TotallyOz

Yes, he is greatly missed! He would be saddened by the state of affairs in Thailand. In fact, I saw one of his main boys here a week ago. First time I had seen him in many years and he asked about Hoo. It was nice the see the lad and to catch up on his life and memories of yesteryears. Marc, I hope this year will bring me to Montreal finally.

I have 3BB and have really gotten great results from them. My average Internet speed is 13.92 MB/S. I remember back in the days when I was lucky to get 1 MB/s. Are others consistently getting good Internet in LOS? I am using 3BB in Pattaya and in a condo. What are others getting? I got the below by using SpeedTest.net to San Francisco.

I want to get some nice silk shirts hand made by a tailor. What is the best place for this in Pattaya? I also want a nice suit. I need it for my trip to USA coming up soon. Any suggestions for this? If you have tailors you use, please give me location to the best of your ability as I would appreciate as much info possible. Thanks.

It is interesting to see that the government can just go and freeze assets for anyone associated with the Red movement. I wonder if this same thing would work in the USA? Perhaps all Republican funds can be frozen until after the next election? Or, at least until after the new Supreme Court confirmation. This from the Nation: To the government, which seems to believe that the red-shirt movement cannot function without huge financial support, the measures - announced with-out much fanfare - is supposed to be a big blow to the protesters, who already face grave logistical pressures. The financial "blacklist" (full list on 14A) includes Thaksin, his immediate family members, his relatives, many banned politi-cians of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, business people close to the Shinawatras and sev-eral key leaders of the red-shirt movement. The measures were announced as widespread political violence that turned key parts of Bangkok into war zones entered its third day without signs of abating. The death toll has risen to 29 people, with 221 injured (as of 9pm last night), and the Abhisit govern-ment finds itself on the defensive politically, having to face an increasing scrutiny from the global community. The financial bans cover Thai and international transactions. Even normal deposits and with-drawals would be subject to restrictions, officials of the Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation said. This reflects the government's belief the movement will wilt and with-draw from Rajprasong after being pressured logistically and finan-cially. In fact, the financial measures, prescribed under the state of emergency, will provide a double blow for high-profile figures allegedly associated with the movement. The freezing of the financial accounts will facilitate a probe into past transfers and possible links between Thaksin, his associates and con-troversial figures like Maj-General |Khattiya Sawasdiphol and other 'enigmatic' military officers. Blacklisted

By Sarah Ventre Thursday, May 6 2010 My name is Sarah and I am a cocktail waitress. For two years, I've been slinging drinks at a popular Phoenix music venue/bar that shall remain nameless. Armed with only a cork-topped plastic tray, I encounter the best and worst people on Earth. Every night. I've seen people who are otherwise pleasant, upstanding members of our society let alcohol activate the most wicked parts of their personalities. I've seen people turn loving or hateful at the drop of a hat. Like my sisters in the trade, I'm left to deal with the effects of unrestrained, uninhibited alter ego. In preparation for this article, I carried a piece of paper in my back pocket for weeks as I was worked, reporting on real-life situations whence I grew to hate my customers. Then, I had a meeting of the minds with my co-workers — over drinks, of course. In this meeting they not only confirmed my scribblings but added to the discourse. Everything you read below is based on first- or secondhand accounts of stupid shit done in Phoenix bars. I do not wish to sound harsh, dear reader; I merely speak the truth of my reality. Tricky McPlastic: When asked whether he'll be paying with cash, this customer says yes. But when I come back with a tray full of drinks, the customer will hand me a credit card and say, "Is this okay?" Well, it would have been okay if you had told me five minutes ago. Now, it's actually a huge pain in the ass. You may not know this, but I already paid the bar — in cash — for your drink. See, I'm allotted money at the beginning of the night with which I buy drinks from the bar, getting reimbursed by you. But I can't tell you that because then I look like the difficult one. You just wasted five minutes of my life, asshole. The Well Waller: The United States has a 99 percent literacy rate. Therefore, 99 percent of the people who come into a bar should be able to read the sign in front of a waitress well that says, "Do not stand in front of the well." Still, countless people, in varying states of intoxication, stand, wait, dance, flirt, order drinks, and look annoyed in the one place that the waitress needs to be. Let's play role-reversal: This would be like the waitress coming into your cubicle, sitting at your desk, making a phone call, and then getting annoyed when you ask her to move. The Relay Team: If you enjoy running, that's fine. But don't assume your waitress enjoys it too. When she asks you if you want anything to drink, you should actually tell her anything and everything you'd like to drink. Don't send your waitress off to the bar to get you a gin and tonic, only to mention when she returns that your friend wants a rum and Coke. Then, when she brings the rum and Coke, don't tell her that each of you needs a glass of water. Believe it or not, you're not the only thirsty customers in the bar. Stubborn Burro: Some customers are stubborn, refusing to move when asked. Where I work, it's often too loud to ask people more than once (without shredding your vocal chords) to move. If you, the customer, do not move when asked, it is totally appropriate for the cocktail waitress to tap you on the back or shoulder with her free hand or kick you in the shin or calf if she doesn't have a free hand. Please do us both a favor and move. Otherwise when that tray comes crashing down, it will likely fall on you. Not pleasant, trust me. The Ass(umer): Cocktail waitresses are stigmatized. Common assumptions about waitresses that aren't usually true: They're stupid, uneducated, slutty, flirtatious, or all of the above. I can't tell you how many times someone has asked me, "So what is it that you really want to do?" or been surprised when I said something remotely witty or intelligent. Once, I was waiting on a customer from France, and began a pleasant conversation with him in his native tongue. After a few minutes, an intoxicated and obnoxious woman loudly asked one of her friends, "How does the waitress know French?!?" I know it's tough to believe, but we're not all bimbos. Grabby Paws: Though a waitress is there to serve you, she's not there for your amusement. In what universe do people think it's acceptable to grab, grope, tickle, fondle, or touch your server in any way? Such acts are sexist, insulting, condescending, degrading, and simply so very wrong. In addition to the ever-popular ass-grab, I've had at least one customer attempt to tickle my armpit as I've held a full tray over my head. Really, buddy? Oddly, touching is something considered appropriate by far too many people. Given that server has been, historically, a woman's job, the notion that it's okay to reinforce antiquated gender roles is not cool. A Wanna-Be John: The only thing worse than touching your waitress? Trying to buy your way out of it. It's the most insulting move ever. There's nothing lower than a scumbag who realizes his waitress is upset that he touched her and tries to give her a crumpled-up $5 bill for compensation. News flash: I'm not a prostitute (not that there's anything wrong with that). http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2010-05-06/music/why-your-cocktail-waitress-hates-you/

Living in Thailand and a very Buddhist society with lots of zen, I read this article with great attention. I also wanted to share it here. “Most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities.” ~Dalai Lama If there’s one thing we all have in common it’s that we want to feel happy; and on the other side of that coin, we want to avoid hurting. Yet we consistently put ourselves in situations that set us up for pain. We pin our happiness to people, circumstances, and things and hold onto them for dear life. We stress about the possibility of losing them when something seems amiss. Then we melt into grief when something changes—a lay off, a break up, a transfer. We attach to feelings as if they define us, and ironically, not just positive ones. If you’ve wallowed in regret or disappointment for years, it can seem safe and even comforting to suffer. In trying to hold on to what’s familiar, we limit our ability to experience joy in the present. A moment can’t possibly radiate fully when you’re suffocating it in fear. When you stop trying to grasp, own, and control the world around you, you give it the freedom to fulfill you without the power to destroy you. That’s why letting go is so important: letting go is letting happiness in. It’s no simple undertaking to let go of attachment—not a one-time decision, like pulling off a band-aid. Instead, it’s a day-to-day, moment-to-moment commitment that involves changing the way you experience and interact with everything you instinctively want to grasp. The best approach is to start simple, at the beginning, and work your way to Zen. Experiencing Without Attachment Accept the moment for what it is. Don’t try to turn it into yesterday; that moment’s gone. Don’t plot about how you can make the moment last forever. Just seep into the moment and enjoy it because it will eventually pass. Nothing is permanent. Fighting that reality will only cause you pain. Believe now is enough. It’s true—tomorrow may not look the same as today, no matter how much you try to control it. A relationship might end. You might have to move. You’ll deal with those moments when they come. All you need right now is to appreciate and enjoy what you have. It’s enough. Call yourself out. Learn what it looks like to grasp at people, things, or circumstances so you can redirect your thoughts when they veer toward attachment. When you dwell on keeping, controlling, manipulating, or losing something instead of simply experiencing it. Define yourself in fluid terms. We are all constantly evolving and growing. Define yourself in terms that can withstand change. Defining yourself by possessions, roles, and relationships breeds attachment because loss entails losing not just what you have, but also who you are. Enjoy now fully. No matter how much time you have in an experience or with someone you love, it will never feel like enough. So don’t think about it in terms of quantity—aim for quality, instead. Attach to the idea of living well moment-to-moment. That’s an attachment that can do you no harm. Letting Go of Attachment to People Friend yourself. It will be harder to let people go when necessary if you depend on them for your sense of worth. Believe you’re worthy whether someone else tells you or not. This way, you relate to people—not just how they make you feel about yourself. Go it alone sometimes. Take time to foster your own interests, ones that nothing and no one can take away. Don’t let them hinge on anyone or anything other than your values and passion. Hold lightly. This one isn’t just about releasing attachments—it’s also about maintaining healthy relationships. Contrary to romantic notions, you are not someone’s other half. You’re separate and whole. You can still hold someone to close to your heart; just remember, if you squeeze too tightly, you’ll both be suffocated. Interact with lots of people. If you limit yourself to one or two relationships they will seem like your lifelines. Everyone needs people, and there are billions on the planet. Stay open to new connections. Accept the possibility your future involves a lot of love whether you cling to a select few people or not. Justify less. I can’t let him go—I’ll be miserable without him. I’d die if I lost her—she’s all that I have. These thoughts reinforce beliefs that are not fact, even if they feel like it. The only way to let go and feel less pain is to believe you’re strong enough to carry on if and when things change. Letting Go of Attachment to the Past Know you can’t change the past. Even if you think about over and over again. Even if you punish yourself. Even if you refuse to accept it. It’s done. The only way to relieve your pain about what happened is to give yourself relief. No one and nothing else can create peace in your head for you. Love instead of fearing. When you hold onto the past, it often has to do with fear: fear you messed up your chance at happiness, or fear you’ll never know such happiness again. Focus on what you love and you’ll create happiness instead of worrying about it. Make now count. Instead of thinking of what you did or didn’t do, the type of person you were or weren’t, do something worthwhile now. Be someone worthwhile now. Take a class. Join a group. Help someone who needs it. Make today so full and meaningful there’s no room to dwell on yesterday. Narrate calmly. How we experience the world is largely a result of how we internalize it. Instead of telling yourself dramatic stories about the past—how hurt you were or how hard it was—challenge your emotions and focus on lessons learned. That’s all you really need from yesterday. Open your mind. We often cling to things, situations or people because we’re comfortable with them. We know how they’ll make us feel, whether it’s happy or safe. Consider that new things, situations and people may affect you the same. The only way to find out is to let go of what’s come and gone. Letting Go of Attachment to Outcomes Practice letting things be. That doesn’t mean you can’t actively work to create a different tomorrow. It just means you make peace with the moment as it is, without worrying that something’s wrong with you or your life, and then operate from a place of acceptance. Question your attachment. If you’re attached to a specific outcome—a dream job, the perfect relationship—you may be indulging an illusion about some day when everything will be lined up for happiness. No moment will ever be worthier of your joy than now because that’s all there ever is. Release the need to know. Life entails uncertainty, no matter how strong your intention. Obsessing about tomorrow wastes your life because there will always be a tomorrow on the horizon. There are no guarantees about how it will play out. Just know it hinges on how well you live today. Serve your purpose now. You don’t need to have x-amount of money in the bank to live a meaningful life right now. Figure out what matters to you, and fill pockets of time indulging it. Audition for community theater. Volunteer with animals. Whatever you love, do it. Don’t wait—do it now. Teach others. It’s human nature to hope for things in the future. Even the most enlightened people fall into the habit from time to time. Remind yourself to stay open to possibilities by sharing the idea with other people. Blog about it. Talk about it. Tweet about it. Opening up helps keep you open. Letting Go of Attachment to Feelings Understand that pain is unavoidable. No matter how well you do everything on this list, or on your own short list for peace, you will lose things that matter and feel some level of pain. But it doesn’t have to be as bad as you think. As the saying goes, pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. Vocalize your feelings. Feel them, acknowledge them, express them, and then let them naturally transform. Even if you want to dwell in anger, sadness or frustration—especially if you feel like dwelling—save yourself the pain and commit to working through them. Write it down. Then toss it out. You won’t always have the opportunity to express your feelings to the people who inspired them. That doesn’t mean you need to swallow them. Write in a journal. Write a letter and burn it. Anything that helps you let go. Xie Xie. It means thank you in Chinese. Fully embrace your happy moments—love with abandon; be so passionate it’s contagious. If a darker moment follows, remember: it will teach you something, and soon enough you’ll be in another happy moment to appreciate. Everything is cyclical. Yield to peace. The ultimate desire is to feel happy and peaceful. Even if you think you want to stay angry, what you really want is to be at peace with what happened or will happen. It takes a conscious choice. Make it. Zen your now. Experience, appreciate, enjoy, and let go to welcome another experience. It won’t always be easy. Sometimes you’ll feel compelled to attach yourself physically and mentally to people and ideas—as if it gives you some sense of control or security. You may even strongly believe you’ll be happy if you struggle to hold onto what you have. That’s OK. It’s human nature. Just know you have the power to choose from moment to moment how you experience things you enjoy: with a sense of ownership, anxiety, and fear, or with a sense of freedom, peace and love. The most important question: what do you choose right now? http://zenhabits.net/zen-attachment/

For a quarter century, Florenz Ziegfeld auditioned hundreds of thousands of young women vying to become chorus girls, the Ziegfeld Girls, those lace and chiffon visions of glamour who were as much a part of the Jazz Age as Stutz Bearcats, the Charleston and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Piotr Redlinski for The New York Times Doris Eaton Travis may have been the youngest Ziegfeld Girl. In all, from 1907 to 1931, he picked about 3,000, and on Tuesday the last Ziegfeld Girl died. She was Doris Eaton Travis, and she was 106. She died of an aneurysm in Commerce, Mich., a nephew, Joe Eaton, said. Beneath towering, glittering, feathered headdresses, the Ziegfeld Girls floated across grand Broadway stages in lavish pageants known as the Ziegfeld Follies, often to the wistful tune that Irving Berlin wrote just for them: “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody.” They were former waitresses, farmers’ daughters and office workers who had dreamt of becoming part of Ziegfeld’s own grand dream of “glorifying the American girl” (preferably with exact measurements of 36-26-38) in splendiferous spectacles. They performed with the likes of Will Rogers and Fanny Brice, and everyone flocked to see them, including President Woodrow Wilson and Babe Ruth. “It was beauty, elegance, loveliness,” Mrs. Travis recalled in an interview with The New York Times in 2005, “beauty and elegance like a French painting of a woman’s body.” Mrs. Travis may have been the youngest Ziegfeld Girl ever, having lied about her age to begin dancing at 14. She was part of a celebrated family of American stage performers known as “the seven little Eatons.” George Gershwin played on her family’s piano, and Charles Lindbergh dropped by for “tea,” Prohibition cocktails. After three years with the Ziegfeld troupe, Mrs. Travis went on to perform in stage productions and silent films. In 1938, in Detroit, she opened the first Arthur Murray dance studio outside New York. She eventually owned 18 Murray studios in Michigan. Mrs. Travis never stopped performing. In 2008, at age 104, she danced at the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS annual Easter benefit, something she started doing in 1998. But no spotlight was as bright as the one she basked in as an ingénue. In her book about Mrs. Travis, “Century Girl” (2006), Lauren Redniss quoted a Chicago critic: “Mine eyes are yet dim with the luminous beauty of a girl named Doris.” Doris Eaton was born on March 14, 1904, in Norfolk, Va. She was 5 when she made her first public performance, in “The Cupid Dance,” a routine she could replicate a century later. In 1911, she and her sisters Mary and Pearl were hired for a production of Maurice Maeterlinck’s play “The Blue Bird” in Washington. By 1916, the three were out-earning their father, a newspaper linotype operator. The sisters, their younger brother Joe and their cousin Avery appeared regularly in plays. In her memoir, “The Days We Danced” (2003), Mrs. Travis wrote that producers knew that “if you needed three or four more children, you could call Mama Eaton and get them all in one place.” Four Eatons were in the Ziegfeld Follies, and five appeared on Broadway, sometimes three or more at once. Doris was introduced to the Follies in 1918 by her sister Pearl, who by then was a dance director for the troupe. Arriving for a rehearsal, Doris ended up being hired for the summer tour, starting the day she finished eighth grade. Besides inflating her age, she used pseudonyms to avoid problems with child-labor laws. Doris began as a chorus girl and understudy to the show’s star. In 1919, she wore a red costume and played the paprika part in the salad dance. In 1920, she had a solo, a jazzy tap dance. She left to be in silent movies, plays and musical revues, one of which was the Gorham Follies in Hollywood. She married the owner, Joseph Gorham, who died six months later. In 1926 she joined the Hollywood Music Box Revue, “patterned after the Follies, only not so grandiose,” she told Interview magazine in 1999. While appearing in the show she fell in love with the songwriter Nacio Herb Brown, who with Arthur Freed wrote “Singin’ in the Rain” for the revue. Mrs. Travis said she was the first to sing it, surrounded by a chorus of eight men. Mrs. Travis’s relationship with Mr. Brown lasted intermittently for eight years but never led to marriage. Mr. Brown himself married five other women all told, divorcing all of them. As the Depression deepened, show business opportunities dried up. Mrs. Travis rejected burlesque and was almost ready to become a dime-a-dance girl in the city’s dance halls when Arthur Murray hired her to teach ballroom dancing in Manhattan. She taught 70 hours a week until moving to Michigan to start the new franchise. One student was Henry Ford II. Another was Paul Travis, who made a fortune by inventing a door jamb for cars. She and Mr. Travis married and later moved to Norman, Okla., where they bred quarter horses. Mr. Travis died in 2000. Mrs. Travis had no children and left no immediate survivors. She proved conclusively that one is never too old to learn. In her 70s she earned a long-delayed high school diploma. She then devoted 11 years to acquiring a college degree, taking a course or two a semester at the University of Oklahoma. She graduated in 1992 at the age of 88 with a history major and a Phi Beta Kappa key. She was halfway to a master’s degree when she decided to focus on her memoirs instead. In 2007, Oakland University in Michigan gave Mrs. Travis an honorary doctorate. She responded by singing and dancing “Ballin’ the Jack,” a song popularized by Lillian Lorraine, a renowned Ziegfeld Follies’ star. A little more than two weeks ago Mrs. Travis returned to Broadway to appear again at the annual Easter Bonnet Competition held by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, this time at the Minskoff Theater. She did a few kicks, apologizing that she no longer performed cartwheels. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/arts/dance/12travis.html

I made a major mistake yesterday and accused my boyfriend of lying to me about something he did not lie about. He smiled as he knew he was right and that I would "investigate." I did and he was 100 percent on the mark. Between that and him beating me in Chess this week (his first win in that game), his slaughter on the bowling alley last week and my mistake I have a lot of making up to do. What is the best way to eat crow while maintaining you good intentions. He knows it is coming and is happily waiting for the time.

HeyGay got it right when he said in one thread that there are some very sexy boys around in the bars. I am always on the look for hot guys and saw so many last night that I had to rest my tongue today from it wagging all night. I spent some time in about 8 GoGo bars last night and in every one of them, I found at least one hot sexy guy that I would love to spend more time with. I hope this trend keeps going and that more find their way to Pattaya.

In another thread, there was a question posed as to why would anyone protest. Here are some reasons: To reach large numbers of people with your message. To create solidarity among organizers and marchers. To show political prisoners that they are not alone. To see how your government responds to dissent. To build coalitions with other protest groups. To make the system realize it is vulnerable. To show the strength of your organization. To throw the system on the defensive. To expose the crimes of the powerful. To make the police think about what they are protecting. To motivate the undecided to join you. To remove feelings of helplessness. To make the system react to you. To show who owns the streets. To exploit the news media. To create your own media. To rattle the complacent. To speak truth to power. To mobilize people. To have fun WHY PROTEST

I got an e-mail from Delta about their Sky Priority service. It is part of a Business ticket. I found the part about faster check through airport security at Bangkok interesting. Does this mean you get a Fast Track Immigration ticket? http://www.delta.com/skypriority

Charles Scaglione Sr. recently has published a self-styled memoir chronicling his adventures in operating Rounds, a reputed NYC gay hustler bar that opened in 1979, and he's telling some secrets and naming some names. In Camelot Lost (RoseDog Books 2009) Scaglione offers a rarely-revealed insider's perspective into the business side of a gay nightlife establishment -- or "store" as it's referred to in the industry -- and as a straight man provides unique cultural insight into the gay scene as it leaves the wild seventies for the AIDS-ravaged eighties. Rounds, often euphemistically referred to by Scaglione as a "cruising bar," was located at 303 East 53rd Street in an upscale midtown area known as "the loop" where johns would seek to hook up with hustlers, and its owners apparently intended from the beginning to capitalize on the neighborhood vibe: "The street is a perfect location for a hustler bar. That is what it shall be." Scaglione, a former executive in the high rise office building industry in Manhattan, had no experience with gay nightlife but his two partners did. One partner was Seymour Seiden, a reputed mob-connected figure who was behind the Sanctuary at 407 West 43rd Street -- perhaps the first modern gay dance club -- which was closed by the city in 1972 as an alleged "supermarket in drugs," and the other was Ken Gersberg a/k/a Ken Gaston, a theater producer who had a successful track record with event promotion. The three men each contributed $50,000 although the apparently penniless Gaston needed to borrow his funds from three friends of Scaglione. In light of Seiden's reputation -- he was known as the "Velvet Mafioso" according to Scaglione -- securing a liquor license could be problematic, and apparently his involvement in Rounds was not disclosed to the State Liquor Authority. Seiden told Scaglione: You and Ken have clean records. Because of my relationship with my partners, I can't be on the liquor application, or even suspected of being a partner with you and Ken. There is some prejudice against Italians at the Authority. Italian mobsters as my ex-partners are suspected of undisclosed ownership in our clubs. We will have no problem. You have a Jewish partner. It helps with the bigots at the Authority. Some may hate Jews, but they know we're not mobsters. Ha! In all likelihood Seiden was correct that the SLA would deny a license if his name were on the application. Seiden was arrested in 1975 for allegedly bribing an undercover police officer to provide him with advance notice of enforcement action, and his name allegedly surfaced during a mid-1970s investigation dubbed Operation Together which was looking into, among other things, the involvement of the mob in gay bars and several murders of gay club operators including Shelly Bloom who was Seiden's partner in the Sanctuary. Seiden was involved with several downtown "stores," and he allegedly may have had a role with reputed Genovese associate Carmine Cardello in the Limelight, a gay bar which operated from 1973 until 1980 at 91 Seventh Avenue South in Sheridan Square, as reported by Henry Post in his December 4, 1978 article ("The Front") for New York Magazine. Scaglione and Gaston were legitimate businessmen, and there is no suggestion by Scaglione that the mob had a hidden hand in Rounds through Seiden. The grand opening of Rounds in 1979 was a star-studded event according to Scaglione in Camelot Lost, and he alleges that record producer David Geffen, Studio 54 owner Steve Rubel, and fashion designer Calvin Klein were among those in attendance. Other celebrities and glitterati who allegedly patronized Rounds over the years included Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Andy Warhol and Vladimir Horowitz. The opening night did not end well for everyone, however. One patron, a friend of Gaston, was shot dead in his apartment later that evening, and apparently he had picked up some rough trade from the Hay Market, a gay hustler bar at 772 Eighth Avenue in the Times Square area. (In 1986 reputed Genovese capo Matty Ianniello was convicted for a skimming racket involving several gay bars including the Hay Market.) The story does not end well. Ken Gaston died of AIDS in May 1983 -- Shelley Winters delivered his eulogy -- and Seymour Seiden died of AIDS in April 1988. For anyone who doubts whether a straight man can offer a compelling memoir about the gay world, Scaglione offers some of his best writing in recounting the madness as AIDS took his business associates, close friends and Rounds patrons. Indeed, Scaglione writes with remarkable candor about the sexual freedom that generally prevailed during the gay liberation days -- a period which Seiden characterized as Camelot -- until so many were lost to AIDS. Rounds was closed in 1994 following an NYPD raid. http://bitterqueen.typepad.com/friends_of_ours/2010/05/camelot-lost-a-memoir-about-new-york-citys-famous-gay-cruising-bar-rounds.html Anyone read this book?

I think a great choice! I hope this goes smooth. http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/05/10/scotus.kagan/index.html?hpt=T1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUEGsrG6VD0&feature=player_embedded

President Obama plans to name Solicitor General Elena Kagan on Monday as his nominee to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court, two sources close to the process told CNN. Kagan to be Supreme Court nominee, sources say - CNN.com I hope this story is accurate as I know Kagan will be a fantastic justice. Way to go Obama. You have balls.

The Saturday Night Live with Betty White this week was fantastic. It was the best SNL skit in years. Betty really did a great job and the writers kept the show moving fast. Watch it!

Did anyone see Saturday Night Live last night?

Yes, I see. The greatest monologue this week was Bill Maher. Watch his show this week. It is a riot.

I think we all spend different amounts when we come to the amazing LOS. Thailand is full of some of the hottest gay action on earth. IMHO, I don't think anywhere else compares. I often get asked how much is spent on a typical stay and I tell everyone that most people can afford a trip to Thailand no matter what their budget. The largest cost is the airplane (for a short trip). What do you spend on a typical day in paradise? Accommodation Food Taxis/Tuk Tuk/Baht Bus/Motorcyle Rental Barfines/Off Fees Tips/ShortTime/LongTime Drinks/Alcohol/Booze/Liters Miscellaneous

I get several PM's every day and this week I have gotten 4 about how much to pay for short times. I usually recommend that people search the forums or give them general suggestions. Here is what I suggest (this is not required but a general suggestion). Bangkok - GoGo Bar: 1500 baht Short time 2500 baht Long Time Free Lance / Gay Romeo: 1000 baht Short Time 2000 baht Long Time Pattaya - GoGo Bar 1200-1500 Short Time 2500 baht Long Time Free Lance / Gay Romeo: 800-1000 Short Time 1500-2000 Long Time Some will say that Sunee is cheaper and the prices should be less. Some will say the prices in Bangkok should be paid all over LOS. Some may say the price suggestions above are too much and some too little. It is only a suggestion that I am given when asked.

On April 13, the "rent boy" (whom we'll call Lucien) arrived at Miami International Airport on Iberian Airlines Flight 6123, after a ten-day, fully subsidized trip to Europe. He was soon followed out of customs by an old man with an atavistic mustache and a desperate blond comb-over, pushing an overburdened baggage cart. That man was George Alan Rekers, of North Miami — the callboy's client and, as it happens, one of America's most prominent anti-gay activists. Rekers, a Baptist minister who is a leading scholar for the Christian right, left the terminal with his gay escort, looking a bit discomfited when a picture of the two was snapped with a hot-pink digital camera. Reached by New Times before a trip to Bermuda, Rekers said he learned Lucien was a prostitute only midway through their vacation. "I had surgery," Rekers said, "and I can't lift luggage. That's why I hired him." (Medical problems didn't stop him from pushing the tottering baggage cart through MIA.) Yet Rekers wouldn't deny he met his slender, blond escort at Rentboy.com — which features homepage images of men in bondage and grainy videos of crotch-rubbing twinks — and Lucien confirmed it. At the small western Miami townhome he shares with a roommate, a nervous Lucien expressed surprise when we told him that Rekers denied knowing about his line of work from the beginning. "He should've been able to tell you that," he said, fidgeting and fixing his eyes on his knees. "But that's up to him." For decades, George Alan Rekers has been a general in the culture wars, though his work has often been behind the scenes. In 1983, he and James Dobson, America's best-known homophobe, formed the Family Research Council, a D.C.-based, rabidly Christian, and vehemently anti-gay lobbying group that has become a standard-bearer of the nation's extreme right wing. Its annual Values Summit is considered a litmus test for Republican presidential hopefuls, and Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter have spoken there. (The Family Research Council would not comment about Rekers's Euro-trip.) He has also influenced American government, serving in advisory roles with Congress, the White House, and the Department of Health and Human Services and testifying as a state's witness in favor of Florida's gay adoption ban. A former research fellow at Harvard University and a distinguished professor of neuropsychiatry at the University of South Carolina, Rekers has published papers and books by the hundreds, with titles like Who Am I? Lord and Growing Up Straight: What Families Should Know About Homosexuality. "While he keeps a low public profile, his fingerprints are on almost every anti-gay effort to demean and dehumanize LGBT people," says Wayne Besen, a gay rights advocate in New York City and the executive director of Truth Wins Out, which investigates the anti-gay movement. "His work is ubiquitously cited by lobby groups that work to deny equality to LGBT Americans. Rekers has caused a great deal of harm to gay and lesbian individuals." Rekers is a board member of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), an organization that systematically attempts to turn gay people straight. And the Huffington Post recently singled out Rekers as a member of the American College of Pediatricians — an official-sounding outfit in Gainesville that purveys lurid, youth-directed literature accusing gays of en masse coprophilia. (In an email, the college's Lisa Hawkins wrote, "ACPeds feels privileged to have a scholar of Dr. Rekers' stature affiliated with our organization. I am sure you will find Prof. Rekers to be an immaculate clinician/scholar, and a warm human being.") Rekers lectures worldwide, from Europe to the Middle East, on teen sexuality. Yet during his ten-day sojourn with Lucien to London and Madrid, he had no lectures scheduled. Both men deny having sex on the trip, and emails exchanged between the two before their jaunt are cautiously worded. "I'd like to propose another trip to Rome, Italy, for a week or more," Rekers wrote in an email dated March 21 obtained by New Times. "This is so exciting to have a nice Travel Assistant and traveling companion! Wow! I'm so glad I met you." "I called and talked to the reservation guy in London and reserved a room with two twin beds," Rekers wrote on March 26. "Now that I'm packed, tomorrow I'll work on completing my income tax return," Rekers wrote two days later. "Not fun... But I'll just remind myself that the fun trip is coming soon." In his interview with New Times, Lucien didn't want to impugn his client, but he made it clear they met through Rentboy.com, which is the only website on which he advertises his services. Neither Google nor any other search engine picks up individual Rentboy.com profiles, any more than they pick up individual profiles on eHarmony or Match.com. You cannot just happen upon one. For the entire story: http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2010-05-06/news/christian-right-leader-george-rekers-takes-vacation-with-rent-boy For more and for photos: http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/16034/discover-the-qualifications-for-frc-founder-dr-george-rekers-travel-assistantluggage-carrier

Does this new merger affect your travel to Thailand? Will it make it easier for you on your trips? Does it mean that you will switch which airlines you are traveling most with? I have been with NWA for years and am Platinum. They rarely, if ever, upgrade on international flights unless an overbooking in coach. I am also Platinum with Continental. They don't fly to Thailand so I use the mostly going to Brazil and Europe. I rarely travel with United. However, my Platinum with Continental will transfer over to Untied when they merge and I have been told that United often upgrades on their International legs. If this is the case, I will be greatly benefited by this merger. Anyone else?

There was a recent thread on having a motorcycle and GB suggested we start another thread. I am doing that. I also am curious to see the answer to the polls. mahjongguy had said: - If you are older than 55, consider carefully if you should be driving a motorbike. I am 61 now and I know that my reaction time and peripheral vision are not sufficient for driving in a country where the #1 cause of death (all deaths) is from motorbike accidents. Just last week a 64yo Belgian acquaintance of mine went home in an urn because he misjudged an oncoming car. A secondhand Toyota Corolla costs more but it's just as simple to purchase and a lot more likely to get you where you're going in one piece.

I think one of the best investments you can buy in Thailand is a motorcycle. They are the easiest for getting around and make life so much easier. If you live a distance from where you go on a daily basis, they also will save money over the long run. It is very easy to buy a motorcycle in Thailand and to have it in your own name. Here a few suggestions. Motorcycles start around 30,000 baht and go up from there. If you buy at a dealer, the prices are negotiable. Be sure to get them to give you 2 helmets (they do with all Thais) and a wrench tool set for fixing minor issues. You can take out a loan for it but the rates are crazy and I suggest paying cash. If you want to put on a CC they will charge you 2.5 percent. They may ask for 3 but tell them NO. Once you purchase, you need to get permission from Immigration. To do this, be sure your Visa is 60 days or longer. Otherwise there may be problems. Coming in on a Visa On Entry is 50/50 whether they will be able to do the paperwork or not. I always get a 60 day extend-able Visa so I know I am covered. You will then go to Immigration. Once at Immigration, you need a copy of the purchase, 2 photo ID's, Copy of your passport, Copy of Home Papers or Rental Agreement and copy of your Visa pages. You can get all the copies at your home or there is usually a place next to Immigration offices that will make for you. If you do yourself, be sure to get a copy of your Visa as well as the stamped page with the entry document. They will take all this and you pay them 200 baht. They will tell you when to pick up the document. You go back and pick it up and take it to the place you purchased the vehicle. Once you give to them, they will tell you to come back in 60 days or so. I usually go early and it is normally done. Be sure to get the insurance and pay for tags at purchase. In case you lose the bike or it is stolen, you will get a partial refund. Also, be sure they give you a temporary tag when you purchase. Make all the arrangements before you pay for the cycle. Once you go back and get your tags, there is a sticker they give you to put on the cycle. Have them put it on for you and you are good to go. Be sure to go back and get services at the suggested dates. I hope this helps.