quoththeraven

I agree that the differences in anatomy matter. Even with less shame surrounding female sexuality, girls don't have a noticeable protuberance that some may think begs to be played with. (Though the only difference during puberty that I'm aware of is greater length/size in proportion to overall growth and the ability to ejaculate.) I also tend to bristle at claims of male (or gay or lesbian) exclusivism. For one thing, we're more alike than we think, and we all have homologous tissue. Tissue that in male-bodied individuals develops into a penis develops into clitoris. Yes, there may be a handful of inherent differences, but it's impossible to tell and even if we could, there are as many or more differences within genders as across genders.

In the car, I'll listen to the local public radio station if something interesting is on, otherwise I'll listen to CDs. (There are no other radio stations worth listening to.) Sometimes I fall asleep watching TV, but otherwise I don't leave it on if I'm not watching. I watch music videos and shows and listen to Spotify and the occasional CD. I've been listening to a premade playlist and it's reminded me why I usually don't: listening to something I don't like diminishes my enjoyment. But so far I've only disliked two songs.

It's not perfect, but Wall Street is regulated and has failsafes Bitcoin doesn't have. For example, when a Bitcoin exchange goes out of business, there's no insolvency process or other recourse. There's no solvency requirement as exists in the exchanges. There's a difference between thinking the risk is worth it (for one thing, the slight differences in value between different Bitcoin exchanges is ripe for exploitation) and thinking that imperfectly regulated markets (which is all of them, because no system is perfect) can legitimately be equated with markets that were specifically designed to be completely unregulated. The latter is either wishful thinking or a cheap shot.

On a bed, thankfully. I don't like discomfort. Actually it was a top bunk in a triple dorm room. The roommate who walked in on us after we were naked but before anything happened never spoke to me again, though I wasn't the one who forgot to lock the door. It wasn't fair that they had to find somewhere else to sleep, but neither was my roommate wanting our room to herself because her boyfriend was visiting. Back then I didn't see the point in trying to negotiate a reasonable outcome with someone whose original position was unreasonable, and as we hadn't chosen to room together, I had no reservoir of goodwill to work with.

FYI: a good summary of the upsides and downsides to Bitcoin. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/bitcoin-soars-above-17000-boosting-worries-and-a-worldwide-frenzy/2017/12/07/439e71e8-db68-11e7-b1a8-62589434a581_story.html

You seem to have missed the allegations of physical abuse. Also by that reasoning it's perfectly okay for men to fuck teenage girls. That also has a long history and many teen girls welcome such attention, thinking it's romantic or a sign of maturity.

That seems pretty arbitrary. I can understand skepticism about one accusation of past conduct for which there is no independent evidence, but barring specific suspicious circumstances, two should be enough to take action of some sort and three begins to look like a pattern.

There's a danger, though, that those who were discouraged from pursuing their dream career and thus suffered the most damage will have their claims minimized because of that. At this point they have no legal ability to receive compensation; the statute of limitations on a civil suit has expired and requesting payment would look a lot like extortion.

Why? No one's trying him in court. Reputations are won or lost every day in the court of public opinion for all sorts of reasons. That's true in our personal lives too. We make decisions about the actions of others without proof beyond a reasonable doubt all the time. Why should this be different? Levine could sue for defamation, but if the reporting behind the stories is solid, he'll lose and he opens himself up to discovery and even more reporting on the allegations. Also defamation suits, like all civil suits, don't work on the basis of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt but preponderance of the evidence, meaning more likely than not. All this does is say someone's statement that they didn't do it has more weight than any amount of claims.

After the rumors, the payouts and multiple witnesses, people are still going to act like Levine's word is worth something? The allegations paint a picture of a man attracted to high school students for whom he was an authority figure whom he abused physically as well as sexually. How is that not predatory? By imposing a "lalala I don't hear you" and "proof beyond a reasonable doubt standard" (or, given alleged payoffs to parents, a "buy silence to protect our meal ticket"), the Met appears to have enabled continuing abuse of minors in a manner not that different from the Catholic Church or, arguably, Michael Jackson. For an already-retired Levine to no longer be welcome at the Met is not some violation of his civil rights.

I could simplify more if I didn't feel the need to color coordinate, which means I have a pair of shoes to go with blue and brown/tan outfits respectively as well as black shoes. Then there are the hot orange sandals I just remembered I have that match a particular outfit.

I don't like full sleeves or most full color tattoos. The bolder and more tribal, the better, within reason, though I also like the first guy's 3/4 sleeve. I also appreciate tattoos with a meaning that's obvious to others, such as rapper Bang Yongguk's "make art, not war" and "viva la revolution" tattoos.

10-12, although I'm too lazy to check.

I haven't tried audiobooks either because I read faster than a narrator speaks, I absorb and remember written information better than spoken, and I would likely fall asleep listening, totally messing up my ability to pick up where I left off. If I'm on a long car trip, I'd rather listen to music. (Not a total Luddite; I do 95% of my reading on a tablet.)

Introducing this and the other recent thread on tattoos to each other. https://www.companyofmen.org/threads/so-sick-of-seeing-bad-tattoos.131318/

Since these both popped up on the same new posts page, I'm introducing the two most recent threads on tattoos to each other. https://www.companyofmen.org/threads/escorts-and-so-many-tattoos.126978/

That's not a world I want to live in. Also, it's not always true that the person you think is super-creative actually is. They may be relying heavily on someone else. An example might be a long-term editor, for a filmmaker or writer, or a spouse or assistant. This goes double for business people. I realize this doesn't apply to conductors.

Acts involving minors is exactly what Levine is accused of.

That's the kind of thing I was referring to as prepayment. That would actually amount to a guarantee.

Unless you are seeking him for that long in one session or you're prepaying, there is nothing guaranteed about it. Robbery, death, illness on either of your parts, work emergencies - the income may be highly likely but that's not the same as guaranteed.

How is he guaranteed an income other than for the session at hand?

I use my real first name. I don't disclose anything else. I've never asked for their real names (first or last) and never been told. For me, asking for their real first name is too intrusive. Personal autonomy is important to me. They need to share it without prodding for me to feel comfortable that they'll be comfortable with it. Also it's less information for me to remember. Thankfully their stage names included actual names rather than descriptions. I learned the full real names of a couple of escorts I was/am friends with - one because he was shipping something through UPS, the other through the name on his doorbell. I don't remember their names, though.

Not all of us have moved to Bitcoin. (Kidding, for this purpose cash is king.)

That would have happened with or without Vatican II. It can be argued that as a reform effort, Vatican II delayed this reckoning, but I'm not sure there is conclusive evidence either way.

In what way that is relevant to same-sex marriage?