Bokomaru

20 minutes ago, CuriousByNature said:

She was a very troubled individual and an abuse survivor.  There is never any reason for being hateful, but she had some serious issues going on.  She did not seem to have a filter and would often backtrack and apologize for things she said or wrote shortly after.  As for the horrible post about white people or non-Muslims, she later clarified that she was trying to get herself kicked off Twitter, or whatever platform that was posted on. Sadly, she often was provocative in a way that hurt people, and I think that goes back to the saying that 'hurt people hurt people'.  I doubt anyone understood the darkness she must have lived with - I was never a fan, and was revolted by certain things she said, but I have tried to see how much of her actions and words evidently came from a place of profound pain.

Very  well said. 

In the larger context, Sinead always stood for justice. She was not a “disgusting racist,” quite the opposite in fact. This is the woman who wrote “Black Boys on Mopeds” two decades before Black Lives Matter. 
She spoke up, and she wasn’t polite about it.
 

Sometimes she was lashing out though….

I have no doubt that I followed her more closely than anyone else here, and I can tell you that her mental illness seemed to be quite severe. But she made powerful, thoughtful, profound music. 
 

“These are dangerous days

To say what you feel is to dig your own grave.

Remember what I told you

If you were of the world they would love you.”

She was not of this world. And she didn’t care if we loved her. She spoke truth regardless of the outcome. And on a bad mental health day she did sometimes get it wrong.
 

Still… she was braver than most. 

Although Louis is completely professional he’s also flirty in that mostly-straight way. I love the flirtation. And the fact that he’s pretty clear that it won’t go past the professional point means it can be a fun tease with clear limits. Most guys here may not like that? But it’s a pretty great experience in my opinion. Great, casual, sexy vibe Louis has. 

5 hours ago, Unicorn said:

Wow. When I applied for the program, it was very clear to me why the photos and fingerprints were being taken: I provide them with that data in exchange for avoiding to wait in line upon entering the country. It literally takes only a few seconds (still have to wait for the luggage to come in, though). I find it rather off-base to call that surreptitious. 

Yes I freely gave my photo and fingerprints. That’s quite different agreeing to facial recognition which enables monitoring of my movements anywhere there’s a publicly accessible  camera. We don’t live in China. Ideally the US government SHOULD be above such things.

1 hour ago, Unicorn said:

 

Well, isn't that a contradiction? When you applied, you consented to use of biometrics. 

I would argue that recording my voice for ID purposes or using LiDAR or other means to enable facial recognition, or obtaining DNA should all involve active consent. They did it surreptitiously IMO. It’s possible that some T&C fine print enables it. That doesn’t make it right. Facial recognition is particularly dangerous in the wrong hands. 

11 minutes ago, Unicorn said:

Do you have Global Entry? If you go through via facial recognition only, I suspect you may have Global Entry, in which case you gave them your biometrics when you went in and applied for the program. That's all I needed when I last came into the US (in late May). My fiance, however, does not have Global Entry, and had to show his passport (Charlotte Airport), though the process was pretty fast. It is true that when entering the US, one is not protected by the usual Constitutional protections for unreasonable search and seizure. However, the Constitutional protections against self-incrimination still apply. You are not required to answer questions, and I would personally suggest that if you're pulled in for interrogation, and aren't sure you can quickly resolve the matter (i.e. are pretty sure you're guiltless), I would simply state you don't want to answer any questions until you've had to opportunity to speak with an attorney. 

Indeed, Global Entry. Facial recognition wasn’t in use when I applied.  They took my picture and fingerprints. I would not have considered a simple photo a method of biometric tracking at the time. Years later with no warning or notification, facial recognition was was implemented. Facial recognition is quite different from any other method since it means you can be easily spotted and identified from afar. It’s creepy. And of course ripe for abuse, as well as depressingly common. 

Facial recognition is being used by the government in many ways. I don’t even present a passport when entering the US, only facial recognition is used. I never officially gave the government  my facial biometrics. They took it without asking, unlike fingerprints, where you know what’s going on. 
 

Although many of the well informed forum members here will know this, I’d like to point out that if you are flagged at the border when entering the US, due to possible “sex trafficking,” potentially working while on a tourist visa, or for any other reason:

If you are not a US citizen you have basically no rights. Your phone can be confiscated and you have no legal right to privacy. 
 

If you are a citizen you unfortunately also have no right to privacy. Your phone can be confiscated and searched. 
 

HOWEVER, if your phone has a passcode, you cannot be forced to provide that passcode. It is tantamount to self incrimination. Authorities can however use your phone’s facial recognition or fingerprint recognition to unlock the phone and search it. 
 

Bottom line, turn off your phone’s auto unlock feature when entering the country. Normal privacy standards for searching a phone do not exist when entering the US. 

I think Trev looks very masculine, yet there’s a charming boyishness to his face.
 

The thing I can’t remember being mentioned by anyone is THE VOICE. Holy hell. Deep, rich. I’d say on par with Derek Kage. Wow. 

Other states are passing similar laws. Utah and Mississippi so far, and others are working on it. Pornhub is blocked in MS apparently.

Meanwhile in The Netherlands (!) XHamster has had to pull 100% of amateur content. And of course there was the fear mongering NY Times Pornhub hit piece a while back which made sex work less safe, less above board, decimating the incomes of sex workers engaging in perfectly legal work (due to Visa/MCard blocking payments in reaction).

I’m normally not a Chicken Little type. But… they are coming for your porn. Enjoy it while you can. I’ve started downloading my favorites.

12 minutes ago, wsc said:

Clearly, he can run his business as he sees fit. But isn't an escort who doesn't really want to see less attractive clients somewhat like a nurse who can't stand the sight of blood, or a teacher who hates to be around children? Why in the world did you pick this line of work?

A nurse is saving lives. A teacher is giving of himself to lift up others. While an escort is choosing (if they have a choice, and we know some don’t), to use their body, usually reserved for intimate situations, to make money, to pay the rent.  It’s only logical that they might want to be careful about how and with whom the act is performed. This isn’t a public accommodation situation.

60K?! What an absurd number for a “critical” job. Only masochists need apply.

It’s only on Hulu right now. You can use the “Just Watch” app to look up any movie or TV show and it will tell you where it’s available for free, as well as where it can be rented or bought. 

UAE is a nonissue in my experience. Being a huge tourist destination, it’s simply not in their best interest to harass tourists. I have had zero problems there with a male partner in my one-bed room. But I will note that the last time I went (which was precovid) they had security upon entry, ie the bags I carried on my person were scanned. Also, NB, any type of mind altering drug, like ambien or xanax, are illegal there and although they are not looking to give you trouble, it’s still a risk because drug laws are very strict, basically zero tolerance. It matters not to them whether the drug is legally prescribed in your home country. 

For $3.50 you can see his recently created content on OF so you’ll know exactly what he looks like now. And if he looks good to you, DM him there or on Twitter? Worth a shot. 

But of course if he’s making real money on OF (big IF), then your offer will have to be very generous to be considered, I’m sure. 

6 hours ago, handiacefailure said:

If you are going to do a MMF you are better off just doing a 30 or 60 day treasury, especially if in a state that has a high state tax rate.   While not totally liquid, most people won't need access to their fund in 30 days anyway.

Something to be careful of with a MMF as well is it is considered an investment and not a deposit account so not FDIC insured like a regular money market.   There is some other kind of coverage but can't remember all the details.   There have been reports of MMF's dropping in value as well but it's usually only for a day or two and they 

 

I agree, short term treasuries are a good option. Personally I don’t want the hassle of moving money between my brokerage and TreasuryDirect accounts.  A lot of my cash is temporary and the liquidity of MMF’s is a plus. 

Not insured? Misleading. MMFs are comprised of treasuries in most cases, so are just as safe as what you recommend.  

Tax advantaged MMFs exist for people like me (I live in a high tax state).

Lose value? Agree, possible, if you mean that they go down to 99.9 cents to the dollar for a day.

The purpose of my post wasn’t to say MMFs are the best investment. No investment is the best. Rather I wanted to educate casual investors, who are considering ibonds, the topic of this thread, because MMFs are a good option in case liquidity is an issue. I suspect many people don’t know MMFs exist because they confuse MM funds (safe, liquid, **has earnings**, super convenient) with MM accounts (which earn almost nothing).

I agree that buying treasuries directly is a fine option. But I wonder how many people use E*trade and similar, with cash sitting in that account, ready to invest. Maybe they dollar-cost-average, or try to time their stock purchases. Meanwhile that money is earning nothing when it could be in a MMF comprised of treasuries. 

Correction to my earlier post: MMFs are not “completely liquid.” Like any fund, the transaction occurs at the end of the day, rather than instantaneously.
 

Happy investing!
 

So many money market funds are paying between 4.5% - 5% now. And they are completely liquid.  So if locking your money up in an ibond or CD is an issue, MMFs are a great option, practically risk free. A fee is involved, true but only about 0.2% usually. (Note I’m taking about money market *funds* not accounts.)

In one of Ed White’s books (Farewell Symphony?) there’s a great scene where Ed’s roommate/bf, a struggling stage actor who is escorting because he needs the money, encounters Tennessee Williams as a client. He is tempted to gush about how much joy and inspiration Mr Williams has provided to him, but instead he tells the client to get down on his knees and start groveling. Very amusing, if not all that surprising. 

1 minute ago, dbar123 said:

There is such a fine line between lying about age and simply forgetting to update your profile as years pass. I always add 5-7 years automatically to any profile….and subtract an inch from dick size 

Only an inch?

I doubt there will be a site specifically for SM dom providers. For instance, Whosnext (Sir Kirk) in NYC markets as a pro dom  yet has only the usual listings on his linktree: RM, A4A, JFF, Twitter.

It’s so disappointing how few providers specialize in this. The frequency of seeing in RM profiles variations of “I can be very dominant or very loving” is frustrating. I know that they are trying to appeal to a wide audience but part of me screams, “Pick a lane!”

My partner’s is Miss Ann Thrope. And we’ve dubbed his best friend Aunty Social. 

1 minute ago, Bokomaru said:

So he has 51 reviews, 5 stars on RM. How to to know to trust RM reviews? Certainly not in this case….

How to know *when to trust RM reviews?

So he has 51 reviews, 5 stars on RM. How to to know to trust RM reviews? Certainly not in this case….

If by “real” you mean amyl, then no, that’s still illegal except for medical use. Although there’s a certain fetish store that was making its own brew a couple of years back. Worth asking them what’s in it. Maybe they’ve procured the real thing. DM for details. 

4 hours ago, ChasingGirth said:

What is the name of the private club you are staying at? Most hotels and the most prestigious ones let you wear whatever you want. And when you have guests you are in charge they have even less to say on their clothing. In certain areas of some hotels you have to wear pants and at least a tee shirt, a light long sleeve sweater cashmere works too. You can’t judge someone based on their wardrobe. I have met some very nice educated escorts that only enjoyed wearing very casual, sporty clothes. 

And please share the link 😉

I was in a club recently that does enforce a collared shirt policy and even worse, has a zero tolerance policy for mobile phones in public areas. Very old school. Exclusive? Well, it’s all relative I suppose. Very exclusive? No. More like traditional old money, boys’ club. But anyway they have rooms that are dirt cheap considering that they overlook Central Park from the south. If that’s the place we are talking about, I’d fully understand the desire not to go to a regular hotel. 

I’d suspect that the problem isn’t that he can’t afford a collared shirt. That’s an incredibly basic request. Maybe he has plans before or after the suggested time, so it would be very inconvenient for him to change. Is it during Pride weekend?

1 hour ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

I have read on here a few times about a PIN for credit cards.

Will I be able to use my non-PIN US credit cards in Europe, without a PIN (most have a chip now)?  I did so in Canada a decade ago.  They made the US customers sign their receipts while Canadians entered their PIN.  

Yes you can. Previously, before US cards had chips it was problematic once in a while. Now, pretty much everyone in EU knows that American cards are “chip and sign.” Sometimes they take the signature seriously (ask to see ID) but that’s not very common.