Bob

Good idea. It seemed for a while that it was the "in" thing to find a chubby (well, most were bigger than just "chubby") performer for a lot of the bar acts. Some are rather (amazingly) athletic. I recall "Oh" who used to do the Throb show and how stunning it was when she/he did a cartwheel on stage (stunning that he could do it in the first place and additionally stunning that the act didn't litterally bring the house down....).

Should I say that I won't debate that???? LOL That's like one of those "does your mother know you beat your wife" questions! Sorry, I don't do women. But, if there was a group of cute Thai guys who wanted to set up a temperance union, I suppose I would reconsider (and I'm buying the booze!). [Edit: I just realized that you posted that at about 4:15AM Pattaya time. GO TO BED!]

I generally use IE and specifically find no advantage to using Firefox or IE to gain access to most websites (including this one - I see no speed difference and, for what it's worth, I have a 5-meg cable connection). A few sites (such as Sawatdee) are dog slow using IE so I exclusively use Firefox to access that site. In my view, most of the browsers are rather similar in their features and I guess I tend to use that which I'm most accustomed.

While I can understand and support the notion of freedom of religion (being an individual's right to worship whoever, whatever, or nothing), I do not understand why any country would allow any outside religious group the freedom to proselytize within their borders. In my view, allowing the christians, mormans, or whoever to come into the country in groups to attempt to convert the "pagans" is nothing more than an active attempt to denigrate the local culture. I cringe every time I walk past a certain street in Chiangmai as I hear a couple of hundred Thai kids attempting to sing "Onward Christian Soldiers." I find it rather repulsive.

No problem. I made the charts about 10 years ago and have posted them many times in the past (probably on Ned's board and your old board too!).

I don't have a problem with the new immigration laws as they appear to not affect the usual visitor or person who lives here normally (one who gets a long-stay visa or whatever). The laws seem to be targeted at the foreigners who are more transient (the ones that try to stay in LOS without the proper visa). The frustrating part of the immigration laws is the constant changing of the rules and, of course, the differing interpretation from one office to another office (plus, perhaps, the differing interpretations within the same immigration office). It's my understanding that the trade agreement between the US and Thailand contains a provision that US citizens be allowed to buy property in Thailand but that Thailand has never implemented it (and it appears the US has never insisted on compliance). I'd rather buy a house than a condo for several reasons (cheaper, more private, more room, play with a garden, etc.) but I suppose the "cheaper" part would go out the window if the foreigners all of a sudden were allowed to purchase houses. I know some foreigners who do the "corporation" trick to purchase real estate but I don't trust the Thai government not to clamp down on that at any given time (and I'm not going to risk losing the investment). I'll perhaps do the 30-year lease deal (which I understand a foreigner can legally do) as that will likely get me to my expected dirt nap.

Good advice and information above. All the new ID cards (mind you, many have the old one) show the birthdate in both Thai (see above) and in English (well, Arabic numbers and English months). If he has one of the new ID cards, you don't have to worry about knowing the age. Here's an example of the new ID cards: For the older cards, you can figure the year as noted above. The hard part is knowing the month as it is in Thai and usually abbreviated. Here's a chart to help you with that: I can post a chart for the years if you ask for it (I have one, I just haven't updated it for 4-5 years)

Ah, the side benefits of glasnost!

I wouldn't worry at all. In fact, based on stories I've heard from a couple of other black Americans who regularly visit Thailand, you may find that you'll be very popular, especially with the bar boys. You can expect some "stares" up North because they simply don't see that many blacks.....but I believe you'll get no negative reactions from anybody. Have fun.

It's actually a one-year extension rather than a renewal of your long-term visa. The answer appears to vary depending on (1) whether you're using the 800k in a bank or income as a basis and (2) what immigration office is issuing the renewal (although most appear to be consistent). You can get your answer at the myriad of threads on the subject at the Thai Visa forum.

Google it for enlightenment (but, if you watched the show, your mental acuity will take a sharp drop...hehe).

It seems we all can agree on that (and wow, GB, we're actually back to the initial post!). I wouldn't visit Saudi Arabia under any circumstances given the tendency for the savage cruelty and Dark Age mentality still being played out there on occasion. [The "I don't think so, Tim" phrase is one often used here in the states to denote comical dissent - the phrase is from older US tv show and wasn't intended to suggest any poster's first name is "Tim"].

Nah, I don't think so, Tim. As I attempted to point out (obviously unsuccessfully), calling something a continent isn't always a matter of geography but rather what somebody hundreds of years ago decided. As noted in Wikipedia (admittedly not the font of all knowledge): "Continents are understood to be large, continuous, discrete masses of land, ideally separated by expanses of water."[3] However, many of the seven most commonly recognized continents are identified by convention rather than adherence to the ideal criterion that each be a discrete landmass, separated by water from others. Likewise, the criterion that each be a continuous landmass is often disregarded by the inclusion of the continental shelf and oceanic islands. Given that, I'm starting my own convention - that Syria, Lebanon, etc., are now hereby in the continent named Middle East. But I'm ever so grateful that you initially pointed out that Saudia Arabia is in asia as, without that gem of information, (1) I would never have understood the point GB was trying to make in a post that started out with the title "Saudia Arabia....", and (2) I would have never had the opportunity to name a "new" continent.

You're absolutely right - their rules are nonsense and against their own interest. Normally, a bank loves having an account where the holder leaves money in it for long periods of time as the bank makes money having those funds available to loan out at a far higher interest rate than they pay for the deposit (what they pay is close to negligible). And it would be in the bank's interest to do whatever it could to attract those accounts. But, TIT.......

A few years bank, I had a Bangkok Bank account (acquired with the a simple 30-day entry deal). They later told me that I would not be allowed to use the online internet services unless I had a work permit (yep, that's what two different BB employees told me). So I switched to Siam Commericial Bank (again, at that time, opened up the account when I was there on the 30-day free entry deal) and got the internet access without any problem. [When I return in the fall, I'm still going to have words with SCB about all the 20-baht charges that began this January and, if they don't agree to get rid of them, I'll be looking for a third Thai bank. I'll be damned if I'm going to let a bank charge me 20 baht for updating the passbook myself with their machine, for withdrawing funds from an ATM in my "home province", or for even withdrawing funds using a withdrawal slip with a teller in my "home province.]

I'll advise when I find out how it goes down. I'll make it work either way (or some third way they come up with). Although some have had problems with immigration constantly changing the rules (or the rules changing from officer to officer), I haven't had any issue. I erroneously (not my fault but that's another story) had a 60-day tourist visa when I attempted to get my one-year (retirement) visa. As that couldn't happen, they cancelled the tourist visa, gave me a 90-day non-immigrant visa, and gave me the one-year visa at the same time (and I walked out the door with all of that after about a 35 minute visit). They couldn't have been nicer. Interestingly, the 90-day non-immigrant visa ran from February 27th which was the day I went to immigration. The one-year visa runs from May 27th, 2009, to May 27th, 2010. And, just to prior leaving on April 23rd, I got my re-entry permit which simply says I have to re-enter by May 27th of 2010 (or I'll lose the long-term visa). I thought it was a bit strange/funny that I got the re-entry permit for the long-term visa prior to the long-term visa even starting!

The auto-eroticism/asphyxiation deal has been around for a while (though one doesn't hear about it much lately) and, yes, there were accidental deaths by boys trying it out. I guess (but have no desire to give it a try) the orgasm is supposed to be enhanced if experienced when one is about to pass out. But.....I'm still puzzled about the hands tied around his neck. Never heard of that before and, at least on first blush, it's difficult for me to believe he did that himself. But, then again, difficult to accept that the Thai press or cops report anything accurately.

Regardless of where Saudi Arabia technically is, I don't believe I've ever heard anybody refer to Saudi Arabia (or Lebanon, Turkey, Israel, Syria, etc.) as an asian country. Almost always referred to as a middle east/eastern country. About as much sense as calling Russia an asian country and not calling Ukraine or Poland an asian country. Guess they are or aren't asian depending on what the old world cartographers named it in the first place. Ok, carry on. P.S. I wonder if Sarah Palin can see Saudi Arabia from her house.....

If true, rather debunks the suicide theory (well, at least in places where there are competent cops).

PM, I'm hopeful you can pass along to Allen all of our best wishes for him.

Ok, I've got a puzzler (maybe) for you. I obtained my retirement visa in Hua Hin and it doesn't expire until the end of next May. I'll be back in LOS for a 7 month stay in October but this time I'll be back in Chiangmai. I'll do my first 90-address report in January in Chiangmai (90 days after I re-enter Thailand). Now....when I go to renew the retirement visa, can I then do it in Chiangmai? I've heard two different stories: (1) That, since I got it in Hua Hin, I've got to renew it in Hua Hin, and (2) if my latest address-notice is in "X" province, I can renew it there. Just wondering what you think (I'm not too worried, I'll end up doing whatever I need to do to obtain the one-year extension).

A year or more ago, the poor panda couple (macho Chuang Chuang and delicate-flower Lin Hui) were showing no signs of any interest in sex and, to spur them on, the zoo staff began showing them porno films (which, of course, generated quite a few giggles in the Chiangmai area). In honor of that (or perhaps in honor of the man with the golden syringe that apparently got the job done), I'd suggest we call the little cutie Sperminatrix.

I too checked it out and found better deals directly on a specific airline's website.

Glad to have you back (but I'm still at a loss to figure out what anybody said that would piss off most people). Like you said, water under the dam so let's move on.

Probably doesn't matter. In that frigid Siberian weather, they'll both look like third graders anyway.