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As most of you probably know, a major volcanic eruption is capable of causing problems thousands of miles away. If the eruption is powerful enough, it can even cause problems worldwide. ____________ Philippines' Mayon Volcano to Explode 'Within Days' (CNN) -- Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes as scientists warn the towering Mayon volcano is about to explode in the Philippines, the country's national news agency reported Monday. More than 9,000 families -- a total of 44,394 people -- are being housed in evacuation camps after authorities Sunday raised the alert status of the country's most active volcano, Albay Province Gov. Joey Salceda said. But officials said not everyone is heeding their warnings -- some villagers were spotted within the danger zone checking on their homes and farms on the foothills of the volcano. The government is trying to enforce a "no man's land" rule in the designated danger zone, with military and police instructed to double the personnel manning the nine checkpoints and double their foot patrol operation inside the restricted area, PNA reported. Philippine authorities raised the alert status to Level 4 on Sunday which "means that a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within days," according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. "Audible booming and rumbling sounds were first reported in the eastern flank of the volcano" Sunday afternoon, and 1,942 volcanic earthquakes were detected by the institute's seismic network in the 24 hours to 7 a.m. local time on Monday (6 p.m. ET on Sunday), the institute said. One was "an explosion-type earthquake" that launched a cloud of ash about 500 meters (1,640 feet) into the air, according to the statement. Level 4 means an eruption is considered imminent and Level 5, the highest, means an eruption is taking place. The Institute recommended extending already-established danger zones of 8 km (4.9 miles) south of the summit and 7 km (4.3 miles) north of the summit of the the 8,077-foot volcano. People in surrounding Albay Province have flocked to town centers to catch a glimpse of glowing lava cascading down the slopes of Mayon since the mountain began oozing fiery lava and belching clouds of ash last week. The volcano, located about 500 km (310 miles) south of the Philippine capital of Manila, has erupted 49 times since its first documented eruption in 1616. The Philippines is situated in the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Mayon's most violent eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1,200 people and devastated several towns. Its last major eruption was in 1993. Since then, it has remained restless, emitting ash and spewing lava.

Probably your best bet is the following web site: http://www.utopia-asia.com/tipstaiw.htm If you scroll down, there is an entire section devoted to Taichung, including an up-to-date message board. They also sell a book called "Utopia Guide to Taiwan." Their books are very good.

While I certainly do recommend reading the guestbook entries, along with posts someone may have written on various boards, you also need to understand that those entries are not necessarily reliable. I think we've all seen posts on the various boards that are personal vendettas against venues, restaurants, people, etc. The same applies to those guestbooks. Sometimes, for whatever reason, someone has a grudge against a boy he had met and sets out to write something negative about the boy. The boys who are the victims of that probably can't read or understand much written English or may not even be aware of the guestbooks. When a negative message is posted on a board about him, the boy has no way to defend himself or tell his side of the story. The reason I'm saying this is by sheer coincidence I know the boy you mentioned. I've known him for nearly four years, although I haven't spoken to him in months. It is very difficult for me to believe that post to which you refer. If the story is true, I would be extremely surprised. The boy I know is one of the nicest, most charming boys I've ever met. While I wouldn't recommend leaving anything of value around that could tempt any boy, I would trust this boy over a great many others. He used to work as a go-go boy at Happy Bar. He was there when Happy Bar first opened. I don't think he's still there, but I haven't been to Happy Boys in quite some time. Only last year he went back to his home province because of the draft lottery. He called me from there several times, scared to death that he would get the 'red ball' and wind up drafted into the military. Immediately after the draft lottery he called me again, relieved and delighted. He got the 'black ball.' I'll bet his own story is a little different from that guestbook entry and I would want to know his side of it. He is a money boy, but he makes no demands about the amount. I also know he wants a boyfriend. I really don't believe that CFS post at all. Obviously it may be true, but if it is I would be shocked. Again, I recommend reading the guestbook entries for any boy who places a personal ad on Gay Romeo. I suppose there isn't much choice other than taking those kinds of posts or guestbook entries into consideration when making a decision about contacting and meeting boys, but I think you should also bear in mind that some of those entries may not exactly be an honest, accurate portrayal.

I'm not quite following what you are talking about. Are you trying to say you have been trying to create a profile on Planet Romeo, but are having difficulty doing it? If yes, the first question is have you registered? You first have to register if you have not already done so. What does the error message say? What do you mean by the site administration is saying the error is illegitimate? What, exactly, do they tell you and by what manner do they communicate with you? Is it an automatic message or is a site administrator contacting you by Email? I don't see how discovering whether other people are having the same problem can be of any help to you. What you need to do is let us know exactly what the error message says and get advice from someone who isn't having a problem.

It certainly provides an interesting choice: midnight mass or midnight ass . . .

That was a very kind gesture on your part and the others who contributed. I think we all know that some vendors are mafia controlled, but I believe that particular young man is not. With the exception of the blue-shirted massage guys and the white-shirted manicurists, as far as I know every vendor out there is operating illegally and they know they are taking a risk playing the daily cat-and-mouse game with the police. Meanwhile, the vendors are far more benign than they were only a few years ago and I think people who resent their presence are truly mean spirited. At least the vendors are trying to make a harmless living as opposed to the con artists who try ATM scams and the violent criminals, including the purse snatchers and gold chain snatchers. I don't know what the city thinks they are protecting us from. I would much rather see the police manpower concentrated on trying to catch the violent criminals and trying to prevent such crimes instead of protecting us all from beach vendors and helmetless motorcycle drivers.

Assuming you're talking about Euro Boys, yes. I wouldn't go as far to say the boys are all masculine, though. You know how the bars are. Many boys there today may not be there a month from today or even tomorrow. For what my opinion is worth, to me one bar is pretty much the same as the next, but I was pleasantly surprised with the fun the boys seem to have at Euro Boys. Obviously everyone has his own likes and dislikes and Euro Boys might not be for everybody, but I would say that from among the various bars you at least try when in Pattaya, I would put Euro Boys on your list.

Yes, Happy Bar is open. For those who may not be aware of it, now there is a 150 baht fee added to your bill if you take a boy upstairs to their second floor. I have no idea what the fee is if you decide to take more than 1 boy upstairs. I believe that fee is waived if you buy a minimum amount of drinks while still on the first floor, the go-go boy floor. That's what I've heard, anyway. From what I understand, they don't waive the 150 baht fee no matter how many drinks you buy on the second floor unless you have met the first floor minimum before going upstairs. I forget the minimum. It think it's about 250 baht worth of drinks or something like that. I haven't been there in quite some time, so maybe someone else can tell us what the minimum actually is.

I know many of you have been following Kevin Quill's plight and are interested in the latest information. Today I received an Email from someone who is in a position to know. The following is the significant part of the E-mail: _____ Wednesday Kevin Quill was granted by the Thai justice system his request for repatriation to England to serve out the remainder of his sentence in a prison there under the prisoner exchange agreement that Thailand has with the UK, the USA, and many other countries. It is anticipated that he will be deported back to England under prison police escort within about 5 to 6 weeks. It is taking a bit longer to process him owing to the holiday season. When he arrives in England he will be processed and assessed by the prison service there and, if luck is with him, be sent to an open prison for the next 2 years. He has already spent 2 years of his 6 year jail sentence here in Thailand and will have to do at least a further 2 years in England to comply with his release conditions from the Thai justice system.

Curiosity got the better of me. Because of these posts, this evening I stopped in at Euro Boys to see for myself. I don't think I've been in there for well over a year. While everyone has to decide for himself which bar is "Number 1," I had a wonderful time there tonight and for me Euro Boys is definitely in the running. The boys have a a lot of fun dancing, and I mean really dancing, not the one-knee shuffle, and were truly enjoying themselves. They all seem to like each other and appeared to be having fun more than simply working and being bored. That's contagious. There were about a half dozen customers in the bar while I was there and they were having a good time with the boys too. It's a bar I'll certainly visit again, and soon. All the boys appeared to be 18+. I didn't sit there checking IDs, but I saw no boys that appeared to be under age. "Be happy in your work" - Sessue Hayakawa, 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'

Good. I could have sworn I had seen it there, but I wasn't sure. I'm glad you confirmed it. Now maybe Smiles will smile.

Actually, it is . . .

And somebody had to be the first person to ever think of trying it. "Look, Dan. The civet took a shit. Hey, take a look. What's that sticking out of the shit?" "Well, Norm, it looks to me like a coffee bean." "Yeah? This morning we ran out of coffee. See if there's enough of it in there to brew a few cups." -later- "Hey, Dan, this is good! This is the best damned cup of coffee I've had in years. Who would ever have believed coffee flavored with civet turds could be this good?" "Best you've had in years? Makes me kind of wonder what must have been in the coffee you were drinking before."

I don't know if is a requirement. The application link you posted is for a business membership. The application I filled out for an individual membership was quite different. I went back again today. Yesterday I was there only to look around and see what they have. Today I had a few things I wanted to buy. The opening day chaos is over with. Today everything was quite normal. Plenty of parking, no huge crowds, and about a two minute wait at the cash register. By the way, the security card booths are still not open. The only negative, in my opinion, is the location. It's hard to get there if you don't have your own transportation and even harder to get back if now you have a load of groceries and other items. At the cash register I did not wait for the cashier to ask for the card. I simply handed it over. The cashier scanned it and my name appeared on the cash register display. I guess the membership card is used to keep track of whatever it is they want statistics about. Since the membership card is free, I imagine it is used primarily for marketing purposes.

And you actually think that's really a photo of me? I'm not surprised. No, I don't like donuts. But then everything I know about you tells me that you very likely enjoy sour grapes. I think, but am not certain, that I've noticed Irish Spring at Villa Market. I've never seen Old Spice sold in Thailand.

The same is true in Pattaya. Most stores have done away with the parking security cards. For those who don't know what we're talking about, when you enter a parking lot, first you have to stop at a booth at which an attendant hands you a plastic card. You have to give it back at the exit booth when leaving. Just what that kind of security is supposed to secure beats me, but most stores have done away with it. Makro has the same kinds of booths installed, although yesterday, the opening day, there were no attendants in the booths and no cards were being handed out. There were plenty of attendants in the parking lot, helping people find a place to park. My guess is that for the time being, until the hubbub slows down, there are so many cars trying to get in and out, along with trying to find a parking spot, that dealing with the cards would only cause a hell of a mess. I doubt they installed those booths for nothing, so sooner or later they'll probably start handing out the cards.

I was in Villa Market yesterday. They are finally carrying Fritos. They have the 11 ounce size bags for 179 baht. They only carry that one size.

Makro is a major bulk buying shopping center in Thailand. If you are familiar with outlets such as Costco or Sam's Club in the USA, Makro is similar in nature. Today was the opening of the Pattaya location. The location is on Sukhumvit Highway, very close to Underwater World. We went to have a look this afternoon around 1:00pm and it was very crowded. Apparently a lot of locals were looking forward to the opening day. Of course, prices are much lower than just about anywhere else if you are buying in bulk. Makro also has a full featured grocery store, with many items sold individually and in bulk. We noticed a great many items we've never seen in any other grocery stores. If you are a resident in Pattaya, it's well worth a look. Plenty of free samples were being given out as well. According to my own observations, as well as those of the Thais we were with, prices are either the same as other grocery stores or less expensive. Produce, especially, is as much as 30% less expensive than elsewhere. There is also a much wider variety of seafood available than I've seen elsewhere. You can even buy venison, ostrich, and crocodile meat if you wish. Makro is a membership store. I don't know if you can buy without a membership or if a membership entitles you to further discounts, but for farang retirees getting a membership is easy and it's free. You need to have your passport and some sort of documentation that shows your residence address. They also ask for your mobile phone number. Even with the crowds, I had my membership within ten minutes. For the time being they are issuing temporary membership cards, which can be traded in for a permanent card at some point in January. The hours are 6:00am to 11:00pm.

Are we talking about the same thing? I'll amend what I said and try to make it clear that I would not advocate parking where your vehicle where it would obstruct the entrance to a business and also would not obstruct people's ability to walk. Give me a break, willya? You don't really think I am suggesting that people park a car in front of Uniform bar or Villa Rouge, do you? Even I am not that crazy. I think you know exactly what I'm talking about when it comes to parking cars and motorcycles.

I don't know if that is always true. I'm a product of higher education, but I think many posters here would say that your description of those without a higher education would fit me perfectly. Maybe at the university level I never learned anything . . . Oh well, if I could only do it over again, next time I'll go somewhere other than Big Bubba's University and Car Wash. That's a shame, too. If I had learned anything I probably would have been much easier to get along with.

La Cage seems to be going all out for December!

I never said that either, but my personal brand of xenophobia and bigotry has nothing to do with deciding where to park. That parking place in the rear is where I normally park when I go to Sunee Plaza, if there is a space. Often there isn't. If there isn't a parking space I park elsewhere and yes, it is everyone's right to park on a public road, although I don't park anywhere that is going to obstruct an entrance to a business and I don't see anyone else posting that they would do so either. So, what's the problem? As far as being a lazy driver, if that comment includes me, I live nearly 6 miles from Sunee Plaza. Very sorry, but I'm definitely too lazy to walk 6 miles when I have a perfectly good car. I don't understand your belligerent tone on this thread. You're not usually like that and it's coming as a surprise. I fail to see what point you're trying to make. You're accusing people of intentionally parking so as to obstruct business entrances and nobody has said they do that. Public streets are just that, public. When some of these places put out barriers to prevent people from parking, they are breaking the law and they are doing something they have no right to do.

Where is this coming from? Where did I say or even intimate any such thing? The ethnicity of the bar ownership has nothing to do with my personal stance about where it is and is not ok to park. What do you think I do, double park, get out of the car, check who owns the place, and base the ethnicity of the ownership as the decision maker as to where to park? I thought I made my opinion clear. Why are you twisting it around to make it appear as if I include bigotry as a basis for parking decisions? By the way, how do you know the 'Arab place' is scruffy?

Oh, come on. Nobody is talking about intentionally blocking access to a business. I, at least, am talking about businesses trying to prevent people from parking where parking is legitimate. Second Road, for example. Several of the foot massage places and Indian tailor shops place barriers in the street so that people can't park in front of their businesses. In the street, where parking is perfectly legal and legitimate. That's what I'm talking about and I still don't see how parking in those kinds of spots could possibly be hurting their businesses. Even if it was hurting their businesses, my attitude would be 'tough luck.' Preventing cars and motorbikes from parking where parking is legal is not something I would consider acceptable. On the other hand, intentionally parking such that the vehicle is preventing access to a business is also something I would consider unacceptable.

That is a good point. I keep bringing this up, but nobody seems to come up with an answer and neither can I: Whether it is right or wrong, polite or impolite, legal or illegal, my question is why do they put up these barriers in the first place? That's definitely on my "I Don't Get It" list. If a car parks in front of their business, how is that stopping anyone from patronizing their business? If I park in front of their business, if I want to shop there I can do so easily. If someone else is already parked there, I don't think I would mind trying to find somewhere else to park. But if I had intended to shop at their business and found a barrier obstructing my ability to park there, then I wouldn't shop there at all. What is so terrible about a car or motorcycle parking in front of their business, especially if there is a sidewalk between the curb and the entrance to their shop? Astrrro brings up another point. If I park in front of a business that doesn't want me parking there, almost invariably they come charging out of their shop angrily telling me to park somewhere else. Persian or anything else, almost all of them seem to do that. Why? What's wrong with politely asking someone to please park elsewhere? They don't even ask if I intended to patronize their establishment.