zaronxas

I think it's called Eden Underground and it's in the Park Slope area of Brooklyn. If they had shit like this when I lived in NYC, I probably wouldn't have moved.

Thought this was interesting: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/trans-fighter-fallon-fox-wins-unimpressively-video-142855590.html

I don't like downward curved cocks (well at least not as much as ones facing forward or to the sky) -- doesn't seem to fit well for me. I tend to think the curvature is due to genetics as almost all the girls tuck it.

Although I used the word first in the title that isn't the real point of the article or my post. I thought the significance of this is that transgender people are becoming more mainstream in American (and likely broader western society). I think that's a positive step in the right direction. Moreover whatever disdain people may have for American culture, it's by virtue of its dominance the most influential culture today. Accordingly, greater exposure and acceptance of transgender people in American culture and media is beneficial across the board. Though admittedly, America still lags most western countries in terms of its progressiveness.

Thought this was interesting. http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/04/transgender-dc-comics-batgirl/?pid=9877

I think there are some reasonable tech value plays out there. I picked up some HP when it was hammered down to $12 a share couple of months back due to its soured takeover of Autonomy. I have ridden it up to $17 -- it's still got a decent dividend too boot at ~3%. I am eyeing Intel now since it's got a 4% dividend and is still throwing off cash like a Japanese punter in a gogo bar. It's been hit by declining computer sales but I think it's going to make some good headway into smartphone and tablet chip markets later this year. That said, I am gunshy about getting into the market right now as I think they've run up too much and are due for a correction.

I'd read a similar story about two British sisters in one of the islands who had eaten poorly made puffer fish.

Well, this took place in America - so depending on the jurisdiction, it may well be illegal. There are still places where sodomy is illegal. To be honest, I don't generally judge anyone for who they fuck -- if they're consenting adults as you said -- but this case creeps me out.

I think MSM is a catch all phrase for all alternative lifestyles including gay men, bisexuals, ladyboys, etc.

I shouldn't make negative stereotype assumptions, but I have to figure these ladies must have been really drunk to do something so stupid. For a nation that drinks as much as they do, they sure can't hold their liquor.

I think nine weeks is ample time to heal. My cousin was was circumsized when he was like 10, and he was up and around after a week. I will say, the first couple of days after looked like he was in a lot of pain.

Holyshit, I've gone to sleepy Vientiane a half dozen times or more in the past two years and nothing that crazy has happened to me. I am glad you came through it alright.

The author of e-mail A needs a dick in the ass to set him straight.

My take on it too. Plus it's a nice place to decompress from Bangkok/Pattaya.

An ideal night out is hard to nail down. Back in the day - my ideal night out was to troll countless bars until I found someone who could match my *ahem* enthusiasm until sunrise or that was on my 'list'. Nowadays, I just like go with the flow. I go from one bar to another until either I find someone interesting to take home with me or if I meet up with cool BMs, just bullshit until something interesting happens.

I recently did a visa run to Penang, thought I would throw up a quick trip report. First, the reason I chose Penang is because it's very convenient and cheap to fly to Penang from Bkk using AirAsia. Hotels are also abundant and cheap in Georgetown -- I booked one from Agoda. Also the food is quite good. Georgetown is a relatively sleepy city with a mix of Malays, Indians and Chinese. The town center (Jalan Penang and Lebuh Chulia) has a number of clubs and bars. I dropped into one of the more expat type bars called Soho bar on Jalan Penang. This place seems like the type of joint to pick up working girls on the weekend. Unluckily I was there on a Wednesday night, so it was pretty quite. That said if you're there on a Friday / Saturday night, this is a spot you should hit. At the end of Jalan Penang there was also a number of up market beer bars and clubs. Not much seedy action going on that way but a nice place to have a few drinks. Moving on I took a walk down Lebuh Chulia which is where a lot of backpackers and budget travelers stay. There was a bit more going on this way, especially after 11PM. There were a number of Indian, Indonesian and Malay ladyboys along with gg working girls plying their trade on the street. Mostly they're just sitting around like everybody else and beckon you over if they're up for it. While on my walk, I was beckoned over by a tall Indian ladyboy and a Indonesian one. I didn't take either as I was trying to be a good boy that night. Also, the Indian one was a bit rough looking to be honest. Though the Indonesian looked good enough for a roll in the hay. But that didn't keep me from finding out the lay of the land. Apparently, the going rate for short time is about 100 ringgit (about US$30). For this they have room nearby they take you to do the dirty deed (I imagine the room is also fairly dirty). Overall, Penang is a nice city and good for a quick, cheap visa run. But I wouldn't be too bothered to go there for any mongering or debauchery.

Good report.

I usually fly to Udonthani and take a 300 baht minivan from the airport to the Friendship Bridge border crossing. As you maybe doing a visa run it may be better for you to fly back with Laos Air (also I don't know if it matters to you but their planes are propeller aircraft). If you fly up with Air Asia, it's easy enough to book a flight back on Laos Air through one of the dozens of booking agents scattered in the touristy part of town. The place I tend to stay is the Be Na Cam. If you google it, you'll find it. It's an honest, decent place with wifi (that's somewhat spotty though just about everywhere in Laos is the same in my experice) and aircon. The cost depending on the room size could range from $20 to $30. I go there with my girlfriend so I don't have too much first hand experience with short time but I wouldn't be suprised with getting away with 500 baht assuming you meet one that's not a hardened Bangkok/pattaya veteran on home leave. That said you can also swing them for free if you meet one outside of a bar setting.

I think the timeframe matters a lot for this. If you want to take her for a week, then: I think about 1k baht per day is fair for a freelancer. Especially considering the derth of customers in recent years. I would also budget another 500 baht daily for associated expenses like food. If you're going to taking her for like a month. I think something like 15k to 20k baht is reasonable with another 5k for associated expenses.

Three recos I would throw in there are: iShares Australia ETF (NYSE-EWA) - its current price is $21.81 and has a healthy 5% dividend. I like this because this country is riding a massive resource boom that's kept the country growing for more than 20 years. Moreover it gives exposure to the Aussie dollar which has almost doubled in value against the US$ in the last 10 years, that in itself is a pretty good return. Seadrill Ltd. (NYSE-SDRL) - its current price is $36.57 and has a 8.9% dividend. Oil is the quintissential industrial commodity, so barring a complete worldwide economic collapse, oil service companies are going to continue cleaning up as finding new oil requires more drilling. Spider Gold Trust ETF (NYSE-GLD) - its current price is $154.14, no dividend. This is an etf that buys and holds gold. I like gold for a number of reasons but the top one is that Europe and the US are both indebted to their eyeballs. The only way they'll work their way out of this debt problem is by devalueing their currencies -- by printing more, keeping real interest rates negative, etc. That's going to push up gold - the only hard currency that can't be devalued away. Indeed, gold may start a run soon as I think the Federal Reserve and maybe the ECB are both going to start printing more money soon.

It's a made for tv documentary that's meant to garner ratings as well as inform. I think it reasonably accomplished both objectives. From my perspective it was good that they didn't focus too much on the raw side of the ladyboy experience as that would overly sensationalize it and reinforce the negative stereotype of ladyboys as sexworkers and ladyboy admirers as perverts. Not all, not even a majority of ladyboys in Thailand are prostitutes. Most live their lives like anyone else (serving food, selling goods in a shop or even working in construction), facing discrimination but not dwelling on it. Moreover, we have a skewed view into their world because we're outsiders so we don't understand half of what we see. And since the sample of ladyboys most people (including myself) on this board know are mostly sex workers, this gives us a warped perspective to begin with. So I wouldn't assume that my experience and perception of the ladyboy world -- which may be congruent with yours -- is representative of the broader experience of Thai ladyboys.

Thanks for the insights into Vietnam and its ladyboys.

I think this enthusiasm for China will be short-lived. First, Chinese tourism and investment is a lot less generous and economically beneficial than its western version. China is still by and large a poor country and the Chinese are notoriuos for cutting corners. Second, China's economic boom won't last. It's population is aging faster than even Japan's but it's still reliant on massive pools of cheap labor for its competitive advantage. In a decade or so, we'll probably be talking about China lost decade.

Congrats on the bar opening. I'm sure it will be a smashing success. Looking forward to dropping by next time I am in Patts.

I had heard about this place back in the day (2002) when I was traveling in Phnom Phem. As I like to see the raw reality of things, I went to check it out. It was a creepy place with a lot of dodgy (underage) trade. I don't generally judge anyone but that place is wrong. Would not recommend anyone go there. It may have been cleaned up since then, but it's probably still not a place worth going to.