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HIV Vaccine Trial Shows 97 Percent Effectiveness in Humans In a recent trial, a vaccine yielded success in nearly all participants, and it may be effective against other diseases. A potential HIV vaccine is showing very promising results in Phase I human trials, according to Scripps Research and IAVI, a nonprofit research organization that develops vaccines and antibodies for HIV and other diseases. The vaccine works by stimulating the production of rare immune cells that generate HIV-resistant antibodies. Such a result was found in 97 percent of human participants administered the potential vaccine. The findings were presented at the International AIDS Society HIV Research for Prevention conference in early February but have only recently generated media attention. Since HIV emerged as a pandemic in the early 1980s, scientists have been trying to figure out a way to outsmart the wily virus, which easily morphs into different strains and makes it difficult to create an effective immune response. The potential vaccine has initially shown efficacy in prompting certain cells to create antibodies that can fend off HIV in its various iterations. An HIV vaccine would have enormous global benefits; currently around 38 million people around the world are living with the disease, which can now be controlled through medication. Researchers believe the potential vaccine could yield benefits in the fight against other diseases, like malaria and influenza. The next steps with this potential HIV vaccine will be additional clinical trials. “This study demonstrates proof of principle for a new vaccine concept for HIV, a concept that could be applied to other pathogens, as well,” William Schief, Ph.D., a professor and immunologist at Scripps Research and executive director of vaccine design at IAVI's Neutralizing Antibody Center, said in a statement. “With our many collaborators on the study team, we showed that vaccines can be designed to stimulate rare immune cells with specific properties, and this targeted stimulation can be very efficient in humans. We believe this approach will be key to making an HIV vaccine and possibly important for making vaccines against other pathogens.”

Got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine about 18 hours ago. It is a single dose vaccine with an efficacy rate of about 70% compared to 95% for Pfizer and Moderna. It was a quick and easy process. They asked about any allergies you may have, and how you reacted to them. I had to wait for 15 minutes after the shot before I could leave. I didn't experience any pain at the injection spot, and so far my only reaction is a mild body ache like when you're sick. Most people I know got the Moderna vaccine as it was available sooner. Most of them complained of sore arms and more severe flu like symptoms such as chills, headaches and body aches. However, symptoms usually went away after a day at most, after taking pain killers and getting bed rest. Getting vaccinated makes me feel better because I've noticed a sense of complacency about masks and social distancing where I live, especially outdoors. I have co-workers and family who are immuno-compromised so I feel like I'm doing my part to help keep them safe.

Queer as Folk Reboot Is a Go, Will Take Place in the South Queer as Folk American cast courtesy Showtime First Manchester, then Pittsburgh, and now the Crescent City. Groundbreaking gay television show Queer as Folk is coming back to TV in a brand new way. Peacock, the streaming service from NBC and its sister channels, has given creator Stephen Dunn (Little America) a straight-to-series eight-episode order for a new take on Queer as Folk. The new version of the classic show will "explore a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy." The orginal British series was created by Russell T. Davies and starred Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly, and Charlie Hunnam as three gay men living in Manchester, England in the late 1990s. That was followed by a Showtime series, set in the American Rust Belt city of Pittsburgh, that lasted for five seasons, from 2000 to 2005. It starred Gale Harold, Randy Harrison, Peter Paige, Hal Sparks and Sharon Gless. It was one of the first American TV shows to focus on the lives of gay men; actresses Michelle Clunie and Thea Gill also portrayed a lesbian couple that's part of the men's circle. "It is a surreal honor to adapt the notoriously groundbreaking series by Russell T. Davies," Dunn said in a press release. "When the show originally aired, the idea of unapologetic queer stories on TV was so provocative that I felt I could only watch Queer as Folk in secret. But so much has changed in the last 20 years and how wonderful would it be if the next generation didn’t have to watch Queer as Folk alone in their dank basements with the sound muted, but with their family and friends and the volume cranked all the way to the max ..." Dunn recently won a GLAAD Media Special Recogniton Award for the episode "The Son" from Little America, which is an anthology series on Apple TV+. Lee Eisenberg, who worked with Dunn on that episode, will executive produce Queer as Folk, alongside Davies, his producing partner Nicola Shindler, Emily Brecht, and Richard Halliwell. The show was initially envisioned as a scripted show for Bravo, the channel known for the Real Housewives series, but ended up at Peacock. As the series is set in New Orleans, we are all hoping to see more people of color, and specifically, Black queer men, on this iteration of Queer as Folk. Including trans and more female characters (and their sex scenes!) wouldn't hurt either. But most of all, we're excited to see queer actors play roles where they can be proudly out and get the focus their stories deserve.

It is said that when the young teenage Princess Elizabeth first saw him, she decided Philip was the man she wanted to marry. Some ten years later they walked down the aisle. Neither can have had any inkling that in little more than 4 years she would become Queen. They must have assumed they could have several relatively carefree decades in front of them. But no one then knew that her father would soon become very seriously ill. The couple's life changed so quickly. How extraordinary that their love for each other should have remained constant for an astonishing 73 years. As Consort, he always had to remain behind the Queen, always playing second fiddle as it were. That he should have set aside his own ambitions for a career in the Royal Navy to remain the Queen's rock throughout her extraordinary reign is a mark of the man's service and duty. I would like to recall the Queen's words about her husband when she addressed members of parliament on the occasion of their Golden Wedding Anniversary in 1997 "He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim, or we shall ever know." May he rest in peace and may the Queen find solace in her family and friends in this time of sadness.

perhaps they are, I once almost stepped on one in Lumpini park ( of course because I was paying too much of an attention to a shapely ass of guy walking in front of me ) and she just moved away lazily without any fuss.

New Year in Fortaleza: And a Muted New Year to Everyone! I had no expectation whatsoever about any business-as-usual New Year’s celebration in Brazil. That is not why I went here in the first place. The pandemic is still very much raging, and I wouldn’t think there would be any place in the world (that accepts Americans) that would have a full-blown New Year’s celebration. So my expectations were to not to go to any parties, to not see fireworks, and not to see a lot of people comingling. But the point of me coming was to spend time with the BF, which takes the sting out of the lack of any celebrations here. As we got close to the date of my arrival to Brazil, we have been going back and forth as to where to spend the turn of the New Year. We ruled out Rio and Sao Paulo, as both cities were proactive in letting everyone early know that (a) they were taking this pandemic seriously and (b) no celebrations were to be had. So we were stuck with choices in the Northeast, and in the end, there was no place like home, and Fortaleza won out. I decided to splurge and I had us stay at the Holiday Inn Fortaleza. It was definitely more upscale than staying at an AirBNB, its across the street from Praia Iracema, and with its nice restaurant and bar and other first world creature comforts, we can celebrate the New Year in some style. Lucky for me as well, I was able to redeem those accumulated IHG points that have been left unspent during the pandemic. They usually come in handy when staying in Sao Paulo at the Intercontinental Hotel there. But in Fortaleza, the points definitely work as well: Upon arriving at the hotel, Paulo immediately whips out the cellphone and takes selfies, around the hotel sign: The hotel was decked out for the holidays, and the room we got was spacious and faced the beach. The buffet breakfast was a nice treat to have every morning, with a shit ton of breakfast items, combining American and Brazilian food. I looked forward to it everyday. And the premises were pretty nice as well, with a chill pool to hang out with. Again, Paulo took advantage of the nice surroundings and took many photos by the pool: I filmed him doing backflips and such by the pool. It was going great until he somehow hurt himself with all his exertions. It wasn’t serious or anything but the next day he felt some backpain. We go to the pharmacy to get him some pain relievers. I suggest buying some BenGay, the fairly ubiquitous pain cream (in the USA) with Menthol and Methyl Salicylate. We were in luck that the drug store we went to had it. Although the name itself made Paulo laugh out loud. On the Uber drive home, he could not resist sharing this with the Uber driver. I guess BenGay sounded exactly like “Bem Gay”. It was trully, really gay. We ran into further bad luck, as the night before the eve, we see the barriers being installed by Praia Iracema, where traditionally the fireworks will be. I guess Fortaleza is choosing the safe way out, which is to also prohibit people going to the beach and the sand on the 31st, prohibiting fireworks, and all other parties for New Year’s Eve. I guess escaping Rio got us to the same type of restrictions here. Which was fine. A relatively quiet New Year’s celebration with just the two of us, is probably the best we can do. With the saunas closed on New Year’s Eve, and the beaches closed the whole day, our options were limited. Which is why choosing to staying at a hotel was a good idea. The gym hotel was still open, the pool was still open and hopping, and walking around Praia Iracema was also a good idea on this slightly cool day. It rained in the afternoon, and when the rain stopped, it was time for us to get some dinner. Paulo wanted to go to a restaurant close to the Holiday Inn that had the best picanha steaks in Fortaleza (his words). We walk there and there was a wait. The place was packed! But finally we get to a table. We immediately order some of the freshest cairpirinha de limaos I've ever had, to start the festivities: It was the first New Year’s eve that we were spending together, and we mostly spent the time over dinner, sharing stories about Eve’s past. Paulo is a wild child, and it was no surprise to me that his idea of celebration was both very wild and very drunk. We finally get our dinner and yes, the meat was pretty tasty: We were sitting close to the road side and he noticed a family of panhandlers begging for change next to us. Mom, Dad and baby. It was a firm reminder of where we were, Brazil, and with the pandemic, I am sure this panhandling has only worsened. Paulo, with a heart as big as his cock, hailed the waiter to come to us. He asked the waiter to cook a quick picanha dinner to go and to pack it up with utensils and napkins. 15 minutes later we got the plastic bag filled with the food. He looks at me and says “don’t worry, I am paying for this.” and gives the food to the beggars. They were very grateful obviously. Afterwards Paulo tells me that he is nothing but a GP and can’t do anything to change his country. But this, he can do. Afterwards, we walk back to the Holiday Inn. It was almost midnight so we decide to head over to the pool area, where there was a terrace where people can watch the beach and the (lack) of foreworks. There were some people there but I am sure this would be more crowded pre-pandemic: The clock strikes twelve, he gives me a chaste peck in the cheek (we were in public, in Fortaleza after all). There were some people milling the sidewalk by the beach, but there were a police presence to help avoid any agglomeration. There were no fireworks at first, but then we hear some fireworks by the beach, and the police quickly race to apprehend the people who were doing this. They were serious. After the turn, we decide to join the people walking by the sidewalk. There were advisories everywhere, reminding us that we can’t gather in huge numbers, and the people were constantly in the move and sitting down was generally frowned upon: Still, Brazilians do what Brazilians do. There were some who managed to take a Bluetooth speaker to blare celebratory music, and soon people were dancing. Some vendors were selling beers too, and very discreetly so police won’t be able to apprehend them. The police can’t be everywhere after all. We took advantage of this and a couple of cans of beers later, we were definitely were having a good time. We got home at 3 AM, after taking part of some dancing some walking, some laughing. This was a fairly muted way to spend New Year’s Eve, but it was fun regardless, and Paulo was game enough to lift my spirits up, as he is always wont to do. The next day, while getting some breakfast at the hotel, we see this scribbled on a mirror by the restaurant: It says: “Here comes 365 new opportunities. Make the most of the good things to come, embrace the challenges, and overcome the difficulties.” However horrible 2020 was, the promise of the New Year, and a new chance to start again, is usually enough to make one forget of what happened in that horrible year. Even if it only lasts for a day. Next… back in Rio.

As if the poorly designed 737-Max had not had enough problems, now another one has cropped up. 16 airlines have been told that they need to address an electrical issue before the a specific group of the planes fly again. It the light of this development, I have to ask how on earth the aircraft was passed for flight again by both Boeing and the FAA. It has still not been approved by some of the world's airline regulatory authorities. Boeing will not say which airlines are affected by the electrical problem, but Southwest in the USA has already announced that it is grounding 30 of its 58 737-Max jets. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/09/business/boeing-737-max-electrical-problem/index.html

Thank the Lord.

Yes, QAF Showtime was a phenomenon back then how there'd been nothing like it on US television. What interests me is having Russell Davies involved. Would be cool if the reboot included Russell Tovey. He's worked on other Davies projects.

He stated several times that he didn’t want that, and preferred a minimum of fuss. Details of the funeral arrangements have yet to be announced but I hope his wishes are observed.

I should be so lucky as to pass peacefully at 99.

I have an opposite view from @KeepItReal. I loved the UK Series and the first episodes of the US Series. But I found the US storyline just got stretched too much. QAF was for a time and of its time. With public acceptance of homosexuality now so much more advanced in parts for the world, the "shock" value of the new series will have vanished. Plus the number of gay-themed movies has mushroomed in the last 21 years

Vinapu and Spoon thanks for the recommendations, really enjoyed them!

Fish upon the sky started today

Hundreds of thousands of Thais will be on the road as I write. Usually, the fear is that many won't arrive at their destinations owing to road accidents. Now the fear is that they will arrive.... and bring the virus with them.

Not quite as disturbing as the video from a few years back of a snake climbing up a toilet while a guy was using it. In fact, this creature looks quite friendly.

Excited to hear about those fireworks! As always Numanzu, an amazing story filled with hot steamy scenes, fireworks, information galore, and good photos.

New Year in Fortaleza: Sauna Por Dinheiro and Sauna Por Amor Kleyton was a great companion, but I was ready for my main event, which was: seeing my boyfriend in Fortaleza. I would rather be single, especially because I find myself in a land full of hot boys, but at least currently, the boyfriend has been giving me enough to work with to “suspend” my slutty self and be content, even elated, with being with him. As with any relationship, it is not perfect, and he is not perfect. But I am not as well, far from it. The heady mix of his Brazilian-ness and stubbornness with my own neuroses and headstrong tendencies has made this relationship the roller coaster it was always meant to be. But I am here for it, for now. For people who are not familiar, here is how I met the boyfriend. The odd thing is, even if he is a Garoto de Programa, and I, a very prolific client, we never really started our relationship as one of client and boy. But the fact that I am a client (for some boys) and he is a boy (for some clients) looms large in the relationship. He still works because he needs to live, and I still hire because I want the sex. Even with this, though, it somehow works. Don’t ask me how. It just does. So I have talked about Fortaleza during the pandemic here. The gist is that it is a nice enough beach city among many beach cities in the Northeast of Brazil. But experiencing it through the eyes of a local certainly elevated it to a more interesting place to be in for me. There is enough variety among the beaches here, and enough creature comforts in the city to be comfortable, and enough places to unwind and party, that it makes it one of the more versatile cities in Brazil. And everyone knows how I like things versatile. Paulo, as I call the BF here, has asked to visit him in Fortaleza over the New Year. He said that to be able to spend more time with me, he will only try get one programa per day at the sauna, which will enable us to hang out in the sauna after his work. Since it is still the pandemic, the sauna is probably the few gay spaces that are continues to be open in the city, so we would be hanging out here anyway, work or no. And there was really only one sauna worth its salt nowadays, and it is Mykonos Thermas Club. Most of my initial thoughts about Mykonos still remain. The place is spacious and open. Probably because this is Fortaleza, and it doesn’t have to contend with high rents or property prices like in Rio and Sao Paulo, but unlike the saunas there, which are sometimes old and tired (117), falling apart (202), or weirdly designed (Lagoa), Mykonos is brand spanking new, and the sauna, hydromassager/pool, even stage area and chairs, are a breath of fresh air. And thank goodness, because I do not mind spending 4 hours in a towel here, since Paulo like using all the facilities in the sauna, in one night. We would start with drinking of course, to start the night, and maybe after we would go to the sauna to sweat out some of the alcohol, and then after a quick rinse at the very public showers, we head over to the hydromassager to soak our cares and aches away. Then it was back to the bar for more drinks, and then maybe a game of pool if we wanted, or even some dancing in the stage area. All in one facility. All for 25 reais entry fee. Their flyer: And probably the main point of Fortaleza for most people is that it is cheaper than Rio. And that cheapness of course comes with it, cheaper prices for programas. Paulo says that unfortunately, most of the boys here may earn less than 100 reais per programa. Sometimes as low as 50, or even 30. And I guess you get what you pay for, because this is not 117. Gone are the wall-to-wall muscle that I crave sometimes. A lot of boy-next-door types, and some even fairly off-brand looking boys. Which is unfortunate, but everyone has to make a buck. Paulo says the a lot of the boys do a volume business. 50 reais is not a lot of money, but if you do 4 in a night, you might just get to survive another day. But there are a few choice boys in the premises. You know, those boys you would expect to find in 117 or 202 and feel that they belong. Along with Paulo, they will cost you 100 reais or more. And most of these “higher quality” boys are Paulo’s friends in the sauna. They sometimes hang out outside the sauna, and get to compare notes about clients as well. I got to meet some of these hotties this trip, and it was interesting to see both Paulo’s dynamics with these boys, and also the boy’s reaction to me. Paulo is never shy in introducing me as the BF, and I could tell that they have not seen this side of Paulo ever. They know not to approach me for a programa, even if Paulo is busy somewhere else, and even if they notice the drool on my mouth whenever I stare at them for too long. Since this was the New Year, there were a bunch of special party nights in the sauna. And indeed, the place was decked out for the occasion: I would never dare do a programa with anyone here, as long as Paulo is with me. Paulo has the trademarked Brazilian jealousy, and I know it would be trouble if I would ever want to see the extent of his jealousy. In turn, sometimes my very presence affects Paulo’s desire to work. He would oftentimes not want to work, even if he needs the money, because I was there, and he would rather spend time with me than with someone he has to pretend to like for money. And in times that he does go to his programa, he sometimes rushes things, because he didn’t want me to wait too long (both because he didn’t want me to get bored, and also I wouldn’t be tempted to get a boy for myself). And a client or two would complain because of this rushed atmosphere. Oh well. This is a typical night for us at the sauna. 25 reais for client entry. 15 reais for boy entry. 5 reais for a big bag of peanuts. And 10 reais for a generous glass of caipirinha (we got 5 this night). I never leave this place with a bill more than 100 reais. Sooooo cheap: I’ve talked about how clients get to wear white towels, and boys wear blue towels, but even while exiting the sauna, the exit card you give to security at the door is also delineated by color as well. Quite cute, I think: Mondays in Fortaleza though, are GP sauna-free. There are two other GP saunas in Fortaleza: California and Dragon, and even those were closed on Mondays. But Paulo still wanted to go to a sauna with me, but to a regular gay sauna, one that prohibited GPs in their premises. So we would go there only as a couple, and not as boy and client, to just have a good time. Paulo admits that this is new to him, actually wanting to go to a gay establishment. But he said he did want to go to a place both to drink and to be close to me, and he is not ready to do that in general public. So in search of a gay space, he wanted to try the regular gay sauna Rommeo. We were in luck today, as it was 2-for-1 entry at the sauna: We get to the door and after security approves of our appearance, we get to the entrance and get our keys to the locker. We enter the premises and immediately see 4 rows of big lockers. We were given teeny-tiny towels to wear. Paulo tries one on and you can see the half of his soft penis dangling past below the towel. “This won’t do,” Paulo laughs. Paulo will not stand for these bitch towels, so he got us regular seized towels to wear. I am thrilled at the sight of Paulo’s penis just dangling out of the towel, but I guess he is less amused. Besides, he said, people usually pay him to see his penis. Why give it away for free? We, and Paulo’s penis, all get squared away, as we head to the bar area. At 9 PM, the place was hopping. Lots of male flesh, lots of gays. Most are boys-next-door but some are a tier above that. Paulo, as he does usually, stands out with his awfully muscular torso, 8-pack and manicured beard. He has garnered attention here for sure, moreso than he does in public. He was uneasy at first, but the alcohol, and my gentle back rubs, slowly ease him into relaxing to enjoy the night. Overall it was a nice space. I remember it being two floors, with the first floor having the bar area, some tables, some bathrooms and places to sit. Upon going up the big staircase, there were the dark rooms and semi-private rooms if you wanted to do the nasty. Some more showers and some places to sit. It was definitely a nice playground for anyone looking to ogle at some man flesh, or even try the (apparently) free merchandise, if that suited your fancy. We went into the darkroom to make out. Paulo pinned me to the wall and we started kissing and touching. After a few minutes he said “let’s switch places” he said. So he leans on the wall and we continue. “Why did you want to be on the wall?” I asked. Because people were touching him as they walked by he said. It made him uncomfortable. Maybe having sex in a sauna in full view of people was not his thing. I was able to get him hard though, but it was not the place for us to do this fully and completely. But it was nice to try. We decided to just go back downstairs and drink and talk and gossip about the people in the sauna. Paulo was still dipping his toe in these things, so maybe going full on gay sauna was not for him at the moment. And I am far from the exhibitionist myself, so maybe a sauna is not for the both of us. But it was fun to try, and on a Monday night, it was the only thing to try. We head home to the apartment. And that’s where the true fireworks began. Next… New Year’s fireworks, or lack thereof.

Here goes my tribute. https://ilikepinga.com/2021/04/03/daddy-has-died/

it will be fun when guys get a fetish for fucking unvaccinated dudes

Banana is the best!

RIP Prince Philip. You spent your life committed to serving your country and the commonwealth and stood by the Queen through thick and thin. Thoughts and prayers are with the family.