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Thanks for replying, FO. Some more thoughts from me. (Warning for everyone: this post contains some digressions into more general intellectual property and state-of-the-universe discussions, and there is no tldr version...) Or borrow someone else's and read it, or pick up one that was left on the bus. I'm not trying to nitpick here; the point is that the buy/steal dichotomy is a false one. There are entirely legal ways of accessing content that you don't own. If I came to see you and you put some nice background music on, should I make sure you've acquired broadcast rights for it? I shall come back to this in more detail in a bit, but there's a fundamental problem here: it's no longer possible to profit by selling easily-replicable content. This is a fundamental change in the world; nobody said it was going to be easy to manage. What we're seeing with SOPA et al is an effort by Big Content to prevent their entire reason for existence from complete extinction; alas, that's the way the world has gone (not "is going"; it's gone). To address newspapers specifically, most now have free websites that make money by selling advertizing. I can think of one very notable exception; one of Rupert Murdoch's newspapers has decided they can make more money off a small number of paid subscribers than off the usual ads + eyeballs model. It will be *very* interesting to see how that experiment works out; my prediction is they'll fail. Laws do not exist to serve the entertainment industry. Laws exist to serve society as a whole, of which the entertainment industry is but a small part (despite what certain media moguls would have you believe). A law that benefits a very small segment of society to the detriment of everyone else is not a good law. I think you're wrong, on both counts. Firstly, the existing laws are sufficient (as an example, consider the exquisitely-timed takedown of megaupload.com, which has been done under existing laws); as I said in my first post, the problem from Big Content's point of view is not that there's no laws defending intellectual property and copyright, it's that they want to be able to bypass the judicial system and shut down websites on their own say-so (which is what SOPA's really about). Secondly, as a general point, those with power will almost always seek to entrench the power they have and acquire more; same goes for those with money. To digress for a moment, look at the way governments and large corporations (in particular, Wall Street) inter-operate, and cross-pollinate by exchanging people on a regular basis; this is resulting in a system that's increasingly run by the few, for the few, and this is what the Occupy movement is about, at its heart. Yes - but I completely disagree with you :) This really gets to the root of the problem :) The fundamental problem is that the world has fundamentally changed. The Internet, at its core, is about the free and global exchange of data; that is its purpose. And 'data' means a great many things; it means knowledge, speech, ideas, concepts; it also includes many things that have traditionally been harder to exchange, such as books and music and movies and images. There are several consequences to this. The first is the 'global' bit. The Internet is truly international; it transcends all traditional legislative boundaries. In the absence of a World Government, who then gets to control it? No national government can legitimately claim jurisdiction. They can claim jurisdiction over a subset of people and companies, but it's quite easy for people and very easy for companies to simply move into another jurisdiction. This makes legislating anything online well-nigh impossible; you need pretty much every online country in the world to pass similar legislation if you're going to do it and, except in a minority of cases, that's not going to happen. Kiddie porn and child prostitution is the only thing I can think of that's been effectively shut down on a global basis, and even that's far from perfect. Secondly, the sheer ease of transferring data has convinced a generation that this is okay. There are many people today who simply don't see copying a song or a movie or a picture as a crime. It may be theft according to the statute books, but they don't see that; and love this or hate it, I think it's necessary to acknowledge that this is how things are today. Please note that I don't intend this as approval or disapproval of that; simply as a statement of how things are. Thirdly, the creation of the Internet has rendered content-delivery trivial, and this has completely destroyed some industries. It used to be that a band could play local gigs, and maybe get a local reputation, but in order to become big they'd need to sign up with a record company. They'd make an album, and the record company would market and distribute it. But that's entirely unnecessary these days; a band can publish their own stuff online, and build a huge fanbase without the involvement of any of the traditional music distributors. The same goes for photographers, cartoonists, movie producers, and all other creative types. Naturally, the Content Distributors are terrified by this; they used to be a necessary conduit between the artist and the audience and they have, at a stroke, become entirely unnecessary. And so they do what they can to preserve their turf; that's where SOPA et al come from. It's the final gasp of a dying dinosaur. There's an obvious problem for the artist (I'm using the word to include all creative type), too: now that they can't realistically make money by selling content, how *do* they make money? That's not a question with an easy answer in all cases; and besides, there may be as many answers as there are artists. But the answer probably lies in the performance; it's trivial to download the latest album from that band I like, but if they're good I'll still pay to go and see them. If the show's good, I'll buy a shirt. People will still pay to see movies in a theater. People will still pay to buy books (can you imagine trying to read War and Peace through a browser?). But at the end of the day, the artist's problem is soluble; the distributor's problem is not. And that's why you see things like SOPA being driven by record companies rather than musicians. That actually ended up at the wrong end of my post, away from the related stuff - sorry! Hopefully the stuff above will have addressed your first point. The point I was trying to make with this was to illustrate the inherent danger of poorly written and ill-conceived laws, of which SOPA is a good example. Sure, the stated intent may be to protect copyright holders; but since the law as written allows any complainant to shut down someone else's website on no more than their own say-so, you may rest assured that the unscrupulous will make full use of this awesome new weapon in their armory to remove *any* content that they don't like. I'm sure you're well aware that there are those who object to the existence of SPs and would love to see their lives made as difficult as possible; SOPA or something like it would be a very useful tool for that, because it's written in such a way as to positively encourage abuse. Those who are vulnerable to such abuse would, therefore, perhaps be better off opposing laws that would enable it. [more to come on this; original post too long, dammit!]

Let me put it this way, If there is an afterlife, and some higher cosmic power, when I die that power is going to have a SHITLOAD of explaining to do! ;) That being said, I figure being dead will be the same as before I was alive. If that makes any sense...

I've come to realise a couple more realizations with this thread on self observations Between my work life and this lifestyle I'm not judgemental about a person's sexual preference. What consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom, well behind closed doors is nobody's business As kittyluver posted, life is about the journey, not the destination...and I will add (I posted this awhile back btw) this includes encounters too...it's not about SOG's, it's about the entirety of the encounter This lifestyle is much more than about sex. You can enjoy the companionship of a lady in this lifestyle, with your clothes on, when your clothes come off, and afterwards, when the clothes come back on again. If you open yourself up to an encounter being much more than just sex, you will IMHO, have great encounters (hope that makes sense) RG

No description required, no comment needed. Just state something about yourself that you just realized. I used to think that I was very short.

Well this is a pebble in my shoe! Everytime I am finished safe play with a nice gentlemen he goes to the washroom to flush the evidence,and I HOLLER DO NOT FLUSH the condom please!! Please ladies and gentlemen put these in the garbadge they can clog sewage systems or even worse end up in our waters. Condoms are made of latex,which is made from the sap of rubber tress which is biodegadeable,but NOT when in or under water,also latex condoms are not made of 100% latex and the spermicide,or lubricants that are on them may compromise their ability to biodegrade.Some comdoms are made of polyurethane which is not biodegradeable, so I ask again, please put the condom you use in the garbadge,wrap it in tissue if you are afraid it might be seen and toss it.We all have to do our part to protect our enviroment and this is so easy,yes some may say that their toilets have never clogged from flushing these and maybe so,luck maybe,but when they go through the treatment plants they have to be fished out which is more work and unecessary and alot slip through there and in up in our waters.So once again I ask please ,please toss don't flush,thanks,cristy

(continued from previous post) As I said above, most people are turning out to be right; and no matter what any of us thinks about this, it won't change. The world has changed. Yes, I appreciate that that sounds hyperbolic; it is, nevertheless, true. To address SPs specifically: AFAIK most of them aren't selling their pics We come to see *you*, and spend time with you; and if there's a way to pirate that experience, it hasn't been invented yet. Yes, maybe one day the artificial authentic-in-every-way FortunateOne-bot will be created... but we aren't there yet. And although people may steal your pics... how much do they benefit, in the long run? I can't imagine that SPs who steal pics get a lot of repeat business when their clients show up and discover that the person standing in front of them isn't the one they saw. And word gets around (thanks, CK!) and so many of us won't even get that far. In the long run, anyone who wants to succeed will require a basic, minimum level of honesty. Um, no. The reason that you won't find much pro-SOPA stuff online is that most people who post online have rather more of a clue about what the Internet is and how it works than the lobbyists that wrote SOPA, and understand why it's a very bad idea indeed (I should emphasize that this is far more about the lack of due process than the idea of protecting copyright). There is no nefarious plot to deny anyone information about SOPA, or to silence its proponents. Wrong. Anyone can make a complaint. I could claim copyright on your pics, despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I don't look much like you. And many website owners would rather take down something in response to a complaint, regardless of the legitimacy of it, than risk being shut down entirely. That's just good business sense. Yes. Really. To be fair, it's not so much the musicians that are the problem here; it's the record companies with their obsolete business model, their battalions of lawyers and their obliviousness to likely PR disasters that tend to pull stunts like this. I hope the arguments I've made above address your criticism on the examples. I haven't addressed everything by any means (in particular, derivative works are a whole other can of worms). And I've never asserted that random folks own copyrighted material; my point is that poorly-written laws make it too easy for them to claim falsely that they do. That's a problem with getting sensible folks to make the argument. The fact that someone runs a website doesn't imply that they can string two sentences together in an interview. I think (hope) that I've addressed this above. As I said, the root of the problem is that the world has fundamentally changed over the last decade or so. Nobody said this would be easy. You've got cause and effect backwards... Godwin's Law states that by accusing your opponent of being a Nazi or comparing them to Hitler, you automatically lose the argument (Actually, that's not what it originally said, but that's how it's often used now). I'm well aware of this, hence the inherent irony in posting a Downfall vid. But the fact remains that whoever created that particular parody actually understands the issue quite well. Finally, to everyone who got this far... thanks for getting through that attack of verbal diarrhea!

I'd love to believe in an afterlife and all the metaphysical reassurance that comes with it. But there's no good evidence at all to believe there is one. So I must conclude there isn't. There are no reliable reports of near-death experiences that can't be explained by: a) physiological changes to the brain as the body starts to fail; b) our minds trying desperately to make sense of the subjective experience of a); and c) the widespread cultural beliefs that the mind draws upon as it performs b). The mind is a tricky thing, and our experience is highly subjective and unreliable every minute of every day. We continually live life as our brains interpret it, selectively and fallibly, rather than according to the objective facts. We're always trying to make sense and find meaning in the events around us, and string them into a sensible narrative. But the fact is, although the world is ordered, it's fundamentally meaningless. Human experience is meaning-based. The world itself is not. If our day to day experience is that unreliable, imagine how unreliable the reports are of people who have been through a weird and traumatic experience like the brain itself starting to die. On the one hand I'm saddened, because like everyone I have a deep desire for meaning and reassurance implied by an afterlife. But on the other hand I use my reluctant conviction that "this life is all we have" to keep trying to improve the life I'm living, without relying on the promise of another chance after I die. Mostly, that takes the form of being good to the people around me, and treasuring the time I have with the other people on this planet. Statistics say I'm more than halfway through my journey, and I don't want to waste any of what's left with the excuse that things will be better next time.

Poor guy...life's gonna be pretty HARD for him now :P

I'm on the fence about this too. One part of me thinks this can't be it, life is a journey, death is part of this part of the journey, but the journey continues in another dimension, whether you want to call it heaven/hell, or something else The other part of me says that the afterlife is a concept and carrot that organized religion uses to dangle to gain compliance to their doctrine. And for me, it is more important to live life for today, the here and now, because maybe this is it, we have but one life to live. And we should go through life being non judgemental and treating others as we would like to be treated So short answer, I don't know A quick philosophical rambling RG

My life has a soundtrack. Whenever I hear a song that I heard when I was growing up or growing older, I am transported back to a moment in time.... it's like a series of vignettes that plays and makes me smile. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFC8sDTXlng http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F_lmgCAV3o&feature=fvst http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhJHL34DiBY&ob=av3n http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2JSUXaY-tw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kussPZDNQyY there are so many more.....

alright, this is more of a challenge. Paper Lace were a one hit wonder, kinda. Their other hit, "Billy Don't be a Hero" was covered before they released it in North America by another one hit wonder, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. If we let Paper Lace and Bo Donaldson cancel each other out on "Billy," Bo Donaldson is left with "Who do you think you are," a song written by ANOTHER one hit wonder... Jigsaw. So here is... Jigsaw - Sky High http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lblECDOvDo

I realise that I'm extremely fortunate to be naturally bisexual. I also realise that if I wasn't, I would be missing out on something amazing- the soft sensual touch of a woman.

When I think about it.. my productivity level seemed to depends on the amout of cafeinee I consume in the morning... without that XL Double Double nothing seemed to be getting done.

I am on the next flight!

Happy Birthday!

I'm bald, and proud of it LOL RG :-)

See, I love this stuff!!!! The UK, especially Scotland is incredibly haunted. I've seen so much bizarre stuff back home it just send tingles up your spine, but is it ever cool!!! My friend in London grew up in a house that was seriously haunted...loved staying at his place...so cool!!!

Holy Sh*t, any wonder I get such a high post count and tunes are ringing in my head...with 666 I thought the ringing was me being possessed by the devil LOL The only appropriate video I can come up with is this one Get A Life, and apparently I don't have one LOL RG

It's sad that all the western governments choose not to do enough to help the men and women they send in to combat. Some soldiers, sailors and airmen can handle the stress of combat, but most cannot. As human beings we should be showing far more compassion towards these people, they need help badly!!!

As someone who suffers from PTSD, and did once almost end it all by my own hand...articles like this just break my heart. I know too many soldiers who have taken their own lives over the last decade, no soldier should ever have to suffer alone. http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2011/12/10/18-u-s-military-veterans-commit-suicide-every-day/

If you're doing one for me... just put yourself in it :)

I love women. A LOT.

I believe I run my life like I"m in the army!

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I never haggle or negotiate, either. It's insulting to be asked. My fees are clearly stated on my website and in e-mail I exchange with prospective clients. One of the reasons I prefer e-mail, initially, is that it's so easy to be very clear and explicit about important things like this. I've rarely had a problem with it. I had a meeting with a brand new client last week. We'd had a very positive e-mail discussion and had spoken twice on the phone. He seemed like an ideal client. I was looking forward to meeting him. When he arrived, he handed me an envelope, which I put in a drawer. (I never count the contents in front of clients.) As I was pouring coffee for us, he said, as casual as can be, that he couldn't stay as long as planned, after all, unfortunately, and that he was sure it was okay that he'd reduced payment of my fee accordingly. I was stunned. After a long moment, I said that he should have told me that he needed to cut the meeting short before he arrived. I said I was sorry he couldn't stay, and handed him his coat with a smile. It was his turn to be surprised, then. He asked if I was going to give him a refund. I said no. I also said that it was clear we weren't compatible. He said, "You do have a very high opinion of yourself. You should re-evaluate it." I bit my tongue, opened the door and wished him well. My general experience is that the men who contact me are real gentlemen who would never engage in games like this. That's what was so surprising about this fellow. His smooth sense of entitlement was almost chilling and makes me wonder how he deals with people in other situations. Not well, I imagine!

Do you like mountains of deep fried seafood? Of course you do! John's Lunch! Conveniently located beside the Nova Scotia Hospital, thus allowing me my daily dose of clams. Mama will be at the till accepting your cash. ;-)

Any guy that wants to haggle over the a set price is not some one you want as a client...... I have found that people who ask for a break can usually afford more.......and only haggle to make them selves feel more in control. Posted via Mobile Device

good for you ,shes been hit hard on cl,I hate when girls beat up on one another

A dog's Purpose? (from a 6-year-old). Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ''I know why.'' Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live. He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' ''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'' Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy. Take naps. Stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently. ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Oh for goodness sakes have more sex!

I hold a special place in my heart for the soldiers. Being from Windsor originally, Fort Wayne is right across the water in the States. Alot of the men coming home from Iraq would get dropped off at Fort Wayne, and the go their respective hometown from there. I was a dancer at the time, an I met tons of soldiers from all over the U.S., some having returned to North America as little as 2 hours ago. They were from places as far as Texas and california, and probably would never get the opportunity to see Canada again, so they came to meet us naked Canadian girls and drink our beer lol. Anyways, they were so appreciative to be home and be with us ladies, and after the sacrifice they made, plus how sweet they were, it was always such a pleasure too entertain them, and so flattering that the first thing they did was come see us lol. I will always remember one in particular though. It was the summertime, a very hot night. He came into my club, I was onstage. He was in uniform, and something about him caught my eye. It was like the song magic man by heart " I never seen eyes so blue......"He watched me so intently, not with a look of lust, but sense of intrigue and bit of confusion,like I was something different or strange to him.I've never gotten that look before or since, and didn't know what to think of it at the time. After my show, I went over to talk to him. He was from Alabama, and i LOVED his drawl, so different from the Michigan accent i was so accustomed to.We sat at table in the corner, and he bought me drink. I looked into his eyes and this man was haunted, it was like i was there but i wasn't.........he spoke to me intently and with conviction but he was almost vacant...... He had just returned from his 2nd tour in Iraq. His wife had left him, she couldn't take him being gone and worrying if he was killed or not, and when he went the second time, she couldnt take it. He had no one waiting for him at home, so he decided he was going to stay in Canada for a bit. He would come see me almost every night, and we would hang out after words, go to a club or out for dinner or whatever. One night, we were at the hotel, and there were fireworks on the river. We were in the room, and they started going off. He ran and practically dove under the counter in the bathroom. He was holding his ears and he turned all red and was breathing heavy. The fireworks had clearly triggered a panic attack.I climbed under that sink and sat with my arms around him rocking him and humming until it was ok for him again. He was very reserved before, we only talked about me. He just broke down and told me everything, the stories from Iraq that night, stories of things he did i wouldn't wish on my worst enemy to have to commit, and the guilt he felt about those things.......his conscience was heavy and he was a tortured. We were together everyday that summer, it was strange, we weren't lovers but we weren't friends either, it was like......... i dunno it sounds weird but he needed someone to care for him and i was supposed to do it......it was just a strange unique and intense human connection.......... He gave me his dog tag and he left. My life went on. A little less than a year later he called me out of the blue. He was going over again, for his third tour. he wanted to see me before he left. I met him when he was getting off the bridge, and we had the best night........he wrote me while he was there and his letters just stopped coming. A few months later, one of his friends wrote me and told me he was on a routine mission to a village and someone blew up their truck, him along with 2 other were killed and three other wounded. He told me he had talked about me often, and i found out while he was back in the states he had a major drug problem and that's why i didn't hear from him for 7 months. The friend had found an envelope addressed to me so that's why he wrote, and he included his phone number to call and encouraged me to do so, but i never did. I had a great respect for that man, and I'll always always remember him........... If he had had the support he needed when he want back to u.S. maybe he'd still be alive today.......................

This is really sad. It seems to me that this also has to do with the way out society undermines traumatic events in people's lives and stigmatizes and neglects mental illness which results in people going untreated etc. additionally, as a culture, if we had the tools to support people going through things like this (I.e if we were taught in school what signs to look for and ways we can help instead of do more damage) then a lot less people would take their lives. My thoughts go out to the families and friends who have to live with the guilt and horror of losing someone to suicide. And also to the people who took their lives that were in so much pain that they made the choice to take their lives in order to rest in peace. Xoxo

Actually I no longer consider it to be a misfortune. The whole thing has made me a much stronger person and a much more caring and approachable officer. It also has helped me notice the signs of stress in soldiers quicker, so I can get them help right away and they won't have to go through what I did.