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Let's not leave out drunks. We need protection too. Best regards, RA1

For me, a break from posting was a great idea. I don't intend to post at the level at which I was once known, but I do enjoy the interaction, especially considering how many interesting, smart, and well-traveled men post here. Having said that, if tomcal is taking a much-needed break from here, more power to him. But I would like to express the thought that my return here found his absence disconcerting as I consider him to be one of the more valuable members of the board. Thus, I hope he is in fact just taking a break and plans to rejoin us. He's not just a great guy to be in Brazil with, he's a great guy to be posting with. Here's to his health, happiness, and continued travels, which I hope to hear all about!

So many have already come to the conclusion that the death penalty should be abandoned if we are to call ourselves a civil society, yet I have been one of those who thought that, in very limited circumstances, it should be kept. I didn't argue that it was a deterrent, as some do, because crimes with the death penalty keep happening anyway. I doubt it's a consideration for most people who kill. But I believe that there are truly evil people who do truly evil things, and know darn well what they do. I think of people like WIlliam Bonin, who put hot rods up the butts of young blond hitchkikers in California some 42 times. Then there's John Wayne Gacy. Lots more in that department. And people who kill the president I didn't think deserved to live. Basically, my argument was that we had to have such a penalty for our worst criminals. Why pay to keep them for life in prison? Too many chances they might get out. Yet I have had no trouble opposing super-max prisons as cruel and unusual punishment. These are the places where the prisoner is locked in a small cell 23 hours a day, and even when let out, exercises alone with no human contact. I think that is no way to treat prisoners. But today a study was released of thousands of older death penalty cases, and mistakes were found at an alarming level. It's too late to help someone who has already been executed but now I believe it should be the last straw in the argument for the death penalty. It's a punishment where mistakes simply cannot be made. "An unprecedented federal review of old criminal cases has uncovered as many as 27 death penalty convictions in which FBI forensic experts may have mistakenly linked defendants to crimes with exaggerated scientific testimony, U.S. officials said." Since we have been unable to do the job with perfection, then we should abandon the penalty. I know others have long since come to this view, but for me, having seen in court some of the most dangerous people alive, it took longer. The study, as reported in the Washington post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/us-reviewing-27-death-penalty-convictions-for-fbi-forensic-testimony-errors/2013/07/17/6c75a0a4-bd9b-11e2-89c9-3be8095fe767_story.html?hpid=z3

My Solution to Making the World a Better Place - Take A Piss !

The 7 Most Beautiful-But-Deadly Flowers in the World 7. Daphne Also known as lady laurel or paradise plant, Daphne is a 1-1.5 meters tall shrub, usually grown for its scented flowers. All parts of the plant are poisonous, but the greatest concentrations are in the sap and berries. Daphne contains mezerine and daphnin, two powerful toxins that cause stomach aches, headaches, diarrhea, delirium and convulsions. If Daphne berries are consumed, the victim might fall into a coma and even die. 6. Lily of the Valley Just like the Daphne, Lily of the Valley may look beautiful and harmless, but it is entirely poisonous. Eating one or two of the plant’s bell-shaped flowers won’t hurt you very much, especially if you’re an adult. Eaten in large quantities, Lily of the Valley causes pain in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, cramps and diarrhoea. People with heart conditions should be most careful since the toxins cause the heartbeats to slow down or become irregular. 5. Belladonna Known as one of the most poisonous plants in the Western hemisphere, Belladonna contains potentially lethal tropane alkaloids. The entire plant is harmful, but its good-looking berries pose the most danger, especially to kids. The symptoms of Belladona, or Deadly Nightshade poisoning are dilated pupils, blurred vision, headaches, hallucinations, delirium and convulsions. Atropine, the toxin contained by Belladona, can kill a person by disrupting the nervous system’s ability to regulate breathing, sweating and heart rate. 4. Angel’s Trumpet Despite its name, there’s something very evil about this plant. The toxins it contains can be fatal to humans and a number of animals. Known as a powerful hallucinogen, Angel’s Trumpet should not be used for recreational purposes, since the risk of an overdose is very high. Angel’s Trumpet plants contain a variable amount of tropane alkaloids, like atropine and scopolamine, and it is used in shamanic rituals by indigenous tribes in western Amazonia. 3. Rhododendron This popular evergreen shrub, featuring large, beautiful blooms, has been known for its toxicity since ancient times. Xenophon recorded the odd behavior of a group of Greek soldiers who had eaten honey from rhododendron flowers. Rhododendron contains andromedatoxin which causes nausea, severe pains, paralysis and even death. Azaleas, members of the same plant-family as rhododendron, are also poisonous. 2. Oleander Oleander is known as one of the most poisonous plants on Earth, often used in suicidal cases around southern India. The numerous toxic compounds contained in the entire Oleander plant, including oleandrin and neriine, affect the nervous, digestive and cardiovascular systems, all at the same time. Oleander poisoning leads to drowsiness, tremors, seizures, coma and even death. The plant’s sap causes skin irritation and severe eye inflammation. 1. Autumn crocus One of the most endangered plants in the world, Autumn crocus is also probably the most poisonous. It contains colchicine, a deadly drug used effectively in the treatment for gout. Unlike other toxins found in the flowers above, colchicine, an arsenic-like poison has no antidote. Autumn crocus poisoning leads to reduced blood pressure and cardiac arrest. http://www.hotelclub.com/blog/deadly-flowers/

MBK in Bangkok: A Day in Photos For those that need a cell phone repair or a new phone, the place to go in Pattaya is Tuk Com but the place to go in Bangkok is MBK. They have a massive section for cell phone sales, repair, etc. However, every time we tried to take out our cameras, we were asked to put them away. LOL I guess they didn't want photos of all the knock offs? MBK is also a mall with a ton of stores and places to eat. It also has a movie theater. MBK is often the place where my boys say they want to shop when they have some money to spend on clothes. Siam Paragon is for high end shoppers and I can't afford most of the stores there but I love the food court. However, MBK is much more affordable and many Thai's love shopping there. I like the movie theater there and have seen my fair share of movies at MBK. I don't like their food court as much as most other malls in this area but the boys like it as it has a lot of Thai food. All in all, MBK is a fun experience if you have not been there.

CharliePS, is that why I have ads for midgets dressed in drag topping young Asian men all the time in my ads?

Further thoughts on the topic. I tend to agree with the views below. Queerying Queer B.J. EpsteinLecturer in literature and public engagement, University of East Anglia Posted: 19/07/2013 00:00 Nearly every time I write an article (or talk on the radio) about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues, someone then contacts me to complain about my employment of the word "queer". Typical responses include: "Nice article, but why do you have to use such a negative word?" or "I doubt you really are for LGBT rights, if you say 'queer'." or "You're obviously homophobic." Since summer is the season for LGBT(Q!) pride events, it seems like the ideal time to que(e)ry the term "queer", and to think about why it seems to be a word that divides opinion. I like the term "queer." It's an open word and it brings many of us together. I like how it encompasses all of us non-heterosexuals, whether lesbian, gay, or bisexual, as well as those who are transgender, whether they are heterosexual or not. I like that it can include other people as well: questioning, intersex, asexual, genderqueer, fetishist, sadist, masochist, and so on (there are simply too many too list). I know polymorous heterosexuals, asexual heterosexuals, and heterosexuals in master-slave relationships who use "queer" to describe their sexuality (likewise, I know, for example, asexual heterosexuals who would never describe themselves as queer; to me, calling oneself queer is all about choice). For many of us, queer is anything non-norm (note: non-norm does not mean abnormal; it just refers to anything considered different from the standard one-man-one-women coupling). It connects a wide range of non-norm relationships and experiences together. It can also serve to challenge the norm. I like that the term holds the LGBTQ community together, in part since it is a way of identifying ourselves without having to always break into smaller factions. Not all queers are alike, of course, but there is strength and power in having a joint term for us. But I know that other people see the word very differently. I keep coming across two distinct views on the word, both of which I disagree with. The first is an opinion I find quite frequently in the U.K. and in some other parts of Europe. Here, young people especially object to "queer," disparaging it as a word "old people" use. Some English and Welsh university students at an event heard me use it once and they looked at me and mocked, "How old are you, anyway?" It is outdated to them, and there is no need for it. They think the "queer rights" movement was decades ago, and now we've moved on. They suggest we be more specific, rather than hide behind an overarching label, and just call ourselves gay or lesbian or bisexual or trans and be done with it. "Queer" is an ugly, overly general word and they'd rather we delete it from the dictionary. The "queer eye" notwithstanding, it's not a word that some LGBTQ youth of today recognise or use to identify themselves. The other argument tends to come from older people. They argue that "queer" (like other terms of abuse, such "kike") has such negative connotations that it will always and inevitably be seen as pejorative. It's a harsh, thoughtless word. Often, it is these older people who write to me and accuse me of being homophobic; they say that the word was used against them so often that there is no way of reclaiming it and/or redefining it. They say anyone who uses it must be homophobic in some way (they don't ever seem to mention biphobia or transphobia). As with the younger generation, these older folks tend to recommend specification. "Just say gay," they tell me, assuming "gay" covers both men and women, and also leaving off the "B" and the "T", not to mention many of the other letters in our alphabet soup. I don't understand this desire for fracturing our community into ever smaller subsections. What's great about "queer" is that it's a broad, open term, welcoming any who choose to use it. So we're left, as I see it, with two options. We can let "queer" slip out of grasp. We can decide that it is too old-fashioned or too negative, and we can forget it has anything to do with LGBTQ issues and people. Maybe it can go back to meaning "strange". Or we can continue to use "queer", letting it bind the queer community - that is, the LGBTQ (etc.) community - even if it may not be the only label a queer person might use. I think that "queer" is a helpfully wide label, and it is a shortcut (constantly writing or saying "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, questioning, poly, etc." is exhausting). It is also a challenge to those who hold normative views, and it is a bold way of claiming space and language for ourselves. So until someone comes up with a better suggestion than "queer," I'll keep using it. Enjoy Queer Pride this summer. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/bj-epstein/queer-definition_b_3615513.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

Now it seems that every web page I go to has an ad for Andrew Christian. That's the price of watching the video. For all the goodwill they might have won with the video, they lose it with the incessant ads. My other ads are "fly to Palm Springs!" and "flights to Bangkok." I wonder which flight would be cheaper.

Of course. Are you about to be an alternate spokesman for Snowden? Best regards, RA1

Surely a subset of one or the other of my categories above, nyet?

Also that the Lord protects saints and fools.

Thanks for the list. Some good choices but I am a bit disappointed that Bates Motel only got one nomination. At least if it only got one then they got it right with Vera Farmiga...I thought she was incredible. I would have loved to see it nominated for Best Drama series as well. I have just recently discovered Downton Abbey and am halfway through the third season. I am thoroughly enjoying it and glad it is getting recognition in the nominations.

I, too, hope that Tom returns soon because he gave valuable information to all of us who've traveled to Brasil, and for me, salient data regarding our interests for parts of Europe and the US as well. I hope to be traveling to parts of Eastern Europe in September on a postponed trip; Tom gave me additional information for a contact in Prague, a guy who's written to me in the past, an escort I am eager to meet when I am there in September. Tom posted some great pics of guys as well. When he decides to return here, I do hope that he'll resume doing what he's done oh, so well previously! I, for one, has missed his visuals as well as his words here! Along with Lucky and others, I wish him well in "his health," "happiness," and his "continued travels, which I hope to hear all about"-- too!

In the circles I travel in, admittedly not large ones, there is no drug use other than medical marijuana, which I fully support. Many years ago in San Francsico I briefly dated a young guy who liked cocaine. I was amazed at how widespread the cocaine underworld was. In essence, it surrounded us. If you were not tuned in to it, you didn't notice. The war on drugs has been a huge failure.

Hey, I can do lace too! That video is damn hot, why don't we try to top it?

I've read faint mention of this from different news sources. Reading of 258,000 ER visits due to heroin use is a great surprise. Ditto the Vancouver BC as the heroin capital of North America.

I was surprised to see a fair amount of this in NYC: casual heroin use among the white middle class (other races too). More often snorted or smoked than shot up, as the article notes.

We don't give money to somebody who may (/ has in the past) use it suppress our civil rights. When Card worked against us in the Prop 8 fight, even though I loved the original series, I gave all his books to a local used book store. He hurt us with his actions, sorry but I don't believe in turning the other cheek or any other such claptrap. He's written a very interesting plea though, that basically goes even further than what we've achieved, realizing that whether you personally agree or not CONSTITUTIONALLY equal rights will have to become nationwide. > Ender’s Game is set more than a century in the future and has nothing to do with political issues that did not exist when the book was written in 1984. With the recent Supreme Court ruling, the gay marriage issue becomes moot. The Full Faith and Credit clause of the Constitution will, sooner or later, give legal force in every state to any marriage contract recognized by any other state. Now it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute. Orson Scott Card My plan is to buy a ticket for something more worthy of my dollars then slip in to Ender's Game. Hopefully others will as well.