Last night I learned that men with HIV/AIDS can decrease the amount of the virus in their genital secretions by getting circumcized. Although the research is new, this is a promising finding for the developing world.
Also, since Bean's comment on my blog last night I can't stop thinking about these guys and whether or not there might be a position there. Get back to Canada safe Beans, it will be nice to chat with you!!!
Showing posts with label NGO's and causes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NGO's and causes. Show all posts
8.15.2006
8.11.2006
no limits to HIV/AIDS
On the first day of the XVI International AIDS Conference here in Toronto, what else is there to blog about but, umm, HIV/AIDS.
To begin, it's interesting. It's interesting that here in Canada AIDS is no longer a death sentence. Early diagnosis combined with treatment that is no more complicated than a single pill a day. Those who have HIV can postpone the development of full-blown AIDS for decades. And those who have AIDS can live into their 80s. Actually, the fact that they're living until they are senior citizens poses a new kind of problem. Time Magazine Online just did this amazing (I mean AMAZING) photographic expose called 'The Greying of AIDS'. It highlights some unique problems that have surfaced only recently...only since AIDS patients have aged to become heart patients, cancer patients, and altzheimer's patients (etc.) all at the same time.
But meanwhile, the situation in underdeveloped countries remains much the same. Avert.org's statistics page provides a frightening reality check. Over 38.6 million people world wide living with AIDS. Since 1981, more than 25 million people have died of AIDS. In Africa, over 12 million children have been orphaned due to AIDS. By the end of 2005, women accounted for 48% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and for 59% in sub-Saharan Africa. Half of all new HIV infections worldwide are in people aged 15-24 years old; this equates to around 6,000 every day. In the developing countries there are over 6.5 million people who are in immediate need of life-saving AIDS drugs, while only 1.3 million are receiving the drugs.
And still we cling to the legalities of copyright that prevent cheap generics from being made. And still our government - all Western governments - fails to reach targets for development assistance. And still the US government and the Catholic Church refuses to distribute condoms or participate in safe sex campaigns. And still we hide behind a false hope that incites us to believe that this disease is limited to gay men, to Africa, to drug users. To people who are not us, not like us, not safe like us.
When will we wake up?
To begin, it's interesting. It's interesting that here in Canada AIDS is no longer a death sentence. Early diagnosis combined with treatment that is no more complicated than a single pill a day. Those who have HIV can postpone the development of full-blown AIDS for decades. And those who have AIDS can live into their 80s. Actually, the fact that they're living until they are senior citizens poses a new kind of problem. Time Magazine Online just did this amazing (I mean AMAZING) photographic expose called 'The Greying of AIDS'. It highlights some unique problems that have surfaced only recently...only since AIDS patients have aged to become heart patients, cancer patients, and altzheimer's patients (etc.) all at the same time.
But meanwhile, the situation in underdeveloped countries remains much the same. Avert.org's statistics page provides a frightening reality check. Over 38.6 million people world wide living with AIDS. Since 1981, more than 25 million people have died of AIDS. In Africa, over 12 million children have been orphaned due to AIDS. By the end of 2005, women accounted for 48% of all adults living with HIV worldwide, and for 59% in sub-Saharan Africa. Half of all new HIV infections worldwide are in people aged 15-24 years old; this equates to around 6,000 every day. In the developing countries there are over 6.5 million people who are in immediate need of life-saving AIDS drugs, while only 1.3 million are receiving the drugs.
And still we cling to the legalities of copyright that prevent cheap generics from being made. And still our government - all Western governments - fails to reach targets for development assistance. And still the US government and the Catholic Church refuses to distribute condoms or participate in safe sex campaigns. And still we hide behind a false hope that incites us to believe that this disease is limited to gay men, to Africa, to drug users. To people who are not us, not like us, not safe like us.When will we wake up?
8.08.2006
progress?
In the next few hours the third billionth cell phone will be produced.
The first billion phones took 6 years to produce. The second billion phones took 2 years to produce. The third billion phones took 18 months to produce.
Learn about the crazy effects of planned obsolesence and technology here.
The first billion phones took 6 years to produce. The second billion phones took 2 years to produce. The third billion phones took 18 months to produce.
Learn about the crazy effects of planned obsolesence and technology here.
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