TotallyOz

Their rates are great. They pick you up at your hotel/apartment in Pattaya or Bangkok and deliver you to the next city for 350 baht. I have several friends who love the service and use it often. I was planning on giving it a try today but something came up. Here is their link: http://www.belltravelservice.com/

I just download this and found it interesting. I don't fully understand how it works. What is the point? Does anyone use this to hook up? Is it only a video cam? Does it allow IM's?

A strong willed and very courageous lady died today. She will be missed. (CNN) -- Elizabeth Edwards, the estranged wife of 2004 vice presidential candidate and former North Carolina senator John Edwards, died Tuesday after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 61 She died at the family home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, according to a statement released by the family. "Today we have lost the comfort of Elizabeth's presence but she remains the heart of this family," the statement said. "We love her and will never know anyone more inspiring or full of life." Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her husband lost his bid for vice president in November 2004. John Edwards, a one-term Democratic senator, was Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's running mate. For the entire story: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/06/elizabeth.edwards.obit/index.html?hpt=T2

This season has been one of the best IMHO. The season finale is next week. I can't wait to see the end. It looks like an explosive hour. Anyone else keeping up with it for the entire season? Do you think his lady will live?

I had dinner there with 2 very well-known celebs in the gay Thailand board arena. Both were enjoyable company. But, I was shocked at the great dinner we had. It was a soup, salad, main course and desert and all for 285 baht. It was absolutely delightful and well worth every penny! They have several things to choose from and you can mix and match! Highly recommended!

All my friends use eztv.it You can get anything there only an hour after it airs. But, for those of us that travel into the USA, it is not a good idea as computers are often checked. I only use Itunes to download content.

I hope we always have great bookstores. But, I have not bought one in years and everything I buy now is on the Kindle.

Tiffany, Angelo and Hootie for the final 3. I think she is often discounted as she is such a odd bird. But, I think she can cook with the best of them. Tiffany is one of my favorites. Angelo is a dick but he can cook well.

Stay on Beachlover's original topic. Any further discussions outside of this will be moved.

I found this article particularly interesting as I have been reading a lot of Mike Anderson's books, The Rave Diet and Lifestyle. His philosophy is pretty much eat as much fresh fruit and vegetable as you want. All natural, all whole food.

Their world had been rocked, and the questions came fast and furious: A 31-year-old teacher from Midtown Manhattan who had barely touched a banana in six years wanted to know if she could really consume them with impunity. A small-business owner from TriBeCa wondered whether she was being nudged to part with that second (or third) glass of wine. And a woman with silky brown hair, on her way out the door after a Weight Watchers meeting in the basement of a Park Avenue South office building, had a particularly urgent need. They and others had been searching for answers and grappling with their implications since Sunday, when Weight Watchers began unveiling its first major overhaul to its cultlike points system, prompting the 750,000 members who attend weekly meetings across the United States — and some one million online adherents — to rethink how they shop, cook and eat. The new plan, company officials say, is based on scientific findings about how the body processes different foods. The biggest change: All fruits and most vegetables are point-free (or free of PointsPlus, as the new program is called). Processed foods, meanwhile, generally have higher point values, which roughly translates to: should be eaten less. “If I lived in the Caribbean, maybe I’d be able to make goal,” said Susan J. Slotkis, 64, an interior designer at the Park Avenue South meeting on Wednesday. “The pineapple is great; all the fruits are fresh; you’re never tempted to drink juice.” In the new system, oranges are free, but eight ounces of orange juice cost three points. When Weight Watchers introduced its points plan to Americans in 1997, it captivated a generation of women, propelling the company into a $1.4 billion empire. Weight Watchers points became a cultural touchstone: Restaurants like Applebee’s distributed special Weight Watchers menus; food companies like Healthy Choice listed points on their soup cans; and members bought Weight Watchers cookbooks, scales and points calculators. Members pay $12 to $15 a week to attend one of 20,000 weigh-ins and pep talks across the nation, or $65 to use the company’s Internet-monitoring program for three months. Under the old points plan, all participants were given daily and weekly allowances of points, based on their particular bodies, and each food, from apples to pepperoni pizzas, was given a point value, based primarily on the number of calories it contained, with slight adjustments for fat (bad) and fiber (good). “You could be holding an apple in one hand, which was two points, and you could be holding a 100-calorie snack pack of Oreos in the other hand, which was also two points,” David Kirchhoff, the president and chief executive of Weight Watchers International, said in a telephone interview. Now, all of that has been upended. The new system allots points based on a complex formula that considers each item’s mix of protein, fiber, carbohydrates and fat. Making it more confusing, most people are now given more total allowed points — a kind of new math that requires recalculation of what had been ingrained. Under the old system, for example, the average new member of Weight Watchers was allotted 22 daily points and an extra 35 weekly points. Now, the average new member is allotted 31 daily points and 49 weekly points. So while two potato latkes are now seven points instead of five, their portion of the total is about the same (too high). But a Burger King bacon double cheeseburger is still 12 points, making it slightly less objectionable under the new regime. And that little pack of Oreos? Up a point, to three. “It’s a complete overhaul; it doesn’t get any bigger than this,” said Karen Miller-Kovach, the chief scientific officer for Weight Watchers International. “Fifteen years ago we said a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. If you ate 100 calories of butter or 100 calories of chicken, it was all the same. Now, we know that is not the case, in terms of how hard the body has to work to make that energy available. And even more important is that where that energy comes from affects feelings of hunger and fullness.” Some people were drawn to the Weight Watchers point system by the idea that it seemed almost like an anti-diet: you could eat whatever you wanted, as long as you gauged the portion, counted the points and, if necessary, scrimped elsewhere. And while many members are lauding what one blogger described as a “Weight Watchers meets Michael Pollan,“ and celebrating the advent of the guilt-free fruit cup, others are pushing back. “I don’t want to be forced to choose veggies. I do NOT like veggies or fruit,” one member wrote in an online discussion on the Weight Watchers Web site. “I feel like I am being forced to ‘diet,’ and that is what I DO NOT WANT.” Kate A. Mack, 28, a high school English teacher in Allentown, Pa., questioned the timing of the shift, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, long a challenging time for the weight-conscious (a half-cup of reduced-calorie egg nog, for the record, used to be three points and now is four, but remember, the allowed total has changed, too). For Full Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/nyregion/04watchers.html

I agree with you. Fuck Oprah. But, don't you just love her Xmas shows?

MySpace just revamped its entire site. I really like it and think it is a drastic improvement. I haven't spent much time there over the past few years as Facebook took all my extra time. But, I'm willing to go back to MySpace to see what other improvements they are going to make. http://www.myspace.com/ http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/106899829

It looks like the clean up of Rio in anticipation of the Olympics and the World Cup have begun. I have no doubt promises were made to the committees who award those events that a clean up of the flavella's were guaranteed. Here it starts! BCC: The army in Brazil is to take on peacekeeping duties in the poor areas of Rio de Janeiro, which saw a week-long stand-off between security forces and drug dealers last month. Soldiers will patrol the Alemao and Penha districts to ensure hundreds of drug traffickers who had made the areas their stronghold would not return. Security forces arrested more than 100 people during their sweep of the area. It will be the army's first peacekeeping mission within Brazil. Defence Minister Nelson Jobim said the army would be able to draw on its years of experience heading the United Nation's peacekeeping mission in Haiti. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has approved the army's continued presence, which was requested by the governor of Rio state, Sergio Cabral. He had earlier praised the joint police and military operation and promised it would only be the start of a campaign to rid Rio of drugs gangs. The Alemao and Penha districts have been a stronghold of drugs traffickers and virtual no-go area for police for decades. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11920645

Anyone watching the newest season of Top Chef? This season they have the ones that almost won the past 7 seasons and it is going to be one hell of a season. Being a foodie myself, I love this show and this season looks like the best one yet!

Please keep us informed on your trip. Are you having fun? How were the boys at the sauna?

I was having dinner with 2 world famous posters last night and we were chatting about the effect that GayRomeo and other sites have had on the scene of go go boys in Pattaya, Bangkok and other places. We all agree that the net and especially Gay Romeo has had a TREMENDOUS effect on the quality of boys that work on the bars. Many of the super star boys now forgo the bars and instead sell their good on Gay Romeo. We also all know of guys who use to take off at least one or two boys from the bars every night and now they take NO boys from the bars and instead make all hook ups online. Some believe that GayRomeo and the other sites will completely obliterate the gay gogo scene in Thailand much as the Internet did for the gay money bars in Amsterdam. Now in NYC, there are few (if any) good places to pick up escorts in bars. The entire scene has moved to the Internet. What do you foresee as the future of the gogo scene in LOS?

Our dearest friends & guests, Christmas is coming soon ! It is our pleasure to present to you our culinary program in these fairytale surroundings. We shall be delighted to welcome you and your loved ones at Restaurant Casa Pascal and Restaurant Poseidon in Jomtien during this Christmas and New Year time. We would like to send you our sincerest good wishes for this holiday season and for a happy and a health start in the New Year. Kim , Pascal & Casa Pascal & Poseidon Staff Dinner Christmas Eve

Thanks for posting this Steven. I found it fantastic.

Kyle is adorable and I can't wait to meet him when I get to NYC next.

I do find it interesting Russia promised to make Visas easy for those attending the games. Has the USA ever considered that its immigration policies are going to make us even less desirable for events like this? Hell, people can't even pass from Europe to Mexico and go through USA without a visa. What a crock of shit. All International Airports in the USA should be able to be used as transit for people going other places. It is very easy to implement and I have never understood why something so simple is so hard to get done.

LOL I think it is the opposite. The harder you work for blowing that load, the more value you get.

KY, thanks for the great detail on Columbia. It is on my list for 2011. I have a friend flying down there in a few weeks to meet a boy he met on gayromeo. I hope he likes it as much as I think he will. I, for one, can't wait to visit it. Now, when are you going to visit Thailand again? The boys miss you!

I like XMarks but I moved all over to Firefox when they made the announcement. IMHO it was a disaster for the company not to exhaust all its options before they gave a closure notice.

What is the real likelihood that this will pass before the new Congress takes effect? Once that happens, does it really have any chance in hell? See what McCain is now spewing. The Republicans are good at one thing and that is finding a subject that they want and the entire party sticking to it. I hate politicians and the Democrats are stupid as well. I would love to see an entire coup of the American political system. Hell, I'd even agree to let Donald Trump be Emperor just to see how he does. He can't do any worst than the idiots we have in charge now. Yes, I am a die hard Democrat and I was supportive of Obama until he sat on his ass and didn't accomplish the things he could have. He did a lot. I'll give him that. But, he let others control the agenda and IMHO is a pussy!