Phaedrus

I see absolutely no reason why not. In fact, the ladies I go back to (or would like to, even if I haven't managed to yet :) ) are, quite simply, the ones I get on with; the ones I feel --are-- friends, even if only for a short time.

Because saying "X is the best SP" is not the same as saying "X is my favourite", and neither of those is the same as "X is very good and I recommend her". The last of those... a simple recommendation is uncontroversial. It says something positive about the person who's recommended, and nothing at all about anything else. But both of the first two are making judgements... they're judging that not only is X good, but that everyone else is inferior - and that's what annoys people. At least someone announcing their particular favourite is implicitly acknowledging that this is their subjective judgement, and the potential consequences of implicitly putting down everyone else are theirs to bear. But announcing that "X is the best"... I see at least three problems with that. First, as with a personal preference, it puts down everyone else. Second, it assumes that there is some objective definition of "best", which I think is an assumption that most of us would question. And thirdly, it's arrogant in its assumption that any one person actually knows the objective definition of "best". Any of these might annoy some people; the combination of all three pretty much guarantees that you're going to annoy a lot of people. On other questions that get asked... people asking for specific recommendations/suggestions on who to see are often (not always, but often) looking for something quite specific. People are asking for an ethnicity, or a particular service, or in a particular location (or some combination of those) The request being made quite often naturally excludes most of the people here, and most of the SPs who do fit the requirements will often be suggested (at least, that's been my experience of threads like this where I've actually had a good idea of what the possible answers actually --are--). But yes, sometimes we get much more general questions (like "looking for a SP in Ottawa", for example), and when things like that come in the collective answer is often a far more general one ("go read the reco section and the ads") than suggestions for particular people.

Absolutely! Hope everyone's having an awesome weekend!

Well, I'm not Mod, but... :) Most people post the reco in the reco section for the city where the encounter took place. Yes, this means that some traveling ladies end up with several small reco threads rather than one long one. I'm not aware of any length limit, except the site-wide limit on post length (10000 characters, I think). If you hit that, I guess you could always wait 24 hours (or for someone else to reply) and then post part 2.

So, first up: if there's anyone out there of an even slightly nerdy disposition who doesn't read XKCD, you're seriously missing out. Secondly: interview with Randall Monroe, who writes it. Well worth your time.

Why on earth not? We go to SCs for the boobies, not the beers. Sure, I'll have a beer or two when I'm there... but trust me, the beer isn't what gets me to walk through the door, and if there wasn't any beer it wouldn't stop me going.

Hearing that a friend's several-day-long panic has been happily resolved, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Never had anything like this. I've seen the odd tale of woe posted here, but it's not something I've ever encountered. Quite the opposite, in fact... I've seen a couple of ladies because other ladies told me I should (and those recommendations were good, as it turned out). I honestly can't see why any SP could reasonably complain about a client seeing other SPs. After all, she probably sees other clients...

HIV disclosure ruling clarified by top court People with low-level HIV and condoms needn't disclose infection The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that some people with low levels of HIV who use condoms during sex do not need to disclose their condition to sexual partners. In a 9-0 ruling, the top court updated a landmark 1998 decision that made it a crime if HIV carriers did not reveal their status when there was a significant risk of transmission to a sexual partner. The court ruled Friday that the "realistic possibility of transmission of HIV is negated" provided the carrier of the virus has a low viral load and a condom is used during sexual intercourse. Otherwise, HIV carriers have to disclose their status to their partners. The court also said the new ruling does not preclude the law from adapting to future advances in medical treatment and to circumstances where different risk factors are at play. Under the previous law, HIV-carriers who didn't tell partners they had the virus could be charged with aggravated sexual assault. The maximum penalty is life in jail. The Supreme Court ruled on two separate cases from Quebec and Manitoba in which charges brought against those who failed to disclose their condition were overturned by appeals courts. One of the cases involves Clato Mabior, who has since been deported to South Sudan, who had sex with nine women, including a 12-year-old girl, between 2004 and 2005 after being diagnosed HIV-positive. Mabior was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated sexual assault in six of nine of the cases, but he was acquitted of the remaining three because the judge ruled that his low level of HIV and the fact he wore a condom negated his duty to inform the women. The Manitoba Court of Appeal later overturned four of his convictions saying not all of the women were exposed to "significant risk." The Supreme Court said Friday that three of Mabior's convictions should be restored because he did not use a condom, and one acquittal was upheld because he did use a condom in that sexual encounter and had a low viral load. Mabior's lawyer welcomed the ruling. "The court has struck a balance, given that the Crown attorney's position in both jurisdictions as I understood it was that in all circumstances, there was a positive duty to disclose one's HIV status," said Amanda Sansregret. "Quite frankly, that would be such a broad use of the criminal law." The other case involves a woman from Quebec who had unprotected sex with her partner without first informing him that she was HIV-positive. A publication ban prevents naming the woman, who is referred to in Supreme Court documents only as "D.C." The woman was initially found guilty of sexual assault and aggravated assault, but that conviction was later overturned by the Quebec Court of Appeal on the basis that her viral load was undetectable during the period that the charges covered. The Supreme Court upheld the woman's acquittal. A lawyer for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, which was an intervener in the case, was disappointed that the Supreme Court decision did not go further. "My client's position is that the criminal law is a harsh tool that should be reserved for the most morally blame-worthy cases," said Michael Feder. "What you're talking about here is a vulnerable, marginalized group of people who are going to be forced to go around volunteering to anyone with whom they're going to have sexual contact, that they belong to that vulnerable, marginalized group," he said. Richard Elliot. the executive director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, which also intervened in the case, said the decision was not a good one for people living with HIV. His group's position is that either a low viral load or the use of a condom should be the required test to avoid being prosecuted, but not both, as the top court said in Friday's ruling. "We know from the science now that if either you use a condom or you have a low viral load, the risk of transmission is extraordinarily small," he said.

There's LOTS of advice here, if you read around a bit. Start with the sticky threads in the "New To This" section, and explore from there...

...is... Amelia! She's a very talented MA. She's lots of fun to be with. She's sexy as hell. Her posts on here are always worth reading. What more do you want? Another pic, you want? Okay, that I can do...

Mosfellsbær Wants "Vulva Museum" The residents association for suburban capital area town Mosfellsbær, contrary to the wishes of the town council majority, wants to open a "vulva museum" instead of the council's proposed wild animal museum. In a statement to the press, the Residents' Movement - an association of Mosfellsbær townspeople - says that they are opposed to the town council majority idea of opening a wild animal museum to celebrate the town's 25th anniversary. Rather, the association proposes instead a vulva museum. The association argues that a vulva museum would have more to offer than a wild animal museum. For one, they say, equality issues have been featuring more prominently in everyday discussion. Such a museum would symbolically contribute to gender equality. Furthermore, the vulva itself has been made the subject of numerous works of art, from plays to sculptures. The association also questions whether a wild animal museum would even attract enough tourists to justify its existence - Iceland's Penis Museum, however, has become one of the country's trademarks. A vulva museum could very well become the same. The museum would begin its collection with vulvae from each kind of Iceland's domestic animals, with added contributions included as the years progress. The association adds that it might be fun to have Pussy Riot play at the museum's opening.

China. All sorts of places I want to go there, but the Forbidden City would be pretty high on the list...

This is the nerdiest thing I've seen since.... I can't remember when. No link, 'cos it was on CL. Woman DM needed for D&D based Adult Bachelor Party (Pringe George's County, MD) Description: Looking for a woman with Dungeon Master experience in Dungeons and Dragons (specifically 3.0 or 3.5 editions) to run a game. The event is for a Bachelor Party and the "future husband to be" would prefer if the DM could be topless. With that said, I ensure you that nothing else is expect of you other than an exciting adventure. Requirements: [--]Dungeon Master experience in Dungeons and Dragons (preferably in 3rd or 3.5 Editions) [--]Must be able to provide a picture including the face and body (No nudes please.) [--]It is preferable that cup size be at least C or greater. [--]If books are needed it must be stated ahead of time however it would be preferable if the DM had her own. Clientele: There will be 5 "guys" that will be participation including myself. We are at all above the age of 24. Each of us are gentlemen and will treat the Dungeon Master with the utmost of respect. Compensation: I honestly don't know how to charge for this kind of service because it's not something typically done so the compensation will be negotiated. It's expected that the session last no less than 30 minutes. Date: A day prior to October 11th (The Day of the Wedding) would be ideal. Location: The location will be negotiated but priority will be give to the preference of the Dungeon Master.

Practice makes perfect! I wish I had the time and money to go gallivanting around the world and see and do all the things I want to see and do... yeah, I know, I'm selfish :)

It's true. I've met a few ladies who have someone leeching off them, contributing nothing to the business, and expecting to be provided for out of their income. Sometimes these individuals even come to the door to check out clients when they arrive. And they wear fur coats all the time. And it's ironic that I'm replying to a post by someone who's clearly so far under the thumb that she even has to call herself "cat". :) Sorry. I'll shut up now.

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19727455[/url] Amsterdam's oldest prostitutes have been thrust into the spotlight with the release of their memoirs and a documentary film about their lives. The film, Meet the Fokkens, follows 70-year-old identical twins Louise and Martine Fokken as they share secrets of selling sex in the city's famous red light district. Louise and Martine shuffle round their cluttered two-bedroom apartment in Ijmuiden, just west of Amsterdam. One in slippers, the other in sandals, they fetch foaming mugs of coffee and their favourite cream cakes. There is an absent-minded synchronicity to their movements. Martine hums as Louise breaks into an old lament about families forced to flee during World War II. Their mum was part Jewish, something they managed to hide from occupying Nazi forces while remaining in the Netherlands. Louise's song dwells on the joy of living and the sadness of leaving. "We were very little during the war. When the sirens started our mum would take us down into the basement. We didn't have any helmets so we used frying pans to cover our heads. We all looked so funny. And we had fun there." I ask, when she looks back at her life in Amsterdam, was there more laughter or tears? Martine and Louise Fokken The twins say their memoirs have changed attitudes; they used to get abuse, now they get respect "Oh laughter, definitely laughter. You have to laugh even if you are sad because it is your life and you can't change it, but it is always better if you are smiling." The sisters nod in unison. But their expertly applied scarlet smiles do not detract from the shimmer of sadness in their eyes. "Of course when we were 14 or 15 we never thought we would be working as ------s one day. We were creative and we had dreams," Martine says. Louise adds: "I always say that my husband beat me into it. He was violent and said he would leave me if I didn't sell sex to make us more money. "He was the love of my lifeâ?¦" she says. Louise's children were taken into foster care. She holds one of the photographs, showing their small smiling faces, that sits on the shelves of an antique bookshelf. Martine still sells sex. She says the Dutch state pension alone is not enough to live on. Louise quit because of arthritis. Martine says she would like to retire but cannot afford to. The documentary shows her at work - perched on a stool in stockings, suspenders and patent leather stilettos. Young men who pass by, some of them on stag parties from abroad, mock her for being old. She laughs it off (like she does with everything) and says she does not care. She says times have changed: "The boys are different now, they drink too much, they're fat and they don't respect you. They should be on their bikes like Dutch boys, not just drinking all the time." Despite younger competition next door, there is still a market for Martine's services. She appears to specialise in bondage for older men. Targeting them with things they like to dress up in. Tempting them into her brothel with an array of dangerous looking whips and high-heeled shoes. It seems she has found a niche in the fetish market. "We know the tricks, we know what they want. We know how to talk to them and we know how to make them laugh too." "Honeybee come to me," they chorus in English with a strong Dutch accent. Martine says they are lucky to be alive: "Once there was a man and there was something I didn't like about him. So I made him take off all his clothes. Then I sat on the bed and I felt under the pillow he'd hidden a huge knife." "There are always ups and downs," Louise adds. "Ups and downs, ups and downs..." the twins sing-song, before falling into each other in fits of laughter. They have a century's worth of experience between them. And now their story is going global. The twins' memoirs topped the Dutch bestsellers list, and now an English translation is being printed and is due to be released later this year. The twins say that Meet the Fokkens has helped to change attitudes; some of the abuse has been replaced by respect. And as Martine tucks into the remains of Louise's cream cake, sharing a forkful with one of their three Chihuahuas, balancing on her shoulder, she swears they would not have done it any other way. "This is what we know. If we didn't do hooking then what would we do? This is our life. "And," she glances again at her sister, "we are still having fun".

Somewhere else I definitely want to go: Petra

Thanks for sharing, Charlotte! It really brings it home that working in this industry and being a parent isn't inherently harder than working in any other industry and being a parent... except that society at large has a huge chip on its shoulder about this. It's a shame.

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