ArVaGuy

I recall meeting him at a DC Forum MAL gathering some years ago. He was on my short list to hire at the time as he was mostly bottom in his porn scenes. After finally getting the chance to chat with him during the brunch I lost any desire to hire him for a session. Delusional, self absorbed, and not an interesting conversation were my impressions.

He became rather diva like and several porn studios stopped hiring him. Randy Blue had some trouble which he tried to turn around saying he quit working for them instead of being sacked. He then went on to Raw Fuck Club and Treasure Island Media and magically became a top.

It depends. If this escort were one of the guys I regularly hire I’d likely have no problem hiring him. But would likely wait a few weeks.

However, if it’s just some random guy that I’ve never hired before then my answer is no, i wouldn’t hire him. The level of trust would not be as well established and benefit of the doubt not as strong.

Actor and Instagram star Kurt Tocci.

Awesome! Did you run track in school?

Keep making the contributions as @Kevin Slater noted with dollar cost averaging you are buying shares that will increase in value over time.

I‘ve “lost“ 20 percent since January and increased my cash position for the short term. The volatile market conditions will continue for the rest of 2020.

I consider myself relatively tech savvy and I've been challenged as well. I'm used to directly uploading an image from my computer or mobile device. I've tried copying and pasting but that doesn't work. I just downloaded Imgur, uploaded my test pic, copied the URL, and tried to insert it using the image icon in the toolbar and got the "Something went wrong. Please try again or contact the administrator." It shouldn't be this difficult.

I have the same issue. It should not be this difficult to post an image. I use imgur and might get lucky one in 20 attempts to post an image. Same error message “something went wrong” it would be helpful to know what went wrong so the user can attempt to fix it. There has to be a simpler way to post an image without this frustration.

Happy Birthday!

Same here, this isolation is taking a toll on my psyche.

im gonna hire three escorts at same time.

Just got this email from InnDulge. The PS government has ordered all hotels closed until April 30.

Palm Springs has closed its hotels until at least April 30.

You will not be able to come and stay with us for your reservation. You will not be charged for this reservation/cancellation. If your deposit has been taken, please contact InndulgeManager@gmail.com for room night credits. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us and keep us in mind for your future travel plans.

INNdulge Palm Springs

601 S. Grenfall Rd. Palm Springs, CA 92264(760)327-1408

I hired Jeremy five times through the Man To Man agency and had good experience with him. I saw him twice in Minneapolis and the rest were in DC. He certainly was one of the best looking bodybuilder types I’ve ever encountered. His laconic demeanor and dry sense of humor were be most charming aspects of his personality.

As to his skill set, the oral performance improved over time and he got more proficient in giving it during the period I saw him which was just over three years. Early on he was definitely the gay for pay straight guy (allegedly) who sat back and received rather than being interactive, By the last time I saw him prior to his “unfortunate incarceration” he was much more relaxed, comfortable, and willing to explore. I almost got him to bottom for me during our last encounter.

There’s a lot of complexity hiring these alleged straight guys who do gay for pay porn and escort. A client has to be realistic about expectations and make some compromises. The owner of Man To Man, Dave, told me of two horrible experiences Jeremy had with clients that had him traumatized to the point he nearly quit. I never got the full details from Dave and Jeremy certainly didn’t reveal anything to me. Suffice it to say there are A LOT of strange clients every escort has to manage and it’s not easy.

I have fond memories of Jeremy and certainly wish him well. He’s had some challenges and may not have made the best choices but none of that detracts from my sentiments.

I see Santiago Resort is still beckoning visitors today with new posts on their Facebook page. Is that kind of odd?

I’ve received several hotel marketing emails for “hot dates“ in March and April. These are dates with low business the hotel is trying to fill offering special rates and concessions. My assumption here is that the automated marketing bots are sending these messages because no one has deactivated the program. That‘s because the hotels have furloughed or laid off 95 percent of staff.

I’m about to contact the InnDulge management to cancel my reservation. What have they been offering in terms of a credit? I was thinking about rebooking for October but not sure that’s practical.

Anyone just rebooking for same week next year?

Dear All -

I am sorry to announce that I must cancel the 2020 Palm Springs Weekend. In addition to the health concerns, the two restaurant venues are and will be closed until May 1. Also some of the possible attendees have already let me know that they will not be coming. Therefore, with all things considered, it is best to forego the festivities this year.

This is the right call given the circumstances. It’s better we all be safe than run the risk of contracting this virus. Hopefully the event can happen next year.

Thank you for all your efforts organizing this year.

I’m sure there will be layoffs

The unemployment rate could get as high as 20 percent, that’s a depression. Marriott is laying off “tens of thousands”.

The situation is changing rapily. Dont expect much help from card issuers and travel refunds.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/credit-card-issuers-rankle-travelers-scrambling-to-cancel-trips-11584437401

Credit Card Issuers Rankle Travelers Scrambling to Cancel Trips

By AnnaMaria Andriotis

March 17, 2020 5:30 am ET

Customers are flooding credit-card companies with requests for refunds on trips they no longer want to take as the coronavirus spreads. Many are finding they are still on the hook for at least some of the costs.

Card issuers are scrambling to respond, with many tweaking refund policies along the way. Customers say they have had to wait hours on the phone to talk to customer-service representatives.

Card issuers have been lenient with refunding customers who can no longer travel because they have personally contracted coronavirus. But many customers simply don’t want to travel as the virus spreads, both out of health concerns and because many of the places they planned to visit are closed.

Sometimes customers are going first to airlines or other travel providers, where the response has been mixed. Airlines are working with travelers who were booked to fly to destinations where the companies have all but canceled flights; they are generally offering more limited flexibility to others.

The travel issues are hitting rewards credit cards, where many customers could absorb the financial hit of paying for a canceled trip. But the cards, many of which charge high annual fees, often boast about superior customer service and travel-related perks, and banks are in tight competition for these wealthier customers.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS

Have you reached out to a credit card company during this global health crisis? What has that experience been like? Join the conversation below.

Some rewards cards have long touted their travel insurance, which helps cardholders get refunds when they need to cancel trips. Card issuers and networks typically partner with third-party insurers to provide this.

Many consumers rarely consider it, instead often comparing cards based on sign-up bonus points or access to airport lounges.

In recent years, large issuers including Citigroup Inc. and Discover Financial Services DFS -2.64% have removed this benefit. Roughly 20% of credit cards offered trip-cancellation insurance last year, compared with 36% in 2015, according to consumer-finance website WalletHub.com’s review of general-purpose cards originated by large issuers.

Most policies have limitations. For example, they often allow refunds if customers are so sick they can’t travel, or because of severe weather. But they often don’t cover flight changes made by airlines or other travel operators.

Card issuers including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and American Express Co. in many cases are telling cardholders they don’t qualify because the policies generally don’t cover pandemics or epidemics, customers said.

<div data-xf-p="1" data-src="2AE4BEEE-CB02-4D4B-98F9-A17FF9427FB1" data-src="https://m.wsj.net/video/20200316/031720virusspread/031720virusspread_1280x720.jpg"><div data-xf-p="1"><span>How the New Coronavirus Became a Global Pandemic</span></div></div></div></div></div></div>On Dec. 1, 2019, a patient in Wuhan, China, started showing symptoms of what doctors determined was a new coronavirus. Since then, the virus has spread to infect more than 100,000 people. Here’s how the virus grew to a global pandemic. Photo illustration: Carter McCall/WSJ

People who are infected with the virus or are placed under quarantine by a physician often can get reimbursed, customers said. Those who are grounding themselves often aren’t covered, customers said.

After his university canceled a class trip to Sweden, graduate student Oscar Pearson of California said he called JPMorgan and asked for the travel insurance on his Sapphire Reserve card to reimburse the roughly $750 he had spent on airfare. The bank told him the card’s benefit didn’t cover the coronavirus, he said.

Mr. Pearson, 26, said he explained the trip was canceled because of the virus and that the university had made that decision. He already had reached out to the online travel site where he booked the flight. It offered him a partial credit that involved a rebooking fee, which he didn’t take.

His university recently told students it would reimburse them if they can’t get refunded any other way.

Some frustrated consumers are filing so-called merchant disputes, a process typically reserved for fraudulent purchases.

Kristal May of Salt Lake City canceled a trip to Seattle after her employer recommended against traveling. When she contacted the hotel, it declined to refund her booking of roughly $540.

Ms. May had charged the hotel stay on her AmEx Platinum card, so she called AmEx to ask about getting refunded through the card’s travel insurance. She said AmEx referred her to its insurance provider, which told her coronavirus wasn’t covered unless she already had the virus and was under quarantine.

She submitted a merchant dispute, though she said an AmEx agent told her she could expect to be denied.

Ms. May, 36, said she signed up for the Platinum card in January after hearing positive reviews about its customer service from friends. “I expected this to be a no-brainer,” she said.

Some card issuers have been more flexible about returning points.

In early February, Leandro Petracca, 33, of San Francisco booked a two-week trip to Italy, Austria, Hungary and Morocco. He and his husband were aware of the coronavirus and decided they would be safer traveling to Europe than Asia. He charged more than $10,000 of hotels, airfare and train rides on his Sapphire Reserve card and redeemed 300,000 points for the trip.

About three weeks ago, Mr. Petracca called JPMorgan to ask for help canceling his trip. He said the bank transferred him to a third-party insurance company, which told him coronavirus wasn’t covered.

After some wrangling with JPMorgan, the bank returned the 300,000 points, Mr. Petracca said. He also contacted the airlines and hotels, which refunded him for most of his purchases. He remains on the hook for $1,200.

A couple of months ago, Mike Cardente, 42, of Corona, Calif., booked a $3,000, seven-day cruise along the Mexican Riviera for his family.

Mr. Cardente has cancer and is wary of traveling while coronavirus spreads. He recently tried and failed to get refunded by Carnival Corp. and the travel agency that he booked the tickets through, he said. After that, he filed a dispute withCapital One Financial Corp.

Carnival has been suspending some of its cruises. A spokesman said Monday that Mr. Cardente is eligible for a full refund if he cancels his dispute.

Thank you for posting these alternative measures... Cheers!

I hate to actually give such advice in this instance. I’m dealing with cancellation of hotel contracts some of which have six figure penalties. Every hotel I’ve dealt with, including a few independents, have been flexible about rebooking as a matter of goodwill. We’re all in this together.

I hate to hear this about INNdulge I've always stayed there in PS and the owners always seemed to be really nice. They definitely aren't hurting for money.

Everyone having an issue with the cancellation policy should post their experience on Trip Advisor. I’m holding off on canceling in anticipation of a forced grounding of travel. Then there is a force Majeure without question.

I may also contact my credit card company and file a disputed charge claim. The issuer may still validate the charge but resort will have to spend time, effort, and money verifying the transaction.

I canceled yesterday and there is no refunds or credits. I’m eating half the total cost of my stay. The manager calls it sharing the risk.

No credit toward a future rebooking? That’s bad business and creates an unnecessary good will problem. I accept that it’s a small business and being hit very hard but being flexible with cancellation and rebooking is a way to alleviate issues for loyal guests and the resort.

Before Trump’s inauguration, a warning: ‘The worst influenza pandemic since 1918'[/url]

In a tabletop exercise days before an untested new president took power, officials briefed the incoming administration on a scenario remarkably like the one he faces now.

 

 

I'm putting this here rather than in the politics forum because I think it makes a nonpartisan or apolitical statement about collective preparedness.

 

We've crossed a threshold this week. We're now past 9/11. The death toll in the US is barely 100. But before long it is next to certain that more Americans will die of COVID-19 than from terrorist-flown airplanes on 9/11. The hope now is that the measures governments at every level are taking will limit the scope of this to something that is not much worse than what happened in Wuhan.

 

The difference can be measured by the words of the leader we are all counting on to guide us through this. As recently as Feb. 27, this was the message being sent: Speaking about the 15 individuals diagnosed with the coronavirus on US soil, Trump said that “the 15 will soon be down to three, four.” The people being treated today were the ones being infected right around the time that was said. Now we are being told by the same leader not to have gatherings of more than 10 people.

 

So that right there makes your case. Anyone expecting the government to save them from disaster is going to be a casualty.

 

That said, if we don't expect government - including the CDC and the scientists the government funds - to save us, what's Plan B? If we don't expect the government to keep airlines and small businesses and people being laid off who have mortgages to pay whole - what's Plan B?

 

I saw who hit the like button on your post. And i get it. In part, going after Big Government is always an easy target. And, in part, this episode is proof of concept. We obviously couldn't count on the government, either in China or the US, to prevent this nightmare.

 

Again, I'm going for nonpartisan here. I read an interesting article in a conservative blog. Someone pointed out that they are always asked by liberals why they are so concerned about Muslim terrorists, when way more people die in car crashes every day than die at the hands of terrorists. The answer was pretty good. The guy said the potential for something really horrific to happen is exponentially worse with terrorism than it is with a car crash.

 

9/11, of course, proved that to be true. Since 9/11, I think the vast majority of Americans agree that government has done a reasonably good job of preventing terrorism. At least we haven't had another 9/11.

 

Now that we're having the first massive viral 9/11 of anyone's lifetime, at least in the US and most of the West, this one won't be forgotten, either. America, and the world, will go back to normal. But it will be a new normal.

 

I think the difference between your perspective and my perspective may come down to two words: assume, and expect. In context:

 

Anyone assuming that “government“ will save them from disaster is going to be a casualty.

 

Anyone expecting that “government“ will save them from disaster is going to be a casualty.

 

I strongly agree with the first statement. I rabidly disagree with the second one.

 

All I have to do to explain why is go back to those two very different statements above.

 

Anyone who assumed that saying "15 will soon be down to three, four" would save them from disaster is potentially in trouble. For all we know, somebody who was sitting in the room when he said that at a large gathering was already infected.

 

On the other hand, I do expect that the government is going to save us from a viral disaster. Just like I think that conservative probably did speak for most Americans, including me, when he said Americans expect their government to save them from some terrorist disaster.

 

There are, of course, limitless disasters that could befall us. For example, we don't know whether this is a prelude to an invasion by aliens. Or whether those aliens are coming from Pluto, or from some other galaxy. Most people don't feel it's a priority for their government to prepare for that right now.

 

We usually are better at understanding what we have experienced. That's why, thankfully, South Korea was way more pro-active on this one. Scientists everywhere are racing to learn from what worked, and what failed, there.

 

This isn't just a philosophical argument. Some preparedness is individual, like whether we wash our hands. But the things that are really going to matter most on this crisis, and will save most of the lives that are going to be saved, all involve collective preparedness.

 

So right now we're being told that there should be no gathering of more than 10 people. Either we expect the government will save us from disaster, or we don't. I do. Two weeks ago, I felt that my government was completely and massively dropping the ball. As bad as this all is, I feel relief that my government is now on this, and taking the steps that need to be taken.

 

The other concrete reason this matters right now is that it is very basic to democracy. China proved both of us are half right. They completely fucked up the front end of this, and unleashed a global pandemic. On the back end, they have put the genie at least partly back in the bottle - in China. Whether we like the way they did it or not, we learned some things about what types of measures it takes. In the course of a few months, China was both tragically reactive, and amazingly proactive. Clearly, reactive is not better - at least in a situation like this.

 

The difference between the US and China is that we have a government that is not only in some way accountable. It is also elected. It is very easy, especially now, to win points by arguing that government sucks, and we should have very low expectations. I'm not saying that is exactly what you are saying. But it is certainly the way a lot of people feel.

 

It's a horrible way to run a democratic country. And what is happening right now is proof of it.

 

The incompetence pandemic

The first victim of the coronavirus? Leadership.

 

I'm tossing that in because the headline itself can be taken as proof of your argument. Government. Sucks. Always.

 

Like I said, It's always easy to blame it on government. But here's a simple test of how much you really believe it.

 

Let's just separate all the people who expect government to work, and to save us from disaster, and all the people who don't.

 

All the people who think government can save us are going to South Korea until this is over. The infection growth rate is sloping down. There are 8,320 cases and 75 deaths.

 

All the people who think government can't be expected to save us are going to Italy until this is over. Infection and death rates are out of control. They have 27,980 cases (they had less than South Korea a few weeks ago) and 2,158 deaths. Just be sure to bring lots of soap.

 

Speaking of soap, you and I are personally responsible for whether we wash our hands, or touch our face. It doesn't work that way with government. We're both going to have to live with the kind of government the majority expects. And, in fact, we are.

 

Trust no one? Americans lack faith in the government, the media and each other, survey finds

 

“Many people no longer think the federal government can actually be a force for good or change in their lives. This kind of apathy and disengagement will lead to an even worse and less representative government," one survey respondent said.

 

There is a kind of herd immunity argument that applies to government as well. The more people that actually believe that government can not save us from disaster, the more likely we will all end up actually getting what we expect.

 

Perhaps not coincidentally, people in South Korea are getting what they expected, too:

 

SOUTH KOREA: TRUST MAKES A COMEBACK

 

Korea’s 17-point jump in trust in government among the general population was the largest of any market studied in the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer.

 

While Koreans now trust their government much more than they did a year ago, government was also seen as the most broken institution by 43 percent of respondents, more than double that of any other institution. Despite this, government was also seen as the institution most likely to lead Korea to a better future. Government is seen as much better than before, but it needs to improve further to help the country continue to grow.

Stephen,

Brevity is a Virtue.

Does travel insurance cover a pandemic? I’d hate to pay and then have it fall under a force majeure exception...

Besides Force Majeure these type of circumstances are usually excluded from coverage flat out in the policy from the start. Trying to get travel insurance now is probably a difficult prospect at this time.

Government is reactive it is not proactive. This applies to totalitarian dictatorships like China as well as Western democracies such as the United States or Europe. The leadership of these countries, regardless of political parties all encounter the same issues of authority, legality, and bureaucratic incompetence/inertia.

Anyone expecting that “government“ will save them from disaster is going to be a casualty.

This virus is going to spread, it’s what viruses do, nothing is going to prevent that from happening. The United States will become the epicenter of this outbreak in less than two weeks. We have the most mobile population on Earth. We are the third most populous country on Earth. Our citizens are not inclined to obey centralized authority. We will have more reported cases than any other country. Only China will lIkely have more cases but the Chinese Communist Party has lied from the beginning of this situation and will continue to lie for a long time about the extent of of infections and deaths.

Human nature doesn’t change. Look at history.

Has Palm Springs degreed a limit on the size of gatherings?

The California Department of Public Health recommendations mass gatherings larger than 250 be postponed or cancelled. See link below for real information from the state without a media filter.

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/nCOV2019.aspx

I have business in LA later this year, conference for 500, and we’re using the CDPH site plus CDC and WHO for real time facts in our decision making process.

I‘m waiting until April 1 to make a decision on final attendance for the PS event.

Sorry about that. The post of mine you copied is part of an ongoing discussion about Lemon in the politics forum. I accidentally posted it here.

 

I deleted and moved the post to politics. Can you delete yours @ArVaGuy ? That completely wipes it out in this forum. My error. Sorry.

Done. Thanks ?