unicorn

With the Maldives being so expensive, I don't see the attraction of going to a relatively gay-hostile country. Their main draw is their very pricey overwater bungalow resorts. Here are some other countries which fit the bill: https://travel.usnews.com/features/top-overwater-bungalows-around-the-world

The EU and China will probably always have strong trade. In addition to raw materials, the Chinese (unlike the Russians) actually manufacture goods people want to buy. So much seems to be "Made in China" these days. I can't remember every seeing anything anyone wanted to buy which was made in Russia--other than matryoshka dolls. Other than that, Russians just seem to be proficient at digging up stuff and shoveling BS (fertilizer production). I'm sure Xi shares Putin's concerns regarding how crazy Trump is. However, Xi is not, and never will be, some Lukashenko that will be in Putin's pocket. Xi is many times more powerful--and smarter--than Putin is. While he does share much of Putin's concerns, he's not going to be there for Putin when Putin does stupid things. I doubt that even so-called CSTO allies (other than Belarus) will help Putin if he picks a fight with the EU and/or NATO. It's true that the world economy relies on China, and that the economy would suffer tremendously if trade with China were compromised. The same is not true of Russia. Prices of raw materials (crude oil, natural gas, minerals) would rise, but the damage would not be as catastrophic as a loss of Chinese trade. Putin's only "ace in the hole" is his nuclear weapons. And, I can assure you, Xi would get extremely pissed off if Putin starts using those. Putin loves to use the nuclear threat, but he would probably get almost the entire planet (except maybe Belarus and North Korea) against him if he were to try to use those.

It's not my experience, having taken quite a few cruises, that most people stay on board during port days, so I asked google, and the number was much higher than I expected: Maybe my experience is different because I tend to cruise with more upscale cruise lines (Celebrity, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea), in which people aren't saving their pennies, and just want to be pampered. I'd guess that staying on board in port would be more common in the lower-end lines such as Carnival and MSC. For me, the nicest aspect of cruising is seeing a bunch of places without having to keep packing and unpacking, carrying one's luggage, checking in and checking out of hotels, etc. Of course, the pampering and good food without having to pay $$$$ at expensive restaurants is nice, too. At the highest-end lines (RSS, Silversea), the excursions are included, so it'd be silly to stay onboard. In February, we're taking an Atlantis (gay) cruise to the Caribbean, in which the experience is definitely intended to be the cruise itself (along with the fellow passengers), rather than the ports, but that's unique. It's on a Royal Caribbean ship, and the ship has tons of things to do on board, such as water slides, etc. Our ship will make port in the highly-protected enclave of Labadee in Haiti, so this will allow me to set foot on one of the few countries in the Western Hemisphere which I haven't yet visited. On cruises which cater to 50+ adults, such as Celebrity, I think more passengers are interested in actually seeing places than on partying on board.

That's so true. Worse, yet, is that when you surround yourself with crazy dingbats whose only quality you look for is loyalty, you get crazy advice. Most often, when Trump makes a crazy decision or statement, one can understand the motive: political gain, financial gain, or both (especially any which involve his staying out of prison). I don't quite understand what he has to gain in instilling fear of immunizations or, especially, acetaminophen. (In the case of immunizations, at least he gains political support from ignorant people who "don't like shots," but I don't see how he gains from instilling fear of acetaminophen). One can easily see the source if this stupid statement, however: HHS Secretary Kennedy, who's clearly severely mentally disturbed. At least with Trump, one can hope he'll be gone in 3.5 years, but Putin is "only" 73, and could be around for quite some time unless someone offs him, or he gets arrested by the international community. Even in Trump's case, he's stated publicly that he wants to do away with free elections, so who knows? Both very dangerous criminals.

Although not enforced in tourist islands, homosexuality is punished by 8 years' imprisonment and lashes in the Maldives. If I were to visit a tropical island in the Indian Ocean, I'd much prefer the Seychelles or Mauritius, where the laws are much more civilized. If money's of no object, and I really wanted an overwater bungalow, I suppose I'd go to Bora-Bora. Rarely will I go to a country where gay sex is illegal. I've only done it in countries whose sites are very unique and spectacular: Egypt, Morocco, and Zimbabwe/Zambia (Victoria Falls)--though I spent more time on that trip in the more civilized countries of Botswana and South Africa. In this map, homosexuality is punished by imprisonment (light brown), or death (dark brown). In yellow countries, it's technically illegal, but the laws aren't enforced. Gray countries have legalized homosexuality, but not same-sex unions. Dark blue legalized same-sex marriage, and light blue have civil unions:

I'm sure you're right, although part of me just can't wait to see Putin go. With his latest provocation, even crazy Trump is saying that NATO should get involved, and push him out of Ukrainian territory. When I think of Putin, I keep thinking of that scene in The Search for Spock, Captain Kirk has had enough of Commander Kruge... Pissing off the EU was probably not Putin's wisest move.

This dude believes Poland could beat back the Russian army by itself (though obviously it would never be alone in fighting the Russian bear):

I've noticed that a lot of cruise lines promote sailings in which they travel during the height of rainy season. This goes across several cruise lines including Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Oceania. For example, I was recently sent a promotion for this cruise: https://www.oceaniacruises.com/cruises/REG251217/?sfmc=EM_822731273 Every single one of the ports included on this voyage is being visited during the height of that port's rainy season. Bora Bora gets 25 cm of rain during the month of December. Port Vila in Vanuatu gets 31.6 cm of rain during the month of January, and Darwin, NT gets a whopping 47.1 cm of rain in January. The cheapest inside cabin on this ship goes for over $16,000 with the discount, and the most expensive cabins go for $60,000 (US). While those are places I'd like to visit, no way would I choose to visit when it'll almost assuredly be raining heavily, especially not by shelling out big $$. What gives? Is it that people don't care about getting soaked? Or are people shelling out the big $$ without looking up climate data regarding the ports they'll be visiting? The craziest part is that I can't find ANY cruise line which does a similar route during the drier season (rain is unheard-of in Darwin from June to August, for example, average less than 1 mm/month). We'll be visiting Java and Bali in late July, and will be doing a land-based tour.

Not to doubt the story, but how can one not be aware one is having an IUD inserted into one's uterus? Were they knocked unconscious? I can understand not being aware one is getting an injection of a long-term contraceptive such as Depo-Provera--for example if one is lied to and told the injection is a vitamin, immunization, or something else. However, I can only think of two ways to get a foreign body into one's uterus. Either the woman has to cooperate, or she has to be rendered unconscious.

In another string, some members say they avoid doing business with Amazon on moral grounds. We had planned to cancel a visit to Disneyland after Jimmy Kimmel was suspended, although it looks as though he's back on the air, so I guess we'll go to see Mickey and friends after all. I avoid Chick Fil-A since they donate big $$ to anti-gay causes. Basically, I'll avoid businesses I know which spread hate/intolerance. How about you?

Amazon Prime does have a lot of gay movies for free as well. Last night we watched Lilies Not For Me, which we enjoyed.

In Los Angeles, at least, deliveries are quite reliable. Amazon drivers have the code to my front garden gate, so they can leave stuff at my doorstep with minimal risk of porch pirates snatching the package. Most deliveries are overnight, and most of the rest are in 2 days. Occasionally they even have same-day delivery. Late deliveries happen, but are rare--I'd say less than 10%.

This year's contestant from the US is Riley Hedstrom. Here he is, about 100 meters from my house, right where I take my bitch for her daily walk:

In case anyone's curious as to what Daumier Corilla looks like... 😍

I think the main benefit of Amazon Prime (for me, at least) is the free next-day (or sometimes 2-day) shipping with all orders. I order most things on Amazon these days, other than groceries, which I like to inspect myself. Even then, it's irritating when I go to the grocery store and they're out of their most popular items, such as whole wheat sandwich buns or chive cream cheese, and sometimes I just order even my groceries on Amazon Prime, though one obviously can leave those outside for too long. There are a few shows I watch on Amazon Prime, such as Gen V (which stars a bunch of hunks such as Patrick Schwarzenegger), the Rainmaker (which stars hunky Milo Callaghan as a sexy lawyer), and Fallout (though the 2nd season took 1.5 years to come out--not until this December). I get easily more than the $11/month in free shipping, and the shows are extra as far as I'm concerned.

It looks as though Poland has completely closed down the borders with Belarus, and, presumably, Russia (I don't know if Kaliningrad can get goods other than by sea). Maybe a complete ban on all visas, including tourist ones, for all EU countries will be next? Unclear how Austria and Ireland will react, since they're EU but not NATO.

Though it's probably high time to make an announcement that any military incursion into NATO airspace will result in that military plane being shot down. The Turks had the right idea when they shot down the last Russian military plane which violated its airspace. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrp6p5mj3zo Estonia has requested a consultation with other Nato members after Russian warplanes violated its airspace on Friday morning. Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered the Estonian skies "without permission and remained there for a total of 12 minutes" over the Gulf of Finland, the government said. Italy, Finland and Sweden scrambled jets under Nato's mission to bolster its eastern flank. A Nato spokesperson said it was "yet another example of reckless Russian behavior and Nato's ability to respond".

I think my favorite is William Badell, from Venezuela:

I know that there are quite a few members who live in Thailand, and it looks as though it'll be taking place in Bangkok. I'd sure love to watch and drool if it were being held near where I lived... https://www.instagram.com/officialmisterglobal?fbclid=IwY2xjawM73uBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFXcDdweE5SMWVWSjhBY0hrAR5f8ATPyNzOUZ_758gpksX9AcfNajU-sXj1XbNqTDD2QwtTILvDy4EBpGBGMA_aem_cpIVFIdoFfrCWNeByPpAcA