Nia Dark and Lovely, a Black Escort in London

The Petulant Pooner is based in Seattle.He writes about what is happening in the paid sex scene there, and other topics of interest related to the industry.

What is the first weblog you came across?

I believe it was on the eve of the Iraq war that I stumbled across a link to Instapundit, who was blogging pretty heavily about Salam Pax at that time (Salam Pax was an Iraqi blogger who wrote about his experience as an ordinary Iraqi citizen in the run-up to the war -- at immense personal risk, I might add.)


Why did you start blogging?

I blogged just a little on Myspace in the spring of 2006, and started to blog seriously in November of 2006.

Why did you start blogging?

Ok, here's 'why':
I've always enjoyed having a soapbox to stand on, but dislike being subject to anyone else's censorship.

Which blogs do you read?

I have several daily reads and too many occasional stops to list. My current favorites are The Belmont Club, little green footballs, HorsesAss, and VodkaPundit. Oh yes, and of course... Nia Dark and Lovely!

What appeals to you about the blogs you read?

Blogs serve two purposes in my world. Firstly, they serve as an information filter -- they screen out a lot of the noise and help me to focus on information that is truly important to me. Secondly, blogs are marvelous for bringing deep background information that would otherwise not come to the fore, and similarly, to provide coverage of important -- yet obscure -- stories that the mainstream media chooses not to allot space for.


Whose writing do you particularly admire?

Wretchard (The Belmont Club) is a favorite. I was also particularly fond of Steven Den Beste (U.S.S. Clueless), who has -- alas! -- given up current events and switched to blogging about Japanese anime.


In your reading do you seek out different points of view ?

Actually, it seems more accurate to say that different points of view seek me out! I think that if one is not regularly exposed to differing points of view, then one needs to adjust their reading habits. The blogosphere is all about diversity of opinion, and it behooves us to make the most of that.


How do you choose items to link?

My blogging has a very narrow focus (that being: prostitution, from the consumer's perspective), so it's relatively easy for me to separate the wheat from the chaff. I look at prospective items and pass them through the filter of my own agenda -- pro-legalization; anti-corruption.


What is your policy on comments?

In spite of what some of my detractors would tell you, I am actually quite tolerant of comments from those who disagree with me. That said, I would also add that I do not suffer fools gladly.


Do you ever receive abusive comments , how do you handle it ?

Where I draw the line is at anonymity -- if somebody wants to throw rocks at me, that's fine... but I insist that they identify themselves (using their locally known Hobby identity, most often as they are known on the local escort review forums). When I have something negative to say, I let people know who I am -- and I expect the same from those who leave comments.


Where do you find interesting links?

For news items, I use Google News Alerts to instantly notify me when something of interest is published. I also devote a lot of my blogging time to the local prostitution scene, and I cover that primarily by haunting the message boards where people in my area hang out.


Do you ever write to provoke a reaction, how do you do that ?

Oh yes! I am all about provoking a reaction... it's the best way to drive increased traffic. It's not difficult at all; it merely requires that one not 'pull punches'. I tell it exactly the way I see it, and usually that gets the job done.


How much traffic do you get?

The Petulant Pooner is currently ranging between 700 to 1200 visitors daily. The single day record is just shy of 2000.


What is your rank on technorati?

I just switched from Blogger to a standalone dot-com a few weeks ago, and I lost some ground at Technorati as a result. My rank at Blogger was in the mid- 300,000's. The new blog is now in the mid 700,000's, and gaining.

Has your writing changed since you started blogging?

I'm sure that it has, but I would be hard-pressed to give an objective analysis. I will say, though, that I tend more towards brevity than I used to.

How many hours do you spend online a day?

At least four to six.


How much time do you spend on your site a day?

The Petulant Pooner usually consumes about a half hour to an hour each day, depending of course on how many posts I create.


How many blogs do you read?

On an average day, perhaps five or six.


How do you find new blogs?

Usually they are brought to my attention by established bloggers, although I do stumble across them on Google quite often.

How much reader email do you get?

I don't get a lot of email that isn't tied to blog comments. My email address is not widely published at the moment.


What do you think makes a successful blog?

Readership is the name of the game. And it's not the number of readers, so much as it is a matter of reaching the right people.


What is your advice for a new blogger?

Find a niche!


How has blogging changed your life?

It's given me a hammer to swat the flies.


What blogs do you think deserve wider recognition and why?

I'm going to throw you a curve in response to this question. I can think of several blogs that deserve considerably LESS attention, most notably Instapundit, which has turned into little else than a list of links. Add to that list ShakespearesSister and Pandagon (blogs which belong to a pair of militant feminists who were let go from the campaign of American presidential candidate John Edwards), which contain a great deal of anti-male hate speech.

Ok, enough of that. Who deserves more recognition? Why, The Petulant Pooner, of course!!


What are your hobbies?

Outside of blogging, I am interested in photography, auto mechanics, gardening and cooking.


How has your blog changed over the years?

Hmm... well, it's not 'years' for me, as I've only been at it for a little less than seven months. In that time, my blog has evolved to suit my agenda, which is to fight corrupt practices within my local prostitution scene.


Are you fairly accurate in predicting which of your items will be widely linked?

I'd say so, yes. In my locality, my blog has become known as THE place to learn the scoop on what is going on with certain sorts of events. When I break news that I know certain people do not want to be known, I can usually count on a deluge of hits.


Do you have a background in writing?

No, not really. I've always enjoyed writing, but until I turned to blogging I never really devoted much time to it. Perhaps one day I will be asked this question again, and the answer might be, "Why yes, I used to write a popular blog."


When do you blog?

There is not set time for me. Sometimes it is early in the morning before work, sometimes I can find some time during the work day. Most often, it is in the evening.


With regard to blogging what was your most memorable moment?

Here in Seattle, a widely popular (but very corrupt) review forum just bit the dust, about two weeks ago. Some say that a series of posts on The Petulant Pooner brought it down, and I have to consider that this is at least a possibility. To date, this stands out as the most significant event.


Would you read your site?

Yes... if I were a hobbyist in Seattle, I most definitely would. And they do, too.

Labels: Belmont Club, Bloggers on blogging, Horseass, Instapundit, Interviews, Little green footballs, Myspace, Pendagon, Petulant Pooner, Salam Pax, Shakespeare'sSister, Technorati, Vodkapundit

Another sunny weekend in London. It makes such a difference.

Over the next few weeks, I will post interviews with a number of bloggers on my blogroll.

I read Rebecca Blood's interviews on bloggers on blogging, which I thought was a great idea.



The first interview is with Gillette, an ex courtesan in transition.

A Former Courtesan, Former Wife, Former Business Owner, Former Midwife who laughs at life as she begins anew.Gillette is a Courtesan of ten years but now in transition. She writes about adventures of courtesanship, sex, mysticism,love, relationship, orgasm, spirituality, life both exciting and simple, ideas, opinions, Tantra and other forms of Sacred Sex.

What is the first weblog you came across?

Not sure, but the first one I remembering reading regularly was Postmodern Courtesan.

Why did you start blogging?


I needed an outlet to talk about what was going on in my life and simultaneously take my mind off it. It was a diversion. Plus I like to write and had many people over the years telling me I should write a book. Blogging is an easy way to publish. I can write in short spurts on various topics (which appeals to an ADD person like me), and then move on to NEXT.

Which blogs do you read?


All the ones in my Blogroll.

What appeals to you about the blogs you read?

I like stories of people's lives and what they have figured out for themselves. I tend to read ones that make me think more than pure erotica ones, but love an occasional erotica writing when the writing is good or is attached to some other theme.

Whose writing do you particularly admire?

Hm..particularly? So many...wow...can't even begin to go there....I like most of the writing styles of those in my blogroll. I appreciate the variety.

In your reading do you seek out different points of view ?

Yes..but if the style is rude, mean, unhappy, constantly confrontational, sticky, gossipy, icky inside me, I try to find other place to spend my energy. I like being happy and don't like to involve myself in other people's angry dramas too much for too long

How do you choose items to link?

I try to find who links to me and return the consideration.

What is your policy on comments?


I have moderation on but do that to avoid spamming. In addition, if any of the above mentioned things about not happy blogs are there in comments, I will not publish. I have had a few comments that are gossip about other people and not published them. It's not my thing so I don't want to be a vehicle for someone's issues.

Do you ever receive abusive comments, how do you handle it ?


I haven't yet directed at me. I would delete them. Probably swear a bit before that, muttering something like...asshole...or something. But then let it go, tralalala... People who feel the need to be mean have my pity. Happy people are not mean.

Where do you find interesting links?


On other people's blogrolls

Do you ever write to provoke a reaction, how do you do that ?

I haven't yet. I have written pieces that have provoked a reaction, but I was just being me in the moment. Oh...maybe one..I wrote a piece on a Tantric session. One piece of that for me, but not all, was a hope that people would be able to feel the energy and feeling of what it can be, because it's so different from much of sex.

How much traffic do you get?

Not tons.

Has your writing changed since you started blogging?

I hope it's better.

How many hours do you spend online a day?


Lots. I have started an online business.

How much time do you spend on your site a day?

On the Courtesan site? Depends on how long it takes to write the piece. I write long pieces. And while I write really fast, it still can take time.

How many blogs do you read?

Lots.

How do you find new blogs?

Blogrolls

How much reader email do you get?

More now. The stuff that the writing brings up for people has been really interesting lately.

What do you think makes a successful blog?

Haven't a clue. I've seen many very successful blogs that bore the hell out of me. Others are not well known but they intrigue me. For me, I think the writing has to be good and presented in a fun way. Most of the really succesful blogs are ones that are funny, have some quirkiness to them that catches the eye of the 20-30 something crowd. (who I think the majority of Blogland is).

What is your advice for a new blogger?

Keep writing. Be yourself. Find your own voice. Enjoy it.

How has blogging changed your life?


Well...hm...I've met some really nice people so far. I am starting a blogging based business thing so we'll see if that changes it in different ways.

What blogs do you think deserve wider recognition and why?

Hm...wow...sorry...haven't a clue.

What are your hobbies?


Sailing. Walking. Anything Art- I am obsessed.

How has your blog changed over the years?


Um...well...not sure. I find it more difficult to think of topics. I hope to make it look better soon/get it prettier, more techi-esque.

Are you fairly accurate in predicting which of your items will be widely linked?

No.

Do you have a background in writing?


No.

When do you blog?

When the ideas come to me.

With regard to blogging what was your most memorable moment?


Hm...when I posted something that was really difficult..I was scared to post it because it was so raw and I was in pain. I almost didn't publish it. But then wonderful people were everywhere and supportive. It really hit me...this kindness of strangers and how this is a community of sorts.

Would you read your site?


Yup. Definitely. Every day. I think the writer is really smart. Plus, she's cute.

Labels: Bloggers on blogging, Erotica, Ex-Courtesan in transition, Interviews, Rebecca Blood, Tantric

Some married men are acting as covers for sex workers in India.

SURAT: Sex workers in Surat are employing men to act as their partners to cover up tracks of their flesh trade.

In some cases, sex workers have even turned to social and emotional support from these ‘companions’ and transferred property in their name.

One such transfer of property was detrimental as the man disowned the sex worker after obtaining the title to the property.

Quotes from Concubines give sex workers cover by Hitarth Pandya of the India Times.

Sadly, some of them do not honour the contracts.

Have a good weekend.

Labels: India Times, News, Sexworkers

Thank you to all of you, who called me, emailed , and commented, about my post yesterday. I appreciate your kindness, and am moved by it. I spoke to my mother this morning, and she is doing okay.

I was on my way to a friend's house this morning, and popped into a lingerie shop, to ask for directions. I could not believe the conversation that I heard between the shop assistant, and her customer.

Shop assistant(Woman in her mid to late sixties) "Can I help you?"

Customer (Man in his mid forties) "It did not work."

There happened to be three other people in the shop at the time.

Shop assitant (Shouting) "What did not work?"

Customer " The Viagra did not work."

Shop assistant (Shouting at the customer) " There has to be something wrong with you, because that stuff works!"

I was so embarassed for this guy, but it seemed like he had a thick skin. I just wanted to run and hide, and the conversation had nothing to do with me. I could not believe that he was spoken to in that way.

Is it me, or was the shop assistant mannerless?

I had to go the dentist today, to get some treatment done. I am still waiting for the injection to wear off. I had a conversation with Jo, and we were talking about how our mouths are tools for our job.

I wonder when I will be able to use my mouth. I just did not have the guts to ask the dentist when oral sex would be okay.

Can you imagine the look on his face had I done so?

Labels: Black escort, Joanne of Leeds, oral sex, Thoughts, viagra

Whenever I see an international number on my personal mobile or landline, I panic. I have family all over the world, and sometimes, the calls are informing me of deaths or emergencies.

I had a phone call from my mother's best friend half an hour ago.I am shaking as I write this, and am having to take breaks to do this post.

My mother had a car accident an hour ago, her car is a write-off. Fortunately, she is alive, and I have just spoken to her. It was challenging containing myself, while I spoke to her, as I did not want her to know I was crying.

I am left feeling fragile, sad, tearful and vulnerable. I cannot contemplate a life without my mother. It is hard being so far away, and yet anything can happen at anytime. I am aware I cannot control that.

I am grateful that she is alive, and I recognise that I am lucky to have her, as some of my friends have no parents alive. However, I wish this did not happen, and that nothing ever happens to her.

Labels: Black escort, Thoughts

The Labour party in Norway has voted to make the purchase of sexual services illegal. The prostitutes are in opposition to this law, as they do not feel it will protect them.

One female prostitute from Eastern Europe who's lately been working on Oslo's streets called the proposed ban "crazy" as long as selling sex remains legal. She said, though, that she'd probably "go home," which seems to be exactly what the poiticians and Norwegian prostitutes want.

An influx of foreign prostitutes has literally taken market share from Norwegian prostitutes, and the foreigners are known for being more aggressive. They've also expanded the trade from traditional areas of town (most recently, the streets behind the Akershus Fortress called Kvadraturen) to such main streets as Karl Johans Gate, and that's raised the ire of locals and tourists alike.

It remains unclear whether prostitutes' customers face fines or jail terms if caught buying sexual services. Storberget promised to draft a proposed law "as quickly as possible" and police will get more resources to enforce it.

Quotes from Labour votes to limit sex trade by Nina Berglund of Aftenposten.

Related Articles

Pushy prostitutes prompt call for crackdown by Nina Berglund of Aftenposten.

Norway to follow Swedish model on Prostitution by Vice squad.

What is the logic behind it being illegal to purchase sexual services, but legal to sell sexual services?

Labels: Aftenposten, News, Prostitutes, Prostitution laws, Vicesquad

The Daily mail has issues with Penguin. They say that Penguin are rushing out memoirs portraying prostitution as a glamorous lifestyle choice.

The head of the Metropolitan Police Clubs and Vice Unit estimates that at least 75 per cent of prostitutes working in London are foreign - and that as many as 14,000 women from across the world are working in the sex trade in Britain.

Now we switch to a smart drawing room where the latest bestseller is being discussed by keen readers in their trendy book club.

A stream of so-called Happy Hooker memoirs are spewing out of Grub Street and you won't find a trafficked woman in one of them.

What you will find are salacious confessionals by middle-class hooker hacks motivated as much by celebrity as acclaim among the literati.

We've had a clever girl slumming it with Belle de Jour, who led the way with her blog-turned-book The Intimate Adventures Of A London Call Girl, in which she chatted about her punters, lingerie and writing ambitions.

We've had desperate housewives, such as Dawn Annandale, who revealed in Call Me Elizabeth that she would rather sleep with men to pay the school fees than send her kids to the local comprehensive.

Of course, Aneta's is not a story you will find in the raft of prostitutes' memoirs being pumped out by publishers hellbent on peddling the myth that the Oldest Profession is a path to glamour and eroticism for a certain type of woman.

As the bodies of the brutally murdered prostitutes were being found around Ipswich last December, nubile Brazilian Bruna Surfistinha published Scorpion's Sweet Venom: Diary of A Brazilian Call Girl in the UK.

At 17, Bruna is only two years younger than Tania Nicol, the Ipswich Strangler's youngest victim, but how different are their lives.

Poor little rich girl Bruna decided the best way to upset Mum and Dad wasn't to dye her hair green but go on the game, though she calculated: "If I am going to be a prostitute, I don't want to be a run-of-the-mill one." Bully for her: at least she had a choice.

As Aneta and the Ipswich Five demonstrate, what Surfistinha contemptuously regards as "run-of-the-mill prostitutes" are women who live horrible, degraded lives, and whose freedom of choice is stolen with their passports and the descent into addiction the first time they are given crack cocaine by their pimps.

Not that stark reality penetrates publishers' minds.

This summer another author, the seductively named Miss S, joins Bruna and Belle in bookshops with Kinky Confessions Of A Working Girl.

Her editor Katy Follain, of that august publishing house Penguin, proudly proclaims Miss S is "one of London's top five escorts".

How she knows this is a mystery. Is there a FTSE for hookers? The Floosie 100, perhaps?

In an astonishing letter to promote Kinky Confessions, Follain writes that the book is an 'intimate diary' of Miss S's first year in a brothel, aged 21.

She took the job after a vacancy opened in her local massage parlour. Miss S likes the work so much she now runs her own business - whether it employs trafficked women, Follain omits to mention.

She does reveal: "This is her chosen career - she does it because she loves it, and her attitude to sex is empowering, fun and refreshing."

The book, Follain gushes, "will undoubtedly appeal to both curious teenage girls as well as bored housewives".

Teenage girls? What on earth is she thinking?

"Kinky Confessions stands out from the other sex memoirs," she burbles, "because everything in it is absolutely authentic, and will have huge credibility."

Not with me. If you want authenticity, consider that, according to the police, women in brothels are forced to service between 20 and 30 clients a day.

This is the reality of the vice trade, not books like Handy Hints for Hookers, Callgirl: Confessions of an Ivy League Lady of Pleasure, Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl or Concertina: The Life and Loves of a Dominatrix. It is far from the image promoted by the publishers of those literary offerings.

While Belle, Bruna and Miss S emphasise their freedom of choice, most sex workers are no more than slaves and there is nothing glamorous about the world they inhabit.

By peddling the myth of the middle-class call girl, these books perpetuate the insidious idea that inside every young girl and suburban housewife is a woman who regards sex as a commodity to sell.

What these memoirs also fail to acknowledge is the uncomfortable relationship between prostitution and paedophilia.

Belle and Co may be legal, but according to the Home Office as many as 75 per cent of all prostitutes begin their involvement in the trade well before their 18th birthday.

Many start as young as 12 after falling in with bad crowds - the average age of girls being pimped by young hustlers is 14 to 17.

Of the 84 trafficked women rescued from brothels in Operation Pentameter last year, 12 were under 17, some only 14.

Child prostitution is getting worse. From Gatwick to Glasgow, charities report a sharp rise in child abductions from care homes. Once snatched, the children are either trafficked abroad or forced to work in brothels here.

Up to 5,000 children are working as sex slaves in the UK, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation claims. As well as child exploitation, a disproportionate number of sex workers suffered appalling violence and sexual abuse as children, which was a significant factor in leading them into the vice trade.

The Home Office reports as many as 85 per cent of prostitutes suffered physical abuse as children, while 45 per cent were victims of sex abuse.

One woman, Severine, who works as an erotic masseuse, contacted me when I was researching this subject to say: "I did have a childhood that most people would consider emotionally abusive. I don't know if that's why I became a sex worker or not. It was probably part of it."

Severine's acknowledgement is borne out by other prostitutes and ex-sex workers I have met. A few years ago, a room mate of mine was a bright, sassy girl, who admitted to me she'd been a prostitute. She had also suffered horrific abuse.

Aged seven, she was raped on her way home from school. When she was 13 she was gang raped. Her parents were going through a nasty divorce, so rather than turn to them for help, she ran away.

On the streets prostitution was not her 'choice', it was her means of survival and memories of what she went through at the hands of punters haunted her into adulthood.

As a volunteer on the streets, I helped out with a welfare charity and discovered my friend's story was all too familiar.

None of the prostitutes I met had enjoyed happy, secure childhoods free from fear or abuse.

For girls not forced to sell sex by traffickers, heroin has proved the slave driver, as the victims of the Ipswich Strangler exemplify. The Home Office reports that 87 per cent of women involved in street-based prostitution use the drug.

Not a picture you find in the pages of Miss S and her bookish sisters.

Nor is the violence meted out to prostitutes reflected in these vice memoirs - Dawn Annandale alludes to one nasty incident, but it is nothing compared to the beatings meted out by pimps and punters most street girls experience.

Instead of the grim reality, we are peddled the tales of Bruna, Belle, Miss S et al, ready to spill their socalled secrets in return for a fat advance from publishers too busy reading their blogs to bother finding out what really happens in the vice trade.

Publishers who sell this nonsense claim it 'empowers' us girls, showing women sex workers in control of their sexuality and enjoying the work. If it's such a good job, why don't these publishers recommend their daughters take it up?

And if it is such great work then why do brothels use trafficked women to fill vacancies?

Because vice is not nice, which is why women do not choose it as a career.

The image of prostitution these writers promote is utter rubbish, a lie propagated about a profession that relies on coercion, rape, violence and drug addiction to recruit its workers.

For the sake of Aneta, my friend and the victims of the Ipswich Strangler, as well as the 5,000 child sex slaves working in Britain, it is about time publishers dug a little deeper when dealing with the Oldest Profession and stopped trying to sell us this pernicious nonsense.

Quotes from The squalid truth about call girl lit by Danuta Kean of the Daily Mail.

I agree that there are not that many books about trafficked women available.

I wonder whether that is because they do not sell that well?

I feel strongly about trafficked women, but does Danuta Kean feel that Penguin have a moral responsibility to educate the public about the issue?

What Danuta may not be aware of, is that some people who are traumatised, do not want to share their stories. They want to forget what they can,as soon as possible. Recalling or reliving the events, can cause a secondary trauma .So sharing your story, is not always therapeutic.

I have read Dawn Annandale's book Call me Elizabeth and I do not recall it being fluffy. The Daily Mail claim that the violent incident that Dawn mentions in her book, is nothing compared to what happens to streetgirls.

My understanding is that Dawn and Belle de Jour,who I have also read, write about their experiences.

Can they be blamed for not mentioning trafficked women in their memoirs?

They are free to write what they like, and what they experience, in my view.

I think what Danuta Kean fails to realise, is that what is happening in the publishing world, is no different to what happens on punter messageboards, and in the blogosphere.

How many threads do you see about trafficking on messageboards?

Miss S, is quoted as one of London's top five escorts, and Danuta Kean wonders whether there is a FTSE for hookers.

Well she needs to look at the charts on Punternet and Captain 69. Unfortunately, ratings are part and parcel of the industry. Some men are influenced, by these charts.

Danuta Kean, feels that these memoirs do not acknowledge the uncomfortable relationship between paedophilia and prostitution. There is a possiblity that the writers do not believe there is a link.

I agree with Danuta Kean.Trafficking is an uncomfortable issue that some people do not want to think about. The fact is it will not go away, and trafficked woman do not have a choice. I also do not believe that prostitution is a path to glamour.

I have a number of articles about trafficking, and the Ipswich murders on my blog.

The Poppy Project which is listed on my sidebar, is a good resource, for women who are trafficked.

Can anyone point me to any escort blogs, of women who are trafficked?

Have a good week!

Labels: Belle de Jour, books, Captain 69, Daily Mail, Dawn Annandale, Escorts, Hookers, News, Penguin, Poppy Project, Prostitutes, Punternet

Deena Edridge is the first woman to go to jail for organising prostitution. It is amazing, given the numbers of women who are jailed in the UK and USA, for the same crime.

She also pleaded guilty to organising prostitution and controlling the activities of more than one prostitute for that purpose between the same dates.

The 28-year-old former prostitute was paid a salary of €50,000 to act as a "manager", greeting customers, lining up the girls to allow customers to choose one, handling finances and managing an off-site "call centre".

Judge Katherine Delahunt told Edridge: "You are in many ways a victim and fell into an illegal trade because of abandonment by your father."

She noted however that Edridge was a "major player who had a significant and trusted role in running the business" and imposed two twelve month sentences, to run concurrently.

Det. Sgt Holohan said the business was advertised through web sites and magazines under the guise of 17 different escort agencies.

Customers rang the mobile phone number in the advertisement and were directed to the brothel. All the mobiles were "prepay" or "ready to go" numbers across all networks which could not be traced.

These records allowed gardaí to quantify the brothel’s turnover. He estimated that takings over the four shifts prior to the garda search had been €22,000 and the annual takings were thought to be about €4m.

Det Sgt Holohan said that 35 mobile phones had been found during a search of another premises at Beresford House in the IFSC which operated as a "call centre" for Bachelor’s Walk. He said 32 of these were switched on and being answered by two women employed as "receptionists", directing customers to the brothel.

Det. Sgt Holohan described the prostitution industry as "extremely reliant on mobile phones" and said within two days 14 numbers used by the seized phones were back up and running.

Ms Marie Torrens BL, defending Edridge, said that her client was originally from the UK and had come to Ireland five years ago. She said her client had suffered greatly as a child as a result of her parents’ divorce.

She said both parents had subsequently remarried and Edridge’s father "threw money" at her, allowing her to "live a high life style" until she was 18 and at which point the financial aid ceased, leaving her with a number of credit card debts.

She attempted to take out a loan but got into debt again and answered an advertisement in a newspaper to work as a prostitute.

Ms Torrens said Edridge had been robbed and had a number of frightening experiences working as a prostitute. She was initially employed to answer the phones for the business but took full responsibility for the offences with which she was charged.

Quotes from Manager of Brothel turning over 4 Million Euros per year is jailed by the Evening Echo Ireland.

She was a former prostitute herself. Some women in the industry go on to run agencies or brothels when they retire, it seems to be the next step.

Have a good weekend!

Labels: Brothels, Evening Echo, News, Prostitutes

A man who was involved in the robberies of massage parlours, which I mentioned here has been convicted.

The judge praised the bravery of the women involved.

Defending Linton, John King said Linton was from a stable and supportive home, but had fallen in with the wrong crowd.

"These women decided to stand up for themselves, whatever society thinks of them."
Judge Shani Barnes

He said: "He was under the influence of Fuller. He was to some extent afraid of him and felt pressurised."

Mr King explained that Linton had occasionally worked with his father in the construction industry, and that he had musical talent, having produced a demo to send to the record label EMI.

He said: "He appears to have had some money problems because the music was not going as well as it should have been."

But Judge Shani Barnes said Linton should have taken responsibility for his situation, rather than preying on vulnerable women.

She said: "There is no doubt that those responsible created an atmosphere of fear among the women over many, many months.

"These women decided to stand up for themselves, whatever society thinks of them. They are entitled to the protection of the law. I found them courageous and brave."

Linton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob on the first day of that trial, after earlier being found guilty of manslaughter of Norman Delopp in Croydon and conspiracy to rob at another trial.

Linton was sentenced to 13 years in February for the manslaughter and conspiracy to rob and is now appealing the guilty verdict.

Quotes from Judge praises prostitutes' bravery by Lisa Williams of This is Local London.


I hope that other women in this situation feel able to do this.

Labels: News, Prostitutes, security, Sexworkers, This is Local London

I came across this article about workplace injuries. It took me back to what I had talked about, in my occupational hazards post.

A phone sex operator in Florida was awarded a workers' compensation, after she was injured from masturbating at work.

While some consider this tale to be another example of America's "I sue, you sue, we all sue" culture, it seems unfair to say that just because someone derives pleasure from her job, it is frivolous to sue for an injury caused by that pleasure. After all isn't masturbatory carpal tunnel for a legal sex worker no different than typing carpal tunnel for a secretary? On the other hand, judges and juries might not be inclined to see it that way. After all, can you imagine a porn star attempting to get cash for a sex-related stress injury? Even in Australia, where prostitution is legal, "sex workers have entitlement to workers compensation for a work-related injury," but "[i]n practice this rarely occurs."

So as ridiculous as these cases may appear on the surface, they raise an important question that I'll throw out to you readers: Should the morality of one's job be called into question when interpreting employment law?

Quotes from Do Sex workers deserve Workers compensation by Emil Steiner of the Washington Post.

The morality question is interesting. I wonder what chances an escort who was outed at her day job, would have if she took it to an employment tribunal?

Labels: News, Occupational Hazards, Sexworkers, Washington post

The finalists on the Any dream will do TV show hosted by Graham Norton have had some noisy neighbours.

I know how that feels,as I have mentioned here.

SQUEAKY-CLEAN finalists on family telly show Any Dream Will Do have been caught up in a sleazy vice scandal.

The £3million mansion they have been put up in for the BBC talent show is being used by a string of prostitutes.

Hookers have been sneaking through a side gate to use the rear of the property to “service” clients.

And the sound of them moaning and groaning has been keeping the young telly contestants awake all night.

But their hopes of a decent night’s sleep have been shattered by the hookers, who have turned the rear of the property into a vice den.

The lads discovered the mansion’s seedy secret after hearing noises in the night and looking out to see the working girls hard at it.

Used condoms litter the back yard the following mornings.

The show insider said: “At first they thought it was really funny. But it’s happened a few times and now it’s not a laughing matter any more.

“These boys need their sleep. The last thing they need is to hear hookers carrying on with punters right on their doorstep.

“They thought they had been moved to a nice area, but neighbours have told film crews it is well known for hookers.”

Quotes from Dream Show Vice Shock by the Daily Star.

Can punters and hookers have sex, without making so much noise?

Labels: BBC any dream will do, Daily Star, Graham Norton, Hookers, News, Prostitutes

The sunny weather at the weekend was lovely. My mood lifts with sunshine and warmth. I wish it was like this all year round.

Chevalier has an interesting post on pillow talk between escorts and clients.

He outlines the types of information escorts share with their clients, about other clients.

He points out that in some cases it is easy to identify who they are talking about. I find this worrying.

How confidential is a meeting between an escort and a client?

It works both ways.

This is my take, on clients who discuss other escorts with me. I have expectations of my clients.

I have had clients come to see me, who talked about all the escorts they have seen, throughout the entire booking.

Do I need this information.

It is one thing if Arnold comes to see me, and he says that he has seen Dorothy. However, I do not need to know that Dorothy works out of Chelsea Cloisters, has a violent boyfriend,is Italian, and works in the City. In some cases, I have been given real names.

I listen,because part of my role is to listen. However I am clear that anything I share with them, I am happy for them to share with every other escort they meet. So, I have a number of cover stories, to hand.

These are the types of clients who want to know my real name, on a first meeting.

I wonder how the escorts they discuss would feel, knowing identifiable information about them, is being passed around?

My understanding of confidentiality is, talking about individuals in a way, that they are not identifiable,if you choose to discuss them.

Can you blame the women, who act throughout the entire meeting?

Have a good week!

Labels: Black escort, Chevalier, Escorts, Thoughts

The numbers of sexworker are rising in Dundee, and some of the residents are being propositioned by kerb crawlers.

Does every woman walking on the streets of Dundee look like a sexworker?

Is that how it works if you are a kerbcrawler?

If some of these women are very young, I can appreciate the residents concerns for their daughters, of similar ages.

The resident says the numbers of prostitutes operating are rising and she fears for her daughter’s safety.

Councillor Dawson said, “The police are doing a wonderful job despite not having the resources to be on site at all times.

“But the residents are complaining they cannot even wait on a bus or a taxi without being propositioned and in some cases they will not even let their children play in the street through fear that they will also be propositioned.

“My constituent has described some of the girls as looking very young, so fears for her own daughter’s safety whilst going to friends etc.

“A worrying thought is that it would appear young Polish girls are appearing on the street now as well.

“The residents know who the girls are and are finding an increasing amount of new faces appearing.

“My main point is this is a residential area with a vast array of people living in it, from families with kids to elderly.

Quotes from Prostitution on rise again by Alan Wilson of the Evening Telegraph.

My view is that there should be controlled zones, to avoid these sorts of problems.

Have a good weekend!

Labels: Evening Telegraph Dundee, News, Prostitutes, Sexworkers

I just do not get it. Why is it that some people do not realise that once their information is on the internet, it is public.

I have learned some things as a member of some online communities.

My view, is that if I choose not to be a lurker, I could be a target or attract varied comments, by just putting myself out there.


A British Diplomat was surprised by the responses that he got to his blog,sparked by his visits to part of Bangkok's red light district. One mistake was having his photo on the website, which was recognised.

One mistake may have been posting a picture alongside his blog on the Nation newspaper website. A number of readers said they recognised Mr Proud from Bangkok's notorious Cowboy Street sex bars.
"I recall going to the embassy once and that same night was down on Cowboy and who did I bump into? Yes, it was Ian," wrote one. Another observed: "I saw him walking arm-in-arm with a girl that could only be described as 'two-dollar whore'. I bet that girl got a visa no problem."

Visas and the refusal of requests are clearly a bugbear for those who posted comments, even though they are not Mr Proud's responsibility. Mr Proud does not deny being out on the town during his four-year stint, but adds: "I don't think there are many people here that haven't been in places like Soi Cowboy at some point. My last visit was about a year ago."

The Nation's editor, Tulsathit Taptim, is discussing with Mr Proud whether to continue the blog. "Ian loves to get the reaction and he found it really fun over the first two days."

Whether the Foreign Office will be similarly amused is another thing: Mr Proud did not anticipate the controversy so did not seek clearance.

Quotes from Blog response surprises diplomat by Ian Mackinnon for the Guardian newspaper.

I wonder what the code of conduct is for diplomats, when they are out on the town?

Is there a code for visiting Red light districts?

Labels: Blogging, guardian, News, Thoughts

I had a strange dream last night. I can remember my dreams the following day, but forget about them unless they are disturbing.

I have never had a dream that I was an escort. Well, last night I had a dream that I saw a client.

The weird thing is that he came to meet me with his daughter and bodyguard; who waited for him in another room until we were finished. His daughter paid me at the end.

Interestingly, in my dream, I was okay with this arrangement.

Outside of a dream state, this is definitely not a situation that I would like to find myself in. The prospect of a client's daughter waiting in another room, and paying me, is too much for my little brain to deal with.

The client had been ill, and wanted lots of hugs, and cried each time I hugged him. We did get to some other stuff as well, and he left me with a tip.

I have Memories, Dreams and Reflections by Carl Jung but have not got round to reading it yet.

I used to see a Homeopath. At the start of each consultation she would ask about my dreams,and how I felt about them.

Maybe it is time that I look into Carl Jung.I do not know what to make of this.

I am not making any attempt to interpret it.

Labels: Black escort, books, Thoughts

There have been howls of protest as web gurus try to banish bad behaviour, from the blogosphere.

I have to confess that I do not feel strongly about this. I guess because I am not a fan of bad behaviour.

Perhaps it was inevitable. When two leading internet pioneers came together this week to propose a set of guidelines that would filter out offensive and abusive comments from blogs, they were met by a torrent of offensive and abusive comments.

The text that has got the collective bowels moving of these and many other bloggers is a draft set of rules on introducing the concept of civility to the blogosphere. It is the combined work of Tim O'Reilly, inventor of the phrase Web 2.0 to describe the next generation of interactive communications, and Jimmy Wales, founder of the communal encyclopaedia Wikipedia.

They have posted a seven-point programme that would attempt, they say, to address the plethora of abusive comments on the web, while preserving the free spirit of the medium. Point one of the code is that anyone signing up to it would commit themselves to a "civility enforced" standard to remove unacceptable comments from their blog.

Unacceptable is defined as content that is used to abuse, harass, stalk or threaten others; is libellous or misrepresentative; or infringes copyright, confidentiality or privacy rights. Anonymous postings are also to be removed, with every comment requiring a recognised email address, even if posts are made under pseudonyms.

Point six encourages bloggers to ignore "trolls" making nasty comments that fall short of abuse or libel. "Never wrestle with a pig," is the advice. "You both get dirty, but the pig likes it."

To back up the code, they propose a "civility enforced" badge marking sites which subscribe to the guidelines, and an "anything goes" badge to denote those that do not. The proposed guidelines can be interactively amended by web users, until a final version is agreed.

The draft guidelines have prompted wide debate with varying responses. Dan Gillmor of the Centre for Citizen Media, a group devoted to grassroots media attached to Berkeley's graduate school of journalism, rejects the need for a code of conduct. He says bloggers require only one simple rule: be civil. To define unacceptable behaviour is to create a monster, he says, as "Who'd be the judge of it? The government? Libel lawyers? Uh, oh."

901am says the idea is the preserve of rabid feminists and professional victims. "Civility is subjective, and controlling what people say and do on blogs can only be a recipe for the decline of the medium and the introduction of totalitarianism online."

Quotes from Howls of protest as web gurus attempt to banish bad behaviour from blogosphere by Ed Pilkington of the Guardian Newspaper.

I can see how opinion may vary over what are unacceptable comments. I guess it becomes tricky when someone other than myself, can decide what comments I post on my blog.

I would prefer it if comments were not anonymous, but I recognise that some people are fearful of identifying themselves.

Jeff Jarvis has an interesting take on this, in his no twinkie badges post, he has some strong views.

Labels: Blogging, comments, guardian, Jeff Jarvis

Brothels in New Zealand are allowed to trade over Easter, as they provided a service rather than sold goods.

The Labour department secretary is clear about this, enough said!

Brothels cleared to open during Easter trade ban by Paul Easton of the Dominion Post.

Labels: Brothels, Dominion post, News, Prostitution laws

Well, well, well! If you work as a stripper in Florida, and turn tricks, testify against your owners; and you could get a third of their property.

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida House wants to get tough on prostitution in strip clubs.

A panel on Thursday approved a bill that would grant immunity to prostitutes for testifying against owners of strip clubs and "massage" parlors about the illegal acts the women have committed on the property. In addition, prostitutes who cooperate could get one-third of the proceeds of any forfeited property.

Famed adult entertainment defender Luke Lirot painted the scene of strip club owner who finds out a stripper has been turning tricks in a back room.

"At 4 o'clock she's told she's no longer allowed on the premises. At 4:30, she goes to the law enforcement and says, 'He knows I'm a prostitute because he just fired me.' His club is probably worth $2-million. I wouldn't mind a third of that."

Under the bill, owners and operators of adult entertainment businesses that are used to advertise, facilitate, solicit, promote or arrange for prostitution and related crimes could be convicted of a third-degree felony if they knew or should have known what was going on. The maximum penalty is five years in prison.

A prostitute would get one-third of any seized assets, with the rest going to law enforcement and state attorneys.Quotes from Prostitution bill draws some fire by Alex Leary of the St Petersburg Times.

This is the first time, that I have read anything from the US, where prostitutes are not penalised.

These are changing times!

Labels: News, Prostitutes, Prostitution laws, St Petersburg times, Strippers

I read this article that new cancer tests could do more harm than good.

The new generation of screening programmes, scanning techniques and genetic tests, which will help diagnose people with the beginnings of life-threatening cancer, will pick up on more very small, latent and benign cancers. People could face a lifetime of anxiety and a decision about whether to undergo radical surgery loading pressure on the already stretched NHS, he says. "One of the things that may happen is that in our quest to develop better and better tests for early diagnosis of cancer we will end up detecting quite a lot of cancers that were never going to do anything in the lifetime of the individual ... we also need to find better ways to find out which cancers mean business and which cancers don't," he said.

Quotes from New cancer tests could do more harm than good says specialist by Polly Curtis of the Guardian newspaper.

My reaction to this, is that I would rather live with the uncertainty. It is a difficult decision to make.

Happy Easter!

Labels: guardian, Thoughts

An email friend has inspired this post. We have had an exchange about how once you start paying for sex, it is difficult to stop.

I have met Firstimers, who claimed at the time, that it was a one off. Months later, they have seen a few more escorts, and wished they started sooner.

I know that this does not apply to everyone, but would you say that the majority of men who pay for sex, become hooked?

I think the same can apply to escorts, once you have tried it, it can be difficult to stop.

Some escorts are coming in and out of retirement all the time. It is easy for them to fall back into.

Has it become too easy?

Do you feel it has had a negative impact on your life by being a part of the industry?

I know I struggle with living a double life, but then I have also gained awareness.

Labels: Black escort, Escorts, Thoughts

I came across an article where a grieving couple committed suicide after their pet died.

I have met people who have told me, that the loss of their pet, has had more of an impact than members of their family or friends. I struggle to take them seriously.

I am still trying to understand this. I know it happens, but I guess I never see myself in that position.

I have lost a number of dogs over the years, but those losses can never compare to any friends or family that I have lost.

We all have our different ways of dealing with grief.

Labels: New zealand herald, News, pets, Thoughts

I discovered that my neighbours had moved out last week. I am so pleased.
I now can have a full night's sleep.

I have been subject to screaming, shouting, and children having boxing matches, since September last year. Not my idea of fun at all. I confronted them, and they apologised numerous times, but no change.

I contacted the landlord, and nothing was done, until I started to do it consistently. Some other tenants complained, and that seemed to put the ball in motion.

I cannot understand why some people are so inconsiderate.

Update

Myriad metamorphosis has been added to my sidebar. Pay her a visit. She makes some interesting points on how she makes the transition from whore to housewife.

Update 10th July 2007. Myriad's blog is now invitation only.

Have a good week!

Labels: Black escort, Myriad metamorphosis, Thoughts