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Steven_Draker

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Steven_Draker last won the day on July 24 2015

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  1. Here's the cached version of Just Angelo's Rentboy ad: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:QB_swFiGI1AJ:www.rentboy.com/justangelo+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=be
  2. Didn't Killian James brag in this forum that he hosted his clients at an AirBnB property in Washington, D.C.? You have to be really silly to even remotely think about escorting at someone's AirBnB property.
  3. http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/78/590x/MH370-594738.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/31/08/2AFBF2ED00000578-3180957-image-m-4_1438328412783.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/31/08/2AFBF2F800000578-3180957-image-a-5_1438328426415.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/31/11/2AFC954700000578-3180957-image-m-13_1438337340449.jpg
  4. Shot down, hijacked or abducted by aliens: take your pick of MH370 theories http://static.euronews.com/articles/301585/606x340_301585.jpg?1425561065 A year on from the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers and crew still seems to be anyone’s guess. An information vacuum has nourished the most outlandish conspiracy theories about one of aviation’s biggest mysteries, as well as heated online debate. From sober, science-based arguments to the most eyebrow-raising hypotheses, here are a few of the most talked about ‘explanations’. What they all agree on is that some key pieces of the puzzle are missing. It crashed into the southern Indian Ocean Official investigators used analysis from British firm Inmarsat of “pings” to its satellite from MH370, along with data direct from the plane before its transmissions stopped, to conclude that it flew south after dropping off Malaysian military radar and crashed in the southern Indian Ocean. That conclusion has been challenged by aviation bloggers and freelance investigators, who have questioned key radar plots and assumptions about the speed and fuel burn of the jet. Lending credence to some of the sceptics, Tim Clark, head of Emirates Airlines, said last November he believed information was being withheld – something Malaysia’s government has always denied. The well-respected Independent Group (IG) has done its own analysis and believes the plane is probably near the current search zone, but not necessarily within it. Just why MH370 ended up there is contested both within IG and others who support the official findings. Some plump for a hijack scenario, others point to technical or pilot error. A British captain, Simon Hardy, says the plane did a fly-by of the pilot’s home island of Penang before flying repeatedly in and out of Malaysia and Thailand to confuse air traffic controllers. It was accidentally shot down This theory was the thrust of the first book published on the incident, ‘Flight MH370 The Mystery’. London-based author Nigel Cawthorne said the plane may have been accidentally shot down during joint US-Thai military exercises in the South China Sea. Such accidents have happened before: Korean Air flight 007 was shot down by the Soviet Union in 1983, and the US Navy downed an Iranian airliner in 1988. Aviation experts are sceptical about a US and Thai cover-up, proponents argue the very nature of a “cover-up” is that it is hard to disprove. It came down near the Diego Garcia US base The former head of France’s Proteus Airlines, Marc Dugain, put forward the theory that the plane may have been shot down by the US military#, fearing a September 11 style attack on the US Navy base on the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Dugain pointed to the testimony of residents in the Maldives who reported seeing an airliner travelling towards the island, although their claims were widely dismissed. It’s still intact and in Russia Former pilot and regular CNN aviation expert Jeff Wise speculates that MH370 flew north along national borders to avoid radar before landing in Kazakhstan as part of a Russian-engineered plot. Wise’s theory is dependent on somebody on board the plane tampering with key satellite transmission data to give the impression it flew south. He noted the relevant instruments could be accessed by a panel in the cabin and that there were three Russians on board. New York-based Wise, like many others, confessed to becoming somewhat obsessed, even buying additional satellite data in an attempt to confirm his theory. But he acknowledges he can offer no motive to explain why Russia would want to steal a Malaysian jetliner. “It’s amazing how much information we don’t have after looking at this case for all this time,” said Wise, whose recently published Kindle book ‘The Plane That Wasn’t There’ reached No.1 on Amazon’s bestseller lists. But supporters of rival theories don’t take kindly to his version of events. The Independent Group (IG), comprised of around a dozen satellite, data, maths and aviation experts, has expelled Wise following articles linked to his book. “It’s a bunch of garbage,” said New Zealand-based IG member Duncan Steel. It’s in Pakistan for terrorist purposes A retired US lieutenant general spread the theory the plane was flown to Taliban-controlled Pakistan, to be used to carry weapons of mass destruction for an attack on Israel. The idea was given a boost by newspaper mogul Rupert Murdoch, who tweeted: “Maybe no crash but stolen, effectively hidden, perhaps in Pakistan, like Bin Laden”. MH370 is actually MH17 This theory is based on photos of the MH17 crash site in Ukraine, which proponents argue shows that the second crashed plane was in fact MH370, a later 777 model that had some small changes to its body. How MH370 could have been hidden for six months before being substituted for MH17 – and what happened to the bodies – is not explained. It’s now in the hands of aliens Ridiculous? Maybe, but a CNN/ORC International poll carried out two months after MH370’s disappearance found that nearly 10% of Americans believe that space aliens or beings from another dimension were involved. http://www.euronews.com/2015/03/05/shot-down-hijacked-or-abducted-by-aliens-take-your-pick-of-mh370-theories/
  5. I agree with your observations, cany10011. I have used Uber in 7 different countries so far and counting ... The service that Uber provides is superior in many regards.
  6. schadenfreude ˈʃɑːd(ə)nˌfrɔɪdə,German ˈʃɑːdənˌfrɔydə/ noun a feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune
  7. Threre's a problem with the video ... even on a Mac.
  8. Your information is erroneous. Most European capitals have banned Uber ... It's tough love. In other cities it operates semi-illegally awaiting Court's decision.
  9. 3 reasons to cheer Uber and the sharing economy JULY 20, 2015, 11:30 AM EDT The U.S. needs to increase protections for workers, but interfering too much with freelancing could destroy its benefits. The sharing economy, where people rent apartments, cars, boats and other assets directly from each other through the Internet, has received a lot of flak lately. Critics of companies such as Uber, Task Rabbit and the like say workers lose out on the benefits and protections that regular full-time employees at big companies enjoy, such as health insurance and retirement savings. The latest case was perhaps last week when Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton criticized the sharing economy for its sometimes poor treatment of freelancers, and Uber is currently locked in a heated battle with New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio over licenses to operate. It’s true that today’s laws need to catch up to this emerging business model, but there are three big benefits to the sharing economy that could be compromised if the U.S. government tinkers too much with this arena. Creates new services There’s growing demand for services like ride sharing and short-term apartment rentals that isn’t easily met by traditional means, often due to the capital investment required. Uber has been successful because of the ubiquity of its service. The transportation company requires a massive fleet of vehicles and drivers, which could be prohibitively expensive if Uber had to supply all those cars or hire all those drivers full-time. In other words, if Uber didn’t employ the model that it currently does, it might not be able to provide the valuable service that it does. That doesn’t mean the company couldn’t pay its drivers more, especially since they have to invest in their own vehicles. Uber has a mercenary attitude toward its drivers and competitors, but solutions are emerging to mitigate some of these problems, such as a startup called Breeze that rents cars to Uber and Lyft drivers to enable them to provide ride sharing services cost-effectively. Uber estimates that on average its drivers make $19 an hour, which suggests that it would take just one week of driving for someone to cover the monthly costs of a Breeze rental, according to a calculation by Billfold. Provides workplace flexibility While full-time employees enjoy many benefits, they can also have restrictions placed upon them; it’s an expectedquid pro quo. By contrast, a freelancer can usually set their own hours, work from home or elsewhere instead of an office, take more vacations, and do pretty much whatever they want outside of work. This is particularly important for millennials, who tend put a premium on flexibility, enjoy doing different things and dislike being tied down. According to a study by PwC, the demand for flexibility isn’t just limited to millennials, but is becoming a feature of the wider workforce. The sharing economy seems tailor made for this trend. Despite its drawbacks, freelancing could well be the preferred work structure of the future. While it may be impossible to ascribe a dollar value to flexibility, it clearly has value for many since almost 34% of the U.S. population is now freelancing, according to a survey conducted by the Freelancers Union. In addition, freelance work, especially something like driving an Uber, can also sometimes be a lifeline for those who lack the credentials for more skilled jobs or need to make a living without committing too heavily to an employer so that they can pursue other passions. Sharing economy jobs can be just as, or more, lucrative than full-time gigs Contrary to what critics might say, wages under the sharing economy are not necessarily inferior to regular full-time jobs. Even though companies like Walmart WMT -0.40% and McDonalds MCD -0.01% are now increasing wages and some cities like Los Angeles have enacted a $15 an hour minimum wage, the minimum wage in most of the U.S. still remains fairly low – the federal level is $7.25 an hour and the 10 states with the highest minimum wage all have wages below $10 an hour. It’s worth noting that employer-subsidized health insurance does add to full-time wages, but not enough. On average, the annual employer contribution to cover a worker and his/her family was $12,011 in 2014, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, offset by $4,823 that the employee had to pay from his/her side. This translates to net additional compensation for a full-time employee working 40 hours a week of $3.75 an hour and for someone making a base of $10 an hour, a total wage of only $13.75 an hour. By contrast, an Uber driver who makes $19 an hour can get family health coverage through Obamacare at about $570 a month, which translates to $3.60 an hour and therefore a net income of $15.40 an hour. What this all means is that some full-time jobs may pay less, even taking health insurance into account, than what Uber says their average driver makes. From a purely financial standpoint, then, there is little difference between the traditional economy and the new sharing economy. There is a need in the U.S. to raise wages for workers of all stripes, but whether they are full-time or freelance is mostly irrelevant. http://fortune.com/2015/07/20/uber-and-the-sharing-economy/
  10. My earliest memory was some TV program with underwater male swimmers. http://fringefamily.typepad.com/.a/6a0105364a8fba970c016768e681f3970b-800wi I immediately got a hard-on. My very first hard-on ... :-)
  11. I was going to post the story, but you beat me to it, TruHart! ;-) http://www.companyofmen.org/threads/the-peerage.103921/page-3#post-956494
  12. http://www.popsuli.ro/user/kepek/1264414228_black_hole_milkyway.jpg
  13. 7,036 posts and counting ... I'm in that "black hole"
  14. Business travelers are now claiming more Uber rides than taxi journeys Uber has overtaken taxis as the most expensed form of ground transportation, according to expense management system provider Certify Certify based its findings on the 28million trip receipts its North American clients submit each year Business travelers might be quickly moving toward Uber, but employers still have reservations about safety and liability By ASSOCIATED PRESS Taxis are losing business travelers to ride-hailing services like Uber, a survey shows. In the three months ended in June, Uber overtook taxis as the most expensed form of ground transportation, according to expense management system provider Certify. Uber accounted for 55 percent of ground transportation receipts compared with taxis at 43 percent. That's a big jump from the beginning of the year. In the first quarter, Uber Technologies had 46 percent of receipts tracked by Certify compared with 53 percent for taxis. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/17/02/2A9A9D1C00000578-3163324-image-a-31_1437095731836.jpg 'Established travel providers will need to adapt quickly or face further market share erosion to the sharing economy,' Certify CEO Robert Neveu said in a statement. Certify based its finding on the 28 million trip receipts its North American clients submit each year. It does not include receipts from business travelers whose companies use other services to track expenses. Uber connects travelers with various cars through its smartphone app. Some drivers work for car service companies; others spend a few hours driving their personal cars on the side for some extra money. Business travelers might be quickly moving toward Uber, but employers still have reservations about safety and liability. Depending on the city, Uber drivers aren't necessarily regulated by government taxi licensing authorities. Both Uber and competitor Lyft insure their drivers during paid rides and also require the drivers to carry personal auto insurance that covers them the rest of the time. Uber's pricing compared with traditional cabs can vary. Its UberX service, often drivers in Toyota Camrys or Honda Civics, is typically cheaper, but its high-end black cars and SUVs cost a premium. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3163324/Uber-tops-taxi-use-business-travelers-new-report-shows.html#ixzz3gBRNQQBS
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