Gaybutton

Certainly not I. I always enjoy the people who have convinced themselves they know what God wants. "If God wanted Man to fly, he would have given him wings." I have two responses to that bit of sage wisdom. I either say, "Unless God told you that personally, how do you have any idea what He wanted?" or "If God didn't want Man to fly, He wouldn't have given him brains enough to figure out how." I remember when AIDS was "God's punishment to homosexuals." Whoops! Looks like God was a little annoyed with the heterosexual group too. These people who enjoy justifying torturing others have a special place in my heart, right up there with Torquemada! Sure, torture is just fine . . . . . as long as you're not the victim of it yourself.

Apparently he's no Harvey Milk, which is a shame. I would imagine his friends feel betrayed, and rightly so, that they were snubbed so that Giuliani could rack up some points with the homophobes. He didn't even inform them himself. He had a secretary do that for him. Since informing them was in advance of the wedding, then it seems obvious to me that even if he really had to be somewhere else, he could have scheduled that "somewhere else" for a different day or not gone at all if he had accepted the invitation from his friends. I used to have a hell of a lot of respect for Giuliani. He just lost it.

Now why would want to do a silly thing like that? He knows what he's doing and doesn't need me to tell him how to run his business. I'm sure he is well aware of the regulations and what he can and cannot do. If you truly feel that he needs someone to tell him about the regulations, don't volunteer me. You can inform him yourself, just as well as I can.

I heard a rumor about that yesterday. Today I called Michael, the owner, to ask about it. He said yes, there will be no more buffets. As of Saturday, May 2 the famous restaurant made the switch. Michael said this is not a sudden change. He had this in mind when he took over the restaurant 8 months ago and has been planning for it ever since. I asked him what prompted the change. He said there is a variety of reasons including the fact that because there are fewer people in Pattaya these days he ends up throwing away a lot of food. Also it is difficult to maintain the quality of the food on a buffet unless most of it is kept warm in sauces. He wants to provide better food, better quality, and better service at reasonable prices, with most choices remaining in the 250 baht price range. He told me he has brought a chef over from the UK to help him through the menu planning, staff training, recipes, etc. He said he wasn't going to publicize this for another week or so while he's working out the kinks, but he gave me the "green light" to post this because the rumor mill has already started up and he wants the real story to be known. So, he says to please come on in and give it a try, and there will be more menu selections available in about a week and any little kinks will be worked out by then. He will also publish the menu once everything is finalized. If anyone is disappointed that the restaurant will no longer be a buffet, don't be. The restaurant should be better than ever and there are still plenty of buffets around town. As soon as Michael is ready to provide more information, rest assured I'll see that it's published here. In the meantime, if you have any questions you can send him an Email at: mjgordon2206@hotmail.com You can also let me know your question and I'll be happy to contact him and find out the answers.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Banks Asked to Cut Foreigners' ATM Fees By: SOMRUEDI BANCHONGDUANG Published: 4/05/2009 The Thai Bankers' Association will ask local banks to cut fee charges for foreign cardholders using local ATMs, according to association secretary-general Twatchai Yongkittikul. He said the TBA would hold talks among its members about current fees. But he cautioned that any cuts would likely be marginal, as most of the fees represented charges imposed for international network access and simply passed on to end-users. Since mid-April, foreign cardholders withdrawing funds from local ATMs have been charged 150 baht per transaction. Dr Twatchai said the fee largely came from new transaction charges imposed by international service providers MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Worldwide to cover interchange network costs. Local banks, which had previously absorbed the expenses, are now looking to pass on their own operating expenses to customers, arguing that the fees charged in Thailand are in line with expenses charged for cross-border ATM transactions in other countries. Dr Twatchai acknowledged that a number of foreign tourists and expatriates had complained about the added fees. At a minimum, he said, local banks should communicate better with customers about the expenses banks incur for processing international transactions. "Local banks should give more information about fees on the ATM screen, and then customers can make their own choice about whether to continue with the transaction," Dr Twatchai said. "The TBA will try to raise awareness about the issue. Unfortunately, right now many foreign customers have a negative view of local banks due to the fee issue." But a MasterCard spokesman denied that the 150-baht ATM access fee imposed by many Thai banks stemmed from any recent fee change or initiative by the company. The spokesman said MasterCard last notified member banks in October 2007 about a 0.2-percentage-point increase in fees effective from January 2008 under cross-border agreements. Since then, no other fee increases have been made related to ATM charges.

I had a talk with the owner of the Rock Hard bar, in Jomtien Complex, this evening. Beginning in June he is going to cut most of his drink prices to 69 baht. I laughed when he said 69 baht. He made it clear that I had caught the significance. Some drink prices will be as low as 59 baht and some as high as 79 baht, but most will be 69 baht. Also, beginning in June, he is going to re-establish go-go boys at the bar.

My own experience has convinced me that the tuk-tuk drivers in Bangkok are out to rip off farang as much as they can. I won't use them. I don't know why anyone would prefer a tuk-tuk to a taxi anyhow. The drivers charge more (there are no meters). Because the roof slopes down, you can't see. You're out there directly breathing in the exhaust fumes from all the traffic. There is no air conditioning. I fail to see the pleasure in doing anything more with a tuk tuk than maybe taking a photo of them once in a while. In Chiang Mai I have have not had any negative experiences with the tuk tuks that I can recall. In a metered taxi anywhere in Thailand, it is illegal for a taxi driver to fail to use the meter when taking you anywhere within the city limits. If you're going to try to get a taxi driver to take you to another city, then of course the driver will want to negotiate with you, and I think that's perfectly ok. However, when taking a taxi for routine purposes, any driver who refuses to turn on the meter for me just lost a fare. I doubt it would do any good, but you can report taxi drivers who refuse to turn on the meter. I'll often ask the driver, if he won't turn on the meter, how much he wants. I've been to Bangkok often enough that I know he approximate fares to and from the places I usually go. If he's within 50 or 60 baht of the price I normally pay, then I usually accept his price. I'd rather do that than go through the hassle of changing taxis, unless the weather is bad. For me, the most aggravating experience in taxis is when I tell the driver where I want to go, and after a few minutes it becomes obvious he has absolutely no clue where my destination is. I've learned that when I can, I always make sure to have the telephone number for my destination saved in my mobile phone. I call the destination and have them explain where they are to the driver. Of course, if I feel the driver is only trying to jerk me around to get a higher fare, he loses a customer too. I most cases, if I feel the driver has been honest with me and did his best to get me to where I'm going in a timely manner, I'll thank him and give him a good tip. The ones who are screwing around get nothing except the exact fare.

Rather than cut and paste this one, here's the link to the article: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000009090

I don't know. I suggest either sending Mike an Email or calling him at the bar.

Here's La Cage bar's "Diary for May"

Oh well, let me know how you like it. Lady-boys and lip synch tells me all I need to know to keep me away, no matter how well done the show might be. For me it's a "been there, done that" and with most such shows I wish I had never been there and had never done that. Of course, that's just me. Obviously plenty of people like those kinds of shows or the bars wouldn't present them. Based on what you say, the show is well done, but nothing essentially new and different from just about every bar show in town.

I don't know what this has to do with the El Paso Steakhouse, but I would imagine when restaurants don't list the beer and spirits prices, they're trying to make sure their customers don't drop dead from sticker shock . . .

Sorry, I can't help you with that one. I'm not much of a drinker, wine or anything else, so I didn't even look at the selections or prices. Most of the time I'm happy with a glass of water.

I think you will also greatly enjoy this one:

Last night a Thai friend and I tried the El Paso Steakhouse, a fairly new restaurant on Pattaya Tai, about a hundred yards or so past Third Road, heading toward Sukhumvit. I fell in love with the place! I had the best steak I have ever had in all of Thailand. Not only was it cooked perfectly, but the flavor and the way it was seasoned was exactly how I like it and, after leaving the USA, thought I would never have again. You can bet you're going to find me in there a great many times. I ate with a Thai friend who, of course, ordered Thai food. He too was absolutely delighted. See their web site. http://www.elpasopattaya.com Their entire menu is online, with the current prices. The one thing that isn't online is the fact that they do a Sunday lunch buffet, from noon until 6:00pm. I asked our waitress about it and apparently it's a full featured buffet. The price is 375 baht. I wish they would do the Sunday buffet at night, rather than in the afternoon, but that's the way they're doing it. If you look a their steaks menu, I had number 31, the 250 gram beef tenderloin. As far as I'm concerned it was just perfect. They have steak choices for every appetite range. You can order a smaller steak or a larger steak. What I had was plenty for me, and believe me I can eat! They have a selection of sauces. I asked for the mushroom sauce and asked for it to be served on the side. It was very good, but I liked the steak so much "as is" that I only gave the sauce a quick taste to see if it was good (it was), but I never used it. Here's something else unique: My Thai friend and I were served at the same time. That's rare in Thailand. It wasn't one of those deals where one person can be completely finished before the other person is even served. If I can find anything at all to complain about, the only thing I can come up with is they do not serve any bread. If you're looking for an excellent steak at very reasonable prices, don't miss the El Paso Steakhouse. Here's their business card:

Only one thing. The nature of the show. Is it the typical kind of bar show we see in Pattaya, featuring lady-boys in drag and lip synching, or is the show really something new and different?

Why, what a clever suggestion. Why didn't I think of that? Of course! Go and check it out for myself. Maybe I will, but since kcampb49 has already been there, somehow I think he won't mind taking the three minutes it will take him to address the questions I asked, assuming he has any of the answers. You're assuming I have the time to get there any time soon. You're also assuming I'm even in Pattaya right now, to be able to check it out.

I suppose that would depend on how sexy the show is . . . Can you fill us in with a bit more detail? How much did you pay for drinks? Can the staff be taken off? If yes, how much is the off fee? Is it air conditioned? Is the air conditioning adequate? Are they forbidding smoking? What about the show? How long is the show? What time is the show? Can you describe the show? I'm hoping it's not primarily the usual boys-in-drag and lip synch show. I hope it's something truly new and different. What goes on before and after the show? Is it a go-go bar, a host bar, or what?

The best recommendation I can make for a truly reliable pharmacy, where you know you will always get "the real thing" is the Fascino pharmacy on North road (Pattaya Nua). There is a smaller Fascino outlet very close to Central Road (Pattaya Klang). To find it, go north on Sukhumvit (toward Bangkok) from Pattaya Klang, or from anywhere south of Pattaya Klang. As soon as you pass Pattaya Klang, about 100 yards further on you'll come to the next traffic signal, which is Soi Siam Country Club. Make a U-turn on Sukhumvit and immediately get into the left lane. Almost immediately, you'll come to a large Bangkok Bank branch. Turn left into the access road for the Bangkok Bank parking lot, but keep going. Dead ahead you'll see a Lotus store. The pharmacy is directly across the street from the Lotus store. If you don't already have one, ask for Fascino's free discount card. With it you'll get a discount with every purchase. The card does expire, so make sure you check the expiration date. You can get another one free when it expires.

People keep saying that, but I wonder if that's just a common rumor or if it's really true. I'm not so sure that it is. Have any of you ever actually had that happen to you in Thailand? None of the medications I've ever bought here turned out to be fakes. Also, the origin and first case of Swine Flu may have been discovered: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/healt...r.swine.flu.cnn

Has it actually already opened? I passed by just a few nights ago and it didn't look anywhere near ready to me.

That city official wasn't fired? I think he should have been. I wonder whatever happened to the genius at NBC who, way back in 1968, decided to cut off the Super Bowl in the last few vital moments so that they could show the movie "Heidi" on schedule. Remember that? I'll bet whoever came up with that decision didn't keep his job very long after that. Hell, I think whoever wanted to show "Heidi" in prime time at all, ever, should have been fired. I remember a study done to try to discover why students cheat. Conclusion? To get higher scores. I remember Senator William Proxmire complaining about government money being spent to find out why people fall in love. He said that not only does he not care why, he doesn't even want to know why. I agreed with him. I don't think they ever found out. Even if they did, what purpose would have been served? How about spending some more money for some really useful studies? "Why are your turds brown?" "What happens when you put a firecracker up a cat's asshole?" "Why are people offended by the odor of other people's farts, but their own smell ok?" "If a dog is given Viagra, will it be more difficult to get him to stop trying to hump your leg?" I don't agree with you about heads not rolling. I think that's exactly what should happen, especially when the wasteful spending causes people to panic. Maybe if a few people who come up with this kind of needless, bullshit, wasteful spending, find themselves out of a job, maybe government officials who waste our money would think twice before setting ideas like this in motion. I can't speak for others, but the last thing I want to see is one cent of my tax dollars going to pay for things like this. What pressing need is being fulfilled by using a presidential aircraft for a photo op? Who is interested in looking at such photos in the first place? Is it so that some congressman can have a pretty picture framed on his wall? _____ "Hello, New York City Mayor's office? Hi. This is Cigar Manuch calling from the White House Military Office. We want to let you know that we're going to do a low-pass flyover in a presidential 747 to get some photos of the jet with the Statue of Liberty in the background. The course the aircraft will fly to do this will take it on a low flight right over the same area where the 9/11 attacks occurred" "You are? Why?" "Well, it will make a beautiful set of photos, don't you think?" "I'm sure it would. What is this, some kind of a joke? Why not save the taxpayers tens of thousand of dollars and simply use PhotoShop or something to superimpose a photo of your 747 on an already existing aerial photo of the Statue of Liberty?" "Oh noooooo. No no no no no no noooooo. We want genuine photos. So, it costs the taxpayers. Big deal." A few hours later . . . "Hello, New York City Mayor's office? Hi. This is Horace McSmegma from the FAA. Listen, about that 747 flyover . . . don't tell anybody. We need to keep it a secret." "A secret? Why? What about all the New Yorkers who are going to think it's another terrorist attack? Don't you think they might feel it's a slight imposition?" "Oh, they'll know it wasn't soon enough. And it certainly will keep people on their toes. It surely will spice up their otherwise dull day. Sorry if they're a bunch of scaredy-cats, but we wouldn't want people to know, would we? After all, some terrorist group might be able to shoot down the plane if they know in advance that it's coming." "Huh? But when the President travels to different cities, that's always widely publicized. How do you think crowds of ordinary citizens know to show up at the airport to greet him?" "Well . . . I . . . uhhhhh . . . ok! That may be true, but let's keep this one a secret. Remember, shhhhhhhhhh! Don't tell anybody, not even the Mayor." _____ It's not just the incident itself that enrages me. It's the wasted money that caused it. Personally, I'd rather see every one of the government wasters lose their jobs. I'd also like to see them replaced with people who find ways to save money, not to waste it. I'd be willing to see their salaries doubled. I think a few of the people actually pleased about this incident are Jay Leno and David Letterman. Probably Bill O'Reilly too. They're gonna have a field day with this one! What day will Caldera be appearing on Larry King? Maybe he should appear with "Brownie" seated right next to him. You know who this whole thing reminds me of?

As far as I'm concerned, whoever is responsible for failing to inform the mayor and whoever it was at FAA who decided this should be kept secret, they all should go. I realize that some people believe nobody should be fired over one incident, tell that to the people who were badly frightened. I would usually agree that one incident shouldn't cost someone his job, but I don't feel that way in this case. This goes well beyond someone putting his foot in his mouth over some politically incorrect statement. I would be very interested to know who came up with this idea in the first place and who else thought it's a good idea. I also want to know how spending the amount it costs to fly a 747 for a photo op, something I think was absolutely needless, is a justification for spending tax dollars, no matter where they wanted to do it. And they even had fighter escort.

Is someone going to at least tell us the location of this place? I've never heard of it and I have no idea where it is.

By now most of you are probably aware of of the incident over New York City in which a 747 did a low flyover, right in the area at which 9/11 took place, and caused panic. President Obama is "furious" over the incident and was not informed about it until after it happened. While Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, made the decision to do this for a "photo op" and claims that proper steps were taken to inform authorities, the Mayor of New York, among others, were not informed. Certainly the public knew nothing about it. If you are unaware of the incident and/or haven't seen the video, a good place to check is the CNN web site. ( See: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/28...lane/index.html ) In the opinion of many,this incident was grossly idiotic and grossly insensitive. If the military office wanted to do a photo shoot, why did it have to be over New York, in the very same area where 9/11 occurred? Why couldn't they have done a photo shoot elsewhere? Why did they have to do a photo shoot, all at taxpayer expense of course, in the first place? Obviously this is a major embarrassment for the Obama administration. So, what do you think? Should Louis Caldera, the man in charge of the office that makes the decisions as to what to do and where to take the President if an emergency occurs, remain on the job or be removed? I voted for removal, whether he voluntarily steps down or has to be fired. In my opinion, someone who comes up with a decision like that, without realizing the kind of reaction the public and authorities would have, does not belong in charge of anything. Neither does anyone else who was involved in coming up with this idea and approving it. I see no need for my tax dollars paying the salaries of people as brainless and insensitive as that. Can you imagine anyone thinking this was a good idea, no matter who was informed in advance? It's a good thing for Obama that he wasn't informed and knew nothing about it. Can you imagine the reaction if he had indeed known about it and approved it? This goes far beyond a mere embarrassment for the White House and there was no need for it at all, especially during a time when the President is saying that taxes should be spent on trying to bring the USA out of its financial crisis. How does spending taxpayer money to do a photo shoot of a presidential 747 fit into that? Not only was it a waste of money, but resulted in thousands of people frightened and upset. Caldera has apologized. He's sorry about the incident. Well, Mr. Caldera, I'm sorry too, especially about the salary cut you're taking in your new job delivering pizza.