ZhenXBear

Wishing you all the best in determining why you're having pain during swallowing. I'd avoid the medical self-diagnosis, because resources online often point to the most serious of conditions, that aren't applicable to people. Hopefully just some gastric reflux, seasonal allergy related issue, or perhaps a dental issue. It's great that you're being so proactive about finding out what's going on, though! Some people delay seeking treatment for fear of what it "might" be and end up suffering unnecessarily when the real cause turns out to be something very treatable. Just remember, that esophageal cancer statistically comprises less than 1% of all new cancer cases year year; it's very very rare! Much more likely you've got something more innocuous and VERY treatable. Please take care!

I think it's just going to take time for the 787 to find its groove. Much like the auto manufacturers are experiencing with the recent backlash from airbags, Boeing has felt the heat over third party battery issues they didn't have direct control over. All problems aside, she remains a technological sophisticated aircraft with amazing design for a commercial craft. I remember when Cirrus first introduced the SR20 and Diamond the DA-20; the GA community was pretty leery of the composites designs the manufacturers chose for them. Since then, I've flown both, and found them to be enjoyable for different reasons. The SR-22 has become my favorite aircrafts to fly and my first "low wing" transition aircraft beyond some hours in an older Mooney. I like it much better than the C172 G1000 I got my instrument rating on. Oh what I wouldn't give to log some flight time in a 787 simulator!! :cool:

...talked to or asked out by regular guys because everyone is to afraid to talk to them.

Like California...I better start rationing before the well goes dry....

LOL, you are so gonna get spanked when he reads this....but wait, perhaps that's the point.

I completely agree. While I wasn't old enough to vote during the Reagan administration, I did have a political sense of "awareness" and very much enjoyed the polite discourse between Reagan and O'Neil. It's so disheartening to see today's fools in politics down in the mud, rolling around, pulling hair and biting at each other like rabid dogs. I would also agree that with G.H.W. Bush, the last vestiges of cooperation pretty much evaporated between the D's and R's. All we're left with now, is this sorry lot.

When I was in my early 30's I was asked by a college freshman to attend a football game in the President's box (another story as to why). As I sat there enjoying the game I took note of the cheesecake that was embossed with gold foil signature initials of the President; the lavish gourmet repaste was delicious but it quickly became painfully obvious where tuition money was going. I understand that at times Universities must spend money on such functions to secure large donations and endowments, but having paid for my own education I simply couldn't help but ponder how many semester hours that entire event would have funded, or degrees for that matter. In reading about the breathtaking salaries for Reagents in California is has become pretty clear that some of these 450k+ salaries aren't sustainable. I wonder how many students it took to finance that cheesecake and how many are still paying for it years later.

If only we had more people in both the House and Senate that were truth tellers and willing to send sacred cows to slaughter; I find her pragmatism refreshing. If anything it gives me hope that eventually our partisan elder-statesmen (and women) will stop choking each other long enough to notice America's meteoric disintegration soon enough to change course and prevent an extinction level event. Idealistic of me perhaps, but I truly long for an age of willing compromise and progress. As it stands the vitriol the opposing Party has for any sitting President coupled with a fear that he or she might possibly be viewed in the slightest positive light, prevents compromise on any issue. We've arrived at a time where the needs of the Party supersede those of the Nation; a dangerous place. Perhaps this is why I love that old campy Sci Fi movie "Mars Attacks"; when the Martians wipe out all of Congress and most of the Senate; finally we overcome a lack of term limitations! "I'd like the American people to know that they've still got 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for them and that ain't bad!" ~~ Jack Nicholson.

I absolutely LOVE her. She's completely unafraid to take both sides of the aisle to task. Her scathing speech about the necessity to bust Citibank apart and the subtle yet painful links of its alumni to bipartisan campaign contributions and "fox guarding henhouse" mentality at the Federal Reserve were blisteringly passionate. If she ever runs for President she has my vote.

I think business has been the death knell of liberal arts degrees. They don't want to mentor people and develop skill sets in potential employees who could be brilliant assets if developed. They want to hire and have you hit the ground running, bringing most things to the table; if your lucky you get to add things to your tool chest while your there. I honestly don't know how these young grass get much of a break.

Definitely an alarming statistic, Steven. When I was in college my degree choice was very focused, so when I graduated I knew exactly what I was going to be doing in healthcare. I did go to a University that insisted that even Science focused majors receive "core requirements" in both the arts, humanities and business. At the time I was pretty annoyed but looking back I do feel they helped me indirectly, but not directly. In addition to the spiraling cost of education I think what's missing is transparency on the part of Universities. It's almost reached the point where I feel that the Federal government and any institution that accepts financial aid should be required to publish the average salaries, job employment prospects and job titles of every degrees student for a period of five years after graduation. So often we see case examples of students graduating with Political Science, history or basic business degrees who find jobs that leave them incapable of making student loan payments. When someone declares a major there should be transparency and doses of reality surrounding what they're going to be able to do with it. I'm also disturbed by the profitability associated with funding education. I'm immediately distrustful because the global banking system is painfully morally bankrupt. I truly wish the government would fully fund education at zero interest rates so that when people came out of college they didn't have so many chips stacked against their success. It's one of the few things all Americans could benefit from and actually use other than the postal service. Today, I'm still involved with my original career choice but it's taken me in an interesting and enjoyable direction. I wish that every college student today could have some level of security knowing that their decisions to pursue a specific degree was not going to be the specter that haunts them 10 years down the road.

Lol, Tru. What does this mean for fringe elements within a fringe, let alone a niche within a fringe of a fringe!

I'm not certain if this is a "man/woman" thing more so than a generational construct. I was recently reading an article about the Sexuality of today's 20-something's and Millenials, and they've found that they place a lot more emphasis on the quality of their interactions with friends, family and sexual partners than Gen-Xers or still older people. They also value happiness and happiness in career choices over financial gains as a whole. With this in mind the ability to "walk away from sex" and get on with your day/week/life may very well be a social construct of time and generation. As the Generation Y'ers age may likely carry their views and values forward into the venue and influence the landscape of how this business is conducted, making that type of behavior more fringe than mainstream.

Everyone has their own ideas and perceptions about what a BFE is and what it involves. For many people the experiences of past relationships are what we use to define the interactions that we seek out in such an encounter. How do you as a companion prepare for this type of request? Do you specifically ask? Do you instinctively know? Are they more difficult for you? More enjoyable? More taxing? Clients: What defines this type of experience for you?

As others have said, Uber will have the information, but another option is to pay them is via PayPal. I kind of like this option better because I don't have to actually give me CC information to Uber and I trust PayPal more. In reviewing PayPay (just now) all it says was that Uber Technologies was paid 'X' on this date. There's no information on the PayPal who was picked up, where they were taken or anything other than the fare cost. The application does have a "trip history" section though with the date/times of the ride, the total fare, who the driver was, and a "mini-map" of the route taken. I also might add that as a recent adopter of Uber, I find it fantastic to use over the typical cabs in San Francisco. On my first trip, I got off of BART, selected my information and hit the button, and the guy was there literally in under 2 minutes. What I didn't realize was that there was a "ride share" option, but I didn't mind paying a bit more to get there more expeditiously.