TotallyOz

Spent a few hours in Boyztown last night. Had drinks in 3 bars. Wild West still has the best deal for 98 baht per drink before the show starts. IMHO, this is the best deal in Pattaya. Wild West has some cute guys and other than Funny Boys had the most on stage. There was on hottie that I would have been happy to spend time with. Funny Boys always is great. One of the best run bars in Thailand IMHO. Great atmosphere. Great ambiance. Great staff. Music is right level. It is clean and comfortable. Also went to one other bar and as it looked like the left overs from the streets, I'll not comment on it. Needless to say, you can go on any given night and you may find a stunner in any of the bars. Or, you may go on a night like last night and end up walking home alone. Amor was empty every time I went by. No one was there at all. Many of the bars seemed like a ghost town. Come one guys, lets get out and drink some booze to support the bars!

Does anyone use online banking to pay for their Electricity and Water bills online? K Bank?

The street riots which culminated with the arson of Bangkok's central business district have been put down as inevitable. Both the ragtag red shirts' perpetrators of violence and the more organised armed "men in black" were no match for a uniformed army supported by armoured columns in the end. The 70-odd death toll so far from the Ratchaprasong-centred protests over the last two months exceeds each of the previous crises - the entwined Octobers of 1973 and 1976 and the straightforward pro-democracy uprising in May 1992. On the other hand, the arson attacks have set back the Bangkok-concentrated capitalist boom by at least a decade. The symbolic damage could be more costly as the knock-on effects on tourism and investment come to the fore. While all stakeholders assess the mounting costs, several troubling questions warrant clarity in the days during the immediate aftermath of the Ratchaprasong rage and rampage. First, had the various peace overtures run their course? On the eve of the crackdown, a senate-sponsored peace deal appeared in the works. Leading senators were shown on state-run and army-owned television stations in discussion with the leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship. Perhaps the UDD hardliners hijacked and vetoed the negotiations. Perhaps convicted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra told the UDD hardliners loyal to him to pull the plug. Perhaps the rank-and-file protesters at Ratchaprasong were intransigent to any deal, having been indoctrinated day in and day out on the stage rhetoric of social injustice and al leged murders of their fellow demonstrators from the April 10 clash. But it was clear that the UDD moderates were intent on standing down. Might more time allotted to them for persuasion of their crowds and bargaining with their opposing hardliners have helped bring a peaceful way out? And the failures of earlier olive branches need to be explained. What happened to the promising negotiations brokered by Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra? Was it scuttled by the Thaksin hardliners, rejected by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, or both? Mr Abhisit came up with a five-point peace proposal with a concrete election timetable for November polls just two weeks before street riots spiralled out of control. This proposal was accepted by the UDD with the additional condition that Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban turn himself in to police to own up to the civilian deaths on April 10. Why did Mr Suthep surrender to the Department of Special Investigations instead of to the police when he was certain to be freed because no charges had been filed against him? Such gamesmanship and leveraging between the two sides have incurred sombre costs in the streets of Bangkok. And why did PM Abhisit withdraw his peace offer and election timetable if he was intent on finding a peaceful exit out of the brinkmanship? This reversal may have strengthened the hand of UDD hardliners and tipped the balance among the UDD leadership towards a more violent outcome. Second, should the Abhisit government preside over what its finance minister calls a "healing process" when it has been party to the conflict and is culpable for the dead and injured? Early government noises suggest more pacification policies and campaigns to placate the reds in the countryside. But we have been here before. After the Songkran riots in April 2009, Mr Abhisit pledged reconciliation and reform. The consequent recommendations for con stitutional amendments came to naught. Further antagonism and alienation of the reds have partly brought on the Ratchaprasong protests. He and his government had the entire year in 2009 to bridge the divide and bring the red shirts on side, but the result has been the opposite. What can the Abhisit government do this time that they did not do after the reds' rioted in April 2009? Third, what now happens to the reds? Having been forcefully dispersed and roundly condemned for the burning of Bangkok, will the rank-and-file reds simp ly go home and sit quietly? For the reds, nothing has changed. They rioted then and now in April 2009 and May 2010. Their grievances remain unaddressed. What they see as injustice, including their systematic disenfranchisement through the judicial dissolutions of their poll-winning parties not once but twice, the banning of their politicians, and the street-based ouster of their elected governments in 2008, persists. Will these claims of injustice be accommodated by the pro-Abhisit coalition? If not, will the reds come to Bangkok in rage again? Or will they resort to underground activities, including an overtly armed insurgency, and establish their own Thailand away from Bangkok in enclaves of the North and Northeast? Finally, will the arson and looting of the capital be condemned as vehemently in the North and Northeast as in Bangkok? Will the net effect from the protest and crackdown further divide or begin to reconcile Thai society? More questions will emerge while answers will be hard to come by. Picking up the pieces from the last two months will be arduous, and this is all just a beginning. In the eyes of Bangkokians, the reds are disgraced yet again. But the reds may not care because they no longer accept the Thai state such as it is and the political system it upholds, because the system is seen as rigged and stacked against them. The onus rests squarely now on the Abhisit government to bring the reds back into the fold beyond Thaksin. Lumping all the reds under Thaksin's long and manipulative tentacles has been a mistake all along. Accommodating the rank-and-file reds and working with their more moderate leaders, including some of the banned politicians from 2007, may offer a way to bypass Thaksin. If Mr Abhisit is too compromised and tainted for this task, he should consider his position and make a personal sacrifice to enable others to be put in place for the healing to take place. Troubling questions after Operation Ratchaprasong

A good start to the Elite vs Poor issues that were the cause of the past months would be for the current government that has been appointed by those in power to actually take advantage of the time they have before a new government is actually elected by the people. They have a rare opportunity to step up to the plate and show the country that they do care for those that don't have the massive amounts of money. My suggestions are below. Any others? 1. I think the elderly get 500 baht per month. I would suggest raising this number. How about raising it to an actual amount that one could live on realistically? 2. Give the rice farmers an increase in the subsidies they are paid. 3. Take some of the land the government has seized or taken control of in the north and give it to the people by lottery. 4. Ensure that every student can afford to go to school as long as they have the grades and the desire. 5. Raise the minimum wage.

I was reading BBC and came across this. It really does make you wonder about the power of a few over an entire nation. Texas schools to get controversial syllabus Education officials in the US state of Texas have adopted new guidelines to the school curriculum which critics say will politicise teaching. The changes include teaching that the United Nations could be a threat to American freedom, and that the Founding Fathers may not have intended a complete separation of church and state. Critics say the changes are ideological and distort history, but proponents argue they are redressing a long-standing liberal bias in education. Analysts say Texas, with five million schoolchildren, wields substantial influence on school curriculums across the US. The BBC's Rajesh Mirchandani in Los Angeles says publishers of texbooks used nationally often print what Texas wants to teach. Jefferson out Students in Texas will now be taught the benefits of US free-market economics and how government taxation can harm economic progress. They will study how American ideals benefit the world bu organisations like the UN could be a threat to personal freedom. And Thomas Jefferson has been dropped from a list of enlightenment thinkers in the world-history curriculum, despite being one of the Founding Fathers who is credited with developing the idea that church and state should be separate. The doctrine has become a cornerstone of US government, but some religious groups and some members of the Texas Education Board disagree, our correspondent says. The board, which is dominated by Christian conservatives, voted nine-to-five in favour of adopting the new curriculum for both primary and secondary schools. But during the discussions some of the most controversial ideas were dropped - including a proposal to refer to the slave trade as the "Atlantic triangular trade". Opponents of the changes worry that textbooks sold in other states will be written to comply with the new Texas standards, meaning that the alterations could have an impact on curriculums nationwide. BBC News - Texas schools to get controversial syllabus

Going out tonight to Sunee, I saw the Central was closed but Tuk Com looked open. The bars along the road to Sunee were sporadically open. Some were closed and had signs, most appeared to be to try to open. In Sunee, there was a nice crowd in the beer bars. All the Beer Bars seemed to be open. The GoGo bars were open around 6. Most were not full staff but they were open. Nice Boys, Good Boys, Euro and Mic My all had staff. None were dancing at 5 but most were starting at 6. Good Boys was the latest of the group to get the boys in. Most of the beer bars looked like they had customers. Crazy Dragon was not open and no one around at all. I did not get to see any bars other than the above.

Thai authorities on Thursday imposed a curfew for three more nights in Bangkok and 23 other provinces to quell conflict in the aftermath of an army offensive against anti-government protesters. A meeting chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva "agreed to impose the curfew to better secure the area and curtail their activities", said Dithaporn Sasasmit, spokesman for the army-run Internal Security Operation Command. A curfew was ordered in Bangkok and 23 provinces Wednesday night between 8pm and 6am to control looting and arson that broke out after the deadly campaign to close down the "Red Shirts" six-week occupation of central Bangkok. However, the new curfew would be shortened to between 9pm and 5am, Dithaporn said, "to lessen the effect on the public". - AFP Channel NewsAsia - Thailand imposes curfew for 3 more nights - channelnewsasia.com

Thailand's capital Bangkok remains tense after a night under curfew, following a deadly army assault on anti-government protesters. Gunshots were heard early on Thursday near a temple where many red-shirt protesters had sought shelter. Some 27 buildings had been set ablaze after protest leaders surrendered, and pockets of resistance remain. Some 40 people had died since troops ringed the protesters last week, with at least 14 more deaths on Wednesday. Reuters news agency quoted a spokesman for Bangkok's governor as saying there were 31 fires on Thursday morning. There are fears that Central World, one of South-East Asia's biggest shopping centres, could collapse after it was set ablaze by the protesters, Thai police officials were quoted as saying by AFP. Buses were running in the capital on Thursday morning and TV channels continued to show approved programmes. At least six people died on Wednesday during the army crackdown on the protesters' fortified camp in the Lumpini Park area of central Bangkok. However, witnesses and police now say that at least eight more people were killed in the temple inside the protesters' site after the army assault. Thai authorities also imposed the overnight curfew in 21 provinces, after outbursts of unrest in some regions in the north-east - a red-shirt stronghold. In a televised address late on Wednesday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was "confident and determined to end the problems and return the country to peace and order once again". Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister living in self-imposed exile whom many red-shirts support, warned that the crackdown could spawn mass discontent and lead to guerrilla warfare. 'Out of control' The curfew, the first imposed in Bangkok in 15 years, ran from 2000 to 0600 (1300 to 2300 GMT), and the government ordered television channels to broadcast only officially sanctioned programmes. I am confident and determined to end the problems and return the country to peace and order once again Thailand's deep divisions have been brutally exposed, our correspondent adds. There are reports of tension in the north and one group operating in the capital declared itself independent of the main protest movement and said it would continue fighting. In the north-east of the country, a town hall in Udon Thani was set on fire and another, at Khon Kaen, was wrecked. Violence was also reported in the northern city of Chiang Mai. In Bangkok, the main rally stage area was empty after the protest leaders' surrender. One protest leader, Nattawut Saikua, appealed to his supporters to "please return home". The leaders, labelled terrorists by the army, earlier urged supporters not to give up the fight for political change. Defiant protesters later attacked shops and property and masked men could be seen apparently looting. Protest leaders appealed to supporters to go home The US state department said it deplored the violence and urged restraint on both sides. EU parliamentary president Jerzy Buzek said national reconciliation was now "not simply an option, it is absolutely mandatory". Among the dead on Wednesday was an Italian photojournalist, while three other reporters, a Dutch person, an American and a Canadian, were among scores of people injured. The red-shirts had been protesting in Bangkok since 14 March, occupying the shopping district, forcing hotels and shops to close. But events took a deadly turn last week when the government moved to seal off the area and a renegade general who backed the protests was shot dead. The red-shirts are a loose coalition of left-wing activists, democracy campaigners and mainly rural supporters of Mr Thaksin. They are demanding fresh polls because they say the government - which came to power through a parliamentary deal rather than an election - is illegitimate. BBC News - Bangkok remains tense after night curfew

7-11 and everywhere is now closed in Pattaya. The BF had to get some cigarettes for himself and the many Thai boys now stuck for the night in our place. They had to pay 100 baht for them and that was after they were able to talk them down. I sent him to the ATM as someone said they would be closed next 2 days and I wanted to be sure I had some cash. He said there was a group of red shirts gathered out of Carrfour. I wonder if other prices are going to go high?

NY Times put together some photos and videos. Images of Unrest in Northern Thailand and Bangkok - The Lede Blog - NYTimes.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mftG2J0yT9Q&feature=player_embedded

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