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Morgan Freeman Hospitalized after Car Wreck (CNN) -- Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was in serious condition but in "good spirits" at a Tennessee hospital after being involved in a car wreck in northern Mississippi Sunday night, his business partner said. Freeman, 71, broke his left upper arm and suffered several other fractures and neck and shoulder injuries in the wreck, said Bill Luckett, an attorney from Clarksdale, Mississippi. A woman who also was in the car was taken to the same hospital, said Angie Underwood, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Highway Patrol. No information on her condition was released. Freeman could have surgery as early as Monday evening and could need three to four months to recover, Luckett told reporters outside the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. "He's in good spirits, but he's in some pain," said Luckett, who owns a restaurant and blues club with Freeman in Clarksdale. Underwood said the wreck happened at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday on a state highway about five miles west of Charleston, Mississippi, where Freeman has a home. According to The Associated Press, Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Ben Williams said Freeman was driving a 1997 Nissan Maxima belonging to Demaris Meyer of Memphis when the car left a rural highway and flipped several times shortly before midnight Sunday. "There's no indication that either alcohol or drugs were involved," Williams said, according to the AP. Williams said Meyer was in the car, and that both she and Freeman were wearing seat belts, Williams said. Clay McFerrin, editor of the Sun Sentinel in Charleston, Mississippi, told the AP that emergency personnel "had to use the jaws of life to extract him from the vehicle." "He was lucid, conscious," McFerrin told the AP. "He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point." McFerrin, who told the AP he arrived at the accident scene not long after the incident, said bystanders were trying to get a look at the actor. When one person tried to snap a photo with a cell phone camera, Freeman joked, "no freebies, no freebies," McFerrin told the AP. The cause of the wreck is under investigation, Underwood said. Milla Borden, spokeswoman for the Memphis hospital, confirmed that Freeman was in serious condition there Monday. Freeman was headed to his Charleston home when the wreck happened, said Luckett, who added that the woman in the car "is a mutual friend of ours." Both had been at Luckett's home in Clarksdale -- about 35 miles northwest of the wreck site -- before the crash occurred, Luckett said. Freeman won an Academy Award for best supporting actor in 2005 for his role in the gritty boxing film "Million Dollar Baby." He has been nominated for Oscars three other times, for the movies "Street Smart," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Shawshank Redemption." He's starring in two successful summer films, the hitman drama "Wanted" and the blockbuster "The Dark Knight." He recently starred on Broadway in a production of the Clifford Odets play "The Country Girl." He was born in Memphis and grew up in the Mississippi Delta region, moving back to open his blues club, Ground Zero, and a restaurant in Clarksdale in 2001. In a 2005 interview with CNN, he said returning to the area was "one of the smartest moves I've made in life." "My aim in life, when I graduated from high school, was to get out of Mississippi," he said. "I started coming back in about 1979, because my parents moved back, which I couldn't understand. What in the world would make you come back here? It took me about 20 years to figure that out." Freeman's nonprofit foundation has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to schools in the historically poor region, and he established the club in part to preserve the Delta's musical heritage.

The following two stories appear in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Cambodia Starts Squabble over Second Temple (BangkokPost.com, Agencies) - Cambodia on Sunday escalated the border dispute over the Preah Vihear temple, accusing Thai troops of "occupying" a temple far to the west, long considered a totally different matter. About 70 Thais have been at the 13th Century Ta Muen Thom temple complex in Surin province "since Thursday", a Cambodian spokesman in Phnom Penh claimed. But Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag said no troops have moved into the area. Cambodia and spokesman Sim Sokha appeared to be linking the Preah Vihear and Ta Muen Thom disputes. Although both are in border areas, they are not connected in either distant or recent history - until now. On the ground, military commanders were more relaxed and there was no apparent tension at the site. "We have a paramilitary post which has been there for several years," said Thai Army Maj Gen Sujit Sithiprabha, commander for the Cambodian border. "Ta Muen Thom belongs to us. We have to have soldiers to take care of the area which belongs to us." Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodia Border Committee, told the AFP news agency that Thai soldiers were stationed in the ruin, but said this was "not a new thing". "Ta Muen is in our territory, but since 1998 Thailand took a chance to occupy it by claiming that they came to conserve it." Ta Muen Thom is a temple from the height of the Khmer empire, and part of the outlying Angkor Wat complex opposite Thailand's northeast, or Isan region. An Associated Press report from Cambodia on Sunday quoted Chuch Phoeun of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture as saying it was built in the 13th century as a rest house along a road linking the ancient Angkor city with what is now northeastern Thailand. Ta Muen Thom is in a so-called "white zone" under dispute by the neighbouring countries, where Surin abuts the border of Cambodia`s Oddar Meanchey Cambodian authorities appear to be stepping up nationalist sentiment, despite earlier predictions they would try to cool the Preah Vihear and other border disputes following last week's general election, won handily by Prime Minister Hun Sen. Thai merchants and diplomats were forced to call off two planned exhibitions and sales of Thai fruit and other goods this week. Expo officials cited growing anti-Thai sentiment in Cambodia. Last week Hun Sen's wife hosted a huge Preah Vihear temple ritual, seen by some as a major provocation, after Mr Tej and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong negotiated a troop pullback at the disputed temple grounds. In Phnom Penh on Sunday, Maj Sim Sokha, a Cambodian border-protection officer, claimed that Thai soldiers have been deployed in an 80-yard radius around the Ta Muen Thom temple grounds and have prevented Cambodian troops from entering. About 40 Cambodian soldiers are in close proximity to the Thai troops, he said. Mr Tej denied there had been any troop movements by either side at the Surin province border site. Sim Sokha said Thai troops had been deployed in an 80-metre radius around the Ta Muen Thom temple grounds, and had prevented Cambodian troops from entering. He said about 40 Cambodian soldiers were "in close proximity" to the Thai troops, but had been ordered to exercise restraint while the government tries to resolve the issue with Thailand. Last Friday, the French and Japanese ambassadors discussed the border problem with Mr Tej at the foreign ministry. The Preah Vihear dispute originates in French colonial maps, and Japanese actions when it occupied Cambodia during World War Two. Mr Tej, who assumed the ministerial post July 27, told Ambassador Laurent Bili that France could now act as a bridge in solving the temple row. Japanese ambassador to Thailand Hideaki Kobayashi supported bilateral efforts to solve the temple problem, and would be willing to assist in clearing landmines around the disputed area, according to a report by official Thai News Agency. In addition, US ambassador Eric John pledged American "support for bilateral talks between Thailand and Cambodia to peacefully resolve the situation in the border area adjacent to" Preah Vihear. The US is interested in how the dispute could affect the visit on Wednesday of President George W. Bush. The "US stood ready to cooperate and work closely with Thailand to further strengthen the two countries' relations," the US diplomat said. ____________________ New Temple Uproar Phnom Penh - Reports that a second sacred temple on the Thai- Cambodian border has been occupied by Thai troops has drawn an angry reaction from the public, Cambodian media reported Sunday. Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag said no troops have moved into the area. Ta Muen Thom temple, at the border of Surin province and Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey, has been manned by Thai troops for more than five years, the chairman of the government's border committee, Var Kimhong, told locally broadcast Radio France Internationale (RFI). However the nation's largest selling newspaper, Rasmei Kampuchea, as well as the French-funded RFI and US-funded Radio Free Asia began running reports of its alleged occupation Sunday. Kimhong said there was no legal doubt Ta Muen Thom was Cambodian. Public outrage has grown steadily since areas around Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia says are sovereign and Thailand says are disputed, were occupied by Thai troops on July 15, days after it was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site against Thai wishes. At a press conference held just before national elections last month, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith declined to answer a question on whether troop build-ups had also occurred on the Thai border with Banteay Meanchey. The Cambodian government has tried to dampen the nationalist sentiment sweeping the country and urged the public to allow bilateral diplomacy to work, or, failing that, UN mediation. In 2003 an angry mob torched the Thai embassy and several businesses over a false story a Thai actress had claimed the nation's icon, Angkor Wat temple, was Thai - a serious setback for trade and diplomatic relations. Claims published in the Thai media accusing Cambodia's First Lady Bun Rany, wife of Prime Minister Hun Sen, of leading a black magic ritual when she hosted a Buddhist ceremony attended by more than 1,000 people at Preah Vihear Friday have not helped. To be accused of sorcery is regarded as a terrible insult by Cambodians, who regularly kill those accused of it. (dpa)

That's easy. At the zoo, you can't take the animals off . . .

I don't think he meant it that way. You were looking for things to do and he merely made some suggestions. Also, you did not say that you were looking for things uniquely Thai or cultural. A few years ago I wrote a series of articles I called "Day Trippin'." If you will send me an Email at gaybutton@gmail.com I'll be happy to send them to you. They are dated, but the basic information is still valid. Those articles will answer most of your questions about things to do in the Pattaya area besides beach and bars. Anyone who wants any of my old articles is welcome to them. Also, as I usually do, if someone coming to Pattaya for the first time wishes to contact me, since I have a car, I'll be happy to take them around personally. Because of fuel prices these days, I do ask that they cover the cost of fuel if they wish to take me up on the offer.

"I love America. I love the freedom we used to have." - George Carlin

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...isrc=newsletter Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border No Suspicion Required Under DHS Policies By Ellen Nakashima Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, August 1, 2008; Page A01 Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop computer or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed. Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "The policies . . . are truly alarming," said Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), who is probing the government's border search practices. He said he intends to introduce legislation soon that would require reasonable suspicion for border searches, as well as prohibit profiling on race, religion or national origin. DHS officials said the newly disclosed policies -- which apply to anyone entering the country, including U.S. citizens -- are reasonable and necessary to prevent terrorism. Officials said such procedures have long been in place but were disclosed last month because of public interest in the matter. Civil liberties and business travel groups have pressed the government to disclose its procedures as an increasing number of international travelers have reported that their laptops, cellphones and other digital devices had been taken -- for months, in at least one case -- and their contents examined. The policies state that officers may "detain" laptops "for a reasonable period of time" to "review and analyze information." This may take place "absent individualized suspicion." The policies cover "any device capable of storing information in digital or analog form," including hard drives, flash drives, cellphones, iPods, pagers, beepers, and video and audio tapes. They also cover "all papers and other written documentation," including books, pamphlets and "written materials commonly referred to as 'pocket trash' or 'pocket litter.' " Reasonable measures must be taken to protect business information and attorney-client privileged material, the policies say, but there is no specific mention of the handling of personal data such as medical and financial records. When a review is completed and no probable cause exists to keep the information, any copies of the data must be destroyed. Copies sent to non-federal entities must be returned to DHS. But the documents specify that there is no limitation on authorities keeping written notes or reports about the materials. "They're saying they can rifle through all the information in a traveler's laptop without having a smidgen of evidence that the traveler is breaking the law," said Greg Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology. Notably, he said, the policies "don't establish any criteria for whose computer can be searched." Customs Deputy Commissioner Jayson P. Ahern said the efforts "do not infringe on Americans' privacy." In a statement submitted to Feingold for a June hearing on the issue, he noted that the executive branch has long had "plenary authority to conduct routine searches and seizures at the border without probable cause or a warrant" to prevent drugs and other contraband from entering the country. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff wrote in an opinion piece published last month in USA Today that "the most dangerous contraband is often contained in laptop computers or other electronic devices." Searches have uncovered "violent jihadist materials" as well as images of child pornography, he wrote. With about 400 million travelers entering the country each year, "as a practical matter, travelers only go to secondary [for a more thorough examination] when there is some level of suspicion," Chertoff wrote. "Yet legislation locking in a particular standard for searches would have a dangerous, chilling effect as officers' often split-second assessments are second-guessed." In April, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco upheld the government's power to conduct searches of an international traveler's laptop without suspicion of wrongdoing. The Customs policy can be viewed at: http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/travel...h_authority.pdf.

I'll let someone else address your other questions. As for ID cards, under Thai law a foreigner must have his passport with him at all times. Most people don't do that, however, for fear of losing it. There are photo shops all over the place and you won't have any problem finding one. They can make an ID card size copy of the passport pages the police would want to see if you are stopped. They'll make the card and laminate it for you at a very minimal cost. In most cases that is acceptable, although you should be aware that the police do not have to accept that if they choose not to. However, I do not know of any cases in which a farang was stopped and the laminated card was not accepted. That should be good enough, but I won't guarantee it. In most cases, the laminated card is acceptable. However, when it comes to checking in to a hotel and cashing travel checks, you definitely must have your actual passport with you.

What about S.T.E.F. ?: Sexy To Everyone, Fantastic equipment.

This evening some friends and I attended this event. It was really wonderful. The restaurant was packed. Not an empty seat in the house. The buffet items were set up outside. The Swiss MC delivered a short speech, first in German, followed by English. Then the buffet was opened. We really enjoyed it and it certainly seemed as if everyone in the restaurant also thoroughly enjoyed it. Pascal's staff provides top quality service and their cooks prepared everything to perfection. One of the people present was a British translator for the group, fluent in German. He said they do this sort of event two or three times per year. This is the first time it has been done as a buffet and the first time it has been open to the public, rather than exclusively the membership. Look for something about it in next week's PATTAYA MAIL. Their reporters and cameramen showed up for a while and interviewed a few people outside. I hope the next time they have an event like this they open it to the public and let all of us know about it. It's quite different and quite a treat. Of course, at Casa Pascal everything is first quality. I don't know how they did it at this price. If they do more of these events, if you are fortunate enough to be in Pattaya it's something you don't want to miss.

I have a feeling if I simply told this story, nobody would believe me. Even though it appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS, it's still unbelievable! Have a look for yourself: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000006786

I wonder what John Bobbitt would have to say about that.

That proves my point, I think. If you have trouble at one branch, try another. Chances are very good that you'll get a completely different answer.

I'm sorry my status as moderator, according to you, disqualifies me as a person who is allowed to comment, express my opinion, and disagree with you, just as anyone else can do. I'm fine as a moderator as long as my opinion agrees with yours. So be it. There are several other boards out there on which you can post. Try the Sawatdee board. I don't post on that board, so you can post there to your heart's content without worrying about a reply from me.

Thank you. There are plenty of people out there who would vehemently disagree with that comment, but I appreciate it.

Can you tell us how much these types of phones cost?

I can't answer the rest of your questions, but as for why boys do this, I've noticed a great many Thai boys listen to their friends, rather than doctors or anybody else, when it comes to silicone, hormone pills, implants, tattoos, and Lord-knows-what. I would be willing to bet that the boy you met had a friend somewhere who told him he could enhance his size by doing this.

Maybe that's yet another reason to open a Thai bank account. If you have a Thai bank account with online banking, you can add to your 1-2-Call online, with as little as 50 baht. Obviously, with online banking you can do that from anywhere in the world.

Maybe they ought to try the kind of thing most of us receive in spam Emails . . . Dr. Mweleke Mwenene from Nigeria, who is going to deposit three hundred trillion dollars into your bank account to get the money out. We've all received those kinds of Emails. Well, if Thaksin ever needs to deposit 2-billion US dollars into someone's bank account, I volunteer . . .

It's hard to predict what will happen now. Some are saying that neither she nor Thaksin, if he too ends up convicted, will ever serve a day in prison. Apparently, despite the verdict, they are still allowed to leave Thailand. Some say that is tantamount to exiling them, but I wonder what will happen if they do leave, refuse to return, and then their passports are revoked.

First, I am beginning to resent the insulting nature of your posts. I don't do that to you and I would appreciate it if you would stop doing that to me. Show me where I ever expressed such a theory. You should be able to do that since you have a knack for dredging up old posts. Second, I remember quite well the post to which you refer. What point are you trying to make? Everybody knows that inflation has hit Thailand. I have repeatedly said, in this thread, that the inflation has little or no significant effect on me or my lifestyle and so far it doesn't. I doubt it has much effect on the lifestyle of most farang in Thailand. Believe it or not, I can actually afford the additional five baht I have to pay if I want fried rice from that mom-and-pop shop down the street. Yes, prices in the grocery stores have definitely increased. I don't dispute that. However, the amount of the increase is virtually insignificant to me. Again, the only price increase that has caused problems for me are the fuel prices. The inflation is hitting the Thais very hard, but the average Thai neither lives the lifestyle of the typical farang nor has the income and financial resources of the typical farang. What are you trying to prove? That inflation exists? That I'm blind to it or can't see that it is indeed affecting my life after all? I don't know what you are getting at.

That's the easiest part of the entire process. The only documentation you need is your passport. You need absolutely nothing else and you will not be asked to provide any documentation of any kind at all. When you go to the American Citizens Services window, tell them you need a proof-of-income statement. They will hand you a form to fill out, on which you state your monthly income. It's a very short form. Then you go to the cashier's window and pay the 1020 baht fee. You take the receipt, the form, and your passport back to the services window and hand them over. About ten or fifteen minutes later they will call your name. A notary will ask you if the information you provided is true and correct. Assuming you say yes, they will now give you back your passport, a receipt, and the proof-of-income statement with the notary seal embossed. At that point you say thank you and leave. That's all there is to it.

Actually, I eat at home much more often than I eat out. Sure, I notice an increase in the amount I spend, but not a significant amount. I can't speak for others, but for me, the inflation in Thailand has had very little effect other than the price of fuel.

I think Buaseng's advice is best. If you are in Pattaya you might also be able to get it set up at Tuk Com. In Bangkok, the only place I know to go, besides the airport, where you can be sure to get it done right would be Pantip Plaza. Maybe someone more familiar with Bangkok can recommend other places.

It makes plenty of sense to me. What you say is probably correct in theory. I don't dispute a word of what you said. However, on a practical level it has nothing to do with the lifestyle I lead. On what do I spend my money in Thailand? Prices in the grocery store have gone up, but not by a significant amount. Restaurant prices are essentially the same. Prices that affect my daily life have not risen, with the exception of fuel prices. Entertainment prices have risen, but again nothing significant. Prices at the beach are the same. Local public transportation prices have not changed. Bar prices, off fees, and the amounts expected by the boys have not significantly changed. Hotel prices have not changed. Utility, telephone, and Internet prices have not changed. Medical, dental, prescription, and insurance prices have not changed. The daily cost of living, at least for me, has hardly changed at all, certainly not enough for me to benefit by what you are saying. I would agree with what you say if the prices on which inflation has an effect also had an effect on me and my lifestyle. So far, it hasn't had a significant effect at all, again with the exception of fuel prices. I will admit those fuel prices have definitely caused problems for me. A year ago I could fill my car's tank for 800 baht. Now it costs more than 1600 baht and I go through four to six tanks of fuel per month. You've got me on that one. However, once they are present in Thailand, I would imagine most farang are spending their money in much the same way as I spend mine. Meanwhile, if I am receiving a significantly greater amount of baht each month if the baht continues depreciating, that does have an effect on me, quite a positive one at that, especially if the amount I receive outruns the inflation rate. I think I'll continue my 'obsession' until the actual circumstances surrounding my life work out in the manner you describe.

Excellent! Ok, I'm pinning this topic. I think everyone who does not yet have a Thai bank account, but may eventually have a need for one, needs to see this. I urge everyone who this may help to act as quickly as you can. Thai banks tend to change their regulations quite often. Get your Thai bank account before it is too late.