TotallyOz

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.

Do you carry your passport with you in LOS? If not what do you take that is an acceptable form of ID? I normally always have with me my DL from USA as well as a laminated copy of my passport with my visa on the back. Most of the shops know how to shrink these and make them small like an ID that fits into your wallet. Do you think this is acceptable proof or should I be taking my passport with me everywhere I go. I am never more than 10 minutes from it.

Be careful what you do as most of us live in small cities and even if we live in larger ones, the scene is still small. I remember years ago going with my ex to a few bars and he wanted to drink with his friends while I went to a few gogo's. I did not want to take someone back to my place so I got a short time room over the bar. I took 3-4 boys up for a little fun. I paid the bar and left and walked back to the ex and he said, "did you have fun with the boys you took for short time?" I said yes. I asked how he knew. He said, "there is nothing you can do in Pattaya that I don't know about." I laughed and knew he was right. Yesterday the current Boyfriend and I were talking and I was teasing him that I had taken a few ladies and ladyboys over the weekend to my place (he was home for the weekend). He laughed. I inquired why he laughed as he knows I would never bring anyone to my apartment and I am not that into ladies. He said, "you went out 2 times on Saturday and 3 times on Sunday and you were out alone and came back alone and no one visited you." I said, how do you know. He said that he was friends with the security (one was once a doorman at Kaos). I laughed and remember back to my first boyfriend in Thailand and the short time story. Yes, we live in a small place but the boys talk about us as much as we talk about them. Be careful what you do if you are trying to hide something. Me, I have never once lied to the boyfriend and he knows I only have eyes for him (with an occasional short time BJ).

Just curious as I almost bought a place there years ago and backed out, I have passed by the site several times in the past week and nothing seems to be happening. What is the latest on the developments there? When I looked into this I do remember a launch day but can't remember what that date was. When is it supposed to be finished?

We had a harsh post today that was over the top and put the member on moderated status. We did this to keep posts from being live before we read them. When someone is placed on Moderated status, their posts simply become invisible before they are made public. This particular poster was treated harshly be several in a thread. I'll be one of the first ones to say that several were attached in this tread and it was a one sided debate. One of that that went over the top was myself. I can't put myself on Moderated status for calling someone a troll but I'll try to be nicer in the future. And, to this individual if I went overboard in my debate with you I apologize. I tend to take a lot of shit at times but I also dish it out at times and I try to pace myself when this happens. Your moderated status is only until we see that your future posts are in line with the board policies. We do the best we can to keep the site moving forward and at times we make difficult decisions. When a post is in question, we normally move to a forum to discuss. In this case, it was obvious that the post was meant to belittle someone and was removed immediately. I wish things like this would not happen but sometimes they do. We encourage debate but in a gentleman's atmosphere.

A fascinating CNN article on medical tourism and some employers willing to pay for plane tickets to Thailand and other countries to save costs. 'I can't afford surgery in the U.S.,' says bargain shopper - CNN.com After you read the article, here is the list of approved accredited hospitals in Thailand: Thailand Bangkok Hospital Medical Center Bangkok , Thailand Program: Hospital First Accredited: 30 June 2007 Program: DCSC Certification Acute Coronary Syndrome First Certified: 30 October 2008 Program: DCSC Certification Breast Cancer Conserving Therapy Program First Certified: 1 November 2008 Program: DCSC Certification Heart Failure Program First Certified: 29 October 2008 Program: DCSC Certification Primary Stroke Center First Certified: 31 October 2008 Bangkok Hospital Pattaya Chonburi, Thailand Program: Hospital First Accredited: 19 September 2009 Bangkok Hospital Phuket Phuket, Thailand Program: Hospital First Accredited: 23 May 2009 BNH Hospital Bangkok, Thailand Program: Hospital First Accredited: 29 May 2009 Bumrungrad International Bangkok, Thailand Program: Hospital First Accredited: 2 February 2002 Re-Accredited: 8 April 2005 Re-Accredited: 31 July 2008 Program: DCSC Certification Program Primary Stroke Program First Certified: 28 October 2006 Re-certified: 25 November 2009 Program: DCSC Certification Program Acute Myocardial Infarction with ST Segment Elevation First Certified: 28 October 2006 Re-certified: 27 November 2009 Program: CCPC Certification Program Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 and 2 First Certified: 24 March 2010 Program: CCPC Certification Program Chronic Kidney Disease Stage I to IV First Certified: 26 March 2010 Chiangmai Ram Hospital Chiangmai, Thailand Program: Hospital First Certified: 7 November 2009 Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital Bangkok, Thailand Program: Hospital First Accredited: 11 August 2007 Program: DCSC Certification Program Low Back Pain program First Certified: 14 August 2009 Program: DCSC Certification Program Primary Stroke program First Certified: 12 August 2009 Samitivej Sriracha Hospital Chonburi, Thailand Program: Hospital First Accredited: 8 November 2008 Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital Bangkok, Thailand Program: Hospital First Accredited: 27 January 2007 Re-accredited: 13 February 2010 Program: DCSC Certification Program Lung Cancer Program First Certified: 6 December 2008 Program: DCSC Certification Program Acute Myocardial Infarction Program First Certified: 4 December 2008 Program: DCSC Certification Program Osteoarthritis of the Knee Program First Certified: 15 August 2009 http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/JCI-Accredited-Organizations/

One of the things I like about Bangkok GoGo bars is their fast movement across the stage so that in any one song, you get to see most of the boys. In Pattaya, the movements are very slow and often a new boys does not enter the stage until a new song starts. This means that the majority of the boys stay on stage for about 10 or more songs. If I have someone I think is cute sitting down waiting, the likelihood of me waiting 10 songs is nil. I asked Mamasan Rose last night about this as she has worked in both places and she said that there are fewer boys in one bar and so they tend to spread them out. To me, I much prefer the faster viewing. I know some like to sit in a bar and watch the boys on stage, but for me, I get bored quick and rarely stay in any one bar for more than 15 minutes. I can't see sitting there for 3 hours. To each his own. My favorite way the boys move is one of the ladyboy bars in NanaPlaza. They seem to pounce on the stage when they want to show off their goods and they wander around the stage when they want and dance and have a good time. I do wonder what most of you prefer?

I had a headache a few days ago and thought I would follow TravelerJim's advice and use my insurance for a nice plan they offer at Bangkok Pattaya. I had the Happy Brain Package. It was 16,000 baht and included a MRI and Ultrasound. It has had blood work, EKG and about 20 other things that were checked. All in all, I think this was an excellent package. I have done their heart package before and this one was great as well. I told my family after the visit if I ever get sick, this is the hospital I want to be in. I know some have horror stories about it but I have always liked the treatment I get there and the atmosphere is great. Keep an eye out for their special packages as they are not always online and I saw this one only after I was at the Dental Clinic.

I wandered last night into Boyztown. The BF was home with his son and I wanted to see what the bars were offering. I first went to BBB as I wanted a muscle boy. I sat for a while and did not see anyone I wanted (other than a cute ladyboy). BoyzBoyzBoyz is a great bar. It has a wonderful atmosphere and the decorations are great. It is very comfortable to sit and relax and no one bothers you. The guys are handsome and strong. The drinks were 160 baht for a diet coke. FunnyBoys is always one of my favorites. In my opinion, this is one of (if not the) best run bar in Pattaya. There are always cute boys, the staff is great, the atmosphere is great and the place runs like a well-oiled machine. I wish all the owners of other bars would go in this place and take notes. While I did like the bar, I did not find what I wanted there so I moved on. I was planning to go to Bubbles and Lucky7. But, a boy sitting on the porch at ToyBoy caught my eye. I went over and chatting and went inside. The place is very nice. Drinks were 140 baht for a Diet Coke. The boy sat and we chatted. I decided to take him home. This is my first short time in Thailand since arriving. As soon as we got home, he dropped his clothes and sat on my couch. He started to play a video game and we chatted a bit. He was not shy in the least. While sex was good, it was not fantastic. He is not a well-oiled machine and perhaps this is what I found attractive in him. He was not mechanical and his movements left much to be desired. However, I really enjoyed my time with him. His 30 minute shower make me wonder if I was that horrible for him or if he just loved the bathtub. Perhaps a mixture of both. But, he did call me to come in with him, "Farang, come here," he said with bubbles all over his face. Boyztown was quite in general and not as many boys as I have seen. But, I had a good time! As often has been said, "It only takes one boy to make or break your night."