Gaybutton

I don't think they would stop him even if they could. My guess is they feel that Thaksin has so much support that the reaction to stopping him would be violent and they would find themselves having to deal with rioting and bloodshed. I think they probably feel that suppression of the call-ins, etc, would do them more harm than good. Convicted felon or not, Thailand seems to be split right down the middle on the Thaksin issue, and plenty on each side are willing to resort to violence to if they have to. Obviously, Thaksin has no intention of giving up his quest to return to Thailand and possibly becoming a dictator if he can. I hope the issue doesn't escalate into a civil war, but I can envision that happening in the end. I hope it doesn't come to that, but one way or another, sooner or later, I think it's all going to come to a head. I don't foresee Thaksin and the issues surrounding him eventually just fading away. I think something is going to happen, but just what, when, and how far it will go is anybody's guess.

Ohhhhh, I'm sorry. I thought you liked me. Ok, I won't do it again . . . (But you were so sexy, I just couldn't control myself)

What's wrong with doing both?

If it makes you feel any better, it wasn't a cockroach. It was a water bug. (Somehow I doubt that little fact helps very much)

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Army Determined to Prevent Bloodshed and a Coup December 29, 2009 As the political turbulence bubbles with the red shirts' threat to oust the government, Army chief General Anupong Paochinda has stepped in to pour cold water on the rival camps. While Anupong's remarks appeared to be the usual pledge not to stage a coup, he did make a significant point by saying "I am confident there will be no coup because I will not allow the situation to reach that point [to warrant military intervention]". Thailand has experienced a number of military interventions. Before each coup in the past, top military leaders would echo one another vowing not to grab power. Then soldiers would march out of their barracks to take over the seat of government. Unlike past commanders, Anupong has reinforced his no-coup mantra with a firm commitment to deny himself a pretext to seize power. When General Sonthi Boonyaratglin was the dark horse who became Army chief in 2005, he was a low-key soldier harbouring no political ambitions. But the fractious politics between then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his yellow-shirt opponents swept him into the centre of the power struggle. The 2006 coup took place before a backdrop of unprecedented turmoil. Sonthi might have had good reason to clean the political slate in order to bring about a fresh start. But mistakes were made, often despite the best of intentions. The power seizure did not end animosity but may have deepened it. Key players opted to settle old scores rather than overcome the polarisation. The yellow shirts continue to crusade against what they see as the evils of Thaksin. The former PM has insisted, in turn, on flaunting his popularity even though his leadership brought about social divisions of a kind unseen in Thai history. Thaksin's army of red shirts have fought with no holds barred to pave the way for him to come back. As rival camps gear up for a showdown next year, the military has become a wild card which could either be a stabilising force - or a weight to tip the political equation. Anupong has made it clear he sees his job as a stabiliser. He will neither tolerate politically-motivated violence nor let the situation deteriorate into bloodshed in the streets. Reading his message between the lines, the military will likely apply pre-emptive pressure, in whatever form it takes to do the job short of power seizure, to prevent a repeat of the 2006 coup. Anupong's message is particularly noteworthy when coupled with the New Year remarks by chief royal adviser General Prem Tinsulanonda. Prem reminded the top brass they are duty-bound to ensure His Majesty's happiness. The King said in his birthday speech that his happiness hinges on the prosperity, security and normalcy in the country. In light of the polarisation, normalcy is the operative word in the royal speech. Prem and Anupong envision the military role as a key to rein in political animosity. How the military leaders will go about their job remains a matter for speculation. In the 1980s, the military once successfully played a stabilising role to steer the country out of half-baked democracy. In light of the military determination to safeguard normalcy, Thaksin and allies such as Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Panlop Pinmanee, Weng Tojirakarn and Khattiya Sawasdipol, ought to rethink their strategy to grab power by mobilising the red shirts to drive out the government. The message is loud and clear - fight within the political system. Thaksin, the red shirts, the yellow shirts and parties concerned should have realised by now that almost five years of political conflict have got us nowhere.

It's a little difficult to be sure from your description, but it sounds like you are referring to a Thai dessert, which has several variations, commonly sold at Thai open-air markets. I'm surprised you don't like it. It is coconut based, as so many Thai desserts are, and has a pleasant flavor. Assuming we're talking about the same thing, I like it, although I hardly ever buy any of it.

It doesn't end. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a day come when no carry-on luggage is permitted at all and every passenger has to sit strapped into their seats stark naked for the entire trip, being forbidden to leave their seats at all, and told to use the barf bags if the need arises to use a toilet. Better not have a cup of coffee or a bowl of prunes before a flight. I'm waiting for space shuttle astronauts, just prior to a launch, to be asked if they packed their bags themselves. It doesn't matter what security steps they take and doesn't matter how absurd it all will get. No matter what they do, sooner or later someone seriously trying to be a terrorist and bomb a plane will figure out how to beat the security. This time the passengers were lucky. Apparently the only reason they didn't end up blasted into Hades is because this guy botched the job. Meanwhile, now passengers will be confined to their seats for an hour and a half and apparently won't be allowed to make potty if they have to go. So here it is folks! From now on we're going to stop terrorism by refusing to allow passengers to take a shit and refuse to let them see the real-time map. I don't know about others, but that certainly makes me feel much safer and secure . . . "Nanny babykins should have told daddykins that he had to make pottykins." - Maj. Fincham, 'Von Ryan's Express'

I think the alternative is to provide competent training, employing more security staff, paying them a decent wage, and placing fully trained and equipped sky marshals on every long haul international flight. I would be willing to pay more for my ticket to have real, reliable security. Unless the security staff in Amsterdam was asleep or just not paying much attention, then it seems to me that the security tactics and equipment currently in place don't measure up to the necessity. Beefing up that kind of security doesn't reassure me. I think the reality will be nothing more than beefing up the illusion of better security, but the actual security won't be much better than it already is. Feeling safer doesn't help much if you are not truly significantly safer than you already were.

To my way of thinking, this airport security is more of a farce than anything else. They might as well put The Three Stooges in charge of security. Why should it take extremely long lines and hours to do these checks? I think mainly because typically at airports they have three or four security lines, if even that many, to check hundreds of people at a time, all trying to make their flights. Meanwhile, despite all of that, this nut carries explosives and still manages to board a plane. So, in the usual fashion of shutting the barn door after the horse has left, now they're going to beef up security. Yep, now they're going to beef up security. Isn't that wonderful? Anybody really find that reassuring?

For Mike's in Chiang Mai, I just did a Google search and several reviews came up. Now I know where it is and what the place is all about. Next time I'm in Chiang Mai I'll give it a try. Here's one review: "Mike's (Burger Stand) As good as Thai food is, eating it all the time can get a little boring. So we have the occasional craving for "American" food and our guilty secret places to get it. Mike's, with their slogan of "Converting vegetarians since 1979," is one of our favorite places to get a real hamburger, rather than than one of those overly-processed fast food concoctions. It doesn't stop at hamburgers. If you've got a hankering for a chili cheese onion dog, this is the place to satisfy you. The original stand facing the moat not far from the Amora hotel was joined in August 2006 by a slightly larger branch on Nimanhemin Road. Now, in 2007, there's another branch at the Anusarn Night Bazaar." http://thailandforvisitors.com/north/chiangmai/general/rests.html

For me, it's very hard to say. These boys change bars regularly, so there is a good chance that a bar you enjoyed during one trip may be quite different the next time you're in Thailand. I'm guessing you're talking about go-go bars rather than beer bars. To answer your question, you would need to visit every one of the bars. I don't know how many people do that and, of course, everyone has his own ideas of what is or is not enjoyable. On another thread I've been talking about Euro Boys, which is my current favorite. However, that doesn't mean that a few weeks from now there won't be a new favorite. For a long time Happy Bar was my favorite. Meanwhile, now it's been close to a year since the last time I was even in there. I like Euro Boys because most of the boys there are my type and they all seem to have a lot of fun and enjoy dancing as opposed to the 'one-knee shuffle.' But in my case, after I've been to my favorite enough times I tend to get bored and start checking out other bars. I can much more easily tell you the bars I dislike and don't enjoy. Those are the bars that charge outrageously compared to other bars, where few or even none of the boys are my type, where their idea of a show is lip-synching and drag, where the mama-sans are aggressive and pushy, and where the dancers look and act bored out of their skulls and their dancing consists of that dreaded 'one-knee shuffle.' By the way, I hate the fuck shows. I may be completely alone in that. I usually don't like bar shows of any kind in the first place. I just don't enjoy them. I may be alone in that too. I don't think there are currently any fuck shows in Pattaya, but there are some in Bangkok. I won't stick around for a fuck show and if I know a bar presents that kind of a show I won't go in at all. I also don't care for the bars at which boys dance completely naked or 'whip it out' and start masturbating. Once again, I may also be alone in that. For me, a boy dancing in briefs is much more sexy and stimulating than a boy dancing naked and I don't like watching boys masturbating for an audience. You know, until I wrote this post I didn't realize that I'm such a prude . . .

How about the strangest thing people tried to get me to eat, but I couldn't even look at it, let alone actually eat it. For me there are two. I can't remember what it's called, but there is one dish on which some Thai friends love to chow down. It's roasted, unhatched but fully developed, baby chickens. I don't think I can handle that one, so no thank you very much. The other occurred when a Thai friend who owns a fruit farm near Chiang Mai took me out to his farm. They have a problem with fruit-eating bats and they have nets set up to capture them. Meanwhile, he hires Burmese illegal aliens to work his farm. When he took me to visit his farm they had prepared lunch for us. They had grilled captured fruit bats, heads and all. My friend didn't want to try to eat that any more than I did. I didn't know how we were going to get out of it. We didn't want to insult them, embarrass them, or hurt their feelings. Fortunately he was clever. He told them he wished he had known they were going to make food for us, but we just finished a big lunch on the way out to the farm. Thank God, that got us out of it gracefully.

Mike's in Chiang Mai? That's a new one to me. I've never heard of it. Can you tell us where it is and how much they charge for their hamburger? Is there anything in particular that makes it outstanding as a "better burger?"

Different airlines have different policies. Why not simply call your airline and ask what their restrictions are?

I don't see how you equate the two. Israel is a country, not a religion, and certainly not the only country lobbying to promote its agenda.

This evening I was in Sunee Plaza and passed right by the "hamburger lady." I had never tried her hamburgers before. Tonight I finally gave it a try. She is very personable and she'll make your hamburger any way you like it. She has a good selection of different hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. I tried the hamburger and it was very good, one of the best I've had in Pattaya. She charges 69 baht for it and in my opinion is well worth the price, especially as opposed to another locale that is no longer in existence and had been charging 180 baht for their hamburger. You can eat there at her hamburger stand or she is happy to pack it 'to go' if you prefer.

I disagree with you. Just this evening I was in Euro Boys again, first time since my last post about it. I saw no problem at all about the lighting. It was the same as always and there was a plentiful and diverse selection of boys (don't forget that some may have already been taken off by the time you got there). As for the underwear, they wear different styles on different nights. If you are looking for a more masculine. butch selection of boys, I suggest giving Nice Boys a try. That bar seems to also be quite popular. I did not go there this evening, but I did run into a friend who had just come from Nice Boys. He said the place was packed and he actually had some trouble finding a place to sit. Considering the number of bars that are lucky if they get 15 or 20 customers in a night these days, that tells me something.

I hate to show my ignorance, but until this thread I've never heard of See's Chocolate. I've always like Godiva . . . when I can afford it. How do the two compare? If you like caramel, the greatest has always been Velati's, which you may never have heard of it you don't come from the Washington, D.C - northern Virginia area. I remember Velati's from when I was a kid. Nothing can compare. If any kind soul from that area can ever bring some for me - just the plain caramel is all I want, nothing fancy - I would be most grateful and would be happy to pay for it. http://www.velatis.com

I'll start by mentioning that this film has already won numerous awards and has been nominated for many more. I don't see why you found it depressing. I don't want to reveal anything that might spoil the film for those who have not seen it, but I found it just the opposite. The most I will say is that when someone is living a situation in which there is virtually no chance in life, but that one chance comes along and that someone takes it, win or lose, against all odds, despite all obstacles, that is something I think is very uplifting.

I've seen both 'Avatar' and 'Precious.' The special effects in 'Avatar' amazed me, and I'm hard to amaze. The basic story is not exactly what I would call on par with 'The Lion in Winter' or 'On Golden Pond,' but if you like 3-D and incredible special effects, then I think 'Avatar' is well worth seeing. I thought it was a little too long, though. It runs 2 hours and 40 minutes. I think at least 20 minutes could have been cut without diminishing the movie at all. I thought 'Precious' was excellent, intelligent, thoroughly believable, and every actor was fabulous. I hope this movie is nominated for an academy award. I could easily see the girl nominated for Best Actress and the mother nominated for Best Supporting Actress. In my opinion, 'Precious' is a definite don't miss film, especially if you come from the USA.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Will Drinkers Toast New Liquor Tax? December 24, 2009 Excise tax ceiling to be raised; foreign beers, liquors will be subject to a zero import duty under Afta scheme An executive decree will be issued shortly to raise the excise tax ceiling on alcoholic beverages in preparation for the implementation of the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) on January 1, a source from the Finance Ministry said yesterday. The Cabinet is expected to consider the measure on Tuesday, just before the arrival of 2010 when all imported beer and liquor will be subject to a zero import duty under the Afta scheme. Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij yesterday declined to comment on the planned excise hike. However, official sources say the excise ceiling on beer, for instance, is expected to rise from Bt100 to Bt460 per litre based on alcohol content, while that of distilled white spirits and whisky will rise from Bt120 to Bt400. PREVENTING DUMPING The planned hike should help prevent cheaper foreign-made alcoholic drinks being dumped in the Thai market once liberalisation is in place. "Alcoholic beverages damage consumers' health, so it's necessary to use the excise tax as a measure |to manage consumption. Competition in the alcohol industry should also be curbed because fiercer competition as a result of market liberalisation will lead to more consumption. "In addition, the government should enforce a law banning the advertisement of these products to prevent further damage to public health," said a ministry official, who asked not to be named. Under the Afta scheme, Thailand and other Asean countries will be opening up their domestic markets to boost trade within the 10-country grouping. From January 1, several types of products - including alcohol - will benefit from the zero import tax rate, allowing an influx of cheaper beer and liquor from within the region. At present, Thailand is the largest market for alcoholic beverages in Asean, followed by the Philippines and Vietnam. Sources say Chinese beverage firms with production facilities inside Asean are expected to flood the Thai market with cheap beer and liquor. In addition, some European firms are already using production facilities within Asean to supply low-cost products to the Thai market. If the excise tax ceiling does not get adjusted before Afta is enforced, Thai producers will be hit hard by the dumping of foreign products. Beside beer, competition in the distilled white spirits and whiskey market segments is also expected to be fierce due to the reduction of import duty.

Well, you've got me on that one. I can understand your frustration if you're going to the beach to try to read a book. There are other beaches in Pattaya and Naklua, as I'm sure you know, but they're not gay, as I'm sure you also know.

Some of them can also be quite entertaining. One of my favorites, and a smile comes to just about everyone's face when he's passing by, is Bird, the ice cream vendor. If you've been to the gay Dongtan beach area, I'll bet a smile will come across your face right now, when you realize who he is: "Ice cream, ka." Recognize that? Police, leave these people alone. City, change the regulations.

Considering the bacteria anyone's hands normally come into contact with on a daily basis, in your own home is liquid soap really going to make much of a difference?

I like some of the street stalls every so often, depending on what they sell and if I'm in the mood for it. I don't know the names for most of it and there are plenty of items they sell and I don't have any idea what the hell most of it is, but sometimes I'll try them anyway just to see if it is something I might like. A woman on my street makes the best fried rice I've ever had - 25 baht. There is a place near where I live that makes, among other things, the typical sliced chicken on top of rice. That's benign enough. They also make the sliced pork leg on top of rice. One dish they make that I enjoy is "suki talay," which is a vegetable soup loaded with different vegetables and seafood items - 35 baht. Something that seems to be available only during mornings is "joke." I don't know what's in it. It seems to be a rice based soup with several added items. I like that too. Another soup I like is the fish maw soup. It sounds terrible, but I think it's very good - 30 baht. For farang fast food, people keep telling me that the "hamburger lady" at Sunee Plaza makes both excellent hamburgers and hot dogs, although I have never tried her food. For restaurant fast food, for me there's no question. The Canton House in the new Central Festival. While they serve many other dishes, they specialize in Chinese dim-sum, which I love. 15 baht per selection. Water or tea is 10 baht. They make a won-ton soup that I really like too and it comes in various sizes. You would have to be really hungry to spend more than about 120 baht there. If you want to go out of the way, on Sukhumvit Soi 21, right behind the Toyota dealership, there is a mom-and-pop open air Thai restaurant that is famous among the Thai locals and highly popular. The reason is they make nearly all their food items from scratch. Almost nothing comes out of a bottle. To find it, you turn left from Sukhumvit Highway onto Soi 21 and then make an immediate right. It's just down the block on the left. You can't miss it.