PeterRS

She was one of a generation of great British actors like Vanessa Redgrave, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Joan Plowright. Like many of those who are now better known, she started her career doing odd jobs and taking small parts in theatres around Britain. It was when she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1964 that she had some of her greatest stage successes, starting with Peter Brook's production of Marat/Sade, in what several critics claimed "changed British theatre forever." She came to attention of much larger audiences with her performance in the Ken Russell movie of D. H. Lawrence's Women in Love, a role for which she won the first of her two Best Actress Oscars. I particularly remember her in John Schlesinger's 1971 Sunday Bloody Sunday in which she played the girlfriend of a bisexual young man played by actor Murray Head. His full-on kiss in that movie with the doctor played by the hithertoo seemingly aggressively heterosexual actor Peter Finch shocked many. In 1992 she gave up acting to become a member of the British parliament. A strong socialist she seemed to have found her niche and remained in parliament for 23 years. She emerged from her Westminster duties triumphantly to return to the stage to play the role of Shakespeare's King Lear at the age of 82. It is believed by most that she was offered the honour of becoming a Dame but turned it down. It would not have fitted her strong socialist principles. The great actor died aged 87.

I am not taking sides in this discussion, but I do want to point out that with predictive spelling (correct term?) it is far from uncommon for it's and its, you're and your etc. to come out not as typed. This happens to me so often I rarely spot it. Naturally a check would pick this up - but who always checks the fine detail of their posts?

Describing Obama to Medvedev (during Putin's mandatory sabbatical as Russian President), Berlusconi said "he's young, handsome and tanned!"

I wish I understood some detail of the law in the US. I fail to understand why the various legal actions against Trump that have been talked about in some cases for years take such an inordinate amount of time to get anywhere near a law court. The attempt to manipulate the last election results in Georgia took place two and a half years ago. Yet despite the considerable evidence already made public, the case is dragging on and is still not ready to get to a court. Then there is the much older 2019 Deutsche Bank case where the Trmp Organisation allegedly failed to repy loans of $640 million +. I recall that Deutsche Bank was in a total internal mess at the time and that having stated it would not loan Trump any more cash, one of its departments did cough up a further $48 million - to help him pay off the $640 million! We also know that with appeal after appeal, whatever decision is come to in the case involving the documents found at Mar A Lago, a final outcome is not going to happen till after the 2024 Presidential election. With a Supreme Court packed with the likes of the dreadful sexual predator Clarence Thomas, that final verdict may itself be open to question!

I'm curious. Is ladyboy a name given to those men who wear outrageous make-up and lipsync in bar shows, or merely a boy who prefers to look like a lady and who may eventually have an operation to change sex? I recall quite a few years ago (perhaps a dozen) going with friends to a bar in Nana Plaza with a stage full of beautiful young girls who just happened to be boys (and most seemed to be in the 18-22 range). We had four over for drinks and they not only spoke some English they seemed extremely well mannered. Even a little hand wandering was not discouraged. None had breasts although we saw a few on stage who seemed to have started developing breasts. We did not take anyone off but felt that as we were tops they might turn out to be little different from twink boys!

A strange thread title, I agree, but one that is I believe quite apt. A few days ago Italy's Silvio Berlusconi died. A media mogul with an outside personality whose businesses had made billions (€s or $s makes little difference) and who owned one of the country's top soccer teams, was attracted to right-wing politics. In 1994 he was elected to the first of his four separate terms as Italy's Prime Minister. Despite many scandals with young women (some being hookers and at least one alleged to be underage), continuing to own and run 90% of national television broadcasting whilst in power, alleged links to the mafia, a plethora of legal actions against him and his companies which saw him convicted several times for abuse of office, false accounting and bribery of judges - with the outcome in at least six occasions being politically altered to "no conviction", and a host of other scandals, he was always able to keep the public on his side. He was very much a model for Trumpism. Like Trump he liked to give his critics nicknames. Britain's Economist magazine was one of his sternest critics. Berlusconi called it The Ecommunist. The magazine was also taken to court. No doubt Trump watched and noted what was happening in Italy. Another avid viewer must unquestionably have been Britain's now disgraced Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Having lied to parliament years after he had lied massively to the British public when he led the campaign to get the country out of the European Union (an act that has seen the UK economy with the highest rate of inflation in Europe since the oil crises of the 1970s and the country's economy suffering badly through loss of jobs with the transport, farming and hospitality sectors particularly badly hit, stalled investment spending and a host of new export and travel regulations infuriating many), he had to resign as Prime Minister last year and has in recent days been forced to resign as a Member of Parliament. His ruling Conservative Party is about to go to war over whether he will be permitted ever to stand again for election as a Member of Parliament. He did not set himself up as a model. But Berlusconi certainly started the rot now eating away at US and UK politics.

No! Not even in coutries around the region.

I think Rogaine is named Regaine in the UK. I remember a friend checking it on line with a well-known UK on-line pharmacy and being somewhat horrified at the price. Seems it has to be applied twice daily. He also told me it only promotes growth on the crown of the head and has little effect on premature balding at the front. Also heard that there are Regaine/Rogaine pills. But from what I have read minoxidil (the ingredient of Rogaine/Regaine) does not stop hair loss or encourage its regrowth. It merely reduces the rate of hair loss. Can anyone confirm?

I just discovered it is indeed a pic from a movie about the boys being at school - although nearer final year. The three starred in two 'school' movies - Encore and On Trial. On Trial is avaiable on youtube - but it's a typical low budget early 1980s Hong Kong film. The nice thing is that the long trousers the boys wear are all quite tight fitting over their cute asses! Also there is a scene when they are playing some sort of game with very short white shorts! Danny Chan had become famous as an actor and singer a few years before Leslie. Indeed he was probably Hong Kong's first pop idol. I liked his voice a lot and thought it was marginally better than Leslie's singing voice. There is one gentle ballad number he sings in the film - it starts at 1:24'25". He also sings the song during the closing credits. He liked fit gay young westerners and always had a group around him. Unfortunately he started on drugs quite early. In his last years he used to frequent a little known mostly gay club on Ice House Street just down from the Foreign Correspondents' Club. It was there one evening that he collapsed and fell into a coma presumed to be a result of combining narcotics with alcohol. His parents kept him alive for 17 months before finally allowing him to die. I frankly find little difference between the physiques of Hong Kong and Taiwanese young guys. I guess it's where you go and where you tend to see them. Certainly both can be incredibly attractive and handsome!

To whom are you responding? Certainly not me. Quoting from that member would help others understand your response, the more so given that the last post was mine and it was around 8 months ago!

And did @vinapu snatch the King or the Queen 😵

Taladafil which we know under the generic Cialis was discovered in August 1991 and approved by the US FDA in November 2003. To my understanding, with patents lasting 20 years, doesn't this mean the price of genuine Cialis should plummet by the end of the year?

My concern was that putting the entire article under one thread would just make it far too long for the average reader. By listing the Part numbers, I think it becomes clear that it is a series of posts and readers can dip in and out if they wish. With few posts under this section of the Board, I am not concerned about readers losing the plot, as it were! Please also remember Leslie's first major international movie Farewell My Concubine which won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. In 2005 TIME magazine listed it as one of the Best Movies of All Time. Leslie is marvellous and the tragic ending often brings tears. Happy Together is a totally different type of movie. Two lovers travel to the Iguazu Falls in Argentina (only because in their tiny Hong Kong apartment they had a lampshade with a picture of the Falls) in an attempt to save their relationship. It is dramatic, gritty, violent and frequently moving. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or and its director Wong Kai-wai won Best Director at the 1997 Cannes Festival. Leslie's death was a complete tragedy. On the surface he had it all. A superb actor and singer, he once played 33 concerts on consecutive nights in the 10,000 seat Hong Kong Coliseum. Jean-Paul Gaultier designed some of the costumes for his last ever mega-concert series. It was at these concerts that he announced he was gay and had a long term partner. That relationship was by all accounts very important to him. What hardly anyone knew was that he suffered from and was being treated for severe depression. That one with so much talent and so many gifts should elect to take his own life shocked much of the world. In a 2010 CNN poll Leslie was voted the Third Most Iconic Musician of all Time after Michael Jackson and The Beatles. In a short suicide note he thanked his family, his lover and his psychiatrist. He added, “I can’t stand it anymore . . . In my life I have done nothing bad. Why does it have to be like this?” Had he lived he would be 66 this year. On a tangent, some time ago I found this photo on the internet. Can you imagine three cuter young Hong Kong guys? Actors Danny Chan, Leslie Cheung and Paul Chung in the 1981 Hong Kong movie On Trial. Danny and Leslie were closet gays at the time. All died tragically young. Danny of a drug overdose aged 35. Paul like Leslie committed suicide aged 30.

That certainly seems to be my experience when travelling in the region. Am I complaining?? 🤣

In my dozens of visits to Taipei I have never been to a massage shop. I have heard of lots of individual masseurs who come to your hotel. Most are available for appointment on Line. I have heard of these shops below. Not many twinks it would seem, but then most going for massages are after a proper massage with guys with a bit of weight on them. It also seems (although not sure) that afters consist almost exclusively of HJs if you have a massage on the premises. If you have a massage in the hotel, anything goes according to the masseur's agreement. I also believe professional massages are a bit more expensive than in Thailand with NT$2,500 (US$82) being the minimum plus tip. https://www.muddan.com/master-team https://kingsmanspapro.weebly.com https://www.theroyalspa.com.tw/en/team

I do not know - and am not asking - how old you are. But as you tell us you are not retired, I am a little surprised you find getting hard (or at least suggest it might become difficult to become hard) as you get older. Certainly this is true for some guys, especially those who might have medical issues. Since the brain plays a part in erections, I very occasionally used to find it hard (sic) to get hard. I once tried viagra and decided never to use it again. I found the blood pulsating in my temples very prominently and did not enjoy it. On the other hand, after a friend recommended cialis, I never had a problem. I use it rarely but whenever I do it works a treat - and goes on working for at least the 36 hours the makers claim. I have never felt a need to be a bottom and the guys I am with, including my partner, do not wish me to change from being a top.

Thank you @reader. I have written you a PM in the hope of resolving our differences.

As suggested, that was his persona. He kept it up pretty well for quite some time but occasionally let his guard fall and it became obvious he was neither Asian, in his 20s, nor did he run a company in Sydney as he claimed. I don't think any other poster uploaded photos of hotels where he had allegedly stayed but had blacked out everything in the rooms that could possibly identify him!

Years earlier I would occasionally visit Amsterdm on business. I was persuaded to try one of the saunas - would it be Night Thermos? I was surprised at the number of Asians and ended up having a great time with a young Indonesian.

We all have choices. You could do as I did (although I did it for business reasons), leave Europe and resettle somewhere in Asia. Not easy to do, I know, but it's surely a question of priorities. What is more important to you? A nice apartment/house in The Netherlands, a decent job (I assume), healthcare (I assume), pension to follow etc. or a plethora of gay venues and an abundance of young gay Asian men? As a UK citizen, when I start to draw down my pension the amount is frozen for all time - even if as recently inflation has been around 10%. I paid all the contributions up to age 62 (the maximum) to give me continuing access to the UK National Health Service. That benefit has now been withdrawn. But I choose to continue living in Asia. Just a thought. Is there no possibility of finding a nice young Asian boyfriend in the Netherlands or elsewhere in Europe and prepared to relocate to The Netherlands? I have a friend who will soon relocate to Munich for a post-graduate degree. He wants to find a nice middle-aged man there and has started looking on apps. There must surely be Asian students in The Netherlands? No?

There is no need to be so childish!

i seem to recall - and I am sure someone will correct me if this is incorrect - several years ago there was a poster here (whom I shall not name) who was infected with HPV which had become cancerous. He had written a post lauding the treatment he had received at the King Chulalongkorn Public Hospital across from Lumphini Park. Sadly he was only in remission and the cancer returned. But this time, though, he had no funds left to pay for further treatment. Friends put him up on their sofa where he soon died. Looking at the Cancer Council website, HPV is responsible for 90% of anal cancers. https://www.cancer.org.au/what-is-hpv#

You know Tweed Harris? You have met him? You have conversed with him? Had drinks with him? If not, then how - in your wisdom - do you know for certain which is accurate - what was reported in that news item or in @gayinpattaya's personal observation of him? Yet again, you make assumptions! Clearly it is your trademark!

Yet again, you criticise. And when your criticism is demolished, you backtrack. What about your own wisdom which you post virtually daily here, I wonder - or should I say the wisdom of the media which you post here?

Why do you always get assumptions about what i write wrong and then misquote? Point 1. You accuse me of "being old and trying to share my wisdom with others. He'll, man, you do that all the time." Response. My age is nothing to do with you and you have no idea of my exact age. Yes, I do try to share wisdom (if by that you mean knowledge) with others and I enjoy doing that. Given the number of 'likes' these posts attract, clearly this "wisdom" is appreciated by many. No doubt they are in considerably greater number than the likes you receive for your cut and paste news articles. But then you have said you enjoy posting these. Surprise! I also enjoy making my posts! You are not alone! And since you clearly have some reason for disliking what I write, why do you even bother reading my posts? I am not going to cease writing about my travels and others issues that i hope may be of interest to more than a few members here. So you had better get used to it. Point 2. You accuse me of accusing that expat of "spouting drivel". Response. What rubbish! Do you not read responses to your own threads? I was merely quoting @gayinpattaya's response to your post! Since you have clearly forgotten what he wrote, this is the relevant post. Oh, and you forgot that @gayinpattaya called him "offensive". Is that not important to you? Point 3. You accuse me of discussing the "evils" of a poster on another chat room. Response. I was not persuading you of the "evils" of anyone by trying to persuade us of the evils another old man is sharing on some mystery website you follow Why do you have to make things up? I was again responding to a post by another member here @Londoner and in particular a man he had met in Pattaya whose wife had just died and turned to gay young men for companionship. That was the starting point of my response. The issue of how often I look at that other chat room is yet another of your assuptions that are wrong. I do not follow it. Inever stated anywhere that I follow it. In fact I visit it only occasionally as I have pointed out in another post. And I visit the site for its Travel section! Since you now criticise almost everything I write, perhaps you will put a warning sticker on your next complaint so that those with absolutely no interest in your nonsense can avoid it.