If you ever get on CraigsList you may discover more and more massage or “money needed” ads in the mainstream section of the personals.  The men seeking men or the casual encounters posts are free to post but the erotic services posts actually required you give them your credit card information.  I looked on there today and when you try and make a post it came to a error page so I guess they have already taken the ability to post away but leaving up the remaining massage service providers.

We are speaking of a site that is 14-years-old and generates more than 20 billion page views per month in 50 countries and has had one murder case in Boston change the entire category for every city.  I know the Rick Sanchez and Bill O’s have been bitching for weeks about it but they are looking for an excuse to have the sections removed.  They scrape through the news everyday to find things they feel are not acceptable for others they feel should be changed.  The real wanna-be gods of our generation…because we are not adult enough to do things ourselves.

The section is not completely removed though.  It is now a Adult section under Personals in which the service providers pay a $10 fee and approved ads will be eligible for reposting at $5.  The ads will be approved by a person which will be different from the algorithm they used before.

On this same subject I watched Elliott Spitzer speak on Prostitution with Rachel Maddow yesterday and in the interview Spitzer answered as if prostitution was a victim crime and it should not be legal (but yet it was for him to take part in it).  Whether it is massage with a happy ending or more physical intercourse I think that prostitution really is not a crime that has a victim.  It is two adults consenting and unless someone is being forced into having sex like they do in some countries as slaves or such then there should be nothing wrong with it.

A forbidden fruit takes us to that purple color of the rainbow that some sources say could help out in so many ways.  You should always be on the lookout for the next best thing when it comes to your health and we hope we spotted something that is not just some fad.  The acai berry (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) can be found in juices, energy drinks and supplements. The acai berry grows on a specific type of Amazonian palm tree, the Acai palm. Acai palms also produce some of the hearts of palm harvested in this region. The flavor of the berry is typically described as a combination of red wine and chocolate and the natural sugar levels are quite low.

Is the acai berry really a superfood? Extreme claims about this berry suggest that it has cancer fighting powers, can speed up weight loss and metabolism, slow aging and improve overall health. Even conservative analysis shows high concentrations of antioxidants, vitamins, and essential fatty acids.

Studies have shown that there are highly bioavailable antioxidants in acai berries, in quantities 10 times higher than those of red grapes and 10 to 30 times higher than red wine. The berry contains a balance of amino acids ideal for good muscular health. Specifics on the antioxidant absorption of acai berries can be found at Science Daily online. The essential fatty acids in these berries contain monounsaturated oleic acid, similar to olive oil. High levels of protein and fiber make this an excellent addition to any diet. The theobromine in these berries does cause a mild stimulant effect for some people.

While the acai berry is clearly a nutritionally dense and well balanced food, can it stand up to the miracle superfood and health claims suggested by some? While it has been called the #1 superfood in the world, there is not yet any proof that adding acai berry juice or pulp to your diet will not change your life or health in dramatic or amazing ways. There have been a few promising studies, including a University of Florida study that showed that acai berries triggered a self destruct response in cancer cells; however, this was just a cell culture study.  More information is available at University of Florida site.  Further studies may show additional benefits to these berries, but many of the claims are currently unfounded.

Acai berry is certainly a healthy addition to your diet, whether you opt for pulp or juice. There is, however, no proof that you will lose weight, change your health or live longer because you drink juice containing acai berries or take acai berry supplements. As is true of most foods, it is best to consume the food as opposed to supplements containing the food.

The Defense of Marriage Act and lack of federal marriage rights impact gays and lesbians across the country in so many ways. These range from basic day to day issues to problems and legalities that can be destructive to relationships and lives. There are some 1,049 legal rights and responsibilities conferred with marriage under federal law, and approximately 400 more conveyed by the states. Even in states with legalized gay marriage or civil unions, lack of the ability to legally marry at a federal level penalizes gay families financially and personally. Federal income taxes, social security, inheritance laws, immigration regulations and more are all significant issues integrally connected to legalized federally recognized gay marriage. Some of these rights can be granted by private entities or legal documents, but others cannot.

Some of the most significant of these rights and benefits are largely financial or property rights. Without the protections of legal marriage, couples are not be entitled to survivor’s benefits, pension rights, medicaid, income tax exemptions and deductions and certain veteran’s benefits. In the case of the loss of a partner, inheritance is not automatic and property may be held up in probate even if a will is present or ownership was joint. Couples also lack the rights of legal divorce, including property division laws.

In personal and family terms, without legal marriage rights, adoption and child custody issues are problematic. Child support may not be legally mandated during a break up. Children of the relationship, if not legally adopted or biological, will not be entitled to survivors’ benefits and other rights. Bereavement, maternity and paternity leave, and sick leave are not legally protected outside of marriage. In case of a medical crisis or the death of a partner, marriage confers automatic next of kin status and the right to make all medical and end of life decisions. Immigration law impacts many couples and families. A married citizen can legally sponsor their spouse for legal status or citizenship. Gay couples have no such option and in some cases end up opting to live outside the US or separately.

In the courts, gay individuals may have less protection against domestic violence. Judicial protections and spousal immunity only apply to legal marriages. Wrongful death benefits, including the right to sue, only apply to the legal next of kin.

The full repeal of DOMA and federal recognition of same-sex marriages will allow couples across the country to access federal marriage rights, even if their own states do not support or allow for gay marriages. This offers the potential for equality for all couples and families in terms of both financial and legal rights.

Summer is just a month away and the temperature is heating up but have no fear you will have plenty of underwear to choose from to look sexy. Things are really getting hot in the underwear space as we already have hot brands such as Aussie Bum, Andrew Christian, and extremely hot Diesel briefs. We can add another to the list with Disco Valante which launched its online store of trendy briefs for men. The model for Disco Valante underwear is breathtaking and kind of takes my eyes off the underwear and onto him. He is half Greek, half Puerto Rican, NYC heartthrob Greg Partsinevelos.

We can see how this new line of underwear looks on the dark-skinned Puerto Rican hottie but what about on a skinny white boy? Well you can send in your photos to the website at discovalante.com wearing their products and be featured in the sightings section where you could be rated.

The company was founded by a Active duty naval officer. Nicholas Cassadine, a US Naval Academy graduate, also runs a Jock muscle protein supplement business marketed towards gays.

One of our readers sent in an interesting article today regarding the Swine Flu and HIV.  The media is hyping up this Swine flu thing bigger than the end of the world and I am sure there are many in the GLBT community panicking right now.  We try and find things on this blog that are real issues with the GLBT community and this is something that may be of concern as the news is breaking with new Swine flu cases and deaths everyday.

The article sent to us is from The Body (thebody.com).  They basically said that there is no need to panic if you have HIV and are worried about contracting the Swine Flu anymore than someone without HIV or AIDS.  You are not a special case and there is no emergent need to take any special precaution.

I’ve been reassuring my patients that they don’t really have to think about this flu differently than anyone else. And that’s in part because most of my patients are on HIV treatment and have undetectable viral loads and have decent CD4 counts. So for them, it really is not a special issue. It’s an issue we all have to be concerned about.

There was also a good question asked if the drugs Tamiflu and Relenza would interact with current HIV meds:

No, the drug can be used with antiretrovirals. There are no significant drug interactions. It can be used with the drugs we commonly use to treat or prevent pneumonia. So that really should not be a concern, but do keep in mind that if you were to develop flu and then develop pneumonia — of course by then, I hope you would be under the care of a doctor — that Bactrim [co-trimoxazole] may not be the right drug. So Bactrim’s a good drug for pneumocystis, but not a great drug for the types of pneumonia that might complicate flu.

I actually read two really good articles on the Swine Flu today one from Bottom line magazine that said to take some immune boosting supplements.  Keeping your immune system strong at a time like this is vital to staying away from this Swine Flu outbreak.  Actually turning down the TV to something other than Swine Flu news might also boost your immune system.  The media hype may not be too good either!

Some natural health fighting ways for ANYONE to stay away from the Swine Flu are to take Selenium, Vitamin C and D, and Lomatium dissectum, a member of the parsley family.   Selenium is the essential trace mineral is a valuable antioxidant that prevents cell damage from free radicals.

Selenium helps the immune system recognize viruses and block them from entering cells, explains Dr. Rubman. He recommends a dose of 400 micrograms (mcg) to 500 mcg a day divided into three parts — that is about four times the usual.

This doctor also advises to wash your hands a lot and to make sure you sneeze into a napkin or tissue instead of your own germ filled hands.  Another thing that caught my eye is the concoction he made up with Red Hot Chili peppers:

Another of Dr. Rubman’s flu-fighting favorites is a spicy tea concocted from echinacea, goldenseal, slippery elm bark and just a touch of the red-hot pepper capsicum. Echinacea, goldenseal and capsicum team up to fight off germs, while slippery elm allows the tea to coat the back of the throat, where viruses are most likely to take hold.

Here’s how to make it: At your local health-food store, purchase one-half ounce of powdered goldenseal root… one-half ounce of powdered echinacea root (not the whole plant)… two ounces of slippery elm bark powder… and one teaspoon of capsicum.

At home, put ingredients in a brown paper bag or plastic baggie, close tightly and shake. Transfer the contents to a screw-top jar. Give this jar a shake each time you use it in order to remix the ingredients.

To make the tea, pour one cup of very hot water into a mug over one-half teaspoon of the powder.

Maybe its safer to be prepared for this outbreak or we are all reacting too crazily and panicing.  A part of me thinks this is mostly media ratings hype and they could not have begged for something more dramatic to talk about.  I mean they asked Paris Hilton about it (TMZ) but showed it on the local Fox News.  Closing down schools and quarantining people is way out of hand.  When they are quarantining people they have taken things too far.  One thing we must realize is we have messed with nature so much that things like this will happen and we better get used to big challenges - we have treated animals so badly with hormones and made plants/seeds hybrid (thanks monsanto) and put so many pesticides into the ground among loosing so much of our natural surroundings.  We all might want to think about a stockpile of food and water for any kind of emergency where we are not able to go into public.

What if you catch Swine Flu?  There is a natural remedy that the big pharmaceutical companies do not tell you about:Classical Homeopathy (Medical Guides to Complementary and Alternative Medicine.)

We plan to do some research on this subject and bring you all of the top gay iPhone Applications but until then lets bring you some that we do know about.  Everyone I know has an Iphone these days.  At least most of my friends, co-workers, and classmates.  I have been holding out for the new Palm Pre from Sprint and hoping that it will have some gay applications as well for these.

Here are some popular iPhone Apps:

1.  Grindr - At GetGrindr.com you can download the app to meet guys near you on your iPhone.  Sort of like a Manhunt.net for the iPhone addicts.

2. The Gay Community App - launched in Sydney, Australia earlier this year has generated a buzz around the world.  This is a unique iPhone App allowing users to chat and meet like-minded people in their communities they live in or travel to.  It works by using the iPhones GPS and navigation to let them know whats going on in the local gay scene, make new friends, and possibly find a hottie near you.

You can find this download for the iPhone at gaycommunityapp.com or in the Apple iTunes App Store.  One of the neat things this app has is that it has a Gaydar search listing other app users by distance from your location or from one that you specify.  Facebook and twitter style profile updates.  There is a buddy list to keep track of people and location mapping system via Google Maps.

3.  G.I.R.L. Dance Radio - I at first thought this was a lesbian radio station only but I guess it means gay as in all gays and just an acronym for the G.I.R.L.  But if you want an Iphone application free with streaming of hot dance music you should download the Gay Internet Radio Live app which gives you a 128k and 64k stream.  They even have an instant feedback link to email station DJ’s.  The song information is displayed on your iPhone on each track so you can buy it when you get home and goto MasterBeat or from your phone.  This is great for working out and not having to hear the same dance playlist you always had.

4. Gaycities - iPhone app to rate gay-friendly bars, hotels, clubs, and beaches worldwide.

5.  MyGayGo - coming soon from publishers of Frontiers and IN

6. Yelp - not a gay app but you can add all your gay friends on here and get the best restaurants in the United States when you travel.  Does not work yet for France where you damn well need it.  I had one of the worst Mexican food dishes there (hey they told me it was Tex-Mex I was a “tourist”)!

7.  Pride - free app that turns the screen into a rainbow flag that fades away into the word PRIDE.  For those of you who get amused by screen savers and 80s videos.  Seems like you could do this with a Nokia phone why need an iPhone?

8. Skout is a personals site offering a iphone app you can use on your new iPhone 3GS.  You can download it free at boyahoy.com.

I hope they develop some of these same applications for the new Palm Pre coming out in May.  The Pre is set to be the next best thing to the iPhone for those of us Sprint users.

The front page of AOL news today linked off to some blog that asked if America would vote for a gay American Idol.  They even featured a poll asking if people would vote for a gay American Idol and a poll asking if Adam Lambert is gay.  Seriously?  They act as if their has never been a gay idol before.  And I do not mean from the TV show American Idol.  We all know Clay Aiken and others almost made it to the Idol.  I doubt Ruben Studdard won because Clay was gay acting it was more likely the psychology of people thinking others were calling in for Clay so they did not bother… but who knows.

And as for gay idols there have been many in America.  Come to think of it when you think of music and acting almost the higher percentage is gay.  So why are the talking heads like Bill O’Reilly blubbering that its shocking that Adam Lambert could be gay.  Big deal he had some pics online of him making out with other guys on Myspace or some social network.  Who cares? I never knew there was a law against making out.

The media is so set on shocking people and trying out out people.  We should be focused on the quality of the talent and not the reputation from the media.  Of course what else will people like Bill O’Reilly do for his ratings if he can’t diss on gays or MSNBC.

Adam Lambert’s Myspace is private so you can’t peek inside unless he adds you as a friend and it seems he has not even signed in since February.  His being gay is no ones business but some of us gays want to know because it does mention single on his profile :).

Adam is the best thing that has happened to American Idol in a long time.  I Tivo the show each night and would be highly disappointed if he got voted off somehow.  He brings talent to the show of someone with creativity we do not see often and he is 27 years old.  Not only would it be nice for a gay person to win assuming hes gay but it would be nice for someone in their higher age group to win.

His favorite artists include Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Pink.  Three divas that are the best things to happen to music.  When he came on stage to do the Mad World song it was like Elvis had walked on stage.  He is such a great performer and I look forward to next week.

Is Adam Lambert Gay?  Judge for yourself.  Life has mystery for a reason.  It’s shocking to me that people search more about peoples personal lives than their actual talent such as their videos perfoming.

There were thousands of books removed from the sales rankings at Amazon.com mostly due to a new computer program.  Most of the titles seem to be gay and lesbian books such as Heather Has Two Mommies, a book by Ellen Degeneres, The Dictionary of Homophobia, Brokeback Mountain, and many more.  Amazon claims they are not censoring out gay and lesbian books but some have their doubts because they continued to rank the heterosexually-themed books with explicit sexual content including Playboy: The Complete Centerfolds and the graphic novel Lost Girls by Alan Moore.

Has Amazon turned into the new Wal-Mart when it comes to censoring music and books?   Amazon claims this is a computer glitch and all of the books will be re-listed in the top sales rankings.  If we see anything happen like this again we need to investigate the situation more and evaluate if a major boycott of Amazon needs to take place.  Until we find out more on the situation you should get your books from gay friendly bookstores in your local cities.  It is a shame so many historic gay bookstores have went out of business such as the Crossroads in Dallas and the Oscar Wilde Bookshop closed down just last month.  We have got to support our gay neighborhoods and bookstores or they will close down and who will look out for our rights then?

You can still buy most of these books at Amazon.com but the high sales come from them being rated higher.   Publications can rarely survive if they have no rankings.

Maybe the organic air is from their new Antartacia store opening but they are now selling bottles for only $6.99.  I just got my friend worked up over this before he figured out it was an April Fools Joke.  I told someone earlier that I was on my way to buy this new organic air from Whole foods.  He said it was not practical and asked me if I would be wearing a mask attached to a tank saying there was no way to fill a room with air bought from a store.  Very true and the fact that a few squirts of clean air in the nose would do nothing compared to what we breathe the rest of the day.

OK, but what about the new store opening in a place where it would be almost impossible to live (with the cute penguins pictured).  Or the spiders they are giving away at the Tulsa store with each banana purchase.  Hey this was a good one since there was a spider finding the Tulsa Whole foods that looked like an exotic deadly spider.

This all came to me in an email earlier today and for some reason I actually read the deals in the email when I normally do not.  They caught me on a good day.  April 1st.. the most creative april fools joke i have seen yet today.  Whole foods is my favorite place to shop–One of the first things I look for if I move is to have a Whole Foods near me!

I found this Craig’s List post amusing today because they were giving up their Marc Jacobs purse for a pair of Britney tickets.  Really?  Really? They may have to give up their purse and a few Ben Franklin’s inside the purse if they wish to score some Britney Spears concert tickets.

Perez Hilton claims her show was all a lip sync but I have heard others say its an awesome show and that most of the seats are good seats because the way the show is setup in the round seating.  Which I normally do not care for Round seating.

If you got some Britney Tickets there is no telling what people are willing to give up to get them.  Just check your local Craigs Listing =)