CuriousByNature

I don't know about spas other than Utopia and Shangrila in New York, but these two don't have four jets of water coming from the ceiling. The masseur uses a hand-held hose, like in some bathroom showers, to wash you. He rubs you vigorously with a cleaning powder or soap, and the experience can be erotic, depending on who's giving and who's getting. I'm not a big fan, but many others are. Try one!

That sort of makes me think of an autopsy table, like what you see in CSI ?

 

This topic got me thinking about how sexy it would be to have an hour session during which we role-played about being inexperienced kissers

Unfortunately this is my reality, and wouldn't require any role-playing... ?. Ugh.

No i get exactly what is going on. And every scientist has said that data points to a stable, if not, slowly mutating, virus. As far as duration of immunity, that i do not have the answer to and that is ultimately why the WHO is being overly cautious. I will be getting my antibody test done this week. However, I want everyone here to know that at some point, they will be exposed to this virus. The point of social distancing isn't to kill the virus completely; that would be unrealistic. the point is to slow the rate of transmission so our hospitals aren't over run. So don't act like I'm going around trying to kill people or get them sick. You have the option of hiring me or not. That is your choice. Either way, at some point, you will probably contract COVID. I'm not saying that to be a dick or to mock the severity of the situation. It's just the truth and many of you are not fully comprehending it.

That's been my understanding as well... that the measures put in place are not to destroy the virus, but to control the spread. This, I believe, should lead to fewer deaths because the medical system will not be as swamped. A trickle of cases requiring hospital treatment is always easier to manage than a flood. My relatives in BC (pop 5 million) mentioned that even though the number of known infections is continuing to rise there, the hospitalization numbers have remained very manageable. I read today that there are only 94 people hospitalized in the entire province, with 46 in ICU. Testing is becoming more widespread, so I assume the number of known infections will keep rising, but I really think the best measure of how the protocols are working is the number of people being hospitalized. But, Im not in the medical field and could well be incorrect. But it seems to make sense to me. In any case, congratulations on your Pharmacy degree, and good luck with the future studies!

I suppose one question would be, what does she consider to be small?

Looked through search and couldn't find anything. He's kinda dreamy and was wondering if anyone had any experience with him. Thanks for any info!

Hey there... just a heads up that its always a good idea to post the link if you can ?. I'm thinking this may be the masseur you mean:

https://rentmasseur.com/MassageByRon

One of our very smart Chief Health Officers or Ministers of Health quoted Churchill today saying: "luck favours the prepared." One of the differences between BC and Quebec was the timing of the school Spring Break within the infection cycle of the virus - it was nothing but luck. In BC the Spring break was later than in Quebec. One of the results was there was a lot of travel to France from Quebec during the school break, just as the virus cycle was cresting in France. This probably led to a higher infection rate in Quebec than in BC.

Right, I forgot about that. Im sure thst made a difference to the numbers.

I havent had a chance to read through all the posts, so this may have been mentioned already. Given that different countries (and even states and provinces within the same country) have different rates of testing which might suggest different rates of infection, I've been looking at the number of hospitalizations rather than the number of infections. In parts of Canada, particularly Quebec, the numbers of hospitalizations and deaths are quite high compared to other regions.

My relatives in BC noted there are about 120 people hospitalized in a province of 5 million inhabitants, and less than half of those are in ICU. Something like 75 deaths in BC, while about 5 times that number in Quebec, even though Quebec has less than 2 times BC's population.

Since early March, people in BC have had almost all elective emergency surgeries cancelled (including my uncle's knee replacement) in order to free up beds. I understand over 4000 beds were made available in case of a worst case scenario. Thankfully for them, it looks like the curve has flattened and may have begun to bend downwards.

Central Canada isnt there yet... but it certainly could be worse.

I suppose this means I should be buried in a large Big Mac box, or maybe rolled up in a Subway wrapper like a 68-inch Meatball Marinara.

You all have more rarified tastes than I have. Just finished watching Schitt’s Creek.

One of the best shows on TV... sad to see it's finished.

Uhm no, two very different things. + I never said that social distancing isn't effective. The problem is the OTT hysteria & fearmongering in the media... it's as bad, or maybe even worse than back in the TERROR ALERT! days, when they wanted us to live in constant fear of terrorist attacks that never came after that initial one. I can't discuss politics here, but I think we all know what all that disgusting fearmongering led to in the end. People never think rationally when hysterical & in fear.

 

The other bigger problem is the kneecapping of the economy do to these lockdowns, which will ultimately end up affecting poor & working class people the most. The middle class will be hit hard too, many will probably end up losing their homes, etc, just like in the last economic crisis. It's possible that we end up with more death & suffering from these lockdown measures than from the actual virus itself in the end.

 

People forget that around 40,000 die in a regular flu season here in the U.S. alone. The vast majority of people dying from Covid-19 are 70+ & those with severe preexisting conditions. They should be the ones on lockdown, isolated from the rest of us. The rest of us in good health should be out there living our lives, working, going places, developing herd immunity, keeping the economy afloat. Locking everyone down & instituting $1,000 fines is a tyrannical, political, & emotional fear response.

I agree that the media tends towards fear-mongering in certain situations, and that this can result in panic and chaos. This is why I prefer to take the advice of the experts rather than commentators.

The experts are quite consistent in their messaging about the need for social distancing and isolation. For everyone, but especially for those at higher risk. This is not primarily about avoiding the virus, its about trying to make the numbers predictable and manageable.

Without the restrictions, the virus will spread quickly and thoroughly, and this will result in higher death rates because the number of infected people will swamp the system, and many in need of intensive care will not receive it, and die. By trying to build predictability, fewer people will be sick at once, and more people needing care will receive it. Survival rates will be higher. The curve will be longer, but the death rate will be lower.

The economy will suffer in either scenario. The question is whether you have a damaged economy with 100,000 deaths, or a damaged economy with 1,000,000 or more deaths.

Neither situation is good. But one is far worse than the other.

Great suggestion! Thank you.

If time permits and your budget allows, you may want to spend a few weeks at a time at various times of the year so you have a better idea of seasonal differences. If you have a vehicle, maybe do a bit of a road trip each time to see if any other Southwest towns and cities strike you as possibilities...

People still worshiping these so-called royalty creatures in the year 2020 is scary...

Yes, that would be scary. But I think one can appreciate what the monarch embodies from a cultural and historical perspecive, and value the job that has been done, without it crossing over into worship. A person doesn't even need to support a system of entitlement from birth (I don't, by the way) to recognize the importance of the monarchy on a variety of levels.

Although I appreciate your intention, the queen is a political figure despite her careful attempt to always appear non-partisan. Anyone who has constitutional power within a government is by definition a political figure, as the automatic comparison/contrast here with the other heads of state makes clear.

True enough...

Thank you @purplekow. Yesterday I phoned my uncle who has COPD, and I asked him to try using the prone position. His oxygen saturation is normally around 91% or so.

My aunt called me back a few minutes after he was prone to tell me his saturation was at 96%. She hadn't seen a number like that since getting him the oximeter a couple of years ago.

Your advice is much appreciated - thank you again ?

I had to look twice at picture #4 before I realized he wasnt balancing funiture on his rear end.

She passed away today April 5, 2020.

 

~Boomer~

Wow... I don't know where I got July from... thanks. Maybe it feels like it should be July by now? I corrected the date

Great Canadian actress, former wife of Donald Sutherland and mother of Kiefer Sutherland.

She was daughter of Tommy Douglas, Premier of Saskatchewan, whose Cabinet became the first in North America to introduce single payer universal healthcare, aka Medicare.

Passed away today from complications of pneumonia, apparently unrelated to COVID-19 according to her son.

In any event, the Queen looks damn good for 93.

Absolutely... and she'll be 94 in 3 weeks ?

Her mother made it to 101 and her great-aunt to almost 98, so heres hoping she outlives them both with ongoing good health and a sharp mind.

meaningless drivel, her family have not abided by the rules her govt have imposed on the rest of us.

I hadn't heard about that... I was under the impression that the Royal Family had stopped all engagements, etc.

I agree with @BgMstr4u in his assessment of the speech. Whether or not one is a monarchist or a republican, it is difficult to argue that the Queen is not a calm voice of encouragement and hope in these times. Much as she has been since her first public speech 80 years ago.

And recognizing that the Queen is an apolitical figurehead, my intention is not to make any political statement here in this forum, as per the rules ?

 

A voice of wisdom, compassion, experience and sweet resolve in the midst of this crisis.

She's awesome.

hell, I'm going to set up a meet just so I can clean that goddam mirror of his......

I bet he's never had anyone show up at his door with Windex in hand... ?

Unless we are willing to donate to a fund to support escorts who need help, let's just move on from this.

 

Either side isn't seeing eye-to-eye and probably won't.

 

If you're not stepping up to help, you're certainly not doing any good putting a scarlet letter on him.

Which is why I find it so disheartening when I read comments made about benefiting from potential discounted rates and stuff like that.

It also makes me more aware that social distancing, which I do believe is necessary, is still a luxury that not everyone can afford. I think of other parts of the world as well, where it is a necessity to go out every day to get food and water. Social distancing, as necessary as it is, just isnt a viable option for everyone. What bothers me is when people who can afford to stay home and take the experts' advice choose not to.

It’s appalling to me that people are still hooking up with such frequency, but my friends and I are seeing it happen every day in both the straight and gay communities. People are off work or working from home and have the free time to do it. They rationalize it by saying I don’t have the virus, you don’t have the virus, so it’s okay for us to get together. And it’s not even taboo that people are hooking up: they’re bragging to me about it.

 

In order to mitigate their risk of contracting the virus, people are having sex outside or having sex doggie style and avoiding the missionary position and kissing. I wish I were joking.

Sadly I think a lot of people feel they are invincible. And while some of them may be able to handle this virus, most of us know its about more than how we ourselves react to the virus - it's about how it can affect those we pass it on to. Im afraid some people will never take this seriously - either because they are in denial, selfish, or too prideful to take direction and advice from the experts.

I would have been lying on the track somewhere outside of the frame...

You don’t switch over at 45??? This is news to me ?

Like the Earth's magnetic field every half million years or so...

Apologies - wannabe science nerd here