Rogie

Welcome to the Forum Pumpkin. If you are hoping to incur some kind of reaction by your somewhat adversarial comment, you won't get it from me. You take us as you find us!

Poor you! It may be boring in some quarters, granted. This discussion has centred around Thailand, a complicated country where issues are seldom cut and dried, and is far from boring IMO.

Having now done so I agree it highlights a shocking abuse of justice. Taken together with the decision to release Sam Hallan I suppose the obvious comment is the death penalty should be abolished in Texas (but see below). The British Government have a debate from time to time as to whether capital punishment should be reinstated in Britain. That decision rests on the shoulders of the 600-odd Members of Parliament. They are permitted to vote according to their individual beliefs, free of Party tie or any pressure from the Whips. That system seems to me a fair one. In 1953 a young man called Derek Bentley was hanged for the shooting of a policeman. His accomplice Chris Craig, who actually pressed the trigger, escaped the death penalty as he was under 18. Bentley was alleged to have shouted "Let him have it Chris!". As you can imagine this can be taken either of two ways. "Hand over the gun Chris", or "shoot him Chris". A film of that title was made in 1991. It took until 1998 for Bentley to be pardoned. Bentley was a criminal, he wasn't completely innocent, but a custodial sentence would have been appropriate under the circumstances, especially when a conviction rests on such ambiguous grounds. http://en.wikipedia....Let_Him_Have_It Back to Texas: It's none of my business whether states like Texas retain the death penalty or not. I'd say the same about China or Thailand or any country that still puts some of its citizens to death - none of my business. In fact it could be argued that with advances in forensics, DNA testing etc, a suspect's guilt can often be proved with near 100% reliability, and therefore the prosecution can be confident awarding the death penalty is cast iron secure. However, that still leaves the possibility of incompetence, corruption, tampering with evidence interfering with proper justice, so on balance my personal preference would be to see the death penalty abolished in those countries still retaining it. A halfway house often proposed would be to reserve capital punishment for certain categories of crime only. In Britain, a category often cited is murdering a policeman (bearing in mind the British Bobby is usually unarmed), or the murder of a child. I have to say I wouldn't lose any sleep knowing somebody capable of doing what the so-called Moors murderers did, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, had been hanged all those years ago.

I've learnt quite a bit about Knoxville. Population 178,874, third largest in the state of Tennessee. Founded by James White in 1791. Folk hailing from this highly ordinary-sounding town are either Knoxvillians or Knoxvillites . . . take your pick! Now I am going to turn amateur sociologist. Whereas in 1791 a 'breeder' such as Mr Hatchett would no doubt have been welcomed with open arms, nowadays a singleminded individual with such a wholehearted attitude toward insemination is an anachronism, surely? Yes, that kind of thing used to happen, but has almost completely died out. One thinks for example of King Chulalongkorn (Rama the 5th) who had 92 wives. Common practice amongst kings, emperors, sultans etc. This merely mirrored what happens in the wild amongst our mammalian brethren. How often do we see nature programmes where the top lion or the top polar bear or whathaveyou battles it out with a much younger johnny-come-lately would-be usurper for shagging rights with the herd of expectant females. It's nature! Nature at its most primeval. Nature going about its business in the way it has done since the first fish crawled out of the sea. Hackett is a throwback. Even kings, emperors and sultans have turned monogamous, no longer thoughtfully fingering their moustaches as they ruminate which female shall share their bed tonight. What I am not clear about is whether Hackett holds true to mankind's 'harem' nature and, keeping all 11 under his thumb, drifts from one woman to another and back again, or whether he beds first one woman 'monogamously' before abandoning her and taking up with another. Yet another disturbing aspect is why so many children? It's almost as if his sperm count is off the scale - most normally fertile couples are advised it can take up to a year for a pregnancy. This chap would no doubt be in much demand at a Sperm Bank. MInd you, it wouldn't surprise me it turns out he's some sort of freak, maybe he secretes an unusual pheromone that attracts women of equal super-fertility to himself. He'd be the very person to pack off in a space rocket aimed at the stars along with his women and told to "get on with it". By the time the rocket reached its destination it would be seriously overcrowded . . . One final point that concerns me. If eleven of Hackett's wenches have had an average of 3 buns in their ovens each, what does that have to say about the other menfolk in Knoxville? Are they all gay? Even if 1 in 10 of them are what about the other nine? Are they getting a proper look in, or are they such 'new men' they are either quite happy to go to bed with a mug of cocoa and a hand job if they are single or are so in love with their wives they wouldn't dream of philandering? Come on you hot-blooded male Knox-villites, start making it a bit more difficult for the Hacketts of this world! Back to Thaiworthy's comments. Many gay couples would make loving parents for kids from broken homes. Maybe I am being a bit old-fashioned but IMO a child who has over 20 half-brothers and sisters most certainly comes from a broken home.

Pattaya Players were formed in January 2008, so assuming 2 productions a year (maybe more!) my rough estimate comes up with this being their 9th. Whether it is or not, that's pretty good going. One aspect I wasn't aware of before checking out their website, they have a charity outreach. A true 'Community Theater'.

As a performer with Ladyboys of Bangkok I could well imagine that gave what must already have been a very ambitious person the confidence and poise to impress a few impressionable judges from a small seaside town on England's south coast. Actually I have a soft spot for Brighton as I spent 3 years there as a student.

You say they were Korean, I assume from the south. Just think what unseen treasures lurk up there in the north. I am sure the north's sad and bereft people would benefit from a few 'Boy Bands' to brighten their dull desolate days. One day in the future it would be nice to imagine the streets of Bangkok visited by sailors of all persuasions! You did have your camera with you, . . . didn't you?

I haven't read Bangkok Found, but having read Lost Japan many years ago the name Alex Kerr has stuck in my mind as a truly excellent writer. I popped into a bookshop in Bangkok recently and looked for Bangkok Found but they didn't have it so I bought another book instead, and once I've finished reading it I'll post a review on this message board.

I enjoyed her music too. MacArthur Park, a great song suffering from a second-rate interpreter. . . Richard Harris did his best no doubt, but ultimately failed to do it justice. The temptation is to always believe the original is the definitive version, the 'best' one, but for me, Donna Summer's version was probably better, or at least I preferred it, but I also liked the original, so a close-run thing really. Then again I liked Leonard Cohen, but I prefer listening to a singer such as Judy Collins's version of Dress Rehearsal Rag, etc. Al Stewart was another great songwriter with a very average voice. I think I am right in saying she made some unenlightened comments in her time, however many in the public eye such as the 'entertainment' industry forget their responsibilities and do so and such comments are usually quickly forgotten and maybe even forgiven. Lung cancer? That's sad, such a relatively early age too. Show biz seems to have more than its fair share of early deaths due to whatever you may wish to call it . . . fast living, decadence, the belief the body is immortal - I have no idea what kind of lifestyle this singer lead, I haven't read any obits, but more likely than not she was a victim of circumstances. After all, there aren't many who live to a ripe old age who've got away with it . . . George Burns comes to mind.

This is a very worthwhile topic for discussion. Speaking as one who for quite some time believed that just because I could perform something so wonderfully and absurdly simple, but frowned upon in seemingly less enlightened places, such as holding hands with my BF in public without apparent censure or even adverse comment from his countrymen was the equivalent of approval, or at least lack of disapproval, but now realising that not to be so, and not knowing how that can be resolved, I would agree with Thaiworthy - amongst ourselves such things need to be discussed - after all, there is no law that says that the situation described by FH in post #2 "Gay visitors also are at first bemused and then thankful that such a seemingly open and welcoming attitude to gay sex exists in the Land of Smiles" will last . . . it might not.

I admit I haven't clicked on that link, but alarm bells ring concerning the cost of this test. In Britain, and hopefully in country's such as the US and Canada, testing at an accredited heath clinic is free, and, whilst not completely anonymous, you are given the option to keep the result confidentIal (i.e your GP does not get to know). As those who might well baulk at paying $60 are likely to be those least able to afford it, my feeling is this 'home test' is unlikely to hold much appeal to the very people most at risk.

Yes there is, or was, unless it has been got rid of allready! http://thailandforvisitors.com/general/moneycoins.html It was a sad day the 10 baht note ceased to be printed, but perhaps they are still legal tender.

Maybe Sean should be shorn of his scrim, as he's probably quite happy to let it all hang out. (My, I have lived a sheltered life, never come across that word before!) I think I shall rechristen him John Thomas

I quite like the coffee-coloured ones. I will most definitely miss them! Far better IMHO . . . why not scotch the 25 satang one? Maybe leave the 50 for a bit longer.

Thanks for the CAPTCHA explanation. Re: Air Asia. Never having flown with them I did not know anything of their reputation. I noticed on my recent visit to Burma they fly the BKK - RAN route. At the time I rued not having asked my travel agent to book me with them as I suspected they'd be cheaper. Now I am glad I didn't.

Nice idea Z - unfortunately, us poor mugs living within the European Union can thank the human rights cat implemented by those idiotic Eurocrats for why that could never happen. I must have lived a sheltered life - I'm not familiar with CAPTCHA. ________________________________________________________________________ Did anyone spot the deliberate mistake? Yes, it should of course be the Human Rights Act, not Cat. However, this 'Act' is held in so little regard that a story briefly got off the ground last October that an illegal immigrant in Britain was able to appeal against his deportation because he owned a cat. Many people were quite prepared to believe it!

All I can say to that is if the final number of entries really is that high, I'd be impressed. Impressed with the power of: Digital photography - almost anybody can take a decent enough photo nowadays, upload it to their computer and fire it off as an entry. Word of mouth - such as this very thread Social networking (via the internet) - I don't do it myself but I have to admit it's a powerful medium and lastly, people's love of being in with a chance of winning a prize

A better way to run this comp would have certain similarities to a beauty contest. Award prizes based on artistic merit decided by a panel of judges, and rather like the Mr Popular winner in gay venues, award other prizes based on numbers of votes. On a cynical note, small but distinct parts of Britain have quite suddenly (over the space of a few years) turned into blatant cheerleaders for some of the oil-rich states in the Arabian peninsula. The City of Manchester stadium is now the Etihad stadium and Manchester City Football Club seems at times to be almost a satellite of Abu Dhabi. Our dear friend Highbury stadium is now rechristened the Emirates stadium, not sure what the fans of Arsenal F.C. think about that. It cannot be too long before Qatar pounce on one of the English Premier League clubs themselves. And lest we forget, Qatar have controversially won the rights to hold the 2022 (soccer) World Cup.

It certainly pays to watch any LCC like a hawk. Some while ago on another thread there was discussion of those sneaky charges for paying by plastic. If I recall correctly only holders of a Visa Electron card escaped charges; problem was (I believe the card was on the verge of being scrapped) that card was 'next to impossible' to get hold of. I cannot see any justification for charging the same for debit and credit cards. Credit cards; fair enough keep to 3% or so, debit cards should incur no extra charge. What would I do if I had done my preliminary homework and reasoned a LCC was looking like a good deal? I'd go onto the internet and add up all the 'extras' and take that quote to a traditional high street travel agent where I would pay for the flight, holiday or whatever, in cash. Charges for bags are fine as far as I'm concerned. It's not like you turn up at the airport expecting a free 20 kg allowance, you know in advance what it'll cost. So the kind of person who tries to smuggle a 25kg bag for the price of a 20kg one, or any other kind of trick, is asking for it IMO, so actually that is one aspect of LCC's I don't object to, play by the rules, don't be tempted to cheat, and you get what you pay for.

Sorry to learn of the bad hair morning. If it's any consolation I've been having a bad hair month, but the end is in sight. Next week I am back in the UK. For some reason my hair doesn't take too kindly to Thailand's hot season. It goes all curly! Actually it makes me look younger so I don't actually care that much. Wow! Whenever I see that word egregious I know summats up. That's a serious word, a word that grown-ups use. Better get out of the way everybody . . . Has anyone heard of the MU? Could be something like an MA (Master of Arts) or an MSc (Master of Science). Unfortunately not, rather like those bogus doctorates one can buy under the counter from a little-known university or college in Calcutta or Salt Lake City, there is nothing to stop somebody jumping up one morning, clapping his hands and deciding that today is THE DAY, today, unless I am very much mistaken, I am an MU. In an ideal and fair world, once a person (almost always a man, strangely enough!) declares himself something of such magnitude, he bears big responsibility. Most (I hope so!) honour that responsibility. But what about those who don't. How about something akin to a Sharia Court. A Sharia court for everybody, not just Moslems. One where those accused of financial chicanery can be tried and sentenced. What kind of sentences would be appropriate do you think, for anyone found guilty of gross financial misconduct? Loss of an eye, loss of a hand, maybe on a sliding scale so that for example: SELF-STYLED MASTER of the UNIVERSE - PUNISHMENTS FOR THE 'FALLEN' Loss of $1 million = loss of an ear Loss of $5 m = loss of a hand Loss of $50m = loss of a more 'intimate' external organ Loss of $500 m = loss of all three 'intimate' organs Loss of $1 billion = death by stoning

My comments added in blue.

Simon Hoggart's a veteran journalist and ought to know better than this. This kind of slick parliamentary 'sketch' reporting is an established art in most quality British newspapers and I often enjoy reading them, but to pile in so blatantly against such an obvious target who cannot answer back is best left for young anarchists with chips on their shoulders. Rogie's verdict: 3 out of 10, could do better Simon.

That's a most interesting comment, a real concern I would share. I am indebted to Baht Stop for the following link to Newsweek. The Global Heritage Fund has identified 10 Asian sites that are threatened by economic expansion. 1. Ayutthaya in Thailand, a former Siamese capital known as the “Venice of the East.” 2. Fort Santiago in the Philippines. 3. Kashgar, one of the last preserved Silk Road cities in China. 4. Mahasthangarh, one of South Asia’s earliest archeological sites in Bangladesh. 5. Mes Aynak, an Afghan Buddhist monastery complex on the Silk Road. 6. Myauk-U, capital of the first Arakenese kingdom in Myanmar. 7. Plain of Jars, a mysterious megalithic site in Laos. 8. Preah Vihear, a Khmer architectural masterpiece in Cambodia. 9. Rakhigari, one of the biggest, ancient Indus sites in India. 10. Taxila, an ancient economic crossroads in Pakistan. The architectural gems from Asia’s ancient and sophisticated cultures are struggling in the face of economic expansion, sudden floods of tourists, poor technical resources, and areas blighted by looting and conflict—in other words, the pressures of rapidly modernizing Asia. http://newsweekpakis...om/culture/1115 Wow, a Buddhist monastery in Afghanistan! (# 5 on that list). How on earth did that survive the Taliban? I'm reading the Bookseller of Kabul and been reminded of the total destruction of the 2,000 year old Bamiyan Buddhas (dynamited) and the sacking of Kabul Museum.

Thanks for the kind comments KhorTose and FH. Internet: As a supplementary to the report, Myanmar has has internet connection for several years and on my visit internet cafes were numerous. Speeds are acceptable and the cost is very cheap, certainly no more than 500 kyats for an hour's use. I just used it for email, I have no idea whether there is any kind of surveillance. I assume certain sites are banned, but without trying a few sample sites I have no idea how widespread censorship is. Wi-Fi: I didn't take my laptop as I was only there a few days and can live without it for that length of time. As far as I could tell from an on-line search before I left Thailand, just a few high end hotels in Rangoon had wi-fi.

Going off at a slight tangent from OP's request, just a quick word on accommodation. Best option is to know somebody living in the place you are intending to visit. Failing that, you have to find somewhere yourself. Hotel: Ok for places like Bangkok, but would not be my choice for 'seaside' destination like Hua Hin. Guest House: I'd probably favour that over a hotel as more likely to be a wee bit more 'homey' Resort: Seemingly a reasonable option, and in fact that is where the family were based on my recent visit which lasted 4 nights. 3 were spent in a resort and the final night at a cheap hotel near the main beach in Hua Hin. Holiday rental: This would be my choice next time I am in Hua Hin. It supposes you are at least with a partner to make it cost-effective. However, it is the perfect option for a family group, and works out a lot cheaper than staying at a resort. Places like Trip Advisor are crawling with them. Type in Hua Hin holiday rental and you are spoiled for choice. Many of them are quite close to some of the decent beaches that lie to the south of Hua Hin. Talking of beaches, I award them 5 out of 10 on average, broken down into 3 out of 10 for the sea (water quality) and 7 out of 10 for the beach (sand). Some better than others and the town centre one scores the least highly as you would expect.