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Day 12 Today we repeated yesterday’s morning routine, breakfast was quite pleasant affair as I noticed few other patrons including few young girls were following S when he was picking his food and drinks and I swear I was object of their jealousy having landed such handsome guy in jeans showing quite a nice bulge. Doubt anybody was thinking ‘ oh that’s is guy with his grandson” . I did not mind S sending some smiles toward those girls fully knowing who winner is, let them have it. Today’s destination is Sambor Prey Kuk, temple complex predating Angkor with most temples made not of stone but of bricks from 7th century on, located near Khompong Thom , half way to Phnom Penh. It took us 3 hours to get there. Entry is 10$ , they suggested hiring guide for the same amount and I agreed . She even dragged with her another girl- guide in training. Having guide there is good idea as objects are dispersed in the forest , trails are well marked but still on you own one may miss this or that. It took us about 3 hours to visit every corner, I tipped that trainee 5$ then we went to local restaurant for a meal , 16.50 $ for three, not a bad deal . Again long trip home , fortunately today Saturday traffic was quite light and it was driver suggestion we go there on Saturday as he was afraid Sunday traffic will be heavier. At home S suggested artistic part – dinner with Apsara traditional dance show on Pub Street so we went there. I like when my travel companions have own ideas not only asking “what we are doing now ? ”. At the table beside us young farang couple was sitting and I noticed both of them were paying an attention to S presence . Bit later when we had chance meeting on the street they even said " Hi " to him ignoring me entirely. You can't imagine how my fragile ego was hurt at that moment I meantime S got message from his bar friend , Siem Reap native, who came to see his folks at home and when he show me his picture it turned out I also know him from 2 long time offs, one threesome included. So we went to see him , he was dining with another boy and somebody suggested ‘lets go check Barcode “. I offered to finance that escapade but at the door we were sent away- today bar closed for some private function. Other two boys said they are going to bed and that was idea S and I borrowed from them so we parted ways every couple marching to different bed. I had another senior moment – why I did not suggest “ lets go all to our room”. Knowing that friend there was chance idea would be approved. Oh well. S and me still managed to had some fun including feasting on some pistachios and fruit while sitting naked on balcony right above hotel’s pool closed at that hour.

Day 11 We raised to the sound of alarm clock at 6.45, prepared goods for today’s sightseeing and made sure to be first when they started serving breakfast in hotel at 7.30 because as suspected, my driver pulled in at 8 am on the dot. Plan for today was ambitious with 7 temples and first we set off was the farthest from the list- Banteai Srei. Not only because I consider smart thing to start sightseeing from most distant place just in case something happens and even more important, Banteai Srei is only temple where you can buy Angkor ticket apart from official ticket selling office on outskirts of Siem Reap. There are 3 kinds of tickets available – 1 day for 37 $, 3 days within 10 days for 62$ and 7 days within 30 days for 72 $. Payment in dollars only , that was only place where they are not accepting riels. I opted for 3 days ticket because after tomorrow I’m planning Bang Melea temple and recent change was to remove separate ticket there and include it in Angkor ticket. Good news for some and not so good as we learn for others. Another bonus of Banteai Srei ticket office was that there we no lineups. That temple is one of smallest Angkor temples but definitely most richly decorated and also one of most popular so it pays to be there early which we could appreciate when leaving and hordes in vans and tour buses start arriving. Next one is along with Ta Som my favorite -Banteai Samre. It’s quite a distance from main complex and one of least crowded. When I was there in 2001 there was no infrastructure there at all but now there are restaurants , toilets, souvenir stands and even guys playing Khmer music for donation. Often overlooked there is former ceremonial alley leading to the temple – on your left when you approach temple complex . Third one was of course Ta Som, at end of complex there gate enveloped by the tree , one of those iconic Angkor places. Again , in 2001 that tree was not trimmed yet, whet we see now is later job. If you are there make sure to go to the very end and then turn back to appreciate the sight. I stress it because I saw people missing it ‘ lets return , it’s only that small gate there” . Then Easten Mebon as I missed her in 2022 and lunch in some restaurant picked by driver which was not a good idea to leave that to him. He led us to typical crowded and overpriced tourist locale geared toward bus tours. Not that is busted my wallet but there are plenty of places I’d chose instead. After lunch we did three biggies ; Ta Prohm famous for giant trees eating into ruins but also I suspect holding them together. Then Bayon with hundreds of stone faces with mysterious smile and to crown of today’s selection Angkor Wat itself , biggest and most magnificent of them all. S, my guy as I expected was ideal tour companion, interested in sightseeing with none of those ‘ are we done already ? ” . Quite opposite after climbing highest level of Angkor and subsequent wandering through all level below I was ready to skip first floor galleries only to hear ‘ what ?, lets go”. It was really uplifting to see guy so interested in his country heritage. After such busy and intensive day we returned to the room quite tired. After it got dark we picked up ourselves to go for dinner and then, I swear it was not me, S suggested we go to 168 massage for massage. So we did . My boy was quite good and good looking too. Later and in the room I senses bit of jealousy ,S asking what we did to each other with the boy and visibly not believing my answers. Massage was 10$ for 1 hr, I tipped my guy 20$, S tipped his only 6$ but he was adamant it was nothing that just massage even if I did not really care having good idea how those stores are operating. Then he had another idea – to check Barcode bar so we went there but it was bit too early with only few patrons and working boys. We had drink and returned home . No need for me to stay and watch he show when I have in my room guy better looking that their selection, not to mention of tested quality.

The place not mentioned often on this forum - but I've come back recently from two weeks in Buenos Aires. I want to come back already. I had a blast. This is my fourth time in Argentina, but my last visit was 9 or 10 years ago. I'd been to all the best places of this amazing country before, so this time I wanted just to have a chill city vacation in Buenos Aires, a city that I always considered one of the best in the world, and certainly the best in Latin America (for me). It's very different from the rest of Latin America, certainly different from Brazil. It does not feel Latin American, it feels more like a ramshackle Mediterranean European city instead - like Marseille or Genoa. It has that European cultured vibe, museums, theaters, leafy streets, public spaces, simply excellent food, and a great bar scene. It does not have that fire of Brazilian parties, no - it's more reserved and not that in-your-face fun, it's like a more refined sister of a loud brash half-drunk brother across the border. To put everything in the proper context from the very start: it is cheap. It is ridiculously cheap. It's cheaper than Cambodia. The economy went down the drain long ago, but the election of Milei propelled the inflation even further up. The local currency (black market rate) lost 20% just in the first three weeks of January. When I look up restaurants on Google Maps and see their menus photographed in November, I know that I need to double the prices for end-January (in pesos). Prices from a year ago do not mean anything, that was a different universe. I'm reading that just before covid, the taxi from the airport was 68 pesos, it is now 37,000 pesos (or 18,000 pesos on Uber) - you get the range. The wine is excellent - I was buying mine from a Chinese car service round the corner. They likely got the wine in stock in December before holidays and forgot to change prices - so I was buying wine from them in end-January for a price not seen anywhere else - $9 for a bottle with a Vivino rating 4.5 (normal malbecs are at around $2 per bottle). In an expensive Michelin restaurant, a huge 400g ribeye steak (dare I say the best steak in the world) and three negronis I accompanied it with rang me a bill of $20 total. In non-Michelin restaurants, steaks are between $5 and $8. In one of the top bars in the city mentioned in all sorts of awards and ratings, the happy hour sees two classic cocktails (I drink Negroni, but others may choose something else) for $3 (i.e. $1.50 each). Argentinian guys are not as defined or perfect as Brazilians - I'm a sucker for pectorals and abdominals, so I needed to dig hard. But thanks god for Venezuelans - they are plentiful in Buenos Aires, and they were more than half the guys I hired. Huge shout and huge thanks to @Latbear4blk who gave some incredibly useful advice on this forum. I was using local websites Soytuyo, Leonos, ArgentinaMasajes and Skokka to arrange all dates. The #1 piece of advice from @Latbear4blk was to check those profiles against the reviews on a local forum ForoPirata - that forum is gold, and I managed to save myself a lot of time (and trouble) by discarding quite a number of profiles who looked excellent on websites but got scathing reviews from previous customers on ForoPirata. If only such resources were available in other countries... I usually got two guys per day - one for "massage" and one for full sex. ArgentinaMasajes is an excellent resource, and I was very upfront with masseurs asking them direct questions on Whatsapp about what's possible on their side and what's not. Some were more modest and I wished them luck. Others entertained handjobs or fetishes, more daring ones were fine with BJs and cumming in my mouth, and the best allowed full-on sex. Mostly, I visited them in their places (after checking against references). This worked really well. Some, I invited to my place - and BA is a city where you can get excellent AirBnbs - mine was with a sweeping view from the 21st-floor balcony over the city, a rooftop gym on the 31st floor with panoramic windows, a swimming pool and a sundeck, and security that was ambivalent to visitors (the security guy just on one occasion recorded an ID of one of my guests who looked especially brutal, but on other occasions I met my guests downstairs at the security fence and then escorted them out afterwards bidding farewell without even talking to security- in most BA apartment blocks a guest would not be able to leave the building by himself without you escorting him out). "Massages" and other visits with full sex were all in $15-25 range, some slipping to $30, but never higher. (I got a local SIM card and conversed in Spanish over Whatsapp from a local number to make sure I'm not quoted crazy prices). One of my regulars was a well-known porn star - he's one of that Onlyfans cluster of Argentinian porn stars who have individual accounts and cross-pollinate bareback between each other with endless collabs. Well, I knew his name before, and his vids are everywhere (I'll omit the name). He was coming to my place for great sex for $25 ($20 rate + $5 Uber fare) and even spoke some English. I love Argentina. But as I said, it was mostly Venezuelans. If not for them, my picture would have not been this bright, but Venezuelans are muscular, defined, tattooed, insatiable, with a beautiful face and lots of kinky thoughts (and actions). One of the Venezuelans, I was coming to him every several days in the morning for a "massage" with some kinks and fetishes, and every time while I waited for him to come downstairs and open me the door, I saw the same beautiful girl coming out with two dogs, and one of them was usually immediately having a piss in front of me. When I saw her a second time, I thought it's such a coincidence, I'm at a different time than before but her dog-walking schedule matched. When I saw her again next time for the third time, it finally clicked for me that this was a GF of my "masseur" and their two dogs - she had to leave the apartment to walk the dogs for an hour so her guy would do various things with me disguised as a massage. Next time I saw her, I almost said hi. The guy was usually coming to let me in a minute after her leaving. With all that, I didn't go to any saunas - and as far as I know, there are no Brazil-style GP saunas anyway, they are normal non-escort saunas. I went once to Cine Ideal, an old grand cinema showing gay porn now in huge cinema halls with balconies - the entrance was something like $1 or $2, the cinema halls were pitch dark, and I probably could find someone and something there, but I saw little upside if I can have a $15-20 Venezuelan in proper comfort and lighting elsewhere. A couple of blocks from the cinema, there is another curious establishment - called MasajeClub. It's a business of massage coupled with a red wine bar. Apparently it's popular with locals at lunchtime and after work - the downside is that you can't select a masseur, he's assigned to you. The masseurs are your guys next door, not model-like, but they can go a looong way during the massage. The official line of this club is that you pay for massage ($4.50 one hour) and then whatever happens in the room is up to a masseur and you. There's nothing that the masseur is obliged to perform apart from the massage, but it usually involved sucking and even in some cases fucking. There are no minimum tips, so it is up to you if you want to leave anything to your masseur on top of $4.50. For something like $15 they have what they call a "circuit" - that's a 4-stage massage where four masseurs (again you can't pick) come to your room one after another to perform something like 20-25 min of massage - that may end up in four waves of different cum-shooting experiences. One or two of the four would usually not be averse to fucking. After that, they give you a glass of malbec. I've also been to the stripper bars. I remember there had been quite a few in my past visits, now only one remains, and it stages nightly shows rotating through three different locations in the city depending on the day of the week. Usually, it's three hunky straight strippers (usually coming in a bundle "one stunning, one ok, and one ugly") doing two routines - first stripping to a flaccid cock, and then the second one with a hardon. Then they come to the audience, and for a modest tip you can grab and fondle a hardon. I saw people leaving tips accounting for $0.1 or $0.2, so when I tipped $0.8, that gave me a really good grip of the cock and then a strong hug from a naked hard hunk and then a big thank you and usually a return trip from him to me for another $0.8. Big whisky cola is $2, beer is pretty much spare change. The show lasts for an hour and starts at 01:30. And then there are normal bars and clubs - again this is not the Brazilian level of eye candy, but it is still sexy in its own way. I really want to come back, this is such an underrated city to visit.

From The Nation Foreign tourists will receive medical coverage of up to 500,000 baht in case of accidents in Thailand, and compensation of up to 1 million baht in the event of death under the government’s new campaign to enhance tourists’ confidence while travelling in Thailand. The campaign, a collaboration between the Tourism and Sports and Public Health ministries, aims to assure foreign tourists that they will be properly taken care of while they are in the kingdom, Tourism and Sports Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol said at the launch of the campaign on Wednesday. Explaining that the campaign’s goal is to strengthen the positive image of Thailand as a global vacation destination, she said the ministry had set aside 50 million baht to fund the scheme. The money will come from the ministry’s budget for emergency expenses and will be used to compensate foreign tourists on a case-by-case basis during their travel in Thailand between January 1 and August 31 this year, she said. The maximum coverage is 1 million baht per person in case of death and 300,000 baht per person for permanent organ loss, loss of sight or permanent disability. Medical expenses will be covered at the amount actually paid, but not exceeding 500,000 baht. Tourists will not be eligible for the coverage if the incidents stem from their carelessness, intention to take part in any illegal activity, or risky behaviour. To apply for the coverage, foreigners holding a tourist visa can submit documents at the provincial tourism and sports offices, or at tourist assistance centres located in Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. Applications can also be submitted via post and e-mail. Sudawan said the ministry believed that the campaign would help boost revenue from tourism. She added that foreign arrivals as of February 11 totalled 4.3 million, putting the country on track to achieve its target of 35 million foreign tourists in 2024. https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/policies/40035582

Trump could shove a shotgun up someone's ass and pull the trigger on 5th Avenue and all Emmaroid would say is "Thank you sir, could you do it again".

Talking about permanently changing the brains of young adults, how about banning social media?

Day 10, still in Phnom Penh In the morning we turned fully synchronized , he wanted to go to the gym and me to Royal Palace right after they open at 8. Our good bye embrace was quite long and then for first time in my zillion meetings with boys in Thailand and Cambodia I heard apology from guy that he charged me too much. I was quite touched , I knew I gave him bit more than market but bit doesn’t meant twice or trice more. He told me what he needs money for and for me it sounded quite pleasurable so all I could say was ‘ my pleasure’ and there was not an inch of exaggeration in my statement. That was sweet indeed. I could walk to Royal Palace but being strong believer of supporting local industry I hailed tuk-tuk . Of course local industry thought I may be stupid tourist and quoted me something like 16000 for what it‘s walking distance so I offered 1$ (4000) and kept walking and of course local industry agreed ‘ ok, ok , 1 dollar” , three minutes later we were there and I spoiled local industry with 2000 tip. I was one of first visitors and almost felt I have place to myself for first few minutes. Here are some pictures In hour and half I completed my tour and went to Warsaw for a breakfast hoping they will have rye bread and Polish sausage which is exactly what I was served plus some other cold cuts and cheeses. Again it was too opulent but after 10 days of feasting on hotel and Foodland treats of fried eggs and toasts I cleaned my plate. As cold cuts tasted surprisingly un - industrial I asked and my suspicions were confirmed. They have local source , another Polish guy who produces sausages, hams and other treats. Chesses were from the stores though . Who would think ?, Polish ham made in Cambodia ! All that plate for 5$ ( 20000), tea included. Then to hotel to pack whatever little I had. On Whatsapp I contacted driver who help me with his car in October of 2022 if he can t pick me up from the airport. I was surprised answer was immediate and on top of that he remembered very well me and even hotel I was staying because he asked if I still will stay there. No, this time instead of Royal Crown and Men’s I opted for Kings’ Rock on the same side of river, around the corner from Royal Crown and walking distance to Old Market. I guess not many tourist are hiring drivers to go to Banteai Chhmar temple so it’s how I become so memorable. He even recalled when we asked local lady how far temple is she told us about 20 minutes by motorbike while in fact it was 1 hr by car. So much about local knowledge ! I told him not to rush as it will be my first time in new airport and I want to walk around before we set off for the city.

Day 9 After my guy departed I was left with my dreams so to speak and sleep soundly till quite late. Late breakfast for 16000 in Dolce Vita, quite sumptuous and then I went to Royal Palace as last two times I was in Phnom Penh it was still closed due to covid scare. Now is reopened for for some reason was closed today and I was directed to come tomorrow . So decided to treat myself with tour of island at confluence of Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers , tuk-tuk for 15$. It’s mostly new developments , in 2001 it was mostly wasteland but still at the southern top fishing village on boats survived. With new bridge access to an island is easy but old ferries are also circulating quite frequently. Tonle Sap river from new bridge Central Phnom Penh from other side Fishing village on the boats mighty Mekong in Phnom Penh Returned to hotel around 13.00 hoping my last night companion will keep his word and indeed first Line came’ I’m coming soon’ and then at 1pm on the dot he showed up greeted in the lobby by welcoming committee i.e. me. Another fabulous , no rush session and it was darkening when he left. I feel hungry so decided to try that Polish place I discovered last night. I chose quite typical fare of chicken soup and schnitzel with potatoes, only beer reminded me I’m dining in Cambodia , not in Europe. Very tasty but in my opinion servings were too generous for the climate. I was hungry and still did not manage to eat it all. 11$ plus tip. My treats (glasses not included) : In meantime I received another cheering message , this time from S (day 3 ) that he is planning to join me in Siem Reap tomorrow evening. After exhausting exercises of last night and this afternoon I felt bit in need of nap so went to hotel for 2 hours sleep rightly expecting that tonight it will be another session. In the evening to my headquarters in Phnom Penh i.e. Space Hair. For another evening of fun there. My last night guy did not waste much time to inquire if he should see me come after work which I guess both of us expected to happen. I must say I got quite drunk tonight , switching to gin and tonic did better job that those lady -like Margaritas and Cuba Libres. Of course not that drunk to forget where I live or that I will have guest tonight, all was under control. Soon after me my guy showed up and I had impression he was even more clingy and passionate then last night and in the afternoon.

Thailand is set to REVERSE weed legalization after spike in cannabis-related mental health issues and crime - with government calling pot 'a big problem' By Luke Andrews Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com 18:31 GMT 13 Feb 2024 , updated 20:18 GMT 13 Feb 2024 Thailand is set to outlaw weed again just 18 months after the country decriminalized the drug. The major U-turn follows a spike in hospital admissions and crime linked to cannabis, as well as the perception that children are getting hooked too easily. Since June 2022, when marijuana was dropped as a controlled substance, hospitalizations for cannabis-induced psychological problems have doubled to 63,000 patients per year, while reports of drug-fueled violence and abuse have also risen. Thailand became the first country in the Asia to legalize marijuana in 2019, when the Bhumjaithai party promised it would be a boon to crop farmers in the north. But the decriminalization has given rise to a large un-regulated black market. Data shows more than 6,000 shops have sprouted in the country, many without licenses. There has also been a boom in tourists visiting the country to use marijuana recreationally, helping to fund cannabis-themed cafes and hemp spas. In response, the country's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has named weed a 'big problem' and vowed to take action — after being elected in August 2023. Top officials are now proposing a bill that would make using cannabis 'for entertainment or pleasure' a crime punishable with a $1,700 fine (60,000 baht) and possibly a jail sentence of up to one year. Last week, the country's health minister Chonlanan Srikaew revealed he had recommended a draft bill that would ban recreational cannabis. 'We drafted this law to prohibit the wrong usage of cannabis,' health minister Srikaew said previously. 'All recreational use is wrong.' It comes as the US faces similar problems, with thousands of weed shops — many unregulated — springing up in many major cities amid reports of spikes in psychological problems and addiction among youths. In Thailand, it is already illegal to smoke weed in public, which carries a fine of $700 (25,000 baht). Data shows that among those aged 20 to 29, the proportion using weed more than tripled from one percent to three percent by 2021 — before regulations were eased. This figure is now likely to be much higher, officials say. Data from the country's health ministry shows the number of Thais seeking treatment for medical issues jumped from 37,000 in 2022 to as many as 63,000 in 2023, a rise of more than 70 percent. There are also anecdotal reports of rising crime rates and spikes in drug-related violence. The Thai bill will need to be approved by Cabinet, voted through by Parliament and signed by the country's king Maha Vajiralongkorn before it becomes law. But it already enjoys broad support across the country's political parties. A total of 24 US states have now legalized marijuana for recreational use, with red-leaning Ohio becoming the latest in November last year. No state has reversed legalization yet, but there has been a shift in the public mood — with Americans in many states now voting down measures to legalize recreational cannabis. This included Oklahoma, which rejected the proposal in March last year despite cannabis companies spending more than $4.9million on advertizing. The US federal Government is currently considering reducing marijuana to Schedule III substance — on a par with steroids, ketamine and testosterone. At present, it is regulated as a Schedule I substance — on the same level as heroin, ecstasy and LSD which are drugs deemed to have a high likelihood of abuse and no medical uses. Thailand dropped cannabis from its list of controlled substances in June 2022 — instead labeling it as a 'controlled herb'. This allowed for locals to grow and trade marijuana and hemp products as long as they had a license. The move was aimed at providing poor farmers in the north with a new cash crop, as they traditionally rely on rubber and rice which have low value. But it has been poorly regulated — leading to an explosion of weed shops across the country. Cities like Chiang Mai and the capital Bangkok now even hold weed festivals — while tourists from nearby countries where the drug is illegal, like Japan and Singapore, have started to visit in droves. The drug was legal to sell only to those over 20 years old and who were not pregnant or were not trying to purchase the drug online — and who were using it for medical purposes. 'Kitty' Chopaka, a Thai cannabis rights activist, told NPR: 'You can go ask any Thai on the side of the road, going like, what do you think about medical cannabis? Everyone will go, this is great, fully support it. 'But then if you go into — what about sales, what about recreational use? There's still a — we're not so sure.' +8 View gallery The Biden administration's Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has asked the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to downgrade cannabis from a Schedule I substance to a Schedule III substance Marijuana was previously lauded for its benefits for pain relief and anxiety treatment, with many insisting it was not addictive. But the drug is now stronger than it has ever been, with higher levels of THC — the psychoactive chemical in the drug — which experts say flood the brain with feel-good chemicals and trigger addiction. Many have also started to take the drug daily, triggering addiction and dependence that is not easily shaken. Previous studies have already linked marijuana to schizophrenia, psychosis and depression. Some have also suggested that it permanently changes the brains of young adults who use the drug — with the brain not maturing until someone reaches their late 20s. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13078737/thailand-weed-legalization-rise-cannabis-crime.html

Few people will dispute you when it comes to Cuba, including the US State Department, which assigns Cuba a Level 2 caution only (due to petty crime), comparable to most western European countries (UK, France, Germany, Spain, etc.): https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Cuba.html Travel restrictions to US citizens for Cuba are due to politico-economic reasons, not issues of safety or wrongful detention. Iran, Russia, and North Korea, however, have put Americans in prison with the only goal of using them as bargaining chips to gain concessions from the US. I have seen documentaries regarding many US citizens who were tortured and imprisoned in Iran with no evidence of any wrongdoing. In other cases, the alleged wrongdoing is so inconsequential as to be absurd. Almost everyone has heard of the case of Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to 9 years of hard labor for possession of less than one gram of hash oil used for joint pain, although the typical sentence in Russia for such an offense is 2 weeks' imprisonment: https://sports.yahoo.com/hashish-oil-did-land-brittney-114041136.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFB84SCkoRSJplumKLae6zaMJniMp2A8k-uaOidEkSjmo--g52tNQVixkmWDTHuvdcaNqwzVZsMtXz-lMA32rVEmGc_x27An2UFGwx76aRjo7duCQmNkdIIcdMpVPpwLTMCGlSDfwVGo9p0a7W9e9IvocFfNR6ry3Khq66S5ZqcA "...In Russia, cannabis is illegal. An individual possessing less than 6 grams of cannabis or two grams of hash can be fined or jailed for up to 15 days. Possessing any more than that becomes a more serious criminal offense...". To get her out, the US had to exchange her for Viktor Bout, a murderous illegal arms dealer. An unintentional slip-up led to an international horror story. As for North Korea, most people have heard the story of Otto Warmbier, who was literally tortured to death (murdered) for allegedly trying to steal a poster worth a few dollars at most. Here are the stories of some Americans wrongfully detained in Iran (including one who was there to support environmental efforts in Iran): Travel to countries which wrongfully detain US citizens should be allowed only if the citizens sign acknowledgement/release forms which state: (1) They are aware the country wrongfully detains citizens, and therefore travel to that country is strongly discouraged; and (2) In the event of wrongful detention, the US government will not negotiate a release, and will prosecute anyone who attempts to pay any sort of a ransom to secure release. I would blame any US citizen who attempts to travel to Russia, Iran, or North Korea, because they intentionally imperil themselves and their country. This is why a favor forcing any citizen who travels to such countries to acknowledge the danger and release their country from any peril they incur.

Trump certainly employed a lot of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS over the years. HE DID NOT UPHOLD THE LAW. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/5-questions-about-president-trumps-use-of-undocumented-workers/2019/12/04/29439928-16a2-11ea-a659-7d69641c6ff7_story.html

They are all not his type, which is Russian prostitutes willing to piss on him.

Berries are blue, Ketchup is red Hope you’re in prison Until you are dead.

I think we all thought this was organised before he returned. Nice to be proved right! Typical Thailand.

I trust bananas were involved!

Marching is a common term used here....I imagine you guys literally marching to your rooms, then I start to giggle.... Also got visuals and giggled to the images in my mind of you feeding each other fruit....

Argentina was never on my radar until......Venezuelans 😁

A rapist, a con man and an insurrectionist walk into a bar. Bartender says “What’ll it be Mr. Trump?”

Oh, the irony if this turns out to be the one case where Trump ends up with a criminal conviction. Compromising national security or fomenting rebellion? No problem. Paying off a porn star? Gotcha!

From Pattaya Mail Thailand’s anti-cannabis laws will have a slow start By Barry Kenyon Although Thai authorities are determined to outlaw smoking cannabis for pleasure once and for all, experts say that there is likely to be a long grace or settling-in period. Jessataporn Bunnag, a specialist lawyer, said “A great deal of money was invested prior to decriminalization of the herb in 2022,and it’s going to take time for a new legislative process to evolve.” Commentator Chokwan Kitty Chopakasai predicted that some shops which had abused the system in the last 18 months – for example opening selling joints, edibles and extracts – would close, but that most would still be able to operate provided they obtained new licences and kept detailed records. Of course, the draft law is still under consideration for public debate. “They let the genie out of the bottle with descheduling and how they put it back is one of the biggest challenges,” he said. Under the draft revisionist cannabis and hemp law, only marijuana for medical purposes will be legal, whilst the police will have expanded powers to investigate the sale of smokable marijuana outside the medical market. There will also be a ban on some commercial imports of the drug. Future ambiguities in enforcement include how the police will differentiate between medical and pleasure marijuana. Presumably, an insomniac enjoys smoking weed which he believes can help him or her sleep better. Thailand has around 6,500 marijuana stores which aren’t necessarily illegal as many operate in a sort-of gray area with cannabis currently delisted as a narcotic. Other shortcomings of the current law include a lack of testing requirements, no seed-to-sale program for marijuana and confusion over taxation issues. Many commentators believe that, once the new legislation is in place, police will focus on the illicit selling of marijuana online, foreigners and Thais selling hash and concentrates and anyone selling imported cannabis, all of which are expected to be crimes. But a full scale assault is much less likely. Matt, a Pattaya marijuana seller, concluded, “Selective enforcement is part of the Thai system. After all, prostitution has been illegal in Thailand since the 1960s, but you still find traces of it here and there.” Future ambiguities in enforcement include how the police will differentiate between medical and pleasure marijuana. Presumably, an insomniac enjoys smoking weed which he believes can help him or her sleep better. Thailand has around 6,500 marijuana stores which aren’t necessarily illegal as many operate in a sort-of gray area with cannabis currently delisted as a narcotic. Other shortcomings of the current law include a lack of testing requirements, no seed-to-sale program for marijuana and confusion over taxation issues.

Tip of the 🧢 for a very entertaining and descriptive account. Only been there once but unfortunately the Venezuelans were not in abundance that far back. The great wine and steak prices were, however.

God save Venezuelans!

I agree , it has feeling of AI generated work which likely it is. Nothing new there , few valid points are being made as certainly life of gay person in Thailand beyond soi 2 and 4 is not a picnic but to be honest- where it is?

Day 10 continued - in Siem Reap At 12 noon I left hotel , took 9$ tuk-tuk to the airport and while flying high above Cambodia I realized that I got infamous senior moment in the hotel. When emptying safe box I put pile of 100 000 riels ( 25$ ) in 5000 notes on the night stand and forgot to pick it up from there. Can only imagine how happy cleaner was finding it and hope she was not stupid enough to report it to the reception but harvested that pile in full. As my mom used to say ‘ in nature nothing gets lost , only finds new owner”. In ½ hr we were landing already. Airport looks very pleasant but was empty, our plane was only one at time I was there. My driver greeted me immediately but I told him I need to do my survey. In improvement to early reports now there’s place one can buy snacks, there are desks for taxi and public bus to the city as well as kiosk with SIM cards. Unfortunately I couldn’t see departure area as there are guards who are admitting actually people who are departing only. This tells us whole thing is Chinese built , run and milked. There are no such restriction in Phnom Penh. Quite possible in generation people will be marveling of how far sighted builders if this airport were but for now it’s just waste od space and money as old airport was running well and was very close to the city. I’m not buying BS that it needed to be closed because vibrations were hurting ancient temples. In my 5 visits there I never heard any plane landing or taking off. Anyways if we don’t have what we liked we must like what we have. It's about 1 hr. to the city and one can take car for 35$ or van for 40$ or public bus for 8$. Apparently there’s also postal bus for the same 8$ but I did not find any information not stop for it there so it needs to be confirmed. Half way is very modern highway which is joining old National Road number 6. One hour and 35$ later I was in hotel. Big room with balcony , separate shower / bathtub area and toilet itself. Breakfast included and even small pool at disposal, all for 40$ , life is beautiful. Knowing S is coming I was waiting for him , he updated me where he is and finally knock into door and happy squeak from him. It look he was really happy for such vacations. Today we took it easy , went to Old Market area to eat something and returned to the room as two happy people have no better place to spend rest of day and night like bed , specially knowing driver will be 8 am on the dot. I know him and was sure so instructed S to behave but forgot to instruct myself so we had some steam in the room before we fell asleep..

Day 8 My room was booked without breakfast so in the morning I purchased breakfast coupon for $8, princely sum in Cambodia and went to sister venue OK Boutique around the corner where breakfasts are served on top floor with beautiful view over central Phnom Penh. Yesterday I purchased tour to Killing Fields. Very sobering place where mass executions were conducted by Khmer Rouge. I was there on my first Cambodia trip in 2001 and wanted to see what changed during those years. They were supposed to pick me up at 10.00 , I was waiting on steps of my hotel and when I got impatient 45 minutes later guide finally appeared to pick me up. We went to few other hotels to pick up other tourists as well as picked up few at another sobering place – infamous S-21 Tuol Sleng prison. Killing Fields are on the outskirts of Phnom Penh and while 23 years ago road leading there was atrocious , now is paved all the way. Another thing I noticed is absence beggars without limbs , victims on landmines. Them they were I ubiquitous all over Cambodian cities , now is rarity to see one. I wonder what happened as a lot of them then were quite young. One hopes they were taken care of somehow. On the road they played movie about Pol Pot life , rise and fall, very objective and hiding nothing. Including my Cambodian pet peeve- fact that after Vietnamese removed Khmer Rouge, their atrocities were will known and 2 million skulls strewn in the countryside and still Thailand and West supported their regime of so called Democratic Kampuchea on international stage including UN seat. If we think that politics are dirty there’s no place better to contemplate it than Cambodia. Centre point of the place is temple -like monument with skulls on shelves, new thing there is another monument picture of which I show below. Sadly, that place along with Tuol Sleng are a must visit at least once to understand better what happened in Cambodia but also to appreciate how far country moved from that horror although past is still present and oddly house of Ta Mok, one of Pol Pot’s bloody henchmen in Anlong Veng close to Thai border is still place which I was told some locals still visit with reverence. I remember talking to some journalist well versed with SE Asia affairs in mid-80ties and he told me that thanks to Khmer Rouge and their killing spree Cambodia is only country in the region without problem of grandchildren still toiling in half slavery to pay debts their grandparents took to pay for their wedding. That would explain Ta Mok nostalgy I’d say. It was nice to return to vibrant city , after a bit of rest and my obligatory mid-day tea I decided to try massage at Arthur and Paul gay hotel. Inspiration came from one of our tour participants being picked up and dropped there. It looked as classy place so I said to myself “about time to see and try”. For 8000 riels (2 $) tuk -tuk took me there. I was hoping guy I spotted on Grindr, hunky hunk working there will be present but unfortunately no. 1.5 hr massage fee was 28$ , certainly well above Cambodian standard. There were 4 guys available, none of them close to my type but all smiling so I picked up one whose smile was widest. Room quite spiffy but container with soap in the shower was empty , not for that price thought I. After morning experience certainly I was not in the mood to complain or get sour about anything. Massage was skilled but when temperature raised and was time for masseur to remove his excessive clothing i.e. undies and towel he quoted me tip of 40$ , again quite a sum for Cambodia but if one gets massages in classy places must be prepared to pay thought I and agreed. At least I’m glad I tried the place. Next time I will be trying to secure that hunk I guess. Right beside Artur and Paul is Rambutan, popular in gay circles with rooms about half price of those at A $ &P but still twice as much I’m paying at my OK Palace . I did not need an accommodation but after running whole day on breakfast and bottle of Hanuman Black beer I gulped on my way from Killing Fields not at 6 ot 7 pm I was hungry so decided to eat there. Another tourist place with prices to match , 15$ I paid for dinner I summarized in my diary as ‘; money not spent well” . Upon return I alighted on Pasteur street and then walked to soi where my friend told me Toolbox bar was resurrected and asked me if that is true. Indeed I found it, from info I got it’s just across the soi whom old location but inside was nobody and outside was sitting lone twink , not exactly of my type but for those venturing there I confirm , Toolbox was resurrected. It was short walk to my hotel from there and when passing Saravoan Royal Palace hotel on street 178 I thought I have stroke . Warsaw ? Polish place that far ? Indeed it was newly opened restaurant so for those craving Central and Eastern European food there place for you and very easy to find – right beside old location of Blue Chili bar and 200 meters from National Museum. Price list looked quite human so I took note where I will have my dinner tomorrow. Too bad I overspent at Rambutan when I could have likely better food ( I love schnitzels an European soups) for ½ price and steps from my hotel. In the room I freshened up , took shower to remove oil after that massage , packed my pockets with money – you know my system perhaps ,50 $ this pocket, two 20$ in another few 10 , 5 and 1 in third one, some 20000 riels here and some 10000 there . This way I don’t need to show wad of money when tipping or paying bill. This all in preparation for another fun evening at Spice Hair bar. Walked there and when arrived, I guess it was 21.00 or 21.30 there were no customers but 7 guys on duty already. How do I know? Because seeing them unemployed I took pity and ordered 8 drinks. You should hear an applause , probably heard as far as Sum and Moon hotel which is next door to the bar. Fun started , luck had it that two guys I liked the most positioned themselves beside me and soon after bar started filling up with patrons and few more boys. Guys made sure I’m entertained, I stole kiss or 4 from guy on my left, made discretely sure that guy on my right is not a girl by strategic hand placement and it was well understood by asking question where’s my hotel. Hour or two later he expressed curiosity to check if I have balcony and view from it which led to suggestion he is willing to check it after bar closes on his way home. I explained to him that in case he will feel tired there’s sofa in the room which led to an instruction where I’m supposed to wait for him. Around 1 at night I left , waited where instructed which took a while because as I said earlier, guys there must stay on duty as long as bar is opened . Knowing procedure it was sweet waiting. Soon after were at hotel. No fuss over bringing guest that late, no questions asked. In the room he notices sofa is not comfortable enough but bed is big and shyly ( ok, not) suggested we share it which we did in gusto. Fabulous 2 or 3 hours, when he left it was still dark, earlier in the bar he offered some plausible explanation why he can’t stay till morning so I was Ok with that , if only because he offered time compensation “ if you want I can come at 1 tomorrow “ which felt like Christmas day for me.

Supporting Trump is such an unforgivable moral failing. It calls every bit of your judgment and character into question. Nothing about you should be trusted if you can look at this man and think “that’s the one for me”. - A. R. Moxon

https://www.advocate.com/russia-jailed-rainbow-frog-earrings Russian President Vladymir Putin’s crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community notched its first two victims last week. Last year the Russian Supreme Court declared the undefined “International LGBT Social Movement” an extremist organization allegedly operating to corrupt traditional social values within its borders. A series of raids and arrests followed the declaration. On Thursday, a Volzhan man identified as Artyom P. pleaded guilty to posting a picture of a Pride flag to Russian social media, according to the court’s press service. “At the court hearing, the man admitted guilt in committing an administrative offense, repented, explaining that he posted this symbol ‘out of stupidity,’” the statement read. “For committing this offense, by decision of the Volzhsky City Court, Artyom P. was assigned an administrative penalty in the form of an administrative fine in the amount of 1,000 rubles.” In a separate and more serious case in Nizhny Novgorod, a woman identified as Anastasia Ershov by the independent Russian news site Zona Media was sentenced to five days in custody for the crime of wearing earrings with Pride colors. The crime was revealed in a staged videotaped encounter with a man objecting to her earrings that took place on January 29. Her male friend was accosted for wearing a badge with the Ukraine’s national colors of blue and yellow. “Come on, take down the flag, b*tch,” the male attacker says in the video as he rips the Ukrainian flag badge from the male victim’s sweater. Ershov tried to defuse the situation, but the attacker threatened to report her to police. Hours later, the video was posted to Russia social media, including by the misogynistic and pro-war Russian blogger Vladislav Pozdnyakov. Pozdnyakov is a proponent of a fringe movement known as Male State, which glorifies white Russian men while denigrating women, non-white individuals, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Last year he wrote on his blog that “feminists and LGBT activists are bio-garbage” and “psychologically sick people who have no place among normal people,” according to RFE/RL. The court heard that crack Russian investigators determined each earring depicted a frog sitting under a mushroom. While the mushroom was found to be using approved colors of red and white, the frog was emblazoned with bars of the seven colors used in the Pride flag and was, therefore, illegal extremist propaganda. Last year, the Russian Supreme Court granted a request from the country’s Ministry of Justice to label the “international LGBT social movement” as an “extremist” element. In December the government responded by raiding a series of gay and LGBTQ+ bars.

Hey friends, I recently availed the PCR28 testing service at Pulse Clinic in Silom, and I have to say, it was a remarkable experience. They're offering a 50% discount on their comprehensive STI testing, which now costs 6,700 baht. This test covers 28 different infections, with results delivered in 7 days. If you're in a hurry, you can opt for a faster turnaround with an extra fee. The clinic is easily accessible, located near the BTS Sala Daeng station. I found their service to be excellent—fast, efficient, and professionally handled. It's a great opportunity, especially since such extensive STI testing isn't readily available everywhere. Highly recommend checking it out! For more info, check out their website: https://pulse-clinic.com/pcr-dna-test-for-28-infections You can also purchase PrEP, PEP, and they can do other general blood work for you. They also have IV infusions to help you get over jet lag or give you a boost if you drank too much the night before. I have no affiliation with this clinic but as a happy customer I wanted to share my experience and I hope that it would encourage others to get tested more frequently.

Here's a summary of the latest research (randomized clinical trials) from Cochrane, in studies including hundreds of thousands of people: Cochrane Library has reviewed these studies: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub6/full?highlightAbstract=covid%7Cmask "...We included 12 trials (10 cluster‐RCTs) comparing medical/surgical masks versus no masks to prevent the spread of viral respiratory illness (two trials with healthcare workers and 10 in the community). Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of influenza‐like illness (ILI)/COVID‐19 like illness compared to not wearing masks (risk ratio (RR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84 to 1.09; 9 trials, 276,917 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence. Wearing masks in the community probably makes little or no difference to the outcome of laboratory‐confirmed influenza/SARS‐CoV‐2 compared to not wearing masks (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.42; 6 trials, 13,919 participants; moderate‐certainty evidence). Harms were rarely measured and poorly reported (very low‐certainty evidence)..." (RCT means randomized clinical trials, the most rigorous form of scientific scrutiny) https://www.cochrane.org/CD006207/ARI_do-physical-measures-such-hand-washing-or-wearing-masks-stop-or-slow-down-spread-respiratory-viruses "Ten studies took place in the community, and two studies in healthcare workers. Compared with wearing no mask in the community studies only, wearing a mask may make little to no difference in how many people caught a flu-like illness/COVID-like illness (9 studies; 276,917 people); and probably makes little or no difference in how many people have flu/COVID confirmed by a laboratory test (6 studies; 13,919 people). Unwanted effects were rarely reported; discomfort was mentioned... Four studies were in healthcare workers, and one small study was in the community. Compared with wearing medical or surgical masks, wearing N95/P2 respirators probably makes little to no difference in how many people have confirmed flu (5 studies; 8407 people); and may make little to no difference in how many people catch a flu-like illness (5 studies; 8407 people), or respiratory illness (3 studies; 7799 people). Unwanted effects were not well-reported; discomfort was mentioned..."

House impeaches Alejandro Mayorkas, first Cabinet secretary to be impeached in almost 150 years https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/13/politics/alejandro-mayorkas-impeachment-vote/index.html This was long overdue. Congress has laws in place that Mayorkas refused to enforce. Under Mayorkas, ICE is not enforcing the border laws. It is acting as a travel agency for illegals. This was simple. Mayorkas did NOT uphold the law, he has done NOTHING for the last 3 years regarding the border other than leaving it wide open. He probably should also be tried for treason.

If you're wondering why money changers are so demanding that US $100 banknotes are in pristine condition it's because it's among the most frequently counterfeited note circulating in the Kingdom. So brazen are the crooks who deal in the business that they've now begun offering their wares on LINE. This Bank Post article describes how police ordered $80,000 in bogus currency and nabbed the sellers at the transfer point. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2725727/duo-arrested-with-fake-dollar-bills-worth-b2-8m

Emmaroid please note, playing golf every waking hour Trump isn't breaking the law isn't doing something.

one and half more days in Cambodia and we return here

material value was that it was likely cheaper than taking my own tuk-tuk , but when all that waiting and driving to pick up and distribute people is accounted for probably it would be better to fork extra 5-10$ and doing it by private tour. Movie played in the van was excellent though. Visiting in neither place is nothing pleasant, I still did not brave myself to repeat visit to Tuol Sleng after my first one in 2001 but next time I will go. when I was there then they still had that infamous map of Cambodia made of skulls, hence removed due to intranational outcry and rightly so. Still it's a must if one wants to understand Cambodia history. It needs to be appreciated that they are not trying to hide anything but when you see somebody like 70-75 on the road you wonder where they were in say 1977, toiling under the sun or killing or both. Hotel jumping to collect people is inevitable part of most tours everywhere also I always ask it there's place I can go and board the bus / van. Sometimes we may have luck like me on Phuket later on, all participants were from only 3 hotels , all in very close proximity at Patong so it took perhaps lass than 10 mins to have everybody on the board.

Trial date set for 25MARCH in hush money case. "Your honor, we need more time. My client has committed so many crimes in so many different jurisdictions that it's logistically impossible to coordinate all the trials." This last grasp will be forever known as the "Trump Defense".

Erratum: remove the word for, 2nd from last line above post.

Re: HIV The prevalence of HIV in key populations is so high that the average at-risk person, in incidence terms, will theoretically have seroconverted by the 20-year mark of their sexual activity. Obviously, in contrast to the aforementioned STIs, this is not subject to recidivism. —— Evidence in a recent Bangkok and Pattaya study reveals HIV negative sex workers can certainly obtain and reap benefit from PrEP uptake. Of course, those that are poz can go the antiretroviral TasP route with transmission prevention based on viral suppression.

Are you idiot? Let me repeat: First strike in this conflict was on June 2 2014 when Nazi regime from Kiev made strike by Lugansk, Ukrainian city on the East of Ukraine. Look at 1:35 After that strike by Donbas and before 2022 16000 Russians were killed in Eastern Ukraine by Ukrainian Nazi. So you are "fighting" on Nazi side now. For their "freedom" to kill Russians on Ukrainian territory. Shame on you.

I think it's sweet that Trump publicly confesses. At least about his love to Melania. And it shows that Trump has thick skin and a good heart. After how horribly nasty so many women have been to Trump, you'd think he might not be such a sweetie. A brief guide to the 17 women Trump has allegedly assaulted, groped or harassed

Or, they don't vote in special elections and midterms. That may be part of it. There is this theory that Trump always manages to bring out the cultists when he is on the ballot. They aren't particularly concerned about voting. They can't name the Governor of their state. They just want to be part of the cult. And, in their mind, fair is fair. Donald Trump won in 2020. And the Deep State had to get the cops to take hostages and even kill an innocent woman trying to break into Nancy Pelosi's office in order to stop them from letting Trump win. Why shouldn't the cult vote? That may have been true in 2016. Not so much in 2020. Or, you can say Trump did manage to get millions more out to vote for him in 2020. But for every cultist who normally doesn't vote but did for their cult leader in 2020, there was at least one person who voted for Biden because they were horrified by the cultism. And how the cultists trash democracy and like breaking cop bones and stuff. So we'll see in 2024. So far, turnout is low across the board. In this special NY election turnout was 372,473 in 2020, then 271,333 in 2022, and now 169,887 in this special election. Democrat Souzzi won this race with about 30,000 fewer votes than Democrat Zimmerman lost to Santos to in 2022. Santos got 145,824 votes in 2022. Which was actually not that much lower than the 161,907 votes he got in 2020. Whereas the Republican who just lost got only 78,229 votes. So this was certainly not an election that inspired Republicans or Trumpers to vote. It also suggests that some of the issues Republicans have been hammering on in New York - immigration, and crime - have been neutralized. Trump is leading the Do Nothing Effective Party. Other than the cultists, people have to notice that Trump is more interested in creating chaos than he is in creating change about issues people care about. Other than his cult, he's not giving people many reasons to vote. Other than retribution and chaos, of course. Souzzi won in 2020 by about 200,000 votes, which is far and away the most votes anyone has ever won by in that district. in the same year, Biden beat Trump 54/44 in the district, which was the biggest win in this century. Even bigger than Obama's 54/46 victory in 2008. So if 2024 is a high turnout election, Biden and Democrats will do well in these blue states and districts. But whether people will turn out that way in 2024 is a huge IF.

remember that 78.43% of statistics are made on the spot

where can I find these figures? Any objective source?

AI voice vocalising a script written by anonymous person/persons. Not interested in that opinion.

Airport highway is a toll road, and , under the 50 year contract with the Chinese, cannot be altered. Money goes to Chinese. They are building a town there, with Casino, called Yunnan City. 'They can't even use a Cambodian name', my driver said, in a disgusted tone. He added, 'We are part of China now'.

Le Normandie. The best restaurant in the world. My absolute favourite.

Although it's mostly lost from the annals of history of the second world war, Japan was among the nations laboring to develop its own nuclear weapons. According to Wikipedia, "Japan had several programs exploring the use of nuclear fission for military technology, including nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Like the similar wartime programs in Nazi Germany, it was relatively small, suffered from an array of problems brought on by lack of resources and wartime disarray, and was ultimately unable to progress beyond the laboratory stage during the war. "In 1934, Tohoku University professor Hikosaka Tadayoshi's "atomic physics theory" was released. Hikosaka pointed out the huge energy contained by nuclei and the possibility that both nuclear power generation and weapons could be created. .....The leading figure in the Japanese atomic program was Yoshio Nishina, a close associate of Niels Bohr and a contemporary of Albert Einstein.[6] Nishina had co-authored the Klein–Nishina formula.[7] Nishina had established his own Nuclear Research Laboratory to study high-energy physics in 1931 at RIKEN Institute (the Institute for Physical and Chemical Research), which had been established in 1917 in Tokyo to promote basic research.[8] Nishina had built his first 26-inch (660 mm) cyclotron in 1936, and another 60-inch (1,500 mm), 220-ton cyclotron in 1937. In 1938 Japan also purchased a cyclotron from the University of California, Berkeley. "In 1939, Nishina recognized the military potential of nuclear fission, and was worried that the Americans were working on a nuclear weapon which might be used against Japan. However, the Japanese fission project did not formally begin until April 1941 when Yasuda acted on Army Minister Hideki Tōjō's order to investigate the possibilities of nuclear weapons. Yasuda passed the order down the chain of command to Viscount Masatoshi Ōkōchi, director of the RIKEN Institute, who in turn passed it to Nishina, whose Nuclear Research Laboratory by 1941 had over 100 researchers. The second RIKEN cyclotron, completed in 1943 "Meanwhile, the Imperial Japanese Navy's Technology Research Institute had been pursuing its own separate investigations, and had engaged professors from the Imperial University, Tokyo, for advice on nuclear weapons. Before the Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Captain Yoji Ito of the Naval Technical Research Institution of Japan initiated a study that would allow for the Japanese Navy to use nuclear fission. After consulting with Professor Sagane at Tokyo Imperial University, his research showed that nuclear fission would be a potential power source for the Navy. "After the Japanese Navy lost at Midway, Captain Ito proposed a new type of nuclear weapons development designated as "B-Research" (also called "Jin Project", Japanese: 仁計画, lit. "Nuclear Project") by the end of June 1942. By December, deep in the project, it became evident that while an atomic bomb was feasible in principle, "Japanese scientists believed that it would be difficult for even the United States to realize the application of atomic energy in time to influence the outcome of the war." "By February 1945, a small group of scientists had succeeded in producing a small amount of material in a rudimentary separator in the RIKEN complex—material which RIKEN's cyclotron indicated was not uranium-235. The separator project came to an end in March 1945, when the building housing it was destroyed by a fire caused by the USAAF's Operation Meetinghouse raid on Tokyo. No attempt was made to build a uranium pile; heavy water was unavailable, but Takeuchi Masa, who was in charge of Nishina's separator, calculated that light water would suffice if the uranium could be enriched to 5–10% uranium-235." For additional details https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_nuclear_weapons_program#cite_note-Grunden_2005_107–130-9

From Inter Press Service News Agency Tompoun children want to show me the ghost forest, but they are still afraid. Credit: Kris Janssens / IPS RATANAKIRI PROVINCE, Cambodia, Jan 18 2024 (IPS) - “What on earth are you going to do in Tropeang Krohom?” The driver of the minivan turns his head and gives me a puzzled look. Few passengers want to be dropped off in a settlement between two provincial towns. Tropeang Krohom or ‘Red Pond’ is located at a junction of the main road. The name refers to the typical blood-red earth in this province of Ratanakiri. From this point, a motorcyclist will take me to his village. It is a ride of more than two hours, along bumpy and unpaved roads, with large trails of dust behind passing trucks. The leaves of the grayish-green trees are covered with a thick layer of the same red sand. Everyone is en route to somewhere. Some are packed lightly, others carry cartloads of vegetables, cassava or sugar cane stalks, to be transported from the field to the market. A street vendor travels from one village to another on his motorbike, loaded with small items for sale such as soap, candy, or soft drinks. About 1 percent of the total population of 17 million inhabitants live in this area. This province mainly consists of villages, each populated by 60-something families, spread across vast valleys. I go to Kbaal Romeas (literally ‘head of the rhinoceros’) next to Srepok, a tributary of the Mekong. Cambodia’s northeast is home to more than 20 ethnic groups or Indigenous People. They each have their own story and particular customs, from death cults to love huts, and they have specific languages, although nowadays rarely used. Young people prefer switching to Khmer, the language of the largest Cambodian ethnicity, which is slowly wiping out the others. In this province, the clash between tradition and development became painfully clear in 2017, when a huge dam was built at the confluence of the Srepok and the Sesan rivers in Ratanakiri’s west. The power plant turned an inhabited area of 34,000 hectares into a huge water reservoir. Thousands of residents had to be relocated to a place with newly built houses and expansion options. But about 50 ‘Pounong’ families refuse to leave. At first, they used small boats to row over the flooded village road. Later, the typical shaded areas under the stilt houses slowly filled with water. Today, the villagers live a little further away, still within rowing distance of the old spot. Ironically, this area close to a hydroelectric power station is not connected to the grid. People here don’t want to pay for electricity from that ‘doomed’ dam anyway. A Cambodian NGO supporting the stubborn resistance is providing solar panels to power night lights and to charge mobile phones. “I have been to the new village a few times to visit a sick relative, but I will never live there,” says Poo, 64. He shows me his rice field, which has just been harvested. “This land is my identity,” he adds. I know a few Cambodian words for “tradition” or “origin,” but this man uses them all in one sentence. According to many ethnic traditions, bodies are not cremated as in the Buddhist culture, but buried. This also goes for Pounong people, who believe that the spirits of the deceased are still wandering around the burial site. This is the main reason why the community doesn’t want to leave. Continues with photos at https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/01/centuries-old-rituals-slowly-fading-away-cambodia/

Isn't the problem primarily the scam... They offer to sell you fake money worth $20,000, for just $1000. You send the money. They don't send the fake money. What are you gonna do? Complain to the police that you tried to buy counterfeit money?

From NHK Newsline JAL pilots: What happened and how they evacuated burning jet More details have emerged about the collision between a JAL jet and a Japan Coast Guard plane at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on January 2. The following link contains new and updated information, videos and visual reconstructions of the crash and the evacuation following interviews with the captain and two co-pilots. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/2976/index.html

From the Associated Press Japan issues improved emergency measures following fatal collision Japan's transportation ministry said Tuesday it has introduced improved emergency measures for the country's airports, a week after a fatal collision between a Japan Airlines jetliner and a coast guard plane at Tokyo's busy Haneda airport that is seen as a result of human error. The measures — including more visible stop line markings on taxiways leading to runways and use of clearer language in traffic control communication — are to be implemented right away at Haneda while they are slated to go into effect at other airports across the country in the coming weeks. The probe into the collision has focused on what caused the coast guard flight crew to believe they had a go-ahead for their take off. A partial release of the air traffic control transcript showed no clear takeoff approval was given to the coast guard plane. According to the text, the Tokyo air control gave the JAL plane permission to land on the 34R runway, noting that there is a departing plane, with the JAL pilot repeating the instruction. In the transcript, the traffic control tells the coast guard plane that it was given a “No. 1” priority for takeoff, an expression some experts say might have led the Bombardier crew to mistakenly believe they got a permission to proceed to the runway. According to a report Tuesday in the Asahi newspaper, the coast guard plane may have started communication with the traffic control only after the JAL plane got its landing permission and may not have been aware of the airliner’s arrival. The ministry's new emergency measures call for making sure pilots understand the terminology specifically related to runway entry, urging them to repeat the instructions given by the traffic controls, and ask if they are uncertain. They also instruct traffic control not use numerical terms such as No. 1 suggesting takeoff and landing priorities to avoid confusion. The Haneda traffic control tower has created a new position specifically assigned to monitor a radar system that indicates any unauthorized runway entry, beginning next Saturday. The Haneda airport is the world's third busiest, and preferred of the two in the Tokyo region because of better accessibility to the city's downtown. During its peak time, flights come and leave every few minutes, a frequency comparable to Tokyo's commuter trains.