Jump to content
Gay Guides Forum

TotallyOz

Root Admin
  • Posts

    18,538
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    323

Everything posted by TotallyOz

  1. BANGKOK — With the selection of Samak Sundaravej as prime minister on Monday, Thailand has completed a transition from military rule back to democracy. But analysts predict that the bumpy ride is not over for Thai politics: Mr. Samak’s tenure is likely to be tempestuous and his government fragile. A highly divisive and outspoken political veteran who is prone to profanity, Mr. Samak is disliked by the Thai press and intelligentsia and is deeply resented by civil rights groups for his support of deadly crackdowns on peaceful protesters in the 1970s and 1990s. He is a self-described proxy of Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister who was ousted in the Sept. 2006 coup. As the leader of the People Power Party, or P.P.P., which won a plurality of votes in elections on Dec. 23, Mr. Samak will lead a coalition of parties that together control about 65 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives. In the vote for prime minister in Thailand’s Parliament on Monday, Mr. Samak beat the candidate from the rival Democrat Party, Abhisit Vejjejava, by 310 votes to 163. Despite his victory, there is already talk that Mr. Samak could soon be replaced by someone more conciliatory. The Thai media has been running daily speculation on who might emerge as a compromise candidate for prime minister. “I think the Thaksin group will try to find a way to get rid of him over the next few months,” said Jon Ungpakorn, a former senator and democracy activist, referring to Mr. Samak. “He was an asset in the election. He will be a liability as prime minister.” The coalition came to power on a populist platform that was anti-elite, anti-military and geared toward a continuation of Mr. Thaksin’s programs targeting poverty reduction in rural areas. This platform fits with Mr. Samak’s earthy, irreverent, man-of-the-people image. But it is at odds with much of his political experience and background. Although Mr. Samak criticized the military and stuck up for democracy during the campaign, throughout his early years in politics he was best known for his extreme right-wing stands against Communists and his support for deadly crackdowns in 1976 and 1992 on students and pro-democracy campaigners who were demanding greater civil liberties. Despite his street-fighter style, Mr. Samak is a blue-blooded member of the Thai elite, a law graduate from one of the country’s most prestigious universities. The 2006 coup and its aftermath have sometimes been described as a battle between Mr. Thaksin and the Thai elite, including the Thai royal family. Mr. Samak, 72, has a foot in both camps. He has been allied to Mr. Thaksin since the former telecommunications tycoon came to power in 2001 but remained a stalwart royalist. His family has long-standing ties to members of the royal family. Mr. Samak’s uncle was a physician to King Vajiravudh, who reigned from 1910 to 1925. The king bestowed the family with its last name, Sundaravej. During his three decades in politics Mr. Samak has been deputy prime minister three times, minister of transportation twice, interior minister and deputy agriculture minister. Before entering politics in the 1970s he held a wide variety of jobs including tour guide in Bangkok, a salesman of John Deere tractors and two years as a public relations officer for the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok. He is under investigation for alleged corruption in the procurement of fire trucks while he was governor of Bangkok from 2000 to 2004, a case that may complicate his premiership. If convicted, he would be barred from office. After the vote in Parliament, Mr. Samak played down the significance of his victory, calling for reporters to respect his privacy, The Associated Press reported. “Nothing will change in my life,” Mr. Samak said. “There will be no celebration over my appointment.” Mr. Abhisit was conciliatory in defeat, saying it was now time to move forward with a new government in which his party would serve in the opposition. “It is time to start governing and to restore confidence,” The A.P. quoted Mr. Abhisit as saying. “It is also time to install honest people who can work within the system so that we don’t get back into the past.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/world/as...nyt&emc=rss Also the Nation article: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/01/28...cs_30063660.php Parliament elect Samak as new prime minister People Power Party's leader Samak Sundaravej is elected as the 25 th prime minister of Thailand on Monday. Samak beat Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, nominated to be the candidate for the premiership by his party's former leader Banyat Bantatthan, with 310 to 163 in the voting in the Parliament. PPP's Secretary General Surapong Suebwonglee nominated Samak as the candidate.. The result of the voting showed that three MPs abstained including Samak and Abhisit and one was absent. The roll call voting was held after MPs disputed for 2 hours and 40 minutes as to whether each candidate for the prime minister, should be allowed to address their policies. After this, House Speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat will propose Samak for Royal endorsement. Samak then will form the his government.
  2. Obama won a very decisive victory last night over Clinton and Edwards. Do you think this is the beginning of a major change for the election? Does he have what it takes to pull off more wins on Feb. 5th? I think the Clintons have the infrastructure for the Feb 5th debate but I wonder who big a victory this was for Obama and how that can carry over into the other elections. I wonder if the Democratic side will go down to the wire at the Convention. For the Republicans, I wonder the same. I also think the media is controlling this election. Wrong?
  3. Well Townie, if you want, I'll happily take that trip to Europe for you and you can go to the party. It is a sacrifice, but what are friends for if they can't help out in bad situations?
  4. Adam, I always find the kink Informative.
  5. Movies and popcorn to boot. http://www.amctheatres.com/promos/showcase/
  6. TotallyOz

    CLOVERFIELD

    This is just not my type of movie and I have no intention to see it. I didn't see Blair Witch and I don't intend to see this. When there are high quality films out there like Rambo to see, who would want to see this crap?
  7. Montel weights in on the Heath Ledger coverage.
  8. By Maria Cramer Globe Staff / January 26, 2008 Tall and reed thin, Mark Snyder speaks in a soft, delicate voice and uses mannerisms he describes as effeminate. Snyder said he always felt comfortable being himself and walking hand in hand with his boyfriend around Boston, a city he described as much more tolerant of gays and lesbians than his hometown in rural Pennsylvania. But the stabbing death of his friend, 20-year-old Daniel Yakovleff, a gay hairstylist from Roxbury, has caused Snyder to question how safe he is. Police say Yakovleff's Jan. 17 death is under investigation, and they have released no information about motive or suspects. But his death has sent a chill through the city's gay community. Many gays say that in recent years they have felt more vulnerable to harassment, name calling, and assaults, particularly since the same-sex marriage amendment debate in 2004 that put a spotlight on the community and unleashed anger from gay marriage opponents. "We don't know what caused his death," said Snyder, who is founder of QueerToday, a Boston nonprofit that combats discrimination. "I know that for me and my friends, it was a huge wake-up call that we're a small community and we're brothers and sisters and we need to look out for each other. You never know which one of us may be a victim." The night Yakovleff was killed, he went to the Eagle bar on Tremont Street in the South End, then to a Dorchester apartment, police and friends said. The third-floor flat belonged to Steven Odegard, who had met Yakovleff that night, and later found him dead in his apartment, said Odegard's lawyer, John Swomley. Odegard told police he was asleep and woke to find Yakovleff dead in a back bedroom, police said. For full article: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus...kes_citys_gays/
  9. TotallyOz

    Rambo

    I just saw the new movie Rambo in the States and it was filed mostly in Thailand. I saw a few places I had seen before and the snake farm outside of Chiang Mai is there as well. The movie really did show the violence against the Burmese people and was VERY graphic. I am not sure an American audience will get the point behind the filming (other than to make money). But, I did see a few interviews with Stallone and he was hoping the film will raise awareness of the plight of the Burmese people. The first opening scene was of the monks marching and deaths last year. The credits are mostly Thai as well.
  10. The last paragraph: This doesn’t mean gay voters should pull the lever for any of the Republicans now in the running. Rather, gay voters, donors and campaign staffers need to learn the art of the barter system: you give something, you get something. How on earth is this possible in the gay community. We seem so divided on our own which only goes to our own downfall. How is it possible to get this group organized and rally together?
  11. http://www.homeandbeyond.com/prod-ds-b000ub0004.html
  12. epigonos, I agree with you. I find it sad that we can't really find out where candidates really stand on issues until they have moved beyond the political arena. I will say that Hillary walked the full Gay Pride in NYC for many years when I lived here before. I think she is for gay marriage but would not dare say that publicly.
  13. LOL. I guess I have always loved whores; new and old.
  14. I agree with all the above. Ready to campaign to do this?
  15. Not sure what prompted this, but Al Gore has quietly released a video with a forceful endorsement of equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians. It pushes the Democratic establishment that much closer to a position he now shares with Eliot Spitzer and some other leading Dems, and is prompting a bit of grumbling in gay political circles that this batch of candidates aren't quite there. "Gay men and women ought to have the same rights as heterosexual men and women -- to make contracts, to have hospital visiting rights, to join together in marriage, and I don't understand why it is considered by some people to be a threat to heterosexual marriage," he says on the video, which appears on his Current TV network. "Shouldn't we be promoting the kind of faithfulness and loyalty to ones partner regardless of sexual orientation?" Gore's words come after the leading presidential candidates have tiptoed up to, but not crossed, the line of support for same-sex marriage. All three support equal substantive rights for gay and lesbians couples, and they've sought to woo gay voters in other ways: Elizabeth Edwards has voiced her support for same-sex marriage, for instance, and Barack Obama recently scolded the black church for homophobia, in a speech to an African-American congregation http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/010...x_marriage.html
  16. Well, I do fit into several of the 5 categories. Luckily, not all 5. But, the older I get the closer I get to the full Monty. Oz By JOHN TIERNEY What are the warning signs of a gadget addict? John O’Neill, director of addictions services for the Menninger Clinic, identifies these five: 1. You’d rather text than talk face-to-face. 2. You can’t leave home without it. You can’t relax without constantly checking for email or messages; a cell phone ear piece becomes a permanent part of your wardrobe. 3. Your family or friends ask you to stop, but you can’t. The Internet becomes a more powerful draw than spending time with family or friends or other favorite activities. 4. You miss important life moments. 5. You can’t stop even after it gets you in trouble, like being in a car accident while talking on the cell phone. Hmm. Well, I haven’t been in an accident yet, but there are lots of time when text seems a lot better than conversation, and I can’t leave my home without my Treo. Does this make me an addict — a gadgetolic? Or should it be “gadgict”? I think we need a more specific list of warning signs. Like, say, you know you’re a gadgetolic when you’re talking to it more than Tom Hanks talked to Wilson. If you have any suggestions for additions to the list of warning signs — or any memories of a moment when you started worrying about yourself or someone else — let me know. By text, of course. http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/0...nyt&emc=rss
  17. Conway, not trying to debate you on your politics as I think everyone should make up their own mind on which party to support. Personally, I am a very liberal democrat. But, I do like McCain. I liked him much more when he was independent thinking. But, my question is: What do you think of Ron Paul? Is he the Kucinich of the Republican party? My choices are obvious. 1. Dennis 2. Hillary 3. McCain 4. Edwards
  18. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/...nyt&emc=rss Yes, very very sad indeed. I loved him in several movies. A real tragedy.
  19. The Council for National Security held its final meeting Tuesday, declaring itself out of business, but stating its members will continue to meet to discuss business of the armed forces. The weekly meeting of the CNS on Tuesday was the final one, as the 2007 constitution it wrote stated that the junta was finished when a new government is formed, and that is expected by next week. But while the last meeting officially closed the book on the Sept 19, 2006 coup after 490 days, it also was clear that old groups of soldiers never die. "The military should not be involved in politics and politicians should not interfere with the military," declared CNS spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd. And to that frank promise he added: "We need a politically neutral person to be defence minister," and said that the last meeting of the junta discussed who would be the right person for the job. "Everybody in the CNS, especially the army commander-in-chief, insist there will be no more coups," the spokesman said. Few tears will be shed over the departure of the 70-week military council. "The generals have proved unfit in their handling of post-coup Thailand," Chulalongkorn University political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak wrote in Tuesday's Bangkok Post. "Policy directions have been murky, leadership incompetent, overall administration inept. The generals have made themselves obsolete by botching their latest putsch," he wrote. The generals accused Mr Thaksin of presiding over rampant corruption and of disrespect toward revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej - charges he denies - but an anti-graft panel they appointed has come up with only one case against him. They also failed to eradicate his Thai Rak Thai party despite its court-ordered dissolution for electoral fraud and the banning of Mr Thaksin and 110 senior party members from politics for five years. http://bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=125362
  20. Thanks Ben for the link. Much appreciated. I really learned a great deal off of the file. Also, hot profile.
  21. I am not sure why, but I have never grown tired of the Golden Girls episodes. They all still make me laugh even thought I know what is coming. I find this probably the best written comedy series of all time. Seinfield perhaps second. But, the Golden Girls is still amazing. BTW: I am more Dorothy than anyone.
  22. Watching the debate tonight, I was actually disgusted at my party. I hate the bickering back and forth. It does not become the 2 candidates that engaged in it and it does nothing to help their party win an election.
  23. LOL Thanks. I love love a hottie!
  24. You had much better luck than me. I had e-mailed and SMS with him. No luck at all. LOL Keep up the fight. and, please post a review on him.
  25. Not surprising. You introduced me to about 50 guys. LOL. I have a bad memory as you see.
×
×
  • Create New...