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Anything possible in Putin land. 🤫

Again, Aeroflot not in habit of reporting incidents that occur within its vast territory. https://www.airlineratings.com/airlines/aeroflot/safety

I’ll take Wikipedia report over any other made up lists from doubious, uncited sources. Hell, Aeroflot had long standing reputation for flying within Russia with SRO policy (Standing Room Only). Most crashes occurring within country never reported to outside world. 😃 Btw, cause of Tenerife incident had nothing to do with aircraft malfunction but was communications issue between controllers and pilots in low visibility conditions.

The Pattaya Mail later reported that the fire occurred at the Treetops condominium on Thappraya rd.

Observed workers on site and welding this morning at site of Tawana Hotel construction job.

From Tourism Authority of Thailand The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is delighted to welcome ITA Airways’ inaugural Rome-Bangkok flight, enhancing travel links and fostering stronger tourism and business ties between Thailand and Italy. This new direct route provides Italian travellers with streamlined access to Thailand’s renowned attractions and vibrant culture. The inaugural ITA Airways Flight AZ0758, an Airbus A330-900neo with a seating capacity of 291, arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport from Rome yesterday, carrying over 300 passengers and crew, including ITA Airways executives and prominent Italian travel industry leaders. Operating with five weekly flights, ITA Airways’ new route connects Italy and Thailand as part of the airline’s expanding intercontinental network and is anticipated to be a highlight of the 2024/2025 Winter season.

From Pattaya News Tourists were evacuated in chaos after a fire broke out at a Pattaya condo early on the morning of November 17th. At 7:10 AM, Pattaya police received a report of a fire at a condominium near Jomtien Beach in Pattaya. Firefighters and rescue teams from the Sawang Boriboon Foundation rushed to the scene with three fire trucks. The fire occurred in a 15-story building, with flames and smoke billowing from a room on the 6th floor. Emergency responders quickly evacuated both Thai and foreign tourists from the building. Firefighters used hoses to extinguish the blaze and successfully brought the situation under control. According to fire officials, the building had an internal fire suppression system, but it reportedly failed to work due to a lack of water in the system. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but officials believed it was due to an electrical short circuit . Officials collected evidence, while coordinating with relevant agencies to thoroughly inspect the building’s fire suppression system and overall safety measures. There were no injuries reported in the fire and an investigation was continuing.

From Pattaya Mail On Wednesday, November 13, 2024, the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) had two speakers on diverse topics. Barry Kenyon spoke about various Thai immigration matters followed by Amy Falken’s motivational talk on embracing success with the fq3C system. Barry provided valuable insights into the complexities of Thai visas, the government’s focus on tourism, and the latest trends in visa applications. The talk was informative and provided the attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the current state of Thai immigration matters. Barry began by describing the complexity of Thai visas, referring to them as “alphabet soup,” and explained the various visa types and their requirements. He highlighted the Thai government’s keen interest in encouraging long-term tourism to boost the national treasury, now offering 60-day visa exemptions to tourists from many countries. One of the significant trends Barry discussed was the shift to online visa applications. He mentioned that embassies are increasingly preferring digital submissions over in-person visits. Additionally, Barry talked about the upcoming electronic travel authorization, which will require tourists to apply online before arriving in Thailand. Barry also touched on the involvement of multiple government agencies in visa authorization, including the Ministry of Tourism and the Board of Investment. He provided detailed information on various retirement visas, such as OA, O, OX, and LTR visas, each with specific requirements and benefits. A fairly new visa, the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), aimed at digital nomads and remote workers, was also discussed. Barry noted that the DTV is not a substitute for retirement visas. Lastly, Barry briefly mentioned the personal income tax implications for individuals spending over 180 days in Thailand, which may or may not subject them to Thai personal income tax. Continues at https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/barry-kenyon-shares-visa-insights-amy-falken-shares-success-tips-at-pattaya-city-expats-club-480334

If you’re flying Aeroflot, neither are you From Wikipedia Founded in 1923, Aeroflot, the flag carrier and largest airline of Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), has had a high number of fatal crashes, with a total of 8,231 passengers dying in Aeroflot crashes according to the Aircraft Crashes Record Office, mostly during the Soviet era, about five times more than any other airline.[1][2] From 1946 to 1989, the carrier was involved in 721 incidents. From 1995 to 2017, the carrier was involved in 10 incidents. In 2013, AirlineRatings.com reported that five of the ten aircraft models involved in the highest numbers of fatal accidents[3] were old Soviet models. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_accidents_and_incidents

See post below

There’s a crane on site so I assume it’s a work in progress. Will keep an eye on it. The Rose Hotel (behind Meridian Hotel) can be scene with it’s oft-mentioned, shaded swimming pool in this photo. …

Truly remarkable specimen. He appears to be preparing to perform colonoscopy with his iPhone Pro. 🙂

Once a Ramada property and later the Tawana, the building on Surawong (opposite Soi Tarntawan) is progressing slowly but steadily into what is shaping up as another 4-star addition to the area. Viewed from above, extensive build out in the rear of building is on going.

Much has been posted regarding how Trump managed to score the hat trick of US presidential elections: capturing both houses of congress and the White House. Posters have pretty much exhausted the missteps of the Democrats but have not given sufficient credit to role evangelicals played. From The BBC Standing on a podium in a Florida convention centre on the night of the election, a row of American flags behind him and a jubilant crowd looking on, Donald Trump declared: “Many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason, and that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness.” This was one of the most striking themes of his election campaign - that he had been chosen by God. Yet even before the attempt on his life on 13 July in Butler, Pennsylvania, millions of Americans already felt guided by their faith to support the former, and now future, president. Some cast the election in an apocalyptic light and likened Trump to a Biblical figure. Last year, on the Christian show FlashPoint, TV evangelist Hank Kunneman described “a battle between good and evil”, adding: “There's something on President Trump that the enemy fears: it's called the anointing.” Jim Caviezel, an actor who played Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, proclaimed, albeit jokingly, that Trump was “the new Moses”. Then, in the months leading up to the election, many of his supporters referred to him as a “saviour”. The question is why. What makes so many see this man, who isn’t known to have an especially strong faith, as sent from God? And what does that say about Christianity more broadly in a country where the numbers of churchgoers is in rapid decline? Reverend Franklin Graham is one of America’s best-known evangelists and the son of Billy Graham, arguably its most famous preacher. He is one of the Trump believers, convinced there is no doubt that the president-elect was chosen for this mission by God. “The bullet that went through his ear missed his brain by a millimetre, and his head turned just at the last second when the gun was fired,” he says. “I believe that God turned his head and saved his life.” The questions asked about Trump’s character - including accusations of sexual misconduct, and his alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels and associatedhush-money trial - don't dim Mr Graham’s view. Continues at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20g1zvgj4do

From CNN Travel It’s slim, it’s sleek, it has a third fuel tank, and it’s ready to open up unexplored long-haul routes. It’s the new Airbus A321XLR — the XLR is for “Xtra Long Range” — and it just made its inaugural flight with Spain’s Iberia airline on Thursday, with a hop from Madrid to Boston. Iberia’s 182-seat plane is the world’s longest-range single-aisle commercial aircraft, with a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (a little over 5,400 miles). For comparison, New York to Istanbul is about 5,000 miles. Airbus also says it burns 30% less fuel per seat than previous-generation aircraft. What this kind of range on a single-aisle plane means is that it can open up routes and frequencies that weren’t possible with a bigger, less economical craft — such as the new routes from Dublin, Ireland, to Nashville and Indianapolis that Irish carrier Aer Lingus plans to launch with the plane next year. Aviation writer Miquel Ros, who was invited by Iberia to preview the plane on the ground, told CNN he found the cabin “a decent compromise between the known space limitations and the need for efficiency. “The business class seats are slightly narrower than the ones on the airline’s twin-aisle aircraft, but they still offer a clearly differentiated premium experience as well as the ability to sleep flat. “Economy class offers a pitch similar to that found on larger aircraft types as well as the same inflight entertainment system.” He adds that two “state-of-the-art” food galleys should offer solace to those concerned about the smaller cabin. The A321XLR’s ability to open up lesser-visited destinations to more tourists could help take the load off some of the world’s overcrowded travel hubs, many of which are feeling the strain.

Promised to return Monday 🙂

I believe most of us have long thought of Amsterdam as one of the world’s most liberal locations. Think again. From CNN AmsterdamCNN — Anger, fear and anxiety are still simmering in Amsterdam. Last week, Israeli soccer fans were attacked in the streets, Palestinian flags ripped off walls and antisemitic slurs yelled during riots. While the Dutch capital now feels calm, residents and legislators fear that tensions still haven’t peaked.“It’s not only antisemitism, it’s also about anti-Muslim racism. It’s also about xenophobia. We’re seeing a rise of all these types of discrimination and racism,” city councilor Sheher Khan, the leader of a local party that aims to address institutional racism and Islamophobia, told CNN. “And I don’t even think, I’m sorry to say, that we have reached our boiling point, because the root causes of the tensions going on have not been addressed.” Khan said the biggest underlying issue for his constituents is the Dutch government’s complicity in funneling weapons and money to Israel’s war in Gaza. The Netherlands’ Muslim community is roughly 1 million people strong, and many have been vocal in their support of Palestinians. “Next to that, we have a far-right government, which is hell-bent on blaming societal problems on minorities, especially Muslims,” Khan added. But the timeline of how tensions ignited in Amsterdam is different depending on which community you ask. Some residents argue the spark was just last week, when Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans pulled down Palestinian flags, vandalized taxis and paraded through the streets yelling racist slogans, including “f**k the Arabs,” and celebrating Israeli military attacks in Gaza. What followed were violent attacks on the Israeli fans, with several people injured and five receiving hospital treatment. The city’s mayor said last week that rioters moved in small groups in “hit-and-run” antisemitic attacks, searching the city and targeting Maccabi supporters. On Monday, a tram in west Amsterdam was set ablaze and police officers were pelted with stones. In video circulating on social media, the small group of rioters can be heard yelling an antisemitic slur. Police said Tuesday they had arrested 68 people across the city in total in relation to the riots, including 10 Israelis. Other Amsterdam residents say a fire has been kindling in the city for 15 to 20 years, with the rise of the far-right, and an increase in antisemitism and xenophobia throughout Europe. “It’s like a cocktail of emotions, of antisemitism, Muslim hate, the attacks that happened (in Amsterdam), the war in Israel and Palestine,” city councilor Itay Garmy told CNN. Garmy, a Dutch-Israeli citizen, is urging people to be precise in how they talk about the facts of last week. “I feel some people are underplaying antisemitism by not mentioning it even or saying that because of the Maccabi hooligans that the violence was justified, or that the violence was only directed at the Maccabi hooligans,” Garmy said. He added that fear is palpable among Jewish residents here, especially after last Thursday when social media posts emerged where people discussed a “hunt on Jews,” according to a report from Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/15/europe/amsterdam-violence-antisemitism-racism-xenophobia-intl/index.html

Although workers are still putting finishing touches on former home of M-Star, Chillax is staffed up and open for business. Was greeted by a charming Lao guy who took me on a tour around the facilities. The oil massage rooms all have en-suite shower on third and fourth floors.

After massage at Avarin, stopped in Tarntawan Beer Garden. Selected chicken with noodles and vegetables (80 baht) and small beer (79 baht). Food sourced from Hotel kitchen and tasty. The also offer barbecue kabob grilled outside.

Ah, the benefits of the division of labor.🙂 From Wikipedia: The division of labour is the separation of the tasks in any economic system or organisation so that participants may specialise (specialisation). Individuals, organisations, and nations are endowed with or acquire specialised capabilities, and either form combinations or trade to take advantage of the capabilities of others in addition to their own. Vinapu enjoys a 25:1 advantage over yours truly in show bar visits. I’m not even in same ballpark. And when I do it’s to same venues: Freshboy or Good Boy.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon It looks like your finger got stuck on the keyboard. But LGBTQQIPSA++ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirited and asexual. More identities are waiting in the wings such as gender fluids, agenders, bigenders, nonbinaries, ace spectrums and demisexuals. Not to mention the autogynephiles who are apparently sexually stimulated by just now and again wearing female clothing. Thailand stands ready to welcome more gays to get married or enjoy themselves long and short term. But the language can’t really deal with the complexities of alphabet soup even though there is a term for gay lingo namely “saeng ke”. None the less, the immigration bureau is doing its best to help. Police major general Choengron Rimpadee said that discrepancies between the photo or gender marker on the passport, compared with actual appearance at check-in, need not be a problem as biometric data could still prove your identity. Gay alphabet soup has its strong supporters in the civil rights movement. The more inclusive the definitions become, goes the argument, the more broader society will understand just how many non-traditionalists there are. Eggs Benedict, who heads up a small group representing the interests of transpeople in Pattaya said, “Same sex people travel to different personal destinations and deserve to be included.” She added that not all transpeople are gay in the traditional sense. The Thai government has its own standpoint far removed from soup of any kind: to get a bigger share of the 200 billion dollars revenue which represents gay travel internationally. The hope is to create more jobs in the hospitality industry and to raise the gross domestic product by 0.3 percent. From early next year, same sex marriage will be an option. Thailand won’t make the mistake which Taiwan originally made by banning foreigners from the nuptials. All are welcome from day one as long as you are at least 18 and have cash a-plenty. Activists say alphabet soup in Thailand is in reality irrelevant as nobody gives a damn. As Kent Murdock from Thai Gay Lobby puts it, “It’s just silly trying to fuse sexuality, genders, fetishes and preferences into one huge caravan of collective identity. We should be concentrating on practical issues such as discrimination in employment and gay bashing.” In other words, take alphabet soup off the menu.

Check out their roster and the decide. https://phetboyspa.blogspot.com/2024/02/phetboy-spa.html

Tell manager to inform massage guy to avoid applying pressure and just use gentle, sweeping strokes. It’s actually more sensual. I frequently have same issue and demonstrate on the guy what I want before he begins (even more sensual because you get a feel for lay of the land). 🙂

Oddly, conversation never turned to board games. That said, I think he could take your king if you let him.

Easier to seek forgiveness than ask permission. 🙏