Gaybutton

Yes and no. There seems to be some confusion as to who did what to who. The newspaper article says it was the German guy who was arrested after taking the 14-year old off, but it also says it was the boy's parents who filed the complaint with the police. The Drummond article says it was the Englishman. Unless both men took a 14-year old off from the bar, then something is wrong with the stories. If it was the German, then according to the news article the arrest occurred after the boy's parents complained. I raised a question and I'll repeat it here: What were the boy's parents doing by allowing their 14-year old son to work in a gay go-go bar in the first place, where being taken off is the goal? Did they claim they didn't know the boy was working there? If so, I didn't see anything about that in the article. Are the parents local in Pattaya? Do they live in a different city? If they live in a different city, what did they do, send their 14-year old son to go alone to Pattaya to seek his fortune? Also, how did the parents even know about the incident? Somehow I find it difficult to picture the boy calling his parents and saying, "Hi Mom. How are you? Oh, I'm fine. Today I did ok. I went with a farang and sucked his dick." Something is awfully strange about this story. Obviously, if the boy is 14, then the farang was nuts to take him home for sex. But the way in which the police became involved sure seems strange to me. But no matter how it all 'went down,' the moral of the story is the same thing so many of us have been preaching for years: Don't take a boy for sex unless he is at least 18-years old and can prove it.

While their people are living in poverty and starving, the so-called leaders of both countries, of course, live in the lap of luxury. Now they are playing with their new nuclear toys. I wonder how long the people will put up with it all. Where's Madame Defarge when you need her? The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Clinton fears NKorea-Burma nuclear link Writer: AFP Published: 22/07/2009 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concerns on Wednesday that North Korea could be sharing nuclear technology with Burma, posing a worrying new threat to regional security. Clinton issued the warning as she arrived in the Thai resort island of Phuket for a major security forum at which the United States was to sign a treaty signalling its renewed commitment to Southeast Asia. She was due to meet her counterparts from Russia, China, Japan and South Korea for talks later Wednesday on restarting their stalled multilateral dialogue with Pyongyang over its increasingly aggressive nuclear programme. "We worry about the transfer of nuclear technology" from Stalinist North Korea to military-ruled Burma, Clinton said in an interview with Thailand's Nation TV. On Tuesday, she said Washington was taking "very seriously" reports of conventional military cooperation between the two pariah states, adding that it would be "destabilising for the region." Burma and North Korea, both isolated and under international sanctions, are set to dominate Clinton's two days of discussions with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and broader Asean Regional Forum. Clinton was later set to sign a friendship pact with Southeast Asia in a sign of Washington's renewed interest to the region after nearly a decade in which it has been distracted by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. After arriving in Thailand Tuesday from New Delhi, Clinton said President Barack Obama's administration wants to send a strong message of engagement with the region after it was neglected by his predecessor George W. Bush. US influence over Asean has been largely supplanted by China, which inked the same treaty with the 10-country bloc six years ago. US officials said a key thrust of Clinton's debut at the forum would be to crank up pressure on North Korea to return to the nuclear disarmament talks after its recent missile and nuclear weapons tests. North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun declined to attend the meeting, instead sending a roving ambassador to Phuket, and Southeast Asian officials say the Pyongyang delegation is concerned about coming under pressure. Asean had asked China to play a key role in bringing North Korea back to the negotiating table, a Thai official said after the bloc's foreign ministers met their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea on Wednesday. Washington is currently focused on implementing tough new UN sanctions, but officials said the US and its allies were ready to offer incentives to Pyongyang if it changed course -- something they did not expect any time soon. Suspicions about military cooperation between Burma and North Korea escalated after a US Navy destroyer last month began tracking a suspect North Korean ship that was reportedly heading for Burma. The vessel came under scrutiny under new UN sanctions designed to punish Pyongyang over its recent underground nuclear test and a series of rocket launches including a long-range projectile. Separately, a group of exiled Burma activists last month released pictures of what they said was a secret network of tunnels built by North Korean experts inside Burma. Clinton, meanwhile, also expressed concerns about the rights record of Burma, which has been slapped with US sanctions for its detention of political prisoners including pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Burma has sparked outrage by putting the Nobel Peace Prize winner on trial over an incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside house. Clinton said Wednesday in her television interview that expelling Burma from Asean "would be an appropriate policy change to consider" if the ruling junta does not release Aung San Suu Kyi. Obama has described the court proceedings as a "show trial", while talk of a revised US policy towards Burma has been on hold since the trial began.

During a time when the tourist industry is in such trouble, I just don't understand the logic, or lack thereof, of choosing now to put these kinds of crackdowns in place. I can certainly understand why Thailand would want to rid itself of low-life tourists who come here and cause problems, but I can't understand why they would want to make it so difficult for those who legitimately wish to stay longer in the country. Sometimes it seems as if Thailand excels at cutting off its own nose to spite its face. Any fool can see how much trouble the tourist industry is going through. Empty hotels, restaurants, stores, bars, etc. certainly tell the story. Businesses are closing down right and left, some temporarily and some permanently. One of the latest is the Art Caf

This is terribly sad. Allen is such a good guy and has done so much for all of us. It hurts to think of him in pain and dying like this. For his own sake I hope he goes quickly and easily, without having to suffer any further. Can you tell us about arrangements after he passes?

Note: The second story on this thread is especially interesting. This is the first time I've ever heard of a farang being arrested after taking a boy off from a bar. He was not arrested as a direct result of the off. He was arrested after the parents filed a complaint. The boy, according to the article, was 14. Now just what the parents were doing by allowing their 14 year old son to work at a go-go bar, and then complaining when he was taken off, goes beyond me, but according to the article, that's what took place. I'm also wondering how the parents even knew about the incident. What did the boy do, go home and say, "Hi Mom and Dad. Guess what? I just made 1000 baht giving a farang a blow job."? It seems to me there is more to this story than has thus far been published, but no matter what, make damned sure to check those ID's, folks. ________________ The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: for photos, see: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.php?IDNEWS=0000009814 _____ TWO PAEDOPHILES ARRESTED SIMULTANEOUSLY IN PATTAYA Pattaya, July 22 [PDN] : Once more Pattaya has attracted bad press due to the less than savoury activities of some of its residents. Two paedophiles were both arrested in the same location, Park Reungreung Village, on the same day, with two consecutive arrest warrants for sexual assault on minors; one for a German and the other for a British national. The first accused was Mr. Gerhard Heiner Gatsche, 61, whose alleged offence was brought to the notice of the authorities by the mother of the 14-year-old boy he is accused of molesting, who took her son to report to the Children, Juvenile and Women’s Protection Division Region 2 and requested that the officials arrest Gatsche . After searching for further information and more evidence, the police team requested an arrest warrant from the Pattaya court, which it was duly granted on July 20, and numbered 688/2522. Subsequently, at 1:30 pm on 21 July 2009, Police Lieutenant Colonel Greetha Tunkanaruk and his police team of the Children, Juvenile and Women’s Protection Division Region 2 together with Mr. Supagon Noja of the Pattaya-based Child Protection and Development Centre went to arrest Gatsche at his house in the Park Roongreung Village in Central Pattaya. Gatsche told the reporter that he was shocked to see the police. He denied all the charges and said he had been living in the village in Pattaya for more than 20 years, apparently in mitigation. However, the truth will out when he goes to court in the near future. Gatsche had apparently met the boy, Golf [alias], at around 9.00 pm, on 30 May 2009, in Soi Sunee Plaza, South Pattaya, one of the gay pick-up venues, which also has a particularly bad reputation for furnishing under-age boys for the sexual predilections of those who favour such activities. It is alleged that after picking up the boy, Gatsche took him to his house, where the alleged offence took place; Gatsche afterwards paying the boy an unspecified amount of money. The 2nd case involved a British national, Robert Alexander Horsman,45. Armed with arrest warrant no. 688/2522, likewise issued by Pattaya Court on 20 July, the same official team arrested Horsman at 7.00 pm, on the same day, at another house in the same village, namely Park Roongreung Village in Central Pattaya. Police said that last year Horsman had apparently been drinking at a bar called “Look a-go-go”, also in Soi Sunee Plaza, where he met another 14-year-old a boy, whom he subsequently took to his house and had sex with. The incident was reported to police by the boy’s parents, leading to a search for the alleged offender by the police, and subsequent issuance of an arrest warrant. Despite the evidence, Horsman, like his co-offender, denied the charges and once again it will be up the court to prove his guilt. ____________________ And this, from PATTAYA ONE: for photos, see: http://www.pattayaone.net/news/2009/july/news_22_07_52.shtml _____ Suspected English Pedophile Arrested by Regional Police. Pattaya, July 22 [PATTAYA ONE NEWS] : On Tuesday Night, officers from the Region 2 Child and Women’s Protection Unit based at Banglamung Police Station conducted their second arrest within the space of 12 hours at the Park Reunreung Village in Central Pattaya. Their target this time was Mr. Robert Alexander Horsman aged 45 from England. On the strength of arrest warrant number 687/2552 dated 20th July, he was detained and taken to the Police Station. The warrant stated that in 2008, a boy aged 14 had conducted oral sex on Mr. Horsman in exchange for money. The original complaint was made by the parents of the boy who stated that the pair met at the Look Bar located in Soi Sunee Plaza, South Pattaya. Mr. Horsman was arrested in March 2006 here in Pattaya accused of indecently assaulting 5 boys aged between 10 and 14 and also in December 2008 during “Operation Naga” which was a joint UK and Thai Operation to arrest suspected Pedophiles. He denies all allegations of the current charges brought against him and will appear in court in due course.

Well, today's a rainy day . . .

Damn! I forgot to bring my ten-gallon hat, spurs, and pair of six-guns when I came to Thailand. If I go to Jameson's that night, I'm going to feel so out of place . . .

This has been discussed so many times that everybody and his brother must be aware of that by now. Ok, technically you are correct. In practicality we all know it doesn't work that way. I'll say the same thing I've said many times before: A law is not a law unless it is enforced. Can you cite even one incident, ever, in which a farang was arrested for having taken off an 18-year old? Can you cite even one incident, ever, in which a boy was arrested for working in a bar because he was between 18 and 20 years old? Here are a few other interesting laws that are on the books, but not exactly rigidly enforced: _____ Scotland It is illegal to be possession of a cow while under the influence of drink. If someone comes to your house and asks to use of your commode, you must let them enter. England It is an offence to impersonate a Chelsea Pensioner. A Member of Parliament must not enter the House of Commons wearing a full suit of armour. Committing suicide is classified as a capital crime – punishable by death. Sticking a postage stamp, bearing the Queens portrait, upside down on an envelope is an act of treason. In Chester you are allowed to shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow provided it is done inside the city walls and after midnight. France Between the hours of 8AM and 8PM, the music played by radio stations must be a minimum of 70% by French artists. Pigs must not be called Napoleon. Kissing on French railways is illegal. Italy It is illegal to practice the profession of charlantry. A man may be imprisoned for wearing a skirt. Singapore It is illegal to perform oral sex unless it is part of foreplay leading to full sex. Anyone not flushing a public toilet may receive a large fine. A person convicted of littering three times, will have to clean the streets on Sundays wearing a sign saying "I am a litter lout." Relieving yourself in an elevator is particularly forbidden. Sweden Prostitution is legal but using the services of a prostitute is illegal. – Must make trade rather difficult! South Korea Traffic police are required to report all bribes that they receive from motorists. Switzerland After 10 P.M. a man may not relieve himself while standing up. It is perfectly legal to drink absinthe (a type of alcohol), but it is illegal to produce, store or sell it. Australia All taxi cabs must carry a bale of hay in the trunk. Victoria In Victoria only licensed electricians may change a light bulb. In Victoria it is illegal to wear pink pants after midday on a Sunday. Canada In Toronto it is illegal to drag a dead horse down Yonge Street on a Sunday. Teenagers must not walk down main street in Fort Qu'Appelle with their shoes untied. Swearing in French has been outlawed in Montréal. China It is illegal to go to college unless you are intelligent. Rescuing a drowning person is not allowed as it would be interfering with their fate. Denmark Attempting to escape from prison is not illegal, however, if caught, the person must serve out the remainder of his term. Middle East In most Middle Eastern countries following Islamic law is enforced: "After having sexual relations with a lamb, it is a mortal sin to eat its flesh." In Lebanon, it is legal for men to have sex with female animals. However, having sexual relations with a male animal is punishable by death. In Indonesia the penalty for masturbation is decapitation. In Hong Kong a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, provided she does so with her bare hands. The husband's lover, quite rightfully, may be killed in any desired way. In Singapore, it is against the law to not flush the toilet after using it. Special police randomly check on public restrooms and violators are publicly caned. Only blood donors are allowed to duel in Uruguay. USA Alabama Driving a vehicle while blindfolded is prohibited. Arkansas: The Little Rock legislature passed a law forbidding the Arkansas River to rise higher than the level of the Main Street Bridge. In Mobile, pigeons are prohibited from eating the pebbles on composite roofs. Anyone caught causing "unseemly laughter" by wearing a false moustache in church will be arrested. It is forbidden for a man to beat his wife more than once a month It is illegal to mispronounce the name of the state of Arkansas. Alaska In Fairbanks, moose are forbidden from having sex on the city streets. By law no child is allowed to build a snowman taller than himself within school grounds. California In California it is illegal to set a mousetrap without a hunting license. In Berkeley, before 7 A.M., it's against the law to whistle in an attempt to find your lost canary. It is illegal to peel an orange in a hotel room. It is forbidden for anyone to ride a bicycle in a Baldwin Park swimming pool In Glendale horror films may only be shown on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday It is against the law to drive more than 2000 sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at a time. Hunting moths under streetlights has been banned in Los Angeles. Washing two babies in the same tub is forbidden in Los Angeles. Colorado In Denver, it is against the law to lend your vacuum cleaner to your next-door neighbor. In Logan County a man must not kiss a woman while she is asleep. Growing dandelions is illegal in Pueblo. Connecticut Nobody in Devon is allowed to walk backwards after sunset. In Delaware it is illegal for a person to pawn his wooden leg. In Hartford, it is illegal to kiss your wife on Sunday. Delaware A local law, in Lowes Crossroads, forbids any pilot or passenger from carrying an ice cream cone in their pocket while flying or waiting to board a plane. District of Columbia Sex is illegal unless performed in the missionary position. Florida Women may be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer, as well as the salon owner. Sexual relations with a porcupine is illegal. It is illegal to sing in a public place while wearing a swimsuit. Imitating animals is against the law in Miami. It is illegal to fart in a public place after 6 P.M. on Thursdays. No divorced woman may parachute on Sunday afternoons. Georgia In Atlanta, you are not permitted to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp. It is illegal to say "Oh, Boy" in Jonesboro. In Quitman a chicken may not cross the road – no jokes please! It is a misdemeanor for anyone to attend church worship on Sunday, unless equipped with a loaded rifle. Women, in Pocataligo, weighing over 200 pounds and wearing shorts must not pilot an airplane. Hawaii Inserting pennies into your ear is forbidden. Illinois It is against the law to make faces at dogs. Talking English has been banned because the state language is "American." Barbers in Elkhart are not permitted threaten to cut off a child’s ear. Bees must not fly over through its streets of Kirkland. A monster is not allowed within the Urbana city limits. A law in Oblong, Illinois, forbids love making while hunting or fishing on your wedding day. Wearing pyjamas while fishing is prohibited in Chicago. Indiana For a four-hour period, after eating garlic, citizens are not permitted to attend a cinema or theater. On Friday the 13th all black cats in French Lick Springs must wear belts. It is illegal to carry fishing tackle into a cemetery in Muncie. Iowa A kiss must not last for more than five minutes. Transvestites are prohibited from wearing shoes with heels measuring more than 2 and one-quarter inches high. Horses in Marshalltown are forbidden to eat fire hydrants. Kansas Everyone must bathe at least once a year. It is illegal to walk down a street in Lawrence while carrying bees in your hat. A wife may successfully file for divorce on the grounds that her husband mistreated her mother. Kentucky Any female wishing to bathe on any highway within this state must escorted by at least two officers or be armed with a club. However, this statute shall not apply to any female weighing more than 200 pounds. Legally, regardless of how much a person has had to drink he is considered sober until he "cannot hold onto the ground." In Frankfurt it is illegal to shoot off a policeman's necktie. In Kentucky it is illegal to marry the same man more than 3 times. Louisiana Catching lizards is fine by day but is prohibited at night. It is illegal to shoot a bank teller with a water pistol while robbing a bank. Biting someone with your natural teeth is assault, but biting someone with your false teeth is aggravated assault It is an offense to wear an alligator costume. Maryland In Baltimore, it's illegal to take a lion to the movies. A woman is prohibited from going through her husband's pockets while he is sleeping. Oysters are protected by law from being mistreated. Massachusetts Tomatoes must not be put in clam chowder. It is illegal to go to bed without first having a bath. Yet another law prohibits the taking of baths on Sunday. Mourners at a wake in Boston must not eat more than three sandwiches each. A license is required before a goatee beard can be grown. Only after all bedroom windows are closed and locked is it legal to snore. Diapers must not be delivered on a Sunday. The only place in Winchester where tightrope walking is permitted is outside a church. Taking a bath in Boston is illegal unless one has been ordered to do so by a physician. Michigan A woman is not allowed to cut her hair without her husband's consent, because he legally owns her hair. In Clawson City, it is perfectly legal for a farmer to sleep with his horses, goats, pigs, cows and chickens. In Detroit it is illegal to willfully destroy your radio. A man in Detroit must not scowl at his wife on Sunday. In Kalamazoo it is illegal for men to serenade girls. Minnesota In Minnesota, it's illegal to tease skunks. In Minnesota women may face up to 30 days in jail if they impersonate Santa Claus. In Minnesota it is illegal to cross a state line with a duck on your head. Mississippi No person shall shave in the middle of the street in Tylertown. In Bourbon there is a law prohibiting turtle races being held at the airport. It is forbidden to shoot squirrels in a courtroom in Canton. Montana In Bozeman, a law prohibits sexual activity between members of the opposite sex in the front yard of a home after sundown - but only if they're nude. It is a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail New Hampshire By law you are forbidden to tap your feet, nod your head, or in any way keep time to the music in a tavern, restaurant, or café. New York In New York City women can ride the city subways topless. In Carmel, is not allowed to be seen in public wearing a jacket and pants that do not match. A man greeting another by “placing the end of his thumb against the tip of his nose and wiggling the extended fingers of that hand" will be arrested for disorderly conduct. Playing golf in the streets of Albany is forbidden. Brooklyn donkeys are not allowed to sleep in bathtubs. On Staten Island a man is not permitted to call his son a faggot or queer in the hope that it will cure his ‘girlish’ behavior. North Carolina Having sex in a churchyard is strictly prohibited. Elephants must not be used plow fields. A law has been passed which bans hurricanes from entering Topsail Beach city limits. Ohio In Cleveland it is illegal to catch mice without a hunting license. In Paulding, a policeman is allowed to bite a dog in order to stop it barking. Selling corn flakes on a Sunday, in Columbus, is forbidden. You can be arrested in Youngstown, if you run out of gas. People wearing a Santa Claus outfit must not advertise beer. Causing a fish to become intoxicated is against the law. In Shawnee three or more dogs are not permitted to meet on private property without the consent of the owner. Oregon In Willowdale cursing while having sex with his wife is illegal. Also in Willowdale a husband may not whisper sweet nothings into his wife's ear during sex if the sweet nothings are in any way ‘dirty'. Pennsylvania It is an offense for a housewife to sweep dust under a rug. A man must obtain written consent from his wife if he wishes to purchase alcohol. It is illegal to have sex with a truck driver in a Harrisburg toll booth. In Morrisville, woman must obtain a permit to put on make-up. Rhode Island In Providence a toothbrush and toothpaste must not be sold to the same person on a Sunday. Tennessee It is illegal to catch fish with a lasso. A Dyersburg woman must not call a man and ask for a date. San Francisco Tripping horses for entertainment has now been made illegal. Animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship. In Cupertino, it is illegal to count backwards audibly in hexadecimal. South Carolina Eating watermelons in the Magnolia Cemetery is strictly forbidden Tennessee In Memphis, it is illegal to sell teddy bears on a Sunday. Texas It is illegal to put graffiti on another person’s cow. Pigs, in Kingsville, are prohibited from having sex on the city's airport property. The law dictates that criminal must give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime he intends committing. In Clarendon, it is against the law to dust any public building with a feather duster. It is an offense to carry a sword or a spear to a polling place. In Clarendon lawyers must accept eggs, chickens, and other produce as payment of legal fees. Vermont It is forbidden to deny the existence of God. If a women wishes to wear false teeth she must first obtain written permission from her husband. Whistling under water is against the law. Virginia Hens are not permitted to lay eggs before 8 am or after 4 pm. In Lebanon it is a crime for a man to kick his wife out of bed. In Richmond flipping a coin to decide who pays the bill in a café is illegal. In Norfolk, a woman must not go out unless wearing a corset. West Virginia Huntington firemen must not whistle at or flirt with any woman who is passing the firehouse. In Nicholas County clergyman are not permitted to tell jokes or humorous stories from the pulpit during a service. Washington The law requires all motorists with criminal intent to telephone the Chief of Police before crossing the city limits. Lollipops are illegal. By law having sex with a virgin under any circumstances is illegal – even on the wedding night! In Bellingham, it is illegal for a woman to take more than 3 steps backwards while dancing. Citizens of Seattle must not carry a concealed weapon that is over six feet in length. Wisconsin In Connorsville it is illegal for a man to shoot a gun when his partner has an orgasm. In Milwaukee, parking a car for over two hours is not allowed unless a horse is tied onto it.

I'm glad you explained it. Now I understand. I tried to look for it in the help files, but I wasn't able to find anything about it. I have one other suggestion. The "View New Content" link appears only at the top of the screen. On long threads it can get tedious to have to scroll back up all the time. Can you get your programmers to add a second link to it somewhere at the bottom of the screen too?

If you're talking about the nutrition supplement, I would think you might be able to find it at Fascino Pharmacy or maybe at one of these upscale health spas around town. You might also try places like Boots or Watsons in the new Central Plaza shopping mall.

Romanian Mayor's Nazi Uniform Provokes Outrage July 21, 2009 (CNN) -- Jewish organizations called for a Romanian official to resign and face a criminal investigation after he wore a Nazi uniform during a fashion show over the weekend. Radu Mazare, the mayor of the town of Constanta, and his 15-year-old son "entered the stage marching the clearly identifiable Nazi 'goose step,'" the Center for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism in Romania said in a letter to the country's prosecutor general. The organization's director, Marco Katz, said Mazare had broken Romanian law and encouraged his son to do the same, "educating him to treat the law with contempt." Katz said Mazare was sending a message "that to wear Nazi uniforms and to march the Nazi steps is legal and 'in vogue' in Romania." He urged the authorities and the head of Mazare's Social Democrat party to show that message "will be strongly countermanded." Mazare, 41, said he had not noticed the Nazi swastika symbol on the uniform before he wore it, according to the Romanian Times newspaper. "I checked it before I put it on but the swastika was very small and I didn't see it," he said. "I really liked the look of the uniform after seeing it in the Tom Cruise film 'Valkyrie.' I bought it from a costume hire shop in Germany." A top Nazi hunter said Mazare should quit. "The proper thing for you to do is to admit your mistake, apologize for it and resign your position," Efraim Zuroff of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Jerusalem wrote to Mazare. Zuroff sent CNN a copy of the letter. He said it was no defense that the uniform was that of the Wehrmacht -- the army -- rather than the SS, the elite Nazi guard which took the lead in killing Jews during the Holocaust. "The Wehrmacht played an active role in the mass murder of European Jewry and many other innocent victims. By dressing in a Wehrmacht uniform, you are expressing totally unwarranted support and nostalgia for an army which committed the most terrible war crimes and acts of genocide," the letter said. "It would hard to adequately describe the depth of the pain that your appearance caused, not only to Jews and other victims of Nazism, but to any person of moral integrity who knows the history of World War II," Zuroff wrote. Zuroff told CNN he did not expect Mazare to resign, or even to respond to the letter. But he said he hoped the mayor might act on Zuroff's suggestion that Mazare create a Romanian-language edition of an acclaimed exhibition on the crimes of the Wehrmacht. The Nazi uniform incident, which took place Sunday, was the first time Zuroff heard of Mazare, he said. "He has a history of being outrageous, but his antics have never included something that I would deal with," Zuroff said. "He's a real character, apparently. He's also very popular, which makes this much more difficult." CNN attempts to contact Mazare were unsuccessful. Romania was a Nazi ally from 1940 to 1944, under the leadership of a right-wing military government led by General Ion Antonescu. At least 270,000 Romanian Jews were killed or died from mistreatment during the Holocaust, according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia. The 1930 Romanian census recorded 728,115 people who identified themselves as Jewish, comprising approximately 4 percent of the population, the reference work says. Antonescu was deposed in 1944 and Romania switched sides in World War II.

I'm very disappointed to know that. I was planning to give it a try soon, but if they try to charge more than the menu states and if the food is overpriced to begin with, I can think of plenty of other places to eat.

Yes, I was out there too and ended up disappointed. This morning just had to be cloudy and rainy! I was also disappointed with Halley's Comet. My father remembered its 1910 appearance. He said it lasted nearly two weeks and was so bright you could literally read by its light at night. Of course, when it returned in 1986, for the first time in recorded history its path was so far away that the only way you could see it at all was through a telescope. And remember Comet Kohoutek in 1973? That was supposed to be so spectacular that Halley's Comet would pale in comparison. Didn't happen. A dud. You could hardly see it at all. Oh well, twice in my life I was at Cape Canaveral and got to see the space shuttle take off. That was an incredible experience. But just about everything else I try to view seems to be a bust.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ North Korea Fears Forum Criticism over Missile Tests Writer: THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL and ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT Published: 22/07/2009 PHUKET : North Korea has called on Thailand to protect its delegates from criticism during the Asean Regional Forum. Pyongyang's ambassador at large Pak Kun-gwang yesterday raised the issue in talks with Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya ahead of tomorrow's security meeting. Mr Pak requested an urgent meeting with the minister shortly after the five North Korean delegates arrived on the resort island yesterday. North Korea is worried its recent missile tests would be condemned by countries participating in the forum, said Mr Kasit's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut. As the Asean chair, Thailand will head the Asean-initiated security talks. Mr Chavanond quoted the minister as saying "we need to make sure the meeting's peace-building objectives are met and that he would not let any ARF members use the forum to attack other members". "I would also like North Korea to listen to what the United States has to say," he said. "The Barack Obama administration should be given a chance to speak out." US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend the forum, as will representatives from the European Union. It is the first forum at which North Korea will engage with 25 other countries in such talks. Asean foreign ministers will hold talks today with their dialogue partners from China, Japan and South Korea. Thailand will push for closer cooperation with the three nations on finance, agriculture and health matters. It will also urge the acceleration of the Chiang Mai Initiative during the Asean summit in Phuket in October, diplomatic sources said. Last month, the so-called Asean+3 agreed in Bangkok to strengthen the regional financial mechanism. A regional pooling reserve would be established under the Chiang Mai Initiative with a US$20 billion (700 billion baht) start-up fund by the end of the year. Director-general of the Asean Affairs Department Vitavas Srivihok said Asean ministers would also discuss measures to fight the A (H1N1) flu outbreak. Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan has been assigned to liaise with Southeast Asian health ministers on the issue, the official said.

That is correct. Also, there still seems to be some confusion as to the age issue: Nothing has changed. It is still 18 to work and 20 to be a customer. 18 is the minimum legal age for a boy to work in a bar and/or be taken off. The way the article is worded makes it appear as if the minimum age is 20, but that is not true and that is not what the article states. The minimum age was 18 and remains 18. As long as a boy is at least 18 years old, you're ok.

What, exactly does that do? If you have a friends list does it show that people on your list are online? Does it open a direct chat to those friends?

The 'multiquote' function does not seem to be working yet. For "View New Content," when you first click on it the entire message board is considered new content. What you have to do is scroll down and click "Mark Board As Read."' That will create a cookie for you that marks the whole board as having been read. Once you do that, only posts that appeared since your last visit will come up when you click on "View New Content."

The part that surprises me is that only 14 out of 25 tested positive for drugs.

FOX actually reports news? Great! When did they start doing that? Whenever I look at FOX, what I'm seeing isn't what I would call news, that's for sure. The sainted Mr. O'Reilly somehow comes to mind . . . Yes, RichLB. Look bar used to be called Y2K. Only the name has changed.

Lately several parking regulations changed at various places. At both the Big-C and Lotus stores on Sukhumvit, if you were in a car for years they handed out parking cards upon arrival and you had to give it back to a security guard when you were leaving. Now both stores have stopped handing out anything. Royal Garden Plaza has always charged to park, as far as I recall. At The Avenue, where Villa Market is, there are parking charges unless you purchase something and get your parking ticket validated. I forget the time limit before they start charging even with the validated ticket. The Big-C in North Pattaya used to be free. Now they charge even if you make a purchase. The first 20 minutes is free. The Lotus on North Road (Pattaya Nua) still hands out parking cards (at least they did last time I was there), but there is no parking fee. The car park at Dongtan Beach used to charge 20 baht. Now it's 30 baht. I don't drive a motorcycle, but I know they used to charge 5 baht for motorcycles. I think someone told me that now it's 10 baht. Friendship Market charges to park unless you buy something. I got out of it once, though, when I went in to buy something, but they didn't have whatever it was in stock. The security guard tried to charge me, but when I explained that the store didn't have what I was looking for he let me leave without charging me. Oh well, '5-Baht Mary' and '10-Baht Tui' still charge the same fees at the beach if you have to make a tinkle . . . Fortunately one bit of modern technology that hasn't appeared yet, and I hope never does, is parking meters.

I don't think there is a new rule. The article doesn't say that the dancers were of an illegal age. It simply says that 14 of them were younger than 20. That is not illegal. I don't know why the article was written that way. It is misleading. Also, did you notice that the article also still calls the bar Y2K? How long has it been since the bar was renamed to 'Look'? A couple years now? Whoever wrote the article, he's no Walter Cronkite.

Note: Since there is an ongoing debate on another thread about venues being named, I want to point out that if it has been reported in the media, now naming the venue is fair game. That is consistent with what I have said all along. The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: for photos, see: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000009788 _____ UNDER AGE DANCERS, DRUG USE UNCOVERED IN PATTAYA GAY BAR RAID Pattaya, July 20 [PDN] : On the evening of 19th July 2009, acting on a tip off, Pattaya police raided a gay bar in central Pattaya and found 14 boy dancers under the age of 20, many of whom tested positive for drugs. At 11.00 pm, a police team together with a volunteer team paid an unexpected visit to the Y2K boy club, 273/109, in Soi Sunee plaza or Gay Soi, South Pattaya, following information received that the bar employed underage dancers and that drugs were being used on the premises. When the police arrived, they were greeted by the sight of 25 boys, wearing only underpants, dancing on the floor. Many tourists were drinking and enjoying watching the boys. Police showed their ID and switched the music off. 14 of the dancers tested positive for drugs. Initially, police arrested Mr. Suwirat Praditkai [21], the club manager, who told police that the owner was Mr. Burin Katthong [47], residing at 120, Moo. 2, Mae Sarieng, Mae Hong Son. The owner was not on the premises at the time of the raid. All the boys and the manager then were taken to the police station for further investigation and processing. ______________ Another Note: Often the question comes up as to what happens to farang who are in these bars at the time of a raid. The answer is nothing happens to them, other than being told to leave. Simply being present in the bar is not illegal. You are only in trouble if you are caught engaging in sex with an under-age boy. Notice that the article does not say that any farang customers were arrested.

Father Karras: I think it would be helpful if I gave you some background on the different personalities Regan has manifested. So far I'd say there seems to be three. Father Merrin: There is only one. - The Exorcist

I hope they never have to find out the hard way that they should have. I've already said my piece about the rest of your latest post. However since you ask me to "speak to that," I'll respond to that portion of your post. I have no idea what you mean by a second income. Yes, I do quite a bit of work for this web site, some local businesses, and people who request my help. I do not charge for it and never have charged for it. I receive no money at all for any of it, including the work I do for this web site. All of these things that I do, I do because I enjoy it, including moderating this message board. If you truly believe I'm paid for it, then you're dead wrong. If you are going to try to say that I do get paid for it, fine. Now prove it. What was that you said about admitting when you're wrong? You're wrong about this. Are you going to admit it?

Not quite yet. I've said my piece, but to be fair I think others should get a chance to say theirs, if they wish, before we close off the thread. For those who do wish to get in their say, it seems that some are getting quite upset about this, so please remember that personal attacks are also verboten. Discuss the issue or vent your spleen about terrible ol' me if you wish, but leave personal attacks out of it.