TotallyOz

I had this same problem in Brazil and I had the hotel book it for me and I paid them, plus their fee and service charge.

You don't think one admin can deny an applicant? If you answer that question that one administrator cannot derail an application, I'd suggest you ask a few people in higher education.

Hey, welcome to the site. Thanks for the links to the reviews. I'll have to add to my list of to dos. I have only got about a month left in LOS on this trip, any favorites you would suggest?

I would have not problem with this question if it was from a good liberal arts school which I knew did not discriminate. However, I don't think I would answer this question honestly at most schools in the South. Regardless of how many gay and lesbian groups there are on campuses, there are still bigots and racists in the administration and it only takes one to see an application and put it in the denied list.

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — Two dozen gunmen burst into a casino in northern Mexico on Thursday, doused it with a flammable liquid and started a fire that trapped gamblers inside, killing at least 32 people and injuring a dozen more, authorities said. The fire at the Casino Royale in Monterrey, a city that has seen a surge in violence this year, represented one of the deadliest attacks on an entertainment center in Mexico since President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against drug cartels in late 2006. "This is a night of sadness for Mexico," said federal security spokesman Alejandro Poire in a televised address. "An unspeakable, repugnant, unacceptable act of terror has been committed." "These unspeakable acts of terror will not go unpunished," Poire said, adding federal authorities were aiding state forces in the investigation. for the full story: http://news.yahoo.com/32-dead-attack-casino-northern-mexico-021641106.html Mexico, being right next door to USA, is a place I really enjoyed visiting at a child. I have not been there in a few years and I am not sure when these horrific incidences are going to subside. My hearts go out to those caught up in this madness and I hope that there is a day in the near future when this great land is able to rise up again.

What are your plans for the weekend? Me: going to Siam Paragon for lunch, going to see a movie later, headed to Hero on Sunday.

Do you ever wonder why so many are turned off by organized religion? Pat Robertson's latest rant on his TV show said that the East Coast Earthquake was because "there are men who get manicures, wear designer eyewear and know about thread counts. God finds this somewhat gay-like behavior confusing, and He responded by getting mildly peeved." Don't you think Pat's God should get pissed at him for being such a frigging bigot and send a tornado to his headquarters?

A friend of mine recently sent an e-mail to me with the URL for an ad. The ad was from a guy in Alabama looking for a roommate. I'll post both the url and the full text so you can read it if they take it down again. SF bay area craigslist > san francisco > housing > room/share wanted please flag with care: [?] $1000 Best. Roommate. Ever. Date: 2011-08-18, 3:39PM PDT Konichiwa bitches. Are you looking for the most kick-ass fucking roommate that ever lived? If so, look no further. You fucking found him. I'm a 25-year-old professional marketing agent with experience at bad-ass companies in New York Fucking City. That's right! What you know about experience? I graduated from Auburn University in Alabama, and moved to NYC at the ripe, tender age of 22. After deciding that New York was a stinky shit-hole, I moved back to Alabama to cultivate more professional experience. Why? So I can make millions of dollars and not have to post shit like this on Craigslist. Anyway, so I landed this job with a marketing firm in San Francisco, and I have no fucking clue where to live. Honestly, I'm moving there in 3 weeks, so I don't give a shit if I have to sleep in your bathtub. A bit about me: I'm respectful, quiet, clean and I won't bother any of your shit. If you leave shit out, I'm just like, "Oh fuck I better not mess with this shit, because it's not mine." I turn off lights. I clean toilets. Fuck it. I'll even cook for you. That's right! My dad is a chef and taught me everything there is to know about cooking southern cajun cuisine. I'll fry green tomatoes, cover them with marinated crab meat and smother that shit in bearnaise. EVERY. GODDAMN. NIGHT. Don't eat meat? That's fucking FANTASTIC! I'll make a zucchini and yellow squash carpaccio that will knock your fucking socks off. I also read a lot. I fucking LOVE books. Vonnegut, Palahniuk, Hawthorne. All that shit. I read Tuesdays with Morrie the other day. It's a sad story, but I learned something about life, love, knowledge and the pursuit of something greater than myself. Fucking smart. Do you like movies? I fucking love them. We can watch the shit out of some movies together if you like, or go get drinks, or work out, hike, play video games or play a game of one-on-one basketball, or I don't have to talk to you at all. It's completely UP TO YOU! Sometimes I play guitar. Are you going to love getting baked and listening to Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd? LIVE? WHENEVER THE FUCK YOU WANT? Of course you are! I'll take requests and learn any song you like, because I have the voice of an angel and the acoustical stylings of James Fucking Taylor. AWWWWWW SHIT YEA! A lot of people ask me, "Hey, you're from Alabama. Are you racist?" And, the answer to that question is, no. I'm not racist or judgmental at all. I love everyone. I'm a secular humanist. I FUCKING LOVE PEOPLE. That's the only requirement to being a secular humanist actually. You have to like other human beings and want to help them for no other reason than they are human regardless of race, religion or sexual preference. WTF?!!!? Pretty fucking cool right? I own almost nothing! I'm driving my car from Alabama to California in which I'll be transporting two duffelbags of clothes, one laptop computer, one guitar, one cell-phone with charger, 8 pairs of shoes, one picture frame, probably some condoms and a shitload of beef jerky and Pringles for the trip. Though, you can expect the jerky to be gone upon my arrival. Unless you'd like me to pick up some on my way into the city. See?! I'm the most considerate person you've ever met. I'm offering to buy you shit already! Am I interested in your pad? You can bet my nomadic ass I am! I only require 4 walls, a ceiling and a floor to shelter me from the elements. Other than that, anything else will be considered a convenient plus. I'm taking being a roommate to the next level. Email me! I'll hook yo ass up with Facebook links, background checks, credit reports, phone numbers, resumes, references, awards, sexual history, pictures of karate trophies and a list of the top 10 women I'd like to bang before I die. If you want a next-generation roommate who consistently blows your fucking mind with awesomeness, then hit me up. I'm ready to give you money. EDIT: Craigslist decided to hook my shit back up, and I'm tweeting now. Follow me. Or don't. It's up to you. http://twitter.com/BestRoomyEver http://www.facebook.com/BestRoomyEver cats are OK - purrr dogs are OK - wooof it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/sha/2549849730.html PostingID: 2549849730

Does anyone here watch the Sons of Anarchy? I recently became aware of this TV show and watched the 1st 3 seasons. I will say I enjoyed the series a great deal the main character is extremely delicious, tasty, scrumptious, divine and gives me a boner every time I see him. I also like the fact that Peg Bundy is the motorcycle matriarch. I always enjoy her as an actress, and it was great to see her again on the show. I did not know that her husband was the director of this series. But I think he did a great job casting her as the mother. As many of you know, I have a tattoo fetish. This show is filled with hot tattooed guys. It's also filled with a lot of beer belly old men. The ending for the 3rd season was fantastic. It was not exactly what I was expecting to see. But I'm glad it ended the way it did. In September the new season will begin and if anyone has not watched this great show, I suggest that you download it, rent it, or by the 1st 3 seasons before the new season begins.

I was sitting down trying to balance ledgers today and one of the items that keep coming up on my credit card bills is Amazon.com. I cannot even tell you how many things I buy from that website in one year. I do not even live in the United States full-time and I still find Amazon.com is indispensable. A few years back when I took an apartment in New York City, I furnish the entire apartment from Amazon.com. Well, with the exception of a bed and a sofa. Everything else, and I do mean everything else was sent to me by Amazon.com. The UPS driver made daily deliveries that filled my living room with boxes from Amazon.com. During the holiday season, I find that I do most of my shopping@Amazon.com. I have a niece and nephew that I by many presents for and every one of them comes from Amazon.com. I don't know if that makes me a lazy ass mother fucker or not. but shopping with Amazon is easy, convenient, and I feel I get the best deal for my money. When I had to have a case for my 27 inch iMac, I found it online and knew exactly what I wanted. Amazon had the same price as every other company in the USA. The only difference was there were no taxes that were added to the cost and because I am an Amazon.com prime member there was also free shipping. Being an Amazon.com prime member gives you 2nd day delivery on any item you purchase that is directly shipped from Amazon.com. For me, I love the fact that I can order something one day and it's delivered in the next 2 days for free. Do you use Amazon.com? Are there other online companies that you prefer? Do you prefer to do your shopping in person as opposed to on the Internet? I asked mainly because I am curious as I have always hated shopping in person. Now that I can shop online, I enjoy it. But take me to the mall and asked me to buy something for myself or for someone else and my attention span lasts a maximum of 10 min.

I have friends in Kuwait that have been trying to get me to visit them for many years. They have said not only is it very safe, but that the gay scene there is fantastic. I have not been able to find any empirical data that verifies this, but they say that all the men go out at night, and women are required to stay inside, and therefore the man fuck with each other. I have always been curious to see what the Middle East would be like. I've especially always wanted to visit Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. And since I was a child, Egypt has always been my dream country. I've never been to any of these places. I have had short layovers at airports in the Middle East but never explored any of the cities. I have many friends that go to Jerusalem often and say that they feel safer there than anywhere in America. They also say that many of the shopkeepers have machine guns were protection. I'm not sure that that would make me feel safe, or make me feel uncomfortable, but it still does not stop my urge for wanting to visit the Holy Lands. Do you think that the Arab spring is going to make it safer for travel in the Middle East? Or do you think things are going to get worse?

No one really knows what happened that night. As time goes by I think we will learn more about it. I think this goes to show the value of a site like this. I will admit that I have hired from Craig's list on several occasions. I had mixed results from those encounters. Not once have I ever hired someone from this site that had good reviews where I was disappointed. So, in conclusion, only hire if the escort in question has been reviewed here. If this client had done that, he would not be in the shit store he now is in.

I had a Brazilian boyfriend at one point and he loved cooking with a pressure cooker. He would make some of most amazing meets that were mixed with vegetables and the taste was absolutely divine. I do remember the pressure cooker exploding at one point and making a mess of our entire kitchen. I wasn't so concerned with the mass, as I was that if one of us had been near it we would've had serious burns. After that, we bought a very high-end pressure cooker and it was guaranteed not to explode. I have never been able to find that cooker online or in any store. I also remember my mother using a pressure cooker a great deal growing up as a child. But she would also use a pressure cooker for canning vegetables. Not once did hers ever explode. Perhaps that's the difference between a good Southern cook, and to Queens in New York City trying to cook some good food.

I love that the new CEO is gay and I hope he does a fantastic job!

I have stayed at just about every Marriott hotel in Bangkok. I have never had a problem bringing guests of the hotel. I had a room at the Marriott executive Apartments on Sathorn and never had any problems. The hotel in question in this thread is a fairly new hotel. I believe it is only 1 1/2 years old. Again, I do not think you have a problem bringing guests into the hotel. That being said, the hotel is out-of-the-way for the gay bar area. It is a long distance up the sky train from where the gay scene takes place. It is in an area with very nice hotels, apartments, and shopping centers. However, it is easy to get anywhere in Bangkok if you are willing to take the sky train. If you must take a taxi, and you're going to be out in the daytime, this hotel is not for you. The hotel is gorgeous. The lobby looks fantastic. The fitness facilities our very nice. They have a shuttle that goes to the Metro station. All in all, I think it is a great place to stay if you want to be out of the gay area of Bangkok.

I have stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Bangkok in the past. I really enjoyed the hotel. The best thing about the hotel is that it is right in the middle of the gay area of Bangkok. It is right around the corner from Silom 4 and right around the corner from the gay gogo bars. It was once called the Pan Pacific Hotel. I had no problem bringing guest into the hotel. I have never had any problem bringing guest into any hotel in Bangkok. Most of the hotels in the area understand that there guests just will want to bring company back for the evening. You should not have a problem. In my opinion, you just need to be careful and make sure that the person you bring back is well dressed and looks decent. If they look like someone from the street, you may have issues. If that is your type, then there are other hotels I can recommend. There is another hotel close to the area called Le Meridian. I have not stayed at this hotel but I have friends that have stayed there on many occasions and had no problems. What kind of guys do you like? If you like the muscle guys then the The Tawan Bar is going to be the place to visit. All of these bars are within walking distances of both hotels. If you already have reservations at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Bangkok, my only suggestion would be that you be sure to register as a party of 2. That way if they ever question you about bringing someone back to your room you simply add them to your room, and then when your session is over you go downstairs and take them off your room. It really is that simple and I have done this on many occasions and many countries. A couple of questions for you: Have you been to Bangkok before? What kind of guys do you like? Do you like the saunas? Your answers to some of these questions may help us in making recommendations on where to stay and what to do.

I use my points when I stay in NYC. I am staying there for 10 days in November and I used points for them all. Try to save up your hotel points or CC points and use them in NYC. When I stay in other cites, I pay but in NYC and Rio, I have been using points.

I'd be happy to meet up while you are here. Send me an e-mail at totallyoz@me.com when time gets close if you want to meet up.

Sexuality meets globalisation _ Thais are getting involved in more international relationships but the dynamics are changing The face of Thai sexuality is changing in small fault lines that may soon represent a seismic shift in the way the Land of Smiles is viewed. While the perception of international relationships here in some Western eyes may be of older, overweight, oversexed tourists trawling bars for Thai partners, the post-Vietnam era cliche of American servicemen on R&R is being challenged by and is also accelerating new trends. The sexualisation of Thais in foreign eyes has had an effect on international partnerships, as Thais try to distance themselves from the misperception of being tied to a foreign partner for monetary reasons. As citizens of a middle-income country where status is important, middle class Thais have much to lose or gain by being involved with a foreign partner. In this light, several trends are emerging. Thais seeking foreign partners are more often gazing over the fence at East Asian partners. The "white Asian" ideal is gradually replacing the "white European". There is more migration to the countryside, with German and Swiss enclaves in Isan and Thai village women struggling to fit into life in the austere towns and cities of northern Europe. Even as such migrations increase, their demographics are changing, as many Western men are younger and willing to forsake jobs and connections back home to build a new life on the farm. Young Western women are also finding holiday romance in Bangkok's backpacker areas and the beach full moon parties, with Thai lotharios more than willing to accommodate them for the night or the length of their holiday. The Thai middle class has grown quickly and continues to expand. With the rise in income and education, Thais have more access to international trends and popular culture, and globalisation and social media are playing a major role in the changes. From the popularity of English in texting and Facebook to the pop culture tsunami of the Korean wave, the signs of globalisation are everywhere. We have Korean beauty products, Japanese manga and Hollywood movies, and many celebrities are luk krueng or light-skinned _ that is, those that look more Northeast Asian or Western. Spectrum spoke to those at the coalface of the changes, as well as anthropologists and academics who presented papers on transnational romance recently at the International Conference on Thai Studies, and these are their stories. EASTERN PROMISES "He looks uglier than five years ago!" says Apple* of Barry, her long-time American boyfriend. "And we have a lot of communication problems." Apple's first foreign boyfriend was a Frenchman she met on the internet. After only a short message exchange, he abruptly flew to Bangkok to be with her. "For two months it was nice, but it was like a holiday romance for him. Bangkok corrupted him," she says. "Eventually he fell in love with a massage girl." Another complaint she has about being with Barry is that sometimes waiters and clerks assume she's Barry's bargirl. Like many young middle class women, though, Apple has lost interest in dating Thai men. "They have an ego," she explains, "where everything is about them. Foreigners see themselves as part of the wider world. They have hobbies and other interests. "But farang [culture] is still far away," she adds. "Asians are closer." Apple, 30, works for a fashion magazine and is looking for a Japanese man to replace Barry. She finds men in Korean and Japanese dramas and movies "dreamy". "The image is kind, gentle and handsome," she says. "I know it's not the reality and more of a media depiction. "Also it's the 'whitening' culture," she adds. "Maybe because the Chinese in Thailand do well in business and popular culture. It makes whiter skin more appealing." Woramon Sirinopakul, 23, works for a television station and thinks nationality is less important than it used to be. "I've started to consider each person in his behaviour rather than culture," she says. "Now it's very easy to meet foreigners. For culture, the more unique, the more attractive." As for dating Thai men, she is equivocal: "Thais are fine as long as they have something to talk about. The big advantage is I can say anything without language problems." "But all my life I see ton of bad Thai men. For a date, yes," she concludes. "But for marriage, no." Ms Woramon finds Europeans "artistic and charming" and more attractive than Americans, who "tend to think that everything is easy to understand like a Hollywood movie". The British are especially appealing to her: "The different accents are charming, and I like Brit-pop." Along with British, though, she finds the most attractive men her age to be the Japanese. "I know not every Japanese man is attractive," she says, "but media from Japan _ manga, anime, movies _ is what I love to consume. We'll always have something to talk about." For middle class Thai women or gay men, says Dredge Byung'chu Kang of Emory University in the US, who presented a paper at last month's International Conference on Thai Studies, being seen with an older Westerner often lowers their perception of status, in their own eyes or those of others, because of the country's high-profile sex tourism industry and its roots in the Vietnam War, when the women with the most proximity to Western men were those offering sex for money. Today, large numbers of Western men still come to the Kingdom for sex and some hotels and restaurants have posted "no Thai" policies to distance themselves from the sex trade. Still, the number of Asian sex tourists visiting Thailand probably outstrips the number of Western ones. In a country where the line between appearance and substance is indistinct, the way a relationship looks matters. Thais with means try to avoid being seen as someone's "bargirl" or "money boy", both to avoid judgement by waiters, shop clerks and other strangers and to be recognised on their own merits. Whatever the truth of an arrangement, there is less of a stigma risk when seen with a Far Eastern partner. THE NEW GAY MALE This look to the Far East is especially apparent on the gay scene. "Asians are more similar in culture," says Beer, a 32-year-old dentist. "It's easier to communicate. Their way of thinking is easier to understand." Beer would still consider dating Thai or Western men, but he is largely attracted to "looks, way of thinking and status" _ which equates well with Far Eastern men. "If I love him enough I can adapt to anything," he adds. "But you simplify your life and there's less to overcome if you have similar status." Ken, a 32-year-old travel writer, still prefers Westerners, and says he finds the Korean look "too fake and homogenous". But when asked to name celebrities he finds attractive, he cites Nadech "Barry" Kugimiya and Pope Thanawat, who both have a "white Asian" look, as Mr Kang describes it. Some gay Thais, just like straight people, enter relationships with foreigners to improve their socioeconomic status. Thailand's position between wealthier and poorer countries in the region, he argues, shapes new partner preferences. Mr Kang's research focuses largely on the changing choice of partners for Thai gay middle class males. He loosely defines the middle class as earning between 7,000 and 70,000 baht a month. He cites four main reasons for the gradual lean towards the East rather than West: the regional flow of media and commodities, the internet (notably sites such as gayromeo.com and fridae.com, both used by Thai men to find Asian partners), discount airlines (especially AirAsia) and regional alignments and politics. Gay tourism has expanded greatly in the region in recent years, helped along by circuit parties that help connect Southeast and East Asian party-goers. "East Asian partners are associated with high economic status, modernity and cultural similarity," Mr Kang says. They do not have the nergative status attached to many Anglo-Saxons. "Even when middle class Thais have farang partners, they often hide this fact from family or friends. "Other Asians can be interpreted as friends while farang are more likely coded as sexual partners. Farang are sexualised via the very Western gazes that sexualise Thais." According to Mr Kang, the list of partner preferences mirrors the economic status of its citizens so that Japanese, Koreans and Hongkongese are prioritised over Chinese Singaporeans and Taiwanese, who are preferred to Chinese Malaysians, mainland Chinese and Vietnamese, while other Asians, especially Burmese and Cambodians, are considered undesirable. This results in some dissatisfaction when image doesn't match the reality, such as in relationships with Korean men, who in Korean soap operas are seen as soft, sweet and romantic but in life can also be aggressive, impatient and stubborn, says Mr Kang. For the rest of the article: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/252745/the-new-politics-of-desire

I totally agree! For some, the smallest thing gets them all riled up. If going to a bar and it was closed (yet others were open) was the worst thing to happen on that night, hell, I know many in USA who would trade places in a heartbeat. I can't say I am not guilty of letting the little things get to me. Today, I went to Paragon California Wow and they require a small lock to go on the lockers (not the ones every other place in Thailand uses). It costs 160 baht. Not a big deal right? I was livid. So, I do know how little things upset someone. Eros is not in Thailand. He said so. He apologized. That should be it. Of course, this is just my logical humble opinion.

Thanks for posting this. It really does show what a good businessman you are. Best of luck with the bar and keep the great things coming!

My BF in Thailand listens to Bill Maher with me and is amazed that we allow that on the tv. That would never fly in Thailand. He always says, "can they say that on TV?" We are lucky they can as I am not sure where we would be without the comedians to give us the right direction in a humorous way. Truth is, we need to laugh at our system. Some of the shit that goes on is just too funny not to laugh at. Weinergate. Jeeze. A congressman named Weiner showing his Weiner. Does it get better than that?

I got this from the Biggest Loser Newsletter. I love Mexican food more than any other ethnic food. Here was his suggestion. Eating Out Mexican Tonight? Bob Harper has some tips on what to eat and what to avoid First tell the waiter to not bring those chips to your table! I love them and could eat every basket they bring to me....STAY AWAY. Instead place an order for corn tortillas and dip them into your salsa. It is the same thing as the chips except not fried and it will satisfy that craving of wanting to dip. Instead of refried beans ask for black beans, no sour cream, no guacamole, no flour tortillas, no crispy taco shells. Okay, now that we have gone through all the NOs let's go to what you can order. Fajitas are a great choice since the meat will be grilled and your veggies are included. Burritos without the flour tortilla of course. Tacos can also be ordered if you just get the insides of them. Many times I will order three or four tacos, beef or chicken and combine the insides of all of them on a big salad and bam! There you go. a big taco salad without anything crunchy except the lettuce. No salad dressing required in a Mexican restaurant, because you have all that good salsa....Olé!

I find this whole story fascinating. It is what movies are made of. I hope that they do make a movie of this family as I would love to see it. Who didn't expect this to be a done deal this year? Does he have to wait till 2012? What are the odds?

I do! But, I don't think that is intentional. The others are intentionally funny. Not funny because they are crazy. Well, Maher may be crazy but he is intelligent and witty at the same time.