SouthOfTheBorder

yada yada yada - the fact is for whatever reason, the richest country in the world has a declining life-expectancy while other countries do not. and it’s not unique to anyone one group - all groups are experiencing decline. Maybe the question to ask is why do so many need to use drugs, commit suicide and are otherwise unhealthy? There’s a reason it’s unique to the US - it’s not a fluke and it’s not random.

preventative & basic healthcare for all is not in any way comparable to education. Healthcare is necessary to survive. Thus, the dismal outcomes & declining life-expectancy in the US compared to other rich developed countries. i happen to have excellent insurance in the US - and have still been hit with staggering out-of-pocket expenses that are just not an issue in other countries. I can afford to pay - but many cannot. and back to topic - minority populations are less able to pay the exorbitant out of pocket fees. So, many avoid basic healthcare on that reason alone

this thread is borderline distasteful at best. “Migrant men” seems to imply there is some financial advantage in dealing with new arrivals. I don’t think the OP meant it that way, but some of the subsequent comments go there. When navigating this hobby, there’s a way to do it that offers dignity & grace to all participants. All are human beings and worthy of your respect & kindness. Somehow thinking there’s a financial advantage to be had is very poor form.

the root cause of inequitable healthcare is the basic setup of the American healthcare system - meaning no universal healthcare for all people. This inordinately affects minority populations with worse health outcomes because they have less access. none of this is new information and the US healthcare system is notoriously (among rich developed peer countries) inefficient, costly and with the worst overall healthcare outcomes. you need to look no further than the declining life-expectancy in the US among all groups - white, black, urban & rural. this same trend of declining life-expectancy is just not happening in other rich developed countries. Even relatively poor countries have higher life-expectancy than the US now. when healthcare is based on money & profits, instead of delivering quality basic healthcare to all people this is what you get. nothing will change relative to US healthcare until universal healthcare is delivered to all & that won’t happen during any of our lifetimes. Aside from inequitable healthcare based on race, there also are startling disparities based upon the state of residence - which may have a correlation to race. Mississippi, West Virginia & Louisiana have the lowest life-expectancies while Hawaii, Washington & Minnesota have the highest. Between Mississippi & Hawaii - there is almost a 9 year difference. my European friends frequently ask me if the things they hear about US healthcare are true - mainly it’s two points: is is true some people have no access to healthcare & is it true that even people with insurance have enormous medical bills that can cause financial devastation. Yes on both. Something is very wrong when the richest country on earth somehow cannot figure out basic healthcare. Unless of course, they really don’t want to figure it out because there is too much money on the table as is for invested parties. And then there’s the food - which also plays a huge part in health outcomes. The US is an outlier lacking the same food standards such as the EU which bans many preservatives & additives negatively affecting health. Again - it’s about money & the payments to US politicians which prevents any real change. Unhealthy food will make a population of unhealthy people - not complicated. Americans like to think they have the best of everything & in some areas, they do. Healthcare is not one of them. It’s basically like buying a new Mercedes and getting a used car that’s been in an accident & missing parts. And yet, a large segment of the population doesn’t want any change - because they don’t know any better. They’re all in on the propaganda fed to them by those in power & making money on the system as is.

they do, but they can’t help themselves. i have a brother like that - a benign conversation somehow gets linked to the latest political talking point/conspiracy theory of the day. when everything is seen & interpreted through a political lens, it makes conversation impossible & impossibly boring. It’s not partisan - it’s actually both sides of the US system. They all love to talk about things they can do nothing about. Complete waste of time. Vote at election time - other than that, maybe try reading a book ?

same - and, I’m going next week & will get the details in person.

I’m kind of ok with racist people who can admit it - at least they are clear about who they are, take it or leave it. The ones that dance around the edges & can’t own up to it - NO

while technically free to choose/post topics at will, except blatant politics - there are hundreds of alternate sites where one can discuss topics like Harvard academia, all things political and all adjacent subjects. yet, there is only this one site that is set-up to discuss providers, reviews & adjacent topics. and some people just can’t resist trying to drag everyone down into their miserable politicized rabbit holes. And if you notice - it’s always Americans doing this. They can’t help themselves. This is a site about sex - wtaf ??

obviously. and if someone wants to stir shit bc they are otherwise bored af, that’s all permissible based upon TOS.

if you notice - the people who create these “topics” have zero to say about the main subject matter of the forum. they aren’t meeting providers, they aren’t traveling and evidently aren’t having any sex either.

also true - but not so relevant anymore bc most people get their “news” from Facebook, which is about as disreputable as it gets. online media changed everything in rapid succession for the worse and there’s no going back.

unfortunately - peole choose their own facts now. put that together with most Americans believing US propaganda & it’s a toxic mix. and let’s be real here - if she was a well-connected white woman, she would still have the job. there are 2 systems in the US; one for white people and another for everyone else.

I just checked w a friend in BCN. Indeed - the sauna is closed EVERY weekend for these parties in the foreseeable future. I have no idea how this impacts the other days of the week there. for those of you that love Thermas - go while you can. I don’t see how they keep the working guys coming when so many clients only want to go on the weekend.

good catch - thank you. In Colombia Devils Breath is derived from the flower of the “borrachero” shrub which is very common there. I think the urban myth is that the powder can be blown into the face or touch other parts of the body. In reality - it is put into food or drink.

a first contact from client to provider should include a brief greeting, where you saw the ad, a request for hourly rate & if they do incall and/or outcall and the city they are located. I then give them an idea of when I’m looking to hire and if not same day, I make that clear. I’ll let them know what I’m looking to get from the session without getting graphic or sexting. I’ll close with giving them my first name. If they have an online presence and I’ve seen it, I’ll let them know. I find it usually requires only 2 texts from me max to get all the information I need to decide if I want to schedule. Anything after that is just working out a time/place. For providers that don’t respond within 2-3 hours, I probably wouldn’t hire bc they don’t seem customer focused in my view. I also measure the tone & how how the provider responds - I’m looking for a professional that knows how to communicate & understands they are running a client service business. one-word answers/evasive answers/ignoring relevant questions or pressure is an automatic no I approach the men as busy professionals and I like to be treated as a valued client. I’m also aware that most of the guys get inundated with inquiries that will never happen and many from people who just get off making contact. My contact has to stand apart & show that I’m serious. Works every time. I don’t tend to hire or contact traveling providers because my experience has been it’s way too complicated. And I don’t want to be client #5 that day.

excellent idea - bc gay men with the ability to travel will go to rural Nevada and see guys that can’t make it in the big cities. makes total sense.

yes - drugging & robbing happens everywhere now. The thing that seems unique here is the method, scopolamine- which is a native plant in Colombia & very easy to access. Its use disorients the victim & makes them easy to manipulate while still conscious to get credit cards, cash & electronics with passwords to empty bank accounts, identity theft and more. The victim can still appear coherent to others that might be watching & taking notice. The new wave of scopolamine victims are selected in advance via dating apps instead of random targets in bars, street, etc The thieves are overwhelmingly targeting male tourists looking for sex. They are not stealing passports or other travel documents in the hope the victims will leave the country soon after being robbed. it was interesting to read the reader comments in NYT - many people said the tourists deserved what they got. Not a lot of sympathy from the Colombians either. Beware

last summer I waited about 90 minutes for a provider to arrive. it was in the evening & I was at home - annoying, but not a dealbreaker bc no plans after. it was one of my most spectacular experiences, ever. in hindsight - totally worth it. you never know what’s right around the corner

Re: Middleton - they said she would be in hospital for 2-weeks and no public events for 8-weeks after. It’s serious, whatever is going on. she’s extraordinarily thin as is & hasn’t looked heathy for quite some time. the pressure of that life must be something horrific & never-ending. idk - they all seem kind of miserable to me. no freedom & very few individual choices - people watching everything 24/7 w no privacy. probably under surveillance too.

I’ve come to realize when trying to explain concept of timeliness & courtesy to others, it’s a complete waste of my time. always. and it can come off condescending plus - makes me sound old, which I am, but don’t like to fall into the stereotype

Yes, yes, yes - absolutely yes I’ve been on an Atlantis cruise - there’s a certain type that makes up the majority of passengers & depends a bit on which itinerary. overall, it leans heavy into the youngish American circuit crowd and I saw a lot of very bad behavior & complete lack of self-awareness/consideration of others. I went on Atlantis when I was 42 yrs old - most of the behavior was something like 25 year olds regardless of actual age. Not everyone - but vast majority for sure & it wasn’t exactly relaxing. Be ready to see lots of open drug use & people that can’t handle it.. If you’ve ever been exposed to circuit boys after 3 days of nonstop partying - you know this is something to avoid. I’ve never even considered a second Atlantis cruise - and there’s a reason.

I stopped reading when I got to the complaint about a woman doing a lap-dance while having her period - evidently, a messy proposition worthy of a refund. Buyer beware, indeed

a friend went solo on Atlantis and got put into a room with one of the major drug dealers onboard. (yes, there are multiple drug dealers onboard every Atlantis cruise) on the plus side - the guy was never in the room and got off the ship after 3 days.

ah yes - Andrew & Fergie. So why are Sarah Ferguson medical issues being reported in the news now ? Simple - they are being asked to vacate their palatial residence, Royal Lodge to make way for Prince William & family. So far they have refused to leave and the current medical reports are to generate public sympathy and make it that much harder for them to be evicted. Can they evict a woman battling two types of cancer ? No - they can’t This is the way they work the press - they all do it to achieve their own means. Fergie and Andrew ‘Determined’ to Stay at Royal Lodge After Her Cancer Diagnosis Two cancer battles in under a year have left Sarah Ferguson and her ex-husband Prince Andrew determined not to surrender their prized asset and home, Royal Lodge in Windsor. Read in The Daily Beast: https://apple.news/AAT_nApH0TW2n-N4Mu4Uxgw Shared from Apple News

and a 2023 warning from US Embassy in Colombia