The flame goes out...

[Surfcrest]

Members,

Some of you may know already, that I have decided to terminate the membership of firecat69. I have had a few altercations with firecat69 both here and on Gay Thailand and it is not a secret that he and I are unable to get along. I apologize for this.

To date, the small list of those living members not with us includes; kjun12, Smoothlegs (Ron), Zebedee, Timmberty, Khor Tose and now firecat69

Surfcrest

[Smiles]

'Altercations' are in banning territory?
Altercations are everyday occurrences here ... and on most message boards.
Banning firecat69 seems to me to be a gigantic - and worrying - sea-change in moderating philosophy on Sawatdee. Firecat69 has a pretty good posting history on most of the boards, and he is blunt but never particularly insulting, and always sticks by the boards posting rules.
Tell me it ain't so ...

[Surfcrest]

Tell me it ain't so ...
At least for now it's so.

He seems to have this belief that I can't post on Gay Thailand. That's unfortunate and I'm willing to give that up and not stir things up over there with him and our other exile(s). Yes it's true, I don't like fircat69 for a number of other reasons which clearly moved the bar in terms of my decision to disassociate with him here .

Perhaps I'll have a change of heart or perhaps even I'll move on and whomever comes next can welcome him back.

Surfcrest

[a447]

Not getting along with a member is hardly a reason for banning them.

I hope you change your mind.

[Nirish guy]

I agree with the others - your dislike or disagreements with another board member ON ANOTHER BOARD should not ( assuming that they're sticking to your rules here ) mean that you should ban them here.

You came to the board expressly saying you were NOT going to be behaving like your predecessor and this is EXACTLY how he was, controlling and using his position and board admin rights to carry out his own personal vendettas against those he didn't "like", you're better than him / this and this is a backward step for you - and I think deep in your own heart even you know that.

While we all respect that it IS your board and ultimately you CAN do what you like you have always asked us to respect that you'll not be doing that and to accept that you're only a custodian of the board etc etc, so when you do something like this it blows that trust out of the water and devalues your currency as an indpendant monitor of the board.

In my view ( and several other old timers views here too) you've made your first serious board mistake here, but that's ok, we all make mistakes in the heat of the moment and when angry and riled, but have the wisdom to look back and realise your mistake and swallow your pride and rectify the situation before it's too late and the damage is done for good to your solid reputation as a board owner as Neal would be turning in his grave right now shouting "see, I TOLD you all so and you wouldn't listen" and I'm sure none of us want things to go THERE !

Or should you decide not to do that then do just post a simple "you know what boys it's my board and I'll do what I want and if you all don't like it then too bad" as that is basically what you're implying otherwise of course and at least it lets us all know where we stand for the future regarding your running of the board.

And I hope that you understand that my post and I'm guessing all the others are a sign of support for you and not an attack as we're all keen that you don't make the knee jerk angry mistake that it appears you've just made - but like I said we all make mistakes and you still have time to reflect on that and fix it and move on eh - or not - totally up to you.

[LoveThailand]

Seems to me a mistake. Not fair to firecat and certainly not an encouraging message to other members.

[catawampuscat]

As firecat is not scooby, the alleged owner of gaythailand, he has no power, no control but
at least has some influence, especially if scooby is imaginary. Firecat also in a tiff with
gaybutton, so maybe he's just going thru something. Second chance a possibility?

[scottish-guy]

Well 'm a nosey bugger - so I went over to GayThailand (first time in a long while) to try to discover what precipitated the current brouhaha:

The topic I read, entitled "Only in this forum" is a veritable custard pie fight which would not be out of place in a 1920's slapstick movie. Everybody seems to be getting the gloop in their face to some degree.

However, there's no real malice and I have not seen Surfcrest threaten to have anybody sued, beaten up, or killed - which is something we ought to remember if choosing to make comparisons to the behaviour of a recent SGT board owner.

The final custard pie in the melee might have been when Firecat told Surfy that he should "clean up" this board before making comments on other boards. "Clean Up" was rather an unfortunate phrase to use because there have been various comments over the years on Firecat's (GT posted) photo collection. I remember a particularly thinly-veiled comment here some months ago regarding the age-range Firecat's photos sometimes appear to depict.

Whilst I regard Firecat's photo-posting on GT to be entirely a matter for the GT owner, and I personally do not find them offensive - maybe Surfcrest is uneasy with them and decided to begin the recommended "clean up" of SGT with someone who posts what he might regard as "dubious" material elsewhere - in other words, not so much a case of banning someone for posting criticism on another board, as much as just no longer wanting that particular person as a member?

Just a guess - mainly because pettiness is not a trait I have noticed in Surfcrest over the years.

[arsenal]

Surfcrest: I too have to agree with the others, a disappointing decision. But are hinting that you might be on your way soon? It sounded that way.

[Surfcrest]

It boils down to this: I don't mind paying the bills to keep the forum alive and I don't mind the time required to keep the site maintained and the tinkering required to keep it working.

I did not sign up for this to take abuse.

I'm not looking for any "thanks" for doing the job...but the abuse makes it completely not worth while. Sorry about that!

There was an additional comment that either firecat69 deleted or Gay Thailand deleted. It was inline with some of the other shit he's posted towards me in the past, many of which have been deleted (including whole threads - because that's the way Michael and his Dog work over there). I have no recourse on Gay Thailand, but I certainly do here. If I let him back here, I'm going to address all of that with him...and more. Can this be healthy for the board?

It's for the same reason I opened the door for Khor tose to leave. Khor tose, as some of you participating in the "Protests Update" thread will recall tried to post a link right after the coup that could have gotten us into serious trouble with the new military government. The first time he did it his post was edited and the link removed and the second time he did it was the last we saw of him. I banned kjun12 for his multiple personality disorder and Zebedee self destructed.

If you think this is a trend or that I've banned a whole swath of members (including many of YOU) as Neal did you're going to need to compare apples to apples.

Surfcrest

[Nirish guy]

"you know what boys it's my board and I'll do what I want and if you all don't like it then too bad"

So, the above then, ok, up to you, at least we all know where we stand now should we cross you on another board and in not even a very offensive way from what I could see, but I guess you've a different view on that. :-(

Ps and yes thank you for the all the work you do here ( and the bills you pay) - I'm always grateful for that and am sure Im not the only person who appreciates it.

[goji]

You own the board. You may fire whoever you like (including me).

However this was a particularly poor decision and it will not be well supported.

We all make mistakes. This one is not the end of the world.

[Gaybutton]

From the standpoint of being a board owner myself, I see big differences between disagreement, criticism, and attacks. If Surfcrest feels as if he has been attacked - not merely disagreed with or criticized - but attacked on another board, he's supposed to continue welcoming the person doing the attacking on his own board? I know I wouldn't. Surfcrest is supposed to ignore and disregard attacks simply because they were posted on a board other than his own? I don't think so.

I don't see his banning someone as any of my business and he is under no obligation to justify it to me or anyone else. I don't know why Surfcrest made a public announcement about this particular ban, but I'm not going to sit in judgment whether I agree with him or not.

[catawampuscat]

I've had strong differences with surfcrest in the past and berated and criticized him for
his moderation of the forum via PMs.
He's been too nice, too cordial and I'm sure I was a pain in
the ass, bitching about what got up my nose and severely questioning his one man band
style of moderation. All via PMs and not on the open forum.
He never threatened me and my grievances worked themselves out.
We do take ourselves too seriously and let petty annoyances rile us.
We don't know all that went on and somewhat begrudgingly I have to give surfcrest credit
for his patience and fair handed moderating style.
Forums do need strong voices
and knowledge gained from experience, which firecat excels in.
I still lament the loss of Fountainhall on GT, who ranks among the all time best.
As my nose is turning brown, time to move on.

If Surfcrest feels as if he has been attacked - not merely disagreed with or criticized - but attacked on another board, he's supposed to continue welcoming the person doing the attacking on his own board? I know I wouldn't.

Surfcrest is supposed to ignore and disregard attacks simply because they were posted on a board other than his own? I don't think so.

I'm not going to sit in judgment whether I agree with him or not.Really?!! Does this qualify as non sequitor of the month?

[Gaybutton]

Does this qualify as non sequitor of the month?
No, I'm afraid not. You have me beaten. That qualification describes nearly everything you post and probably ever will.

Does this qualify as non sequitor of the month?You have me beaten.I know :ymdevil:

[ainamor]

I have to agree with other that although this is your board and you have the right to do whatever you want with it this is a poor decision.

Personal disputes on board have always happened (and always will) but making a personal dislike of someone the justification for banning him from the board when he has always abided by the rules on all three boards from what I can see is a backward step.

[Blueskytoday]

The owner of this site has the right to do whatever he feels is in his best interest..I would...
All should be happy this site exists at all...those who complain so much,,,then you put up your own money and
start/run your own site....

The owner of this site has the right to do whatever he feels is in his best interest..I would... All should be happy this site exists at all...those who complain so much,,,then you put up your own money and start/run your own site....However sub-optimal the ownership/moderation of this Board has been on occasion over the years, in its many incarnations it has never been supplanted as the market leader. Any fool who "put up [his]own money and start/run [his] own site" would soon find that he, like many others before him, had no hope of supplanting SGT. Isn't that right, Gaybutton? Now there's a site dedicated solely to the lunatic fringe who think Pattaya is the centre of the universe, and what a flop it has been.

[scottish-guy]

An extremely transparent attempt to start a fight, Kommie.

I doubt you actually believe what you have posted - that GB's forum has been a "flop" - and even if you do, it would have been much more appropriate had you expressed your view on the forum to which it relates.

Unless you're banned from GB of course?

i-)

[Dodger]

The way I see it... a member of a public forum has the option of following the forum rules and polices, or not. If he doesn't follow the rules he is jeopardising his membership and could possibly be banned from the forum. If he is following the rules and ends up getting banned anyway then the site owner has either made a mistake in judgement or the rules need to be modified. The reason(s) why the site owner started the forum to begin with, or the fact that he is paying to keep the site open is irrelvent as far as this is concerned.

Problems like this almost always cultivate when the owner of a site like this decides to not only serve as Moderator but also wants to actively particiapte in the daily forum discussions. In my opinion it would take a very mature, disciplined, and well-balanced person to be able to pull this off without finding himself making biased decisions based on his own personal likes and dislikes in the course of managing his site, thus compromising the premise in which open public forums are intended to operate.

If people are not allowed to speak openly and freely during the discussions that take place on these forums then they would most likely stop contributing to the discussions and the site membership will be effected. If a site owner is too "controlling" then his membership will be minimal with only a small handful of members will be contributing to 80% of the forum discussions which, by-the-way, is what can be observed on this and the other gay Thailand forums. The ill effects of this sort of mis-managment always results in forums which have stunted growth and stale topics...ring any bells !!!

[Dodger]

GB wrote:


If Surfcrest feels as if he has been attacked - not merely disagreed with or criticized - but attacked on another board, he's supposed to continue welcoming the person doing the attacking on his own board?

Yes.

The forum should be managed with total non-bias by its owner (that includes your forum). What happens on another forum should not have any bearing whatsoever on a members status on this forum regardless if the owner felt he was being attacked by a member on another forum or not.

Stop attempting to rationalize irrational behavior with irrational rationalizations.

[Gaybutton]

Stop attempting to rationalize irrational behavior with irrational rationalizations.
I certainly will. I hope you'll contact me very soon to tell me all about how to run my board.

[arsenal]

I once shared a laugh with a former bar owner about the posters on this and other boards and it went something like this. We imagined a few posters sitting in the same bar while simultaneously posting rude comments to each other, ocassionally looking up from their i-phones to scowl across the bar at their online 'enemy' Ring any bells GB and Dodger?

And Kommie: GB is actually a very useful source of information and quite fantastically up to date.

[Manforallseasons]

Stop attempting to rationalize irrational behavior with irrational rationalizations.
I certainly will. I hope you'll contact me very soon to tell me all about how to run my board.

If you weren't a pompous bore you would realize you need whatever help is offered for your board. You have a history of putting out the flame of previous boards, no doubt history will repeat itself!

[Brad the Impala]

For the little that it's worth, adding my opinion on this topic. I see both sides as on the one hand it seems wrong to ban someone for opinions expressed on another site, on the other hand putting myself in Surfcrest's shoes, if I was slagged off elsewhere by a poster, I wouldn't be very keen to have them loitering about on a forum which I am subsidising.

So....I think it's unfortunate, but it's happened, let's hope it's a one off, in both directions, and there is no reason to make a big deal of it and all get on our high horses. I think that there is a fair chance that some of us might well have reacted in the same way. Having said that I haven't actually read what the miscreant wrote.

Unless you're banned from GB of course?

i-)i've always taken the view that if it's not worth discussing on SGT it's not worth discussing.

[MiniMee]

i've always taken the view that if it's not worth discussing on SGT it's not worth discussing.
Nevertheless, many things that are not worth discussing are frequently discussed on SGT.

[RonanTheBarbarian]

Without wanting to seem like I am joining a bandwagon, I have to say that I agree with the other long-term posters here who felt that banning a poster over a row on a completely different board seems to go against common fairness, and I am speaking as somebody who had no particular fondness for the individual who was banned.

I must say that I am also somewhat surprised, and disappointed Surfcrests's behalf, to hear that Surfcrest has to subsidize the board with his own money. Back when Neal was trying to sell the board, he claimed that it was profitable, and while I know you couldnt trust anything he said, I would have thought that the board was making enough from the booking.com and Toyboys adverts to wipe it face at least.

Then again I think (from memory) there were more adverts when Neal was running the board, whatever else you say about him he seemed the best of the various owners at rustling up a bit of advertising.

[Dodger]

GB wrote:


I certainly will. I hope you'll contact me very soon to tell me all about how to run my board.

If you're content with the way your Board is running now then you certainly wouldn't need any advice from an idiot like me.

[Nirish guy]

whatever else you say about him he seemed the best of the various owners at rustling up a bit of advertising.

I can tell you from having many conversations with Neal about adverts off the board, when he was actually offering money / commission to others to try and get him Ads even, he got Ad's ok but they were with friends and other gay businesses and a lot of them were either unpaid to make it look like companies HAD Ad's in the hope of attracting others, or they were from places that he ate ( a lot ) where he had a mutual arrangement with they never paid him for Ad's and he got some money off his ( no doubt considerable) food bill - and I know this as fact as I dined with him one evening in such a place and he ( thought) he craftily slipped his part of the bill into his "account" box but hadn't and had to explain to the waiter ( in front of me) what to do with the bill "for later" etc, to be fair he didn't hide that fact at the time once he noticed I noticed.

He also told me clearly that whilst half the adverts on the board were paid the other half weren't ( roughly ) and even the ones that were paid were about to lapse ( or just had) etc so finanically for all his bluster the board was making next to nothing when he had it (I've no idea whether that's still the case or not and I'm guessing the current owner doesn't really need whatever the board is now making anyway - unlike Neal - again no matter what he said to the contrary !) But as always with Neal it was hilarious to sit back and watch him spout his shit about GB recommending places for free food etc ( which I see nothing particularly wrong with anyway as thats all most food critics are doing anyway) but he slaughtered him for that ( which GB always strongly denied and denies when he himself was doing the very same thing himself except in lieu of giving free adverts - liar and hyprocrite Neal - NEVER ! lol)

[BonTong]

Well 'm a nosey bugger - so I went over to GayThailand (first time in a long while) to try to discover what precipitated the current brouhaha:

The topic I read, entitled "Only in this forum" is a veritable custard pie fight which would not be out of place in a 1920's slapstick movie. Everybody seems to be getting the gloop in their face to some degree.
I've never paid much attention to GayThailand but curiosity got the better of me. Apart from the custard pie fight, I find the thread's title quite disparaging. I don't see GT board as being any better than any other boards; indeed judging by that thread, quite the opposite. Or is Out in Thailand afraid of the reaction they might get to on this and other boards? ;) Seems like GB and others already made a blunt response.

Anyway, I'm with Surfcrest. I know he's put a lot of work and effort into this site which has improved enormously since he took over. If I were him, and trying to create something which is of benefit to the whole community of gay visitors and ex pats, I wouldn't put up with the abuse either, whether it was on this board or anywhere else. :ymhug:

[catawampuscat]

whatever else you say about him he seemed the best of the various owners at rustling up a bit of advertising.

I can tell you from having many conversations with Neal about adverts off the board, when he was actually offering money / commission to others to try and get him Ads even, he got Ad's ok but they were with friends and other gay businesses and a lot of them were either unpaid to make it look like companies HAD Ad's in the hope of attracting others, or they were from places that he ate ( a lot ) where he had a mutual arrangement with they never paid him for Ad's and he got some money off his ( no doubt considerable) food bill - and I know this as fact as I dined with him one evening in such a place and he ( thought) he craftily slipped his part of the bill into his "account" box but hadn't and had to explain to the waiter ( in front of me) what to do with the bill "for later" etc, to be fair he didn't hide that fact at the time once he noticed I noticed.

He also told me clearly that whilst half the adverts on the board were paid the other half weren't ( roughly ) and even the ones that were paid were about to lapse ( or just had) etc so finanically for all his bluster the board was making next to nothing when he had it (I've no idea whether that's still the case or not and I'm guessing the current owner doesn't really need whatever the board is now making anyway - unlike Neal - again no matter what he said to the contrary !) But as always with Neal it was hilarious to sit back and watch him spout his shit about GB recommending places for free food etc ( which I see nothing particularly wrong with anyway as thats all most food critics are doing anyway) but he slaughtered him for that ( which GB always strongly denied and denies when he himself was doing the very same thing himself except in lieu of giving free adverts - liar and hyprocrite Neal - NEVER ! lol)


Neal was a very fat, very big man. Few farangs are as large, yet he chastised and belittled
gaybutton for being fat, when Neal was almost twice as heavy. Neal also harped on others
for being bottoms, when he was well known for being fisted.
He dressed like a hillbilly with suspenders and criticized gaybutton for his attire.
He lied like a proverbial rug, yet hated others for telling lies.
Most amazing to me was that he had friends and did some good deeds before his money
ran out.

[Surfcrest]

I must say that I am also somewhat surprised, and disappointed Surfcrests's behalf, to hear that Surfcrest has to subsidize the board with his own money. Back when Neal was trying to sell the board, he claimed that it was profitable, and while I know you couldnt trust anything he said, I would have thought that the board was making enough from the booking.com and Toyboys adverts to wipe it face at least.
Then again I think (from memory) there were more adverts when Neal was running the board, whatever else you say about him he seemed the best of the various owners at rustling up a bit of advertising.
Neal was somewhat successful with the тАЬadvertisingтАЭ component to the site in his tenure with some of the advertising leg work he did in the local business community. As you can see, the Funnyboys / Panorama add is still up out of my loyalty to their business, not because they still have a business relationship with Sawatdee. The booking.com ad is commission built, as was the old Agoda plugin that Neal had with SGF. There has been тАЬzeroтАЭ income from booking.com to date.

I havenтАЩt been able to build on what Neal started with the advertising because these advertising relationships are best handled in person. IтАЩve been working on a massive project back in Vancouver this past year and a half thatтАЩs prevented me the time to make it back to Thailand. Until I do, weтАЩre going to float without advertising.


He also told me clearly that whilst half the adverts on the board were paid the other half weren't ( roughly ) and even the ones that were paid were about to lapse ( or just had) etc so finanically for all his bluster the board was making next to nothing when he had it (I've no idea whether that's still the case or not and I'm guessing the current owner doesn't really need whatever the board is now making anyway - unlike Neal - again no matter what he said to the contrary !)
100% true. Neal didnтАЩt leave any books. He had some ideas as to what he could charge for advertising which sounded realistic in comparison to the traffic at the time. I have no idea whether he collected that for one or both of the years he owned the site, but he did mention perks which he hadnтАЩt used and offered to pass along to jinks and I after the sale.

I seem to recall that when we did have paid advertising, more тАЬconflicts of interestsтАЭ popped up in respect to comments posted about those businesses. Not that this site is moderated like that anymore, it would make moderating more difficult with pressure from both posters and businesses about content.

My goal is to set it up so that the siteтАЩs advertising pays the bills and makes it a self-sufficient business entity. IтАЩm a long way from that yet. In the meantime, things are in good hands.



I know he's put a lot of work and effort into this site which has improved enormously since he took over.
Right now, IтАЩm up to my eyeballs deconstructing the front page in an effort to re-configure it and kick start some of the functions. Elephantspike has been gone for a year and some missing maintenance work has made a few things to stop working properly. IтАЩm going to fix what we are working with and then explore options for different software over the coming months.

The Forum itself is sound and secure. I know the membership would rather something a little more modern than our current phpbb platform.

As for the firecat69 decision, the disagreement we had on Gay Thailand was the catalyst to a whole pile of other issues I have with him. The Gay Thailand reference was only a time stamp to when I gave up trying to get along with firecat69. There was a lot more to this than just how we didn't get along on Gay Thailand.

Surfcrest

An acquaintance of mine was prepared to buy Neal's board off him some time ago provided the price was right so engaged him in a discussion which went something like this:

Friend: Is SGT for sale?
Neal: Yes
Friend: How much do you want?
Neal: $10K
Friend: OK, I'd like the following to support that valuation. Balance sheet, cash flow statement, number of advertisers and the annual revenue each one generates, broken down into personal friends, associated businesses and arms-length advertisers
Neal: Why?
Friend: So I can see how much revenue is likely to stay in SGT once you sell
Neal: No. I don't have those things. Anyway I've decided to keep the Board until I die and then it will pass to a very close and dear friend of mine who will preserve the Board the way I've been running it

I think at the same time Beachbore was busily telling people that the Board was worth north of $25K based on its "potential" ie. based on a purchaser getting out and hustling for advertising. Of course Beachbore was far too busy with his own digital empire (you know, the one where his digit is inserted in his own rectum) to buy the Board himself - much as he would have loved to do so

[BonTong]

I havenтАЩt been able to build on what Neal started with the advertising because these advertising relationships are best handled in person.
That is absolutely true. Selling advertising to gay businesses here is not easy and almost always relies on personal relationships. Except maybe a new farang owned business with more cash than sense, no one is going to beat a path to your door. And then there is a tight rope to walk between providing good information to the community, and being seen to openly favour your advertisers. Not easy.

[Gaybutton]

If you weren't a pompous bore . . .
Just a hunch - Will Rogers never met you, did he?

[scottish-guy]

.....Friend: How much do you want? Neal: $10K.....

Interesting.

I agreed with him that I would take SGT over free, gratis, and for nothing (without any real desire to do so - as I knew I didn't have the technical skills - but since I had absolutely no expectation of him honouring any deal anyway, it seemed easier to just agree to it)

The "free gift" then became a suggested donation of $3000 - which I declined to make, suggesting that if his pension pot needed topping up (which was the reason he gave), then he ought to look elsewhere. Do I have the emails to prove that - you bet I do!

Naturally this was all before I was threatened with lawsuits and grievous bodily harm - and before I left the board and was then banned :))

PS I knew full well I would not have been the only one to be approached - I had no illusions over that whatsoever.

:ymparty:

[Nirish guy]

PS I knew full well I would not have been the only one to be approached - I had no illusions over that whatsoever.

You weren't I can assure you and like yourself I agreed to same FOC arrangement to "make a dying man happy" so he knew the board would continue etc ( as I literally told him I would change nothing ( mainly out of both a lack of technical skill nor any real interest in doing so anyway), I then foolishly believing I could trust a man who I'd broken bread with with several times and who had shared many private details of his own life not known on the board and which even at his worst for trying to rile me I've never passed I at his request then forwarded him my name and home address so he could forward that to his solicitors ( so he said) for those details to be included in his will ( as he was dying within the month or so - that was about 3 years ago mind) - and WOW was that a stupid / bad mistake on my part as he then proceeded to use that very same info to attempt to harass me in all sorts of ways I won't even bother going into here and cause all sorts of bullshit drama for in relation to my business, going so far as threatening me ( a British person) with the FBI no less :-)

This was as he told me that I had committed a VERY serious "felony" which was apparently my opening a second business bank account in a different bank than the first business bank account I had once opened and had kept open. The fact that the second account was for another one of four totally different business which I own and also the basic fact that there are of course absolutely no laws stopping you having as many bank accounts as you wish in any and as many banks as you wish seemed to make absolutely no difference to his twisted logic and it was me ended up having to caution him to be very careful with his accusations as I had of course worked at all times under my UK solicitors and registered accountants advise and so he was in fact implying that they too were doing or advising something wrong or illegal ? - his answer to that was that even if was wrong he would simply have them reported to the FBI too - ha why I STILL have no idea ! lol

It would actually have been funny if it wasn't something that involved the daily workings of my businesses and something which I had to act on to to remind him that one more word like that would find HIMSELF being taking to court. This was of course after him also defaming me ( but not having the balls to do it under his own name but using one of his numerous fake profiles with all his bullshit about my being a "failed business man and a bankrupt" no less - which for the record I should add that I'm not and never have been, neither now nor at ANY time in the past in any way whatsoever and if failed related my companies all been trading quite successfully now for over 16 years now then I'll have to accept that one I guess lol - but hey, that was Neal for you, he never let the truth get in the way of a good old load of shit throwing just in the hope that some of it would stick, the sad pathetic creature that he was - and he was told that many times by me before I discovered the ultimate tool for driving him crazy - which was of course simply to TOTALLY ignore anything he said or posted and to just pretend that he'd ceased to exist and oh wen I did ohhhh the abusive PM's and emails I got from him after that, ha hilarious to the end he so wasn't - the sad fuck !

[Jellybean]

Are you absolutely sure that he has really shuffled off this mortal coil NIrish-guy? A couple of days ago I was rather shocked to be asked on Facebook if I wanted to be friends with Neal Bernard. And no mistake, it was definitely a photo of him, looking larger than life, arms folded, dressed in an extra-large white T-shirt and wearing braces.

Aggghhhh тАж just checked, he still appears at the top of my list of recommended friends. Now how did Facebook connect us together? Is there life after death or do we all go on to achieve immortality in cyberspace? :-?

[Surfcrest]

See if his contact information is still in your email contacts! If you remove him, this should stop the Facebook notifications especially if he's a contact in the same email address that you registered to Facebook with.

That's Scary stuff Jellybean!

Surfcrest

[Nirish guy]

Are you absolutely sure that he has really shuffled off this mortal coil NIrish-guy?

I like most others have no idea whether he is or isn't and even more I could care less either way - but in the nastiest way possible I so hope he IS ! I'm guessing surf is correct that that's facebook throwing up an old friend request as they do recycle then from time to time, click on it sure and find out as hey what better "friend" could you have than one like that ! Lol - good luck with that - just don't be giving him your name, home addresss or telephone number whatever you do or you too might be getting the abusive phone calls at all hours of the morning ( eh Surf ! :-)

[catawampuscat]

Definitely absolutely dead.
Died when flying to USA and a nursing home. Verified by his sister first hand.
Truly pathetic to die and leave such a legacy but as I stated before I know a couple
of farangs who were his friends and liked him.
I suppose if one wasn't a target of his
threats of legal actions, physical harm by paid thugs, being reported to Immigration
or your embassy for the worst lies in his very disturbed mind, one might find
qualities to like.

[Smiles]

Neal? Dead and gone no matter how many meters high. No loss to this cruel/wonderful world ... now a miniscule betterment for the planet.
This topic has now, unfortunately, morphed into 'about Neal' rather than 'about banning' which was the original story.

So perhaps back to that: I am hardly impressed with banning of a long-term member for any reason (besides the existential, as the posting rules make clear) . . . but I certainly give credit to Surfcrest for making it a public discussion, posting the OP, and stating his reasons knowing full well that it would elicit an avalanche of differing points of view, mostly opposed to his.

[fountainhall]

Are you absolutely sure that he has really shuffled off this mortal coil NIrish-guy? A couple of days ago I was rather shocked to be asked on Facebook if I wanted to be friends with Neal Bernard. And no mistake, it was definitely a photo of him, looking larger than life, arms folded, dressed in an extra-large white T-shirt and wearing braces.
Since Facebook has come up, I'm not a member but I did join Linked In for a while. I then discovered they have the right to troll through all my email contacts. There is an extensive thread there about how to try and avoid that along with a group of members starting a law suit. When it got to the point that a dear friend with the onset of Alzheimer's was asked "by me" to join the site, I jacked in my membership. Yet still they are using email addresses of mine! I suppose we live on in cyberspace whether we are alive or not!

[Manforallseasons]

If you weren't a pompous bore . . .
Just a hunch - Will Rogers never met you, did he?


тАЬIt is better for some one to think you're a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.тАЭ
тАХ Will Rogers

[fountainhall]

I see that Firecat has been making his responses in the gaythailand board. Perfectly understandable given he can no longer post here. The latest is тАЬNot to respond seemed to me to allow him to publicly get away with his remarks.тАЭ And that thread is now making quite a thing about PMs.

Firecat, whom I have never met, is no doubt aware that he got away publicly on that gaythailand board with remarks about me тАУ and got away with it (as I elected not to respond) when he should at the very least have been warned by that board for flouting the rules. That did not happen, and I am sure most of us know why. When you are a friend of the owner тАУ oops, the former owner! тАУ the rules can be bent, as that owner, Michael, publicly admitted had been the case with another of his friends over there тАУ one who was a regular poster much disliked by at least a considerable majority of members.

In my case, I had for some time planned to give up posting on gaythailand largely because a lot of new work had come in. Not only was I posting frequently (too frequently for some!), I had rewritten and updated much of the lengthy Thailand and City Guide descriptions on that site, many of which still include the photos I willingly supplied. A public spat with Michael merely helped make up my mind. But I specifically did not wish the reason to become public knowledge. So I only provided it privately to Michael in a PM. The next I knew was that Firecat made a post publicly revealing the reason for my departure. Then the Board owner inexplicably announced that my status would be тАЬretiredтАЭ, despite my having written to him confirming I was leaving for good. Not surprisingly, that drew a fair amount of ridicule elsewhere!

I have always understood that the content of PMs between 2 parties are sacrosanct - at least as long as the parties are alive. At that time Firecat seemed to disagree. Spilling a few beans for public consumption was perfectly acceptable. To be fair, Firecat has more than once used the SGT columns to kindly suggest I should return to the gt board. But I made a decision and I stick to it.

Whether, as is also alleged today by another gaythailand board member, beans have been spilled in correspondence between surfcrest and other members here I have no knowledge. I do believe, however, that PMs have to be precisely that and that no-one, not even a board owner, should have the right to make them public on this or other boards. If that rule is not cast iron, then why have a PM function? Just get rid of it!

[marti]

Neal? Dead and gone no matter how many meters high. No loss to this cruel/wonderful world ...

Perhaps you do not realize that many people dislike you more than you do Neal or anyone else.

[BonTong]

I see that Firecat has been making his responses in the gaythailand board.
Interesting, looking at the thread on Gay Thailand I see our business brand is once again being denigrated and libelled on a board that I have never been a member of or ever posted on. IANAL and I have no intention of getting involved in the mud slinging, but..... X(

I have always understood that the content of PMs between 2 parties are sacrosanct - at least as long as the parties are alive. At that time Firecat seemed to disagree. Spilling a few beans for public consumption was perfectly acceptable. ...If that rule is not cast iron, then why have a PM function? Just get rid of it!It is a complete fantasy to assert that the phpBB software function of private messages means that every Board utilising that software has a policy of Private Message = Secret Message, which is what you are asserting. phpBB supports two levels of messages - public (ie. this sort of message) intended for everyone, and private which is a sidebar conversation. If you look carefully at the PM function you can see that it is possible to have a number of recipients of the same PM, which hardly makes it private in the sense that the headless chickens are asserting. It's a sidebar. The owners of this Board have simply decided not to enable that piece of functionality so that they can persist in the fantasy that PM = SM. t's also possible for recipients of PMs to alert the Moderator(s) about the contents of PMs. If you want some communication to be confidential, take it right outside the Board - use email

As an example I sent thaiguest a PM earlier today answer his question about the meaning of the CPB. There was nothing secret or even confidential in the message, although its publication in Thailand would bring cries of lese majeste - hence it's a sidebar conversation.

I've said this before and had Surfcrest lay down the law (anyone would think he's the owner rather than the provider as he claims) that PMs are SMs. That's his policy for this Board; it's not an immutable law of the Internet.

[Dodger]

Funny, I always thought that a PM was an option primarily for people who were afraid to state their opinions openly.

I remember receivng several PM's on another Board from members telling me how they agreed with my position on a particular topic, but because the site owner was involved in the same topic and did not personally agree with my position - the members sending me the PM's were simply afraid to post their opinions openly.

[Manforallseasons]

Funny, I always thought that a PM was an option primarily for people who were afraid to state their opinions openly.

I remember receivng several PM's on another Board from members telling me how they agreed with my position on a particular topic, but because the site owner was involved in the same topic and did not personally agree with my position - the members sending me the PM's were simply afraid to post their opinions openly.

Can't imagine which board that could be or the owner and the scared sheep. :))

[Dodger]

manforallseasons wrote:


Can't imagine which board that could be or the owner and the scared sheep.

I know it's hilarious...like prisoners sneaking hand written notes through the bars at night...55555.

Personally, I liked the old Pattaya Gay Board style of moderating. Absolutley no rules enforced whatsoever. It reminds me of how I raised my two children: "Welome to the world kids...I'm your dad...now just go out and have a ball"...LOL

Of course a lot of kaos ensued on Alan's site but the dialogue and indepth discussions which took place were second to none.. I couldn't wait to sign on every morning just to see who was ripping someone elses hair out by the roots - or who could conjour up the nastiest insult to fling as a dagger at their combatant. But when the sun settled (and it always did) the conversations would continue commonly exposing the good and bad in everybody.

In all seriousness I thought the discussions were far more interesting when people were allowed to express themsleves freely, evan the trolls who were always easy to spot...irritating to some...but fun to play with. It wouldn't be uncommon to have a topic get 3,000 hits with 300 responders, where a post entitled "My Trip to Angkor Wat" ends up in a discussion about why Thai boys don't have hairs around their anal splinkters. These days a topic on a gay forum is lucky when 20 people read a post and 3 people have a short (and sterile) conversation.

I say..."let there be no rules". With the exception of not talking about THK or underaged sex, just tell all the members..."Welcome to the world kids...I'm your dad...now go out and have a ball". If they get furious over the decision or simply can't handle all the freedom they can always join a site which is heavily controlled and moderated where the sensitive feelings they express would be guarded against any insults or accusations.

[Surfcrest]

I think it's a regular occurrence for members to share some of their view points privately by way of PM rather than exposing each and every facet of their opinion in a post. Some may disagree with banning anyone, but have no love for firecat69. While others have a list of members they want me to ban, but firecat69 is not on their list.

I'm surprised to see firecat69's post on Gay Thailand. First he said he didn't care if he was banned and now I see that he does. Unfortunately his story about joining 5 minutes later by proxy or anytime later by any means is untrue. As the Board's only moderator and administrator, I think I have the most accurate picture of who our new members are since fircat69 and my falling out. I'm not going to respond to his thread, or the original thread...or any thread on Gay Thailand.

As for PM's, your PM's are secure. I have no idea who sends PM's and who doesn't. There might be some way to break into the phpbb software and find a PM, but I wouldn't know how to do this and even if I did...I don't have the time. I'm still working on unjamming the front page modules, something I thought was going to take a few hours that now looks like it'll take a week :(

As for kommie's comment, my policy is on that PM's should be private. That's more proper posting etiquette that a rule.

I recall the old "wild west" that Dodger describes from the Pattaya Gay Board. I don't see a lot of moderation here, a tad more because we have to think of the political environment in Thailand now after the coup. I try to achieve that by providing as much info about Thailand and traveling around Thailand to provide the membership ideas on where to go, either alone or with someone special. Hopefully this will also remind any official looking in (should that ever happen) how much tourism money we inject into the economy.

Surfcrest

[Smiles]

" ... As for PM's, your PM's are secure. I have no idea who sends PM's and who doesn't. There might be some way to break into the phpbb software and find a PM, but I wouldn't know how to do this ... "
From the misty paste when I was the owner of Sawatdee I remember many instances where a handful of Members could never be convinced that PM's were strictly private and that Administration or Mods could not access them, and that they were in fact doing that all the time.
I'm sure there are still a small cadre of members who believe this: there are still folks who are willing to accept conspiracy theories en masse (Americans for instance, thrive on conspiracy nonsense) . . . doing so is much easier when there is very little 'proof' available to provide that they were not, thus putting an Admin in the uneasy position of having to prove a negative, which is of course, an impossibility. (The ghastly Hedda by the way was a master of this kind of obfuscation - one of his favourite ploys in fact - and most of time got away with it.)

I recall some time ago one member going into a extremely complicated - for my brain at least - method wherebye one can manipulate HMTL (?) code to grant some kind of access to PM's - and frankly I don't doubt it's theoreticaly possible. But all too much and too obtuse for probably 99% of the population.

[marti]

I am afraid that Surfcrest is not being truthful about his not reading PMs. He threatened me with expulsion for sending a PM to another member with just an honest question. Nothing threatening or vulgar in my PM. It was a mean spirited threat by him and I told him this but he never responded to me.

Neal? Dead and gone no matter how many meters high. No loss to this cruel/wonderful world ... Perhaps you do not realize that many people dislike you more than you do Neal or anyone else."Many"??! Really? More than Smiles dislikes Neal? Quantify that for us, please.

[Dodger]

Surfcrest wrote:


I don't see a lot of moderation here, a tad more because we have to think of the political environment in Thailand now after the coup.

Very much appreciated.

My comments regarding over-modertation do not apply to this site. I think you do a great job.

[scottish-guy]

I am afraid that Surfcrest is not being truthful about his not reading PMs. He threatened me with expulsion for sending a PM to another member with just an honest question. Nothing threatening or vulgar in my PM. It was a mean spirited threat by him and I told him this but he never responded to me.

Here's another honest question, Marti - how can you possibly be 100% sure Surfcrest infiltrated your PMs (which is a very serious allegation), rather than the equally or more likely possibility that the recipient simply told him what you'd written?

:-s

[Surfcrest]

I am afraid that Surfcrest is not being truthful about his not reading PMs. He threatened me with expulsion for sending a PM to another member with just an honest question. Nothing threatening or vulgar in my PM. It was a mean spirited threat by him and I told him this but he never responded to me.
Actually, marti sent a PM to another member. The content of that PM was upsetting to the member who received it and they made a complaint and forwarded the PM to me to address with marti...which I did "privately" by PM and for which marti received a "warning" for.

That didn't need to be explained publically...but of course, marti is asking here.

Surfcrest

[scottish-guy]

I swear I'm becoming psychic!

:))

[Nirish guy]

To be fair SG that didn't take a genius to work out and I think most of us were on the same track long before Surf confirmed it even ..... :-)

[scottish-guy]

I wasn't being serious!

Although I do predict that in 2015 there will be an outbreak of sore arses amongst late-teen to mid-20yo males in areas of Asia correlating with where you happen to be spending your holidays.

Spooky, isn't it

:))

[Nirish guy]

I wasn't being serious!

Although I do predict that in 2015 there will be an outbreak of sore arses amongst late-teen to mid-20yo males in areas of Asia correlating with where you happen to be spending your holidays.

Spooky, isn't it

:))

a) I know and b) I KNOW - the coincidence is almost to much to be believed ain't it ! :-)

[lonelywombat]

I once shared a laugh with a former bar owner about the posters on this and other boards and it went something like this. We imagined a few posters sitting in the same bar while simultaneously posting rude comments to each other, ocassionally looking up from their i-phones to scowl across the bar at their online 'enemy'
.

We all know this was MFAS and LMTU sitting in the internet shops insulting each other, praising each other and thinking they were clever.

[Nirish guy]

We all know this was MFAS and LMTU sitting in the internet shops insulting each other, praising each other and thinking they were clever.


And oh such nastiness sometimes on the boards, if only someone could come up with somewhere where that wasn't the case, you know where gentlemen resided, you know like a gentleman's board perhaps........ oh, no, wait...... :-)

[lego]

Always nice to return to a forum after a couple of months and the most active thread is one like this one. Nice because it means I haven't missed anything of substance. :)

[marti]

I am afraid that Surfcrest is not being truthful about his not reading PMs. He threatened me with expulsion for sending a PM to another member with just an honest question. Nothing threatening or vulgar in my PM. It was a mean spirited threat by him and I told him this but he never responded to me.
Actually, marti sent a PM to another member. The content of that PM was upsetting to the member who received it and they made a complaint and forwarded the PM to me to address with marti...which I did "privately" by PM and for which marti received a "warning" for.

That didn't need to be explained publically...but of course, marti is asking here.

Surfcrest
I request permission to post my original PM and your subsequent PMs to me regarding my PM to the other member. The purpose is to show your overreaching and mean response to my PM.

[Dodger]

marti wrote:


I request permission to post my original PM and your subsequent PMs to me regarding my PM to the other member. The purpose is to show your overreaching and mean response to my PM.

If it's public opinion you're after why don't you just post the PM you sent to the member that got you repremanded to begin with?

[fountainhall]

The question of PMs has come up again, although not on this Board. In what is by miles the longest of the rare posts he has ever made on his site, the owner of the gaythailand board, one Scooby, has now thrown his policy about PMs being private right out of the window. Today he publishes in detail a series of PMs I had sent to him in total confidence.

IтАЩm not going to rehash them here. Anyone who wants to read them can do so over there. It is perfectly clear from what he says, though, that he admits making assumptions without checking facts, that he тАУ on his own initiative and without checking with me тАУ stated I was тАЬretiredтАЭ when my specific wording was I was resigning immediately, and he vainly attempts to deny what are clearly facts.

As so often happens in such cases, though, instead of clearing the waters, he has just dredged up the mud. One of his present members responded that he has presented тАЬway too much informationтАЭ. Another mentions that, тАЬI was given the shaft no matter what anyone says.тАЭ

Then Firecat jumps in with a series of plain untruths. To suggest that my reason for requesting to leave the Board was a spat with Michael about my wanting his friend John Booth aka Hey Gay (and an earlier handle I now forget) banned from the Board, is plain and utter b/s and a total fiction! Scooby confirms this in his post. John Booth had died at least 4 months earlier! Yet Firecat doesn't check facts. He twists facts. He then assumes readers will believe his version that the spat was about my wanting to get a long dead poster banned!! He also states this spat took place when Michael owned the gt board. That's even more ridiculous since Michael had sold the board to Scooby in the summer of 2010!!

Further, to say I wrote to Michael rather than Scooby to delete me from the Board is another piece of pure b/s! Scooby again confirms this! Unless, of course, Michael IS Scooby in which case Firecat may perhaps be telling the truth. But then, if that were indeed the case, his friend Michael will clearly have been lying time and again in saying he is not Scooby!!

I will not add to the murkiness other than to stand by everything I wrote earlier above in this thread, no matter what others elect to say.

Don't take my word but read it for yourself (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=phpbb+private+message+encryption). phpBB does NOT encrypt PMs in the database. I'm obliged for Sufcrest's admission that this is simply Board policy (so as such can be ignored, like so many other policies here).

[marti]

marti wrote:


I request permission to post my original PM and your subsequent PMs to me regarding my PM to the other member. The purpose is to show your overreaching and mean response to my PM.

If it's public opinion you're after why don't you just post the PM you sent to the member that got you repremanded to begin with?
This is exactly what I have requested that Surfcrest allow me to do. I don't want to get into trouble for violating the rules of this board as it appears that he would use any reason that he can to do this and cancel my posting rights.

[Smiles]

This is exactly what I have requested that Surfcrest allow me to do. I don't want to get into trouble for violating the rules of this board as it appears that he would use any reason that he can to do this and cancel my posting rights.
Go ahead, WTF post it. Nobody will die if you do.
Be sure to post it without editing though ... tut tut. Don't be naughty.
You've accused him, show the evidence.

[BonTong]

Don't take my word but read it for yourself (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=phpbb+private+message+encryption). phpBB does NOT encrypt PMs in the database. I'm obliged for Sufcrest's admission that this is simply Board policy (so as such can be ignored, like so many other policies here).
Haven't we been here before? I seem to recall exactly the same discussion a year or more ago.

What Surfcrest actually said was:
There might be some way to break into the phpbb software and find a PM, but I wouldn't know how to do this and even if I did...I don't have the time.

There is no EASY way for an admin to read PMs. Yes, if you have access to the database server you could go search through the database and read anything you wanted to. And even if it was encrypted, if you had access to the full system you could likely decrypt it. But, why bother? Unless one has an extremely boring life and nothing better to do why would anyone waste time on it? Judging by what's posted in the forum (e.g. the way this thread has gone 8-| ), I can only imagine most PMs would be an order of magnitude more excruciatingly boring (-| I doubt even the NSA would be interested; a storm in a teacup between anonymous old queens is hardly a threat to national security.

[Smiles]

:-o Well said ...

[Surfcrest]

Well, the problem with publishing this PM besides the fact that it is a "PM" meaning "private" message is that the original message that brought the complaint involved another member who's not involved in this discussion. By publishing your PM will highlight now "publically" what that member took exception to. It is not my belief that this is what that member wants...so NO.

As for you marti, as the owner or "custodian" of this site, I take care to ensure open access to anyone wanting to legitimately participate in the site and to screen out the "undesirables". I have no sinister intent when I say "undesirables" as we are constantly under attack by "Spam". I screen all new members closely in the beginning and I'm usually on the watch when a new member comes in with a predisposition to certain members such as Sooty, BrisbaneGuy and Smiles. It has me suspect that a member has rejoined the Board, for whatever reason under a new name...but with whatever feelings they harboured as whomever we knew them as before. The same etiquette lead to the creation of our hydra policy, which I believe the entire membership supports. While you've been with us for over a year I continue to review your posts to ensure you stay within the lines. The "PM" incident is an example of that.

I'm hoping this finally answers it for you marti. You have nothing to concern yourself with loosing any privileges unless you are breaking one of our few rules.

Surfcrest

[cdnmatt]

Whew, and I thought dealing with my ex was rough... heh

What Surfcrest actually said was:
There might be some way to break into the phpbb software and find a PM, but I wouldn't know how to do this and even if I did...I don't have the time.Perhaps if you weren't so keen on selective quoting, jumping the gun or whatever is your current fetish you would have got as far as the very next para in the post from which you are quoting
As for kommie's comment, my policy is on that PM's should be private. That's more proper posting etiquette that a rule.

[Surfcrest]

The question of PMs has come up again, although not on this Board. In what is by miles the longest of the rare posts he has ever made on his site, the owner of the gaythailand board, one Scooby, has now thrown his policy about PMs being private right out of the window. Today he publishes in detail a series of PMs I had sent to him in total confidence.

IтАЩm not going to rehash them here. Anyone who wants to read them can do so over there. It is perfectly clear from what he says, though, that he admits making assumptions without checking facts, that he тАУ on his own initiative and without checking with me тАУ stated I was тАЬretiredтАЭ when my specific wording was I was resigning immediately, and he vainly attempts to deny what are clearly facts.
What I find difficult to comprehend is that even in the PM that he posts he adds "not to respond to him via PM or email". I think if a member, who they all appear to describe as a very well respected member (if not the most respected member there ever) formally requests not to respond by PM or email that this member most likely doesn't want it posted on the forum for all to see...especially by the owner. Scooby's supposed to be moderating to prevent members from breaking such etiquette, not participating in it himself.

He starts off the post by talking about firecat69 and Michael sharing their comments with Scooby and the admins. Admins? Really? What do they do? You need only look to their number #1 post in the comments forum to wonder who really is moderating Gay Thailand and taking responsibility for the content.

http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/9629-anyone-here/#entry77013

I think we saw the same nutty behaviour from the bahtstop in the end and the hope is Gay Thailand doesn't follow Dorothy down that Yellow Brick Road!

Surfcrest

Great news to read I am on Surfcrests Terrorist Watch List

[Manforallseasons]

I see nothing wrong with the moderator seeing a PM, I wish GB could see some of the PM`s I receive from his members some of which are his friends. Surfcast is brighter and might actually be able to take from them something of value.

[fountainhall]

Scooby's supposed to be moderating to prevent members from breaking such etiquette, not participating in it himself
I see the revisionists over at gt.com are in full flame. Despite what i wrote to him - very specific and precise - Scooby makes the ludicrous assertion that "anyone who read the thread and then knew that Fountainhall left would ascertain this was the reason" in reference to what has been termed the spat with Michael. How can any responsible Board owner presume to be aware of what all his members "know"? That is preposterous! And to place a member on a "banned" list just because he thought, despite specific written statements, I would eventually return without any reference to me nor to the membership is, frankly, bizarre in the extreme.

The previous Board owner then comes up with some equally utter nonsense. "The crux of the issue for FH is that he believes that Michael and Scooby are the same person. We are not. If you buy into his theory, then I can see the issue . . . He left the site as he felt the owner dissed him. He believed I was the owner. I was not."

I wonder where in Michael's imagination that little kernel was hatched. My reasons for leaving were made perfectly clear to Scooby and eventually to the Board members. If anyone thinks I left gt merely because of a spat, they should be aware that at the same time as I left gt, I requested Gaybutton to terminate my membership of his Board - for exactly the same reasons I gave to Scooby! Since that was conveyed to GB in a PM, I shall not put him in the position of having to confirm or deny it. But it is the truth.

I have absolutely nothing against Michael. Indeed, we met at two pleasant and enjoyable social occasions at one of which I was his guest. We'd had spats on the Board before, as he had occasionally had with others and I had occasionally had with others. What I wrote to him at the time of my leaving was and should have remained confidential.

[scottish-guy]

I see nothing wrong with the moderator seeing a PM......

Neither do I - provided said Moderator has indicated to the membership that he not only has the means but the inclination to do so.

What people may be rightly concerned about (and I'm not referring to this board (nowadays) at all) is when said Moderator is infiltrating and reading/deleting PMs whilst neglecting to mention (or outright denying) that he has the ability and inclination to do so!

[Surfcrest]

What people may be rightly concerned about (and I'm not referring to this board (nowadays) at all) is when said Moderator is infiltrating and reading/deleting PMs whilst neglecting to mention (or outright denying) that he has the ability and inclination to do so!
I can tell you that the Board allows me to delete anyone's unread PM's in their Outbox, but it does not allow me to read them or even know if there are any there in the first place.

Let me guide you through the process while I delete some "Spam" that tried to register not long ago (VIRUS ALERT - DO NOT CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE);

First, I pull up the member's profile;

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/Post1.jpg

This takes me to the Administration Control Panel (ACP) where I can do several things:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/Post2.jpg

The drop down menu shows the list of actions I can take:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/Post3.jpg

This is where I can:

Deactivate someone's account (Put them in inactive status kjun12, Khor tose, Timmberty, Zebedee, Smoothlegs and now firecat69)
Delete a member's avatar (Have only done this once, that with "tobi" using Beachlover's avatar).
Empty PM Outbox, If you click this it will ask you if you are sure you want to do it, then it will say it's been done. It will not confirm whether there were any there in the first place, but if there was the member will see that they were deleted by the moderator because they can't open the PM. In another screen I could remove PM privileges all together that might also impact this.
Remove from Newly Registered I've been using this when a new member signs up and posts something in their first post which leads me to believe they are a real person. By using this option they won't be subject to the first 5 post review process and will be able to function as a full member with PM privileges.

Lastly, I can use another screen in the ACP to prevent that member from registering with that email, or using a username or accessing the site from a specific IP address:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/Post4.jpg

These are the controls I have available for managing the "Forum" or "phpBB" portion of this site.

Surfcrest

Let me get this right.

So as to indulge Marti's ego he wants to be able to:
* reveal the text of a PM he sent
* reveal the text of Surfcrest's PM to him

Among other things this will:
* identify the recipient of the original PM from Marti
* reveal the basis of the original recipient's own PM to Surfcrest stating why he was offended

Further questions:
* Was this Marti's first offense or is he a serial offender, and if so to whom, and what were the text of those PMs and what was Surfcrest's response?

Is there then going to be one (or a series of polls) to determine members' feedback on:
* Is Marti a tosser?
* Should the original recipient have found Marti's PM offensive?
* Is the original recipient a tosser for reporting the PM to Surfcrest?
* Is Surfcrest a tosser for responding in the way he did

Gentlemen, we've barely started. This can run for weeks and weeks, pages and pages. Yippee. Can't wait.

[fountainhall]

to place a member on a "banned" list just because he thought, despite specific written statements, I would eventually return without any reference to me nor to the membership is, frankly, bizarre in the extreme.
So it seems to end the ding-dong, the owner of the gt.com site has finally decided to ban a member who has made no posting on the site for 18 months! On what grounds Mr Scooby? For having a spat with Michael in one thread? If that is the reason, then the present membership had better be very careful. Michael is clearly not a member with whom to get into any sort of argument! So I ask you as owner: where in the posting conditions does it provide any reason for this former member to be formally banned?

All this after writing yesterday that you - Scooby - had hoped the member would return! Bizarre! And even after all this time, you still refuse to accede to the member's very specific written request made all those 18 months ago to be deleted. Why do you so refuse? Are members express wishes not to be acceded to? But then, perhaps one reason is this might (I say "might" because I am not certain how that board works and I prefer to deal in facts) mean all that member's posts would then be deleted. And since a post this member started is by leaps and bounds (well over 8 times, actually) the most popular that site has had in the last year with over 103,000 views, without it might not the Board might look pretty barren?

And yes, firecat, I have never doubted nor have I ever questioned that Michael has done far more for that Board than anyone. But your habit of floating balloons without actually checking facts has surfaced again. Of your friend Michael in both his incarnations, you say "I am sure he is by far the most prolific poster here." Sorry firecat. Wrong again! According to the site's own post counter, Gaybutton is way ahead with 8,412 compared to GayThailand/Michael's combined 6,265. Mine? Well, it clearly says 7,884. But of course, why let something staring you in the face interfere with a presumption of what it the truth?

[travelerjim]

Oh My Gosh...
I like all the posters...ALL of them...All of you !

Can't we agree to disagree at times?
Can't we look ahead and not back?

We have so much to be thankful for...
Several varied forums to read and contribute to...
With forum owners who give of their time, money and talents in making them possible for us all...

Please fellas....forum owners and members...
Let's put down the spears and sharp words...
let's find way to forgive and forget...

And I am hopeful all the posters involved in these posts are back ...
On all of the forums...
contributing their reports on the Land of Smiles.

Thank you...
Happy Chinese New Year to All

tj

[Gaybutton]

According to the site's own post counter, Gaybutton is way ahead with 8,412
To be fair, most are probably very well aware that I'm a prolific poster. The vast majority of those 8,412 posts of mine were submitted when I was the moderator for the Gay Thailand board and did not yet have the board I have now - where I am also a prolific poster.

I don't know why some seem to keep trying to drag me into this inter-board war. I have nothing to do with it, have no argument with any of the participants, really don't give a damn about it, and I don't intend to start having anything to do with it.

[fountainhall]

To be fair . . . I don't know why some seem to keep trying to drag me into this inter-board war.
Let's also be fair. It was a mere mention of fact to counter an error in fact. That's all.

Happy Chinese New Year to All
Good sentiment! Happy Year of the Goat to one and all.

[Brad the Impala]

Gentlemen, we've barely started. This can run for weeks and weeks, pages and pages. Yippee. Can't wait.

Less "the flame goes out", and more "the flame keeps burning!"

[fountainhall]

Less "the flame goes out", and more "the flame keeps burning!"

As requested by Travellerjim, I will accept his proposal to cease and desist - once the gt board owner has explained to me why, as per my earlier post, 18 months after requesting my name and details be deleted - which they were not - I am now listed as "banned" on that site. He has explained to one and all the "retired" part. Now let him explain how it's possible on his board to list as "banned" a non-member and a non-poster after such a massively long period of time.

He need not keep up an exchange on the two boards - unless of course he wishes to do so. He has my email address in his files and he can easily contact me.

[fountainhall]

As per Scooby's latest post, this issue has now reached its end. He concludes by wishing me the best of luck in my endeavours. In that spirit, I am pleased to reciprocate.

As per Scooby's latest post, this issue has now reached its end. He concludes by wishing me the best of luck in my endeavours. In that spirit, I am pleased to reciprocate.Who the fuck is scooby and why should anyone care?

[scottish-guy]

As per Scooby's latest post, this issue has now reached its end. He concludes by wishing me the best of luck in my endeavours. In that spirit, I am pleased to reciprocate.Who the fuck is scooby and why should anyone care?

I quite agree - for over 40yrs I've not only preferred Shaggy, but dedicated (far too much of) my life to it

I quite agree - for over 40yrs I've not only preferred Shaggy, but dedicated (far too much of) my life to itIn the Shaggy Doggy position?

[Smiles]

Noticed: the ever-serious owner - i.e. a Mr Scooby Doo - of GayThailand board has now locked the thread which this thread is commenting on (for the most part anyway).

Locking threads is such a unpleasant, often unilateral, affair in general, especially when the trigger is an appeal emanating from posters who enjoy screaming simplistic and hokey platitudes like " ... why can't we just all be best buds and get along? ... ". The end game is that Mods tend to lock things when they just don't like it, or where the general direction of a thread is going ... they think.
Unfortunately, jinks (bless his heart for everything else) used this Mod-Hammer all the time on Sawatdee. Surfcrest has changed that to a great extent and the threads locked are few and far between these days ... including the ones where he is getting raked over the coals.

'Locking' on message boards is the one action which seems to be rarely related to a specific posting guideline, and in my opinion it absolutely should be. Unless a guideline is broken, let a thread go where the hell it wants.

[lego]

Well, for what it's worth: In my very personal but not completely uninformed opinion, Scooby and Firecat are one and the same person. I had been suspecting that since a long time, but having read Scooby's most recent posts extra carefully has removed all doubt. Why? Idiosyncrasies, and many of them! Have a really careful look at "their" posts and watch out for common peculiarities and you'll see what I mean. That, however, wasn't even what initially triggered my suspicion - it was due to a rather spectacular blunder Firecat made some months ago. He has been watched ever since.

[Surfcrest]

Locking threads is such a unpleasant, often unilateral, affair in general, especially when the trigger is an appeal emanating from posters who enjoy screaming simplistic and hokey platitudes like " ... why can't we just all be best buds and get along? ... ". The end game is that Mods tend to lock things when they just don't like it, or where the general direction of a thread is going ... they think.

Locking a thread is the easy solution, the solution that works best for the absent moderator that relies on the membership to start singing cartoon songs to draw his attention to the Board. I've learned from the battles I've lost from the few threads I have locked and so avoid it at almost all costs. Needless to say, if an entire thread ever vanished I'm sure we'd capsize here...lol


And, I don't normally read SGT but was sent there to read the current thread and saw that I was misrepresented by FH and pissed on by the guy name Surfcrest.
As for Michael's interesting response in the "Something for Surfcrest" thread I'm not sure how he can perceive this based on his and my participation in both threads. First off, I never participated in the "Something for Surfcrest" thread because the guy who started the thread...the guy who's pissed off for being banned just said in the preceding thread to all of this that he doesn't care if he's banned. Then he continues to try and pick a fight with someone else calling him a...hypocrite (lol).

Michael's response to my post in the "Only on this Forum" was to suggest I was "insane" equating me to "George Orwell's 1984 ". I didn't respond to that, my only other response in the thread was to firecat69's suggestion to clean up my own Board. Maybe firecat69 thinks I have some floor sweeping to do in this virtual world of SGT or perhaps he's asking me to delete some members he doesn't approve of? It's not the first time firecat69 has been allowed to be the bully of Gay Thailand, something he tried only once here.

Once I had deleted fircat69 and long after I stopped participating in the thread is when MIchael went on a fury calling me "childish" in addition to "insane", "fucking insane", and making as many "And, that is what separates the men from the children!" comments as he can get away with. And he thinks I somehow pissed on him? I think Michael's interest in all of this can best be described by his reaction. I wouldn't go so far as lego...but...



lol

Surfcrest

Gentlemen, we've barely started. This can run for weeks and weeks, pages and pages. Yippee. Can't wait.Less "the flame goes out", and more "the flame keeps burning!"More accurately "the flaming goes on".

[fountainhall]

Well, for what it's worth: In my very personal but not completely uninformed opinion, Scooby and Firecat are one and the same person. I had been suspecting that since a long time, but having read Scooby's most recent posts extra carefully has removed all doubt. Why? Idiosyncrasies, and many of them! Have a really careful look at "their" posts and watch out for common peculiarities and you'll see what I mean. That, however, wasn't even what initially triggered my suspicion - it was due to a rather spectacular blunder Firecat made some months ago. He has been watched ever since.
I can recall little activity by Firecat prior to Michael selling the Board but am not sure when he began to post in earnest. So I was going to try a similar exercise. In particular to find out when Firecat's posting started to increase. But . .

It is surely interesting that just in the last 24 hours or so the owner of gt.com has blocked access to most members posts before 21 February 2014 - mine and Firecat's included. Go to the search bar and check for a particular poster and then his "Content". There's now a note stating ""Search limited from 21-February 14". Now why, I wonder, would an owner do that when previously you could access individual members posts back to around 2008 or so? And why should one of the seemingly few members whose posts still go back beyond 21 February 2014, despite having that limitation noted at the top of his content page, be GayThailand - Michael's previous incarnation? You can read his old posts back to December 2009. And incidentally - or perhaps by design? - another whose posts remain on his Content page going back way beyond 14 February 2014 is - surprise, surprise - banned former member HeyGay, good friend of . . . well enough said!

Of course, anyone can still go into the main pages to read all the threads and posts going back to 2006! But that takes a great deal of time and effort that few will wish to expend. So what the 14 February 2014 cut-off date illustrates is a desire to make it far more difficult for anyone to access certain former members' individual posts. But then of course, each owner has the right to do as he pleases.

Without access to Firecat's posts pre February last year, you have to go through the posts GayThailand made at the time he sold the Board, This allegedly gives bits of info about the new owner -

"I hope to have this deal finalized soon. I'll then hand over the reins to a great couple that will be great running the board . . . The new owner's lover is much more computer savvy than I am . . ." 4 August 2010

Another whose posts supposedly stop in 2014 is the new owner. Yet by reading through the GayThailand posts, Scooby's first posts become obvious. This info was posted by him on 8 August 2010 -

"We appreciate all the support. I am the new Admin for the website. My boyfriend and I live in the USA and visit Thailand for 6 weeks every summer. Our plan is to retire there in 3-4 years. Most of our time is spent in Chiang Mai and that is where we wish to retire . . . this site will give us something to do when we retire"

That certainly does not equate with Firecat's posting activities in recent years.

[Peep]

It is surely interesting that just in the last 24 hours or so the owner of gt.com has blocked access to most members posts before 21 February 2014 - mine and Firecat's included. Go to the search bar and check for a particular poster and then his "Content". There's now a note stating ""Search limited from 21-February 14".

I don't suppose that you see that this access is based on one year and maybe resets daily to 365 days before?

[goji]

I just did a search and the results go back several years.

[Brad the Impala]

It is surely interesting that just in the last 24 hours or so the owner of gt.com has blocked access to most members posts before 21 February 2014 - mine and Firecat's included. Go to the search bar and check for a particular poster and then his "Content". There's now a note stating ""Search limited from 21-February 14".

I don't suppose that you see that this access is based on one year and maybe resets daily to 365 days before?

I wonder who "Peep" is who has joined us specially to make this post!! Perhaps the christian name is Bo?

[fountainhall]

I don't suppose that you see that this access is based on one year and maybe resets daily to 365 days before?
Welcome!

Of course I know it is NOW based on one year. Indeed in the last 24 hours it has clicked over to 22 February 2014. I also know for certain that it was never before based on one year. I would occasionally check back on my own posts and it had never before been a problem going back to around 2008.


I just did a search and the results go back several years.
Which posters were you checking? The threads themselves go back quite a few years. However, if you want to check a specific member's past posts, the only way is to go into the Member's own details page and then click on "Find Content". I have today looked again at several of the more regular posters. All their posts are available only back to 22 February 2014.

But it surely has to be odd that one of the few whose posts go back years before 2014 is the former owner Michael (posting under GayThailand)? Even odder, Firecat has one lone post before 22 February - a Gay Romeo post started on 29 October 2013! Perhaps Peep might suggest how this could happen IF indeed there is now an automatic reset?

[peeseua]

Interesting. Out of curiosity, I just asked some friends to check and they couldn't access their own posts before 2014 either.

[francois]

I also tried to check on a post which was quoted by Scooby but could not find anything prior to one year .

[Smiles]

Seemingly quite strange goings-on at GayThailand. For instance: in a search for all posts from 'Michael' up comes this notation ...
Michael's Content: There have been 100 items by Michael (Search limited from 22-February 14).
'Michael' is pretty well the #1 blabbermouth on GayThailand ( not an insult ... I'm one too) and according to his profile he has made a grand total of 2572 posts. On Sawatdee this would give you around 150 pages of posts if one clicks on the member's profile (and if GT board uses approx the same number of found-posts per page). On GayThailand one page only is accessable for 'Michael' ... and everyone else.

Having noted that: I rarely post on GayThailand, but I am a member, and certainly have posted stuff over the years. However, to be fair, I must admit to never - that I can recall - using the "Find All Posts" feature so have no idea whether this a recent development or whether it has always been this way. I kind of doubt the latter story, but I would like to know which it is. And even more, would like to know if it's related to the Fountainhead Saga.
'Burning History' does come to mind.

[fountainhall]

However, to be fair, I must admit to never - that I can recall - using the "Find All Posts" feature so have no idea whether this a recent development or whether it has always been this way. I kind of doubt the latter story, but I would like to know which it is. And even more, would like to know if it's related to the Fountainhead Saga.
I can only say it is very, very recent. It used to be easy to get access to anyone's posting history. Now you have to know which of thousands of threads a post is likely to be in and try that way. Given the time this would take, I doubt if many posters will therefore be able to locate old posts.

No idea if it has anything to do with the latest saga. However, the timing surely makes it pretty likely,. Plus it seems someone on that board wants to make sure as best as possible that certain past posts made by one or more members are not able to be accessed. Conspiracy theorists will come to the conclusion that there is therefore something posted prior to a year ago that someone definitely does not want referred back to. All very curious!

[catawampuscat]

curiouser and curiouser!

[goji]

Do a search and it goes back approximately 5 years (to about the time of the ownership change?).
Example (of a thread found using main search facility):
http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/5912-happy-birthday-fountainhall/?hl=fountainhall

Find member content goes back 1 year.

[fountainhall]

Do a search and it goes back approximately 5 years (to about the time of the ownership change?)
The threads actually go back as far as April 2006. GayThailand (Michael) sold the board around August 2010.

[Smiles]

A topic salivating in the most saccharine of ways can be found here: http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic ... untainhall (http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/5912-happy-birthday-fountainhall/?hl=fountainhall) Happy birthday to Fountainhall indeed. I'm sure he feels the love now.

I guess posts under the handle of 'GayThailand' seem to be still accessible, but not those under the handle of 'Michael'. Don't ask me why ... not a clue.
The topic linked above is a perfect example of why I hardly ever post there: the sugary ass-kissing is thick and palpable and the ever-maudlin tone reaks of the blatant insincerity of - for instance - the Fox News dudes. Any time Khortose sings Happy Birthday one knows sanctimony is brewing as well, and not far behind.

[LoveThailand]

As a relatively recent member in both forums I find posts dealing with infighting between old timers amusing at best. However, in both forums there are many interesting posts which actually provide good first hand information about Thailand. These are the ones I value.

[Smiles]

An interesting snippet authored by 'Michael' (the ex-owner ~ I believe ~ of GayThailand Board).
For some reason he seems to think Fountainhall is The Boss Hog of Sawatdee. I'm assuming he's being sarcastic ~ though I didn't know 'sarcasm' was part of his repertoire ~ but, perhaps he really thinks it's true?
The full post the sentence lives in is rather badly written and quite ponderous, but certainly weird. Michael loses narratives quite often, and in this post he reverts back to his normal wishy-washy "lets-all-get-along" ways . . . as all around him froth at the mouth with indignation.

" ... Now, all we need in this thread to bring it back full force to his last thread is the boss at SGT (Fountainhall) to jump in and tell Firecat he is reinstated and then banned again on his board. Oh, the good ole days ... " http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic ... -thailand/ (http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/9827-the-real-thailand/)
Perhaps Fountainhall should be banned, as he is clearly 'impersonating a board owner'.

[fountainhall]

For some reason he seems to think Fountainhall is The Boss Hog of Sawatdee
It's a very childish cheap shot not worthy of comment!

[catawampuscat]

When one plays too many games, they sometimes lose the plot.
A growing 'enemy' list of non believers of scooby has unnerved and rattled the boss at GT.
Firecat banning not related to his obsequious adoration of the boss hog at GT.

[Manforallseasons]

When one plays too many games, they sometimes lose the plot.
A growing 'enemy' list of non believers of scooby has unnerved and rattled the boss at GT.
Firecat banning not related to his obsequious adoration of the boss hog at GT.
It was no game to you when you idolized him walking behind him like an Indian Mahoot.

[Smiles]

It's a very childish cheap shot not worthy of comment!
To point out the obvious ... this is a message board. Everything is potentially available for comment. 'Worthiness' is not a criteria, nor is 'childish, nor 'cheap'.
Hole-digging by Michael is always worthy of comic relief.

[catawampuscat]

When one plays too many games, they sometimes lose the plot.
A growing 'enemy' list of non believers of scooby has unnerved and rattled the boss at GT.
Firecat banning not related to his obsequious adoration of the boss hog at GT.
It was no game to you when you idolized him walking behind him like an Indian Mahoot.
Now that's funny. :-$
I do remember the mahouts prodding their elephants thru Sunee Plaza and man oh man, can they pee. A flood
of elephant urine is not for sandal wearers.

For some reason he seems to think Fountainhall is The Boss Hog of SawatdeeIt's a very childish cheap shot not worthy of comment!Yet you've graced it by acknowledging its existence :))

It was no game to you when you idolized him walking behind him like an Indian Mahoot.Where was the elephant?

[fountainhall]

It's a very childish cheap shot not worthy of comment!
Yet you've graced it by acknowledging its existence :))
Which was perhaps the point - no? ;)

[Jellybean]

Crikey! Neal Bernard continues to haunt me from beyond the grave!

Every time I open Facebook, there is his photo, currently second from the top of the list, staring at me. Actually, thatтАЩs an exaggeration, heтАЩs not exactly staring because his eyes are closed and he appears to be sleeping, but I think you get my drift.

The only option, as far as I can see, is to, тАЬADD FRIENDтАЭ. There is no delete or reject button.

Well, he was never my friend. I said тАШhelloтАЩ to him a couple of times as I entered his bar as a customer. I never introduced myself. I never went out to dinner with him and shared a cow pie or a New York deli cheese cake. I was never offered the option to take over this forum. And, after reading the accounts of those who were, I count myself jolly lucky that, that never happened!


See if his contact information is still in your email contacts! If you remove him, this should stop the Facebook notifications especially if he's a contact in the same email address that you registered to Facebook with . . .
Surfcrest, I donтАЩt have NealтАЩs email address in my address book, well not as far as I can see.

Surely, if the request is linked to a Sawatdee membership database of some kind, I canтАЩt be the only member with this problem? Or am I? (Cue the Twilight Zone theme tune!) @-)

[Surfcrest]

Surfcrest, I donтАЩt have NealтАЩs email address in my address book, well not as far as I can see.

Surely, if the request is linked to a Sawatdee membership database of some kind, I canтАЩt be the only member with this problem? Or am I? (Cue the Twilight Zone theme tune!) @-)

No, it wouldn't be a Sawatdee issue as we have no connection to facebook. Facebook is more likely the culprit as it is constantly trying to expand it's network with every little bit of information it collects from you. I'll see if I can find you some information as to how to stop this from happening.

Surfcrest

[francois]

I never went out to dinner with him and shared a cow pie or a New York deli cheese cake.


I know that Neal like to "sling the shit" but never share a cow pie with anyone.

[christianpfc]

I think facebook suggests friends based on your data, even if you never met the person. Is it possible that both you and Neal like to be at the receiving end of fisting? That would explain it, although I wouldn't know where to state a preference for fisting on facebook.

I just checked and found Neal's profile (and probably will stay for eternity; unlike gayromeo which deletes profiles after long inactivity).

[scottish-guy]

I'm betting Jellybean can only take ONE fist though

[Surfcrest]

I think facebook suggests friends based on your data, even if you never met the person.

Another quite likely possibility is that one or more of your friends on your "Facebook friends list" is still "Facebook friends" with Neal. It should say on the notification you are receiving if he is friends with any of your friends. If so, you could ask them to de-friend him or if they don't want to, you could de-friend them. You can do this in Facebook from your friends list.

If you use an Apple device or using a "cloud" program, you may want to review your "contacts" to see if it hasn't imported contacts from other email sources.

There are quite a few possibilities Jellybean and I hope we can help you get this stopped!

Surfcrest

[catawampuscat]

Having met Jellybean on his trip to Pattaya, I can say he's the polar opposite of neal.
Double fisting quite a trick. Wonder how many Thai boys are still missing rings, bracelets
and watches.
Jellybean a genuinely nice guy and was quite busy offing lads nightly and
enjoying the boys in Pattaya.

[scottish-guy]

Having met Jellybean on his trip to Pattaya, I can say he's the polar opposite of neal.
Double fisting quite a trick. Wonder how many Thai boys are still missing rings, bracelets and watches..


Never mind the jewellery, I wonder how many Thai boys are just simply missing - after being sucked into that particular black hole


...Jellybean a genuinely nice guy....

Indeed he is - he generously offered to help me out with something in the past, when he had no need to do so......thats why I feel able to gently poke a little fun at him.

[francois]

There are none better than Jellybean so please no negative comments.

[scottish-guy]

There are none better than Jellybean so please no negative comments.

Commentaire superflu

[lonelywombat]

It is not frightening now to see his page come up on facebook. I rarely use facebook but it was a shock two months after he died to receive a "friend "request

His still live page

https://www.facebook.com/neal.bernard.5 ... &fref=pymk (https://www.facebook.com/neal.bernard.501?hc_location=friend_browser&fref=pymk)

[Jellybean]

. . . I'll see if I can find you some information as to how to stop this from happening.
Thanks for your help Surfcrest, which is really appreciated, especially as you say it is not a Sawatdee Network issue.

I know that Neal like to "sling the shit" but never share a cow pie with anyone.
Yuck! What a horrible image Fran├зois. I can't figure out who said, тАЬBritain and America were two nations divided by a common languageтАЭ. But I did find an Oscar Wilde quote along similar lines which, I think, fits my needs nicely: тАШWe have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language.тАЩ

IтАЩm more of a town boy so, thankfully, did not encounter cow dung very often, except when I visited relations living in the country. But I thought we in the UK referred to them as cow pats and not cow pies. If I am mistaken, then shoot me. LOL!

Anyway, the cow pie I had in mind was made famous by a British cartoon character of my childhood called Desperate Dan. He was rarely seen without his famous cow pies. See image below. And many thanks to Fran├зois who explained to me how to post the image.


. . . Is it possible that both you and Neal like to be at the receiving end of fisting? That would explain it, although I wouldn't know where to state a preference for fisting on facebook.
Fisting, ChristianPFC? Really? Fisting? Fisting? Linking Neal and me to fisting through Facebook? LOL! Oooh you are awful and, surprisingly, you still have the power to shock me . . . but I like you. And just to set the record straight, I can categorically say I have absolutely no interest in fisting either as the fister or the fistee. [Do such words even exist? Well, if not, IтАЩve just made them up.] LOL!

And Christian, thank you for taking me to Cloud 47 Rooftop Bar & Bistro last night. Members may be interested to know that it is located on the rooftop (47th floor) of the United Building in Silom Road, Bangkok. IтАЩd been in that building many times to visit Office Mate on the 9th floor, where I purchase my stationery items such as paper and ink cartridges for my printer. I wasnтАЩt previously aware of the rooftop bar, which they bill as тАЬA new casual dining experience on the biggest rooftop bar in Bangkok.тАЭ The panoramic views of the Bangkok skyline are stunning, although I did suffer from a little bit of vertigo at one point. It is open for lunch between 10:00am and 02:00pm Monday to Friday. And тАЬdinner & chill outтАЭ every day from 06:00pm to 01:00am. We were not there for dinner, as we had eaten elsewhere, but IтАЩd definitely consider going back there for dinner or just a drink with a boy special someday soon. I thoroughly recommend it to readers of the forum.

I'm betting Jellybean can only take ONE fist though
Your post literally made me laugh out loud Scottish-guy. But as regards the subject of тАШfistingтАЩ, I would refer you to the reply I gave to ChristianPFC some moments ago. LOL! (IтАЩm sure you will be familiar with that phrase.)

I am however not an innocent in these matters and will readily admit to being a regular member of a fabulously seedy London sex club called Fist, which I attended many years ago. It was a no holds (or should that read тАШholesтАЩ) barred sex club where perversions of every kind took place. But fisting was definitely not on my agenda.

Jellybean . . . was quite busy offing lads nightly and enjoying the boys in Pattaya.
Hey catawampuscat! How very dare you! Are you trying to suggest that IтАЩm a slut? ThatтАЩs an outrageous slur on my character and I demand an immediate apol . . . oops, err, wait a minute. Actually, forget that, IтАЩll have to come clean, fess up and admit, yes you are correct in every respect. But please believe me, it was all done in the best possible taste!

And it was a pleasure meeting you too.

It is not frightening now to see his [Neal Bernard's] page come up on facebook . . .
Yes!

[francois]

There are none better than Jellybean so please no negative comments.

Commentaire superflu

Relax Scotty, my comment was not directed at you but toward a certain tightfisted poster.
^:)^

[catawampuscat]

Jellybean a good sport. Surprised christian springs for nice rooftop bars as I got the
impression he only ate off food carts in the sois like most Thai boys. He must like
Jellybean to treat him in a relatively expensive place. I misjudged christian .
Who's the tightfisted poster, francois and is it a pun on 'fisting'?

[francois]

Who's the tightfisted poster, francois and is it a pun on 'fisting'?

Yes, a pun of sorts.

[Nirish guy]

Relax Scotty, my comment was not directed at you but toward a certain tightfisted poster. ^:)^

Being Scottish it was of course not surprising that the second you used the word "tightfisted" that SG assumed that was aimed at him, as lets face that it may well be considered a badge of honour to some in his Country :-)

[Butterball_Bruce]

I don't know about you but since I started reading fountainhall's articles I've been able to go off Ambien and I'll always be grateful to him for that.

[Jellybean]

. . . Cloud 47 Rooftop Bar & Bistro . . . Members may be interested to know that it is located on the rooftop (47th floor) of the United Building in Silom Road, Bangkok.
IтАЩd like to make a small amendment to the above post. I was in Silom Road this afternoon and I noticed that the building is actually called the United Center (American spelling).

And, whilst posting, I havenтАЩt seen it mentioned anywhere, but on a Sunday, Silom Road is closed to traffic and is opened up to market stalls selling food and all sorts of goods. There is also a small stage set up and music is played. It has a pleasant, relaxing festival atmosphere to it. If you find yourself in Bangkok and at a loose end on a Sunday afternoon, I recommend it. It reminds me of the Sunday market in Chiang Mai near the Taipei Gate (bpr├а-dtuu taipei).

[christianpfc]

Jellybean a good sport. Surprised christian springs for nice rooftop bars as I got the
impression he only ate off food carts in the sois like most Thai boys. He must like
Jellybean to treat him in a relatively expensive place. I misjudged christian.
You misunderstood. I suggested this place (of which I recently learnt from a Farang friend) for kind of goodbye party as I will go back to Germany next week and Jellybean will leave Thailand before I come back, so it will be a while until we meet again. I thank Jellybean for inviting me. I indeed usually eat street food like the Thai boys.

Cloud 47 is reasonably priced, with soft drinks at 120 Baht. From there you can see Lebua and Baiyok 2, bot at a similar level (elevation), but much more expensive.


Chiang Mai near the Taipei Gate (bpr├а-dtuu taipei).
Tha Pae gate? (tha=pier pae=raft)