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From NY Times A seat in a subway car in Mexico City’s metro system caused a stir earlier this year. There were awkward glances. Visible discomfort. Baffled looks. Some laughs. And of course, the inevitable pictures from passenger’s camera phones. It was meant to be provocative, and it was. A seat was changed to look like the lower half of a male’s body, including the penis, part of a campaign by UN Women and the Mexico City government to raise awareness about sexual harassment on subways. On the floor beneath the seat, there was a sign reading, “It is annoying to travel this way, but not compared to the sexual violence women suffer in their daily commutes.” Article continues with pics and video: http://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/world/americas/penis-seat-mexico-city-harassment.html

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Check out the capital city’s soon-to-be 24-hour library on April 7. Located in a four-story art deco building with nearly 5,000 square meters, the Bangkok City Library will finally open to public on April 7. The library is expected to be home to more than 20,000 books in Thai and foreign languages, including a Braille section. Membership is 50 baht for adults and 25 baht for students and children. However, the library in the first phase doesn’t yet include a borrowing service. The current opening hours are 8am to 9pm Tuesday through Saturday and 9am through 8pm on Sunday. The library will officially launch its round-the-clock hours later this year. It is supported by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, which launched the project in 2013 after being voted 2013’s UNESCO World Book Capital. The Bangkok City Library is located on Ratchadamnoen Klang Road near Khok Wua Junction and Khaosan Road. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/arts/2017/03/30/look-inside-bangkoks-first-24-hour-library-opening-soon/ CNN ran an article on Bangkok libraries in 2010: http://travel.cnn.com/bangkok/play/bangkoks-best-rooms-quiet-contemplation-375378/

If you fly Cathay Pacific's 777 fleet in economy prepare to feel the squeeze as the carrier trims costs. From South China Morning Post Cathay Pacific Airways plans to cram 10 per cent more passengers into economy class, adding one more seat to the existing nine per row, as Hong Kong’s flagship carrier tries to reverse its loss-making operation. The airline, which lost HK$575 million last year, will embark on a three-year overhaul of economy class, adding extra seats on Boeing 777-300 planes from the middle of next year. Leg room will remain at 32 inches, but passengers with bigger frames will want to note that the width of each seat will shrink by 1.3 inches to 17.2 inches. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2083585/hong-kong-cathay-pacific-passengers-feel-squeeze-push-profits

The following article makes reference to the legislative action by the US House of Representatives described in post #31. The author reviews ways users affected may wish to consider. It covers virtual private networks (VPN), browser extensions that block third-party tracking tools on websites and more. From Popular Science magazine The government won't protect your internet privacy, so here's how to do it yourselfhttp://www.popsci.com/how-to-protect-online-privacy-vpn#page-6

From National Public Radio The House of Representatives has gone along with the Senate and voted 215-205 to overturn a yet-to-take-effect regulation that would have required Internet service providers — like Comcast, Verizon and Charter — to get consumers' permission before selling their data. President Trump is expected to sign the rollback,according to a White House statement. The measure is a victory for the ISPs, which have argued that the regulation would put them at a disadvantage compared with so-called edge providers, like Google and Facebook. Those companies are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission and face less stringent requirements. Congress' approval is a loss for privacy advocates, who fought for the regulation, passed in October of last year by the then-Democratic majority on the Federal Communications Commission. ISPs collect huge amounts of data on the websites people visit, including medical, financial and other personal information. The FCC regulation would have required ISPs to ask permission before selling that information to advertisers and others, a so-called opt-in provision. http://www.npr.org/2017/03/28/521831393/congress-overturns-internet-privacy-regulation

An editorial in The Nation, titled "Can Pattaya really 'drain the swamp'?", concludes with the following paragraph: "On the other hand, how about just getting serious and accept that prostitution is here to stay? Rather than parading around in fish costumes, let “Fun City” have its fun, but be civilised about it: Decriminalise the flesh trade, register the sex workers, and give them the healthcare, protection and social security they are due." http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/opinion/today_editorial/30310604

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Explore love, friendship, desire and more aspects of gay men in the urban city through the eyes (and hands) of a Spanish artist. Our World features a series of cartoon-style paintings by Bangkok resident artist Dani Monfort Gil who depicts the gay men he’s met on the sidewalk and in the mall, some of whom he’s approached for their stories. Admission is free. The event opens at 6pm on Friday and runs through the end of April. Serindia Gallery is located on Soi Charoen Krung 36. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/events/2017/03/28/see-gay-bangkok-illustrated-spanish-artist/

Count on it.

Alexx, I always treat others as gentlemen unless they become otherwise. When you clarified a recent post about proposed changes in land law, I thanked you for pointing it out. That's what gentlemen do. However, you launched into an attack because the baggage scan article didn't meet with your approval. You know that you could have easily just gone to "stickmanweekly.com" and quickly located the original source, but you chose to make it personal. You reap what you sow. I'm willing to put this in the past. As I understand it, all members are equal here. It's generally been my impression that civility in manner is returned in kind.

Then why say it?

Despite your rant, the fact that bags of arriving passengers are going to be scanned is accurate. That it's Customs and not the AOT doesn't change that. I don't take posting instructions from you...for crying out loud.

From BBC Jordan Coe, 20, is reported to have been found dead in a heavy tracksuit after failing to return to his hotel. It has prompted speculation that the professional athlete, who is originally from Maddiston near Falkirk, died of heatstroke. His coach, Craig Floan, said the boxer may have been trying to lose a few pound before a fight. He had been due to fight Khon Bola, a Cambodian boxer, in the Muang district of Thailand on Sunday night. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-39400250

Since this is already on the subject of non-gay bars, Stickman this week lists his top 11 BKK lady go-go bars. For those interested in what's happening on the other side of the street, Tilac in Soi Cowboy cops the number one slot (no Patpong bars made the cut). Stick also carried a news item link that doesn't bode well for Swampy arrivals. The AOT has plans to begin scanning the bags of all arriving passengers. As accounts mount about maddening queues at immigration, going through an additional check sounds like cruel and unusual punishment. Only good news is that it won't start for another few years. Stickmanweekly.com

Fiction maybe, but it would still sell. McDonald's prices are on rise worldwide, but that won't discourage Buffett. He's bragged about his preference for it for years along with Diet Coke (CC is one of Berkshire's largest holdings). Used Hong Thong as a mixer once and never again. Headache the next day was stuff of legend.

Ditto Detroit.

From BK site Cloud 47, the Silom rooftop bar which took Thai beer garden-style boozing to the sky, is set to close at the end of March. The bar's owner, Pheeraphon Pipawakorn, made the announcement on his personal Facebook page late last week. Opened in mid-2013, the bar on the 47th floor of Silom's United Center Building hit the sweet spot for its sweeping views of the central business district, Chao Phraya River and beyond, as well as drink prices far cheaper than most rooftop competitors. According to Pheeraphon, the bar will cease operations on Mar 31 after the expiry of its lease, with the space then set to be converted into an office. http://bk.asia-city.com/nightlife/news/cloud-47-closing-down

From Coconuts The government has directed all street food vendors to halt sales on a popular section of Upper Sukhumvit. By April 17, stalls in Ekkamai, Thong Lor and Phra Khanong will be forced to shut down, despite the fact that Bangkok was recently named, for the second year in the row, the city for the greatest street food in the world by CNN. One vendor in Thong Lor told BK Magazine that a City Hall police officer handed him an announcement advising him about the forced closure and made him pose for a photo with the paper. The order, which apparently comes straight from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), will affect Soi Thong Lor, Soi Ekkamai, and Soi Pridi Banomyong (aka Sukhumvit Soi 71, the main street in Phra Khanong). http://coconuts.co/bangkok/food-drink/first-soi-38-closed-soon-therell-no-street-food-thong-lor-ekkamai-phra-khanong-either/

Thanks for clarification.

From Asia One BANGKOK - Thailand is studying a law to allow foreigners to buy property through 50-year leasehold contracts and also to sell them, which would help boost demand for the country's property sector, the finance minister said. Foreigners currently cannot sell leasehold property. "The finance ministry is looking at this idea, which is highly possible," Apisak Tantivorawong told a seminar late on Thursday. "If we can do it, the property industry will boom again because demand will come from all over the world," he said. http://news.asiaone.com/news/business/thailand-studies-leaseholds-foreigners-land-windfall-tax

From Bangkok Post WASHINGTON - The Central Intelligence Agency is able to permanently infect an Apple Mac computer so that even reinstalling the operating system will not erase the bug, according to documents published Thursday by WikiLeaks. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/1220021/cia-also-can-bug-your-apple-wikileaks

From NY Times Travelers, beware: When you take your gadgets abroad, maintaining the security of the data on your devices is just as important as protecting yourself from muggers. For whatever reason, foreign and domestic governments may have an interest in your personal data, including your social media accounts. This is not just theoretical. Several travelers, including American citizens like Haisam Elsharkawi, were recently pressured into giving officers from the United States Customs and Border Protection access to their cellphones at the airport. Some travelers now face additional privacy risks because of a new regulation that separates them from their computing equipment. This week, the Department of Homeland Security announced that passengers traveling from eight majority-Muslim countries to the United States could not bring devices larger than cellphones onto planes. So computers, tablets and other devices will have to be stowed in checked luggage. What to do? There’s one thing all the experts agree on: Do not lie to government officials about your passwords or social media accounts. “They’d make your life miserable if they found that out,” said Jeremiah Grossman, the head of security strategy for SentinelOne, a computer security company. But there are methods for safeguarding your cellphones, tablets and computers from invasive searches, all while remaining honest. Here are some of the best tips, based on interviews with security and forensics specialists. The best way to prevent your information from being searched is to travel with a device that never had any of your data in the first place. It’s a wise idea to invest in a so-called travel device, a cheap smartphone or computer that you use only abroad: You don’t want your nice equipment to get lost or stolen while traveling, anyway, let alone searched by border agents. So leave your fancy equipment — along with your photo album, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter apps — at home. Fingerprint sensors, like the ones found on many Apple and Android smartphones, are a nifty security feature for unlocking your phone quickly. But Jonathan Zdziarski, a security researcher who has taught forensics courses to law enforcement agencies on collecting data from smartphones, said your best bet when traveling was to turn the feature off. That’s because in the United States, law enforcement agencies have successfully used warrants to compel people to unlock their cellphones with a fingerprint. But because of your right to remain silent, it would be tough (though not impossible) for the federal government to force you to share your passcode. So disabling your fingerprint sensor when traveling is generally a safer move. Article continues at: http://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/technology/personaltech/crossing-the-border-heres-how-to-safeguard-your-data-from-searches.html

You're definitely on to something there, Christian. From CNBC Warren Buffett is the third richest man in the world, with an estimated net worth of $75 billion. But the Oracle of Omaha still values a good deal. In Bill and Melinda Gates' 2017 annual letter, which they addressed to longtime friend Buffett, Bill tells the story of a particularly economical lunch Buffett took him out for years ago. "Remember the laugh we had when we traveled together to Hong Kong and decided to get lunch at McDonald's? You offered to pay, dug into your pocket, and pulled out … coupons!" writes Bill. Buffett is a regular at McDonald's. On his five-minute drive to the office, which he's been doing for the past 54 years, he stops by the fast-food chain and, depending on how prosperous he's feeling, orders one of three items: two sausage patties for $2.61, a sausage, egg and cheese for $2.95 or a bacon, egg and cheese for $3.17. He's not just thrifty when it comes to meals. The billionaire lives in the same home he bought in 1958 for $31,500, or about $260,000 in today's dollars. Buffett is perfectly content being cheap. "My life couldn't be happier," he explained at his annual shareholder's meeting in 2014. "In fact, it'd be worse if I had six or eight houses. So, I have everything I need to have, and I don't need any more." http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/17/warren-buffett-once-paid-for-bill-gates-mcdonalds-meal-with-coupons.html

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — An advocate for Bangkok’s homeless population on Thursday decried the state railway’s decision to shut the Bangkok Railway Station, or Hua Lamphong, to the people who regularly sleep there overnight. Last night the terminal abruptly ended its longstanding policy of allowing people to sleep within by making it off limits to them from 11:30pm to 3am. Natee Sarawaree, an activist with a foundation that provides aid to the homeless population, said the decision is bad not only for those who used the station as a safe place to sleep, but the community as well. “This will affect Bangkok directly. Now, the homeless who used to sleep in the station will have to sleep and [go to toilet] along Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem, disturbing everyone else,” Natee of the Issarachon Foundation said. “You have to take care of people too, not just of places.” The change in policy came hours after photos of people sleeping in the station were posted at just after midnight early Wednesday morning. The images were posted to the massively popular YouLike page, where they received little attention. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/transpo/2017/03/23/long-homeless-refuge-hua-lamphong-now-locks/

Cheap at twice the price.

Upload of a video to your phone that best mimics your desire. When you find a guy who you think fits the bill, show him the video and ask, "you do for me?" If he's interested, leave it up to him to work out the details for you.