Rogie

Piers Morgan Unrepentant As Petition Passes 65,000 http://uk.news.yahoo.com/piers-unrepentant-face-59-000-petition-123737811.html

A British father was injured when a family of four Britons made a dramatic escape from the burning wreckage of a plane after it crashed in remote Shan State in eastern Burma, killing two people and injuring eleven more. So, are Burmese airlines safe? I don't follow aviation closely so a Fokker 100 means nothing to me. What sort of track record do they have outside of Burma? Is this a Burmese problem or could it have been anticipated . . . the expression 'ageing jets' is used. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/9766252/British-man-injured-in-Burma-plane-crash.html

Yes, the current pope was a member of the Hitler Youth, but as he's not here to defend himself I thought this site gave a reasonable resume of the situation: Was Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) A Nazi? Why Join the Hitler Youth? http://atheism.about.com/od/benedictxvi/i/RatzingerNazi_2.htm

IMO if a new member comes on the scene and asks for advice, even if his motives appear somewhat suspect, i.e. saying he appreciates discretion and at the same time posting a photo, (presumably of himself, although he might just be playing cat and mouse - who knows?) then, at least to begin with, we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Your original post, Timmberty, was skating on thin ice IMO.

I've only visited Vietnam once, but as far as my interactions with the general public were concerned I did notice there was a higher incidence of pushy-ness (I don't know if they have any go-go bars there, I haven't heard of any), but the vast majority of Vietnamese I met were very pleasant. It would be interesting to know what kind of dialogue there is between the management / mamasans of a go-go bar and their foreign boys - Vietmanese, Burmese, Lao etc. I think most if not all Thais can understand Lao, but as for Burmese and Vietnamese I have no idea. However, assuming a Thai person has difficulty understanding a Vietnamese person, and vice versa, one could understand the message may not get through to the boy that the usual system in Thai go-go bars is the 'up to you' policy where the customer is the one who makes the final decision regarding payment. All being well the boy will accept the money, wai you and be on his way - if it so happens the money given falls below his expectation, to argue or sulk would be a loss of face. Quite likely IMO the Thai way of doing things is too subtle for an outsider eg, a Vietnamese, trying to play the same game.

. . .are missing or . . . Difficult to know from your photo Christian whether the four people have indeed impaled themselves on spikes, or whether the things that look like spikes really are. The perspective makes it difficult to work out how wide the seating area on the window sill really is.

Pick up a copy of OUT In Thailand magazine - that'll probably answer your questions. I expect the December issue has been out for a week or two by now. Here is a link to it so you can read it before you come: http://www.out-in-thailand.com/ By the way, has anyone seen the December issue with the interview with Sir Ian McKellan in it? Is it worth reading? If so, I'll look it up on the website.

There was some discussion on train travel in the Taiwan's Gastronomic Delights thread. Here is the link: http://www.gaythaila...hts/#entry61865 and here is another copy of the link mentioned in that thread: http://www.seat61.co...tm#.UNouYKyVqSp

That may be so, but I am a great believer in using Message Boards such as this one as each time we hear about this sort of thing, written from personal experience - thank you Michael - helps us form our own opinion about how things are done in Thailand. Those of you who are ex-pats will in many cases have learned the hard way, so you already have plenty of experiences to form your own opinions. Visitors however are often unaware - the Australians mentioned in the OP are a good example of that - and run the risk of doing or saying the 'wrong' thing and ending up in hot water. I've been stopped in Surin riding a motorbike, didn't have my docs (IDP and UK driving licence) on me so told the copper I'd go back home and fetch them. He said ok, I came back later and wasn't given a ticket. In fact the thought of getting a ticket never even entered my mind . . . I hate to think what I might've said or done if he'd tried to do that. Reading the experiences of others is very useful - next time I'm pulled over in a car or motorbike and threatened with a fine I'll try and be a wee bit more phlegmatic.

Not me, but might just as well be! I've been anti-capital punishment (in my home country Britain), for a long time but I do have to admit the old hang 'em, flog 'em attitude appeals more and more when I read what some people get away with in Thailand. Despite that, although Thailand carries out executions by lethal injection, there is a groundswell of 'expert' opinion that Thailand should abolish the death penalty. Experts call for end to death penalty in Thailand http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Experts-call-for-end-to-death-penalty-in-Thailand-30196019.html

Venus in blue jeans

That's an odd statement, you were in a hurry, yet you stopped to take a photo. Why? What's so special about the LCL building, apart from it being in Paris (lucky old you!) ? Also, I thought Paris was supposed to be deserted in August, yet you were there . . .

Quite so, and I think le meme chose (he looks French). Not long ago, men's shorts were similar to the ones he's wearing, nice and short. Showed a lot of leg. I still have a pair like that but perhaps luckily for me I've expanded my waistline over the years so can no longer wear 'em. Take away whatever he's wearing on his legs - ?thermal underwear, - take off his tie and I'd agree he matches the description sexy boy scout.

Looking very closely I think I can see a shadowy figure behind the net curtains. Was the President of France due to pass by later that day?

"You ask who ate all the pies?. . . I wish now I'd never heard of the British Pie Shop"

God rest ye merry, gentlemen Let nothing you dismay Remember, Christ, our Saviour Was born on Christmas day To save us all from Satan's power When we were gone astray O tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy O tidings of comfort and joy God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen was first published in 1833 when it appeared in "Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern," a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys. The lyrics of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen are traditional olde English and are reputed to date back to the 15th century although the author is unknown.. It is believed that this particular carol was sung to the gentry by town watchmen who earned additional money during the Christmas season. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen continues to be enjoyed. The lyrics to this simple carol are reputed to be one of the oldest carols. I'd like to wish all our members and readers on Gay Thailand a very Merry Christmas

At last, the NRA have responded: NRA chief breaks post-Newtown silence to call for armed guards at schools http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/21/nra-newtown-armed-guards-schools

Not a decision taken lightly I'm sure, and neither do I pen these words lightly, as the person concerned cannot answer back, so I risk the possibilty of flak. The poster in question has been a loose cannon - not a hanging offence in itself. However, his latest shenanigans, running around like a headless chicken (albeit with a disembodied mouth happy to spew his own form of chicken s***) from message board to message board, quite frankly stank. Not only did he arguably commit egregious member conduct, you can take your pick of which of these definitions of the word may apply to the man himself:

An honest man! I feel the same way when I join a discussion late on, by which time it has accumulated lots of replies. If I am following it from the onset - no problem, but faced with 20, 30, 40 or even more replies by the time I get to it can be quite daunting sometimes. In such situations, it depends on the topic I suppose. If it's one that looks like it'll appeal to me I'll make the effort.

Thank you for letting us know your impressions Michael. I enjoyed reading the book, but haven't seen the film. Some people in the film industry reckoned it was un-filmable, so kudos to the director and his team for taking on the challenge and by all accounts making a great film.

I've been looking at a few commentators to see if there are any fresh insights, not having any myself. it's just too awful what happened - I feel really deflated whenever I try and make sense of it. I reckon you either need a big ego, or some genuine knowledge and experience of guns, mental illness, the American psyche etc, in order to chip in on this, and I possess none of those. This item's author is Nadin Abbott: I quote just the first few paragraphs:- The part of the quote in blue was something I knew nothing about before. Anyone know anything more about it? Abbott finishes on a pretty dismal note. I guess I am lucky and have lived a sheltered life. I live in a nice area where people are polite and helpful, a place where often, but not always, if you pass a stranger when you're out walking they acknowledge you. Safe to walk anywhere at night and where robbery is rare, let alone violence of any kind. So I can't contemplate what is being suggested. I just can't put myself into that kind of situation. What kind of world have we got ourselves here? http://eastcountymag....org/node/11963

I think so too. Taking it to perhaps a ridiculous extreme, I have been trying to lip-read the guy on the left. They chink glasses then he says something 6 times and that's it. Could the inspiration for these two chaps be a typical scene in a German or Belgian bierkeller? They're blissfully happy whatever it is. Here they are again!

I'm not sure if it has been mentioned before on this thread, but even if so no harm in doing so again. One of our members Ilz has a blog and I am amazed to see the archives go back to October 2004. That must call for quite some stamina (staying power!). The blog is called Phuchai, with a sub-heading About Thai boys and those who love them. I wrongly assumed his posting name is Ilz with the first letter as a capital i, but having looked at the blog I now realise his name is not ilz but llz or LLZ. If I now switch over to Verdana font, one of my favourites, we can see the llz and Ilz are quite different. Sorry, khun Arial, you are a bit of a muddle sometimes! http://www.llz.blogspot.co.uk/

Timmberty's advice is fine and many would agree with what he says. However, if you send him what he's asking which is about 4,500 baht, together with the 4,000 baht gift, you'll have given him approx 8,500 baht. Add to that meals, drinks and entertainment, etc which no doubt you payed for so that'd add up to over 10,000 baht. Just supposing you had negotiated a daily tip in advance, what would have been fair? Many people reckon 1,500 - 2,000 baht a day is reasonable. I think, provided you make it clear this will be a one-off payment of his rent, and bearing in mind you had an enjoyable time in this young man's company, that if you send him this money you will still have got yourself a pretty good deal.

I think I'll stick around Keeree Waree thanks. Samui is overrated IMO, and following the recent power cuts resulting in tourists fleeing the island, no doubt that'll make others think twice about going there. Nice turn of phrase. I'm a great fan of Hua Hin, and next time I'm down that way I will check Bankrut beach out.