mike carey

Those coffee pods are good if you know the room will have a machine, although I have an ideological reluctance (not refusal) to use them on environmental grounds. I bought some that fitted the machine in my SF hotel last year (they provided some free ones, not the minibar hell @LaffingBear describes) but I wasn`t able to give the ones I had left away in PS so I left them in my room. A hotel I use in Sydney had a machine in one room I had, but only one time. The next time when there wasn`t one I asked about it when I checked out and they said that only certain rooms had one, but they gave me a complimentary flat white. Generally speaking I`m more than happy to go and find a decent espresso coffee rather than take what I can get in my hotel room.

Guineapig in Perú, crocodile and camel here. Kangaroo shouldn't count in Australia, but I guess it does, and it's on supermarket shelves here (so is crocodile for that matter). I've had goat, but it's not all that exotic either. There are vast numbers of feral goats on arid rangelands in Australia, and in recent years graziers have been mustering them for (mainly) an export meat trade, and in poor seasons they provide a good source of extra income.

Qantas hasn't got there yet (well, they hadn't when I last flew) so radio silence on SYD-LAX/SFO/DFW, but the inflight entertainment is more than adequate to keep me busy if I can't sleep, And even in economy they seem to bring snacks around every couple of hours. Over 14-15 hours in the air, it might be nice to check in here or on social media, but I can live without it!

I sorta like it for its novelty value at the moment, but I share your regret that it takes away one assured period of unplugged time. I haven't used a paid wi-fi service on a flight yet, and doubt I would unless I'd been off-line for a while before the flight and needed to catch up. 'Need' is nonsense, of course, and I'm not working so that imperative is absent now, and there is often wi-fi in the departure lounge and you're always stuck there for a bit before a flight. The one time I have used it was on my Alaska flight from SFO to PSP last year, and that only allowed web based text messages, not general internet access.

Really, Kenny! Get with the program! Only 'warmongers' are bad. Bad comments by other people didn't happen.

Yes, click on their name under their avatar (where is says BostonTom, followed by Apprentice on yours) on the left of the screen. That will bring up a dialogue box that has, amongst other options 'Ignore'.

And when it comes to the `candlestick` part, what is that alluding to??

He was back in Sydney a little while back when I wasn't in town, or in a position to hire, but severely tempted!

Off topic, since I was a wee lad I can remember travelling through the village of Breadalbane in the NSW southern tablelands, but had never thought to check on the origin of the name. Turns out it's in the Scottish highlands and amongst other things it is the name of a street in Toronto and one in Hamilton in Ontario.

Maccas here also blocks adult content, including this site. As does the free wi-fi at Sydney Central Station. Curiously, the wi-fi at the Sydney Cricket Ground does not. I have yet to have a problem at a hotel either here or in the US, although I have not tried to use it in public areas.

I didn't recheck the site earlier, but there is detailed info on London fares here: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/ It also shows the symbol that will be on your card if it is contactless-enabled. As Rod mentioned contactless gives you as good rates as an Oyster card. If you decide to go with the Oyster, there is detail on the site about ordering one in advance (yes, £5 plus postage, plus however much you want to pre-load it with). The weekly cap for contactless is the same as a travel card (around £34 for Zones 1-2), and the card is a better deal if you are going to be there from mid-week to mid-week (the contactless cap is Mon-Sun, not 'any seven days'). Over three weeks it would matter less, and there are daily caps as well as weekly so you may end up paying less on contactless. Nice one, Rod! I agree on Bruges too, and Ghent isn't bad either.

But wait, wasn't he first in line or something? I know I am well down the queue.

[David Attenborough voice] And here we have Homo Connecticutensis in its natural habitat. This species of is known to migrate temporarily to different environments but it is not clear whether it can successfully establish itself permanently in hotter climates.

You're probably correct. My Visa and Amex cards here are contactless, as is the prepaid card I mentioned. We have had to use either contactless (valid up to $AU100) or chip and PIN for about four years now, signature isn't permitted. It may be prudent for anyone travelling to the UK to confirm that chip and signature still works there.

You may wish to check, when I was discussing London with @escortrod he mentioned that you can now use any credit card with a chip instead of an Oyster card, just make sure you tap on and off with the same one! IIRC the system applies the same (or slightly lower fares) as the Oyster card, including discounts and daily or other fare caps. Of course, if your credit card charges a transaction fee for each foreign currency transaction (other than a small percentage surcharge) using it may not work for you. (I have a prepaid card I can pre-load with GBP.)

If it's term insurance (in Australian terms a policy that has no investment value and only pays anything when you die) that may be an option, but as others have suggested there are too many ways it can all come unstuck (challenging the assignment of the funds by will beneficiaries for example). Rather than assign the value of the policy to an escort, if you still see a point in maintaining the policy, it would probably be better to pay for escorts from your other assets and have the insurance go into your estate to meet your limited wishes to provide for beneficiaries. If it's an endowment policy (i.e. has a cash out value) you would probably be better off cashing it out yourself and spending the proceeds on the escort(s) of your choice.

Diesel in my small town is $AU1.47 to $1.55 a litre lately (that's about $US4.25 a US gallon). It used to be more expensive here than in bigger places, but it's been competitive or even cheaper in recent months. I have no idea why.

I tend to hold doors open for others irrespective of gender, but I've never come across one of those women who resent the perceived condescension. I would not hesitate to tell them that it was a common courtesy, not a 'ladies' thing.

I'm not sure having a good back is a consideration here, but I ache for T&A.

So much of what is said in this forum is about 'me, me, me'. We talk about the things we want to do, our sexual ideas, we talk about our political ideas (and defend them to the point of obsession). We focus on ourselves. We resent things that don't affirm us. And then we read @BasketBaller's latest recounting of the Plebe, the de Paul twin, and whatever else. That points us in a different direction. It elevates our souls. I feel that I know him and his boys, I rejoice in their every-day reactions and what they do. I know it's not all plain sailing but I like to think that we have their backs. I for one look forward to the next paths they take.

When I was in primary school in the 1960s we had a half day holiday on 24 May for Empire Day, and that was the day we had fireworks (in WA that was on 5 Nov).

I've been looking at him for a while, and imagined him pounding me while telling me the Brumbies were a bunch of girls. Oh, and this is him: https://rent.men/sarugbymuscle

What MBD said, a couple of guys I have checked out or have on my buddy list do this. If they are on line it shows up, but if they are not the site doesn't say when they were last on-line, it just says 'private'. I presume it adds a little distance between them and potential clients.

An example, her veil was described here as featuring floral designs from across the Commonwealth so in that there was a nod to the Firm's wider role than just in England. Its power is there (and I said England rather than the UK deliberately), but it has, and acknowledges a wider remit.

They were not supporting the Crown they were supporting celebrity.