Gaybutton

I'm not sure they even have them in Thailand. If they do, I've never seen any. But why bother? Why not just use the comforter as is?

At the USA Embassy in Bangkok you fill out a form, pay the fee of US $100, and it takes about two weeks for your new passport to arrive. It shouldn't be any problem. Just make sure that when you renew your passport, it still has at least six months validity. When you receive your new passport, the embassy will invalidate your old passport and give it back to you. You take both the old and new passport to Immigration. They will transfer your visas over to the new passport without a fee.

It's probably a temporary problem. I'm not having any trouble getting it.

July 01~15 Gourmet Set Menu House Champagne *** Amuse Bouche *** White Wine Cackle Berry Chardonnay, Australia 2004 Crabmeat and spicy Prawn with Avocado Salad *** Spinach Cream Soup *** White Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce *** Lime Sherbet with Vodka *** Red Wine Chalk Hill Blue Angoves, Shiraz Cabernet, Australia,2007 Salmon Roulade with Seiho Scallops and Truffle Butter Sauce -or- Roasted Duck Breast stuffed with Apples and dried Prunes *** Berry Parfait with Tropical Fruits Garnishing -or- Selection of premium international Cheese *** Coffee or Tea Calvados, Grappa, Remy Martin, Williams Food only: 1,550 Baht net (36.50 Є), Menu with Unlimited Beverages: 3,100 Baht net (73.00 Є) http://www.restaurant-pattaya.com http://www.condo-pattaya.com

I agree that black box technology can stand a great deal of improvement. For example, if a black box can transmit a radio homing signal, then why can't they be made with computer chips that can record and transmit the information the same way instead of actually having to find the box itself? In this day and age, using recording tape is obsolete, but that's what they use. Even when they find the black boxes, they have to pray that the tape wasn't damaged and was rendered unusable. I don't think the idea of real time transmissions is really so great because that would mean receivers would have to pick up the transmissions from every flight in the air at all times. Considering that there are at least 5000 flights in the air worldwide at any given time of day, that would be a bit much. However, that could work to some degree if the transmissions start going out automatically when alarms are tripped and also if the pilots have a chance to press a button to start sending. Of course, if the aircraft loses its electricity, that wouldn't work so well. The point is that technology certainly exists today that could dramatically improve the way the black box system works.

This is unbelievable! Another actor dead? If I was an actor, right now I'd be wondering if I'm going to make it to Tuesday.

That's right. People are awfully quick to criticize me for refusing to allow these venues to be named on this board. Meanwhile, since the first one to end up in the police station, attorneys offices, and court over it, if it comes to that, would be me, I don't see anyone lining up to say, "GB, it is so important to me to name the venues that I will pay all your legal fees, judgments, and anything else that might happen as a result." While it is very kind of some people to be perfectly willing to subject me to the risk of lawsuits and court action, along with jeopardizing my freedom, my ability to live in Thailand, and my money ending up paying legal fees and judgments, so that they, risk free to themselves of course, can use this board to name the venues they wish to accuse, I think I'll just pass on that and happily live with the criticism instead.

This hasn't been the right week to be a celebrity. In the space of a week it was Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Gale Storm, Ed McMahon, Fred Travalena, and now Karl Malden. At least he lived to a ripe old age. _____ Actor Karl Malden Dead at Age 97 Academy Award- and Emmy-Winning Actor Radiated Authority in Six Decades of Roles (CBS/ AP) Karl Malden, the Academy Award-winning actor whose intelligent characterizations on stage and screen made him a star despite his plain looks, died Wednesday, his family said. He was 97. Malden died of natural causes surrounded by his family at his Brentwood home, they told the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. He served as the academy's president from 1989-92. CBS Radio news correspondent Sam Litzinger reports Malden was known for his bulbous nose, bullhorn voice and a certain gruffness he brought to more than six decades of acting roles. "Karl lived a rich, full life," Academy president Sid Ganis said. "He has the greatest and most loving family; a career that has spanned the spectrum of the arts from theater to film and television, to some very famous commercial work." While he tackled a variety of characters over the years, he was often seen in working-class garb or military uniform. His authenticity in grittier roles came naturally: He was the son of a Czech mother and a Serbian father, and worked for a time in the steel mills of Gary, Indiana, after dropping out of college. Malden said he got his celebrated bulbous nose when he broke it a couple of times playing basketball or football, joking that he was "the only actor in Hollywood whose nose qualifies him for handicapped parking." He liked to say he had "an open-hearth face." Malden won a supporting actor Oscar in 1951 for his role as Blanche DuBois' naive suitor Mitch in "A Streetcar Named Desire" a role he also played on Broadway. He was nominated again as best supporting actor in 1954 for his performance as Father Corrigan, a fearless, friend-of-the-workingman priest in "On the Waterfront." In both movies, he costarred with Marlon Brando. "When you worked with him, he was the character," said Eva Marie Saint, who garnered a supporting actress Oscar for her role in "Waterfront." "He was the consummate actor and he loved acting. He was dear and smart. Whatever he did he enjoyed life." Among Malden's more than 50 film credits were: "Patton," in which he played Gen. Omar Bradley, "Pollyanna," "Fear Strikes Out," "The Sting II," "Bombers B-52," "Cheyenne Autumn," and "All Fall Down." One of his most controversial films was "Baby Doll" in 1956, in which he played a dullard husband whose child bride is exploited by a businessman. It was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency for what was termed its "carnal suggestiveness." The story was by "Streetcar" author Tennessee Williams. Malden gained perhaps his greatest fame as Lt. Mike Stone in the 1970s television show "The Streets of San Francisco," in which Michael Douglas played the veteran detective's junior partner. "Karl `The Mentor' Malden was a great actor, father and husband. I admired and loved him deeply," Douglas, who was in Europe, said through his publicist. Douglas saluted Malden last month when he received the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. "It was Karl who, more than anyone, got me to understand that an actor is just one part of a whole team that makes a TV series or movie work," Douglas said in the upcoming July 19 airing of the event on TV Land. In the '70s, Malden gained a lucrative 21-year sideline and a place in pop culture with his "Don't leave home without them" ads for American Express. "The Streets of San Francisco" earned him five Emmy nominations. He won one for his role as a murder victim's father out to bring his former son-in-law to justice in the 1985 miniseries "Fatal Vision." He and Saint played husband and wife. Malden played Barbra Streisand's stepfather in the 1987 film "Nuts;" Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr. in the 1988 TV film "My Father, My Son;" and Leon Klinghoffer, the cruise ship passenger murdered by terrorists in 1985, in the 1989 TV film "The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro." He acted sparingly in recent years, appearing in 2000 in a small role on TV's "The West Wing." In 2004, Malden received the Screen Actors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award, telling the group in his acceptance speech that "this is the peak for me." Malden first gained prominence on Broadway in the late 1930s, making his debut in "Golden Boy" by Clifford Odets. It was during this time that he met Elia Kazan, who later was to direct him in "Streetcar" and "Waterfront." He steadily gained more prominent roles, with time out for service in the Army in World War II (and a role in an Army show, "Winged Victory.") "A Streetcar Named Desire" opened on Broadway in 1947 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle awards. Brando's breakthrough performance might have gotten most of the attention, but Malden did not want for praise. Once critic called him "one of the ablest young actors extant." Among his other stage appearances were "Key Largo," "Winged Victory," Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," "The Desperate Hours," and "The Egghead." Malden was known for his meticulous preparation, studying a script carefully long before he stepped into his role. "I not only figure out my own interpretation of the role, but try to guess other approaches that the director might like. I prepare them, too," he said in a 1962 Associated Press interview. "That way, I can switch in the middle of a scene with no sweat." "There's no such thing as an easy job, not if you do it right," he added. He was born Mladen Sekulovich in Chicago on March 22, 1912. Malden regretted that in order to become an actor he had to change his name. He insisted that Fred Gwynne's character in "On the Waterfront" be named Sekulovich to honor his heritage. The family moved to Gary, Indiana, when he was small. He quit his steel job 1934 to study acting at Chicago's Goodman Theatre "because I wasn't getting anywhere in the mills," he recalled. "When I told my father, he said, `Are you crazy? You want to give up a good job in the middle of the Depression?' Thank god for my mother. She said to give it a try." In 2005, the U.S. Postal Service honored Malden by naming the post office in Brentwood to honor his achievement in film and his contributions to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, which meets to discuss ideas for stamp designs. Malden helped create the "Legends of Hollywood" stamp series that has featured Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Gary Cooper, and another celebrating Hollywood's behind-the-scenes workers. "As a kid, all the letters that would come from the old country, he would see the stamps and they always intrigued him," said David Failor, executive director of stamp services for the Postal Service. "He was such a regular guy." Malden and his wife, Mona, a fellow acting student at the Goodman, had one of Hollywood's longest marriages, having celebrated their 70th anniversary in December. "That was sort of the last goodbye," said Saint, who attended a party in the couple's honor. "His wish was, `After I die, I don't want you to do anything but have a party.' So another party is coming up." Besides his wife, Malden is survived by daughters Mila and Cara, his sons-in-law, three granddaughters, and four great grandchildren.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VARrtve2VKs

The best I can find is on their web site. Of course, your guess is as good as mine as to when their web site was last updated, but here's the link: http://www.truecorp.co.th/tha/promotion/pr...ispeed8mbps.jsp Just under the bright red TRUE logo, upper left of your screen, you'll see where to click over to English.

That seems like a satisfactory outcome to me. That's a lot more than most people get under similar circumstances. In Thailand, the worst thing you can do is to lose your temper and start carrying on, even if you have been intentionally wronged. It's not going to solve anything and will most likely make a bad situation even worse.

It's not exactly a secret that many bars do this. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the person taking a boy off to check his ID card. While it would be nice to allow people to post the names of bars that do this, as I said I'm not going to allow it. From among all the moderators on this board, I'm the only one residing permanently in Thailand and the only person who would be in serious jeopardy is me. Well, very sorry folks, but I'm not going to place myself in legal jeopardy. Considering that there has never been a case in which a farang was arrested when taking a boy off from a bar, no matter what the boy's age was, I'd say the risks to people posting on this board are a little on the minimal side. On the other hand, people are asking me to not only place myself at legal risk, but you are also asking me to break Thai libel laws. I'm willing to do neither.

It's on my "I Don't Get It" list too. Why didn't he get out while the getting was good? Obviously he knew he was committing a serious crime. One would think he would have had an escape route planned ages ago. Perhaps he did, but maybe things happened so quickly he didn't see it coming and thought he still had time. Just think, he could have gotten together with Thaksin and the two of them could have literally bought a country somewhere. If they had opened some good gay venues I might even have visited. The only thing that makes any sense to me, and it doesn't make much, is he may have been convinced that nothing would happen to him. Often major criminals think that they're somehow immune to consequences. Al Capone comes to mind. He easily could have gotten out, even when he was still on trial. There have been many cases when super rich criminals could have easily escaped, but didn't.

That's a reasonable question. The two main reasons it's not allowed on this board are because there have been problems before when someone who had a personal grudge against a venue either grossly exaggerated the problem or even just made something up. The second reason is Thai libel laws. Naming the venue subjects to board owner and the moderators to the possibility of libel suits. Under Thai law, if you post something that hurts a business, that's libel, even when what was posted is entirely true and can be proved. As much as I would like to allow people to post what they want when they feel they have been wronged by a venue and as much as the probability of actually being sued by the venue is remote, it's still a risk I'm not willing to take and I'm not going to allow people to subject me to that risk. There is no problem about posting what occurred, but I have to ask that the names be left out of it. For example, I'd love to name every bar that hires under-age boys. I've been asked to do that in the past, but I won't do it and have never done it because of these bizarre Thai libel laws. The bottom line is that in most cases the incidents people post about could just as easily have happened at other venues. By posting about the incident itself, that serves to warn others about the kinds of things that potentially can happen no matter where you go. I think the warning is much more important than naming the venue. The incident reported by greg_is_normal could have happened, and has happened, at several different bars, both in Bangkok and Pattaya. The most important part of his post is the warning to carefully check ID cards. You would want to heed that warning in any bar in Thailand. The warning is much more important than the name of the venue. The name of the actual venue in which this particular incident ocurred is superfluous.

I have room in my car for three passengers of farang size, which means I could get you there, but if you find someone you want to bring back to your hotel, you would need to get back to the hotel by taxi, unless of course the boys would be amenable to being tied to the roof of the car. But I'll do it if you really want to do it.

I agree with RichLB. If it would do you any good to go back and raise hell, that's what our advice would be, but it won't do you any good and it could actually backfire on you. So, my advice is to do just as RichLB says . . . forget about it, chalk it up to experience, and take your glasses with you next time and make sure about the ID.

That is correct. You can also just have a taxi take you. Of course not. As I said, just have a taxi take you. You can have the driver cruise around or you can exit the taxi, go around on foot, and take another taxi when you find your evening roommate. Just make sure he has his ID card. Besides, even if you have a car, unless you are quite familiar with Bangkok streets and/or have a GPS, you're not going to find it anyhow. So, go by taxi. As I said, make me the right offer and I'll take you myself. However, it's one thing for me to spend hours of my time helping someone get his driver's license locally. It's quite another to ask me to drive people to Bangkok and then chauffeur them around Saranrom Park, not to mention bringing them back to Pattaya. If anyone really wants me to do that, I'm perfectly willing, but you're covering my fuel, tolls, hotel, meals, and you're filling my fuel tank upon return to Pattaya. And if we're unfortunate enough to get stopped by a cop, you're covering the cost of the traffic ticket too. I think that's reasonable. If anyone wants to take me up on it, you know where to find me . . . Here are those old threads: http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3205 http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2928 http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=399 http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1029

I take pity on him. I think he should be set free after he serves half the sentence . . . If he dies in his cell, I think they ought to string him up in the cell and leave him there: "He'll hang there till he rots!" - Charles McGraw (Marcellus), 'Spartacus'

Another one of my favorites! Sheeeesh! They're dropping like flies.

As far as I know, the banks are going to be closed only on Tuesday.

Make me the right offer and I probably will. If it was dangerous, I wouldn't go. It's not dangerous at all. I have never had a problem of any kind around there and I've never heard of anyone who has. That includes when I have parked the car and walked. Maybe you wouldn't visit a park in the US at night, but this ain't the US. Besides, you don't actually enter the park at all. The boys are all waiting on the sidewalks surrounding the park. Any time after 9:00pm is when it usually starts getting good. This is not the first time we've had threads about this on this board. Some of the previous threads are a year or two old, but the information hasn't changed at all. Just use our Search function, type in Saranrom, and the threads will come up. Believe me, none of what we're saying on this thread is embellished or exaggerated at all. It's all true. I'm surprised more people haven't made their way out there to give it a try for themselves. I'm sure most of you are well aware that HeyGay and I have had our past disputes, but I can tell you he is entirely correct on this thread. If anything, he actually understated this time. GT has been out there too. He's on that bike trip now, but I'll bet if he gets a chance and sees this thread, he'll also be telling you the same thing HeyGay and I are telling you. I've also heard there are other good cruise areas in Bangkok, but I've never investigated.

I wouldn't want to be anywhere near one of those primitive devices if it ever goes off. Meanwhile, I still don't get it. What are they trying to do? I hope they're not crazy enough to actually use any weapons like that. I hope they're not crazy enough to do anything at all other than make their threats, but who knows how nuts those people really might be? I'm no war monger, but I wouldn't have any objections to seeing them invaded and that idiotic government of theirs overthrown.

You can still see many of her songs and even some episodes of "My Little Margie" on You Tube.

In all honesty, and interestingly enough, it doesn't . . . at least not in the sense of specific cruise areas similar to Bangkok. Most likely that's because Pattaya simply does not have the population of boys, university students, and military boys in numbers anywhere near the numbers in Bangkok. Also, don't forget that the Saranrom Park-Grand Palace area is cruised primarily by Thais looking for boys. Only very few farang are going to be found cruising there, which probably accounts for the reasons why the boys in those areas ask for only 500 baht. You can bet that gay Thais aren't going to the bars and paying the kinds of prices farang pay. Of course, the boys will go just as happily with farang. In Pattaya, your best bet for cruising is still the beach, although I'm talking about during the day. It can get dangerous down there during the night and there are not many available boys there at night anymore. During the late afternoon to early evening, a lot of boys can be seen in the Tuk Com area, but they're not specifically cruising, although most would readily go with you if approached. Other than that, except for a few boys walking the streets in the Sunee Plaza area and the streets between Sunee Plaza, Pattayaland, Soi Day-Night and Walking Street there's really nothing at all similar to Bangkok in that respect. After 1:00am, when the bars close, many of the boys go to get something to eat in the Wat Chai area, but again they are not really specifically cruising. In other words, Pattaya is a completely different story from Bangkok when trying to find boys literally lining up to be cruised.

Here's what La Cage has for you during July: