Mavica

Photographer Bruce Weber was / has been accused of (and settled regarding) hitting on, fondling and probably sucking off some of the AF and other hot, young male models such as ones for Calvin Klein (who probably sucked them off, first). Some of Weber's advances were not consensual ... others probably resulted in the model consenting / not objecting and then obtaining lucrative modeling contracts because of the excellent photos Weber took.

The young, handsome and virile men (not boys) willingly participated for personal gain and some now have buyers remorse. This reminds me, in some ways, of teenage altar boys who, for a period of years, returned time after time after time to let Priests give them blow jobs ... and did so for gifts ... only to at a later date claim abuse. There comes a point when acquiescence replaces seeming coercion. $$$. Modeling and acting casting couches for young men and women are legendary in those industries. Greed (financial or promises of career gain) can and oftentimes does eventually backfire. Earlier in life when I was more physically attractive 😁 I'd visit NYC and spent a lot of time at Rounds, during which times I was frequently invited to private (and declined invitations to) parties out on the Island. None though, to my knowledge, with AF models in attendance. 😒 I didn't accept the offers (in the era of HIV/AIDS), and one of these AF parties eluded me (damn!) (not that I was intriguing enough to be invited!).

Not all properties listed on Booking.com, as an example, have their own websites at which we can book. This is true for places at which I've stayed / booked via that website. Booking.com also affords additional room discounts, and in certain instances reimburses for taxi from an airport to a hotel, when you book a certain number of times. I've used Booking.com now and again for the past decade, and each time I've paid the hotel directly and any deposit information I've provided to Booking.com has not been abused. The title of the discussion is tabloid-like, exaggerating the complaints, though serious, seeming to represent a miniscule number of the 2.5 million properties registered with Booking.com. We could have discussions about other online booking sites, Expedia, as one example, about which there have been traveler complaints regarding reservations not being honored, rate disputes, difficulties changing flights and reservations, difficulties obtaining refunds, etc., etc. Choosing to book via any third-party includes potential risks. Caveat Emptor. One last note about third-party payments to others (service providers): early in my career I managed a 150+ room Holiday Inn. American Express was, at the time, the most popularly used business credit card. Amex held our payments for 120-days after guest check-out before remitting them and kept a 6% fee. We started urging guests to use BofA or MasterCard which paid us in 48-hours and kept only 2.5% as a fee. The devil is always in the details of the agreements.

Booking.com is part of the Priceline related companies that also operate Kayak, Cheapflights, OpenTable, Agoda, etc. If the lodging or other service provider payment complaints regarding Booking.com are as big of a problem for any / some of the 2.5 million lodging providers who’ve signed up with this company as suggested and being reported about, providers concerned but not directly affected can remove their properties from the booking.com website. Most providers are almost certainly affiliated with other reservation aggregators. There’s been no suggestion I’ve seen referred to that affiliated providers have fled Booking.com in any sizable numbers due to similar payment issues. If a traveler is improperly billed for services / accommodations not received or billed twice, it’s easy enough to dispute a charge with our credit card issuer. There are instances when I’ll book accommodation directly on the website of a hotel because the rate is better than found on any booking aggregator website. However, I don’t intend to avoid using Booking.com if I find the service offers value on a trip by trip basis. I will also suggest if the payments disputes that have been reported in The Guardian are widespread, lodging operators worldwide will determine there’s no value listing with Booking.com. The marketplace will sort this out and we can make our own choices.

Welcome home!

A meaningless, insulting video.

Posted to the wrong discussion. Yes?

How many foreign visitors to the GP saunas are conversant in the local language, enough to discuss levels of experience? I'll suggest very few.

Windfall? LOL!

Ok. You asked for it ...

Many gay guys are into bears. 🐻 I'm not one of the admirers, but the wonder of our lifestyle is that there's a type for each one of us. 👬

Handsome? Not much to judge by, viewing the photos.

Anything he agrees to do. I don’t recall any of the showers being large enough to accommodate 2 guys at one time.

Old news.

I haven't been there, so I don't know the answer to your question. However, I did spend a few minutes on Google Search and find multiple references to a gay Thermas Jardins, Rua Germânia, 221 - Bonfim, Campinas - SP, 13070-770, Brazil. There may have been confusion over the name because it is situated on Rua Germânia. There's an inactive facebook page (including an e-mail contact address): Thermas Jardins | Campinas SP | Facebook I don't see mention of GP, however. Edit: When I use Google Maps street view for the address I mention above, it's a vacant lot.

Either many expats residing in Thailand earn what is often considered above-average annual income in retirement (US$40,000 - US$80,000 plus $250,000 to invest in Thailand, or US$80,000+), or they're skirting the regulations in one way or another. Yes, or No.

I'm not a member there but just visited it using Safari and I observed activity within minutes of the visit.

The obsession with polls, at this point in time, is laughable. Biden hasn't even begun to campaign and probably won't until after the start of the new year - which is normal for an incumbent in Presidential elections. All people are reacting to is the attacks of the Republicans. A prescription for Valium would be appropriate - for poll obsessives.

Following my prostate cancer surgery, mine has almost disappeared! 🙃

I live in the USA. My full retirement age for government Social Security monthly benefits 7 years ago was 66.5 years old. That's when I retired from full-time work. I could have claimed that retirement benefit at age 62 but the monthly payment would be approx. 30% less for the rest of my life compared to what I receive now. At age 65 we are eligible for government assisted medical insurance a/k/a Medicare.

Condo governing associations in the US oftentimes restrict how often and for how long we can rent our units. Where I live I can rent once yearly for not less than a 6 month term. The city where I live prohibits rentals less than 3 months and prohibits airbnb for most condos.

Yes, a shameful chapter in our, USA, history. For sure.

I stopped counting the number of friends, and particularly sex partners that were lost to HIV/AIDS 40-years ago. There were scores. No exaggeration. A generation wiped out where I played: Chicago, NYC, Acapulco. I was prolifically sexual; almost exclusively a top. At the time, I would think: "How did I survive when so many others perished?" "Why?" Those of us sharing this experience in our lives had to start all over again - not only building new relationships, but being sexual - and it was so very depressing for a while. Now, once again, I'm at a point in my life when friends and acquaintances are at end-of-life or rapidly approaching - due to other ailments. And the beat goes on. I try not to dwell on the past but look forward to the time I have left. 😁 My observation of guys from the USA, as one example, who move abroad is that they typically do so woefully unprepared. The inability to communicate in the new county language is the first challenge. Foreigners who are non-communicators almost always pay more for everything - and are the most frustrated. Even if you can communicate, you'll likely pay more than a local. How do you make friends, develop relationships if you can't communicate? Then there is the challenge of trying to understand the culture of where you land, Thailand or elsewhere. Many are indifferent and underestimate the importance of understanding / learning the cultural norms and how they differ from where we come from - how they're so very important ... before we arrive in the new country. As Dorothy said, "We're not in Kansas anymore". And ... there's the issue of fragile funding; under capitalization. Lacking the ability to communicate in the local language, indifference to the culture, financial insecurity and the lack of a ready support network are prescriptions for frustration, stress and depression. It might be paradise, but what good is being in paradise if you cannot enjoy it? Not all is lost, though, because those of you who successfully live in Thailand, and other "foreign countries" are a testament to the fact that such a transition can be accomplished - happily. Not without effort, but it can be done.

For many of us, renting is better than buying.

I waited 73 years to take my first cruise, last November. It was better than I thought it would be. Small ship, 2,500 passengers, 7 nights. Lots of gay men, most of whom seemed to be partnered ... and, umm, unhealthy looking (supersized).