The Beer Bar

NOTE — Is the dismissive attitudes expressed by the political parties a harbinger of what we can expect in elections elsewhere? From Thai PBS World The use of AI deep-fakes in Indonesia, during the run-up to this year’s elections, is ringing alarm bells among advocates for information integrity, as they are being used for political gain. As the world watches the country’s fifth direct presidential elections, since the end of the Suharto era in 1998, it is worth taking a look at the struggle to address the downsides of this rapidly developing technology. Over the past six months, the local and international media have dubbed this the “AI election” and a…

If you're wondering why money changers are so demanding that US $100 banknotes are in pristine condition it's because it's among the most frequently counterfeited note circulating in the Kingdom. So brazen are the crooks who deal in the business that they've now begun offering their wares on LINE. This Bank Post article describes how police ordered $80,000 in bogus currency and nabbed the sellers at the transfer point. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2725727/duo-arrested-with-fake-dollar-bills-worth-b2-8m

Arrived in Bkk last night and this morning discovered I’d left my blood pressure med at home. Went to the ever reliable Chula pharmacy on Rama 4 (between Silom and Surawong) and was provided what I needed for 80 baht. it appears that b/p and statins are available without prescription in LOS.

From Thai PBS World A woman, who was relying on GPS to navigate the way to visit a friend in Phrae province on Sunday, found her car stuck on a small pedestrian suspension bridge over a river. She narrowly escaped tragedy, as the wooden bridge’s planks broke under the weight of her car, causing her left wheel to become stuck. She immediately exited the vehicle and sought help from people nearby. A police and rescue team used tractors to pull the car back onto the bank of the river. The 120-meter bridge over the Yom River connects two villages in Tambon Wiang Thong in Sung Men district. The driver, whose name was not revealed…

From Pattaya News On January 26th, 2024, the Thai Metropolitan Police Bureau and Makkasan police officers searched The Office, a massage service center, in Huai Khwang, Bangkok, and captured 43 individuals. According to a report by the Thai police, 43 individuals, including 14 Thais, 12 Vietnamese, and 17 Chinese, were pressed on charges of alleged prostitution offenses. Furthermore, Chinese investors were believed to be behind this shady business leading to the police raid at The Office, according to the police. Bangkok Police stated that they were shocked to find that the massage shop was secretly a front for prostitution, which is illegal in Thailand. …

From Thai PBS World A school teacher was killed and a vocational student seriously injured in a shooting near a school in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei district on Saturday morning. Khlong Toei police say they suspect that the shooting stemmed from a rivalry between students of two vocational colleges. Quoting motorcycle taxi drivers, police said that a group of about five vocational students were gathered on the pavement in front of a bank, near a girl’s school on Sunthorn Kosa Road, when the pillion passenger from a motorcycle approached the students and opened fire with a handgun. The bullets hit one of the students and a bystander, later identified as a school …

Given all the hoopla over Ryan Murphy's new show, I thought readers might find the original guest list an interesting read. Shockingly, it was published in The New York Times at the time. You may need to drag the file to your desktop to see it in-full. Not sure how the UI will handle the file. (Follow-up: It seems all you have to do is click on the image, and the enlarged version will appear.)

https://nypost.com/2024/02/06/lifestyle/delta-airlines-removes-reprimands-woman-for-not-wearing-a-bra/ "A frustrated female flyer is pushing back after Delta Airlines staff threatened to kick her off the plane for not wearing a bra. Lisa Archbold was traveling from Salt Lake City to San Francisco on Jan. 22 when the tit snit took off, very suddenly putting her plans in peril. The self-employed DJ, who had just attended the world-famous Sundance film festival, alleged that after “every single person” had taken their seat, she was “loudly” summoned to the front of the plane. Once there, The Independent reported, the New Zealand expat was herded out into the passen…

NOTE -- Russia and the Afghanistan disagree on how many Russian citizens were on board. From The Nation Two Russian citizens were among the passengers on a charter flight destined for Moscow that went missing over Afghanistan, as reported by Russia's state-run TASS news agency on Sunday, citing a source "in the operational services." A manifest list for the plane, published by the SHOT news outlet, indicated that the entire crew were Russian nationals. Russian aviation authorities announced on Sunday that a Russian-registered plane, believed to have six individuals on board, disappeared from radar screens…

From Bangkok Post https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2739561/airports-of-thailand-to-invest-b4-4bn-in-suvarnabhumi-expansion

From The Nation In what is seen as a countdown to the demise of the Move Forward Party, the Constitutional Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that the main opposition party and its former leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, were guilty of seeking to overthrow the country's constitutional monarchy system. The nine Constitutional Court judges voted unanimously that Pita and Move Forward’s election campaigns, by proposing to sponsor a bill to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code, had violated Article 49 of the Constitution. The court ruled…

Sorry guys no idea where to post this I'm fascinated lately by the Greek Islands Never really thought about it till now Any experiences ,any money boys ?

From The Nation Thai Airways International (THAI) has placed an order for 45 Boeing 787 jets, with the option to potentially boost the size of the deal to around 80 aircraft as it serves rising international travel demand, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing industry sources. The deal, to be formally unveiled later this month, is already reflected in Boeing's published order backlog as a contract for 45 planes with an undisclosed customer, said the sources. Reuters said both Boeing and THAI, Thailand’s national flag carrier, declined to comment on the deal. The sources added that the aircraft would be powered by engines from GE Aeros…

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Thailand is heading up discussions with Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia to seek agreement that a tourist visa or pass for one country means travellers can visit all five without further bureaucracy. The Thai premier’s adviser Prommin Lertsuridej said, “Thailand will lead negotiations for tourists to require one entry visa to travel amongst us.” The idea is not entirely new, but plans have collapsed in the past as the various countries have their own specific requirements and prices. For example, Thailand now offers some countries, for example South Korea and Russia, 90 days visa exempt on arrival and without any …

Dark-haired guys are not normally my thing, but I would't mind a play session with this designer. He's got a super-tight body, not too bulky, and what looks like a beautiful cock and ass. Would love to sniff his pits. Not much info on him, except I think he may be in Ireland. The underwear looks kinda fun, except I prefer to hang free. I love the way he's letting his entrepreneurial flag fly. I believe the product is only available on Amazon. Welcome to the new gig economy.

The New Lunar Year is coming soon. On behalf of Siamroads.com, SGT and myself personally, I wish everyone happiness and success in the coming lunar year.

I find these guys incredibly sexy. From Thai PBS World More than 5,000 Muay Thai boxers from Thailand and 60 other countries took part in a ceremony to pay respects to Muay Thai teachers during the Amazing Muay Thai World Festival 2024, held on Tuesday at the Rajabhakti Park in Hua Hin to commemorate world Muay Thai Day. The event was presided over by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and was attended by Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang, Culture Minister Sermsak Pongpanich, Tourism and Sports Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol and Army Commander-in-Chief General Charoenchai Hinthao. The event featured a card …

I wonder if any scenes were filmed at the JC Complex. 🥴 From Pattaya News The big budget highly anticipated Thai action thriller, “Pattaya Heat: All Men Are Brothers,” is set to ignite the silver screen as it makes its debut on Thursday, February 8th, 2024. The red carpet was rolled out on February 6th for a star-studded lineup of top Thai actors, artists, and renowned influencers, as they gathered to celebrate the launch of this groundbreaking movie at the ‘Gala Premiere’ event at Siam Paragon. Pattaya Heat is a gripping action thriller that delves into the so-called dark underbelly of the world-famous resort city. The movie follows a deadly game of…

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon A Thai Cabinet decision is now awaited on the Tourist Authority of Thailand’s proposal to offer 90 days visa-exempt travel to citizens of UK, US, Australia and most of mainland Europe. The prime minister Srettha Thavisin is known to favour the move, according to his aide Prommin Lertsuridej, as a way of maximizing income from overseas visitors whilst reducing bureaucracy. Currently, these nationalities receive only 30 days without a prior visa, but can extend for a further month at local immigration for 1,900 baht. If they wish, they can then take a day trip to a land border (usually Cambodian) and repeat the procedure. How…

From CNN About two weeks after his oldest son’s funeral, South Carolina state house Rep. Brandon Guffey says he received a private Instagram message with a laughing emoji. Gavin Guffey, 17, had fatally shot himself in a bathroom in July 2022, and the grieving father was searching for clues on what led to his suicide. Then Guffey and his younger son began to get messages demanding money in exchange for nude photos of his late son. Anyone on Gavin’s Instagram followers list who had the last name Guffey got similar messages, his father says. The family began piecing together Gavin’s last moments and discovered he had encountered a scammer on Instagram and…

Came across an article about the prospects of professional football in Vietnam. Its most redeeming feature was the inclusion of a photo I thought worth sharing.

From The Nation A hotel in Phuket has broken the record by handing staffers the highest amount earned in service charge as Thailand’s tourism industry bounces back after the pandemic slowdown. According to Hotel Service Charge Update, JW Marriott Phuket broke the record in December 2023-January 2024 by giving every member of staff a bonus of 95,733.22 baht in service charge. It broke its own record of 79,980 baht handed out a year earlier. Coming in second was Anantara Layan Phuket with 71,715 baht, followed by Four Seasons Koh Samui (Surat Thani) with 69,787 baht, Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangl…

As if the poorly designed 737-Max had not had enough problems, now another one has cropped up. 16 airlines have been told that they need to address an electrical issue before the a specific group of the planes fly again. It the light of this development, I have to ask how on earth the aircraft was passed for flight again by both Boeing and the FAA. It has still not been approved by some of the world's airline regulatory authorities. Boeing will not say which airlines are affected by the electrical problem, but Southwest in the USA has already announced that it is grounding 30 of its 58 737-Max jets. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/09/business/boeing-737-max…

NOTE -- From time to time a feel good story comes to my attention. Today it's from Vietnam where a school for kids orphaned by Covid appears to be thriving. From VN Express Da Nang school opens new chapter for orphans At a school dedicated to children orphaned by Covid, a distressing chapter of their lives is closed so they can move on to a journey full of hope. At 5:30 a.m. one Sunday, 13-year-old Ba Thong asked his teacher to be excused from class so he and his team could complete their unfinished robot project. With the teacher's approval, the boy went knocking on each of his teammates' doors. Six children with drowsy faces then hurried …

From The Irrawaddy Myanmar’s regime has handed death sentences to three brigadier generals who surrendered to the Brotherhood Alliance at Laukkai in northern Shan State. The other three brigadier generals have been jailed for life, according to junta sources. On January 4, almost 2,400 regime troops, including more than 200 officers surrendered to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in Kokang on the Chinese border. The MNDAA sent the soldiers and around 1,600 relatives back to the regime. Brigadier General Moe Kyaw Thu, the Laukkai headquarters chief, Brigadier General Tun Tun Myint, the acting chief of Kokang Self-Administered Zone, …