The Awl http://www.theawl.com/ Be Less Stupid Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:10:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 Local Paper to Undermine Small (Prostitution) Businesses http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/local-paper-to-undermine-small-prostitution-businesses http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/local-paper-to-undermine-small-prostitution-businesses#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:10:30 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/local-paper-to-undermine-small-prostitution-businesses
West Palm Beach is bringing back public shaming to deter prostitution.

The City Commission has agreed to post booking photos of johns arrested for soliciting prostitutes on the city's web site.

West Palm Beach received national attention in the 1990s when it enacted a similar program, but it cost the city a $10,000 settlement after a man whose name was printed was acquitted and sued the city.

This time, West Palm Beach will only post the photos of johns who have been arrested more than once.

—PERFECT PLAN.

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West Palm Beach is bringing back public shaming to deter prostitution.

The City Commission has agreed to post booking photos of johns arrested for soliciting prostitutes on the city's web site.

West Palm Beach received national attention in the 1990s when it enacted a similar program, but it cost the city a $10,000 settlement after a man whose name was printed was acquitted and sued the city.

This time, West Palm Beach will only post the photos of johns who have been arrested more than once.

—PERFECT PLAN.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2011/10/local-paper-to-undermine-small-prostitution-businesses/feed 5 Vegas Bear Hooker Wears Birkenstocks http://www.theawl.com/2010/03/vegas-bear-hooker-wears-birkenstocks http://www.theawl.com/2010/03/vegas-bear-hooker-wears-birkenstocks#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:30:31 +0000 Choire Sicha http://www.theawl.com/2010/03/vegas-bear-hooker-wears-birkenstocks HAY BEAR!It's the American dream: a 47-year-old man can, in Las Vegas, while wearing Birkenstock sandals to work, earn $150 an hour. There is some sex involved but really, how is this not appealing as a lifestyle choice?

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]]> HAY BEAR!It's the American dream: a 47-year-old man can, in Las Vegas, while wearing Birkenstock sandals to work, earn $150 an hour. There is some sex involved but really, how is this not appealing as a lifestyle choice?

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2010/03/vegas-bear-hooker-wears-birkenstocks/feed 12 Krugman Got His Shiny Face on This Morning http://www.theawl.com/2009/12/krugman-got-his-shiny-face-on-this-morning http://www.theawl.com/2009/12/krugman-got-his-shiny-face-on-this-morning#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:00:01 +0000 Dave Bry http://www.theawl.com/2009/12/krugman-got-his-shiny-face-on-this-morning Any time Paul Krugman uses the phrase "I'm feeling optimistic" in his first sentence is cause for celebration. That's what he does in today's op-ed about the climate summit in Copenhagen. (More cause for celebration: free sex for all attending diplomats!) By the end of the piece, he's really eating happy pills. "Let's hope my optimism about Copenhagen is justified. A deal there would save the planet at a price we can easily afford-and it would actually help us in our current economic predicament." Great! But shouldn't that be, "a deal might, maybe, possibly save the planet, if we are very, very lucky, and probably not?"

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]]> Any time Paul Krugman uses the phrase "I'm feeling optimistic" in his first sentence is cause for celebration. That's what he does in today's op-ed about the climate summit in Copenhagen. (More cause for celebration: free sex for all attending diplomats!) By the end of the piece, he's really eating happy pills. "Let's hope my optimism about Copenhagen is justified. A deal there would save the planet at a price we can easily afford-and it would actually help us in our current economic predicament." Great! But shouldn't that be, "a deal might, maybe, possibly save the planet, if we are very, very lucky, and probably not?"

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2009/12/krugman-got-his-shiny-face-on-this-morning/feed 2 Hooker-Loving Dad Reacts To Hooker Daughter http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/hooker-loving-dad-reacts-to-hooker-daughter http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/hooker-loving-dad-reacts-to-hooker-daughter#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:37:31 +0000 Alex Balk http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/hooker-loving-dad-reacts-to-hooker-daughter "I cannot say for certain until I speak to her, but it may have affected her. I guess she came to the realisation that prostitutes are just people, it's not the stereotype that people often seem to think."
-Paul Magnanti, father of Brooke Magnanti, on his patronage of over 150 prostitutes. Brooke Magnanti recently outed herself as the author of Belle de Jour, the popular prostitute blog.

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]]> "I cannot say for certain until I speak to her, but it may have affected her. I guess she came to the realisation that prostitutes are just people, it's not the stereotype that people often seem to think."
-Paul Magnanti, father of Brooke Magnanti, on his patronage of over 150 prostitutes. Brooke Magnanti recently outed herself as the author of Belle de Jour, the popular prostitute blog.

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]]> http://www.theawl.com/2009/11/hooker-loving-dad-reacts-to-hooker-daughter/feed 6 Berlusconi Adding Hookers To Scandal Mix http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/berlusconi-adding-hookers-to-scandal-mix http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/berlusconi-adding-hookers-to-scandal-mix#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:55:48 +0000 Alex Balk http://www.theawl.com/2009/06/berlusconi-adding-hookers-to-scandal-mix "Smell it!"There's more agita for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Currently embroiled in controversy over his relationship with a buxom teenage model, the scandal-plagued premier is now facing accusations that some of his associates recruited young women to attend his private parties, and that Berlusconi had relations with one of the "paid escorts." Three women have come forward with details involving Berlusconi's assignation with Patrizia D'Addario, who was allegedly promised 2000 euros (about $2777) to, um, minister to the Prime Minister. As with every story about Berlusconi, it's the small details that are worth savoring.

  • "D'Addario, 42, went public last week about the dinner, claiming she was offered €2,000 to spend the night at Berlusconi's residence but complaining that the prime minister had failed to make good on promises to help her obtain building permits for a planned hotel." Berlusconi, who made his first fortune from shady real estate deals, should have known better than anyone that you don't fuck someone on a building transaction, particularly in Italy.

  • D'Addario-who claims to be a former assistant to magician David Copperfield-told prosecutors about her evening with Berlusconi: "'Go and wait for me in the big bed,' the prime minister allegedly said, telling her he was going to take a shower. While he was away she claims to have used her mobile phone to film herself in the room, which contained a framed photograph of Mr Berlusconi's wife, Veronica Lario. This was six months before she accused him of 'consorting with minors' and said she wanted a divorce."

  • One woman claimed that "were driven to Mr Berlusconi's home, Palazzo Grazioli, in a car with tinted windows, arriving there around 11pm. They were greeted by Mr Berlusconi, who is said to have told Miss D'Addario: 'I'm happy to see you again.' She claimed he was wearing a large amount of orange make-up."

The obvious question is whether Berlusconi can survive. Thus far there seems to have been no scandal too large to have kept him down, and with the Italian left unable to put forth any credible semblance of opposition, it would be up to Berlusconi's own allies to defenestrate him, an unlikely possibility as many of them owe their positions his patronage and support. Berlusconi is at this point a prisoner of his office: He needs to stay in power to keep from going to jail. It's too soon to tell whether consorting with prostitutes will be the final straw that makes Italians demand a better government-even the Catholic Church seems to be losing patience-but, as much as I disapprove of Berlusconi, I would urge caution: Getting rid of a guy because he fucked a bunch of hookers sometimes results in unfortunate consequences.

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]]> "Smell it!"There's more agita for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Currently embroiled in controversy over his relationship with a buxom teenage model, the scandal-plagued premier is now facing accusations that some of his associates recruited young women to attend his private parties, and that Berlusconi had relations with one of the "paid escorts." Three women have come forward with details involving Berlusconi's assignation with Patrizia D'Addario, who was allegedly promised 2000 euros (about $2777) to, um, minister to the Prime Minister. As with every story about Berlusconi, it's the small details that are worth savoring.

  • "D'Addario, 42, went public last week about the dinner, claiming she was offered €2,000 to spend the night at Berlusconi's residence but complaining that the prime minister had failed to make good on promises to help her obtain building permits for a planned hotel." Berlusconi, who made his first fortune from shady real estate deals, should have known better than anyone that you don't fuck someone on a building transaction, particularly in Italy.

  • D'Addario-who claims to be a former assistant to magician David Copperfield-told prosecutors about her evening with Berlusconi: "'Go and wait for me in the big bed,' the prime minister allegedly said, telling her he was going to take a shower. While he was away she claims to have used her mobile phone to film herself in the room, which contained a framed photograph of Mr Berlusconi's wife, Veronica Lario. This was six months before she accused him of 'consorting with minors' and said she wanted a divorce."

  • One woman claimed that "were driven to Mr Berlusconi's home, Palazzo Grazioli, in a car with tinted windows, arriving there around 11pm. They were greeted by Mr Berlusconi, who is said to have told Miss D'Addario: 'I'm happy to see you again.' She claimed he was wearing a large amount of orange make-up."

The obvious question is whether Berlusconi can survive. Thus far there seems to have been no scandal too large to have kept him down, and with the Italian left unable to put forth any credible semblance of opposition, it would be up to Berlusconi's own allies to defenestrate him, an unlikely possibility as many of them owe their positions his patronage and support. Berlusconi is at this point a prisoner of his office: He needs to stay in power to keep from going to jail. It's too soon to tell whether consorting with prostitutes will be the final straw that makes Italians demand a better government-even the Catholic Church seems to be losing patience-but, as much as I disapprove of Berlusconi, I would urge caution: Getting rid of a guy because he fucked a bunch of hookers sometimes results in unfortunate consequences.

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