PeterRS

I am curious about one aspect of this ghastly event. I recall reading that the electrical system in the hotel quickly failed. As a result many were locked inside their rooms. From this it seems an obvious assumption that room doors were opened with key cards electronically. I am trying to recall if I ever stayed in any hotel when, once inside a room, it was necessary to use the key card also to exit. I always remember manual operation to open from the inside. But could a total electrical failure render this impossible?

I don't pay for any of the apps but I have noticed in the last few months that the number of ads has increased considerably. The worst now is Blued.

I recall a thread some years ago which informed readers that flying via Dublin was considerably cheaper than through London. This was because the passenger taxes at Dublin were far cheaper than LHR which has some of the highest passenger taxes anywhere. Just a thought.

You clearly don't bother to read any other medical journals published in other countries. Colo-rectal cancer is on the rise among the 20-49 age group in most countries. You should at least have a colonoscopy. That might finally get most of the shit out of your system!

SInce we are on the topic of quizzes, perhaps the following might elicit a spark of interest. But please do not consult wikipedia! 1. A quote from a book. "Venereal disease was rife . . .Since the bar run by the sometime madame Bertha Proctor was just down Graveyard Street from Dr. Chukri's office – a bar that employed women whose names are recorded in history only as Frying Pan, Square Ass, Mother's Ruin, Fornicating Fannie, and Skinny Liz – it was possible for men and women to acquire a disease and be relieved of it on the same city block." Where was Graveyard Street? Liverpool England, Calcutta, Portsmouth England, Istanbul, Shanghai. 2. Another quote from a different book. ". . . these men . . . had exchanged their sex organs for a profession that offered prestige, and a certain degree of power – or, more frequently, such a transaction was forced on them in childhood. They had been brought into slavery by middlemen on the far reaches of _______'s domains and eventually found themselves at the centre of the Imperial system. But in a time of changing mores and political revolution, they were out of a job. Many of them drifted into penury. They could sometimes be seen begging on the street, their elongated limbs the visible signs of prepubescent castration." Where were these men seen? Naples, Beijing, Rome, Istanbul, Hyderabad. 3. While on the subject of castrati, the fashion of child castration was adopted in earnest in Italy after Pope Sixtus VI pronounced in 1588 that from henceforth women would not be permitted on stages and in church choirs. As a result, the female soprano parts in choirs were taken by castrati. The fashion soon spread to baroque opera. Anyone who has seen the movie "Farinelli" about one of the most famous of them all knows that they were in effect the pop singers of their day, some earning fabulous sums for short appearances at ladies' soirees. In 1903 the last castrato sang in the Vatican choir. He had a name that is synonymous with a famous brand of shoe. Which brand? Ferragamo, Moreschi, Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Testoni 4. The parliament of this empire conducted business in no less than 12 languages with no official translators. Not surprisingly it collapsed. Which was it? Russian Empire, China's Qing (Manchu) Empire, Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Mughal Empire 5. Which American wrote this in 1945 after Hitler's suicide? "Hitler will emerge from the hatred that surrounds him now as one of the most significant figures who ever lived." Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Barry Goldwater, JF Kennedy, Joseph McCarthy 6. Who described Jews as "poisonous, envenomed worms?" Adolf Hitler, Martin Luther, King Richard the Lionheart, Richard Wagner, Amin al-Husseini Answers in a couple of days. Extra marks if you can identify the sources of Q 1 and 2. Happy New Year!

My spelling and mis-naming people (see the Pope thread) are sadly occasionally deficient.

Lucky you! Wonder how old you really are. Perhaps you are only 19 as you clearly did not read all my post. Note the following - "By 2030, predicts a study published in April, colorectal cancer will be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in people aged 20 to 49."

Ah yes! Old people! Funny, isn't it, that rates of colon cancer are increasing among so-called "young people". Chadwick Boseman 43 - colon cancer 2020 Dame Deborah James 40 - bowel cancer 2022 Jay Monahan 42 (husband of Katie Couric) - colon cancer 1998 "For many young, healthy people colon cancer was never on their radar because it is typically seen as a disease that affects older people. But since the 1990s, even as colorectal cancer rates have declined for people 50 and older, they have more than doubled among American adults under 50, according to the National Cancer Institute. By 2030, predicts a study published in April, colorectal cancer will be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in people aged 20 to 49." https://www.statnews.com/2021/06/22/colorectal-cancer-hot-spots-young-men-dying-higher-rates/

So if a doctor inserts a camera up your big ass and tells you you have colon cancer - you clearly believe you are not sick. Bye!

There was a discussion on the type of circumcision practised in the Philippines in February. It starts about half way down the page. Personally the result of the way most boys are circumcised in that country - and that's over 90% of them - puts me right off sex. I have nothing against a nicely circumcised organ although I far prefer the natural uncut version. In porn movies, many Japanese boys have shorter foreskins and will sometimes pull them back which makes them look as though they have been circumcised. But it still looks aesthetically pleasing - at least to me. Not so Filipinos. But to each his own. I see that part of this discussion has centred on Columbia. Although I have been twice to South America, I missed Columbia. Occasionally looking at the chaturbate site, I note that many Columbians have extremely smooth near hairless skin and impressive uncut dicks. Most also seem to be bottoms. I obviously should have included Columbia on one of my trips!

Agree wholseheartedly that Taiwan guys are great and the number of money boys on the apps is perhaps at most 1 per visit. I attended 7 Pride Parades until 2018. Fabulous days. Couldn't go in 2019 as I only returned from Europe the night before. Thereafter the border was closed due to covid. But I'll definitely be back again this year.

Why am I not surprised? The photos in the OP are horrendous. They make the hotel look as though it was made of wood! Soon we will find out which fire protection corners were cut and how fire escapes were blocked, no doubt.

Deputy Prime Minister Anutin is a snake whose sole aim is to become Prime Minister. He is clearly playing to the base in the country understandably desperate for the cash the Chinese will bring in. Italy discovered yesterday that more than 50% of Chinese arriving on two flights to Milan tested positive for covid. I realise the new rules apply only from January 8 when Chinese boarding fights for foreign parts require 3 vaccinations and undergo testing ptrior to boarding. But who in Chinese airports, especially the secondary ones, is actually going to police that. I have no faith in the Chinese authorities who are not making public the extent of the present number of cases and any variants they may have discovered. As for Anutin suggesting there is nothing to worry about because 60% have already had covid, that means 40% haven't and we know presently Chinese hospitals are completely overwhelmed with what we are told are many millions of new cases. And in the midst of all this, Thailand is prepared to accept tourists? I have four overseas trips to four different countries in the first four months of the year. Has anyone thought what the arrival of Chinese infected with the virus might do in terms of spreading covid here? If it results in a new wave in Thailand, will those living here and those planning to visit here find ourselves facing new testing and quarantine regulations? Why Thaiand does not wait until there is an end to the present disastrous covid crisis in China beats me.

My apologies to all.

I used to chat with quite a number of visitors from Singapore and Taiwan - and occasionally Japan. They came to Bangkok primarily for sex, but not for gogo bars. Before Babylon finally closed its doors, they would usually go either to a sauna or for a massage first. Many would satisfy their needs there. They'd then go out for dinner before some would hit the bars primarily to see the shows. Few were interested in watching gogo boys strut their stuff. Then some would hit DJ Station and another disco or two to dance until closing time. In other words, the impression i received - one that is reinforced by comments on sites like the Blowing Wind Travel section and from friends in both Singapore and Taipei - was that for the relatively new and younger Asian tourist, gogo bars are not of major interest. Massage with HE was much more so. As for the many mainland Chinese, has anyone actually seen a lot in the gogo bars? If you have, how do you know that they are from the mainland rather than from Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong or elsewhere from the Chinese diaspora? That said, several years ago I did see a few handsome, tall, slim mainland guys in a Hong Kong sauna. One told me they had come on a week-end trip to Hong Kong mainly for luxury good shopping and going to a gay disco. They'd only hit the sauna because it was close to their hotel. They reminded me of some of the gorgeous guys I used to see in Beijing's Destination Club. So when the mainlanders do finally arrive - and I don't believe they will come in any number until 2024 - I just do not see them being a major boost to the gogo bars.

Firstly, I do not mean for this post to start a discussion of organised religion per se. Inevitably perhaps some will regard it as so and I can do nothing about that. Secondly I am basically not a religious person. I became very anti-organised religion when as a child I was sometimes dragged to church and for years had to play the hymns at a weekly meeting for young people called Bible Service. I do know quite a number who do believe in religion and I fully respect their views, as I trust they respect mine. It appears from the news media that the previous Pope, the former Cardinal Ratzinger, is on the point of death. His successor, Pope Benedict has asked for prayers. I happen to like Pope Benedict. As a world leader he has my respect for his humility, his dignity and his constant callng out world leaders for some of their failings. On the other hand, I never liked Ratzinger. He was a fundamentalist conservative who, in my view, only became Pope because of his influence over many years of the other cardinals. As a child he had been a member of the Hitler Youth, later in the German army and then interned in a Prisoner of War Camp. Having entered the Catholic Church, he was eventually made Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In that position, he constantly reaffirmed the Church's negative views on birth control, use of condoms, homosexuality, gay marriage and dialogues with other religions. As sexual abuse of young children by priests was beginning to become known, he declared in a 2001 letter titled De delictis glavioribus that internal church investigations must remain confidential, including sexual abuse. For 20 years he had strictly enforced another Church document penned in 1962 which effectively banned discussion of sexual crimes by priests. He was the man in charge. He knew about the many tens of thousands of cases of sexual abuse that were being revealed around the world and did nothing. He even declared that as Archbishop of Munich, he knew nothing regarding abuses allegedly brought to his attention between 1977 and 1982. He later admitted his memory had been wrong but blamed the original accusation as an "editorial error". He asked for forgiveness and expressed nis "great pain." As Pope he was named in a lawsuit regarding the abuse of four boys in Texas but given diplomatic immunity. He was instrumental in not permitting senior clerics to resign. When he himself asked to leave his post aged 70, that other ultra conservative Pope John Paul II refused. On becoming Pope Ratzinger could have made substantial changes to get rid of at least some of the major corruption in the Curia. He failed to do so. A couple of years after he became Pope, Ratzinger became much more acquainted with what he called the "filth" in the Church. But he did little about it. He still refused to accept that secular law had presedence over Church law. I always thought that the Catholic Church hierarchy rather liked to have a conservative pope followed by a much more liberal one. I never knew the severe Pius XII (sometimes still called "Hitler's Pope" and the subject of an excellent book of the same name - although some of the allegations in that book are now the subject of debate) but really liked his successor, Cardinal Roncali the Archbishop of Venice, who became John XXIII. He called the Second Vatican Council with tha aim of making major changes in the Catholic Church. Almost as soon as the Council started its deliberations, John XXIII died of cancer and was succeeded by the much more strict Paul VI who is perhaps best known for his encyclical Humanae Vitae which confirmed the ban on contraception, a position exactly opposite that passed by the Seond Vatican Council. Paul VI went into a serious mental decline after his very good friend, Aldo Moro the Mayor of Rome, was capured by the Red Brigades Terrorist Group in March 1978. It so happened I was in Rome on May 9th that year and recall police sirens everywhere as Moro's body had been discovered in the trunk of a car close to the Vatican. After Paul's death later that year, the feeling of joy and light at the pastoral, beaming face of Pope John Paul I was palpable. The severity of the Church seemed to be consigned to the background for many years. It had at last a warm, gentle human face. Everyone, including the Cardinals seemed eleated. He reigned for just 33 days before being found dead in his bed. Conspiracy theorists had a field day, largely a result of discrepancies in the Vatican's various pronouncements about how he died and who found him. At least six major figures in the Church hierarchy were known to have had very good reason to fear if John Paul I remained as Pope. Another book was eventually written after the Vatican threw open its archives. "A Thief in the Night" by David Cornwell in 1989 goes into detail about the very different personalities around the Pope, the disasters and massive corruption in the Vatican Bank and the possibiilty that the Pope had been murdered. Another book written in 2017 revealed that John Paul ! had suffered from chest pains in the day prior to his death and died from a heart attack. At first John Paul II seemed almost in the mould of his predecessor. He quickly revealed he was not. The Catholic Church was back to the more severe interpretation of Catholic doctrine. Ratzinger was his ally. With Pope Benedict now also in less than the best of health, will the Cardinals revert to precedence and again return the Church away from its more pastoral ways and back to the severity of dogma? I hope not. And I will also not pray - although to whom or what I would pray is uncertain - for Ratzinger.

Why do I think it is this post that is rubbish? Throughout my career I have come across quite a few guys and gals who work in HR. The very nature of that type of job means they have to put up with considerable flak from other employees, often on minor issues. Any person allegedly "traumatised" and requiring "counselling" when reading a communication simply because it was headed "Dear Sir or Madam" would be nowhere near any HR department in any company, large or small.

You will certainly have a gourmet meal at the time you wish to eat with excellent wines compared to most other carriers. But your QSuite may not happen. I booked a return from Bangkok to the UK for March. Between the time of booking and a couple of weeks ago, the BKK/Doha sectors were in QSuites. Both have now been changed as the aircraft has been upgraded to an Airbus A380. This does not have the Q suites and, frankly, much as I like the A380, l do prefer the QSuites on the B777s and A350s. But a very minor point.

Welcome to what has been going on in many countries for some years. British Airways stopped meal service in Europe years ago. Instead they introduced a sandwich service at a fee. Problem always seemed to be that they ran out of sandwiches before even half the passengers had been approached. That and payment problems with cards which were not accepted. In Europe I just take a gourmet sandwich on board.

I suppose you realise that the taxes are for very specific listed items. They are not for general government revenue. Unless, of course, you prefer airports and runways not to be maintained and security services to be reduced.

It's well known that many of the gogo bar boys are married with kids. We might call them bisexual. The Thais generally condor themselves 'men'. I also believe it's much more difficult to get a truly straight guy to be a bottom.

I believe the mass damper system is in use in Taipei 101, the world's tallest building until not many years ago. But as with my apartments in Hong Kong, that has a large plot area and does not taper off towards the top. Mind you, it must work as Taipei is on an active earthquake zone and the city experiences several earthquakes, some major.

You are living a strange world of fantasy. A Con? How utterly ridiculous! I suppose cancer is a con, heart disease is a con, brain tumours are a con, HIV a con. How many people have died as a result of covid19? 6,687, 859 worldwide so far! That is as in DEAD - not infected. And you call this a CON? It has nothing to do with a CON. It has nothing to do with an opinion. It's a FACT! As for your comments about the CDC, I suggest you read up the facts about the early days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Had it not been for the CDC and its constant battles against the ultra conservative Reagan administration absolutely determined it was merely a gay plague and therefore not worth spending money on research, it is likely that the number of AIDS deaths to date worldwide would be considerably more than 40 million. And that is no CON!

That to me is a rather silly remark. Although I have had 4 vaccinations, I still use them if I am to be around young children or old people. Those sticks have not been and are also not "stupid" for many tens of millions around the world, if not hundreds of millions. You may think you are immune because you had the vaccination/s. But they are far from foolproof. As the US CDC points out on its website, no vaccine is 100% effective.

If ever there was a case for Xi Jin-ping to reverse his massively misguided covid prevention measures it is surely now. After suddenly withdrawing the lockdown restrictions without any advance warning, many news outlets are reporting Chinese officials as saying that covid cases in the country will mushroom to as many as 250 million by the end of this month. Zhejiang Province around Shanghai reported one million new cases since the new policy was adopted and expects this to double quickly. Now the government has significantly loosened restrictions for in bound tourism and is considering permitting Chinese citizens to travel out of the country again. With these levels of covid infection, would anyone really want any Chinese near Thailand in the next few months, the more so given that the Chinese vaccines are considerably less effective that those from the west?