Police in Turkey have detained 47 people in a series of raids on gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ+ activists, officials say.

Raids took place in 12 provinces over the weekend as part of a campaign dubbed "My Family is Safe" that the Turkish government says has been designed to protect family values.

BBC Report

"Also targeted was a men’s hammam reputed to be a venue for prostitution."

I know a number of members use thec airport rail link, and have possibly already seen this encouraging report!

After the last issues the other day, it worked FINE for awhile,  but now again, its almost impossible to use the site.

Any help would be appreciated.   

(I hope it isnt IRANIAN sabotage and retribution for Trump ?)   🤣

You can buy official tickets on the Château de Versailles

Ticketing Portal.

Passport Ticket (Full Estate Access)High Season (April 1 – October 31): €35 standard price, €32 reduced price for EU/EEA residents. Includes the Palace, Trianon Estate, Queen's Hamlet, and Gardens (including fountain/musical shows).

Low Season (November 1 – March 31): €25 standard price, €22 reduced price. Gardens are free during this period.

So 35 Euros for an all-access pass during high season, or about $40. And this place ain't the Château de Versailles. What's the most you've ever paid for a museum entry fee?

Not that we exactly can't afford it, but I can think of better ways to spend $138.

While we were in the Denver area, my boyfriend, another friend who lives there, and I met up with @jimmie50 at a Mexican-themed restaurant, because apparently I don’t get enough of Mexico while actually living in Mexico. 😂

My impression of Jimmie50 was exactly what I expected. He seems like a truly nice, genuine guy, and I have no doubt he’ll handle his time in Cambodia just fine, as long as he stays of prop planes and I'm really happy for him.

We hung out for a couple of hours, and the time flew by. It felt less like meeting someone from an online forum and more like catching up with someone we already knew.

And if anyone’s ears were burning that night, there may have been a reason. Of course, everything we said about all of you was complimentary., more or less 😇

So, how many other members here have actually met someone from this board in person on their/your home turf?

I am writing to share some sad news. Our fellow member, Lucky, unexpectedly passed away on July 7, 2026, following a brief illness.

On a personal note, Lucky and I were in touch for over two decades. When I hadn't heard from him or seen him post anything lately, I emailed him. When there was no reply, I expected the worst. His sister must have gotten access to his email account because she eventually replied and notified me of his passing. Believe it or not, despite everything he accomplished in his career, he always looked up to me. Keeping in contact with him for 20 years was a true privilege, and I am going to miss our whore stories exchanges.

Many of you might remember Lucky as an occasional contributor to these forums since 2006, chiming in over the years to share his fondness for annual trips to Bangkok or join discussions in The Beer Bar. He truly enjoyed the community and the lifestyle we all share here.

However, the true mark he left on this world was through his deeply distinguished, trailblazing career as an attorney fighting for justice. Long before he was able to freely travel, he served as a high-ranking prosecutor and the Chief of a major District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Unit in California during the 1980s and early 1990s.

What makes his legacy so incredible is that he was an openly gay attorney doing this job during a deeply volatile and hostile era for our community. Working right on the front lines, he pioneered tough, unprecedented prosecutions against homophobic violence and secured landmark felony convictions against those who targeted gay individuals. He famously used his platform to send a clear message to institutions like the military that violence against the LGBTQ+ community would not be tolerated. He was also a fierce advocate for attorney rights, standing up for core legal principles within the state system.

When health concerns forced his early retirement in 1993, he didn't stop living fully. He spent his decades of retirement exploring the world alongside his lifelong love and partner, and caring for his beloved Scottie dogs.

Lucky was a devoted partner, a fierce advocate, a true traveler, and a man who fought hard to make the world a safer place for all of us. He will be deeply missed.

Safe travels on your final journey, Lucky.

I didn't even know until I read the article in OUT magazine this morning that he also did OnlyFans. I admired him as a talented performer/dancer, who seemed to have everything going for him. Would a hug have made the difference? I guess one just never knows what someone else may be going through. 😢

https://www.instagram.com/lululovebttm/

Out Magazine

https://www.newsweek.com/older-americans-have-dementia-without-knowing-experts-reveal-signs-to-watch-12414002

I’m in Florida, USA, today and was out with friends for the evening.  Returning home I tuned-in to cable network TCM – Turner Classic Movies.  Philadelphia (1993) was the feature movie.  I’ve always had an emotional response watching the movie.  At some points, tears … always.  Tonight was no different. 

There are those of us here, not all, who are old enough to have lived through the terror of HIV/AIDS crisis starting in the early-1980s.  To say I was sexually active those years is an understatement. Somewhere in the range of 30 guys I’d slept with didn’t survive, as far as I know. I survived, and I’ve often wondered: why was I spared? A generation of gay life was wiped out. 

44 million people have died from HIV/AIDS thus far. Half have been men. 

I’m sometimes triggered by posts on these forums suggesting money boys, garotos, whomever are pressured to or paid extra to have unprotected anal sex, to perform acts which place them … and many of us … in danger. 

The reminder that, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," is as applicable today as ever before. 

ABC News

"A man was arrested for alleged unruly behavior on an American Airlines flight causing it to divert to Baltimore on Thursday night, according to the airline and investigators. Arthur Lundeen, 67, of Arizona, was restrained to his seat with duct tape and his hands were restrained with zip ties, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, which arrested him after the plane landed. The incident took place on American Airlines flight AA 618, which took off from Dallas and was en route to Newark, according to the FBI and the airline..."

My main question is--why did the captain divert the flight from Newark to Baltimore? EWR is just 167 miles from BWI. The difference in flight time was a matter of minutes. Because one passenger can't handle his liquor, the captain punished every other passenger in the plane, plus the passengers in future flights that plane would have taken. The cost for that 167 mile diversion must have been staggering--not just for the passengers, but for the airline as well. Am I missing something, or was there a valid reason for landing the plane at BWI instead of EWR??

Thai police have launched raids on sex workers in a resort city before the arrival of 5,000 American sailors who have spent nine months at sea.

After a gruelling deployment that has been repeatedly extended, the USS Abraham Lincoln is set to dock late on Tuesday in Pattaya, a coastal city that has hosted US troops seeking rest and recreation since the Vietnam War.

Before their arrival, however, Pattaya's police force has clamped down on the sex industry, with at least 40 people arrested in nightlife raids over the weekend.

Anek Srathongyoo, the city's police chief, said law enforcement agencies have been ordered to step up security measures to prevent undesirable situations. 

But there are also fears the arrival could lead to an outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases.

While prostitution is illegal in Thailand, it is openly visible in tourist hubs, and Pattaya's red-light district is perhaps the country's most infamous.

Anek Srathongyoo, Pattaya's police chief, told Reuters that the crackdown was challenging because sex workers can solicit in public areas without the knowledge of officials. "We are doing our best, but it is difficult," he said.

Police will step up security measures during the troops' five-day stay, including additional patrols around the city's main beachfront and nightclubs, he added.

Prolonged deployment

Pipatpong Fakfare, an associate professor at Bangkok University's school of humanities and tourism management, added: "The risk to health and safety, as the influx of a large number of customers may increase the likelihood of sexual exploitation and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases."

Others have welcomed the imminent arrival of US servicemen as a boon to Pattaya's economy. It is the low season, but tourism has been hit hard because of the war in Iran, which disrupted both flight routes and prices.

The USS Abraham Lincoln's deployment has been repeatedly extended partly because of the Iran War. Having left San Diego in November headed for the Indo-Pacific region, it was redirected to the Middle East in January, just before conflict broke out.

As the deployment was continually prolonged, concerns grew about conditions on board, with crew members and their families describing gruelling schedules, cramped quarters and mounting poor morale.

Last month, one sailor jumped overboard in an alleged suicide attempt, while there have been reports of food and critical supply shortages.

The USS Abraham Lincoln has been at sea for more than 270 days - Jason White/AFP

Poramase Ngampiches, Pattaya's mayor, said in a Facebook post that the city would welcome the troops and urged people to treat them well.

"They come to relax because it's been almost 280 days since anyone came ashore," he said. "Our preparations will focus on safety and ensuring fair pricing, so we don't take advantage of them."

 

 

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Mr Poramase said he hoped the soldiers could bring the city, which is roughly 90 miles from Bangkok, some 100m Thai baht (£2.2m) during their five-day stay.

 

 

https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/09/02/the-netherlands-just-pulled-86-4-tons-of-gold-out-of-the-u-s-to-improve-crisis-readiness-amid-global-tensions/

France did the same thing.  When asked about it the Dutch did not mince words: we've seen what Trump did to the oval office...how much gold do you think he will need to do the same in the ballroom? We think it is better to keep OUR gold out of reach.  🙈

She was already looking very frail and seemed a bit forgetful (or she wasn't speaking much) when I last saw her on a talkshow, I think it was the The View, about a year or two ago.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTzKN1yCEaB/?igsi=MW4wczlhejk5OHk2bA==

Doesn't the good vicar remind you of a much younger version of a recently departed (but quite possibly soon to be resurrected under a different name) forum member? 😏

"Brent Jindra voted for Trump three times. Then ICE handcuffed his Russian wife at the airport in California and ended his support for the president... In mid-July, officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a Russian citizen, Galina Bobreneva, in California. She arrived in the country in late 2021 and, according to her lawyer, has been in the United States legally ever since. She is awaiting a green card based on her marriage to a U.S. citizen. ICE officers sent her to a detention center anyway, where she spent more than two weeks... 

About 18 hours later, Bobreneva was put in a restraint belt and shackled at the wrists and ankles, and driven with several other detainees to the detention center in Adelanto. “I felt like a piece of meat, not like a human,” she said. The conditions there were appalling, Bobreneva said. The center had seven shower stalls for 120 people, and only four of them worked. Detainees were constantly short of drinking water. The sick were denied medical care until they needed hospitalization. Bobreneva also began losing sleep: the lights never went off, and the guards’ radios never went quiet... Jindra, who once called himself a MAGA supporter, grew disillusioned with Trump after his wife was detained...". 

It's all fun and games until you're personally affected, isn't it? 😉 My sister used to subscribe to a website, which in 2021 would report on deaths of COVID vaccine deniers who succumbed to their own ignorance. I think the website was called "Bye, bye, denier," or something like that. That was one of her secret pleasures...

Everything from lifts out to escalator etc , had to carry my luggage 🧳 upstairs several times in Philippines 

Get my 🧳 out of Grab cars , walk on uneven footpaths etc 

Railway station steps , balance in the train travel standing up most trips , etc 

Trying to balance on a train without holding on takes skill

People nowadays this generation don't care if your old they will push you , rush for seats etc 

I don't know how you guys go who are not as fit 

I try to go to the gym to train to travel 🧳 

If your not fit ...please all I ask you to do is ..... exercise 🤸‍♂️⛹️‍♂️⛹️‍♂️🤺

https://www.patreon.com/posts/help-154038202?post_id=154038202

"Writing to you all to let you know that due to the health of my father declining, my mother and stepfathers divorce causing massive issues in finances, my car breaking down on me, my immense debt due to supporting my family financially and finally, my rapidly declining health which has caused me to "pass out" randomly (guess I'm stressed?) .. I have to ask for support to afford rent this month. I have been doing all kinds of side jobs, gigs, streams, selling personal belongings etc. to make it, but I.. don't have it this time. I can see myself failing to make this happen and so I wanted to reach out and ask for help and support if you have the means. I don't have much to offer you (other than my sincerest gratitude), I'm sure I can do a livestream to thank you, send each of you homemade cookies in the mail with a written, personalized letter (if you're okay with brown sugar, cinnamon, choc. chip cookies), mail you polaroid's... but I'm at my limit of what I can do. The number is above a thousand, but I would be grateful to even raise $5. Anything to help me find a step to stand up and continue forward...".

https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/skyler-seymour.html

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoskylerseymour/

If I can trust the internet, he lives quite near me (in Burbank). I'm thinking of handing him over $100 cash if he'll have coffee with me. He also works as a magician, and I suppose I could hire him for entertainment at my next pool party (June 13 or 14). To make it clear: I would shoot myself before I'd ever cheat on my husband, and am not interested in an intimate encounter--just to meet him. Sound reasonable?