SouthOfTheBorder

I agree with you. They are American capitalism embodied. I don’t think anyone can blame them though - they just figured out the formula.

the American dream is dead for most Americans - children now tend to advance less than their parents, or worse they end up with a lower standard of living than their parents. For those immigrating to the US, the dream is very much alive in the sense they will have a better life. and - lots of Americans leaving the country for a better life elsewhere.

LOL - love them, hate them or don’t care anything about them, the Kardashians have monetized the family in such a way that there are at least two billionaires among them. It’s wealth on a completely different level. It didn’t happen overnight and it didn’t happen by accident. I’m not a fan & never watched their shows, yet I can appreciate their success. Their brand is outrageous over-the-top expensive ….of course she’s going to have bags like that.

yeah - I’ve never seen mention of this anywhere. If this was true, the service industry dependent on tips would be in open revolt.

I think it’s every culture except the US, Canada & Northern Europe - where younger men routinely seek out older men for sex & not for money. It’s a little confusing to me tho when some guys reference getting sex “for free”. I’m not paying for sex because I can’t get it at no cost. I’m paying for convenience and sex completely on my terms - whatever that includes with no other attachments or expectations. I’ve got enough experience with the apps & “for free” to know it frequently comes with complications, expectations and the hookup is not likely there there to cater to all of my desires. “Free hookup-sex” and paid sex are two totally different things. Wasted time seeking the free sex and less than desirable experiences is almost reduced to zero (in both areas) when I pay. And there is absolutely no comparison between the real pros in the business vs random hookups. There might be free-sex anecdotes here and there - but it’s just not the way it usually works, if choosing the right provider. I will take quality paid provider mind-blowing sex vs quantity mediocre free-sex hookups every single time.

From Slate, re: Niagra Bentley crash It does make you wonder, though: Why on earth would someone want to own a car—one meant to be driven on regular old roads in, for example, upstate New York, where its driver operated a small local chain of hardware stores—that can go a reported 175 miles per hour? That’s 110 miles per hour faster than the highest posted speed limit in the state of New York. It’s about 107 miles per hour faster than the highest posted speed limit in Ontario, where the driver hoped to attend a KISS concert. Heck, that’s 90 miles per hour faster than the highest posted speed limit in all of America (on state Highway 130 outside Austin, Texas). Unfortunately, we can’t ask Kurt P. Villani, 53, of Grand Island, New York, or his wife, Monica Villani, also 53, why they bought a car that can go that fast, because they both died horribly when the car exploded. They Died at an Absurd Speed at Niagara Falls. Why Did Their Vehicle Let Them? Automakers are happy to sell you a Bentley that drives 175 miles per hour. But we don’t have to allow it. Read in Slate: https://apple.news/AIKHAObp1SFqNmUSOkOtPrw

Pretty sure there is function to view anonymously. You’re way overthinking it - they are offering professional services, I doubt your profile makes them “interested” or not. If interested, just contact them directly by text/whatsapp. Not complicated

From the NYT article about the Niagara Falls Bentley crash - it notes multiple recalls for defective parts & workmanship on Bentleys last few years. Sounds like a real bargain at $300,000+ the random acceleration thing must be really fun The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received no complaints about the 2022 Flying Spur, but Bentley issued three recalls involving the car’s seatbelts, airbags and entertainment systems, according to the agency’s website. None involved acceleration Ms. Bronner said Wednesday’s incident was not tied to a recall in 2021 of some models over a risk that their accelerator pedals could become stuck. She said there had been no such problem on left-hand drive cars, the kind sold in the United States and Canada.

while the reasons for the Florida insurance crisis can be debated - that means nothing to Florida homeowners that are facing huge premium increases or being dropped altogether. As more insurance companies exit Florida, the problem will only get worse & more expensive. Anyone considering a move to Florida & buying a home will soon experience exactly that problem. back to the OPs question about a Florida housing market bubble & prices: what happens when banks will no longer lend money to buy when the buyers either can’t get insurance ? or it becomes so expensive that it affects their ratios for loan approvals ? Banks will not loan money on a property that is uninsured or underinsured. Cash buyers cannot sustain the overall market. Unless the insurance problem is fixed, it will inevitably lead to a correction in pricing. Very basic economics - reducing the pool of potential buyers because of insurance crisis & stricter lending requirements leads to overall less demand. Time will tell.

you share information just by visiting the site (IP address) and more if you’re logging in with an email address. If you’re using VPN, then probably fine. Otherwise, NO. That’s the reason Microsoft put that message up - the “other site” is not secure & you are at risk if you use it. Proceed at your own risk.

Yup - not only a stereotype, but researched fyi - this is not surprising Men with small penises are more likely to buy flashy sports cars:... NYPOST.COM Men with smaller-than-average penises are more likely to want to own high-performance sports cars...

Same exact thing - different social class

I don’t think it’s nasty to “think” someone has a small dick & maybe compensating with an expensive sports car. statistically, many many guys have small dicks & it’s basically an obsession with lots of them. Interesting to note however, re: exotic cars (Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc) about 90% of the buyers are men. I wonder why ? No - not a car guy. Thankfully, I live in places where I don’t need one.

buying an expensive car, Bentley/Rolls/exotics is the quickest way to signal to the general public you’re rich - or, you want people to think you’re rich. Driving a car like that makes that person a target. the real rich don’t generally go out of their way to do that. For the aspirational rich, the thought probably never crosses their mind - they want the attention. Being a target to the aspirational means nothing because it’s a house of cards financially. I’ve found the real rich are generally discreet and don’t try to broadcast wealth - on a need to know basis only: stockbroker, accountant, banker & maybe real estate agent. They’ve got nothing to prove. As always - exceptions to every rule. Very much dependent on culture of the family & household. When I see men driving Lamborghini, Ferrari, and the like - my first thought is small dick

cars & boats are depreciating assets. yeah, I know there are exceptions. lease or rent those - don’t buy unless you keep vehicles for 10 years personally, i think the folks driving Bentleys, Rolls, Lamborghini are screaming for attention. If you have real money, you don’t want anyone to know - that’s the rule. Car ownership is money down the drain every time. I no longer have a vehicle anywhere & life is so easy.

he’s Brazilian- there you have it

it’s not just Microsoft. This a frequent occurrence because they don’t run it as a serious thing & the owner is otherwise occupied in Thailand most of the time. The SSL certificates lapse with no thought of the site security and how it could impact users; hacking. These same warnings from various tech companies are not unusual there. There are other threads about same exact thing here very recent. It might be ok to browse without logging in - but do not give them any information. I wouldn’t risk it.

this is accurate. that assumes someone bought property years ago. anyone buying now will get hit with taxable value as purchase price and those rates are extremely high. long-term homeowners are getting priced out in some areas due to insurance costs. Not unheard of $20,000 - $30,000 single family homes annual if close to the water. People are leaving because of that. The alternative is to go without insurance if your home is paid off - very risky for those who are older and the home is significant part of asset portfolio. To go without insurance is called going “RAW” - not kidding. For condominium dwellers their unit insurance costs may not go up dramatically - but the HOAs are looking at 25-35% insurance increases which is passed on to owners. Dig into all the details before buying there. The last Florida bust was 2008-2011 with the financial crisis & that wasn’t Florida specific. It feels like they are due for major correction. Given the capital required to buy there now & the insurance crisis, I don’t know how people afford it.

agree. I viewed being able to see private pics & video as extra information, to make better hiring decisions - and not wasting a bigger spend on hourly fees if there was something in the private pics/video that was a turn-off. Pretty sure it has worked out in my favor several times over, meaning a solid investment. Recently let my premium membership lapse so haven’t noticed the change in pics & video. That seems to change the equation.

any new construction “building up” meaning a high rise building, will start at $1.2million anywhere you’d want to live. They aren’t building high rise residential towers in subprime or less desirable areas. The most recent new development starts at $1.6m for a low floor 2 bedroom apartment. The property taxes on $1.6M are $30,000 annual + the HOA will run $20,000++ minimum. That’s $50k annually if you paid cash for the apartment, plus skyrocketing homeowners & auto insurance. You can buy apartments in older buildings for much less near the beach - starting around $700,000 that would require renovation and the HOA would be much less. But, many of those buildings haven’t been maintained properly or inspected for decades. Just remember the collapse of the building in Surfside, FL a couple of years ago. The residents knew of major problems yet nobody wanted to pay to fix it. That’s a common thing there - so many older retired people in those buildings that won’t pay for anything. For decades, the main attraction to Florida was beautiful weather in winter/spring & very inexpensive w no state income taxes. Now the weather is unbearable for most of the year - unless you like heat, humidity & rain. While no state income taxes, everything else is very expensive. I don’t know what happens when properties become uninsurable because that means banks won’t lend money to buy. Insurance is a huge & growing problem that has not been addressed. Many insurance companies have pulled out of Florida completely. if you’re considering a move there - rent for at least 12 months and get a realistic view of quality of life, weather & cost of living.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Florida over several decades & know it well. It used to be beautiful in the winter - clear skies, mild temperatures & dry. Last winter & spring, it rained almost every day with high heat & humidity. The weather has changed dramatically over the last 20-30 years. Last summer the temperature of the Atlantic (in South Florida) and in the Gulf of Mexico was 100+degrees at the surface. That never happened before for such an extended period of time. The rising sea, even if not visible on the coast has filled in the porous aquifer under Miami/Ft Lauderdale and other Florida cities so when there is heavy rain and/or king tides, there is nowhere for the water to go - which means massive flooding. Downtown Miami floods all time with roads impassable & flooded out cars. Less so in Ft L, but last April there was a “thousand year flood” with hundreds of flooded out vehicles & roads impassable for several days. It’s not going to get better. for now Key West property is holding up. It’s not a nice place tho - very small island with cruise ships docking every day letting off thousands of passengers that generally destroy the quality of life for residents & other visitors. You cannot escape them. It used to be charming before the cruise ships, now tacky bars, shops & restaurants all for cruise ship people. Also floods frequently but not as bad as Miami & Ft L

It s already happening. Listing prices are routinely being lowered now throughout Florida, including Miami & Ft Lauderdale. The price growth over last 3-5 is not sustainable. The only thing that kept it alive was somewhat reasonable interest rates. The property taxes are higher (higher percent of assessed value) in Broward County (Ft Lauderdale) than Los Angeles. Home insurance in Florida is the most expensive in the country and many places are uninsurable. The list goes on & on & on. The only people who think it’s a good idea to move to Florida are people domiciling there as formal US residence and traveling the world. A billionaire like Bezos (who is moving to Florida) isn’t going to actually live there. Or people who really haven’t spent much time there. Florida real-estate has and many boom & bust cycles. The bust is here.

I’ll take your word for it. Although that seems like fishing in a dry pond. Those guys are arguing about whether a $2 or $3 tip to the gogos in Bangkok is too much. Not exactly big spenders.

Maybe someone remembers this guys name - he was Puerto Rican & worked between New York and Miami in the late 90s. Maybe the biggest dick I’ve ever seen. Seems like he was somehow associated w Antonio Biaggi (who I’ve met many times and is great). He used to be on the back covers of the gay magazines in S Florida. Legendary in his time.

oddly, my oven seems to prefer it that way. and actually doesn’t mind if the pizza is a bit to big for the oven. a good pizza is always hot & gooey. I’ve found if you take the pizza in/out of the oven very slowly, it gets to be just right. if not you can always increase the frequency & turn up the heat. My oven can take it and is quite reliable - many have remarked on its excellence and abilities. Sometimes I move it around to see if works better in different positions - the best one seem to be when the door can completely open & allow the biggest pizzas inside. It takes some time & an effort, but it always gets there. And it’s remarkably resilient as it can be used many times in just a few hours. I love my oven.