The Beer Bar

New year, new list. Who are you planning on hire in 2018?

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story isn't what you might expect. Stylish and vivid, violent and colorful, the newest installment of FX's American Crime Story anthology series (Wednesday, 10 ET/PT, ★★★½ out of four) is not a courtroom drama like 2016's The People v. O.J. Simpson. Nor is it really the story of the death of Gianni Versace, the famed fashion designer who was shot dead on the steps of his Miami Beach villa in 1997. Instead, the nine-episode series, from executive producers Ryan Murphy and Tom Rob Smith, based on the book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth, is the story of spree killer Andrew Cunanan, who claimed Versace as his fift…

From The Guardian (UK) The scale of financial pressure on the British diplomatic service has been underlined by a Foreign Office announcement that it is raising £420m by selling its embassy in Bangkok. The sale is the largest land deal in Thai history and the Foreign Office’s biggest ever sale. The department said the proceeds would be reinvested elsewhere in the overseas estate and would fund 30-40 modernisation projects around the world, including in Washington DC. The Foreign Office has long complained that its budget is being cut to the bone at a time when the parallel budget of the Department for International Development is booming. The UK foreign …

Jimmy Kimmel showed the Donald Trump porn video, and it is hilarious:

Do any of you know the person who calls himself daddy? Is he as psychologically unwell as I think he is? He appears to subsist on flattery but despises criticism in any form and his forum actions are clear evidence of this.

From Bangkok Post Tourist Police Bureau deputy commander Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakphan, left, and senior officers question the 25-year-old Canadian who accuses a Lumpini traffic policeman and his accomplice of trying to frame him with drugs and extort him.(Photo taken from @1155TPB (Tourist Police Bureau's Facebook page) A traffic policeman based at Bangkok’s Lumpini station has been dismissed from the force and faces "drastic action" for allegedly trying to extort a Canadian national by placing drugs in his possession. Pol Maj Gen Mongkhol Warunno, chief of the Metropolitan Police Division 5, signed the order dismissing Pol Snr Sgt Maj Cherdchai Phuchuaytuam…

From NHK Newsline A video look at the evolving styles of the Morlam music scene at a recent Thai festival. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20180129205029780/

Just finished pricing a possible/probable upcoming trip to Thailand. Thanks to the weakness of the US $ it projects to be 10 to 11% more expensive than a visit last November. The US Treasury Secretary is busy talking the $ down in Davos...thanks for making America great again!

Is anybody else watching this show on Amazon Prime? It's a BBC produced show about a British army unit in Aden fighting a Yemeni insurgency in the Middle East and the women and childrens who were there with them. Lots of fine looking men. It only has 6 episodes so far and I can't find any information about future episodes or seasons. Check it out.

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Had too many beer-soaked nights and in the mood for something lighter – but not mocktail light? Problem solved. The man behind a Ngam Dupli-area watering hole recently added his own enhanced Kombucha to its pour-ready offerings, making it the first Bangkok bar, he believes, to serve the tea brew on tap. On the mezzanine of his bar, I Hate Pigeons, Natatchakorn Thanapubodee recently fermented a blend of black and green tea leaves with fruits, lemon, and honey for aroma and flavor. Said to have been brought from Asia during World War 1, the probiotic beverage became a thing in California about 20 years ago due to its alleg…

From Coconuts Bangkok A viral Facebook post from a Thai woman who paid THB150 ($US4.7) for street food became the talk of town when the vendor admitted she overcharged the woman because the waiter mistook her for a Chinese tourist. On Monday, Suthaporn Lee said she had a dish of pad kaprow moo grob (stir-fried pork belly with holy basil) at a pop-up stall at Neon Market, but she was charged THB150 for a dish that typically costs THB35-50 (about US$1-1.50) on the Bangkok streets. The Neon Market is in Pratunam, an area popular among Chinese tourists. But when reporters from Amarin TV went to the market yesterday and inquired about the situation with the s…

From Channel News Asia BANGKOK: From cashless payments to automated parking lots, Bangkok's famous Chatuchak market will be undergoing a "4.0" digital transformation. According to the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the market will become a cashless commercial area by June, reported Bangkok Post on Friday (Jan 26). Visitors will be able to pay for items by using a single card or by Quick Response (QR) code on their phones, said SRT's director for land development, Siripong Preutthipan. With a budget of more than 100 million baht (US$3.2 million) on upgrading Chatuchak market, SRT also plans to build automated parking lots, according to the report. …

Sex for sale is not a constitutional right rules 9th Circuit Court upholding California's prostitution laws. Interesting articles: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Sex-for-sale-is-not-a-constitutional-right-court-12505404.php http://reason.com/blog/2018/01/17/no-right-to-earn-a-living-via-sex

Credit card and ATM questions arise from time to time. Thought it might be helpful if members post info on cards they find good deals for travelers. Benefits associated with the Amazon Rewards Visa Card (issued by Chase Bank, USA): - No annual fee - No international transaction fees - 3% back on Amazon purchases - 2% back on restaurant, drugstore and gas station purchases - 1% back on all other purchases

Excerpts from Bangkok Post In June this year, United Kingdom Visa & Immigration will relocate its visa decision-making centre for Thai nationals from Bangkok to New Delhi in India. The embassy claimed there will be no changes to the visa application process in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, or to overall service times. The move is to maximise new technology and allow for independent visa decision-making, the British embassy announced yesterday. The embassy said that the move to New Delhi will maximise the benefits of new technology that allows for visa-decision making to be "independent of the country of application". It did not state if any problems had …

From NY Times MARANA, Ariz. — There may be no airliner as recognizable as the Boeing 747, the world’s first jumbo jet, with its iconic hump of an upper deck. For aviation fans, the introduction of the “Queen of the Skies” was a triumph of engineering and grace: unprecedented size and speed with spiral-staircase international glamour. But the airline business has changed, and the giant plane has become more expensive to operate. A couple of weeks ago, the final 747 flight by any commercial United States airline took to the sky. Like so many others before it, the plane was heading to the Southwest to retire. Continues with pics https://www.nytimes.co…

From The Nation Unseasonal heavy rain on Wednesday morning triggered flooding in downtown areas of Bangkok and caused the traffic havoc. Bangkok Flood Control Centre said on Wednesday before noon that there was heavy rain in many districts of Bangkok, including most of Thon Buri, Ratchathewi, Yannawa and Pathumwan. The highest rainfall as of 11.50 am was 76.5 millimetres in Pathumwan district. The heavy downpour during the morning rush hours triggered floods on many streets. The Drainage and Sewerage Department of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said there was minor flooding of around 15 centimetres deep at Ratchaprasong Intersection at around 11…

In my mind, 20-year old Arthy Santos should be happy with his life. He's young, cute, and sexy. But no, he has a need for speed or so it would seem when he tried to replicate The Fast and the Furious in Times Square. Unfortunately, the Mercedes Benz he was allegedly driving hit a police officer- on camera! He also has drug charges from a previous incident. So, sexy Arthy might need some skills in prison instead of satisfying his girl/boy friend or making money satisfying older gentlemen. Arthy is on the left: There are better pix of Arthy in this article in the Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/driver-reenacted-fast-furious-sce…

Sad news indeed. I also didn't realize that you could get those party drugs on board. I thought ships were as secure as airports. No? http://www.kennethinthe212.com/2018/01/joel-taylor-of-storm-chasers-dies-of.html

So, Trump now says we don't want any immigrants from the "shithole countries" of Haiti and African countries. God I hope Wakanda is real and Black Panter will come out and destroy him.

19-year old Blaze Bernstein, a pre-med student at the University of Pennsylvania was home on break in Southern California when he made a late night rendezvous with a former classmate at the Orange County School of Arts. Bernstein ended up dead after allegedly trying to kiss 20-year old Samuel Woodward. Bernstein had been stabbed 20 times. His body was found 3 days later in a shallow grave. Who knows what Bernstein knew about Woodward, but one wonders if he knew what a right-wing Neanderthal he is. Apparently, last June, Woodward "hit on" Bernstein so he might have felt he could go further when he returned home. He couldn't, as it turned out. https:/…

Trump announced he's hold a Fake News Award ceremony on Jan 17 Who will win? What will the categories be? The mind wonders..

Bangkok firemen are the go-to guys and they removed 35,000 from around town last year. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/videos/20180119202950238/

For all you bottoms out there that like no commitment or cuddling after sex. http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/08/male-sex-robots-unstoppable-bionic-penises-coming-year-7213306/?ito=desktop.article.share.top.facebook

What happens now? Is this when the GOP - in control of both houses and the Presidency - see their fortunes start to fade?