Gaybutton

My guess is they are already as well aware of it as the rest of us. Why nothing much is done to relieve the problems is anybody's guess. Maybe they don't go down that street often enough for the problems to affect them personally. My guess is that if it did affect them personally the problems would be resolved within a week.

Locals and holiday travelers have been plagued for nearly a year now as the city has torn up roads (yet again) to install new, supposedly high capacity drainage pipes. For many years, whenever there are heavy rains, much of Pattaya floods because the current drainage system cannot even begin to cope. Lord only knows what is coming up out of those backed up pipes. As a result, there are heavy traffic jams while homes, shops, and streets get flooded out. Of course, major pothole problems occur during and after each each set of rains because of the shoddy work that went into building the roads in the first place, and even shoddier work in repairing the potholes. During every rain, it's still the same streets that flood. At this very moment, many of Pattaya's most heavily trafficked roads are already torn up while the new drainage pipes are being installed. The current rains only add to an already present and persistent problem. I probably don't even have to tell you that the roads and areas in which the new drainage pipes have already been installed were among the first to flood out during the heavy rains of the past few days. Most of the time, the Thai people just live with it and don't make a lot of noise about it. But now, even they have had enough. The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: (see http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_04_05_50.htm for photos) _____ Anger as Floods Return to Pattaya Despite New Drainage Pipes Installed by City Hall After four days of almost non-stop rain, Pattaya is clearly suffering as many areas are suffering from flooding. We were out around the City on Friday Night and saw for ourselves the surface water present in many areas as the cities recently modified drainage system clearly cannot cope and pipes blocked with sand and waste have not been cleared on a regular basis as promised by City Hall. Areas experiencing the worst floods were Soi Beokeow, Tepprasit Road in Jomtien, Soi Arunothai in Central Pattaya and the North end of Pattaya Third Road. The Pattaya City Call Center Number 1337 has been inundated with calls from residents complaining about the flood water and demanding immediate action from City Hall. According to weather reports, the rainstorms are now over for now allowing City Hall to survey the City and ask themselves why the Millions of Baht spend on new drainage pipes has clearly not made a difference.

An E-mail from a friend reminded me that it's been a long time since I wrote about Rhonda, of Norcross Travel. Many traveling to Thailand from the USA may not have heard of her and end up paying much more than necessary for airfare. I used Rhonda for my flights to Thailand for many years and she was always able to get airfares hundreds of dollars less than any other source I was ever able to find. She specializes in travel to Thailand. I suggest first trying to find the lowest airfares you can, but contacting Rhonda before you commit to anything. She'll probably be able to beat the price, and beat it by several hundred dollars. The toll free number for Norcross Travel is 1-888-888-7157. Make sure to specifically ask to speak to Rhonda. Also, if you want to be assured of getting flier miles, let Rhonda know that. Sometimes I took the lowest airfare she was able to get, but the fare did not include the miles. It may cost a little more, but the flier miles are worth a few extra bucks.

The PGF dinner was absolutely fabulous! "Madame Jim" did a marvelously entertaining job as Master of Ceremonies, as he always does. Bruno's was packed and many familiar faces were there, including Richard Burk, of the Amor Restaurant ( see http://www.amorrestaurant.com ), the owner of Café New Orleans (please forgive me - I just can't remember his name - - Alzheimer's) (see http://www.cafeneworleans.info ), Boxer of Boxer Travels (see http://www.boxertravels.net ), Mr. Graham of Sticky Rice magazine (see http://www.stickyrice.ws ), Rob Astbury, Gaypattayan, and others. The food was just excellent (see the menu in the post above). Fredi pulled out all the stops for this one and everything was delicious, cooked to perfection, and elegantly served by his wonderful staff. Wonderful prizes had been donated for the raffle, ranging from bottles of liquor to furniture to dinner vouchers at the Amor, Café New Orleans, and Bruno's. The top prize was a diamond ring, worth 56,000 baht, donated by Honest Gems. A great deal of money was raised, not only from the raffle, but also from very generous personal donations, both from many personally present and many who were not able to attend. The next PGF dinner will be at the Balcony Restaurant in North Pattaya. If you are fortunate enough to be in Pattaya when these events are held, try to be there for them. They are always wonderful, unforgettable evenings, and last night was no exception. It was one of the best ones yet.

For what it is worth, for reasons I don't understand this sort of thing happens when switching servers. When I had my own board, my web host company used to regularly screw things up. It seemed like once every six months or so they would switch servers and quite a number of messages went missing. Even backups failed to restore them. Some may remember the time when the entire message board disappeared and the whole thing had to be started all over again. It was quite frustrating, but there it is. It happens. The best anyone can do under the circumstances is to re-post any messages they felt were important, but are now missing. Try as he might, I don't think Stef will be able to restore any that are still missing. Those messages now reside in the Internet Twilight Zone.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ NZ Telecom Denies Right to be Gay Wellington (dpa) - A woman's email to Telecom New Zealand's help-desk was rejected because the company's filter system found her name, Gay, "inappropriate for business-like communication," a newspaper reported on Sunday. Gay Hamilton, of Nelson, admitted that she did happen to be gay but was concerned that the country's biggest public company had spent time and resources deciding that the word was offensive, the Herald on Sunday reported. "If they do have to put content filters on, then maybe they should ensure that it only gets genuinely abusive words," she told the paper. Telecom's automated reply to her email said the message "was identified by our content filtering processes as containing language that may be considered inappropriate for business-like communication." It confirmed that the offending word was "gay". Public relations spokesman Lenska Papich said the response was triggered by Telecom's internal email monitoring system, which exists to "prevent misuse of email technologies in the workplace and act as a deterrent to harassment. "Our systems internally detect a number of words, including both the words gay and heterosexual, that could be deemed as inappropriate for use at work," she said.

Wowpow, if you have not already done so, I suggest sending a PM directly to Stef. He'll receive an E-mail letting him know he has a PM waiting and he'll become aware of the problem much faster that way. Stef is the one who handles the technical problems.

You should also delete the cache. Another problem is that some keylogger programs out there are sophisticated enough that they won't appear on the task manager. However, following the above advice is about the best you can do.

Regarding drinking water at 1 baht per liter, the only way I can think of to do that is to have a water filter installed. There are all kinds of makes and models available, but I don't trust them. I prefer to buy bottled drinking water. I buy mine from a local bottling outlet. It works out to about 2.4 baht per liter. Of course, they probably use the same kinds of water filters that I don't trust . . .

That's a very good guess. Perhaps the following article, from the PATTAYA CITY NEWS will clarify what was going on, and why: _____ Karaoke Bars, Go-Go Bars and Beer Bars Checked in Continuing Crackdown on Late Night Entertainment Venues Bar Owners who watch this program should be aware that a crackdown is currently ongoing in the Pattaya area. Pattaya Police in conjunction with Banglamung District Licensing Officers visited many late night entertainment venues on Friday Night. Soi Sunee Plaza and the Naklua Road were targeted on this night and we caught up with them at the Kunza Karaoke Club in Naklua where the staff were urine tested. A total of 10 staff members failed the test confirming the presence of met-amphetamine in their systems; however a search of the club did not uncover any narcotics on the premise. In this case a report of the incident was sent to the Provincial Governors Office who will decide if any revocation of licenses is warranted in this case. We understand the bar crackdown will continue for the next few weeks.

I agree with khaolakguy on this one, especially the part about "however much money you give will be never be enough." In most cases with which I'm familiar, that's the way it usually works out. To my mind, it doesn't matter whether the boy was taken "off" from a bar or not. In my opinion, no matter where the boy was working, Geezer comes closest to reasonable if a finite amount is to be set. Noy9000 originally asked: I think it needs to be clarified as to just how long "long-term" means. Are we talking about a matter of days, weeks, months? In my opinion, if it is a matter of days or weeks, a finite amount ought to work quite well, provided that you first make sure the boy understands what he will be getting and he agrees to it. When you start getting into months, then I believe that's when it starts becoming a different story and changes need to be made, depending on the circumstances.

I don't know if I'd go as far as to put it like that. You are making it sound like everyone in town is a thief. Far from it. The vast majority of people are perfectly honest, hard-working, friendly people who have just as much contempt for criminals as we do, whether the victims are Thai, "farang," or anyone else. As long as you use common sense and take proper precautions, as you would likely do in any tourist city in the world, the odds of becoming a crime victim in Pattaya are quite remote.

I'd like some more information about the casinos and hotel prices in Macau. When you said it's mostly Asian games, what were the games? I'm thinking of Pai Gow Poker. Other than that one, I don't know which games would be considered particularly Asian. What were some of the weird Blackjack rules? What were the table minimums? Most important of all, did you come out a winner?

What was that song from 'Beverly Hills Cop'? Wasn't it 'The Boys Are Back in Town'? They'll be back. Many of the bars have had very few customers in the first place for quite some time, without Songkran being a factor. As far as the boys are concerned, there are plenty of them. Many do return to their homes to celebrate Songkran with their families, but throughout Thailand the main Songkran celebrations take place on different days and Pattaya is usually the last of the celebrations. Most of the boys want to be back in Pattaya for the main Songkran day, which is today. While the big day in Pattaya is precisely what many "farang" want to avoid, it is exactly what most of the boys enjoy more than any other day in the entire year, so most are already back and are going to be out there today. You have nothing to worry about, lectricman11. Two weeks from now, when you get here, there will be more boys than you can handle.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Pattaya Police Chief

I wonder who that might be . . . As for saving posts, there is no specific function that does that. You could always simply copy the posts and save them on a word processor, create a blog and save them there, or use another method to save them manually.

I'm going to start by taking exception to that comment. That comment pops up every so often, but it is simply not true. There were plenty of contributors, many of whom are now on this board. After years of dealing with it, I finally became sick and tired of all the nonsense and gossip and I changed the demeanor of my board so that its sole purpose was to provide information and answer questions. My board ran exactly as I wanted it to, thank you very much. To my mind, numbers of posts and numbers of contributors are meaningless. I fail to see how that has anything to do with whether a board is successful or not. There are other boards that have far greater numbers of posts than this one gets. It's always the same small group of people, though, trying to out-insult or out-smart-remark each other. If that is what constitutes a successful board, then I hope this board is not successful. The demise of my board was my own decision. When Thai authorities began to block web sites, my board was the first gay Thailand board to be blocked. I had no idea why it was blocked or what was going on and to this day I still don't. I made an effort to find out and never got anywhere. I had grown tired of constantly having to update articles and spending time seeking out information. I was in Thailand, retired, and ended up averaging five hours per day trying to keep up with everything. I had been seriously considering taking down the board anyhow and the blocking made that decision for me. It was a little difficult to run a board when it was blocked from my own location and I couldn't even access it. That is the reason I took it down. I even had problems just trying to take it down. I had to try and try again to catch one of the intermittent times the web site could be accessed just to be able to get in and take it offline. I moderate this board as I see fit and within the guidelines set forth by GayThailand. That's what I try to do anyway. Virtually all of the posts that were removed, and to date there have been very few - less than ten, from this board were removed by mutual consent among the moderators. We rarely act unilaterally. As for the flame posts directed at me that appear on other boards, I rarely respond to those for two reasons. One is simply considering the source. "Mean old Gaybutton won't let me post my crap. I'm telling my mommy." The other is that I would first have to give a damn about what others post about me. I don't. After so many years of involvement with message boards, I'm thick skinned enough that seeing myself called "Herr Gaybutton," "Gaybottom," "The Grand Ayatollah," "Control Freak," and all the other cute little names doesn't exactly cause my blood pressure to rise. The way I see it, contributors who wish to post valid, reliable information about the gay scene in Thailand, and post it honestly, are perfectly welcome here. Those who wish to abuse this board and/or use it to try to threaten, intimidate, or attack others are not going to be able to do so as long as GayThailand keeps me on as a moderator here and as long as I wish to remain a moderator here. Some people have tried and were warned not to continue. Those who decided to continue anyhow and apparently thought they could make up their own posting rules rather than abiding by ours have found themselves on moderated mode . . . permanently. Being on moderated mode doesn't mean they can't post at all. It means their post has to be approved first. If the post contains information, properly attributed if it comes from elsewhere, then it gets approved. If it contains attacks and flames, then it doesn't. It's just as simple as that. We have had a few flame wars appear on this board. In retrospect, I think we made a mistake by ever allowing it and I plead guilty to being a participant in it. It's not going to happen here again.

I'm not all that familiar with the Bangkok bars and I'm sure you will receive better responses than mine, but as far as I know all of the bars have boys within that age bracket. As for which bar is best, that's an extremely difficult question to answer because it is a matter of opinion. In the Suriwong-Patpong area most of the bars are within easy walking distance from each other, many right next door to each other. Try a few one night and try a few the next night. I think most people would agree, however, that if you are looking for muscle boys, then the Tawan bar is probably the place for you to go.

The next PGF (Pattaya Gay Festival) dinner will be hosted at Bruno's Restaurant on Wednesday, May 2. Details and the menu can be seen at: http://www.pgreport.com/100407/brunos_dinner%5B1%5D.jpg

Remember the brouhaha over the possibility of entertainment zones within Pattaya? Remember that the idea simply fizzled out and vanished? Well folks, the idea has been resurrected. At least they're also talking about residential zones. A common complaint in Pattaya is that someone has bought a beautiful condo in a quiet neighborhood, and then some schmuck opens a karaoke, a loud one, that blares music far into the wee hours of the morning, right into the ears of those who actually try to sleep at night. They ask the karaokes to turn down the volume, but it never happens. They call the police and nothing is done. Maybe establishment of residential zones will do something to solve that problem for those plagued by it. Here's the article, from the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Meeting Discusses Plans to Create Zones here in Pattaya An interesting meeting now from Pattaya City Hall chaired by Khun Niran, the Mayor of Pattaya. The meeting discussed plans to create zones around the City. Entertainment, Residential and Educational Zones will be clearly defined, however, although the idea for zoning has been approved the exact boundaries of each zone has not yet been agreed upon. This could well have an impact on the lucrative late night entertainment industry here in Pattaya which would be affected by these zoning plans. The plans are in the consultation stage for now and despite previous plans to zone Pattaya failing, the meeting is hopeful that these plans will eventually be put into operation.

Thank you. The entire BANGKOK POST article is as follows: _____ Mafia in Khaki Prey on Bus Passengers Tourists, Migrants Searched, Held, Forced to Part with Money to Secure Own Release By Amornrat Mahitthirook and Manop Thip-osod Ekamai and Southern bus terminals are known as hunting grounds for "mafia in khaki" who prey on foreign travellers and illegal aliens. The mafia extort money from foreign tourists and illegal migrant workers who lack proper immigration documents. They arrest the migrants, and demand money in return for their release from custody, say bus terminal officials and witnesses. The Transport Co, operator of the terminals, admits the problem is rampant at the state-run bus terminals. An official at the Southern bus terminal said: "Mafia extortionists have been roaming the terminal for almost two decades. The practice is blatant and people working at the terminal, including officials and shopkeepers, know about it." The mafia, claiming to be policemen, work in gangs, along with bus staff, taxi and van drivers who tip off the extortionists about the arrival of their targets, mostly Burmese and Lao workers travelling from Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi, Ranong, and Songkhla. The "mafia in khaki" approach the workers, search their belongings and ask for immigration documents. Any illegal immigrants are told they must pay at least 5,000 baht to walk free. Anyone without money or valuables is forced to seek refunds for their tickets to get cash, or face being locked up until friends or relatives find money to pay the fines. The terminal official said the gangsters claim to be officers from Taling Chan police station, the 191 emergency unit or police from other areas. They work in uniforms or plain clothes, often in the dark, from evening until 4am. A shopkeeper at the bus terminal, located on Pinklao road, said no one dare interfere with the extortionists for fear of retribution. The practice differs at the Ekamai terminal for east-bound buses on Sukhumvit road. An Ekamai employee said officers claiming to be officers from Thong Lor police station had boarded buses to accost foreigners for the past seven months. They scattered their belongings in drug searches. If any drugs were found, money changes hands. "The practice hurts the country's tourism, especially when innocent foreign travellers become victims of intimidation by people claiming to be state officers," the employee said. More frequent police searches might stem from heightened security to prevent terrorism, he said. But that might also be the work of extortionists. He said many bus operators are upset because the searches delay departure schedules. "The mafia has escaped the hand of the law," the employee said, citing the recent closure of a terminal's radio station after it alerted high-level terminal officers to look into the mafia activities. Wuthichart Kalayanamitr, acting president of the Transport Co, admitted mafia extortionists are rampant. He said the Crime Suppression Division had been asked to patrol the Southern terminal and crack down on the mafia. As a precaution, warnings have been issued on the public address system and more closed-circuit cameras will be installed, he said. Renovation is under way at the Southern terminal to seal off the terminal area, so it is accessible only by passengers and officials, he added. Metropolitan Police Bureau spokesman Supisal Pakdinarunat said police patrols and undercover agents have been sent to investigate, especially cases involving possible police misconduct. Pol Col Supisal advised victims and witnesses to contact the police complaint centre, the Prime Minister's Office hotline or the media. He also urged victims to file charges against the gangsters.

Actually, according to http://www.thai-language.com , there are three words for it. I've never heard any of those words actually used . . .

Just because I enjoy it doesn't mean that you have to also enjoy it. I haven't had such experiences, so I have no reason to feel as you do. Meanwhile, you might feel a little better knowing that your misery has company. The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: for photos, click: http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_14_04_50_4.htm _____ Safety Concerns as Songkran Starts Early Here in Pattaya. Despite the fact that the official day for Songkran here in Pattaya is 5 days away the festivities have already begun in some areas around the City. We went to Soi

In Pattaya some of the Songkran water tossing and powder puffing has begun. Today (Friday) I saw several pickup trucks, loaded with people and water barrels, cruising through the city. However, they were dousing only each other and leaving everyone else alone, although a few motorcyclists and pedestrians were caught in the crossfire. Collateral damage . . . I was not on Second Road or Beach Road today, but I've heard that the water works have greatly escalated in those areas and right now that's the area where you are most likely to receive a dousing. Right now, Pattaya reminds me of a ghost town when it comes to the presence of "farang." Many have already made their escape and more will be doing so throughout the week. Some have already gone into hibernation in their condo or hotel rooms. The beach, restaurants, and gay venues are not exactly bursting at the seams with customers right now. There really hasn't been all that much Songkran activity yet due to the weather. We've had quite a bit of rain, along with flooded streets, lately, so not that many people are out there with their water shooters. Maybe they're afraid they'll get wet . . . This year, the city is forbidding water tossing along Sukhumvit highway and the police are out there enforcing that. The reasons are to cut back on accidents and to allow a traffic flow. I'm glad of that. In the past the revelers would shoot water at motorcycles passing at high speed and that caused many serious accidents and injuries. However, the real test of whether such enforcement is really possible will be next Thursday, the main Songkran day. So many "farang" really hate the Songkran holiday and all the revelry that goes with it. Not me. I truly enjoy it. Aside from myself, though, I know of only one other "farang" who truly enjoys it all and intends to be right here in the thick of it. Are we the only two?

I'll just let the story, which appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS, speak for itself. Photos can be seen at: http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_13_04_50_3.htm As for the final outcome and whether the case was officially logged, well . . . that's the part where you get three guesses. _____ Sleepy Police Officer Causes Traffic Chaos on Pattaya Third Road Here