tallslenderguy

i too "struggle to see the morality" ... of our current 'system,' or social structure? i think morality is individual, and there are moral and immoral people on both sides of the divide of capitalism and socialism. For instance, i wonder and day dream about a healthcare/pharmaceutical system where say research science is performed built on more of a socialist foundation. Being simplistic, i imagine an enhanced NIH vs "big pharma." i did some investigation a few years back and learned the average cost of developing a new drug in the US is about 5 billion dollars. The shocker for me was that half of that cost was profit. So, i imagine a world where we bypass the corporate structure profit imperative. We could give all the scientists a raise, giving greater incentive to be a scientist in the US, and still have much cheaper drugs. i don't think "profit" is an evil word or concept, but i think we should question how profit is made and distributed. Again, being simplistic. One scientist can use their education in medical research to improve health and the human condition, that same scientist with the same education can go to work for the faux food industry and do research on how to make faux food more addictive (to generate more profit). How does that scientist decide which job to take? Morality and profit both factor in on an individual level. i think things like healthcare and education should not be for (corporate) profit institutions, that such a system becomes self defeating. i think it could be argued that corporations can make sense in some areas of society, but not in all or every? There is corporate greed and the corruption that often accompanies that, but corporate greed is just exponential individual greed. So.... "morality" is an issue no matter how we slice it. America is no where near social welfare as the goal or motivator as a cultural norm. The highest paid 'teachers' in many large universities are sports coaches, because football games played in massive stadiums are a huge revenue source for colleges, while the math club languishes in the basement.

I found this very interesting, pieces to the puzzle of our cultural roots and conditioning.

"As the Trump administration cut billions of dollars in federal funding to scientific research, thousands of scientists in the U.S. lost their jobs or grants — and governments and universities around the world spotted an opportunity. The “Canada Leads” program, launched in April, hopes to foster the next generation of innovators by bringing early-career biomedical researchers north of the border. Aix-Marseille University in France started the “Safe Place for Science” program in March — pledging to “welcome” U.S.-based scientists who “may feel threatened or hindered in their research.” Australia’s “Global Talent Attraction Program,” announced in April, promises competitive salaries and relocation packages. “In response to what is happening in the U.S.,” said Anna-Maria Arabia, head of the Australian Academy of Sciences, “we see an unparalleled opportunity to attract some of the smartest minds here.” Since World War II, the U.S. has invested huge amounts of money in scientific research conducted at independent universities and federal agencies. That funding helped the U.S. to become the world’s leading scientific power — and has led to the invention of cell phones and the internet as well as new ways to treat cancer, heart disease and strokes, noted Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science." [think before following links] https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-world-class-scientific-talent-044354089.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&segment_id=DY_VTO_CORE&ncid=crm_19908-1475736-20250525-0--A&bt_user_id=LLKLPqezFjBbQFr7vGpdFavkz%2Ff5iAIN8h9mPIqKG200Q7kpMEwLuiwDb0q8aUN3&bt_ts=1748172747769

my point is, i think it's too general to posit: "democrats can't tell the difference between a demented and undemented leader," even speaking tongue in cheek. That there are many who voted either democrat or republican who did not want either Biden or Trump (or Harris). i watched the Democratic primary debates and none of those in the debates came close to having a chance to actually be chosen by the American people. The republican, democrat parties, and wealthy supporters choose candidates, a comparatively small group of people. Joe public then gets a token choice between who the parties and wealthy contributors select. i wonder how many of us on either side of these debates have reasonable trust in our government. This is an interesting overview of countries around the world and how much trust their citizens have in their various governments. Not putting this out there as necessarily accurate, just interesting to ponder. [think before following links] https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/trust-in-government-by-country

The hospital where i work opened a dedicated Covid unit the first week of February 2020, i have >1600 hours caring for Covid+ patients, i had the hospitals first Covid patient. It was a new virus that rapidly mutated, and much of our understanding based on evidence is retrospective, because there simply was not any long term study evidence on a new virus to be had. I was the second person to get the vaccine at our hospital in December 2020. I did not make the decision easily, but after a year of watching patients die, with still little understanding or treatment available, i opted for the vaccine. Of course, there was only short term evidence available. Really, it was pretty amazing that a vaccine was available so early on. i knew first hand the risk of the variant we were dealing with at the time, and i knew of the potential risks of the vaccine. Neither was an easy choice, but i opted for the vaccine, and have had several boosters since. The current variants are more akin to the flu than the original Covid variants, they are less virulent, so the decision to get vaccinated now against Covid, to me, is similar to deciding on a flu vaccine. When the first vaccine came out, we still did not know how much immunity having had the disease would confer, so a decision to opt out of the vaccine when it came out would have been speculative. Given the efficacy of the vaccine, and our current knowledge of the virus, the virus does not confer immunity after being infected. The vaccine prevents or lessens severity of infection. When the first couple iterations of the vaccine came out, the delta variant of the covid virus was still particularly deadly, usually because it evoked a cytokine response that would overwhelm and essentially drown it's victims in cement ("cytokine storm"). I have not seen this severe of a response in the more recent infections, most of the people hospitalized (far fewer) have co-morbidities that put them more at risk.

i don't think you are being mean, but perhaps overly general and simplistic. i question whether the majority of people in this country would have selected either Biden or Trump as candidates. i feel like both were forced on me as 'choices,' and i wonder how many other people feel the same way? There are tests that are done to diagnose dementia, it's not an armchair diagnosis any of us can make. i have a lot of experience with dementia in patients as a critical care nurse, and there are lots of cross over symptoms. For instance, many of the same symptoms that present with stress also present with dementia. my individual opinion is that neither Trump or Biden was fit to run or serve as president of the US. That said, i do believe that Biden listened to and followed his advisors more than Trump does. I.e., with Biden, i felt a wee bit more confident that others of more sound mind were helping make decisions. I don't have that same feel or confidence with Trump. One of the things that bothers me about Trump is how he wants to be in control of everything. To me, Biden had partners in the governing process where Trump has minions doing his bidding.

RFK, Jr's MAHA report is a good example to me of why and how we as a country should not veer into extremist, polarized stances and how both sides have the potential of bringing something beneficial to our country, but this is the first i have seen any administration go after the big, highly processed food industry, and i'm paying close attention. Really want to see once the big food industry strikes back whether this administration will continue? This is an area of study (and certification) for me as a health care provider. Easily 85% of the patients i care for in hospital on a critical care unit are there with diet related diseases. There is a ton of, ever mounting, study evidence connecting highly processed foods to the top major/killer diseases in the US. We are in a very similar place with highly processed 'food' industry today as we were with the tobacco industry during the 60's and 70's, with the major difference that more people eat than smoke. "For decades, tobacco companies hooked people on cigarettes by making their products more addictive. Now, a new study suggests that tobacco companies may have used a similar strategy to hook people on processed foods. In the 1980s, tobacco giants Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds acquired the major food companies Kraft, General Foods and Nabisco, allowing tobacco firms to dominate America’s food supply and reap billions in sales from popular brands such as Oreo cookies, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Lunchables. (O'Connor, 9/19)" [think before following links] https://kffhealthnews.org/morning-breakout/your-favorite-junk-food-big-tobacco-may-have-worked-to-get-you-hooked/#:~:text=In the 1980s%2C tobacco giants Philip Morris and,Oreo cookies%2C Kraft Macaroni %26 Cheese and Lunchables.

I've looked at a few places. Spain, Malta, Mexico all have very gay friendly cities and laws protecting LGBT people. i qualify "cities," because i think all countries have places cities where gay culture is more openly accepted. There are plenty of cities/states i'd avoid in the US and not feel safe or comfortable as a gay guy, and i think that is true about most countries, so i'd look at both the countries laws as well as the general cultural attitudes towards LGBT people. i love Mexico, especially now with Claudia Sheinbaum as president. Mexico City has a large gay population and i think ranks at the top of the list as a gay Mecca. Puerto Vallarta is also a warm and wonderful environment for LGBT people, i feel more openly accepted there than even Palm Springs. I've looked at Malta as well. Cost of living is higher, but things like healthcare are also rated higher than many other locations i've checked. Having a good source of income is important in many of these places because wages tend to be lower.

"Some countries limit entry for people with HIV. However, the number of countries restricting travel by people with HIV has reduced in recent years. Short-term trips usually have fewer restrictions and checks may be less consistently carried out. The rules tend to be more strictly enforced for longer-term stays, such as those requiring a work visa." Here's an overview of the above quoted summary of countries policies on HIV+ covering travel and residency. [think before following links] https://www.aidsmap.com/about-hiv/travel-restrictions-people-hiv

Interesting (and provocative). Still, i'm not sure how i feel about this. To me, this is sort of like masturbation with a fuck machine vs sex with another person. Really interesting topic.

Right? Religions evolve and shift about in the context of their various environments. Islam started seven centuries after Christianity. Christianity morphed from Judaism, but started out as a Jewish religion. Judaism was around about 1500-2000 years prior to Christianity. Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, is ( i think) a profound autobiography of a woman raised in Islam, who as the title implies, made her way out of her cultural conditioning. Reading her story, i was struck by the similarities of mindset between her fundamentalist Islamic religious cultural upbringing and my fundamentalist Christian religious cultural upbringing. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all have fundamentalist sects, and they all have more liberal denominations and members. A quick google search will produce an example of gay Islamic Imam(s?). I think it's often the absolutist approach causes the unbridgeable divides between people. The original post used the word "absolute" when describing Biden's effect on "gay ppl." Describes Biden as a "fucking vegetable," then asks for a "sound counterargument."

This was unintentionally lined out, but was not able to edit it out, so to avoid confusion, think of it as having no lines through it lol.

Evidently, all who espouse Christianity are not fundamentalist and anti gay "A growing number of Islamic scholars, mainly in the West, have started re-examining Islamic teachings on same-sex relationships and whether a blanket condemnation of LGBTQ+ people is a misinterpretation. There are also growing opportunities for alternative and meaningful worship and community. Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) has founded Unity Mosques in Atlanta, GA; Columbus, OH; and Los Angeles, CA. The Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity hosts a retreat for LGBTQ+ Muslims in Pennsylvania each year. MECCA Institute was recently established as an online school for the study of an inclusive theology of Islam for those seeking more expansive and inclusive interpretations of Islamic texts." [think before following links] [think before following links] [think before following links] https://www.hrc.org/resources/stances-of-faiths-on-lgbt-issues-islam i think blanket, black or white "argument" ("absolute, freaking *disaster*") fail as "sound" because of the exceptions that can usually be found on both sides of an argument. i think in an ideal debate, both sides are open to seeing the other point of view. i think we are often largely polarized to the degree that we lose the benefits of opposing view points. i'm not a Biden fan. i'm less of a Trump fan. But neither Biden or Trump was/is in complete control, though Trump seems to be pushing hard on that with executive orders. i think it would be easier to demonstrate that the Biden administration was more LGBQT friendly than the Trump administration currently is. Whether or not he is pandering, i don't know, but Trump has signed some distinctively anti LGBQT executive orders. i didn't see any from Biden's hand? Tourists flying in to Florida do not deal with Trump directly, but all those in charge set a tone. i think it would be easier to argue that it's easier for a government representative to be anti foreigner in the Trump era than it would have been in the Biden era. Look hard enough, and one can find a picture of a young guy tripping on stairs. Can one "sound[ly] argue" that's because of their 'young guy ways?' Or if a young man makes an absolutist argument using stereotypes based on age, it's because of pitiful young man ways?

You can try internalizing you penis using your fingers and that will give you some idea if it's possible for you. i've found that a micro cage that internalized your penis and holds in place is more comfortable than actually caging your penis externally, but would guess that varies from person so person. i question whether this pic is a real representation, but imagine results vary? This link has instructions and a vid of someone putting one on, so it looks real. It looks like it works by internalizing the penis and testicles, then using the scrotum skin to hold everything inside, so i'm guessing the more scrotal skin one has, the more effective it would be. i've also seen sites that use the clip with a strap. idk, never tried one, but now i'm curious. [think before following links] https://fufuclip.net/5-steps-to-teach-you-how-to-wear-the-fufu-clip/

Bout 10 minutes ago. my regular FB, sweet guy. He's normally pretty hairy, and He'd shaved His ass, which made it better to eat and i love the way a smooth ass looks. Love the way He looks either way though, just the way He is, sweet, easy going, just really good sex chemistry. i fucked him, and have been doing that routinely. Had been taking a half viagra, but don't really need it. i ran out but was able to fuck him for quite awhile anyway... and gaped him. He does have a sweet ass, even if i'm not into fucking, he loves it so much and makes so many sounds... it's not a problem, i love his pleasure. And He always ends with nutting in me. i find i'm much more sensitive after fucking him 20 minutes before he fucks me, like i'm constantly at the edge of orgasm. Hadn't fucked since last Sunday, had to work Monday and Tuesday, he called yesterday, but i was in the middle of moving 6 yards of sand from my driveway to my back yard. He called and teased me saying he was going to use toilet paper, i begged him to save it till today and not waste it, and he told me it was too late that he was jacking while talking to me on the phone. lol ❤️