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Thankfully, sexuality is fluid. That fluidity makes it possible for otherwise straight men to dominate the bars and massage shops readers here patronize. Without them, many--if not most--venues would be unable to keep the doors open.

From Bangkok Post Members of the tourism sector welcome the government's policy on integrated entertainment complex development in the hope it will stimulate the economy, suggesting that some laws and regulations be amended to support the cause. Some, however, doubt whether the project will be worth the impact. Weerawit Krueasombat, president of the Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA) in Phuket, said he believes it is a good idea to have an integrated complex that includes a casino in a major tourist city. Such a complex should be developed on a full scale with all matters considered, including tax regulation, to draw in investors and increase money circulating in the country, he said. He sees Phuket's suburban areas, such as Thalang district near Phuket Airport, as potential sites instead of a downtown zone. Bring it on Hua Hin Mayor Nopporn Wutthikul said his serene resort town is also ready to support the development of an entertainment complex, part of the government's man-made tourism policy. However, if Hua Hin is selected as a location for the megaproject the government should consider expanding the airport to take international flights to attract more foreign tourists, he said. Mr Nopporn said the economic slowdown has affected the town's man-made attractions such as water parks and amusement parks, causing business operators to suffer financial difficulties. He urged the government to help push Hua Hin as a key tourism destination and bring in more visitors, suggesting the town could house a sports complex and be a perfect venue for international sports competitions. Sa-nga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Business Association in Bangkok, said he supports the government's policy to promote tourism via an entertainment complex with a casino, as it could generate huge income for the country. "If the casino is properly regulated by law, Thailand could become a perfect choice for tourists due to its natural attractions and various entertainment options offering an all-inclusive tourism experience," Mr Sa-nga said. He said he believes the entertainment complex would be more beneficial if it is built in a secondary city rather than a popular tourist destination which is already beset by international tourists as it would distribute income more thoroughly. He said revenue from the project could be allocated to help develop other areas of the country, such as education. Boonanan Pattanasin, president of the Pattaya-Chonburi Business and Tourism Association, said joint ventures between Thai and foreign investors are common in Pattaya. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/2866837/tweaking-the-casino-plan Please credit and share this article with others using this link: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/2866837/tweaking-the-casino-plan. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post PCL. All rights reserved. Please credit and share this article with others using this link: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/2866837/tweaking-the-casino-plan. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post PCL. All rights reserved. Please credit and share this article with others using this link: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/2866837/tweaking-the-casino-plan. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post PCL. All rights reserved.

By all means. You’ll find them among bathroom fixtures in rest room.

From Pattaya News Photo Tour: GLAM PATTAYA BY TODD BAR Officially Opens at Walking Street Entrance On the evening of September 15th, 2024, the highly anticipated GLAM PATTAYA BY TODD BAR officially opened its doors at the entrance to Walking Street in Pattaya. The grand opening event was a lively affair, attracting both Thai and foreign tourists, along with a host of famous influencers. GLAM PATTAYA BY TODD BAR offers a luxurious club-lounge experience designed to provide a relaxing atmosphere. The venue features soft furniture, warm color tones, and perfectly arranged lighting, creating an ideal setting for those who enjoy romantic privacy. Guests can indulge in a variety of food and drinks while enjoying music from a DJ who plays records all night long. A standout feature of the bar is its professional bartender, renowned for his unique and special cocktail-making skills. The bar caters to both Thai and international customers, with staff on hand to ensure a seamless experience. GLAM PATTAYA BY TODD BAR operates from 7:00 PM to 3:30 AM, and the upper floor of the venue is also available to accommodate additional guests. https://thepattayanews.com/2024/09/16/photo-tour-glam-pattaya-by-todd-bar-officially-opens-at-walking-street-entrance/

This definitely was a former straight night club/hotel complex in its earlier incarnation, as noted above.

From Pattaya Mail On September 14, Chonburi Immigration Police, in collaboration with Pattaya Tourist Police, conducted a surprise raid at a well-known cannabis club on Soi 6, Phra Tamnak Hill Road in South Pattaya. The venue, hosting a lively party with more than 50 Thai and foreign tourists, was found to be in violation of several laws. The raid disrupted an event where patrons were observed partying, drinking alcohol, smoking cannabis, and dancing to a DJ’s music. The operation was triggered by a tip-off suggesting illegal drug activities were occurring. Authorities immediately halted the festivities and began their inspection. During the raid, a Thai woman who identified herself as the club’s manager became agitated and demanded to see a search warrant. However, her objections were quickly overshadowed when officers discovered a suspicious white powder resembling ketamine in a plastic bag. The police proceeded to check the passports of foreign tourists and ID cards of Thai patrons to identify individuals overstaying their visas. Drug tests were also administered to everyone present at the venue. Several individuals were arrested during the raid including David, a 41-year-old Canadian DJ, for working without a valid work permit. Zico, a 23-year-old British tourist, was arrested for carrying a knife inside the club and attempted to flee but was apprehended about 800 meters away, hiding in a banana grove. Ms Suwan, a 26-year-old Thai woman and the club’s owner, was also arrested. Daniel, a 32-year-old British national, was detained for working without proper authorization.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Pattaya doomsayers will tell you Sin City is all but finished. A combination of gentifrication (posh buildings replacing bars and clubs) and diversification (people now bring their kids on holiday here) has all but decimated the old Pattaya. The number of western expats, especially retirees, has dropped thanks to repatriation or liver disease. “Things are not what they used to be,” bewails a British pensioner sipping beer with his mates as they watch the traffic jams unfold on Soi Buakhao. Yet the pessimism is by no means the whole picture. In a few days, according to Dave the Rave’s insider web page, the new Shark gogo club will be opening on Walking Street and will occupy most of Soi Diamond. It’s a three-storey facade, three shophouses long and five shophouses deep, with a downstairs floorspace of 230 sq meters. Over 100 young ladies will make sure the customers – who are just as likely to be South Koreans and Singaporeans as Americans or passport holders of the European Union – are comfortable and free of hassle. For example, if you take your time ogling the gogo dancers, you won’t be told to order another drink before you are ready. Meanwhile, Pattaya’s leading Gentlemen’s Clubs operation is continuing its expansion. It’s a consortium of local bars and clubs offering visitors who join a retreat where they can relax in style and enjoy discounts such as cheap beer, menu choices and weekly pub crawls all announced on regular email newsletters. Gentlemen’s Clubs has recently announced that a 28-room, adult-themed resort with a club will be opening in Jomtien as early as January next year. Based 700 meters from Jomtien Beach, it will replace the current ISOL residential block and the facilities will include small kitchens in the rooms, an onsite restaurant, a coin-operated laundry and a large swimming pool. Pattaya’s gay scene can’t compete with these macro developments. The two main venues remain the Jomtien Complex Super Town and Pattaya’s Boyztown in the center of the city. The main attractions in both districts are the very glitzy and professional cabaret shows, though the audiences remain stubbornly western and elderly in appearance. Where all the gay Russians, Chinese and Indians hang out remains a bit of a mystery according to local bar owners. But, in a break with tradition, a gay bar has opened in the staunchly heterosexual Walking Street. It’s Secrets in Soi 14, formerly a straight club. That’s certainly a first, at any rate for many years.

Although not on Patpong, parent company of nearby Texas Chicken on Silom has disclosed that it is closing all of its shops in Thailand.

Is there a way to become a volunteer researcher in this project? 🙂

Although not directly related to photography, this warning was issued by the FBI regarding dangers posed by commercial phone charging ports: The FBI issued a warning against using free public phone charges, saying they could give hackers direct access to phones, tablets, or computers. The bureau warned that “bad actors” could use the charging portals to install malware and tracking software onto electronic devices. “Avoid using free charging stations in airports, hotels or shopping centers,” FBI tweeted. “Carry your own charger and USB cord and use an electrical outlet instead.”

Before attempting to kiss a guy, I always try a kiss on the neck. To me, it's about proximity. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

It was at least a dozen years ago at Babylon. While wandering the halls I was invited to a cabin by an attractive Thai guy who appeared to be in his early 30's. His soft penis must have been the smallest I've seen before or since. But he was passionate and it grew more than I anticipated. We serviced each other orally and satisfactorily. After our affair I went to have a beer in the bar and thought about the guy. At first I thought I might feel sorry for him but realized it was the best sex I'd had in several days. Why? Because he didn't feel sorry for himself and was focused on having fun. Have never forgotten him. I'd be inclined to follow Vinapu's advice above. As for the hyaluronic acid injection, here's a study from the National Institutes of Health entitled "Efficacy and Safety of Penile Girth Enhancement Using Hyaluronic Acid Filler and the Clinical Impact on Ejaculation: A Multi-Center, Patient/Evaluator-Blinded, Randomized Active-Controlled Trial." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8987147/

From Bangkok Post Thailand's Department of Land Transport (DLT) has introduced a QR Licence mobile app to provide convenience to motorists who will no longer need to carry a driver’s licence. Seksom Akraphand, director-general of the DLT, said the app allows people to display their digital driving licence on electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets. The app is programmed to show a driver’s personal information, such as blood type and drug allergy history, as well as notify the drivers when their licence is about to expire. It also allows users to share their travel routes, location and vehicle registration number with others and send emergency messages via phone or SMS in the event of accidents. The app, compatible with both Android and iOS systems, can be downloaded from official stores such as Google Play Store or App Store, Mr Seksom said. Driver’s licences that are compatible with the app must be one of the newer types with a QR code on the back.

The Wine Connection restaurant and Wine shop in lower level of Silom Complex would definitely be my first choice. He can peruse the bottles in the wine shop and select one to be brought to your table. No corkage charge and you pay the same retail price in the store (no restaurant make up). Very good Italian, French and Australian offerings. The food (especially pizza) is fine. Food and wine prices are reasonable. https://wineconnection.co.th/

+1 Agree with Saphan Kai observation. I never ask about kissing in massage shops. If it happens, it happens. Since I like to spend 10 minutes or so massaging my masseur, it usually occurs during that time, and only if the guy seems comfortable with me.

Perhaps you'll meet J.D. Vance there. He likes masculine daddy. And cats...he likes cats.

From MSN Erika Lee, a woman from Springfield, Ohio, who initially made a Facebook post alleging that local Haitian immigrants were "eating pets," leading to significant national attention on the small city, has confessed she had no direct evidence supporting such a claim. Amid the 2024 presidential election where immigration is a hot topic issue, city officials have consistently debunked these rumors, but the claims gained even more prominence when former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, repeated them during the televised presidential debate on Tuesday night. "It just exploded into something I didn't mean to happen," Lee told NBC News on Friday. Lee said the incident has left her ridden with guilt and anxiety due to the controversy it generated. Her post detailed the disappearance of a neighbor's cat and included her neighbor's suspicions that their Haitian residents were involved in the incident. According to NewsGuard, an organization dedicated to combating internet misinformation, Lee was one of the first to spread the baseless rumor on social media, the screenshots of which were widely shared. The neighbor, identified as Kimberly Newton, reportedly got the information about the alleged incident from a third party, as per NewsGuard's findings and reported by NBC News. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/woman-behind-springfield-haitian-immigrants-eating-pets-rumor-speaks-out/ar-AA1qA7ez

Up until three years ago I was paying $135 per month for a storage bin. Finally cut the cord and disposed of just about everything (some through donations and others through consignment shop). Hardest things initially to part ways with were books but they'd served their purpose and are easily recycled. Agree it was liberating as Vinapu and Fedssocr describe above.

And has had to turn down propositions from chubby chasers.🙂

From CNN / MSN Wth her pinkish cheeks and natural charisma, two-month-old pygmy hippo Moo Deng is making millions of fans online and drawing bumper crowds to the Thai zoo where she lives. The pint-sized new arrival at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo, east of the capital Bangkok, has been a social media hit since her keepers started uploading snippets of her life online. When she’s not gobbling up grapes, she’s rolling on the floor or taking a dip under Thailand’s scorching sun. She also loves a good chew of her handlers’ knees when they’re giving her a shower, according to social media clips that have drawn millions of views. “It is her natural cuteness, her behavior that attract tourists,” Narongwit Chodchoy, director of the zoo, told CNN. The zoo’s visitor numbers are up by at least 30%, Narongwit said, but Moo Deng’s fame has also brought unwanted disruption to her life, prompting the director to issue a warning. “Some tourists behaved inappropriately. One person poured water [on her] while another threw a shell onto Moo Deng when she lay on the floor,” he said. He urged tourists to be considerate and vowed to take legal action against anyone harming the mammalian child star. While she continues to draw admirers in person, Moo Deng has found her biggest stardom online. One particularly popular video posted on Facebook – showing her yawning and seemingly enjoying a pat on the chin from her keeper – has garnered 5.8 million views and counting. Continues at https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/baby-pygmy-hippo-moo-deng-is-thailand-s-latest-online-sensation-but-her-keeper-is-worried-about-her-fame/ar-AA1qyIrH#

I've never had the occasion to use any of the internet services above. However, I've shopped in person at Home Pro and Big C many times and was never once disappointed. For the same reason I don't like Grindr (et al) is because I want to see and inspect the item before acquiring it. I've found the staff at both stores very helpful.

When everything else about your trip's disappointments fade with time, the moments you describe above will persist indefinitely. To know that you truly made a difference in a young man's future is no small feat. You'll very likely find that that those who caused you the most remorse will slowly cease to haunt your consciousness. But the one who shared the most intimate moments with you will be the reason you go to your computer and begin the rebooking process. The older we get the more we realize that we need people like that in our lives. They are far and few between but they do exist. That they challenge our concept of butterfly is something not to be feared.

Just about all of the shops identify their guys in one manner or another (Top, bottom,T&B, both). I usually only choose tops, but I've found that even some are actually more flexible but choose to only publicly identify as top for personal reasons. When I have chosen a T&B because I found him particularly attractive, most seem to clearly prefer the top role. But it's abundantly clear that minority are dedicated bottoms who relish that aspect. Every top I've found is a bit different and those differences are what keep me coming back to Saphan Kwai.

No way you can make this stuff up. From Bloomberg / MSN Bloomberg) -- Chase Herro has sold a lot of things in his career. Weed. Weight-loss “colon cleanses.” A $149-a-month get-rich-quick class. Now he’s adding another line to his resume: the Trump family’s crypto guru. Herro is the dealmaker behind World Liberty Financial, the crypto project that Donald Trump and his two older sons have been promoting on social media in recent weeks, according to two people involved with the project. Herro's long-time business partner Zachary Folkman is also playing a key role. While few details about World Liberty have been released, Eric Trump said that the startup will promote “financial independence” and Donald Trump Jr. said it will “make finance great again.” Former President Trump himself posted a video saying he'd announce the details on Sept. 16. “We’re embracing the future with crypto and leaving the slow and outdated big banks behind,” Trump said. Yet Herro, a fast-talking 39-year-old who shows off his fancy cars and private-jet rides on social media, is an unknown in the crypto world. More than a dozen prominent digital-asset investors said in interviews they had never heard of him. The only crypto project with which he was publicly affiliated attracted only a few million dollars and suffered a devastating hack. A token he promoted on influencer Logan Paul’s podcast dropped 96% afterward. In one speech in 2018, he called himself “the dirtbag of the internet” and said that regulators should “kick s---heads like me out.” “You can literally sell s--- in a can, wrapped in piss, covered in human skin, for a billion dollars if the story's right, because people will buy it,” Herro said about crypto in a 2018 YouTube video recorded as he drove in a Rolls-Royce. “I'm not going to question the right and wrong of all that.” Bloomberg News sent detailed questions to a World Liberty email address. “We all see the picture you're trying to paint here and consider it at best grossly inaccurate,” a man named Jim Redner replied. “We're confident that our results will speak for themselves.” Redner said he was not a spokesperson for the company and was "just answering emails.” Herro, Folkman and the Trump presidential campaign didn’t respond to messages seeking comment. Herro was introduced to the Trumps by Steve Witkoff, a real-estate developer and longtime supporter of the former president, after first meeting one of Witkoff’s sons, according to one of the people involved with the project. When they met, Trump was reconsidering his stance on crypto. He’d once called Bitcoin a “scam against the dollar,” but in late 2022 he licensed his image for a series of nonfungible tokens – essentially, digital trading cards – featuring cartoon images of a muscular Trump. Then in July, after Bitcoin advocates raised what they said was $25 million for his campaign, Trump flew to Nashville to speak at a Bitcoin conference, where he promised to loosen regulations on the industry and create a strategic national stockpile of the cryptocurrency. “The United States will be the crypto capital of the planet,” Trump said in the speech. At the same time, Trump’s sons were getting curious about the industry. At the Nashville conference, Donald Trump Jr. appeared at an event sponsored by a little-known token called “Make America Great Again, Again,” though he said he had no affiliation with the project. And in June, Martin Shkreli, the former hedge-fund manager who served years in prison for securities fraud, said that he’d been talking with Barron Trump about starting another Trump cryptocurrency. Shkreli declined to comment. Herro is described in the white paper as the person responsible for “data & strategies.” His friend Folkman is listed as “operations lead.” Folkman used to run a service called Date Hotter Girls where he taught seminars about how to pick up women. “OK, how many guys came here to learn how to take girls home and bang them?” Folkman said in a speech in 2014. The trademark for World Liberty is registered to a company using the same address in Puerto Rico as another company run by Herro and Folkman. Continues with photos and video https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/behind-the-trump-crypto-project-is-a-self-described-dirtbag-of-the-internet/ar-AA1qvopg

Actually majority of Americans prefer universal care, but GOP-controlled Congress is largest recipient of health care industry largess and won't allow it to come up for vote. Similarly, when provided with availability of public transport, urban Americans make great use of it. Unfortunately, Congress never prioritizes it because fossil fuel and auto industries are ready with the checks every time election time rolls around. Every attempt to bar lobbyist money from flowing to congress has been shut done by--who else--but same body.