General Reports

[Skatar018]

From a personal standpoint, I would not take any pleasure in knowing that I had been an enabler. I'd rather spend my money on helping someone to their feet as opposed to continuing destructive habits. I think most social service agencies / workers would agree.

EB you may feel you are not an enabler, but just by the very nature of this board, forum & site & the women we see, we all here are enablers. (not that there is anything wrong with that). Just saying don't be so naive to think that the money paid to the women we see is not going to feed their destructive habits whatever those habits maybe. While we are not social service agencies/workers, I am sure they, LE & the lawgivers would agree that yeah we are enablers.

I didn't think you were trying to dicate to anyone, you stated your opinion, I stated mine. Though we both agree in giving, we just differ in how we choose to give, neither opinion is right or wrong.

I do think you are good people & commend you for giving however you choose too, I will give how I choose too & others will choose how & if they give.

With that said hopefully we can move on.

[Energizerbunne]

We all have stories, & here's the other side of the coin.

It's not up to you, me or anyone to tell an individual what, when, where, why, or how to give. That is their choice, you give the way you choose & let others do the same, even if it includes cold hard cash. The point being give what & when you can as EB has.

The purpose of my post was not to dictate to another person, but to offer another perspective and perhaps educate. Which is better, giving a wino cash, which they then spend on booze, or buying them a hot meal? From a personal standpoint, I would not take any pleasure in knowing that I had been an enabler. Sure, the wino may even think,"I'd rather have some booze than this food", but is that really helping them? I'd rather spend my money on helping someone to their feet as opposed to continuing destructive habits. That is just my own personal opinion; but I think most social service agencies / workers would agree.

[Ho Hunter 328]

This has evidently been around for awhile but I just ran across it and had to post it. It will leave you shaking your head in disbelief. And BTW it has nothing to do with the caller being a lady and this a forum about ladies so don't shoot the messenger. LOL And again if some of you have heard it I apologize! Jim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFCrJleggrI

Reminds me of a time I was on rt 2 out near Gardner. For those who don't know the area, there are moose crossing signs on rt 2. About ten years ago, I was driving down rt 2, and I saw a moose standing next to one of the signs. This was back in the pre camera phone days, and sadly my camera was in my trunk.

[Newday53]

Thanks for the laugh SO, hadn't seen that. ND.

This has evidently been around for awhile but I just ran across it and had to post it. It will leave you shaking your head in disbelief. And BTW it has nothing to do with the caller being a lady and this a forum about ladies so don't shoot the messenger. LOL And again if some of you have heard it I apologize! Jim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFCrJleggrI

[Stressed Out]

This has evidently been around for awhile but I just ran across it and had to post it. It will leave you shaking your head in disbelief. And BTW it has nothing to do with the caller being a lady and this a forum about ladies so don't shoot the messenger. LOL And again if some of you have heard it I apologize! Jim.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFCrJleggrI

[Deb4512]

[Unannotated link deleted by Admin]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzEEgtOFFlM

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report was edited to remove what appeared to be an unannotated link to another website. Please do not post links to other websites without some explanation as to what may be found at the linked webpage. In other words, if you want to post a link to another website, please include some commentary describing what the link is to.

[Deb4512]

Agenda 21, which reportedly means an agenda for the 21st century, is a United Nations program launched in 1992 for the vague purpose of achieving global "sustainable development." Congress never approved Agenda 21, although Presidents Obama, Clinton and George H. W. Bush have all signed Executive Orders implementing it. 178 other world leaders agreed to it in 1992 at the Rio Summit. Since then, the U. N. Has mostly bypassed national governments, using Agenda 21's International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives ('ICLEI') to make agreements directly with local governments. ICLEI's USA presence has grown to include agreements with over 600 cities, towns and counties here, which are now copying the land use plans prescribed in Agenda 21.

[Mfp79]

Earlier, I posed a question about what to expect from a slightly higher end adventure. Interestingly, this women's reviews on the other site are all quite good. I hate to throw her under the bus, being a newbie, but my experience was very far removed from what I had hoped it might be.

This is a perfectly nice woman, making a living, staying safe. Clearly she is appreciated by many. Does one write a negative review when the problem might be my expectations?

Absolutely. I recently wrote a mildly negative review after a so-so time I had with an agency girl. Gorgeous body, so-so service and that's the short version of what I wrote (was for Veronica. Who's now actually not on BI's site anymore. Hrm).

I think as long as you write a balanced review (mention she was nice, for example. If you thought she was attractive, but the service wasn't quite to what you expected, say that too) , you're doing the right thing.

[Smoke Screen]

Come on man, you know better then that, even at its saddest, in the worse f-in' favelas it still is the happiest place on earth! Dare to tell me I'm wrong?! LOL

It really depends on how much you see & pay attention to. Granted, I had the best few weeks of my life while I was there. After that vacation I needed another to recoup.

[Nrlmus]

Ah Rio, that story brings back a lot of memories, equal amounts of fantastic and sad. I was there in 89 and the women there are incredible, they want to play all day & night. Help (the disco) was going strong then, too bad it's gone now. 2am I was walking back to my hotel room, there was a young girl, maybe 18 at most laying on a blanket with 3 young kids beside her sleeping on the sidewalk in front of a store. The next day a boy about 10 came down the sidewalk on a homemade skateboard. When he got close to me I could see he had no legs. He was looking for money so I gave him some, then he wanted me to sign a paper with a long list of other names and draw a picture of the USA and show him where I lived. I could go on and on with sad stories about Brazil but I won't. But again, the women there are amazing.

Come on man, you know better then that, even at its saddest, in the worse f-in' favelas it still is the happiest place on earth! Dare to tell me I'm wrong?! LOL

[Smoke Screen]

But the most interesting story about my "sparing change" actually did not involve change at all but a pretty hefty bill. It took place in Brazil. I was walking down Ave. Nossa Sig. Copacabana. It's the main street in Rio's Copacabana. I remember I was walking from from Princessa Isabel and just entered the section where the street starts bending left and right like Comm. Ave of Allston-Brighton. Those who've been there know exactly what I'm talking about and I'm still salivating thinking about all of those Lulus and Luanas and Christianes and Alines and Ana Paulas LOL. Oops, sorry, forgot the Fernandas. Anyway, I'm walking on and suddenly I see an OK dressed man around 30 years of age sitting on the pavement leaning against the building and crying his eyes out. He hugs his knees with his hands and his face I can't see because it's hidden between his knees, both his head and his shoulders shake as he cries. Initially I passed him but then just froze. I thought about what could've happened to this guy, whether he got himself thrown out of the house by his terminally unsatisfied significant other, or lost somebody he loved or what probably is the worst thing that can happen to a man, he lost his job and has no idea how he's going to feed his wife and his kids from now on. I made a one-eighty, put hand in my pocket and gave him the first bill I pulled out. It turn out to be a 100R$ note (then it was about $1US to 1. 75R$). Without lifting his face he turned his palm out and took the note. I walked on. It dawned on me that I just said goodbye to the upcoming night at Help disco (now deceased) but it felt good. He happen to walk by me 10 or 20 minutes later as I was standing to the side and chatting up some programa ("a pro" in Portuguese). That was the first time I saw his face but by his clothes and body-type I knew it was him. His face looked happy with no trace of tears. Later on my Brazilian friends warmly laughed at me and told me that I just been had. They asked me how much I gave him and I didn't dare to tell the truth. Anticipating them getting angry at what they'd probably perceive as another rich gringo throwing his money around like there is no tomorrow I told them that it was 10R$ note and not a 100R$ one. I still wonder about that incident often though. I'm sure more then likely they were right. But what if, you know what I mean

Ah Rio, that story brings back alot of memories, equal amounts of fantastic and sad. I was there in 89 and the women there are incredible, they want to play all day & night. Help (the disco) was going strong then, too bad it's gone now. 2am I was walking back to my hotel room, there was a young girl, maybe 18 at most laying on a blanket with 3 young kids beside her sleeping on the sidewalk in front of a store. The next day a boy about 10 came down the sidewalk on a homemade skateboard. When he got close to me I could see he had no legs. He was looking for money so I gave him some, then he wanted me to sign a paper with a long list of other names and draw a picture of the USA and show him where I lived. I could go on and on with sad stories about Brazil but I won't. But again, the women there are amazing.

[Nrlmus]

We all have stories, & here's the other side of the coin.

I could site the women & women with children that I've seen when working at a community church helping give out meals & delivering food to various local pantrys.

Hearing a child say to a bruised & batter mother "Mommy I'm hungry" or ask why Santa never comes to their place kinda seeps into your soul, at least it does mine. Try giving a little cash to someone like that, most won't take it, some will, but most won't.

For the record, I can't say if I've ever given money to an able bodied man out panhandling, (though they sometimes need a leg up also) but I know I have given to an old wineo who probablly went & bought booze with it & I'm ok with that, as the gift was in the giving & not trying to control what he or anyone bought.

If you are concerned giving money to an individual there are organizations that you can donate to, both in food, service or money donations,

http://www.homelessshelterdirectory....well&state=MA.

http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-r....aspx?state=MA

It's not up to you, me or anyone to tell an individual what, when, where, why, or how to give. That is their choice, you give the way you choose & let others do the same, even if it includes cold hard cash. The point being give what & when you can as EB has.

Amen! I agree although I've seen what the other guys are talking about too. That's life. When I give I usually just give. I don't think about what are they going to do with it. If for some reason I believe that there is a "handler" around the corner who'd take the money away from the person I'm giving it to so to spend it on him or herself, then I'd go the route that EB proposes. Did some of my money go towards buying clothes at Bloomingdale's? Well, maybe not in Bloomingdale's but life's unfair, eh? LOL. I also always give at least a buck to somebody that makes me laugh. For example, once I passed a poor wino on Harvard Sqr who was trying to collect by cheerfully repeating: "Homeless! Homeless going to Hawaii!" How could I not drop him a dollar bill?

On the other hand there is a cardboard sign they make that sure had me going when I saw it first time around. You know the one that goes "Wounded Vietnam vet with AIDS raising two boys on his own" or something like that. First time I saw it I thought: "wow, this guy's got it bad! Do I have problems? I have NO problems!". Dropped him a buck and on the following day saw another guy with the same cardboard sign.

Then there was this: there is a guy who tries to portray himself as the most common depictions of Jesus Christ. He looks it too! Tall white guy with long face, sharp nose, and sad eyes, hair like Jesus, beard like Jesus. Some of you may even know him, I've seen him later around town. Anyway, one freezing winter night, on the same Harvard Sqr, I was about to turn the corner from Dunster St to Mt. Auburn when suddenly I hear: "spare change for Jesus". I looked over and to say that my jaw dropped is to say nothing. If I'd be religious, I'd probably be dropping on my knees crossing myself right there but after coming to my senses I actually felt a bit pissed at the m-fer and there sure was no money coming from this boy to this version of "second coming", damn me for eternity but not a penny! Still have a giggle over it though from time to time.

But the most interesting story about my "sparing change" actually did not involve change at all but a pretty hefty bill. It took place in Brazil. I was walking down Ave. Nossa Sig. Copacabana. It's the main street in Rio's Copacabana. I remember I was walking from from Princessa Isabel and just entered the section where the street starts bending left and right like Comm. Ave of Allston-Brighton. Those who've been there know exactly what I'm talking about and I'm still salivating thinking about all of those Lulus and Luanas and Christianes and Alines and Ana Paulas LOL. Oops, sorry, forgot the Fernandas. Anyway, I'm walking on and suddenly I see an OK dressed man around 30 years of age sitting on the pavement leaning against the building and crying his eyes out. He hugs his knees with his hands and his face I can't see because it's hidden between his knees, both his head and his shoulders shake as he cries. Initially I passed him but then just froze. I thought about what could've happened to this guy, whether he got himself thrown out of the house by his terminally unsatisfied significant other, or lost somebody he loved or what probably is the worst thing that can happen to a man, he lost his job and has no idea how he's going to feed his wife and his kids from now on. I made a one-eighty, put hand in my pocket and gave him the first bill I pulled out. It turn out to be a 100R$ note (then it was about $1US to 1. 75R$). Without lifting his face he turned his palm out and took the note. I walked on. It dawned on me that I just said goodbye to the upcoming night at Help disco (now deceased) but it felt good. He happen to walk by me 10 or 20 minutes later as I was standing to the side and chatting up some programa ("a pro" in Portuguese). That was the first time I saw his face but by his clothes and body-type I knew it was him. His face looked happy with no trace of tears. Later on my Brazilian friends warmly laughed at me and told me that I just been had. They asked me how much I gave him and I didn't dare to tell the truth. Anticipating them getting angry at what they'd probably perceive as another rich gringo throwing his money around like there is no tomorrow I told them that it was 10R$ note and not a 100R$ one. I still wonder about that incident often though. I'm sure more then likely they were right. But what if, you know what I mean

[JReacher]

Earlier, I posed a question about what to expect from a slightly higher end adventure. Interestingly, this women's reviews on the other site are all quite good. I hate to throw her under the bus, being a newbie, but my experience was very far removed from what I had hoped it might be.

This is a perfectly nice woman, making a living, staying safe. Clearly she is appreciated by many. Does one write a negative review when the problem might be my expectations?

In my recent entry into this hobby, I still have much to learn. However, I think I did not do very well today. I decided to see what upping the ante might be like and so went for a $$.5 adventure. One hour, not even close to model quality, and only left with CBJ to finish. Nerves were in evidence, but I figured BBBJCIM was a given at that rate. Indie in private setting.

Thoughts?

[Skatar018]

So as E. B. Said if your going to give buy it for them and do not give the cash.

We all have stories, & here's the other side of the coin.

I could site the women & women with children that I've seen when working at a community church helping give out meals & delivering food to various local pantrys.

Hearing a child say to a bruised & batter mother "Mommy I'm hungry" or ask why Santa never comes to their place kinda seeps into your soul, at least it does mine. Try giving a little cash to someone like that, most won't take it, some will, but most won't.

For the record, I can't say if I've ever given money to an able bodied man out panhandling, (though they sometimes need a leg up also) but I know I have given to an old wineo who probablly went & bought booze with it & I'm ok with that, as the gift was in the giving & not trying to control what he or anyone bought.

If you are concerned giving money to an individual there are organizations that you can donate to, both in food, service or money donations, http://www.homelessshelterdirectory....well&state=MA.
http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-r....aspx?state=MA

It's not up to you, me or anyone to tell an individual what, when, where, why, or how to give. That is their choice, you give the way you choose & let others do the same, even if it includes cold hard cash. The point being give what & when you can as EB has.

[Rito1]

Never, ever give out cash to the person on the street. Offer instead to buy that hot meal (or coffee) for them. That is what I do. People that ask for cash (even if it's just fifty cents) could be scamming you. Perhaps they don't really need it, or maybe their going to buy booze or cigarettes with it. I've bought hot meals for people many times. McDonald's, Boston Market, etc, in many cities around the world.

Just days ago, I was traveling on Thanksgiving. I had a person approach me at the train station asking for cash to buy a ticket to get home for the holiday. Of course he had the requisite hard-luck story. I told him I don't give out cash, but I would gladly purchase his ticket for him. He countered that the ticket counter for the subway was a long walk, plus I was a big guy and had my luggage with me, so it would be too much trouble for me. I stuck to my guns and he opted not to take me up on the offer to purchase the ticket. So, I dare say, had I given him cash, it would not have been used for a train ticket.

So again, never, ever giver out cash!

Years ago I worked for the mbta and I drove the #276 bus which only picks up the homeless at bmc and takes them to the Long Island shelter near Quincy. I used to listen to them talk about how much money they make and calling people suckers and other things. I also overheard all different places that then can go the gives free food & clothes. Some homeless would be on the bus with better clothes that I have.

I also drove a cab when I was 20. I used to get this guy who would stand downtown and beg all day. When he finishes he takes a cab to the crackhouse. The 1st time I got him he tried to pay me with all change. The next time I made him pay up front (as many cab drivers knew him and would not pick him up) and he would peel of bills to pay me. I picked him up semi often and we spoke and he told me on a good day in the summer he could make $500. 00. He said around Christmas time he could make $700. 00-$1000. 00.

So as E. B. Said if your going to give buy it for them and do not give the cash.