TotallyOz

Some people that read the forums miss some of the gem threads that are in the other forums as they only read the first 2. How would it be if we allowed all postings in the first 2 threads and then the moderators moved them down after a week or so to the appropriate forum? Is this a good idea or just messing things up?

I could not agree more. He cleaned up my Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and I hated it afterward. I hope he doesn't fuck up Rio!

Tom. OMG. Thank you! Truly. Wow!

I have used this service and it was reliable and very worth the experience. The prices are reasonable and it helps you to relieve yourself of extra baggage. http://www.luggagefree.com/ From their site: Luggage Free is a specialty service offering you the ability to ship luggage ahead to any destination worldwide, so you can avoid the inconvenience of carrying, checking and claiming bags

I have used this service and it was reliable and very worth the experience. The prices are reasonable and it helps you to relieve yourself of extra baggage. http://www.luggagefree.com/ From their site: Luggage Free is a specialty service offering you the ability to ship luggage ahead to any destination worldwide, so you can avoid the inconvenience of carrying, checking and claiming bags – even going through customs. Our luggage shipping service is guaranteed, allowing you to avoid unnecessary aggravation, and save time – safely and in style. Luggage shipping with Luggage Free is perfect for business, leisure and family travelers looking for an enhanced travel experience. As the leading luggage shipping provider Luggage Free delivers your luggage there and back, safely and in style, allowing you to focus on more important things, such as enjoying your trip.

Well, my exhaustion got the better of me yesterday and I did nothing other than eat at a place close to my hotel and relax. The relaxing was mostly sleeping. I think I slept more last night than in the last month. It was nice. Today my tutor came by. She is a middle age woman with 2 grown children. She will be tutoring me 3 hours a day 5 days a week. I hope it works out for me and for her. She brought 3 binders of copied paper that she asked 100R for. LOL Welcome to Brazil. I paid it as it looked like she worked hard to get these binders organized. I cut a deal with her for 150R for 3 hours. I thought fair for her and fair for me. If I am overpaying, let me know. If I am underpaying, please don't tell me. The 3 hours went by fast and I learned a lot. But, I can tell this is NOT going to be easy as I have always been stupid when it comes to learning a foreign language. I don't have high expectations but I am hoping. After I see how she is for a week or two I'd be happy to pass on her information if anyone is interested. I went to Lagoa. Rua Borges Lagoa, 269 São Paulo - SP, 04038-030 (0xx)11 5573-3923 Lagoa is the king of gay saunas in Brazil IMHO. I love it and always find sexy guys there. Today I walked in and a boy I had met on the beach in Ipanema my last trip was there. He is the blond surfer who is twinky and adorable and with a little English. He is totally versatile and great in bed. I had seen him at Club 117 as well and was told by another Gringo that he was horrible and to avoid him as he was a thief and a liar. Turned out the man was in love with the boy and told everyone that to keep others from seeing him. I was lucky I met him on the beach and got a little nookie. We headed for a short time room. I had fun and got to get all my tensions out from the flight down. As soon as we were finished and out the door, he was chatting up another customer. He is a feisty one. I then met 2 very hot muscle guys that I really liked. One from Rio and one from Sao Paulo. They are friends and I bought them dinner. They ordered a nice meal and some drinks and we chatted. The larger muscle guy is totally versatile and 20 years old. He is at least 6'2" and a ripped body. The other one was 20 and very boy next door. I told them after a few minutes that I was not looking for a programma but would buy them some drinks. I really enjoyed the conversation as both spoke good (almost good) English. They will be back at the sauna on Saturday and I'll see if the boy next door moves from Activo only to everything. Lagoa is having its 18 Anniversary party on March 12. It should be a big night. If you are town, be sure to give it a try.

VATICAN CITY - One of Pope Benedict

VATICAN CITY - One of Pope Benedict’s ceremonial ushers and a member of an elite choir in St Peter’s Basilica have been implicated in a gay prostitution ring, in the latest sexual scandal to taint the Vatican. Ghinedu Ehiem, a Nigerian, was dismissed by the Vatican on Wednesday from the Giulia Choir after his name appeared in transcripts of police wiretaps, published by an Italian newspaper, in an unrelated Italian investigation. The wiretaps were carried out in connection with a probe into corruption in contracts to build public works, including the planned venue in Sardinia of last year’s G8 summit. The summit was eventually moved to the Abruzzo region as part of efforts to help it recover from an earthquake. Among four people arrested last month in the corruption probe was Angelo Balducci, a engineer who is a board member of Italy’s public works department and a construction consultant to the Vatican. Balducci was arrested on corruption charges and the allegatons of prostitution emerged only later. Balducci is also a member of an elite group called “Gentlemen of His Holiness”, ushers who are called to serve in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on major occasions such as when the pope receives heads of state or presides at big events. “Gentlemen of His Holiness””carried the coffin of the late Pope John Paul at his funeral in 2005. Excerpts of the wiretaps and police documents published in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica showed that Ehiem, 40, had been in regular contact with Balducci before Balducci’s arrest last month and the subject of their conversation was gay sex. A police document prepared for magistrates and published in part by La Repubblica said Balducci was in contact with Ehiem and an Italian who were part of what the police called “an organised network ... to abet male prostitution”. It was not immediately possible to contact Ehiem’s lawyer. SCANDALS A Vatican source said Balducci, who is still in jail, has been dismissed from the elite group of ushers and that his name would not appear in the next edition of the Vatican’s directory. “He obviously can’t come back here after being accused of these things,” the source said. The latest black eye for the Vatican comes on the heels of major paedophilia scandals involving the abuse of children by priests in Ireland, Germany and the United States. Balducci’s lawyer, Franco Coppi, one of Italy’s highest profile attorneys, told Reuters he had no comment on the newest accusations against his client, saying: “We have much more serious things to be concerned with right now,” referring to the corruption charges. When the Vatican announced that Ehiem was dismissed from the Basilica’s choir, which was founded in the sixth century, it stressed that he was not a priest but a lay member of the group. He had sung in the choir for 19 years. The Giulia Choir sings in St Peter’s at events when the pope is not present. The Sistine Choir sings when he is. Wiretap transcripts published by La Repubblica showed that among the men Ehiem allegedly procured for Balducci were seminarians. In one, Balducci is quoted as asking Ehiem: “At what time does he have to return to the seminary?” Apart from being a “Gentleman of His Holiness”, Balducci is listed in the Vatican’s directory as a consultant to a Vatican department that deals with missions and had close contacts with the Vatican during planning for events for the year 2000, when millions of pilgrims came to Rome for a special Holy Year. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/03/04/13106366-reuters.html

Slowly but surely we are beating down the doors. Will it be national in my lifetime?

I got this a few days back from Starwood. It was too late as I tried to book a 2 months stay with them in Porto Alegre and the sticking point was they wanted to charge crazy fees for the Internet. Has this been on the table then, they would have had an extra customer. From Starwood: Enjoy complimentary in-room Internet access. Introducing our newest exclusive SPG® Platinum benefit*: complimentary Internet access in your guest room. You can now stay connected — on us — in the comfort of your room at any of our more than 940 unique hotels worldwide. It's one more way we're showing how much we value your travels with us.

I got this today from Continental: We’ll soon be offering a new option for customers during check-in and wanted to advise Elite members of our plans. On March 17, 2010, we will begin offering customers the choice to purchase seat assignments for unreserved, Economy Class seats that feature extra legroom. As an Elite member, you will continue to have the same ability to pre-assign seats without paying additional fees, for yourself and any traveling companions in your reservation, including these seats offering extra legroom. This new offer will allow customers to purchase extra legroom seats when checking in at continental.com or at an airport kiosk during the normal check-in period, beginning 24 hours prior to flight departure. The price of these seats will vary depending on a number of factors, including the length of the flight and market. As one of our most valuable customers, we wanted to let you know of the change and thank you for choosing Continental. We will continue to ensure that your loyalty is rewarded as we launch new offers.

The adrenaline rushes when I get ready for a trip to Brazil. I have tons of thoughts rushing in my head. I wonder if I’ll meet up with my favorite from years gone by. I wonder if I’ll meet the guy of my dreams. I wonder if I’ll find the guy that will finally make me settle down. I wonder how long I’ll go before I have to have one of those wonderful little chocolate balls at the best little chocolate store on earth. I wonder how many people I’ll meet from this site and if I’ll be able to make some new friends with common interests or just sit in the sauna waiting for the next diva to walk in. Like so many other trips I must fly this long a distance first class to be comfortable. If not, I am a miserable bitch for a few days. As a long time NWA member I also had good fares to Brazil but rarely the upgrades unless it was on Continental. Well, Delta swallowed NWA and I now have to use their airline. As a first experience after the change, I can say I am not impressed yet. First, the cost was ridiculous. It was 2400 plus 50,000 miles for the upgrade. That is more than I ever paid with miles on NWA to upgrade to Thailand. The money plus the miles, I don’t feel as I got a great deal. The first leg of the flight was on a Delta flight with the wonderful lay down beds. Wow. It was comfortable and pleasant. I had some Hollywood moguls (their words not mine) that were sitting around me and chatter was constant so this was not a pleasant ride. The next leg was Atlanta to Sao Paulo. The nice lay down beds were gone and I was back to the uncomfortable regular first class. When I checked in I was supposed to pay an extra 150 per bag for extra luggage. I expected this and it was no surprise. I was happy they did not measure the size or I would have been stuck with an oversize fee on my IMac. They gave me 3 free bags and I had 3 more to check so the total was 450. But, the lady was new and she made a bit of a mistake and charged me 75 total for all 3. So, I lucked out and was happy for that. Then, I get to the line to get to TSA and they had a cunt of a lady tells me 2 bags ONLY and I was forced to repack my carryons. I had some stuff I had to throw out and as soon as I did the lady went to the trash to pick it out and took it off. I thought maybe she was going to take it to security. But, her friend said she though I threw away a computer and she wanted it. LOL Bitch was not getting my computer. The flight was fine. I had no problems with Delta other than the price I had to pay and I wish I had done United with Premium Economy. I think that is what I’ll do until I build up my miles with them. I booked a nice hotel room in Sao Paulo for the month and I also have booked a tutor to help me with Portuguese. I doubt I’ll be able to learn much more than I need to get around at the saunas but it is worth a try. The language is so important when you are on the prowl. Most of the guys you meet at bars and restaurants do not speak English. You need to be able to say, “I love you. Will you meet me at my hotel when you get off work?” I am just settled into my room. The sun is shining. The streets are hopping. I can smell the city welcoming me home. I am not sure what if anything is on my agenda for the day. Perhaps a sauna. Perhaps just a nice restaurant and some relaxation as I did not sleep 2 minutes during the 20 hour journey. Perhaps I’ll let my regular know I am in town as the persistent e-mails have been getting me horny. Perhaps I’ll just fall asleep and wake up and see what time it is and what I can do with the rest of my day. Whatever I end up doing, I know that my trip to Brazil is going to be a blast! Look out Brazil. Oz is back in town!

Cute. How does this protect Daddy from me? I am a gold digging hussy! I like all the love bla bla bla. But, what do I get when I put out nightly and then want to retire?

Reading CNN today about Tiger Woods and I came across the article. I shudder to think of my first trip to LOS and the number of guys I was with. I am now MUCH calmer and no butterfly and stick (for the most part) to my one boy special. But, reading the article, I had to wonder. (CNN) -- When Jack Rogers first heard media reports of Tiger Woods' multiple extramarital affairs, the first thing he did was say a little prayer for Woods and his wife. The second thing he did was tally up the number of women who claimed to have had sex with the famous golfer. "I said to myself, 'My God, that's some body count,' " Rogers remembers. Jack Rogers -- that's not his real name -- knows a little something about body count because he has one of his own: In the first 20 years of his marriage, he says, he slept with some 50 women. While some view Woods as just an unfaithful louse who was looking for a good time, Rogers sees him as a sex addict. What's the difference? Rogers, who works in the high-tech industry in Washington and has two children, says his whole life was geared around how he would have his next orgasm, in the same way a methamphetamine addict is constantly trying to find his next drug hit. Between women and pornography, "I was having three, four, five orgasms a day," he says. "As soon as I was done with one I was thinking about how I was going to get the next one. Sex was controlling my life, and I was miserable." Confessions of a sex addict Now 49, Rogers says his addiction began at age 16. "I would have sex for hours and hours at a time, and then go look at pornography," he remembers. "Sex was my all-consuming endpoint." While some young men might brag about their sexual conquests, Rogers was the opposite. He kept his sex life a secret, seeking out girls who didn't attend his high school. He says no one suspected. "I was elected all-school president," he says. "I was well thought of. I earned a full scholarship to the University of Washington. If you'd met me, you'd think, 'Wow, I want to give that kid a scholarship.' " He continued to be obsessed with sex in college. "The day Mount Saint Helens blew up, everyone was talking about it. But I didn't even know it happened because I was having sex all that day," he remembers. He was never faithful to a girlfriend, and although he married at age 25, he was never at any point faithful to his wife. "I was having affairs while we were engaged," he says. His quest for sex started at 4 in the morning, when he would wake up to get in touch with the women he was seeing on the East Coast. The rest of the day was spent mapping out his sexual activities. Some of the women he had sex with were colleagues. Others were prostitutes. Some were women he met by chance. "I could meet a woman on the elevator and be having sex in her apartment two days later," he says. "I would just get a feeling, from the amount of eye contact or the type of eye contact, that a person would be open to the idea." He says he usually had two or three affairs going on at one time, but didn't actually derive pleasure from them. "I wanted to stop and I couldn't," he says. "I was miserable. It was a horrible way to live." How do you know if you're a sex addict? Jay Parker, a dependency counselor who runs a program for sex addicts in Redmond, Washington, called "No More Secrets," says an intense interest in sex doesn't mean someone is a sex addict. "It's like with alcohol -- everyone who gets a DUI isn't an alcoholic," he says. "There are people who have errors in judgment -- they're not addicts." So how do you know when someone's behavior has crossed the line into addiction? According to the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health, an estimated 3 to 5 percent of Americans could fall in the category of having an addiction to sex. However, it's important to note that the official handbook of psychiatric diagnoses, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, doesn't include a diagnosis for sexual addiction. Some therapists, like Craig Fabrikant, a clinical psychologist at the Hackensack University Medical Center, doubts such a thing even exists. "I think it's more of a habit than an addiction," he says. "I would classify it as OCD -- more of an obsession or compulsion than an addiction." But professional arguments aside, Fabrikant agrees that people like Rogers who are miserable or dysfunctional because their sex lives are out of control need professional help -- and that the first step is to recognize when they have a problem. Click here to see checklists devised by the Sexual Recovery Institute and the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health to help you determine whether you have a sexual addiction. If you answer yes to a high number of questions on any checklist, you may have a problem. Here are some general ways to know you might have crossed the line from healthy sexual interest to sexual addiction or compulsion: 1. You lie For Parker, the sex addiction counselor, this is the No. 1 way you know you've crossed the line: when you make up stories to get sex. "If you lie with women to get them to have sex with you, you're a predator and an addict," he says. 2. Sex consumes you If your interest in sex runs your life, you have a problem, says Robert Weiss, a social worker and founder of the Sexual Recovery Institute. He says addicts "are always preoccupied with hitting on someone, or picking someone up, or getting home to look at porn before their spouse comes home." 3. You're "divorced, dead, fired or arrested" If you continue your sexual activities even under threat of being "divorced, dead, fired or arrested," you're an addict, Parker says. "They ignore the consequences," Weiss adds. "They say, 'I could really screw up myself here, but I'm going to continue to do it.' " 4. You have an intense interest in pornography "The pornography piece of this cannot be overstated," Parker says. "Show me a guy who's having sex with three women in one week, and I promise you he has a relationship with pornography." 5. You want to stop and you can't Sexual addiction is defined by a loss of control, Weiss says. "I was totally out of control. I tried to stop and I couldn't," Rogers says. Five years ago, when the misery got to be too much, Rogers confessed his addiction to his wife and checked himself into an inpatient treatment program for a month, which included not having orgasms alone or with anyone else. After leaving the treatment center, he continued on outpatient treatment, and has not cheated on his wife again. In treatment, Rogers was not allowed to engage in any type of sexual activity or look at pornography. He also did what he called "psychodrama," looking at situations from his past that might have led to his addiction, including being sexually abused repeatedly at age 7 by an older boy in his neighborhood. In other sessions, counselors helped him understand the effect he'd had on his wife and children, the women he'd slept with, and their families. His wife joined him for two days at the program. He read her his "disclosure letter" describing his sexual activities over the past 20 years. "She knew about the pornography and masturbation, but she didn't know about the affairs or the prostitutes," he says. "So it was very difficult to her to receive this information, just in terms of the sheer numbers of women." In the last week of treatment, he and his doctors mapped out what his life would look like back home after recovery. He sees a counselor and goes to a 12-step recovery program. "In my first 365 days after treatment, I went to 523 meetings," he says. Early on in his recovery he did sometimes look at Internet pornography, but a software program he installed on his computer alerted his wife and sponsor in his support group, and he stopped looking at porn. Gradually, Rogers says, he learned how to have a healthy sex life with his wife. "That's what we aim for," Parker says. "We're not trying to turn someone into a monk. He needs to learn how to have sex like a gentleman." Are you a sex addict? - CNN.com

Anyone have anyone that has attended or do you know anyone who have any suggestions about: Laemchabang School of Technology www.lts.ac.th/ School of Technology Sriracha Donmaung Technical College DonmuangTech. Ramkhamhaeng University Philosophy Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep Yes, boy special is about to go to University. He is excited. I am excited. He has a 7 year old son so he wants to stay close to his home. I understand that. So, he is looking in Bangkok, Chomburi area. I am open to the above as they were his selection. I am also open to ANY other suggestions that you may have. Thanks!

BANGKOK

I heard from Gaybutton that some members in Thailand are having speed issues on GayThailand.com. I have been testing this and it works fine for me in the USA. Are others noticing major speed issues?

New credit card laws are now in effect in USA. One of things it does is allow CC companies to up fees on overseas transactions. I hope everyone keeps up with their banks in the coming weeks to see what rates they are going to charge to withdraw money from ATM's, etc.

Well over 130 of Thailand's leading Immigration Officers met at the Jomtien Beach Nusa Playa Hotel south of Pattaya for a very large conference. This important meeting was attended by the Deputy Immigration Minister from Bangkok and the highest ranking immigration officials from every part of Thailand. Pattaya, February 2010 [PDN]: The highly experienced Chonburi Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Khun Niti Kongrut was the opening speaker, and even took time out to answer impromptu questions. The question regarding the foreign ownership of beer bars was also raised, and it would appear that this matter will be investigated by government authorities in the appropriate manner. One query was related to foreign visitors gaining a second visa extension, once their original 60 + 30 day tourist visa has expired. This requires such persons to leave Thailand and gaining an extension depends on your point of re-entry back into Thailand. The Vientiane / Kon-Kien Immigration office on the Laos border often grants a second 60 + 30 day tourist visa, so maybe there is a case to see more uniformity in this area. Foreign visitors have trouble in understanding the complexities of these regulations, which vary considerably and depend on their interpretation by individual immigration offices. The big news was the announcement to have an Interpol Office established in Pattaya, as this is seen as a very practical way to control international crime and the arrival of suspected criminals from overseas. This new Interpol Office will be sited at Soi-5 in Jomtien under the direction of Police Superintendent Police Colonel Athiwit Kamonrat, who is based in Chonburi. The Chonburi Immigration region now has more than 2,000 warrants to arrest foreigners for crimes that they have committed outside of Thailand, and in addition to these they have approximately 1,000 warrants issued by Thai courts against foreigners for crimes committed within Thailand. For more: Thailand Immigration Select Pattaya for Interpol Office Pattaya Daily News – Pattaya news Powerful news at your fingertips

Take a look at this new video done by the guys for Tour de Thailand. Anyone up for a bike ride in Thailand this year? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBk5nhGEysQ

When one hears the word "spy," one normally thinks of places like Moscow, London, and Washington rather than Rosemont, Pa. However, the controversy swirling around Rosemont's Harriton High School and the Lower Merion School District increasingly makes for bizarre reading. And even more bizarre thinking. The school district has been accused of remote-controlled Webcam spying on its students. The student at the center of the allegations, Blake Robbins, claims the school, having produced a still photograph taken remotely by a school official, falsely accused him of selling drugs (I have embedded the video of CBS News interview with Robbins and his family). One fact, though, has emerged that seems mystifying in the extreme. Read the full story: School district: Spy Webcams activated 42 times | Technically Incorrect - CNET News

Immigration Police raided a brothel in Pattaya on 13th February2010 at 4.30am, to arrest a ladyboy for prostituting minors. Pattaya 14th February 2010 [PDN] Police Colonel Athitsawat Kamonrat (Chon Buri Immigration superintendent) and his team, conducted a raid on the Chauanchom Karaoke venue in South Naklua, Banglamung, after receiving information that girls from Laos under the age of 18 were being prostituted on the premises. The Karaoke venue was just a cover for the seedy business of prostitution. The Officer, under cover as a tourist, sat in the venue when he was approached by Mr. Kee Sukserm [27] a ladyboy manager from Loey province in order to sell the services of two girls aged 15 and 17. A price was agreed between the undercover officer and Mr. Sukserm of 4,000baht. For the full story and photos: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/02/14/brothel-raided-by-immigration-police-in-pattaya/

Any special plans for Valentine's Day or Chinese New Year? Any events or parties going on?

What happened to the Sunee Plaza Info site? I am unable to access at my home. Is anyone else having problems?

Carnival is starting in Rio and other parts of the world. Here is one photo from a club in Brazil I like called the Week. Doesn't it make you want to be there?