Gaybutton

Details are posted on our "Beer Bar" forum.

I suggest you contact the Email address Hedda posted. I received a PM from Baht-Stop telling me the problem has been resolved. Apparently it has not.

Legendary Actor Paul Newman Dies at Age 83 Saturday September 27 9:16 AM ET Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as an activist, race car driver, popcorn impresario and the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money," has died. He was 83. Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends. In May, Newman he had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues. He got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Oscars 10 times, winning one regular award and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice." Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting." He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie" With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. "I was always a character actor," he once said. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood." Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say. A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast" Eddie Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler." Newman delivered a magnetic performance in "The Hustler," playing a smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats played by Jackie Gleason and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel directed by Scorsese "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but rather an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback. He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work. His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.) As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars." But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me." He received his first Oscar nomination for playing a bitter, alcoholic former star athlete in the 1958 film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Elizabeth Taylor played his unhappy wife and Burl Ives his wealthy, domineering father in Tennessee Williams' harrowing drama, which was given an upbeat ending for the screen. In "Cool Hand Luke," he was nominated for his gritty role as a rebellious inmate in a brutal Southern prison. The movie was one of the biggest hits of 1967 and included a tagline, delivered one time by Newman and one time by prison warden Strother Martin, that helped define the generation gap, "What we've got here is failure to communicate." Newman's hair was graying, but he was as gorgeous as ever and on the verge of his greatest popular success. In 1969, Newman teamed with Redford for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a comic Western about two outlaws running out of time. Newman paired with Redford again in 1973 in "The Sting," a comedy about two Depression-era con men. Both were multiple Oscar winners and huge hits, irreverent, unforgettable pairings of two of the best-looking actors of their time. Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture, and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics. In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1972 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979. "Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979. Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact, his acting becoming more subtle, nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator. "It takes a long time for an actor to develop the assurance that the trim, silver-haired Paul Newman has acquired," Pauline Kael wrote of him in the early 1980s. In 1982, he got his Oscar fifth nomination for his portrayal of an honest businessman persecuted by an irresponsible reporter in "Absence of Malice." The following year, he got his sixth for playing a down-and-out alcoholic attorney in "The Verdict." In 1995, he was nominated for his slyest, most understated work yet, the town curmudgeon and deadbeat in "Nobody's Fool." New York Times critic Caryn James found his acting "without cheap sentiment and self-pity," and observed, "It says everything about Mr. Newman's performance, the single best of this year and among the finest he has ever given, that you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way." Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive, according to one friend. He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies. "If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said. Off the screen, Newman had a taste for beer and was known for his practical jokes. He once had a Porsche installed in Redford's hallway crushed and covered with ribbons. "I think that my sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me sane," he told Newsweek magazine in a 1994 interview. In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site. In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe. He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea. Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte. Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children. Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman. He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged him to pursue his interest in the arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist. Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions. He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to New York to work in theater and television, his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio including Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden. His breakthrough was enabled by tragedy: Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer. Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer." In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age. "I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said. Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.

Thank you, Hedda. For the record, Gordon did send an Email to me earlier today. I did pass the information on to Baht-Stop and the problem has already been addressed and taken care of.

According to that web site, he said most of it. The web site itself says, "Dan Quayle has certainly made more than his share of misstatements, and most of the ones on the following list are actual Quayle quotes." The ones the web site says are falsely attributed to Quayle are: "If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." "A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls." "It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing is." According to that web site, the rest of the quotes are things Quayle really did say. So, in fairness, I've edited out and removed the statements in my post the web site says were erroneously attributed to Mr. Quayle.

BAR LA CAGE SOI V.C. PATTAYA Diary for October. Every Day. Happy hour until 9pm. BOGOF! Buy One Get One Free! (Beer Chang = 32.5 baht! Gin & Tonic = 40 baht!) Every Sunday. Chill out with popular Classical Music until 9pm. Saturday 4th. & Sunday 5th. OCTOBER BEERFEST Bar La Cage and the White Night Restaurant present a weekend Beerfest with German Premium Pilsner Beer on tap, German bottled beers and wines on offer and FREE SCHNAPPS!! Traditional German delicacies including Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, Currywurst, Wienerwurst, Potato Salad and much, much more! Oompah music and lots of alcohol induced silliness guaranteed. Monday 13th. Wine & Cheese Special Evening. 9 - 11pm. An extra special selection of quality Australian wines and cheeses. Sample as many of the fine wines that you fancy from Hardy’s and Jacobs Creek, then enjoy a glass for just 150 baht and sample a selection of specially imported Australian cheeses, absolutely free! All welcome, especially Cultural Attach?’s and Bandicoots! Monday 13th. George Stanley Sings. From 11 pm till late. By very special request George returns to sing “From the Heart and Soul”. If you like your music Live, Intimate and Polished with a bias toward the blues, don’t miss this gig! Highly Recommended. Friday 31st. Halloween Party. Fun and frolics all night long with the Ghouls and Ghosties. We transform the bar into a Creepy Crypt! Traditional Halloween games Apple Bobbing etc. Prizes for best Costume and lots of drinks promotions. Free buffet 9 – 11 pm. Come if you dare!!!! All our ‘special’ nights are charity fund raisers for The Mercy Centre, except for George Stanley’s appearances in aid of Thais4Life. Bar La Cage. (Mikes Bar.) That popular little bar next to the White Night and Top Man. Soi V.C. 273/98. 0894028741 http://www.lacage-pattaya.com

Well, that's it then. Get some Vitamin B complex . . . and feed it to the cat.

I have no idea. It's written entirely in Thai. I would imagine one brand is pretty much the same as the next.

Then I bet I know who will: ____ "I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn't study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people." "Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child." "Welcome to President Bush, Mrs. Bush, and my fellow astronauts." "Mars is essentially in the same orbit... Mars is somewhat the same distance from the Sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen If there is oxygen, that means we can breathe." "What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is." "The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. I mean in this century's history. But we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century." "I believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy--but that could change." "One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'." "Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things." "We don't want to go back to tomorrow, we want to go forward." "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future." "The future will be better tomorrow." "We're going to have the best-educated American people in the world." "People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history." "I stand by all the misstatements that I've made." "I am not part of the problem. I am a Republican." "I love California, I practically grew up in Phoenix." "Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it." "We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur." "For NASA, space is still a high priority." "Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children." "We're all capable of mistakes, but I do not care to enlighten you on the mistakes we may or may not have made." "It's time for the human race to enter the solar system." - Vice President Dan Quayle

I detect no odor at all.

As far as I can tell, the only way to contact the moderators of Baht-Stop is by PM. If you wish to send me an Email, I'll pass along your message. If there is a specific moderator you wish to contact, let me know. Also, make sure to let me know what Email address you wish to use for a response, assuming the moderator will reply to your message. My Email is gaybutton@gmail.com

There are two common complaints. One is that the local news media never follows up on a pedophile story. The other is that farang are automatically guilty simply because they are farang. Not this time. The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: ( see http://www.pattayaone.net/news_26_09_51_4.html for photos) _____ Suspect Cleared by the Courts in Recent Pedophole Case The Pattaya Court has rejected the case against Mr. Luc Jean Marie Vos from Holland and the public prosecutor will not sue him for the allegation of indecent behaviour towards an underage boy because of a false allegation. The boy involved confirmed in a second investigation by the police and the public prosecutor that he had lied about this allegation. This case put Mr. Luc Vos and his Thai family consisting of his son Jadet and three children Kriangkrai, Pariwat and Parivit under a lot of pressure and therefore we would like to offer him the possibility to clear his name. The story released about this case in May 2008 was not true and damaged the good name and privacy of Mr. Luc Vos. Mr. Luc Vos tells us he loves Thailand and the people and tries to be a good person to everybody and does all that is possible to take good care of his Thai family. Mr. Luc Vos does not believe that Pattaya is not a safe place to live for him and his family and is very motivated to take care of them especially after this case to make sure the three children will have a good future and life. Mr. Luc Vos apologises to anyone in case they have experienced personal problems because of this case against him .

I'm placing this on the primary message board for those of you who may have accounts with Washington Mutual and are in Thailand. I have no idea how this news might affect you, but here it is: _____ WaMu Becomes Biggest Bank to Fail in US History By MADLEN READ, AP Business Writer As the debate over a $700 billion bank bailout rages on in Washington, one of the nation's largest banks — Washington Mutual Inc. — has collapsed under the weight of its enormous bad bets on the mortgage market. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seized WaMu on Thursday, and then sold the thrift's banking assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co. for $1.9 billion. Seattle-based WaMu, which was founded in 1889, is the largest bank to fail by far in the country's history. Its $307 billion in assets eclipse the $40 billion of Continental Illinois National Bank, which failed in 1984, and the $32 billion of IndyMac, which the government seized in July. One positive is that the sale of WaMu's assets to JPMorgan Chase prevents the thrift's collapse from depleting the FDIC's insurance fund. But that detail is likely to give only marginal solace to Americans facing tighter lending and watching their stock portfolios plunge in the wake of the nation's most momentous financial crisis since the Great Depression. Because of WaMu's souring mortgages and other risky debt, JPMorgan plans to write down WaMu's loan portfolio by about $31 billion — a figure that could change if the government goes through with its bailout plan and JPMorgan decides to take advantage of it. "We're in favor of what the government is doing, but we're not relying on what the government is doing. We would've done it anyway," JPMorgan's Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said in a conference call Thursday night, referring to the acquisition. Dimon said he does not know if JPMorgan will take advantage of the bailout. WaMu is JPMorgan Chase's second acquisition this year of a major financial institution hobbled by losing bets on mortgages. In March, JPMorgan bought the investment bank Bear Stearns Cos. for about $1.4 billion, plus another $900 million in stock ahead of the deal to secure it. JPMorgan Chase is now the second-largest bank in the United States after Bank of America Corp., which recently bought Merrill Lynch in a flurry of events that included Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. going bankrupt and American International Group Inc., the world's largest insurer, getting taken over by the government. JPMorgan also said Thursday it plans to sell $8 billion in common stock to raise capital. The downfall of WaMu has been widely anticipated for some time because of the company's heavy mortgage-related losses. As investors grew nervous about the bank's health, its stock price plummeted 95 percent from a 52-week high of $36.47 to its close of $1.69 Thursday. On Wednesday, it suffered a ratings downgrade by Standard & Poor's that put it in danger of collapse. WaMu "was under severe liquidity pressure," FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair told reporters in a conference call. "For all depositors and other customers of Washington Mutual Bank, this is simply a combination of two banks," Bair said in a statement. "For bank customers, it will be a seamless transition. There will be no interruption in services and bank customers should expect business as usual come Friday morning." Besides JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo & Co., Citigroup Inc., HSBC, Spain's Banco Santander and Toronto-Dominion Bank of Canada were also reportedly possible suitors. WaMu was believed to be talking to private equity firms as well. The seizure by the government means shareholders' equity in WaMu was wiped out. The deal leaves private equity investors including the firm TPG Capital, which gave WaMu a cash infusion totaling $7 billion this spring, on the sidelines empty handed. WaMu ran into trouble after it got caught up in the once-booming subprime mortgage business. Troubles then spread to other parts of WaMu's home loan portfolio, namely its "option" adjustable-rate mortgage loans. Option ARM loans offer very low introductory payments and let borrowers defer some interest payments until later years. The bank stopped originating those loans in June. Problems in WaMu's home loan business began to surface in 2006, when the bank reported that the division lost $48 million, compared with net income of about $1 billion in 2005. At the start of 2007, following the release of the company's annual financial report, then-CEO Kerry Killinger said the bank had prepared for a slowdown in its housing business by sharply reducing its subprime mortgage lending and servicing of loans. Alan H. Fishman, the former president and chief operating officer of Sovereign Bank and president and CEO of Independence Community Bank, replaced Killinger earlier this month. As more borrowers became delinquent on their mortgages, WaMu worked to help troubled customers refinance their loans as a way to avoid default and foreclosure, committing $2 billion to the effort last April. But that proved to be too little, too late. At the same time, fears of growing credit problems kept investors from purchasing debt backed by those loans, drying up a source of cash flow for banks that made subprime loans. In December, WaMu said it would shutter its subprime lending business and reduce expenses with layoffs and a dividend cut. The bank in July reported a $3 billion second-quarter loss — the biggest in its history — as it boosted its reserves to more than $8 billion to cover losses on bad loans. Over the last three quarters, it added $10.9 billion to its loan-loss provisions. JPMorgan Chase said it was not acquiring any senior unsecured debt, subordinated debt, and preferred stock of WaMu's banks, or any assets or liabilities of the holding company, Washington Mutual Inc. JPMorgan also said it will not take on the lawsuits facing the holding company. JPMorgan Chase said the acquisition will give it 5,400 branches in 23 states, and that it plans to close less than 10 percent of the two companies' branches. The WaMu acquisition would add 50 cents per share to JPMorgan's earnings in 2009, the bank said, adding that it expects to have pretax merger costs of approximately $1.5 billion while achieving pretax savings of approximately $1.5 billion by 2010. "This is a definite win for JPMorgan," said Sebastian Hindman, an analyst at SNL Financial, who said JPMorgan should be able to shoulder the $31 billion writedown to WaMu's portfolio.

Friday, September 26 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 33.76 Euro: 49.39 British Pound: 62.105 Australian Dollar: 28.115 Canadian Dollar: 32.5375 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 33.74 Euro: 49.065 British Pound: 61.915 Australian Dollar: 27.80 Canadian Dollar: 32.4375

To me the most frightening thing of all is the fact that he still has four months left in office. That's enough time for him to put the entire world into a depression. It's also enough time for him to start up a war with both Iran and North Korea. I wouldn't put it past him to do all of the above, along with some things none of us have even thought of. I wish he would follow Abraham Lincoln's advice: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

What did you have in mind?

It also would be a kindness to either give the boy money for food, or if you keep him overnight you might take him out to breakfast somewhere . . . . that is if he isn't one of those boys who thinks waking up before 2:00pm is waking up early.

"We're in the midst of a serious financial crisis . . ." George Bush Really? Thanks for letting us know. Three guesses who put us there in the first place.

There is nothing wrong with generosity, but for the record the going rate rule-of-thumb for Saranrom Park boys is 500 baht for 'short-time', 1000 baht for 'long time' (which means overnight). In addition, you should also give them taxi fare to go back to their rooms.

Thursday, September 25 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 33.88 Euro: 49.585 British Pound: 62.66 Australian Dollar: 28.14 Canadian Dollar: 32.5225 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 33.73 Euro: 49.53 British Pound: 62.605 Australian Dollar: 28.1675 Canadian Dollar: 32.5025

Wednesday, September 24 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 33.63 Euro: 49.26 British Pound: 62.305 Australian Dollar: 27.855 Canadian Dollar: 32.36 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 33.82 Euro: 49.535 British Pound: 62.75 Australian Dollar: 28.185 Canadian Dollar: 32.5125

It's too bad this had to happen just as the baht was in motion in favor of the US dollar for a change. The dollar took a loss against all major currencies today. Whether there will be another turn-around any time soon remains to be seen. The Thai baht is not exactly a reliable currency these days either, so what's next is probably anybody's guess. To tell the truth, I expected the dollar to take much worse of a hit than it did, but there's always tomorrow . . . This is going to be a week to watch, for sure!

Tuesday, September 23 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 33.58 Euro: 49.635 British Pound: 62.265 Australian Dollar: 28.27 Canadian Dollar: 32.36 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 33.60 Euro: 49.275 British Pound: 62.105 Australian Dollar: 28.105 Canadian Dollar: 32.2975

Not quite so bad now. They've dug up most of the potholes on Thappraya and moved them to other streets . . .

Here you are, perfect for Octoberfest! By the way, for those on certain other boards who have decided I'm a shill and a brown-noser for posting ads in behalf of gay venues, writing restaurant reviews, etc, for the record Mike (the owner of La Cage) and I to date have never personally met and the last time I was even in La Cage was over eight months ago. Nevertheless, I really like the idea behind this event and if I'm in town I intend to go. While I'm at it, any gay venue is welcome to advertise on this board whenever they wish, and I don't care much whether certain posters on other boards like it or not.