Gaybutton

The part I don't understand is why the meeting? Apparently the USA called this meeting, ostensibly to fully understand the implications of the Prime Minister's peace proposals. It seems quite clear to everyone else. What's the part the Assistant Secretary doesn't get? Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but considering that the problems are part of Thailand's internal affairs, then calling this meeting makes about as much sense to me as it would for Thailand to be calling a similar meeting to fully understand Obama's health care plan. My guess is the real purpose behind the meeting is to fully understand how the outcome might affect USA businesses dealing with Thailand.

US Official's 'Meddling' Angers Kasit Political standoff is 'a Thai internal affair' Published: 11/05/2010 The Foreign Ministry has complained to US ambassador to Thailand Eric John about a meeting between a senior US official and supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Monday summoned Mr John to the ministry for a 45-minute discussion where he expressed his concern about the meeting on Sunday, Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, assistant to the minister, quoted him as saying. On Sunday US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell held a meeting with the disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party's former leader Chaturon Chaisaeng, Thaksin's legal adviser Noppadon Pattama and key leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship. US official's 'meddling' angers Kasit ____________________ I'd like to know how this meeting came about. If the Assistant Secretary of State was invited by the Thais to hold this meeting, that's one thing. If not and if the meeting was initiated by the USA, then it sure seems like 'meddling' to me.

If those of you who believe it was a matter of misinterpretation think "go with you free" meant no off fee instead of an intentional con job, then that's the first time I've ever heard of a bar boy having the authority to waive a bar's off fees. I don't buy the idea that it was a matter of cultural difference, misunderstanding, mistranslation, or anything else other than the boy knowing exactly what he was saying. I've lived here long enough and have seen far too much to be making excuses for the boy when these kinds of things happen. Obviously, we can't know positively just what the boy's intentions really were, but my experience tells me that "go with you free" means the boy is speaking for himself, not the bar.

Lena Horne, Singer and Actress, Dies at 92 By ALJEAN HARMETZ Published: May 9, 2010 Lena Horne, who was the first black performer to be signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio and who went on to achieve international fame as a singer, died on Sunday night at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. She was 92 and lived in Manhattan. Lena Horne, Sultry Singer and Actress, Dies at 92 - Biography - NYTimes.com

A typo on my part, which I have now corrected, although I have on occasion seen the 'muu' spelling used. 'Moo' or simply 'M.' are the two most common.

To be even more precise: หมู่บ้าน moo baan - noun = village Moo baan is shortened to 'moo'

If you missed it, you can download it from EZTV ( EZTV ). You also need a bit torrent program. I like VUZE ( Vuze ). I am pretty sure downloading via EZTV are legal downloads. What you do is open VUZE. Then go to EZTV and do a search for the TV program that interests you. When you click on the program it will take you to a page on which you look for a series of down-pointing arrows. Those are links to mirror sites. Click on any one of the arrows and you'll have a link to VUZE or whatever bit torrent program you use. When you click on the arrow it will start a download of the link for your bit torrent. It will be a very quick download. Once the link comes in, double-click on it and it will automatically start the download on VUZE or whatever else you use. Then all you have to do is wait for the program to finish downloading.

PM Gives Ultimatum to Reds UDD unable to decide on when to end protest Published: 10/05/2010 The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship has left everyone in confusion after being pressed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for the exact date on which it will lift its rally to oust the government. Key red shirt leaders Veera Musikhapong, Natthawut Saikua and Chatuporn Prompan cancelled a press conference and held an urgent meeting yesterday to counter the fresh demand by the prime minister. After three hours of talks, Mr Chatuporn said the UDD could not come up with a common position. More talks were needed before a final decision. Mr Abhisit gave the UDD until today to give an exact timeframe for the end of its rallies which have paralysed parts of the inner city. He also accused former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of standing in the way of efforts to end political rifts. PM gives ultimatum to reds

Many of you are probably familiar with Wi's Retaurant, located on Third Road in Pattaya, just across the street from the X-Zyte disco. That restaurant is one of my personal favorites. He has plenty of a-la carte items and a nightly set menu. Every entree includes his salad bar. Along with the salad bar, the set menu, which changes every Sunday, includes a bread basket, amuse bouche, appetizer, soup, sherbet, main course, dessert, and a glass of your choice of red or white wine. The main course is your choice of a beef, pork, chicken, or fish dish. Those of you who have been there also know how beautifully the food is presented and the top notch quality of the food and service. The set menu is 495 baht. Last night, which was a Sunday, Geezer and I ate at Wi's. Now his Sunday set menu includes everything except for the glass of wine at the incredible price of 275 baht. That has to be one of the best bargains in town. Wi's Restaurant Pattaya Thailand - European restaurant five star food and services at a one star price.

My friend, what you're looking at is their T-shirt or jersey lifted up from the front and looped behind their neck like that so that they can look a bit sexier in the photo they are posing for.

As long as you get the "official scoop," does it matter whether it comes from Gun or a farang? Personally I would take Gun's word much quicker than I would most farang anyhow.

I'm not sure what kind of advice you are seeking. What do you need advice about? If you're asking whether Bumrungrad is a good hospital, the answer is yes.

I disagree. Once in 1956 I heard truer words . . .

The flier says for further information call Gun at Euroboys and gives a phone number. Why not just call him and ask? Gun speaks English fairly well.

Philippine Gay Party on Ballot for the First Time By Elizabeth Yuan, CNN May 9, 2010 (CNN) -- A gay political party will be on the ballot Monday for the first time in the Philippines, where eight out of 10 households are Roman Catholics. The elections will determine whether Ang Ladlad ("Out of the Closet") -- which represents lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender Filipinos (LGBT) -- will get the maximum three seats allowable for a marginalized or underrepresented party in Congress. "We consider it a milestone in Philippine human rights," said Leila De Lima, head of the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines. "They are really always victims of discrimination, exclusion and even violence." The Commission sided with Ang Ladlad when its legal fight to stand for elections reached the Supreme Court. Philippine gay party on ballot for the first time

If the latest news is any indication of what is to come, there seems to be little hope now of a peaceful, positive outcome or a quick agreement between all parties and an imminent end to the crisis. People are still being injured and killed. The Red-Shirt leadership is reconsidering acceptance of the peace plan and according to the news they are meeting today to discuss it. The plan for the Red-Shirts to disband and return home on Monday has been put on hold and instead thousands more Red-Shirts are arriving in Bangkok. ____________________ Thousands of Red Shirts Arrive in City CONCERN AT SWELLING PROTEST Published: 9/05/2010 More red shirt members from the north and northeastern provinces arrived in Bangkok yesterday to join their comrades at Ratchaprasong intersection. Around 5,000 red shirt supporters, mainly from Udon Thani and Khon Kaen, started off yesterday morning and reached the capital later in the day. Thousands of red shirts arrive in city I think I ought to point out to those trying to decide whether to come to Thailand or postpone your plans, there are no problems at the airport. In major gay destinations such as Pattaya, Samui, Phuket, etc. there are also no problems. In Pattaya, there is nothing going on at all other than at City Hall, and most holiday makers aren't going to venture anywhere near there in the first place. I really don't know how the protests are affecting the gay areas of Bangkok and I wish someone currently in Bangkok would give us a report, but I can tell you that if your plans are to come to Pattaya or other destinations in Thailand, there is no reason to postpone your plans. I think every farang in Pattaya would agree with me when I say that if it wasn't for the news media, you wouldn't even know anything is happening in Bangkok. Pattaya is perfectly normal (if you can call life here 'normal' in the first place).

I'm glad you realize now what the boy was really up to. I agree that the 500 baht figure is not the real issue. To me the issue is farang new to Thailand being taken advantage of and ending up duped. It did work out well for you and that's good and you were lucky. It doesn't always work out that way. To me the issue is the boy told you he wants to go with you "for free" when he really intended from the outset to try to get money out of you. To me, that's being dishonest and although it wasn't much money, it was still an an intentional con job. I don't see the main issue as being 500 baht, 50 baht, or 5000 baht. What matters to me is that this boy tried, successfully, to con you as to his actual intentions. I don't pay to be conned and that's why I'm saying I would have given him taxi fare and nothing more. The only place I know in Pattaya where you're not expected to hand over cash is at the Sansuk Sauna. If a boy tells me he wants to go with me "for free" (which never happens anyway), my most likely response would be, "Sorry, I can't afford free."

I'm having some difficulty understanding you. You say you're looking for a romantic, gay-friendly hotel on the beach, a hotel with swimming pool. You say your partner worked hard all year and now wants to be pampered. We have been telling you that the Rabbit Resort is the ideal hotel for you. And yet you are reluctant to stay there because it's more expensive than many other places. Sometimes it is worth paying more to get what you want. I would think if your partner wants to pamper himself after working hard all year, spending a few extra baht to be in precisely the kind of hotel you want in precisely the location you want would be worth doing. For what you are looking for, you're not going to find a better deal in Pattaya than the Rabbit Resort for a very simple reason. No other hotel exists that meets all your criteria.

Just make sure you let Rhonda know you want the miles. I think there were times that she could have gotten even less expensive rates if you were willing to forfeit the miles, so make sure she knows you want flights with miles available. Don't forget, my information may not be accurate now. Except for the one time I used her 2 years ago, since living in Thailand the last time I used Rhonda was in 2004. You'll probably get better answers from people who have used her more recently. An even weirder idea is to just call Rhonda and ask . . .

I'm sorry. I do have a life away from the message boards and did not see your message until now. When I bought my tickets through Rhonda, I always got the miles.

I would agree with you if ChristianPFC had been the one who had done the asking. But it was the boy who approached, asked, and said he wanted to go for free. If that isn't what he meant, then he shouldn't have said it. ChristianPFC, as far as I can tell from his post, wasn't even looking for company. I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but if it had been me the boy would have gotten taxi fare to go back and that's it.

My friend, I'm sure you now realize that all you meant to him was 500 baht. Let me see if I've understood this correctly. He asked to go with you, for free. Is that correct? Somehow free turned into 500 baht. You didn't do anything with him other than take him for a walk and then to the Buddha hill. Is that also correct? Where does the 500 baht part come in? Why did you give that much to him if all you were offering was bus or taxi fare to go back where he came from? Did you pay the bar an off fee? I could see that if it was you asking him to go with you, but the way I'm seeing it is that it was the other way around and he virtually imposed himself upon you, just the same as when in a bar and a boy comes, uninvited, to sit with you and then expects a tip. I don't know. Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way, but I see this as him having an afternoon away from the bar, at your expense, without any sex involved at all, and he got 500 baht for it. What you got was 'taken.' That's my opinion, anyway.

Maybe, but I doubt that's how it got started. Bangkok boys seem to average around 500 baht per off more than boys get elsewhere, and that seems to apply only to bar boys. The only higher cost for them in Bangkok that I can think of might be their rooms. And if a higher cost of living in Bangkok really is the reason, then that makes it all the more difficult to explain why freelancers, such as the boys at Saranrom Park, actually ask for much less than boys ask in Pattaya. Of course, the available boys that work places such as Saranrom Park are expecting mostly Thai customers, so they expect Thai prices. In those kinds of areas it's unusual for farang customers to be there at all. Not very many farang venture out to places other than the bars and they know that Thai customers aren't about to give them anything even close to 1500 to 2500 baht, so the standards are lower. Don't forget, a lot of Thai men are gay too and as they age they lose their looks just as farang do. But when was the last time you saw Thai customers in the bars, Bangkok or anywhere else, buying drinks and taking boys off?

Don't you think the names, locations, and contact information for those restaurants might be a wee bit helpful?

Regarding Rhonda, it works both ways. A couple years ago I went back to the USA for a few weeks. I did all the price checking online that I could and went to some Thai travel agencies. Then I called Rhonda. Even when the trip originates in Thailand, she still was able to get me a price hundreds of dollars less than anything else I could find.