Lucky

The world premier of of Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn.” brought Tintin home to Belgium on Saturday, the Washington Post reports. “To highjack Tintin and bring it to America first, and then release it overseas second, would be something that would not have even occurred to us,” Spielberg said. “From the outset, the plan was to give Tintin back to the countries where Tintin was the most beloved.” More on the Tintin movie When I first went to Thailand in the late 80's, Tintin shirts were selling for $4 at the markets. I had never heard of him, but the shirts were cute, so I bought quite a few, and they also proved to be quite durable. That was my introduction to Tintin.

The NY Daily News today reports that morale among New York's finest is "in the crapper" following the string of scandals to hit the department. I empathize with all officers who want to hold their heads high and be proud of who they are and who they work for. The Crapper

So often when someone levels a criticism at Israel or a Jewish person, the response is automatic. Anti-Semitism. The inference seems to be that Jews are immune to criticism given what their ancestors suffered during the Holocaust. It has been argued that with some Jews there is a "victim mentality" that precludes any criticism. Now the protesters at Zucotti Park in Manhattan are hearing some of the same. The criticism ignores that many of the protesters themselves are Jewish. They have even celebrated Jewish holidays in the park. But much of their criticism is leveled at Wall Street, bankers included. Goldman Sachs is the biggest name. You can't get around it- many in Wall Street and the banking industry are Jewish. But I am not one to excuse what they and their colleagues have done to America, or the widespread abuse of power they have exhibited, or the fact that they seem to have bought Congress lock, stock, and barrel. I don't think that the Jewish bankers did what they did because they are Jewish, and I resent the claims being made that those who do criticize them are anti-Semitic. Now it is true that among the park protesters are some real crackpots. One or more of them has carried signs that are anti-Semitic in their remark. But those in the banking industry, and their fellow-travelers, would like then to label the entire protest as anti-Semitic. If that is so, then the bailout of the banking industry was a great pro-Semitic action on the part of the American people. The same criticism comes when one says something, anything really, in support of Palestine. But as the current Israeli government becomes more intransigent in its attitude toward peace, my guess is that more Americans will see past the cries of prejudice to address the real issues. My comments stem from an article on this in today's NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/22/nyregion/occupy-wall-street-criticized-for-flashes-of-anti-semitism.html?hpw

As I read these tributes to Steve Jobs,I do wonder. Sure, he was a tech genius and deserves credit for all of his accomplishments. But he was no saint, and that's what I don't understand as I read these tributes. NO one seems to want to figure in to the occasion his bad temper, his meanness, his severe competitiveness, his bad working conditions, which maimed young children, and paid people so little for their work. His biography is now coming out, and yes, it does pay tribute too, of course it does, but it uses the word "obnoxious" quite liberally. If Jobs had been a poster here, he would have been criticized for not being tolerant of others views, for mean-spirited statements, and for his huge ego. So while I can see the desire to pay tribute, the blinders do not seem needed. He was a capitalist businessman, not a saint.

I refused to stop for him, but had to when we reached the light, and it was red. He jumped out of the car and yelled "police" and I said, "show me some ID." He flashed a gold badge, so I pulled over after the light. This guy was simply pissed because I had not liked the fact that he was not turning right on red, so I moved to the next lane and made my turn. There are two lanes, after all. But I think his ego felt that his judgment had been questioned. In my mind, I just assumed he was another tourist caught in a turn lane who did not want to turn. I will be very surprised if I lose the case. But then, I have no idea what the local courts are like. The idea of a kangaroo court is never more true than in traffic court.

I have already mentioned how I like the first guy pictured, but the second guy has the nicest skin...thanks for posting, Tomcal.

Margin Call, with the newly out Zachary Quinto guy, is getting good buzz. Of course it won't come to Palm Springs for a month or two...

There is no limit to stupidity. A few years ago a midwestern politician at the Palm Springs White Party was picked up by a friend of mine. The guy bragged as to his position, and freely mentioned the drugs he had taken. Sure, he trusted us to keep it quiet, but he need not have mentioned it all. Why you would brag to an escort I can only imagine. Possibly us older men want the younger studs to take us seriously. We can't compete in the hot young bod category, so we try to impress in other ways, either our position in life or our financial status. Lucky for me I have no position and no financial status! Oh wait, I am a prolific internet poster. I could brag about that, but it could get me kicked out the door!

Now I have a goal. February 1 or no lunches with Oliver's idols.

900 good posts, too. EXPAT is a reliable contributor here. No doubt when he hits 1000 Oz will start a thread commending him.

Eeyore, you beat me on this one. The last time I checked to see if a new Burdett novel was in the works there was nothing. Good catch.

I think it was unfair of the newspaper to print the story without knowing who was making the allegations. These are career-killing charges. Since anyone could create an anonymous website to make any kind of allegation, there simply has to be some better way to verify the credibility of the accuser. It looks like he had this planned as he had cameras set up to photograph his client. Unlikely that the client, a politician, would agree to be photographed, which makes the escort one sick pup. The link to the website in the article cited does not work. It says that the website is currently down.

My visit this week to the doctor revealed that, in the last 3 months, I have lost 11 pounds. The problem is that when I gave up serious weightlifting, I gained 25 pounds. So there are 14 more to lose just to get back to basics. Can I do it in the next months what with trips to New York,and Rio coming up, not to mention Christmas and Valentines?

Adding my congratulations to a man who is such a veritable source of information and humor. Not to mention that he is one of the world's foremost experts on the male Brazilian anus. To top that off, he has earned more than a million inches in the frequent sucker program of Brazilian saunas. His presence here is to be treasured. May we have 500 more posts, preferably accompanied by pictures of his latest loves.

I had an encounter with one of Palm Springs finest yesterday and what an asshole he was. With SOME cops there just seems to be this macho rage thing they have to perform no matter how little it is needed. My lane change inconvenienced him, as he was speeding and had to slow down in his personal vehicle. He stopped me, then called a uniformed cop to give me a ticket. The uniform, although civil, asked me not one question on my view of what happened.

What I heard about Weekend is that it is good, but the British accents are hard to understand, and lying in bed, the actors tend to mumble All of which means I wouldn't hear them very well. Your thoughts?

I am not a poet, but I can't imagine that I would turn this guy down, public bathroom or not. He Said No by Lucky His name is Devita A regular Lolita I said do you wanna meet me He said no just eat me I said here in the stalls? he said no, in the balls (PS: No inference of guilt on the cute guy is implied or intended!)

Recent rates:

Sorry, but I only read about movies if they are posted in the Movie Mondays thread! But a friend saw Footloose and liked it okay.

Notice that the newspaper seems to be staying clear of accepting any blame. There's news value in front page photos of perverts! From wordpress.com is this report of bathroom sex: Chattanooga TN May 20 2011 A man was charged with indecent exposure Wednesday after he reportedly showed his “glistening white buttocks” to another man in a bathroom stall at Northgate Mall, according to a Chattanooga Police Department arrest report. Michael Vincent Devita, 20, began the conversation by asking if the man — who already was in a bathroom stall — was gay, according to the report. After the man said no, Devita asked if the man would perform oral sex on him, the report said. When the man glanced to the bottom of the stall door, he saw Devita’s “glistening white buttocks protruding into his occupied stall,” the report states. The man then left the bathroom and located mall security, according to the report. When questioned by police, Devita said he “went too far,” according to the report. He has since been released from jail, according to records. Source:timesfreepress.com Since it is already on the internet, I will mention that the arrested also had his photo publicized: But normally I am against the practice!

Thanks for the email. I did check out Craigslist, as well as flatfinders and rioapartmeentrentals.com and also VRBO. It's a frustrating process trying to find the suitable apartment which is not only affordable but also available at the time I need it. In my frustration I put up a CL ad of my own, specifying exactly what I wanted. I got 3 replies, none of them remotely close to what I had asked for. Flatfinders also responded with an apartment which was not close to what I had asked for. (How does Copacabana translate to Ipanema?) The apartment we liked at rioapartmentrentals was not available, so an alternative was suggested that was not pleasing. I asked for another option and received no reply. So you see why a hotel might be the better choice. I don't have all day to look through the multitude of listings only to find the one I like is unavailable. As you know, many of the apartments that are available leave a lot to be desired.

I read the linked article, part of a blog at sfgate.com called The Mommy Files. There can be no doubt that we are all opposed to gay bullying, but I hope that the campaign has been more publicized among high school students. I certainly would not know that you were wearing purple to protest gay bullying if I had not seen EXPAT's post...and I appreciate him informing us of this. My hope is that high school kids will see the raft of purple at their school as a huge statement in support of those being bullied.

Brazil's stunning rise in the value of its currency, the real, was in part propelled by its "towering" interest rates. But yesterday the government cut rates again for the second time in two months, "doubling down on its bet that a slowing economy is more troubling than high inflation." wsj.com The inflation rate, as well as the increase in the value of the real, has made it much harder for tourists to enjoy Brazil. Brazil's slowing economy has given the dollar a rise of some 6 percent this year, small comfort against a currency that has risen 40% over the past 3 years. And, if the gains in the dollar are eaten up by even higher inflation, well, tough titties for us tourists. I canceled a trip to Brazil in August after I discovered how expensive it had become. Since then the dollar had risen, and hotel prices which once seemed very high became just high, so I rebooked the trip. In August the real was at 1.59 to the dollar, and is today at 1.77. Sadly though, the hotel I had in mind at $160 a night just a couple of weeks ago is now $187 a night. At this rate even if I can afford to get to Brazil, inflation may make it hard to enjoy the trip if I have to watch every penny. I don't like acai beverages, but the bf sure does. Our days of daily sauna boys may become rare. The dollar may rise with this latest interest rate cut, so I had better lock in a hotel room price quickly.

I see. Well, I agree with you that the offending email should not have been sent.

Although I do not understand the attraction of having sex in a public bathroom, many men do. A park in Westchester County New York was the scene of a recent sting operation. 16 men were arrested for unlawful sexual activity, and their names and photos were published in the Westchester Journal News. Oops. Many of the men had plead guilty on condition that their cases would be sealed. All but one had plead to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct. But the public safety commissioner took the liberty of releasing their photos as sex offenders. Needless to say, many of the men are appalled at seeing their mugs in the news. The cases were not supposed to go public if they were sealed, and if they did not plead to a sex offense, why be publicly outed as sex offenders? Here is the offending article: http://www.lohud.com/article/20111015/NEWS02/110150339?odyssey=obinsite But now the Journal news is saying "don't blame us!" Today's article: WHITE PLAINS — The unhappy faces of 16 men netted in a police sex sting at Saxon Woods Park stared out from newspapers and media websites. Except that 11 of them weren't supposed to be there. Westchester County police acknowledged Wednesday that they released the names and photographs of 11 defendants whose cases had been sealed in White Plains City Court. The puzzling question: Whose fault was it that their identities were revealed? The answer lies in a legal tangle that has police and court officials pointing fingers at each other. Before releasing the names Friday — as a "deterrent" — of 16 men charged with public lewdness and forcible touching as part of an undercover operation at Saxon Woods, police said they called the City Court. In a statement released Wednesday, county police spokesman Kieran O'Leary said the department "was told that those cases were not sealed" and released the men's names. O'Leary also noted that state law required the court to notify the Police Department that the cases had been sealed. Then it gets complicated. Read on: http://www.lohud.com/article/20111020/NEWS01/110200391/Sealed-names-were-released-Saxon-Woods-Park-sex-sting-arrests?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage The sting operation was called Operation Overexposed. It sure was. More in today's NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/nyregion/names-released-in-sealed-cases-in-westchester-park-known-for-sex.html?ref=nyregion The offending bathroom: