anddy

it has been chilly at night here in recent weeks, plus he is of course preparing for the freezing aircon inside Dream Boys your perception of the temperature doesn't count, because (1) you don't live here and haven't been acclimatized to the climate here like we have, and (2) you are a Brit, they go in T-shirt and shorts at 15 degrees C you're now a Thai resident, so your temperature scale has shifted accordingly, see point (1) above It's all relative. When you come from 35C then 20 and below IS cold. It's the same as in Europe when the temperature goes from a balmy 25 to 10, that's perceived as cold. On the flip side, when it goes from -5 to 10 in the spring, those same 10 will feel distinctly mild.

They have never been very proficient in that discipline, have they...

I was saying to a friend today the whole thing might be a new record in the Thai government's competition for the most idiotic and nonsensical regulation as well as the fastest flip-flop. But then going on to say "most likely to the permanent resident visa" is another record on top of it. Why for PR's? EVERYone is already in the country in the exact same way as all other foreigners and indeed all Thais. Being in the country and thus being of equal Covid-risk as everyone else has nothing, nothing whatsoever, to do with visa type. Bureaucratic stupidity at it's best, again.... Probably just a flimsy attempt at a face-saving exit from the whole thing. When this came out this morning I just thought this is so idiotic, they will surely backtrack on it. I didn't have to wait long this time

presumably it would be added to the airfare, of course shown and made transparent in the "taxes & fees" section of the airfare breakdown. That has existed forever and also includes the airport departure charge, which in the past was indeed inconveniently payable in cash at a dedicated counter. I see nothing wrong with that. As for the insurance, yes traveler may already have insurance. That maybe most true for western travelers like most members here, but i seriously doubt Asian ones would have it. Same for the infamous backpacker.... 34 Baht sounds like nothing, but the vast majority of the 30+ million tourists we once had and may have again will never have any need for medical services in their short stay. So for the minuscule portion that does those 34 Baht may go a long way to buy enough coverage. As for the remainder of the fee: in principle it's a good thing if it goes to the right uses, such as tourist infrastructure, keeping beaches and national parks clean, etc etc. However, this being Thailand, that's a bit IF.... A non-negligible portion will probably disappear in some pockets.... But it's a start.

... or in the next hour or two! This morning (Monday 4th), the BMA announced the closure of restaurants for dine-in after 7pm, effective tomorrow Tuesday 5th. That was overruled by Prayuth just a few hours later and changed into no dine-in after 9pm. Chaotic? No, normal!! LOL

I concur with that assessment, haven't ever encountered a gayUNfriendly restaurant. There are gay customers to be seen EVERYwhere, and in many places some of the staff will be gay too. Even if there is no gay staff, never encountered any issues. The distinction "gay owned" or "gay friendly" is not a necessary one in Bangkok, and not one I have ever applied.

just for correctness sake: it's Waterlibrary, nor WaLterlibrary. The web link has it right, maybe your autocorrect didn't accept it in the headline and the first sentence lol

while that is pretty obvious, it hadn't really occurred to me, probably due to a lack of need to fool the system. Having said that, I have employed a similar technique in Singapore almost a year ago. After walking around in the heat for some time, I was denied entry to a tourist attraction due to too high temperature (using one of those pistols pointed to the forehead). My assertion that it will go down in the airconditioned inside was politely rejected. So went to a nearby airconditioned coffee shop, got some ice cubes and rubbed it on my forehead for some time. Back to the attraction entrance: all cleared!

... in a virtual manner, look here: https://coconuts.co/bangkok/lifestyle/nye-in-bangkok-where-to-watch-fireworks-to-welcome-2021/

as I said in my first post, "soapy, i.e. straight brothels running as such". It is a distinct category of massage shop, in Thai called "aab ob nuad" (อาบอบนวด). Not to be confused with ANY "normal" massage shop offering HE and more, gay or straight. Last night, Hotmale and Midnight beer bars were open. Surprisingly Dream Boys was open too, just no shows I was told. Moonlight is closed until Jan 4th (if no extension of the city order)

this only affects "soapy massage" parlors, i.e. the straight brothels running as such. Regular massage shops remain open

open, was there 2 or 3 weeks ago

interesting how clearly they state "FULLSERVICE", don't really see that anywhere else right?

Even without explicit orders, some establishments are already taking measures: Siam Square shut the big (well, not as big as before for obvious reasons, reduced from Central World to W-Hotel) gay NYE party WHITE PARTY was cancelled my Condo closes gym and pool from tomorrow (gym understandable, pool (again) makes no sense to me at all, as it's outdoors and social distancing is automatic coz very few people ever use it at all) Pretty sure this will only get more. Public countdown events already cancelled a few days ago.

Goes to show how gullible people have always been and still are, even in this day and age of information and internet. Or maybe even more so, because the world gets ever more complex, incomprehensible, intractable, worrying? Someone claiming to have it all under control with simple (even simplistic) formulas is appealing to many in such a world, even if utterly unrealistic. All the cultural and social achievements including a functioning democracy we in the West have come to take for granted are anything but. It takes a permanent effort by everyone to uphold and defend those achievements. The erosion of civilized political discourse does not bode well for that. Coming back to the thread topic, hopefully the simple decency promised by Biden (and I am 100% certain he will deliver on that promise, he already does) will be able to reverse some of the damage. Getting Republicans in their appalling state will be no easy task though. As for the Senate, you are right that it's probably the biggest prize. However, even if Democrats manage to get control through Georgia in January, it may well prove only temporary. There is just a kind of built-in advantage for Republicans to control that chamber given the make up of the countries. Too many rural states between the coasts.... I read an article about that somewhere just very recently, just can remember where lol, or else I'd post a link.

exactly, baffles me as well. Those same people will stop at a red traffic light without even thinking about it. But that grossly infringes on their freedom! "I am free to do as I please so I will cross the intersection at will, entirely ignoring the traffic light". Right? They just might run over a pedestrian or crash into another car. So they don't. Go figure....

Reading @reader's and @PeterRS's posts I have to say you are both right, and I guess you both know that, too. Both paths - either control the internet where the distinction of what's acceptable and what's not is very difficult to make and will lead to a path towards fictional 1984 or very real China -OR- letting unmitigated wild west of the internet mushroom - are in their own way unacceptable. What is the solution? There isn't one, at least not an obvious and purely "good" one. It's like with Covid, there are no good solutions, only bad ones: fully kill the virus but kill the economy and livelihoods at the same time -OR- let the economy (and thus the virus) flourish and kill millions of people in the process. You can't have your cake and eat it too. You MUST accept some negative outcomes from both options, only (super hard) question is how much of each. The same will have to be true of social media, I suppose. Yes free speech simply doesn't work as it used to. In the distant past, anyone with weird conspiracy theories (or whatever) was free to express those. But where? In the local bar, maybe, and that's about the extent of it. Couldn't get such views into the local newspaper because they just wouldn't print it, even as a paid ad. Then TV came around and just maybe one could air some in a talk show. But not too egregious, as channels wouldn't want to carry it. With social media, there is no limit. Counting on communications-savvy users doesn't work, that's evident. That social media excuse themselves saying they are "just" the platform was OK in the early, innocent days if the internet, but clearly isn't anymore. It's gotten way out of hand. They are already having policies against this and that (like hate speech) in place. How to expand that to all the crap that's posted and stay reasonable, non-stifling at the same time, I have no idea. The middle ground is elusive

Sadly, I have to agree with that. These things play out over much longer periods than just one election cycle. The orange monster hasn't called it quits, either, but rather as it looks will continue to pester the world with his twitter sewage and then run again in 2024. As for people like Duterte and Hun Sen and others, don't forget those get support from China and Russia, which don't give a shit about our democratic worries. That influence is only going to strengthen. US global influence has been diminishing long before Trump, but that was accelerated first by Trump (America first, yes, first down the drain), then by Covid and Trumps fucked up handling of it and rejection of international coopoeration. Biden can do only so much to restore confidence in the US. THAT genie is also out of the bottle, that an utterly untrustworthy president can come to power there (enabled by euqualy untrustworthy and spineless Republicans). Oh well, enough doom & gloom for today lol. Maybe we're lucky and Americans see that a "normal" and effective government (Senate permitting) as demonstrated by Biden is better than the crap of the last 4 years. (hope dies last)

This is kinda funny, as speed limits don't play a noticeable role in road traffic. I wasn't even aware of the 90 kph limit, when driving I've always gone with the flow, quite literally, driving at speeds in a rough range of 90-130 like everybody else, depending on traffic conditions. Even when there are signs about radar being used to enforce it, it almost always seems just an empty threat with no actual enforcement happening. With only ONE exception, I've never gotten a speeding ticket. The one I got did state the limit of 90, I just checked. I thought maybe it was lower for some reason at that spot, didn't realize it was the general limit. I was going at 113 and had no sense of violating a limit lol. The fine was the usual one, a paltry 500 Baht, big deal. As a result, nobody cares. TiT.

sounds like a very welcoming party hotel !

I'm not sure if the monthly gay party is still on, didn't they even have a gay Wednesday evening at the bar? I guess it would be easy to find out as it's a 3 minute walk from my home, but too lazy haha Anyway, they are sure still extremely gay friendly, since they will be hosting the (much smaller due to lack of foreigners) White Party Bangkok for NYE this year. Doesn't get more gay than that Don't know about joiners, but my hunch is that it's no problem at all. I haven't stayed there, only been only to a room once for a private party.

Key quotes (emphasis mine): "The main lesson learnt in building a digital society for the past 25 years in Estonia is that digital government has got very little to do with technology and everything to do with building a mindset and culture for trust. [...] "In America, you're seeing Donald Trump undermine trust in mail-in ballot despite having no legitimate reason for doing so. Just the accusation kind of undermines the legitimacy," Chowdhury said. "All democracies are built on that trust in the process. They're actually very fragile and as soon as you undermine trust in the process and how secure it is, that's when you see democracies failing," Key quote: "Even worse, in this biggest of bully pulpits, Trump has turned his presidency into a case study in democratic erosion via norm busting. " That was and is the biggest danger of Trump and Trumpism: not his policies (let him build his stupid Mexico wall), but constant undermining of trust in the system and processed. Everyone knows that democracy only properly works when the three branches of government are truly separate, providing the necessary checks and balances. However, probably even more important are the unwritten and unspoken rules and customs everyone adheres to, from the electorate to politicians to judges, i.e. mindset of EVERYONE. That is eroded quickly leading to corrosion of the institutions and democracy itself. It would be a reverse "change of heart" In Ghandi's sense, allowing autocracy (as aspired to by Trump) t flourish even in what used to be the beacon of democracy.

It's because the ruling (federal) government in the US has zero influence and control over the election. It's all done by the states, in some of which the opposition party is in fact in charge (notably Pennsylvania). And don't forget that postal votes are ALL and by definition fraudulent

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/11/a9aa757c15db-japan-minister-bashes-trump-over-refusal-to-accept-election-loss.html Japan minister bashes Trump over refusal to accept election loss Japan's land minister said Tuesday he posted, then deleted, a tweet criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump's refusal to accept defeat in last week's election. "A sitting president making accusations of election fraud and insisting he will 'never give up.' Am I the only one seeing this and thinking, what kind of dictatorship is this? Where has our role model for democracy gone?," Kazuyoshi Akaba wrote. [continues] "Role model for democracy" the US have not been for some time, but now it's completely down the drain...

good (if sobering) piece on the issue of the nature of Trump voters: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/04/politics/black-voters-2020-election-donald-trump-white-nationalism/index.html Millions of White voters are once again showing who they are Washington (CNN)Millions of White voters are once again showing who they are and -- spoiler -- it's not really that great for America, but in particular for Black and brown people.