MangoZeen

Thais like to think that prostituttion didn[’t exist within their borders until its introduction by the Chinese, however the country since time immemorial has fiercely upheld the tradition of mia yai / mia noi or big wife / small wife. This form of bigamy is widely accepted in all levels of society from kings to […]

It’s 8am and no sign of Easter Egg unters along Pattaya’s Beach Road. Most Christian are sleeping off celebratory drunks, hoping to rise from the dead for a recuperative beer in the late afternoon.

The Thais’ awareness of the Christian religious holiday comes from TV broadcasts of Filipinos flailing themselves into a messianic frenzy before subjecting […]

Evil lurked everywhere in 1965 and our 7th Grade Catholic school teacher, Sister Mary Josef, warned her male students in a special assembly that not only masturbation would condemn boys to hell, but repeated self-abuse led to hair sprouting from our palms and worst case scenario, blindness.

“Idle hands are the tools of the devil. Even […]

Many of westerners live in the Orient without fully understanding the spirituality of the East. We are trapped by the Ten Commandments or our own preconceived notions of life. All humans might have to pull down their pants to go the bathroom, but few farangs will stand on the toilet seat to take a piss. […]

Back in the 90s my cousin Sharon Mitchell came to perform at the ShowWorld in New York. She and I were invited to the Fire Island cottage of Robin Byrd, famed XXX cable TV spokesperson. The short ferry ride brought vacationers to the sandy coastal island. There are no cars. No 7/11s. Only the occasional […]

The religious right in America have sought to increase the influence of God on the government by trying to place the 10 Commandments in various courthouses and legislature. While I am not a follower of the bearded Jehovah in the flowing muumuu, I have nothing against erection of the twin tablets of NO this and […]

Makha Bucha Day is a national Thai Holiday commenmorating the day that Lord Buddha announced to his gathered discilples the prinicpals of  Buddhism with its core plea for man to love other men in order to achieve Nirvana. Banks, schools, and public offices are closed today, however the Samak government showed love means not taking a day […]

As a child the nuns told us that the punishment for blasphemy was a bolt of lightning. You wouldn’t even get a chance to hear the thunder. One second you’re flesh and blood. The next you’re charred to the bone like a steak left on the BBQ grill overnight. While I may be a non-believer, […]

Several months ago the Culture Minister received a letter from a  well-known Thai architect demanding that the government stop the construction of the Dora-Shada Resort in Baan Plai Nam on the grounds that its main reception hall resembled a Buddhist temple.

    
“I have been in the forefront, for some years now, in trying to stop people […]

HM the King of Thailand was released from Siriraj Hospital Wednesday after 26 days of treatment to take up residence at Chitralada Palace.

I watched his departure on TV.
At first he was wheelchaired down a corridor in view of his adoring subjects. The mere sight of their monarch was enough to send the thousands of well-wishers into […]