Gaybutton

My interpretation of the article tells me that while these may be party towns, the gay crowd has not exactly been extended an invitation.

Now that's a good idea. Maybe they can do even better and borrow a cloaking device from the Klingons . . . I agree with every word in that article.

Yep. That's true. You've got me on that one. "Ramming speed!" - Quintus Arrius, 'Ben Hur'

I suppose it's not impossible. I also suppose it's very unlikely. Ok, they're going to go to South America. They're going to buy an airplane. They may even have someone capable of flying it, capable of navigation, proficient with designated airways, capable of communicating correctly with Air Traffic Control, and someone who also knows how to create and submit international flight plans so they won't be forced down under military escort, get shot down on the way, or arrested at fuel stops. Now they have to get the plane into the USA without having problems with customs or the military. They manage to get it in. Now they have to obtain explosives without arousing suspicion, the kind that will detonate on impact, and get those explosives delivered to their plane and loaded, again without arousing suspicion. Assuming they have someone trained and capable of flying the plane, off they go to seek out the cruise ship, dive into it, and a-kaboom! It's possible. It's also just a wee bit far fetched, don't you think? You make it seem as if it's not a big problem to actually happen, just as if they have never thought of trying to do it. Ok, I'm convinced. Time to install flak guns on all the cruise ships. Despite the risk, if I ever manage to get on The Price is Right and win a cruise on the Showcase Showdown, I'm going on the cruise. I live for thrills . . . "I think I better think it out again." -Fagin, 'Oliver!'

You mean there are others . . . ? The question for this topic was exactly what you posted. Those who have thus far responded apparently find their most enjoyable guys at go-go bars with rent boys. If others find their most enjoyable boys at other types of bars with other types of boys, they certainly are welcome to post on this thread too. The question referred to bars. For me, the boys I enjoy most have nothing to do with the bar scene at all, but that wasn't the question.

I suppose I'm being nitpicky and I'm not missing your point, but for the record you can't just walk in and rent a plane. Whoever is to fly it has to prove proficiency in the plane by presenting log books, his flight and medical certificates, type ratings, often pass a written test, and pass a proficiency check ride in the actual aircraft, often under instrument conditions. The types of people likely to want to crash a "kamikaze" flight into a ship are very unlikely to be able to establish a level of proficiency sufficient to qualify to rent a plane. Even the 9/11 terrorists knew only enough to be able to find where they were trying to go and then crash the planes into their targets. You don't need major league instruction if your intent is to hijack a plane already in flight and use it to commit suicide, but you do need the major league instruction to rent a plane. Better still, a plane large enough to carry enough explosives to cause catastrophic damage to a cruise ship often requires two pilots. Maybe they can rent a submarine, with a good supply of torpedoes. In other words, I don't think there is much to fear from terrorists if you're on a cruise ship . . . unless that cruise ship happens to be the Achille Lauro.

Touché!! The truth does hurt! I'm lucky to get it to stand up anywhere at all. Even when I succeed, those unfortunate enough to witness the horrid event keep asking if I have been robbed. For some reason, they also keep asking if I can lend them a magnifying glass. Oh well, Leona Helmsley once said only little people pay taxes. I pay taxes. “At my age, I'm envious of a stiff wind.” - Rodney Dangerfield

I don't know whether sky marshals would be an effective deterrent or not, but I'd rather give it a try. Of course, that might simply add to the illusion aspect of security. As far as a "kamikaze" attack, I doubt that would ever happen. It takes quite a bit of skill to aim a commercial airliner at a ship, actually have the skills it would take to maneuver the aircraft, and then actually manage to hit the ship. Of course, terrorists wouldn't need to hijack a commercial airliner to try it. We keep harping on the security of passenger flights. My fear is more about the level of security on cargo flights. How well are cargo or charter aircraft secured against hijackers somehow getting on board and pulling off another 9/11?

I don't think they would stop him even if they could. My guess is they feel that Thaksin has so much support that the reaction to stopping him would be violent and they would find themselves having to deal with rioting and bloodshed. I think they probably feel that suppression of the call-ins, etc, would do them more harm than good. Convicted felon or not, Thailand seems to be split right down the middle on the Thaksin issue, and plenty on each side are willing to resort to violence to if they have to. Obviously, Thaksin has no intention of giving up his quest to return to Thailand and possibly becoming a dictator if he can. I hope the issue doesn't escalate into a civil war, but I can envision that happening in the end. I hope it doesn't come to that, but one way or another, sooner or later, I think it's all going to come to a head. I don't foresee Thaksin and the issues surrounding him eventually just fading away. I think something is going to happen, but just what, when, and how far it will go is anybody's guess.

Ohhhhh, I'm sorry. I thought you liked me. Ok, I won't do it again . . . (But you were so sexy, I just couldn't control myself)

What's wrong with doing both?

If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't a cockroach. It was a water bug. (Somehow I doubt that little fact helps very much)

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Army Determined to Prevent Bloodshed and a Coup December 29, 2009 As the political turbulence bubbles with the red shirts' threat to oust the government, Army chief General Anupong Paochinda has stepped in to pour cold water on the rival camps. While Anupong's remarks appeared to be the usual pledge not to stage a coup, he did make a significant point by saying "I am confident there will be no coup because I will not allow the situation to reach that point [to warrant military intervention]". Thailand has experienced a number of military interventions. Before each coup in the past, top military leaders would echo one another vowing not to grab power. Then soldiers would march out of their barracks to take over the seat of government. Unlike past commanders, Anupong has reinforced his no-coup mantra with a firm commitment to deny himself a pretext to seize power. When General Sonthi Boonyaratglin was the dark horse who became Army chief in 2005, he was a low-key soldier harbouring no political ambitions. But the fractious politics between then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his yellow-shirt opponents swept him into the centre of the power struggle. The 2006 coup took place before a backdrop of unprecedented turmoil. Sonthi might have had good reason to clean the political slate in order to bring about a fresh start. But mistakes were made, often despite the best of intentions. The power seizure did not end animosity but may have deepened it. Key players opted to settle old scores rather than overcome the polarisation. The yellow shirts continue to crusade against what they see as the evils of Thaksin. The former PM has insisted, in turn, on flaunting his popularity even though his leadership brought about social divisions of a kind unseen in Thai history. Thaksin's army of red shirts have fought with no holds barred to pave the way for him to come back. As rival camps gear up for a showdown next year, the military has become a wild card which could either be a stabilising force - or a weight to tip the political equation. Anupong has made it clear he sees his job as a stabiliser. He will neither tolerate politically-motivated violence nor let the situation deteriorate into bloodshed in the streets. Reading his message between the lines, the military will likely apply pre-emptive pressure, in whatever form it takes to do the job short of power seizure, to prevent a repeat of the 2006 coup. Anupong's message is particularly noteworthy when coupled with the New Year remarks by chief royal adviser General Prem Tinsulanonda. Prem reminded the top brass they are duty-bound to ensure His Majesty's happiness. The King said in his birthday speech that his happiness hinges on the prosperity, security and normalcy in the country. In light of the polarisation, normalcy is the operative word in the royal speech. Prem and Anupong envision the military role as a key to rein in political animosity. How the military leaders will go about their job remains a matter for speculation. In the 1980s, the military once successfully played a stabilising role to steer the country out of half-baked democracy. In light of the military determination to safeguard normalcy, Thaksin and allies such as Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Panlop Pinmanee, Weng Tojirakarn and Khattiya Sawasdipol, ought to rethink their strategy to grab power by mobilising the red shirts to drive out the government. The message is loud and clear - fight within the political system. Thaksin, the red shirts, the yellow shirts and parties concerned should have realised by now that almost five years of political conflict have got us nowhere.

It's a little difficult to be sure from your description, but it sounds like you are referring to a Thai dessert, which has several variations, commonly sold at Thai open-air markets. I'm surprised you don't like it. It is coconut based, as so many Thai desserts are, and has a pleasant flavor. Assuming we're talking about the same thing, I like it, although I hardly ever buy any of it.

It doesn't end. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a day come when no carry-on luggage is permitted at all and every passenger has to sit strapped into their seats stark naked for the entire trip, being forbidden to leave their seats at all, and told to use the barf bags if the need arises to use a toilet. Better not have a cup of coffee or a bowl of prunes before a flight. I'm waiting for space shuttle astronauts, just prior to a launch, to be asked if they packed their bags themselves. It doesn't matter what security steps they take and doesn't matter how absurd it all will get. No matter what they do, sooner or later someone seriously trying to be a terrorist and bomb a plane will figure out how to beat the security. This time the passengers were lucky. Apparently the only reason they didn't end up blasted into Hades is because this guy botched the job. Meanwhile, now passengers will be confined to their seats for an hour and a half and apparently won't be allowed to make potty if they have to go. So here it is folks! From now on we're going to stop terrorism by refusing to allow passengers to take a shit and refuse to let them see the real-time map. I don't know about others, but that certainly makes me feel much safer and secure . . . "Nanny babykins should have told daddykins that he had to make pottykins." - Maj. Fincham, 'Von Ryan's Express'

I think the alternative is to provide competent training, employing more security staff, paying them a decent wage, and placing fully trained and equipped sky marshals on every long haul international flight. I would be willing to pay more for my ticket to have real, reliable security. Unless the security staff in Amsterdam was asleep or just not paying much attention, then it seems to me that the security tactics and equipment currently in place don't measure up to the necessity. Beefing up that kind of security doesn't reassure me. I think the reality will be nothing more than beefing up the illusion of better security, but the actual security won't be much better than it already is. Feeling safer doesn't help much if you are not truly significantly safer than you already were.

To my way of thinking, this airport security is more of a farce than anything else. They might as well put The Three Stooges in charge of security. Why should it take extremely long lines and hours to do these checks? I think mainly because typically at airports they have three or four security lines, if even that many, to check hundreds of people at a time, all trying to make their flights. Meanwhile, despite all of that, this nut carries explosives and still manages to board a plane. So, in the usual fashion of shutting the barn door after the horse has left, now they're going to beef up security. Yep, now they're going to beef up security. Isn't that wonderful? Anybody really find that reassuring?

For Mike's in Chiang Mai, I just did a Google search and several reviews came up. Now I know where it is and what the place is all about. Next time I'm in Chiang Mai I'll give it a try. Here's one review: "Mike's (Burger Stand) As good as Thai food is, eating it all the time can get a little boring. So we have the occasional craving for "American" food and our guilty secret places to get it. Mike's, with their slogan of "Converting vegetarians since 1979," is one of our favorite places to get a real hamburger, rather than than one of those overly-processed fast food concoctions. It doesn't stop at hamburgers. If you've got a hankering for a chili cheese onion dog, this is the place to satisfy you. The original stand facing the moat not far from the Amora hotel was joined in August 2006 by a slightly larger branch on Nimanhemin Road. Now, in 2007, there's another branch at the Anusarn Night Bazaar." http://thailandforvisitors.com/north/chiangmai/general/rests.html

For me, it's very hard to say. These boys change bars regularly, so there is a good chance that a bar you enjoyed during one trip may be quite different the next time you're in Thailand. I'm guessing you're talking about go-go bars rather than beer bars. To answer your question, you would need to visit every one of the bars. I don't know how many people do that and, of course, everyone has his own ideas of what is or is not enjoyable. On another thread I've been talking about Euro Boys, which is my current favorite. However, that doesn't mean that a few weeks from now there won't be a new favorite. For a long time Happy Bar was my favorite. Meanwhile, now it's been close to a year since the last time I was even in there. I like Euro Boys because most of the boys there are my type and they all seem to have a lot of fun and enjoy dancing as opposed to the 'one-knee shuffle.' But in my case, after I've been to my favorite enough times I tend to get bored and start checking out other bars. I can much more easily tell you the bars I dislike and don't enjoy. Those are the bars that charge outrageously compared to other bars, where few or even none of the boys are my type, where their idea of a show is lip-synching and drag, where the mama-sans are aggressive and pushy, and where the dancers look and act bored out of their skulls and their dancing consists of that dreaded 'one-knee shuffle.' By the way, I hate the fuck shows. I may be completely alone in that. I usually don't like bar shows of any kind in the first place. I just don't enjoy them. I may be alone in that too. I don't think there are currently any fuck shows in Pattaya, but there are some in Bangkok. I won't stick around for a fuck show and if I know a bar presents that kind of a show I won't go in at all. I also don't care for the bars at which boys dance completely naked or 'whip it out' and start masturbating. Once again, I may also be alone in that. For me, a boy dancing in briefs is much more sexy and stimulating than a boy dancing naked and I don't like watching boys masturbating for an audience. You know, until I wrote this post I didn't realize that I'm such a prude . . .

How about the strangest thing people tried to get me to eat, but I couldn't even look at it, let alone actually eat it. For me there are two. I can't remember what it's called, but there is one dish on which some Thai friends love to chow down. It's roasted, unhatched but fully developed, baby chickens. I don't think I can handle that one, so no thank you very much. The other occurred when a Thai friend who owns a fruit farm near Chiang Mai took me out to his farm. They have a problem with fruit-eating bats and they have nets set up to capture them. Meanwhile, he hires Burmese illegal aliens to work his farm. When he took me to visit his farm they had prepared lunch for us. They had grilled captured fruit bats, heads and all. My friend didn't want to try to eat that any more than I did. I didn't know how we were going to get out of it. We didn't want to insult them, embarrass them, or hurt their feelings. Fortunately he was clever. He told them he wished he had known they were going to make food for us, but we just finished a big lunch on the way out to the farm. Thank God, that got us out of it gracefully.

Mike's in Chiang Mai? That's a new one to me. I've never heard of it. Can you tell us where it is and how much they charge for their hamburger? Is there anything in particular that makes it outstanding as a "better burger?"

Different airlines have different policies. Why not simply call your airline and ask what their restrictions are?

I don't see how you equate the two. Israel is a country, not a religion, and certainly not the only country lobbying to promote its agenda.

This evening I was in Sunee Plaza and passed right by the "hamburger lady." I had never tried her hamburgers before. Tonight I finally gave it a try. She is very personable and she'll make your hamburger any way you like it. She has a good selection of different hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. I tried the hamburger and it was very good, one of the best I've had in Pattaya. She charges 69 baht for it and in my opinion is well worth the price, especially as opposed to another locale that is no longer in existence and had been charging 180 baht for their hamburger. You can eat there at her hamburger stand or she is happy to pack it 'to go' if you prefer.

I disagree with you. Just this evening I was in Euro Boys again, first time since my last post about it. I saw no problem at all about the lighting. It was the same as always and there was a plentiful and diverse selection of boys (don't forget that some may have already been taken off by the time you got there). As for the underwear, they wear different styles on different nights. If you are looking for a more masculine. butch selection of boys, I suggest giving Nice Boys a try. That bar seems to also be quite popular. I did not go there this evening, but I did run into a friend who had just come from Nice Boys. He said the place was packed and he actually had some trouble finding a place to sit. Considering the number of bars that are lucky if they get 15 or 20 customers in a night these days, that tells me something.