mike carey

Today marks the 107th anniversary of the October Revolution in Petrograd, an event that started the civil war and precipitated the fall of the provisional government.

Really? I'm shocked. But Malta and Cyprus are. (I listened regularly to a podcast called 'Remainiacs' (you might be able to guess what it was about), and still do now it's called 'Oh God What Now'.)

Indeed, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference or CHOGM was just held in Samoa (not a former British colony, it was a German colony governed by Aotearoa after WW1). There are others that were colonies of Commonwealth countries rather than Britain, and several African countries (Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique, Rwanda and Togo) that were Belgian, French or Portuguese colonies. Of course there are also former British colonies that are no longer, or have never been members of the Commonwealth. Two member states are also members of the EU. The Commonwealth is home to 2.7 billion people.

Gentlemen, this topic was always going to be close to the line on politics, but was avoiding it by talking about feelings on the day. Talking about policies, the actions of players or perceived players in how the day went, or what effect it will have on you clearly cross the line into content that we don't allow. Please go back to the sort of general discussion that we began with.

A quick search revealed two separate dictionaries with definitions: - a person (such as a writer or painter) who deliberately debases their talents (as for money) - a person who willingly uses their talent or ability in a base and unworthy way, usually for money. And in British usage, a slightly different version of the same thoughts: - a person who offers his talent or work for unworthy purposes

... and the Gold Coast, Orange Free State and Transvaal Republic.

True, but we too easily mistake information for knowledge, or worse for wisdom.

Remember, remember! The fifth of November, The Gunpowder treason and plot; I know of no reason, why the Gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot!

Climb every mountain, ford every stream etc etc And good luck when you find your dream, whoever he is. But @azdr0710 taunt you? Heaven forfend!

This sounds about right. I see rates all the time for escorts that aren't in the US (when the advertiser posts them, not all do). I rarely if ever see rates for anyone in the US (whether resident escorts, or visitors whose rates I have seen when they were elsewhere). If my recollection is correct, there were version differences for US ads with rates that had been posted before the RM rule came in. Some RM versions continued to show them but later ones do not. I suspect RM did not intend for them to still appear and they shut it down in updated versions.

Curious. The message option opens when I click on 'Message me' on his ad on rent.men. I'm logged in, if that makes a difference.

Is this in Queenstown?

Closet? @pubic_assistance? I must have been misunderstanding things here to an epic level.

Yes, the link is active but the ad is not. It would be odd if Alex had opened a new ad while he had one that was still up on RM. But he may have.

@ApexNomad, it appears I wasn't making it clear what I meant. Of course he shouldn't have said it. But he did. He was talking about a hypothetical meeting in different circumstances, not a reset of the ground rules. Of course he should have foreseen that it could sound as if he was. Having had an escort appointment colours everything that is said and how things are interpreted. In the hypothetical he only talked about talking to you. Your anticipation, hope or expectation of 'further' comes from that context, not what he said. In this case, he may have had clear ideas about what he would have done if there had been no appointment, and also clear ideas about what he was prepared to consider given it had happened. But he didn't say. My 'further' in my previous post was what you might have hoped for in a 'no-escort-meeting' hypothetical, not one that was raised during a meeting. That context would naturally have raised expectations (or hopes). Bottom line, he should have realised that in the context he raised it, it would sound as if he was open to meeting in different circumstances. He should have said nothing or been specific.

I have a slightly different take, and one that perhaps isn't helpful for future dealings with that individual. To me it sounds like an honest opinion, but it's a 'quiet part said out loud' sort of comment. It's as if he's saying that he has a private life and if he had first met you in a different setting he would have talked to you if you had approached him. But that didn't happen, and the rules of engagement have now been set in client-escort mode so (probably) won't change. 'Met in civilian capacity' is now a counterfactual so that pathway is closed. It was insensitive, or perhaps just clumsy of him to say it, but it was still a compliment, and one that you can take on board for meeting other hot guys. Just bear in mind that firstly, you've established in his mind that you're happy to pay him for his time, so why would he see you for free, and secondly, even though he said he would have talked to you, he didn't say that it would have gone any further, and it seems that the 'further' was always in your hopes.

Noah in Valencia?

An article from the Economist, perhaps not to be taken entirely seriously, on jet lag. How to beat jet lag And enjoy your journey as well Illustration: Paul Blow Oct 31st 2024 Listen to this story. “You want to know the secret to surviving air travel?” the man sitting next to Bruce Willis on the plane asks in “Die Hard”, a film from 1988. “After you get to where you’re going, take off your shoes and your socks, then you walk around on the rug barefoot and make fists with your toes.” Anyone who has flown across longitudes will be familiar with the havoc air travel plays on your circadian rhythms, causing you to jolt awake at four in the morning and tape your eyes open at four in the afternoon to keep from nodding off. Those in jobs that require them regularly to traverse the globe may find their brains muddled for days after every trip, leaving them tired, disoriented and at elevated risk of irate outbursts. Less clear is what can be done about it. Dubious advice abounds, from eating chocolate for breakfast and taping plant seeds behind your ears to swallowing Viagra (though a study in 2007 did show that the “little blue pill” helped rodents to overcome jet leg faster). Does anything really help? There are, unfortunately, no miracle cures for jet lag, despite an obvious market for one. Nevertheless, your guest Bartleby has a few tips you might find useful. If you can, be under the age of 25, though that trick may not work indefinitely. When heading from west to east, take a melatonin tablet and go to bed early for a few nights before you travel (you will almost certainly ignore this advice, as your columnist usually does); when travelling the other way, go to bed a few hours later (much more fun). When you arrive, coffee or an equally caffeinated beverage will be essential. Remember, though, that there are limits: you may want to stop when your eye begins to twitch, for example. Drink plenty of water, too, as you will be desiccated from your flight. If it is daytime when you land, go for a stroll and soak up some sunlight to get those melatonin levels down. The fresh air will also help clear your head. If there is a pool or the sea nearby, head there for a swim. If you are travelling for business, all this is best done on company time. The most important question, though, is what to do on the plane journeys to and from your destination. When you board, it is recommended that you turn left, head straight for a business- or first-class seat, wrap yourself in its superior blanket and raise your privacy screen. If you do not have a ticket to sit with the high-flyers it may still be worth a shot. Confidence is of the essence. If, however, you are escorted back to your allotted position with the common folk, you will need a plan to put yourself to sleep at the right time to reset your body clock. Try another of those melatonin tablets or maybe some CBD oil. If you need something stronger, an antihistamine or prescription hypnotic should do the trick (and may come in handy in the days following your journey). Although such remedies should not be taken on a regular basis, they are to be embraced by those travelling long distances. And don’t forget your eye mask, earplugs and neck pillow. Nobody wants jet lag to ruin their business trip or the days after they return. Neither, though, should you suffer excessively through your flight. Some suggest that fasting on a plane trip can lessen the effects of jet lag. That sounds to your columnist like a unique form of torture, no matter how dubious the quality of the food on offer may be (there are, after all, plenty of snacks to be had). Better instead to try to enjoy your time on the plane and release a few endorphins. Flying has its hassles, but it also has its perks, not least of which is the chance to disconnect from the outside world and enjoy a few hours of respite from your responsibilities. A Bloody Mary before lunch followed by an episode or three of “The White Lotus” can turn a tiresome trip into a rare indulgence in a busy schedule. Ignore the in-flight Wi-Fi. Ultimately, jet lag can be mitigated, but only to a degree. It is an inconvenient consequence of the very convenient fact that modern travellers can fly across multiple time zones in a matter of hours. Explorers who once crossed great distances by foot, boat or camel did not have to deal with jet lag, yet it is doubtful they would have chosen their mode of transport over an Airbus A380. And after a few days even the most severe case of jet lag will ease and be forgotten. So do your best to relish the journey, despite its side-effects. And feel free to ignore any advice the passenger next to you might want to impart. ■

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Probably not much different to business owners and executives treating company funds as their own personal money.

Way harsh!

I can show people my test results on my MyDHR record, but why would I expect anyone else on here to know what the f### that was. Ask for the information you want, not the platform you want to see it on. Last time I checked, the US doesn't have a national health data record system. If it did, asking to see the results on that might make sense.

Goodness Gracious!

Not Calgary? I was going to say Saskatoon but people would accuse me of making up a place name.

My most regular guy recently had a mycoplasma genitalium (mgen) infection, and he was rattled by the uncertainty of a cure given its antibiotic resistance, and the time treatment takes (several may be needed in succession) that he is going to be more inclined to use condoms from now on. We talked about it at length both before and after the infection was identified (other STI tests are typically run first here to eliminate them as the cause of symptoms), and he hasn't been able to identify the chain of infection. He didn't go into the details, but from his contact(s) that were positive, it wasn't possible to work out who had the preexisting infection and who passed it to whom (or even if both coincidentally caught it elsewhere). (Yes, I tested negative so he didn't get it from me.) From a business perspective, the down time from working if he were to catch it again meant that routinely not using a condom was no longer a rational decision. And when I was at the [ACT Goverment] clinic, the doctor asked me if I had considered PrEP and when I prevaricated said, 'Why not?' and I now have a prescription to fill (to use on-occasion, not every day).