Archive for the ‘Justin Bieber’ Category

A deadly dating game.

A boom in the popularity of gay dating Apps for smart phones has contributed to record high levels of HIV infection in Hong Kong, some Aids prevention workers believe. But is technology or poor sex education at the root of the epidemic? Simon Parry and Hazel Knowles report.

It takes only two or three taps on the screen of a smart phone before the picture of a bare-chested young man pops up. John is 25, he’s single, he’s looking for friends, dates and fun, he’s online now and he’s less than a mile away.

This is the new face of gay dating in Hong Kong. Male-only smart phone applications like Grindr that use global positioning technology to put homosexuals in touch have taken over from saunas and bars as the favored way for a new generation of gay men to source partners.

John’s profile is relatively tame. Others on Grindr are explicit, and make it clear precisely what the person within range is seeking and that in many cases he wants a fast, no-strings-attached sexual encounter.

Of the 131 quarterly infections in April to June, 65 were MSM infections and at least some of the 37 infections of so-far undetermined source were expected to fall into the same category, he said. The figure is both the highest quarterly number and ratio of MSM infections on record.

By contrast, Wong said, the trend for heterosexual infections had remained stable in recent years. “The MSM epidemic is a big challenge in HIV prevention and control,” he said, with rates many times higher than other at-risk groups.

Most infections in the MSM community result from unprotected sex. “I am not sure why but maybe some members in the (MSM) community are just ambivalent. They don’t have enough awareness or concern about the risk of infection, or they just ignore the issue,” said Wong.

In contrast to Grindr’s rapid popularity, the Department of Health’s mobile app targeting MSM has picked up few followers so far, Wong admitted.

The most effective way to tackle the epidemic, however, he said, was through safe sex education and regular HIV testing – something currently done by around 40 percent of Hong Kong’s MSM population.

“If safe sex can be taught at an early age, it is useful for future protection,” Wong said. “Interestingly, from the surveys we have done, we found that condom use when an MSM first has sex is correlated with consistent condom use in future.

“We don’t know why but this finding is quite consistent. So it would be useful if they could be taught to use condom when they have sex when they are still quite young.”

Paul Ramscar, a Hong Kong businessman and gay rights advocate who is launching a Pink Dollar smart phone app to promote gay-friendly bars, shops, nightclubs and restaurants, said it would be wrong to single out Grindr for blame in the rise in HIV cases.

“It’s a tragedy when this happens to someone but ultimately the buck stops with the individual. They need to be looking after their own health,” he said. “If they want to take the risks, if they want to play what is effectively Russian Roulette by not using a condom, then maybe there are going to be consequences.”

Justin Bieber Holds Selena Gomez’s Hand In Puerto Rico — Cute New Pic

Justin was with Selena in Puerto Rico this week to show some international love.

Justin Bieber may be back in the states now, but he and Selena Gomez were enjoying some couple time in Puerto Rico on Jan. 23, and one lucky fan captured their PDA first-hand! Though you can’t see her face in this photo, Selena is following closely behind Justin as they make their way through the airport en route to the U.S. He’s always protecting her!

Selena performed in Puerto Rico on Jan. 22, flashing quite a bit of leg in a sexy on-stage ensemble.

Earlier that day, Justin tweeted a photo of himself sleeping at the airport — clearly excited to fly to Puerto Rico to see Selena!