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Didn't they trash Phi-Phi Leh during filming of The Beach As fans eagerly wait for a new lot of guests to check into the White Lotus, a behind-the-scenes drama has been unfolding to secure the filming location of the Emmy-award winning show. The series has been so incredibly lucrative for the first two destinations it featured that some have dubbed it "The White Lotus effect". A show ostensibly about tourists has in turn been a boon for tourism in Hawaii, where online interest in the Four Seasons Maui jumped by 425 per cent after the first season aired. And in Sicily, where Jennifer Coolidge was famously stalked by murderous gays in season two, the production is estimated to have resulted in over 32 million euros ($52.8 million) worth of spending and a 300 per cent jump in online searches, according to travel site Expedia. So when rumours surfaced of a "high profile" showrunner — believed to be White Lotus creator Mike White — scouting locations in Japan, Thai authorities swept in to try to woo the team to South East Asia instead. How Thailand lured The White Lotus away from Japan Tourism Authority of Thailand Executive Siripakorn Cheawsamoot said they were proactive in their attempts to lure the popular show to the kingdom. "We approached the White Lotus production team and then we talked with them about trying to bring their budget costs down with potential partners," he told the ABC. "There are two kinds of incentives. Firstly, cash incentives with rebates and then in-kind incentives as well." In-kind incentives are non-cash incentives, and can include things like offering services for free. "A lot of partners in the private sector offered their services, sometimes complimentary, some on an agreement," Mr Cheawsamoot said. He explained that hotels were provided to the actors and film crew to stay in. Transport and airfares were some of the other perks. But the real clincher was the Thai government's recently beefed-up film incentive program, which offers a cash rebate of up to 20 per cent for foreign film productions. In an effort to attract more film and TV productions, the government decided in 2022 to waive the personal income tax for foreign talent for five years, meaning the stars of season three — which include Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Aimee Lou Wood — won't pay Thai tax while working on location. Thailand's gain was Japan's loss and at last year's Toyko Film Festival, local producer Georgina Pope lamented the lost opportunity. She pointed to the Thai government's generous film incentive system, which she claimed added up to $US4.4 million ($6.6 million) in savings for the White Lotus project. Some locals are worried about the possible impact of more people arriving on Koh Samui.(ABC News: Lauren Day) The financial details have not been disclosed and the Tourism Authority of Thailand did not confirm that number but Mr Cheawsamoot agreed the sweeteners offered to the White Lotus team would have amounted to millions. Tourism authorities and local businesses say it is worth the money that was spent. They expect to see many times that figure in return in the form of visitor numbers and increased spending. "In terms of economic returns, we've got high hopes," Mr Cheawsamoot said. Seeing big stars at your local restaurant While many guests on Koh Samui have no idea what's going on beyond the sign of the Four Seasons hotel, the crew have been spotted around the island. Already, searches on Expedia for Thailand have jumped by 50 per cent since the announcement that filming would take place in Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok. Local restaurant owners Olive Lamlert and Patrick Moukarzel have had several visits from White Lotus cast and crew. Olive Lamlert and Patrick Moukarzel own a restaurant in Koh Samui that has been visited by cast members of the White Lotus. "It's very cool and very surprising. And the nice thing is that they came back because they like it. So that means a lot," Patrick said. The couple say some stars of the show have also popped by. "I was excited because it was Aimee [Lou Wood] who plays the role of Amy in Sex Education and she's super famous. I'm a big fan!" said Olive. "And then it was Walton Goggins who is in a lot of HBO series and [2015 superhero film] Ant-Man." Olive and Patrick are also big fans of the White Lotus series itself. As former hotel workers, they said they could relate to the battles depicted within the series, which features a dysfunctional hotel chain and the challenges of dealing with inhospitable guests. "It reflects what we used to do and what we had to deal with the guests," Olive laughed. "The headache ones, the difficult ones, the nice ones, the drama … although maybe not as much drama as in the show." Patrick said everyone on the island was excited about the potential economic impact of the series. "It will be very very good, not only for Samui," he said. "When you come to Thailand, you come to Samui, you go to Bangkok, you will visit another city or small island. So the whole country will benefit." The downsides of a big show coming to town While it's hoped the show will bring in more tourism dollars, some locals are worried about the possible impact of more people arriving on Koh Samui. Parts of the island have been gripped by a water shortage crisis, which has been blamed on drought conditions and a surge of tourist arrivals post-pandemic. There's also been an ongoing issue with waste disposal on the island as it struggles to keep up with the 200 tonnes of trash produced per day. Late last year, Koh Samui had reportedly accumulated about 200,000 tonnes at its main landfill site and authorities were left with no option but to export the problem to the mainland. Local environmentalist Anon Vatayanon said the Thai government needed to have a plan in place to manage the impacts of tourism on the environment. Anon Vatayanon says if there isn't proper management of Samui's natural resources, they will be ruined. "Samui became popular because of its nature — the sea, sand and sun," he said. "The most important thing is that we protect our main selling points … how we manage wastewater, the quality of the water, the environmental impact from road use and air pollution. "The movie industry wouldn't be filming here if the environment wasn't nice. If we lose it nobody will come here." Siripakorn Cheawsamoot from the Tourism Authority of Thailand said any boost in tourism would be managed sustainably. "Sustainable tourism is our key focus for this coming year," he said. "That's been the key focus for the Department of Tourism to control and communicate with the filming crew." 'Set-jetting' shaping travel itineraries around the world Thailand is no stranger to big film and TV productions and the big waves of tourism that often follow. People still flock to James Bond Island where The Man With The Golden Gun was filmed in the 1970s and Maya Bay is still recovering from the impacts of 2000 adventure drama The Beach. Tourists flocked to see James Bond Island in Thailand after The Man With The Golden Gun was filmed there.(ABC News: Lucia Stein) The Leonardo DiCaprio film sparked controversy due to the impact of the shoot and the influx of tourism on the once pristine sands of the bay at Koh Phi Phi Leh. The area was eventually closed to visitors in 2018 to allow it to recover from the damage caused by millions of tourists. But authorities say much has changed in the 24 years since the cult movie was released and many lessons were learnt. They're now hoping to cash in on a trend known as 'set-jetting' where tourists choose locations based on films and TV shows. The phenomenon has been attributed to a US$200 million dollar boost to Croatia's economy thanks to Game of Thrones and a 50 per cent increase in inbound tourism to New Zealand following the release of The Lord of the Rings. According to analysis by travel website Expedia, 44 per cent of travellers last year drew inspiration from movies and TV shows, far outpacing the influence of social media at just 15 per cent. Last month, a post on the White Lotus official Instagram page promised "unforgettable experiences are in the making at #TheWhiteLotus." "We are eager to welcome new guests to our resort in Thailand." Thailand is eager to welcome them too. Tourism Authority of Thailand has revealed how they lured the White Lotus producers to film in Thailand. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-28/how-thailand-wooed-the-white-lotus/103579388

Corrupted

Trump is doing a meet-and-greet at a crowded venue and his security detail is being extra watchful. One of them is a new guy and he’s extra jumpy. Suddenly, a gunman bursts from the crowd, aiming his weapon at the President. Pandemonium ensues. The rookie bodyguard screams “Mickey Mouse!!!” at the top of his voice and this startles the would be assassin to the point that his aim is off and the shot goes over Trump’s head. Some bodyguards wrestle the assailant to the ground, while others hustle the President to safety. Disaster averted. Later, during debriefing, the head of the security detail congratulates the rookie. Without his quick thinking, he tells him, the President might very well be dead. “But I’m puzzled” he said. “Why on earth would you yell Mickey Mouse?” “I’m new”, explained the rookie, sheepishly. “I panicked. I meant to yell Donald! Duck!!”

Another reason I am starting to think this entire social media platform thingy is not a great idea. Now you have platforms like Discord which are virtually unregulated. I have been a member LinkedIn for years which was once the world's largest professional network. Now it's just another social media network.

The content is not Australian, the content is owned by, and a copyrighted to, the poster. If the poster requested the content to come down or deleted his tweet then it would all go away, but he hasn’t. Could you imagine the outrage if governments could apply government censorship on anything posted on social media, it’s not 1984

All knighthoods are honorary and IMHO not worth the paper they are written on. There is no rule of law that can force anyone to call another “Sir”, I think that went out in 1215 with the signing of the Magna Carta, the only rule of law is that a holder of KBE are allowed to use the title Sir

Yes knighted in 1953

Yes, but then the content could be argued to be Australian and thus able to be restricted.

Was he a Sir in 1979?

So there are knighthoods and honorary knighthoods? Hardly seems to be any point in it then.

Sir is an honorary title and as such no one is obliged to use it

Morally one could say Musk is in the wrong for refusing to take down the Posts outside of Australia, but legally he is correct. Australian law applies to Australia only, or Australian citizens overseas. What Australia is asking for is above the coverage of its legal system, and I believe Musk / X stance is if we don’t draw the line here then when does the over reaching of legal boundaries stop. Rather than go after Musk, Australia should have tried the diplomatic approach and ask friendly governments to ban the posts in their respective areas of jurisdiction. He is still a Cunt mind you.

Brutal turtle fight

Predictably he said shove it up your ass. Personally based on the fact Gen Z (ages 11-26), has roughly 50 plus million social media users not sure I would want my 12 year old child having access to it uncensored. Interested to hear others views on this. Incidentally it's referred to as an "alleged stabbing" but the video makes it pretty clear. This has arisen from the 2 stabbing that have happened over the last week in Sydney. First by a deeply troubled individual whit mental health issues (7 dead) and the second by a radicalized teenager which has been declared an act of terrorism. As the church service where the Bishop (not really a bishop just likes the title) was being streamed live the actual stabbing has been uploaded online. Judge makes interim order after eSafety commissioner orders social media outlet to remove footage of Wakeley stabbing The Australian federal court has ordered Elon Musk’s X to hide posts containing videos of a stabbing at a Sydney church last week from users globally, after the eSafety commissioner launched an urgent court case on Monday evening seeking an injunction. X, along with Meta, were ordered by the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, on Tuesday last week to remove material deemed to depict “gratuitous or offensive violence with a high degree of impact or detail” within 24 hours or potentially face fines. The material was footage of the alleged stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel last Monday evening while he was giving a livestreamed service at the Assyrian Christ the Good Shepherd church in Wakeley. On the weekend, X said it had complied with the request, but intended to launch a legal case challenging the orders. In a hearing late on Monday afternoon, barrister for eSafety, Christopher Tran, told Justice Geoffrey Kennett that X had geo-blocked the posts containing the video, meaning Australians could not access them. However, the posts were still accessible globally, and to Australians who used a virtual private network (VPN) connection that made their IP address appear outside Australia. Tran said that meant that X was not compliant with the online safety act around the removal of the material. The agency wanted the posts to be removed, with an interim measure for the posts to be blocked from access globally. X’s legal representation, Marcus Hoyne, sought to have the matter adjourned. He noted that it was close to 2am in San Francisco, where X is headquartered, and he had no instructions from his client on the matter. Kennett said the “better course” was to make the interim order until a later hearing, and ordered the content be put behind a notice globally, with the interim order in place until 5pm Wednesday, 24 April Sydney time. The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, on Monday described X as a “factory for trolls and misinformation” as the government vowed to fight any legal challenges brought by the company over removal orders related to the video of the Wakeley stabbing. In a statement after the hearing, a spokesperson for the eSafety commissioner said the notice did not cover commentary or public debate about the event, but only the video of the alleged stabbing. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said on Monday that the “pain of many people has been exacerbated by what occurred on social media”. Albanese said there was no place for the broadcast of violent images, adding: “I find it extraordinary that X chose not to comply and are trying to argue their case.” Meta was found to have complied with the request, but on Saturday morning Australian time, X accused the online safety regulator of “global censorship” and said it would challenge the orders in court. The company argued it did not believe the orders were within the scope of Australian law. “The Australian censorship commissar is demanding *global* content bans!” Musk said in a tweet. On Monday, Jones responded that the government “will fight it”. “At the same time we’re looking at all of the laws across these areas to ensure that our regulators have the power to do what is necessary to keep our online platforms safe,” he told ABC’s RN Breakfast. “And then Twitter can’t be the place where criminals go, where cranks and crooks go to propagate their messages. At the moment it’s a factory for trolls and misinformation that damages the brand of the company, but it does a lot of damage to social cohesion in the process.” He said it was “incredibly disappointing” that Musk decided to “make fun” of the lawful direction rather than complying with it.after newsletter promotion “Decency can’t be dead. And I think any Australian looking at that would go: ‘Come on.’ Like it’s a pretty simple and straightforward request. It’s a lawful request.” The minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Bill Shorten, told the ABC that X was expressing an attitude that it was “above the laws of a nation”. “It is entirely unexceptional of a nation to say we want to take down some of the most violent and shocking footage, and somehow for them to say we’ve got freedom of speech, but we’re allowed to pollute the metaphorical airwaves with horrible vile and imagery – no one gets to vote for X.” The regulator said eSafety had worked cooperatively with other companies including Google, Microsoft, Snap and TikTok to remove the same material. On Sunday the opposition leader, Peter Dutton expressed support for the actions by eSafety and said X saw itself as above the law. “The Australian law does apply and the fact is that X and Meta and other companies have a presence here. They make literally, or at least turn over, billions of dollars worth of revenue in the Australian economy,” he said. “I think what they’re worried about is the flow on to other markets, if Australia’s laws are upheld. “That’s all the more reason, I think, for us to take a stance – it’s important for us – but for other democracies as well.” The Greens communications spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young, said Musk should “front up” to parliament. “The online tech thugs are operating as if it’s the wild west. Elon Musk should front up to the Australian people, he should front up here to parliament and argue why his company shouldn’t have a social conscience and shouldn’t be doing the right thing,” she said. It is the latest salvo in a battle between X and the eSafety commissioner. Last year the eSafety commissioner began legal proceedings over a failure to pay a $610,500 fine for allegedly failing to provide information about how it was tackling online child abuse material. X has also launched court proceedings to challenge the ruling. The company also claimed last month it would launch a case over a tweet allegedly bullying a trans man that the company withheld from access in Australia after a notice from eSafety. The case has not yet been filed in the federal court. X was approached for comment.

Are you required to refer to him as Sir John Gielgud even in the event of copy & paste? 😀

Murder by Decree 1979 Sherlock Holmes, Jack the Ripper, Royals, etc But: writers - Arthur Conan Doyle, John Hopkins, Elwyn Jones cast - Christopher Plummer as Sherlock Holmes James Mason as Dr. John Watson David Hemmings as Inspector Foxborough Susan Clark as Mary Kelly Frank Finlay as Inspector Lestrade Anthony Quayle as Sir Charles Warren Donald Sutherland as Robert Lees Geneviève Bujold as Annie Crook John Gielgud as Lord Salisbury Peter Jonfield as William Slade Roy Lansford as Sir Thomas Spivey Ron Pember as Makins Some of the finest acting of it's day, kept me watching and notable is Plummer, with wit, humour and emotion as Sherlock Holmes. Very Good

While at the Dawn Service this morning, the lower back started to ache a bit. Usually does these days after standing for a hour. I overcome it as I have before by thinking about what discomforts those we are there paying our respects to, had to endure. I have been attending Dawn Services since I was a small child as my father would drag us there ever year where he would meet up with his Vietnam Vet mates. As kids we looked forward to the free soft drinks and snacks with little understanding of the significance of the event. It's a special day for us Australians and Kiwis. The obelisk where I pay my respects each year is a very important one in the history of our ANZACs, In 1917 Randwick Road – which led from the city boundary south from Moore Park – was widened and renamed Anzac Parade. The opening was marked by the erection of the ANZAC Obelisk at the northern end of the Anzac Parade at the intersection of Moore Park Road. This obelisk (1917) is significant as being one of the earliest monuments dedicated to the role of the ANZACs of WWI, preceding the Martin Place Cenotaph (1927) and the Hyde Park War Memorial (1934). The Anzac Parade Memorial Obelisk was the diggers’ own war memorial. It marked the place where many of the battalions of volunteers who left Australia to fight had marched in 1914 past the cheering crowds, on their way from the Randwick barracks to the ships.

ANZAC day. I always think that the sacrifices others made, allowed for some of the best times humanity has had and in particular my generation's fortune, to not have to serve in a war. That is not to say that there have been no wars, just that my life has been blessed in this regard. My paternal grandparents met in WW1, she a nurse and he a wounded soldier. Not strictly in the ANZAC Corps, but part of the same shindig. Lest we forget. These days: Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served" (excluding those in the New Zealand Wars however), it is also used as a time to reflect on the reasons why World War 1 was started and by who. Observed on 25 April each year, Anzac Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in the Gallipoli campaign, their first engagement in the First World War (1914–1918). ref: The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was originally a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which primarily consisted of troops from the First Australian Imperial Force and 1st New Zealand Expeditionary Force, although there were also British and Indian units attached at times throughout the campaign. The corps disbanded in 1916, following the Allied evacuation of the Gallipoli peninsula and the formation of I ANZAC Corps and II ANZAC Corps. The corps was reestablished, briefly, in the Second World War during the Battle of Greece in 1941. The term 'ANZAC' has been used since for joint Australian–New Zealand units of different sizes.

I realise the girls are a bit older than they once were, but. ….

Saw this in The Guardian today - I think some enterprising individual could make money here selling this in Soi 4 🙂 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/apr/23/grave-challenge-blackpool-rock-makers-fear-for-seaside-staples-future

Not saying it is the cause more the straw that perhaps broke the camel's back (pun intended) 😀

Related, they recently told that dude he is NOT a woman and can’t compete on the US Women’s Olympic swim tea in Paris…he’s playing the victim…