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I enjoy devised a package (below) to human race interpolated the Peoria parish this may notice verge on with the advance makers at OSF. If element of you comprise contacts with discrepant medical centers nearby the U.S. this would think over operating on these girls, please say me. Pictured is Katina with her make. I fondness forward globes of Jenny together with Heureuse likewise. Thank you. May, 2008 Dear ------------, Seeing 1995, Haitian Hearts has brought midst 125 babies, children, and young adults to the United States as surgery. Most of the surgery has been cardiac surgery. Haiti does not bear the technology to mainly to boot reliably maintain cardiac patients who letch for sophisticated heart-lung circumnavigation capabilities. OSF typical Haitian Hearts patients betwixt the 1990’s still their young lives were designed better with the skilled supports, perfusionists, likewise physicians inserted Peoria. OSF was reproduction their mission statements mid Haitian Hearts donated seeing 1.1 hundred dollars to OSF-Children's Dump of Illinois Because the medical ear offered the Haitian children. Subsequent I was fired from OSF centrally located 2001, the medical sentiment spokesperson informed the Peoria masses that Haitian Hearts would survive flush though I was perfected. However, bounded by 2002, truly funding from OSF over Haitian Hearts was stopped ended OSF additionally the American Consulate separating Haiti was notified over OSF to deny module further visas thanks to Haitian Hearts children with cardiac reasons to get in to Peoria’s OSF. At intervals 2003, I was notified finished OSF’s legal counsel (Hinshaw-Culbertson) that OSF would not favor slab supporting patients referred settled me conjointly this included Haitian Hearts patients. (I was notified then done the exact lawyer intervening 2006 that OSF would remain standing their Haitian Hearts embargo.) Unfortunately, two young Haitian outfit this were operated at OSF enclosed by the late 90’s to boot returned to Haiti, became ill enclosed by Haiti. I treated both enclosed by Haiti due to pronounced culminations of year but both requisite alternative heart surgery to attach in gear. Both were denied bad news at OSF medially spite of the wishes of their local central Illinois outfit families moreover physicians this mainstayed for them. Both patients died slighter feelings surgery. Their Haitian conjointly American families were devastated. How could that wake up? Due to I contain three young women Heureuse, Jenny, plus Katina this were operated at OSF. Altogether insufficience additionally sentiment surgery. If Heureuse dies, she cupidity leave two children negative than 5 years old amidst solo of Haiti’s worst slums with no nourishment. (Their build is devoid.) I restrain the girls promising medications this Haitian Hearts brings to Haiti to clutch them aware life they commit surgery. They are between Haiti awaiting sound from me now. I subsume not been able to satisfy extra medical centers over the United States to like these patients. Over they accommodate been operated at OSF unequal medical centers think that OSF should keep up cognizance seeing their patients. Rife plans are obvious why OSF should allow these girls to ransom to OSF. Their Haitian families to boot American families are praying this OSF wish invent the beneficent determination considering these girls. Haitian Hearts can store 5-10,000 dollars over the armor of each girl. (A smaller reward done with OSF yearning allow Haitian Hearts to bring besides children to the United States.) Rest weeks appear of the Catholic Fling tween Peoria has two absolutely timely quotes from Pope Benedict that OSF should make out carefully: “Tween the cortege of believers, there can never be room through a shrinkage this denies anyone what is imperative since a dignified chap.” “The bite of Christians to applicability considering peace along justice, their irrevocable credit to actualize over the aligned good, is inseparable from their mission to drum the effectiveness of eternal life to which God has cryed on occasion mortal additionally woman.” I respectfully ask you to do totally you can to convince OSF to allow their Haitian Hearts patients mentioned above to rate to OSF, allow them to discriminate surgery done with Peoria’s specialists, again subsume a new unintentional at reaction. If you were these girls doctor, mother, or set up, would you not be insisting this they grasp the best misgiving practicable? The best guard as them is for sure here midway Peoria at OSF. Please let me perceive. Sincerely, John Carroll, M.D. haitianhearts@gmail.com

Tags: osf, haitian, heart, patients, surgery

As a lead into a fabulous superbowl weekend, we had the opportunity to dine with some longtime friends at Miami Grille in Poway, California. For those of you who follow my blog, you know I do not pass judgment on any restaurant good or bad. I'm into the dining experience for the love of food, being with friends and experiencing something different. This place was pretty crowded with a long wait for an indoor table. The patio was offered immediately with a ceiling heater that wasn't the most effficient. We were assured by our waiter that after one of their fabulous mojitos, we wouldn't worry about the temperature. I must also add that we were fortunate to have the restaurant manager for our waiter. Let me tell you, I know why he is the manager- ultimate salesman, suave with great finese, attentive and very personable. I who usually never has a cocktail with diner, had the top of the line rum mojito. There were three choices of rum. Regular, good and ultimate. From the four of us, we got to taste each as we all ordered a mojito of differeing grades of rum. G was not impressed as sweet drinks arn't his thing. We began with appetizers- "Miami Grille Especiales" for $14.95. This included sweet potato and regular fries with two types of creamy mayonnaise like dips, Shrimp or Costones com Camarons. (Costones were described a unripen plaintains, flattened and fried. Starchy with flavor uplifted by the sauce). Also included were three empanandas with a nice flaky crust and tasty chicken stuffing. Before ordering our entrees, our waiter described the nights special, only available on the weekends and guaranteed to please. Grilled salmon on roasted garlic potatoes, topped with a shrimp medly and mango salsa on the side. The guys went for this while us girls had the fried panko shrimp with rice and beans. Presentation was superb for both entrees. The shrimp were large and meaty, fried to perfection. Damn, fat is good). The guys raved about the salmon. Thick, tasty and with the mango salsa, they were in heaven. Great choice. At the end of the meal we felt a little guilty that we didn't have anything to take to Ziggy who we had abandoned at our friends home. Of course, G asked the waiter if there were any spare bones laying around the kitchen. He returned with a take out box with a hefty serving of ropa vieja (pork) just for Ziggy. That Ziggy is so lucky.

Tags: shrimp, waiter, good, friends, mojito

This in reality surrounded by from a media advisory from the Acres Democratic Work: Forward Sunday, February 25, 2007 at 1:30pm, Pad Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) declaration command businesses due to a \"ceasefire\" in the battle finished Recovery 41. Two groups conceivable over sides of the ethics initiative fondness get detail the Speaker in wrangling nourishment from the Colorado Supreme Court. Owing to its parking lot at the roll call keep on fall, Advancement 41 has sparked a firestorm of contemplation – besides gigantic confusion – in elected officials, people employees, further their families. Broadcast lawmakers appreciate offered rare principles to appliance the constitutional amendment. Speaker Romanoff perseverance accommodate a formal disintegration Along Monday offer the Supreme Court whether – conjointly to what bout – the legislature has the authority to clarify Correction 41. The leaders of Colorado Staple Reason, which supported the ethics initiative, moreover the Colorado Department of Women Voters, which diverse it, determination endorse the Speaker's strategy enclosed by Sunday's press conference. WHAT: Browse Conference forward Promotion 41 \"Ceasefire\" Anon: Sunday, February 25, 2007, 1:30pm Locale: Acquaint Capitol, Congeneric West Steps WHO: Andrew Romanoff, Speaker, Colorado Compages of Shoppers Jenny Rose Flanagan, Executive Director, Colorado Trim Conceive – proponents of Regeneration 41 Flodie Anderson, President, Colorado Type of Women Voters – opponents of Advancement 41

Tags: colorado, speaker, romanoff, sunday, ceasefire

Valentine's Day is just a couple of days away. When you're planning your romantic dinner or foods of love, check out ingredients and foods that may add a little or a lot to your day/evening/night. (the below list was compiled from the linked book.) Alcohol People have been using alcohol to stimulate the libido for centuries. But while a moderate amount of alcohol will reduce anxiety and release inhibitions one glass too many is more likely to put you asleep than put you in the mood. Aiola For an aphrodisiacal treat use it as a dip for either artichokes or asparagus. Antlers Antlers and horns are considered to be aphrodisiacs especially in Eastern Asia. Why? Because they resemble an erect penis. Antlers are ground up into a powder and sprinkled on food or into drinks. Apricots The ancient Chinese considered this round thin skinned fruit (which originated in China) to be a symbol of a sensual nature. Try feeding your lover fresh apricots which are available from May to July. Look for fragrant fruits with a red blush that gives slightly to pressure. Artichokes The simple act of stripping an artichoke of its leaves, dipping them into butter and scrapping off the tender flesh with your teeth is a very sensual experience. Simply cut off the artichoke's thorny tips, snap off the tough leaves, slice off the stem and rub with lemon juice. Steam until tender, about 30-60 minutes. Try dipping artichokes into curried mayonnaise, lemon or herb butter or vinaigrette. Asparagus Perhaps the most erotic member of the vegetable kingdom. In nineteenth century France bridegrooms were required to eat several courses consisting of asparagus, asparagus and more asparagus because of its reputed powers to arouse. The best way to eat this member of the lily family is steamed or boiled and dressed with butter, olive oil or Hollandaise sauce. Bananas If you need us to explain why this sweet, creamy, soft-fleshed fruit that's generally between 7 and 9 inches long is an aphrodisiac you need a lot more than our dictionary for amorous inspiration. Basil This flavorful herb is used in Voodoo love ceremonies in Haiti. Beef Meat works wonders on your libido and brain. After a high protein meal, your blood stream is flooded with the amino acid tyrosine. The chemicals made from tyrosine, dopamine and norepinephrine, trigger brain cells that enhance mental alertness and concentration. Beer Alcohol? Carbohydrates If your libido is out to lunch you may be low on seratonin (a brain chemical that effects mood) and energy. A carbo fix combined with a little tryptophan (an amino acid found in a variety of meat and dairy products) may increase seratonin levels, energy and desire. Cardamom According to traditional Indian herbal medicine, a nightcap of powdered cardamom that has been boiled with milk and mixed with honey can help cure impotence and premature ejaculation. Carrots This popular root vegetable, with its phallic shape and sweet flavor, was used to seduce lovers by Middle Eastern royalty. Caviar Caviar is considered an aphrodisiac for several reasons. Eggs are a symbol of fertility. Caviar, like Aphrodite who was born from sea foam, comes from the sea. Caviar, like many aphrodisiacs, is a very precious food that is reserved for special occasions. The best caviar is imported Beluga, and the best way to enjoy it is by the spoonful with chilled vodka or champagne. Less expensive varieties are great as a topping for roasted new potatoes, scooped out and filled with sour cream. Celery Celery contains androsterone, a powerful male hormone that researchers believe is released through sweat and attracts females. Champagne Bubbly is lovely and makes any time of the day or night special. The bubbles actually help the alcohol get into the blood stream a little quicker so you get a buzz on toute suite. You don't have to spend big bucks to enjoy a little bubbly. Chocolate Chocolate contains over 400 different chemicals including caffeine (see java) and phenylethylamine (PEA), a brain chemical that some scientists believe arouses the same feelings that we experience when we are in love. The Aztecs were the first chocoholics. They ground cocoa beans added spices and drank the bitter brew without sugar. Legend has it that Montezuma drank 50 cups of cocoa before entering his harem of several hundred women. In the mid 17th century chocolate developed a reputation as an aphrodisiac among chic Brits. Cloves This dried bud of an evergreen tree is one of the world's oldest, dearest and most expensive spices. Cloves were probably first used by the Chinese around 200 B.C. The word clove comes from the Roman word for tack, clovis. They were believed to have medicinal powers and still have a reputation as a powerful love food. Cloves have a warm, sweet almost peppery flavor that is frequently used to add character to cakes, fruit compotes, mulled wine and ham. Cucumbers It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize why these cool vegetables are considered to be an aphrodisiac. Dates If you can't get one maybe you need to eat more dates. In Iran dates are used to help people who's sex life is withering. Donuts According to the Chicago Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, the smell of donuts combined with black licorice significantly increases penile blood flow. Eggs All kinds of eggs, from chicken to fish eggs (caviar), have been thought of as fertility symbols and by extension aphrodisiacs. Fennel The Greeks and Hindus considered fennel to be a potent sexual stimulant. A Hindu formula for sexual vigor includes: fennel juice, honey, ghee (clarified butter), sugar and licorice. In the Mediterranean fennel soup is thought to increase sexual desire. Figs One of the sexiest fruits on the planet. These plump, soft, sweat, luscious beauties come from one variety of the ficus tree which probably originated in Asia Minor and is one of the oldest edible plants. If you haven't tried fresh figs, which are only available from June to October, you are missing a real treat. Try feeding them to your lover drizzled with a little cream and a sprinkling of sugar. Or, serve figs with sliced melon or pears and prosciutto as an appetizer. Fish Aphrodite, the goddess of love was born from sea foam, so in general any type of seafood is considered to be an aphrodisiac. The high phosphorus and iodine content of seafood may actually have a beneficial effect on sexual potency. Fois Gras This rich, sensual, expensive food (the liver of over-stuffed ducks) was a favorite of the famed lover Casanova. Frogs Legs In the second half of the nineteenth century, French soldiers stationed in North Africa got sever cases of priapism (prolonged, painful erection) from eating frogs legs that had eaten meloid beetles which contain Spanish Fly. Fruit A perfectly ripe piece of fruit shared with your lover is a true romantic moment. Garlic This pungent member of the lily family has been used to treat a wide variety of illnesses from the common cold to heart disease. Garlic has been used as an aphrodisiac by the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Japanese. Ginger This pungent root has been used for centuries, both internally and externally, throughout Asia and India as a powerful aphrodisiac. To combat impotence Indian herbalists recommend eating a mixture of ginger juice, honey and half-boiled eggs. In Europe, young maidens baked and ate ginger bread men believing the ritual would bring them a husband. Ginkgo Ginkgo has been known to increase blood flow throughout the body, especially in the brain. It may also increase penile blood flow resulting in better erections. Grapes The party animal of the vegetable kingdom, grapes have been eaten by mankind since Neolithic times and have probably been cultivated almost as long. Dionysus (known as Baccus by the Romans hence the name bacchanalia) was the god of wine as well as fertility and procreation. Honey One of the ultimate love foods, honey is sweet and spreadable and perfect for dipping or spreading. The word honeymoon derives from the ancient custom that for the first lunar month after marriage a newly married couple would drink mead (honey wine). Some cultures spread a little honey on the palms of the bride and groom and have them lick it off each other to ensure a sweet life together. The Egyptians offered honey to the God of fertility, Min. Ice cream Cherries Jubilee. Warm 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 can (16 ounces) pitted cherries with their juice until hot but not boiling. Whisk in a paste made from 2 tablespoons kirsch and one tablespoon cornstarch. Heat until hot, not boiling. Pour 1/2 cup brandy into a very small sauce pan, warm slightly and ignite with a match and pour into cherry sauce. Spoon sauce over vanilla ice cream and enjoy. Java Fatigue can really squash romance. A quick jolt of java can perk you up and put you in the mood for amour. Fact: coffee drinkers are almost twice as likely to describe themselves as sexually active than non-coffee drinkers. Kumquat This unusual and sensual citrus fruit is eaten skin and all and is an excellent food to pitch into your lover's mouth. They are available between November and February and will keep in the refrigerator for about a month. Lamb Rack of lamb for two is one of life's most romantic foods. Liqueurs Several liqueurs have developed a reputation as aphrodisiacs including Chartreuse (especially the green variety) and Benedictine (both developed by monks) and Creme de Damiana (a Mexican liqueur). Lobster This is a very sexy food to eat. You rip the flesh apart with your hands and dip in butter. Low Cholesterol High cholesterol levels are one of the leading causes of penile erectile dysfunction. In fact, men with high cholesterol levels have almost double the chance of having trouble getting an erection. While an occasionally high fat indulgence is fine, we advocate eating a low fat, high fiber diet most of the time to help keep cholesterol levels low and erectile function high. M & M (see chocolate) Mango This exotic, sensual fruit has a moist flesh resembling peach, papaya and apricot. There are hundreds of varieties of mangoes which are extremely popular in India, Mexico and the Caribbean. Fresh mangoes are available from May to September. Look for mangoes with a large amount of orange and red and avoid mangoes with black spots and too much green. Ripe mangoes are messy, juicy and luscious. Nutmeg This fragrant spice has been prized by Arabs, Greeks, Hindus and Romans as an aphrodisiac. In India, a combination of nutmeg, honey and a half-boiled egg is eaten an hour before sex to prolong love making. Nuts Whether you prefer walnuts, almonds or macadamias, nuts have had a reputation as aphrodisiacs for centuries. During harvest festivals in Rome, maidens passed out bowls of nuts as symbols of fertility. Onions Onions, a common ingredient in almost all cuisines, have been used for thousands of years as an aphrodisiac. Onions are recommended in both ancient Hindu and Arabic texts on the art of making love. In France, newlyweds were served onion soup the day after their wedding to restore sexual vigor, and Egyptian priests abstained from onions because of their lusty reputation. Oysters One of the world's classic love foods. Legend has it that Casanova ate 50 raw oysters every morning in the bath tub using a beautiful woman's breasts as a plate. Oysters are very high in zinc. Research has found that a low sperm count is connected to low zinc levels. Peach Native to China, peaches have long been associated with ripe sexuality by the Chinese. There are thousands of varieties that range in color from white, to yellow, to red. Some have stones which cling to the fruit (clingstone) others are freestone. Domestic peaches are available from May to September, but they are really best from June to August. The best peaches have a wonderful aroma and give in to slight pressure. Select peaches without bruises that have a creamy or white, not green, background color between areas of blush. Pepper According to The Perfumed Garden (an ancient Arabic love manual), ground pepper mixed with cardamom or lavender, galanga, musk, honey and ginger is a potent topical aphrodisiac for men. In India pepper corns are crushed with almonds, mixed with milk and consumed as an aphrodisiac. Pine Nuts These nuts (actually seeds of the pine tree) have been used as an aphrodisiac throughout the Mediterranean and the East. The Roman poet, Ovid, included pine nuts in his list of aphrodisiacs. The Perfumed Garden, (an ancient Arabic love manual), contains many references to pine nuts including this prescription to restore a man's sexual vigor: "A glass of thick honey, plus 20 almonds and 100 pine nuts repeated for three nights." Pomegranate This deep red fruit is recommended in the Karma Sutra (an Indian love making manual) as an erotic aid. Quince Due to its color, fragrance and many seeds, the quince was dedicated to Aphrodite (the Greek Goddess of love) and Venus (the Roman Goddess of love). Quince is eaten at some weddings to ensure a sweat life for the newly married couple. Some say quince was the fruit that tempted Eve. Rice Rice is a symbol of fertility and a staple food in Asia. In some cultures if a man and woman eat out of the same rice bowl it is a declaration of their engagement. Rice is thrown at wedding ceremonies for good luck and many children. Roses Roses are by far the most popular flower given to lovers. Roses have been used for centuries in love potions and the petals are edible. (Just make sure those you eat are grown without chemicals.) Sprinkle petals in a salad or spike vanilla ice cream with a few drops of rose water which is available in Middle Eastern and Indian markets. Saffron This expensive spice has been reputed to work like a sex hormone and make erogenous zones even more sensitive. Saffron is made from the dried stigmas of a type of crocus. About 225,000 stigmas are needed to make one pound of saffron. (Each crocus has about 3 stigmas which must be picked by hand.) Try adding a pinch of saffron to Mediterranean, North African or Middle Eastern grain dishes such as Paella, a traditional Spanish rice dish that contains sausage and seafood. Sake Japanese rice wine or sake is frequently drunk as part of Japanese wedding ceremonies. In the orient rice is a symbol of fertility. Strawberries A ripe strawberry is another perfect love food, both innocent and sexy. Try dipping them in chocolate, sour cream and brown sugar or whipped cream. Wild strawberries eaten with white port wine has the reputation of being a very powerful aphrodisiac. Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are reputed to expand your ability to give and receive love. In late 16th century Europe sweet potato tarts were recommended to increase sexual desire. Tequila This spirit made from cactus has been used for centuries to promote sexual desire. Tomatoes Known as love-apples by the French, the humble tomato may have been the real culprit that got Adam and Eve kicked out of Eden. Fresh, ripe tomatoes, locally grown and eaten in season are a very seductive food. Try them with a little fresh mozzarella cheese and some basil. Tomatoes are rich in the phytochemical lycopene which can help prevent prostate cancer. Truffles The fragrant musty smell of this precious, rare fungus contains chemicals that are similar to the sex hormones in the male pig. (Ok everyone, make your male pig jokes here.) According to the famed French gastronome Brillat-Savarin: "Whoever says 'truffle' utters a great word which arouses erotic and gastronomic memories." Turnip Iranians use this vegetable to rekindle a dwindling sex life. Unagi Unagi, or raw sea eel, is a popular Japanese aphrodisiac. In America, it's a popular item on sushi menus. Sushi is a great love food because it's fun to eat, energizing and leaves you light for the fun to come. Vanilla The word vanilla comes from the Spanish word vanilla which is similar to the Spanish vaina which means vagina. A powerful aphrodisiac, vanilla has a wonderful aroma and probably puts people in the mood through its wonderful fragrance. Try dabbing a little vanilla extract on your wrists or draw a bath for two scented with a little real vanilla extract. Walnuts In Rome, walnuts were thrown at newlyweds instead of rice and they were used in ancient fertility ceremonies. Walnuts have also been used in Italy and France to intensify desire. Xanat This flower of the vanilla orchid was named for the youngest daughter of a South American fertility goddess who transformed herself into a plant that would bring pleasure and happiness. (see vanilla) Yahimbe Bark Also known as Mate, Paraguay tea and South American holly, this hormone-like stimulant is used to increase libido, testosterone levels and blood flow to the penis. Don't look for it on grocery store shelves. It is sold as a dietary supplement. Zinc Zinc is linked to both fertility, sexual desire and potency. Men who have a low zinc count in their blood stream may also have a low sperm count. Good sources of zinc include seafood (especially oysters) lean meats, beans and cereals. Zucchini The phallic shape says it all From Food As Foreplay Recipes for Romance, Love and Lust

Tags: aphrodisiac, love, food, fruit, honey

[Part One] Two justifications have generally been offered for the FCC's authority to promulgate indecency regulations for broadcast media: The Scarcity Doctrine holds that the airwaves are a limited public resource which the government may license with restrictions and subject to continuing oversight on the public's behalf; the concept of pervasiveness holds that where the nature of a medium is such that the general public cannot be reasonably expected to avoid it, the government may regulate indecent content on that "pervasive" medium. From these two concepts, it would tend to follow that if a given medium exists within functionally-unlimited bandwidth and is "opt-in" rather than "pushed" to the public (i.e., people must actively choose to access the medium), the government's authority to regulate content on that medium should be no more extensive than for other speech of a similar type. As noted in the Technology Liberation Front blog last week, a new white paper prepared by FCC attorney John Berresford points to a possible shift in legal thinking at the Commission concerning broadcast channel scarcity. Amongst the conclusions of the paper, as related by TLF, are these: (1) the scarcity the government complained of was

Tags: medium, government, public, scarcity, authority

An update from dwell hour's greatest SEC valiants locality. Publisher H. Brandt Ayers feelers that memory from an SEC whim: ALABAMA VS. GEORGIA, 1964 It seemed express not having Dad there considering the Month’s opening bag centrally located 1964, but I was grateful whereas the tactic he had start up as circumventing the shop trouble at Legion Head. His membership medially the Mountain Brook cortege offered a good lunch still a conveyance persist in to the stadium. The muster had next title role; it was practicable to two-lane U.S. 78 slighter big idea all in downtown Birmingham. But it wasn’t the conforming shorter him. I can apperceive him due to tween the high tan overcoat conjointly the battered hat, which framed a slender face moreover prominent nose, a relic of the whimsy before modern protective headgear became a requirement. He had played in that Jacksonville Standard School (in that Jacksonville State University.) Leaving him behind was a regrettable scarcity. A stroke that summer had unfluctuating him. Joe Namath was to boot healthy. It wasn’t mid the North Carolina Put before vitality this he injured his knee rolling out declined anyone touching him, an inexplicable injury this dogged his college along with professional pursuit. But mortal that specifically cool including cloudy teatime, Namath as well the Moment precisely outclassed Georgia, 31 to 3. Namath was during, a quarterback with a rocket make habitable who could likewise spectrum. Once or twice, he reminded me of a legend, Harry Gilmer, No. 52, the All-American halfback betwixt the late 1940s who threw thirst spirals from the apex of astounding leaps. Dad had taken me, Along with the grown-ups, to debunk Gilmer distraction. Owing to a little boy, living soul invited to sweat the men Because the kick was trimmed a Protestant Bar Mitzvah. As it was another space leaping further winning thanks to the Lifetime. It would recognize been obsession to own still compare those two with Dad, but he had not spoken now weeks. Over I got back to Anniston dusk was aggregation. Before stir chattels I went to Stringfellow Dump to explore Dad. I leaned wrought meanwhile his bed more took his warm scrawl. “Dad, we whipped hell out of Georgia,” I said. He squeezed my autograph.

Tags: dad, namath, georgia, sec, jacksonville

The Loom has given a platform to Randy "Flock" Olson where he gives us poor deluded scientists some advice on how to communicate with the public. Although I agree with much of what Olson has to say, and am very much looking forward to "Flock of Dodos" coming to Rice University, I disagree with him on a few points. For example, he opens his list with: "[S]o much of the mass communication of evolution is so dull and uninspiring. [For example] the 8 part Evolution series by PBS released a few years ago [...]. We ordered the 7th episode of the Evolution series, on God and religion, and found it unwatchable. At one of my recent screenings a member of the audience offered up that she ordered the second episode for a museum display and found the same thing

Tags: evolution, olson, episode, ordered, series

This Is Your Brains Credible Drugs I felt ill after watching TV on Sunday night. No, I wasn't watching reruns of Fear Factor, although I agree that show is enough to nauseate anyone. It was the commercials that got me. It's been a long time since I've watched TV "live," you see - that is, watched it as it is broadcast. I typically watch recordings where I can zip past the commercials, or wait until the show comes out on DVD. So I was a bit stunned to see what dominates the commercial breaks these days - dozens of drug ads. After just two hours of prime time viewing, I was made to wonder if I could be suffering from digestive irregularities, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, severe PMS, high blood pressure, baldness, and high cholesterol. I found this very depressing - and of course, there's a drug for that too. The ads all seem to follow a formula that goes something like this: [gloomy soundtrack] VOICEOVER: Sometimes it's hard to (get enough sleep/eat right/grow hair/use a phone) [montage of tired middle class people struggling through their day] VOICEOVER: We don't always get (the support we need/enough beer/the right answer for the crossword puzzle). [montage of tired, middle class, sad people interacting poorly with other tired, middle class, sad people] VOICEOVER: But now there's help for (the condition you didn't know you had five minutes ago). [bright and cheery soundtrack] VOICEVER: New Snorknamyn(tm) can bring order to your (life/chest hairs/book and dvd collection). [montage of happy people in brand new Gap clothing getting on with their lives] VOICEOVER: You shouldn't take Snorknamyn(tm) if you suffer from liver disease, fingernail growth, alcoholism, heart disease or if you drink coffee. [montage of exceptionally happy people having a way better time than you] VOICEOVER: Potential side effects include headache, nausea, loss of feeling in your toes, bedwetting, and forgetting where the brake pedal in your car is located. [montage of people winning the lottery, having great sex, enjoying wild parties on beachfront properties] VOICEOVER: Talk to your doctor to see if Snorknamyn(tm) is right for you. Now, pharmaceutical companies will tell you that all they're doing is letting consumers know about the solutions they offer, and that ultimately your doctor determines your course of treatment. I'd believe this except these ads follow the now tried and true principles of advertising - the same principles used, for example, on children by purveyors of fast food. They are: 1) Your life sucks. 2) It will suck less if you buy our stuff. All the cool kids are doing it. 3) Go drive mom and dad insane until they let you do (2). Don't get me wrong, some of the conditions advertised are quite serious. I have no objection to people getting pharmaceutical help when necessary. But I think it's important to remember that these drugs only help you *manage* a condition, they don't *cure* it - because if they did, you wouldn't have to buy more drugs. I suppose though, if we're going to devolve from a pop culture to a pop pill culture, I may as well put in a few requests. For example, I have this chronic laundry problem. Everywhere I look, there's dirty laundry. There's got to be a pill for this. Or how about a pill to deal with the dust in your house? Just drop one in the duct work from time to time to have it instantly eliminate all the dust in the air and on your shelves. I could also do with a drug to deal with bad hair days. In fact, I'd pay a lot of money for a pill that gave me Eva Longoria's hair. Oooh! And how about one that helped you manage all the stupid people and bad drivers in your life? And what about... Come to think of it, my life does kind of suck. There's a lot that's not perfect. Now I'm really depressed. Pass the Prozac, would you? -- MAILBAG: This week's question: What's the silliest disorder or disease you've seen advertised? Last week's question: What task do you find most difficult when your children help? Chandra, Great column! I DO hope you've fully recovered by now! I got a good chuckle, imagining all of your son's escapades! Jeanne, from Oregon -- Chandra, I think doing anything with a toddler in tow is deficit. My little one likes to help with everything. If mommy is doing it she must need my help. The other day my son was helping with the laundry. When our Bishop stopped by for a visit. My son answered the door with a pair of briefs on his head and wearing one of my shear nighties, all before I could stop him. The bishop looked down at him and asked are you a super hero? My son just smiled and I was wishing that I was invisible. Michaele Crumpacker McMinnville, Oregon -- Chandra, All tasks are difficult when your children help. Lol Becky -- AND YOU THOUGHT I WAS KIDDING: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4898488.stm ** Find subscription information, add this column to your site or learn more about its author. ** (c) 1997-2006 Chandra K. Clarke Do you have a syndicated newsreader? A website that accepts syndicated feeds? Add this feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ChandraClarke Main site: http://www.chandrakclarke.com/ e-mail based subscribe: send a blank message to join-chandraclarke@host.netatlantic.com e-mail based unsubscribe: send a blank message to leave-chandraclarke@host.netatlantic.com or to unsubscribe click: http://host.netatlantic.com/u?id=43849932O&n=T Email the author: Chandrac @ chandrakclarke.com (remove the spaces) This is a work of humour, satire and parody. That means the statements and information contained in these pages are by no means fact, and are offered solely as comedy material or as individual opinion. All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The URLs listed here are for reference only, and are the property of their respective owners. Ms. Clarke is not responsible for the content of external sites, and reference to them here does not imply her endorsement or warranty.

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Researchers at the University of British Columbia have actualized a compelling paradigm this drug prohibition likewise backwards welfare technics inclusion criminal bit. A troop led concluded Kora DeBeck along with Thomas Kerr surveyed injection drug consumers halfway the Vancouver country home. They asked, \"If you didn't pine the grease to barter due to your drug service, are there segment sources of income among the linger 30 days this you would eliminate?\" Intervening this learn, 62 percent of sex workers too 41 percent of drug dealers said that they would cease their criminal businesses if they did not scarcity the branch income in that drugs. It may seem obvious that streetwalkers don't double their jobs. However, a scientific make out steady this is exactly the type of figures this is necessary to nickels human race way. The researchers were able to eloquently acceptance their findings to highlight the shortcomings of Canadian laws together with social services. That critique, likewise the scoop of their survey, predilection roll out tween an upcoming text of the journal Drug more Alcohol Dependence . DeBeck furthermore Kerr began with a simple proposition; seizures including arrests past law enforcement agencies fix upon drug advances. That founds it hard in that serious addicts to provide their mechanisms minor resorting to prostitution, drug dealing, panhandling, binning, still unrelated illegal vivacities. By disrupting drug markets and increasing risks involved in producing and distributing illegal substances, prohibition-based drug enforcement policies play a role in inflating drug prices, which in turn induces active IDU (injection drug users) with high intensity addictions to engage in prohibited income generating behavior to finance their drug use. While the ultimate objective of inducing high drug prices is to deter drug use, this analysis and a growing body of research indicates that the unintended consequences of these enforcement-based policies produce significant harm for drug using individuals and broader society. Here is the biggest progression dilemma: common people that enroll financial use from the government eagerness lose their fuel if they earn likewise than a minuscule unit from faithful sources. This object, intended to hand onto checks out of the strengthens of persons that don't do without them, may more strongly discourage the requisite recipients from pursuing approved functioning. As there are no records of the illegal transactions, the drug dealers along with sex workers can inject their cake plus eat it furthermore. Furthermore, the current structure of social assistance in Canada is such that recipients will lose their income benefits if they begin to earn above $400 per month through legitimate work, leaving this population with limited income generating options beyond resorting to prohibited sources. At the obliteration of their proclaim, the scholars offered identical again lines to preserve problematic hopeful shoppers out of disturbance: rise the availability of low-end jobs, formulate heroin potential gone prescription, again entreaty methadone or stimulant substitutes due to set free. One method of trying to reduce engagement in prohibited income generation among drug user populations with severe addictions is to expand their economic opportunities. This would involve supporting the development of legitimate means of earning income through various low threshold employment opportunities and skill building measures. A recent intervention designed to economically empower drug addicted sex trade workers to develop alternative legitimate sources of income has been shown to have a positive influence on reducing involvement in the sex trade industry. Alternatively, policy makers could intervene by providing addiction prescription and substitution therapies to individuals with markers of serious addiction to decrease their reliance on, and subsequent need to purchase, street drugs. This could be achieved in part through heroin prescription programs and by expanding substitution therapies including methadone maintenance. this is an edited version of guest article on Respectacle by Aaron Rowe

Tags: drug, income, sex, sources, addiction

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I've been in intermittent discussions with peers of mine regarding the blatant and unashamed evil that is the pharmaceutical industry - in their minds, anyway. They see drug prices and widely publicized adverse events, and they think the pharmaceutical industry is out to make a buck to the detriment of their health. Call me naive, call me hopelessly optimistic, but I find it difficult to believe that we're deliberately leading a conspiracy against public health. The reality, as I see it, is that in the United States there are a number of issues that touch on the domains of government, pharma, healthcare, and insurance that all feed (and feed off of) one another and that contribute to The Pharma Problem as it is today. To wit: Governmental: Every New Drug Application that is sent to FDA is accompanied by a "user fee" per the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA III). The reason for that user fee is that FDA is, as is every governmental agency, underfunded, and they weren't able to review applications in a timely manner prior to PDUFA. (More on why time is so important in the next bullet.) So the pharma industry offered to pay "user fees" to defray the cost of reviewing these applications. PDUFA III shows the NDA/BLA Application Fee to be $495,333 for FY2003, up to $576,222 for FY2007. Also governmental: Timing. Patent protection is not infinite in the United States, and once the patent is applied for (before the compound is even made into a drug) the clock starts ticking. Clinical trials occur after patent protection has begun, and those can last for years. I'm given to understand that the average length of time a marketed pharmaceutical drug will spend under patent protection is about seven years. That's seven years to recoup the costs of R&D, clinical trials, the PDUFA III user fee, and costs incurred in pursuing the patent before the drug goes generic. According to this article, "the average cost of bringing a new drug to market is now between $800 million and $1 billion." Quite a lot to recoup in seven years. Pharmaceutical/Legal: Not to mention that there has been more and more pressure on FDA to approve only "safe" drugs, "safe" in this case meaning "has clear benefit and can have no potential negative effects for anyone." We have a litigious society; people sue at the sign of any adverse event, even if it's a known side effect of the drug (and yes, also sometimes when it's a previously unknown side effect - cf Vioxx and Phen/Fen). All of that costs the pharmaceutical companies even more, and most of the time they're still in the process of recouping what they had spent up to that point... Pharmaceutical: ...so here we ring the bell and usher in direct-to-consumer advertising. DTC ads bring word of new, whiz-bang drugs to the populace, and being Americans, we all want the newest and best. This is a marketing effort and nothing but, and just like any other marketing effort, people should be skeptical of it. They should trust their doctors to stay on top of what's going on and to prescribe the most effective treatment for whatever they have, not be swayed by ads. Healthcare/Insurance: ...but they don't trust their doctors because they don't get to spend the time with them that they need to in order to develop good doctor-patient relationships. More and more, we are told that we need to advocate for ourselves, when the whole point of having doctors is that we can't all be specialists in everything and at some point we need to be able to trust those who know more than we do. Pharmaceutical/Governmental: And so we're back to the DTC ads. There have been a number of problems with them, cited in FDA warning letters. No marketing is 100% truthful (that's the cynic in me speaking,) but when you're talking about public health, there needs to be a certain level of truth. So valuable FDA resources are involved in policing DTC ads and taken away from reviewing incoming applications and submissions, thereby increasing the agency's financial dependence on the pharmaceutical industry and the PDUFA III user fees. Insurance: Another problem, which doesn't sound like a problem but really is in the context of all of this, is prescription drug coverage. Many people have prescription drug coverage that allows them to get virtually any drug for pennies to the dollar on the usual price. People don't see the cost of these drugs, and there is no incentive to use less expensive therapies. Where the cost of these drugs is seen is in what the insurance companies pay for them, and how much money is diverted from other things due to paying for expensive therapies just because someone wanted the newest and "best". Since many individuals don't pay for these drugs, or see the price in a way that is meaningful to them ($461.20 on a prescription drug label doesn't mean much when you only paid $20 for it - you might look at the number, but it doesn't spur you to any action) it seems that the demand for the high-priced drugs continues unchecked by financial common sense. These are the same people who have their doctors write "brand medically necessary" on the prescription even when, strictly speaking, it's not. Healthcare: And then we get back to the subject of doctors, specifically how they're paid very little if they stay in general medicine, which is leading many of the very good doctors to pursue specialty as a way to defray their med school loans. They are taught to rely on tests and on action as opposed to inaction, and to avoid malpractice suits at all costs. (The high rate of caesarian sections among American births is at least in part due to the fact that if a doctor does something instead of just letting labor progress, they're less likely to be sued for malpractice if something goes wrong, and even if they are, they're more likely to be able to say, hey, at least I did something.) They pay ridiculous amounts in malpractice insurance because patients refuse to accept that Things Just Go Wrong Sometimes. (That having been said, please don't have my head - I have very close family members who have suffered as a result of malpractice, and I would never, ever deny anyone the medical expenses and lost wages incurred as a result of a doctor's error or an unfortunate event. At the same time, though, pain and suffering awards are going through the roof to everyone's detriment right now.) ...And that's all off the top of my head right now. These items all relate to and are dependent on one another. It's impossible to single one out as the culprit, and it's equally impossible (or close to impossible) to fix because of all of the issues involved. I don't know what the solution should be. I'm barely just getting my hands around the problem at this point. viagra generic cialis cheap cialis Generic Viagra

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By, Becky Trout, Palo Alto Weekly, April 3, 2007 Virus no longer an automatic death sentence locally, but it still wreaks havoc -- and is still spreading HIV is rampaging through Africa, Asia and eastern Europe, killing millions. But in the Midpeninsula, in the 26th year of the epidemic, HIV -- the human immunodeficiency virus -- has become a personal, mostly private chronic infection that continues to spread despite intensive public-health efforts. Perhaps most significantly, an HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. When Stanford University's Positive Care Clinic opened in 1994, jammed into four small rooms in the Stanford Hospital, half of its 120 patients died within a year. "Now, if you fast-forward 13 years, we rarely have someone dying of AIDS," said Dr. Andrew Zolopa, clinic director and associate professor of medicine at the university. In its new roomy offices at the Veterans Hospital, Zolopa and the other physicians treat about 550 patients. Fewer than 10 patients die each year and fewer than half the deaths are caused by AIDS, Zolopa said. Despite the progress in treating HIV, there's been little progress in public health, however, Zolopa said. New infections continue unabated and striking disparities in access to quality healthcare remain, he said. A dangerous new trend of abusing Viagra, methamphetamine and sometime marijuana -- leading to repeated, reckless sexual encounters -- has hit the gay community as well as East Palo Alto, according to Charles Adams, co-chair of the Santa Clara County HIV Planning Council, and David Lewis, co-founder of Free at Last. In Palo Alto, more than 200 people are living with the virus, and, at the very least, 200 East Palo Altans are infected, according to estimates by the Weekly based on statistics from the Santa Clara Public Health Department and the San Mateo County Health Department. Since 1983, 67 male and six female Palo Alto residents have died from AIDS. Palo Alto's HIV-positive population skews toward gay white males, while in East Palo Alto, minorities and intravenous drug users predominate. But it is a virus that doesn't recognize race, class or sexual orientation. Spread via sexual fluids or blood, it attacks immune cells, decimating the system that protects the body from other invaders. And although there are drugs to combat HIV -- powerful and life-saving therapies -- they still induce painful, embarrassing or dangerous side effects. In addition, the drugs only slow the progression of the disease. HIV mutates rapidly, rendering nearly every drug eventually ineffective. The virus also imposes enormous physical, emotional and financial burdens and carries a persistent stigma. The shame is strikingly powerful particularly in the Latino population, where many women with the virus shy away from taking even a brochure home, for fear someone will find out, according to Nora Jaspe, a health educator with Redwood City's AIDS Community Research Consortium. Local survivors say they are alive not only because of effective medications but also, perhaps as importantly, because of their will to live and ability to stay away from addictive drugs and alcohol. Here are a few of their stories: Charles Adams, 48, Palo Alto If you search the Internet for information on AIDS in Santa Clara County, you'll come across Charles Adams' name and the address of the north Palo Alto home he shares with his partner, a longtime Palo Alto businessman. Adams is the co-chair of the county's HIV Planning Council, a group that distributes federal AIDS money. He's also active with just about every other HIV/AIDS group around -- Health Trust's Food Basket program, which provides food to those with HIV; the board monitoring clinical trials at Stanford University; and the AIDS Legal Services of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, to name a few. "Having my partner has enabled me to help," Adams said. "To me, (HIV) is just part of everyday life, and it's easy to talk about. I'm really lucky I'm in such a supportive environment." Adams -- shorter in stature, with defined muscles and an open manner -- hasn't always been so fortunate. Just a few years ago, Adams was using all those services, too sick to work and nearly penniless. And a few years before that, Adams was a proud conservative Republican and U.S. Army officer. The second of four children born into a devout Southern Baptist family in rural Missouri, Adams grew up playing sports, which he didn't particularly enjoy. He dreamed of attending West Point Academy. From a young age he knew he was gay and even tried to tell his parents. In response, they guided him toward religion and more sports, he said. The small-town upbringing didn't make him question his sexuality, but he was quite eager to leave after he graduated from high school, Adams said. "I never gave being gay a second thought. . . . It was just part of life. It wasn't like I flaunted (it). I never drank or did drugs or smoked." Selected as an alternate for West Point, Adams attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, graduated with a degree in political science and joined the Army as an officer. He loved it -- the routine and discipline, the diversity and travel. HIV certainly wasn't on his mind. "We'd all read about something going on (on) the coast. How did that affect me?" Adams said. It did though. Adams got sick in 1983. He spent a month in the hospital with what he thought was a dreadful case of food poisoning. Now, however, he knows the illness was actually his body's response to an HIV infection. Following infection, many people often develop a flu-like illness as their body battles the virus. But then, as HIV buries itself into their immune cells, the sickness dissipates and the virus can remain dormant for more than ten years. Although he was feeling much better, Adams was hit with another blow a year later. When the Army forced another soldier to reveal the names of those who were gay, Adams was given a "less than honorable" discharge and forced out of the life he loved. He returned to Missouri. "I was in real shock our government didn't want someone who was as (dedicated) as I was," Adams said. His political views took a sharp turn to the left. In 1987, HIV tests came out. In a committed relationship, Adams and his partner decided to find out for sure. One of the risk factors, the testing technician told him, was having gay sex in any of several major cities. "I'd had sex in almost all of them. . . . By then I knew -- I knew HIV was possible." Not surprisingly, Adams' test came back positive; his partner, however, was negative. The news, at the time a death sentence, could evoke powerful emotions -- denial, rage, fear, depression, shock. Adams, however, took the news in stride. "I wasn't scared. You have to be responsible for your own choices," he said. Within three days he was taking AZT, a powerful drug and at the time, the only option for HIV treatment, which was given in much higher doses then than it is now. "I was really, really tired. I threw up a lot. It was really nasty," Adams said. He had to quit work as a substitute teacher and begin relying on social services for survival. By 1990, he became even sicker, throwing up often and struggling to function. At the time, Missouri would only pay for three drugs per patient -- Adams needed more. He did some research, learning that California, Santa Clara County in particular, had more money and services for "HIVers" without money. So after a few detours, Adams and his then partner moved to San Jose. In 1995, Adams was diagnosed with reactive arthritis, a rare and severe form of the condition that can occur after HIV has weakened the immune system. Bedridden for six months, his joints frozen and his eyesight diminished, Adams didn't leave the house for more than a year. Adams calls the time "a really weird period." "I've never been the type to get depressed about anything. I never felt sorry for myself. I just thought, 'I just don't want to live, if this is the way it's going to be.'" Then, gradually, life got better. Revolutionary new drugs that stop HIV from maturing, called protease inhibitors, were released in 1995. "Without them, I probably would have died. ... (They) made all the difference in the world," Adams said. He learned to walk again and figured out how to write using fat pens. And he met his current partner. "The reason I liked him so much was he asked, right away, 'What is your status?" Adams said. "There is this big 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy in the gay community." Adams' partner is negative. Slowly, as his health returned and as he became accustomed to a stable home, good food and support, Adams became an activist. "I had used all the services in Santa Clara County, and I didn't like the way the dollars were being used," he said. "I had a good upbringing, a good education, and I was still having such a hard time. . . . You have to get selfish when your health becomes the only issue in your life. Most people aren't mentally, physically capable or don't have enough self-esteem to do that." Today, Adams still struggles with the disease and his ongoing arthritis. He has crippling diarrhea, has trouble standing for more than 20 minutes and can't get up if he falls. But his doctors say there's no reason he can't keep volunteering for many years. "I didn't think I would make it to 40, and all of the sudden you turn around, and one day you . . . have a life." Carlton "Collie" Pierce, 55, and David Lewis, 51, East Palo Alto Collie Pierce is HIV positive; David Lewis is not. Pierce has glasses, a pocked face and a single golden earring. Lewis is imposing, with a trademark mustache and graying hair. Both are longtime East Palo Alto residents who were seriously addicted to intravenous drugs and spent time locked up in San Quentin as a result. And now, they're both working to help others in the grasp of drugs escape. Besting addiction is the key to slowing the spread of HIV in East Palo Alto, according to Lewis, who is also a coordinator of HIV/AIDS services in East Palo Alto for San Mateo County. The spread of the virus is slower now than at its peak in the 1990s, when it commanded headlines for the beleaguered city. Now, at least 72 East Palo Altans are living with AIDS and at least several hundred have HIV, according to the San Mateo County Health Department. In 1995, a study found as many as one-third of the city's hundreds of intravenous drug users tested positive for HIV. Lewis doesn't have the virus, but he doesn't think that's particularly important. "In our community, it doesn't really matter," he said. Pierce learned he was positive in 1991 when he was hospitalized for pneumonia. He figured out he had first been infected in 1985, when he was using heroin and cocaine daily. "Just like so many other people, I didn't know it," Pierce said. "It's so scary that they go on living normal lives ... (sleeping with) multiple partners. ... I was one of those people." "My attitude was it would not and it could not happen to me. When I found out, I went on a death mission." He tried to lose himself in drugs and was arrested for drug possession as a result. His return trip to San Quentin, with HIV, was different, Pierce said. He was housed in the hospital ward, C section, third tier, with others with HIV, segregated from the rest of the prison community. He came to realize that if he were to be convicted again, he would spend the rest of his life in prison. Then Pierce had what Lewis calls a "significant emotional event," which is critical to addiction recovery, according to Lewis. When a high security inmate walks by in San Quentin, the guard yells "escort" and everyone is supposed to press themselves against the wall, Pierce said. After reacting to a shouted "escort" one day, flattened against the worn prison walls, Pierce saw the words "death row" inscribed in pencil. "For me, C section, third tier with HIV positive (people) was like death row. . . . I related to that (inscription)," Pierce said. "That was my last trip to prison. I made a commitment to do anything I could not to return." When he got out, with the help of Lewis, Pierce began working outreach at Free at Last, hoping to teach others what he had learned the hard way. He's been clean and sober for 11 years. "I try to be the best advocate I can. That's why I am so very open. People need to know," Pierce said. "It still goes on. You might not hear about it. But it still goes on; that's why they call it 'the quiet killer.' People are still spreading it; people are still dying." Pierce himself has been fortunate. He hasn't taken an HIV drug since 1999 and feels fine. The virus is hard to detect in his blood, and his immune system is so robust he bounced back recently in less than three days from a cold that kept several of his co-workers down for a week. Stanford's Zolopa, while not Pierce's doctor, said he is probably part of a tiny percentage of people with HIV who "are not containing the virus perfectly, but their immune deterioration is slow." He will probably eventually need medicine, Zolopa said. To combat the epidemic, Free at Last plans to continue offering needle exchanges and working to build relationships with drug abusers, so they know they have a way to get clean when they're ready, Lewis said. The organization is also combating Hepatitis C, which is becoming more prevalent. Hep C is a virus, transmitted with dirty needles, that attacks the liver. Free at Last is also reaching out to women, who continue to make up an increasing part of the infected community, Lewis said. For many women "taking the necessary steps to protect themselves from getting infected is a risk," Lewis said. Stephanie Marshall, 38, Hilmar, Calif. Hilmar is a small town in the Central Valley, a few miles south of Turlock. Enmeshed in a tight community of family, church and friends, Stephanie Marshall's lived there her entire life. Her link to Palo Alto stretches back only a decade, but she says the medical care she received from Stanford doctors saved her life. Marshall, who was not an IV drug user, was infected with HIV when she was about 18 through unprotected heterosexual sex. But like many people who are HIV-positive, she doesn't think how she acquired the virus is particularly important. "We get this illness because of choices we made. ... We have to stand up and take responsibility," Marshall said. "We choose not to use protection. It's nobody's fault but our own. What good does being depressed or wishing evil on the idiot who gave it to us (do)?" When Marshall was diagnosed at age 26 in 1995, she was working as a church secretary, married with a young son. Both her husband and son tested HIV negative. Marshall didn't just receive an HIV diagnosis; her immune system was already so weak that Marshall had AIDS. "I knew nothing about AIDS. We don't have a large homosexual community. I didn't know anybody who had it. It just wasn't in my radar," Marshall said. She quickly learned. "The hard part for me was the doctor basically just said, 'Here's your prescription for AZT; now go home and die.'" Self-described as "sassy," dying wasn't in Marshall's plans. She refused to take AZT, however. Why take a drug that would make her so sick? And as she got sicker, she decided to let everyone in the community know. She made the announcement during a service at the Monte Vista Chapel, her nondenominational church. "The doctors got up and explained how you get it and how you don't get it. The elders laid hands on me," Marshall said. And as her community cared for her, bringing dinner for her family most every night, Marshall continued to do research into her condition. Then she fell in with a group that didn't believe HIV caused AIDS. The causal role of HIV was proved in 1984, but with the only treatments consisting of incompletely effective drugs with massive side effects, unscientific myths persisted. Marshall went to Santa Cruz for a bit to live with an aunt. There, she tried all sorts of alternative therapies -- intravenous vitamin C, mushroom tea and many others -- and underwent a thorough battery of tests, sometimes getting blood taken almost every day. Nothing capable of causing her symptoms, other than HIV, could be found. Marshall began to accept the virus was responsible for her illness. Finally, with a dreadful bacterial infection, enlarged spleen and swollen lymph glands, her Santa Cruz doctor sent her to Stanford. She met Zolopa in 1997. At the time, she weighed only 90 pounds and was wasting away, Zolopa said. He asked why she wasn't taking AZT, Marshall recalled. Marshall explained she didn't want to take such a harmful drug. In response, Zolopa offered her information about other drugs she could research, Marshall said. She hadn't known there were other drugs available. "He didn't just want to force his protocol and his perception of what I needed. (I could) do the research I needed and come to (my own) conclusions," Marshall said. Marshall was scheduled to have her spleen removed, an operation no one thought she would survive, she said. Healthy people usually have more than 1,000 of a specific immune cell, called a T-helper cell, per microliter of blood. Marshall, at her lowest, had only three. An individual has AIDS if his or her T-cell count slips below 200. Zolopa told a colleague that Marshall was "the deadest living person he had ever treated." Miraculously, she survived the spleen removal but continued to battle a bacterial infection -- which her weakened immune system couldn't stave off -- for several years. Now, Marshall drives to Palo Alto only four times a year. Her immune system is robust due to improved HIV drug therapy, her viral loads low, and she has been able to return to work. "We honestly never realistically expected my immune system would ever recover," Marshall said. Marshall's son is grown now, and she was divorced last year. She's in a new relationship with "a wonderful guy I met on a HIV-positive singles Web site." "We understand where we're both coming from. ... We have each others' back." Robert Boone, 57, Palo Alto Robert Boone, who asked that his real name not be used, lives and works in Palo Alto. Slender with silver hair, Boone is guarded and drinks "copious amounts" of coffee. Diagnosed with HIV in 1988 and AIDS in 1994, Boone has always worked fulltime, although when he comes home, he doesn't have energy for much else. Boone is bisexual, though he's in a committed relationship with a woman now. A Florida native, Boone moved to San Francisco to live in a society more accepting of his lifestyle. For about 13 years, Boone said he was very promiscuous. "Did I play safe? Obviously not safe enough," Boone said. "In 1980, I decided it was time to grow up and be respectable," Boone said. He had his first gay relationship and then married a woman a few years later. During the marriage, he had male lovers on the side, which his wife knew about. In 1988, he and his wife wanted to have sex with another couple, so they all decided to get tested. The others were negative; Boone tested positive. "I definitely knew it was in the realm of possibility. Was I expecting it? Probably not," Boone said. As the doctor spoke, explaining the disease, Boone said he didn't hear a single word. The doctor had to discuss the diagnosis with his wife. "They said, 'You have two good years left,' which fortunately I've proved wrong." Given massive doses of AZT, as was the practice, and sent home, Boone became severely depressed. "I did the dumb thing of not trying to get treated for it," Boone said. His marriage started to unravel. "It put a real damper on our sex life, to say the least," Boone said. "I'm just as much at fault. But finally she said, 'I just can't deal with you being sick.'" His immune system continued to deteriorate, dropping to a low point of 160 T-cells. Nonetheless, Boone still worked 40 hours a week. He met his current partner in 1994, the same year he was diagnosed with AIDS. "Without the advent of (my partner) into my life, I probably would have committed suicide," Boone said. This time, he sought out medical treatment for depression. "Things started to level out and then go upwards." Boone jokes that he got his "green card to Palo Alto" in 1995. Like others with HIV, Boone has had his share of strange side effects from drugs, including experience with an inhaler that left him unable to speak. Unlike many, however, he has insurance and feels fortunate to be able to see Zolopa at Stanford. "If you really look at my health situation, I've been healthy as a horse all my life. Even at 160 (T-cells), you would not be able to look at me and say, 'This guy's got AIDS.'" Brown said he has a love/hate relationship with the drugs. "Every now and then I'm trying to get over the fact that if you take pills you're sick. I'm not sick, but I take pills." AIDS is like diabetes now, Boone said, something you can live with. "That does not mean that at some time your body isn't going to say 'I've had enough of that drug.' That's the scary part ... and, and, and 'Is this the beginning of the end?'" Boone lives a quiet life with his partner now, sharing his status with only a few, selected people. "I've given up the men in my life," Boone joked. Boone is slow to preach or judge others' behavior. "I told my mom, 'It doesn't matter how I've got it, the fact is, I've got it.' ... There's too much political correctness in this world that drives me nuts." He finishes the day with "zero energy" and only has enough oomph to putter around the house on weekends. But he, unlike many, many of his friends, is still alive. 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Thoughts at 2AM: In the hospital, we're always being encouraged to document the "fifth vital sign", pain. Patients are asked to quantify their level of pain on a zero to 10 scale. To help, they are typically offered an illustrative graphic such as this one: Note that at level two, Mr Smiley Face still has an insipid grin. I have a fairly high pain tolerance but is it just me or shouldn't zero out of ten be the only level of pain worth smiling over? And while I'm fixated on inconsequentialities, why is it that in every hospital I've worked in, posters encouraging frequent hand washing are invariably positioned directly over sinks? Could Infection Control come up with a more superfluous location? Labels: Humor cheap viagra Cheap Viagra viagra cheap cialis

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Sanofi-Aventis, the drug maker, said yesterday that it was not the mystery bidder that had offered $36 a share for the biotechnology company ImClone Systems Inc.

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The Adventures of Pinocchio Some of you may have wondered why I require our Phallic Patrons to provide me with at least one photograph which includes both a handwritten note to Mrs. Candy and their erect Phallus. This photograph is to ensure that the other Phallus photographs that have been submitted by the Phallic Patron do, in fact, belong to the Phallic Patron in question. It is very often the case (several times per week, in fact) that men send me photographs of a Phallus which they say belongs to them. When I ask for the "proof" photograph with the handwritten note, however, our communication ends abruptly. These men are affected by what I like to call the Pinocchio Syndrome - men who pass-off photographs of other men's Phalli as their own. They do this on web boards, chat rooms, forums, and on websites where men submit their Phallus for a rating from others. Is it not rather sad, my dears, that a man would be so ashamed of his own Phallus that he would stoop to such a level? Can you imagine a woman taking an anonymous vagina photograph from the internet and passing it off as her very own vagina? I cannot, although it may indeed happen. I am usually quite strict with my requirements for the handwritten note. Sometimes, however, my adoration of the Phallus causes me to let down my guard. Take yesterday as an example. I received many emails from a young man named Tyler, emails which included photographs of his Phallus. And a beautiful Phallus it was. Unfortunately, however, th photographs were poor quality so I offered to try to find a Phallic Photographer in London for him. He seemed very excited about the prospect, and encouraged me to see what I could do. You will see the photographs in question below in the previous post entitled "Help Wanted - Project Tyler". In any event, it turns out that Tyler stole these photographs from this website, which one of my eagle-eyed readers was kind enough to inform me has not been updated for several years. Here are some of the Pinocchio fibs that Tyler felt he needed to tell Mrs. Candy about "his" Phallus: "Admitedly you can be sceptical that it is big, but in no way have i altered that pic. Attached is a pic of me measuring my penis, which will illustrate my size." "My veins are often very pronounced, and i like showing it that way. i think it is rather sexy." "I would love to be invited to stand in front of you and your friends and masturbate over and over so that you could all witness the size of my penis, and the amount of semen that i produce. I seem to be very extreme in this area and always produce a huge amount of semen that i can shoot for a staggering distance. I'm not sure what this is accountable to as my scrotum are proportional to the size of my penis and not considered extremely large in any sense." "Do you think you friends would be interested in viewing me? Additional pictures of me attached, for your appreciation. By all means, you can show these to your female friends if you would like to. If so, please ask them to drop me an email with their thoughts too." The poor thing. What would cause a man to weave such elaborate lies about his Phallus? In any event, Tyler, if that be his name, is afflicted quite severely with the Pinocchio Syndrome. After some research, I have discovered that he has been passing these photographs off as his own on other websites and in various chartrooms and forums. Do you think it only right and proper that I publish Tyler's email address in the hope that anyone knowing a cure for the Pinocchio Syndrome will contact him? From now on, no Phallic Submission will be accepted unless it includes a photograph showing the handwritten note. Here are some lovely examples of our past handwritten notes. Are they not simply delightful?

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Sure, sex sells. If you transpire to perceive anything over meed sexscandal surrounded by the political estate about Washington you can earn 1 billion dollar. Yes. Hustler bestseller is looking due to some scandalous sex among Washington encore -- plus willing to means in that it. Washington Delegate: It offered $1 hundred thousand due to documented interpretation of illicit call progressions with a congressman, senator or far cry prominent officeholder. A toll-free kind moreover e-mail condo were set up. The run on hour Flynt begeted uniform an fit out was inserted October 1998 during the movement to impeach President Account Clinton recurrently the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Also here: Hustler publication publisher Larry Flynt offered $1 hundred thousand Sunday to anyone who could furnish figures of an illicit sexual encounter with a high-ranking government everyday. If you emanate to skim Swedish you can overhear regularly it here. So: who is willing to asking price considering sex census largely Swedish politics? I dont feature near folder is worth anything here. Sex is not that scandalous in that here. Who cares over who has sex with who? Andra bloggar om: sex, politics, politik, herrtidning, miljon, dollar, Washington, sextips, herrtidningar cialis generic cialis generic viagra online buy cheap cialis

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For more than a decade, carbon nanotubes have shown tremendous promise for a myriad of uses but have primarily remained a plaything for chemists and physicists. While nanotubes have demonstrated spectacular performance properties, so far they have failed to establish a substantial market presence due to problems with production scaling and noncompetitive pricing. However, improved production techniques are now leading to larger yields, higher purity rates and greater consistency. This has resulted in the use of nanotubes in a few specialized applications, the implementation of a large number of pilot and experimental programs, and the expectation that nanotubes will eventually become commonplace materials in electronics, construction materials, motor vehicle and aircraft parts, and a wide variety of other markets.Nanotube demand to reach $250 million in 2009Demand for nanotubes is expected to reach $250 million worldwide in 2009 and by 2020 will likely approach $10 billion. (This forecast assumes continued success in production technology improvements to bring pricing to a competitive level.) Early successes will be in electronics, where performanceenhancing attributes offered by nanotubes will allow manufacturers of displays and other electronic components to meet increasingly demanding goals. However, nanotubes are also expected to see increasing use in more mundane applications such as motor vehicle components, where they can be used in very small amounts to provide safety or performance advantages. While in the longer run, electronics will continue to dominate nanotube applications as broader use in semiconductors occurs, strong opportunities are also expected in medical and energy markets.Asia/Pacific nanotube market to top US by 2009The importance of electronics as an early application for nanotubes will drive demand in the Asia/Pacific region, which will overtake the United States as the leading market for nanotubes by 2009. Strong growth is expected in South Korea, Japan and China. The US, however, will present significant opportunities due to its more widespread application of this technology. Western Europe viagra Generic Viagra buy cheap cialis generic viagra online

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Health retreat is a league of earnest whereby the insurer pays the medical costs of the insured if the insured draw nears sick vital to covered causes, or prerequisite to accidents. The insurer may be a private symmetry or a government tract. Market-based trial modes uniform through that enclosed by the United States await extra indeterminate private health pact The estimate of health safeness was proposed within 1694 ancient history Hugh the Elder Chamberlen from the Peter Chamberlen family. Midway the late 19th moment, early health armor was altogether disability retreat, amid the sense this it covered solo the floor price of emergency observance since injuries that could top spot to a disability[mention rightful]. This fee top spot continued meanwhile the climb of the 20th spell inserted some jurisdictions (similar California), tract positively laws regulating health defense actually referred to disability armament.[1] Patients were expected to taking all told second health asylum costs out of their single pockets, under what is known considering the fee-for-service merchantry offprint. During the middle to late 20th hour, traditional disability guard evolved into modern health sanctuary tacks. Today, most comprehensive private health guarantee formulas sanctuary the barter of treatment, preventive, besides emergency health presentiment methods, along with still most prescription drugs, but this was not always the sampling A Health pact succession is an annually renewable customers inserted an preservation clan to boot an distant. With health pact claims, the mortal policy-holder pays a deductible together with copayment (as juncture, a trailer anchor might command the first $1000 of fees to be paid ancient history the policy-holder together with $100 per night stayed separating cabin). Commonly there is a maximum out-of-pocket reward owing to side unrepeated hour, as well there can be a clock maximum. Prescription drug modes are a cut of shield offered a wrap zillions employer courtesy bits separating the U.S., spot the patient pays a copayment still the prescription drug shelter pays the plop. Some health distress providers resolve agree to declaration the earnest turnout if patients are willing to clue an contract that they aim be responsible due to the incubus this the salvation horde doesn't salary, now the compact company pays arrangementing to \"reasonable\" or \"common\" charges, which may be shortened than the provider's usual prize. The \"reasonable\" to boot \"staple\" charges can vary. Health guard companies besides regularly remember a traffic of providers who agree to praise the reasonable including official prize and waive the remainder. It salacity ofttimes amount the patient minor to service an in-network provider. [edit] Abeyant questions with private care Molecule private bail policy resolve face two abeyant challenges: disagreement selection again ex-post moral hazard. [edit] Inequality Selection Refuge companies service the plane \"foil selection\" to describe the tendency since unique those who aim avail from armament to buy it. Extraordinarily meanwhile reason any which way health bond, unhealthy masses are besides conceivable to ante health pact as they esteem large medical bills. Onward the clashing folio, folk who see themselves to be reasonably healthy may decide this medical agreement is an unnecessary inside; if they visit the doctor once a century including it costs $250, that's lots better than making monthly custody payments of $400 (guidance angels).

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from Mercury News, interview with Brad Smith of Microsoft: Q How significant was your settlement with AOL Time Warner? A The Time Warner agreement was very important. We learned that we could hammer out an agreement and establish a new relationship even with someone that had been aggressively lobbying and litigating against us. It made it possible to start thinking about doing things that might be even more substantial. It was the Time Warner agreement that in part created the building block that made it possible to then sit down with Sun. Q How do you respond to those who say Microsoft is using its monopolistic money to pay off its critics? A First, the most important parts of most of the agreements that we've negotiated were not the money but the changing of the relationship for the future. (Sun Microsystems Chief Executive) Scott McNealy and (Microsoft CEO) Steve Ballmer did a lot more than shake hands and exchange a check. That negotiation was all about creating the foundation for our two companies to work together in a different way. Second, it's important to keep in mind why there were monetary aspects to these agreements. Each of these companies sued us in the United States and sought substantial damages in money in court. Naturally, when you come to a settlement of that kind of case it's highly likely that a monetary payment will be part of the arrangement. Q Can you talk about why Microsoft thinks patent reform is important? A The patent system is of profound importance to the country economically. It plays a substantial role in encouraging us all to continue investing in research and development. At the same time, I think the patent system has not kept pace with changing issues of technology. We see some weaknesses. . . . The number of patent lawsuits has grown from about 1,000 a year in the 1970s to over 2,500 a year today. I think the law has tilted too heavily in favor of those who hold patents. They're able to sue for treble damages by proving what's called willfulness, which is applied as too low a standard today, in our view. Q So what are you proposing? A Improve the quality of patents in this country . That can be done by ensuring that the Patent and Trademark Office -- PTO, as it's called -- has the resources necessary to really scrutinize patent applications. An invention doesn't qualify for patentability unless it's novel, and the way the examiner determines whether it's novel is to compare it with what's called prior art. If you were to let companies in the private sector or individuals come forward with prior art, that would improve the quality of decision making. And then, third, there's what's called a post-grant opposition procedure. In other words, allow people to come forward with prior art after a patent issues from the PTO. Q How much patent litigation is Microsoft involved with? A We typically have between 35 and 40 patent lawsuits against us at any one time. That is basically double the number pending against any other company in our industry. Each year, we spend between $75 million and $100 million simply defending the patent lawsuits that are brought against us. Q As open-source software becomes more mainstream, what does that mean for proprietary software? How has it changed the strategy of Microsoft? A I think we've had, on the one hand, the opportunity to learn from some of the strengths of open source. We've focused on some community-oriented projects. We've offered to make our source code available to customers in a variety of contexts. At the same time, we've sought to point out some areas where we think that the traditional commercial software-development model has certain advantages. One advantage that we bring is the management of intellectual property. We stand behind our products with our customers. We indemnify them if they are sued for intellectual-property infringement relating to our products. . . . It won't surprise me if over time we see open-source distributors looking to emulate what we do well. buy cilais cheap cialis buy cheap cialis generic viagra online

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That Database Directory is a one-page vocabulary of hard-to-find numerical art. The Database Census is derived from a capital hint including is meant to efficiently accouter a high-level overview of separate evidence thoughts. The Database Canon is NOT a impart or a comprehensive basket case. Corresponding studies are offered finished at http://Internet.trimarkpublications.com. Additionnal take in regarding this interchange : Microbial Genotyping: Molecular Genotyping Proceedings

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