned; visited 4 times, and intend to return. Just surprised and curious.

So far as I can tell, the museum owner's alleged religion, ethnicity and nationality are irrelevant to a cooperative discussion of "Patpong comings and goings", but they are exactly the kind of thing often used as dog-whistle codewords by people not debating in good faith.

One of my regrets in life is that I never took the time to talk to my Grand dad (who I was close to and saw every week) about his war time experiences as a Tommy in WW1. I believe he told the recruiting office he was 18 when in fact he was only 16. It was the same with my Dad who during WW2 was a radio officer in the Merchant Navy sailing in convoys across the Atlantic and sailing to India, Egypt and no doubt many other countries

@Department_Of_Agriculture has attemped to answer other points and, although having been asked several times, he has deflected his answers away from this particular controversial statement. It is time he responded to it.

You place yourself in the role of judge and jury in determining whether a sex crime was committed. Very puritanical to say the least. I’m sure you consider yourself the soul of virtue. You still don’t explain why you chose to call the owner “The Jew”. What bearing did it have on the matter? Or why you thought it necessary to publicize his arrest. I don’t know who the Michael is to whom you refer. When members on a site called “Gay Guides” begin accusing other members of sex crimes or being sex tourists, we certainly journey down a slippery slope. And I’m in no way surprised that you chose to double down on your reference to another member as a “sex pest”.

That's the funniest joke I've heard in a while. Russia could barely defend itself when attacked by Turkey, France, or Germany individually. How long do you think it could defend itself against all 3, let alone with the US, Canada, and almost all of Europe alongside? Well, I guess at least Switzerland and Ireland would probably stay neutral.

@Department_Of_Agriculture has attemped to answer other points and, although having been asked several times, he has deflected his answers away from this particular controversial statement. It is time he responded to it Who knows the owner of the museum? If he does identify himself as a Jew and is proud of being one, then I don't think that DOA is being antisemitic. It's like stating a fact. Sometimes it could also be a cultural thing. What is offensive to westerners may not be to Asians. For example, it's not uncommon to identity someone based on their race/religion in a small community rather than by name among the older generation. It's not by malice but simply as a form of identification. For example, my dad usually call one of his friend as "keling-kia huan" which translate as Indian Muslim. And among that circle of friends, they know who my father is referring to. Although this term is not often used nowadays cos some find it offensive but its still fairly common among the older folks.

100 Baht is more a snub than a tip; maybe the masseur was being facetious? 555

Depite its advances in technology and payments systems, Japan remains largely a cash society. Carrying around large sums is not unusual. It is also an incredibly safe country where street theft is also extremely unusual. It seems someone should be advertising that such incidents are in fact far from uncommon in many other countries. (But I'll bet this is not something on the TAT's agenda 😵).

how do you know? did he complain to you? and actually victim of what?

From AFP Thwarted Thai election winner Pita Limjaroenrat vowed Thursday to run for prime minister again, defying conservative forces that blocked him from the job earlier in the year and despite a looming court case. The 43-year-old led his Move Forward Party (MFP) to a shock first-place finish in May’s general election, buoyed by young and urban Thais weary of a near-decade of military rule — only to be prevented from becoming premier by royalist and pro-military blocs opposed to his reformist agenda. MFP’s former allies Pheu Thai then formed a coalition government with army-linked parties, leaving the progressive challengers back on the opposition bench — and Pita perhaps in the political wilderness. He also faces a legal challenge thrown at him in the wake of the election, which could see him banned from running for years. But in an interview with AFP, he vowed to take another tilt at the premiership. “Of course. I’m not giving up, and it’s just a matter of time,” he said when asked if he planned to run again. But there are a number of roadblocks in his way — not least his current suspension as an MP. MFP won the most seats in the May 14 poll, but fell short of an outright majority and joined forces with Pheu Thai. But a prime minister candidate needs a majority across both houses of parliament, and Pita could not muster enough votes to overcome opposition in the junta-appointed Senate.

In my humble opinion, Pita is one of the most handsome men -- of any age -- in all of Asia!

You’re the only one completely “wrong” here. You unfairly maligned a fellow member and you made an antisemitic remark. You attempted to turn an innocent post into a felony. And you continued to do it in your most recent post by referring to the member as a “groper”. You are without shame. Nothing can excuse your actions. You’ve only succeeded in calling yourself out for what you actually are.

Not so, at least according to the CNN article. It's a new widebody aircraft that can replace western made passenger planes. This one seats up to 370 passengers in up to 3 passenger classes. Somehow I have difficulty believing First and Business class or Business Class and Premium Economy would be offered for emergencies! Besides, as the Russian Government's own official website stated on 1 November, "The prototype of the long-range widebody passenger aircraft Il-96-400M has successfully concluded its miaden flight." Where did you get your information?

Or the majestic deserts.

White hair, in my case!

From the Straits Times Plane makes U-turn after taking off in London with missing window Passengers on board an Airbus A321LR that departed a London airport in October were in for a noisier and colder flight than usual when two of the plane’s windows were found to be missing after take-off. Titan Airways Flight AWC305Y had taken off from London’s Stansted Airport on Oct 4 and was headed to Orlando International Airport in the US state of Florida, according to a report from Britain’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). After take-off, the flight crew noticed excessive noise coming from the left side of the cabin’s rear. The report states that “several passengers recalled that after take-off, the aircraft cabin seemed noisier and colder than they were used to”. A crew member walked to the area for a closer inspection and noticed that one of the seals around the window pane had become dislodged, with a noise that was described as being loud enough to damage your hearing. The plane was in the process of its take-off climb and had reached an altitude of 14,000 feet (4,200m) before it was levelled out to stop its ascent and its airspeed reduced so that one of the pilots could inspect the windows. After assessing the damage, the decision was made for the plane to make a U-turn and land back at Stansted after being in the air for 36 minutes. Upon further inspection of the aircraft’s exterior after landing, two window assemblies were found to be missing, while the inner pane and seal of a third window were dislodged. An aircraft window assembly consists of the inner and outer panes and the window seal. According to the report, “there were no abnormal indications on the flight deck and the aircraft pressurisation system was operating normally... the cabin had remained pressurised normally throughout the flight”.

KK Massage has made it easier for customers arriving without booking to scan tablet for their preference. Masseurs are now presented in two categories: T&B’s and “straights”. Plenty to choose from in both.

Ah, so that's what's wrong with you!! (Apologies - just a silly joke which your post seemed to cry out for 🙏)

or how easy their job was with him

It looks like you are using the tragic murder of innocent Israelis and Palestinians to push your pro-Putin agenda. You are not better than the USA's puppets you are trying to mock.

Now the biggest aggressor in the world is the United States. And these pussies never dare to attack Russia themselves 🤣

Upon further checking, it seems this man didn't want any sex, just a body massage. Normally a tip should be, at least, the cost of the house fee.

Was he the Mandarin-speaking Caucasian fellow who used to emcee/provide commentary for the shows at the old DB? That dude was hilarious. When a particularly big drag queen came thundering down the spiral staircase, the flimsy stage shuddering with her every step, he would recite in a complete monotone, in near pitch-perfect Mandarin: "Here comes the big elephant. <pause> Here comes the big elephant." I had to lower my head to hide my laughter, for fear that the drag queen in question would leap off the catwalk to beat the sh*t out of me.

or your mouth from his d***

Day 7: I decided to have a leisurely buffet breakfast today. i can't believe i stayed almost 2 hours just lounging around the breakfast table. I see a lot of tourist fall for ordering a coconut. but it takes a lot of space, i prefer to just ask for coconut water. I choices are not that extensive, but it food items were quality. As i failed to get anything for me in yesterday's trip to platinum mall, i made my way to MBK. I was surprised how the mall has changed. The japanese department store was gone. A whole floor has been transformed to a sea of stalls selling mobile phones. The chinese stalls selling foodstuffs were also missing. Walked around looking for shops that sells those bigger sized clothing. I didn't find XXL, but found Export Shop which sells similar clothing (bigger sized export overruns). I realised it wasn't really cheap, but i bought a few for a souvenir of this trip. After MBK, i walked around the Museum in front of it and later to the 2 other malls near it before reaching siam paragon just in time for dinner. i tried a few of the multi year michelin awarded stalls. a bit disappointed with the pad thai, and the curry was just ok for me - maybe the crispy noodles made a textural difference from the usual. Bottomline - don't trust michelin to judge what is a good asian dish. After dinner, i went to dreamboys via the front entrance. i was surprised there were no touts. Maybe it was a slow night being a weekday. Inside i was ushered to the very front row, it's a good thing i am tall so the performers were still at my eyelevel. they have a few groups already lounging on the upper curved booths, most with whiskey service. this place seemed to be designed for large groups in mind as the 3rd level are all booths. that can accomodate around 8 people. There was some go go dancing in between the parade of boys. The guys were wearing white trunks. The show itself was a combination of lots of cabaret with the usual sexy show - but no f**k show. Before the actual show started, went to the rest room. When i got out, i met an guy i used to off in Tawan - Mr. O. Asked him to sit with me to catch. up. I noticed that they sexy show has a fair bit of a similarity with the old tawan shows. Now i don't know if who copied who, or if there was indeed some copying involved. I also learned that the german owner has already returned to his motherland, so dreamboys is now owned bTheny a thai. He mentioned there have a lot of non-thai boys, and pointed to a few. Then there was this customer who arrived with 2 guys dressed in security shirt. i don't know if it was all for show or if he was indeed some hi-so customer. The "guards" later left after he was seated. The guy who used to be the odd man out in the old dreamboy, seemed to have cleaned up pretty well. He was of course the star of the big cock show. he seemed to have judged my interest, and later sat with me without invitation. i bought him a drink, for a quick chat and grope. but his junk has returned to normal size. alas, it was all for show - i suspect they use a pump of something. After the show, decided to call it a night and took a taxi back to the hotel.

With poor eyesight and night vision, if u still want to take boys from bars, few things can be done. Make use of mamasan. A good one can show you the boys pics from phone. A better one can ask boys to come to you for you to select after u you told mamasan what type u like. A drink for boys allows u to explore further. Nothing against apps, as i do use it to find guys but nothing beats meeting and choosing the guys in person.

Seems they're a bit crazy about the gambling there. Some years back they raided the bridge club, sure that with all those cards gambling must be going on...

Day 6: Went thrift shopping in platinum mall. surprised by the absence of the previous stalls who usually cater for bigger guys. most of the stalls would say xl/xxl cannot fit me, so I didn't try to fit the items for sale. just bought a few items as souviners to be given to friends back home. I also went to central and found a sale on some footwear, quickly video chatted a friend who was into shoes to get his opinion, and bought 2 pairs, 1 for me and 1 for him. I read somewhere that Big C was cruisy, so I tried my luck and BINGO!!! it was scary though as I read there were undercover cops who one might mistaken as a cruiser. it went pretty wild, which was quite worrisome . one guy even has a poppers which I read was supposedly illegal??? I think I have taken over 20k steps today according to my smartwatch. As it was getting dark, I decided I badly need a massage. I went to prime bringing along all the stuffs I bought for the day. I availed of their 90 minute oil massage. I was ushered into a different building as the main one was already full. The massage was ok and relaxing. I would've preferred more heavy pressure, but I was too tired to tell the masseur. I know this is a no hanky panky place, but he seemed ok with my hands grazing his crotch "accidentally" while he massage my forearms. After the massage, he offered me to shower in a separate room and later gave me hot tea and towel. I tipped him 300 baht which he accepted happily. I am not sure if it was too much or too little for a clean massage. After the massage, I took my shopping stuffs and proceeded to Tawan. The very handsome and tall tout with a tribal tattoo on his forearm welcomed me. He could be a model in Moonlight or Jupiter if he wanted to. He asked if I would like to keep my shopping stuffs outside, which I happily agreed to. When I entered the bar, they were about to start the show. As there were already people seated on the front of the stage, they offered me a seat hear the cocktail bar. In hindsight it was a good position as I can freely grope the guys (with tips of course) before they enter the stage. Saw some old timers from yore. Regarding the twinks though, these are not the k-pop cutey or effeminate variety. They are nearing the roughness of the guys in nice guys. After the show, I claimed by shopping bags from Mr. S (the tout that I tipped for the chicken supper earlier in the trip). He offered to bring the bags to Surawong and hailed a taxi for me. After I climb in, I tipped him 100 baht for the nice gesture. Not sure if the taxi driver saw it, but surprisingly the taxi driver was kind enough to bring my bags to the lobby. I felt so rich hahaha. So I tipped him for the extra service. No, it's not what you're thinking.

Day 5: Trip back to Bangkok was uneventful. I used a motorcycle taxi to go to the north Pattaya bus terminal for 60 Baht - more expensive than the baht bus I took when I arrived. This might trigger some folks because of their principle. but I find it, when vacationing, don't let these little matters ruin your stay and just use the Thai's mai pen rai attitude and go with the flow. I decided to skip Tawan tonight and go to other bars in patpong. And based on responses from this board i.e. @vinapu I went straight to hotmale around 930pm. On the way to hot male, I passed by that small soi going to moonlight, and there was the tout which I recognised as one of the guys in Tawan. He has matured a bit, but still very handsome. I had some small talk with him as it seemed to be a slow night before moving on to Hotmale. I was shocked by the stark contrast this bar (Hotmale) has with Tawan. They guys acted professionally - you can't see any of them on their phones. I later found out they deposit their phones in a tray similar to that of high school students in Korea before going on stage. So what you see on stage are guys fully focused on flirting with the audience. They also wear red sweat pants whereas Tawan guys mostly wear sexy bikinis with some wearing jockstraps with the occasional dare of going au naturel. They also don't go to the audience uninvited unlike Tawan, so getting to know them a bit better before you actually invite them for a drink is impossible. it was a weekday so there were less than 5 of us. it was a bit awkward for me looking their way as they flirt with me to invite them to sit with me. but I was there for 1 thing only - big cock show. The show started promptly at 1030pm. I was actually starting to think they wouldn't have any show as there were only 5 people in the audience. There were some amateurish acts that they accomplished. it was painful to watch the guy doing the soccer theme number as one can see he was truly doing his best, but he was no dancer and the choreography was forced. after all these song and dance number, I thought that that was it - no nudity, just a bunch of sexy show. but I was wrong, they're last number was indeed what I was waiting for. they have Indian costume for reasons that escapes me, but their big cocks are in full attention. they did go around the audience, so I asked the mamasan to quickly change the 1000 baht bill I have. he was quick to do it and the guys started to line up to me as there were only a couple in the audience that was interested on a quick see. after all has been inspected, they all went up to stage for a final bow. I decided to go back to the hotel, I passed by the 7/11 and found some of the Tawan guys sitting around the area as the Tawan has also closed for the night. Mr N recognised me and meekly asked if I wanted to treat them for some supper - that was what I understand from his broken English. I wasn't really sleepy despite the trip from Pattaya, so I said yes and he called a couple of his chums to go with us. During supper, he dropped a bomb that the long time manager (beret guy) has just died and that in 3 days it will be cremated in the temple. After supper we went our separate ways with a promise that I will be at Tawan tomorrow.

I totally forgot about this site: https://peoplelikeus.activeboard.com/ You have to message for admittance, took me a few tries..I think they only approve once a month or something like that. Lot's of good reviews/pics there. Here's a place in Pasay that I never knew about: https://fhmasseurs.wordpress.com/ And a bar in Quezon City, not sure if they do offs, from what I see you pay for them to sit and drink with you, try to arrange something later?

In this case, it's not the museum owner who is describing himself and his religious identity. If DOA had really wanted to indicate that the owner was publicly "proud of being" Jewish, he would have written something like this: "The owner of the museum, who was publicly proud to identify as Jewish... " But DOA didn't write it that way. This is a forum where very few people know much about the museum owner. DOA simply started his sentence with "The Jew" -- which sounds gratuitous, possibly malicious, and definitely anti-Semitic. So until DoA answers the four questions that I posed above, I'll still have my original suspicions.

One of your very best topics, PeterRS!