reader

You're making many readers jealous. 🙂

I don't believe considering the potential harm of a "sex review" is in any way a form of extreme political correctness. It's simply offering regard for another's dignity. Would you be OK is an individual you post about responds with a sex review of you?

Giving general recommendations about a business isn't anything different than what happens on sites like Trip Advisor. You weren't describing a particular individual. It's up to each of us to individually determine how we conduct ourselves on public forums like this. I can only describe my feelings on the matter. I just don't want to post anything that might cause harm to an individual in his future.

From Korea Herald A South Korean high court ruled on Tuesday that the spouse in a same-sex partnership is eligible for national health insurance coverage under his partner’s subscription. The landmark ruling overturns a lower court's decision in January 2022 that rejected the same-sex couple's petition to cancel the National Health Insurance Service's decision to demand back-payments from the non-earning partner. A spouse without a source of income is exempted from making a health insurance contribution if the other person is employed and is an employer-provided policyholder. As the lower court did not recognize the couple's marriage, stating that marriage is a union only between a man and woman, both spouses had been subject to paying their contributions separately. "The lower court ruling has been overturned. Contributions imposed on (a spouse) are revoked, and (the NHIS) is responsible for payment of attorney fees of both the plaintiff and the defendant," a Seoul High Court judge said briefly. "The plaintiff and his partner are both male, but they agreed to recognize each other as loving partners who take care of each other. One financially relies on the other. They declared their partnership before their families and friends. This makes their relationship no different in essence from that of a married couple," read the ruling. The court said the ruling is the first in the country that recognizes the status of a same-sex partner as a dependent eligible for national health insurance, but said that this did not mean that it recognizes the "legal status" of a same-sex marriage.

Reading this thread has caused me to rethink my own criteria for posting going forward. I don't see any reason to publicly post personal experience (positive or negative) of a named or pictured individual--with or without permission. The internet today is not the same one we first became familiar with a few decades ago. It has the power to ruin lives with a click. This board provides a great platform to exchange views and information without pushing the envelope. As some posters regularly demonstrate, it's indeed possible to post interesting--seductive and titillating even--reports without resorting to identifying playmates.

Beyond the legal implications, there's the dignity of the guy involved to be considered. I think we're agreed that they're all young men. They won't be able to remain in the game for a career and at some point will have to move on. Our postings, even if they are positive and made with a guy's permission, don't easily go away. There's no point in us doing anything that embarrasses or negatively affects their future. It's one thing to share information with someone you know in a private message. It's another altogether to share intimate details of an affair with the internet.

From what I've read, it may involve two-factor authentication.

From Coconuts Bangkok Mixed news for series addicts on a budget: Starting today, Netflix has reduced the monthly rate for its basic package by 60% but users may not share their accounts. The basic monthly package now runs THB169, down from THB279. That means enjoying the latest episodes of psycho thriller You, searing K-dramas, or any of Note Udom’s comedy specials at 720p resolution, which qualified as HD in 2010. The package limits users to only one device at a time. Those already subscribed to the basic package will automatically pay the new rate on their next billing cycle.

Although most of the new roller bags have four "spinner" wheels. they are (as Peter points out above) more vulnerable to impact damage than cases with two recessed wheels. A flight attendant makes some interesting observations--including a medical one--on the pros and cons o this website: https://www.afar.com/magazine/two-wheel-vs-four-wheel-luggage-why-roller-bags-are-better

If that were true shouldn't providers have the opportunity to reply in kind by identifying clients who cheat or treat them poorly? Maybe a "Cheap Charlie Forum."

From Reuters Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Pheu Thai Party's candidate for prime minister, attends a general election campaign, in Ubon Ratchathani © Thomson Reuters AMNAT CHAROEN, Thailand (Reuters) -Touting her billionaire family's legacy of populism and massive election victories, Thailand's Paetongtarn Shinawatra is emerging as the candidate to beat in upcoming polls, betting that nostalgia can win millions of working class votes. Paetongtarn, 36, is campaigning hard in the vote-rich rural strongholds of the Shinawatra family's Pheu Thai political juggernaut, hoping to reignite the kind of fervor that swept father Thaksin and aunt Yingluck to power in unprecedented landslides. Political neophyte Paetongtarn is promising Pheu Thai will complete unfinished business from three stints in office since 2001, all of which were cut short by court rulings and military coups that it says were orchestrated by Thailand's conservative establishment. "We managed to fix everything in the first year but then four years later we were ousted by a coup, so there are things that we have not achieved," Paetongtarn told Reuters in her first formal interview with foreign media ahead of the election, expected in May. "So we go on each stage to tell people how our policies can change their lives. And only through stable politics can people's lives change in a sustainable manner," she said, while campaigning in the northeast. Thaksin and Yingluck were toppled by the army in 2006 and 2014 respectively, despite overseeing big economic growth. Both live in self-imposed exile to avoid prison convictions their allies say were designed to prevent their political comebacks. The baton has passed to Paetongtarn, Thaksin's youngest daughter, who is using the same playbook in offering minimum wage hikes, utilities subsidies and long-promised high-speed rail systems and infrastructure to manage floods and droughts. Pheu Thai's slogan is "Think Big, Act Smart", taking aim at incremental reforms by the military-backed governments of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha since he seized power in 2014. "The picture has to be big and we must be able to address longstanding problems that festered. These must be completely dealt with," said Paetongtarn. Though yet to be named as Pheu Thai's prime ministerial candidate, Paetongtarn is far ahead in opinion polls for premier, with twice the support of Prayuth. Pheu Thai is expected to win most votes, but could struggle to lead a government given the military's influence over an appointed Senate, which together with the elected lower house chooses the prime minister.

From Pattaya News Ekkamai – Pattaya/ 06:00-21:00 hrs (131 baht) Pattaya – Ekkamai/ 04:30-21:00 hrs (131 baht) Bangna – Pattaya/ 06:30-21:30 hrs (131 baht) Mo Chit – Pattaya/ 06:00, 08:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 (131 baht) Pattaya – Mo Chit/ 05:00, 07:30, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 (131 baht) From Pattaya (Jomtien Beach Bus Station) to Suvarnabhumi Airport/ 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, 21:00 (143 baht) From Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya (Jomtien Beach)/ 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00, 21:00 (143 baht) https://thepattayanews.com/2023/02/19/pattaya-bus-operator-announces-change-of-schedule-for-several-routes-to-airport-and-hua-hin/

The only place that comes to mind is 39 Underground Sauna, a five-minute walk from the Saphan Kwai BTS stop. You can read customer comments at this site: https://www.travelgay.com/venue/39-underground/ Entrance fee: 200 bht, open daily 12-12

I've never visited Phuket and wonder if anyone has experienced the conditions described in this opinion piece from The Thaiger. Russian brotherhood stealing Phuket jobs Hotels are unwelcoming. In the massage parlours, everyone is tense. Down Walking Street, in the girly bars, excitement is high and the air is filled with fearful chatter. The girls are aquiver in anticipation. The Russian ‘brotherhood’ (bratva) stealing Phuket jobs is bringing a whole new style of beatings and rapes to Thailand’s peaceful brothels. How will the new regime of violence and exploitation compare to the old-school Thai versions? Phuket is besieged by foreign gangs. They call themselves mafias – or at least the media does – but they are certainly not. Mafia means something. These “groups” are nothing more than gangs of thugs on the resort island to help the locals with their accounts. The hospitality industry is worried. Executives are concerned that foreigners are exploiting laws to run businesses while taking up jobs meant for local people. Isn’t Phuket already an enclaved of overseas money launderers, slavers, pimps, tax dodgers and traffickers in a spectrum of legality? They’ve been there a long time. Once one of the most beautiful places in the world, Phuket today is more than a national embarrassment, it’s a matter of global shame. The last wave of occupiers – welcomed with open legs by poor politicos who now live in millionaire pool villas – destroyed more or less anything that was good on the island. The ecosystem is destroyed, the forests have been destroyed, local culture has been destroyed, and the soil has been destroyed. All the birds and animals are dead. The beaches are filthy, plastic-strewn and over-crowded. Speaking about tourism in the three Andaman provinces, Kata Group Resorts founder Pramookpisitt Achariyachai said some foreigners were breaching rules on jobs reserved for Thais. A small surprise considering that every news source in Thailand carries stories about labour shortages every day. Pramookpisitt is concerned that foreign groups may take control of the island, similar to what happened in Pattaya a couple of decades ago. Continues at https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/russian-brotherhood-stealing-phuket-jobs

It's in keeping with Kimmel's style. I think he's the most popular late night host with gays so he knows his audience. Contact sports are steeped in erotic themes. Consider this introduction to The Language of the Game: How to Understand Soccer (Laurent Dubois, 2018): “Soccer is sensual. It is about the pleasure of watching athletes’ bodies, their faces, their motion, admiring and commenting on their hairstyles and tattoos. When we talk and write about soccer, we evoke—more often unconsciously than consciously—its sensuality. Its role as a source of pleasure……Soccer may be the most tantric of sports. Some of the greatest and most riveting of games end 0-0. Perhaps what is truly sensual about soccer is that it is about interplay, relationships, motion between people, all tied up with our deepest and most mysterious emotions.”

KIMMEL: "Now that the season's over, will you miss showering with the guys?" MAHOMES: "It is a perk of the job." ----- I'm wet all over again.

From The Thaiger Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok’s global gateway, plans to increase services to deal with the influx of arriving passengers. Thailand saw a swift surge in travellers after China’s recent decision to reopen its borders. The Airports of Thailand (AoT) announced Friday that the measures will help tackle delays in passenger servicing time, particularly during peak hours. They say they have already begun to improve service flow. The airport’s director said Suvarnabhumi received complaints about luggage claim delays from around 30 flights per day last month. It seems bad, but in December roughly 50 flights per day received delayed baggage complaints. This month continued the trend with delays reported in just 7% of daily flights, which is equivalent to approximately 15 to 20 flights per day. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob ordered the Immigration Bureau to increase its capacity to handle incoming passengers on February 8. The AoT has responded to the minister’s order by developing a range of plans to reduce delays and ease passenger congestion. These measures have been divided into short-term and long-term problem-solving solutions. For short-term problem-solving, the airport’s ground handling operators, THAI Ground (TG) and Bangkok Flight Services (BFS), are recruiting additional staff and acquiring more equipment to manage the spike in passenger numbers. In the longer term, AoT is looking to add a third ground handling operator. Any addition would have to be approved by the Cabinet first. Suvarnabhumi Airport will add more automatic passport checkpoints and pre-immigration kiosks. It will temporarily expand the period for carriers to provide self-handling services as well. The new priority zone and VOA checking area at the Satellite 1 building will also be expanded and are set to open in September. To help reduce congestion at passport-checking areas, the AoT plans to install auto passport checkpoint channels. The move to help outbound travellers with e-passports would be completed in November. The AoT has also addressed the shortage of taxi services at the airport by registering 3,909 taxis for service. The number of taxis will soon be increased to 4,500, according to Suvarnabhumi Airport’s director. The airport authorities also plan to develop the space between the passenger terminal and the Concourse D building. A reception hall for arriving passengers and those with visas on arrival (VOAs) will be constructed. They expect to provide the service for 2,000 inbound passengers and 400 people with VOAs every hour. The AoT says the second phase of the airport’s long-term solution to congestion problems is still being created. Construction is set to begin in November, though.

From Channel News Asia By Pichayada Promchertchoo BANGKOK: Myoe has no plan to go back to his homeland in Myanmar. A coup d’etat two years ago has thrown his country into turmoil and filled his future with uncertainty. The raging civil war, persecution of dissidents and economic crisis made it hard for him to keep hoping that things would get better. The return of democracy began to feel like a distant dream as the weeks and months went by. Sad and dejected, the 37-year-old quit his job in the telecommunication sector. He said goodbye to his family in Yangon and moved to Bangkok in March last year. “I'm very excited and enjoying it even though I'm stressed every day because I'm freelancing with no fixed income,” he told CNA. Life in a foreign country is challenging for Myoe, who cannot speak Thai and has no regular income or work permit. He has to constantly fret over whether he can pay his rent on time, while searching for job opportunities that would allow him to work legally in Thailand. Still, he prefers it to returning home, where his future prospects seem bleak under military rule. Many Myanmar people share his view. There are signs that the country is suffering from a brain drain as professionals relocated overseas after the military under army chief Min Aung Hliang seized power on Feb 1, 2021. Continues at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/myanmar-professionals-brain-drain-thailand-property-3233031

My experience has been quite the opposite. While the majority I don't expect to see again, I find many others (in Bangkok, at least) to be agreeable young men simply trying to make a life for themselves. Most come from other ASEAN countries. They often talk of their families and "dysfunctional" is hardly a word that comes to mind.

If you click on "Read 3 replies" you'll find a full description on Richard Barrow's latest train adventure in Thailand.

One evening I arranged to meet a guy who had given me a few massages during the proceeding week. He appeared on time at the designated meeting place (outside the Raya) at midnight. Things generally went well but there were some awkward moments. He slept soundly over night but declined invitation for breakfast. When we parted I was sure that was the beginning and the end of the affair. As I reflected on the evening over breakfast, I was puzzled. We had gotten along really well in his shop, laughing easily and feeling anything but awkward. But he was on his home turf then. I concluded perhaps he had been burned before by a farang he had met. Nevertheless, I tried to put him out of my mind. It was only a few days later when I passed his shop again and he was among the guys standing outside with menus in their hand. He beamed a smile at me and we chatted for less than a minute before we went inside for our third session. Everything went well. His English was almost non-existent at the time so as I was trying unsuccessfully to ask him a question as we walked out later he gestured to a coworker to act as interpreter. "You want to meet me after work tonight" was turned into Thai and the reply was a vigorous nod of his head and huge smile. So as much as I believe Vinapu's prince charming doesn't deserve another chance, I'm reminded that had I denied it to my masseur, I would have missed out on seven of the happiest years of my life. We remain together to this day.

I believe that the fee applies only to tickets sold on or after June 1.

Your experience calls to mind a sports analogy. Although Man U is one of football's great clubs, on very rare occasions it takes the pitch but fails to score. Some might call it karma or just the odds of playing the game. And like that storied team, you surprise none of us by your penchant for picking yourself up and moving from setback to new beginning.

From The Nation Funeral in Chaing Rai 'drew Duangphet’s soul home' from UK The funeral for one of the 12 boys rescued from a flooded cave in Chiang Rai in 2018 was held at Wat Phra That Doi Wao in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district on Thursday night. Duangphet "Dom" Promthep, 17, one of the Wild Boar football team members who – along with their coach – was trapped in Tham Luang Cave in 2018, died in England on Tuesday, after collapsing in his dormitory room on Sunday. He won a scholarship to study at Brooke House College, a football academy about 150 kilometres north of London, in August last year, and subsequently flew to England in September. Duangphet's parents and relatives, as well as other members of the Wild Boar football team, attended the funeral. Monks led by abbot Phra Kru Prayut Chetiyanukarn conducted the funeral rites using Duangphet's photo, clothes and shoes instead of his body, which remains in England. The funeral was held to make merit for Duangphet and lead his soul back to his hometown, the temple’s abbot said. "I believe that Duangphet's soul has returned to his hometown to meet his parents and friends who gathered to make merit for him," he said. He also expressed hope that Duangphet becomes his parents' son again in a future life, adding that those who attended the funeral had done their best to bring his soul home. The Royal Thai Embassy in London said Duangphet was sent to a hospital's intensive care unit after losing consciousness in his dormitory room on Sunday. "On Tuesday morning, Duangphet remained in critical condition before he died at 1.43pm [local time]," the embassy said, adding that the hospital had informed Duangphet's relatives.

From Pattaya News The chosen festivals are distinctive to their location, and are examples of the many unique and fascinating festivals that take place throughout Thailand each year. The Ministry of Culture has identified 16 distinctive festivals from around Thailand to be promoted on the international stage in line with the government’s Bio-Circular-Green economic model and the promotion of Thailand’s 5F soft-power foundations – Food, Film, Festival, Fight and Fashion. Bun Ban Klang Festival, Chon Buri This outdoor merit-making ritual in Phanat Nikhom District involves locals putting food onto banana leaves cut into squares, to ward off bad luck. The event is on from March-June 2023. Phuket Food (Creative City of Gastronomy) Festival, Phuket A fantastic occasion for food lovers, with plenty of food – both local and international – to be enjoyed. Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao Festival, Pattani A colourful homecoming festival for Chinese descendants of Pattani province. This year, the event took place on 2-8 February. Ban Chiang World Heritage Festival, Udon Thani A celebration of the historical significance of the World Heritage Site-listed Ban Chiang area, considered the most important prehistoric settlement so far discovered in Southeast Asia. This year, the event took place on 10-12 February. Hok Peng Festival to Worship Phra That Chao Phu Phiang Chae Haeng, Nan A worship ritual at Wat Phra That Chae Haeng, Phra Aram Luang, in Phu Phiang district. This year, the event is taking place from 28 February to 6 March. Hae Malai Khao Tok Festival, Yasothon A cultural celebration in which thousands of hand-made garlands connecting popped rice together are displayed on floats. This year, the event takes place from 1-5 March at the event’s grounds in front of Mahachanachai District Office. Hae Phra Khuen That Festival, Nakhon Si Thammarat This celebration sees the wrapping of a long piece of sacred yellow cloth around the base of a stupa at Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan. Wat Phra Mahathat. This year, the event takes place from 2-6 March. Korat Street Art, Nakhon Ratchasima A lively and colourful showcase celebrating creative works by regional artists. Sdok Kok Thom Festival, Sa Kaeo This festival highlights the renowned historical Sdok Kok Thom Khmer castle. Kram & Craft Sakon Festival, Sakhon Nakhon A festival in celebration of the local community’s cultural creativity, involving the use of natural plants to dye fabric. Vesak Day Festival, Mae Hong Son Known locally as Nataya Heng-sattha Gingala Nom Bucha Visakhaburamee, the event is a traditional merit-making ceremony held on Vesak Day, a sacred day to Buddhists and some Hindus. Tak Baht Dok Mai Khao Phansa (Festival of Floral Offerings), Saraburi A traditional merit-making ceremony involving the giving to monks of white Khao-Phansa flowers, also known as Dok Hong Hern (flying swan flower), held annually on Khao Phansa or Buddhist Lent Day. Phaya Sri Satta Nakarata Worship Ceremony, Nakhon Phanom A religious ceremony for the Naga believed to live in the Mekong River at Phaya Si Sattanakarat multipurpose yard, enshrined on the banks of the Mekong River. The event is on in July 2023. Hom Heet Toi Hoy Roi Jai Tai Lue (Tai Lue Local Festival), Phayao This event honours the Tai Lue ethnic community, and their distinctive traditions. Taking place at Wat Phrathat Sob Waen: Temple of the Tai Lue Culture, Chiang Kham Town, Yuan, Chiang Kham District, Phayao. The event is on from 15-16 July 2023. Phetchaburi City of Gastronomy Festival, Phetchaburi Another great event for food lovers, where they can enjoy fantastic local cuisine. Khom San Duang Festival, Lamphun Literally translated as a festival of a hundred thousand lanterns, this is a picturesque celebration that sees numerous floating lanterns let go into the sky during the annual Loi Krathong Festival at Wat Phra That Haripunchai Woramahawihan. https://thepattayanews.com/2023/02/15/bun-ban-klang-festival-in-chon-buri-with-other-15-distinctive-thai-festivals-to-be-promoted-internationally/