SundayZip

Did anyone ever figure out if this guy was for real?

Headlines of Uber ads for drivers say things like "Earn up to $25/hour in fares" or "Earn up to $50K/year in fares". These dollar amounts represent the max that a driver might make in fares which of course is not the same as income. I do think it would be a good practice for Uber to give potential drivers examples of what some drivers in their area actually make, net of expenses. Net income for Uber drivers is all over the place so a potential Uber driver could look at an example of someone who is close to their situation to get a better idea of what they might actually take home. If Uber doesn't already do that, they should.

I know plenty of people who have chosen to be independent consultants doing the same type work that they could do as a regular employee. There are benefits to being independent which is why lots of people choose to go that route. But they decide to go independent after thoroughly investigating and understanding their options: Do they have another way to get health insurance such as a spouse with family coverage? Is having a flexible schedule more important than a guarantee of 40 hours per week? What will be their real net income and costs being independent versus regular employee? The guy sited in the Huffington Post article made a poor decision to give up his regular job to be an independent driver. Uber or Lyft is not responsible for his failure to make a well informed decision. And why the heck would he leave a job with health-care coverage without an alternative way to pay for coverage? That's just poor judgment and he's now blaming someone else.

Never had a problem with the police in Puerta Vallarta nor did I have any problems with merchants trying to cheat me. Everywhere I went I felt very safe and the local people were friendly and welcoming (expats and tourists are their major source of income so it would be unwise of them to be otherwise). I suspect that tealady is not giving us the whole story.

Hey Johnsalako, Thanks for the great post. I've been toying with the idea of a trip to Santo Domingo and your post makes it an easy decision. It may be time for me to go!

You have a good point in that calling it a "sharing economy" could be a misnomer or a euphemism. I'd prefer that they call it a "pairing economy" because it's about pairing an individual looking for a service with an individual willing to provide the service. This "pairing economy" provides an alternative to an economic model in which we buy most of our services from corporations. I have nothing against corporations (I worked for one for many years) but I am for having alternatives -- especially if alternatives provide equal or better quality at a lower price. Yes, the insurance industry and many government/regulatory entities have not yet adapted, but that does not make pairing services inherently bad. It just means that corporations and traditionally structured service providers continue to massively dominant our economy (and governments) to the point that they squeeze out alternatives. I will continue to use alternative services such as uber because my personal experiences with them has been positive and because I want them to succeed. PS. I have a new goal in life which is to make QTRaven an Uber fan.

I would have a problem with anyone using my condo as their place of business, especially if there were lots of strangers coming and going. But what about the other way around? Is it okay for a client who is renting an airbnb apartment to invite an escort over? This is certainly something I've been known to do, although before renting I usually tell the airbnb owner that I have friends in town and ask if it's ok to occasionally invite someone over for coffee or dinner.

My first time in an Uber car was in NYC when an escort used his Uber account to have a car bring me to his place. I asked the escort about it later. He texted the Uber driver with my first name so the driver had my first name and only my first name when he picked me up. I've since created my own Uber account and use it all the time when traveling. I'm a fan. There's no guessing regarding fare, cars have always been clean, it feels safe and my wallet stays in my pocket.

Great idea for a vote! (although looks like I might be voting with the minority). Whichever, I love the gallery.

Don't have a favorite, but Czech model, Pavel Novotony (aka Jan Dvorak or Max Orloff), held my attention for as long as he was in the industry. Yummy. http://nowhavefun.com/celebritypictures/d/120042-1/144+Pavel+Novotny+picture.jpg

I whole heartily agree about Sauna Thermas. I went 3 times within the last week and was thrilled by the number, variety and quality of the rentboys. I met guys from Spain, Egypt, Romania, Bulgaria, Panama and many from Brazil. The sauna is very clean and seems to be well managed. It doesn't have the same friendly vibe as Meio Mundo in Rio but it easily matches the quality and quantity of guys in Club 117. As with the saunas in Rio, it very definitely helps to know some Spanish (most of the Brasileiros speak Spanish as well as Porteguese). As a side note, I totally fell in love with a stunning man from Brazil. Somehow, between my fumbling Spanish and his limited English, we were able to communicate and we spent some "quality time" together in my apartment (a couple of times). He returns to Rio in December and now I'm tempted to take another trip to Rio. Hopefully I'll come to senses when the infatuation wears off! Also spent some time in Madrid and made the obligatory trip to Sauna Adan. All I can say about Adan is, ho-hum. If you're ever in Madrid and are interested in Saunas with rentboys, check it out -- but don't go out of your way. I do have to say that I LOVE the city of Madrid. As far as cities go, I'd take Madrid over Barcelona any day. In terms of rent boys, Barcelona is far superior.