Gaybutton

To me, that's two rip-offs. Only $20? If it was $5, then I wouldn't be calling it a rip-off. You don't really think the cards are sent out individually by first class mail to the embassy, do you? Even if they were, how much do you think the postage is? A third rip-off, as far as I'm concerned, is the price of a new passport. $100.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Government Says No Swine Flu Outbreak Yet No swine flu cases have been reported in Thailand, but relevant units are prepared for potential swine flu outbreak, Public Health Minister Wittaya Kaewparadai said on Sunday. The minister said he assigned the Bureau of Epidemiology to closely monitor the situation and coordinate with the World Health Organisation and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (WHO and CDC) to deal with this respiratory disease. Permanent Secretary for Public Health Prat Boonyawongvirot said people can catch swine flu from close proximity to pigs, but they cannot catch it from eating pork. Its symptoms are similar to the symptoms of human influenza, such as high fever, body aches, coughing, and runny nose. The Public Health Ministry asked people with these symptoms to wear protective masks and avoid going to public areas. The ministry also warned people, who may travel to Mexico or the US states of California and Texas during this period, to follow the situation closely and be careful of the swine flu outbreaks. Referring to the swine flu which had taken many human lives in some countries such as Mexico, the US and China, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said there were no reports of deaths from this disease in the country yet. Relevant units will meet from Monday to Wednesday to prevent the disease from spreading to the country. He urged people to avoid eating half-cooked pork at the moment and they should wear safety masks and gloves should they come into contact with pigs. Disease Control Department director-general Somchai Jakkraphan said many countries had prepared stringent measures to deal with the swine flu outbreak. If the outbreak could not be contained in a country, the World Health Organisation may declare a public health emergency for that particular country, he said. He insisted people cannot contract the virus from eating pork. People can inquire about swine flu by calling the Disease Control Department at 0-2590-3333 around the clock. Other countries across Asia, which have had to grapple with deadly viruses like H5N1 bird flu and SARS in recent years, had already snapped into action. At airports and other border checkpoints in Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, officials screened travellers for any flu-like symptoms. In China, officials assured people that conventional measures in place were adequate to contain the new threat. "The measures we've been taking against bird flu are effective for this new type of disease," said Wang Jing of the China Inspection and Quarantine Science Research Institute, in comments carried by state media. Argentina declared a health alert, requiring anyone arriving on flights from Mexico to advise if they had flu-like symptoms. Russia imposed curbs on meat imports from Mexico, some U.S. states and the Caribbean, while the United Arab Emirates said it was considering similar action. In Brussels, the European Commission said no cases of the new swine flu had been reported so far in Europe. "Until now we have no reported cases in Europe. We are following very closely the situation as it evolves," a spokeswoman for the European Union executive said.

From what I understand it will be added to your amount. When you do your transaction a notice will come onto the screen informing you of the 150 baht charge (currently the equivalent of about US $4.30) and you have the option of accepting the transaction or rejecting it. Both Bank of Ayudhya and K-Bank (Kasikorn Bank) so far are not charging the 150 baht fee. Maybe other banks also are not yet charging the fee, but someone else will have to tell you. Perhaps some of you can fill us in as to which banks are charging the fee and which banks are not. There are a few solutions to work around having to pay the fees very often. 1. You could, of course, go back to using travel checks when going to Thailand rather than using ATMs. 2. You could open a Thai bank account if you don't already have one, and take out larger transactions with a foreign ATM card and deposit the money into your Thai bank account while in Thailand. I understand you can still open a K-Bank account fairly easily without a non-immigrant visa. Fewer and fewer banks are allowing that, so during your next trip it would be advisable to open a Thai bank account if you intend multiple trips to Thailand. If you prearrange with your home country bank, you can do a very large transaction with use of your foreign ATM card if you go into a bank branch in Thailand and have them do a withdrawal for you. I did that when I was paying off my house in Thailand and had no problem at all withdrawing US $10000. For most of you, if you are staying in the Pattayaland or Sunee Plaza area, the nearest K-Bank branch is right outside of Tuk Com on Pattaya Tai. 3. If you have a Thai bank account, but don't want to use travel checks, you might want to wire money into that account prior to your trip. Then you can use your Thai ATM card when you get here. Those are my suggestions. Perhaps some of you have additional suggestions. Remember, if you are going to do large transactions, do them in daylight with plenty of people around. Don't do them at night while you're alone. Be very careful of pickpockets, especially when riding a baht bus. Lady-boys that work Beach Road and Walking Street also have a reputation for being notorious pickpockets. Be careful!

Let's hope they can get it contained. So far there are no cases reported in Thailand, but the disease has made it as far as New Zealand so far.

If the map is confusing, walk to the Po Pot restaurant end of Sunee Plaza and turn left on the soi. That's Soi Yensabai. Walk about 1 block on Soi Yensabai and you'll come to Happy Bar on the left. It's next door to a Family Mart.

To my mind, the most serious question is how is it transmitted? With bird flu you only became ill if you had direct contact with the bird droppings. Nobody became ill as a result of eating poultry or eggs. But with a new disease all of a sudden, how are all these people getting sick? Is it from direct contact? Is it from eating poultry or pork?

'Golden Girls' Star Bea Arthur Dies at 86 AP - LOS ANGELES - Beatrice Arthur, the tall, deep-voiced actress whose razor-sharp delivery of comedy lines made her a TV star in the hit shows "Maude" and "The Golden Girls" and who won a Tony Award for the musical "Mame," died Saturday. She was 86. Arthur died peacefully at her Los Angeles home with her family at her side, family spokesman Dan Watt said. She had cancer, Watt said, declining to give details. "She was a brilliant and witty woman," said Watt, who was Arthur's personal assistant for six years. "Bea will always have a special place in my heart." Arthur first appeared in the landmark comedy series "All in the Family" as Edith Bunker's outspoken, liberal cousin, Maude Finley. She proved a perfect foil for blue-collar bigot Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor), and their blistering exchanges were so entertaining that producer Norman Lear fashioned Arthur's own series. In a 2008 interview with The Associated Press, Arthur said she was lucky to be discovered by TV after a long stage career, recalling with bemusement CBS executives asking about the new "girl." "I was already 50 years old. I had done so much off-Broadway, on Broadway, but they said, 'Who is that girl? Let's give her her own series,'" Arthur said. "Maude" scored with television viewers immediately on its CBS debut in September 1972, and Arthur won an Emmy Award for the role in 1977. The comedy flowed from Maude's efforts to cast off the traditional restraints that women faced, but the series often had a serious base. Her husband Walter (Bill Macy) became an alcoholic, and she underwent an abortion, which drew a torrent of viewer protests. Maude became a standard bearer for the growing feminist movement in America. The ratings of "Maude" in the early years approached those of its parent, "All in the Family," but by 1977 the audience started to dwindle. A major format change was planned, but in early 1978 Arthur announced she was quitting the show. "It's been absolutely glorious; I've loved every minute of it," she said. "But it's been six years, and I think it's time to leave." "Golden Girls" (1985-1992) was another groundbreaking comedy, finding surprising success in a television market increasingly skewed toward a younger, product-buying audience. The series concerned three retirees Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan -- and the mother of Arthur's character, Estelle Getty, who lived together in a Miami apartment. In contrast to the violent "Miami Vice," the comedy was nicknamed "Miami Nice." As Dorothy Zbornak, Arthur seemed as caustic and domineering as Maude. She was unconcerned about the similarity of the two roles. "Look -- I'm 5-feet-9, I have a deep voice and I have a way with a line," she told an interviewer. "What can I do about it? I can't stay home waiting for something different. I think it's a total waste of energy worrying about typecasting." The interplay among the four women and their relations with men fueled the comedy, and the show amassed a big audience and 10 Emmys, including two as best comedy series and individual awards for each of the stars. McClanahan said Arthur felt constrained by the show during its later years and in 1992 she announced she was leaving "Golden Girls." "Bea liked to be the star of the show, she didn't really like to do that ensemble playing," McClanahan said. McClanahan first worked with Arthur on "Maude," playing her best friend, Vivian. The women quickly became close friends in real life. McClanahan recalled Arthur as a kind and caring person with a no-nonsense edge. The three other stars returned in "The Golden Palace," but it lasted only one season. Arthur was born Bernice Frankel in New York City in 1922. When she was 11, her family moved to Cambridge, Md., where her father opened a clothing store. At 12 she had grown to full height, and she dreamed of being a petite blond movie star like June Allyson. There was one advantage of being tall and deep-voiced: She was chosen for the male roles in school plays. Bernice -- she hated the name and adopted her mother's nickname of Bea -- overcame shyness about her size by winning over her classmates with wisecracks. She was elected the wittiest girl in her class. After two years at a junior college in Virginia, she earned a degree as a medical lab technician, but she "loathed" doing lab work at a hospital. Acting held more appeal, and she enrolled in a drama course at the New School of Social Research in New York City. To support herself, she sang in a night spot that required her to push drinks on customers. During this time she had a brief marriage that provided her stage name of Beatrice Arthur. In 1950, she married again, to Broadway actor and future Tony-winning director Gene Saks. After a few years in off-Broadway and stock company plays and television dramas, Arthur's career gathered momentum with her role as Lucy Brown in the 1955 production of "The Threepenny Opera." In 2008, when Arthur was inducted in the TV Academy Hall of Fame, Arthur pointed to the role as the highlight of her long career. "A lot of that had to do with the fact that I felt, 'Ah, yes, I belong here,'" Arthur said. More plays and musicals followed, and she also sang in nightclubs and played small roles in TV comedy shows. Then, in 1964, Harold Prince cast her as Yente the Matchmaker in the original company of "Fiddler on the Roof." Arthur's biggest Broadway triumph came in 1966 as Vera Charles, Angela Lansbury's acerbic friend in the musical "Mame," directed by Saks. Richard Watts of the New York Post called her performance "a portrait in acid of a savagely witty, cynical and serpent-tongued woman." She won the Tony as best supporting actress and repeated the role in the unsuccessful film version that also was directed by Saks, starring Lucille Ball as Mame. Arthur would play a variation of Vera Charles in "Maude" and "The Golden Girls." "There was no one else like Bea," said "Mame" composer Jerry Herman. "She would make us laugh during 'Mame' rehearsals with a look or with a word. She didn't need dialogue. I don't know if I can say that about any other person I ever worked with." In 1983, Arthur attempted another series, "Amanda's," an Americanized version of John Cleese's hilarious "Fawlty Towers." She was cast as owner of a small seaside hotel with a staff of eccentrics. It lasted a mere nine episodes. Between series, Arthur remained active in films and theater. Among the movies: "That Kind of Woman" (1959), "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970), Mel Brooks' "The History of the World: Part I" (1981), "For Better or Worse" (1995). The plays included Woody Allen 's "The Floating Light Bulb" and "The Bermuda Avenue Triangle," written by and costarring Renee Taylor and Joseph Bologna. During 2001 and 2002 she toured the country in a one-woman show of songs and stories, "... And Then There's Bea." Arthur and Saks divorced in 1978 after 28 years. They had two sons, Matthew and Daniel. In his long career, Saks won Tonys for "I Love My Wife," "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Biloxi Blues." One of his Tony nominations was for "Mame." In 1999, Arthur told an interviewer of the three influences in her career: "Sid Caesar taught me the outrageous; (method acting guru) Lee Strasberg taught me what I call reality; and ('Threepenny Opera' star) Lotte Lenya, whom I adored, taught me economy." In recent years, Arthur made guest appearances on shows including "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Malcolm in the Middle." She was chairwoman of the Art Attack Foundation, a non-profit performing arts scholarship organization. Arthur is survived by her sons and two granddaughters. No funeral services are planned.

I think you may have misunderstood. Mahjongguy said you walk out with your passport still in hand when you apply for the card, so you wouldn't have to be without your passport at all. But again I see absolutely no practical use for it at all. I don't see anything it could possibly do that simply carrying a photocopy of one's passport would do anyway. Perhaps some would prefer to make a trip to the embassy, wait to be served, pay the fee, wait to be served again, and then return two weeks later to pick it up. Of course, if you somehow manage to lose it, then you're back on photocopies or you'll have to go through the process again. If there was a true practical use for it, I'd be one of the first ones in line to get one, but since there seems to be no practical use for it I see it as a waste of time, waste of money, and a rip-off.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Red Shirts Move Rally to Bangkok Emergency Rule Ends, UDD Defies City Order By: POST REPORTERS Published: 25/04/2009 The anti-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship has moved its planned mass rally to Bangkok after the government on Friday lifted the state of emergency. Today's rally was originally scheduled for other provinces which were not affected by the state of emergency with Samut Sakhon tipped as being the most likely venue. The protest was relocated to Sanam Luang after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared the lifting of emergency rule at the end of the joint parliamentary meeting in the early hours of yesterday morning. Parliament wrapped its two-day special joint sitting to debate the crackdown on UDD red shirt demonstrators. A government source said Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban called a meeting with security authorities to discuss the lifting of the state of emergency as parliament was about to adjourn on Thursday night. The source said Mr Abhisit was concerned that emergency rule, if it was prolonged, would backfire on the government. The source said national police chief Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwon pledged to speed up criminal cases against leaders of the UDD and of the People's Alliance for Democracy in efforts to return peace to society. Hundreds of cases are being processed in connection with street protests by both camps. UDD leader Somyos Prueksakasemsuk said the planned rally would not be prolonged. It would begin about 5pm and disperse about 11pm. It would tackle alleged government intimidation of UDD leaders, pressure the government to unblock the signal of its television broadcaster, D Station, and ask it to guarantee freedom of expression of red shirt protesters. Like ASTV which supports the PAD, the UDD's satellite TV station is a communication channel and has been the mouthpiece of the red shirt supporters. "The government should stop violating our rights of free speech. Blocking D Station's signal will only make red shirts more upset and force us to hold street protests," said Mr Somyos, who is one of the UDD's "second-generation" leaders. All pro-UDD community radio stations must also be allowed to resume broadcasts, he added. Mr Somyos said today's rally had nothing to do with other UDD leaders. "The decision to rally was made by the second-generation leaders, who felt upset with the Abhisit government's attempt to suppress the red shirt movement," he said. "It's now purely a people's movement." Mr Somyos shrugged off City Hall's order to ban the UDD from using Sanam Luang for today's gathering. He said the protesters had no choice but to resist it . According to Mr Somyos, there will be no phone-in by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin is in Liberia this week scouting for business opportunities in Africa, Reuters reported yesterday. "I have come to visit Liberia to explore business opportunities in the areas of mining, agriculture and gas exploration," Thaksin said after meeting the West African country's vice-president earlier this week. Small UDD rallies were also expected to take place today in Udon Thani, Chiang Mai and Phatthalung. Mr Suthep said he instructed police to step up security for the main UDD rally but threatened to take legal action if the rally turned ugly or was deemed to be inciting fresh unrest. Puea Thai MP and UDD leader Jatuporn Prompan, however, said he was unlikely to join the rally. He would talk to other UDD leaders first. Mr Abhisit said the lifting of emergency rule was an indication of the government's determination to reconcile differences in society. "By lifting the state of emergency we are sending a signal to the international community that normalcy has been restored," he said. However, troops would remain deployed in certain locations where there was still public concern about security. The UDD protest at Sanam Luang could proceed as long as it did not cause trouble, he said. Mr Abhisit reiterated that he was ready to dissolve parliament and call for fresh elections but it should not happen before the charter is amended. The political crisis would worsen if elections were organised when those rules that were seen as problematic had not been revised. He said constitutional amendments would address the UDD's demands for democracy and reconciliation. Meanwhile, the opposition Puea Thai party yesterday pressed on with its accusations that the military resorted to violence to disperse the UDD supporters during recent street protests. Puea Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said the party would lodge complaints against Mr Abhisit with police and the National Anti-Corruption Commission. During the two-day debate, Puea Thai MPs submitted to parliament "proof" of military violence. Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn yesterday warned the government not to rush into charter amendments. He said a panel should be first set up to review the charter. He also welcomed the government's proposal for a parliamentary committee to investigate the military crackdown on the red shirt protesters.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ US Rev Jesse Jackson talks with PM Abhisit Vejjajiva during a meeting at Government House on Friday. Jackson is visiting Thailand on invitation of the International Peace Foundation as a keynote speaker. Pramote Putthaisong

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Revoke Jakrapob's Passport: Democrats Published on April 25, 2009 The ruling Democrat Party has urged Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya to revoke the passport of red-shirt leader Jakrapob Penkair to prevent him from using any foreign country as a launch pad against the government. Party spokesman Buranat Samutharak said it would consult with Kasit when he returned from the United States. Fugitive Jakrapob, whose whereabouts are unknown, has said via international media that the red-shirts may very well turn from peaceful struggle to insurgency. Jakrapob, a former minister at the Prime Minister's Office, is charged with lese majeste and has been missing since the Songkran Day rioting.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ RED SHIRTS' RALLY Reds to Rally at Royal Plaza Published on April 25, 2009 The red-shirt movement yesterday announced it would stage a rally at the Royal Plaza today, in what was an immediate response to the government's revocation of the emergency decree in Bangkok and some surrounding provinces. Somyos Pruksakaseamsuk, co-leader of the movement, said that since the government had now revoked the state of emergency, the leadership had decided to relocate its protest venue from Samut Sakhon to the Royal Plaza in Bangkok. It plans to rally there from 5pm to 11pm today. Somyos insisted that the demonstration would not last long and would not result in any violence. The group expects at least 5,000 people to attend the rally. "This gathering will be a new start, carrying on the April 13 movement's mission," he said. The group has demanded the release of every red-shirt leader, the cancellation of all legal action against them and restoration of the 1997 constitution. Moreover, Somyos said he would like to urge the government to stop blocking the red shirts' media, especially community radio and D-Station TV. The red-shirt leaders are preparing to file a complaint to the Administrative Court over the D-Station closure order, he added. Jatuporn Promphan, a Pheu Thai MP and co-leader of the red shirts, said he would not be attending today's rally, adding that he wanted to map out with fellow leaders what the movement's next strategy should be. Prime Minster Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was not concerned about today's rally. He said the anti-government movement had the right to protest, since it was guaranteed by the Constitution. However, the PM urged the demonstrators to exercise their rights without infringing on those of others. Meanwhile, the Criminal Court yesterday approved the release of the three detained co-leaders of the red-shirt movement on bail of Bt500,000 each. Veera Musigapong, Natthawut Saikua and Weng Tojirakarn were temporarily released on condition that they not mobilise, instigate or cause chaos nor obstruct or damage official investigations.

PRIME MINISTER LIFTS STATE OF EMERGENCY DECREE IN BANGKOK, CAPITAL REGION BANGKOK, April 24 (TNA) - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has lifted implementation of the State of Emergency Decree in Bangkok and surrounding areas effective Friday. The prime minister announced the move during his closing speech at a joint session of Parliament called to find a solution to end the political crisis. He said his decision was made in order to show that his government had a sincere intention to push ahead reconciliation after the violence protests in Bangkok and some provinces. He also told reporters after the meeting that he had consulted with Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban who is responsible for security matters and Bangkok Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol. Lt-Gen. Worapong Chewpreecha before deciding to lift the decree. Mr. Abhisit voiced confidence that the political situation will be stable and the overall atmosphere will improve. The prime minister imposed the State of Emergency Decree in the capital and five surrounding provinces on April 12 after anti-government protests in Pattaya and Bangkok had forced the government to postpone the ASEAN summit with its dialogue partners. Two people were killed and 123 injured as troops clashed with protesters during operations to disperse the violent protest which paralysed traffic in the capital during the Songkran Festival. The three week protest at Government House mounted by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) ended on April 14 when the movement’s leaders ended their protest and surrendered to the authorities fearing that the troops would force the protesters to disperse and the Red Shirts would sustain physical injuries. Mr. Abhisit said he proposed that Parliament establish a fact-finding panel to probe the transparency of the military operation to disperse the protesters. All parties concerned should be able to participate, he said. As for the accusation that the government applied double standard between the two groups of protesters, the prime minister said he encouraged the members of parliament and senators to comment regarding legal aspects to find solution. He affirmed that the government was pleased to cooperate. The prime minister said he is ready to dissolve Parliament for fresh elections when the concerned rules were set and when the right time has come. Mr. Abhisit also said the government would like the chance to host ASEAN and its dialogue partners again, possibly in June in the southern resort province of Phuket. (TNA)

Good of you to attempt an insult with your second post on this board and I'm sure you're right. However, if you're suggesting our reason for going to Cherry's is to save a few baht, then you're dead wrong. We also go to places like the Montien, Casa Pascal, Bruno's, Manhattans, etc. As a matter of fact, the same group is going to the Montien this very evening. Cherry's happens to be an excellent restaurant and we went there on the recommendation PattayaMale wrote on his original post. And yes, we're going to go back, probably many times if it's better at 6:00, despite the fact that it's less expensive than other restaurants. There are a lot more inexpensive, very good restaurants in Pattaya than there are expensive high end restaurants in the first place. My friend, if you truly believe that you are somehow on a level higher than others because you prefer thousand baht dinners and can afford them on a regular basis, then I'm certain you have gained the admiration of us all. Oh, and don't forget the bottle of wine. After all, dinner just isn't dinner without a bottle of fine expensive wine. Us Cheap Charlies, however, prefer a bottle of water.

Immediately or do you have to return to pick it up? I can't figure out a practical use for it in Thailand that would make paying the fee for it worthwhile. I don't see how having one would do anything more for anyone than a photocopy of one's passport.

The following appears on CNN: _____ Why Women are Leaving Men for Other Women By Mary A. Fischer from O, The Oprah Magazine, April 2009 Lately, a new kind of sisterly love seems to be in the air. In the past few years, Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon left a boyfriend after a decade and a half and started dating a woman (and talked openly about it). Actress Lindsay Lohan and DJ Samantha Ronson flaunted their relationship from New York to Dubai. Katy Perry's song "I Kissed a Girl" topped the charts. "The L Word," "Work Out," and "Top Chef" are featuring gay women on TV, and there's even talk of a lesbian reality show in the works. Certainly nothing is new about women having sex with women, but we've arrived at a moment in the popular culture when it all suddenly seems almost fashionable -- or at least, acceptable. Statistics on how many women have traded boyfriends and husbands for girlfriends are hard to come by. Although the U.S. Census Bureau keeps track of married, divorced, single, and even same-sex partners living together, it doesn't look for the stories behind those numbers. But experts like Binnie Klein, a Connecticut-based psychotherapist and lecturer in Yale's department of psychiatry, agree that alternative relationships are on the rise. "It's clear that a change in sexual orientation is imaginable to more people than ever before, and there's more opportunity -- and acceptance -- to cross over the line," says Klein, noting that a half-dozen of her married female patients in the past few years have fallen in love with women. "Most are afraid that if they don't go for it, they'll end up with regrets." Feminist philosopher Susan Bordo, Ph.D, a professor of English and gender and women's studies at the University of Kentucky and author of "Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body," also agrees that in the current environment, more women may be stepping out of the conventional gender box. "When a taboo is lifted or diminished, it's going to leave people freer to pursue things," she says. "So it makes sense that we would see women, for all sorts of reasons, walking through that door now that the culture has cracked it open. Of course, we shouldn't imagine that we're living in a world where all sexual choices are possible. Just look at the cast of 'The L Word' and it's clear that only a certain kind of lesbian -- slim and elegant or butch in just the right androgynous way -- is acceptable to mainstream culture." That said, of the recent high-profile cases, it's Cynthia Nixon's down-to-earth attitude that may have blazed a trail for many women. In 1998, when "Sex and the City" debuted on HBO, she was settled in a long-term relationship with Danny Mozes, an English professor, with whom she had two children. They hadn't gotten married: "I was wary of it and felt like it was potentially a trap, so I steered clear of it," Nixon said in an interview with London's Daily Mirror. In 2004, after ending her 15-year relationship with Mozes, Nixon began seeing Christine Marinoni, at the time a public school advocate whom she'd met while working on a campaign to reduce class sizes in New York City. Marinoni was a great support when the actress was diagnosed with breast cancer. Far from hiding the relationship, Nixon has spoken freely in TV and newspaper interviews about it not being a big deal. "I have been with men all my life and had never met a woman I had fallen in love with before," she told the Daily Mirror. "But when I did, it didn't seem so strange. It didn't change who I am. I'm just a woman who fell in love with a woman." Oprah.com: Cynthia Nixon's new life Over the past several decades, scientists have struggled in fits and starts to get a handle on sexual orientation. Born or bred? Can it change during one's lifetime? A handful of studies in the 1990s, most of them focused on men, suggested that homosexuality is hardwired. In one study, researchers linked DNA markers in the Xq28 region of the X chromosome to gay males. But a subsequent larger study failed to replicate the results, leaving the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association to speculate that sexual orientation probably has multiple causes, including environmental, cognitive, and biological factors. Today, however, a new line of research is beginning to approach sexual orientation as much less fixed than previously thought, especially when it comes to women. The idea that human sexuality forms a continuum has been around since 1948, when Alfred Kinsey introduced his famous seven-point scale, with zero representing complete heterosexuality, 6 signifying complete homosexuality, and bisexuality in the middle, where many of the men and women he interviewed fell. The new buzz phrase coming out of contemporary studies is "sexual fluidity." "People always ask me if this research means everyone is bisexual. No, it doesn't," says Lisa Diamond, Ph.D, associate professor of psychology and gender studies at the University of Utah and author of the 2008 book "Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women's Love and Desire." "Fluidity represents a capacity to respond erotically in unexpected ways due to particular situations or relationships. It doesn't appear to be something a woman can control." Furthermore, studies indicate that it's more prevalent in women than in men, according to Bonnie Zylbergold, assistant editor of American Sexuality, an online magazine. In a 2004 landmark study at Northwestern University, the results were eye-opening. During the experiment, the female subjects became sexually aroused when they viewed heterosexual as well as lesbian erotic films. This was true for both gay and straight women. Among the male subjects, however, the straight men were turned on only by erotic films with women, the gay ones by those with men. "We found that women's sexual desire is less rigidly directed toward a particular sex, as compared with men's, and it's more changeable over time," says the study's senior researcher, J. Michael Bailey, Ph.D. "These findings likely represent a fundamental difference between men's and women's brains." This idea, that the libido can wander back and forth between genders, Diamond admits, may be threatening and confusing to those with conventional beliefs about sexual orientation. But when the women she's interviewed explain their feelings, it doesn't sound so wild. Many of them say, for example, they are attracted to the person, and not the gender -- moved by traits like kindness, intelligence, and humor, which could apply to a man or a woman. Most of all, they long for an emotional connection. And if that comes by way of a female instead of a male, the thrill may override whatever heterosexual orientation they had.

I guess not all that much. Yes, I got sidetracked with that aspect of the discussion. Guilty as charged. Ok, back to the buffet . . .

My own voice carries. I'm well aware of it. People who know me know my voice carries whether I'm quiet or not. But in my case, if I'm unintentionally loud to the point it is bothering someone else, all they have to do is ask me to lower my volume. I realize my voice carries and I would imagine that others with similar voice characteristics are also aware of their own voices. It's a hell of a lot easier to get people to quiet down a little bit than it is to get the restaurants to lower the music volume or eliminate the music entirely. Next time you're in a restaurant and someone at another table is too loud, try politely asking them if they could quiet down. Maybe that person is me! If the entire table is loud and boisterous, then chances are they've had too much to drink and you can probably forget about them quieting down.

I'm mostly with you on this one. There are many places I've stopped going to because of just that. I used to love the buffet dinner at Captain's Corner. It's been at least two years since I've been there. I just couldn't take any more of that God-awful, off-key singer anymore. The way I see it, if you want to have live music and/or a singer, then open a cocktail lounge, but please, leave me alone during dinner. And when the singer is an off-key singer, that's even worse. There have been restaurants I entered, and then turned around and walked right back out again as soon as I realized they've got the music blaring. Have you ever been to one of these restaurants at which they're playing music too loudly and one or two doors down there's a karaoke? Escoffier himself could be the chef, but there's no way I'm going to eat there. I wouldn't mind the music so much if it was soft and in the background, although I can do without even that. But when the volume makes the music dominating to the point you can't even have a quiet dinner or conversation with your friends, that's something I don't want. I can't understand why some of these restaurants think they're doing their customers a favor by drowning out their dinner conversation with the goddam music. Music is supposed to enhance a dinner, not ruin it by making it impossible to even hear yourself think. Is there really anybody who truly likes that?

The telephone number for the USA embassy in Bangkok is 02-205-4000. Why not call them and ask?

Interesting man, this Jakrapob. Where did he come from all of a sudden? I never heard of him until a couple days ago. Sounds like some kind of a frenzied nut to me. Just what Thailand needs - him!

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ 'Guerrilla War' Threatened Published on April 23, 2009 Room for Legal Means Getting Smaller: Jakrapob Fugitive protest leader Jakrapob Penkair yesterday said the red-shirt movement to drive the Abhisit Vejjajiva government out was not spent, but rather would come back even fiercer, including adopting guerrilla tactics if necessary, to achieve its goal. "I believe the room for unarmed and non-violent means to resolve Thailand's problem is getting smaller every day," he told BBC by phone from an undisclosed location. Jakrapob said the struggle to bring down the present administration would continue, but the opponents would no longer rely on conventional forms of protest. Different tactics would be used to confront the government, including possible clandestine subversion or armed attacks, he said. "The state of emergency is a big help. It puts people underground," he said. One of the most outspoken red-shirt leaders, Jakrapob managed to flee abroad after the Army broke up the mass protests in Bangkok last week, leaving the movement in disarray. Five of the rally organisers have been arrested and are being held under the emergency decree, which remains in effect. Prime Minister Abhisit told yesterday's joint parliamentary meeting that Thais should refuse to join any political movement that used force of arms. As he has managed to have the combined house session convened to clear any controversial issues related to the crackdown, people should voice their opinion in the open instead of resorting to violent means, he said. Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said he would like to ask Jakrapob in return what he would do if he himself were attacked with weapons. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya came out to accuse ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of plotting to "rub out" his enemies in an effort to return to power. Thaksin "has resorted to some sort of assassination attempt" as a "last resort", he said in a speech to the Asia Society in New York. Kasit said that, besides himself, the targets included Abhisit, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban. "The five of us are at the moment quite well protected by security forces," Kasit said in the speech on the Asia Society's website. "Thaksin is fighting to the death." Sondhi Limthongkul, a leader of anti-Thaksin protests who was shot and wounded by gunmen last week, is also among the former prime minister's targets, Kasit said. Thaksin spokesman Pongthep Thepkanjana was in a meeting and not immediately available for comment, according to an aide who answered his mobile phone. Abhisit, whose car was attacked by pro-Thaksin protesters twice this month, has maintained emergency rule in Bangkok and surrounding areas since April 12. Police have yet to arrest any suspects for spraying Sondhi's car with more than 50 bullets. Kasit, a former Thai ambassador to the United States and Japan, said "about 10 fully armed marines" are providing security for him and he has stayed in "two or three safe houses" in Bangkok for protection.

No, you're not unique at all. Every hotel in Thailand, even the smaller, out-of-the-way accommodations always require my actual passport whenever I check in.

Since you now drive a car, I suggest carrying your passport with you whenever you drive. If the police stop you and want to see your passport, they usually want to see the real passport, not a copy. In case of an accident, the first thing the insurance adjuster wants to see is your passport. At least that's the way it's been for me.

There is another little problem about the passport card. It isn't enough. When the police do check passports, they also invariably want to check your visa to make sure you're haven't overstayed. If you do opt for the passport card, I suggest at least also carrying a photocopy of your visa.