EZEtoGRU

Looks like Australia has four confirmed cases now....mostly in NSW. Things are going to get worse everywhere before they get better. How many days till flights to/from all of China are suspended? https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health/china-virus-toll-hits-41-australia-reports-first-four-cases-idUSKBN1ZO005?il=0

I think the next 7-10 days will be very telling. This is going to be huge or plateau. I fear the former and hope for the later. Some Asian airlines have already instituted flight cancellation policies for people that don't want to travel anymore.

I'm in HK right now and have been travelling around Asia (mostly by cruise ship) since January 2. Within several days of arriving into the region, news started leaking out about a pneumonia-like virus that was spreading in China....mostly in the central city of Wuhan. At that time there were 5-10 cases but authorities were concerned as it was being described as a SARS-like virus. Fast forward to now: more that 800 cases. At least 25 dead. Cases also reported in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and the US. Wuhan and two other Chinese cities on virtual lockdown. Multiple other Chinese cities facing severe travel restrictions. It's about 7:00pm on Friday evening here in HK on the eve before the Chinese New Year and you would never know that the biggest Holiday in China starts in just a few hours. Very little traffic. Very few decorations. Literally everyone wearing masks. China seemed to drag its feet in addressing this illness earlier on. They have lost precious time in limiting the spread. Finally in the last 3 days or so, China has taken major steps to contain the problem. It may be too little too late however. The infection and death numbers are growing alarmingly on a daily basis. I've changed my travel plans to leave for the US on Sunday the 26th instead of on the 29th. If things don't plateau with this illness very quickly, I could see international travel to/from Asia brought to a standstill. I just hope I manage to get out. I wonder (not just for myself) if this is going to be the "big one/flu" that experts have been predicting for decades? Time will tell. https://edition.cnn.com/asia/live-news/coronavirus-outbreak-hnk-intl-01-24-20/index.html

Good point. A few others to add to the list: BA=Buenos Aires JB=Johannesburg

I can’t imagine choosing to wear a thong under any circumstance...but that’s just me.

Really? I've never lived Palm Springs, but I've lived in several places in the US (Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, Houston) and the world(Bogota, Santiago, Sao Paulo) and my sexual orientation has never been an issue anywhere.

I agree with the last few posters about not wanting to live in an exclusively gay place. Too bitchy and boring IMHO. I interact much more with straight people in my current life and would expect that to continue even once I need more structured living arrangements. Even now at 60 years old, I cannot imagine living in one of the gay ghettos in the country such as WEHO, WIlton Manors, or Palm Springs. I know it's wonderful for some people (and I admit I do enjoy visiting for short stays) but a steady diet of that would ultimately bore me to tears.

The JW in Copa is far from new. I was staying at that property already something like 12-13 years ago. I’m gonna guess it’s been open about 15 years. The building itself is actually older. It was originally started to be another hotel brand but construction halted when it was still an incomplete concrete structure. The project stalled for 2-4 years until Marriott got involved. It was finally completed. I’ve stayed there 5-6 times over the years. The best thing about it is that it’s centrally located and on the beach. IMHO, it should be branded a standard Marriott rather than a JW. The rooms are quite small and quite a few have no outside looking window. The lounge is pretty poor for a JW. None of the rooms have a balcony. The rooftop pool is unimpressive. I would stay there again if I got a great rate. Otherwise, I would go elsewhere. As others have stated, Ipanema/Leblon are nicer areas to stay in than Copa.

All probably true. The problem is it’s still in NC:eek:.

Seriously:rolleyes:?

It's odd how Vegas can't seem to establish a decent gay scene. I go to Vegas fairly frequently and I don't even bother seeking out gay club/bar activity anymore....and haven't for 6-7 years now. For me, it's about the food, gambling, and shows. I'm not going out looking for a gay bar only to find it closed down last week, or I go on a Wednesday and the bar is dead...and I learn the only good day is on Thursday, etc. Too much trouble.

A very relevant article for many of us as we age into our senior years. I thought about posting this in the thread about turning 50 and deciding where to retire but, in the end, I decided this probably needed it's own thread. Key takeaways for me were: * Access to competent, knowledgeable, and accepting health care professionals needs to be a priority. Don't assume it's available everywhere. * LGBTQ seniors sometimes find themselves having unique challenges finding employment. * Some LGBTQ seniors find themselves having to go back into the closet as they seek retirement homes/assisted living housing. * Acceptance by society challenges seem more exacerbated if one lives in/chooses to live in rural or small town America. Have a read and share any relevant experiences you have had or have heard about. https://blogs.msn.com/povertynextdoor/lgbtq-seniors-struggle-to-overcome-economic-hardships-and-age-old-stigmas?ocid=spartanntp

I just turned 60 and have been looking for a place to retire to for 10 years!! I'm already retired from work but I returned to Michigan about 3 years ago due to aging parents. Dad has since died but I still live with and care for mom. I won't be moving as long as she is still around. Personally, I would never consider anywhere in Florida. I lived in Miami during most of the 90's and early 2000's and suffered through Hurricane Andrew. I consider the hurricane threat in Florida to be too great. As a peninsula, it is so exposed to the weather. I'm not willing to take that risk again. Nice place to visit but not live IMHO. Of all the places in the US I have visited in the last 10 years, I was most impressed with San Diego and Portland Or. I could easily live in either. Neither is very cost effective however....especially San Diego. Here in Michigan, I would probably only consider living in East Lansing or Ann Arbor longer term. Both very liberal medium sized college towns. Having said that, I will probably end up back in Houston, where I have the closest friends. That was where I lived prior to moving back to Michigan. Before I get flamed, yes I know hurricanes can also affect Houston. That is true. however, I don't see the risk as severe as in Florida. Galveston is very exposed but Houston being 30-50 miles inland is less at risk. The main threat for Houston is flooding... whether from a hurricane or just normal tropical weather. The key is to not live in lower lying areas that are prone to flooding. It seems that the same areas keep flooding over and over again....even from just a strong thunderstorm. Best of luck to the OP. P.s. I would also consider Montreal as a place to retire to in North America but obviously one has to come to terms with the severe winters or plan to go south for 4 months of the year.

Where I’m from oral sex absolutely is not intercourse. For the rest of my life I will continue to view “intercourse” as only being vaginal or anal Intercouse. For me an is a sexual act but it is not having sex. To be fair, I’m not sure there is a right or wrong answer to the OP’s question. If you ask 20 different people their answer to the question, I’m sure you will get 20 different answers.

Background: I’m in Europe for three weeks. Two weeks on a Mediterranean cruise and then a week in Rome at the end. The issue: Currently in Rome and have spent a few days browsing ads in Rentmen but also Hunqz and a couple of Italian-based escorts sites. I’ve seen multiple ads where the escort’s chosen circumcision status doesn’t match the penis photo in the ad. For instance the ad states the escort is “cut” yet the photos show a clearly “uncut” penis. The reverse is also seen. For me, such a situation puts the entire ad’s credibility into doubt. Fake ads are a problem everywhere but I’ve not seen so many instances of pics not being aligned with the description as here in Rome. As it happens, whilst I have a slight preference for uncut, in the end, I’m happy either way as long as it’s big. Ok rant over. Am I being overly careful?

When I was a teenager growing up in the Midwest, "having sex" meant you actually had penetrative intercourse. Oral sex did not constitute "having sex" even though it is a sexual act. Years later when Bill Clinton was being tried for impeachment, his retort of "it depends on what your definition of sex is" made perfect sense to me. Sure it was a cop out but at least where I grew up, oral sex was not considered as being "sex". Only sexual intercourse (vaginal or anal) was considered to be "sex".

A number of years ago, a friend of mine got poison ivy on his dick during an “encounter” with a hot younger guy in a wooded area outside San Diego. He went to his doctor the next day and got the normal treatment one gets for poison ivy. Interestingly, the doctor told my friend it wasn’t the first time he saw a patient with poison ivy on his dick:eek:. Must be a California thing.

You're right. Shame as he's so handsome. Thanks.

I'm currently in Italy and am interested in MassimoItalian. Anyone with experience? Any information appreciated. https://rentmen.eu/MASSIMOITALIAN

These days, I'm not sure it's worth it. If you travel mostly in economy domestically, premier upgrades are hard to come by for most of the airlines. That's because most the airlines are selling out their first class seats so there are none left for upgraders......even if they have 1K status. That used to be one of the key benefits of the higher status. With platinum, you already get preferred check-in, early boarding, and lounge access (if traveling long-haul international). I had 1K with United during two different times in my life. One was pre-merger with CO and the other time was after the merger. I didn't feel the incremental service provided was really worth pushing to get the extra status. I've been Executive Platinum with AA for many years now. The first class upgrades used to make it worthwhile but now I almost exclusively purchase first and business class tickets in order to ensure a comfortable seat. For the first time in many years, I'm considering not pushing for Executive Platinum status for next year.

Europe is definitely not the place to go for male strip clubs. As already mentioned, nothing like the Montreal-style clubs exists there. I've never understood why. You will find go-go boys in numerous bars but no official strip clubs. Makes no sense to me...but that's the reality.

I had a decent childhood. Traditional parents born in the 20's that had quite a backward value system. My brother and I weren't physically abused but dad was quite the disciplinarian. My childhood memories are mostly of being terrified of dad. I was totally in the closet with my family until I was 24-25 years old. I knew my parents were totally ill-equipped to handle the gay issue so I purposely chose to not tell them till after I was an adult. I handled the whole journey of coming to terms with my gayness on my own. Even after I told them, they were not particularly supportive or understanding. At least dad wasn't. Mom tried but still never really understood it. They always wanted to blame someone or something for me being gay. Dad died almost 3 years ago and I'm sure thought my being gay was an active choice until the day he died. I didn't hate my dad....nor did I love him I don't think. I did not cry at all when he died and I don't really miss him. Our relationship was always quite superficial.

My brother always chewed his food with his mouth open. I found it discusting. He's gone now but I don't miss his obnoxious chewing behavior.

In the end, it's all a word semantics game. Is PReP sex without condoms "safe", "unsafe", "safer", "protected", unprotected", "risky", "not risky"? It all depends on in relation to what. Participants of this behavior will argue that it is not unprotected sex to help themselves feel better about it. I wonder if their sex partner who caught gonorrhea from that sex encounter considers that he/she had protected/safer sex. I highly doubt it. I'm done posting on this topic. I highly value your input on this forum as well as that of latbear4blk so I have no issue with either of you generally. I do believe that PReP sex without condoms is risky, selfish, and irresponsible. Call me sex positive or sex negative. I don't really care.

I take no issue with the traditional meaning of sex positive. I am supportive of all the behaviors you described in your definition and I partake in several of them. However, I think that you are being naïve in believing that the definition you describe is the one that most people consider accurate in practice. You come off as an enabler of unsafe sex practices. Let's not mince words. Taking PReP and having sex without condoms is not "safer sex". In transitioning from using condoms for anal intercourse to now using PReP and no condoms could in no way be considered "safe" because: 1. PReP was never designed to be used just by itself. It was always supposed to be used with condoms. 2. Whilst one reduces the liklihood of HIV transmission with PReP only, the likelihood of catching and spreading other STI's goes up substantially when not using condoms. How on earth can this not be considered "unsafe". Is using PReP safer than taking no precautions at all? Sure it is.....but to pretend that it is not still risky behavior is selfish, uninformed, and dangerous.