a-447

Do the guys in the j/o contest wear masks, like they did in Tawan? That spoils it for me.

Gay relationships are not allowed any time in Islam, so I'm hoping Ramadan won't make a difference. Fingers crossed!

Bucky,are you OK with Russia targeting a hotel, shops and residential buildings?

Trump's chaotic treatment of America's closest allies and friends, as compared to his smooth and orderly treatment of Its traditional enemy, Russia, has merely served to force those allies into each others arms and to seek new friends. As the general consensus is that America can no longer be trusted in economic, political and military spheres - certainly the sentiment here in Australia - new alliances and trade agreements with other countries will be formed and these will exclude the U.S., which will become isolated in the world. America's only friends will be those authoritarian regimes with which it recently voted in the United Nations - Russia, Iran and North Korea. (How is this lunacy even possible??) Who knows? They could abandon the US dollar in favour of the Euro and form closer ties with BRICS countries. China should benefit from Trump's incompetence, I imagine. America relies on its allies to supply all types of consumer goods and raw materials - it is not self-sufficient and probably never will be. Reciprocal tariffs from dozens of its former allies will cripple the US economy. They, too, will suffer but there is strength in numbers. Even if Trump changes his mind, chances are they will say :"Sorry, we've mover on now and don't need you any more." Is this the America you voted for, Bucky?

Why not consult with the mobile phone guys upstairs in MBK? If it's possible to join Line with an American number they would know. And if it isn't, they could probably find a way around it.

I totally agree. There are lots of Asians who can not tolerate alcohol. I've seen a number of guys over the years who were virtually forced to drink shots on stage and were clearly uncomfortable doing it, with or without monetary compensation. Some seemed on the verge of vomiting. My regular in Pattaya used to work in Eros. He's not a drinker and said he hated it when customers wanted him to drink shots or participate in drinking games. The bar put pressure on him to accede to the customers' wishes. This is only for the enjoyment of the customers! Tbh, I've never heard of drinks being spiked in gay bars in Thailand, but come to think of it, it wouldn't be difficult to do. Disgusting.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." JFK Was he a friend of yours, by any chance? 😂

I've only smoked it a couple of times and although I loved its effect, I don't indulge. But does that mean buying cannabis in Thailand is a waste of time if you want to get high? What effect will just 2% have? Have many of those marijuana shops now closed?

Complaining about font size is a first world problem. "proves that the farmer's behavior is not something uniquely Japanese" I never said it was. "You continue to ignore that the only two parties which supported the farmer have either disappeared completely in one case, and have only minimal representation in the National Diet in the other case." What has their disappearance got to do with anything? The fact that the farmer is still there after these parties disappeared should tell you something! It's totally irrelevant. Your argument is that the farmer was only supported by 2 political movements and nobody else. If that were true, common sense would surely suggest that the government would not have given into him. The Japanese people were on the side of the farmer, as was portrayed at the time in the media. The government caved in to public pressure. (Have you ever heard of that happening before? I guess not). You don't know that because you weren't there.

I went to GB every night on my trip last year. There was smoking throughout the bar and some of the boys were sitting in the bar smoking during the rotation. Maybe they have changed the rules now, but confining smokers to the back of the bar is a waste of time. The bar still stinks. If you are a smoker, you won't notice it. They have seating outside the bar so the bar should send smokers there. I don't smoke at home, but I do in Thailand. Then I can sit in the smoking area and get up close and friendly with the boys during the ladyboy acts or when the guys are on rotation. Any remaining cigarettes get thrown in the bin at the airport.

"just because you explain your position" I'm not explaining my own position. I'm explaining the farmer's position. "I have shown examples of dozens of people who similarly turned down generous offers.." So what? How on earth is that relevant? Please explain. "... and paid the consequence" What consequence has he paid? He won the fight to keep his farm. That's all that mattered to his family. And for the last 50 years they have quietly gotten on with their lives. "this was the only farmer (all of the rest were also Japanese) who rejected the offers" Watch the video again. He said that 5 other farms remain within the airport precinct. And are you sure they were all Japanese? Nobody from say, the Cook Islands or from one of the where-the-fuck-a Stan countries, perhaps? 😂 And I will repeat my question, as you forgot to reply. Why did the government move the original location of the airport if it wasn't for the refusal of the farmers to sell their land? "...the lone farmer's behavior was, in all appearances, quite "un-Japanese" (anti-social and pig-headed)." See my previous comment. Do try to keep up, Unicorn. "It is you who claimed the "whole country" was behind him" See my previous comments. Do try to keep up, Unicorn. "only a fringe political group supported him." See my previous comments. Do try to keep up, Unicorn. "most other Japanese people apparently disagree with you" See my previous comments. Do try to keep up, Unicorn. And I've just seen one of my own previous comments : "I've has enough of talking to a brick wall, so I'll let you carry on arguing with the BBC." But I haven't had this much fun since my incident with the turkey baster! 😂😂

I just checked the first page Beer Bar statistics and this thread has now garnered 12,200 views! The thread that came in second with 3,700 views was an Admin issue regarding the new url. Four topics came in third with 1,300 views each. Asaik, the more popular a topic, the higher up the list it goes, so it is the members of the forum who are to 'blame', not Unicorn or myself. I'm stunned that so many are interested in this farmer. Perhaps it's because they like to read about the underdog and his fight against an arrogant, uncaring government - a simple farmer who stood up to the bully and won. That was the sentiment in Japan at the time.

"After 50 years? That video is 4 years old" Yes, but the story resulting in the 4 year old situation - and the situation today - of him remaining on the farm is 50 years old. It's called "background information". Things do not just happen in a vacuum - there's always a story behind events and that history is important to understand and explain what's happening now. "Just about anyone looking at that video would think "Oh, dear. What a mess that farmer got himself into." So, now you are speaking on behalf of others, whose opinion you couldn't possible know. Such arrogance! Nobody here has said that he got himself into a mess. And judging by the number of views you say this thread has received, that should tell you something. I guess readers believe the 2 people who were on the ground at the time and saw it with their own eyes, rather than the account of someone who was 10,000 km away and 50 years too late to the party. Plus, the farmer himself never said he was in some kind of mess in the interview. (I know, I know - you reckon he's just telling lies, as it suits your version of what happened. How do you know he's lying?) He said the amount of compensation offered was equal to working the land for 150 years. Yet he still didn't take it. And your Western logic can't understand it. ('Take the money, you stubborn fool! Take the money!' Are you really that shallow Unicorn?) Using Japanese logic, it's perfectly understandable. I've tried to explain it to you but it's obviously gone completely over your head. Either that, or you reject it because it doesn't suit your narrative. I think it's a bit of both. As for regrets, he had the chance to leave the farm, take the compensation and live a life of undreamed of luxury. But he didn't. As for Covid bringing peace and quiet, that noise and pollution was obviously no more than an annoyance. There are thousands of farmers living around the airport with its noise and pollution. Take a look on google maps.

"What you said was that the "whole country" was behind the farmer." That's right. That was the sentiment at the time. "what you said was that only leftist political parties were involved" I never said that. If you believe I did, please quote me. "you really should see a physician for evaluation of memory problems. Seriously." The farmer in the video proves that even after 50 years have passed, my memory is, in fact, perfect! Unicorn, your breath-taking arrogance is summed up in these comments : "probably a liar" "What might possibly lead you to think I'd find anything he says persuasive?" And all because he didn't agree with you in his interview! Unbelievable.

Here's an interview with the farmer. He backs up everything I've said, and nothing you've said. I've has enough of talking to a brick wall, so I'll let you carry on arguing with the BBC.