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Sex sells, but does it when the price of almost everything has gone up?

Sex worker Jenna Love is a Sydney, Australia-based escort, and shes currently watching her industry adapt to these strained financial times.

When you are a sex worker, you are relying on people having a disposable income, so Ms. Love saw the cost of living crisis coming from a mile away.

We feel the pinch with this stuff quite early on, she said.

Theres no denying that plenty of people are financially strapped at the moment.

The US also continues to grapple with inflation, with the rate currently at nearly 3%.

People are cutting back on expenses, with a recent CNBC and Morning Consult Poll finding that 92% of US consumers are spending less.

So where does that leave sex workers?

If people cant justify mince, can they justify paying for intimacy? The answer is complicated.

Ms. Loves unique job gives her insight into the general vibe of wealth in Australia. For instance, she flagged when the building industry was drying up way before anyone was writing about construction companies collapsing.

She simply noticed she was booking less appointments with tradies paying in cash.

She also flagged early the trend of Gen Z staying at home longer after chatting with her younger clients.

People in their twenties, they dont see how they could move out.

Given Ms Love makes a living by dealing with people and often people at their most vulnerable shes very aware of how the cost of living is impacting her clients, and therefore her and the sex industry in Australia.

Across the broader sex industry, Ms Love knows from speaking with other sex workers that times are tough, and people arent making the money they used to.

People are pretty worried.

If you have regulars, you will get through, but if you arent established, its a real struggle, she told news.com.au.

The nature of sex work is to make yourself seem desirable and in-demand.

Its basic marketing, but it means you are never going to see an escort reveal shes having trouble getting enough private bookings to make rent, and that means even when things are tough, the sex industry looks misleadingly glamorous.

Lots of people in my industry are struggling at the moment, I speak to women who are getting only one booking a month, she said.

You arent going to put on your marketing that you are doing really poorly. We have got to put out this image that we are really successful.

For every OnlyFans success story, Ms Love knows plenty of sex workers who are currently barely making rent.

A spokesman from Scarlet Alliance, the Australian Sex Workers Association Sex workers, confirmed that sex workers are feeling the pinch during the cost of living crisis.

We face the same inflationary pressures as all other workers including increasing costs for food, mortgages or rents, electricity, and so on.

The spokesman said sex workers are in a more vulnerable position than other Aussie workers.

Due to stigma, discrimination, and criminalization in some states and territories, sex workers may find it harder to access government and other supports. We saw this during the COVID-19 response, and we encourage any sex worker doing it tough to get in touch with their local sex worker organization for support and appropriate referrals.

Ms Love explains shes in a lucky position in the industry because shes an established sex worker and has regulars, but even shes noticed a shift in her demand and bookings.

Yes, she has her regulars, but some have cut back from coming once a week to once a month or fortnight.

Theres been a reduction, she tells news.com.au.

I used to be heavily booked and have a waitlist, and Im not in that position these days. But I do still have enough bookings.

A single hour spent with Ms Love will set you back $600 ($420 USD), but shes not planning to lower her rates.

Remember the price of tomatoes?

While she understands if clients cant afford to keep visiting her, shes not prepared to lower her costs at a time when all her personal bills are going up.

She does offer a cuddles and chat option, which is only $250 ($165 USD) per hour, but that service involves no sex.

It was an idea that stemmed from the pandemic when she realised how many people were just starved of touch, and something shes kept on as the cost of living pressures increase.

It was also in my mind because things were starting to get tough for us all, well, most of us besides the 1 per cent.

So does she think sex work is drying up? Well, no.

Ms Love thinks there will always be a demand for intimacy and human connection, but the bigger question is will Aussies keep being able to pay for it?

Sex sells, but you have to be able to afford it.

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MLB: Iassogna crew chief, plate umpire for ASG

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MLB: Iassogna crew chief, plate umpire for ASG

NEW YORK — Dan Iassogna will be the umpire crew chief and work the plate during Tuesday night’s All-Star Game at Atlanta’s Truist Park.

His crew will include Marvin Hudson at first, Chris Segal at second, Jansen Visconti at third, Jeremie Rehak in left and Erich Bacchus in right, Major League Baseball said Thursday.

Iassogna, 56, will work his second All-Star Game. He was at third base for the 2011 game at Arizona.

He worked his first big league game in 1999, was hired to the major league staff in 2004 and appointed a crew chief ahead of the 2020 season. Iassogna umpired the World Series in 2012, ’17 and ’22 along with eight League Championship Series and seven Division Series.

Segal, Visconti, Rehak and Bacchus will work their first All-Star Games and Hudson his second after being in left field in 2004 at Houston.

Tony Randazzo will be the replay umpire in New York.

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A’s Rooker joins list of HR Derby participants

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A's Rooker joins list of HR Derby participants

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Athletics slugger Brent Rooker is adding his name to the list of Home Run Derby participants.

Rooker announced Thursday that he’s participating in the event, which takes place Monday in Atlanta. He will become the first Athletics player in the Home Run Derby since Matt Olson in 2021.

“Competing in the Home Run Derby has always been a dream of mine,” Rooker said in an Instagram post. “Can’t wait to make it happen next week in Atlanta! See ya there!”

Rooker, 30, entered Thursday with a .270 batting average, 19 homers and 50 RBIs, putting him on pace for a third straight season of at least 30 homers. He went deep 30 times in 2023 and had 39 homers in 2024.

His 58 homers since the start of the 2024 season rank him third among all American League players.

The only A’s to win the Derby were Mark McGwire in 1992 and Yoenis Céspedes in 2013 and 2014.

Other announced participants include Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr., Minnesota’s Byron Buxton, Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh and Washington’s James Wood.

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O’s trade reliever Baker to Rays for draft pick

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O's trade reliever Baker to Rays for draft pick

BALTIMORE — The Orioles traded right-handed reliever Bryan Baker to AL East rival Tampa Bay on Thursday in exchange for the 37th overall pick in the 2025 MLB amateur draft, a sign that one of baseball’s most disappointing clubs could be sellers at the upcoming trade deadline.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias wouldn’t completely commit to that idea. Speaking to reporters before Thursday’s split doubleheader against the New York Mets, he cited the 2024 Detroit Tigers, who traded players off their major league roster but held on to ace Tarik Skubal and then surged into a playoff spot.

Elias did, however, acknowledge the possibility of selling on a day that began with last-place Baltimore (40-50) sitting 12½ games behind the division-leading Toronto Blue Jays and seven out of the final AL wild-card spot.

“I think it’s a step in that direction,” said Elias three weeks before the July 31 deadline. “There’s no way around that. The timing of the draft, and when you have draft picks involved in the trades, kind of front-loads these decisions, and it’s earlier than my comfort level. But we thought it was a really good return and a good trade for everyone. So, we did it.”

The draft begins Sunday. In a corresponding move, the Orioles selected the contract of catcher David Bañuelos from Triple-A Norfolk.

After a dreadful start that brought the May dismissal of manager Brandon Hyde, the Orioles have steadied under interim skipper Tony Mansolino, playing to a 21-14 record since a loss to St. Louis on May 28.

Baker was a solid part of that, posting a 3.52 ERA, striking out 49 batters and posting a 1.096 WHIP in 38⅓ innings as the setup man for closer Felix Bautista.

“This is a team that is moving in the right direction, and we still have a lot of time left before the deadline, but this was a trade with the draft coming up in a couple days that we had to make a decision on,” Elias said. “We didn’t want to pass up on the opportunity. Hopefully, we can use the pick wisely, bring a lot of value back, and Bryan’s going to a good place.”

Mansolino is also hoping his team will get replenishments in the form of players eventually returning from the injured list. That sizable group includes several possible starting pitchers: Grayson Rodriguez (shoulder), Albert Suarez (shoulder), Tyler Wells (elbow) and Kyle Bradish (Tommy John surgery).

Meanwhile, Baltimore will now have four of the first 37 and seven of the first 93 draft picks.

“All the drafts are important, but when you have this amount of picks, it becomes more important, there’s no question about it,” Elias said. “There’s just a much bigger opportunity ahead of us, and the draft is a lifeblood for our franchise.”

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