Bubble Gas Tank

When I was in college, I went to visit my father in Erie, Pennsylvania. I rode my motorcycle to visit him, and parked it outside. I didn’t get along with his wife (my step-mother) and went inside.

On that day, my step-mother was visited by her older brother. He brought his two sons. They were slightly younger that myself, being in High School.

Now, while I was inside with my father, those two kids poured bubble liquid into my motorcycle gas tank. Laughed about it. And of course, the action truly busted up my motorcycle.

…

Sigh.

Anyways… the entire family claimed that “I deserved it” as I didn’t have a lock on my gas tank. Not even remotely true, but I had to grit and take it.

Went without a motorcycle for about a month, while my bike was fixed.

It sucked, but those little snits were able to get away with it.

I swallowed and took it.

…

Sometimes due to situations, you take the hits.

You walk away.

It does not mean that you are weak. It’s just a pothole that you must endure. You learn from it.

I did.

…

Todays…

What are some of the ugly truths about divorce?

My future ex-wife didn’t like Navy life. She met a fellow at work who was a year or two younger, was decent looking, had a new Corvette and a line of shit as long as your arm. She asked me to move out while she “got her head screwed on straight”. A week later, she filed for divorce, and moved in with Mr. Wonderful. “We don’t have anything in common, and you don’t have anything I want”, she said. (Oh, OK). In California it takes 6 months for a no-fault divorce, but both parties must have a financial settlement on the table in order to proceed to “final”. She dragged her heels all the way, saying “no, no, no” to every settlement I put forward, but finally we hammered it out after 8+ months. About 4 months later, she called. “Let’s be friends. We have so much in common.” (Mr. Wonderful wasn’t so wonderful any longer).

I said, “We tried that for 10 years. I didn’t like the way things worked out”.

Strange “Coincidence?” Hong Kong Flu Re-Emerges from 1968 — in far eastern Russia

World Hal Turner 07 November 2023

The first case of Hong Kong Flu since the 1968-69 “pandemic” has emerged in the Sakhalin Region of far eastern Russia.

1968 flu pandemic, also called Hong Kong flu pandemic of 1968 or Hong Kong flu of 1968, global outbreak of influenza that originated in China in July 1968 and lasted until 1969–70.

The outbreak was the third influenza pandemic to occur in the 20th century; it followed the 1957 flu pandemic and the influenza pandemic of 1918–19. The 1968 flu pandemic resulted in an estimated one million to four million deaths, far fewer than the 1918–19 pandemic, which caused between 25 million and 50 million deaths.

The 1968 pandemic was initiated by the emergence of a virus known as influenza A subtype H3N2. It is suspected that this virus evolved from the strain of influenza that caused the 1957 pandemic.

Although the 1968 flu outbreak was associated with comparatively few deaths worldwide, the virus was highly contagious, a factor that facilitated its rapid global dissemination. Indeed, within two weeks of its emergence in July in Hong Kong, some 500,000 cases of illness had been reported, and the virus proceeded to spread swiftly throughout Southeast Asia.

Within several months it had reached the Panama Canal Zone and the United States, where it had been taken overseas by soldiers returning to California from Vietnam.

By the end of December the virus had spread throughout the United States and had reached the United Kingdom and countries in western Europe.

Australia, Japan, and multiple countries in Africa, eastern Europe, and Central and South America were also affected. The pandemic occurred in two waves, and in most places the second wave caused a greater number of deaths than the first wave.

The 1968 flu pandemic caused illness of varying degrees of severity in different populations. For example, whereas illness was diffuse and affected only small numbers of people in Japan, it was widespread and deadly in the United States.

Infection caused upper respiratory symptoms typical of influenza and produced symptoms of chills, fever, and muscle pain and weakness. These symptoms usually persisted for between four and six days.

The highest levels of mortality were associated with the most susceptible groups, namely infants and the elderly. Although a vaccine was developed against the virus, it became available only after the pandemic had peaked in many countries.

The H3N2 virus that caused the 1968 pandemic is still in circulation today and is considered to be a strain of seasonal influenza. In the 1990s a closely related H3N2 virus was isolated from pigs. Scientists suspect that the human H3N2 virus jumped to pigs; infected animals may show symptoms of swine flu.

Russia now reports The first case of Hong Kong flu was recorded in the Sakhalin region, according to the website of the regional Rospotrebnadzor

According to the department, the virus is characterized by rapid and sharp development of infection, which lasts a long time and often requires symptomatic treatment. The infection affects the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity and oropharynx, causing inflammatory processes.‌‌

What is the best case of “You just picked a fight with the wrong person” that you’ve witnessed?

Yes. I know a guy who is an accountant. Imagine the geekiest-looking accountant that you have ever seen in your life. Coke bottle glasses, nerdy clothing, white as a sheet. He and his wife were walking down a street in Hollywood, just two nerds out for a stroll. Perfect targets for any street hoodlum. Sure enough some two-bit street thug stepped out in front of the two with a cocky self-assured grin and a knife in his hand, and he ordered them to give him all their money.

Quick as a flash, the accountant grabbed the guy’s wrist which held the knife, gave it a turn, and literally flipped the guy over, breaking his arm in the process. While the guy lay there screaming , the accountant looked down and asked the guy if he wanted some more. The guy just kept screaming, so the accountant let him go and walked on with his wife.

Okay. The backstory on this accountant was that he grew up on a Midwestern pig farm with five older brothers. From the time he was 8 years old he had to carry 50 lb buckets of feed every morning before school. After school he had to work the farm until it was time to go in, do his homework and go to bed. His older brothers were mean. When they weren’t fighting with each other, or getting beaten up by their dad, they were picking on this guy. As a result of his upbringing this guy developed skeletal muscle strength which is hardly ever seen these days. Not only that, he learned to fight guys that were just as tough as he was and who were all bigger.

I have seen this guy working on his own house knocking down walls with a sledgehammer held in one hand. I’ve even seen him lift the front of one car off the bumper of another during a minor fender-bender. To say this guy was strong was an understatement.

He managed to conduct his life in a very civilized manner. He was a great musician and a very talented writer as well, but I have seen more than one guy step out of line around him, and watch The Farm Boy come out. When that happened it usually didn’t take more than a look for everyone to start behaving better.

Men’s most powerful tool

Damn!

What did a family member say or do that you don’t talk to them anymore?

I was 18 and my girlfriend had committed suicide. I went to my dad and told him what happened. At this point my stepmother and I were at odds, always fighting and never getting along. This had been going on for years. My dad knew this and told her to lay off. The moment my dad left for work, she comes in my room and says that I deserved what happened and that it was my fault she killed herself. I was shocked. I packed my bags and left the same day. I had had enough. I called my dad and told him what happened and that I was leaving.

I haven’t spoken to her since and I don’t want to.

Boudin

Boudin is one of the most famous Cajun recipes. This excellent version has no liver. This is a great dish to make and it freezes well. Many people cut the casing off the boudin before eating it. This dish is a good one to learn because once you have mastered its preparation you can use almost anything in the place of the pork. Some of the most popular are chicken, shrimp, crabmeat and crayfish. Bread is a traditional but not as good replacement for the rice.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds lean pork, minced
2 onions, chopped
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 green or red bell pepper
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 bay leaves
2 cups water (approximately)
3 cups rice, cooked
20 inch long sausage casings

Instructions

Put pork into a pot along with the onions, bell pepper, parsley, garlic and seasonings. Add just enough water to meet the level of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the cooked rice. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Tie the 4 sausage casings at one end and stuff them with the mixture. Twist each 20-inch length into three equal lengths. Tie open end.
The boudin can be cooked covered in a little water, grilled or pan fried in a little butter.
Cut the sausages and serve 2 to each person.

What do you do if the boss tells you, “Don’t come to me with problems, come with solutions”? Is it time to start looking for a new job?

Yes, and no.

I had a manager who said exactly this this to me. He dismissed all my solutions out of hand, as they might cost money. This was a guy who a. stuck me in an office where I couldn’t work, as it wasn’t safe for me to be alone in a building with mental health clients, without an emergency alarm. He refused to install an alarm and so I had to go to work every day for a year with no work to do. Less than a week’s salary would have paid for an alarm. B. He rented and paid for the complete outfitting of an office for the family therapists, with a cctv and so on, despite them telling him it wasn’t suitable. The office reminded unused, the equipment was stolen and replaced TWICE, and they never moved in, in the end -as it just wasn’t suitable.

Come to me with solutions, was complete and utter bullshit from beginning to end.

The only reason I stayed, was it was a permanent and pensionable job, and I was a skint single parent.

We were overjoyed when he retired. I was still so angry with him years later as he’d made my life a misery for so long that I couldn’t attend his funeral. And if you’re Irish, you’ll realise what a big huge bloody deal that is.

What is the most clever life hack you’ve learned?

Golden spending rule: If you can’t afford two of it, you can’t afford it.
When you’re thinking about buying something you don’t necessarily need, imagine the item in one hand and the cash in the other. Which one would you take?
If you have trouble choosing, flip a coin. While you’re waiting to get the result, your mind automatically starts to wish for what it wants. Then you can choose easily.
Honey does not go bad; if it has gone solid it has just crystallized and can become liquid again with just a little heat.
If you put something down temporarily, say out loud “I’ve put the screwdriver by the microwave” or whatever.
Read the three and four star reviews for the most reliable information on Amazon items.
When moving house, always set up your bedroom/ make the bed first so when you’re exhausted and just had enough you can fall into bed. Nothing worse than being exhausted and having to make the bed before getting into it
If there’s a jar or container you can’t open, run the lid under hot water for about 30sec. Dry it so you can get a good grip, then open. It really works.
Secretaries, tech support, and janitors are the true power in an office. Make friends with them and you’ll be able to get anything you need!
When a friend is upset, ask him one simple question before saying anything else: “Do you want to talk about it or do you want to distract from it? ”
It is important to know when to stop arguing with people, and simply let them be wrong.
If someone offers you something you want, take it. Don’t decline every kind of offer out of politeness.

Bingo truths

The male and female struggle in the United States (West) is REAL.

When was a time someone tried to contradict you about an area in which you are an expert?

Many years ago I was visiting one particular North Sea Oil Production Platform as a consultant employed by a specialist contractor. On arrival onboard the platform all the people from the helicopter, who were not regular crew, were directed to heli administration and informed we could not leave without watching a safety briefing video. Some six or seven of us settled down while the helicopter clerk loaded the video player and pressed play.

I was hot and tiered from the early check-in and the long flight. I dozed off after about ten minutes watching the video. I must have been asleep for about five minutes before the clerk noticed. He practically slapped me awake and proceeded to scream in my face. He accused me of being stupid and having a death wish, which was justified, but then began to scream insults and to question my parentage which was far too much.

When he eventually asked if I considered it beneath my dignity to absorb information designed to save my life and did I regard myself above listening to the video that I lost my temper. I stood up without saying a word and marched to the front of the room. I stood next to the video screen and quietly asked him to look at the screen himself.

I will never forget the expression on that man’s face as it dawned on him that it was me appearing on the screen giving the safety briefing. He looked from my face on the video screen to my face standing next to the screen and back to the video just as if he was watching a tennis match. He turned bright red and stuttered an apology.

When I sat down to watch the rest of the briefing he sat at the rear of the room and chewed his finger nails worrying if his job was safe. When the video finished and everyone else had left the room I let him know that he had been correct in chastising me but to tone down his language if anything similar happened in the future.

The War Is Lost – Zelenski Will Leave – The White House Has Failed

What a difference a year makes …

bigger – bigger

Time’s big new story is quite revealing:

‘Nobody Believes in Our Victory Like I Do.’ Inside Volodymyr Zelensky’s Struggle to Keep Ukraine in the Fight – Time – Oct. 30, 2023

That offensive has proceeded at an excruciating pace and with enormous losses, making it ever more difficult for Zelensky to convince partners that victory is around the corner. With the outbreak of war in Israel, even keeping the world’s attention on Ukraine has become a major challenge.

Quoting a soldier on the front of the counter-offensive, the Economist agrees:

“Left Handed”, an infantryman fighting at the front between Robotyne and Verbove, says Ukrainian losses have increased to alarming levels, in part due to the work of drones. The plains of Zaporizhia have turned their back on life, he says. “It’s hellish. Corpses, the smell of corpses, death, blood and fear. Not a whiff of life, just the stench of death.” Those in units such as his own had more chance of dying than surviving. “Seventy-thirty. Some don’t even see their first battle.”

Still, Zelenski is urging them on:

But his convictions haven’t changed. Despite the recent setbacks on the battlefield, he does not intend to give up fighting or to sue for any kind of peace.

On the contrary, his belief in Ukraine’s ultimate victory over Russia has hardened into a form that worries some of his advisers. It is immovable, verging on the messianic. “He deludes himself,” one of his closest aides tells me in frustration. “We’re out of options. We’re not winning. But try telling him that.”

Zelensky’s stubbornness, some of his aides say, has hurt their team’s efforts to come up with a new strategy, a new message. As they have debated the future of the war, one issue has remained taboo: the possibility of negotiating a peace deal with the Russians. Judging by recent surveys, most Ukrainians would reject such a move, especially if it entailed the loss of any occupied territory.

The war is lost. They know it. But they are unwilling to give up.

Zelenski’s people put the blame everywhere but on the those who have caused the mess. It was the ‘victory’ messaging by Zelenski and his crew that has led the public into utter complacency.

As Strana headlines (machine translation):

Ukraine is losing the war with the Russian Federation due to the inadequate perception of the situation by society — commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – Strana.news – Oct. 30, 2023

Strategically, Ukraine is losing the war because of the inadequate perception of the situation by society.

This opinion was expressed by the commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmitry Kukharchuk in an interview with Channel Five.

He claims that at the beginning of the war, all Ukrainians were ready to defend the country, there were many volunteers. But after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kiev, the situation changed.

“Immediately after that, I noticed that there were theses in the media that we are fighting with homeless people, that the Russian army does not know how to fight, that in principle victory will be in a week or two, a maximum of a month. That first in the spring, then in the summer, then in the autumn, then in the winter, without specifying which winter, we will go to the Crimea. That the victory is basically victorious. So people were put in a warm bathroom. We have broken down the vision of reality. But it didn’t happen in Russia. They began to realize that the war was not going to be easy for them. They realized that they would have to fight for a long time, ” Kukharchuk believes.

He also says that the Russians are “getting stronger” every day, and if Ukraine really fought the “degenerates”, it would have defeated them long ago.

“That’s why we’re losing. They have these processes going on, and their public readiness is much higher than that of our society. And when they talk about a nuclear bomb, a war of all against all, for some reason it seems to me that they are ready for these processes, ” the battalion commander added.

Napoleon, Hitler and several other folks who had sought war with Russia, had to learn to never underestimate the depth of its resources. Now NATO, the U.S. and its European proxies, are learning that lesson.

Zelenski still hasn’t. He won’t concede:

The cold will also make military advances more difficult, locking down the front lines at least until the spring. But Zelensky has refused to accept that. “Freezing the war, to me, means losing it,” he says. Before the winter sets in, his aides warned me to expect major changes in their military strategy and a major shake-up in the President’s team. At least one minister would need to be fired, along with a senior general in charge of the counteroffensive, they said, to ensure accountability for Ukraine’s slow progress at the front. “We’re not moving forward,” says one of Zelensky’s close aides. Some front-line commanders, he continues, have begun refusing orders to advance, even when they came directly from the office of the President. “They just want to sit in the trenches and hold the line,” he says. “But we can’t win a war that way.”

When I raised these claims with a senior military officer, he said that some commanders have little choice in second-guessing orders from the top. At one point in early October, he said, the political leadership in Kyiv demanded an operation to “retake” the city of Horlivka, a strategic outpost in eastern Ukraine that the Russians have held and fiercely defended for nearly a decade. The answer came back in the form of a question: With what? “They don’t have the men or the weapons,” says the officer. “Where are the weapons? Where is the artillery? Where are the new recruits?”

In some branches of the military, the shortage of personnel has become even more dire than the deficit in arms and ammunition. One of Zelensky’s close aides tells me that even if the U.S. and its allies come through with all the weapons they have pledged, “we don’t have the men to use them.”

Since the start of the invasion, Ukraine has refused to release official counts of dead and wounded. But according to U.S. and European estimates, the toll has long surpassed 100,000 on each side of the war. It has eroded the ranks of Ukraine’s armed forces so badly that draft offices have been forced to call up ever older personnel, raising the average age of a soldier in Ukraine to around 43 years. “They’re grown men now, and they aren’t that healthy to begin with,” says the close aide to Zelensky. “This is Ukraine. Not Scandinavia.”

The Ukraine’s old problems, foremost corruption, persist:

Amid all the pressure to root out corruption, I assumed, perhaps naively, that officials in Ukraine would think twice before taking a bribe or pocketing state funds. But when I made this point to a top presidential adviser in early October, he asked me to turn off my audio recorder so he could speak more freely. “Simon, you’re mistaken,” he says. “People are stealing like there’s no tomorrow.”

Knowing that the ship is sinking, this its probably what I would do too. Bring anything available onto my personal life raft and prepare for cutting its lines to the mother ship.

The Time piece is a signal. It announces the end of Zelenski’s regime. I am sure that the National Security Council, as well as the State Department, is feverishly looking for an alternative – and for a face saving way to install it.

Someone seems to protect and promote Alexey Arestovich for exactly that purpose (machine translation):

After leaving the Presidential Office with a scandal in January 2023, Arestovich, although he began to criticize the actions of the authorities, nevertheless did it carefully until recently.

But right now, he’s just slamming the ruling team.

Arestovich focuses on two things: the military decisions of the country’s leadership and its domestic policy.
…
The second version: Arestovich enlisted the support of Americans who want to see more political diversity in Ukraine and are not interested in Zelensky’s monopolization of power.

In favor of this version, they also use the fact mentioned above that the tightening of the rhetoric of the ex-adviser to the president’s Office began after his trip to the United States. Also in this regard, they recall his interview with Gordon in early October, where he says that if the West decides to end the war without reaching the borders of 1991 and Zelensky resists this, then the president of Ukraine will be “changed” in the elections.
…
“It is possible that Arestovich is supported by a certain part of the Western elites, who care about the breadth of opinions in Ukraine. They say that the country can speak not only with Zelensky’s voice, but there are also different critical opinions, ” political analyst Ruslan Bortnik comments to Strana.

In its grand strategy the White House had sought to pivot to Asia. But the U.S. is – first in Ukraine, in a completely unnecessary conflict the U.S. itself has caused, and, with Gaza in flames, again in the Middle East.

In a recent talk in Australia John Mearsheimer takes a deep dive into this dilemma (video). He doesn’t foresee a good outcome.

Posted by b on October 31, 2023 at 8:12 UTC | Permalink

I’m exercising my Rights

What event was the equivalent of a bomb being dropped on your relationship?

I was hesitant to write this as it is somewhat personal but it might be therapeutic, I’ve already shared so much and I suppose I can without naming anyone:

I went on my partner’s laptop and stumbled across a strange message on her Facebook browser that made me scrunch my eyes —strange.

It was pictures of my partner with another family I didn’t know.

She was holding a guy’s toddler, standing (closely) next to him, and his parents behind them, and she had no wedding ring. Behind them was the Disney Castle.

The direct message was from a woman (his sister) that said “___ told me not to post these on Facebook because things were complicated.”

That was the moment—my eyes widened and I realized something was amiss. “… things were complicated?!?!?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the picture. That part fucked me up.

Many of you are in relationships. Just imagine the person you love, that you might be sitting next to right now, suddenly appearing in a picture at a theme park (like the above) with another family, “with” someone else. Nobody in that picture you recognize. And everyone appearing to be very familiar with each other.

It would mind fuck you pretty hard, too.

And the more I dug into it, the worse it got.

It was a full-blown affair.

It caused an avalanche on the relationship.

You feel this rush of fury at having been lied to. You are disgusted with the person. You suddenly see all the pieces to the puzzle coming together in your mind, the nights “out with the girls” and “crashing at a friend’s house,” and all the strange subtle behaviors you’d been blind to.

“How could I have not known?”

After discovering the cheating, the sequence of events probably mirrored the same pattern others have experienced.

You confront the person.

They deny, deny, deny.

Finally, they fess up after you wave the obvious evidence in their face.

Then there is this rush of apologies, they are so sorry, they never meant to hurt you, they really want to be with you, the other person isn’t the one, please forgive them, pleasepleaseplease.

As she says this, more evidence and damage seems to rain down behind her. It gets worse with each apology.

From there, it gets ugly fast. The fan is set to max speed. And shit is thrown upwards.

It’s a terrible situation. Because here you have this person that you deeply love. That you have a lot of history with. That you have a shared identity with. And come to truly think of as an ally; a better half.

But now – you have to face a dark, undeniable reality that cannot be ignored, that things aren’t what they once were, and this person isn’t the person you thought they were.

It is the deep, painful cut of betrayal that takes years to heal.

Everything that came before this event gets called into question.

“Were they lying then?”

“What else were they lying about?”

“How did it start?”

“Does this person really love me like they said they did? Then how could they do all of this?”

…

In my case, things couldn’t be reconciled. It went far beyond the realm of repair.

It was a terrible, messy breakup but ultimately it was the right thing. Even though I’ve now come to fully forgive this person, she isn’t someone I could ever trust or be with again.

It sucks, though.

You never think you will be “that person” who gets had in some relationship, who gets run around on and completely duped.

It’s a terrible, hurtful experience and I hope none of you go through it.

What was the funniest thing that happened to you in college?

I had an exam on English when I was in college, around 19 years old. The night before I had helped my sister prepare for her in-class essay with the same teacher in English. My sister had problems with the course, and I excelled so my teacher suggested I help her.

Anyways, in the middle of my exam my teacher walks up, and without thinking, says “Thank you for last night” and walks away. Everybody in the class looked up at me. It was the middle of an exam, so I couldn’t explain so I just sort of turned around to my friends, gave them the look – look and went back to the test.

Authority and Leadership

As a part of the judicial system, what is the hardest you have ever laughed in court?

I was in traffic court as a witness in another matter. The judge was hearing a case where a 14 year old was driving a motorcycle without a license because he was too young. He was accompanied by his mother. She was small but loud, and the 14 year old was big (looked 18). Throughout the morning she had been nagging him about one thing or another—wasting my time, lazy good for nothing, etc. The young boy was quiet and appeared contrite.

When their time came, the mom again reminded the boy to be quiet and not say a word.

The clerk read the case. The judge looked at her notes and pronounced judgment. “Case dismissed with 60 days suspended sentence on the condition that the defendant does not ride the motorcycle until he turns 16 and gets a license.” This was the least the judge could do.

The mother erupted with anger. “60 days suspended sentence. Are you crazy. He has to go to school. He has to do chores.” Clearly, she did not understand what suspended sentence meant.

The judge then stated. “Are you finished? I could make it contingent on selling the motorcycle.”

Mom: “That’s crazy. You’re nuts.”

The judge: “Suspended sentence contingent on selling the motorcycle and you (indicating to the mom) get to spend the night in jail for contempt of court.”

The boy, who hadn’t said a word all morning. “Thank you, your honor.”

The entire court erupted in laughter.

The level of disappointment

Were you ever treated poorly when you wanted to purchase an expensive item until they found out you were rich?

Not treated poorly but rather taught not too.

As a teen way back in 1979 I went to work for Neumann Marcus in Dallas. It was still owned by the Marcus family and known worldwide for its service and exclusivity.

our trainer stressed treating everyone, no matter how they looked or were dressed, with the same respectful diligent service. He gave the following example of his personal experience, I don’t know if it was true but it makes the point.

It was a rainy day in downtown Dallas and the store was not busy. He was working in epicure, I don’t know about now but back then they had the most amazing food and specialty kitchen wares. A man in shorts, a wrinkly shirt, baseball hat and unshaven wanders in. His thought was “looked what came in to avoid the rain”.

The man was looking at a very expensive grill and asking questions. He politely answered them but eventually wanted to get rid of him. He asked the man if he had a Neimans card. He said no so he suggested he go over to the Credit dept and they could give him on on the spot.

The man left. When he returned he said “I’d like 2 of these. One sent to my house in LA, one to my house in Malibu.” My trainer was pleasantly surprised. Surprise turned to shock and embarrassment when the man handed him his new Neimans card and he saw the name. “Of course Mr. Sinatra. I will take care of everything.”

Winners and Losers

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UMjYwXFBd80?feature=share

What are the cleverest scams you have come across?

The phone rings. My elderly uncle picks up. A young woman is on the line.

“Grandpa?” asks the young woman.

Being a grandfather of 20 children, Uncle answers, “Yes,” then he thinks of who the caller may be.

“Is this Beth?” he asks.

The young woman quickly admits that she is Beth, and then she starts crying,

“I am in Florida with my friends. We get in trouble and I am in jail. Can you send me money for bail?”

My uncle is alarmed. Why is Beth in Florida? What has she done? Before he can ask her a question, the young woman says, “Please don’t tell my parents. They will kill me.” She cries even harder now.

My aunt enters the room to find her husband frantically scrambling for his credit card. She gets suspicious and asks him what is going on.

“Beth is in jail in Florida. We need to send her money,” he explains to her.

My aunt rolls her eyes and grabs the phone from him,

“This is grandma. We are not sending money. Please rot in jail. Bye.”

The cleverness is not the scam itself, but the ability of the scammer to improvise. They prey on vulnerable elderly and toy with the few items they cherish in their twilight years – family, health, and savings. I have a feeling the caller could have swayed the conversation in whatever way was most effective once she identified my uncle as an easy target.

Boudin Blanc with Muenster Cheese

Yield: 24 servings

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless pork butt, cut in 1/4 inch dice
1 pound mixed boneless chicken, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 pound pork fat back, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 pound Wisconsin muenster cheese, cut into 1/4 inch dice
Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Grind meats and fat through meat grinder using plate with small (1/8 inch) openings.
Place ground mixture in large bowl of standing mixer and add all ingredients except cheese and salt. Mix with paddle attachment. Fold cheese into the farce.
Case sausages in pork hank, twisting to form 4-ounce links.
Dry for 1 hour in walk-in cooler.
To poach, bring 4 to 5 gallons of water to a boil. When boiling, turn off heat.
Add sausage and cover with lid. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or until sausages reach interior temperature of 145 degrees F.
Cool sausages on sheet pan lined with kitchen towels.
Store in refrigerator up to 5 days.

Notes

To reheat: Grill, broil or bake sausage until hot. The sausages can be made into patties and sautéed until cooked through.

The chef serves sausage with Spaghetti Squash “Choucroute” and whole grain mustard.

The MOCKERY of the Western Male…

Cultural Programming at it’s worst.

Never been to a Russian village? Check out this simulator!

Oh, I tire of all this anti-China bullshit and all the rest. I just want to live my life in peace and smunch. So here, we are going to digress a spell on something that will “hit you out of left field”…

A Russian simulator.

Who’d figure? Right? There’s some outstanding simulations. One of which is the DF-31 simulator that was developed by one of the MM influencers here. Here’s another one. It’s fun.

Well it is true.

I found this cool and relaxing simulation on a Russian website, HERE, and copied it with my own comments and interjections. All credit to the author, and note that it was edited to fit this venue.

A rural Russian simulator…

Imagine you’re alone in a small wooden hut, not a soul around, only your plot of land, abandoned barns and vast swathes of forest.

It’s the closest thing to actually being there.

I open my eyes — outside it’s already light. I get out of bed, cover it with a khokhloma throw blanket, admire the dresser with porcelain dinnerware and go downstairs to have breakfast. On the way, I make sure to glance at the candle-lit icon and thank God before tucking in.

It takes you there.

Downstairs, there is a stove and a dining table with a samovar, cherry pie and cabbage pirozhkis. Only, for some reason, I can’t eat them — only pick things up and throw them at the wooden wall.

I really think that there is something really calming about exploring abandoned rural Russia.

There is no TV, let alone a computer, so, out of boredom, I go outside to the sound of birds singing and grasshoppers chirping. On the plot of land, I am greeted by the sight of an empty well, an old barn and the only living creature besides myself — a bull, gazing mournfully into the distance.

This is a description of the video game ‘Симулятор Одиночества В Русской Деревне’ (‘Simulator of Loneliness in a Russian Village’), released by Russian indie developer Flex Entertainment on Steam on April 9, 2021.

It has no monsters (save perhaps for a few rats in the derelict buildings), complex storyline or quests — only an abandoned village in an unknown Russian province and the chance to feel the atmosphere as the sole inhabitant.

“Once there was a bustling life, however, the lack of work, entertainment and generally any prospects forced all the residents to leave.

You are the only one who did not exchange wide fields, dense forests and a morning swim in the river for office work and a dull life in a nine-story panel house. From the point of view of the gameplay, this is a classic walking simulator in recognizable Russian scenery.

Just relax and spend time wandering through the sun-drenched forest and misty swamps, or explore the interiors of the canonical Russian hut, which has realistic graphics and the entire environment is worked out to the smallest detail,” reads the description on the game’s Steam page.

It is, indeed, a classic walking simulator.

The only objective in the game is to explore your own property, study scrawled messages on the walls of the abandoned buildings, or wander through the dense forest, crossing swamps, rivers and small wooden bridges.

If you max up the volume, it might seem you’re not alone in the village — every now and then what seems like footsteps and eerie creaking sounds can be heard.

You can, like your erstwhile neighbors, try to escape to the city, but the mission is impeded by endless forest and no map. You might not even make it back home…

Unsurprisingly, some players complain that the game lacks action — you can’t climb on the stove, drink vodka or go to the banya.

But the developers don’t promise entertainment, just total immersion in the atmosphere of an abandoned Russian backwater.

“The game’s creators highlight the acute topic of the dying Russian countryside, as well as the problem of loneliness and disconnection between people and their own inability and unwillingness to overcome these barriers,” the player by the name of ‘krtdn’ reflects philosophically in his review.

‘Simulator of Loneliness in the Russian Village’ is available on Steam in Russian only for 59 rubles (approx. $0.80).

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Falling in Love with the Haunting Sounds of Interwar Polish Tango

Who’d figure? Right?

Well it is true. I discovered this sound while looking for information on vintage cast iron doorstops and came across an article on the subject. then I went on Kouguo and started download the tunes. Wow! Quite an unusual sound.

How to describe it?

Have you ever woken up on the couch in the middle of the night to find yourself staring at a black-and-white movie from the 1930s flickering on the TV? If so, your slumber may have been gently stirred by the film’s melancholy soundtrack.

Drifting between dream-state and consciousness, at first you may think you recognize the tinny strains of a slow Argentine tango, but then you discern a melody suggesting a Chopin nocturne, albeit one that’s been tuned to an even gloomier minor key of an Eastern European klezmer dance number. Perhaps you’re still dreaming?

In fact, you’re wide awake, and what you’re hearing is a Hollywoodized version of Polish tango.

It’s a popular genre of sentimental songs composed between 1918 and 1939 by classically trained Polish musicians.

“That’s the soundtrack of interwar Poland,”

…says Juliette Bretan, a journalist and researcher based in Lincolnshire and studying in London.

“The music is very melodramatic and really rather sad, filled with these depressing lyrics about people wanting to take their own lives, or the fights they’re having with their lovers. But it’s also a very mature sound, a very Polish sound. Had World War II not happened,”

She adds,

“I believe Polish music would’ve had an even bigger impact than it did on the global stage.”

Bretan has been on a mission to learn about her Eastern European roots.

“We know my grandmother was taken from Poland in 1941 to perform slave labor in Germany,”

Bretan says.

“We think she was in some camps for a time, but it’s very unclear. After the war, she met my granddad in a displaced-persons’ camp, but we don’t really know what happened to him before that. They married and then came here in ’46 or ’47, and that was that.”

As Bretan delved into her family’s history, Polish tango became her soundtrack.

“I stumbled onto this music purely by chance,”

she says.

“I find the sound intoxicating, so it became a connection to the world my grandparents would’ve known when they were living in Poland. On the one hand, for me, the music is like a reconnection to my heritage, but on the other hand, what is there to reconnect to? That heritage is all gone, so it’s almost like I’m writing a new history of my family.”

Bretan fell hard for Polish tango, which, in an article for culture.pl, she described as

“merging pinches of the age-old Polish romantic and sentimental melodies with Jewish inflections and a more modern, brassy sound, dripping in glissandos and vibrato.”

There is some very interesting background on all this regarding the inter-war years when Germany embraced nationalism in the form of Nazi Facism. But I really don’t have the stomach to get into that right now. I just want to enjoy the music.

History

Tango was first introduced to Poland in 1913, with the performance of Victor Jacobi’s opera Targ na Dziewczęta (Girls’ Market) at the New Theatre in Warsaw. Its popularity over the following years grew not from palpable influences, but gramophone records, the radio and newspaper reports.

This popular consumption through media prompted Polish tangos to carve their own position in the history of the nation’s music: with a lack of direct contact, pieces began to veer away from the original Argentinian form, adopting a more melancholic sound influenced heavily by klezmer, and a softer melody and harmony; replacing the underlying rhythm of the stereotypical bandoneon with a proliferation of slides and rigorous vibrato. Theirs was a journey that blossomed along with the Polish state itself – these tangos were bulwarks of a new, revitalised Polish popular culture.

In 1925, Henryk Gold and his brother Artur established the Gold Orchestra, an 8-piece jazz band that played regularly at the Cafe Bodega in Warsaw. At first, the orchestra exclusively played ragtime, but soon, with the echoes of a more exotic yet wistful sound creeping across the continent, it slowly began to dabble with tangos and waltzes, styles that would become the pair’s legacy.

A year later in 1926, Artur Gold and his cousin, Jerzy Petersburski, co-founded the Petersburski & Gold Orchestra. By the end of the decade, it was one of the most renowned dance orchestras in Warsaw, performing in the fashionable Adria restaurant.

Alongside this development was the growth in popularity of theatres and cabarets, the most significant being the Qui Pro Quo theatre, led largely by Julian Tuwim and Marian Hemar, and, later, the Morskie Oko cabaret.

These two groups competed fiercely to recruit the best Polish stars of the interbellum era: artists like the now legendary Eugeniusz Bodo (often pictured with his dog, Sambo) and Mieczysław Fogg, who performed alongside Mira Zimińska, Zula Pogorzelska, Adolf Dymsza, and the smouldering Hanka Ordonówna.

Experiments in 1920s music, which at the time were coming thick and fast, now had epicentres from which new innovations and styles could thrive: Poland was beginning to embrace tango-fever like nothing else.

The Wall Street Crash and subsequent global economic downturn in the late 1920s hit entertainment establishments hard. Both Qui Pro Quo and Morskie Oko closed in 1933 – but the music passionately cultivated by the artists of these clubs only played louder, and interest in the style swelled. By the 1930s, Poland – and particularly Warsaw – was seeping with the sensuous melancholic passion of the tango, with new tunes churned out on a daily basis.

Above all, the record company Syrena Rekord, Poland’s first and arguably most eminent recording company, helped facilitated the development of this culture. Established in 1908 by Juliusz Feigenbaum to satisfy the Polish demand for popular music, Syrena Rekord was already booming on the eve of WWI, producing 2.5 million records a year.

But it was after the war that the popularity of the company truly soared: where other record companies fell following the economic depression, Syrena jumped from strength to strength.

The music of 1930s Poland that Wars helped produce was influenced not only by traditional Polish countryside folk motifs, but also by the cosmopolitan nature of the interwar state: after regaining independence, the Polish nation exploded in freedoms of cultures, languages and lifestyles, with Warsaw the pivot. Entertainment united these disparate voices in a pleasant environment, providing a means by which any style could be heard and appreciated.

This was particularly true for the Jewish population, who were integral to the Polish interwar music scene. Jewish composers, singers, songwriters and musicians, many of whom originated from families steeped in traditions of classical music, found liberty in popular culture, combining their efforts with other previously-silenced minorities and cultivating an original sound for the new nation.

The Syrena founder Feigenbaum himself epitomised this atmosphere: a Catholic of Jewish descent, he worked as a musician, composer, inventor and businessman – the ultimate cosmopolitan multi-talent that inspired a generation of Poles to follow.

Though Polish Radio was the driver behind the record business at the time, they only wanted to push the most renowned artists – making Syrena the only medium by which all the Polish popular music of the period, all the new melodies and styles and flairs, could reach the heights of fame. Waltzes like Szklanka Wina – Fest Dziewczyna!, slow-foxes like Już Jestem Taka Głupia, and foxtrots like Nikodem and Tokaj perpetually quavered from gramophones and echoed out of the doors of fashionable nightclubs across the country in the 1930s.

But it was the wealth of unique tango sounds that the Polish population craved the most. With its influences from Eastern European, Jewish and Gypsy music, these particular interbellum pieces spoke to the population like no other music could: a population characterised by a tumultuous history, an investment in multi-culture, and the desire for sophistication and charm.

Poles of the 1930s were allured by the exotic yearning desire of such music: the quivering Slavic intonations, the broken passion, and enigmatic performers. The artists themselves sustained the vision through the adoption of a multiplicity of enthralling pseudonyms, adding a soupçon of piquant mystery to the culture.

Biggest hits

The breakout tango hit of Syrena happened early: in 1929, Petersburski’s Tango Milonga [provided below] (with lyrics by Andrzej Włast) burst onto the scene and quickly became not only a national favourite but also a widespread international triumph, with the English title being Oh Donna Clara. The aching cadences and swelling Eastern European melody gave the piece a lively originality, and it is no wonder that it is still remembered by many as a classic interwar tune.

But there were also other tangos which had a momentous impact in Poland. The popular Umówiłem Się z Nią na Dziewiątą premiered in 1937, sung by Eugeniusz Bodo, with a legacy that lasts even today. The yearning 1935 hit Graj Skrzypku, Graj portrayed by the rich voice of Adam Aston and the charming tones of Mieczysław Fogg, among many others, was characteristic of the tango culture emerging at the time.

Meanwhile, the 1932 piece Rebeka, and its 1934 complement Rebeka Tańczy Tango epitomised the figure of the heartbroken female lover, a trope found in so many tangos of the period. Another of Petersburski’s greats, the ominous lament To Ostatnia Niedziela, nicknamed ‘Suicide Tango’, came in 1935 and still remains a symbol of pre-war Polish culture.

Here’s some examples.

See if any of you find it appealing.

There’s something about violins, Accordion & Concertina music. It gives me the chills. I hope you all enjoy this playlist.

An Interview with Noam Zylberberg

From HERE. All credit to the author, and  kindly note that it was edited to fit this venue.

It was an exciting time in music history – there was nothing to base these songs on. The result was something simple but not simplistic. That’s what I love about it,’ says Noam Zylberberg. The musician, who is performing Polish pieces written and composed in the Interwar period, told us about the sound he is trying to resurrect.

Noam Zylberberg studied conducting at the Jerusalem Academy of Music. He became fascinated with interwar Polish music and established Mała Orkiestra Dancingowa (The Little Dancing Orchestra), which has played concerts in Poland and abroad. Their first album was released this year.

Juliette Bretan: So let’s start from the beginning. Where do your links to Poland come from?

Noam Zylberberg: My grandparents were born in Warsaw but left Poland in 1934. They were young. They wanted to follow their ideals and reinvent themselves. My grandmother’s family were Warsaw people going back many generations and so Warsaw has always been present in my life.

JB: When did you begin to become more involved with Poland and Polish culture?

NZ: I became curious after my grandparents passed away – I was still very young, but I began wondering about their pasts. They never spoke Polish at home, but I’d heard about their lives and families in Warsaw. This fascination followed me into my student years and still does till this day.

JB:Did your interest in interwar Polish music begin from that period?

NZ: Not really; It was a long time until I discovered this music. It all started through an interesting family connection – one of my grandmother’s cousins, Tadeusz Raabe, was a friend of Antoni Słonimski’s. Tadeusz was from a wealthy background – his family owned a factory.

When World War I broke out, they had to leave to Russia. During those years, Tadeusz spent time in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. That was when he discovered their modern art cafés and avant-garde culture – which didn’t exist in Poland at all.

Back then, Poland was in the midst of the Young Poland movement; art was very serious and patriotic. So when Tadeusz returned home, he opened the first modern art café in the city with Antoni Słonimski, who in turn brought with him Julian Tuwim. This was the famous Pod Picadorem cafe.

Later, he also married a well-known singer and movie star, Tola Mankiewiczówna. When I first learned about this, her name meant nothing to me. I found a video online of her singing the tango Odrobinę Szczęścia w Miłości (A Little Luck in Love). If I’m honest, I wasn’t that taken by it – it’s a video of her dressed as a maid, shining a shoe, and at that time I didn’t understand Polish, so I didn’t know what she was singing about.

JB: And when were you taken by these songs?

NZ: I gradually became more familiar with these songs, and as I started to learn about different individuals and pieces I began to think that it would be cool to do something with them, though I didn’t exactly know what. There was something special about these pieces. I was interested in the sound – it’s such a specific sound of the 1920s and 1930s.

The main genre of this style is the Tango.

It was popular all over Europe in the early years of the 20th century, but its life in Warsaw was longer than abroad. Tango was being danced to in Warsaw in the 1920s, but it was only towards the end of that decade that the local musicians began composing them. The first initiative was taken by Jerzy Petersburski and his cousins, the Gold brothers.

JB: What makes a tango Polish?

It’s difficult to answer the question of what makes a Polish tango. I don’t know if I have a good answer, but I suppose there’s a certain softness; the basics of tango are there, but everything else is from a different world. There’s a different warmth to it; it’s less aggressive.

One good example of a Polish tango is O Piękna Nieznajoma (O Beautiful Unknown Woman). It’s split into two parts – a chorus and an interlude. It’s very soft and lyrical; there’s an elegant countermelody in the background; it’s very sophisticated. It sounds almost like an aria from a Puccini opera. When the intersection comes, it’s like a reminder– ‘this is tango!’

That part is as if not connected to the rest of the song, and when the main theme returns, you can almost forget that it’s really a tango: the only thing that suggests tango at the beginning is the rhythm, like an engine in the background. Everything else is water.

JB: And what about the multicultural aspects of Poland back then – the mix of Poles and Jews and Ukrainians and other minorities?

NZ: It was multicultural – but they were all Poles. They all spoke the same language. Most of the Jewish composers and musicians came from assimilated families. They may have come from different backgrounds, but they shared similar values. Almost all of them were professional musicians, and they all received classical musical education.

They knew what they were doing – if they used a Jewish-sounding motive, it was done deliberately. The same way they also wrote songs in Spanish style about Spain, even though most of them probably hadn’t been there – for the audience, going to the cabarets and the theatres was their way of travelling and accessing something exotic.

They worked quickly. A piece composed one morning could be played the same evening. If something didn’t work the way they’d hoped, they could change it the next day. This way of work is like experimenting in a laboratory. This allowed a new style to take shape relatively quickly. They were even writing for particular musicians, basing their arrangements on who would be in the band on any particular day. One day, they might have three clarinets – so they would arrange the piece for them. The next day, they might have one – and so the next arrangement would be different.

The specific musicians and instruments played a big role in shaping this style. This is what differed it from early pop music played in Berlin or London at the same time.

JB: How were the instruments different?

NZ: A good example is the Hawaiian guitar, which features in so many songs from the period. The main musician playing it was a man called Wiktor Tychowski – he was crazy about the Hawaiian guitar. It’s actually him playing it in a lot of these recordings – the other musicians probably liked working with him – it featured so much that eventually it became a characteristic of the style. Tychowski was just one person but he left a mark – each of these individuals had influence.

JB: And what was the next step for you?

NZ: I spent a lot of time getting to know the style and the people, and then I went through the songs online and made transcriptions of them. Still in Tel Aviv, my idea was to collect a group of people together to play Polish tangos and have dance parties … you know, a very underground scene, playing in a dark basement with hipsters who don’t even look you in the eye – that kind of thing.

Eventually, I never actually set it up. Instead I started travelling to and from Warsaw and met up with some musicians in the city – and one day I just stayed. I spent my time making transcriptions and preparing scores – mostly tangos at that stage.

JB: So you said you transcribe these songs to be able to perform them?

NZ: Yes. When we talk about style, a lot of it has to do with instrumentation. The notes that were published and were available to the public have all the harmonic and melodic information but don’t include any instrumentation, so they’re not helpful for playing in the original style. So I use old recordings and transcribe them.

We try to follow the stylistic traditions of the time – it will never be 100% the same, and that’s not what we want. We’re different people living in a different world, and we’re not interested in imitation. But we try to think about it in similar terms to those in which they were thinking when they created it.

For example, the instruments didn’t change that much, but the technique and approach did. Back then violin players tended to use a lot of portamento – sliding from note to note. But today this is considered bad playing. I can’t ask my violinists to completely change their technique, but I want them to know about it. I want them to be informed, to listen and understand why it sounds the way it sounds.

JB: Do you think this music is coming back into fashion? There seem to be a lot of performers like you whose repertoires include these songs.

NZ: Yes, but each group is doing it differently. There’s room for everyone.

JB: Has this sound always been here, or did it dissipate in 1939?

NZ: In the late 1940s, for a few more years, you could still hear reminiscences of the style in Warsaw. But most of the musicians of the previous generation were gone by then – some perished in the war and other immigrated soon after – and the sound changed. The style back then was based on people; they made it the way it was.

JB: So what about those who survived and kept playing and singing – the best example being, of course, Mieczysław Fogg?

NZ: Fogg’s style changed – you could even say he was a different singer between the 1930s and the 1970s.

What Fogg did – what we owe him for the most – was to be a symbol. Because he was here, he became a symbol of old Warsaw. Some musicians who stayed couldn’t find themselves in the new world. But after the war, Fogg recorded the songs from the 1920s and 1930s in new versions. The songs Fogg didn’t record are mostly forgotten, and those he recorded are the ones we remember. He’s responsible for that.

JB: So what made the Interwar period special?

NZ: It was a peculiar and interesting time all over the world, and it was the beginning of pop culture. Before, there had been serious and folk music – but not pop. The world was changing quickly; technological advances and changes in the social structure changed the way people lived. Suddenly, you have recording and films that need music, and cities were getting larger. It was the first time in history when people had money and time and wanted to have fun. Consumers of culture grew, so there was a need for music.

This music had to be invented. There were questions – ‘How do you write a pop song?’ ‘How long should it be?’ ‘How should you sing one?’

Many of the early songs just don’t work anymore; they’re not relevant and no one speaks this way, so they can’t connect. But things changed – there was an influx of artists, many from Lwów (today’s Lviv), who could create charming rhymes and simple feelings.

JB: And how are your performances taking this into account? Are you performing at the moment?

NZ: There is still more to do – there always is. We perform at SPATiF [a club in Warsaw] regularly, and we have the album, which was produced with the support of Polish Radio.

Almost all of our musicians come from a classical background – they’re a bunch of people who are interested in exploring . None of them grew up with these sounds. This style is not natural for modern musicians. So we have to think: ‘How do we achieve this?’ So even just the way of thinking about the notes was something that we had to work out together.

One point is swing. Today, everyone knows what swing sounds like, but back then, it was something new and unnatural. When we started rehearsing, it sounded more like New York in the 1950s than Warsaw in the 1930s. We had to forget it. Even in concerts, I’ll remind the musicians not to swing. When you start swinging in these songs, everything falls apart and that engine dies. The piece gets heavier – it should be light.

JB: And do you have any favourite pieces?

NZ: One song which is close to me is Codziennie Inna (Different Every Day), which opens our album.

It wasn’t part of our original repertoire – but we had a concert in SPATiF and a couple of the musicians were running a little late. Eventually, we couldn’t wait any more so, in the meantime, I decided I would teach everyone a song. The orchestra didn’t know it either. They caught the melody, and the audience quickly learned the lyrics. By the end, everyone was singing together – it was a great experience.

These songs were a part of this city; these melodies were once hummed in the streets – but then they disappeared. When we did that concert with Codziennie Inna – the audience sang it 20 times. I’m sure it stuck in their heads. Some of them may have even hummed it to themselves on the street the next day.

It’s giving the city back its sounds.

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An introduction to Thailand by an occasional traveler, and a lover of great food, pretty girls and sunshine

Here, in this post, I am going to discuss the wonderful land of smiles; Thailand. It is an enchanting country. It is filled with happy, easy going people, cheap prices, lots of open fresh air, seas of beauty, mountains and hills, and lots and lots of great delicious food. I haven’t written about this place at all because the vast bulk of my time is spent within China. But this is a great place, as is the rest of South East Asia, and I have a few things to say about it.

Read this post. Then re-read this sentence. As far as a man is concerned, Thailand is really the land of the free.

“The Thais are proud to say their country has never been colonized and delighted to explain that translated in to English, Thailand means "land of the free". 

Many Thais genuinely believe their country is free and that regular citizens are afforded a level of freedom that doesn't exist outside the Kingdom's borders.

Given the way certain parts of Thailand's history are explained in the local education system, it's no surprise. 

But the way that some foreigners resident in Thailand also feel more free in Thailand than they do in Farangland (Oh, “farang”, or for those of you who hate that word, Caucasian) floors me.”

- Thailand, Land of the Free

One of the places that I would live at, from time to time, was Thailand. It’s a truly amazing place, with beautiful beaches, excellent delicious food, warm welcoming climate, a decent infrastructure, and hordes of sexy willing women. What’s not to like?

“hhahahhha  Pattaya! 

I ran into a few FAT and outraged American "chang nams"...

chang(elephant) 
nam(water)

...chang nam is a hippo and polite word for American (women) wildebeast that seem to stray into Pattaya now and again. (The great white water buffalo.)

There were three American chang nams that ganged up on me, asking me all sorts of "triggered questions.

"When their mouths stopped flapping, I ran my fingers across my lips, then launched into international sign language dialogue. 

One of the girls said ".....oh shit, he's deaf---and THEY APOLOGIZED."

My sign language is very good and I suggest all ZHers to at least learn a few phrases correctly in dealing with hostile, bat-shit crazy American women and their failed NGOs in Thailand and Cambodia. 

These American goody-two-shoes are the ones that demonize sex and then run around to the back room to boom Somchai.

PS...To call someone "Somchai" in Tai and Kampuchea, really you are saying "John Doe." "Somchai" is better than saying "....where's Woody?"

- buttmint (reply to) MaxThrust Aug 12, 2017 10:57 AM

I have visited Thailand with my Chinese wife numerous times. We have stayed at everything from fancy hotels to cute residential home-stays. We have frequented the bars and clubs and sampled the night life there, we have even had an adventure where a taxi driver drove us out into the middle of the jungle and left us there to rot at 4:30 am!

Thailand, since it is so close to China, is my 2^nd home.

It’s a very cheap (from China) two hour flight and BOOM!, I am in a land where all the girls call me a “Handsome Man”.

"Hey! Handsome Man!"

Though, I have never sampled the female fun there, it’s enough to know that I could if I wanted to.

Personally, I find the girls there a little chubbier and shorter than my tastes allow. (You can see for yourself in the pictures and videos herein.) However, that’s just me.

My ideal woman is a curvy and robust Chinese gal, with a handsome face, and a smile that last forever. Long black hair is an extra five points. Brown eyes improves the look another five points, and having an oval face tacks on another ten points.

(The taller “girls” tend to be ladyboys… yikes!)

In any event, Thailand is a beautiful place with cheap prices, delicious food, and nature everywhere. It is paradise.

…

People come to visit and LIVE in Thailand for all sorts of reasons;

“There isn't one kind of person that comes to Thailand there are many. 

There's the sex starved older English gent that finds paradise in the Neon lights of Pattaya to the American couple who have figured out that they don't want to live there lives drowned in debt only to realize they've missed out on Living their lives. 

You'll find a lot of grumpy old men who are single and spend their time Farang bashing on Thai Visa and younger guys who party to the break of dawn every night. 

The English teacher who's looking for "world experience" I'm sure you've met all sorts of people in Thailand.”

-From here; http://www.livingthai.org/why-choose-to-live-in-thailand.html

And, for guys, often the reason is for sex…

“The problem with sex is that it’s a natural male instinct to fuck everything that moves, not just the hottest, but anything attractive – you’ll never stop looking, but you might stop chasing. God help you if you’re very good looking, getting ‘opportunities’ thrown at you wherever you live. You may never escape this vice – and it will cost you big time.”

-BobbyT

Thailand is a different place for certain. Different is Good.

“Frustrated foreign residents are known to have the odd rant about life in Thailand at times, but sometimes we need to take a look at the big picture and consider that things are not as bad as they may seem. 

A mate who gets around Bangkok by motorbike tells me that whenever he parks his motorbike, he leaves his helmet resting on the handlebars, attached by a simple clip. This is something he would never do in his native Belgium for it would likely not be there when he returned but in 10 years of riding in Bangkok no-one has ever taken his helmet. 

Still, I have never seen his helmet and maybe the shocking pink color and the slogan I love ladyboys in Thai on the front has something to do with it?”

-Stickman

Pattaya

“Never in my life did I imagine I would ever turn down a girlfriend of mine for sex until I got to Thailand; 

...there’s just only so much I can handle. 

American women (and I’m sure British and Australian women are very similar) use sex more as a tool in a relationship, and they’re usually willing to sacrifice the enjoyment from sex just to prove a point. 

I don’t find this too often in Thailand and that’s a beautiful thing.”

-LivingThai

I’ve been to Pattaya numerous times.

A famous Pattaya themed T-shirt, sold at many of the vendor’s stalls about town, sums up the divergent opinions about the place. “Good guys go to heaven, bad guys go to Pattaya”.

I can’t say the beach is all that great. But it has (had) an amazing street devoted to bars and night life. Both my wife and I felt like we had died and gone to heaven.

The first time we went there, we separated from the group (that we had been with) and went solo exploring this amazing area. Of course, you have the go-go girls, and the bar girls and all of that. However, what really struck me was the presence of old fat western guys who had plopped themselves down at a bar and who were nursing a beer.

What?

You call that fun and exciting?

We bar hopped each and every time we visited that town.

First Impressions

My first experience was awesome. I must tell the reader that when you go into these bars, you will see (easily) 20 to 30 totally nude gals standing and dancing slowly in super high heels.

That has since changed, and as of 2016 they all seem to be wearing some kind of attire.

With a short old 70-year old grandmother walking around them with a meter long switch telling them to arch their backs, etc. The girls seemed fine. (They were) all thin and in their 20’s. A patron might come in and pick a girl and pay the girl and get a blow-job on the spot. (I’ve seen it done numerous times.)

You can even take the girls upstairs for a short-time (this is known as a “short time girl”). However, to be honest, you see 30 girls without a lick of clothing on it’s not really arousing.

Since then, the local government placed laws requiring the gals to wear clothing. I have mixed feelings about it.

It’s just a bunch of nude girls.

*Old fat men (Bogan) nursing beers in Pattaya bar street.*

Pattaya is known (outside of Thailand) for one place.

Sex.

I think I can safely say that Patong Beach is now Bogan central for Thailand. 

A Bogan is a bit of a derogatory term for a person who hails from the western suburbs of Sydney, West Auckland or the working class areas of Melbourne. 

In Thailand they are normally identified as blokes, or sheilas, with minimal attire – a beer brand singlet, billabong shorts and flip flops – and whose main priorities in life are knocking back copious amounts of beer and watching their preferred style of footy. 

Take a stroll down Soi Bangla in the early evening and the sports bars lining each side of the street will be packed with Bogans getting their fixes of beer and footy. 

The thing is, though, if you hang around the place for long enough you’ll soon pick up on the idea there are Bogans from all over the world cruising the streets and crowding the shopping malls of Patong. 

Aside from your bog standard Aussie and Kiwi Bogans, there are also English, Russian, German, Scandinavian, Indian and even Thai Bogans to be seen.

That being said, let me be the first to point out that the Pattaya Police Chief say’s that there is no such thing as prostitution in Pattaya.  Apparently it doesn’t exist.

And it is true that sex can be obtained.

However, it is not as common and rampant as the British tabloids make it out to be. There’s only a precious few areas that you can get your “fix” for secual excitement. The rest of Pattaya is like the rest of Thailand, very conservative and very religious.

Pattaya City officials, local police units and administrative units of Chon Buri held a press conference on the new policy; Pattaya Happy Zone, which has been immediately implemented with the main purpose of keeping popular areas of Pattaya under control and crime-free.

The Happy Zone is being enforced in the infamous Walking Street in order to control all illegal activities to make sure that the holiday experience in Pattaya is hassle-free for everyone.

Pol Col Apichai Krobpetch, the Pattaya police superintendent, told the magazine “Spectrum” that Pattaya is not a hub for the sex trade.

He was upset about the British media’s stories, insisting they were fabricated.British newspapers The Sun, Mirror and the Daily Star recently ran articles describing Pattaya as “the world’s sex capital” and as a “modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah”, sparking anger among government officials, especially PM Prayut, who vowed to crack down on illegal businesses and prostitution in Pattaya, viewing them as a major embarrassment for Thailand.

http://www.chiangraitimes.com/pattaya-police-chief-says-there-is-no-such-thing-as-prostitution-in-pattaya.html

“There is no such thing as prostitution in Pattaya,” says Col Apichai. “Where did they get the figure of 27,000 sex workers in Pattaya? Anyone can make up this information.

Ah.

But sex and booze. Well, that’s something that I happen to enjoy.

And I am not afraid to admit it. Many a fine night has been spent with a female companion drinking wine, singing and dancing, and chatting and eating delicious food, and then having some great sex. It’s a wonderful way to pass the time, make new friends, and just relax.

Which brings me to the most awesome bar street.

(Drinking booze, rock music and sex everywhere.) When I went there with my wife, we were just floored over by the sheer size and awesomeness of it. It put New Orleans French Quarter to shame. It is amazing and awesome at the same time.

We first visited Pattaya during a Chinese organized tour for tasting all the food of Thailand.

The reader should realize that I am (what is called) “a foodie”.

A foodie is someone who has a deep interest in food. In addition to being interested in food itself, foodies are also interested in the back story: the history, production, science, and industry of food. As a general rule, foodies are amateurs, rather than professionals working in some aspect of the food industry, and many of them are self-taught.

-What is a Foodie?

We were not disappointed.

After one of the many, many dinners we were taken to the “bar street” for a look around. The tour guide would not let us go alone, so we had to sign a “safety waiver” and off we went. We’ve been in love with the place ever since.

It is not like what is portrayed in the American movie “Hangover II”, that is unless you are a drinker. Never the less it is an awesome place. I actually prefer it over New Orleans “French Quarter”, Reno, Los Vegas, Macao, and some of the more “interesting” places that I have explored.

Both myself and my wife think of it as an awesome place.

First meal I had in Pattaya was fresh crab and shellfish.

The servings are huge and the prices were cheaper than in China. This I’m super surprised about even looking at the western meals around Pattaya are much cheaper than China also. Must be something to do with the amount of competition here. One thing that is first noticeable about the food in Pattaya is it tastes way better than what you get in China. I don’t really know why. This is probably because it’s either Isaan food and central food and I’m in the right place for that.

Since I’m a big foody I fell in love with the place immediately. (Not to mention all the pretty girls calling me a “handsome man”!)

Pattaya is a very small place, well it’s not exactly small but the truth is that really, it’s just not that big. Pattaya is more concentrated making it easier to get around. This is especially true in the center of all “the action”.

Traffic isn’t as bad as people say though there are way more of those little mini-bicycle-car-like things (hoons) here which is expected.

Most of the hoons are either motorbike taxis or tourists joyriding. I hate driving in Thailand but it’s a must if you want to cover more ground quickly and save money and hassles getting taxis.

A lot of people walk in Pattaya compared to Bangkok. Bangkok is a city. Pattaya is a small coastal town.

If you’re a first time visitor to Pattaya then get ready for a surprise. This is like nothing you’ll have ever experienced before. This has to be one of the greatest concentrations of night time venues anywhere in the world.

The famous walking street is the epicenter of the Pattaya’s party scene, stretching from Bali Hai pier in the south to beach road at the north. This neon lit street is closed to traffic from around 6pm until the early morning. This mile long strip of pure hedonism is a mecca for party goers from all over the world. Lined with a mix of Go Go bars, drinking bars, restaurants, world class nightclubs and live music venues anyone who visits Pattaya has to experience this party wonderland.

(Don’t be afraid of entering any of the bars, clubs or go go’s you won’t get bitten (unless you want). The workers are all super friendly and the bad old days of getting ripped off are long gone. So be brave, and go on in.)

Water Festival

The reader can just simply forget about staying dry during the water festival. Little children, and not so little adults man each and every corner with plastic water guns, water machine guns, and water bazookas. The wife ended up staying in the room for three days afraid to go out and get soaked.

The Water Festival is the New Year’s celebrations that take place in east and South-east Asian countries such as China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar Taiwan and Thailand.

It is called the ‘Water Festival’ by Westerners because they notice people splashing or pouring water at one another as part of the cleansing ritual to welcome the New Year. Traditionally people gently sprinkled water on one another as a sign of respect, but as the new year falls during the hottest month in South East Asia, many people end up dousing strangers and passersby in vehicles in boisterous celebration.

The act of pouring water is also a show of blessings and good wishes. It is believed that on this Water Festival, everything old must be thrown away, or it will bring the owner bad luck.

Here’s what another expat has to say about this festival;

“Songkran in Pattaya is celebrated for 7 days from the 13th until 19th April. It's difficult to avoid getting wet.

No food carts or girls ordering food get attacked with high-powered water guns and buckets as the Thais respect food. The Thais also consider people walking the sois with their luggage on the way to check-in to hotels.

Even long after the sun has set, the Thais still playing with water don't target people who are dry and heading out for dinner.

You know where I'm going with this… 

Of course, some young Thais on bikes riding the sois and drinking too much end up having fights. From my week-long Songkran experience here, having played with water and sat and observed, it's the dickhead Farangs with high-powered water guns hitting people in the face, attacking people with food, people going out dressed for a night out etc.

Even drunk bargirls manage to recognise and respect people who want to avoid water later in the evening. While writing this email in a dry area on sois 7 with 45 baht beers, I have witnessed 2 altercations between Westerners with high-powered guns attacking people who are dry. Only 28 more hours left of this craziness then off to track Everest. I'm confident Everest will be less to endure.“

-https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/weekly-column/2016/04/sensational-soda/

Going for a visit

It’s not just about the sleazy side of Pattaya and thousands of people a night descend here to watch some great live music acts, eat fresh seafood over the water or watch one of the numerous street performers. Even organized tours of Chinese and Korean tourists regularly wander up and down the street to soak up the atmosphere. The smaller alleys are called “Soi”. Check out the map below.

As a man, I have to admit that Thailand has so much going for it.

The cost of living is very cheap. In fact, it is even cheaper than China. If you have enough money saved away (stashed from the clutches of your first or second wives) you can live quite comfortably. Further, it is beautiful. The weather is NOT SNOWY. The food is awesome, though you might need to learn the language or use a cute girl to translate to order. The beaches, mountains, and history are amazing…And, the girls… the girls are all cute, beautiful and AVAILABLE. What’s not to love?

*Pattaya bar street map. All credit to the amazing Mike Baird*.

Hotels in Pattaya.

Here’s just some informationt that I collected from my files. As Asia, both China and Thailand is in a constant state of flux, probably the best thing that you can do is chat with a local and get the best deals for your particular situation. Never the less, you can consider this guide as a helpful venue to get you started.

More information can be found here;

Wave Hotel Pattaya

The wave hotel is by far the best combination of luxury, value, and location in Pattaya; this is where the smart ballers stay. The price is around 160 dollars a night, but when you see this place, you will feel like it is a bargain. The rooms are high class, and the location can’t be beat. They offer a nice sized pool and garden area, along with a par. They also have free wifi access. The staff here will treat you like royalty.

Hilton Hotel Pattaya

Located dead center of Walking street and on the beach… What more can you expect from the Hilton? They offer an amazing infinity pool and pool side bar “Shore Bar”, which offers stunning views. They also have many rooftop restaurants with incredible views as well. This is a great getaway no matter what kind of vacation you are having in Pattaya. Don’t forget, Central Pattaya Beach is located downstairs!

Dusit D2 Baraquda Pattaya Hotel

Dusit D2 Baraquda Pattaya Hotel is a little different from the first two 5 star hotels offered here, Dusit D2 Baraqude offers a nice fusion between Thai and Western architecture so you will get a little culture, it is also suited in an excellent location right on walking street and offers amazing views of the surrounding area and ocean.

Pattaya Marriott Resort and Spa

The Marriott name speaks for itself, especially here in Pattaya. The Marriott is one of only a few five star hotels located in Pattaya and it shines here as one of the best hotels. It offers an amazing swimming pool and outdoor lounge, fine dining inside, in an excellent location, and high-speed internet access in every room. The gardens here are also amazing. They also offer a breakfast buffet every morning for all guests until 10:30am… If you are not too hung over!!

Intimate Hotel by Tim Boutique Hotel

Intimate Hotel by Tim Boutique Hotel is easily my choice for a medium budget traveler. It offers free wifi, stunning views across the city, Jacuzzi tubs in some rooms, a great rooftop bar/restaurant. It also provides a small, but nice fitness center and a decent international buffet. From here, you are within walking distance to Pattaya Beach, and also some of the shopping malls in the city such as Central Festival Beach and Royal Garden Plaza.

The Scenery City Hotel

Traveling on a budget? The Scenery City Hotel is my favorite budget hotel in Pattaya. They offer very nice clean rooms with a balcony for under 1000 baht per night. Free wifi is offered in public areas (some rooms can grab access from the public areas if within reach). Located right in the center of Pattaya, the location can’t be beat. The rooms are extremely clean and held to a very high standard, the staff is also very friendly and informative. Basically, everything is within walking distance of here, including the beaches.

Areca Lodge Hotel

Another one of my favorite hotels in Pattaya on Walking Street is the Areca Lodge Hotel. This is one of the most popular hotels in Pattaya with good reason. The prices are borderline cheap/medium so it fits most people’s budgets. They offer free in room wifi, and the rooms are extremely clean. Areca offers two large pools with Jacuzzis and other amenities including a fitness center, sauna and on-site eateries, also all rooms have balconies.

Hard Rock Hotel

The Hard Rock Hotel name speaks for itself, not much explaining needed here. Geared for the active crowd who would rather have a fun time with activities rather than a quiet time. The rooms are all modern, hip, and cool with purple styling. Every room offers a sea view or city view, depending which side of the building you’re on. The pool is one of the best in Pattaya and they offer lots of activities in the pool/garden area. It also offers many restaurants, bars and lounges including the world’s popular signature Hard Rock Café.

Sooi-Tee Guest House

For those of you on a super budget, I highly recommend the Sooi-Tee Guest House. Rooms start around 500 or 600 baht a night and all offer free wifi. The location is perfect and each room has AirCon, which you won’t find in a lot of guest houses in this price range. The rooms are clean and offer a baloney. Staying at a place like this is is good because you get that nice homey feel and special attention from the staff.

View Talay 6 Pattaya Beach Condominium

View Talay 6 Pattaya Beach Condominium by Honey is one of the best medium priced hotels in Pattaya and also one of the most popular. Located on the beach, it offers great views of the ocean and city. There is a nice pool with a pool side bar and massage service on site. The location couldn’t be beat if you want to be on the beach AND close to Walking Street. This hotel also offers free wifi.

Bars and Nightclubs

There are many great nightclubs on the Pattaya walking street. Each has its own vibe and feel and most will be open until the sun comes up.

The clubs are extremely popular and are generally very busy every night of the week. Most don’t get going until after midnight. The clubs are a favorite of both younger tourist and locals. Here are some links to all the bars. (Up to date when I was last there, back in 2017.)

“Walking street really is one of a kind. Little could I have known, that all I had to do was jump on a plane and instantly be transformed into a ‘handsome man’ . It’s a blast. The vegas of the east. Minus gambling.”

-学习如何水肺潜水 JANUARY 5, 2017 AT 7:01 AM

69ers Beer Bar Facebook Seite	Soi 7, Central Pattaya (umgezogen von der Soi 8)
A
Apple Bar	Soi Chaiyapruek, Jomtien Beach
Armageddon Bar	Soi LK Metro, um die Ecke von der Soi Buakhao
Atlantic Bar	Pattaya Second Road
Aussie Bar	Soi 7, Central Pattaya
B
Barracuda Bar Facebook Seite	Naklua Road, Nord-Pattaya
Billabong Bar & Hotel	Soi LK Metro, Central Pattaya
Booze Lounge Facebook Seite	Soi Khao Talo, Ost-Pattaya (ca. 1,5 Kilometer hinter der Sukhumvit Road)
Borussia Park Facebook Seite	Deutsches Gästehaus und Bar, Naklua Road
Brass Monkey Bar	Soi Nern Plub Wan, Soi 26, Ost-Pattaya
Buffalo Bar Facebook Seite	Pattaya Third Road, Central Pattaya
Butcher’s Arms Pub	Englischer Pub & Gästehaus, Soi Buakhao
C
Caddyshack Facebook Seite	Pub & Gästehaus, Pattaya Third Road, Soi 17
Camel Toe	Gentleman Club, Soi Korpai 10
Candy Loca	Rompho Barkomplex, Jomtien Second Road
The Castle Fetish Club Facebook Seite	Pattaya Third Road, Central Pattaya (neben der Buffalo Bar)
Champions Sports Bar	Rompho Barkomplex, Jomtien Second Road
D
Devil’s Den Facebook Seite	Soi LK Metro, Central Pattaya (vormalig Hell’s Club)
E
Easy R-Con Bar Facebook Seite	Soi Buakhao, Central Pattaya
F
FLB Bar	Walking Street, Süd-Pattaya
G
The Golf Club	Sports Bar, Soi LK Metro, Central Pattaya
Gulliver’s Tavern	Pattaya Beach Road, Nord-Pattaya; Walking Street
I
I-Rovers Sports Bar Facebook Seite	Bar, Restaurant & Gästehaus, Soi LK Metro, Central Pattaya
J
Jameson’s Irish Pub	Soi Sukrudee (Soi A.R.), Central Pattaya
Joy’s Paradise Facebook Seite	Deutsche Bar und Gästehaus, Soi Welcome Jomtien
K
Kåres Party Bar	Pattaya Second Road
Kawaii Bar	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
Kiss Kool Bar	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
KitCat Club Lounge	410/8-10 Thappraya Road, Dongtan Beach, Jomtien
L
La La Land Bar	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
Legends Pool & Sports Bar Facebook page	Pattaya Klang Soi 5, Central Pattaya
Lord Nelson Sports Bar Facebook Seite	Pub, Restaurant & Gästehaus, Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak)
Lucky Love Bar	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
M
Mai Lu Si Bar	Soi Buakhao, gegenüber vom Pattaya City Hospital
Maxies Bar	Soi 16, Walking Street, Süd-Pattaya
M Club Facebook Seite	Gentleman Club, Pattaya Third Road, Soi 14
Medusa Bar & Restaurant	Deutsches Restaurant und Short Time Bar auf der Soi Wat Boon am Jomtien
Metro Bar & Apartments	Soi LK Metro, Central Pattaya
Moonshine Place	Amerikanische Bar and Gästehaus, Jomtien Soi 4
Murphy’s Law Pub	Soi LK Metro, Central Pattaya
N
Night Wish Bar	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
Nong Beer Bar	Soi Diana
O
O Bar Facebook Seite	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
One Bar	Deutsche Bar, Soi Night Out, Central Pattaya Road
P
Passion Gentleman’s Club	Thappraya Road (Hanuman Statue), Jomtien
Pattaya Beer Garden	Pattaya Beach Road (Eingang zur Walking Street)
The Pig & Whistle Pub Facebook Seite	Soi 7, Central Pattaya
PJ DJ Bar & Guesthouse Facebook Seite	Soi 7, Central Pattaya (vormalig Anna Jet Bar)
The Pussy Club	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
Q
Queen Victoria Inn Facebook Seite	Englischer Pub, Restaurant & Hotel, Soi 6
Quickie Bar	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
R
Retox Sports Bar Facebook Seite	Soi Lengkee, zwischen Pattaya Third Road und Soi Buakhao
Retox Game On Facebook Seite	Soi Honey, um die Ecke von der Pattaya Second Road
The Rock House Facebook Seite	Bar & Gästehaus, Soi LK Metro
Ruby Club	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
Rum Dum Bar	Rompho Barkomplex, Jomtien Second Road
Ryan’s Bar	Naklua Road, Nord-Pattaya (vor der Soi Wongamat)
S
Saigon Girl Bar	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
Sailor Inn	Norwegisches Restaurant & Gästehaus, Soi 13/2
Scandinavia Bar & Restaurant	Pattaya Beach Road, zwischen Soi 13 und Soi Yamato
Scandinavia Beach Club	Pattaya Beach Road, zwischen Soi 5 and Soi 6
Scooters Bar	Soi Buakhao, Central Pattaya
Secrets Bar & Nightclub Facebook Seite	Soi 14, Walking Street, Süd-Pattaya
Sexy In The City	Soi 6 (Soi Yodsak), Central Pattaya
Shooters Coyote Bar Facebook Seite	Coyote Bar & Gästehaus, Soi 7, Central Pattaya
Siam Cats	Deutsche Bar and Gästehaus, Jomtien Soi 5
Simple Simon	Englisches Restaurant & Bar, Jomtien Soi 5
Smurf Bar	Deutsche Bar, Soi Buakhao (Nähe Pattaya Klang)
The Sportsman Pub Facebook Seite	Pattaya Soi 13
T
Telephone Bar	Soi Batman, Süd-Pattaya
Tim Bar Beer	Bar und A-GoGo, Pattaya Second Road, Süd-Pattaya
V
Valentines Bar Facebook Seite	Soi Lengkee, zwischen Pattaya Third Road und Soi Buakhao
Viper Bar Facebook Seite	Coyote Bar, Pratamnak Road Soi 4 (gegenüber vom Asia Hotel)
W
WhyNot Bar	Deutsche Aircon-Bar, 179/86 Naklua Road
Wombat Bar	Bar, Restaurant & Gästehaus, Jomtien Beach Road

Some fun Links;

Pattaya After Midnight – Vlog 131 (Bars, Girls & Trouble!)
Pattaya Nightlife – VLOG 85
Pattaya Soi 6 (Daytime walking down the street pointing out hotel locations)
Pattaya Nightlife, Walking Street after midnight – VLOG 74
Pattaya Nightlife – inc. Walking Street – VLOG 83
Pattaya NYE 2016 After Midnight – VLOG 42

I would say that the number one advantage of visiting or living in Pattaya, is the “walking street” and the things that you can purchase there. As a man, I can see distinct advantages in living there.

“Last night we were in Gulliver's and one sight made me chuckle.

A large group of Brits walked in and took up about three tables. The women were obese but their boyfriends (how the hell did they get guys) were trim. 

The group was approached by four waitresses and two beer promotion girls. 

The waitresses were pretty with slim figures and you can guess how good the promotion girls looked. 

Needless to say the guys were enthralled by the display and had trouble ordering, much to the displeasure of the blobs sat around them.

I bet there were a few arguments back in the hotel rooms later. 

Welcome to Thailand, boys! I bet they are currently praying for their girlfriends to get food poisoning so they can go out unhindered and get some ‘cultural experiences’.”

- Praying for food poisoning!

Buying a Car in Thailand

Yes, the initial purchase of a car in Thailand will probably cost more than it would in the United States. A small-engined Japanese sedan such as a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic runs from 800,000 baht up to 1,000,000 plus for a fully loaded, top model. This is much more than you would pay in most Western countries. European or luxury cars can cost as much as 3 times what the exact same model would cost in the West.

Used Cars

The initial purchase price of a new (or second hand) car will also be greater than the West, but that is where the idea of car ownership in Thailand being expensive ends.

The good news is that cars devalue at a much, much slower rate in Thailand than they do elsewhere. Indeed, Hondas and Toyotas will command a high resale price due to their perceived reliability. You can pretty much expect vehicles from either of these manufacturers to devalue at not much more than 10% per year. A Honda Civic in good condition and with reasonable mileage that cost 800,000 in 2003 would go for around 400,000 baht now. A two-year old Toyota Vios that has travelled 30,000 km may sell for only 100,000 baht less than the exact same car brand new. If resale value is a concern choose carefully as not all cars from certain manufacturers maintain a great resale value.

Take note. European manufactured vehicles depreciate in value at a frightening high rate.

Pickup Trucks

If the price of a new car is beyond your budget, consider a pickup truck. Pickup trucks are subject to a different tax rate than sedans and as such are much cheaper. You can get a new pickup for as little as 500,000 baht or a fully featured model with a luxurious interior that gives it the feel of a well-speced sedan for around 700,000 baht. Pickup trucks sell very well in Thailand because they represent good value.

Other Costs

The cost of gasoline in Thailand is fairly low. Granted that it is a little bit more expensive than North America and about the same price as you would pay in Australia, but it is however much, much cheaper than what you’d pay in Europe.

Insurance is cheap and policies don’t seem to have an excess so if you have an accident you pay nothing (unless of course the police demands a donation!)

The cost of getting a vehicle serviced in Thailand is ridiculously low. For a small to medium sized Japanese vehicle you’re looking at around 1,000 baht per service at the franchised dealer. No, not a corner garage but a franchised dealer where they use the right oil, genuine parts and the workshop is so clean you could just about eat your rice off the floor.

Not that one should break the traffic laws, but fines for traffic infringements are ridiculously low. If you are miraculously issued with an official ticket, the odds are it will be in the range of 400 – 800 baht. Usually it won’t even cost that much however as the friendly police will invariably offer you a pay now discount.

Conclusion

This is just my introduction to Thailand, and as you might have guessed, I have a lot to say. So expect many more posts.

One of the things that I like about the world is how different other places are. As an American, I was programmed into believing that the “American way of life” was the best; that it was superior to all other forms of governance, and that so many people want to come to America to experience it.

Well, it’s not. Not by a long shot, and when you leave the “Exceptional American Experience” you realize just how much of your life that you have wasted pursuing that “American Dream”.

More to follow.

In the mean time appreciate what you have, and if you don’t have what you need to be happy, open up your horizons and go for it.

Nothing will put a smile on your face quicker than a “romp in the hay” with a beautiful and pretty girl after a day of quaffing beer and eating delicious food.

You can have some wonderful massages in Thailand.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my KTV Index here…

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Some solid information about prostitution within China

People have asked me, shyly (of course) if I could tell them a few things about how sex works within China. Ai! It’s a big subject, for certain. But you know what? It isn’t all that different from sex anywhere else in the world. You have people who fall in love and have relationships and have sex as part of that relationship, and then you have people who do not. These people trade sex for money instead.

Since China has always been the subject of sensational lies so that others may profit, it’s difficult to find any reasonable and good information on the internet about these subjects short of going on a “monger” website.

Monger
Short for whoremonger, i.e., one who frequents whores and prostitutes.

-Urban Dictionary: monger

Most people who visit Metallicman aren’t really “mongers”. Most are just healthy normal folk with a pretty decent interest in the universe around them. And that means just about everything.

That’s a good thing.

This post is some old information that I had buried in one of my pages. Um. Pages are different than posts. And unless you are an expert in the layout of Metallicman, the chances of you finding some of my intentionally buried pages will be difficult. I resurrected this page, updated it with some information and am placing it here as a post. If you have never seen it before, then you are in for a treat. Enjoy.

I found this on Daspora-ChinaSmack. It describes how an American got involved in the KTV scene and got tangled up with prostitutes in China. It’s a good read, even though the spelling is atrocious …

Also please take note, again, that this was not written by myself. It is the opinions of that author as he relates his experiences in regards to KTV’s, girls who charge for sexual services and how it works. He is responding to a long chain of discussion in which people are talking about prostitution inside of Asia, and China in particular. Here we pic-up his comments after a few pages of nonsense by basement millennials, holier-than-thou women, ignorant teenagers, and a few genuine people looking for answers…

Southernorthener

You guys actually have all the facts but kinda lose sight of reality..

Ive been in china for years.. i have a regular blog but its a rated since i have a normal life i lead that is quite in the spotlight so to speak..but i actually want to write this down desperately..

i have another life in the north of china.

Its hard to explain, and sort of unbelievable, even for me at times, but i'm going to go out on a ledge here since i cant change a whole nations opinion, but i can at least share my experiences with you folk and hope that someone listens…

Here it goes..

I'm basically like a pimp...

...a real nice pimp, and i work in the KTV and security industry when I'm not doing my day job..and I'm a foreigner.

It sounds so different than it actually is though…

First off…let me just correct some wrongs and wrong some writes..

[1] (The girls) They aren't forced into KTV...

[2] The money is certainly theirs, only some goes to the mommies, but the cash they get in their hands is theirs.

[3] Not all are what we call “chu tai de”, which means that go out, for sexs, The ones that do go out range from old and desperate with a pimp, or young and horny without a pimp and all the variations in between.

So remember..they are not all hookers...

...why would they be when there are saunas every other block with actual skilled sex workers?

What happened to me was that i started doing business with a guy that had a factory...

... but was actually a gangster...

... or not even a gangster, where I'm from, gangsters have guns and they are ruthless..

These guys are a bunch of semi successful middle aged men who have groups of young guys from anhui, henan, dongbei just buzzing around them with shaved heads gold chains and nike sneaks..

Thug life. — Photo is from a phone that was “found” by an interested person. On it were numerous photos of a mob boss and his crew. This is, we must assume, his crew. It is representative of the kind of people that this article talks about.

They get paid to protect them from...

I don't even know what...

...and they live in dorms like little goons working for the man, but hardly any of them can fight, and only if you have thirty of them with machetes to they actually become dangerous...

So this one guy I was doing business with is friends with a big KTV owner, another balding “gangsta”... who's got like fifty boys who all work security for the KTV...

... you'd be surprised about how much they get used...

So I became a relative lieutenant in the ranks of these boys, and the cheering and the free ciggies never stop flowing from the ranks upwards...

I happen to come from a quite violent upbringing and actually was a real little thug, petty shit though growing up in the ghettos of the states... 

But unthinkable for some of these so called gees...

...so for me fitting in with this crowd was natural...

...although I myself have changed my ways, and I stopped to steal cheat or...

...well lets leave it at that.

So I gets hooked up with a KTV girl, my family is in the South of course, Chinese wife, kids, the lot..

Shes super young and she doesn't fuck for money...

She takes the 400 rmb a night and spends it pretty fast but takes care of her drunken father and grandparents...

...the mom is in sechuan somewhere and doesn't give a flying fuck...

So since i was being taken to KTV every night by the Chinese bosses for like eight months, I basically would help her get paid...

...and help her to book the room, which they get perks for...

...she was damn hot, and everyone wanted to bang her, but no one knew she was actually just 17, standing taller than I, at 5’10.

Mob boss at the KTV. — Chinese mob boss with some of his staff and some KTV girls in a KTV. It’s a pretty typical scene in China. Photos apparently came off a phone that used to belong to a “Chinese Mob Boss”.

She was totally in love with her current boyfriend that had gone to Japan, and was actually supporting him by working at KTV...

...but he was there...

...I was here...

...basically though we hit it off because in this city I, was a foreigner , but I was doing business, and getting taken out by gangsters and business people every night...

...so ...

...basically she only started to like me because I wasn't just an English teacher...

... aka I had money, and I had friends that could help her if she got into trouble...

To make a long story short, I got an apartment, with four rooms, went back to the South, came back , and four of her girlfriends were staying in the house...

...all known prozzies (prostitutes)...

...even one that I possibly have done, I could never be sure if it was actually her, at any rate she never caused any grief with the lil missus...

...little wife...xiao lao pou..the new mamasan in town.

Mob Boss in the KTV with some friends. — Chinese triad gangster in a KTV with friends and some KTV hostesses. The drinks and the cigarettes flow easily.

Everyone in the city (in the game) started to hear that she was getting them business and shed get a cut...

...so in fact it was her who started the pimpstressing...

... but later when my big bro found out, he told me to be careful and gave me the numbers to a few boys that would come if anything went down and I kinda took over in the protection area...

...eventually things did go down ...

...when a guy didn't wanna pay and kept a girl in a hotel room...

...suffice to say the ending was not pretty...

...for him, and I started receiving extra income...

Going forward more, and back to the conversation at hand ...

...it's business...

...they all know what they are involved in and the cash is theirs to keep...

...the cut to the pimp is actually protection fee, and its not nearly as exorbitant as it is in the states...

its actually pretty legit...

...most the girls are all pulled from the hometowns and some go on to open clothes and make up shops...

...which my KTV girl eventually ended up doing...

The nasty part is there though...

...and there are clients that want the girls to do ice with them before sexs...

...huge cost though and usually there are boys nearby...

...but then again, there are girls who choose to do that since in one night you can make four nights money...

Its strange I know...

...and I don't know exactly how I got involved , but I did...

...then there's a whole world of DJ's! That actually make almost as much as the girl but they only clean up and pour drinks!

Those are great to date...

...also KTV's themselves range from nasty group-on sexs in the room to fucking 30000 rmb bottles of lafitte and all college educated girls...

...lafitte mixed with sprite...

You'd be surprised a lot of these places the girls go to school, work on and off...

...its up to them, they get multiple males all paying things for them, which in my opinion...

...more power to them...

...they are not all bimbos and hoes...

...that's were some of you are wrong...

...they are not all slaves...

...and the work can range from easy to difficult, sadly directly correlative with their appearances...

(At) some KTV's you can grab them anywhere you want and the mamasans scream at them to be more open...

...others, the boys will come in and beat the shit out of you if you touch the wrong girl...

...in this case my girl...

...its weird that people actually pay up and beyond a hundred USD just for the company but for their sake...

...that's their newfound cash culture...

...whether its right or not its too early to tell...

But then again look at our potato chip eating fatty couch surfing culture we have...

...that we basically got the same way. By being a developing nation that eventually has a bunch of people getting exactly what they want since they got the cash to spend...

You know the problem I see is that a lot of foreigners can't and will never be able to see the real truth...

One, because ...

...I'm talking a minimum expenditure of over ten thousand rmb a night at some of these places...

And two, because to actually know if shes smart or not, or if she knows what the hell shes doing...

... you have to be able to speak with her...

...and not conversational Chinese (either)...

Mob Boss and girls in KTV — Another photo of the mob boss inside yet another KTV. This is pretty typical for China.

I'm talking speaking in shanghainese for hours upon hours finding out what this person has up there...

...that's when you get the real picture...

...and sadly those foreigners are few and far between...

...I'm one of them, and funnily enough I never asked to be, but I have a nack for languages...

...and hustlin...

Just know that the KTV world is way more complex than it seems...

...and that with everything in life stereotypes exist for a reason, but there will always be exceptions to that rule..

...and in china...

...exceptions can be millions of girls who know exactly what they are doing and are taking advantage of rich men's horny tendencies and deserve a little more respect than most tend to give them...

I got a lot of respect for them gals.

Southernorthener

Oh and I forgot to say...

...I didn't know she was 17 either ! Hahahahah

Anyway...

...I know I'm no saint...

...and rereading this I'm wondering why the fuck I just said all that to a bunch of you-all strangers...

...but thing is I think I got a pretty unique outlook round these parts...

...and I read diaspora and china smack all day..

... (the) thing is I never comment, because I got funny grammar due to a lack of formal education...

...and I'm always a bit scared of being misunderstood or laughed at ...

...never found something I really wanted to comment about until now...

Diaspora is funny though...

Because I feel like backwards diaspora...

I've been here so long all my foreigner friends tell me I've become Chinese...

...and I came here so young and stupid, that I basically grew up here...

...plus I'm not even fully American, so I don't feel American, that's for sure...

...and to top it all off I live fully Chinese...

...to the point where people think I'm Chinese?!

They all think im xinjiangy...

...its kind of weird...

...in the end ...

...Chinese culture seems to go over the heads of the Chinese so much that I would find it fucking hard for most foreigners or ABC's or whatever to fully get it after a year or two or even five living here...

Also its so layered...

...there's cultures for every class...

...for every province for every city! There's languages for fuck sake between cities...

...you can expect huge culture differences as well...

...china reminds me a lot of America actually..,

...just more open about there Americaness than even Americans...

...cheating lying backstabbing bribery violence prostitution drugs...

Its what America was built on...

...yet know that we've kind of cleaned up certain aspects of our western lives we are here to point piss and shit in the general direction of the big red brother yeah?

I don't know..its all fucked isn't it.

Do you want more?

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Some fun videos of Asia; to include China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan. (Part 14)

Yes. Here we are going to explore Asia. This entire post is devoted to this. Except that we are going to take just a little bit of time to talk about something else.

As we continue in our video exploration of Asia, and my various rants of stuff, let’s first explore one of my all time movies. You know which one, don’t you? It’s from the photo splash screen above.

The movie is “Casablanca”, and it’s a classic.

I am so amazed at how many millennials have never heard of this move, nor watched it. It is stunning to me. Which is, perhaps, why I am going to spend a larger than usual amount of time writing about it.

Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.

Lost in Love in Casablanca.

Casablanca is a film about the personal tragedy of occupation and war. It speaks to the oppression of the one side – and the heroism and self-deprecation of the other. From opportunists, to isolationists – from patriots to disenchanted lovers – the film has everything a man or woman would enjoy.

I cannot go with you or ever see you again.

Bravery, courage, intrigue, romance, beauty and love. Leading actors to please any appetite.

Watching this film is to step back to a world that doesn’t exist – yet to know it. It is to experience lives that have never been lived – but are “real to you.” It is to know pain and joy, pride and pity for characters that are a fiction – yet are so real that you can’t help but get lost in their story.

So what exactly is so special about it? Is it its great genre mix, never  equaled by another film? When we think of 'Casablanca' first, we  remember it as a romantic film (well, most of us do). 

But then again,  its also a drama involving terror, murder and flight. 

One can call it a  character study, centering on Rick. And there are quite a few moments of  comedic delight, just think of the pickpocket ("This place is full of  vultures, vultures everywhere!") or the elderly couple on the last  evening before their emigration to the US ("What watch?"). 

But  'Casablanca' is not only great as a whole, it still stands on top if we  break it apart and look at single lines of dialog, scenes or  performances alone.

Amazing cast, memorable dialogue, unforgettable story. Through this film, Casablanca will always live in my heart and I will think of its characters as family.

Seeing it for the first time is truly the start of a romance with ideals that will live in you long after credits end.

Casablanca 1 — Not only is the dialog great, it’s unforgettably delivered, especially by Humphrey Bogart (“I was misinformed.”) and Claude Rains (“I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on here”). Many of scenes have become a part of film history; the duel of ‘Die Wacht am Rhein’ and ‘La Marseillaise’ is probably one of the greatest scenes ever shot, and the last scene is probably even familiar to the few people who’ve never seen ‘Casablanca’.

The Nazi envoy, Major Heinrich Strasser puts it: ‘Human life is cheap in Casablanca.” Of course because a man may be executed in its crowded market before Marshal Pétain’s portrait or where a charming girl may guarantee an exit visa by spending her night with the Prefect of Police…

Rick’s Café is the point of intersection, the espionage center, the background for Allied offensive, the focal point as refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe seek to gain exit visas to Lisboa…

The interesting club so well organized, leads to an open arena of conspiracy, counterspies, secret plans, black market transactions, in which the games and fights are between arrogant Nazis, patriotic French, idealists, murderers, pickpockets and gamblers around a roulette wheel, where a ball could rest on Rick’s command against the settled number 22…

Casablanca a love lost. — The cast is one of its main strengths, not just Bogart and Bergman but also the fine supporting cast. Rains, Greenstreet, Lorre, and the others are indispensable to the atmosphere and the story, and each has some very good moments.

“Casablanca” is an adventure film which victory is not won with cannons and guns… The action, the fight, the war takes place inside Rick’s walls rather than outside…

But who is this Rick? What is his magical power? His secret weapon? Rick is the anti-fascist with hard feelings, the former soldier of fortune who has grown tired of smuggling and fighting, and is now content to sit out the war in his own neutral territory…

Hum... A little like myself, eh?

Even loyalty to a friend doesn’t move him as he refuses to help Ugarte, a desperately frightened little courier who is fleeing from the police…

Casablanca 3 — This is a film that MUST belong in every video collection in the U.S. is not in the world. The stories about it’s making are legendary from the constant rewrites to the apocrypha of casting stories. What is amazing to me, and the reason I believe it holds audiences almost spellbound in successive viewings, is the connection with the horrors of World War II was almost every single cast member.

Emphatically, Rick says, “I stick my neck out for nobody.”

Ah, but we know he will do just that in a very short time, for into his quiet life comes a haunting vision from his past, the beautiful woman he still loves and bitterly remembers…

But…

But, she is married to an underground leader and she desperately needs those papers Rick conveniently now has in his possession…

OMG!

The cynical Rick’s facade of neutrality begins to weaken as he recalls the bittersweet memories of his past love affair, memories triggered repeatedly when the strains of “As Time Goes By” come from Sam, his piano-playing confidante…

But “Casablanca” basic message is a declaration of self-sacrifice… War. World II demanded all!

The words stated by Rick at the airport had their impact: ‘The problems of three people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.’ It goes without saying that Bogart is incomparable when he seems most like himself…

His way with a line makes “Casablanca” dialog part of the collective memory: ‘I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray. You were blue.’

Rick and lost in love. — Everyone in this film is fabulous, but it is the chemistry of Rick (Bogart) and Ilsa (Bergman) been truly holds the film together. When I saw this film almost frame by frame in the limited book series of classic films that were produced in the late 1960s, I was stunned by the subtlety of facial expressions that conveyed so much of Rick Blaine’s character by a marvelous actor Humphrey Bogart.

There is a reason why he was named the actor of the century. While every person in the film becomes a real flesh and blood presence, the story of Rick and Ilsa is the center of this cinema feast.

Intermixed in this intrigue are all the fascinating and beautifully acted supporting roles. With his customary skill, Claude Rains plays Major Renault, a prefect of police who is like Bogart in many ways…

He, too, claims neutrality, but is definitely against the Nazis…

He is Rick’s most devoted adversary, tauntingly calling the man a “sentimentalist” and delivering his share of cynically amusing lines…

When he makes a small bet and is encouraged to make a bigger one, he remarks that he is only a “poor corrupt official.”

Ingrid Bergman is fascinating as the lovely heroine, the mysterious impossible woman of an impossible love, the tender mood of every man, the love-affair, the quality of being romantic, the traditional woman enclosed by two rivals, symbol of a besieged Europe…

Time to say goodby. — CASABLANCA is the best treatment ever of the ancient theme of the love triangle. Set in World War II Casablanca, a Moroccan city under the control of the collaborationist Vichy French government, the movie starts with a news wire that two German couriers have been murdered and their letters of transit stolen. Each letter will permit one person to leave Casablanca to a neutral country.

Paul Henreid is Victor Laszlo, the anti-Nazi resistance leader, seeking in Morocco the two letters of transit signed by General De Gaulle…

Sidney Greenstreet is the black marketeer on good terms with Rick, the rival owner of the ‘Blue Parrot,’ the acceptable face of corruption…

Peter Lorre is Ugarte, the racketeer, the dealer of anything illegal, the killer, driven into a corner by the Vichy police, who has given Rick two letter of transit…

Enter Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, owner of the shady but cheerful Cafe Americaine. Rick is a cynical and hard-nosed man whose motto is, "I stick my neck out for nobody." Like many a cynic, Rick is an embittered ex-idealist, still nursing his wounds from being abandoned by his lover Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman). By chance he falls into possession of the missing letters of transit.

Enter Ilsa, who comes to Casablanca on the arm of Czech Resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a few steps ahead of the Nazi police. We now have three people and two letters of transit. Who will reach America, and who will stay in Casablanca? I know no other movie that so perfectly balances humor, romance, and drama.

The soul of good drama lies in presenting characters with hard choices, and few choices are as hard, or as illuminating of the protagonists' makeup, as the choices in CASABLANCA. All of the characters must decide what they will give up for love, for honor, and for themselves. The scenes of Rick and Ilsa's love, years ago in Paris, are some of the finest romantic scenes in cinema.

And the humor, particularly in the person of Casablanca's Prefect of Police, Louis Renault, has contributed dozens of dry witticisms to our everyday language - "I am shocked! Shocked! - "The Germans wore gray, you wore blue." - "I was misinformed." - "It would take a miracle to get you out of Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles."

So perfectly blended are these three major elements that you cannot point to a single shot or scene that should have been eliminated from the movie. Never try to watch only one scene from CASABLANCA; you will inevitably be absorbed until the very end of the film. It is little short of miraculous that the chaotically mismanaged shooting of this movie resulted in such a magnificent final product; it speaks volumes for luck and for Owen Marks' and Michael Curtiz' post-production editing.

At the table in Casablanca. — A scene still from the 1943 Academy Award®-winning film “Casablanca” features (l to r) Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains, Paul Henried and Ingrid Bergman. Bogart received an Academy Award nomination in the Lead Actor category while Claude Rains was honored with a nomination in the Supporting Actor category. “Casablanca” received eight Academy Award nominations in total and won three Oscars® including Best Picture. Restored by Nick & jane for Dr. Macro’s High Quality Movie Scans Website: http:www.doctormacro.com. Enjoy!

Conrad Veidt is the very essence of German rigidity, unfeeling, unconcerned about life, but firmly believing in the foolish ideology of his Nazi compatriots…

“Casablanca” covers many highlights: The Marseillaise against the Horst Wessel song inspiring sequence; the blissful days in Paris; Ilsa’s emotional words to Rick in occupied Paris; the champagne toast; Ilsa’s request to Sam; the poetry of the magic words and the beautiful voice of Dooley Wilson; Captain Renault’s words in the airport; and the farewell…

The magic that developed from the teaming of Bogart and Bergman is enough to make a new romantic figure out of the former tough guy…

To his cynicism, his own code of ethics, his hatred of the phoniness in all human behavior, he now added the softening traits of tenderness and compassion and a feeling of heroic commitment to a cause…

They helped him complete the portrayal of the ideal man who all men wished to rival…

Casablanca and the fat man. — In December 1941, American expatriate Rick Blaine owns an upscale nightclub and gambling den in Casablanca. “Rick’s Café Américain” attracts a varied clientele, including Vichy French and German officials, refugees desperate to reach the still-neutral United States, and those who prey on them.

Although Rick professes to be neutral in all matters, he ran guns to Ethiopia during its war with Italy and fought on the Loyalist side in the Spanish Civil War. Petty crook Ugarte boasts to Rick of “letters of transit” obtained by murdering two German couriers. The papers allow the bearers to travel freely around German-controlled Europe and to neutral Portugal, and are priceless to the refugees stranded in Casablanca. Ugarte plans to sell them at the club, and asks Rick to hold them.

Before he can meet his contact, Ugarte is arrested by the local police under the command of Captain Louis Renault, the unabashedly corrupt Vichy prefect of police. Ugarte dies in custody without revealing that he entrusted the letters to Rick.

One can look at hundreds of films produced during this period without finding any whose composite pieces fall so perfectly into place…

Its photography is outstanding, the music score is inventive, the editing is concise and timed perfectly…

Bogart’s and Bergman’s love scenes create a genuinely romantic aura, capturing a sensitivity between the two stars one would not have believed possible…

Rick in love in Casablanca. — Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman starred in “Casablanca,” the Oscar®-winning film of 1943. Bogart was nominated for an Academy Award® in the Lead Actor category for his portrayal of Café Americain owner Rick Blaine. In total, “Casablanca” received eight Oscar nominations and won three, including Best Picture. Restored by Nick & jane for Dr. Macro’s High Quality Movie Scans Website: http:www.doctormacro.com. Enjoy!

“Casablanca” is a masterpiece of entertainment, an outstanding motion picture which brought Bogart his first Academy Award nomination (he lost to Paul Lukas for “Watch On the Rhine”) and won Awards for Best Picture of the Year, Best Director and Best Screenplay…

There is a scene about halfway through the movie Casablanca that has become commonly known as 'The Battle of the Anthems' throughout the film's long history. A group of German soldiers has come into Rick's Café American and are drunkenly singing the German National Anthem at the top of their voice. Victor Lazlo, the leader of the French Resistance, cannot stand this act and while the rest of the club stares appalled at the Germans, Lazlo orders the band to play 'Le Marseilles (sic?)' the French National Anthem. With a nod from Rick, the band begins playing, with Victor singing at the top of HIS voice. This in turn, inspires the whole club to begin singing and the Germans are forced to surrender and sit down at their table, humbled by the crowd's dedication. This scene is a turning point in the movie, for reasons that I leave to you to discover.

As I watched this movie again tonight for what must be the 100th time, I noticed there was a much smaller scene wrapped inside the bigger scene that, unless you look for it, you may never notice. Yvonne, a minor character who is hurt by Rick emotionally, falls into the company of a German soldier. In a land occupied by the Germans, but populated by the French, this is an unforgivable sin. She comes into the bar desperately seeking happiness in the club's wine, song, and gambling. Later, as the Germans begin singing we catch a glimpse of Yvonne sitting dejectedly at a table alone and in this brief glimpse, it is conveyed that she has discovered that this is not her path to fulfillment and she has no idea where to go from there. As the singing progresses, we see Yvonne slowly become inspired by Lazlo's act of defiance and by the end of the song, tears streaming down her face, she is singing at the top of her voice too. She has found her redemption. She has found something that will make her life never the same again from that point on.

Basically, this is Casablanca in a nutshell. On the surface, you may see it as a romance, or as a story of intrigue, but that is only partially correct.

The thing that makes Casablanca great is that it speaks to that place in each of us that seeks some kind of inspiration or redemption. On some level, every character in the story receives the same kind of catharsis and their lives are irrevocably changed. Rick's is the most obvious in that he learns to live again, instead of hiding from a lost love. He is reminded that there are things in the world more noble and important than he is and he wants to be a part of them. Louis, the scoundrel, gets his redemption by seeing the sacrifice Rick makes and is inspired to choose a side, where he had maintained careful neutrality. The stoic Lazlo gets his redemption by being shown that while thousands may need him to be a hero, there is someone he can rely upon when he needs inspiration in the form of his wife, who was ready to sacrifice her happiness for the chance that he would go on living. Even Ferrai, the local organized crime leader gets a measure of redemption by pointing Ilsa and Lazlo to Rick as a source of escape even though there is nothing in it for him.

This is the beauty of this movie. Every time I see it (and I have seen it a lot) it never fails that I see some subtle nuance that I have never seen before. Considering that the director would put that much meaning into what is basically a throw away moment (not the entire scene, but Yvonne's portion) speaks bundles about the quality of the film. My wife and I watched this movie on our first date, and since that first time over 12 years ago, it has grown to be, in my mind, the greatest movie ever made.

-A Masterwork for all Time

A great romance. — “Casablanca” is a great romance, not only for being so supremely entertaining with its humor and realistic-though-exotic wartime excitement, but because it’s not the least bit mushy. Take the way Rick’s face literally breaks when he first sees Ilsa in his bar, or how he recalls the last time he saw her in Paris: “The Germans wore gray, you wore blue.”

There’s a real human dimension to these people that makes us care for them and relate to them in a way that belies the passage of years. For me, and many, the most interesting relationship in the movie is Rick and Capt. Renault, the police prefect in Casablanca who is played by Claude Rains with a wonderful subtlety that builds as the film progresses. Theirs is a relationship of almost perfect cynicism, one-liners and professions of neutrality that provide much humor, as well as give a necessary display of Rick’s darker side before and after Ilsa’s arrival. But there’s so much to grab onto with a film like this.

You can talk about the music, or the way the setting becomes a living character with its floodlights and Moorish traceries. Paul Henreid is often looked at as a bit of a third wheel playing the role of Ilsa’s husband, but he manages to create a moral center around which the rest of the film operates, and his enigmatic relationship with Rick and especially Ilsa, a woman who obviously admires her husband but can’t somehow ever bring herself to say she loves him, is something to wonder at.

My favorite bit is when Rick finds himself the target of an entreaty by a Bulgarian refugee who just wants Rick’s assurance that Capt. Renault is “trustworthy,” and that, if she does “a bad thing” to secure her husband’s happiness, it would be forgivable.

Rick flashes on Ilsa, suppresses a grimace, tries to buy the woman off with a one-liner (“Go back to Bulgaria”), then finally does a marvelous thing that sets the whole second half of the film in motion without much calling attention to itself.

Time to go in Casablanca. — Love and sacrifice during WWII underlie the story about a café owner named Rick (Humphrey Bogart), and his link to two intellectual refugees from Nazi occupied France. Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) seek asylum here in politically neutral Casablanca and, like other European refugees, gravitate to Rick’s upscale café, near the city’s airport, with its revolving searchlight.

Rick is a middle-aged cynic who also has a touch of sentimentalism, especially for people in need, like Ilsa and Victor. The film’s story is ideal for romantics everywhere.

Sorry, for that long narrative. Let’s get back to Asia, shall we.

Faded. Music in China.

First stop is a DJ version of the song “Faded”. Faded is a song made popular by Alan Walker. It is very popular in China. As such, there have been many people who have used the song and music to manufacture “DJ” versions of the song.

There are many of them. Some of the best mix a kind of pop-rock with guitar solos and a background of war and machine-gun fire. Others, just take the melody and mix in Chinese dialog.

When done this way, it becomes a track that would evoke period of deep reflection while remembering the words of others who may or may not have been close to you. In the example below, you can well guess the complexity of those thoughts even though most would not have a clue as to what anyone was saying.

DJ Ricardo – Faded (英雄联盟台词版)

El Rusbo’ notices the roar of silence…

You know, El’ Rusbo had a great dialog on his progam on 7Aug19. In it he discussed what is going on while the American news media are going full-bore anti-Trump, anti-middle class America. Here’s an excerpt…

Trump Support Grows Stronger — and More Quiet — by the Day
Aug 7, 2019

x----snip

Well, it’s not entirely true, but I’ll try to make the point. There aren’t any, per se, Republican voters right now. There are Trump voters. There are Trump supporters and everybody else. Most of them are Republican, and Trump’s approval rating within the Republican Party still stands at 90 to 92%, and it may be even higher now. Those people are totally behind Trump. They are fully, quietly supportive of Trump and his agenda. They grow stronger and more quiet by the day, and that’s the great dichotomy. They are growing stronger, but they are shutting up.

They don’t want to make themselves targets. But they are seething out there. This is what I think the breakdown is. I think there are more and more Trump voters. Trump’s approval rating is at 49%. You go to state by state, and some states show him the losing there, but this is 16 months before the election. So there’s way too much time for any polling data here to be accurate. It’s nothing more than an interesting point of conversation at this point. But I really think that tends to describe the political lay of the land.

And the one thing that I think that is happening (just to reinforce this) that nobody is reporting on at all — not even what you would consider friendly outlets like Fox — is I think that the base support for Trump is solidifying and I think it is growing because I think those people are seething. They are the ones being called white supremacists. They are the ones being called white nationalists. They are the ones being blamed for all this, and they know they are not responsible for it, and they know that Donald Trump isn’t responsible for it.

They know that most of the rhetoric in this country that is inciting extremism emanates from the left. Most of the activity that incites extremism and violence emanates from the left. Do I need to give you the organizations? Antifa. Black Lives Matter. I could go down the list. Planned Parenthood. These are people who do this as a way of life. The basic Trump supporter (you), you’re just out there. Some of you are probably not totally invisible, but the grand majority of Trump supporters is just out there seething.

Look, I think I’m a typical Trump supporter, as far as you can define “typical.” And I am. I’m seething over this stuff. Each and every day, I’m seething over it. Now, don’t misunderstand. This doesn’t mean I’m depressed. This stuff literally ticks me off! Every time I hear these clowns throw out the term “white supremacist,” “white supremacy,” it ticks me off, and it makes me want to defeat them even more. It makes me want them to go down in flames even more — and in this, I believe I am typical.

I like his phrase “seething”.

It is what is going on. Be advised.

Chinese Hospital

China, as an enormous nation, has a wide hospital network. These include smaller local clinics and hospital branches. Like in the United States, they also have training and teaching hospital as well. The quality varies from region to region, but it is very easy to find a hospital suitable for what ever problem ails you.

In general, I have found the hospitals to be competent, staffed with caring and trained workers, and while the appearance varies from one hospital to the next, most Chinese hospitals are up to date and equipped with the latest in technology.

Aside from the handful of village hospitals that I have attended, most hospitals (and I have attended them for various reasons, many and yes, many times) all tend to look like this…

All with costs and prices far, far, far, FARRRRRR below what you would find in the United States. I think that the reason for this is that if the hospital or doctor tries to scam you or work in some kind of “kick-back” scheme through insurance or other legalized-bribery method, the Corruption Police will be unleashed.

Many regulations, agencies that require registration to work, fees, and other hidden costs are legalized ways for collecting bribes. Over the last 100 years, people have gamed the United States to extract as much money as possible from the citizens living there.

People, you DO NOT WANT the corruption police crashing through your window at night.

Thailand Beauty

My other posts were so serious with all the protests in China, and all that. I know these people “just want” “freedom and democracy”, though they are trying to appeal to Americans who live in an Oligarchy disguised as a Democracy (as evolved from a Republic). It’s all messed up.

The world has been gamed by the wealthy over the last 100 years, and now most people are serfs working on a plantation where everything they do has some kind of cost associated with it. This is most especially true in the United States and the UK. No so much elsewhere.

Here is some “lighter fare”. This is a cute girl in Thailand. I like the local rural restaurant that looks like an airplane, the green lush trees, and the blue skies. If it wasn’t for the gold temples over the next hill you would think that it’s in China.

Chinese Beauty

For comparison purposes, here is a similar video of a girl in China. As you can well see, that while the fashions are different, and the behavior and demeanor is different, there is a similarity that cannot be ignored. Ah. I do so love Asia.

European Beauty

Sometimes I get emails from trolls and other confused people. They seem to be under the impression that I need to curb what I write, or present so as not to offend anyone.

Nonsense!

If you are offended you can leave. I am far too old and too grouchy to tone down my thoughts for someone who has the emotions of an infant.

That being said, I do not want people to think that I do not appreciate other forms of human beauty. I am an equal-opportunity girl-watcher. I find so many women beautiful, and you would be so absolutely stunned at how wide ranging my tastes are.

For starters… here’s an European beauty. Isn’t she awesome? Wouldn’t you just love to take her out on a date, eat some fine steak or fish with a nice wine, and then go to a club or jazz bar? I would. I’ll tell you what.

OMG! I am such a sucker for a big toothy smile, and big hair. (Hint, hint to all you heavier girls out there…)

How to Cook Chicken Legs – Chinese Style

Here’s a quick video on how to cook chicken legs on the stove in a pan. This is the traditional Chinese cooking method, as most Chinese do not have ovens. It is not only tasty and healthy, but it uses far less electricity than cooking in a stove.

And as I finish this particular bunch of micro-videos about Asia, take a deeper look into my life as an American expat why don’t ya.

I have many more videos, but I just cannot put them into a single post. It will bog down your computer terribly. So to watch the rest of the videos in this post, please continue…

If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.

Links about China

Here are some links about my observations on China. I think that you, the reader, might find them to be of interest. Please kindly enjoy.

When the SJW movement took control of China

China and America Comparisons

As an American, I cannot help but compare what my life was in the United States with what it is like living in China. Here we discuss that.

The Chinese Business KTV Experience

This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.

Learning About China

Who doesn’t like to look at pretty girls? Ugly girls? Here we discuss what China is like by looking at videos of pretty girls doing things in China.

Contemporaneous Chinese Music

This is a series of posts that discuss contemporaneous popular music in China. It is a wide ranging and broad spectrum of travel, and at that, all that I am able to provide is the flimsiest of overviews. However, this series of posts should serve as a great starting place for investigation and enjoyment.

Part 3 - The contemporaneous music of China.

part 3B - The contemporaneous music of China.

Part 4 - The contemporaneous popular music of China.

Part 5 - The contemporaneous music of China.

Part 5C - The music of contemporary China.

Part 5F - The contemporaneous music of China.

Post 6 - The contemporaneous music of China.

Post 7 - The contemporaneous music of China.

Post 8 - The contemporaneous music of China.

Part 9 - The contemporaneous music of China.

Post 11 - The contemporaneous music of China.

Parks in China

The parks in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.

Really Strange China

Here are some posts that discuss a number of things about China that might seem odd, or strange to Westerners. Some of the things are everyday events, while others are just representative of the differences in culture.

What is China like?

The purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world, outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank you.

And while America has been squandering it’s money, decimating it’s resources, and just being cavalier with it’s military, the rest of the world has done the opposite. They have husbanded their day to day fortunes, and you can see this in their day-to-day lives.

Summer in Asia

Let’s take a moment to explore Asia. That includes China, but also includes such places as Vietnam, Thailand, Japan and others…

Articles & Links

You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
You can find out more about the author HERE.
If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

What is China Like (Part 8)

Here, we continue on our exploration of China from the comfort of our own personal computer, personal laptop, or personal media device. This is a multi-part post because too many videos will prevent the post from loading, and also, I tend to get sidetracked on various issues. But, please… please keep in mind that this post is all about directing America back to what it is supposed to be. Not what it has become.

“Nothing the Party says is true.  Nothing the Party does is good. Even the war itself isn’t real. The  Party wants you to believe we are at war so as to channel your  aggression away from their rightful target: The Party. 

Big Brother is  not real. He is pure fiction, created by the Party. 

The real rulers of  the State are unknown, faceless manipulators who, because they are not  known are able to wield power without let or hindrance. People of  Oceania, you are being duped. 

The Party doesn’t serve the people — it  serves itself. 

We are not at war with Eurasia. You are being made into  obedient, stupid slaves of the Party. Open your eyes. See the evil that  is happening to you. 

The Party drops bombs on its own citizens. It is  the Party, not the Eurasians, who are our enemies. Rise up. Throw off  the yoke. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, People of  Oceania.” 

– Emmanuel Goldstein – 1984 Film

Also, please keep in mind that the purpose of this post is to illustrate that the rest of the world, outside of America, has moved on with their lives. That while they might not be as great as America is, they are doing just fine thank you.

Why is American fighting wars? — This is why America is currently fighting so many wars.

This is the eighth of a mighty mega-post.

As a quick reminder, to all the new comers here…

Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.

Oasis in the dunes (video 41)

“Go back to bed, America. Your  government has figured out how it all transpired. Go back to bed,  America. Your government is in control again. 

Here. Here’s American  Gladiators. Watch this, shut up. 

Go back to bed, America. Here is  American Gladiators. Here are 56 channels of it! Watch these pituitary  retards bang their fucking skulls together and congratulate you on  living in the land of freedom. 

Here you go, America! You are free to do  what we tell you! You are free to do what we tell you!” 

― Bill Hicks

While America has been manipulating its’ citizens, and financing wars everywhere. The rest of the world has been minding their own business, and living life to the fullest.

Hey! Here’s an oasis. Bet ya didn’t know that they had them in China, did ya? Have you ever wondered “why not?”

Getting the groom drunk (video 42)

America is a progressive liberal utopia that is only a few election votes from full realization. President Donald Trump may be out of office as early as 2020.

We’ve got a populace so dumbed down and indoctrinated with social justice gibberish by government schools that a large proportion actually believe socialism will lead to prosperity. Just like Venezuela and Cuba.

The reason young people are turning to socialism is because they aren’t actually experiencing free market capitalism.

We are trapped in a paradigm of crony capitalism or corporate fascist capitalism. The few at the top reap the vast majority of rigged benefits, while the average worker gets screwed. To keep Joe average compliant the oligarchy creates a box to put him in. The box is fear.

Fear of everything. Fear of other nations. Fear of what is outside the door. Fear of what you eat, or don’t eat.

Meanwhile the rest of the world moves forward.

Here is a small village in China. Traditional. They expect the groom to drink all that beer to “prove” that he is worthy enough to marry the bride. It’s a Chinese tradition. Note also all the aprons being worn by the housewives in the audience.

Traditional nations, even if the culture is different, are the same. China is a very traditional conservative culture and society.

In the United States, we have had the last one hundred years of cultural rewrites, and the last fifty of them has been all about enacting progressiveness in the Untied States. The Marxists have been wildly successful in their implementation of progressiveness in the United States. Just look at what we deal with on a daily basis…

Judge Rules High School Girls MUST Shower With Boys, says Girls Have No Right To Privacy

In a traditional society, like what America once had, beer is considered a normal drink. There are no limitations on drinking it. There are no store hours when it can or cannot be purchased. There isn’t any need to obtain a license to sell it, and anyone can buy it without any age restrictions.

BBQ and beer — In a traditional society, especially one that is conservative, beer is drunk brazenly and with everything. It is a fun common beverage of choice at BBQ and family events.

Traditional societies do not accept the progressive dogma, and act as antibodies resisting it’s implementation.

Historical China

In traditional nations, history is revered. It is treasured, maintained, and taught in schools. In progressive societies, statues are town down, history is rewritten in such as way as to show disdain for the past.

China, as a traditional conservative nation takes care of it’s historical buildings.

Dancing upon arrival

Other nations, other cultures, and other societies have their own fads, fashions and quirks. While waving huge trashcan sized asses about is considered “feminine” in the United States, in China the fad is “dancing upon arrival”.

Here is what being “ladylike”, and “feminine” is like in the progressive United States today…

Well, all I can say is that other cultures and other societies do things quite differently. Here is the latest fad in China today…

Reenactments of History

Now, I love this next video. I really do.

The Chinese have seen empires come and go. You think that Europe had a complicated history? You have no idea. China is a long, long tale of empires that rise and fall with wars and conflict for over 5000 continuous years.

They are pretty tired of fighting and conflict.

Anyways, the way that they have ruled (in the past) was quite authoritarian. As such they maintained the pomp and circumstance to quite a degree. It’s really quite impressive, I’ll tell you what.

Sure beats what Obama gave us. Remember him riding a bicycle?

Anyways, here’s how Chinese traditionally ruled…

Riding through lilacs

When you are not throwing away your money on mindless and endless wars, you don’t need to tax the citizenry so much. Instead, they can be taxed less. Thus opening up opportunities for investments, business and growth. In China, under the low rates of taxation, people combine their money together and set up businesses. Here’s one made by a group of High School buddies.

They just pooled their money. Set up a water slide ride on the side of a hill and charge a small fee to use it. Easy, fun, and they are their own bosses.

Low taxation means individual success.

Petrified of heights

Here’s another example of a park built from some High School friends that pooled their money together and set up a park. Why does China have so many businesses? Answer; because they are not taxed to fun endless wars. That’s why.

and

OK. At numerous videos for this part, let’s go and move on to the next part of this post which covers more videos and further commentary about China.

If you want to go to the start of this series of posts, then please click HERE.

Links about China

China and America Comparisons

The Chinese Business KTV Experience

This is the real deal. Forget about all that nonsense that you find in the British tabloids and an occasional write up in the American liberal press. This is the reality. Read or not.

Learning About China

Contemporaneous Chinese Music

Parks in China

The parks in China are very unique. They are enormous and tend to be very mountainous. Here we take a look at this most interesting of subjects.

Really Strange China

Articles & Links

You can start reading the articles sequentially by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
You can find out more about the author HERE.
If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

The Popular Music of China; Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Beijing – Part 10

I still would like to continue on the idea and concept of role-play dress and contemporaneous Chinese popular music. It’s a very interesting subject for me. I just don’t know why.

Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.

Maybe it’s because you can dress up any time, year round sort of like forever Halloween. Maybe it’s because I really like to look at pretty girls wearing dresses. Maybe it’s because I love to see people having fun and doing things that they like to do. Maybe it’s because I like to listen to music.

Here is a gal in what looks to be a museum, or other kind of public place.

And here is a local girl outside, what looks like, her home. Probably in some rural section of central China (judging from the costume). You will also notice the red signs on the doors. These are good-luck glyphs that are found everywhere in China. I have them on my doors at home and in my office as well.

The character behind her (on the door) is “fu”. It means good luck and fortune. It is sometimes turned upside down to mean that it “fills up” with money, luck and fortune.

Here we have another gal. This outfit does not look traditional in the least, but you know, this is China. You can just be yourself as long as you don’t try to push your beliefs on anyone else. She is either going to some event, or just having the time of herself going down the street. Please take note how the other passersby treat her.

And here is yet another just normal gal that is walking down the street in traditional garb. You got to love the look, and her smile. I think that it is awesome.

Oh and by the way, this idea of role-play and costume is not restricted and limited to Chinese cultural customs only. Other nations and citizens can participate as well. Here’s a bevy of folk from an Eastern Block nation (Romania, Bulgaria, Albania…I don’t know) hamming it up for China.

Now, of course, all of these videos are going to be impossible to load unless this post is broken up into smaller chew-sized portions. So to continue, please click here…

If you want to go back to the start of this series, please go HERE.

Links about China

China and America Comparisons

The Chinese Business KTV Experience

Learning About China

Articles & Links

You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
You can find out more about the author HERE.
If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

How a Chinese Business KTV Works – Selecting a Companion

Here we talk and discuss about a Chinese business KTV companion and their selection.

This is a very detailed discussion on how a Business KTV works in China. This is a pretty large multi-part post. It was originally posted HERE, but it soon became problematic as the videos would not load and the SEO flags weren’t being picked up by the search engines. So I broke it down into smaller bite-sized posts. It’s faster to load, easier to read, and you can see all the videos without problem. Enjoy.

Part 7 of 17.

Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.

The General Scheme

In general, you can select a person to have a good time with. If you are a guy, this would be a girl. If you are a girl, this would be a guy. This would be your Chinese business KTV companion for the evening’s events.

You pay them, maybe 300 RMB ($50) and they will play games with you, sing with you, dance with you, and talk with you. This is all over China. It’s common from Bars, to clubs, to hotels to KTV’s. It’s a great way to pass the time, and make some new friends.

They are rent-a-companions. It’s a common scheme throughout China and began a long, long time ago. You can obtain these companions at any bar, club, or KTV.

The basic setup is (for guys) a group of girls will work with the establishment and position themselves off to the side. In a large club, this might be near a side door, or near the stage. They are paid a small amount by the club to be available. When a new person enters the club, whether an individual or a group of people, the manager will welcome them. He / she will take their orders for drinks and set them down at a table or location. In a KTV, this would be a “good” room.

The manager would also ask if anyone would like a companion. If so, the price of the companion would be added to the bar tab or club bill. Then, they would wave the girls (or guys) over and you would select one or how many you want.

The girls tend to be young. This is from around 18 years to maybe 21 years old. The older girls either get married, get a different job, or graduate to the KTV scene. Being a youngish companion, the girls need to be watched by the manager. Or else they would just sit there and play with their cell phone. They would do this instead of playing with the patrons, getting them drunk and singing and dancing.

And this is how the basic setup works.

The difference is that at a Business KTV, the girls are (slightly) older, more mature, better dancers and singers, and much more beautiful. And..

And… they are also willing to spend more (ahem) quality time with you afterwards. They also tend to be more frisky. Heh heh.

All for a price, don’t you know…

Age of the girls

Where the companions at a bar, or club might be youngish girls in the 18 to 21 year range, the girls at a KTV tend to be older and more experienced.

The age of the girls differs from most other KTV and bar avenues. Inside a business KTV, the girls are expected to provide a service. That means, that they are forbidden to sit there and play on their cell phone once they are selected. That means that they must play with the client, and monitor his drink intake. It means that they must control the environment so that he has a good time and does not lose any face. Young girls are too inexperienced, or not mature enough for this level of responsibility.

The girls in a business KTV are typically between 22 and 29 years of age. I would guess that the highest percentage of them are around 23 to 25 years old.

Girls of the Business KTV. — The girls that you will encounter as Hostesses in a Business KTV in China will tend to be attractive, and stunning. These girls are really high quality, young and intelligent.

Girls at a KTV – The Lineup

The girls at a KTV will be presented to you in numerous ways.

Firstly, they might welcome you at the door when you come in. It is not at all unusual to go through a gauntlet of 400 to 700 girls when they are lined up this way. And, even more commonly, small groups of girls, from ten to thirty girls will be brought to your KTV room where you can select them from a lineup.

The girls will be trooped in, and the music will be turned down. The lights will be turned up so that it isn’t so dark, and the manager will introduce the girls to you and your associates.

The girls will all be wearing matching clothing. Or, if it is a big establishment a couple of different types of dresses. I used to wonder about this, but it’s all pretty simple. The girls go in and out of different costumes as part of their presentations to the various clients. Some are involved in other skits or activities such as selling cigars or working in one capacity or the other so they might be wearing a different uniform. Some girls will be pulled in off of an activity where they are scantily dressed. In that case, they might wear a white man’s shirt to cover themselves with.

Your job, at this stage, is to select a girl to be your hostess for the night.

Girl Selection

The most important thing, and the only thing that you have any degree of control over is the selection of the Hostess.

Pick the girl that strikes your fancy. If she is in the first line up, so be it. I typically get a girl by the time the third line up enters. I mean, goodness, if you cannot find an attractive girl when 60 attractive females are paraded in front of you, then you are useless.

You can ask the girls to turn around so you can see their backsides.

You can also ask which ones speak any English. Though, for the most part the KTV’s are loud and noisy. So we just use YouDou or WeChat to translate. In any event, you want a girl that you will have fun with. So, pick a girl that suits your fancy.

If you see a different girl that you like better, swap them out. The girl won’t care. Not really.

During the selection process the girls will typically all have a number pinned to their dress. This number is the number of the girl and is used for billing purposes.

There will also be variations in color. The color range is usually based on three stages; cheap, middle, and expensive. Maybe yellow, green and red for example. As an American, my tastes do not match those of a Chinese man. So, as a result, a cheap priced girl I might find fantastically alluring, while an expensive priced girl might be too thin or pale for my tastes. In any event, if the boss is paying your way. Price is no object.

The girl will remove the number shortly once she settles down with a client. Generally, she will continue to wear the introductory dress for the first hour or so, then she will leave to go to the locker room and change into her day to day clothes. High-end girls will typically change into a nice party dress, while more “regular” girls will change into street clothes. This might be a sweater and a pair of jeans or something similar.

In all cases, I personally find the girls to be much more alluring when they are wearing their “own” clothes. But, that’s just me.

Often, I have been given the opportunity to select two girls, and even three, to play with. Sometimes it is planned, and sometimes it just works out that way. You knew can know. Personally, I like having three girls play with me, fuss all over me, and have fun with. It’s just… well…

… you know, I am just a man. I am not a machine.

I am a man. I am not a machine.

Now, this is not the USA. You can play with the girls and you most certainly will. Throughout China, the girls are “hand’s on”. Which means something different than what the American idiom means. Instead, it means that you can pretty much explore their entire body with your drunk roaming hands. Now that pretty much remains the case whether or not you take them to the room upstairs with you.

All companions are this way. From the young girls in the bars and clubs to the girls in the KTV establishments.

However, please take note, that a slimy drunk slob is not someone that any of the Hostesses would want to spend any time in the room (or bed) with. So, as a rule, I for the most part remain a gentleman, and only initiate sexual contact when edged on by the other boss, or if presented with that opportunity by the girl herself.

KTV lineup — KTV hostesses lining up at the start of a workday. Like all companies in China, there is a morning “tailgate” where the new of the day is presented and the workers are reviewed for appearance.

That being said, depending on the time, place, and the situations, sometimes the girls might elect to go semi-nude. They will take off their dress and be with you only wearing their panties. Unlike the United States, the rest of the world doesn’t have the same kind of taboos about woman’s’ breasts that Americans have. So if this is indeed the case, just enjoy and have a good time.

It will be a good time.

Sometimes the girls might come to you.

Depending on your role and the conditions, it just might be favorable for you to just stay in your hotel room, and call up for some girls to be your companions. That’s fine.

If that occurs, for what ever reason, it will look a little something like this… (Sorry for the quality of the video, I was having trouble extracting an embedded video in MS Word.) Check it out…

Selecting a companion in your hotel room.

If you want to return to the start of this series, please go HERE.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my Business KTV Index here…

Business KTV's

The Chinese Business KTV Experience

Articles & Links

You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
You can find out more about the author HERE.
If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

How a Chinese Business KTV Works – Going to the Hotel Room

Post 12 of 17.

Please kindly note that this post has multiple embedded videos. It is important to view them. If they fail to load, all you need to do is to reload your browser.

Your Aide / Wingman

A very important part of your visit to a business KTV is to have an aide or wingman to look after you. They will make sure that you are registered into the room, and that your passport will not get lost or misplaced. They will keep an eye out for you and help you out of the KTV room when it is time to go.

If you are not careful, these girls will eat you alive.

Working Hours

The girls generally get ready for work around 3pm. They get dressed, have their nails and hair done. They show up for work around 5 to 7pm depending on the venue.

The business KTV’s are open up until 6am. Most others tend to close a little earlier.

If you are having fun at a business KTV, then you MUST watch the time. Otherwise, you will be terribly drunk and end up going back to your room around 3, or 4 in the morning.

Now, here is the rub. After a solid 9 to 12 hours of heavy drinking, you (unless you are under 25) will be too exhausted to provide any energy in your penis for sexual activity. And no, Viagra or Cialis will not be much help either. Even if you had the lift, all you will want to do is… sleep.

So…

Use the Cinderella rule. You leave the KTV before 12 midnight. Pick a time somewhere between 11 and 12. No later.

Then, you will no be so exhausted, or sleepy and can be able to get your money’s worth of fun.

Further take note, that the girls all turn into pumpkins at 6 am. So if you are looking forward to some morning heat, remember that it will have to occur before 6am, because the girls will be out of there and on their way to their families.

So another reason to leave the KTV early (before the rest of the guys finish partying) that that if you leave at 3 am, you will only get three hours with that gal, and at that, you will spend most of the time sleeping.

Be advised and take note.

Going to the Room

They will help you and the girls into the elevator and you will ride it to your floor. It will be something like this video below. The girls will take the lead and show you where the room is and help you get settled. They will open the door with the card key and place the card in the activation slot.

All the hotels in China utilize electronic locks. This is either with a magnetic card or some similar mechanism. Households for the most part utilize keys (if they are rented) or thumbprints if they are owned. The newer houses also are staring to use face and retinal scan recognition technology.

It will be like this if there are two or more girls with you…

Otherwise, if you are just going with one girl. It might be a little like this..

Or, like last week when it was warmer out, it might be a little like this…

The girls will file into the room and my aides will collect my gear and keep it safe with him. I will retain my glasses and cell phone. Then we will call it a night.

My aides will then go off to their own individual rooms with their companions. And I will be left alone with the girls. The girls will typically find a outlet to plug and charge their cell phones with. They will check their WeChat, and confirm any last minute messages. Often they will have other guys (fans?) sending them messages that they need to respond to. I just let them take a few minutes to get settled.

Turning In

The girl or girls get settled in. If you are there with three girls, typically two will rest in the other bed and you will be with one girl. Then they will take turns with you. If we are all too drunk it is simply a matter of passing out for five or so hours. Otherwise, showers are used and everyone gets clean.

Don’t trust the bath towels. I don’t care if they are sanitized. You use them everywhere except down in the groin area. Trust me, you don’t want to get the clap or some other serious illness. Use a condom.
Brush your teeth.
Make sure that you take your eye glasses off, or they might get broke while you are romping and playing around.
If you really like the girl, get her WeChat, so that you can get together again in the future.

Sometimes, you just want to decompress for a bit before you engage in any kind of sexual activity. When this happens I like to see where they are from and so I ask all kinds of questions about their hometown and the food that they eat. Often we talk about life and dreams. I’ve had more than a few chats about bitcoin, setting up international trade, and tax/tariff laws in the United States. Honestly I was really impressed with one gal who had a dog grooming business and a massage parlor on the side. She had her act going on.

Some of the girls are quite wild and experienced, but I am just a rather boring old Joe. So we just keep things simple, which in a way is kind of a relief to the girls. Now, keep in mind, that if you are there with multiple girls make sure that they are all EQUALLY engaged, or else the one who has been neglected all night will want to leave – thus spoiling all the fun.

Sometimes the girl will leave behind a trinket or two for you to remember them by. That’s a nice thought, but I just throw them away. If I don’t have their WeChat contact information, I probably won’t ever see them again.

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The Chinese Business KTV Experience

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How a Chinese Business KTV Works – Having Fun!

Page 9A of 17.

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Having Fun

The parties can get rather crazy. Yeah. Crazy KTV parties! However, mostly I would say that they are pretty stable affairs, with drinking, singling and playing games of dice. The most popular game is a game of five dice in a small red plastic cup. You shake the cup and the person who loses has to drink. There are various games that fit within this framework. All are similar and structured the same way; to get drunk.

Boss in the KTV — When a boss goes to a Business KTV, he can let his hair down, relax and have a good time. He can eat, sing and enjoy the friendship of an attractive female companion. What is not to like?

Other games include burning a tissue holding the dice in a cup, number games, and of course singing. I cannot sing Chinese songs very well, so Duets are out of the question. But I can sing numerous Chinese songs which surprises the ladies. However, all in all, I like to sing American songs.

Here’s some more crazy KTV parties. Here’s a video showing what it’s like with the red cup and the five pair of dice game(s)…

The above video is pretty typical. The inside of the KTV is dark with various flashing lights, or club like ambience. The people are singing, dancing, shaking, smoking and playing games with dice in a cup. That is what all three of them are doing in the video above.

I think I mentioned this before, but if I didn’t, the cups are usually black or red plastic, and inside are five white dice. They tend to fly out of the cups and land on the floor and get lost. So you go ahead and grab some from an unused cup and keep on playing.

A little beer is definitely in order (and is usually cheap) so order some Tsing Tao and get to work. In the KTV, it is perfectly fine to start drinking beer. Though I am often entangled with some younger Chinese managers to drink beer until they pass out. I usually have none of that nonsense, and ask my companion to take over for me. I am a boss, I don’t need to prove that I can drink.

Certainly not using beer. It is like water to me.

Chinese beers. — Here is a nice selection of some of the most commonly found Chinese beers in China. Of course everyone knows about QingDao (the Tsing Tao Beer on the far left) beer. It’s a fine beer, don’t ya know.

If you don’t like singing the girls will often sing to you and sometimes they’re pretty good (they get lots of practice). There are various games. I like to play the games with dice, which is (of course) a drinking game. There are other games as well. For instance, one game involves covering a glass with tissue and taking turns burning the tissue to see who will cause a die on the paper to fall.

They also really like playing rock paper scissors. (The American version comes from China.)

The girls can either be in the KTV uniforms, with will be gowns of one sort or another, or in their street clothes. If the girls are contracted to spend most of their time semi-nude (nude, but wearing skimpy panties), they might be provided slinky silk bathrobes to wear.

My preferred American songs include groups such as Aerosmith, and country and western singers. Ah, many a night the ladies would have to endure me singing Oasis’s song “Wonderwall”, and “She ain’t Right”, by Lee Brice. Of course, you must have the girls belt out a tearful love song or two. This is mandatory, and make sure that you fuss over them. It is the closest way that any Chinese lady will express any emotion.

Remember, the KTV environment is a “safe space” where the individual is protected and permitted to let “it all out”. They can be crazy. They can be emotional. They can be and live the fantasy that they want.

At some point a guy or a gal is going to come in with a cart full of goodies… little snacks and stuff like that. It’s cheap by American standards so don’t worry. For us locals, well, we tend to think of it as expensive and pricey.

High end joints will have a cigarette girl wearing a crotch-high cute dress and a little bell-boy pill-box hat. They will have a wooden tray in front with all kinds of cigarettes and cigars (from Cuba no less). I always like to get a cigar, and (since this is China) no one would dare disrespect me (and lose face) by telling me not to smoke it.

Nude and Playful

Sometime during your evening you may also be offered a strip tease show by one or more girls. (Typically, all the girls would participate.) It costs extra, find out how much before you buy. For the longest time I refused these opportunities, as well as two-somes and group-fun. Now, I never refuse. You can keep all that Puritanism and shove it up where the sun don’t shine.

Ah. I just love the crazy KTV parties.

Now, of course, this is not at all like what you would expect in the United States. No girl will get at a pole and strip off her clothes to the music. And, no, you won’t be sitting there stupefied unable to do anything short of stuffing some dollars in her panties.

Nope. It’s quite different here in China.

Instead, the girls will just undress right there on the sofa next to you. They will be fully nude except for panties and high heels. There are pretty quick about it too. They just kind of slinky out of their dress and sit there smiling.

Then, they will expect you to cuddle with them. If you don’t take the initiative, they will. They will more than likely sit on your lap and lean back while you are allowed to let your hands roam where they most comfortably yearn to migrate.

It is expected for you to roam. So do it. Failure to do so would be an insult to your host.

Expect a bare minimum of 10-15 minutes of full contact fun. This will include lap dancing and other playful antics. Truthfully, once started, it actually tends to last all night. Hey! No problem.

It often is something like this.

The policy is “please touch” unlike the in the US where that will get your ass kicked by a steroid abusing meathead bouncer. However, in China it’s ok. And I like it that way. (This is true even if they still have their clothes on. You can roam all over their bodies as you desire. This is China for goodness sakes!)

Of course, you need not get too hot and bothered about all of this.

Many of the girls will grab your crotch and try to guess the size of your member in length, girth, width and stamina. For instance, you might be with one girl, and another girl will sit on your other side and start feeling your nether regions and adjusting things down there for you. (Personally, I think it is their way to judge how much they can make off you later on…LOL.)

The girls are talented. They really are. Most know all the K-Pop and C-Pop songs and dances and will dance right there with you. Whether or not they have their clothes on makes no difference, they are stunning and their actions will melt your heart.

It’s sorta like an appetizer for things later on, or (perhaps) used to entice you to pay up for a “long-time” girl. Anyways, it really doesn’t matter. In a business KTV the boss host will pay for everything. So agree to it.

If you want to return to the start of this series, please go HERE.

Do you want more?

I have more posts in my Business KTV Index here…

Business KTV's

The Chinese Business KTV Experience

Articles & Links

You can start reading the articles by going HERE.
You can visit the Index Page HERE to explore by article subject.
You can also ask the author some questions. You can go HERE to find out how to go about this.
You can find out more about the author HERE.
If you have concerns or complaints, you can go HERE.
If you want to make a donation, you can go HERE.

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