No condoms for the enlightened

Still from "Cowboys in Paradise".

Beth A. caught "Cowboys" and wrote in to say:

"... horrified by the scene where the man says some yoga practitioners tell him not to use condoms cos his energy is clean. WTF! Really hope you told him about the risks of sexually transmitted diseases."

Wasn't my place to mount the soapbox. It's clear from that scene that most Cowboys know the risks. He certainly did, but he goes on to tell us why he doesn't get tested!

Credit where it's due: Bali authorities and AusAID are doing a fair bit to raise HIV/STD awareness. But given the power dynamic in these relationships, I think the fight is most effective when the tourists take the lead and insist on playing safe. No Cowboy would refuse to wear a condom if his lover insisted he did.

Meanwhile, to the women he referred to, I say thanks a fat bunch for desecrating yoga with your stupidity.

Two million new cinemas (and counting)

The Lazarus Effect, a new documentary produced by Spike Jonze, follows four people whose lives were saved by antiretroviral drugs. The 30-min film aired on HBO and Channel 4 (UK), and is now available for viewing on YouTube.

Facebook and Twitter are being harnessed to drive publicity for the film. I know, surprise surprise. But this next bit, while not a first, is worthy of note. Via Mashable:

"In addition to being available on YouTube, (RED) will release a free iPad app... in conjunction with the film. The app will contain the full-length film, as well as additional information about how antiretroviral drugs work and photos of the transformative effect that ARVs have had in Africa. The app will also include ways for users to take action by joining (RED) or lobbying governments."

Video content on a small personal screen? Not new. But the screens have gotten bigger (compared to mobile phones) while still managing to remain personal.

Now consider: Apple sold 2 million iPads in the first two months since its launch. That's just in the US alone. Combine that with what others in the product category are moving and you've got a whole lot of personal cinemas out there. That we're going to consume more content off these devices is a no-brainer. Whether we can refrain from touching the screens with our popcorn-butter-fingers remains to be seen.

"The coming tsunami"

Back in 2008, Dr Nyoman Karmaya, Chairman of the Committee for Combating AIDS (KPAD), spoke of "the coming tsunami of HIV/AIDS sufferers threatening to drown and overwhelm (Bali)."

"Putu Cantik" posted this link on our FB page recently. The numbers just got grimmer.

There are 7,317 confirmed HIV/AIDS cases in Bali. This is twice the number from three years ago, a rate of increase far worse than the previous estimate of 30% every two years.

The report identifies the usual high-risk groups: sex workers, needle users, wives and children of men who visit brothels, and prisoners (?). Missing from the count, again, are the beach boys, underscoring the difficulty health officials in Bali and similar destinations face in monitoring an acknowledged high-risk group.

Certainly, the Cowboys should not be forced to undergo mandatory check-ups. (To the government's credit, they're not.) And as one commenter pointed out to me, totally out of context, of course: "They know how to use condoms."

Sure they do! But as the film reveals, like adults everywhere, they sometimes choose not to. Worse, it's often because that's what their partners want. Partners who also know how and why to use condoms, by the way.