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Well, they say opinions are like assholes, so here's mine! Both the original post and the response were a smidge too loud for my ears. But so what? Don't friends and families get on our nerves once in a while? It's about the longer term for me. OneFinger, TampaYankee, and TotallyOz are all important posters and all have kept me entertained and informed over the years. If any one of the three backed off from the site, I'd feel a loss.

If it's traffic you want, why not pin 'A really big cock by lurkerspeaks'? That should bring 'em into the tent.

Noticed your reviews on Steve Stacks and DamienDivinus the other day. Looks like you guys all had a good time! Thanks for writing them too! Good info, well written, and enough detail to arouse my 'interest', if you'll pardon the expression.

These are not your father's markets, dominated as they are by algorithmic trading and opaque financial 'instruments' that would make a robber baron blush. I'm coming to the conclusion that these markets are beyond the small investor's understanding and the government's ability to regulate. I wouldn't outlaw them, if that were even possible, but I would try to find a way to completely wall them off from the legitimate raising of capital for the creation of tangible products and jobs. And I'd do it quickly. A major chunk of our economy is buzzing around inside these giant high-speed computerized networks which I believe are fully understood by no one, and certainly not by the government or its citizens. I believe it is only a matter of time before a cyberterrorist gets inside and swings an electronic pickaxe around, just to see where the pieces fall. In the meantime, I'm keeping what little I have left as far away from Wall Street as I can get it.

Worth noting that this guy joined Robert Rubin and Alan Greenspan in running Brooksley Born out of Washington twelve years ago when, as head of the CFTC, she proposed regulating the derivatives market. Had her advice been followed, the 2008 meltdown could likely have been avoided. At the time, Levitt insisted that the capital markets could be trusted to regulate themselves, and succeeded in gutting her agency. Now he wants to see what's left of it get merged into the SEC. Probably easier for Goldman Sachs to keep an eye on it.

I think some may underestimate the challenge a lurker faces when deciding whether to post or not. Sure, we have a Community Home Page, but that's only the basic stuff dealing with privacy and stalking and such. It doesn't really describe the unspoken rules that guide our interactions and make us such a lovingly inbred and dysfunctional family. Before I ever considered starting a post, or even replying to someone else's, I spent months just trying to figure out the lay of the land, so to speak. So perhaps it would help to share my own baker's dozen of hard-won insights on what makes our little community of posters tick. I'm sure others will join in and generously offer their own. ● If you don't have anything nice to say, immediately click the 'Register' button in the upper right hand corner. When finished registering, hit the 'Login' button to its left, and start typing at once, before any kinder gentler thoughts have a chance to intrude. ● References to the 'other site' will always attract viewers and responses. Even a single use of the word 'Daddy' will keep your post at the top of the forum for weeks at a time. ● If you are a client replying to an inquiry about an escort you are fond of, add 50% to his published rate and cut his dick size in half. If you really like him, suggest that his ongoing drug problems make him a risky bet for an outcall and that his own quarters have recently become infested with bedbugs. ● If you are an escort here to make some new contacts, try your best to laugh at all client banter. While concurrently rolling on the floor is not absolutely de rigeur, it can be a nice added touch. If a potential client has already begun stalking you, it may be best to keep up this facade until a restraining order has been served and tracking device fitted. ● Should you sense that another poster would appreciate some encouragement or feedback on something he has written, quickly close the thread without replying. It will help him avoid becoming too needy, and he will thank you one day by returning the favor. ● Never start a new thread when you can highjack an existing one. ● Use smiley faces liberally. Nothing gets a snarky comment past the moderators like a well-chosen emoticon. ● If you come across a post containing the letters 'BN', consider it an engraved invitation to dive right in and post the most outrageous stuff you can think of, on either side of the issue, or even both sides at once. It doesn't matter if you even know who this 'BN' fellow is. Post away! Half your readers will consider you a hero, and the other half will assume you know something they don't. ● When making a political post, do not - repeat, do not - include any verifiable facts or relevant information. Always allow the rhetoric to stand on its own. And do try to use the word 'agenda' at least once. ● If you see a post about a city or country you have never visited, be sure and let others know why you would never be caught dead there. ● When sharing pictures, try to find those that have blocked or expired links. If that's not possible, misspell the URL. A picture post festooned with red x's or blue ?'s will immediately endear you to all the other posters whose graphic treasures likewise remain tantalizingly just out of reach. ● All too often, you may find yourself deeply offended by something another poster has written or even by the poster himself. Whatever you do, do not suffer in silence. It will only encourage him. Let him know just how disgraceful his conduct has been, and ask him to seriously consider turning in his avatar and joining the Foreign Legion. ● Always post what's on your mind. If you don't have anything on your mind, don't let that stop you. Remember, there are plenty of us who have even less on our minds than you do, and we are all desperate for something new to read. And now, if I may grow lyric for a moment, I'd like to conclude with a polite and patient plea to people presently perched on the precipice of prolific posting: It doesn't matter who you are, A troll, a , a movie star, Bronzed and young, or old and gray, Bi or straight or proudly gay, If you've got nothing much to say, Come login once and post all day. And if it's not all up to par, You'll fit right in at MER! Hope this helps, and happy posting!

An Armenian lass named Giselle Has an ass that is hairy as hell. In addition it reeks And, although it's been weeks, I just cannot get rid of the smell.

Congrats to you both! I know this sounds like a broken record, but I hope you won't push yourself too hard or too fast. (Unlike when you're reaching orgasm, of course, when the opposite advice would be given. ) It's just my experience, but depriving myself of everything I liked all at once, made me long for the day when I could stop dieting. And, when that day came, I ended up celebrating with what I missed most: food, primarily the fattening kind. And then the weight came back on a lot faster than it came off. Sounds like you're both taking it in manageable steps, and won't make the mistake I did. Anyway, thanks for including us in your journey and, if you find any tricks that work well for you, I hope you'll share.

Very well put, MsGuy. Conway, it's worth noting that Anne Frank also didn't have any ill intentions toward others. I'm struck by the fact that, every few months, we learn something about our government that suggests it knows more about us than we thought, and we know less about it than we thought. While I'd like to think that our government is trustworthy, as for much of my life it has been, things right now don't seem to be moving in a direction that builds on that trust. If we ever do get a government that decides it doesn't like some particular group, as we have in the not-so-distant past, and as some might like to see in the not-so-distant future, it will know where to find them. And one day them might even turn out to be us. As for me, I plan to stay away from any butt plug with a wire hanging out of it.

Well maybe where you come from but, just between us, I don't recall the last time I needed to shave my entrée, let alone truss it up and slide it on a spit. And what's that about poking it all over with a sharp paring knife? Still, as you say, maybe after a few cool ones.

Great question, great answers, and great thread. Thanks, guys! TY, your primer makes so much sense and takes some of the fear out of cooking. Really helpful. I'm not a cook, as much as a recipe-follower, but you've given me hope. NeedSome, do you know of any easy 'big pot' recipes? With winter coming (for some of us anyway), I'd love to find something simple, hearty, and nutritious. Much obliged!

Saw your stuff right after I posted the above and not before, I swear! (It took me an hour to write that one, believe it or not. Hell, it's taking me fifteen minutes™ to get this one live. I keep losing my place. ) So it wasn't in response to your delightful riffs, just a very happy coincidence. Schrodinger's escort! Purrfect! I'm honored to share a forum, and a Lucky one at that.

I wonder why they say someone is 'crazy as a bedbug'. Lucky's wandering mattress dwellers may be sneaky and rude, but how are they crazy? I once met a man who did seem crazy as a bedbug to me. His name was Dr. Zamal. He came to my house one day when I was living in India and asked for my help in getting a patent on the perpetual motion machine he had invented. He insisted on showing me the drawings and explaining exactly how it worked. Something to do with buckets of water on a rope pulley I recall. In engineering school, they taught me that perpetual motion was impossible, and even made me come up with some equations to prove it. But here was Dr. Zamal explaining how his contraption would run forever and, for the life of me, I couldn't show him why it wouldn't. He had a perpetual smile too, and when he got excited and talkative, he'd spritz anyone sitting too close. As he was nearly always excited and talkative, I tried to keep well back, which only encouraged him to move in closer. It was his eyes, though, that made me think he was moving into crazy as a bedbug territory. They were bright and glistening and they seemed to have some kind of a rapid flickering quality, especially when he got to the part about him being the only man in the world who had unlocked the secret of perpetual motion. I thought maybe he was trying to hypnotize me into thinking he was and he had. Of course I couldn't help him get a patent, but that didn't seem to deter him any. He just loved dropping by every week or so and talking about himself and his inventions. Always with the smile, always with the megillah, and always with the radioactive eyes. I can't remember how I got rid of him. I think maybe it was around the time I moved to a larger town. I know it wasn't bowls around my bedposts. How about you guys? Have you ever known anyone crazy as a bedbug? (Present company excepted, of course. )

When they start sending guys down the runway on walkers, I'll know they're serious about my business.

You're right, BiBottomBoy, 'commitment to gays' was probably a simplistic overstatement on my part. Still, I'd rather have his commitment to end DADT 'on my watch' than McCain's position that 'the policy is working and it's been working well'. Can't defend Obama's membership in 'The Church of Homophobia', but I do note his resignation from the church a couple of years ago. Even if done under duress, he still did it. He could have stayed in the church and defended its views, but he didn't. As one whose own views change as the years go by, and as life experiences pile up, I do think it's possible for someone to evolve and to look at things differently over time. I sure hope so anyway! I'd hate to think of being stuck for the rest of my life with the same opinions I had a decade ago, or even the ones I have today, hard as I've worked to shape them. Hopefully we all continue to learn. I liked your comment a few days ago that DADT could be a way for gay men to avoid the draft, should it be reinstated. Made me think that a surefire way to end DADT would be for everyone to show up at the recruiting station wearing 'I'm Gay!' teeshirts. That would hurry things along.

Lots happening. I'm surprised and happy to see public acknowledgement that White House lawyers were divided on whether to appeal or not. There seems to be an openness to this administration that was missing in the last one. And I was very happy to hear Obama say on the radio today that DADT would end on his watch. No equivocation. I haven't bought in to the view that he's abandoned his commitment to gays. It does seem to wax and wane, but I'm inclined to trust him and to believe that he plays a longer game. When DADT ends, it won't be easy for anyone to say that the process wasn't thorough and open. We shall see.

And just when I thought I'd heard everything!

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Definitely. I think your approach is the right one, and even a fifteen minute daily walk will start to reset your metabolism. The trick for me is doing something every day - or at least five times a week. It signals your body that times, they are a changin', and it's going to have to change too. It shouldn't take long for your body to get the message that its goal is no longer being a storehouse for extra calories, and that its new mission is to turn food into energy. As mentioned in the earlier thread, I think it's the permanent changes, however modest, that get the body to adjust its ways for good. I believe that burning a hundred extra calories a day gives a stronger message to your body than burning a thousand extra calories once a week. By the way, thanks for starting these threads, and thanks to OZ and TY for launching the forum. My GP gave me a challenge in May to lose a few more pounds. I've shed about half during the past couple of months, and the interest here is giving me the focus to drop the rest.

In a world of full transparency, I agree that the penalties for corporate malfeasance should be laid out clearly and dispensed equally. The snag as I see it is that it would be take a huge bureaucracy, if it's even possible, for the government to be looking over the shoulder of every corporate manager who might make a boneheaded decision. It would tie up our courts, and the high-priced lawyers would still make sure that some folks would skate. I think the quickest and most practical solution would be to make an example of a handful of high-level executives, as the Hungarians are doing. Watching your golfing foursome become a twosome because ol' Woody and Al are spending a few years on Rikers Island is the best way I know to get these managers' attention. They're the only ones who can create a corporate culture that values safety above profits, and they're the only ones who can get the message out forcefully throughout the organization. They just need an incentive to do it. BP has a history of making deadly decisions in the name of profits. I'd suggest starting with them. I agree with those who feel the politicians aren't likely to bite the corporate hands that feed them, so they're not likely to step up on their own. What does seem to get the politicians off their asses are the survivors of a disaster and their advocates and, even then, only during the early days of a disaster, before it morphs into an endless series of hearings and studies and regulations which will themselves likely be ignored within a few years. If we truly want to see our government respond as the Hungarians have done, I think it will take some folks going into the streets and shining a light on the unsatisfactory process we have today. In my opinion, another editorial won't do it. I'm not suggesting riots or anything a lady shouldn't be seen doing in public, but I do think it's time to ask respectfully, thoughtfully, and firmly for a government that's more responsive to its citizens and less responsive to private industry.

I changed careers twice, and discovered that a nice long break in the middle worked well for me. The first break was a year. I thought it would be shorter, but I loved the time off. It let me really clear my head and figure out what I wanted to do next. The second break was only a month. I thought it would be longer, and later wished it had been. All this to say that, if you get a chance to take a few months to empty your head of what's there now, it might be worth considering. Something may occur to you during a dreamy day in the woods that wouldn't otherwise. Very best wishes to you both, whatever path you take!

Any time ya wanna change your luck, Foggy, I'll be waitin' fer ya in the henhouse!

TY, I've got a crick in my neck from nodding agreement with your post, line by line. The only point I'd add to your list is the deterioration of international relations under the Bush administration. On September 12th we had the largest outpouring of American support I can recall. Within a year, it had been squandered. I think the problem with the American electorate is a belief that all problems are caused by the federal government and should therefore be solved by a different federal government, and preferably within a matter of days or weeks. We lack the perspective of a decade-long depression, and we no longer realize the importance of being part of an international community. Worse, there is virtually no one left in the national media to remind us. It appears we are living in a fantasy world. Like you, I felt that whoever got the Presidency two years ago would be in for a tough slog. I'm amazed we've clawed back as much as we have, and will be pleasantly surprised if we avoid another backslide or two. Obama's done more than I hoped, and faster than I expected. McCain, in my opinion, would still be looking around for something to fix. Hell, he'd probably have spent his first two years trying to clean up after Palin. I'm really hoping we don't do a knee-jerk housecleaning in November. If we do, I expect private industry will grab hold of the federal government and hang on tight, and it will be many years before average American citizens will again get a place at the table. And there may not be much left when we do.

Well off course nothing takes the weight off like Mexican coke. But it gives me the jitters, and I worry about encouraging the cartels.