TampaYankee

My sense of justice... sentence these clowns to the total time they sentenced the juveniles they denied due process to and make it hard time, no country club incarcerations. They really screwed up a lot of kids lives for personal greed.

Wish I had input to offer... alas I'm strictly a DVD release movie fan.

Is this what they mean about it ain't over til the Fat Lady Sings?

How can you beat that price for breakfast!! Now if they only delivered.

DOH!! First time I saw that I thought you intended to call us all Homers... or homeys.

We appreciate that we are recognized as an independent site. We do not seek to 'draft' off of other sites. We also have no desire to cede to other sites exclusivity on topics and types of content. Oz and I have a laissez-faire philosophy regarding the forums as long as policies and a measure of propriety and civility are observed. They are provided for the use of members who are free to post whatever they wish, within forums policy and withhold whatever they wish. This is the first time ever that I have seen the concept floated that 'sites hold exclusive rights' to topics of discussion. This blows directly in the face of a laissez-faire philosophy as well as being unenforceable. I find the concept very odd, very odd indeed. I urge rejection of that premise and hope it is widely rejected. Bottom line: people should post topics of interest. No one or no site has 'rights' over topics. What a wacky idea!

Very little to my knowledge.

Why escorts should NOT expect tips and why clients should NOT feel obligated to offer tips. I really didn't come to understand and appreciate tipping until later in life. Like many I understood tipping to be a proforma exercise that tagged 10% on to a bill or a bit more than the 10% as an expression of gratitutde for good service. I have never worked for tips and didn't fully appreciate that this is the primary source of income for many employees in the service industries. It took a family member working in the service industry to understand the basic role that tips play in these people's income. It is a fact that most restaurants pay wait staff a very low wage to work. In many, probably in most cases, below minimum wage. It is understood by both parties that a wait staff's income will primarily come from tips. I have difficulty with this arrangement as I believe employers ought to pay a fair wage to empolyees based on hours and service. In fairness there are good arguments for this customary arrangement based on the nature of the restaurant business. The bottom line is this is the custom in service sectors. So when I leave a tip anymore (18% -- 20%), it is not a proforma exercise of custom but a recognition that the person who served me depends on me to help contribute to him making a living at the end of the day. If the service is exceptionally good then I add a little extra to express my thanks. This is what tipping is really all about. Why don't doctors or lawyers, or carpenters solicit tips? They are service providers too. The reason is simple, they are independent service providers that set their own fees. They are not dependent on an employer for a place to work at the agreement of low wages supplemented by tips. Independent escorts also are service providers that set their own fees. They do not depend on tips to make their living or supplement their income. At least they should not. If they feel their fees are inadequate compensation then they have the power to raise them just as any lawyer or carpenter would. A case can be made that an escort working for an agency, at agency rates below the prevailing independent rates, might warrant consideration of a tip. For this reason, that escorts set their own fees and are free to change them at will and thus are not dependent on tips to supplement their income, escorts should not expect a tip and clients should not fee obligated to tip. Having said all of that, if a client wishes to express gratitude for exceptional service or thoughfulness then there is nothing wrong with a tip as expression of that graitutude. Personally, I have had escorts bring me gifts from Europe, pay for my supper, buy me three or four CDs that he thought would appeal to me or that I should be exposed to, etc. I have had escorts hang with me off the clock for great company for whole evenings. I'm appreciative when an escort looks at me as more than the next road sign on the highway. A little thoughfulness and forthought shown is appreciated. I have tipped but it truly was an expression of appreciation for going above and beyond in some substantive way, but not just for a successful engagement anticipated from the beginning.

I believe that tipping (and some other aspects for clients and escorts) ought to be approached from the point of view of reasonable expectations -- expectations of clients and expectations of escorts -- and why exceptions to expectations might be made. This is sort of glossed over in a round-about way. No clear argument is presented either way so it leaves unclear what really should be expected or asked for. A few other comments off the top of my head... No mention of recompense ettiqute expectations -- when to ask for pay, how to exchange pay. Also, no discussion of expectations, caveats, and concerns about extended engagements including travel engagements.

These are Tomcal's photos of his PA friends. Thanks Tomcal.

I'm not so sure he is the logical choice just because he is a doctor. This post has to be heavy on bipartisan political skills as well as knowledge of the medical care system. Dean doesn't get along with Republicans at all and he even has problems with many Democrats, especially since the primaries last year. I suspect he is not the practical choice for this one.

Great job Oz.

Surprisingly not. Some escorts do try to review themselves with nonspecific details but many escorts seem pleased to paint a detailed picture of their prowess to please. Of course, those reviews do not see the light of day. Most nebulous reviews are submitted by clients who are either too embarassed to share details or do not want to put the escort on record about what he will or won't do. I'm always bemused by the former who are willing to admit engaging an escort but unwilling to give brief fact of the encounter even though they are anonymous. As for the latter, I suspect their motivation is more to help the escort with publicity than it is to help fellow clients with hiring.

I plead guilty in the extreme. I have heard about all of these on the Foodnetwork. Would love to make the tour. I draw the line at eating with hands though. Momma didn't allow that. Guess I'll have to bring my own silverware and endure the cat calls. I was raised in the Southeast more in the Memphis BBQ tradition. The marriage of pork with hickory in a low and slow ceremony makes for some of the best eating man has created, IMO. I have to cook my own to keep my craving satisfied. I also love beef licked by the heat of wood coals. However, I have yet to taste real Texas Beef BBQ. I've tried to do brisket myself but i'm just not set up to cook it in the whole and for 12 hours or so. That is really necessary to do it right. As long as we are talking southern meats, I confess to being a big fan of country ham, especially KY and TN country hams. Country ham, red-eye gravy and hot biscuits with peach preserves turn any breakfast into a food orgy, or any other meal for that matter. BTW, for those travelling to MTL try the Montreal Smoked Meat. It is brisket prepared sort of in the style of a cross between corned beef and pastrami with some smoke. Delicious!! For the best see Schwartz's Deli (no frills), 3895 Saint-Laurent Boul, (514) 842-4813, http://www.schwartzsdeli.com . Thanks to firecat for cluing me in. Come early, the lines are long.

Gives a whole new meaning to 'String Quartet'.

I'm partial to Popeye's for chicken and red beans, Miami Subs for a great shwarma plate and Checkers for burgers. Very partial to Southern Pit Barbecue roadside dives. Maybe not quick but definitely worth the short wait for breakfast: Waffle House :D

Michael, you made your reputation the old fashioned way... your earned it. That stands you in pretty good stead IMO.

I am well aware that the appointments are political. I am also well aware that the President has the authority to remove them. The potential crime here is not that they were appointed or that they were removed. The potential crime is why they were removed. The fact that a legal action was taken to cover up an illegal action or to further the pursuit of that illegal action does not make all ok. Let the investigation go forth and the chips fall where they may.

In a perfect world, investigations that lead to prosecutions ought to be pursued, but this isn't a perfect world. Weighing the balance of moving ahead versus looking behind must favor moving ahead. Political strife arising from what many would see as political prosecutions would detract us from the necessary and important tasks that we face. However, I believe that we ought to know what happened and who did it for the simple reason that we not repeat history. So I favor some investigations but not prosecutions as a practical matter. I am content to let 'the players' of that history look over their shoulders whenever they engage in foreign travel. There are two exceptions to my practical 'no prosecution' stance though. 1. The politicization of the Justice Dept in the firing of eight prosecutors for not following thru with political prosecutions and 2. the role of the White House and DOJ in the prosecution of the Alabama governor on what appears to be trumped up charges for purely political motivatons. Having our leaders shred the constitutional protections to unreasonable search and seizure and to fabricate foundations out of thin air to commit war crimes is one thing... well two things actually. But permitting the polticization of the DOJ for political purposes and to deny political oppoonents of their freedom in that pursuit strikes at the very heart of our freedoms. This cannot be tolerated lest our freedoms will be defined not by the Consitution but by the political party in power and the political party we belong to. And once that party is fully entrenched they will be in a position to write our future history. This cannot be tolerated. It must be investigated whever it goes and prosecuted to the fullest extent. Our Democracy depends on it.

I don't see this myself. Not sure why it is happening to you. It may be a cookie issue -- probably is but not sure why. Try clearing your cookies. It is not unheard of for browsers or computer OSs to just shit the bed on rare occasion. Who knows why this happens? Well, I don't anyway. Whenever anything untoward happens to me with my browser I always dump the cache/temp pages first. If that doesnt help then I restart the browser. Ultimately, I may resort to a computer restart. We can investigate this if it becomes a broad chronic pain in the ass and we will. But for now we continue to press ahead with the new system and are reluctant to divert manpower away from that effort to shore up the old system until it becomes a major issue . Hopefully, clearing the cookies or one of the other suggestions will help. Please let us know if this gets worse or becomes just too much of a pain the ass.

Wish I had had the opportunity to see Bathhouse Betty back in the day at the Continental Baths.

She is so yesteryear... a pathetic parody of herself, not to mention an embarassment to anyone who gives her a platform which can be nothing more than a sideshow. Sean Hannity is the male counterpart. I have no time for either.

Sorry to leave you with that impression. Life is good. I no longer report to anyone or suffer moronic appartchics. My hours are my own. I spent decades commuting over 750,000 miles -- most in rush hour. I drive less than a thousand miles a year now and none in rush hour. Such freedom does come at a price, part being less disposable income - a price gladly paid for the freedom bought. As for age, I'd love to see my forties again-- any of them. As for my lust, it's exclusively spontaneous these days. Gone are the days of endless pining over pedastal figures. Well... maybe Travis Fimmel, as he was, might be the exception.

I am long past keeping a To-Do Lust-List -- a combination of age and pension living. However two of my Lusts of the Past: Brendan/Sydney, now a days Brendan Austin, and Steven Draper. Met both: Brendan 9 years ago when he had the finest body in the business for my tastes (and that includes the second hardest bubble ass I ever encountered) and Steven, another classic body, a couple of years later. I'm sure there were others but memory being what it is.... I did meet many escorts that didn't start on my burning To Do list but did become burning experiences and many must repeats. If I were to have a Must Do Lust List I think I would start in London. They seem to have the highest density of hot guys in the world. Check out a sample: http://www.boysandboys.com/london_male_escorts.htm

He really was the Sarah Palin of his time!! Amazing what a well-oiled political machine can foist on the American public. The 7 year nightmare will be over soon. But recovery will be long just the same.