GoNavy

I don't know anything about buying for girlfriends.......only what I have heard. And that is too many stories of guys leaving country coming back and the place is stripped. Or coming back and the girlfriend now has a Thai boyfriend who was her husband all along. Farangs lose their house, their girlfriend and humor. Remember, you put it in HER name and she has the legal right to kick you out, deny you were her friend........any number of excuses.

I would not do it. Love is blind they say and in Thailand it can stick you in the back. Condo in your name is the best best. I would also say at least the house in your name. No gifts of that size. Too many tricks up their sleeves. Sometimes it is just cheaper to pay by the night.

It is interesting looking outside of the box. Meaning, living out of country and looking back at ones own. IMO the Eu and USA are so into the philosophy of 'democracy' that when a nation for whatever reason breaks from that.....aka Egypt and now Thailand.....they get all authorative. The world seems to be split between democratic nations.....aka USA, EU, South Africa, India, Thailand etc. As compared to authortian aka Russia, MIddle East, China, North Korea.etx. So when one of 'our own' meaning Democratic have coups.......they the USA/Eu being at the top feel that they need to keep the membership however loosely they are connected within the group. Sort of like a family keeping their members in line to the rules.

Speaking about the USA only, it does have its own issues. Look at the politicial partisanship happening now. The government has seemingly come to an almost stop due to the obstructionism of the opposite party in power. I wonder how the USA would respond if other nations started making critisms of its management. But, then again, they don't have the power of economy, clout as the USA.

In the long run, could it just be hyperbole just to save face of their principles? What is happening behind the scenes. Their ambassadors must have given data on the breakdown of the internal affairs of Thailand during the red shirt/yellow shirt events. They can't be that narrow visioned. Or could they?

When I did not live in Thailand I really did not pay attention to the internal affairs of the nation. I was just aware of the glimpses of its culture and people.

The coup may be a bad name, but it has been cleaning the cobwebs of corruption and settled the unrest. That is a good thing. I trust that the USA and EU also see that and will hold their blustering till further down the road. Thai is as it should be.

"He decided to demonstrate his biking skills to his friends"

The guy is a pro and I bet his mates are still pissing themselves laughing.

They need to make it law that you can't hire a bike unless you have a motorcycle licence.

license doesnt prevent stupid

Yes very true.

My comment about the licence is more to protect the innocent and not the idiots. It appears that this machine was way to powerful for him and if he had a licence he would have had some training/experience and he would have been able to handle such a beast. If companies required customers to be licenced then the innocent pedestrian in this story may not have been injured.

Let the idiots kill themselves but make a licence compulsory to protect the innocent victims

Having a license may seem reasonable, but I doubt it will go far. With all the bike rental shops and the business aspect a Thai bike license would kill them. A driver's license okay, but not bike. I rented for a few years and don't have a bike license. Do have a car. I also don't 'hot rod' on the streets either.

I had to go to bing to look up those over 65. Yul Brenner, when alive, Philip Michael Thomas or Don Johnson from Miami Vice days. Troy Donahue, Richard Chamberlain would be on my list.

Years back when I entered Holland by air I found Immigration to be somewhat rude. I had to literally show my cash to this judge looking fellow sitting at a high desk peering down on me. I was traveling with a boxed crystal chandlier and they were quite upset when sticking their arms in the box and getting their sleeves coated with stryofoam.

I'm American. I have an issue with my own embassy. I can not for the life of me find out what the requirements are!! I have looked on the webpage. I have gone to the embassy and while there on other busy asked. Am told to go to another line and the folks there interview you. I use to live in Mexico and that was easy. The Thai Embassy website has a list of requirements. You do down the list and do them. Not the good ole US of A. I once saw where they wanted me to pay $50 for a package! . I do not know why it is so hard to get that information. I think they want to keep it fluid so as they can go on a case by case depending on how you look, smell, speak or whatever.

Just getting a tourist visa seems to be so secrative. I do know they have this fear that there will be overstay. My own government is so behind the times with spending on tracking they put the blame on the visitor and not on their own lack of fairness. If it is easier that certainly escapes me. At least with Pres. Obama in office, so far I don't think sexual orientation is an issue. But the minions may not be so in tune.

With the civil war happening in Syria, where would they send him? Prison in Thailand would be the only option. How do these folks get into the country without a passport? He must have come by canoe onto a beach or crossed through the mountains. But even then, luckily to have crossed through all those nations without one. Did he lose it?

I may be the only one here, but I did NOT find this article all that informative.........other then they are speaking about energy prices. It would have been nice, by this reporter to have written what HAD been said at these meetings. In brief form of course. Folks are writing about petro. What about the electric bills? I would like to see some governance on condos, landlords etc raising the electric rate on their own on top of what the company charges. I am aware of a couple of incidents on that.

I lived in the RGV [ Rio Grande Valley ] for almost a decade. It is almost 75% Hispanic and the rest of it is 'we' gringos. It has been my experience that many of the guys are bisexual there. I lived in Mexico for a spell and that was definitely true. Either for pleasure or extra pesos. Made no difference.

The GOP is just backward on their thinking and will do anything to win power. I do think that the platform lives in the last century and believe that scapegoating gays, immigrants, border crossers, will win elections. Many of them, as in the rest of the nation are not political pundits, followers or give a damn. I do think they go by commercials, hearsay, friends, family loyalty, and religion. The religious right is strong in Texas and of course the Bible is their book to pound. We should all know that story.

I have a first cousin living in the Hill Country of Texas and he was shocked when I argued against him on his philosophy against Obama.........and wanting to secede from the union. What happened to him??

The state is so large they actually do think it is an independent country and not a part of the whole.

Excellant undercover program. What I saw were officials not taking accountablity on their lack of intervention and making excuses. Especially the head of them. I would bet the stewards and such in the stadiums are so intimated by the numbers they just want to get through the day. It appears to be a cultural thing pervasive through England. No one was immune.....equal opportunity bigots. IMO, the only way this will be nipped in the bud is for the game to be stopped and either kick them out or cancel the game with the offending fans of the team taking a forfeit.

After watching a video recently describing all the homophobic (and anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim and racist) comments made by football fans/morons in UK that are ignored by stadium stewards and the police, it's interesting that they sometimes enforce the laws quite strictly:

A STUDENT was made to spend the night in a police cell for repeatedly calling an officer’s horse ‘gay’.
Sam Brown, 21, had been out with friends when he drunkenly staggered past two police horses in the early hours.He was arrested and fined £80 for ‘causing harassment, harm or distress’.
The English student asked one officer if his horse was gay and, despite police warnings, continued to make comments about the animal’s sexuality.
He was handcuffed, taken to a nearby police station and freed the following day.
The Oxford University finalist had been celebrating the end of his exams in the city centre.
‘I don’t know why I did it,’ said Mr Brown, from Belfast, who claims his actions were not homophobic.
‘As far as I know calling a horse “gay” is not offensive,’ he added.
‘I don’t think I’ve committed a crime – I wasn’t talking about a human being. A friend I was with is homosexual and doesn’t think I did anything wrong.’

http://metro.co.uk/2005/06/08/arrested-for-gay-horse-jibe-590815/

When I was young and handsome I left a gay club at 2 in the morning. There were two "men" waiting outside with an iron bar which they used to beat me around the head with. I'd be more than happy to extend the same treatment to these ar seholes. F u CK tolerance. Let the bastards suffer a little...

While your sentiment is understandable from your personal experience, escalation will not lead to tolerance and acceptance in the long run.

Tolerance and acceptance from homophobes?

They are the scum of the earth and need a very good lesson to be delivered to them.

I agree with sustento.......F u CK tolerance, enough is enough.

I tend to agree with 'Deleted* the tolerance. Perhaps if more of these a$$es get a bruising they collectively will back off. Sadly, where do they learn this stuff from. Outside of just bad seed, it is bad parenting, bad examples, peer pressure, listening to bible thumpers and sadly many so called moral folks ..either of the cloth or so called saintly persons. Oxymoron I know.

Christians vs the gay community have always been our nemesis. Christian evangelicals are the scorn of what is happening now in Africa. Even now in the USA with SSM quickly becoming law throughout the nation, these 'bible thumpers' are just having a cow and decrying the end of the world as we know it. Raised Catholic with a strong faith in my youth and a family with priests and nuns it took me into my 20's before I walked away. I just could not abide by what they taught. I just did not believe it.

Even now in America pundits decry that the 'good Muslims' are not speaking out about the extremists. Of late there are more Christians speaking out on the bantering of these evangelical bible thumpers. I read now that the Presbyterian Church has now officially agreed that ministers can marry SS and that marriage need NOT mean different sexes. Boy o boy, have the thumpers called out and declared that Presbyterians are no longer Christian but a cult.

Sadly, as with extremist Muslims calling 'unbelievers' infidels and must be killed there are 'some' Christians calling out saying it is their 'duty' to persuade through whatever means people who they deem to be not following their version of the truth. Perhaps they don't cry for murder but more like "killing them softly' would be the way I'd put it.

I'm not fussed as long as they're good looking and conscious. Guess that makes me omni.

I am like you. I'm gay because I like the male persona as well as the physique. In my years I have enjoyed quite a different list of races, not all though. Even when I thought I would never be in Thailand I felt the Thai male was super attractive. But, in saying that it is what I find attractive. The same for my own race or others. I'm not a satyr but if not for my age try to achieve being one!

Her parents are getting attacked from people in Thailand, due to her actions. basically the parents are protecting themselves. we dont know what threats they have had against them but im pretty sure its ugly. some of these people can get fanatical. sad all round

I agree with your supposition. They may or many not give a hoot. But they have to live here and if they are being harassed by fellow citizens.....and possibly embarrassed besides, what are they to do? Its self-preservation for themselves and family members in Thailand.

MrHammer: You wrote that you were about the age of the 20 something year olds.......and once I read you were 30. You are a young person then to try many different things before you become salt and pepper. We all have our niches and breaking points. Ventilating yours is a good way to clear the air in your own conscious to make the jump of a change. Life is an adventure and we make our own rides. I have done my share of living in Vienna, various American cities to Acapulco. All had their negatives and positives. That is what is called life. Enjoy yours and make the best of the time you have in it. Peace.

Suicide has many different reasons. Sadly, the ones left are the ones who carry the burden of guilt, loss, anger, guessing games or peace. My brother committed suicide about 3 years ago. He was facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. I found him in his garage hanging. I tried to reach him a few days before up to the day of his death with no luck. Obviously. I was at peace with it because I knew of his concern and his life in prison along with the embarrassment of his family would have been unbearable for him.

Then, last year my lover of 9 years committed suicide. Our relationship was full of enjoyable times through adventures and yearly trips. Our only argument was over his binge drinking to the point of becoming comatose. Otherwise we seemed to be symbiotic. He often told me that he would die without me. He was a safeguard for his mother probably too much.

He went on a drinking binge and was unreachable after my return from the states. He missed my arrival and when he finally called he was drunk. He came to the condo 3 days later seemingly fine again. But the next night he insisted on returning to Bangkok because of flooding and his mother needed him. I was angry with him and gave him some money in disgust and told him to go. That was the last time I saw him. He called about 10 days later saying he loved me. I barely recall what my reaction was. I tried calling him with no answer or the phone was shut down. Called his mother and she had not reached him either. Another few days later she called and said he was found hanging in his room.

Though I have no suicidal thoughts over this, I grieve his loss and remember the great times we had. His mother lost her only child that paid any attention to her. I wonder why he did it. Was it his fear of my leaving his over his drinking. Or was it something else? Was it done in a drunken stupor not realizing the ramifications.

Suicide has many victims. One can shake their heads and think what a dumb idiot. They can think of the suffering that person must have felt. Their hearts can go out to loved ones who are left to wonder. I read that suicide is common in Thailand for their men. I think that a sense of depression along with a belief of unbearable loss comes into play whereas even ones intellect takes a back seat to an answer. Grief takes over to the point that they believe anything is better then what they are feeling at the moment. The solution to this dilemma has to do with understanding the physiology of the brain, not excluding a support system giving them a way back.