Alexandra-Sky

If you do some research of the history of police in general you will find that police were implemented to protect the rich (and their capital) from the poor. The RCMP was established the squash the native resistance movements in Canada. The Ottawa police have the worst practices when it comes to dealing with matters of sexual Assault. The list goes on and on and as one learns more about this, one realizes that this is more than a 'bad apple' problem.

Thanks everyone for their words of support and heart-felt responses. xoxo Sky

Hi folks, I'm looking to purchase a new latop in the next month. I am looking for a couple of things: - a lap top with a good battery life and one that doesn't decrease in life-span over time (is that even possible with any laptop?) - I'll mostly be using it for CERB and also for school assignments (don't know if that's a relevant piece of information) -If possible I would like a laptop with lots of disk space -Lasts me in good condition for about 5 or so years? -oh and also of great importance is that i don't want it to be too heavy as I will have to carry it to and from school almost daily. Thanks in advance, xo Sky

I like bethany's poker idea!

November, while I am always a prominent advocate of open and polyamorous relationships, I have found that even those who theoretically truly believe in it have a hard time of practicing it in a healthy manner. Especially if a relationship has been closed for a long time, it's quite difficult to set different terms by then. While I am all for honesty in most cases, I recognize that a society that constantly saturates us with messages of compulsory and life time monogamy is one in which some people have little choice but to lie to their loved ones in order to live out some of their desires.

I agree. But I imagine the perfect world one in which we are taught to look deeper into why we think the things we do and whether or not those thoughts are truly just and loving. We're not really taught to question mainstream view points in this society. And unfortunately, most of the time, mainstream beliefs can be quite harmful such as the one I mentioned in my original post about sex workers losing credibility because of their work.

I very much agree with you, but I would add that sometimes the right thing to do isn't always the easiest. I would go even further than keeping my judgements to myself and ask myself "where did i learn this thinking from? do i have any basis to believe that what i think is true or just?" and from there begin a journey of learning. A good example of this is my mother. She is CONVINCED that all sex workers are victims, are drug-users and are being trafficked or pimped out and that none of us choose our work. Yet, it's interesting because she has never knowingly met a sex worker before and so this knowledge can't possibly come from past experience. In fact, it comes from lots of different sources, one of them being the mainstream media, that insist that all of these things are true. My mom has yet to ask herself the questions of "where did i learn this from? are there any factual basis to these claims? is my opinion of this harmful to these women? And so her untrue and harmful thinking remains unchallenged. Sky

This thread is sort of in response to some of the reactions on the Amy Winehouse thread and is also inspired by recent conversations I have been having with my wonderful friends in my personal life. I would like to bring to everyone's attention that when issues such drug-addiction/sex working/ racism etc. etc. are brought up, these things are a matter of life and death for some people. Thus, it's really important to not only be gentle with our words, but also with our thoughts when commenting on them. I personally believe that most people are not maliciously trying to stir up shit when they say things like "she was JUST a junkie", but rather this kind of thinking can be coming from several places: ignorance, a societally perpetuated idea, or past experiences where loved ones who've gone through things like drug-addiction have ended up hurting those they love in the long-run. Nevertheless, it is still important to always assume that people in your audience are going to be deeply affected by these things (either through their own experiences with them or through experiences of loved ones) and thus saying things that demonstrate your anti-drug user/anti-mental health mentality (or whatever the issue may be) will end up deeply wounding many of the people who come across it. I am not of the belief that everyone should be absolutely free to express all opinions (but we'll save that for a later conversation), but if you choose to do so, be mindful of the fact that some people's hearts are at stake. A good example for me is when I hear about a woman who's credibility is challenged for sex working in court cases where she is accusing her husband of abuse. In my eyes, this could very well be me. And so news like this can be quite hard to handle because of the immense injustice I perceive to be happening. Additionally, when people are backing up what is going on, its even more painful to have to defend something you perceive (and feel in your heart and gut) is so blatantly wrong. Maybe I'm just having an emotional night but I thought I'd share anyway. With love and in struggle, Sky

This is ridiculous! While I deeply empathize with the lives lost in Norway and I in no way condone what happened, I don't think we should let our anger towards the mainstream media about covering the Amy story more than the Norway story justify our awful feelings about people with mental health issues and addictions. There is something to be said about your comments above: how she was at fault for her own demise. Yes, while there is some choice involved in terms of recovery and getting your life in order, not just anyone contemplates suicide. There has to be some serious shit going on for someone to actually go through with taking away their own lives especially when they've been suffering as harshly as Amy was from her addiction. There should be no hierarchy of who's life was more important and which sentiments will be stronger. Murder and suicide are both awful and neither are the fault of the victims. It seems like as a society we will just take every opportunity to blame and further stigmatize people with mental health issues and addictions. We really need to be critical of how we think about people we place in these categories and how are words resemble how we truly feel about the worth of their lives!

This is a really awesome post. I just thought I would add one thing. In the case you describe above, and in the advice you give at the end you talk about "silly people" and how we should move and and that the experience becomes a learning one that make you better. This is all assuming that the person you dated was an idiot etc etc. However, I believe that sometimes two equally awesome people choose to date and then break up, not because one is "bad" etc, but rather, because either they are not at the same place in their lives or because their behaviors become destructive when together (as in a lot of dysfunctional relationships). So I hear you with the moving on and life getting better but sometimes it's ok to choose to be friends with your ex because they were never a bad person to begin with. Also, props to you for having the courage to say no to hanging out with her when that's what you really wanted to do. hugs to you xoxo Sky

Oh E. one of the best lays I've ever had haha. <3

Pete is lovely and sensual =D

Barhaven Woody is REALLY good looking! ;)

I really like the name "shymale" makes me think that you're super cute and timid (which is quite cute in and of itself)!

I like Malika cuz she's always up for some fun...;) (hehehe)

I think Old Dog's (Irish?) accent is hilarious!

The name of this poll should read "53% of Canadians are logical and support consensual sex"

Some logical and well-rounded arguments on why the Swedish model is not working:

In light of needing to lift my spirits these days, I thought this would be a good thread to start. Basically, the way this will work is that everyone will post something they like about the person who posts before them. Even if you don't know the person, maybe a good suggestion is to look through their photos/posts or even commment on the very post before yours. Hopefully this thread will be ever-lasting and people will feel the ongoing love from their CERBies! Love and care for yourselves. Xo Sky

And me! xoxo

I am thinking Karaoke! Is that possible/realistic/appealing in the space we have? xoxo Sky

«This amazing study of men in Canada who hire sexworkers shows that the common stereotypes about them are way off base. Only preliminary results have been published so far, but they show a much different picture than most non-sexworkers are familiar with.» http://www.johnsvoice.ca/ I haven't read it yet but I'd thought I'd post. xoxo Sky

When I first started in the business, it did not even occur to me that I had the choice to hide my face. Not that I had many worries to begin with. My friends and community members all know, I talk openly about my work in my classes of 100+ people etc etc. The only people that don't know are my parents but they don't live in Ottawa so I feel that there is little chance that they'll figure it out. And if they do, I've prepared myself for that. Interestingly enough, clients have told me that what caused them to book me were my eyes and so I feel like for me, showing my face is an advantage. Conversely, pretty much every client I've ever met has said that I look better in person that in my photos so in this sense, showing my face can be considered a disadvantage? Regarding future job opportunities etc, I'm not super into the career-type stuff other than my goal of becoming a university professor. That being said, I think it would be an added advantage to be in this line of work as a women's studies prof as the women's studies academia is becoming more and more sex-positive and sex-work positive (actually the first time I heard some really awesome pro-sex work arguments was in my introduction to women's studies class in university). Until then, I don't really plan to have jobs in fields that would disprove of my work. These days, all the jobs I apply to, I include that I'm an escort on my Resume and people really value that knowledge. Things may change and come back to bite me in the ass, but I've always been a fighter and considering how proud I am to be an escort, I'm pretty sure I'll fight whoever gets in my way that thinks otherwise. xoxo Sky Additional Comments: Lol I just saw this after writing my post. I think you're good though given what you're studying? xoxo

This is interesting because to me sex is VERY political, especially when it's with an escort...

Given I will be taking the year off school, I expect to be free and will most likely be there. Hopefully I will be feeling just as hot as last time. ;) xoxoxo