Gaybutton

That is true, but a visit to the family doesn't mean you have to suddenly become their benefactor. If you do visit, then you will be expected to cover costs of taking the family to eat or cover whatever you do with them. Sometimes a visit to a boy's home can be the highlight of the trip. Under your circumstances, I would give the boy whatever amount of money you choose (I think 1000 or 2000 baht would be plenty) and ask him to buy some gifts for the family in your behalf. He will know what they would like to have. It may come as a surprise to find out what that might be. One time I visited a family and the gifts the boy wanted to give were laundry detergent and fish sauce! And mama was genuinely happy to get it. I would tell the boy that you are willing to pay for whatever you do with the family provided he clears it with you first, in private, so you don't end up being put on the spot. I would make sure he understands that's as far as "take care family" will go. If that is acceptable to both him and you, then if it were me I'd go for the trip.

Well, don't look upon it with contumely.

Up and down at Ambiance Guests of the Boyz Town hotel Ambiance will now no longer have to walk up and down the stairs as the newly-installed elevator is now up and running. The elevator, which is at the rear of the reception area, goes to all five floors of the hotel and is part of a five million Baht investment at Ambiance. As part of this investment all the rooms have been refurbished with new drapes, bedspreads, sofas etc. "The elevator will be a great advantage for our guests, especially those in the Penthouse suites on the fifth floor," added Jim. Over the road at Le Café Royale installation work of an elevator is underway and is due to be completed by April 2009.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Thaksin's Redpassport Voided THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL The Foreign Ministry has quietly revoked the diplomatic passport held by convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The ministry said on its website yesterday that Thaksin's red passport was cancelled on Friday after he decided not to appeal his case. The statement did not go into detail but it is understood it referred to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions verdict on Oct 21 sentencing him to jail for two years in absentia for abusing his authority in the purchase of land in the Ratchadphisek area from a government agency by his wife at the time, Khunying Potjaman. The ministry said it had consulted the government before making the decision and sent confirmation to Thaksin's address in Thailand. A ministry source said foreign affairs permanent secretary Virasakdi Futrakul had approved the decision as there was no cabinet minister in charge of the ministry. Former foreign minister Sompong Amornvivat was forced to step down following the Constitution Court's ruling on Dec 2 disqualifying the People Power Party and its executive members for election fraud.

Tuesday, December 16 OPENING RATES: US Dollar: 34.60 Euro: 47.29 British Pound: 52.82 Australian Dollar: 22.96 Canadian Dollar: 27.9325 _____ CLOSING RATES: US Dollar: 34.56 Euro: 47.125 British Pound: 52.59 Australian Dollar: 23.0475 Canadian Dollar: 27.84

I received a link to the following. I found it quite interesting: http://www.andrew-drummond.com/2008/12/12/...-thai-coup-blog

I agree. Anyone ought to realize that if you're not getting customers the thing to do is offer incentives to get people to come in. Somehow, a price increase isn't going to be an incentive that works to get me to come in. The same logic, or lack of it, applies to many Thai mom-and-pop businesses. A Thai friend of mine used to set up a nightly sidewalk shop along the Wat Chai market. He sold clothing. But there were dozens of others doing the same thing. I suggested to him that he needs to do something to get people to shop at his stall in favor of the others. I told him he could do simple things, such as at least putting up a sign with the name of his shop and then handing out business cards that would attract local shoppers. "Bring this card and get 10% off." Put up a "Buy 4, get one free" sign. Do something that sets your shop apart from the others to make your shop the place people will seek out. Of course, he never did a thing. RichLB posted a set of suggestions that Thai boys could do to make a lot of money without having to invest very much. I know at least half a dozen Thai boys who I spoke with, some of whom I took to see RichLB. We sat with them and explained all the details of what they could do and how they could do it. We even offered to help them get started. Not one of them ever even tried. ( see: http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2057 ) Just the other day, one of my friends told me about a woman he knows who runs a neighborhood bar. She is offering incentives, but still isn't attracting more customers. She couldn't understand why. My friend pointed out that she needs to advertise her incentives. Nobody knows about them. "But I put sign in window," was her response as she pointed to a sign not much bigger than a standard size sheet of paper.

There is an excellent article in the BANGKOK POST that I found to be fascinating. If you've ever had a question about motorcycle taxis, this article probably addresses it. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigat...ing-in-thailand

I have none to back it up. That's why I said it's what I believe. I have no basis in fact. I have only my personal opinion.

On any of these routes the standard fare is 10 baht for farang, no matter whether you ride just a block or two or the entire route. Now I understand the Thais are also paying 10 baht, but I haven't checked that out. In any case, as long as you simply hop on a baht bus and ride the standard route, then 10 baht is the fare. The price only goes up if you negotiate with the driver to take you somewhere other than his standard route.

The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ New British Honorary Consulate Opens in Pattaya His Excellency Quentin Quayle, the British Ambassador to Thailand, officially opened a permanent office for the Honorary Consul on Monday morning in a brief ceremony in Soi 5 Jomtien. Mr. Barry Kenyon, who has acted as the honorary consul in Pattaya for a number of years, said the demand for consular services has increased dramatically in recent times and the British government decided to allocate funds for a permanent presence in the city. Previously, Barry Kenyon and his Thai assistants could be found conducting their business from a table in a coffee shop near the Immigration offices. Mr Kenyon said he is not expecting to suffer much in the way of caffeine withdrawal as the coffee shop does takeaways. The honorary consulate is situated next to the Pattaya Immigration Offices and will be open from 9:00am until 11:30am from Monday to Friday, except public holidays.

As many times as I've read Pattaya One, I never even noticed that until your post. Ok, here are the prices, courtesy of PATTAYA ONE:

You might very well be right, but there's one slight difference. It's illegal to the point that the consequences can completely ruin one's life. That's why I don't understand why they do it. I just don't see how sexual gratification is worth that kind of risk. I believe they didn't ask to be pedophiles, but they do have the power to make choices as to what they will pursue. You also have to factor in what the world perceives as the negative effects this kind of activity has on children. The way the world sees it, if you want to become a member of a group of people society hates the most, then all you have to do is be caught involved in sex with children. I believe there are a hell of a lot of people out there who are sexually attracted to children and are perhaps incapable of true sexual gratification any other way, but most manage to control themselves and find other outlets that don't involve such serious consequences. If I have sympathy for anyone, it's for the people who do control themselves, but I have none for the ones who don't. My personal perception of them is similar to same perception most of the world holds for them, that they are the scum of the earth. Maybe some day the world will change its attitudes toward pedophiles, but until that day comes the risks are just too great.

Well, you don't have to go to the opposite extreme either. I would suggest at least posting a reminder when it's getting close to show time and tickets go on sale.

To tell the truth, I don't know what to think anymore. Now that the Prime Minister election has taken place, I'm going to continue these posts for the rest of this week. If there are no major changes by Friday, that's when I'll end this thread and start a fresh exchange rate thread if significant changes occur later. As of 2:00pm, the US dollar to baht exchange rate hasn't changed at all since this morning. It's still 34.68. That's unusual.

I think you're right. Unfortunately, the way I see it, either way Thailand loses. If they are dealt with aggressively, there will be the inevitable violence that goes along with it and we might end up seeing photos that are all too similar to the photos we saw from Burma not all that long ago. On the other hand, if nothing more is done than was done about the PAD demonstrations, then Thailand still loses by setting a precedent that makes Thailand appear to the world to be a place where if one group doesn't like the current government, then they get to take over government buildings and airports with impunity. If large scale protests start happening again, especially if violence is involved, I think that will put Thailand in a no-win situation that will take a very long time to recover from. The tourist industry is bound to be hurt even further if more uprisings start happening. If I was in a different country and seeing this on television or reading about it in the newspapers, that would place Thailand way down at the bottom of the list of places I would want to go or take my family on a holiday. I had been considering a trip to Burma after reading the posts on this message board by Nikom, but based on what I saw going on last year, now the idea of going to Burma has gone to the bottom of my list of places I want to go and it will probably be at least a couple of years before I would consider the trip. I can't help but think a great many people who would have been potential tourists in Thailand are going to have second thoughts, even if they were considering coming anyway after the airport siege ended.

The chemistry certainly has to be there, along with so many other factors. I agree with that, but MonkeySee wasn't asking about our ideas about what makes relationships work or fail or how to build a relationship. He didn't even say he wants that kind of relationship with this boy. All he said was that he would like to help this boy without having the boy take advantage of his generosity. He was asking about steps he can take so that the boy he met won't end up spoiled and so that MonkeySee won't become the next two-legged ATM. To do that, I believe ground rules have to be set up right from the start if the friendship looks like it might go somewhere in the long run. I've helped out many boys with whom I have no intent or interest in establishing a relationship. I do what I can simply because I like them and enjoy their company. But I do have rules and I make sure they understand my limitations.

The following two articles appear in THE NATION: _____ Red Shirt Protesters Block Access to Parliament Red shirt protesters blocked access to the Parliament and threw stones at vehicles leaving the venue after Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva won parliamentary votes to be new prime minister. They also threw stones and objects into the Parliament compound, forcing officials and reporters to cover themselves. A reporter was injured after a stone hit stone hit his nose. The stones and objects hit many vehicles, breaking their glasses and damaged them. An anti-riot police suffered head wound after an object hit his head. More police were deployed to the area. Police failed to calm them down. They had to use police with shields to push them back from the entrance of the Parliament. Then vehicles were allowed to leave the compound. The red shirt protesters were known for their supports of fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, now-defunct People Power Party and Pheu Thai party. Latest reports said that many red shirt protesters organised protests in many provinces of Thailand, mostly in the northeastern region, to protest the victory of Abhisit. ____________________ Several Injured in Rock Throwing by Red-Shirted People A reporter and several other people were injured when angry red-shirted supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra threw rocks against vehicles leaving the Parliament compound. The red-shirted people became angry after Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva was elected the next prime minister. The protesters blocked the gates of the Parliament for about 30 minutes but were later pushed off by police. They then waited at a gate and threw rocks at vehicles which were leaving, breaking their windows. Sitthichai Jaruhiransakul, a reporter of Prachathat, was hit at his nose, causing it to bleed.

Iranian to be Blinded with Acid for Doing Same to Woman TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- An Iranian woman, blinded by a jilted stalker who threw acid in her face, has persuaded a court to sentence him to be blinded with acid himself under Islamic law demanding an eye for an eye. Ameneh Bahrami refused to accept "blood money." She insisted instead that her attacker suffer a fate similar to her own "so people like him would realize they do not have the right to throw acid in girls' faces," she told the Tehran Provincial Court. Her attacker, a 27-year-old man identified in court papers as Majid, admitted throwing acid in her face in November 2004, blinding and disfiguring her. He said he loved her and insisted she loved him as well. He has until early this week to appeal the sentence. Doctors say there is no chance Bahrami will recover her vision, despite repeated operations, including medical care in Spain partially paid for by Iran's reformist former president, Mohammed Khatami, who was in power when the attack took place. Majid said he was still willing to marry Bahrami, but she ruled out the possibility and urged that he remain locked up. "I am not willing to get blood money from the defendant, who is still thinking about destroying me and wants to take my eyes out," she told the court. "How could he pretend to be in love? If they let this guy go free, he will definitely kill me." Bahrami told the court that Majid's mother had repeatedly tried to arrange a marriage between the two after Majid met Bahrami at university. She rejected the offer, not even sure at first who the suitor was. Her friends told her he was a man who had once harassed her in class, leading to an argument between them. But he refused to accept her rejection, she said, going to her workplace and threatening her. Finally, she lied and told him she had married someone else and that "it would be better all around if he would leave [her] alone." She told the court that she reported the conversation to police, saying he had threatened her with "burning for the rest of my life" -- but they said they could not act until a crime had been committed. Two days later, on November 2, 2004, as she was walking home from work, she became aware of a man following her. She slowed, then stopped to let him pass. "When the person came close, I realized that it was Majid," she said. "Everything happened in a second. He was holding a red container in his hand. He looked into my eyes for a second and threw the contents of the red container into my face." Bahrami knew exactly what was happening, she said. "At that moment, I saw in my mind the face of two sisters who years ago had the same thing happen to them. I thought, 'Oh, my God -- acid.' " Passers-by tried to wash the acid off Bahrami, then took her to Labafinejad Hospital. "They did everything possible for me," she said of the doctors and nurses there. Then, one day, they asked her to sign papers allowing them to operate on her. "I said, 'Do you want to take my eyes out?' The doctor cried and left." They did want to remove her eyes surgically, she learned, for fear they would become infected, potentially leading to a fatal infection of her brain. But she refused to allow it, both because she was not sure she could handle it psychologically, and because she thought her death would be easier for her family to bear. "If I had died, my family would probably be sad for a year and mourn my death, and then they would get used to it," she told the court. "But now every day they look at me and see that I am slowly wasting away." The three-judge panel ruled unanimously on November 26 that Majid should be blinded with acid and forced to pay compensation for the injuries to Bahrami's face, hands and body caused by the acid. That was what she had demanded earlier in the trial. But she did not ask for his face to be disfigured, as hers was. "Of course, only blind him and take his eyes, because I cannot behave the way he did and ask for acid to be thrown in his face," she said. "Because that would be [a] savage, barbaric act. Only take away his sight so that his eyes will become like mine. I am not saying this from a selfish motive. This is what society demands." Attacking women and girls by throwing acid in their faces is sufficiently common in countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia that groups have been formed to fight it. Human rights organizations have condemned the practice in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is not clear how often such attacks take place in Iran. Iran and Saudi Arabia are the only countries that consider eye-gouging to be a legitimate judicial punishment, Human Rights Watch has said.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Abhisit Wins 235: 198 Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva beat his opponent Puea Pandin leader Pracha Promnok by 235 to 198 votes. Three MPs abstained, including Abhisit himself. The voting ended at 10:56 am. ____________________ And this, from TNA: _____ Democrat Abhisit Elected Thailand's Prime Minister BANGKOK, Dec 15 (TNA) - Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has been officially voted Thailand's 27th prime minister by a majority of 233-197 votes in Monday's special session of the House of Representatives. Mr. Abhisit surpassed former national police chief Pracha Promnok, Puea Pandin party leader, who won support from MPs loyal to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, convicted of corruption charges and now a fugitive at an unknown location. The new prime minister is expected to be formally named later in the day on Monday. Hundreds of police were deployed outside Parliament for the session for fear of a street protest as some demonstrators gathered outside the House to protest the vote outcome. The vote comes in the wake of months of political crisis caused by anti-government protests which saw the country's two main airports seized last month. Mr. Abhisit, 44, graduated from Oxford University with first-class honour in philosophy, politics and economics, and later earned a master's degree in economics at Oxford. He first won national election in 1992 as an MP for Bangkok at the age of 28, the only Democrat MP elected in the capital that year. He served as government spokesman in 1992 and as Minister to the Prime Minister's Office in the government led by the then prime minister Chuan Leekpai in 1997. Mr. Abhisit was elected Democrat party leader in 2005. However, for some years his party has taken the role as a sole opposition party as it failed to win an outright majority in the House of Representatives. Mr. Abhisit earlier said building national reconciliation and improving the country's economy would be his first priority were he to be elected prime minister. "I think it would be good if the government leader would also lead the economic team," Mr. Abhisit said. He expressed optimism that he could improve and restore confidence among investors within two to three months. (TNA)

A waria is the way a typical New Yorker pronounces the term for those who go to fight a battle . . .

The simplest answer is: You don't. But if you want to try, then my experience tells me the first thing to do is set ground rules and limitations immediately. Make it crystal clear and don't wait. I would make it clear that I am not a walking ATM and that I didn't work my tail off all my life to come here and start giving away my life savings. If you want to do things like take the boy shopping, then give him the amount you are willing to let him spend before entering the stores and let him know that's all you're willing to spend and there are to be no arguments about it or pleadings for a few hundred baht more. He can buy what he wants out of the money you give him. No matter how much you give him, it's never enough, so you have to be fair, but firm. I would make it clear that you are not about to become the benefactor for his family. I would tell him you don't even want to hear about the family problems, with the possible exception of a life and death emergency for immediate family members, but not the cousins, aunts, nieces, nephews, and God-knows-who-else. I would also tell him that even under those circumstances, you will personally check out what you are being told before you part with one baht. One thing I think Ronald Reagan was right about was his idea of "trust, but verify." Other than that, the family has to take care of themselves just as they did before the boy ever met you. If you give him an allowance, then make it clear how much you are willing to give him and the basis on which you'll give it to him - every week, every two weeks, every month, or whatever. If he wants to help his family, it comes out of that. And no borrowing against the allowance. I would make it clear that he has to work. He doesn't get to retire at age 22. If you are going to have him move in with you, make it clear what your expectations are of him around the condo or house regarding chores. If he lives up to what he agrees to do, fine. If not, then let him know you'll hire a maid to do the chores he's failing to do and the cost of the maid service will be deducted from his allowance. If he wants to bring friends over, he has to clear it with you first. You don't want to walk in and find him sitting there, music blaring, food and drinks all over the place, your liquor supply gone, and your home in a mess. If you let him bring his friends over, then make sure you establish what time the party's over. No inviting a bunch of friends out to dinner or a night on the town with you footing the bill. He has to ask you first and he has to ask in private. Sometimes these boys will ask you right in front of the friends and now you're in a very awkward position and it can be very difficult to say no. If you have certain peeves, then make sure you reach an understanding. My biggest peeve is the friends calling at all hours of the night. After a certain hour, either the phone gets turned off or the ringer volume is set to zero. You have to try to anticipate as much you can and establish as much as you can in advance. The boy needs you a lot more than you need him. I know I probably seem callous to some, but I've come to learn that the little things do much more harm to a relationship than the big things do. I think the biggest mistake farangs make is allowing themselves to be afraid of losing the boy. You can't let that happen. If you do, then the boy will slowly but surely figure out how to manipulate you and wrap you around his little finger. There is no way I would allow a boy to live with me again until I have gotten to know him very, very well for at least a full year. The boy has to know what you expect of him and you have to know what he expects of you.

Ahhh, there's the rub. Enough money. You're talking about an enormous amount, if it's possible. If there are people out there who have that kind of money and are willing to risk losing it, along with the possibility that they can't buy their way out of it, along with what you go through being arrested and held in custody in a Thai jail, along with paying lord-knows-what for bail, along with the probability of going on trial in a 'guilty until proven innocent' country, along with having to deal with the language barrier, along with paying a Thai attorney, along with going through the not knowing what's going to happen to you ordeal, along with the risk of a long sentence to a Thai prison, along with the prospect of being deported and blacklisted, along with the possibility of being tried and imprisoned once again in their home country - if they are willing to risk all that for the sake of getting laid by a 14 year old, then to put it as kindly as I can, I'm glad my thinking, tastes, and priorities are a little different from theirs.

I wrote down a few prices this morning. Price per liter: Diesel - 16.something Gasahol 95 - 16.86 Gasahol 91 - 16.09 Gasoline 91 - 21.36 Sorry, I didn't see the price for gasoline 95.

Monday, December 15 OPENING RATES: US Dollar: 34.68 Euro: 46.575 British Pound: 52.02 Australian Dollar: 23.015 Canadian Dollar: 27.89 _____ CLOSING RATES: US Dollar: 34.67 Euro: 46.595 British Pound: 51.88 Australian Dollar: 22.875 Canadian Dollar: 27.94