PeterRS

You're not alone! Like other posters I wish I had come out earlier. I really did feel as though i was almost the only gay guy around when I was 18, despite having had a few furtive experiences. I came from a relatively small town where there seemed to be very few gay men. Those who were openly gay tended to be far older. I remember there being a club in a house in a small out of the way street where these older gay guys could meet. But anyone planning to enter would always look around to check there was no one looking before doing so. Even my father, who in other matters was a very open minded man, referred to one of the middle aged men who worked in the pharmacy at the foot of our street as "one of those". I hasten to add it was not said in a derogatory tone - more merely as a matter of fact. Not even in the relatively closed atmosphere of university could I overcome my fears about coming out. It took several years of working and then my first real relationship before I summoned up the courage. It feels so strange now to remember, but it was a very real 'fear' at the time.

Having been to the Maldives (albeit a couple of decades ago), I also cannot see the parallel. In the Maldives there are no shopping malls where the rich can buy some of their designer clothes and accessories cheaper than in their home countries. The primary costs - and almost the only costs - for the rich visitors are the airline tickets and the many outrageously expensive hotels. Yes, booze, meals and solo boat and dive trips are also expensive but overall probably less than a night at many of the high end resort hotels. Each of the Maldives tourist islands is a solo resort and so have a strangehold on costs. There are some cheaper islands but unless you are in a guesthouse in one of the few islands with locals, cheap is often at least 4,000 baht per night and more often nearer 10,000 baht and way up to 135,000 baht and more. I am sure Thai hotels would love to raise their rates to Maldives level, but there is far too much competition and there is no way that is going to happen.

I'm going back on my earlier comment because I had failed to realise the Minister had specified "public" hospitals. Raising fees for expats and non-Thais in those hospitals will have zero effect on medical tourism for this is exclusively handled by the private hospitals. Much of it is also paid for by international insurance companies. Besides, getting any medical procedure in a public hospital requires first prior registration, then a general doctor's appointment, then a specialist's appointment and then a further delay because all public hospitals have some degree of waitlist. Add to that there are not many English speakers in public hospitals and medical tourism just does not work. This was brought home to me this morning when I had to have an MRI scan at King Chulalongkorn Hospital. It was merely a check up scan following one I had 6 months ago. My doctor there is wonderful. She trained in Thailand and the USA and speaks fluent English. The medical staff in the scanning department are great even though few spoke more than a few words of English. But I when I left, I noted that all those waiting for CT and MRI scans were Thai, many of them elderly. This was true when I had my earlier scan. Given that I paid about one fifth or less of the cost of a similar procedure in a private hospital, I would be perfectly happy to pay a little more.

Thailand will open in 2025

Interesting fact: Bangkok is Facebook's most active global city with over 30 million users! In a city with not more than 10 million, why on earth do people feel they need multiple Facebook accounts?

Having mentioned Gundula Janowitz, an interesting note: last night she was given the industry's prestigious Gramophone Magazine Lifetime Award. Equally interesting in a way, David Bowie considered her recording of the Strauss "Beim Schlafengehen" with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic "transcendental - It aches with love for a life that is quietly fading. I know of no other piece of music, nor any performance, which moves me quite like this". I love the almost bell-like quality of her silvery voice which I first noticed when she sang Sieglinde in Karajan's recording of Wagner's Ring cycle.

Near the end of the 1960s I remember purchasing the cassette of this album "You Don't Have to Be Jewish". I can't think why because I'm not Jewish but I just love the humour. I purchased it again when it came out on CD and still listen occasionally. It offers lots of chuckles in these difficult times. Enjoy!!

Weeks after picking up the Emmy Award for hair style and make up design, Bridgerton's Marc Pilcher has died of Covid aged 53. Pilcher had had his two vaccinations and several negative tests before and after flying to Los Angeles to pick up the Award. He had no underlying conditions. Yet still he died. I do not know how frequently this happens but I expect it highlights the need to continue wearing masks and socially distance.

Ok, that's the politics. Where's the porn????

Not so easy I suspect,, given that Thais will not pay the new fee.

I fully accept I am not at all sure about buying of votes in The Philippines. I just assumed nowhere could be worse than Thailand when it comes to little dollops of cash being liberally handed over. And as you say, cash seems to be king in just about every democracy. It can be a simple red bill to a village voter in Thailand. Perhaps a million dollar cheque in the USA to secure an Ambassadorship in some rather nice posting. Even an entire voting block guaranteeing their votes in return for an anti-this or pro-that seat on the Supreme Court. Or, as with Thaksin at his first election, very large bribes being paid to certain individuals on the Constitutional Court to ensure his "honest mistake" in having his gardener and housekeeper owning a gazillion shares in his company which should have been declared as his assets prior to the election and which should have disqualified him would be forgiven! Given the state of the world - or should I say the worsening state of the world - I often wonder if democracy as we have known it is all but dead. And yes I know the obvious follow on from that. If democracy is dying, what goes in its place? Major systemic reforms would be a good start, but does anyone seriously think that those presently with their hands on the levers of power will be prepared to promote reform? I certainly don't. Going back to the Philippines, as long as the financial power is concentrated in the hands of just a few dozen families, I cannot see much change there either. The US could have done something when they ruled the islands as their colony, but did nothing. Then they propped up the murdering, thieving dictator Marcos because they needed the air cases in the country during the Cold War. If only we could turn back the clock a century or more and undo much of what were to become our present day disasters!

Much as one admires Singapore's amazing success as an economic miracle on what until independence was virtually just a swamp, its rulers have never taken lightly any criticism of its governance. Indeed, that government has resorted to more litigation against the media, corporations and even its own opposition MPs than almost any other anywhere. The city state's founding Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew was admired worldwide. But even he admitted he had to resort to non-democratic methods. Two of his oft quoted dictums were - “We have to lock up people, without trial, whether they are communists, whether they are language chauvinists, whether they are religious extremists. If you don't do that, the country would be in ruins.” “I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn’t be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters – who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.” Now the present government led by his son is clamping down further on dissent. In what sounds more like a comment from mainland China, it has passed a law aimed at countering foreign interference in what it calls its internal domestic affairs. This permits the government to order social media sites and internet providers to disclose user information or block content it considers hostile. Given the ease which which the courts ruled in favour of the Prime Minister in similar cases involving publications like the International Herald Tribune and The Economist, few consider this new law as anything other than greater personal interference. "An offence is committed if a person publishes something in Singapore on behalf of a foreign entity to "influence a target to do something that is or is likely to be prejudicial to Singapore's interests, incite feelings of hatred or diminish public confidence in the authorities", according to an earlier Straits Times report. "Instead of open court, an independent panel chaired by a judge will hear appeals against the minister's decisions. This is necessary as matters may involve sensitive intelligence with implications for national security, the government said." In fairness other countries like Australia have enacted similar laws. But added to the 2019 "fake news" law, according to the Deputy Head of Human Rights Watch Asia the new law will be a human rights disaster because it hands arbitrary power to punish anyone on vague allegations of involvement with foreigners. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-58798373

I don't think I agree with the first sentence. The Filipinos seem far more gullible with famous names getting much more of the vote irrespective of whatever platform and policies they may have run on. Filipinos are much more star struck! Also, I don't think most Filipinos are all paid for their votes whereas we know a great deal of cash changes hands in Thailand.

You can already see the huge queues at the airports to find baht currency because I'll bet they won't accept others. I note they say the fee is to be collected from tourists. What about Thais? If they don't pay then it is not the same as a departure tax which applies to everyone. With it just having been agreed that hospitals can charge more for non-Thais, sounds like yet another way to fleece tourists and those expats who live here.

More ridiculous comparisons (first price is Agoda - and so 17% for tax and service has to be added, but we do not know yet if these have to be added to the TAT prices - second price TAT site) The Landmark Bangkok: Baht 2,147 / 3,531 The Okura Presitge Bangkok: Baht 3,494 / 7,062 The Aiyapura, Koh Chang: Baht 1,347 / 2,000 Oakwood Hotel & Residence: Baht 784 / 1,199 With a 5-star hotel being almost 100% more expensive on the TAT site, that's another site for the trash bin.

How kind of the government to ensure that the locations of the pharmacies are pretty much difficult to find other than by taxi!

I could not agree more. Some years ago my bf finally persuaded me to join. Perhaps stupidly, I replied to the initial questions asked - names of my school and university. Within seconds I had more than 150 likes from people I had absolutely no idea who they were. Not even one from anyone I would have called a friend. If this is facebook, I decided, it's not for me. Within minutes I had cancelled the membership and have never once had any desire to rejoin. But it pisses me off mightily that some companies now assume everyone is on facebook. So increasingly I find that they have cancelled their websites and instead post information only on facebook. I have found a way around some of this, but I'll happily take my business elsewhere. This is especially true given the revelations over the weekend about facebook's policy of promoting inciteful and hateful posts since it makes more money that way. Governments should have investigated the social media apps long before now to ensure that such hideous practices are rooted out. This has nothing to do with free speech. It is about responsibility and destroying some lives.

Philippine general elections have been often proven to be a joke with a joker elected. Sadly the electorate seems to have little clue about governance.

Same with me. I have no doubt that a percentage of booking fees will be directed to TAT coffers. Given that there are already so many booking sites offering several perks, I cannot see what any new one will achieve. Also if one wants to cancel a booking, presumably the alternatives offered will only be in Thailand whereas on agoda etc. you can often transfer the funds to a hotel booking in another country.

Having posted a Jessye Norman video, I think I should balance this with one of Dame KTK. While her largest audience was no doubt singing Handel (wearing a ghastly hat!) at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, I am certain the next largest was when she sang in the wonderful Merchant Ivory film "Room With a View" set in Florence with a wonderful cast of British actors. KTK sang the theme song used in the movie. This was the popular Puccini aria "O mio babbino caro" (Oh, my beloved Father) from the comic opera Gianni Schicchi.

In the early-mid 1800s Scotland was at the forefront of technological advances in photography. One who took up an apprenticeship in the art of photography was Edinburgh-born John Thomson. In 1862 aged 25 he set sail on what was to become a 10 year sojourn in much of Asia, including Thailand, Singapore, Malaya, Sumatra, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Macao and China. 60 of his more than 600 photographs were featured in an Exhibition in Bangkok in 2015 "Siam Through The Lens of John Thomson." Thomson's are the earliest-known photos from these countries. His photographs not only introduced many in the west to the lands and peoples of the east, they established him as one of the pioneers of photo journalism. Thomson died 100 years ago last month. Thankfully his negatives were bought up decades ago by the Wellcome Foundation and are now safely stored in London, although prints from them are lent out for regular exhibitions. Copyright of the photos below being to the Wellcome Foundation but were widely used in publicity (e.g. in the Bangkok Post) for Exhibitions in Bangkok and Hong Kong. The Chao Phraya River from Wat Arun Sailing Ships on the Chao Phraya King Mongut (Rama 4) In a Buddhist Temple The Royal Barge Discussion amongst Han Chinese (the pigtails mark them out as not being Manchus) Chinese Ladies at Tea The Facade of St. Paul's Church in Macao (which still exists today) An Exhibition of Thomson's China photographs is presently running at Edinburgh's Heriot Watt University to mark the foundation of the university 200 years ago. The Exhibition finishes on 25 March 2022.

Good on BTS. I think they are marvellous ambassadors for their country - and pretty good singer/dancers as well. I am really curious as to how this industry came not just to develop within the country but to become a worldwide entertainment phenomenon. When I used to visit Seoul in the 1980s and early 1990s, even in the few gay and gayish venues, I never saw anyone as cute as these K-Pop stars. On True Visions about a year ago there was a series about Chinese born in Italy revisiting their homeland mostly for the first time to meet grandparents and other family friends. One very attractive slim guy who lived in Rome made his living there as a K-Pop dancer!

The voices were really so different and the repertoire suited to each also so different that i think a comparison is unfair on both. JN had a much larger, more dramatic voice with a beautiful mezzo quality when called for, although she always said she never wanted to be categorised. There was only one JN!. I first heard her in recital and then in a concert version of Die Walkure Act 1 in which she was a superb Sieglinde. But many of her roles could never have been sung by KTK - Wagner, the Ariadne Prima Donna, Cassandra in The Trojans, Aida, Alceste, and a wonderful Jocasta in Oedipus Rex amongst others. I have the amazing DVD which she recorded with Ozawa and the tenor Philip Langridge at Ozawa's Saito Kinen Festival. This was staged by Julie Taylor before she became a worldwide name with her staging of The Lion King. JN was also at home in comedy, at least in recordings. She loved France and worked several times with the lesser company in Toulouse under Michael Plasson. I have the CDs of her sparkling La Belle Helene. The full opera recording is available on youtube. It is full of typical Offenbach foot-tapping tunes. But equally JN would not have been at home in most of the roles KTK tackled. KTK was essentially a lyric soprano. I think she was unquestionably one of the finest Mozart and Strauss opera singers of her day with great success also in some Puccini and as Tatyana. She also tackled some earlyish Verdi, especially Amelia in Boccanegra which I hugely enjoyed. And of course as Desdemona, even if the recording with Pavarotti for Solti's Farewell Concerts in Chicago was a near disaster with Pavarotti clearly unable to sing the role! I heard her sing it nearer the start of her career and she carried it off with great conviction and finesse. But then again she did have competition which JN rarely had. For me, Dame Margaret Price, for example, had the more glorious voice especially in the Mozart/Strauss repertoire. It is such a shame that she did not like travelling and so confined most of her career to Cologne, Munich, London and San Francisco. Also that there are so few videos available of her singing. ,Gundula Janowitz was also wonderful in more or less the same KTK repertoire. But whereas Dame Margaret was very much a diva backstage I understand, Dame Kiri appeared to let it be known that she was a diva everywhere!

China is also terrified about Covid and the Winter Olympics due to open on February 4. One reason why it has banned international visitors. Only Chinese can witness the events. Hopefully those with the really cute guys - e.g. figure skating - will be televised live. Will Yuzuru Hanyu be able to make it three golds in a row? Or will his competition like Nathan Chan from the USA and Shoma Uno from Japan pip him to the post this time? Hanyu is one of the most recognised and loved Japanese athletes and has earned a fortune in endorsements since his first win in Sochi in 2014. This is Hanyu's short programme at the 2018 Olympics. Apart from his technical excellence, I just love the way he interprets the music and the emotion he invests in it. And of course that smile and the tight little ass!!! There has been much internet chatter about his being gay, although nothing definitive has ever been written. He trains in Toronto with the gay Brian Orser and sometimes has his costumes made by a gay designer. I don't know where the teddy bears came from and how that tradition started. But he is often seen clasping one of them after his programme.

Fascinating post @msclelovr. Thank you. Regarding fees, I think you may have omitted Dame Kiri Te Kanawa who, at least for a time and perhaps only in certain Opera Houses, was another diva able to command the highest fees. But then I recall that Ms. Norman's appearances on the opera stages were far fewer than Dame Kiri's. Surely that can not only have been a question of fee and more her personal choice? What I find so interesting about her is that at the start of her career she had to move to spend years in Europe to become known. She got a contract with the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and made her debut there as Elizabeth in Wagner's Tannhauser in 1968. Her American opera debut did not come until a full 14 years later, and then it was not with the Met but in Philadelphia. Little wonder that she made her home in London for many years. Several other Americans who were to become major opera singers had to do the same. There were just not the opportunities in those days within the USA. Having seen only half a dozen of her recitals and concerts, I was always amazed that, despite her large size, she always seemed just to glide on to the stage. I only had the opportunity of meeting her once. Back in late 1989 she gave a concert for the opening of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. This was just a few months after Tiananmen Square. For her first encore, she waited until the audience were completely silent. She then started singing solo and very quietly "Amazing Grace". As she did so, she very slowly turned full circle so that she sang to every single member of that audience. There were many tears. After that concert, a very good friend of mine was giving a small dinner for her and I was thrilled to be invited. She was quite wonderful company and clearly had a huge sense of fun. On a more serious note and going back to your point, the Chairman of the Opera Board at London's Royal Opera was also a guest. A very boring man, Sir James Somebody, he really put his foot in it when during a slight lull in the conversation, he piped up, "Ms. Norman, you were a sensation when you first sang with us at the Royal Opera and we have tried so many times to have you back, even offering you your pick of roles. Why do you not return?" This was a huge breach of etiquette at someone else's private dinner! But quick as a flash, Ms. Norman put this idiot in his place. "Well, Sir James, the answer is very simple. You just will not pay my fee!"