EZEtoGRU

My comments were related to domestic airlines on domestic flights and clearly stated as such. You're talking about international flights which is a whole different kettle of fish. So apples to oranges. BA hasn't been a particularly good airline for some time now. There was a time they were very good...not anymore.

News Flash: No US carrier on a domestic flight is worth a damn these days....including in first/business class. They all suck. Whilst Delta is likely the best of a bad bunch, that isn't saying much. At this point, just be happy you get from A to B in one piece. Any expectations beyond that will disappoint you.

I was in Memphis last week for two nights to attend a concert. I stayed at The Peabody Hotel downtown which was walking distance to the concert venue. The hotel itself is lovely and well-maintained. I do enjoy old style hotels that have been kept up nicely. Plenty of food options in the hotel or within walking distance. As I'm sure some of you know, The Peabody continues its long tradition of hosting the "Peabody Ducks" each day. At 11:00am, the ducks come down the elevator from the penthouse (where they live) and then march on a red carpet to then hop into a fountain that is in the middle of the lobby bar area. They swim around for the day (or stand on small podiums in the fountain) in the fountain and then do the "march" back to the elevator and up to the penthouse again at 5:00pm. It's a huge tourist draw with lots of people watching. It happens every day. I found it somewhat cute but was more bothered by the whole thing than anything. As I have evolved over the years, I increasingly find the use of animals in unnatural situations for the purpose of human entertainment to be disturbing. I suppose as a child/teen/young adult I probably enjoyed this sort of thing. However, in the last 20-30 years, I am more and more against it. I feel the same about circuses. I have not been to a traditional circus for many many years and would not dream of going. Same for bull fights. I find them disgusting even though I have had ample opportunity to attend them in Spain and Latin America as far back as the 1980's. Even zoos concern me unless they make a major effort to create a very natural environment with ample space for the animals. As I watched the ducks in the fountain, I was surprised how small the fountain (that they have to spend 6 hours in) actually was. It's tiny but 6 ducks need to spend a good part of the day in it and compete for podium time (so they don't have to be swimming the entire time). When the ducks arrive into the fountain, some of them immediately feel the need to rush to a podium to grab it quickly before another duck did. It just all seemed somewhat sad to view when thinking about it from the duck's point of view. I wonder how they feel about having to do this every day? Most people seemed to love it but I don't feel I would repeat the experience nor would I recommend seeing it. Has society moved on from this sort of thing? Societies do evolve. Something that was seen as cute and acceptable before may not be considered appropriate today. Afterall, public hangings in the old south were considered acceptable entertainment years back. Thoughts?

I agree with this. It's all about the marketing. Gay providers know they open up more hiring opportunities if they market themselves as bi.

I don't feel bad for the boat owners but I do feel for those that have lost a home. Having lived in Miami when Hurricane Andrew hit, I know how awful hurricanes can be. Whilst the impact on me personally was fairly small (lost power and water for 4-5 days), I saw the devastation on other people's lives. It took the southern part of greater Miami two years to recover. After Andrew, I headed out of Miami on any flight I could get to avoid any potential incoming storm. Hurricanes are no joke. I would never live in Florida again primarily due to the hurricane threat.

I never met him. I do recall his final month on here was rather turbulent and erratic. He seemed to develop a nasty edge and did go on the attack several times. Part of that included sending nasty PM's to several people. I recall being a recipient of one of them but don't remember what the issue was. Some posters speculated that he might be having mental health or drug issues at the time. I also hope he is doing well today.

I tend to agree with you. I expect it to be a tough go with a Tampa club. It’s just too close to FTL and too small a local market. If the dancer quality is greatly inferior to what is at the FTL club, why bother? Just travel to FTL instead. Matt has been in this business a long time so he chose to open in Tampa for a reason. We’ll have to see how it goes. I would have thought something up the east Coast (DC, PA, NY, MA) could have worked but what do I know.

Looks like another potential US death of someone with MonkeyPox. This time in California. https://www.yahoo.com/news/second-possible-u-death-monkeypox-063319028.html

Interesting. Purses not being allowed discourages women from attending. I assume that's the idea. No gum or cologne? That's kind of odd although it wouldn't put me off from going as long as the dancer talent is good.

1/5th dose. yes. Second shot scheduled for end of Sept.

yep.

I'm ten days out from my first injection. I still have a pink spot on my forearm at the injection site but it is very faint. I'm confident it will be gone in 1-2 days.

You're definitely onto something here. I love male strip bars but have not gone near one since the MP outbreak. I get my second MP vaccine at the end of September after which I'll consider venturing out again. Beyond the above, no doubt that sites like OnlyFans have impacted the potential pool of male strippers. I wonder if female strip clubs have been impacted similarly. Are more women using OnlyFans or escort sites rather than being a stripper?

Humor evolves with society at large. I remember in the 60's/70's, jokes were frequently made at other's expense and it was considered acceptable. Where I grew up in Michigan, targets were Polish people, blacks, middle easterners, and gays. It was a great time if you were one of the jokesters but not if you were part of the target group being joked about. That sort of humor is no longer tolerated in today's world...thankfully. As others have already mentioned, the internet has added complexity given it's anonymous format. People post things on the internet that they would never say face-to-face. That capability sometimes elicits a defensive-type reaction.

Thanks for the summary SBb. There seem to be a lot of questions around the usefulness of the current vaccine...particularly among younger folks that didn't get the smallpox vaccine years ago. Also questions about the dosage regimen.

I think 15 public pictures is the sweet spot. I believe more than 20 pictures is too much. More than 30 signals to me that the escort is way too into himself and his posing. With the 15 pictures, it's important to switch it up and keep them varied and current (within the last 24 months...and at least 5 within the last 12 months). I would go 50/50 on clothed versus nude/semi-nude. I agree with other comments that professional photos aren't necessary but the background needs to be tidy and orderly.

Could you help us non-medical folks with a brief executive summary?

Attention Michiganders: Easy to book Monkeypox vaccine clinics at the Corktown Health facility in Detroit. I scheduled on-line about a week ago and got the first shot today. It was busy but well-staffed/organized. It seems they are doing the MP vaccine clinics twice a week. I don't live in the tri-county metro Detroit area but they had no issue giving me the shot. They can book your second shot appointment during the 15-minute wait period after the first shot. In the on-line form you fill out in advance I indicated I had no recent exposures to MP but that I intended on having sexual encounters again soon. That seemed good enough for them. https://www.facebook.com/CorktownHealth

My Iberia experiences are all pre-COVID so I have no idea how they are now. I have done multiple transatlantic flights with them in business class. One was very good and another was very average. None of them was terrible. I have also done several flights with them between MAD and LHR. Again , all in business class and all pretty good. Iberia was definitely a better on-board experience within Europe than BA Club Europe. As others have stated, Air France Le Premier is all the rage now. The seat. The privacy. The food. Comparing airport experiences, I avoid CDG like the plague. You are likely to be taking a bus to/from at least one of your flights. I hate having to take buses to board a plane in Europe. Of course on Le Premier you will be driven to the plane in a private car. But if you're in Business or economy...you'll be on the bus. MAD is a busy airport also, but your chances of having to take a bus to the plane are hugely reduced. That's a big plus in my book. Definitely go with AF La Premier if you can swing it. If you're traveling in business or economy, it's a toss-up in my book. You'll probably have a better flight experience on AF but a less hassled airport experience on IB.

Adult man with MP in Houston TX has died. He did have other ailments as well. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/30/texas-reports-what-may-be-the-first-us-death-from-monkeypox.html

I think this is newsworthy cause Nick Cannon has previously been quoted as saying something along the lines of: 'I believe I have been placed on this earth to procreate as many times as possible'. It seems there are a certain portion of men that subscribe to this line of thinking. Elon Musk is another that believes similarly. For me, it sounds very selfish and vain. I suppose Cannon and Musk can both afford to have as many kids as they want. One has to wonder what all the baby-mommas are thinking though. Cannon just goes from woman to woman to woman to get them pregnant. I guess they have $$-signs in their eyes. Money can be very intoxicating. One has to wonder how much of a role these sort of men play in the actual upbringing of all these kids. Do they just see themselves writing checks to the women every month or are they involved on a day-to-day basis doing doctor's visits, going to the park, playing catch, going to ballet lessons, etc. I think we already know the answer sadly.

Looking forward to your report🙂!!

Same for metro Detroit area. Hardly any vaccine availability in Michigan and priority is being given to those that have known exposure to someone that has monkeypox. Zero availability for just preventative uses. I hope this changes in the next two weeks.

Some pretty graphic photos on a MP sufferer in the UK. He also had un-diagnosed syphilis and HIV so he was more susceptible to a severe case of MP. If these photos don't cause one to take pause I don't know what would. https://news.yahoo.com/graphic-photo-shows-severe-monkeypox-113233387.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Interesting article on yahoo regarding the confusion surrounding the announcement of Anne Heche's death. She was legally dead yet technically alive for two days after being declared brain dead on Friday. Some outlets reported her death on Friday whilst her body was still being kept functioning via life support. Other media outlets (including the NYT) didn't report her death until Sunday after life support was removed and the body quit functioning. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/why-media-declared-anne-heche-151856771.html