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Met this Gayromeo model this week end in Prague. Lovely lad. 19 years old. Always smiling. Recommended ! His sexy smile announces the whole program ...

Looks like he hasn't learned to tie his shoelaces. I hate the tattoo. Can't understand why anyone, and beautiful people in particular, would want to spoil what God gave them. Smaller tattoo's can be tasteful. But big tattoo's like he has gives the impression that he's trying to compensate for something missing in himself.

I wish I knew journalists who's integrity and courage are beyond question. Shoot, I would even settle for knowing one or more of the finest lawyers in the world. But, alas. Best regards, RA1

Thank God this wasn't what I think it was. If it was in the Porn forum I would have thought it was muscular leather guys carrying around their young slaves during the Folsom Street Fair up to their elbows in their asses right on the street. Pleasure? Pain? I should get my mind out of the gutter. Dirty Old Man that I am. Or maybe it is a good thing that keeps me thinking younger? Yours, IHOP akaFavelaDweller

The President Photos and Webcam Tours and Events Our Government The Obama Store Contact Us White House Tunnel System: West Wing Underground Command Bunker Project White House Construction: The New West Wing Bunker In 2010, the West Wing underground command center project secretly got underway. The construction equipment arrived and tall fences went up around the West Wing of the White House. An initial ill-conceived scheme to deceive the public about the true nature of the construction led to the widespread reporting of a mere "utility upgrade" project. However, the massive scope of the construction led to many questions and outrageous conspiracy theories. While some officials in federal government agencies sought access to this secret information, most Americans were left in the dark. In a spirit of openness and transparency, the Obama Administration has decided to set the record straight. Construction site outside the West Wing of the White House in 2011 Construction equipment along West Executive Avenue Specialized equipment was brought in for deep drilling Truckloads of dirt were continuously hauled away around the clock The new underground command center is located adjacent to and under the West Wing View of the the White House tunnel expansion work in progress New White House underground command center under construction - January 2013 The White House station is centrally located in the underground tunnel system Some locations along the line are also accessible via pedestrian walkways Undisclosed location along the White House Tunnel System Escalator up to the U.S. Capitol from the White House Tunnel System Building Our New West Wing Underground Command Center Since the early 1960's, the need for a Deep Underground Command Center (DUCC) has been studied. This Top Secret 1963 memo outlined the requirements for the construction of a DUCC. Because of limits in technology at that time, the project was deferred. Fifty years later, the DUCC is finally becoming a reality. The new underground command center serves two purposes: 1) To protect key people with sufficient staff and data to render critical decisions and 2) Ensure the survival of the facility to allow dissemination of these decisions. The DUCC can only serve this purpose if the President and his team can secretly relocate there on very short notice. Unlike the old Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) which is currently located below the East Wing of the White House, the new secret command center will house its own massive communications data center that interfaces with all military, intelligence, and critical federal agency systems. For security purposes, the exact specifications of the this command bunker are classified. Before and After Photos of the Secret White House Construction Area In 2007, a nondescript white building was constructed adjacent to the West Wing. The building is visible in the above photo, located on the far right. During the previous Bush Administration, this building did not officially exist. However, in the spirit of openness and transparency, the purpose of this mysterious structure can finally be revealed: it contained the initial buildout of the DUCC communications data center and was secretly relocated underground when the publicly visible aspect of the massive construction project was completed in 2012. The first photo below shows the West Wing construction area in 2010 with the secret white building visible above ground. The second photo shows the completed construction area at the end of 2012 with the white building removed. Click on the photo to view a larger version of it. Temporary Relocation of the Oval Office Much of the West Wing of the White House, including the Oval Office, will be relocated to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door to allow for the installation of the wiring, elevators, and secret entrances to the new command center below them. Although the exact timing has not been decided yet, the move is expected to take place in 2013 or 2014. It is imperative that the President be able to safely evacuate to the command bunker below without having to leave the Oval Office. The existing trap door under the President's desk leading down to the Secret Service "Horsepower" command post in the basement of the West Wing will be modified to allow presidential passage directly to the new underground command bunker. A second Oval Office will be built in the south end of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The Secret Service is working closely with the construction crews providing top secret security specifications for the windows, walls, and access points for the President's new workplace. President Obama checks out the trap door beneath the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office Presidential Executive Command and Control System Relocation. Currently, the President has access to a large suite of Executive Command and Control applications via a PC located in his personal study outside the Oval Office. Some of these applications include the Cyber Warfare Command and Online Nuclear Launch Codes. For enhanced security, the access point for these important national security applications will eventually be relocated to the new West Wing underground command center. Continuity of Government - The President's Doomsday Plan The White House has developed a comprehensive Continuity of Government Plan to ensure that our nation will continue to function in the event of a catastrophic national emergency. To prepare for this unthinkable event, the new West Wing underground command center will function as an "underground White House". A tunnel will connect the new executive command center with the PEOC under the East Wing. The complex logistics of evacuating key executive agencies located in our nation's capital include a fleet of specialized vans and trucks that can be dispatched on a moment's notice to secret campgrounds located within the Shenandoah Valley and in nearby federal park lands in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania containing underground hardened facilities and emergency communication systems. Visit our new Continuity of Government (COG) web page for details about this important plan. The White House Tunnel System Work first began on the secret White House underground tunnel system back in early 1950 under the Truman administration. The White House was deteriorating and it was determined that massive reconstruction was required. President Truman relocated to the nearby Blair House for three years while the interior of the White House was completely rebuilt with concrete and steel beams. It was during this time period that forward-thinking engineers came up with the plan to construct a massive underground secret network of tunnels and bunkers to provide the President and his staff the ability to quickly relocate during an emergency in the dawn of the Cold War era. The Secret Metro Tunnels The Washington Metro is a subway system that serves the Washington DC area. It "officially" has 106 miles of track serving 86 stations in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. Planning for the Metro system began in the 1950s during the height of the cold war. President Eisenhower created a secret rail planning commission that directed the development of a secondary secret underground rail system built alongside the public one. This secret tunnel system currently connects the White House to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door, the New Executive Office Building (NEOB), the bunker under the Blair House, the bunker under the VP Residence at the Naval Observatory, the U.S. Capitol, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, the Pentagon, the State Department, and some other federal buildings in between. There is also a secret train that runs between DC's Union Station and Mt. Weather and is under the protection of the TSA Federal Air Marshals. Long-term plans call for the expansion of the White House tunnel system to go south past the Pentagon; west past the CIA to Mount Weather; and north past Camp David up to Site R in Pennsylvania. The estimated completion date and exact route of this ambitious tunnel expansion plan remains classified.Planned White House Tunnel System Expansion Map Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) The PEOC was built six stories below ground under the East Wing to provide the President with a secure meeting place in the event of an emergency. Access to the PEOC is by an elevator located behind multiple vault-type doors with biometric access control systems. On September 11, 2001, President Bush met with his National Security Council in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center. Photos of this secret location were published for the first time following this extraordinary gathering. While the exact specification of this emergency Presidential bunker is classified, it is built to withstand a direct nuclear hit. Meetings in the PEOC and Executive Briefing Room As part of the Obama Administration's effort to make this White House the most open and transparent in history, we've released over three million White House Visitor Access records including the ones below related to meetings held in the PEOC (click below to view the report) Related Pages on this Website Secret Searches for Secret Tunnels Raven Rock Mountain Complex Tour Camp David Tour White House Expanded Tour White House Underground Tours Nope, this is not the official website of The White House. It's a parody of whitehouse.gov. No person, department, or agency of the U.S. Government approved, endorsed, or authorized this site. No animals were harmed while making this website (except maybe that one time when I was a little late feeding my dog his dinner). About this Website Copyright Information Privacy Policy http://whitehouse.gov1.info/tunnel/index.html

The President Photos and Webcam Tours and Events Our Government The Obama Store Contact Us White House Overnight Guest Program Exploring the White HousePerhaps the most exciting part of the Overnight Guest Program is the unprecedented access guests will have to all areas of the White House. At 7PM, guests will be allowed entry via the prestigious West Wing Entrance. The Secret Service will assist you in finding your room. After you are settled in, you are free to roam the halls for a self-guided tour. Detailed maps will be provided for your convenience. Be sure to wear the special "O" badge at all times. This will identify you as an Overnight Guest with Level-4 access. Note: Some areas of the White House require knowledge of a daily access password. You will receive this password upon check-in. Be sure to memorize it. Photos taken by a recent participant in the Overnight Guest Program Your overnight stay begins at the West Wing Entrance The East Sitting Hall - outside the Queen's Bedroom The center hallway in the upstairs Residence Small living room outside the President's Master Bedroom Choose your guest roomOur luxurious accommodations are furnished with fine antiques and historic Presidential beds. Thick white towels and Aveda hair products are provided. The Queen's Bedroom Named for the many royal guests including Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Queen Sonja of Norway, and Queen Sofía of Spain, this richly decorated room is furnished in the Federal Style evoking an early-19th-century New England bedroom featuring the bed of Andrew Jackson. The armchair, bed hanging and drapery silks are all Scalamandré exclusives. Decorated with period art work and colored prints worthy of the most discerning collector. The room also has a sitting area with full-size sofa and chair, writing desk, and inlaid armoire. Great view of the North Lawn! Bath has Jacuzzi tub and shower with separate dressing area. The Lincoln Bedroom Artfully restored incorporating Lincoln period details such as window cornices and mantel. The centerpiece of the room is the 8-foot by 6-foot Rosewood Lincoln bed. The gilded carved bed canopy is in the shape of a crown with flowing yards of regal purple satin over white lace trailing to the floor. The bed hanging satin, drapery silk, tassels and tiebacks are Scalamandré exclusives. The furniture used by the Lincoln Administration includes the sofa and three matching chairs, two slipper chairs, and four of Lincoln's Cabinet chairs. Guests staying in the Lincoln Bedroom will have the use of the Lincoln bathroom, installed during the Truman presidency, with pale green opaque glass tiles and a mirrored dome ceiling light. The spacious tub has an elegant sandblasted etching of a Presidential eagle. What's included in Overnight Guest Program One night stay in either the Queen's Bedroom or the Lincoln Bedroom (7PM - 11AM) Commemorative photo taken by Official White House Photographer Use of the library, bowling alley, movie theater, swimming pool, and basketball court Breakfast in the family dining room Self-guided tour throughout the White House complex. Photos allowed, but no videos please. Note: Access to the underground tunnels, hidden staircases, and the First Family's bedrooms is restricted. Note: The President has priority use of all of the above amenities. Please respect his privacy. Guests will be issued a detailed Presidential Schedule of Daily Activities so they may plan accordingly. ReservationsAs the First Lady recently said about the White House: "I hope we've done a good job of bringing even more people to this place—people who never thought they were connected to this history. Just increasing that curiosity that this White House is yours, everyone's: It doesn't belong to a set of special people who have access and privilege. It's everyone's house, at every age. So come, use this place, walk in the doors. Feel like it's your museum." Rooms may be reserved up to eight months in advance. Room rates (including breakfast) are $400 per night double occupancy. In order to maximize the number of guests served, rooms may only be reserved for a single night. Reservations are accepted on a first come first served basis by clicking here. Additional information regarding parking, security, etc. will be sent out upon confirmation. Security InformationAll guests will be required to go through a security screening process. The following items are prohibited: Outside food and beverages of any kind Cigars, pipes, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, chewing gum Video recorders Knives of any size Aerosols Extraordinarily strong perfume Fireworks/smoke bombs Animals Real or simulated guns/ammunition Mace, electric stun guns, martial arts weapons, slingshots U.S. Secret Service reserves the right to prohibit any other personal items. ShareThis Nope, this is not the official website of The White House. It's a parody of whitehouse.gov. No person, department, or agency of the U.S. Government approved, endorsed, or authorized this site. No animals were harmed while making this website (except maybe that one time when I was a little late feeding my dog his dinner). About this Website Copyright Information Privacy Policy

The President Photos and Webcam Tours and Events Our Government The Obama Store Contact Us Happy Hours at the White House Mess Join Us for Happy Hours at the White HouseEvery Friday, members of the White House staff make their way downstairs to the Mess for their traditional end-of-the-week happy hours. If the President is available, he sometimes drops by for a cold beer before heading off to dinner. Other guests often include Cabinet members and their staff. In this casual atmosphere, staffers discuss ideas they have for new programs and initiatives. The basic framework for President Obama's health care reform was built from notes scribbled on a napkin at one of these happy hours. In a spirit of openness and transparency, President Obama invites you to join him for Happy Hours at the White House Mess. Happy Hours are held every Friday from 5PM - 7PM in the White House Mess, which is located in the basement of the West Wing. Advance reservations are required. For more information about the Mess including directions and reservations, visit the Dine at the White House Mess page on this website. White House Happy Hours MenuThe Happy Hours menu includes a selection of specialty drinks, beer, wine, and tasty appetizers. President Obama enjoying Happy Hours at the White House Mess White House Beer RecipeCan't make it to the White House for Happy Hours? Brew your own White House Honey Ale at home. ShareThis Nope, this is not the official website of The White House. It's a parody of whitehouse.gov. No person, department, or agency of the U.S. Government approved, endorsed, or authorized this site. No animals were harmed while making this website (except maybe that one time when I was a little late feeding my dog his dinner). About this Website Copyright Information Privacy Policy

Don't let U.S. government read your e-mail By Neil M. Richards, Special to CNN updated 9:04 AM EDT, Sun August 18, 2013 Editor's note: Neil Richards is a professor of law at Washington University. He tweets about privacy at @neilmrichards and is the author of the recent Harvard Law Review article, "The Dangers of Surveillance." (CNN) -- You may have never heard of Lavabit and Silent Circle. That's because they offered encrypted (secure) e-mail services, something most Americans have probably never thought about needing, or wanting. In recent days, Lavabit closed shop reportedly in response to U.S. government pressure to hand over customer data, including those of Edward Snowden, who used the e-mail provider. Silent Circle, which is used by activists, journalists and diplomats, shut down its e-mail service on its own volition because it wanted to prevent spying. While these small companies have the courage to stand up for their customers' privacy, big companies like Google and Microsoft and others seem to be on the sidelines. We seem to be of several minds about government surveillance of our communications. Most people want privacy. But most people want the government, at least in justified cases, to be able to read the e-mail of those legitimately suspected of planning serious crimes. And most people also find the details of electronic surveillance worrying and complicated, and would prefer not to think about them at all. It's easier to stick your head in the sand. But that would be a mistake. E-mail privacy matters because our intellectual privacy matters. The ability to confidentially share ideas and information between friends, confidantes and loved ones is the hallmark of a free society. Our communications are the foundation of our political freedoms. They must be inaccessible to the government unless it can prove to a neutral judge that surveillance is warranted, which means more than "relevance" to an investigation and more than mere curiosity. Governments that have the power to secretly watch their citizens and are not subject to meaningful legal constraint have proven, time and time again, that this power can be abused. Just look at our own history. J. Edgar Hoover's FBI put the Rev. Martin Luther King under surveillance, seeking to discredit him politically. This was part of a broader program called COINTELPRO. Hoover told FBI agents to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" the activities of a wide range of individuals and groups, including communists, civil rights organizations, anti-Vietnam War groups, and so on. When earlier this year Edward Snowden leaked to the world NSA's massive surveillance programs such as PRISM and Boundless Informant, we were shocked. But more revelations kept coming. Just the other day, the Washington Post reported that the NSA had broken its own permissive rules on surveillance thousands of times each year since 2008. This is unacceptable. A society that cannot trust its citizens with ideas -- dissenting, different, or even dangerous -- is a society that is incapable of governing itself. It's in this context that we should understand the importance of the recent closures of Lavabit and Silent Circle's e-mail service. Our government has the power to secretly compel e-mail providers to allow surveillance. These secret powers are frequently subject to minimal legal checks, and they allow the government to put gag orders on e-mail providers who object to turning over the records of their customers' communications. When e-mail providers build their systems in ways to ensure privacy (such as by not collecting metadata or by using strong encryption), they come under government pressure, as Lavabit found out to its dismay. How can we protect e-mail privacy in ways that give the government the power (subject to the meaningful rule of law) to investigate serious crimes? We could let the government record everything, see everything and know everything. This seems to be the position of some government officials, but it would be the end of privacy (and self-government) as we know it. If we know the state is watching, we will censor what we do, what we say, and possibly even what we think. On the other hand, we could put our communications under strong legal or technological protection (like cryptography) subject to no government access. This would guarantee strong privacy, but it could unreasonably handicap the government from legitimate law enforcement and counter-terrorism purposes. There is a middle way. We should presume the privacy of e-mail and other communications, and we should require the government to get warrants supported by probable cause before it can read our mail, track our movements and use our communications data to construct a map of everyone we know and when we talk to them. This is the traditional way we've protected communications privacy, and it's a good way. But this requires recognizing a few things. Total surveillance of our communications is illegitimate, but so is secret surveillance. In a democracy committed to civil liberties, the basic contours of government power must be known by the people, so that the people can agree to them. It's not enough for government agencies to raise the specter of public safety and say "trust us." A common response to this argument is the idea that making government surveillance powers public makes it easier for criminals and terrorists to commit crimes, and harder for the police to do their jobs. This is correct, but we need to acknowledge that privacy is a civil liberty, and civil liberties are inefficient. We tolerate free speech, the freedom from searches and seizures, jury trials, and the privilege against self-incrimination (among others) in spite of these costs because we've learned the hard way that the alternative is worse. Governments that are too efficient abuse their powers, often by trampling political dissent and civil liberties. It's the difference between a police state and a free state. We can't ignore the threat to our civil liberties by giving the government vast powers any more than we can ignore the fact that we live in a dangerous world. Striking the right balance might be hard, but it is part of the price we have to pay for political freedom. http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/18/opinion/richards-lavabit-surveillance/index.html?hpt=hp_t4

The White House credibility deficitThe NSA leaks ended the power of Obama officials to ration access. No self-respecting journalist believes what they say Jeff Jarvis theguardian.com, Sunday 18 August 2013 07.30 EDT According to Britons, Americans are incapable of irony – and our president is certainly proving their point. In his address about Egypt's military coup – or whatever bowdlerizing euphemism is permitted this week in Washington – Obama condemned the notion that "security trumps individual freedom." Really? After his press conference announcing an oversight commission for the NSA, it emerged that the NSA's truth-challenged director of national intelligence, James Clapper, would apparently oversee the oversight. The White House had to explain the joke, and then said Clapper would merely facilitate. And in the latest revelations from Edward Snowden on NSA noncompliance even with its over-broad license to snoop on most anyone, the Washington Post reported that the administration – which supposedly welcomes this discussion and at first permitted a spokesman to defend the administration on the record – tried to withdraw his quotes and replace them with a new statement. The Post wouldn't go along with this gag and reported the attempt. The Post was right to refuse to play along and allow the White House to write its spokesman's quotes after the fact. I was shocked last year when it turned out that the New York Times allowed some sources to "approve quotes" after uttering them, a policy it quickly reversed. I have been equally shocked to find some European reporters, as a matter of standard procedure, giving me the opportunity to review and alter my own quotes. No, what's said is said: that is the very definition of "on-the-record". That is the punchline of the Snowden affair: when we can't trust what government tells us, we come to trust those whom government doesn't trust. Thus, we no longer necessarily care what the official line is and who delivers it. And when that happens, access – the currency of the Beltway – becomes worthless. Ah, the irony. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/18/white-house-credibility-deficit

You mean he pissed you off so you dumped him?

One of the things to do in the daytime in Bangkok is to go to the mall. There are several malls to go to but we always enjoy our time in Siam Paragon. Siam Paragon is HUGE! All size queens should love this mall. It has just about everything you could possible want. In Thailand, when kids in high school get out of school, many head to the malls. Also, this mall is right next to several Universities and several go there to study, meet friends and just hang out in a cool place. First, in order to get to the mall you can take public transportation or taxis. There are good things and bad things about both. For the Skytrain, it is very easy to get around anywhere that there is a skyway stop. Signs are in English and easy to read and understand. Once you buy you ticket once, you will find it a breeze the rest of the time. When you take a taxi in Bangkok during the day, be prepared for traffic. It is a true PITA to get around the city at times but that also depends on where you travel and if you know the times of the day the main traffic hits. Of course, you can always take a motorcycle taxi which is always ready to get you there faster and get out in front of the traffic. Even the animals are often excited to get to the mall. Once at Siam Paragon, you have many choices of things to do. There is a massive food court. I love the giant aquariums that you can beside. There are tons of great stores. There are places to view and buy luxury cars. There is a great bookstore that has English books but also every other language. There is a massive IMax Movie Theater with seats that are amazing and that have regular theaters and VIP theaters as well as IMax. Always you can find something for HitoallUSA as his BF is everywhere! Naturally, there is also just people watching.

Entirely my fault for not being likable earlier in the day.

Unlikely. (Mandatory blather re: if I were in his situation etc etc) But it does suggest his (1) intelligence and (2) compose, in the face of all this assault: Which on my own instinct rather than analysis I think means something. What, I tell you next.

Great way for a merchant to respond. Bet they see a spike in meatball sub orders.

Note that his characterization of journalists is an absolute, but of lawyers merely a comparative. The latter lets the bar [sic! ] be set as low as required.

One wonders if it is rather that he gave his parents the heave-ho on turning 18. I too hope he turns it around. I fear it will take a disaster of some kind. And even then...

I like YELP and have had good luck with it.

In response Snowden issued this statement rebutting those remarks: It has come to my attention that news organizations seeking information regarding my current situation have, due to the difficulty in contacting me directly, been misled by individuals associated with my father into printing false claims about my situation. I would like to correct the record: I've been fortunate to have legal advice from an international team of some of the finest lawyers in the world, and to work with journalists whose integrity and courage are beyond question. There is no conflict amongst myself and any of the individuals or organizations with whom I have been involved. Neither my father, his lawyer Bruce Fein, nor his wife Mattie Fein represent me in any way. None of them have been or are involved in my current situation, and this will not change in the future. I ask journalists to understand that they do not possess any special knowledge regarding my situation or future plans, and not to exploit the tragic vacuum of my father's emotional compromise for the sake of tabloid news. Thank you. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/edward-snowden-media-misled_n_3764560.html

This is the story linked above about his not wanting to be isolated in the papal apartments. Familiar by now, but well told here. Pope Francis shunned official papal apartments to live 'normal life' Pope Francis has revealed for the first time the reasons for his decision to shun the official papal apartments and instead live in a much more modest Vatican 'hotel'. By Nick Squires, Rome 2:47PM BST 29 May 2013 The Telegraph He has told a friend that he likes being in daily contact with ordinary people, does not want to be isolated and enjoys sitting down to meals with visiting clergy. The Pope, 76, who on first seeing the papal apartments reportedly exclaimed "But there is room here for 300 people!" hinted that the arrangement may be permanent. The Pope broke with Vatican tradition when he decided, after being elected on March 13 during a secret conclave of cardinals, not to live in the apostolic apartments. Pope Francis' bedroom at the Vatican's Santa Marta hotel (AP) Instead he opted to remain in the Casa Santa Marta, a Vatican residence which accommodates visiting clergy and lay people, where he had stayed with his fellow cardinals during the conclave. He lives in a suite of rooms in the residence, which sits in the shadow of St Peter's Basilica, on the other side of the Vatican city state to the apostolic apartments. He explained his choice in a letter written two weeks ago to an old friend, Father Enrique Martinez, a priest at the Church of the Annunciation in La Rioja. "I didn't want to go and live in the apostolic palace. I go over there just to work and for audiences. "I've remained living in the Casa Santa Marta, which is a residence which accommodates bishops, priests and lay people." There he feels "part of a family" he wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Clarin, an Argentinian daily. "I'm visible to people and I lead a normal life – a public Mass in the morning, I eat in the refectory with everyone else, et cetera. All this is good for me and prevents me from being isolated. "I'm trying to stay the same and to act as I did in Buenos Aires because if you change at my age you just look ridiculous." The Pope, the first Jesuit pontiff in history and the first to come from the Americas, said his election was "something totally surprising" which he considers "a gift from God". His predecessor, Benedict XVI, is living a quiet life of retirement in a former convent on the other side of the Vatican. The Pope got soaked on Wednesday as he was driven around St Peter's Square in an open-air white jeep as part of his weekly audience. Despite driving rain, he waved to the crowds and kissed babies who were handed up to him. When he reached a covered platform overlooking the piazza, he was given a roll of paper towels with which to mop his face. He thanked the crowd for braving the bad weather. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/10086876/Pope-Francis-shunned-official-papal-apartments-to-live-normal-life.html

'Ciao Michele, it's Pope Francis' An Italian man whose brother was shot dead in June has spoken of his shock when he answered the phone to Pope Francis, calling this week to offer his condolences. By Josephine McKenna, Rome 5:00PM BST 09 Aug 2013 The Telegraph Michele Ferri is the brother of 51-year-old Andrea, a petrol station manager who was allegedly gunned down by two men including one young employee he treated like a son. The death shocked the north-eastern town of Pesaro. Michele Ferri wrote a letter to the Pope telling him of his inability to forgive the killers and was shocked when he picked up the telephone on Wednesday evening to hear: "Ciao Michele, it's Pope Francis." At first Mr Ferri thought it was a joke but said he was overcome with emotion when he realised it was really Francis on the line from the Vatican. "He told me he cried when he read the letter I wrote to him," Mr Ferri said. The Pope also asked to speak to Mr Ferri's mother to express his personal sympathy. The telephone call is the latest in a series of spontaneous personal gestures by Pope Francis that have surprised Catholics around the world since he was elected Pope in March. "I forgot to ask him if he wanted to visit us in Pesaro," Mr Ferri said. Father Mario Amadeo, a town priest who knows the family well and conducted the funeral in June, said he did not know about the letter to the Pope until Mr Ferri's mother told him. "It's a very beautiful gesture that indicates the kindness and greatness of this Pope," he said. Pope Francis has adopted an informal approach since the night of his election when he greeted the crowds in St Peter's Square with a simple "Buona sera" or good evening. He has made daily contact with ordinary people a priority ever since and told a friend earlier this year he shunned the papal apartments because he did not want to be isolated. Two men have been arrested and accused of firing seven shots at Mr Ferri through the windscreen of his car as he was driving home and fleeing with the key to his company safe. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/10233855/Ciao-Michele-its-Pope-Francis.html

I just love my painters to have long, firm, steady and forceful strokes.

MBK in Bangkok: A Day in Photos For those that need a cell phone repair or a new phone, the place to go in Pattaya is Tuk Com but the place to go in Bangkok is MBK. They have a massive section for cell phone sales, repair, etc. However, every time we tried to take out our cameras, we were asked to put them away. LOL I guess they didn't want photos of all the knock offs? MBK is also a mall with a ton of stores and places to eat. It also has a movie theater. MBK is often the place where my boys say they want to shop when they have some money to spend on clothes. Siam Paragon is for high end shoppers and I can't afford most of the stores there but I love the food court. However, MBK is much more affordable and many Thai's love shopping there. I like the movie theater there and have seen my fair share of movies at MBK. I don't like their food court as much as most other malls in this area but the boys like it as it has a lot of Thai food. All in all, MBK is a fun experience if you have not been there.