Rogie

Nobody likes to think that money they donate to charity goes to waste, let alone the charity abusing it. If the situation you outline is true, your relative would be within his/her rights to challenge this, but of course if their job depends on kowtowing the line not so easy. I guess that is where whistle-blowers come in...

If that is so that blacking up is now considered to be in poor taste one would presume the five guys in question would know that, also the TV station responsible for screening this show could surely have pulled the plug as soon as this dreadful faux pas became apparent, that is before the act got on stage. It sounds to me like a cynical way to get free publicity. So what, it's on You Tube you say; we've all got better things to do than fall for that one.

From a neutral point of view I have to say Rio has captured my imagination in a way neither Detroit, Madrid or Tokyo would have done. It will be interesting to see how they fare hosting the 2014 World Cup. All eyes will be upon them.

Everybody should come to Thailand at least once and see for themselves. Just because a lot of posters on this forum think Pattaya is the best thing since sliced bread doesn't mean it will appeal to all. What I would encourage you to do Taylorsquare is to go visit somewhere different and report back to us how you got on. Be sure to avoid Jamaica, Iran etc. How about Iceland? This is a country which had a high standard of living until some stupid bankers bankrupted it. Perhaps the local rent boys are also in recession?

Yes, I know I am a goody goody, but one of my pet hates is passengers who 'jump the gun'. Alas I have never seen any of these amber gamblers coming a cropper. In practice, a sharp turn, de- or acceleration may precipitate a sprained ankle or some smudged mascara, hardly reward IMO for their unsporting behaviour.

Is CBP GOES available to non-US citizens, for example regular business travellers might find it really useful.

Surely, assuming it is efficient and done in a pleasant manner, strict security is just what you do want during the Olympics.

That surpriseth me not - the time between the plane landing and actually reaching its hanger and before the seat belt sign goes off can be interminable! Twenty minutes is probably about average, time enough to have worked yourself up into a terminal decline. . .

The vast majority of us have only one set of sex organs, male or female, so for a man to know how a woman experiences sex is asking a lot. The closest you could get to answering your question would be for somebody on this message board to visit the Dominican Republic and report back. How about you!?

Agreed. I am doing exactly that in those 'in between' months of late September and October before I switch the heating on. I close the door to my small study, switch on my anglepoise lamp with its 60watt light bulb and this, together with the heat generated by my desktop PC keeps me nice and cosy whilst I type these words. Regarding alternatives to plastic bags, for the past couple of years I've used one made out of jute. Despite being used regularly to carry several bottles of beer/wine so that it is sometimes 'groaning' under the weight, it shows absolutely no signs of wear at all. http://www.jutexpo.co.uk/

They DO! Ok, they're not actually crossing t's and dotting i's to say "it's the best" but no other place is attracting that kind of comment that I can see! (Sorry, haven't got the hang of the 'multiquote' function yet!)

Thank you Gay Thailand and Fountainhall for the beautiful photos. I had not heard of the Candle Festival. I've now looked it up and see it is a parade held during Khao Phansa, a Buddhist holiday marking the beginning of phansaa, the Rains Retreat (Buddhist Lent) during July. I also read that lent is the traditional time for young men to enter the monkhood for the rainy season and for all monks to base themselves in a monastery for the three months. Any more information keenly sought!

I'd love to know if any members of this board or illuminati of the Pattaya gay fraternity have had their privates' dimensions revealed by Gaybutton or any other 'source'. What's source for the goose is source for the gander so it wouldn't be long before we all knew each other's and then what else is there to talk about. It is just as well for non-Brits to know Englishmen are hated by Welshmen, Irishmen and Scotsmen. We get our own back by calling them 'gits', taffs, micks or worse!

Last time I was in Sunee enjoying a drink in Wan's Place which is more or less immediately opposite, I asked what it was called and was told "Green Bar". I don't know if that's its official name but even if not it seems appropriate.

Thank you for your very considered answer Fountainhall. I had no idea of the level of depravity to which this woman allowed herself to sink. Thank God the Philippines was/is a poor country; just think what she could have 'achieved' had she had the wealth of some western countries. I need not mention the names of certain war criminals that this loathsome woman conjures up in my mind. She is the personification of EVIL.

I am sure you are right, although tourism has not been that much affected apart from the Jaffna peninsula being a no-go area for the past 25 years or so, being the stronghold of the Tamil Tigers. In an ideal world, Sri Lankan politicians, both Singalese and Tamil, would rally round to capitalise on the 'peace dividend', tourist numbers would increase, local living standards would rise, families would have access to full education for their children and the need or temptation to exploit children to cater for the unsavoury needs of certain tourists would diminish. I feel it will take time for a visible adult gay scene to emerge, but the potential is certainly there.

Goa by all accounts is a laid back place where traditionally foreign tourists could go, let their hair down, laze on the beach and if so inclined avail themselves of drugs, although I have no idea if this stereotype of hippy-dom still exists. All I know is I wish I had been there at the time! Same as I wish I'd gone backpacking across India into Afghanistan and onto Thailand, Indonesia, Bali, and Australia when i was a student...the classic hippy trail. As to whether there are short-time rooms, well unless Goa is some kind of cloister, there'll be prostitution of the female variety sure enough, and there will be brothels, some foreigner-friendly and some quite possibly not. However, that's different to picking a young male up and just expecting to find a convenient short-time room for your enjoyment. Maybe there are male brothels, although I doubt if they would be suitable for foreigners, or at least baths where men can congregate. There will almost certainly be massage places where you could be the recipient of the usual 'services'. But all this is guesswork, not ever having been to Goa.

Yes, good point. It also links in somewhat with the Mentally thread in that Xian mentions exercise as a good depression-buster. I know when I exercised regularly, by going jogging in my local park in the morning before I went to work, I usually felt really good afterwards, even though it was a struggle sometimes to 'get going'. So a real stress-buster too and it set me up for the day. After work I would have been too tired (or at least I would have found plenty of excuses along those lines!). If you can go with a friend that's great because you can help and support each other. Even though your Korean flatmate is younger than you doesn't mean he finds it easy either!

It's an occupational necessity that any dick worth his salt has to be cynical and suspicious of everyone and everything.

You said elsewhere you are past 40 Taylorsquare, so from that I take it you are but a spring chicken amongst many of us older ones. That said, the longer you leave it the more difficult it will get. May your new-found resolve not falter.

I used to bother - 3 times a week gym workout + swimming and walking - but eased up now I weigh more and have less energy getting back to a decent level of fitness once you've 'let go' isn't easy, hence the temptation to make excuses about those extra pounds piling on bit by bitter bit If I decide to take action, it will be swimming and walking, rather than jogging or heavy weight-work Diet as dapitt mentions is important, the main threat that I see it is to avoid upsetting your blood sugar / insulin balance at the risk of becoming diabetic. Everyone had their own ideas about diet, what's good and what's bad so a bit of a minefield for those out to give advice. I would stick my neck out and make a gross generalisation that if your weight, or more precisely your BMI, is in the normal range for your age group then, whatever you eat, you are probably better off than somebody who's overweight and watches what they eat. 'Drink' is another matter entirely of course!

I haven't been to Goa, even though I was a hippy back then I wasn't very adventurous! The other city you refer to is better known as Calcutta (at least to me) and is the only place in India, if not the world, where the rickshaw-wallahs run bare-footed (in some cases) through the bustling streets,hassled at every turn by hooting taxis, such is the metropolis of steamy, sweaty humanity. Into this morass you would inject yourself, would you Taylorsquare, but would it really be worth it if all you went for was something you can get in Pattaya?

I'm sure that isn't your idea of paradise Taylorsquare, paying $3 (approx 120 baht) for a poor kid from the slums, but if it is maybe you need a reality check. Where would you go to do it? I doubt any decent hotel would allow it on their premises.

Did the Pattaya Daily News do something to irk these 'scary' Persians, or was it just a random attack? Ah, just remembered - the couple on the beach! I am sure others must have commented on this, but they wouldn't dare incur the wrath of the Supreme Ruler of the Universe 'back home' would they?

Good one better still , omit the zeros, they aren't necessary, hence 999999 it's the best run of 9's until 2099 but nowhere near a good as the years 999 and 9999, 99999999 & 999999999 respectively notice anything interesting about that last number? it has nine 9's - cool