Rogie

Well worth linking to. An interesting read.

Guilty as charged! Yes I am guilty, but let's not forget we aren't the only ones. Many immigrants to countries where English is the national tongue have no interest in learning English, or if I can be non-PC they take advantage of the host country's failure to insist they make sufficient efforts to integrate. Spanish-speakers in the US and immigrants from India and Pakistan to Britain come to mind.

A bit like the lightbulb function when making a post on GT. Off = plain text On = rich text

Some good replies from Bob and KT. Most loving parents want their kids to conform to some kind of ideal. Maybe some parents are different, perhaps they were hippies in their youth or had unconventional parents themselves, but on the whole the majority of parents would be more than happy to see their son get a good education, good job with prospects and good marriage - with grandchildren a boost to them in their old age. That surely was the way most parents thought at one time. Certainly parents of my generation, born in the 1920's. They grew up in difficult times, the depression in the US followed by WW2. They may in turn have had less than ideal parents themselves, fathers who'd served in WW1, seen and experienced terrible things. How many times do we read about men who've lived through wars and survived, but who maintain a steadfast silence to their families about what happened. Yes, their bodies may have been intact but many, if not most, were damaged in other subtle ways. Perhaps that was just the way things were done, you didn't want to discuss things that nobody really wanted to hear. Bottle the memories of those experiences up and maybe they'll go away. The 20's right up to the late 60's or even into the 70's, depending on where you lived, was not an ideal time to be gay. It strikes me there were a lot of double standards going on there. We had a fascinating thread all about the sexual goings-on in the theatrical (in more ways than one) Redgrave family. Most ordinary families weren't like that, and even if they wanted to be they couldn't. They couldn't because society was a vicious place. Step out of line and there was often a price to be paid. Parents born after WW2 - the baby boomers - and especially those now in their 30's and 40's, are much more aware of how sexuality shapes a person's life and the importance of not meddling. Equality legislation and a more open society now means there are plenty of role models (singers, actors, artists, basically anybody), films, theatre etc to take away any lingering mystique, and nowadays most people know friends and acquaintances who are gay or bisexual. I rather like it when we hear something along these lines when a boy or young man, or even a middle-aged man, comes out to his parents "we've known for a long time, son". Hopefully there will be far fewer parents burying their heads in the sand as far as their children's sexuality is concerned. Sorry, TW, I cannot add to KT and Bob's excellent advice and I fully agree with what they've said. Later: I must add FH to those giving good advice. He posted as I was composing.

I have no plans to learn to speak Thai, other than learning a few phrases, numbers etc. Rather as Koko is implying, many Thais don't particularly want or need you to speak their language. The ones I have known speak passable English and my current inamorata speaks it very well. Having said that, TW makes a good point, you may get on just fine in the company of your circle of Thai friends and lover(s), but out in the wide blue yonder a working knowledge of Thai must be a great asset. I am the sort of person who enjoys making small-talk with strangers, shopkeepers, etc so if I lived in Thailand I'd wish I could do that, but it probably wouldn't be enough of a kick up the derriere to make me do it. I think it's a great idea to go to the Thai language class TW.

I love that word - desirable. A streetcar named Desire? Thai barboy / girl / 'ordinary' person / ladyboy / politician / fixer / jetski swindler - they all have something in common, and we know what that is. The desirability of this, that and everything is obvious in Thailand, witness the mushrooming of giant shopping malls (they're not simply places to get out of the midday sun into some AC comfort-zone!). Those that desire have dreams, dreams in which they are rich beyond avarice. Sad reality dawns quickly enough but if they spy their very own walking talking ATM all is not lost! Later: Ah, I see Gaybutton has posted while I was 'composing'. He basically said the same as me but a lot more succintly!

It's a french hen. Kokobirds (if such a thing exists) might be found in the Napa Valley, but I suspect a true french hen's life is short and sweet, so let's not deny them a few pleasures in life.

Timmberty, I read your post as humour (Brit) / humor (US) and that's what I responded to. I now see it could have been honour / honor. Humourerererer? Do you possess a stammer by any chance Timmberty? As for different types of humour, that's a minefield isn't it? it seems we can broadly generalise between nations, but within any one country there must be dozens of regional humours. Perhaps one could include 'in jokes' as a type of regional humour. An outsider will have difficulty getting the joke. Nothing worse than all around you guffawing (the legendary RoFL) and you're not.

Personally no, not too many. I read several - not necessarily every day - but post mostly on this one. A blog it is not, dear sir! A blogger holds the floor and says what he has to. He may allow his readers to make a comment, but in my experience a proper discussion isn't possible, at least not in the way it is on a Message Board such as this. I agree certain posters predominate, but IMO they don't dominate, although I suppose a person who doesn't hold any strong views of his own or, for reasons best known to himself, is reluctant to dive in and add his tuppence-worth of opinion might get that feeling. My guess is such a person, were he to take the plunge and 'dive in', would soon get to enjoy the experience, because, unless he was an out an out troll, he would be listened to with interest and consideration. He wouldn't be blasted out of the water, nobody here enjoys doing that, not even me! Well said, that man! 1. There are some 'earnest' discussions, certainly, but then again the topics that might be described in that way are the sort that attract serious debate. We have a number of very well-informed members contributing in this board, and it is only reasonable to expect that from time to time they may leave some of us (often me!) scratching our heads. If nothing else it's a good education . . . 2. Sorry, Timmberty, I cannot agree.

You're too kind sir. Once you get the bit between your teeth (not that I ever literally have!) it's easy to overreact. I think we all feel pretty strongly about these tragic incidents in clubs and as we all know Thailand's clubs are, unless we go and check for ourselves, something of an unknown quantity. Even if they do have a licence, I would still like to think we would do the 3-step check that Fountainhall lists in the OP. We ourselves may be quite prepared to take the risk, but just suppose none us was. Would we then turn a blind eye to the risks run by others? Hopefully not. If some kind of action is not taken now, this topic will sink to the bottom of the pile until the next fire happens - the much-discussed (on this board and elswhere) issue of the gun laws in the US - albeit hopefully having reached a tipping point - is another example of plenty of lurid headlines followed by an almighty silence.

Thanks for clarifying matters Jovianmoon. I'll leave my post #7 above unedited and leave it up to the mod to decide. In my first draft in response to JM's posts #2, 5, and 6 I said something to the effect "if another member can corroborate what Jovianmoon has written, . . . " Sorry, I left that out of the final version. Apologies to Jovianmoon for taking the baton and running with it without looking where I was going!

What is this boards's policy on naming places that are best avoided? I have seen it said one cannot (mustn't) write anything libellous (eg. you mustn't say such and such a go-go bar hires underage boys). This G.O.D. club - I've never been so I have to go by what others write - looks to me like a place 'best avoided'. I think we should shout it from the rooftops actually. An underage boy or two isn't going to kill anybody, so let's leave it to the NGO's or whoever to sniff those places out. What is MUCH more important is the issue of safety in the clubs. If G.O.D. really is such a deathtrap as JM describes, instead of the kinds of posts we see where the member describes his wonderful evening mixing with the boys, we should be hollering STAY AWAY! If I am a lone voice on this fair enough, forget I ever said it, but unless somebody wishes to write to reassure me that this club is safe and what's more doesn't routinely sell drugs to young people, I urge it be named and shamed.

If you take away the front wheel on a tuk tuk and replace it with a man, then you have the simplest form of rickshaw, now only seen in Calcutta as far as I am aware (at least that's the only place i have seen them). Next up in complexity is the bicycle rickshaw of which there are many variants and many names. However they are all designed to carry either one or two passengers, and the classic rickshaw seating arrangement continues in the tuk tuk, although being larger and motorised, many can carry more people. Thank you for explaining the Japanese origin of the word rickshaw Jovianmoon.

Nice one! I had to read that a few times before it sank in.

I think I know one of the 'underlines'. If Lynn Redgrave was the one whose tragic death followed a skiing accident, then her husband was Liam Neeson: yet another successful movie actor Other than that I am in the realm of pure guesswork: My guess for the legendary and much-loved playwright, composer and entertainer is Noel Coward another actress who went on to become a Dame and one of Britain’s most cherished actresses might be Peggy Ashcroft I know Somerset Maugham lived in the south of France later on in his life, so he's my guess for a famous gay playwright-scriptwriter a famous writer and critic for the London Times might be Kenneth Tynan, although he worked for the Observer, not the Times, so I guess it's not him. This part . . . . . . . reminds me that Tynan was the first person to say the f - - - word on British TV in 1965 - all of 47 years ago.

Some funny signs! But . . . I can't find the 'nude' or 'naked' signs funny without knowing their context.

That's over my head Moses but it sounds intriguing (in both senses of the word). When you refer to Putin's stability, do you mean his political position or his state of mind?

I too would say 'go for it', as you have the time and like that kind of transport. But!! Please don't try the leaning-out-of-the-cab routine as it's a little-known fact that 1 in 10 people who do that on a blind bend end up having their lovely head squashed by one of those horribly overloaded trucks that ply India's roads. No, more seriously, India's roads are bad, their drivers are bad and their road traffic skills pretty poor = lots of accidents. But you've been to India Michael so you know all this I expect. I think going with a group of like-minded madmen is a great idea!

The 'good life' by the looks of it!

I just spotted the Light switch! I see now if it's off you are restricted rather like using plain text in an email. Switching it on restores it to 'rich text' mode.

Who wouldn't be! I agree there are some great tea varieties, certainly oolong being a good one. How about: lapsang souchong floweryorangepekoe darjeeling

Yes, some are greedy and stupid, others are curious. Some curious people may think "Ok, I know I should just ignore this, but maybe, just maybe, there's something in this; no harm in dipping my toe in the water - after all, I'd never forgive myself if Joe Bloggs down the road is braggin' to all and sundry in the pub about how he just made a cool half a million without so much as lifting a finger". From what I gather the fraudsters can be very plausable and persuasive. Rather like quicksand - once you are in it you're quite likely to be sucked under - so the fraudster sucks out the information piece by piece with the promise of what is to come. By then some of the mugs are already mentally spending their windfall, and once you've convinced yourself of that all reason flies out the window.

In my opinion, you can't beat a nice cup of tea. An indispensable way to start the day along with a bowl of fortifying porridge (in the winter) or muesli (in the summer). Tea is an equally great pick-me-up for anyone who'd been out on the tiles the night before or for the sad teetotaller. If you are a: Teetotaller = stimulant Hard boozer = restorative (cure for a hangover) I wouldn't mind betting tea could also be a fine cure for Jovianmoon's hiccups. Unfortunately, just as teetotaller sounds most unpleasant on the ear, 'tea' is too short a word to stand any chance of sounding sweet and harmonious to one's auditory senses. Again, unfortunately, coffee seems to have stolen a march on tea and spawned a whole vocabulary of names: expresso = like ristretto = also like starbuck (tax dodger!)= ugly

What a mess!

Deliberately extending it straightforward, provided you know the risks; if you just turn up at the airport and are 'caught' overstaying it would seem, going by what others say, it is a simple matter of paying the appropriate fine. If, on the hand, you are 'caught' by the authorities as for example in a drug swoop, or a road traffic offence, and are proved to have overstayed, that is potentially very serious and people have ended up in jail. This question is often raised, and as far as I am aware it is unusual to be asked to show your onward ticket at immigration. Be that as it may, airlines are reluctant to allow passengers without visas to board flights whose return date is more than 30 days (taking the UK situation as an example) after departure. So, you might get away with it, but why risk the hassle? There again, easy in theory, but disastrous if you're caught. No idea! Just too awful to contemplate.