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The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ Pattaya Reacts to Excise Tax Increase on Cigarettes and Alcohol We have some bad news for drinkers here in Pattaya who are now facing the prospect of paying more for their drink. The price increase is not down to bar owners but the Government of Thailand who have just approved an excise tax increase on cigarettes, beer and liquor which comes into effect as of now. The increase was announced on Wednesday by Khun Pruttichai, the Deputy Finance Minister who explained that the tax for cigarettes will add an extra 3 Baht to a packet of 20 and drinkers will now pay between 2 and 3 baht extra for liquor and beer. An extra 12 Billion Baht per year is expected to be generated due to this tax increase. We spoke with Khun Tada, the Sales and Marketing Manager of the Supamit Company who distribute and sell alcoholic beverages here in Pattaya who appeared baffled that the Government have imposed this tax increase at a time when tourism is down around the entire Kingdom and the general economy is suffering as a result of the global economic crisis. He suggests a quick rethink before further harm is down to the already fragile economy. We also spoke with a number of beer bar owners who echoed the thoughts of Khun Tada and appeal to the Government to rethink the tax increase.

Now that is something to worry about. I hope you'll find a cure . . . and soon!

Most of the Russians at the beach can be found in the area beyond the Rabbit Resort Hotel. It's easy to find. As you walk along the beach you'll come to a long stretch of beach where there are no concessions or chairs at all. Beyond that is the major Russian territory. I have no idea as to whether Russian working boys are to be found there. I've never looked because I'm not attracted to them. Oddly enough, I'm in Thailand because I find the Thai boys attractive. If I was interested in Russian boys, I'd be in Moscow.

Well, pardon us all to hell. Why is that upsetting you? I see nothing in any of these posts that suggests anyone eating cheaply thinks it is anything like fine dining. Not everyone is interested in fine dining in the first place and even those who can afford it don't necessarily demand it every night. If you're one of the people who can afford it and wishes to eat at high end, expensive restaurants, complete with the fine wine along with it, that's wonderful for you. But why this putting down of those who can't afford it or simply choose to eat inexpensively? Hey, I'm sorry not everyone is as rich as you apparently are, but these are the breaks. I, for one, can afford to eat at any restaurant I want and yes, I do enjoy them. I also enjoy the cheap places. Isn't that terrible?

I was at the Thai driver's license office just this morning, helping a friend obtain both the car and the motorcycle licenses. The question was asked above whether you need two medical certificates and two residence certificates. The answer is you only need one original or both documents. They do accept a photocopy for the second license. Total cost for both licenses was 360 baht (180 baht if you're getting only one license). It used to be that you went upstairs to a desk on the second floor to have your documents checked and be issued a number to wait your turn to be called. That's changed. Now that desk is right at the entrance door to the building. Once they are satisfied with your documents and give you your number, now you go upstairs and wait to be called. Make sure you have at least two copies each of your passport page, your visa page, your medical certificate, your residence certificate, and your home driving license. I do still urge you to get there early. Although they don't officially open until 8:30am, they start checking documents and issuing the numbers at 8:00am. We arrived at 7:30am. My friend was number 8. 15 minutes later the line extended all the way down the front of the building and was circling around to the back. Despite the fact that my friend was number 8, the whole process still took time. They started taking people at 8:30am. He was issued his licenses at 10:40am. He had all his documents, including a valid International Driving Permit and valid license from his home state, but he still had to take a depth perception test and reaction time test. Other than that it was all hurry up and wait . . . in that miserable heat!

Well, let's not get the idea that the change at White Night means the end of buffets in Pattaya. There are still plenty of them. One of my favorites is the LK Kitchen buffet, even less expensive than White Night's buffet was. See: http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2714 . Then there are the Wednesday evening buffets at Cherry's and Olé. Take your pick. While the buffet at White Night was good, and also convenient to Sunee Plaza, if you want buffets you'll still find them in Pattaya.

If she is truly guilty, then I would have no problem about that at all. I'm not "without sin," but none of my sins include drug smuggling and I think it does "warrant extreme punishment." A TV series about foreign prisons is of no interest to me at all. Tell me about a TV series that shows what drugs do to people's lives. That's the one I'll watch. As far as I'm concerned, drug crimes are among the most heinous. Your heart might bleed for these people. Mine does not.

The thread about the pregnant woman possibly facing a firing squad in Laos brings up this question. Do you want to find out? Watch the following video: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/...tml#cnnSTCVideo

I can also think of other things you can do from that position . . .

Ok, then how about a description? When we go there, what should we expect?

Yes to both. They want to see that you still are a resident and that you are still fit to drive. This is a guess on my part, but I believe if you show up with a police report, they'll re-issue your license. They do have your information on computer, so I know of no reason why they would make you repeat the process. Of course, being that this is Thailand, you won't know for sure until you try. Once you find out, please let us know. This is the first time that question has come up.

That looks like a very nice trip. Where is this park? I'm guessing it is somewhere near Ubon Ratchathani.

Pattaya is not exactly brimming over with customers right now in the first place. Also, not very many people are even aware of the 69 baht price yet, not even me. I wasn't even aware that he had gone ahead and started until zzrichard's post. He told me he wasn't starting that price until June. I and some of my friends have dinner quite often in Jomtien Complex. We like the Ritz, Aquarius, Hot Stone Grill, and some of the other restaurants there. Most of the time we like to stop off at one of the Jomtien Complex bars for a drink after dinner. 69 baht for a drink makes Rock Hard an attractive choice, at least for us. The way I figure it, why pay 120 baht or so at one bar, when I can have the same drink, while surrounded by boys, for 69 baht at Rock Hard? I'll certainly be there much more often than before. Since you have been to the Venue, can you give us a review and your opinion of it?

You're not making sense to me. The White Night buffet cost more than that. 250 bht for dinner is expensive for you? What and where do you normally have dinner for less than that?

Dom DeLuise Dies at 75 LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Dom DeLuise, who spiced up such movies as "Blazing Saddles," "Silent Movie" and "The Cannonball Run" with his manic delivery and roly-poly persona, has died, his son's publicist told CNN. Publicist Jay Schwartz did not disclose the cause of death, but DeLuise, 75, had been battling cancer for more than a year. DeLuise was surrounded by family when he died in a Santa Monica, California, hospital Monday night, son Michael DeLuise told CNN affiliate KTLA-TV. DeLuise was most famous for his supporting roles in a number of Mel Brooks films, including 1974's "Saddles" -- in which he played a flamboyant musical director who led dancers in a number called "The French Mistake" -- and 1976's "Silent Movie," in which he played the assistant to Brooks' director Mel Funn. He was also in the Brooks-directed "The Twelve Chairs" (1970), "Spaceballs" (1987) and "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993). But he could also assay more serious roles, most notably in the 1980 dark comedy "Fatso," directed by Brooks' wife, Anne Bancroft, in which he played an overweight man trying to wean himself from comfort food. DeLuise was also part of the supporting cast in the Burt Reynolds crash-'em-up vehicles "Smokey and the Bandit II" (1980), "Cannonball Run" (1981) and "Cannonball Run II" (1984). Other DeLuise films include "The End" (1978), "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1982) and "Johnny Dangerously" (1984). His voice was featured in such films as "An American Tail" (1986) and its sequels, "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (1989) and its 1996 sequel, and "Oliver & Company" (1988). Dominic DeLuise was born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 1, 1933. In the 1960s he had bit parts in a handful of movies, including "Fail Safe" (1964), but became well known as a regular on "The Entertainers" and a Dean Martin variety show. He had his own summer replacement show in 1968 and was a regular on Glen Campbell's "Goodtime Hour" in 1971-72. DeLuise had three sons -- Peter, Michael and David -- who all became actors. His wife of 40 years, actress Carol Arthur, appeared in several movies with him, including "Blazing Saddles" and "Silent Movie," according to DeLuise's Web site. A frequent collaborator with DeLuise, Burt Reynolds released a statement to "Entertainment Tonight" on his friend's death. "I was thinking the other day about this. As you get older you think about this more and more, I was dreading this moment. Dom always made everyone feel better when he was around. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. I will miss him very much," Reynolds says.

Alleged Nazi Demjanjuk Cleared for Deportation By M.R. KROPKO, Associated Press Writer CLEVELAND – A federal appeals court opened the way again Friday for the Justice Department to deport alleged Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk to Germany to face 29,000 counts of accessory to murder. The three-judge ruling from the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati denied a stay of deportation for the 89-year-old retired autoworker from his suburban Cleveland home. "We are currently considering legal options including an appeal to the Supreme Court," his son, John Demjanjuk Jr., said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "Given the history of this case and no evidence of his personal involvement in even one assault, let alone a murder, this is inhuman even if a court says it is lawful," he said. An arrest warrant in Munich alleges he was a guard in Nazi-occupied Poland in 1943. Demjanjuk says he was a prisoner of war, not a camp guard. His family says he's too old and sick to be sent to Germany, but the government says he gets around for his age and says surveillance video proves that. The appeals court said it believed the government would provide appropriate care for Demjanjuk while deporting him. "Based on the medical information before the court and the government's representations about the conditions under which it will transport the petitioner, which include an aircraft equipped as a medical air ambulance and attendance by medical personnel, the court cannot find that the petitioner's removal to Germany is likely to cause irreparable harm sufficient to warrant a stay of removal," the court said. The U.S. government will continue to seek the removal of Demjanjuk to Germany, Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said Friday. She provided no information on when that might happen. Immigration officials provided no indication on whether it would move to deport Demjanjuk promptly. "He remains on an order of supervision with electronic monitoring supervised by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement," spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez told The Associated Press in an e-mail. The family made it clear that it would fight the latest deportation threat. A lawsuit was filed in Berlin "to stop the acceptance of my father as a deportee, Demjanjuk Jr. said Friday. The issue is whether Germany can accept him without having filed a formal request for extradition. In the filing, provided to the AP, attorney Ulrich Busch argued that the government's approval of Demjanjuk's deportation is an "evasion of justice" because Germany has not filed a formal request for extradition. Busch also asserts that German authorities have made no provisions for what would happen if Demjanjuk arrives in Germany but is acquitted or not brought to trial for medical reasons. The administrative court in Berlin was closed Friday, a national holiday. The ruling was the latest in a series of developments in a case spanning decades. On April 14, immigration officers carried Demjanjuk in his wheelchair out of his home to deport him on a flight on an executive jet waiting on the tarmac. But within hours, the appeals court blocked the deportation while it reviewed his latest appeal. As he was carried from his home, Demjanjuk had his head flung back, his mouth hung open and he moaned in apparent pain, infuriating relatives who said he had been promised a stretcher in consideration of his back pain. The government responded by sending surveillance video to the court showing Demjanjuk walking unassisted to a doctor's office on April 6. The family said that Demjanjuk has good days and that the video didn't reflect his overall health situation. Demjanjuk has said he suffers severe spinal, hip and leg pain and has a bone marrow disorder, kidney disease, anemia, kidney stones, arthritis, gout and spinal deterioration.

Don't you think you ought to try it before passing judgment?

I preferred the buffet too, but he can't keep operating the restaurant at a loss. So, it's either switch over to a menu restaurant or there won't be any restaurant at all.

I haven't revised the article in quite some time and there have been several changes since the last revision. In a nutshell, you need a medical certificate, which you can get at any hospital or street clinic. If you're moving and breathing, you just passed the physical and you'll be issued the medical certificate. You need a Residence Certificate. You get that at the immigration office. You need a passport photo and something to substantiate where you live in order to get it. Your visa must be a non-immigrant visa. You can't get the license with a tourist visa. You do not need any photos when you go to apply for the license. You used to, but now it's all done with computers and a web cam. It's best if you have an International Driving Permit and your "regular" driving license from back home. With those, you'll be in and out usually in less than an hour, license in hand. You'll take a color blindness test and a reaction time test, possibly along with one or two other absurd tests, but you won't have any trouble passing them. If you don't have those, then you're going to have to sit through the 2-hour movie, all in Thai, and take the written test. Then you'll have to come back in the afternoon and do the driving test on their little obstacle course. If you're going to need to do that, contact me. I'll go out there with you and let you use my car to do the test if you don't have access to another car. If you want a motorcycle license, just offer one of the Thais doing the test (and there will be plenty of them) one or two hundred baht and you won't have any problem finding someone who will let you use his motorcycle to take the test on the very same obstacle course used for the car test. If you want both a car license and a motorcycle license, they're done separately. You can do them on the same day, but you'll need two copies of everything and if I recall correctly, you'll need two residence certificates. If they require copies of anything in addition to what you brought with you, right across the street there are several mom-and-pop shops where you can have copies made. It's all done at the Eastern Verification Center, if you're getting your license in Pattaya. T To get to the Eastern Verification Center you go north on Sukhumvit Highway, as if you are headed to Bangkok. When you reach the junction of Highway 3 and Route 36, 8 kilometers from Central Road, take Route 36, toward Rayong. You'll see a sign that says "Rayong," with a right-pointing arrow. That's the road you take. 5 kilometers up the road you'll come to a sign that points Bangkok to the left and Rayong to the right. Go to the right. Almost immediately you'll see a large, rather new looking school, The Regent's Academy. Directly in front of the school make a U-turn. Once you pass the school again, take the first left you come to, and just follow the road around. You'll see a large white building on the right side of the road. That's where you are trying to go. You need to go to the second floor. The trick is to get there early. If I were you, I'd plan to be out there no later than 7:15am. Earlier than that is even better. Later than that, you're going to be on a line behind a hell of a lot of applicants. Also, seating for the movie, if you have to sit through it, is limited, which is still another reason to get out there early. If you are going to have to do the practical test, you're either going to have to wait for hours or come back later. They start the practical test at 1:00pm. They take the Thais first and the farangs last. Fortunately, the license is very inexpensive. I don't remember the exact price, but it's about 200 baht. Your first license is good for one year. When you go to renew, your next license and subsequent licenses are good for five years. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

I'm afraid that's exactly what I have to tell you. I became interested in a boy working at Rock Hard, so checking out the Venue was of no interest to me that night. I'm in Jomtien Complex often enough, so I'll get there sooner or later. Besides, cabaret shows are really not of any interest to me at all, but I'll get there to have a look anyhow at some point, probably very soon, since it's new.

I doubt that. She's black. I agree with you in that they could execute her after the baby is born. If she really tried to bring that heroin into the country, I would have no problem seeing her executed or worse still, thrown into a Laotian prison for the rest of her life. I have absolutely no sympathy for drug smugglers or drug dealers. If she's truly guilty, you won't see me shedding any tears for her. I am inclined to think she is guilty based on the mother's surprise that her daughter was in Laos at all. Unless she's estranged from her mother, it seems awfully unusual to me that her daughter would travel to Laos without saying anything to her or deliberately lying to her. No matter what, something strange seems to be going on, at the very least. I hope they allow the baby to be born and then turn the baby over to whoever is appropriate. But if she's guilty, there's plenty of warning as to what will happen if caught trying to smuggle drugs. She took her chances and lost, if she's truly guilty. I have no sympathy.

You can't delete the post. When you try to erase a post, you can erase all but one letter or character. At least 1 character has to be there. Even a period will do. The best bet is to simply notify me and let me delete the message for you. It's not hurting anything for it to sit there until I can get to it.

Mike's All New White Night Restaurant in Soi VC. is now a waiter service restaurant. We are delighted to be able to offer you a new Table d' Hote presentation. This will enable us to offer freshly cooked, quality recipes in a style and manner that is, I feel, more fitting to the tropical climate that we live in. Also, being mindful of the current economic crisis you will find our menu extremely good value for money. Our set menu for May was well received over our recent trial weekend, and is now offered with confidence and pride. We are now, truly an all day Restaurant with our Breakfast and Cafe selections being served from 9am and our Dinner menu starting at 6pm. open seven days a week. Looking forward to welcoming you soon, Mike.

Of course they are. What did you expect?

That explains the weakness of the Dollar and the Pound, but I'm still confused as to what explains the strength of the Baht.