KhorTose

And at least 1.6 million people died in the Soviet gulags if we are just listing things that have little to do with the subject matter.

It is almost 2 decades since I spent 4 nights in Luang Prabang - and loved them. It is a completely charming small city but never felt like a city. I flew in on Bangkok Airways. I understand there is a long boat service down the Mekong from Chiang Mai, but that would need to be checked to see if it still runs. Just meandering through the centre with its plethora of small temples and colonial houses was a joy. As was the gentle climb up Pussy Hill (although it is spelled Phousi!) to get an overview of the city. The former Royal Palace is now a Museum.

And there is a lovely boat ride about 25 kms up the Mekong to the Pak Ou Caves where there are many hundreds of small Buddha sculptures.

I had booked through the long dead Utopia Tours. I had a non-gay guide during two days but frankly a guidebook would have been just as good. One evening I had a gay guide. Funnily, that evening I had had an early dinner in a little restaurant around the corner from my guesthouse and spent the meal lusting after the two cute waiters. I was then amazed when my evening guide arrived. He was one of the waiters! Gay nightlife then was mostly limited to one very large bar cum disco with very few people and one smaller bar, again with few patrons. 


But I did get a feeling of Luang Prabang being quite cruisy. On my last afternoon before my flight back to Bangkok, I was sitting at one of the tables outside the guesthouse looking at the boat traffic on the Mekong. Soon three cute boys - not sure if they were in the last year at school or first at university but they were in uniform - came and sat nearby. As they were drinking their tea, they obviously were aware that I was looking at them. Soon one came over. He said one of his friends liked me and asked if I lliked him! Of course I did and told him so, but sadly I had absolutely no time to do anything. Bummer!



One anecdote. The guesthouse on the banks of the Mekong was quite new. It was the idea of a Lao architect who had spent about 20 years in Sydney stuying and working before returning home. As I returned from sightseeing one afternoon, he told me I had just missed meeting Mick Jagger and his daughter and how he had had a fascinating chat with them. Another bummer! The Rolling Stones had had a concert in Bangkok cancelled when the plane taking all their stage and technical gear from the previous gig in Mumbai had broken down. So Jagger had hired a plane specifically to visit Luang Prabang. Since he was sitting on a table across from the guesthouse, the owner went up to say how nice it was to see him again.

It turned out that the guesthouse owner had met Jagger during a concert in Sydney some years earlier. Then he formed part of the security guard. At a rehearsal, seeing that he was Asian Jagger had gone up to him to say the band had run out of pot and was there any way the Lao guy could obtain some more! It turned out that the owner had a friend in the Lao Embassy. So overnight, a stash of pot was sent down in the diplomatic bag! 

From Thai PBS World
One of the oldest markets in Thailand’s capital, Tha Tien is a must-visit tourist destination, thanks to its location in the old town, a rich historical background, and the diverse cultures of Thai citizens of various backgrounds. But this historical quarter is not just recommended for foreign visitors but also for Thai locals and expatriates who will be fascinated by the multifaceted charms it has to offer.
Nestled in the heart of so-called Rattanakosin Island, the Tha Tien community is bursting with treasures and historical sites as well as relatively newer lifestyle options such as cafés, bars and restaurants. It recently played host to the Tha Tien Festival. Held from July 21 to 23, the event featured a range of activities including a walking tour.
Visitors could choose three walking routes – Foodies, Mutelu (a fusion of different spiritual and mystical beliefs, creating a unique and complex system of faith and practices in Thai culture) and Cultural. Of course, no single route can provide a thorough understanding of the area so anyone wishing to learn more is well advised to return.
The word “Tha” means port and Tha Tien was an important area for maritime trade in the past. There are several theories as to the origin of its name. Some say that it came from multiple fires in this area. Others believe that it was established by a group of refugees who sought shelter from wars during the Thonburi period. These refugees migrated from Hatinh and eventually transformed the area into the community now known as Tha Tien.
Whatever the reason behind the name, this former maritime port area drew people of different nationalities to conduct business. The Kingdom’s very first distribution centre of goods, it quickly became a melting pot of cultures including Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Mon.
Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimonmangkalaram Ratchaworamahavihard or Wat Pho, sometimes referred to as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, served as the religious backbone of the community and remains its most important historical and cultural site.

The Mutelu tour invites visitors to experience the attractions on the other side of Thai Tien, notably the iconic Phra Prang Wat Arun. As part of the tour, visitors are also introduced to the talk-of-the-town Phra Prang’s tile pattern ice-cream.
Continues at
https://www.thaipbsworld.com/tha-tien-old-bangkok-at-its-very-best/

People's brain on FOX:
 

 
 
 
 

Rasmussen is the only polling company with daily tracking.  In June 2022, when inflation peaked, Biden's worst daily approval rating was 38 approve/60 disapproval In the July 2023 daily polls, his single best day was 46 approve/52 disapprove.  A lot better.  If you go backward from June 2022, Biden's approval rating kept getting worse as inflation climbed.  So that's not proof.  But it strongly suggests that, like with Ford and Carter, a higher "misery index" would hurt Biden in 2024.  Conversely, if inflation stabilizes at 3 % or even goes down to the 2 % target rate or lower, it suggests Biden's approval rating will improve.  Same thing happened to Reagan after the 1982 bloodbath:  his approval rating gradually climbed from horrific to landslide territory as the economy improved.
This also strongly suggests that voters will blame a recession on Biden, fair or not.  Using the chart below, the three candidates since 1984 who ran representing the party in power while the economy was working against them all lost:  Bush 41 in 1992, McCain in 2008, Trump in 2020.  Recent history strongly suggests that "it's the economy, stupid," is true. 
The thing I like about polling, in general, is that while it is far from perfect it is usually better than just making a wild ass guess.  Same with Alan Lichtman, who on this particular point is extremely interesting.  He's correctly predicted the winner of every Presidential race since 1984 in advance.  So while that's not the same as 2 + 2 = 4 every time, it's a pretty solid record that merits attention. 

That's basically Lichtman's scorecard for every Presidential race he has correctly predicted, and why.  Part of what makes common sense about this, and is flattering if you actually believe in democracy, is it's based on the idea that voters predictably decide based on important things.  Like the economy, recessions, war and peace, impeachment.  Try as they might, cynical pollsters and messaging gurus just aren't able to convince people that a pig with lipstick is not really a pig.
One of the things Lichtman argues that is going to be controversial in 2024 is that an incumbent party is always better off running the incumbent President, and avoiding a party fight.  I buy that.  Others don't.  I might feel differently if everyone agreed that Gavin Newsom was our guy, or Kamala Harris was our girl.  But they don't.  Even if we had a Democratic primary and every big name in the polls ran, the polls suggest Biden would win.  Probably for the same reason Trump will be nominated:  there is no alternative Republican everyone can agree to rally around yet.
So this is where Lichtman's theory gets very interesting.  Maybe there could still be some big foreign policy game changer.  But probably not.  The Republicans are sure working the scandal thing hard, without much success.  So Biden's re-election basically comes down to a recession and a third party.
Unless you completely dismiss Lichtman's track record and theories, his analysis of 1992 and Bush 41 is probably the closest to now.  Bush had one thing Biden doesn't:  a clear foreign policy win.  Biden has one thing Bush didn't:  several clear domestic policy wins to run on. ("Finish the job.")  So Lichtman's theory is that in every election since the Civil War it consistently takes six of these keys to nail your political coffin shut.  Neither Biden nor Bush could change the fact that they lacked charisma, and they lost seats in the midterm (the party mandate key).  The main variables that are still  up for grabs that killed Bush 41 and could kill Biden is running in a recession with someone like Manchin catching fire as a third party candidate. That could be fatal for Biden.
The other interesting historical question is whether this is really in anyone's control.  Part of what appeals to me about this theory, other than it's perfect ability to predict results so far, is that Lichtman's partner in crime back in the early 1980's was a global expert on predicting earthquakes.  So the idea is that when you have vibrant third party wildfires like Anderson in 1980 or Perot in 1992 and 1996 who get lots of votes, it's a political tremor that indicates a political earthquake may be coming.  It's only one variable.  Which is why it helped take out Bush in 1992 but not Clinton in 1996, who was running during an economic boom.  But nature abhors a vacuum.  It could be that the Democratic messaging and managers can't stop this.  They can probably stop Manchin.  Maybe he's just using it to get something else he wants.  But if not Manchin, it could be lots of other people.  And not necessarily through No Labels.  In the worst case scenario, like we have the hard landing that everyone fears, it's easy for me to imagine that some populist billionaire like Perot (Elon Musk?) decides they'll save America and jump in the race.
Lichtman's keys and all the polls are basically saying the same thing right now:  it's going to be close, if the election were held today.  
You can dismiss all this as some ivory tower academic theory, of course.  Even though it's worked pretty well in predicting elections in advance.  What's harder to dismiss is that when you just count votes third party Nader is almost certainly why Gore lost in Florida.  And third party Stein at the very least contributed to Clinton's loss in 2020.  There's no doubt of that.  I'm glad Democrats are freaking out and ringing alarms.  A strong third party run will divide the anti-Trump vote.  And help Trump and his devoted base win.

More a 3rd party candidate who would hand 2024 election to Trump. Manchin would take far more votes from Dems and Independents than from the Trump core.

Seattle's Pride parade drew 300,000 people.  One of the largest turnouts I've seen in 33 years.

Seattle's Pride parade drew 300,000 people.  One of the largest turnouts I've seen in 33 years.

Seattle's Pride parade drew 300,000 people.  One of the largest turnouts I've seen in 33 years.

Media news follow-up accounts of this incident provide more insight into the possible mechanism of injury. 
The Bangkok Post reports that the roller bag wheels appear to have become entangled in the “comb” at the end of walkway, causing it to break. This may have been how the user’s leg was drawn into the enlarged space.

 
Meanwhile, Thai PBS World Carrie’s the following account:
The accident on an escalator at Don Mueang airport yesterday (Thursday) might have been caused by a small object falling into the end of the escalator, causing a gap in the floor panel that trapped the leg of a passenger before it stopped automatically 20 seconds later, said Boonpong Kitwattanachai, an advisor to the mechanical engineering committee of the Thai Engineering Institute of Thailand.
He said that a floor panel was found to have fallen under the escalator, indicating that the bolt which attaches the floor to the escalating rail had failed.
============
The accident, in which a female passenger lost part of her left leg when she fell on an escalator at Don Mueang International Airport on June 29th, was not the first time that a passenger or their property has been pulled into an escalator mechanism at the airport.
On July 30th, 2019, an accident caused by an escalator in Don Mueang International Airport was shared on a passenger’s Facebook page, after one of his shoes was damaged by being pulled into the mechanism while he was on the escalator.
According to the post, he was on the way back with his family after a night flight from Osaka to Don Mueang International Airport. He was on the moving walkway and, as he was about to step off, he felt something pulling his left shoe into the mechanism. He could not release it, because the force was too strong. He quickly pulled his foot out of the trapped shoe and, in less than a second, his shoe was drawn into the mechanism. 
==========
The accident on an escalator at Don Mueang airport yesterday (Thursday) might have been caused by a small object falling into the end of the escalator, causing a gap in the floor panel that trapped the leg of a passenger before it stopped automatically 20 seconds later, said Boonpong Kitwattanachai, an advisor to the mechanical engineering committee of the Thai Engineering Institute of Thailand.
He said that a floor panel was found to have fallen under the escalator, indicating that the bolt which attaches the floor to the escalating rail had failed.
For the sake of safety while riding on the escalator, Boonpong suggested passengers to keep one hand on the handrail and avoid using their cell phone.

Seattle's Pride parade drew 300,000 people.  One of the largest turnouts I've seen in 33 years.

Seattle's Pride parade drew 300,000 people.  One of the largest turnouts I've seen in 33 years.

Seattle's Pride parade drew 300,000 people.  One of the largest turnouts I've seen in 33 years.

If the senators prevent Khun Pita from becoming PM, I will be one of those on the streets! I know I am not Thai and I had no vote. But I will be there to support my Thai friends.

My partner really likes living in Seattle.  He has not been the least bit homesick.  Nevertheless, we will return for a month in November just to get back in personal touch with friends and family.  Seven plus years since we left Thailand.  Will we be shocked?

My partner really likes living in Seattle.  He has not been the least bit homesick.  Nevertheless, we will return for a month in November just to get back in personal touch with friends and family.  Seven plus years since we left Thailand.  Will we be shocked?

My partner really likes living in Seattle.  He has not been the least bit homesick.  Nevertheless, we will return for a month in November just to get back in personal touch with friends and family.  Seven plus years since we left Thailand.  Will we be shocked?

My partner really likes living in Seattle.  He has not been the least bit homesick.  Nevertheless, we will return for a month in November just to get back in personal touch with friends and family.  Seven plus years since we left Thailand.  Will we be shocked?

My partner really likes living in Seattle.  He has not been the least bit homesick.  Nevertheless, we will return for a month in November just to get back in personal touch with friends and family.  Seven plus years since we left Thailand.  Will we be shocked?

I believe it is more complicated than that. It's hard to explain succinctly because Professor Jackson's writing is far from simple - at least for me! I certainly I believe Jackson does not mean that kathoey means transgender, merely a man who adopts a more feminine outlook.
At one point in the first Paper, he writes about Anna Leonowens' concerns when describing inhabitants of the Royal Palace. (This was the English teacher as later portrayed as 'Anna' in "The King & I" the popular Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.) She served the King for 5 years from 1862. At this time King Mongkut had 39 wives and concubines and 82 children.
Anna later wrote, "Here were women disguised as men, and men in the attire of women, hiding vice of every vileness and crime of every enormity - at once the most disgusting, the most appalling, and the most unnatural that the heart of man has conceived."
Yet, as Jackson points out, what Ms. Leonowens actually saw were the somewhat Amazonian female guards of the King's harem and actors performing in one of the all-male troupes. As in the time of Shakespeare, men took on the role of women on stage. She had simply failed to note much gender differentiation between men and women.
"All Siamese women were perceived as masculine and all Siamese men as feminine," wrote Jackson. Even in the late 1940s, a Study of the Thai village of Bang Chan (now a suburb of Bangkok) noted that "there are very few cultural roles, apart from those associated with religion, which can not be played by either men or women . . . Thai culture in its secular aspects seems to consider all adults as simply human beings together, without major distinction of sex roles; behaviour which is appropriate to one person is equally appropriate to another." In this case, the word "roles" does not refer to a stage play. It merely means in life in general.
He then adds from the same Study, "The degree of equality between the sexes which exists in Thailand . . . is a characteristic which strongly distinguishes the norms of Thai society from those of India, China or Japan, or even the Catholic Philippines and Muslim Indonesia. It is a characteristic which predated the influence of Hindu culture and the acceptance of Buddhism with their androcentrism and emphasis on masculine values." Thus the sameness of the sexes in Thailand is millennia old.
As seems to be indicated by that Study - equality also refers to sexual relations. But the Westernization of the people by imposing the mandate that women and men dress very differently and specifically had also resulted in changes in attitudes to sex. 
Last point. There are virtually no references to kathoey until a 1924 newspaper article. It is only after World War II that the term becomes more commonly used. I suspect (and it is nothing more than that) that by enforcing a different dress code for men and women, thereafter it became much more difficult for men to have sex with other men. After all, in the past it would have been difficult for others to tell who were men and who were women! With the completely new dress code, the kathoey looked feminine and so became attractive to men seeking a homosexual tryst.
I'm sorry, that is all far from simple! I hope it makes some kind of sense.

Maybe. That would depend on Mark Burnett's contract. Since Burnett is now the Chairman of MGM Worldwide Television Group, he would never allow for the release of the outtakes. The last thing Burnett wants to do is piss off millions and millions of Trump voters, who do watch TV.
And what does it matter? Even if the outtakes show Trump shooting a child on 5th Avenue (especially a Black, Mexican, or Asian child), his cult following will still love him, claiming the action showed "strength." The cult is the most worrisome thing to U.S. security, and those who work in security know it. The sooner Trump drops off the face of the earth, the better for everyone.

Aon and Lan, who joke they are "an intergaycial couple," are the duo behind the award-winning LGBTQ+ travel blog Deer Is Travelling. Based in Bangkok the couple writes about living in Thailand and traveling in the region. The cofounders of LGBTQ Travel Thailand, Aon and Lan have collaborated with many hotel chains (including Hilton, Pullman, SO Sofitel, and Amari) and their blog has been recongnized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. 
In our exclusive interview below they tell Out Traveler what makes Thailand such a great hub for travel, what most tourists to the area miss, and the best things about traveling as a couple.
(Pictured: Phi Phi Islands, Thailand)
  How did you meet?

We matched on Tinder and we were so busy, so we met for the first time a few months after that. But when we finally did, we had this click and our story started! We both didn’t plan to stay in Bangkok as Aon wanted to move to Canada to study and Lan was in Bangkok to learn Muay Thai for a year with the plans to travel more. But looks at us now!
(Picture: Koh Kood Island Thailand)
  Why is your blog called Deer Is Travelling?
For our first big trip together we went to Japan for two weeks. And I asked Aon: “We spent so much money on this trip, should we do at least a couplegram out of it?” And we actually did! When we started looking for a name, we thought "deer" may work because in Thai it has a queer meaning, plus during that time we used to call each other "dear deer." Plus one of us has a deer horn tattoo on the chest, so we thought we’re just like a deer — four legs and horns. And since the deer is an animal that is strong and independent, brave, and mostly does not hurt other animals; we thought it fits perfectly!
 
(Pictured: Pullman Bangkok Hotel G in Bangkok, Thailand)
  What advice do you give LGBTQ+ travelers coming to the region?
Thailand is famous for its beaches and temples. There are literally thousands of both here but normally only the beaches get well explored. We recommend everyone try to explore more mountains or cultural events. Thailand actually has over 40,000 temples but most tourists can name just a few. Let’s change that!
(Pictured: Temple Wat Arun in Bangkok Thailand)
  Do you have a favorite destination in Thailand? Outside of Thailand?
We love that it’s always hard to choose anything particular about Thailand. For example. last year we went to local regions Loei and Mae Hong Song, it was absolutely stunning! Then we came to visit two hidden gem islands — Koh Kood and Koh Phi Phi. Although each was absolutely different, those four destinations are the ones that surprised us the most.

Outside of Thailand we definitely in love with Japan! We have been to the countryfour times but it’s never enough! We already planning to be back as soon as restriction ease. Also, we love the nature of Laos a lot!
(Pictured: Koh Kood Island Thailand)
  What is the best thing about traveling as a couple?
There are so many things! Especially for two guys who are almost the same size! We always share our clothes and personal care items, so we have a double wardrobe during our travels! It also means more food. It’s safer and cheaper. It is awesome to spend birthdays and other big holidays together, even better to share moments like splashing around the sea in the golden hour. We can even think of more reasons! Renting a kayak to paddle out to some hidden sea cave? Driving anywhere? Each of us gets a chance to sleep, take pictures, check the map, reserve the next hotel. It’s truly amazing!
(Pictured: Koh Samed Island Thailand)
  What makes Thailand such a great hub for traveling?
Thailand has it all! Culture, mountains, islands, crystal clear water, white sand beaches, kind people, food, and more! People in Thailand are very tolerant and we never had any problems with being a gay couple in Thailand. Maybe we just lucky but we couldn’t remember anything unfriendly that happened to us.
(Pictured: Loha Prasat Wat Ratchanatdaram Worawihan Temple Bangkok)
   If you were setting up a culinary travel itinerary what restaurants or regions would be must-visits?

Thailand is a large country with diverse geography, which over the years has led to the development of regional differences in cuisine. There are currently four different cooking styles in Thailand.

Dishes in the north of Thailand are generally less spicy than in the rest of the country, with sticky rice traditionally mixed into small balls with the fingers. There is a strong influence from neighboring Burma and its popular dishes like Kaeng Hang Le, pork curry flavored with ginger, turmeric, and tamarind.

Food in the northeast is influenced by Laos, usually very spicy food served with glutinous rice. Although there are many meat dishes, historically in the villages meat was very small, and the source of protein was shrimp and freshwater fish. They are often fermented to increase shelf life.

The Central Region offers cuisine that is somewhere between north and south, with aromatic jasmine rice, a stickier variety, popular. The central area is home to royal cuisine, which makes it special. This type of cooking, which originated in the royal palace, involves more complex dishes prepared with more sophisticated methods.

Southern Thai cuisine is the most popular outside of Thailand and is the main tourist region of the country. Coconut milk is much more commonly used in southern cuisine as a substitute for ghee for frying. The dishes are rich in seafood, as well as cashews from local plantations and coconut pulp as a condiment.

Talking about Thai food is always hard since it made you hungry easy!
(Pictured Red Lotus Floating Market in Thailand)

 
  Tell us about your biggest #TravelFail and how you recovered.
Once we stayed in Da Nang, Vietnam. In the morning we were blue since we had not had enough time to explore all we wanted but it was time to leave the city and be back in Bangkok. We went to check out from the hotel but the receptionist said our hotel check-out wasn’t until the next day! We checked our flight and it wasn’t until the next day as well! Somehow we miscounted and got an extra day in Vietnam, which made us so happy!
(Pictured: Pullman Bangkok Hotel Luang Prabang, Laos) 
  What are your top LGBTQ+ travel resources?
We started our blog for the reason that there are almost no LGBTQ+ friendly resources about Thailand. Plus, we always were looking for hidden gems places around Thailand but there is not much information either. At first, we were confused ourselves and later decided to make Deer is Traveling to show how it is to be a gay couple in Thailand but also show the beauty of Thailand that regular tourists often don't see.
(Pictured: Koh Kood Island Thailand)
 

On April 16, Amazon will air a new historical drama, Leonardo, about the life of the great painter. It is now well known and documented that Leonardo was gay. Giorgio Vasari's famous 1550 volume "Lives of the Artists" makes clear that Leonardo was besotted with his male assistant Salai. Salai even appears as a beautiful angel in one of his best known paintings. It is also known he surrounded himself with good-looking assistants and pupils. Documents discovered around 1900 show that Leonardo was accused of sodomy before Florentine magistrates in 1476.
Yet Amazon's portrait of Leonardo "drags Caterina da Cremona out of the shadows". The show's writer claims this was the most important relationship in his life. "But Caterina is a figment, a fantasy, a complete piece of tosh, invented by a 19th-century Romantic" who believed that Leonardo could not have painted female nudes without having slept with a woman!! Yet he was 57 when he met Caterina and she was a prostitute. Tosh indeed!
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/mar/26/leonardo-aidan-turner-amazon-prime-video-series-gay

And it's a lovely time of year because many trees and plants begin to blossom. These were taken on a short walk near my apartment this morning.

Second this recommendation.  She is very real and extremely intelligent and talks to her listeners on an almost one to one basis.
  Trump knows he has lost, but he says he is raising money to fight the election.  In truth the 207 million he has raised only 9 million has been spent on fighting the election results.  The rest will be to pay his back taxes and debtors, to keep him out of jail.  He is ripping off his own supporters, and you would think some of them might be smart enough to catch on.  America's democracy is failing because somehow our educational system is really lacking.  No longer "Ugly American", but dumb American.