SouthOfTheBorder

be the third, if playing w a couple If you’re in the couple, hire the third expect that attention/attraction/dynamics will not be evenly shared - handle it like an adult, it’s temporary

see attached Life Expectancy data from World Bank - US ranks #64, in between Algeria & Panama (corresponding data available from many other sources) and - the only rich developed country where the life expectancy is declining US spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world, yet without corresponding positive outcomes & trends what’s happening ?

just like the Cubans in Miami who vehemently oppose other immigrants in other words, I’ve got mine, now you can fuck off the mental gymnastics required to get there must be interesting - no core values or principles, just situational self-interest

I could have chosen better words The American people are better described as ignorant, or as a culture have uniquely embraced anti-intellectualism and rejected science. In the US, ironically, this is typically led by elites in an effort to control the increasingly uneducated public. There is a big segment of the population that celebrates their ignorance - proud of it. Now translate that proud ignorance to solving the country’s social ills. Most of which have common sense solutions - but due to convoluted US mythology & American Exceptionalism, the common sense solutions don’t apply. The US does not take lessons proven to work elsewhere & implement. And things that are inherently non-political almost everywhere else have become politicized in the US because the population is so easily manipulated (ignorant) & there’s money to be made on the collective outrage, or the political division. Social & minority issues, such as gender & sexual identity are weaponized for political & monetary gain. Thus, the hard complex & important problems never really get sorted out. Stupidity would be more reflected by deficient IQ scores and that isn’t the problem. I stand corrected. It’s more a lack of critical thinking skills and the inability to connect the dots for whatever reason - but it’s cultural & widespread. As the US falls behind in every objective measurement re: Quality of Life index compared to other rich developed countries - almost all Americans believe that America has the best of everything. What does that tell you ? when there is widespread cultural denial re; the basic state of the country & a rejection of things science/fact based, how could Americans broadly ever begin to intellectually deal with complex gender & sexual identity issues that may require some actual thought ? Answer - they can’t & it’s not surprising It’s a slippery slope once ignorance is embraced as a core value

perhaps a contrarian view - I prefer its when not so busy, avoiding Friday & Saturday altogether. Primetime on the busiest days is a cattle call with competiton for boys and boys trying to do as many programas possbie - thus, more likely to get rushed or incomplete service in my view than at other times. Over the years & many visits - I’ve never been disappointed, just adjusted the game plan based on conditions. A good time is guaranteed when my focus is what I bring to the situation vs what i expect to find when I get there. Personal favorite time is early Sunday night when the regular boys are not there - they can be annoying & sometimes mechanical. Pro tip - when you find someone you really like & tip well, they will almost always give a phone number. Then you can coordinate another sauna encounter any hour you wish.

what in the pretentious nonsense is this ?

no - they’re either not well-educated, don’t know any trans people, easily manipulated by disinformation and/or not secure in their own sexual/gender identity. Might be any combination. Those who are secure in their own sexual/gender identities are not threatened by people who claim a sexual gender/sexual identity they don’t understand. Lots of people fear the unknown or things they don’t understand because it threatens their world view which must attach labels for processing in a way they can comprehend. I get it: Americans are stupid - most don’t know their own state capital, never-mind complex issues surrounding sex/gender and its recent evolution.

Yes - just take high speed rail infrastructure as an example, or lack thereof. Spain, Japan & France all have extensive high-speed rail systems. Modern, clean, fast & reliable. The US has none. The one high- speed rail project in California will likely never be completed. The point is the other rich developed countries have solved complex problems, or greatly reduced their affects as to be non-issues. Homelessness, gun-violence & crumbling infrastructure are all US unique problems among peer rich developed countries. For those who travel frequently & extensively- the US is starting to look more third world vs rich developed world. It’s going backwards. The OP posted about San Francisco specifically. And the decline in SF is shocking & somewhat predictable - it’s extreme wealth inequality combined with a perfect storm of pandemic, work-from-home, inflation & a decades long intractable homeless problem. There is a segment of our population rooting for California to fail based on political beliefs - unfortunately, California tends to lead the nation in all things. So whatever happens there usually translates to the rest of the country in a few years. Be careful what you wish for.

evidently - something went down at “the other site” resulting in several members banned permanently Now they seem to be here exclusively- ugh

correct - and homelessness is just the most visible immediate American failure, which is an early marker of much bigger problems to come. when a society is based on incentives for individuals and corporations to maximize their own wealth at any cost - major problems will follow. Just wait for a major failure of the electrical grid because some energy company didn’t want to spend their money. Or, worse - a nuclear facility. There’s a tipping point where unbridled capitalism begins to slowly consume itself & the inevitable decline to follow. That’s where the American system is now. We will sell anything to any buyer for a price. And we will cut any corner to save money for shareholder return. All at the expense of common sense & greater society. Our roads, airports, rail systems are already 3rd world in most places (have you been on the NY subway lately, or Amtrak ?) - because nobody want to pay for the upkeep and improvements. For the contrarians - do not travel to other rich developed countries as your bubble will burst. Everything works.

Yes it can. This is ridiculous. If you see thousands of homeless on the streets, it’s a problem. If they are visible consistently in the subways & make riders feel unsafe, it’s a problem. If there are more homeless appearing on the streets each year, it’s a problem. There are major homeless problems in NYC, LA, SF & many more - this is not in dispute. It’s clearly visible & has significantly impacted the quality of life in those cities. if you visit a major world capital, like Madrid Tokyo and you do not see homeless in any numbers & any consistency after several days & several trips, there is no problem in the American context. How could it be possible to visit NY or SF and seeing hundreds of homeless immediately yet in Madrid & Tokyo almost none after several days ? The truth is simple and obvious. This is a unique American failure any way you look at it. Similar to our healthcare debacle and declining life expectancy. Minimizing, denial & obfuscation are the tools to somehow make peace with this failure I guess. Beware of anyone who tells you not to believe what you have seen in-person. Very Orwellian

you need to travel a bit more & see it for yourself There is no visible homeless problem in either city, nor are there safety issues created by rampant homeless Anyone comparing American homeless (like NY, LA, SF) problem to Spain or Japan hasn't been in either country recently & has no idea what they're talking about. More keyboard warrior information from the basement the homeless problem in the US is a curiosity to my European friends - they don't actually believe it's real & can't understand why it can't be solved, or mitigated to a non-issue. That's the tough thing to explain.

we all process information differently & all have different levels of risk tolerance. Information includes our own first-person experience - and I’ve seen way too much in Rio to think crime/danger is simply a “narrative” or wildly overblown press accounts. If anything - the rampant tourist crime & crime related to sex trade is underreported. Any frequent visitor Rio knows this is true. For all those reasons Rio is permanently off my list when other more safe options are available.

relatively speaking - they have solved the homeless problem. In Madrid there are homeless people. But you can walk the city for an entire day and it would be difficult to count more than two dozen. Same in Tokyo. It’s just not a visible or an overwhelming issue in either of those places. And the homeless are not visible in either Madrid or Tokyo subway systems at all vs New York or any other major American city where they are a permanent fixture. It’s just the way it is in those places. Doubtful any country/state/city can completely eradicate homelessness- but Spain and Japan have dealt with the problem in such a way that it does not impact quality of life for others nor does it create a visible population or unsafe environment. America is failing in more issues than homelessness - another drop in life expectancy in US for 2022. The only wealthy country to experience this type of decline - you can google it & find consistent information from a variety of sources.

there are actually way more hurdles to build housing for homeless, thus the exorbitant costs. i agree that solutions should include building housing in areas that do not have same cost considerations and/or complex regulations. That means going outside California which will never happen. agree 100%. The thing I keep returning to though is that other rich developed counties do not have these same issues - homelessness & gun violence. why is it only in America ?

the thing that makes Rio the outlier in these crime/danger discussions comparisons is the unique geography/demographics I can’t think of another major global tourist destination that is concentrated in a very small area (Leme - Leblon) & is completely surrounded by favelas/slums in ultra close proximity. The Rio favelas are filled with desperate people and competing gangs managing the drug trade. The tourists in Zona Sul are easy targets and there is crime against tourists pretty much nonstop - most of it non-violent and likely vastly underreported. Sao Paulo does not have the same set of variables - not even remotely close. Nor do any of the other cities mentioned. Comparing a tourist visit to Rio vs Chicago/Detroit doesn’t hold water as those cities don’t have a global tourist draw centered in a very small area. Cape Town or Puerta Vallarta might be a better comparisons, but still lack the extremes of Rio geography/demographics. A comparison of crime in entire cities or regions can be made - but that would overlook Rios unique geography that leads to more crime against tourists. I love Rio - but soft-pedaling the tourist crime/danger reality isn’t helpful. Nor is hysteria - just know what you’re getting into & be prepared if you choose to visit. Also can’t think of another place I’ve visited where I see a robbery at least once a day.

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correct. the true narrative tho is Rio is dangerous. This last tragedy involved a foreign tourist. The previous one was a garoto murdering a Carioca - who knew what to look for & even he wasn’t safe. The “Boa Noite Cinderella” home robberies in November 2022 was a gang of garotos robbing & drugging Cariocas. The point is that if Cariocas are getting murdered, drugged & robbed - then foreign tourists are even easier/more vulnerable targets. I’ve been to Rio many times & love the city. I wouldn’t go now tho. When I get the Brasil itch, I’ll go to São Paulo - totally different ballgame..

the homeless industrial complex does indeed use private contractors with sky-high costs for property acquisition, exorbitant legal costs (everyone fights it - nimby), insane requirements to build, impossible permitting, scarce labor, etc. The list goes on and all adds to final price-tag. In 2022, costs approaching $600,000 in California for each new housing unit designed for homeless people. No easy solutions for this long festering problem. Other rich counties do not have this same problem - why only here ? Column: Spending $800,000 for a single unit of homeless housing is a red flag for L.A. WWW.LATIMES.COM Spending $800,000 for a single unit of homeless housing? L.A. has to do better

interesting & hard to believe - I’m not saying you’re wrong tho Internet service in the Pines is owned/controlled by the people that own Pines Pantry. It’s a racquet & they always seemed hesitant to spend money to upgrade. Yes, my experience pre-Covid is it was awful and not wfh appropriate.

now is a good time for dick pics - if anyone is so inclined sidenote: did you know your cock contains biometric data and you can be identified by your cock alone ?

from the butthole