PeterRS

Two of mine kissed me before I had had time to brush my teeth! I suggest it is better to do so before they arrive and then to brush and rinse the mouth along with them after their arrival.

In my post earlier today about Julie Christie, I mentioned Michel Legrand's wonderful score which unquestionably adds to "The Go-Between"s effect on audiences. Legrand was of course a master of the art of composing for film. His great scores include "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" which won him his first Academy Award nomination. I feel his best score - and certainly best song - was for the 1968 "The Thomas Crown Affair" (the orignal and not the poor remake with Piers Brosnan) for which he won the Oscar for best song "Windmills of Your Mind". This has been covered by endless major artists. I just think the original sung by Noel Harrison is still the best. Great lyrics and scintillating music. Another 'great' is unquestionably Ennio Morricone. One of his masterpieces is surely "The Mission" set in South America at and near the Iguazu Falls as Church and State come to blows over colonisation. "Gabriel's Oboe' theme is utterly beautiful and haunting, the more so when set against the gruesome tale unfolding on screen. Unfortunately when you include visuals from the movie, the theme is not nearly so pronounced. So I include 2 vdos, the first with an orchestra; the second with visuals from the movie. Of the great film composers, we naturally must include John Williams (who owes at least some of his success to the classical composer, Richard Strauss!), Bernard Herrmann who scored many of Hitchock's movies, Franz Zimmer who has won two Oscars, the French Alexandre Desplat who has also won two Oscars and wrote the music for "The King's Speech", "The Queen", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and the charmingly witty "The Grand Budapest Hotel". We should not forget some of the older composers like Nino Rota who wrote the music for "The Godfather" Parts I and II and a host of movies by the great directors Luchino Visconti and Federico Fellini. And of course Burt Bacharach for "What's New Pussycat" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". Let'a also not forget some of those who wrote for a mix of serious and lighter movies, composers like the great Henry Mancini. The Pink Panther series, "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "Days of Wine and Roses", and my favourite, "Victor Victoria".

I agree with much of @macaroni21's analysis and thoughts. I would only question whether or not the US oil embargo forced the Japanese into the Pacific war. No doubt it was a major blow, but we also know that the Japanese had been waging war in China for years. The 1930s were a time of extreme militarism and planned expansion in Japan. Its 1931 occupation of Manchuria to gain that large part of China's raw materials was merely an event based on a totally fake narrative not unlike many before and after - including the Tonkin Gulf incident after which Congress quickly enabled President Johnson significantly to escalate the Vietnam War. The Japanese then started a full scale war in China 1937, quickly occupying much of East China. Although that war was to result in a form of stalemate, Japan then invaded Indo-China in 1940. That year it also joined the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy. Plans for a full-scale military assault on much of East Asia were by then well under way, long before Pearl Harbour. Its war machine needed vital raw materials and eyed especially Malaya for its rubber and the Dutch East Indies for its oil. It's hard not to underestimate the US decision to close the Panama Canal to Japanese shipping. This had a huge effect on Japan and must certainly have quickened its planning to attack several Asian countries. From what I have read, the decision to attack Pearl Harbour was to a certain extent an afterthought. It always knew its attacks on Asian countries would bring international condemnation, but given that Europe was engulfed in a War that looked as though it might soon escalate and the USA was neutral, it was assumed that European colonial nations would have little to spare to protect their Asian colonies. America was a different matter altogether but if secrecy to attack South-East Asia could be maintained, the US would not have time to mobilise its forces on the west coast in time to have much effect. Towards the end of 1940 Roosevelt then moved the US Pacific fleet to Pearl Harbour with the hope of restraining further Japanese aggression. To the Japanese that transfer to Hawaii was unexpected and must in some senses have seemed a major bonus. Knock out that fleet and there would be zero opposition to its East-Asian attacks. But they failed by not ensuring the US aircraft carriers were in port.

With a 6-decade career, the gorgeous actor Julie Christie is 85 this week. Exactly 60 years ago she graced cinema screens as Lara in David Lean's epic movie "Dr. Zhivago". That same year she was the undoubted star of the lesser movie "Darling". The film that has most entranced me, though, was her portrayal of Marian in Joeph Losey's 1971 "The Go-Between" with its wonderful cast including Edward Fox, Alan Bates, Margaret Leighton and Sir Michael Redgrave. Set in a large aristocratic country house during a blisteringly hot summer at the turn of the century, Christie plays the older sister of a boarding school boy of around 12, Marcus, who has invited a schoolfriend from a more ordinary background, Leo, to spend the summer holidays. Marian weaves her charms on the innocent Leo for she neeeds him for an urgent mission. She has fallen in love with one of the farmers, Ted Burgess - a definite no-no in those days - and wants Leo to be her 'go-between' taking letters to and from him. Leo himself has developed a schoolboy crush on Marian and happily agrees. The affair between Marian and Ted progresses. Poor Leo has no idea that they are love letters until one day he sneaks a look at one. He is utterly shocked and his reaction is seen by Marian's mother who has long suspected something was going on. The end result is that the affair is discovered when the mother drags Leo to the barn and discovers Ted and Marian having sex. This leads to a whole series of complications, one being that Ted kills himself. Among the worst is the total devastation felt by Leo. 50 years later he returns to the House, a somewhat empty shell of a man having been unable to form intimate relationships all his life. Once again Marian asks him to be her 'go-between' - and to find out why you have to watch the movie! Michel Legrand's hauntingly beautiful score only adds to the power of the movie. Before moving to Asia, I frequently had to visit London. Friends and I often used to have dinner in a small restaurant the Trattoria Imperia opposite the entrance to the London Coliseum, home of English National Opera. On one occasion Julie Christie was dining at a slightly raised table at the end. I wanted to tell her how much i enjoyed her performances - but chickened out! I didn't think it appropriate that a member of the public interrupt a star just because she was in a public space!

It has been some years since I booked anyone from the escort services. Each time I was pleased with the service and happy that the boys looked even better than their photos on the company websites. Also, they did what they promised they would do. This is part of the extensive website of the Danshi Gaguen (but there are others listed elsewhere in various Japan pages in this forum). On the Boys list page, you will see that there are icons stating what each boy will do. For example, on this page from the Boy's list (there are many more boys to choose from), you can see that only Hibiki will top. The following will bottom for you - Hibiki, Haido, Hikari, Hibit, Natsu and Takuto. Some have reported that these icons are not always 100% reliable. So you should check with the mamasan/manager before you make a booking. Most in Tokyo and Osaka will speak some English. This particular site is very detailed about how to go about booking, the times each boy works etc. My Japanese is extremely limited but those I have booked have had either limited English or would understand hand signs. The important thing is to treat them with respect. I have only ever asked for boys to come to my hotel. Every time they will be exactly on time or a few minutes early. This particular establishment says they have 15 rooms each in Tokyo and Osaka. Do not worry about boys comng to the hotel. I do not know anyone who has ever had any problem with this. Japanese give particular attention to cleanliness. The boy will always shower with you beforehand, but if you have been out for a sweaty day of sightseeing I'd suggest you shower before he arrives - and brush your teeth! Enjoy! https://lang.dgdgdg.com

Part of China's tit-for-tat tariffs include one that Trump no doubt did not expect and which has many in the US concerned. An article on the BBC website today highlights China's export controls on a range of critical rare earth minerals and magnets. This, according to the BBC "will deal a major blow to the US." This is something someone in Trump's manic circle should have realised. Back in 1992, China's paramount leader Deng Xiao-ping said, "The Middle East has oil and China has rare earths." Exactly what is rare earth? The article continues - The move has laid bare how reliant America is on these minerals . . . "Everything you can switch on or off likely runs on rare earths," explains Thomas Kruemmer, Director of Ginger International Trade and Investment. Rare earths are also critical to the production of medical technology like laser surgery and MRI scans, as well as key defence technologies. China has a near monopoly on extracting rare earths as well as on refining them - which is the process of separating them from other minerals. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that China accounts for about 61% of rare earth production and 92% of their processing. In response to tariffs imposed by Washington, China earlier this month began ordering restrictions on the exports of seven rare earth minerals - most of which are known as "heavy" rare earths, which are crucial to the defence sector . . . [All] companies now have to get special export licenses in order to send rare earths and magnets out of the country. That is because as a signatory to the international treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, China has the ability to control the trade of "dual use products". According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), this leaves the US particularly vulnerable as there is no capacity outside China to process heavy rare earths. A US Geological report notes that between 2020 and 2023, the US relied on China for 70% of its imports of all rare earth compounds and metals. This means that the new restrictions have the ability to hit the US hard. Heavy rare earths are used in many military fields such as missiles, radar, and permanent magnets. A CSIS report notes that defence technologies including F-35 jets, Tomahawk missiles and Predator unmanned aerial vehicles all depend on these minerals. It adds that this comes as China "expands its munitions production and acquires advanced weapons systems and equipment at a pace five to six times faster than the United States". "The impact on the US defence industry will be substantial," said Mr Kroemmer. And it's not only in the field of defence. US manufacturing, which Trump has said he hopes to revive through the imposition of his tariffs, stand to be severely impacted. "Manufacturers, particularly in defence and high-tech, face potential shortages and production delays due to halted shipments and limited inventories," said Dr Harper. More at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1drqeev36qo

It's some years since I was in Prague. Just walking around I saw so many great-looking guys. I am certain they must be crawling all over the apps. As @ShivRoy suggests, though, whether or not a particulr bar is open or closed should not discourage you from visiting Prague. It's a gorgeous city. A few pics if you have not been before.

For years we have got used to, and in many cases loved, the skinny leg fashion. Tight figure-hugging jeans from buttocks to ankle allow us to wallow in the lovely shape of the lower half of young men's bodies, sometimes even silhouetting the butt itself. Having observed this now in three countries, that fashion is sadly on the way out. Wide-leg trousers and jeans are on the way in, the new fasion trend offering a chic, comfortable alternative to the skinny style - at least that's what the fashion magazines tell us. Relaxed tailoring seems to be the new buzz word. This Tanuki jean is now quite popular in Japan - a sort of in-between shape that is still narrower than some I saw recently in both London and Hong Kong. The Graph Seeker jean is virtually the same only slightly wider. I haven't noticed this much in Bangkok - yet, although my partner is about to change his oufits. Personally I can't stand the especially ultra-wide floppy bottoms I recently noticed in both London and Hong Kong.

Why bother? Biden is finished! Time to move on, although where the Democrats move to I have absolutely no idea.

msn has a scathing article on the US response to the earthquake in Myanmar. It points out that the US sent a paltry amount of assistance and only three volunteers. These volunteers were then fired just days after arriving in Myanmar - by the US government! Each received notices that their jobs would be eliminated as part of the major cuts in USAID. Worse, the USA initially promised $2 million in aid which was then increased to $9 million. This is for emergency shelter, food, medical care and water according to a post on the US government's X website. But the CEO of Fortify Rights based in Thailand said with minimal staffing on the ground, it's unclear how that money would be channelled. "There's nobody to administer that aid, no aid workers on the ground, there's no deployment happening. To so drastically cut it the way that they have, was reckless and irresponsible." Trump's lackey Secretary of State, little Marco, weakly tried to defend the situation by saying the "US is not the government of the world!" What idiocy that man spouts! Comparisons have been made to the US assistance provided to Turkey and Syria in the wake of the 7.8 magnitude quake in February 2023. The US then deployed hundreds of relief workers and $185 million in cash. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/myanmar-s-deadly-earthquake-exposes-void-left-by-us-in-global-disaster-responses/ar-AA1CHnzv

On my latest trip I had to traverse terminals at Heathrow several times. I would not recommend the train between Terminals 5 and then 2 or 3 - or vice versa. The problem is that the underground station is almost exactly between Terminals 2 and 3. Whichever one you land at or are trying to reach, you end up with a lot of walking - even though there are people movers. I found the bus in the early morning was easier and a lot faster. But time of arrival/departure is clearly important in your choice,

I guess I was lucky for it was so early in the morning and the buses were actually queuing up to take passengers to terminal 5. I waited no more than 30 seconds from one bus departing to getting on to the next. It took little more than 30 more seconds to fill. I recall just one pause along the route. The tunnels did not present any problem. Even I was surprised it was so short! By 11:00, though, the planes would have been arriving thick and fast with vastly more interline traffic and so I am much less surprised that the journey took a great deal longer.

Stand by for a slew of new books about why Joe Biden hung on to power well beyond his sell-by date and the Democrats remain struggling to come out of the mess of losing the election. Many will have more than a few nuggets of truth, but undoubtedly many will also depend on unnamed sources. Still, from all the advance PR, Biden is going to come out of it as the villain of the piece with others around him being in virtually the same category. Let me start with a small remembrance. More than 30 years ago I was sitting with friends in their Tokyo apartment when the Senate hearings on President Bush I's pick for the Supreme Court was being grilled. Clarence Thomas had been touted as the best man for the job even though he had been a judge for just one year. His good character was one of the reasons put before the committee for his suitablity (well, we now know what a lie that was) but a gremlin had suddenly appeared. Now a Professor at Brandeis University, Anita Hill one of Thomas's previous employees stated before the committee that she had been sexually harassed by Thomas. She mentioned a pubic hair he had left on a can of coca cola. He allegedly spoke about his own sexual prowess and described a part of his anatomy. Four female witnesses were waiting to speak and confirm Hill's testimony. As reported in the LA Times, the Chairman of the committee did a deal with its Republican representatives to ensure they were not called and their statements never included in the record. That Chairman was Joe Biden. A polygraph test showed Hill was telling the truth, Thomas refused to take one. The committee gave him 24 hours to come up with a rebuttal to Hill's allegations. Instead of doing so, he was a Shakespearean Shylock in the guise of Lady Macbeth all but shouting at the Committee it was putting up with a "high-tech lynching for uppity blacks." As I watched that, I was shocked. It was obviously a case of "methinks he doth protest too much." It was clear to my colleagues and me that Hill had spoken the truth. Yet Biden's committee approved the Thomas nomination. It was on that occasion that I lost any faith in Biden. Back to the books. Arguably the most visible will be "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up and his Disastrous Choice To Run Again" by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios Correspondent Alex Thomson. Tapper, you may recall, was the moderator in the disastrous Biden/Trump televised debate. They write “what the world saw at Joe Biden’s one and only debate was not an anomaly — it was not a cold, it was not someone who was under or overprepared, it was not someone who was just a little tired. It was the natural result of an eighty-one-year-old man whose faculties had been diminishing for years.” The book is embargoed until publication on May 20. A release issued by the publisher Penguin Books states, “What you will learn makes President Biden’s decision to run for reelection seem shockingly narcissistic, self-delusional, and reckless — a desperate bet that went bust — and part of a larger act of extended public deception that has few precedents" . . . Biden, “his family, and his senior aides were so convinced that only he could beat Trump again, they lied to themselves, allies, and the public about his condition and limitations”. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/26/media/joe-biden-book-jake-tapper-alex-thompson/index.html Another is Chris Whipple's "Uncharted: How Trump Beat Harris, Biden and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History." He argues that Biden's wife and close advisers were in a "fog of delusion and denial" over what to them was clearly Biden's failing health and unfitness for continuing in the job. Whipple notes that in the days leading up to his disastrous debate with President Trump, Biden "was in a terrible state. He was absolutely exhausted. He was unable really to follow what was happening in the campaign. He was tuned out . . . Early on, he walked out of a [debate preparation] session in the Aspen Lodge, the president's cabin, went over to the pool, sank into a lounge chair, and just fell sound asleep." https://www.npr.org/2025/04/08/nx-s1-5354956/bidens-decline-uncharted-chris-whipple Earlier this month, one book was released. In "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for The White House", authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes claim the writing was on the wall for Biden long before his frailty was exposed in the debate with Trump. In an interview published in The Guardian, they allege that top Democrats began having “hush-hush talks” as early as 2023 to plot how to handle Biden’s risky reelection bid, preparing the party to be ready for every possible scenario in which Biden was unable to continue his campaign. "One veteran operative summed up the sentiments of Democrats who worried they would get stuck with Harris but still wanted Biden out: "Well, at least she has a pulse," the book notes. https://people.com/biden-looked-heartbreaking-up-close-post-debate-interview-uncharted-book-11706428 Harris might have had "pulse", but she blew her campaign out of the water on the US TV show "The View". When asked the question that everyone but Harris seemed to know was comiing, "What would you do differently from Joe Biden?" Despite weeks of preparation she froze and said, "Well, I can't think of a single thing." Her campaign from then on was effectively dead in the water.

Permit me to reprint here a post I made in the Beer Bar on Sunday. It reads - Americans, certainly those who voted for Trump, tend to forget that one of his key mentors was "one of the most reviled men in American history." He came to fame as chief counsel for the fiercely anti-communist Joseph McCarthy's Senate sub-committee in the 1950s. A lawyer of the most notorious kind, a tax cheat and swindler, he counted mobsters as well as Presidents among his clients. He was indicted four times for stock-swindling, obstructing justice, perjury, bribery, conspiracy, extortion, blackmail and filing false reports. Three times he was aquitted and the fourth ended in a mistrial "giving him a kind of sneering, sinister sheen of invulnerability." Robert Cohen, a lawyer at one of his firms said, "He was the man to see if you wanted to beat the system. He did whatever he wanted, and felt he was good enough at everything to get away with it, and he did it for a very, very long time." Another attorney in his office said, "Roy couldn't have given less of a shit about the rules." Cohn himself once was quoted in Penthouse magazine, "I decided long ago to make my own rules." The quotes above and below are from Politico and come from a documentary made about him in 2019. The article continues - He didn’t pay his bills, all but daring his creditors to sue him for what he owed—tailors, locksmiths, mechanics, travel agencies, storage companies, credit card companies, stationery stores, office supply stores. He didn’t pay people back, “friend or foe,” wrote his biographer, Nicholas von Hoffman, who reported that a captain of his yacht called Defiance “had a mental map” of “ports we couldn’t go into because we owed thousands of dollars.” He didn’t pay his taxes, either, racking up millions of dollars in liens. Taxes, he believed, went to “welfare recipients” and “political hacks” and “bloated bureaucrats” and “countries whose people hate our guts.” He ceaselessly taunted the IRS, calling it “the closest thing we have in this country to a Nazi or Soviet-type agency”—subpoenas from which, he said, went straight into “the wastebasket” . . . Cohn became for Trump something much more than simply his attorney. At a most formative moment for Trump, there was no more formative figure than Cohn . . . Deflect and distract, never give in, never admit fault, lie and attack, lie and attack, publicity no matter what, win no matter what, all underpinned by a deep, prove-me-wrong belief in the power of chaos and fear. Trump was Cohn’s most insatiable student and beneficiary. “He didn’t just educate Trump, he didn’t just teach Trump, he put Trump in with people who would make Trump,” Marcus, his cousin, told me. “Roy gave him the tools. All the tools.” Roy Cohn, this extreme gay-bashing homophobe was secretly gay himself and was to die of AIDS aged 59. Six weeks earlier he had finally been disbarred as a lawyer. Trump certainly is not gay but in every other respect he is the near spitting image of hits mentor. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/09/19/roy-cohn-donald-trump-documentary-228144/ All that said, there is little actual logic in Trump's actions against China - but then there is virtually no logic in much of what he is doing apart from "Look at me. I'm the great saviour." It is all so typical of Roy Cohn's methods. As @stevenkesslar rightly points out, both Republicans and Democrats had the same objective for the following quarter century after the start of the 1990s. We're going to build up China's economy. At the same time we're going to enable the American consumer to get goods much cheaper than if they were manufactured in America or elsewhere. It will be good for the economy. Towards the end of this period, though, after China owned the largest portion of America's debt, it had sent rockets to the moon, it's economy was growing at rates unheard of in the west for more than a century, suddenly - and too late - American politicians realised that China had become a threat to its own growth. But it failed to realise that China's trade with the rest of the world had also grown rapidly. President Xi's Belt & Road initiative is one way it is expanding its export reach. The other issue is that China's trade with the USA is now little more than 3% of the country's GDP. The effect on employment will be greater as 10-15 million jobs depend on US exports. And China is presently grappling with major edonomic problems of its own. Once its major driver of growth, the real estate market has all but collapsed and the country has stopped issuing unemplyment figures of young graduates because the number has increased beyond 20%. These problems will take years to resolve. But we should never forget that whereas the USA is dependent on four-year election cycles when much can change policy-wise relatively quickly, China has always looked at the long term. When to comes to a fight, I for one will not bet against China.

So true! Although it was in Japan and not in Thailand, I met the one guy for me (not a money boy I should add) quite early in my time in Asia and therefore relatively inexperienced. Being close, I flew to Tokyo for long week-ends every month and he came to spend three weeks with me in Hong Kong. We had talked about a longer term relationship which I believed would happen. Then he met another guy and I lost him. Although I had met many of his friends and was lusting after at least a couple of them, no one could really relace him. It's one of the problems of developing deep feelings for someone who lives far from you. Try to stay romantically unaffected for only with rare exceptions will you have any guarantees. Stick to great sex, delighful companionship - and I hope to see you next time!

Sounds like a new twist on Duty Free! I do remember that first movie with much fondness. It had some great actors like Gordon Jackson, James Robertson Justice, Duncan McRae, John Gregson and the incomparable Joan Greenwood. Of her amazing and very distinctive husky voice, her son recalls it as like "the sound of someone gargling with champagne" and Variety magazine as "one of the wonders of the modern world"!

I have loathed Heathrow for years and always preferred to take Qatar through Doha to get to my UK destination. Last month, though, I had to take Cathay Pacific through Heathrow. I transferred in the opposite direction, from Terminals 3 to 5 and was not looking forward to it. Although quite a few flights had arrived around that time, surprisingly there were buses waiting and queueing was maximum of 1 minute. The bus trip was no more than 5 minutes, immigration was a breeze with the new facial recognition and security very fast. But I deplaned at 06:35 in the morning. I wonder when @unicorn arrived? I can't imagine how long that would all have taken had it been around midday.

Thanks. Do you know if they make them in different sizes? I was told by a friend that they are a little tight - and he tells me he is of average width 😉

I'd suggest adding to that "political and business life."

I notice the OP mentioned Macao. It's way too late to recommend anywhere, partly because the post was made last year and also because I never went to Macao for massage or sex. But since we've been talking about history, it used to be a perfect evening get-away from Hong Kong. Now the American mega casinos and the huge wealth they have created have spoiled it forever for me. In the early 1980s it was just like a sleepy Mediterranean town with some lovely Chinese additions. Friends and I would take a jetfoil over around 5:30pm, get a taxi to the old fashioned Bela Vista hotel, enjoy drinks on the balcony while looking over to the island of Taipa before taking an ultra-cheap taxi to the outermost island of Coloanne for dinner, usually in open air restaurants like Fernando's or Pinocchio's. The food was great, inexpensive and Portuguese wine extremely cheap since it attracted no tax. It was the perfect antidote to ever-busy Hong Kong. A walk near the historic centre or along the Praia Grande before a taxi back to the jetfoil terminal ended perfectly lovely evenings. The Bela Vista Hotel as it was being renovated in the early 1990s to become a Mandarin Oriental Hotel

As I quoted from the article, Roy Cohn was "one of the most reviled men in American history."

I believe it was. Perhaps surprisingly, I had a great time in Hong Kong in spite of the law. Although there was not much of a gay scene as such, meeting up with cute Chinese gay guys was actually relatively easy. One of the locations my friends and I loved was one of the small beaches on the south side of the Island, Middle Bay. Apart from difficulties with parking, it was usually packed on weekends with lots of gorgeous guys almost all wearing slim fit trunks and with whom it was not difficult to chat. The large changing room was especially cruisy! Although not especially cruisy in the city areas, as long as your gaydar was working or you had some gay friends, finding other gay friends for hook-ups was not really difficult. But I felt sorry for most gay Chinese in low paying jobs for they really had a tough time. And of course Hong Kong was a great centre for gay travel then. This was a time when a large number of Tokyo guys really wanted to meet foreigners. My first Asian sauna experience was in Tokyo. As I was entering the steam room, one tall, slim guy coming out was a well known photo book porn star! I loved my Tokyo trips and at one time I was flying for long week-ends every month. PanAm was still flying then and had paticularly cheap tickets. Hotels also were relatively inexpensive. Manila was an extremely popular destination for long sex crazy week-ends, and even cities like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur had their own gay haunts. In some ways I miss those days. It's like some posters talk about the apps and the bars today. They prefer to see the guys they might off in the flesh rather than rely on apps. In the 'old' days, that was really the only way to meet.

It is all so typical of Trump's mentor, Roy Cohn, who believed deeply as I quoted above, "Deflect and distract, never give in, never admit fault, lie and attack, lie and attack, publicity no matter what, win no matter what, all underpinned by a deep, prove-me-wrong belief in the power of chaos and fear."

I am sure this must be correct. After all, Myanmar has been subject to so many earthquakes since these structures were built including quite a few of 7 or more on the Richter scale in or near Sagaing, and one of 8 in 1946.

Sounds quite an interesting book, but clearly it cannot always be completely accurate given the author's extremely broad canvas. The problems in finding gay activists in each country will also not have been easy, if only because of language difficulties, the lack of the internet, some would only be known to smallish local groups and it would be a monumental task to take into account all the historical issues that led to gay life having emerged as it did by 1992. As I know from experience, Julian Chan was far from the only gay activist in Hong Kong and the Ten Percent Club was not a club as such. It was a group of gay men who had some form of group newsletter. The fact is there had been several activists both before and after Chan. One of the first was a British man who had arrived to run the small Arts Centre in late 1977. Neil Duncan passed away many years ago and so there is now no need to avoid using his name. Although himself married, he and one of his gay Chinese colleagues were one of the first ones active in openly discussing the anti-sodomy law and calling for gay rights - this at a time when gay activism was almost unknown. It did not make him popular with his establishment Board of Directors. Soon a Chinese Xiao Ming-xiong, who wrote under the pen name Wu Xiaoming, after studying overseas, returned to Hong Kong and in 1980 wrote "A Chinese Gay's Manifesto". This was followed for some years by an underground newsletter titled the "Pink Triangle". While in the USA, he had read in the Library of Congress a book titled "The Secret History of Homosexuality" about gay life in China published in 1964. He believed the analysis of what made men gay was, as he wrote, "ridiculous". When he returned to Hong Kong he realised that many in the general Chinese community still regarded homosexuality as a foreign vice. He determined to start changing this attitude in his 1984 book in Chinese "A History of Homosexuality". Before Neil left Hong Kong, the very public scandal over the death of Police Inspector John MacLennan in January 1980 had brought the gay issue on to the front page of all the news media. The fact that this led to major public enquiries kept the issue front and centre for several years, although nothing was done to change the law. What it did gradually do was change the perception of many in the 90+% Chinese community to gay men. From being a foreign vice, there came an understanding that China itself had had a rich gay history long before the arrival of foreigners. Lastly, I had heard of the existence of some public lavatories as hang outs for gay sex. Yet the thought appals me, as public lavatories in Hong Kong in the 1980s were filthy, rarely cleaned and smelled of . . . I need go no further. Anyone seeking sex there must have been desperate. But then I suspect many were desperate as most younger working men men would be living with their families in tiny flats with nowhere to meet other guys. Thank goodness the times have changed.