BSR

Oh, so I can lock you out of your condo and live there for free while you are forced to keep paying the mortgage, HOA, homeowners, property tax, and utilities? And 3 years from now, after you've spent tens of $thousands in legal fees and I've caused tens of $thousands in damage, I don't owe you one thin dime? Great! When can I move in? Wait, forget that, 'cuz you have no say in the matter. I'll take over your place whenever I damn well please. ¡Gracias, tío, te debo una gorda!

El AVE (Alta Velocidad Española, the Spanish high-speed train system) is a financial clusterf*ck. Annual revenue falls waaaaaaaaaay short of the operating costs. The typical annual loss is €100 million, jumped to €480 million in the red during the worst of Covid. Forget recovering even 1 céntimo of the €billions in startup costs. That's your definition of "success"? That's my definition of disaster.

We are talking about 2 different things. I am referring to the actual number of homeless whereas you are referring to homeless visibility and presence. Never been to Tokyo but have been to Madrid more times than I can count. Granted, you will be hard pressed to see more than a few scattered homeless. If that's your definition of "solving homelessness," uh, OK. But if "solving homelessness" means reducing the number of homeless, then Spain has massively failed. The government simply forces property owners against their will to house squatters. ~40 additional houses/apartments per day are taken over by squatters, and it takes months if not years to evict them. Plus if the owner is delinquent in paying the mortgage, property tax, HOA, utilities, etc. while the squatters are living for free in the owner's property, the owner is fined. You call that a "solution"? I call it an outrage.

According to this research paper published in February of this year, there are an estimated 4,146 homeless people in Madrid (comunidad autónoma, not city proper), far more than the "two dozen" one might see walking the streets. While that rate is much lower than San Francisco or NYC, when you take into consideration the Okupa law, Madrid has clearly fallen far short of solving homelessness. Stripping citizens of their property rights does reduce the homeless population significantly yet utterly fails to address the issue of homelessness. No, you won't see homeless in Tokyo because of the deep stigma attached to homelessness and begging. But people crashing in cybercafes & capsule hotels fails as badly as Spain's Okupa law in addressing homelessness. Here's a video that exposes the dark secret behind Japan's "0% homelessness" ...

Novak and Carlos beat their R16 opponents by identical scores 6-3 6-2 6-2, but while Novak was good against Varillas (turned pro 10 years ago but played mostly Challengers until this year) Carlos was godlike against Musetti (heckuva good claycourter, beat Novak in Monte Carlo this year and Carlos in Hamburg last year). Carlos is 4-0 against his QF opponent Tsitsipas, Novak 8-1 winning the last 7 in a row against his QF opponent Khachanov. Still crossing my fingers for an epic Carlos-Novak semifinal. A "huh, whaddya know" factoid courtesy of Eurosport: Even though Novak Djokovic has only 2 Roland Garros titles to Rafa Nadal's 14, Novak has reached more RG quarterfinals than Rafa -- 17 to 16. Even though Rafa has only 2 Australian Open titles to Novak's 10, Rafa has reached more AO quarterfinals than Novak -- 14 to 13.

On one hand, you have to empathize with the Ukrainian players. Kostyuk's parents had to flee their town after it was bombed. Even after they moved in with Kostyuk in Kiev, they still suffered the trauma of hearing bombs dropping uncomfortably close to the house. Trauma like that sparks a passionate response. But on the other hand, what do they expect from Russian/Belarusian players? Even if Aryna Sabalenka and all the other Russian/Belarusian players quit tennis to become a full-time anti-Russian activists, Putin would give exactly zero f*cks. More vocal opposition & condemnation would make the Ukrainians feel better but won't make a speck of difference in Putin's prosecution of the war.

I doubt that other rich developed countries have completely solved their homelessness problem. In Japan, the government, society, and the homeless themselves do a heckuva job of keeping homelessness out of sight and thus out of mind. Spain has an "Okupa" law: if someone occupies a home for more than 48 hours, they have a legal right to stay there while the owner is forced to continue paying the mortgage, property tax, utilities, etc. Because the eviction process can take months, the would-be homeless keep a roof over their head by being serial okupas. On the flip side, in the far less wealthy Philippines, the culture "solves" homelessness: someone will always take you in -- usually a family member, maybe a friend, sometimes even a well-to-do person you barely know. In other words, homelessness, like so many issues, is complicated. Gun violence is equally complicated, but any further discussion of the issue will delve too much into politics. San Francisco seems to take a simplistic approach to a complicated issue: more money and more government programs will solve homelessness. If only it were that easy.

I disagree with the premise that all publicity is good publicity. Bad publicity can put your name in the headlines, but it can also make your "brand" toxic. Global superstar celeb Greta Thunberg has diminished to a toxic nobody. Hopefully the these 2 narcissists, professional victims, private jet climate warriors meet the same fate.

In the 2nd biggest upset of the tournament, #79 Daniel Altmaier beat #9 Jannik Sinner in 5 long sets (match length 5h26m!). Sinner even had 2 match points in the 4th set: unlucky on the 1st MP when Altmaier's passing shot hit the net cord & skipped over his racket, on the 2nd MP Sinner hit an overhead right into Altmaier's strike zone & Altmaier crushed the passing shot. More drama in the 5th set before Altmaier finally won it. I've never seen Sinner so devastated after a loss. With the upsets over Medvedev & Sinner, the bottom quarter is now wide open. An unseeded player like Etcheverry or Seyboth Wild might make the semifinals! I'd give Altmaier a decent chance to beat the perpetually underachieving Grigor Dimitrov, but I'm afraid Altmaier might be too exhausted after today's marathon.

Big upset in the 1st round! As @BuffaloKyle pointed out in another thread, #2 seed Daniil Medvedev suffered a rather embarrassing loss to #172 Thiago Seyboth Wild. If you're wondering "Who's that?", you are hardly alone. Seyboth Wild achieved much as a youngster, winning the US Open Boys singles in 2018, then winning an ATP title in 2019 (1 year younger than the legendary Gustavo Kuerten was when he won his first). But results have been disappointing since, until today. Medvedev openly hated clay until he started racking up the wins this season. After he won the Rome Masters1000, when asked if he loves clay now, Medvedev responded, "no, but we have a friendship." Yikes, maybe he'll go back to hating the slow dirt. Also have to give a shout-out to Gael Monfils, who overcame a bad case of cramping to beat Argentine (in other words, born on clay) Sebastian Baez in 5 sets. #394 Monfils was barely able to walk between points, yet somehow pulled off a win. The French crowd was going nuts, almost willing him to victory, and then broke out into La Marseillaise post-match. It was such a beautiful moment that everyone in Chatrier was beaming from ear to ear, except Baez.

Blinkova did congratulate Svitolina in her runner-up speech, but Svitolina avoided mentioning or acknowledging Blinkova in any way in her winner's speech. I don't think Elena could have made even an attempt at a speech in French. I'm pretty sure she & Gael speak only English. Gael's English, which was just OK before they started dating, is now so fluent that he does whole podcasts in English. But I get your point. A speech in bad French from someone who's been in a relationship with a Frenchman for quite some time would have been bombed PR-wise.

Just as some wonder why all the attention on Ginge & Whinge, one could also ask why some are so obsessed with quashing all discussion of the couple. Look, while I am utterly baffled that anyone would watch The Kardashians (or any reality TV for that matter), I'm not going to launch into diatribes or berate people for doing so. It makes more sense to me to criticize the former royals (malignant narcissists, professional victims, private jet climate activists) than it does to get all bent out of shape that people criticize the former royals.

When my aunt & uncle moved to Manila after almost 40 years in NYC, they were offered protection by the local crime lord. They thought it might be a scam or a joke since they bought into one of the nicer neighborhoods, but friends & family advised them to do so. At first they bristled at giving money to a criminal, but they grew to appreciate the freedom of being able to walk around without a care in the world. They are untouchable because no criminal will risk retribution from the crime boss. They can even whip out their iPhone 14 Pro Max's in broad daylight! I wonder if such arrangements are possible in other places. I know this thread is for Colombia, Costa Rica & DR, but allow me to plug Cuba here. While foreign visitors to Cuba still have to be wary of ripoffs (like in any tourist spot), crime like theft or kidnapping is a much lesser concern. Because the regime so desperately needs the hard currency that tourists contribute to the economy, crimes against foreigners are dealt with very severely. Mind you, a jinatero charging you triple his usual rate is not considered a crime. But at least you can pull out your wallet or smartphone on the streets of Havana without becoming an instant target.

Ginge & Whinge got their Netflix & book deals, but I wonder if they'll get any more megabucks offers because they grow more insufferable by the day. As much as Oprah and the rest of the professional victim set will try to pump them up (there is no chic like victim chic), hopefully they'll just end up as a couple of toxic nobodies. Perhaps they can hook up with Greta Thunberg and form a Toxic Zeroes support group.

I vaguely remember how much you hated my politics on the old subforum *giggle* Unfortunately, it was the briefest of pauses. You're back to your obsessive scolding. How many people's thinking have you changed with your relentless scolding? My count is zero.

To put in cold hard numbers just how much Swiatek is favored, FanDuel (the betting site that sponsors Tennis Channel) put her at -160 to win the women's singles, Rybakina & Sabalenka both at +650. So if you bet $160 on Swiatek and she hoists the trophy, you would win $100 whereas if you bet $100 on either Elena or Aryna, you would win $650 should your pick win the 🏆. So if you put money down on Swiatek, you are betting that she avoids injury, doesn't have an off-day, doesn't run into a white-hot opponent, and manages to win 7 matches, potentially facing Rybakina in the semis & Sabalenka in the final. With her killer forehand and best-in-sport movement, Swiatek is definitely the favorite. But is she that much of a favorite that it's a smart bet to risk $160 to win just $100? IMO, heck no! Rybakina & Sabalenka, on the other hand, risking $100 to win $650 ain't bad.* * This post is for information and entertainment purposes only. Place bets at your own risk. If you think you have a gambling problem, please seek professional help.

I remember how much you hated my politics on the old subforum. Sorry to see you still struggling with the trauma. Whether cause & effect or coincidence, @SouthOfTheBorder has stopped (or at least paused) his obsessive scolding. Thank God for small blessings.

The tournament starts tomorrow. The biggest story leading up to the 2nd Slam of the year is the absence of Rafael Nadal*, who has played the previous 18 RGs, winning a jaw-dropping 14 titles. The tournament just won't feel the same without him. At least the top 3 men's seeds are ready to go. Alcaraz overcame a couple of injuries early in the year to retake the number 1 ranking. Novak's elbow has hampered him recently, but he has been practicing in Paris without a sleeve. Medvedev has overcome his disdain for clay to win the Rome Masters1000. Thanks to that title, Medvedev was seeded #2 at RG, and whaddya know, Carlos & Novak ended up in the same half of the draw. As if Alcaraz's draw weren't difficult enough, the draw fates rubbed salt in the wound by putting 2021 RG finalist Tsitsipas in his quarter. Even though Swiatek comes in as the strong favorite on the women's side, I'm not totally convinced. She retired with an injury in Rome and has lost a fair number of matches this year while her 2 strongest rivals Rybakina and Sabalenka are coming in with form and confidence. Rybakina has beaten Swiatek their last 2 matches, not including the retirement in Rome, and Sabalenka has beaten Iga 2 of their last 3. * "Nadal" means "Christmas" in Rafa's native Catalan (technically he speaks a dialect, Mallorquín)

You're getting really tiresome. I started what was going to be a very long discourse to respond to your post until I realized it would be a total waste of time. Why are you so obsessed with what other people think and talk about? You can write post after post after post on this obscure, virtually impossible-to-find Internet forum yet still fail to change what even one single member here thinks and says -- forget changing the thinking of society at large. But hey, if you enjoy wagging your finger at people, dictating how they should think, controlling what they talk about, post away to your heart's content. Thank God for the "ignore" setting.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion. I see this phenomenon quite differently, surprise surprise. Meghan Markle is a professional victim -- victimhood is literally how she makes her money. Since I believe the Cult of Victimhood is destroying our society, I cannot remain neutral in my opinion of her. In Harry, I see the world's most pathetic beta male, a castrated soy boy completely wrapped around his wife's finger. At a time when we most need men to be stronger, not weaker, Harry parades his weakness as if it were a virtue. And don't get me started on how these two "climate warriors" travel everywhere via private jet. Greta Thunberg had her run, but today she's a toxic nobody. Hopefully the Ginger & the Whinger meet the same fate. The narrative being shoved down our throat is that victimhood is social currency, masculinity is toxic, and climate change is the greatest crisis of our lifetime. If I swallowed the algorithms hook, line & sinker, I would be praising and glorifying H&M. Hardly the case.

Sorry if I gave the impression that I'm an experienced hirer in Spain, def not the case. But I hear that Telechaperos is the best website in Spain and the guys do charge less than on Rentmen. The catch is the website and all the ads are in Spanish. The up side is that it's pretty user-friendly. Just click on the city you're looking in on the right side of the page, then click "Búsqueda Avanzada" to narrow down stuff like age, active/passive/vers, in/out call plus to find guys who cater to your particular fetish. Dunno if Google Translate will work for Telechaperos, but even if it does, you're hard-pressed to find chaperos on the site who speak English. Maybe the Rentmen guys charge more because, with ads in English, they're hoping to attract more foreign clients.

As much as I think that complaining about higher rates is pointless, I understand that many clients simply don't have the budget for $400 guys. So they gotta get creative. Yes, your total cost is higher abroad, but you're also killing 2 birds with 1 stone: vacation to a great place and plenty of chapero ("escort" in Spain, don't know the word in Brazil) good times. As @tassojunior points out, rates are much lower in Europe. Find a cheap flight, cheap eats, opt for non-posh hotel, and hire to your heart's content. To think, in a great city like Barcelona, you can hire 6 chaperos at Thermas and buy tickets for Parque Guell+Sagrada Familia for the cost of 1 escort stateside!

I doubt Harry & Meghan's continued relevance is ensured by discussion on an obscure, virtually impossible-to-find Internet forum.

You're making this personal. Glad to see I've hit a nerve. PS: Why don't you set me to "ignore"? You'll have fewer meltdowns that way.

How often have I called people who disagree with me "racist"? Never, or almost never (been a member here a long time, not gonna dig up 20 years of posts). But wokety-wokes screech "racist" every 3.5 seconds, to the point that "racist" has lost any and all meaning. Then again, wokety-wokes, as much as they ostentatiously pretend to care about racism, deep down don't give a sh*t because all they care about is themselves and their own selfish benefit, because wokety-wokes and professional victims are the most grotesquely selfish beings in the history of the human race.