BSR

Why she never became a billionaire…she gave it away
https://observer.com/2026/08/philanthropy-why-dolly-parton-never-became-billionaire/
Also note that her stated wealth is likely highly influenced by her royalty stream off her catalogue.   The valuation would imply at least $100mill in annual royalty stream meaning she has a lot of discretionary cash flow to spread around…and she’s done it consistently.
Ive heard that Dollywood may pass into trust for benefit of Sevier County Economic Development which will pay dividend for decades 

I had the great privilege of seeing Dolly perform at Red Rocks about a decade ago. Three hours straight with only breaks for wardrobe changes, and she was all over that stage. She was a rare source of pure goodness in the entertainment industry. 

Her acts of kindness were/are everywhere.  Many years ago I attended a county fair that featured Louise Mandrell.
Before beginning her performance Louise Mandrell apologized for being late due to their bus breaking down and how she was on the verge of calling to cancel her performance when Dolly Parton sent one of her buses to the rescue.

I saw Dolly Parton 50 (50!) years ago at the American Royale Rodeo in Kansas City where she was the headliner act between barrel racing, bronco busting, etc.  My parents and brother thought she was pleasant but forgettable whereas I instantly fell in love and became a life-long fan.  Country music and America lost one of its greatest today.  Dolly, we love you.  R.I.P.

I saw Dolly Parton 50 (50!) years ago at the American Royale Rodeo in Kansas City where she was the headliner act between barrel racing, bronco busting, etc.  My parents and brother thought she was pleasant but forgettable whereas I instantly fell in love and became a life-long fan.  Country music and America lost one of its greatest today.  Dolly, we love you.  R.I.P.

This Blue Sky post captures some of the sort of person she was. Requiescat in pace.
Tap on the post to open it with replies.

From Pride Holdings most recent 2Q26 financial report, filed on 8/19/26,  
"The Company sustained net losses of $1,370,755 and $4,073,380 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026, respectively, and $1,526,684 and $1,750,921 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, respectively, and incurred negative cash flows from operations of $211,160 for the six months ended June 30, 2026. As of June 30, 2026, the Company had an accumulated deficit of $36,556,197, a working capital deficit of $3,438,869 and cash of $78,607. These factors among others raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of 12 months from the issuance date of this report." 

For the 1st time in a while CD rates have gone up. Citibank releases their new rates every Tuesday. 
 


7-Month  
APY 4.00% to 4.15%     
1-Year  
APY 4.15%   

Yes, I went to X-Boyz last night.  It’s basically a showcase for rentguys.  At first, the boys stand on stage and don’t do anything, just stand there.  Then there are a couple of risqué numbers, well, risqué by US standards, relatively tame by Bangkok standards.  Then a couple of drag numbers so that the boys have time to get hard.  The finale [spoiler alert!] is the boys all walk out in elephant trunk underwear, sporting hard-ons but encased in these weirdly thick supercondoms.  Since the elephant trunk part of the underwear is paper thin and flaps open, you get to what each guy is offering in all its encased glory.  Each guy walks around on stage until a customer requests his company, and the whole showcase process lasts until all customer demand is met.
Despite low season and war in the Middle East, the “freelancers” (the Thai euphemism for female sex workers) were out in force in Soi 6.  As you walk down that veeeeeeery long street, you are grabbed, handled, and propositioned by countless working girls whereas there was nothing like that in either Boyz Town or Super Town.  No, the gay streets of Pattaya aren’t my scene either, but I am really looking forward to returning to Bangkok.

Yes, I went to X-Boyz last night.  It’s basically a showcase for rentguys.  At first, the boys stand on stage and don’t do anything, just stand there.  Then there are a couple of risqué numbers, well, risqué by US standards, relatively tame by Bangkok standards.  Then a couple of drag numbers so that the boys have time to get hard.  The finale [spoiler alert!] is the boys all walk out in elephant trunk underwear, sporting hard-ons but encased in these weirdly thick supercondoms.  Since the elephant trunk part of the underwear is paper thin and flaps open, you get to what each guy is offering in all its encased glory.  Each guy walks around on stage until a customer requests his company, and the whole showcase process lasts until all customer demand is met.
Despite low season and war in the Middle East, the “freelancers” (the Thai euphemism for female sex workers) were out in force in Soi 6.  As you walk down that veeeeeeery long street, you are grabbed, handled, and propositioned by countless working girls whereas there was nothing like that in either Boyz Town or Super Town.  No, the gay streets of Pattaya aren’t my scene either, but I am really looking forward to returning to Bangkok.

There are a number of clubs in the same area as Freshboys.  You also have Good Boys directly below Freshboys, Hotmale, and Dreamboys.  Not far away is Moonlight.  There are also bars in that same general area...Midnight Bar and Rainbow Dragon come to mind.  Rainbow Dragon is a host bar only.  It really depends on the type of guy you are interested in.  Tawan (formerly The One) guys are more muscular...same for Moonlight.  Show at Moonlight will not be as risqué as the other bars, though.  Also, if you are into muscle you might like Jupiter on Soi 4.  There is also a new club that opened...another 2 so to speak.  Originally called 'Atlas' and located across from Freshboys & Hotmale, they closed within the last year, moved to same Soi as Patpong Night Market, and new name is Big Boy.  Not sure they will survive...we shall see.  Not many guys, and the show is fairly tame.  Be aware that Big Boy, Moonlight, and Jupiter all charge admission to enter.  Good Boys is somewhat seedy, and many of the guys are Vietnamese if that is of interest to you...same for Freshboys...many Vietnamese.  The other clubs are a mix from Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar...Thai are actually in the minority of guys on stage.  One of the better shows from a purely entertainment standpoint is Banana Bar on Soi 4.  
G's German/Thai cuisine on Soi 4 is a good restaurant.  Also, on Surawong not far from Freshboys is Sarica and just past it is Happy Beer Garden.  Silom Complex has many decent restaurants as well, and a new edition is Silom Edge full of restaurants.  If you are looking for something a little more upscale, the new Central Park Mall on Silom @ Rama IV has some excellent restaurants.  
If you are looking for massage, Soi 6 is always a good place to start.  Another area to consider is Saphan Kwai neighborhood.  There is a BTS stop so it is fairly easy to get to, and probably 10 or 12 massage shops within walking distance of the station.  
FYI...when going to the clubs, the mamasan will often be quite pushy or aggressive in wanting you to select a guy to take off.  I would encourage you to be polite but noncommittal.  If you see someone you are interested in, make eye contact with them, gesture for them to join you, buy them a drink, make conversation and negotiate directly with the guy.  Leave the mamasan out of the negotiations all together.  The guy will tell you what the off fee for the bar is without inflating it or trying to get a cut...which the mamasan is notorious for doing.  In regards to offs, they either have Short Term or Long Term.  Short term fees usually run 2500-3000 Baht and Long term (overnight) can run up to 5000 Baht.  Be sure to be specific in your negotiations.  If you want them to stay for breakfast in the morning, be sure to say that.  

I had an unexpectedly good time at The One Club last night.  I thought it would be just a gogo bar, a place with dancers in underwear or at best thongs, similar to places in Manila.  Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas any more!  
When we first walked in, all the dancers were on stage but doing nothing, just standing there.  Let the games begin!  Then most of the gogo’s got on stage naked, then a jackoff contest with three dancers (first to cum gets the most tips), then a blowjob, then more jacking, another blowjob.
Offstage was perhaps more fun.  A few dancers invited me to play with their cocks, for which I was happy to tip them 100 baht (just over $3).  When the bouncer noticed this, he stood up and invited me to do the same.  Word spread quickly because then most of the staff was lined up (literally, a queue of bartenders, waiters, more dancers).  About 4,000 baht later, I left, happier than a kid who just bought the candy store.
Tonight I went to Fresh Boys, a club in the street that’s like the gay version of Cowboy, where all the straight strip clubs are (what happened there my first night in Bangkok is a whole ‘nother story).  The show was more polished, the club (more like a theater) was much nicer, and the on-stage performances were different  — i.e., bizarre but entertaining.  As much as I wanted to stick around for the late show, supposedly the most risqué, I had to get home to meet the gogo whose WhatsApp I got last night.  He was fantastic, charged me 2,500 baht ($77), I gave him 3,000 ($93), and he left happy as a clam.  One helpful hint:  if you leave with a dancer that night, you have to pay a bar fee, 5,000 baht.  But if you just get his WhatsApp and meet with him the next day, 0 baht bar fee.
And what is this about Asian guys having small wankers?  All the gogo’s, about a dozen at The One and ~20 at Fresh Boys) were anywhere from decent (maybe slightly bigger than the US average) to huuuuuuuuuge.  Unfortunately this is my last night in Bangkok, off to Pattaya (Thailand’s Sin City) for 5 days.