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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/04/2020 in all areas

  1. This could have happened anywhere but... The first time I was in Asia was 2011 when I was sent to China with my job. I flew into Beijing from Dublin/Frankfurt and then was to get a connecting flight to Wuhan, where I based for the first week. All good, (plane was the Lufthansa A380) landed in Beijing and found my way easily to the gate for the Wuhan flight. It's my first time in China so all excited and wide eyed. I'm sitting there minding my own business waiting for the flight and I see the the girl that checked me in with what looked like two Policemen walking towards me. It seems like they're looking for someone. Then I get this sinking feeling... Yeah, she's pointing at me! Fuck! Over they come. She spoke only a little English. So, in pidgin English she says I was to go with two policemen. What! What did I do? This is not good. In China for the first time, just landed and getting arrested. The girl is mortified and just keeps saying Just go please... OK, so off all we all do. This is bad. Baaad. All sorts going through my head...show trials, westerner guilty of crimes against the party....First time in China remember. Jaysus. I'm just off the fucking plane and I know I haven't done anything so what the fuck am I being arrested for? The two lads say nothing. Not a word. We're walking for about 10 minutes. 10 minutes can be a long time! It looks like they're walking me back to the check in area, a good distance from the gate. Eventually get to the desk where I checked in and I'm really sweating now. They pull out my suitcase and bring me to the side. I'm trying to think what's in it. Couple of bottles of whiskey for my hosts but apart from that just normal stuff. So they put the suitcase down and one of the cops puts his ear to it and gestures for me to do the same. OK.... The fucking case is buzzing!! WTF! So, I opened it and it's my electric toothbrush! The button must have been pressed during the flight or something. Jesus Christ. Laughs all around. I'll never forget the relief! Fucking hell. Two cops look relieved as well. All buddies now. The check in girl was laughing her head off! Phew!
    7 points
  2. Freedom in America...I guess its time to hit South Beach again....Not .https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-desantis-florida-reopens-20200925-f3sr4wk5tncvvkhwr6ua4pereq-story.html Actually, since I'm procrastinating on drafting a document due tomorrow morning, I will take a moment to write something here that I have been thinking about that has been made clear by the responses of various national governments to the coronavirus. The issue that has arisen for me is the concept of "value of life". In my line of work, I deal with this issue on occassion when someone dies, and I have to convince an insurance carrier as to value of the deceased to those who remained. Typically, an insurance carrier will deem the life of a doctor or lawyer as more valuable than a truck driver or construction worker as evidenced by the fact that the doctor or lawyer during his/her lifetime would have provided more income/support to his/her heirs. Therefore, you will find that if you represent a doctor's heir in a wrongful death lawsuit you may get an award of 10 times or more of the award if you are representing a construction worker's heirs. Coronavirus in the US has been politicized around the concept of freedom to choose (whether to wear a mask, or how many people to allow in my store, or whether to congregate with more than 10 people indoors) vs mandatory public health orders. It has dawned on me that basically, many people view their personal freedom to make a choice whether to take proactive and prophylactic safety measures for them is more valuable than another person's life. In short, they are saying, my right to refuse to wear a mask is more valuable than your right to life. Governments that allow people to make this choice are making the same value judgment. I have often said that many successful socialist governments (admittedly most aren't) that threw off colonial oppression act consistent with really loving and caring for their populations even if they make certain misteps. This can readily be seen in the responses to the coronavirus by Vietnam, China, and Cuba. Although we in the west decry these countries lack of "freedom", they have demonstrated that they value "life" above all in how they have reacted to the coronavirus. These countries could have simply followed a herd immunity strategy, and kept all their economic activity going. (I think of Cuba which is totally dependent on a tourist economy, yet they have allowed no flights in or out since April 2). However, they didn't. They were willing to sacrifice all economic profit/gain for a season, in an effort to save lives. AND THEY DID. Anyway, I know I will get alot of push back on this from my freedom loving friends, but the question I have to ask is this: Is my life worth 12 months of quarantine? How about yours?
    3 points
  3. The Lady´s :-) Mona Bella Anny Bee Nancy, Mona, Jasmine
    3 points
  4. Just as an aside. Which of those girls would you pick?. Two only for a 3 some For me, the two on the left. By the way I think that photo is a few years old. They are all slim!.
    2 points
  5. Yeah, go figure. A former drinking buddy once sent me death threats on Facebook (I wasn't answering his drunken rants) I reported him to FB, hoping it would be a wake up call for him. Naaa After a two month interlude, FB informed me his threats do not violate their community guidelines. Couldn't make this stuff up
    1 point
  6. What, are you jealous of me??.
    1 point
  7. Yeah it wasn't good for him. I did post the Vlog BB did on his Coronavirus experience, but then YouTube removed it, apparently it wasn't PC enough for them
    1 point
  8. Brutal honesty. " Would you like me if I didn't have any money?"
    1 point
  9. Heading to bkk they always have the road blocks at the top of Kha Yai nat park and Heading north they at the bottom of the park .I get stopped every time , thankfully Dao is with me and they chat to her in Thai . I often wonder what I would have to pay if I was on my own. We will see if the checkpoints will stop but I don't think so
    1 point
  10. Don't I know it, I took off fom Manchester Airport en-route to Turkey at 4-50pm and Boris added it to the quarantine list at 5pm , nevermind I will be enjoying my holiday, 2 week self-isolation or not on return . They added Poland too, which is a double whammy as I have already booked a 4 night City Break in Krakow for November. Such is life.
    1 point
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