TotallyOz

Moving on after a break up is often painful and sad. My long time boyfriend and I have had a falling out. It was over nothing major but it was a very hard thing to do. What I always do when this happens is to give the BF space and distance (and a nice chunk of change). I am in Bangkok so that he is able to settle back into his life without me. I not only lost the number 1 but also the number 2,3 and 4. Damm it was just a really bad week all around. I need a group hug. Well, OK, I did get one tonight in Bangkok but the doormen were hugging too hard and as they hugged, they tried to maneuver my ass into their perspective bars. What do you find is the easiest way for you and for him to move on and yet still be friends? I have yet to have a Thai boyfriend that I did not remain friends with long after the breakup. Is this common or unusual? I find that for me once I care for someone, I never stop caring. I am also able to move on pretty fast as I know what the relationship was build on. I did love my number 1 as we had a very long history together and while I can't rule out a return visit, I think it is best for him, and me, to move on in separate directions.

I hope all of you that celebrate the holiday had a wonderful time. I had one of the most amazing feasts imaginable. It was simply divine. Living part of the year in Thailand, I find I miss some of the holidays. I miss NYC and Halloween the most. I would have said I miss Thanksgiving second but this year the meal was just like my family has and it was a true joy. My favorite part of the meal is the Sweet Potato and Pecan mix. What is yours?

They must get together and talk about what to say to falangs. I took 3 taxis today. 2 our of the 3 all told me how sorry they were the city was dead. They also proceeded to tell me how they only made 100 bath the whole day and business was dead for them. When I got into a taxi outside of Soi Twilight, the taxi did not ask for 100 baht but simply turned the meter on and went to my hotel. Nice to see that happened. I am sure the lack of foreigners coming to the airports is really killing the business in Bangkok. A friend had to fly into Phuket today and take a taxi to Bangkok. Cost 12,000 baht. I guess some lose and some win. I just hope I don't get the 100 baht story all day tomorrow. I am planning a trip to Chiang Mai and consulted a taxi as to the cost as well. It will be around the same to go to Chiang Mai. About 12-14000 baht. I hope the airports open up soon!

I went to Screwboy tonight. There were some boys there but very very very few hotties. One guy was adorable but the rest were average to mild. I remember when this place was packed with boys and they were the most aggressive boys in the area. This time around they just sit and smiled and then their attention went elsewhere. We were the only customers in there for a while when we arrived. The one hottie, I may have to wander back over tomorrow to see him and chat with him. Both me and my friend thought he was sexy. Screwboys is the first place I visited in Thailand where I actually got screwed over. That was 5 or so years ago and I haven't forgotten it but that is another story. It is nice to see them open again and I hope they keep busy.

I went to Boys Bangkok tonight. It was a bit odd as there was No boys on stage and we were told the boys would be down from Dream Boy. They did come down after about 15 minutes. I was told about 100 boys as it was a sight to see. I didn't see it. I looked at the boys and it was a slim selection. Not too many boys and very few true superstars. However, there were some really sexy guys there and I enjoyed the dancing. However, it was nothing like the Dream Boys of the past. When I went before, the stage was crawling with guys. This didn't happen now. I did see the seats were also only half full. When I went to Dream Boys in the past, I often could not get a seat. I wonder if this has to do with the 250 price for drinks? Or, are too many boys leaving as there are few customers? The music was LOUD and the bass moved my seat. It was a techo beat for quite a bit. The bars themselves are VERY well done and clean and professionally run. I went to X boys before this and for the price they were charging for drinks they should not have all the sofas with rips and tears in them. Dream Boys and Boys Bangkok are nicely decorated and comfortable for me. Some of the other bars are not. Did I just go on a slow night? Or, is this now typical of the scene here?

I am currently in Thailand but not trapped. I have friends that were coming here from KL and they are stuck and have to fly to Phuket and then drive to Bangkok about 10 hours away. It is nuts. The streets in Bangkok are crazy and the protests make no sense. The PAD are destroying the country. Who wants to travel here when they take over all the airports? The PAD wants to overthrow the government again and to then be allowed to appoint Parliament. I will be here for Xmas but not in luxury. I am taking a bike trip from Chiang Mai to Phuket. Wish me luck. PS. I hope your health improves quickly. I know the boys here would love to see you over the holidays.

The Airports of Thailand has decided to close the Suvarnabhumi airport after PAD protesters entered passenger terminals. Now, there will not be out-bound flights. In-bound planes are being allowed to land for now, but can be diverted to key provincial airports if situations deteriorated. The order was issued by AOT chief Serirat Prasutanont. He made the decision after PAD protesters penetrated some passenger areas. The People's Alliance for Democracy threatened earlier Tuesday night to close down the Suvanabhumi Airport completely after several thousand PAD protesteers blocked an entrance earlier in the day and caused turmoil for numerous passengers. As PAD protesters moved to surround Suvarnabhumi Airport where the plane carrying Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was scheduled to land, the arrival of his plane from Peru was reportedly delayed due to technical problems. The estimated time of arrival has not been confirmed. Some sources said he could be arriving Wednesday evening. "We have tried to pressure the govฌernment for more than 50 hours but nothing has happened, so we need to step up our campaign by closing the airport to tell the world problems Thailand is facing," said PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul at Government House Tuesday night. Before the closure order, the Airports of Thailand was Tuesday night mobilizing its officials to Suvarnabhumi to make sure no key operations will be disrupted. Travellers still can access the terminals through Bang Na -Trad highway, but the motory-way entrance has been crowded with protesters. Many travellers have already suffered inconvenience. AOT has also issued a statement pleading with the PAD. Somchai's plane failed to take off from Lima, Peru where he attended the APEC summit after the hydraulic lock of the plane's wheels failed to unlock. The technical repair was first expected to make Somchai's flight eight hours behind the schedule, making Somchai's arrival time to be around 7 pm. It was later reported that the repair work would be finished sooner so Somchai would arrive at 5pm. Somchai was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok at around noon on Wednesday. He is now expected to arrive at 7pm instead. The Public Relations Department said its reporter, Saksit Pradabsilp, reported from Peru that a hydraulic lock of the plane's wheel would not unlock, thus, preventing the plane from taking off. While PAD Tuesday split in groups and stage a rally to block a Cabinet meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul, as caretaker prime minister, still manฌaged to have a meeting with Interior Minister Kowit Watana and PM's Office Minister Supon Fongngam at the Public Relations Department headquarters at 9.30 am. Police and military representatives also attendฌed the meeting. Chaovarat said after the meeting that the police had assured they could handle the situation. They would be patient and would not use violence. Moreover, they would ask PAD to vacate the government's temporary office at Don Mueang Airport but would not "seize/ take back" the office, otherwise, bloodshed could erupt. Chaovarat said he would leave it to Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to talk to the PAD leaders himself. They were looking for a new place to hold the Cabinet meeting when the PAD blocked the Supreme Command headquarters, he said. Meanwhile, a source who joined the meeting and asked not to be named, said police had told Chaovarat they would be able to control the situation as PAD protesters mainly demonstrated at Government House and Don Mueang Airport. Being left to rally as they wanted, demonstrators are likely to be exhausted on Wednesday with half of them likely to leave the rally. Security agencies would then wait until only a few protesters were left before taking action, the source said. Somchai's delayed arrival could be the reason for the cancellation of the scheduled Cabinet meeting, the source said. Culture Minister Worawat Uaapinyakul said PAD should care more about the country and stop besieging government agencies' offices as it would hurt the country. PAD's attempt was just power struggle, he said. "The (PAD's) behaviours are like bandits'. They are unacceptable. Why don't they respect democracy or listen to people's voice? Investors are withฌdrawing nowadays as they don't know what is happening in Thailand," Worawat said. The government has been forced not to use its power, Worawat said. However, it would continue working according to the democratic system. However, it would have to discuss where its office would be. He said the Cabinet would be able to use many other places as its office. However, the military should protect its dignity by not allowing PAD to siege government offices. Worawat said he would propose to Somchai to set up an office in Chiangmai as the people there would welcome the government. A government source, who asked not to be named, said the Secretariat of the Prime Minister had not prepared any office to replace the Don Mueang Airport as it needed to discuss the issue with the premier first. The source said it was time the prime minister exercised the law against the PAD. Otherwise, PAD would lay siege to any government offices. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/11/25...es_30089423.php

I miss Kay at B and N and have not found a suitable replacement until today. I wen to B and N and they had a great selection of guys. I choose Peter, a 24 year old friend of Kay. He was from Chiang Mai and very handsome. He had a toned body and a nice smile. He is everything Kay was. He is also an amazing massage. I can't wait to see him again!

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Anti-government protesters in Thailand say an explosive was hurled overnight at their sit-in outside the prime minister's office, killing one and wounding 23. One of the protest leaders, Amorn Amornratamanon, says the blast occurred shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday (2000 GMT Wednesday). He says the explosive was thrown inside the main gate of the Government House compound, which protesters have occupied since August. Government officials have not worked at the compound since the protest began. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/...t.ap/index.html

I spent a few days in Singapore and homosexuality there is illegal. I did meet many gays but I find it horrible they can be classified as at risk for being arrested just for having sex with another man. It does remind me of the deep south many years ago. I grew up and didn't "come out" until I was 27. I didn't share my "secret" with anyone. Perhaps if I had visited Thailand and the acceptance it has with gays and ladyboys I would have came out much earlier. I still have some friends in the states that are not out to family and friends. Are you? Are you out only in LOS? Or, everywhere? As some say I am slightly flamboyant and not sure how anyone cannot tell I am gay so I have not choice but to be out to all. Even if I did, I lied for 27 years and that was enough for me.

I have been on the market for a nice compact digital camera for a bit and they were all just too expensive in Thailand so I waited until I got to Singapore where the prices were a little better but I was guaranteed a legit cam with full warranty. I did a bit of research on the type I was looking and read a few reviews and finally bought the Sony T700. The camera is easy to operate, has a built in 4G of Member plus it came with a 4G memory chip. I purchased an additional 16G card for the camera and another battery. The screen on the back of the camera is amazing and huge. It is so perfectly gorgeous to look at. I have only been playing with it a couple of days so I have not gotten to all the features but what I have seen so far I have really enjoyed. If you are looking for a high end camera take a look at this one. https://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores...8&langId=-1

The unwanted horses seemed destined for death. The wheels had been set in motion to put down about 2,000 healthy mustangs, those in a federally maintained herd of wild horses and burros that no one wanted to adopt. The Bureau of Land Management knew that euthanasia was a legal alternative, but officials were proceeding slowly, afraid of an intense public outcry. The wild horses had become too expensive to maintain, and cattlemen argued that turning them loose would be a drain on the already scarce grazing lands of the West. Then yesterday, at a public hearing in Reno, Nev., to discuss the issue, a solution arrived on a white horse, so to speak. Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, made known her intentions to adopt not just the doomed wild horses but most or all of the 30,000 horses and burros kept in federal holding pens. Lifelong animal lovers, the Pickenses just a few years ago led the fight to close the last horse slaughterhouse in the United States. Madeleine Pickens is looking for land in the West that would be an appropriate home for the horses. She is working with the BLM staff to adopt the horses, said Henri Bisson, the bureau's deputy director, while the agency persuades Congress to shift $20 million in funding to feed and protect the horses now in captivity for another year. As backup to Pickens's offer, he said, two other groups, both animal rescue organizations, have expressed similar interest in adoption. "We are very hopeful that euthanasia won't be necessary this year," he said. The news that Pickens and others intend to adopt the wild horses and burros was celebrated by animal rights groups, several of which were preparing legal challenges to prevent the government from putting the horses to death. "Of course, I'm thrilled, obviously, that these horses are getting a reprieve," said Shelley Sawhook, president of the American Horse Defense Fund. "At the same time, we need to address the basic issue of how these animals got in this position in the first place." Bisson said policymakers have to resolve the conflict between a law that permits euthanasia and a nation that is opposed to it. "This is a situation where we have to have a conversation about what the law requires," he said. "We're hearing from members of Congress they don't think euthanasia is an appropriate solution, but the law says, 'You shall.' " If people don't like what the law says, they need to address it. We hope we will find homes for all of these animals before the year is out and Congress will decide what it wants to do about the law." Long an American icon and inspiration for song and story, the wild horse has special protection under a 1971 law. The federal statute calls wild horses "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" that should be "protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death." But the same law also requires the government to achieve "appropriate management levels" of roaming horses so they don't overwhelm federal lands -- and that's the part that has been vexing for bureau officials. About 33,000 horses still roam wild on federal lands in 10 Western states. About half of those are in Nevada. The federal agency believes the range can accommodate only about 27,000 horses, and each year government-hired cowboys round up 7,000 to 13,000 horses and take them to holding pens in several states. Right now, there are just over 30,000 horses in holding facilities awaiting adoption. Those 10 or older or those who have not been adopted after three tries can be sold without restriction under 2004 legislation. For the rest of the story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...ml?hpid=topnews

In Singapore for holiday and having a good time. I did a fun thing today. I had a foot massage. But, it was no ordinary foot massage, it was one given to me by fish. Yep, that's right, Fish. I love a foot massage sitting on the beach in Jomtien and relaxing. I just love it. Having seen signs on a Singapore taxi about a fish spa, I decided to give it a try. They clean your feet and you put them into a tank of water for 30 minutes while the fish suck and nibble the dry skin off your of feet and legs. They say it is a very natural way to exfoliate. LOL It was entertaining as I went with a lady I met at my hotel and we were chatting and we both decided we wanted to try it. Her husband was here on business and her days were free so she became my shopping buddy for a few days. I have had a blast with her as she loves to shop and is one of those women you see on Sex in the City with a very open mind and always pointing out the cute guys for me. Anyway, perhaps this is a new business for the BF? Do you think this is a good gimmick? I did enjoy it and my feet have never felt cleaner. It was ticklish at first but after a few seconds we just sat back, relaxed and drank some hot tea. We started in the tank with the smallest fish and then moved to the one with larger more aggressive fish. It was absolutely amazing how the fish were all over the tank until we stuck our feet in and they then IMMEDIATELY swam to us and started their respective jobs. Here are a few pics with my new camera. I needed a compact camera for a trip next month so I bought the new Sony t700. It is small, compact and takes 10.1 MP. Sorry if the images are not great but it was my first with the new camera.

I love Hillary. I fought for her to win the nomination and was one of the very disgruntled voters who was pissed she was not given VP. Now, there is talk of her taking a job in the Obama administration. What do you think she will do?

Going to Singapore for a holiday. What is there that I need to see, do? Where I meet the guys?

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is reported to have divorced his wife Khunying Potjaman, in a move that has shocked many of the couple's friends and colleagues. Thaksin told People Power party (PPP) MPs at a dinner in Hong Kong last night that his 32-year marriage had ended. "We divorced in order to make everybody feel comfortable," a PPP MP, who was at the dinner, quoted Thaksin as saying. The divorce was sealed at 11.00am yesterday at the Thai consulate in Hong Kong, the source said. Thaksin's announcement shocked everyone at the table which became suddenly silent, said the MP, who declined to be named. Khunying Potjaman was not at the dinner, he added. A high-ranking government source confirmed the couple had signed the divorce papers at the Thai consulate in Hong Kong. The divorce took place less than a month after the Supreme Court sentenced Thaksin to two years in jail and acquitted Khunying Potjaman over conflict of interest charges in the Ratchadiphisek land deal case. The prison sentence is alleged to have prompted the UK to cancel entry visas for Thaksin and his wife. A political observer said the divorce could be legally motivated to protect the couple's assets, which are mostly held in the name of Khunying Potjaman. The National Anti-Corruption Commission revealed last year that Thaksin officially declared assets worth 614.39 million baht when he took office, while Khunying Potjaman had 8.48 billion baht. Thaksin and Khunying Potjaman married in 1976 and have three children. The family often appeared in public together, even after Thaksin was ousted in a coup and went into self-exile in London before his and Khunying Potjaman's visas were revoked. During his controversial phone-in speech to supporters at Rajamangala stadium on Nov 1, Thaksin lamented that his family had been torn apart after the Sept 19 coup. Thaksin reportedly flew to Dubai last night after the dinner with the PPP MPs, who went to Hong Kong to meet Thaksin, who arrived from Beijing on Tuesday. The group included Yaowapa Wongsawat, his younger sister and wife of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, her close aide Yongyuth Tiyapairat and former Thai Rak Thai executive Newin Chidchob. Veera Musikhapong and Chatuporn Promphan, hosts of the Kwam Jing Wan Nee (Truth Today), were also seen in Hong Kong yesterday. A PPP source said the former prime minister chose Dubai because the UAE has no extradition treaty with Thailand. The source said Thaksin told his associates he would use "all means" to fight his political enemies, whom he blamed for his political downfall and the two-year jail sentence imposed by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions. Thaksin blamed a group of "privileged elites" including retired army generals, said the source. http://bangkokpost.com/151108_News/15Nov2008_news02.php

By The Nation An explosion occurred at a Bangkok intersection where vendors of the Klong Toey Market were rallying, injuring 13 of them, two severely. Police quoted witness as saying a bag was dropped from the flyover over the Ratchada-Rama IV Intersection, causing the explosion at 1 am Friday. Bomb disposal officers have yet to determine the type of the bomb. Some 1,000 vendors have been staging a protest at the intersection since Tuesday afternoon against the Port Authority of Thailand and Legal Co. The vendors protested against what they claimed to be unfair treatment against vendors at the Klong Toey market. The injured protesters were rushed to the Kluay Nam Thai and Chulalongkorn hospitals. Two of them were severely injured. They are Yakob Lohmoh, 51, and Penthiwawan Kaewsuk, 37. Sujittra Damrongsiri, 52, a protester, said she saw a man on a motorcycle dropped a plastic bag onto the tent where the protesters were resting and an explosion occurred shortly. Pol Lt Col Prapassorn Chartprom, deputy commander of the Tha Rua police station, quoted witnesses as saying that the bag did not explode immediately but it exploded about five seconds after it landed on the tent's roof. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/11/13...al_30088331.php

Here are a few photos from the beach. Most of them my boyfriend took for me. Some of the guys I don't know as he went around snapping left and right and came back with over 300 photos of just fireworks. I guess that shows what he really likes about the night. I hope you enjoy!

The owner of Villa Rouge is having his birthday party this year on Nov 20th. They will have a big buffett, birthday cake and a lucky draw. They will also have a special show. I have been to this owner's party before and he really knows how to throw a party!

WHEN the Netherlands legalized brothels eight years ago, the mood was upbeat. Politicians thought they were well on the way to solving one of the world’s perpetual policy dilemmas: how to stop all the bad things that are associated with the sex trade (coercion, violence, infectious diseases) while putting a proper, and realistic, limit to the role of the state. The Dutch were hoping that links between prostitution and multiple forms of crime, from money laundering to smuggling, could finally be severed. Ultimately, they believed, the buying and selling of sexual services would become a freely undertaken transaction, in which the state would only be involved as a regulator and tax-collector. The police could then concentrate on criminals, instead of harassing people engaged in exchanges that were nobody’s business but their own. While the Dutch experiment was beginning, another European country was trying out a different approach. From 1999 onwards, Sweden began penalising people who patronise prostitutes (through fines, jail terms of up to six months, and “naming and shaming”), while treating people who sell their bodies as victims. All over the world—especially in rich democracies—policymakers have been watching the two places to see which philosophy works best. In reality, neither is a silver bullet; neither country has found a perfect way of shielding prostitutes from exploitation and violence, while avoiding a nanny-state. So the arguments rage on, from liberal New Zealand to San Francisco, where people will vote on November 4th on virtually decriminalising the sex trade. In Amsterdam—where the spectacle of half-naked women pouting behind shopfront windows is a city trademark—the link between prostitution and organised crime has proved durable. Efforts to break it have been a “complete failure”, says Lodewijk Asscher, a deputy mayor who has led the city hall’s effort to buy up and transform much of the red-light district. Fresh arguments in favour of his campaign emerged from a report published in July by Dutch police and prosecutors. It drew heavily on the case of three Turkish-German vice barons who were sentenced recently to long prison terms for running a ring of 120 prostitutes in three Dutch cities. Their operation included many of the ghastly practices that the liberal law was supposed to stamp out. Saddled with fictitious debts, the women under the barons’ control were made to take 20 clients a day, subjected to forcible breast enlargements and tattooed with the names of their “owners”. Such exploitation is not exceptional: the policemen who patrol Amsterdam’s red-light district reckon that more than half the ladies posing in windows are there against their will. All that helps to explain why the Swedish experience is finding imitators in several countries—including England and Wales where people will soon be liable to prosecution for “paying for sex with someone forced into prostitution…or controlled for another’s gain”. It is also becoming easier for English and Welsh police to prosecute people (either pedestrians or motorists) who solicit sex on the street. In Scotland, kerb-crawling was banned a year ago. The British moves were made after studying the Dutch and Swedish experience. But what is really happening in Sweden? The policy of penalising clients or “johns” enjoys widespread consent. It was introduced by a centre-left administration, despite opposition from the centre-right. Now it is accepted by all Sweden’s main parties. The authorities say the number of streetwalking prostitutes fell about by 40% during the first four years of the new regime. Swedish politicians say they have made their country a bad destination for traffickers. But a sceptic might retort that by driving prostitution away from Sweden, the authorities have simply exported it, sending sex-hungry Swedes to nearby countries or else to Thailand. It’s dark underground Moreover, a sex-workers’ association in Sweden says the law makes life dangerous for those who ply their trade secretly. A life of dodging between apartments and exchanging furtive texts can leave women more reliant on pimps. Another argument is that fear of prosecution reduces the chances that clients will report the exploitation of under-age girls or boys. Some drawbacks of doing things the Swedish way have been noted in more established quarters. A report by Norway’s justice ministry, in 2004, cited evidence of an “increased fear of attack” among Swedish prostitutes, who found it harder to assess their clients because transactions had to be agreed hastily or on the telephone. But for Norway, it seems, these considerations have been trumped by others, including a sense that prostitution is getting out of control after an influx from Africa, South America and eastern Europe. The Norwegian parliament is on the verge of mandating Swedish-style penalties for buying sex. In a similar spirit, Italy’s cabinet has agreed to outlaw prostitution in public and make penalties harsher. In Europe, then, things are moving towards tighter regulation—in part because many of the continent’s richer countries feel inundated by a wave of newcomers to the trade, some of whom are trafficked. But there are other places where more liberal voices seem to be gaining the upper hand. In the United States, trading in sex is a misdemeanour, at least, almost everywhere, with the exceptions of Rhode Island (where it can take place only indoors, but not in brothels); and, most famously and brashly, in parts of Nevada. So if residents of San Francisco vote for “Proposition K”—which would bar police from taking action against sex workers—it will be a landmark in American history. Supporters of the change (including sex-workers’ unions) say it will transform the role of the police. Instead of pointlessly arresting prostitutes, the police can help them stay healthy and protect them from violence. Advocates of a “no” vote say that if the hands of the police are tied, they will be unable to deal even with obvious cases of abuse. Some say the Dutch experience has made nonsense of the case for liberalisation. Others say Proposition K could lead to a worse situation than the Netherlands’: a free-for-all without the Dutch level of regulation and social security. But for liberals in search of success stories, New Zealand appears to provide more promising evidence. In 2003, that country decriminalised the sex trade with a boldness that exceeded that of the Dutch. Sex workers were allowed to ply their trade more or less freely, either at home, in brothels or on the street. A study published by the government in May, measuring the impact of the new law, was encouraging. More than 60% of prostitutes felt they had more power to refuse clients than they did before. The report reckoned that only about 1% of women in the business were under the legal age of 18. And only 4% said they had been pressured into working by someone else. The report also acknowledges one distinct advantage enjoyed by New Zealand. Although some illegal immigrants are engaged in the sex trade, the country’s isolation and robust legal system make it relatively free from the problem of trafficking, at least by European standards. But there is also a big difference between the policy of New Zealand and that of other places where prostitution is legal. In the Netherlands and Nevada, the business is confined to brothels, which are usually run by businessmen rather than the sex workers themselves. Clearly, the brothel-masters’ status as the sole legal providers of commercial sex enhances their grip on the women who work for them. In New Zealand, prostitutes can fend for themselves. As well as letting them keep all their earnings, this independence gives them freedom to reject nasty clients and unsafe practices. “They feel better protected by the law and much more able to stand up to clients and pushy brothel operators,” says Catherine Healy, head of the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective. Unsurprisingly, the New Zealand system’s critics include brothel owners, both in that country and elsewhere. Going with a girl outside a licensed establishment is like “Russian roulette”, says the website of the Chicken Ranch, a brothel that serves the Las Vegas crowd. In New Zealand, one brothel keeper fumes that the earnings of independent sex workers are “tax-free money, which is not benefiting the Inland Revenue Department”. What about other interested parties—such as respectable Kiwis who resent kerb-crawlers? According to polls, people are sure the number of prostitutes has risen—although the government says this is not true. Auckland city council is trying to allay public concerns by restricting brothels to commercial and industrial areas. Something similar happens in Nevada, where only the smaller counties may host brothels, and they are kept away from town centres. (Such curbs have some bad effects; prostitutes say they are stranded in the desert, totally reliant on brothel owners.) In any case, one unusual investigation concluded that from the prostitutes’ point of view, the New Zealand system was the fairest. A pair of British grandmothers from the Women’s Institute—a homely club that is more often associated with cooking tips—made a tour of brothels in the Netherlands, America and the Antipodes: their aim was to find which system was best for the women who worked in the business. Their top marks went to a discreet house in a suburb of Wellington—classed in New Zealand as a “small owner-operated brothel”—where two women offered their services from Mondays to Fridays. “Just like a regular job,” one of the grannies noted. http://www.economist.com/world/internation...ory_id=12516582

I wonder how, if at all, this will affect Craig's List business. I know that was the only section I went there to view.

I have not seen it but will be looking for it. Thanks for the suggestion as I had not even heard of it.

Keith Oberman speaks out. Finally tonight as promised, a Special Comment on the passage, last week, of Proposition Eight in California, which rescinded the right of same-sex couples to marry, and tilted the balance on this issue, from coast to coast. Some parameters, as preface. This isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics, and this isn't really just about Prop-8. And I don't have a personal investment in this: I'm not gay, I had to strain to think of one member of even my very extended family who is, I have no personal stories of close friends or colleagues fighting the prejudice that still pervades their lives. And yet to me this vote is horrible. Horrible. Because this isn't about yelling, and this isn't about politics. This is about the... human heart, and if that sounds corny, so be it. If you voted for this Proposition or support those who did or the sentiment they expressed, I have some questions, because, truly, I do not... understand. Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don't want to deny you yours. They don't want to take anything away from you. They want what you want -- a chance to be a little less alone in the world. Only now you are saying to them -- no. You can't have it on these terms. Maybe something similar. If they behave. If they don't cause too much trouble. You'll even give them all the same legal rights -- even as you're taking away the legal right, which they already had. A world around them, still anchored in love and marriage, and you are saying, no, you can't marry. What if somebody passed a law that said you couldn't marry? I keep hearing this term "re-defining" marriage. If this country hadn't re-defined marriage, black people still couldn't marry white people. Sixteen states had laws on the books which made that illegal... in 1967. 1967. The parents of the President-Elect of the United States couldn't have married in nearly one third of the states of the country their son grew up to lead. But it's worse than that. If this country had not "re-defined" marriage, some black people still couldn't marry...black people. It is one of the most overlooked and cruelest parts of our sad story of slavery. Marriages were not legally recognized, if the people were slaves. Since slaves were property, they could not legally be husband and wife, or mother and child. Their marriage vows were different: not "Until Death, Do You Part," but "Until Death or Distance, Do You Part." Marriages among slaves were not legally recognized. You know, just like marriages today in California are not legally recognized, if the people are... gay. And uncountable in our history are the number of men and women, forced by society into marrying the opposite sex, in sham marriages, or marriages of convenience, or just marriages of not knowing -- centuries of men and women who have lived their lives in shame and unhappiness, and who have, through a lie to themselves or others, broken countless other lives, of spouses and children... All because we said a man couldn't marry another man, or a woman couldn't marry another woman. The sanctity of marriage. How many marriages like that have there been and how on earth do they increase the "sanctity" of marriage rather than render the term, meaningless? What is this, to you? Nobody is asking you to embrace their expression of love. But don't you, as human beings, have to embrace... that love? The world is barren enough. It is stacked against love, and against hope, and against those very few and precious emotions that enable us to go forward. Your marriage only stands a 50-50 chance of lasting, no matter how much you feel and how hard you work. And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling. With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do? With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate... this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness -- this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness -- share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." --- You are asked now, by your country, and perhaps by your creator, to stand on one side or another. You are asked now to stand, not on a question of politics, not on a question of religion, not on a question of gay or straight. You are asked now to stand, on a question of...love. All you need do is stand, and let the tiny ember of love meet its own fate. You don't have to help it, you don't have it applaud it, you don't have to fight for it. Just don't put it out. Just don't extinguish it. Because while it may at first look like that love is between two people you don't know and you don't understand and maybe you don't even want to know...It is, in fact, the ember of your love, for your fellow **person... Just because this is the only world we have. And the other guy counts, too. This is the second time in ten days I find myself concluding by turning to, of all things, the closing plea for mercy by Clarence Darrow in a murder trial. But what he said, fits what is really at the heart of this: "I was reading last night of the aspiration of the old Persian poet, Omar-Khayyam," he told the judge. "It appealed to me as the highest that I can vision. I wish it was in my heart, and I wish it was in the hearts of all: "So I be written in the Book of Love; "I do not care about that Book above. "Erase my name, or write it as you will, "So I be written in the Book of Love." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVUecPhQPqY

BANGKOK — Myanmar’s military leadership continued its crackdown on dissent Tuesday, handing down prison sentences of 65 years each to 14 pro-democracy advocates, according to regional news accounts and reports on a Web site for exiles. The convictions came a day after a blogger was sentenced to 20 years for “creating public alarm,” among other offenses, The Associated Press reported. Tuesday’s sentences were delivered by judges operating within the compound of Insein prison, which holds many of the country’s estimated 2,000 political prisoners. Family members spoke to news agency reporters in Yangon, the country’s largest city, and said that they and defense lawyers were not allowed into the courtroom. The Irrawaddy Web site, which is based in neighboring Thailand, listed the names of 14 advocates it said were sentenced to the 65-year terms. Some of the advocates were reported to be veterans of 1988 pro-democracy uprising that nearly succeeded in toppling the country’s military leaders. The advocates were arrested in August 2007 in the early stages of protests that swelled later in the year into mass demonstrations led by monks that were violently put down. Relatives of the advocates said they were convicted under a wide range of laws like the Foreign Exchange Act, which bans Burmese from holding foreign currency without permission. Other laws reportedly used were the Video Act and Electronics Act, which require Burmese to hold permits for various types of ordinary electronic equipment. One of the best-known examples of the use of these laws was the sentencing in 1996 of James Nichols, an honorary consul for Norway, to three years for possession of a fax machine without a permit in his Yangon home. He died in detention, several months after his conviction in April 1996. Analysts say the real reason for the conviction appeared to be his friendship with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy leader who is under house arrest. Punishments for dissidents have become much harsher in recent years, according to Win Min, an expert on Burmese politics at Chiang Mai University in northern Thailand. A decade ago a sentence of 20 years was considered very unusual, Mr. Win Min said. The 65-year sentences handed down Tuesday are in effect life terms, Mr. Win Min said. “They rule the country by fear and this was a way to give the young generation fear,” Mr. Win Min said of the junta. “By giving out long sentences the new generation will be discouraged from protesting.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/world/as...amp;oref=slogin