Unfair Press? ~ Pattaya Rag

Q. What do the following have in common: Dubai, Riga, Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, Las Vegas, Pattaya?

A. They all have sex industries

Q. Which is the odd one out: Dubai, Riga, Amsterdam, Hamburg, London, Las Vegas, Pattaya?

A. Pattaya - it's the only one described variously as as sleazy, a shithole, a toilet etc etc.

Why should this be? Could it be something to do with presentation? You mean window shopping in Amsterdam is more acceptable than Pattaya's bar scene? Surely not. Could it be the fringe element I covered in Friday's post which makes the big difference in perception? Possibly but Europe and America have them too. Could it have been the razor blade and banana shows of years gone by? Possibly. Could it be the fact that it's not hidden away down a back alley in Pattaya, it's in your face? Possibly. Could it be anything to do with the regular programs run on western TV channels highlighting the sensational side of Pattaya nightlife? Possibly.

Another factor is Asian sex workers seem to get a much worse press than their western counterparts. I find this hard to understand when the majority of western countries with sex industries, the women are educated and benefit from some form of government handout. They wouldn't starve if they didn't turn tricks is the point I'm trying to make. In Asia, there are no government handouts, the majority of women receive only a basic education and join the sex industry to eat and support families. They have no alternatives. Surely women who have alternatives should get a worse press than those who don't. In reality, that doesn't appear to be the case.

Is it simply an attempt to deflect attention away from the industry in the west to the industry in the east? Whatever, I can't put my finger on any one significant reason, just a number of possibles. Has anybody got any better ideas? Don't waste your time sending in "cause it is a *!*?". When compared to sex industries in other countries I don't think Pattaya is any worse. One thing's for sure, it's a heck of a lot more fun doing the bars here than 15mins in an Amsterdam shop window. Not that I've ever managed 15mins........

Sierra Tangos

Pop diva Beyonce Knowles smiles upon arrival at Don Muang Airport on Sunday night. She will perform her "Beyonce Experience Tour Live In Bangkok 2007" to promote her latest album "Experience" on Tuesday. [via The Nation]

More than 2000 bikers flock to Bangsaen for Bike Week 2007 - On 27 October 2007, at 06.30 PM, more than 2,000 Big Bikes, from around the country, cruised up Laem Tan in Bangsaen. Bikers representing neighboring countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia were also in attendance. Bangsaen Bike Week is an annual event organized by Bangsaen municipal district to promote tourism in Chonburi and the East.

Tourists to enjoy sea route linking Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. There will be two trips a week along this line by a high-speed ship, capable of carrying 300 people. Travelers will depart from Vietnam ’s Ha Tien township, travel to Cambodia ’s Shihanouk Ville port city and finally arrive in an eco-tourism site in Thailand ’s Chanthaburi province. [via bvom.com] Ed. Only basic details released so far with no launch date. One to watch for sure.

Mike Baldwin, Corrie - A missionary in Pattaya

Get first class tickets for coach class prices - First class airplane tickets might be less expensive than you think, according to an article from KGTV San Diego. The trick? Know the codes. While booking a flight, ask the agent about a special type of fare. It's most commonly called a YUPP. But some airlines also use codes like QUPP and Z...The leading airlines all confirmed they offer this kind of fare, describing it as either a coach seat with an automatic upgrade or deeply discounted first class. On a round trip Delta flight from Baltimore to Atlanta the QUPP fare was $638 -- that's $750 less than regular first class and nearly half the price of full-fare coach. I actually know someone who does this all the time, and it really does work. [via 10News.com]

Looking for animated Gifs- try GifTube. If you are one of those hanging out on forums and places like Myspace that s
eem to drown in animated gifs you might want to give Giftube a try to find new graphics to impress, or terrorize, others with. The website offers several categories and ways to sort and display animated gifs. Four categories (funny, famous, sport and cartoon) wait to be explored. The search is tag based and the usual popular and recent sections make it even easier to spot what is new or popular at the moment. Clicking on the “Show Adult” button reveals lots of hardcore animated gifs, not sure where someone would want to use those though. All animated gifs can be embedded into websites. [via gHacks]

Coolest gadgets of 2007 according to Stuff Magazine:

1. The Apple iPhone - “The coolest gadget of the year…by a country mile.”

2. The Leica M8 Camera - “’A 20th-century classic gets a 21st-century makeover.”

3. The Tonium Pacemaker - “Like an iPod for DJs, this has potential to revolutionise a whole branch of entertainment.”

4. The Sony Vaio UX1 - “The tiniest, most gorgeous Windows PC we’ve seen.”

5. The Nintendo Wii Games Console - “This motion-sensitive console has reinvigorated gaming, injecting real innovation and imagination.”

6. The Sony Ericsson W880 Phone - “Superslim music phone with an unequalled wow factor.”

7. The Shanling MC-30 Valve Amp - “Hi-fi for the MP3 age, this valve-powered iPod throne that sounds as good as it looks.”

8. The Wattson energy calculator - “Measures household energy consumption in real time and displays it either in pounds sterling or Watts. Being eco-savvy has never been so cool.”

9. The Sony Erickson MBW-150 Bluetooth Watch - “A new technology for this year… control your mobile phone from your wrist.”

10. The iPod Nano MP3 Player - “No other MP3 player comes close.”

Tommy Cooper - Comic Genius

1. Man goes to the doctor, with a strawberry growing out of his head. Doc says: "I'll give you some cream to put on it ."

2. 'Doc I can't stop singing The Green, Green Grass of Home'. That sounds like Tom Jones syndrome''.’ Is it common? '. "It's not unusual."

3. A man takes his Rotteweiller to the vet. "My dogs cross-eyed, is there anything you can do for him?" "Well," says the vet, "let's have a look at him". So he picks the dog up and examines his eyes, then checks his teeth. Finally, he says: "I'm going to have to put him down." "What? Because he's cross-eyed? “ “No, because he's really heavy"

4. Guy goes into the doctor's. "Doc, I've got a cricket ball stuck up my backside." "How's that?” "Don't you start?"

5. Two elephants walk off a cliff...... boom, boom!

6. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

7. So I was getting into my car, and this bloke says to me "Can you give me a lift?” I said "Sure, you look great, the world's your oyster, go for it

8. Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. There are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them. It's either my mum or my Dad, or my older Brother Colin, or my younger Brother Ho-Cha-Chu? But I think its Colin