TotallyOz

I have been in an area for the past few weeks that is heavily populated with Mormons. They have been very nice and sweet and I have enjoyed meeting so many of them. However, I have a massage therapist who lives in a neighborhood of all Mormons and she said they will not allow her son to play with their children as they are not Mormons. The kid is 5 and just moved to the area so there is no history. I thought this was peculiar so I asked a few others who live in mostly Mormon neighborhoods and they all said the same thing. I was a bit surprised and shocked at this. Has anyone had any experiences with this or heard similar stories?

BANGKOK, Thailand, Aug. 14 — “Thaksin, Where Are You?” It is Thailand’s latest political puzzler — the title of a strange little book about the former prime minister that may or may not be what it seems. Thaksin Shinawatra is in London, his home since he was ousted in a coup last September; he is watching and, perhaps, waiting for his moment to return, as the generals who are now in power lead his country through an exhausting series of watershed moments. Next Sunday, in the latest of these, Thailand will vote on a new constitution that would pave the way for an election, tentatively set for November. Meanwhile, a Thai court today issued arrest warrants for Mr. Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, after the couple failed to appear in the court to face corruption charges involving a land sale. The warrants mean that the couple would be taken into custody if they returned to Thailand, but their lawyer said today that they have no plans now to do so. The court said it would consider extradition proceedings if they do not appear by Sept. 25. Legal experts said such proceedings would probably be long and complex. London is where a young Thai writer says she wheedled and wept until Mr. Thaksin granted her seven hours of interviews for a chatty book about his life and moods that she says could have been called “Lonely Thaksin.” The book was published in Bangkok this month, and it has infuriated the ruling generals, who seem to think they see Mr. Thaksin’s stealthy hand everywhere, including in this seemingly inoffensive portrait of a mild-mannered political retiree. If the book really was the writer’s independent enterprise, Mr. Thaksin got very lucky. It portrays him just as he might have portrayed himself if he had orchestrated the whole thing. “Although he tries to remain light-hearted, deep down in his eyes, I feel his hidden pain,” writes the author, Sunisa Lertpakawat, 32. It is Mr. Thaksin through the looking glass, the improbably unadventurous life of a powerful man, a chimera who still haunts the junta. The book is studded with charming, glossy family photos of Mr. Thaksin practicing his golf swing, shopping in a supermarket, feeding his son birthday cake, riding a bicycle, buying a pizza, looking at fish in an aquarium, smiling at the seaside. “You are interviewing a poor guy today,” says the telecommunications tycoon who has just spent $162 million to buy the British soccer club Manchester City and thousands of dollars more to throw a party for 8,000 of its fans in a city square. “I have some money in my savings accounts, but,” he pauses, according to the book. “By the way, I think I can manage it.” One twist to the story is that the author is a lieutenant in the army, working as a reporter for an army-run television station. She said she produced the book on her own time, secretly, anticipating trouble. And she got it. As soon as they found out, her commanders halted distribution of the book after its first run of 4,000 copies and yanked her from her job. Her offense, technically, was extending a three-day leave to 21 days, and she has since preemptively tendered her resignation. The coup leader, Sonthi Boonyaratglin, personally ordered an investigation and, according to Lt. Sunisa, called her in for a one-on-one talking to. “You-know-who is the hand behind this publication,” one official told a Thai newspaper, treating it almost as a matter of national security. The generals have reacted this way to the Thaksin phantom before. They have tried to suppress news about him by, for example, ordering television stations not to run interviews with him. At one point, they stopped talking on their cellular telephones for fear he might be listening in. “A bunch of panicky people,” The Nation newspaper called them, dancing to Mr. Thaksin’s tune “every time he feels like getting up to a little mischief.” In an interview, Lt. Sunisa insisted that she acted on her own and that she had not been in touch with Mr. Thaksin since her return from London. She said the photographs were given to her at no cost by Mr. Thaksin’s son, Panthongtae, who is a photographer and whom she interviewed separately for four hours at a Thai restaurant in London. Lt. Sunisa, who has a bachelor’s degree in political science, is a puzzle to those who have met her, appearing naïve and calculating at the same time. Click here for the remaining story: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/world/as...nyt&emc=rss

I could not agree with you more. I have been so busy in the last year with other things (personal and business) that I have not given the time and attention that is needed to bring more traffic into this site. Sept 1st that will change and I'll rededicate myself to bringing this site more traffic and more reviews. Even if I have to review 5 a week myself.

Thanks for the chuckle. hehe I guess I have always seen it as Hooville consists of everyone that was part of the M4M site. That site is gone. 2 factions of it exist. One is here and one is at Daddy's but both have similar rights to be called the Hoovillians. The family of Hooboy decided it wanted to close the site. It did not take the highest offer to sell the name. It did not want to continue the site. They chose to stop the site and the name from being used. Thus, we now have 2 different groups that were once part of the bigger group. Neither are heir to the throne. The estate made this clear in their decisions.

I agree in part of what you say. Both this site and Daddy's site have started growing on its own invention. Since that is the case, why do you refer to it as Hooville? I guess my difference is that with Hoo's death the other site did not carry his torch. You refer to it as doing so. It was simply not the case. As you see it has no reviews before the death of Hooboy. There is a reason for that. The name is different. There is a reason for that. If you want, you can say MERmen and I'll call the other group DaddysBoys. That would make the equation equal in my eye. I just finished sucking off a hot Morman lad and I may have a little cum left in my eye or on my face but I still have pretty good vision.

Thanks. I guess we differ in terms as I have always seen members of this site as Hoovillians. The town split but the residents are still the same.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/08/fort.laud...ayor/index.html Aparently, this mayor is not backing down from his view or his statements. He said that we are all sinners. hummm.

Having traveled a bit over the last few years, just wondering what city most of you find the best for hiring. For me, in the USA, it has always been NYC but overseas I find no place like Rio. Anyone else have some favs?

CNET News.com reporter Daniel Terdiman has been traveling through the Southwest for the last three weeks on Road Trip 2007, and much of the last week or so has been spent in Arizona and Utah at jaw-dropping canyons of one type or another. So, News.com decided to present some of the best Arizona and Utah have to offer and let you make up your mind of what's the most awe-inspiring. http://news.com.com/2300-13576_3-6201515-1...5&subj=news Having hiked the Zion National Park area a few months back with Stef Lacoste, I can say that the beauty of the area is amazing. If you have never been there, it is a must see. Many areas are very close to Vegas and simply stunning!

A very funny and yet accurate interview. Sadly, I do wonder if it is real. LOL

This has been a topic of conversation amoung many of us who struggle to loose weight. The article below talks about some diet foods and the gain or loss of pounds with them. Right now I am at a Spa outside of Vegas for a month. It is a detox retreat. 1200 calories a day diet and all whole natural foods. They don't let anything chemical or artificial into the body. So far, my energy level has increased greatly. It is mostly vegetarian menu with an occassional taste of fish or chicked once a week. I'll certaintly report more on it after my month here but so far I like what I see and what I've experienced. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,...00.html?cnn=yes

From the Pattaya City News: Police Lieutenant Colonel Tanargit from Pattaya Police Station was called to the front of the Bang Pub in Soi Day Night 1 in South Pattaya just after 7am on Wednesday to investigate reports of a shooting at the location which led to the death of an employee of the Pub. The Officer made his way to the Pattaya Memorial Hospital to inspect the body of Khun Prongtaerp aged 19. He had sustained a gun shot wound to his head and was pronounced dead-on-arrival at Hospital. Back at the scene officer recovered bullet casings and examined CCTV pictures from a camera located outside the Bar. Two men on a motorbike were seen passing the Bar and the passenger produced a Gun and shot the victim. Witnesses explained that moments before the shooting, three men on a further bike drove past the bar and pointed in the direction of the victim. He apparently thought nothing of it and made his way to a local convenience store and was shot as he returned to the bar. Police have few clues as to any motive behind the shooting and are continuing their investigation into this murder. http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_08_08_50.htm This boy is the boyfriend of a good friend of mine and a poster on this board. It is a very sad story and I am truly sorry for his loss. The boy was one of the nicest lads I have ever met in Thailand and a really trustworthy and sweet young man. My sympathies to his friends and lover. When I lived in Soi Day Night, none of my boyfriends would allow me to go out late night without them, even to walk one block for soup. They said the area was much more dangerous at night than Sunee or other areas. I think the reason for this has to do with all of the karoke bars in the area and the guys and gals that frequent them and work there. I have personally been to Sundance many times and never had an issue. However, when I was living in an apartment in the area, there were few nights when we didn't hear a fight on the street or other troubles. It is sad that the area has been improving so much with the nice apartment buildings and food places but the night time after hours is not safe. My heart really does go out to this young man's friends and family.

NEW PG Weekly Report for August 7, 2007 now on-line.... FOR THE 7 DAYS ENDING AUGUST 7TH 2007 http://www.pgreport.com/index.shtml

There is a great new series out that offers a look into the fighting styles around the world. The first episode of this series is about Muay Thai boxing in the LOS. The documentary takes you to many places in Thailand and gives a bit of the history of the sport and a look inside the modern day sport. It is a very interesting story and is available for download in Itunes.

I have met some amazing people off this board and Hoo's board. I still remember my first holiday with Hooboy in Brazil. It was quite an entertaining few weeks. It seems to me that he has us on Video Cam with a few other members at one point in time and my BF at the time was showing off for the camera. When in NYC, I met some great guys from the boards including Marc, TY, Firecat, Luibit and others. It seems that the more places I go, the more I meet. I was in my little hometown a few weeks back and was talking to this married man who is a sweetheart but plays for the gays when he is away from town. He was talking about the Gaiety and he mentioned the reports from the old days when they had them each week. I never told him I knew quite a bit about those reports from NYObserver and others but I had to smile inside that even in small places, the boards still carry on.

There is a new series out on fighting. I subscribed to this from ITunes. The series starts off with Muay Thai boxing. It gives a glimpse into the sport and it has some great scenes in Thailand. I recommend this to anyone who has visited the country or wants to visit the country. I really did enjoy it.

Great post. I could not have said it better myself. Being in the same category as you, I know the money I spent to loose the weight was a huge step to better health for me. Obesity does need to be looked at differently and we need to get those in charge to see the benefits of alternative treatments as well. If http://www.camptechnique.com had not been there for me and helped me to put my feet on the right track, my health would have kept dwindling and eventually just crashed. I look at food now as fuel for the body and not the comfort food I used to believe. I hope I can keep down this train of thought. I have had set backs and sometimes I still reach for that pop tart but when I do, I jump on the treadmill and work it off. I hope that one day, the insurance companies will see the benefit of getting their members healthier and look at other methods other than drugs and surgeries. I still remember when Chiropractors were a sham in the eyes of many insurance companies and they would not cover visits to their offices. Now, most do. We really do need to take a closer look at health and health care in this country. Did anyone see the movie Sicko? France, and other countries, have made great strides in looking at the health of their citizens in different ways.

Often times bathroom sex is relegated to those that are more closeted and not "out". I know that there are many that just like it. But, it is also one of the few options that some men have as an outlet. In many parts of this country, being gay is still not acceptable. We certaintly do not have the rights as others do. And, the stigma of being gay is still an issue in many cities in the US. Many men are married and just want to get off with someone. They do this in the quickest easiest way that is possible. Perhaps that is a hookup in the toilets to keep the allusion to others that they are not gay. I have met too many married men who just want to have a little gay sex but stay married and keep the wife and kids and yet cannot afford a hotel or to be seen where gay men go. What do they do? Where do they go? I am not giving answers, as I don't know them. But, I do believe that the less taboo being gay is, the less the toilets are frequented. IMHO

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fruc...n-syrup/AN01588 You are just a wealth of information. Thanks for that site. There is some great articles there.

Well, they get to get this creep out of office. Ft Lauderdale is an amazing city and I have always enjoyed it. However, such homophobia would inhibit me from frequenting it from their highest ranking elected official. There is also the power of the pen. Letters and e-mails to the Mayor's office and to others of importance may make him realize the error of his ways.

LOL. Well, I think I would drink too. I have been on top of a Tuk Tuk in Thailand and the seat you sit in is on top of the gas. I always wondered what would happen if it exploded. I know my ass would be grass.

Sounds like a lot of fun. The BBCM is amazing and are very well organized. I think they have always done a great job with Black and Blue and can't imagine them doing less with them. Glad you are having a blast in one of the few cities where Twinks are abundant.

Down by the river, there is an art center. I think they call it River walk but not sure. It is by where the boats leave at and a large hotel, I think a Sheraton. They have an amazing gallery of antiques and I have bought several dozen ancient Buddha's and other antiques from there. They also have some regular art galleries. I found a 800 year old Laos Buddha for less than an weekend with most escorts. Do a search on GayThailand for art gallery and you may find some of my posts that tell the exact directions. For Jewelry, there are several World Stores and one in Pattaya. Take a look there. If you went to Chiang Mai, you would see some amazing silver and gold and could have them hand make your own design very cheap. For original art in Pattaya, try Liam's Gallery. They have a website and they have really nice stuff. Also, on the way to the beach, there is only one road, I have found some of the painting stores there that I was able to buy for a great price and sell in USA for 100 times that. All over Pattaya they have art stores but most are copies. Some amazing copies. My favorite artist works inside the Marriot hotel lobby. If you have any black and whites, you want done, he is amazing. In JJ Market, the big weekend market, there is an entire area for artists. Sometimes, not all the time, you will find a great new artist there and some great finds. In either case, you MUST go to this market. It is amazing and wild. A mile or so of small stores with everything in the world and all very cheap. It is at the end of one of the trains and easy on and off. Jakarta Market or JJ Market. Ask your hotel guy and he will tell you how to get there. Firecat is really the art expert and can jump here as he really taught me what I know in Thailand on my first trip. Well, not everything. I knew the bar scene before I met up with him but he showed me the nice artists and galleries.

Sorry guys just caught onto this thread. I have been with family helping out a bit. You will love Pattaya. I think they have the hottest guys in Thailand. But, if muscle is your thing, Bangkok is definitely the place to be. Firecat gives great advice and all he says is true. Both hotels are very easy to get guys into and are very clean. You are in the middle of the action. In Bangkok, go to Dream boys when it opens as they have many of the sexiest boys there and they are often gone soon. They have a show as well but I go for the boys and would not miss out on getting there first to see the boys that I want for the night. B and N is my favorite massage parlor. I love it there. I suggest you also post some questions on gaythailand.com message board as many that read and post there live in Thailand and can give you up to date information. I find BoyzBoyzBoyz in Pattaya the place for muscle and they are great there. I have offed a few dozen and they are always amazing. Drinks in Pattaya are 100 baht. In Bangkok 200 baht. Tawan in Bangkok is 240 baht. Not a lot of money, but if like me you go to many bars in one night, you will spend much more in BKK. You MUST go to the Floating Market one day. Eat at Siam Paragon a few times. Go to the Palace and a few of the temples. Try a river cruise for lunch or dinner. Hero is a good massage parlor as well. I know you hear horrible things about Sunnee Plaza but you do need to walk over one night and give it a try. Why? It is more like a gay village than the other areas. Get there early, eat at Clubber Restaurant around 7 and watch the boys trickle into work. It is fun to watch and see. You do need to be sure to check the IDs in the bars around that area. Jim Jimmy James is the best and Kaos is not far behind. They have a jack off show at Kaos each night. In Bangkok, find a post I made on GayThailand about the park scene. I found some very hot boys in the park if you like to cruise around. Also, there is another area outside of the gay area, about 20 min by taxi that has one street of small gay bars. Most of those guys are college students in the area and are cheaper and more fresh than those in Suriwong. Lastly, in Pattaya, just go to the mall and smile at any boy you want to take back to your place. They are all working and you will have no problem seeing any of them. Go to the forums on wws.gaythailand.com and read the posts about the bars. It has more information about Pattaya there. Also, www.pgreport.com has great current events that are fun. www.dreadedned.com has good stuff. Let me know if any specific questions. I will help out as much as I can! Oz

Thank goodness I can finally blame someone else. I was obese for many years and I thought it was my fault. But, it wasn't. It was my friends. haha I did find the article interesting from the New York Times: Obesity can spread from person to person, much like a virus, researchers are reporting today. When a person gains weight, close friends tend to gain weight, too. Their study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, involved a detailed analysis of a large social network of 12,067 people who had been closely followed for 32 years, from 1971 until 2003. The investigators knew who was friends with whom, as well as who was a spouse or sibling or neighbor, and they knew how much each person weighed at various times over three decades. That let them examine what happened over the years as some individuals became obese. Did their friends also become obese? Did family members or neighbors? The answer, the researchers report, was that people were most likely to become obese when a friend became obese. That increased a person’s chances of becoming obese by 57 percent. Full Story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/25/health/2...nyt&emc=rss