The Beer Bar

Threads going off on tangents is common on most chat boards like this. But I do think linking Ukraine with the thread about the end of the Pacific War is going too far, and so I'll start this one. @Moses has made comments in the Lest We Forget thread about there being no "forced mobilization" in Russia and all the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine are volunteers. Now that is plain wrong. Every male aged between 18 and 30 has to spend 12 months military service without pay. Avoiding this is a crime. Further, men in that age group cannot obtain work uless that have the papers to prove their mandatory period of military service. Well, if this is not conscription, I wo…

I don’t know why we don’t have a USA forum, but since we don’t, I’ll just post this here. I’ve been in Philly for a month. I am from just across the river in South Jersey and I lived here in the 80s. Came out in 1977 and the streets were filled with sex. When I lived here in the 80s, pre-AIDS, sex was also everywhere, but once AIDS hit, things calmed down somewhat, though there were still many public places to have sex along with bookstores, bath houses, arcades, etc. Now, things have change. There are still a few parks and public places, a few bath houses and a few arcades, but nothing like what it used to be. Apps have taken over. I am 65 years old, well …

We read a lot on this Board about the sexual preferences of readers. It's partly what makes it interesting. In the hope that this may make it even more interesting, I am going to try and start a Poll underneath this post. I have never ceated a Poll before and so may get my knickers in a twist. But I'll try. Two points to note. 1. Polls here can only have 4 subject lines, each with various choices. So if I am not finished I may try to add a second Poll. 2. Polls on some Boards have the screen names of those giving answers. I have chosen to make this anonymous, so your name will not appear. This may lead to some scam-type answers but I hope not. Well, …

Anyone know or use text to speech / talk apps? Sometimes I'm just too busy doing other stuff ,gym , washing dishes ,etc that I have no time to stop and read the forum Is there any of these you recommend? Or do I have to copy & paste continually it get it read ?

I like to check in on these forums every now and then to see what folks are up to, and of course when I am traveling abroad, it’s a useful source of information, but right now I am in Philly and I wish I could get the kind of information about men for hire that I can get when I’m traveling. Is it because it’s so expensive here, or it just doesn’t exist in places like Thailand, Colombia, DR or Brazil? I have been using Grindr and Sniffies and having some success with free sex, but I would love to be able to hire a really hot guy and know it’s safe. I would appreciate any tips if anyone has any.

As widely reported, on September 4 in its largest ever single raid, US ICE workers raided a Korean US$4.3 billion plant being constructed in the US State of Georgia. The plant was to make batteries crucial to car company Hyundai's plans to start making cars in the USA later this year. The plant would have created 8,500 jobs for Americans. After the South Korean Foreign Minister flew to Washington to seek assurances from Marco Rubio that none of the detained would be physically restrained, South Koreans are livid that photographs have appeared of the workers in handcuffs and shackles llike criminals. Seeing so many of their countrymen in chains was a reminder of olden time…

So I had this plan to return to Bangkok this November but unfortunately that plan is now out the window as upcoming surgery and a lengthy recovery will rule that out until at least mid 2026 or even later. On the bright side, if all goes well I get to ponder on next year's trip and will become a massage parlour junkie once again, there will still be a restriction on the massage due to the area of surgery but to be honest the massage will only be a warm up for the extras fun. Dreaming of the fun times and those brown bodies for now 😴

I remember the first fime I went on holiday after I started working. It was 2 weeks spent in early November at the Villa Rosa in Malta. Not much was heard about sunscreens in those days and I would spend most by the pool in what was then a very deserted part of the island. After 3 days I felt my skin begin to get quite itchy. I was suffering from prickly heat - over exposure to the sun, even in November - and had to find a drug store to cover my body in soothing camomile lotion. In the ensuing years before I came to live in Asia, I took two week vacations in many sunny spots, usually much closer to summer. What I put on my body then I cannot recall, but it helped me get a…

Looks as if the PFC is back. https://pattayamail.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0bce3e0515d0797a73c960211&id=3847c727cb&e=f4eaf70b70

A woman here in Los Angeles lost $431,000 to a scammer who sent her AI images on WhatsApp, convincing her that soap opera actor Steve Burton (who's married) was in love with her and needed the money. 🫢 https://people.com/woman-loses-life-savings-after-scammers-use-ai-to-pose-as-general-hospital-star-11800052 "...KABC reported that the scammers first approached Ruvalcaba on Facebook Messenger before switching over to WhatsApp. She told KTLA that she initially sent more than $81,000 before selling her family's condo and giving the $350,000 in proceeds to the scammer. Ruvalcaba's daughter Vivian told the outlets that her mother has been diag…

I must say I'm extremely fascinated by the gorgeous Pietro Boselli. According to his Wikipedia page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Boselli "Pietro Boselli (born 3 December 1988) is an Italian model, engineer, and former mathematics postgraduate teacher at University College London.... Reacting to his fame, while Boselli has been appreciative, he has spoken against male objectification and the 'dumb model' stereotype and similar prejudices on multiple occasions...." Pietro Boselli Born 3 December 1988 (age 36) Negrar, Veneto, Italy Alma mater University …

I just discovered that I have my own thread on LPSG. Not sure how I feel about that!

The Swatch Group of Companies makes 27% of its profits in China. You would surely therefore assume that in its advertising campaigns it would be particularly careful to ensure that Chinese sensibilities are very carefully considered. After I do not know how many executives must have vetted and approved its latest campaign before the marketing department was given the go ahead, unbelievably it actually includes this photograph - Granted the model is cute and he certainly seems Chinese. But for what possible reason these idiotic marketing gurus could have imagined that his increasing the slant of his eyes would appeal in China totally beats me. What message is it…

https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2025/09/03/burning-man-homicide-victim-identified-as-vadim-kruglov-37/85952607007/ "The man found dead at Burning Man has been identified as Vadim Kruglov, 37, a Russian who was living in Tacoma, Washington. Kruglov was found dead in a pool of blood on Aug. 30. The Pershing County Sheriff's Office put out a plea on Aug. 31 for help identifying the victim. He was identified using fingerprints, according to the sheriff's office...". I wonder if he was a refugee or asylee from Russia. Could the FSB have been involved? In any case, it looks like Vadim had a Билет в один конец (one-way ticket) from Russia to the US. 😢In any case, Vadim …

I almost titled this "Raunchy Sexual Experience" but felt that might be too limiting. Most of us here will have enjoyed many sexual trysts not just in Thailand but also in other parts of the world. I expect, too, that at least some will remain in our minds as among the great experiences of our lives, be you older or younger. Talking with friends the other evening, we were trying to recall if there was one experience that outclassed all the others and that when the time comes for us to shuffle off this mortal coil (well, bringing a quote from Hamlet into the thread might raise the tone if just a little ), we will take with us to the next world. The older one gets, I…

It seems that I come across a lot of people who are passive-aggressive when it comes to texting, and it rubs me the wrong way. For example, we have some married friends who live about 1.5 km from LAX, and they've let us park our car at their place on extended vacations (the drive to that airport typically takes well over an hour from our place, and ride-share or taxis typically cost $100 each way). I made a group text with the two asking if we'd be able to park our car at their place for certain dates, and Husband A answered that it was OK with him if it would be OK with Husband B, since Husband A would be out of town during that time. Husband B never made any response, a…

We read a lot on this Board about the sexual preferences of readers. It's partly what makes it interesting. In the hope that this may make it even more interesting, I am going to try and start a Poll underneath this post. I have never ceated a Poll before and so may get my knickers in a twist. But I'll try. Two points to note. 1. Polls here can only have 4 subject lines, each with various choices. So if I am not finished I may try to add a second Poll. 2. Polls on some Boards have the screen names of those giving answers. I have chosen to make this anonymous, so your name will not appear. This may lead to some scam-type answers but I hope not. Here g…

I have enjoyed many of director Ridley Scott's movies. Now 87 he is still directing movies and is even in the planning stage for a Gladiator 3. Years earlier he became known for turning down a $20 million fee to direct Terminator 3. How many more years will be in front of him, not even he knows. But in a Q&A session in today's Guardian the first question is "Who's up there?" We may all have different views on who/what's up there, if anything, but we surely cannot disagree with his comments about the disaster we have made of our world. I am glad I have no children and am concerned about what kind of world my nephew's two teenage boys will inherit. "Who’s up there.…

I just had a message on screen that Yahoo has ceased Search operations in Thailand. Yahoo ได้ยุติการให้บริการค้นหาในประเทศไทยแล้ว I have been using it for years. This seems very weird. I suspect it is some sort of spam. Has anyone else had this message? And if so, can you kindly advise how I change the search engine?

The question is inspired by an article in today's Guardian/Observer newspaper. First its idea of "middle age" is the 35-49 yo bracket as defined in a recent USA survey. Leaving aside the gay community, in 2021 it found that 15% of heterosexual men do not have any male "close friends". Those who said they enjoyed close male friendships with ten or more men stated the number had dropped from 33% in 1990 to 13% in 2021. As the article claims - "Creating better infrastructure for heterosexual male socialisation is a public health necessity, given that the isolation and loneliness reported in the wake of shrinking friendship networks has dire health implications. Y…

I saw this commercial on TV about companies which actually go and clean, "disinfect," "deodorize," and "sanitize" trash bins after one's regular trash collection every week. It seems rather crazy to me. Obviously, there's no way to "disinfect" a trash bin, and, even if there were, you're just going to put in rotten food, dog doo-doo bags, etc., in them on the next day or two. Yet there are obviously enough people who have such "cleanliness" concerns to keep these places in business. Do any of you worry about "sanitizing" trash bins? https://freshbinsla.com/

I was at work yesterday working with a younger guy in his 20's He introduced me to ChatGPT i just found it Do you ever use it for your Thailand trips in any capacity?

A good summary by the BBC of the current state of play in the border dispute including the historic perspective. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyrx53zeg4o

It has long ago lost its meaning for most, which is more than sad. August 15 marks the formal end of the war in the Pacific. This was the day when the Japanese Emperor spoke to his nation for the first time. I think most of us can remember his talking about how the Japanese people would henceforth have to "endure the unendurable and suffer what is insufferable." What we forget is that that speech was laden with what today we would call "spin". The declaration of war, proclaimed Hirohito, was "to ensure Japan's self preservation and the stabilisation of East Asia, it being far from our thought either to infringe upon the sovereignty of other nations or to embark upon …

I keep hearing/reading that the biggest sticking point seems to be that Air Canada doesn't pay workers for the work they're required to do before and after the planes are in the air. I can't imagine that this could be legal in the US, since the US Constitution plainly forbids unpaid work (with the exception of jury duty, I suppose). Does Canadian law, or whatever equivalent there is in terms of a Constitution, not forbid involuntary servitude? What's the legal basis for Air Canada forcing their workers to perform unpaid tasks? Clearly, much work needs to be done before and after the planes are actually in the air. https://apnews.com/article/air-canada-flight-attendan…