TampaYankee

Looks like any Saturday at the Wallmart in any fair-to-middlin sized town in North Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia... I thought PS was for rich retirees, and desert homes for Hollywooders. Who knew. I know understand that Lucky is really a man-of-the-people.

Can't say what goes on over there these days but in the past when I attended I inferred from observations and also heard through private escort communications that sucking up seemed to pay benefits. That was one reason why we were dedicated to providing a level playing field among escorts and between escorts and clients. From what I read here Oliver does indeed deserve high praise for a great production and experience for the attendees.

Sad to hear of her premature passing. She had quite a set of pipes on her. Easy on the eyes in her prime too.

Maybe, but then he could have done that at any time. It's easy to be cynical these days, surely there are reasons all around us in our daily life. I choose to take his post at face value until I have firm reason to do otherwise. As for escorts using links to web pages and reviews as signatures, it is a common practice, one which potential clients appreciate and escorts are often urged to do by posters if it is not their practice. Nothing wrong with advertising a business, even in a forum if done unobtrusively. FWIW

I'm a bit bullshit over this. We have no national security interest in this. There is some humanitarian interest but that is a slippery slope and there seems to be some creep from that. Clearly, the call from The Arab League made the difference in our decision (before they got weak knees and tried to backpeddle). IMO we should have kept our participation as the logistics support and battlefield coordination level. I am reluctantly ok to provide the cruise missle attack on air defense centers as long as arab states pay for the missles although I prefer not to. The justification is taking out fixed air defenses at no pilot risk. I do think we should NOT have sent aircraft over Libyan airspace although an argument can be made for limited stealth bomber attacks only, again for lower risk operations. We went further than that. Then only with arab state particpation in air operations with the Brits and French. The arab states are still dithering about, which they are good at when the rubber hits the road. We should hand over battlefield command and all attack responsibilities to others by this point and limit our activites to logistics and battlefield surveillance and intelligence activites for sharing with the other forces. Let the Europeans and Arab States sort this out from here on out.

Not all are rigged, historically speaking. I know of two yearly-contests at early HooBoy's that were not. All was done in the open. Unless it is done in the open or performed by a reputable third party (Price Waterhouse ), one has to wonder. These things are a marketing effort plus a reason to have a party and maybe get some special benefits for the organizers. All pretty much a fun trip except for those working guys who think it is for real and take them too seriously.

Not so sure that this is consistent with the American ideal of 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'. We used to tell the Chinese to let their people travel and even emmigrate if they wish -- it was a basic human right. We stopped saying that in so straight forward a manner when the Chinese replied "How many Chinese immigrants would you like to receive? 30 million? 50 million? We wouldn't even notice...

Now that's a birthday cake I can get behind.

Just one more step in the control and censorship of the internet.

Domain '.xxx' Approved for Web Porn Sites AP SAN FRANCISCO -- You've heard of ".com" and ".org." Joining them soon will be their bawdy cousin: ".xxx." On Friday, the board of directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which oversees the Internet's naming system, approved the creation of a red-light district online for pornographic websites. It follows a decade-long battle over such a name. The board of directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved the domain ".xxx" for pornographic websites. Religious groups argue that giving adult websites their own corner of the Internet legitimizes the content. Pornographers worry it will ghettoize their sites. Although it's meant to be voluntary, they fear governments could try to mandate the domain's use, so that pornographic content is more easily blocked. Diane Duke, executive director of the adult entertainment industry's Free Speech Coalition, said in a statement that ICANN has "disregarded overwhelming outpouring of opposition from the adult entertainment industry - the supposed sponsorship community" and dismissed the "interests of free speech on the Internet." Supporters have maintained that approving the domain is in keeping with the principle of openness that has fueled the Internet's growth. While the idea of ".xxx" has provoked a philosophical debate, for the U.S. company that submitted the application for the domain, the issue is little more than a matter of dollars and cents. ICM Registry and its CEO, Stuart Lawley, who has led the fight for ICANN's approval of ".xxx," stand to profit handsomely from the rollout of ".xxx" websites - because he will be in charge of collecting fees for the use of the new domains. Lawley plans to charge registrars $60 per year for the domain names. He estimates that he could sell as many as 500,000 by the time he rolls them out this summer. "This was always going to be a very lucrative arrangement," he said in an interview Friday. Lawley's prices have been a critical issue for opponents to his plan, since domain names typically sell for a fraction of what Lawley plans to charge. They often sell for $10 or less. ICANN had repeatedly rejected Lawley's application since 2000, under pressure from Christian groups and governments unhappy with the spread of online porn. Lawley has pitched the suffix as a way for parents to more easily block access to the content. He argues it will be easier for Web filtering software to block ".xxx" sites since they are clearly labeled as porn. See original article at: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/18/domain-xxx-approved-for-web-porn-sites/

I really loved the air and hotel bargains prevalent in 2002/2003, and the Canadian exchange rate too. I got lots of great travel bargains. Just wish I knew then what I know now about travel destinations and resources.

Happy Birthday Charlie, and many happy returns. At our age a birthday is a happy event given the alternative. And for me, even though I felt I was knowledgable and mature at 17, and at 30 and at 50, I realize that with the continued accumlation of life experience and observations, I continue to gain perspective that I was missing at those younger ages. That's the positive part of advancing age. We'll overlook the less positive aspects on this happy day.

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This is the first I recall of hearing about this city. Always interesting to learn about new places. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Post a review? Maybe here or at a massage site?

10 Things Hotels Won't Tell You By Jim Rendon Provided by: 1. "In tough times we have to discountcreatively." For the hotel industry, 2009 was the worst year since the Great Depression, and last year was only slightly better. At its low, the average daily room rate was $97, down from $107 in 2008, and occupancy rates fell below 55 percent. "This recession has been so traumatic across the board for all types of hotels," says Robert Mandelbaum, research director at Colliers PKF Hospitality Research. In turn, hotels have slashed staff and cut corners. Michael Aschoff, a retired compliance officer from Tampa, Fla., stays in hotels 30 to 50 nights a year and has noticed they've stopped replacing soap and providing body wash and mouthwash. "They have really cut back on little amenities," he says. But hotels are holding the line on rates, says Travis Rank, director of worldwide sales at Best Western International. Instead, some hotels offer free parking, gift cards or other perks, like a free extra night for customers who book a certain number of nights in a row. Check hotel websites to find these dealswhich are likely to be available until 2012, when the industry is expected to recover. 2. "Book with us to get an upgrade." When you book your room through a third-party site like Expedia or Travelocity, the hotel typically pays a commissionup to 30 percent. Through their own sites, hotels will usually match the best rates and may offer specials, and many will let you change your reservation without penalty if you've cut out the middleman. What's more, book directly with the hotel and your "chances of getting an upgrade are vastly improved," says Rank. Hotels also like to save perks for their loyalty-program members. Chris Jones, the general manager of Hotel Indigo in San Diego, says he gives upgrades to about 35 percent of customers, with priority going to loyalty-card holders. "The hospitality industry is all about relationships," says Fredrik Korallus, executive vice president for global revenue generation at Carlson Hotels. "If you want something, it never hurts to ask." 3. "We can be sneaky about our best deals." Since most hotels are franchises, individual owners offer the best deals. They're promoted online, via e-mail newsletters and, more recently, through social networking sites like Facebook and Foursquare. Hotel Indigo had 500 followers on Twitter before it even opened, and Jones says last fall he offered $185 rooms to followers for $99and booked 45 rooms in two hours. Robert A. Rauch, a managing partner at a San Diego Hilton, says he offers time-sensitive deals and restaurant or spa specials online. Hotels also offer discounts through partners like Visa or American Express, but since hotels aren't always enthusiastic about those, "sometimes it takes some effort" to find them, says Matthew Stone, a professor of travel and tourism at Prince George's Community College in Washington, D.C. 4. "Your room won't really look like this." There are plenty of places to find reviews of hotels, from newspapers and magazines to websites with traveler reviews. But when you want to see what the room or the pool looks like, you often have to trust the hotelwhich may not be trustworthy, says Eli Seidman, founder of travel site Oyster.com. There, Seidman posts a hotel's image next to one taken by his own photographers to show readers how deceiving hotel marketing can be. "It's pretty bad, in varying degrees, across the whole industry," says Seidman. And when it comes to the description of the room, "the square footage is complete nonsense," he says. Most hotels are not out to actively deceive customers. "We want to ensure that the images are accurate," says Jeff Wagoner, president of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. But, he adds, "we have no specific written guidelines." 5. "Kiss your credit card data goodbye." Hotels have become a favorite target for credit carddata thieves. According to digital-security firm Trustwave, 38 percent of the credit card hacking cases it worked on in 2009 were in the hospitality industryfar more than any other industry the company works with. Hackers (usually organized crime outfits) access a hotel's network by guessing the administrator password, then place malware on the network, which then transmits guest's card numbers back to them. They can also steal other info about youhome address, phone number, license plate numberto aid in identity theft. Nicholas J. Percoco, director of Spider Labs, a unit of Trustwave, says he had his own card data stolen and used just minutes after he checked into a hotel last year. "It can happen really quickly," he says. "This has become a priority in the industry," says Wagoner. "We are putting a lot of effort and energy toward data security." His company, like others, has basic requirements in place that franchisees are expected to follow. Visa has also worked with the industry to improve its data security. And things are getting better: Percoco says the hospitality industry fell to become the second most targeted industry in 2010. 6. "We need locals as much as travelers." With fewer people traveling, hotels that have bars, restaurants, spas and golf courses have been forced to look closer to home for help making up lost revenue. At the San Diego Hilton, Rauch says, 60 percent of the revenue from the spa and 70 percent from the bar come from locals. "Hotels need to learn to become the hub of the community," he says. Korallus says the majority of customers at the FireLake restaurant in the Minneapolis Radisson are locals, and Carlson Hotels is launching two new restaurants designed to attract more local business. Wyndham hotels that usually cater to business travelers have likewise sought to lure locals by offering discounted weekend rates. Indeed, much of the industry has worked to boost revenue this way, says Mandelbaum. And while it has helped, it has not made up for all the lost room revenue in the short term. 7. "We'll happily waive that fee." These days airlines have found a way to charge for just about everything, but it's a different story for hotels, which have been losing revenue from once reliable sources. At one time, people paid exorbitant fees to use the room phone; now everyone has a cell phone. Revenue from pay-per-view movies is down significantly now that people bring movies with them on their laptops. Looking to add revenue, hotels have upped staples like parking charges (up to $40 a day) and the mysterious "resort fee" that some vacationers have seen tacked on to their bills (as much as $30). "Hotels are desperate to leverage up these fees," says Rauch. The good news: Hotels are pretty open to negotiating or even waiving some of these fees, says Stone. Unlike the airlines, where just a few companies control the industry, the hotel business is made up of more individual owners who are desperate for loyal customers and who are competing against other hotels that may not charge these fees. Bottom line: If you don't like a fee, ask about it. 8. "We can't do much about bedbugs." Hotels are a perfect environment for bedbugs lots of turnover and lots of beds. And it has become a big issue for the industry. According to the National Pest Management Association, 67 percent of the pest-control companies it surveyed have received calls to treat hotels and motels. Unfortunately, there's really nothing hotels can do to prevent travelers from bringing them in, since bedbugs are tiny and can hitch a ride on clothes or luggage. "The key is to find it and treat it as quickly as possible," Jones says. Travelers can use BedBugRegistry.com or the iPhone app Bed Bug Alert to search for infested hotels but should take these sources with a grain of saltthe cases haven't been verified and, even if true, may have been treated already. Your best bet: On arrival, check the corners of the mattress for bedbugs or the telltale brown spots they leave. 9. "We obsess over online comments." Traveler-review sites have become a powerful force in the hotel industry. Too many bad reviews and business may start to slidea fact those in the industry know all too well. "We highly recommend that hotel managers keep up with what is being said about them online, and not only respond but rectify any issue the customer might have had," says Wyndham's Wagoner. For consumers, these reviews are bringing changes for the better. Korallus says some of his hotels have begun opening their gyms an hour earlier, thanks to online comments. And Jones says he brings online comments into staff meetings: "The more feedback, the better." 10. "You can make a killing on points." A few years ago, Dave Weinberg, a Maryland-based consultant who travels a lot for work, became a platinum member of Intercontinental Hotel's Priority Club Rewards programwithout spending much time at the hotel. He signed up for the branded credit card, then benefited from generous point offers. "All hotels are trying to lure in travelers with extra point offers," he says. "This is the longest period of sustained hotel promotions we've ever seen," says Tim Winship, publisher of FrequentFlier.com. Hotels are offering double and triple points to those who stay with them. As hotel points rack up, Winship says, travelers might think about swapping hotel points for airline miles, since airlines are raising prices while hotel rates are likely to remain low in many markets. "The way things are going, airline miles have more real value," Winship says. See original article at: http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-38834769

Or desperation. I don't know about drug addiction, but I know that those suffering severe depression may take desperate measures to end what they call the 'pain of the emptiness'. That takes the lives of many of our young adults and teens, and older too I'm sure.

I very much agree with you. Obama's statement on Bradley Manning disappointed me as has some of his other actions in this military/terror arena. In some ways he is not much better than Bush II regarding due process rights. I do give him credit for much concrete success and thank him for it. He gets hight marks as a technician for achievement. also, I have differences with some of his achievements which I class a failures. I fault him for being a lackluster leader, he seems incapable or unwilling to inspire the troops with overt leadership. It doesn't come natural as it did with Bill Clinton, although I did not care for his presidency.

Surely you jest. There is no credible Republican that can lead a credible Republican adminstration at this time. Anybody that would vote for a Republican is willingly signing on to the end of a compassionate American Nation or is a gullable fool. Strong words, but as I see it at this time. Maybe the GOP eventually will regain its rational more temperate bearing of a few decades back, maybe.

I hear that a visit to the saunas will find abundant spectacular nocturnal wild life.

I am so sorry to hear this. I didn't know the man but the few interactions I had with him regarding the site were alway polite and business like. He was a nice looking guy that seemed to me very professional. I never heard anything negative about him. My condolences to his family and friends in this hour of grief. Meth is a real scourge that takes a terrible toll on its users and their loveones and friends.

Great clip, thanks for sharing.

It really is some show isn't it.

The imagaination of the mind is so much more flexible and expansive in scope than mere bricks and mortar can be fashioned into. Making a movie from a great book is a daunting task that rarely hits the original mark. That does not mean that good or great movie cannot be made but, more often than not, that movie is a work inspired by the book and not the translation of the book itself. Those translation efforts are almost always destined to fall short for the reason above. The few exceptions prove the rule.

I don't watch the show, never cared to. I have no special feelings ill or good for Charlie. He has made some bad choices in life. I don't agree with those. I also don't judge those in a vacuum. I do have very negative feelings about the media and talking heads that give this sad exposition legs. It shows how ignorant people are and how immature they can be. This is like school kids poking fun and terrorizing disabled kids among them. It is even lower because this is the actions of 'adults'. Charlie Sheen is a sick man. I know becasue I have lived with a close family member that suffered from manic-depressive mental illness. I have seen this all before. I have lived this first-hand on a recurring basis over many years. It is not a joke. It is not fun. It is not entertainment. He should not be the figure-of-fun du jour. It shows the ignorance and shortcomings of our society about these issues.