Steven_Draker
-
Posts
7,387 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Content Type
Forums
Donations
News
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by Steven_Draker
-
-
Nothing to say of the constant 'hourly' traffic coming and going from this venue, I was told to be quiet when leaving so as to not upset the neighbors. Or tip the neighbors off?
Didn't Killian James brag in this forum that he hosted his clients at an AirBnB property in Washington, D.C.?
You have to be really silly to even remotely think about escorting at someone's AirBnB property.
-
I read that there was "other debris" found on Reunion that has been eliminated as being from MH370; however, not the debris.http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/78/590x/MH370-594738.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/31/08/2AFBF2ED00000578-3180957-image-m-4_1438328412783.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/31/08/2AFBF2F800000578-3180957-image-a-5_1438328426415.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/31/11/2AFC954700000578-3180957-image-m-13_1438337340449.jpg
-
Shot down, hijacked or abducted by aliens: take your pick of MH370 theories
http://static.euronews.com/articles/301585/606x340_301585.jpg?1425561065
A year on from the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, what happened to the plane and its 239 passengers and crew still seems to be anyone’s guess.
An information vacuum has nourished the most outlandish conspiracy theories about one of aviation’s biggest mysteries, as well as heated online debate.
From sober, science-based arguments to the most eyebrow-raising hypotheses, here are a few of the most talked about ‘explanations’.
What they all agree on is that some key pieces of the puzzle are missing.
It crashed into the southern Indian Ocean
Official investigators used analysis from British firm Inmarsat of “pings” to its satellite from MH370, along with data direct from the plane before its transmissions stopped, to conclude that it flew south after dropping off Malaysian military radar and crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
That conclusion has been challenged by aviation bloggers and freelance investigators, who have questioned key radar plots and assumptions about the speed and fuel burn of the jet.
Lending credence to some of the sceptics, Tim Clark, head of Emirates Airlines, said last November he believed information was being withheld – something Malaysia’s government has always denied.
The well-respected Independent Group (IG) has done its own analysis and believes the plane is probably near the current search zone, but not necessarily within it.
Just why MH370 ended up there is contested both within IG and others who support the official findings.
Some plump for a hijack scenario, others point to technical or pilot error. A British captain, Simon Hardy, says the plane did a fly-by of the pilot’s home island of Penang before flying repeatedly in and out of Malaysia and Thailand to confuse air traffic controllers.
It was accidentally shot down
This theory was the thrust of the first book published on the incident, ‘Flight MH370 The Mystery’.
London-based author Nigel Cawthorne said the plane may have been accidentally shot down during joint US-Thai military exercises in the South China Sea.
Such accidents have happened before: Korean Air flight 007 was shot down by the Soviet Union in 1983, and the US Navy downed an Iranian airliner in 1988.
Aviation experts are sceptical about a US and Thai cover-up, proponents argue the very nature of a “cover-up” is that it is hard to disprove.
It came down near the Diego Garcia US base
The former head of France’s Proteus Airlines, Marc Dugain, put forward the theory that the plane may have been shot down by the US military#, fearing a September 11 style attack on the US Navy base on the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia.
Dugain pointed to the testimony of residents in the Maldives who reported seeing an airliner travelling towards the island, although their claims were widely dismissed.
It’s still intact and in Russia
Former pilot and regular CNN aviation expert Jeff Wise speculates that MH370 flew north along national borders to avoid radar before landing in Kazakhstan as part of a Russian-engineered plot.
Wise’s theory is dependent on somebody on board the plane tampering with key satellite transmission data to give the impression it flew south. He noted the relevant instruments could be accessed by a panel in the cabin and that there were three Russians on board.
New York-based Wise, like many others, confessed to becoming somewhat obsessed, even buying additional satellite data in an attempt to confirm his theory.
But he acknowledges he can offer no motive to explain why Russia would want to steal a Malaysian jetliner.
“It’s amazing how much information we don’t have after looking at this case for all this time,” said Wise, whose recently published Kindle book ‘The Plane That Wasn’t There’ reached No.1 on Amazon’s bestseller lists.
But supporters of rival theories don’t take kindly to his version of events.
The Independent Group (IG), comprised of around a dozen satellite, data, maths and aviation experts, has expelled Wise following articles linked to his book.
“It’s a bunch of garbage,” said New Zealand-based IG member Duncan Steel.
It’s in Pakistan for terrorist purposes
A retired US lieutenant general spread the theory the plane was flown to Taliban-controlled Pakistan, to be used to carry weapons of mass destruction for an attack on Israel. The idea was given a boost by newspaper mogul Rupert Murdoch, who tweeted: “Maybe no crash but stolen, effectively hidden, perhaps in Pakistan, like Bin Laden”.
MH370 is actually MH17
This theory is based on photos of the MH17 crash site in Ukraine, which proponents argue shows that the second crashed plane was in fact MH370, a later 777 model that had some small changes to its body.
How MH370 could have been hidden for six months before being substituted for MH17 – and what happened to the bodies – is not explained.
It’s now in the hands of aliens
Ridiculous? Maybe, but a CNN/ORC International poll carried out two months after MH370’s disappearance found that nearly 10% of Americans believe that space aliens or beings from another dimension were involved.
-
Réunion is a long way from the area in which the search was conducted. It is interesting to speculate about the strength of Indian Ocean currents, if the plane went down where the main searches were centered, or whether perhaps the plane was headed toward Mauritius or Réunion and didn't make it.
We say La Réunion (Reunion Island)
-
uber
in The Lounge
The first time i ever used Uber was in Lisbon last month. I had the account set up but was always hesitant in using it. After using it for the entire trip in Lisbon, i am now officially hooked. No cash, no tips, no need to speak the language. Just enter your coordinates and desired destination (no need to fumble with the language or showing the driver the address on a scribbled piece of paper) and the app tells you exactly when to expect a driver. Much easier than queuing for taxis or looking for a taxi stand. Plus, the receipts are available online and no need to deal with the hassle of keeping those paper copies for expense reports. I hope it becomes more universally used.I agree with your observations, cany10011.
I have used Uber in 7 different countries so far and counting ... The service that Uber provides is superior in many regards.
-
uber
in The Lounge
http://img.pandawhale.com/53239-elaine-dancing-gif-nvq1.gifschadenfreude
ˈʃɑːd(ə)nˌfrɔɪdə,German ˈʃɑːdənˌfrɔydə/
noun
- a feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people
- pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune
- a feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people
-
Threre's a problem with the video ... even on a Mac.
-
uber
in The Lounge
Perhaps we can just let the Europeans, and Asians, and all the others continents north, south, east and west have Uber, since they seem to love and embrace it...oops, well except for the French of courseYour information is erroneous.
Most European capitals have banned Uber ... It's tough love.
In other cities it operates semi-illegally awaiting Court's decision.
-
uber
in The Lounge
3 reasons to cheer Uber and the sharing economy
JULY 20, 2015, 11:30 AM EDT
The U.S. needs to increase protections for workers, but interfering too much with freelancing could destroy its benefits.
The sharing economy, where people rent apartments, cars, boats and other assets directly from each other through the Internet, has received a lot of flak lately. Critics of companies such as Uber, Task Rabbit and the like say workers lose out on the benefits and protections that regular full-time employees at big companies enjoy, such as health insurance and retirement savings. The latest case was perhaps last week when Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton criticized the sharing economy for its sometimes poor treatment of freelancers, and Uber is currently locked in a heated battle with New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio over licenses to operate.
It’s true that today’s laws need to catch up to this emerging business model, but there are three big benefits to the sharing economy that could be compromised if the U.S. government tinkers too much with this arena.
Creates new services
There’s growing demand for services like ride sharing and short-term apartment rentals that isn’t easily met by traditional means, often due to the capital investment required. Uber has been successful because of the ubiquity of its service. The transportation company requires a massive fleet of vehicles and drivers, which could be prohibitively expensive if Uber had to supply all those cars or hire all those drivers full-time. In other words, if Uber didn’t employ the model that it currently does, it might not be able to provide the valuable service that it does.
That doesn’t mean the company couldn’t pay its drivers more, especially since they have to invest in their own vehicles. Uber has a mercenary attitude toward its drivers and competitors, but solutions are emerging to mitigate some of these problems, such as a startup called Breeze that rents cars to Uber and Lyft drivers to enable them to provide ride sharing services cost-effectively. Uber estimates that on average its drivers make $19 an hour, which suggests that it would take just one week of driving for someone to cover the monthly costs of a Breeze rental, according to a calculation by Billfold.
Provides workplace flexibility
While full-time employees enjoy many benefits, they can also have restrictions placed upon them; it’s an expectedquid pro quo. By contrast, a freelancer can usually set their own hours, work from home or elsewhere instead of an office, take more vacations, and do pretty much whatever they want outside of work. This is particularly important for millennials, who tend put a premium on flexibility, enjoy doing different things and dislike being tied down. According to a study by PwC, the demand for flexibility isn’t just limited to millennials, but is becoming a feature of the wider workforce.
The sharing economy seems tailor made for this trend. Despite its drawbacks, freelancing could well be the preferred work structure of the future. While it may be impossible to ascribe a dollar value to flexibility, it clearly has value for many since almost 34% of the U.S. population is now freelancing, according to a survey conducted by the Freelancers Union. In addition, freelance work, especially something like driving an Uber, can also sometimes be a lifeline for those who lack the credentials for more skilled jobs or need to make a living without committing too heavily to an employer so that they can pursue other passions.
Sharing economy jobs can be just as, or more, lucrative than full-time gigs
Contrary to what critics might say, wages under the sharing economy are not necessarily inferior to regular full-time jobs. Even though companies like Walmart WMT -0.40% and McDonalds MCD -0.01% are now increasing wages and some cities like Los Angeles have enacted a $15 an hour minimum wage, the minimum wage in most of the U.S. still remains fairly low – the federal level is $7.25 an hour and the 10 states with the highest minimum wage all have wages below $10 an hour.
It’s worth noting that employer-subsidized health insurance does add to full-time wages, but not enough. On average, the annual employer contribution to cover a worker and his/her family was $12,011 in 2014, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, offset by $4,823 that the employee had to pay from his/her side. This translates to net additional compensation for a full-time employee working 40 hours a week of $3.75 an hour and for someone making a base of $10 an hour, a total wage of only $13.75 an hour. By contrast, an Uber driver who makes $19 an hour can get family health coverage through Obamacare at about $570 a month, which translates to $3.60 an hour and therefore a net income of $15.40 an hour.
What this all means is that some full-time jobs may pay less, even taking health insurance into account, than what Uber says their average driver makes.
From a purely financial standpoint, then, there is little difference between the traditional economy and the new sharing economy. There is a need in the U.S. to raise wages for workers of all stripes, but whether they are full-time or freelance is mostly irrelevant.
-
-
What happened in my case is that a certain very active poster here said, in answering one of my posts, (and I quote) 'You should be named "Mister Congeniality of the Realm" because you're always nice to everybody.'
Deej followed that with, "So it is said, so it is done. (We applaud the thoughtful effort.)"
I was going to post the story, but you beat me to it, TruHart! ;-)
http://www.companyofmen.org/threads/the-peerage.103921/page-3#post-956494
-
http://www.popsuli.ro/user/kepek/1264414228_black_hole_milkyway.jpg
-
So 7000-7499 is a nobody?Exactly, Unicorn! The "black hole" of the peerage here! No one has ever explained why this is either, although it gets noticed and brought up whenever the peerage levels are posted! [edited to say, No longer a black hole in the peerage, thanks deej!!]
TruHart1
7,036 posts and counting ...
I'm in that "black hole"
-
uber
in The Lounge
Business travelers are now claiming more Uber rides than taxi journeys
- Uber has overtaken taxis as the most expensed form of ground transportation, according to expense management system provider Certify
- Certify based its findings on the 28million trip receipts its North American clients submit each year
- Business travelers might be quickly moving toward Uber, but employers still have reservations about safety and liability
Taxis are losing business travelers to ride-hailing services like Uber, a survey shows.
In the three months ended in June, Uber overtook taxis as the most expensed form of ground transportation, according to expense management system provider Certify. Uber accounted for 55 percent of ground transportation receipts compared with taxis at 43 percent.
That's a big jump from the beginning of the year. In the first quarter, Uber Technologies had 46 percent of receipts tracked by Certify compared with 53 percent for taxis.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/07/17/02/2A9A9D1C00000578-3163324-image-a-31_1437095731836.jpg
'Established travel providers will need to adapt quickly or face further market share erosion to the sharing economy,' Certify CEO Robert Neveu said in a statement.
Certify based its finding on the 28 million trip receipts its North American clients submit each year. It does not include receipts from business travelers whose companies use other services to track expenses.
Uber connects travelers with various cars through its smartphone app. Some drivers work for car service companies; others spend a few hours driving their personal cars on the side for some extra money.
Business travelers might be quickly moving toward Uber, but employers still have reservations about safety and liability.
Depending on the city, Uber drivers aren't necessarily regulated by government taxi licensing authorities.
Both Uber and competitor Lyft insure their drivers during paid rides and also require the drivers to carry personal auto insurance that covers them the rest of the time.
Uber's pricing compared with traditional cabs can vary. Its UberX service, often drivers in Toyota Camrys or Honda Civics, is typically cheaper, but its high-end black cars and SUVs cost a premium.
- Uber has overtaken taxis as the most expensed form of ground transportation, according to expense management system provider Certify
-
uber
in The Lounge
Following Uber Plea, European Commission Investigates Germany’s Restrictions
Transportation company Uber is having a rough time in Europe. It faces many legal challenges in major European countries, including Germany. The company requested an investigation from the European Commission to see whether Germany’s restrictions on its services are legal and don’t violate the EU law, the Financial Times reports.
In Germany, Uber had a few problems with local governments. The service was banned in Berlin and Hamburg, and district court in Frankfurt later issued a temporary nationwide ban. But the court order was lifted a few weeks later.
While Uber isn’t banned in Germany, many parts of its services are hindered. In particular, Uber drivers can’t accept another ride before dropping off their passengers — this makes the service less attractive for drivers as they spend more time looking for clients and less time driving with a client in their car.
Uber also needs to hold a taxi operator’s license in Germany and comply with all the existing taxi laws. The company probably finds these rules too restrictive for its relatively new offering. That’s why it is trying to work the European Commission angle.
This is smart for a few reasons. First, the European Commission has been sympathetic to Uber in the past. Lobbying at the European level could be easier as some local governments are more averse to innovation than the European Commission.
Second, the European Commission has always been pro-competition and pro-free market — it has been a deregulation champion for many years. That’s why Uber and the European Commission should get along as Uber is creating more competition in the transportation industry.
Finally, if Uber’s lobbying effort succeeds, the company may kill two birds with one stone. Using Germany’s restrictions, Uber could get the European Commission to regulate the transportation and ride-sharing industry across Europe. The Commission is considering regulating this industry, and it would make local bans obsolete.
Now the challenge is that Uber doesn’t know how the Commission will regulate its activities. The company is hoping that it will protect its activities more than anything.
When Uber launched UberPOP in Europe, many professional drivers saw the new service as unfair competition. UberPOP was banned in Brussels, the Netherlands and France. Uber France leaders were recently taken into custody for running illegal taxi operations.
Following another ban in Spain, the European Court of Justice will declare whether Uber is a transportation company or a digital service. This decision is essential as the European Commission won’t be able to do much if the Court of Justice states that Uber is a transportation company. In this case, Uber will have to follow existing rules in all European countries.
-
uber
in The Lounge
LOL !
:rolleyes:http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1BzA6v74bUo/hqdefault.jpg -
uber
in The Lounge
obsession
əbˈsɛʃ(ə)n/
noun
- the state of being obsessed with someone or something.
"she cared for him with a devotion bordering on obsession"- an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.
plural noun: obsessions
"he was in the grip of an obsession he was powerless to resist"
synonyms: fixation, ruling/consuming passion, passion, mania, idée fixe,compulsion, preoccupation, enthusiasm, infatuation, addiction, fetish,craze, hobby horse;
- an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind.
- the state of being obsessed with someone or something.
-
uber
in The Lounge
You mean if I fly my Private Jet into EYW to flit around at KW Pride, I can't use Uber?No Uber for you in Key West and no Uber for you in Texas Hill Country.Stalking much?
-
Wondering if anyone knows if this is for real. http://www.rentboy.com/Listing.aspx?lid=994477&scid=166488465&sp=1&pos=3&locid=&iid=520432&type=escort There are several differences between this ad and the one he currently has running on rentboy in Italy. Bi vs Gay, his height, and a couple other small differences. All in all they ad up to questions.
The ad is already gone. Probably someone reported it to Rentboy.
FAKE!!The real Gianluigi is apparently in Europe at the moment (according to a discussion on Muscle Service Station).
+1
The "real" Gianluigi is in Milan http://www.rentboy.com/Listing.aspx?lid=550257
There are a couple of guys using his pictures Stateside. The question comes up fairly often in the Forum.
-
http://www.acting-man.com/blog/media/2015/06/the-greeks.jpg
-
-
uber
in The Lounge
Meanwhile in Jo'burg:Meanwhile in Dubai:
http://i.imgur.com/q0z0CJ8.jpghttp://karage.tv/en/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Uber-McLaren.jpg
http://news.boldride.com/2015/02/lucky-people-use-uber-and-get-picked-up-in-a-mclaren-650s/68852/
-
uber
in The Lounge
Can Uber-style apps make affordable private jets a reality?
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150603115303-victor-2-exlarge-169.jpg
(CNN) Here's the scenario:
The business meet wraps up in Boston, now an urgent situation is developing in Los Angeles.
A quick check of flight schedules reveals there's a premium-rate business-class seat available.
However, the flight doesn't depart until first thing tomorrow.
But hang on, there's another option.
A private jet, leaving when you want it to leave.
And it's cheaper too.
Seriously.
In the wake of Uber's shake-up of the taxi market and AirBnB's impact on accommodations, that most exclusive industry of all, executive aviation, could soon be disrupted in the same way.
So does that mean that ordinary business travelers could soon be switching to low-cost private aircraft in the same way they've been switching to cheaper, convenient cabs across town?
Some aviation entrepreneurs think so.
They're creating simple, sleek mobile apps to optimize spare capacity in the private jet market and create a smooth booking experience.
Obviously private aviation isn't going to be for the masses, but what if this exclusive preserve of the super-rich is about to become accessible to the merely affluent -- those that today fill the front cabin section of commercial aircraft?
Instead of calling a broker or buying into shared exec jet ownership, these new apps allow travelers to secure a private aircraft with just a few clicks and no membership fees.
Online marketplaces like Jetsmarter, Victor or Ubair rely on complex predictive algorithms to aggregate aircraft availability data from hundreds of private jet operators and provide quotes within seconds.
Cheaper than driving?
"We are a high tech big data company at core," says Sergey Petrossov, Jetsmarter's founder, adding that most of his company's clients are newcomers to executive aviation.
Petrossov sees a future where the executive jet industry goes the way of the Uber-reshaped taxi market.
He believes apps could even become so efficient that prices drop to the point where private aircraft not only take business from traditional operators and airlines, but from road transport.
Fleets of small propeller aircraft could lure people away from cars and into the skies.
Richard Koe, managing director of aviation market intelligence consultancy WINGX, is more cautious.
Yes, some new players are streamlining the booking process, he says, but that might not be enough to bring prices down to levels that'll open up private flights to greater numbers.
Empty-leg solutions
Koe instead thinks the online players might simply end up taking business from traditional brokers rather than disrupt the industry's structure.
They could, however, offer an efficient solution to the problem of so-called empty legs.
These happen when private jets fly without passengers as operators reposition them.
According to some industry estimates, empty legs account for more than a third of all private flights.
Jetsuite, a light-jet operator based in California, pioneered discounted online sales of empty legs and others have followed suit.
Jetsmarter even offers empty legs for free to clients signing up for its optional membership plan.
There's a major drawback though.
The rigid and unpredictable nature of empty legs doesn't really suit the flexibility needs of the private jet crowd.
While heavily discounted "empty leg" flights make for excellent marketing material, only a fraction of those actually end up being sold.
With on-demand charters still the bread and butter of exec aviation marketplaces, it's in precisely this area that digitization can make a difference by adding extra layers of transparency.
Which is why Victor, a UK-based company that's just closed an $8 million funding round to expand in the United States, has decided to make of transparency its chief selling point.
Normally, passengers calling a broker would be told very little about the aircraft they're hiring -- nothing about the plane type, the operator or the commission they're being charged, says Victor's founder and CEO Clive Jackson.
By making all these details available through its website and app, Victor hopes to build long-term trust-based relationships with its clients.
All-you-can-fly
Other players are experimenting with new pricing models instead.
JetMe offers a reverse-auction feature on its website and app.
Customers enter the destination and dates of their flight on Jetme's website or app and are given a tentative quote based on an analysis of market prices.
They're then given the option to submit their own bid.
Jetme's system is smart enough to tell users what chances their bid has of being accepted by aircraft operators, allowing them to make a more informed decision on whether to submit it.
California-based Surfair and its East Coast equivalent, Beacon, are proposing an entirely different model: a flat fee all-you-can-fly membership.
Members pay a monthly fee ($1,750 for Surfair, $2,000 for Beacon) that allows them to fly as many times as possible on certain routes.
This model is more akin to that of scheduled airlines than to that of executive jet charter operators, since flights are limited to a number of trunk routes and passengers share the aircraft with other travelers.
However, this might suit the needs of ultra-frequent fliers who find themselves commuting between two given cities, let's say, New York and Boston, several times per week.
Beacon CEO Wade Eyerly claims this way of flying has helped seal many business deals, as the flights provide a perfect venue for professional networking.
Those that do not mind sharing the ride with strangers can also use BlackJet.
Launched in 2012 with the backing of some A-list celebrities, BlackJet has been recently repositioned as a marketplace for private jet seats after undergoing some financial turbulence
more: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/09/travel/uber-private-jets/
-
I'm going to put myself out there and say this on the board. In mid-May, a few days after an extensive dental cleaning, I started feeling some pain while swallowing food. I thought it would go away, but it has continued since then.
I just searched online and found that this is an "ominous" symptom of esophageal cancer. The one risk factor I have is eating very few fruits and vegetables. I don't have any of the others risk factors: drinking alcohol, smoking, obesity, acid reflux. I also have none of the other symptoms: coughing , chest pain, food feeling like it's stuck in my throat. If it's oral HPV, that would be incredibly bad luck given the small number of partners I've had for that. I avoid jumping to worst case conclusions, but it's disturbing to see that trouble swallowing isn't really a symptom of much else.
I had an extensive physical in January. I've called a doctor I know to see if he can recommend an ENT.
I was going to wait until after my deadline to go to a doctor, but I think I'm going to go as soon as I can get an appointment. I'll also call the dentist and ask what, if anything, the hygienist saw during the cleaning. I'm really scared.
http://www.pleated-jeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Cat_hug.gif
[edited to say, No longer a black hole in the peerage, thanks deej!!]
:rolleyes:
Any info on JustAngelo in Los Angeles?
in The Deli
Posted
Here's the cached version of Just Angelo's Rentboy ad: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:QB_swFiGI1AJ:www.rentboy.com/justangelo+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=be