Lucky

Did the new pope get tricked by the gay lobby into putting one of its own leaders in charge of the housecleaning of the Vatican? Called "The Prelate of The Gay Lobby," he is the star of an article in Italian magazine Espresso Republica, and they do seem to have the goods on this wily prelate once caught in an elevator car with his boyfriend. Their relationship scandalized the Church in Uruguay until he was shuttled off to the Vatican. Apparently the gay lobby got his file cleaned because nothing derogatory was in it when the Pope named him to the leadership position. Apparently, the Pope has now been advised of the trickery: http://espresso.repubblica.it/dettaglio/the-prelate-of-the-gay-lobby/2211440//0 English translation

Not many beauties outside of the gay resorts. When I moved here, I thought there would be loads of sexy mexicans, but that has not been the case. Today, however, the grocery had two. One dressed very smartly, tight clothing, sunglasses, a sexy attitude going on...and a young toddler. Then another lad with a tight shirt, stripped down the sides to show smooth brown skin, the strips going all the way down to show off his underwear. Really a rare find for our neighborhood. A rather handsome guy, 40ish, nearly knocked me down trying to find where stripped shirt went. It turned out that I was going to be in line right behind him. Guess what I did? I went to another line! I was afraid I'd drool all over him.

Go ahead and sue me, sue me. You can be Nathan Detroit singing that, and I will be Sky Masterson, singing Lucky Be A Lady Tonight! Tampa Yankee will conclude with Sit Down, Sit Down, Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat

Some real ones here show he can pack a basket just fine: http://socialitelife.com/photos/justin-bieber-shirtless-in-his-underwear-in-miami-photos/exclusive-justin-bieber-strips-down-to-his-boxers-by-the-pool-11

I have a Pentecostal relative who is one of the finest people I know. She's not preachy, but lives her life as an example of her beliefs.

I like this pope so far. When he finally speaks about gay issues as pope I wonder if I will still like him.

The more I think of it, I realize that I do read novels whose authos have viewpoints I don't buy into. But I enjoy the novels. It's not a black and white choice.

Now it seems that every web page I go to has an ad for Andrew Christian. That's the price of watching the video. For all the goodwill they might have won with the video, they lose it with the incessant ads. My other ads are "fly to Palm Springs!" and "flights to Bangkok." I wonder which flight would be cheaper.

It certainly didn't meet my definition of a "kiss."

"...it's very strange to me that the US celebrates and is even weirdly obsessed with the sexuality of black men, but not of Latin men." News to me. When was the last celebration we held of black male sexuality? I could get the concession on black dildos and make a fortune.

I went to Verizon once for a broken phone. They opened it up and said they have a white spot there that if it discolors, it means your phone has een exposed to water, thus voiding your warranty coverage. Even sweat can do this. I had no memory of my phone being exposed to water, but they said it had, and they get the last word. BTW, I hate the Samsung Galaxy4. Worst phone I ever had. And I'm stuck with it.

So many have already come to the conclusion that the death penalty should be abandoned if we are to call ourselves a civil society, yet I have been one of those who thought that, in very limited circumstances, it should be kept. I didn't argue that it was a deterrent, as some do, because crimes with the death penalty keep happening anyway. I doubt it's a consideration for most people who kill. But I believe that there are truly evil people who do truly evil things, and know darn well what they do. I think of people like WIlliam Bonin, who put hot rods up the butts of young blond hitchkikers in California some 42 times. Then there's John Wayne Gacy. Lots more in that department. And people who kill the president I didn't think deserved to live. Basically, my argument was that we had to have such a penalty for our worst criminals. Why pay to keep them for life in prison? Too many chances they might get out. Yet I have had no trouble opposing super-max prisons as cruel and unusual punishment. These are the places where the prisoner is locked in a small cell 23 hours a day, and even when let out, exercises alone with no human contact. I think that is no way to treat prisoners. But today a study was released of thousands of older death penalty cases, and mistakes were found at an alarming level. It's too late to help someone who has already been executed but now I believe it should be the last straw in the argument for the death penalty. It's a punishment where mistakes simply cannot be made. "An unprecedented federal review of old criminal cases has uncovered as many as 27 death penalty convictions in which FBI forensic experts may have mistakenly linked defendants to crimes with exaggerated scientific testimony, U.S. officials said." Since we have been unable to do the job with perfection, then we should abandon the penalty. I know others have long since come to this view, but for me, having seen in court some of the most dangerous people alive, it took longer. The study, as reported in the Washington post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/us-reviewing-27-death-penalty-convictions-for-fbi-forensic-testimony-errors/2013/07/17/6c75a0a4-bd9b-11e2-89c9-3be8095fe767_story.html?hpid=z3

So they have a white kitchen and a single Chinese book for sale. That's one interpretation! But I love Siam and I love Siam Paragon. There are some other neat malls in the same area, Central Plaza and MBK are both huge. I get quite confused in MBK, both getting lost and wondering what all of those electronic gadgets are for. My big question is who has the money to keep these malls operating? It must cost a fortune, and Oz cannot do it alone.

For me, a break from posting was a great idea. I don't intend to post at the level at which I was once known, but I do enjoy the interaction, especially considering how many interesting, smart, and well-traveled men post here. Having said that, if tomcal is taking a much-needed break from here, more power to him. But I would like to express the thought that my return here found his absence disconcerting as I consider him to be one of the more valuable members of the board. Thus, I hope he is in fact just taking a break and plans to rejoin us. He's not just a great guy to be in Brazil with, he's a great guy to be posting with. Here's to his health, happiness, and continued travels, which I hope to hear all about!

IHPGUY, I think it is great that you provide us up to date sauna reports. Thanks!

In the circles I travel in, admittedly not large ones, there is no drug use other than medical marijuana, which I fully support. Many years ago in San Francsico I briefly dated a young guy who liked cocaine. I was amazed at how widespread the cocaine underworld was. In essence, it surrounded us. If you were not tuned in to it, you didn't notice. The war on drugs has been a huge failure.

Hey, I can do lace too! That video is damn hot, why don't we try to top it?

Firecat, thanks for sharing! I hope that there is more to come.

Well, I'll take that as directed at me, as if the word lucky didn't steer me. I have known multiple addicts in my life, lost many of them, and at many times have tried to help them. I learned that you can't do that. But I also learned that alcoholics and addicts have more promises and excuses than you can count. Labeling addiction a disease just gives them one more excuse to say that they are not responsible for their behavior. So they go on, continuing to hurt the people around them as well as themselves. Someone else has to pick up the pieces of their lives. So I admire addicts and alcoholics who have kicked their habits, even if it took several tries. But I have no sympathy for people like Cory who had several chances and still kept using. I am more concerned about the people he hurt, the damage he left behind.

Where, when and how did anyone indicate that this was a problem? Are you on the prowl for problems? Check up in the favelas and you might find them, but not here!

It's an adversarial system. The prosecutor does his job, the defense does his job, and then the judge and jury. I've see bad cops, bad judges, bad prosecutors and bad defense attorneys. The system is run by humans and mistakes get made. That's one reason why the appellate process is there. Why are the California prisons so overcrowded? Because politicians campaigned on a law and order platform and the people voted them in. Then they don't vote the money for the prisons to handle the increased flow. It's kind of like the Church opposing abortion but not helping the women raise the children they force on them under threat of hell.

I don't get it, NC. I show you the two different quotes, yet in the alternate reality you live in there is only one. I give up. But that Caeron, well, he's on the money!

How many guys don't have the opportunities that Cory had? Do you think they would waste them? Thousands upon thousands of guys want drug rehab and can't even get in the door. Yet this guy went in and out. He was known as a hard-partying druggie. He had the means and the opportunity to live up to the expectations of those who supported him, but apparently didn't care enough for himself to do so. (But, I agree that "good riddance" was harsh and retract it.)

A video is floating around purporting to show everyday life for gay men in Palm Springs. Charlie and I are not in it, but we'd like to be. (I checked a bit to see if it had already eenposted here while I wasn't looking and didn't find it. Apologies if I missed it.) http://www.andrewchristianshop.com/S...an-CID444.aspx