STEM CELL RESEARCH-CLONING AND HEALTHCARE ISSUES:

Americans Say They Have The Best Health Care System In The World!

2010-02-25T14:03:00.000-08:00

http://mimbari.livejournal.com/

February 25-2010:

Most Americans Say They Have The Best Health Care System
In The World!

This is a false statement that is made by most of the political representatives in Washington-DC. What they don't say or possibly know, is that thousands of Americans leave these shores to access heart transplants in China and Singapore. Because it is more affordable, available, and no insurance companies ripping them off.

Furthermore, most countries that have a National Healthcare Plan covers their citizens mandatory. And is still able to guarantee the best coverage, and care for all insured persons. This is guaranteed because there is a national and reliable pool or funds, and medical personnel, that is legislated to deliver these services.

GETTING DRUGS NOT NEEDED:

Is seems like many patients are using drugs they really don't need, because of the volume of medical providers they have.

If a patient is able to use ONE doctor as his/her primary care provider, and is able to get all of his/her medical needs accessed via technology by his/her doctor. Even if that patient also have to get Special Needs references for another Specialist.

Then better co-ordination and accounting will be possible!

The tendency for any patient that does not like a certain provider or doctor, and decides to visit with another doctor somewhere else, will be known, and the necessary financial adjustments and accounting rectified.

But it seems that currently, any patient can access any doctor, or pharmacy to get his/her prescriptions filled or needs met.

Thus creating several accounts for this ONE patient, being submitted for different things at different times. And who knows if all or any of those accounts have been falsified.

The Hopelessly Un-Insured Millions:

This group falls within the following categories:

* Those who are unable to pay for Medicare Coverage, because it is too expensive, and their income will not allow them to do so.

* And those whose incomes are so small, (and these are in the majority), and can never afford any kind of Health Care Coverage.

If these two groups are able to access basic coverage, it will allow for more coverage broadly, more variety in access coverage, and will ensure premiums stay constant, and not be hiked up (by the whims and fancies) of the insurance companies to protect their accustomed incomes./revenues.

Derryck.
NYC.

HIV Infection Continues To Rise Within Communities Of Color!

2009-10-08T11:19:00.001-07:00

October 08-2009:

HIV Infection Continues To Rise Within Communities Of Color!

It was former president Ronald Reagon that started A President's Commission that specified how Federal Dollars will be disbursed to states with HIV infected populations. This proviso was absolutely required, so states enacted laws to penalize HIV infected people, in order to qualify for Federal dollars.

Several States have differing laws that penalize HIV infected people who knowingly or un-knowingly infect someone with the virus.

* In Missouri, an HIV infected person cannot marry someone who is not. And an HIV infected person can be charged and sentenced to death, for infecting another person with HIV (knowingly or un-knowingly).

* In other states, HIV infected persons can be charged with a misdemeanor for infecting another person from just kissing. That too is considered a crime.

HIV Spread Within Communities Of Color:

* Currently, self-identified heterosexual Latino men and Black men have the highest rate of HIV infection within the USA.

* Most Latinos and Black men indulge in careless sexual acts, despite the known consequences of this behavior.

* Some use the excuse of drug addiction for this behavior.

* Others blame lack of knowledge as an excuse. Others blame economic woes, lack or employment, thus leading to prostituting themselves to earn money.

* Others take for granted the reality that with current HIV medications, and adherence to the prescriptions, they are more likely to live a long time, and a reasonably healthy lifestyle.

So they have become complacent, and irresponsible in their casual sexual encounters.

Therefore, I say for those who Chose to be careless and irresponsible. Leave them to their own devices. For those who seek help, help them as much as possible, and encourage them to maintain the HIV regimen, seek help when needed, and stay away from social influences, that may cause them to fall victim to any behavior that is harmful to a healthy life style.

For those who CHOSE NOT TO BE RESPONSIBLE PERIOD. I Say LET THEM DIE!

Derryck S. Griffith.
NYC.

The Concept Of Tax Havens Explained:

2009-08-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

August 22-2009:

The Concept Of Tax Havens Explained!

As I see it, finding a Bank somewhere globally that is willing to accept large sums of money, without questioning the depositor abut the following;

* How did he/she acquire this large sum of money in his/her possession?

* Is he/she evading his/her country's Tax Laws or requirement and submission of tax returns?

* And his/her reason for choosing this banking institution for making his/her deposits.

The Banks Responsibilities:

Most banks that deal with foreign clients with large sums of deposits, aught to have rules pertaining to such transactions. And both parties

MUST agree to abide by these rules and regulations also.

However, in the current quest to deal with Global Tax Evasion and Transparency for Banks, it is incumbent upon banks to do the following.

* When asked by a foreign country's authorities to submit upon request, and in reasonable time, the bank account deposits and saving of a certain client. That bank MUST comply with that request, or face litigation for non-compliance.

* No bank is expected to surrender any information to any foreign or local government authority, that is not related specifically to Tax Evasion concerns of that client. And such request MUST comply with certain pre-established rules for providing such information about any client of any banking institution.

* Furthermore, any foreigner could still deposit or bank large sums of money abroad, because in many cases it could be a lucrative investment for all concerned.

But any depositor who so choose to do banking globally, MUST acknowledge that he/she is expected to comply with any request concerning taxes, if that situation arises.

Derryck.
NYC.

Lengthy Drug Usage Leads to Mental & Psychological Illnesses!

2009-08-17T22:13:00.001-07:00

August 18-2009:

Lengthy Drug Usage Leads to Mental & Psychological Illnesses!

I have found personally, that taking or using prescription and non-prescription drugs continually, overtime leads to serious mental and psychological illness and hallucinations. This I found very compelling in myself, ever since I started using prescription drugs to control the spread of a blood bourne disease since 1994.

And I am now convinced that the spate of mental illness in the United States Of America, a culture that indulges in the general use of prescription and non-prescription drugs, is more inclined to be violent, aggressive, self-destructive, competitive, erratic, narcissistic, and emotionally unstable in times of crisis.

My Medical History:

I have never used any recreational drug like marihuana for more than an occasional joint, or a puff or two of a joint of marijuana, on rare occasions. I used or drank vodka or rum also, rarely, or occasionally. And smoked cigarettes occasionally for a few years in my younger years, but ceased completely all of the above in the year 1994, just after I started using prescription drugs, and was told by my doctor that recreational drug use of any kind is detrimental to my general health and well being.

Violent and Frightening Dreams:

I cannot recall having violent dreams while asleep in any general or consistent way. But now I do occasionally. And some of these dreams are so graphic, that I wake up immediately afterwards in ANGER, sometimes after kicking the wall next to my bed, in defense of some personal attack by someone in my dreams.

And this disturbs me greatly. My doctor also told me some time ago, when he prescribed some of these drugs, that they are known to affect individuals in that manner for a while.

Then I suddenly realized the underlying problem here. I believe that subliminally, drugs use (orally or intravenously), alters one's perception of life generally. It distorts reality to the point that you feel like a victim without control of things you would normally have control of. Your perception becomes jaded, and bitterness sometimes ensue. That is why I have found from observation, that many individuals who are chronic drug users (prescription and recreationally), get very verbally abusive, violent, bitter, and self destructive as they move closer to their demise.

HIV Medications Contribute To Mental Illness Too:

Yes, all HIV or H.A.R.T. prescribed medications contribute to these hallucinations or frightful dreams. And if you are using these medications for a number of years continually, you are more likely to suffer mental and psychological problems for sure. If you are in the field of Advocacy or provide services to people living with HIV & AIDS, Drug and Substance users, you would surely have observed these trends.

Some call it mental illness associated with the lack of meaningful employment, or gainful employment, or the loss or inability to work full time, because of the HIV virus infection, and all related issues pertaining to accessing services, housing, employment, and emotional support. And I say all of the above are factors that lead to mental and psychological illness. And it varies from person to person. It all depends on your genetic, psychological history.

Is Their Any Serious Research Being Done In this Regard?

I often wonder about the same thing. And I am not sure if any research was ever seriously done, the target group/s, and if such research is ever taken seriously enough, to warrant a Public Outcry by the HIV & AIDS infected communities, or Providers Of Services to these communities.

And if not, now is the time to do so, on an ongoing basis, and make the findings known to all of the above communities Online, and via the City, State, and Federal Authorities web sites, programs, and providers.

Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

The TRUTH About Health Care-Senior Citizens & The Terminally ILL:

2009-08-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

August 11-2009:

The TRUTH About Health Care-Senior Citizens & The Terminally ILL:

* FALSE: They say Obama's Health Care would be mandatory.

TRUE: Obama's Health Care would give everyone an OPTION to CHOOSE. The Private-Public Plan,
or None At All.

*FALSE: They say that Obama's Health Care will not cover everyone with pre-conditions.

TRUE: Obama's Health Care will allow anyone with or without a pre-condition to get or access any Health Care Plan of their choosing.

* FALSE: They say that Obama's Health Care will not let you chose your own doctor/Physician, regardless of your condition.

TRUE: Obama's Health Care Plan will allow you to KEEP your present plan, or if you decide to chose another plan, you can also choose your own or preferred doctor/physician.

Terminally Ill Patients:

FALSE: They say that the Obama Health Care Plan will let a doctor decide to terminate any patient he/she feels will not recover ever, and if kept under sedation or in constant limbo, will cost tax payers millions of dollars.

TRUE: The Obama Health Care Plan will (as is being done currently) has a provision for someone to make the decision to keep or terminate a patient's lifeline. If that patient is unable to mentally, or psychologically comprehend, his/her condition in a rational manner.

His/Her Relatives, Spouse, Doctor, or some other prior designated person (in consort), will be consented with, and will have the final say concerning any termination, relating to any mental illness.

Derryck.
NYC.

Barack Obama's Health Care Plan Explained!

2009-08-08T04:37:00.001-07:00

August 08-2009:

Barack Obama's Health Care Plan Explained!

As far as I understand, anyone who does not have Health Care, can have it under the Obama proposal.

* If you already have Health Care, and are satisfied with it. Then you can KEEP your health Care Plan. You don't have to change it period.

* The other OPTION is The Public One, which will allow anyone without Health Care already, to choose that Public Plan.

* It will give you the same benefits as the Private Plan does, under Obama's proposals.

The general concept of the plan is to ensure that ALL Americans have a viable and Reliable Health Care Plan, regardless of their employment or Un-employment status!

Derryck.
NYC.

Chimpanzees Or Gorillas-What Is The Difference?

2009-08-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

August 04-2009:

Chimpanzees Or Gorillas-What Is The Difference?

New HIV Strain Discovered in Woman:

If we assume that this finding is REAL and TRUE. Then the next question is.

* Did this new HIV transmission occur via Blood or Inhalation?

Because as far as I am aware, HIV is transmitted via Body Fluids, or HIV contaminated Blood Transfusions.

And if we could accept that this new HIV associated strain supposedly contracted by some Gorilla or Chimpanzee, then it had to be of a SEXUAL nature. And that leads to the speculation that some Male or Female may have had some sexual encounter with a Chimp or a Gorilla!

Until the SPECIFIC mode of transmission of this new HIV strain is determined. I refuse to accept this new finding or speculation/s.

Derryck S. Griffith
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/08/02/2348224

New HIV Strain Discovered:

Posted by kdawson on Monday August 03, @08:07AM
from the evolution-in-action dept.
reporter and barnyjr were among the readers alerting us to the discovery of a new strain of the

HIV virus, found in a woman from the west central African nation of Cameroon.
"It differs from the three known strains of human immunodeficiency virus and appears to be closely related to a form of simian virus recently discovered in wild gorillas, researchers report in Monday's edition of the journal Nature Medicine. ...

The most likely explanation for the new find is gorilla-to-human transmission, Plantier's team said. But... they cannot rule out the possibility that the new strain started in chimpanzees and moved into gorillas and then humans, or moved directly from chimpanzees to both gorillas and humans. ...

Researchers said it could be circulating unnoticed in Cameroon or elsewhere. The virus's rapid replication indicates that it is adapted to human cells, the researchers reported."
beastmanaids hiv dontdatemonkeys science medicine story

Related Stories
Firehose:New HIV Strain Discovered in Woman

The Public Option Health Care Provider & What Is Means!

2009-07-02T15:48:00.001-07:00

July 02-2009:

The Public Option Health Care Provider & What Is Means!

Hithero, most consumers sought a Health Care provider according to their financial means. Those who had the means got the best services, from the best Health Care Providers.

And those that could not afford the better ones had to settle for the sub standard providers, which did not provide for most of the needs, that most consumers wanted from their doctors/physicians.

How will the Public Option Work?

The Public Option gives those who do not have Health Care the option to have one.

It also allows consumers the CHOICE between the Established providers, and the Federally Subsidized Provider/Plans.

Both Health Care plans would be providing for the health Care needs of any American that wants it.

The only difference is that we would be getting to choose between the Public Option, and The Private Option.

If anyone does not want Healthcare for whatever reason, he/she has that option too also.

But the provision is there for all, if or when they so choose to get Health Care.

Derryck.
NYC.

Health Care Is Not Only Essential-It Is A MUST!

2009-06-23T17:03:00.001-07:00

June 23-2009:

Health Care Is Not Only Essential-It Is A MUST!

Dear Senator/Congressperson,

Can I depend on you to ardently advocate for, and support the president's Proposed Health Care Plan as I do?

Listed hereunder, are some points that I have outlined, which (to my mind), needs special attention.

* Ensure that SINGLE PAYER representation are at the table during these discussions.

* Ensure that all doctors in general practice are paid relatively equal, regardless of whether he/she is attending to a patient with Medicaid or Medicare insurance.

* Ensure that all patients have the option to choose their own preferred Hospital/Primary Care Physician.

* Ensure that all patients have access to Dental Care (fillings, extractions, cleaning/oral hygiene, and capping loose or missing fillings).

* Ensure that all patients have access to pain management, massage therapy, drug and substance abuse counseling, medication adherence counseling, and blood tests (including HIV Viral Load monitoring).

* Ensure access to maternity care, pre-natal care, post-natal care, pre-abortion counseling, and post abortion counseling.

* Ensure that all doctors accept all patients that are insured or not insured, as a humanitarian gesture, and not simply an emergency consultation, with a prescription issued that the patient cannot afford to fill.

FINALLY:

Health Care is not something that has to be considered, or encouraged.

Health Care is something that ALL societies in this modern era MUST provide for EVERY citizen!

Sincerely,

NEWS From My Perspective!

2009-05-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

May 03-2009:

The American TV Media Continues To Lie & Misinform People!

Over the years, the American television media has been misleading and deliberately lying to the American people and the world, whenever they report what they consider to be news.

Today, even after the CDC and the Federal government acknowledges that the current H1N1 Flu epidemic is not caused by SWINE, but by a virus with a strain hitherto unknown.

But the CNN-MSNBC and FOX news television, continues to mislead the American people and broadcast to the world, the same allegations, that has no Validity thus far.

Every Television Anchor has been referring to this epidemic as the Swine flu, knowing fully well that they are misleading their viewers.

This is how the former Soviet Union, now (Russia), former Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia, now (The Czech Republic), and Cuba, uses the media to misinform the masses.

And the US media is also doing so, under the premise of Freedom Of The Press and Media, or Free Speech.

This medium is no different from those that I sighted above, in any way, shape, or form!

Derryck.
NYC.

NEWS From My Perspective!

2009-04-30T15:02:00.001-07:00

April 30-2009:

Jordan Destroys Their Non Halal Beef!

Yes, the Egyptian government authorized the killing of thousands of pigs, for fear that they may be contaminated with the H1N1 virus. Even though the WHO, or (World Health Organization) has specifically stated that there is no scientific evidence found so far, to validate the fear or claim that this flu virus came from pigs.

This irrational, insensitive, and aggressive act of killing the food of Non-Moslems within that society, just goes to show how the Egyptian government has little or no regard for Non-Moslem segments within it's midst.

And I wonder if cows, were the alleged culprits of this flu virus, if the Egyptian government would have ordered the mass killing of all cows?

I shudder to think just how other Islamic countries will behave in the light of this precedent now established by Egypt, when the H1N1 virus starts to appear on their shores?

Derryck.
NYC.

The Current Swine Flu Virus!

2009-04-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

April 28-2009:

The Current Swine Flu Virus!

As far as I understand, a new outbreak of Flu, called Swine Flu, was discovered in Mexico. So far, healthy young people seem to be the victims of this epidemic, and the reason/s are still to be determined by the CDC.

They have also been a few cases of suspected Swine Flu infected individuals in New York, which has probable cause for the suspicion that this may ultimately be categorized as a pandemic flu virus.

However, you cannot contract this flu from eating PORK.

And as an airborne virus, the natural way of infection is via the nostrils via inhalation, or contaminated surfaces or places that someone may have sneezed or coughed, and sputum droplets would have landed there from their nose or mouth.

So please observe some basic precautions now that this virus is on the move, by following these precautions.

* Never sneeze or cough with your mouth open.

* If you feel bodily pain, accompanied with a fever, consult your Local Medical Center or Hospital.

There are known medications that will be administered if necessary. But do not allow a severe cough or fever to go un-treated, because it may be something serious.

Wearing A Mask?

Anyone wearing a mask for fear of contracting the Swine Flu Virus, is a FOOL.

Masks are only recommended when someone is ALREADY infected.

Such recommendations are prescribed to people infected with a SEVERE type of Pneumonia, Flu, and Tuberculosis.

So do not allow the IDIOTS in the local media, any group, or public official to coerce you into wearing any mask, for fear of contracting the Swine Flu virus!

Blame It On Mexico!

There is some speculation in the local television media, that the Swine Flu virus originated in Mexico. This I presume is because that country has the highest deaths related to it, and has more infected people per capita, that any other country so far.

But I caution everyone not to allow this kind of speculation to get out of control, before any validation is found to substantiate that claim.

Remember when HIV/AIDS was first discovered in the 1980's in the USA.

Shortly thereafter, fingers started pointing to Africa, and the Baboons there as the source!

Derryck.
NYC.

SWINE FLY VIRUS EMERGENCY ALERT:

2009-04-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

April 25-2009:

SWINE FLU VIRUS EMERGENCY ALERT!

As far as I understand, a new outbreak of Flu, called Swine Flu, was discovered in Mexico. So far, healthy young people seem to be the victims of this epidemic, and the reason/s are still to be determined by the CDC.

They have also been a few cases of suspected Swine Flu infected individuals in New York, which has probable cause for the suspicion that this may ultimately be categorized as a pandemic flu virus.

However, you cannot contract this flu from eating PORK.

And as an airborne virus, the natural way of infection is via the nostrils via inhalation, or contaminated surfaces or places that someone may have sneezed or coughed, and sputum droplets would have landed there from their nose or mouth.

So please observe some basic precautions now that this virus is on the move, by following these precautions.

* Never sneeze or cough with your mouth open.

* If you feel bodily pain, accompanied with a fever, consult your Local Medical Center or Hospital.

There are known medications that will be administered if necessary. But do not allow a severe cough or fever to go un-treated, because it may be something serious.

Derryck.
NYC.

N.I.C.E. Drug Prescription Overseers In Britain Said No To Cancer Patient!

2009-03-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

March 14-2009:

N.I.C.E. Drug Prescription Overseers In Britain Said NO To Cancer Patient!

I watched a presentation or expose of an individual male cancer patient, who is terminally ill with cancer. But the above organization has refused to allow him to access medication, even when he has already been a contributor to the Social Security/National Insurance Authority all his working life.

Now he is two years in retirement, and is refused a much needed medication (to help him live) the remaining part of his physical life. But the above N.I.C.E. authorities have refused his claim, on the grounds that it would be useless and costly to do so, if he will eventually die anyway.

So what about HIV and AIDS patients? Are these people placed in this category too?

Even though (the world community at large) knows, that with the proper prescribed medications, and adherence to taking them as per prescription, prolongs the individual's life. And giving him or her a second chance to make something of his or her life, even though fatally infected with the HIV virus.

I am deeply concerned about this position taken by the N.I.C.E organization, and wonder if the priority is to save lives, or not save those that doctors say will die soon, or may surely die, regardless of whatever drug is prescribed.

If this is the attitude of the N.I.C.E. organization, then they should make it quite clear to the entire nation and their subscribers or clients, this unfortunate FACT.

Derryck S. Griffith
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.
New York City.

What Is A Pre-existing Condition?

2009-03-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

March 11-2009:

What Is A Pre-existing Condition?

A pre-existing condition simply means the following:

* If someone intends to seek personal insurance for his/her health, he/she may be asked to declare any of the following ailments or health conditions prior to the moment he/she wants to be insured.

These ailments can be Diabetes, Heart failure, HIV/AIDS, Syphilis, Aneurism, Brain tumor, Prostate cancer, Cancer in general, Alzheimer, Parkinson disease, etc.

Almost every known malady to humans can debar anyone from being insured.

Insurance companies always justify their position by saying, the risks to insure persons with any of the above prior conditions are very severe indeed!

And those companies that allow it may require that the insured, pay enormous premiums in order to qualify.

That is why president Obama is trying to outlaw this pre-condition element, that would prevent any American from getting health insurance coverage period!

Derryck.
NYC.

President Obama Lifts The Ban On Stem Cell Research Funding!

2009-03-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

March 09-2009:

Why Would Anyone Want To Prohibit The Research On Stem Cell Technology?

Embryonic Stem Cells are not human beings. They are the potential for a human to be developed. So why do some people feel that to use stem cells for scientific research, would be the killing of human life.

How ignorant could anyone be to hold this mis-informed view!

If we had put science on hold for moral and religious beliefs, Penicillin would not have been administered for syphilis, and the other related STD's that it has cured from the human organism for decades, since it's discovery.

As we speak, several nations are doing the same research in order to attain the knowledge that leads to cures for Parkinsons disease, cancer, and other dire diseases. And if we here in the USA continues to be repulsed by this study. Then rest assured, that if and when these cures become a reality, America will find itself purchasing the medications for our own domestic patients, at the tax payers expense.

So before anyone shouts never, never, we MUST stop and do some REAL and Objective thinking about this matter!

Derryck.
NYC.

PS: Incidentally, president Obama has lifted or repealed the ban that George W. Bush enacted, effective from today!

Americans Thrive On Demonizing Their Own People!

2009-02-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

February 15-3009:

Americans Thrive On Demonizing Their Own People!

Today, I watched a discussion among some CNN anchors about the woman who produced eight new borns recently. Some said it was wrong of her to do so, when she already have six other children, some of whom are on welfare.

Others said that this woman was a victim of our local media, and their promoting the large families syndrome historically.

While another said that when the media discovered that this woman had no secure or adequate means to support or care for these children. And even her mother who formerly took care of the six she already had, that she will no longer be available to assist in the care and upbringing of the eight new arrivals.

And that her daughter is irresponsible and probably has mental or narcissistic issues.

All of the above may be true in part or totally, but it still asks the question. WHY would anyone want eight more children added to six they already have. When that person is not wealthy, or cannot provide adequately for any of them?

And if the alleged mother is receiving welfare assistance for one or more of the six she already have. Then it stands to reason, that she may have intended this new input to add or increase her welfare assistance largess.

Personally, I believe that any woman who chose to have or not to have children, has that sole right or choice under the US Constitution. And must not be made to feel that she is doing something harmful to herself and society at large.

I also believe that if her physician upon consultation with her, and her intent to increase the family from six to eight. He may have known if it was harmful to her physiologically. And I would hope that he (the physician), would have inquired from her about her ability to provide for these new arrivals after childbirth. And would have given her (if asked or not), some advice on these concerns too.

But in the final analysis, this woman has to take care of these children adequately, to ensure that the Department Of Child Welfare does not take them away from her for adoption. Because that would be truly traumatic to her, and those unfortunate children eventually.

Derryck.
NYC.

Can We Afford National Health Care?

2008-12-14T11:38:00.000-08:00

December 14-2008:

Can We Afford National Health Care?

This is an ironic question that is asked by the general commonweal, and the local TV media. And people from all persuasions have differing views about this question.

But NO ONE seems to mind the US spending one trillion dollars in Iraq per month, and this does not account for the millions being paid for the Afghanistan scenario.

So I wonder what is more important to the American people.

* Are the American people more supportive of spending billions to kill fellow humans on a daily basis.

* Or will they support a National Health Care Bill, that in the long term, will allow all Americans to have full access to Medical Coverage/Services for all ailments, with the best care their is.

Regardless of their individual incomes!

Derryck.
NYC

Death Is Death Regardless Of The Cause!

2008-10-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

Death Is Death Regardless Of The Cause:

Since HIV was discovered,
Thousands have died from immunity
breakdown, or the body's inability,
To fight back any virus that would do it harm.

HIV was able to wreck men, women,
children, grandmothers, and grand fathers,
No one was spared from this disease
as far as I know,

After coming into contact with this devil.
The fear, hate, consternation,
social stigma, and castration,
This virus brought upon us all,
will always bother those who are infected with HIV,
for as long as this virus is still around.

Some people are so afraid,
they are afraid to have sex of any kind.
Marriages are breaking up,
because one partner is too scared even to kiss,
much less have sexual intercourse.

Anytime you meet someone socially,
and try to get too close
or try to have some of that which we all love!

The fear that he or she will refuse you,
because he or she is afraid of HIV & AIDS.

Some even confuse the two categories,
and see both as one thing!
Some don't care which is which, as long as it is HIV associated.
Negative and positive status means little or nothing to either one,
because it takes only one instance of sexual activity to change one's status.

And not having sex of any kind,
is contradictory to human nature and human procreation.
Sex for pleasure or sex for love,
or sex for children,
is something that every individual have to consider
whenever he or she gets sexually intimate for most of us humans now.

And I wonder how long can we operate under this umbrella of fear,
before we eventually decide to throw all caution to the wind!

Derryck.
NYC.

My National Health Care Plan For America:

2008-01-28T17:13:00.000-08:00

January 28-2008:

My National Health Care Plan For America!

Universal Health Care Sanctioned by The Feds & Subsidized by the States And Employers Alike:

* We need a National Health Care Plan which will guarantee coverage by the Feds, The States,, and the Private sectors/employers.

* Each entity MUST provide a percentage of coverage for every employed American, with certain stipulations that the Feds must make, regarding the percentage amount that the Feds the State, & The Private Sector/Employers, and the Employed person will pay, from the first pay wage or income that he or she earns.

* The percentage contributed by the employee must be based upon his or her gross wages or salary.

* And the percentage amount that the States and Feds will contribute must also be statutorily regulated.

* With this trilateral coverage or guarantee in place, all working people will be able to access medical care nationally.

* Also provisions must be legislated for coverage of every illness, hospitalization if necessary for any ailment (if required), prescription drugs coverage for all medicines, and (limited co-pay arrangements) for certain categories that earn incomes below a certain ceiling.

Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.
NYC.

America's Problem With Obesity:

2007-12-03T16:14:00.001-08:00

December 03-2007:

WORD-UP:

Most Americans Will Never Be Able To Maintain A Healthy Diet!
Most Americans or those who have emigrated here from abroad, and have inculcated the cultural attitudes of most Americans. Will never be able to maintain a healthy diet, practice proper nutritional habits, or maintain the weight that is in keeping with their individual height and metabolism, for the following reasons:

* Most Americans cannot cook or prepare a proper meal at home.

* Most Americans depend upon others to cook, prepare, deliver, and cater to their daily food intake.

* Most Americans are culturally oriented to feel that eating out at restaurants, diners, takeouts, and delis, are the easiest way to get a quick meal, or to obtain a meal that they prefer, desire, or cannot prepare themselves.

* Thousands of Americans are unable to maintain a proper or healthy diet because of poverty, ignorance of proper nutrition, or was never taught proper nutrition and the importance of it for maintaining good health, and longevity.

* Millions of Americans below the poverty line, earning less than ($16,000.00) dollars per year, depends on food pantries, food stamps, and other means to eat on a daily basis. These people will never be able to eat healthy, maintain proper nutritional habits, or afford to cook nutritional foods regularly, or continually.

Therefore, all or most of the above factors influences the types of food or meals that most Americans eat daily, and influences the inability to maintain a steady weight, or keep from becoming Fat, Obese, or Overweight period!

Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.
http://my.opera.com/BringBaka/

UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE Is A NECESSITY FOR THE USA:

2007-06-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

June 30-2007:
http://journals.aol.com/ecmimbari/MIMBARISVIEWPOINT/

Universal Healthcare Is A NECESSITY For The USA:

This is the only country (The USA), among the developed countries around the world that does not have a National Health Care System. That ensures all Americans can access Health Care, regardless of whether they are employed or un-employed, without having to worry about affordability.

A system that subsidizes all Americans that need help in times of need, to access relevant care, pay for medications, and hospitalization. With such a system in place, doctors would not have to worry about being sued because of insufficient medical attention. Or in-appropriate prescription for medication that does not help patients to recover fully.

Patients will no longer feel that they are too poor to visit the doctor, for fear that they will not be able to afford the prescriptions. Dentists will not turn away patients because they only have Medicaid, or some supplementary medical insurance that does not provide for some medications beyond a prescribed ceiling.

And the assurance that Medical Coverage and Hospitalization assistance from the Feds, The State, and Local employment organizations, are all committed to ensuring that all Americans are covered medically.

Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

How Does One Identify A Transgender Person In Public?

2007-06-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

June 03-2007:

http://thethingsthatmatter.blogspot.com/

How Does One Identify A Transgender Person In Public?

I have heard several Transgender persons claim that they are very often lumped in the category of Gay or Homosexual men. And this can be very difficult for them to meet fellow Transgenders for love, relationships, or even friendship. Some also claim that accessing medical services at hospitals, clinics, and private medical doctors, are also very troubling for them.

Because many medical doctors (male and female alike), do not want to deal with them. And filling out the traditional forms for such service still carry the heterosexual categories of Male and Female. And does not cater to Transgenders as another category.

How Do You Recognize A Tansgender Person In Public?

Some Transgenders in transition, may have acquired some amount of Hormonal IV therapy, causing the development of their breasts, hips, and overall shape. But most of them still look like MEN or Gay men.

Others who underwent the total transformation or gender transformation, still have semblance of the male or female accent or voice hitherto the change. And this puzzles most people in determining who or what they are, and how to address these individuals personally.

* Do you refer to someone who may or may not look male or female, Mister or Misses?

* And if you are able to recognize some physical changes or alterations in the physical structure of the individual, how do you refer to them by gender?

* And how many people would ever consider asking that person how does he or she want to be addressed?

These are troubling questions for society generally. And Transgenders or those who have taken the total transformation, must realize, that mainstream society will always be guided by the traditional concept of Male and Female identity. And until there is a RECOGNIZEABLE way in which the layman, laywoman, or society generally, can determine what to look for, or generally accept as a GENDER category.

The traditional category of (Male and Female), will always be used as the criteria for determining gender, and possibly sexual preferences!

Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

Some People Are FATALISTIC By Nature!

2007-06-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

WORD-UP:

The quarantined Greek national (Andrew Speaker), who is carrying a fatal and contagious strain of Tuberculosis (XDR-TB), is now in a state prison-medical facility in Denver-Colorado.

He never surrendered himself to the authorities when told that his disease is contagious, and fatal to those who may become infected after dealing with him.
However, his wife chose not to wear a face mask, which is suggested to both of them, to prevent the oral spread via speaking, to anyone in close proximity.

This act is tantamount to those who chose to have anal or vaginal sexual intercourse (without a Condom), after knowing of the possible danger of infection of the HIV virus.

Some people are fatalistic by nature, or just plain DUMB.

Derryck.
NYC.

OBESITY & The Social Stigma It Attracts!

2007-04-27T04:38:00.000-07:00

April 26-2007:

http://thethingsthatmatter.blogspot.com/

Obesity & The Social Ridicule It Attracts!

Tonight on WLIW.org, I witnessed a documentary about the social stigma that surrounds obesity within our society. And the in-surmountable efforts that most obese persons have to overcome in order to control, maintain or keep off the extra pounds from developing within their bodies. I also learned that if you were obese as a child, and continued to be obese into adulthood.

Removing the extra weight off at that stage in your life is almost impossible. Because psychologically, your brain and mentality have become accustomed to dealing with a plump or fat child. So asking it to re-adjust in adulthood to not telling you to keep that weight on, is almost impossible for the brain to reconcile.

I also learned that most people who take weight loss programs such as rigorous exercise at the GYM, or physical fitness of every sort, will eventually lose some weight. But will be unable to keep it off indefinitely, regardless of how discipline they are or try to be, with their individual nutrition or diet.

And contemplating surgery is also an option for the severely obese to remember, when all other options have failed. Even though this option has its' risks. But with the advice from a knowledgeable physician who has been seeing you on a regular basis, and is familiar with your family and genetic history, his or her guidance in this regard, ought to give you some hope, or alleviate some of the fears that precedes the decision to take this operation.

Why Is Obesity So Repulsive To So Many People?

We live in a society that relishes or reveres slimness, or the slim body. Our Hollywood actors or stars are mostly very slim or athletic in physique. Our fashion magazines, models, and entertainment personalities all emulate this mode of physical appearance.

And slimness have become the national ideal or preferred type of body that is considered sexy, appealing, and mainstream. Even though a very large percentage of Americans or people living in The USA are obese or over weight. If you ask any obese or fat person to tell you how often they encounter ridicule about their weight.

Most will say on a daily basis. They either hear comments about it verbally, or personally told to their faces that they should lose weight, or that they are ridiculously fat.

And this can be very hurtful to the person being told this. And may cause most of them to feel inferior, not accepted, unable to marry, have children, or a lover.

Solutions:

* Some solutions I feel will help obese people (adults and children alike), is to get involved in programs that facilitate discussion or give nutritional advice, and how the family could help remedy some of these problems.

* With proper nutritional guidance, help in understanding the mental and psychological state of obesity, and its' affect on different individuals.

* And how obesity is an individual malady, that must be dealt with individually.

Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

MENINGITIS Vaccine To Be FREELY Distributed In Africa?

2007-03-30T16:58:00.000-07:00

March 30-2007:

http://my.opera.com/BringBaka/

MENINGITIS Vaccine (BloBrix)-For FREE To Africa:

Definition of Meningitis:

Infectious disease characterized by inflammation of the meninges (the tissues that surround the brain or spinal cord), usually caused by a bacterial infection. Symptoms include headache, and stiff neck, fever and nausea:

Today the BBC news reported that the above vaccine will be given to Africa for FREE, to help prevent the deadly disease of Meningitis.
The pharmaceutical corporation that produces this vaccine does not want any profit from this venture in Africa. And this vaccine will be sold very cheaply locally,a in Africa.

So the questions to follow this now is, WHY AFRICA?

* Why is Africa and Africans to be the first to use this untried vaccine?

* And what about the adverse or side effects (if any), from this vaccine?

* And was there a trial before this vaccine was determined to be safe?

* And if there was a trial or trials, who were the volunteers?

* Were they African men and women, or Europeans?

* And should there be future complications from recipients of this vaccine, would they be compensated by the pharmaceutical corporation providing it?

* Or from the African state that allows its' distribution and application?

These questions need to be addressed, and made internationally known!

Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

The Ability To Live Much Longer!

2007-03-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

March 28-2007:

http://my.opera.com/BringBaka/

Is The Ability To Live Much Longer Necessary-Regardless Of The Natural Process?

ATTENTION:

If it were possible for scientists to find the human gene that could be tweaked, to expand the life expectancy of someone indefinitely.

Can you imagine this being done at will, or on a huge scale.

What do you think may result from this ability?

* A larger percentage in global population growth.

* Thus creating grave food shortages for the poor or poorer countries.

* Wars between the richer and poorer countries may result from this disparity much more.

* The lack of full employment possibilities for this ever growing population globally.

* And the inability of governments to provide homes, jobs, medical coverage, and social stability in countries with tendencies for dictatorships, and centralized rule.

CONCLUSION:

It seems like some geneticists are feverishly working towards that possibility!

Derryck.
NYC

Senator John Edward's Wife Diagnosed With Breast Cancer!

2007-03-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

Sen. John Edward's Wife Diagnosed With cancer!
WORD-UP:

John Edwards, democratic contender for the presidency in 2008, has a serious situation currently.

His wife has been diagnosed with a very serious cancer! This was being discussed on CNN tonight, about the possibilities of this affecting her husband John, in his campaign, or even if he becomes president
Former president Ronald Reagon's wife Nancy, had cancer in one of her breasts while he was president.

I don't know if this knowledge was known to him, prior to his being elected president. But he had to cope with that reality, like any other husband whose wife had cancer.

So I do not see how this could seriously effect his presidency, if he is elected to that office.

Afterall, he would be the president, not his wife!

Derryck.
NYC.

HPV-The Human Papaloma Virus Snafu & The Ambitious Woman!

2007-02-23T18:10:00.000-08:00

February 23-2007:

http://my.opera.com/BringBaka/

GARDACYL For- HPV Or Human Papaloma Virus In Women.

Many conservatives women and men today in The USA refuse to allow their teen age girls to have that vaccine to guard them against 'cervical cancer.' They advocate for sexual abstinence before marriage. This same argument was used when HIV/AIDS was discovered, and the pandemic was growing.
Imagine telling teens or young adults today not to have sex!

I still cannot see the rationale used to decide not to encourage women to have this vaccine. Wouldn't it be wise to take pre-emptive action against this virus, than wait until it is discovered, then try to curb the spread.

I understand that 10,000 women have been vaccinated already, and the signs show good results!

Some of those same conservatives feel that telling young women to get this vaccine, is allowing them to have sex early!

What utter Bull Crap!

Derryck.
NYC
-------------------------------------------------------------------

washingtomweek@pbs.org
Ambitious women:

In response to your solicitation for comments on the above remarks about Sen. Hillary Clinton's quest for the presidency.

I am not sure what was meant by that remark 'ambitious woman.' But I do believe that one has to be ambitious to achieve anything in this life. And the presidency of The USA, is not off limits to woman.

Maybe there is an element of male chauvinism here, with the remarks from Mr. David Geffen, about Mrs. Clinton's ability to take the presidency! However, her chance as a woman is less certain, than most of her male contenders.

Which begs the question. 'Is America ready for a female President right now?

Come the 2008 Democratic Congress nomination, we will see who will be the chosen or favoured candidate for president.

Derryck.
New York City.

Ryan White Care Act New Name & Sweden's New Prostitution Law!

2007-02-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

February 08-2007:

HIV Treatment & Modernization Act-2006!

Formerly called: Ryan White CARE Act:
PresidentGeorge W. Bush signed the law in December-2006. And it is authorized for three years. There are two tiers of eligibility for Title-1 EMA's, resulting in 5 new EMA's. The distribution between formula and supplemental changes from 50% to 66%, and formula funding uses un-duplicated living HIV & AIDS cases confirmed by the CDC.
The overall impact will be more HIV & AIDS cases confirmed by the CDC. The unchanged EMA's cannot receive less than 95% of the formula of the base year (FY-2006), but the total pool of supplemental funds is reduced. Also, MAI funding changes from a formula to a competitive grant, which means that our EMA's will need to compete for the funds, which may lead to flauctuation in funding from year to year.
75% of the Title-1 grant must be spent on CORE Medical Services, and EMA's may apply for a waiver if:
1.There are no waiting lists for ADAP:
2. Core medical services are available to all PWLH.
EMA's must apply for a waiver to use carry over funds, and must spend all carry over funds within one year. If an EMA has more than 2% of it's grant award unspent, the EMA will be in-eligible for a supplemental grant. This means that the NY-EMA must continue to spend Title-1 funds expeditiously.

CONCLUSION:
It is my view, based on the above information given, that any under-spent monies received for HIV prevention & education work, will inhibit that CBO or HIV/AIDS service agency from getting any further funding. If the allocated monies given to an agency or CBO, is not fully spent for that given time period that it was identified for, then the excess will be carried over to the next cycle of funding. Which will impare any increase anticipated by that agency for the following year.
So it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, for all funds received to be spent in the pre-identified areas as per (RFP). Failing to use all or most of the funds received, may adversely affect the next funding period, for that CBO or Agency!

Prostitution In Sweden & The Band-Aid Treatment!

In Sweden, there is now a law that criminalizes men who pay for sex. Sex workers can be arrested on the streets for solicitation for 'sex for pay.' The men who are caught soliciting women openly for sex, can be arrested and charged, and possibly imprisoned, if found guilty under this new law.
However, I feel that this law will not by any stretch of the imagination, STOP prostitution in Sweden. It may prevent the OPEN solicitation of both sexes for sex for pay. But prostitution will continue underground, via the Internet, special in house or Call Girl arrangements, and other covert ways to continue this historic trade.
I guess the Swedish government wants to show that it is doing something positive, to curb this growing trade on their streets.
What a sham!
Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

African Men Must Circumcise Or Else!

2006-12-13T19:01:00.000-08:00

December 13-2006:

AFRICAN Men-Must Circumcise Or Else!

With the spread of HIV and malaria, on the continent of Africa. And the difficulty to control or curb the spread of both maladies. African men are now being told to circumcise or else!

With Uganda in the forefront, with their policy of "Condom usage, Being Faithful to one partner, & No Grazing outside of marriage, which seem to have made a difference in arresting the spread of HIV in that state. Now, this new trial on African men, reported by The BBC today, seem to suggest that HIV is more easily transmitted via un-circumcised men. The authorities who made this declaration claims that they are 50% certain that with circumcism of all African men, the spread of HIV will be curtailed.

Isn't this the most brazen declaration that was ever made on any pandemic, much less HIV?
HIV has been spreading among American males, who are by and large predominantly circumcised. This is found mostly among Caucasian and Black American males. Yet the spread of HIV is still rampant among Blacks and Latinos currently in America. Ever since the discovery of HIV among men firstly.
This virus had not discriminated between those who are circumcised or not. So why does any rational thinking person would assume that it would for African men?

And what about the following diseases?
* Chlamydia:
* Herpes:
* Gonorrhea:
* Syphilis:
This to my mind is yet another ploy to coerce those African states or governments, who need HIV medication and technical help from the west, to help curb this deadly virus among them. And they are being dictated to once more, as to how, where, and who, must comply with these dictates, in order to qualify for assistance.

FURTHERMORE:

Regardless of where circumcism has been practised. I still maintain that such procedures must never be done in childhood or at childbirth. This is another form of 'mutilation.' And in infancy, that child has no say on the matter.
If adults (for reasons best known to themselves), feel they have to be circumcised, then that will be their choice, as ADULTS.
But do not use relgion, some scientific findings, or any other method, to COERCE people into complying with a procedure of self-mutilation, becsuse some persons in the scientific or political communities think, that is the way to prevent some form or infection.

Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.
http://my.opera.com/BringBaka/
http://360.yahoo.com/derryck_sylvester
http://internationalpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/
http://thethingsthatmatter.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/derryck_mimbari
http://blog.myspace.com/derryck_mimbari

Snitching On The HIV Positive!

2006-11-02T17:02:00.001-08:00

November 02-2006:

Snitching On Those Who Are HIV Positive!

I have found in some groups that I am affiliated with, individuals who take great pleasure in outing some person/s who are HIV positive. And then have the temerity to tell the group when challenged, that that person's HIV status is COMMON knowledge.

Common knowledge to whom?

Maybe to that person. But something is only common knowledge when it can be accessed on the Internet, the General News Media, The Tabloids, and other public venues. So do not tell me that one has the right or presumption, to blackmail someone because they feel they can do so with impunity.

I have also seen individuals who claim to be Advocates for people living with HIV & AIDS, slander or inform this and other forums about someone's HIV status. (Both living and dead). When they should also know that such information is considered CLASSIFIED or CONFIDENTIAL, and must not be divulged without that person's EXPLICIT consent to do so!

With regard to the above expressed concerns, I am very concerned about the MOTIVE for such disclosures or information provided or given, in any Group or Chat Room! And I still would like to caution anyone who intends to, or feels that he or she must tell the world about his or her HIV status. To consider the consequences that such disclosures can bring in the future on his or her reputation. Both in death and when still in this physical life.

Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

http://my.opera.com/BringBaka/
http://360.yahoo.com/derryck_sylvester
http://internationalpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/
http://thethingsthatmatter.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/derryck_mimbari
http://blog.myspace.com/derryck_mimbari

It Is My Responsibility To Preserve Humanity:

2006-08-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

August 15-2006:

It Was Wealth & The Access To Wealth That Created Awareness Of HIV's Devastation:

* Where is the humanity among us today?
* Where is the human spirit that says life before strife?
* Where is the humanity that says "One Life Saved" Is Greater than thousands who will never survive!

The Advent Of AIDS:
Speculation began since the 1970's as to the source of HIV or AIDS. Some quarters said that it was The CIA experiment in Africa. Some said it was a deliberate attempt to infect Gay or known homosexuals with some virus that will eradicate this population in The USA for good. Some said it started in Africa, from sex with baboons.
While others today still speculate that it will never end, because the pharmaceutical corporations that produce the drugs to keep the infected alive, makes a killing in profits from this venture. And they will delay expeditious research to find a cure for as long as possible, to ensure the continuous bounty of profits from this venture.

AIDS Advocacy:
It was some wealthy and educated infected Gay men in the USA who had the Gaul, the finances, the bravery, and resolve to say openly, enough is enough. So they banded together in a small group to discuss a plan of action. They started voicing their concerns that the Feds were not seemingly interested. Meaning President Ronald Reagan, (President at the time), for his complacency with this new epidemic plague the Gay community at that time.
It was their forceful advocacy and public awareness by 'And Acting-up,' that created a political and social climate, conducive to discussion with politicians, and those who were able to help in research, funding, and HIV awareness education, and treatment facilities.
All of this took place in a climate of fear, ignorance, finger pointing at all homosexuals as evil plague carriers. There was also some suggestion of quarantining all homos, mentioned publicly. Today this mentality has diminished very little in some areas in America.
And still holds true to it's history in developing countries, steeped in ignorance, lack of awareness, treatment facilities, education, and funding resources.

This Pandemic Is Ravishing Africa:
Africa as a continent, still in social, political, and economic transition, is reeling from this disease in most states there. Ignorance, tribal and cultural suspicions with modern medicine, lack of basic nutrition, starvation, malnutrition, malaria, and a host of other indigenous diseases. HIV is only one such malady it is dealing with. And this creates a difficult PRIORITY agenda for several governments there.
How to apportion very scarce resources for education, general health care, basic nutrition, infrastructural maintenance, national security, economic stability, and at the same time provide adequate funding for HIV prevention education, medicine, medical facilities, and cultural habits toward sex, and sexual activities.
What Could We Do As Individuals:
Should we continue to provide military hardware, funding, and human resources to other states or governments to kill people en-mass?
Should we decide that it is okay to kill those who speak, pray or believe in a different God than we do?
Should we continue to say to ourselves, that the problems in Africa, Asia, Latin America, or The Caribbean, does not concern me. Let them take care of their own social and societal issues. Or should we advocate to our elected officials across the board, to band together with us in this global fight, and ensure that they stick to this agenda unwaveringly.
As I see it, international collective action is the only way to curb the spread of HIV, and other social maladies in existence currently. The global community have lost thousands of brilliant, creative, humane, and great intellectual minds by this epidemic. Our generation, and the next will be hard pressed to find the brains, and intellects that are needed to move forward globally, from this great loss of human souls!

Om Shanti.
Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.
http://my.opera.com/BringBaka/
http://360.yahoo.com/derryck_sylvester
http://www.myspace.com/derryck_mimbari

Some Black American Illnesses Explained:

2006-07-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

July 21-2006:

Question: What do these illnesses have in common?Diabetes, obesity, lupus, heart disease, hypertension, endodermisAnswer: They are all inflammatory diseases which people of African descent people suffer from disproportionately and they are preventable.
---------------------
Attention:
* The problem historically with Black America and it's nutritional habits, stem from ignorance, poverty, and terrible eating habits resulting in poor nutrition.
* The average lower level working class Black American family cannot follow any strict nutritional diet, based on the established
guidelines for proper nutrition.
* Many depend on Food Stamps to supplement their daily diets.
* While others are reeling under the weight of large families, extended families, ignorance, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, and other poor or compromised health concerns.
* Obesity comes from poor nutritional habits, genetics, and the lack of regular comprehensive exercise.
And most Americans have that dilemma to deal with. Blacks are much more inclined to be fat for most of the aforementioned reasons.

Could these problems be prevented or brought in check nationally?
* I say it would have to be a process of education from Primary school to College, on proper nutritional habits and the benefits to be derived therefrom.
* A national change in attitudes to eating, and eating habits. For example, no snacking while viewing TV on Potato Chips, French Fries, and other Junk Food.
* The take-out delicatessens like Mac Donalds, Berger King, etc that sell cheap meals, would have to be strictly curtailed as a source of regular food intake.
These are just some of the solutions that would be necessary for a start, in the direction of corrective solutions.
Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

Crystal Meth & The Side Effects:

2006-07-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Recreational Drug-Methamphetamine!

The above Club or Party drug seem to be the most used recreational drug among youth, adolescence, and regular party goers currently. Like Crack or Cocaine, this drug is extremely addictive, from the Get-Go:
Most beginners of Meth usually become addicted to it, because the tendency for it to induce that desire for it is very strong indeed.
And if you are a person who by nature, becomes addicted easily to any substance. Then this drug will do it for sure.
Side Effects:
Decaying teeth, resulting in dentures for both upper and lower teeth.
It totally causes your teeth to decay, and eventually have to be extracted.
Mentally and Cerebrally, it is extremely damaging to the functioning of the brain, memory, concentration, and memory recall.
In other words, when you become addicted to METH, rehabilitation is almost Null and Void. Most addicted users of Crystal meth never fully recover.
They often relapse time and time again. Eventually committing suicide, or getting killed while using it, or by other users.
Derryck.
-----------------------
Someone's Response:

FROM:
moqueen90008@yahoo.com
Date: Fri Jul 14, 2006 12:31 pm

Subject: Recreational Drug-Methamphetamine:
I'm really glad you posted this message about meth use. I for one am a former meth user and the side affect that it has on the mental are far more than you think. Crystal meth use brings on mental illness that could lead to a permnant disability. Hearing voices, dulisional and parinoia.
Thank God I recovered fully but it took strong prayer and medical treatment. I strongly urge you to not mess with it and if you know someone who is doing it please get them some help before it's too late.
God bless and be strong. --- In

Sexual Dysfunction & Impotence Explained:

2006-04-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

Sex & Libido Dysfunction or Impotence:

Definition:
Inability (usually of a male to copulate):

Traditionally, when the male is unable to get or sustain a FIRM erection, long enough to penetrate a vagina or anus, he was considered IMPOTENT. Over the years, clinical studies have refuted that conception. It has been proven to be quite the contrary;

Most men during their adolescent years or way into their forties-fifties and sixties, will at some point in their sexual life, experience periods of "erectile dysfunction."

This can stem from several things. eg

* Alcoholism or excessive use of alcohol before sexual intercourse, or a history of alcoholic consumption.

* Recreational drugs like GHB-Crystal meth- Excessive Marijuana Usage- Crack, & other party drugs.

* IDU or Injection drug use of heroine, can also be a factor that contributes to ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION.

* A person who is HIV positive or has immune deficiency problems.

* A person who indulges heavily in drug and alcohol useage.

* A person who is DIABETIC and is using medication for it.

* Prostrate problems, and is taking medication for it.

* A heavy cigarette smoker, or smoking cigarettes generally.

* Lack of exercise: Too much fatty foods: OBESITY or Too Much Body fat.

* Depression: Or feelings of helplessness or in-adequacy.
Which may stem from depression.

SOLUTIONS:

* Consulting with your doctor for help, is a necessity:

* There are a host of drugs available to help, or remedy this problem.
eg, VIAGRA: CIALICE: CELEBREX: LIPITOR: TESTOSTERONE: LEVITRA: etc.

* I would suggest that if you are married, or living with a mate (male or female), you both should see and discuss this problem together with a doctor.

That will help the doctor to fully comprehend the situation, it's causes, and how much it affects your sex life together, thus making it easier for him/her to recommend a solution.

* Make sure that the doctor you see, has the knowledge or is qualified to deal with this kind of malady. If he/she isn't, then ask him/her to give you a reference to some other doctor who is qualified to do so.

FINALLY:
* Females too have LIBIDO problems, which can be a factor of inadequate stimulation, or the inability to reach climax during sexual intercourse.

* Partners who are unable to make her fully sexually aroused, or no foreplay:

* An experience or flashback of sexual abuse like rape, or sexual ill-treatment from a former mate or partner.

* Distractions like A PORN MOVIE, which you might be distracted by or more focused on, except her during sex.

* Not asking your woman or wife if you are making her fully aroused. Or not asking her what part of her body makes her fully aroused during foreplay.

* Both of you (together) should discuss this problem with a qualified doctor, who is experienced or qualified in this field.

Peace!
Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator-Advocate & Blogger.

Liquid crystals show promise in controlling embryonic stem cells:

2006-03-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

Liquid crystals show promise in controlling embryonic stem cells:

Viacord. Free cord blood stem cell preservation information.
www.viacord.com

Liquid crystals, the same phase-shifting materials used to display information on cell phones, monitors and other electronic equipment, can also be used to report in real time on the differentiation of embryonic stem cells. Differentiation is the process by which embryonic stem cells gradually turn into function-specific types of adult cells or so-called "cell lineages," including skin, heart or brain cells.

The main challenge facing stem cell research is that of guiding differentiation along these well-defined, controlled lineages. Stem cells grown in the laboratory tend to differentiate in an uncontrolled manner, resulting in a mixture of cells of little medical use. Now, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers at the NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) have shown that by straining mechanically the cells as they grow, it is possible to reduce significantly and almost eliminate the uncontrolled differentiation of stem cells.

In an article in the March issue of Advanced Functional Materials, the team reports on a liquid crystal-based cell culture system that promises new ways of achieving real-time control over interactions between synthetic materials and human embryonic stem cells, including the possibility of straining embryonic stem cells as they grow. "Stem cells tend to be smaller and have a slightly more compact shape than the differentiated cells," says chemical and biological engineer Sean Palecek. "Differentiated cells appear to be much more spread and they appear to exert different levels of force on the matrix in which they are grown. That force can be read to a liquid crystal.

Through simple changes of liquid crystal texture and color, our cell culture system is able to report, in real time, the cell interactions with the underlying support on which they are grown." Currently, researchers have several methods of monitoring cell differentiation. The easiest, says Palecek, is to just look at the cells and use cell morphology as a cue. A more accurate method uses molecular markers. Antibodies are placed against these markers to determine if they bind to the cell. That system, while more accurate, does not provide real time data and cells often have to be killed in order to analyze the markers.

"This newly devised cell culture system enables a new paradigm in stem cell research," says chemical and biological engineer and MRSEC Director Juan de Pablo. "Ultimately, we hope to use liquid crystalline materials to transmit desired sets of physical and chemical cues to stem cells so as to control their differentiation, as well as report back specific responses of the cells or tissue.

"This research is also significant as an example of our unique effort to integrate advanced materials engineering and embryonic stem cell research, an effort that will help accelerate the rate at which the benefits of stem-cell based therapies are brought to society," de Pablo adds.

-------------------------

HIV & AIDS-A Growing Problem In South Africa:

2006-01-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

January 03-2005:

Mixed Messages About HIV & AIDS In South Africa:

Tonight I saw on BBC news, a situation where a woman died after taking Multivitamins in South Africa. She had AIDS, but was not on any anti-retroviral treatment for the disease.
This story is not unique to South Africa alone, but the entire continent of Africa. It was South Africa's President Mr. Embeke who said years ago that HIV does not exist, and refused to allow the importation of HIV drugs into the country.
Nor did he provide anti-retroviral drugs for those who are infected with the disease, even when the international community provided evidence that his people were indeed infected with HIV, and growing by leaps and bounds.
Because of the historical denial by the government, coupled with mixed messages, in-sufficient clinics, high costs, ill-equipped and under-staffing of available clinics, mixed messages and superstition have prevailed among the population of South Africa.
About the cause of this disease, and how to treat it. Many refuse to access medication (because of accessibility limitations), high costs, superstition, stigma, and mis-information about the benefits or lack thereof.
Concomitant with this problem, is improper nutrition, starvation, malnutrition, poverty, ignorance, malaria, drought, and other social ills continentally, that gave rise to the manner in which this virus spreads throughout the continent of Africa.
Om Shanti.
Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator & Advocate.

A woman gets a new face transplant:

2005-12-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

Bulletin:
Doctors replace the nose, lips and chin of a woman injured by a dog. Success could take years to measure.
By Associated PressPublished December 1, 2005
LYON, France - Doctors in France said they had performed the world's first partial face transplant, forging into a risky medical frontier with their operation on a woman disfigured by a dog bite.
The 38-year-old woman, who wants to remain anonymous, had a nose, lips and chin grafted onto her face from a brain-dead donor whose family gave consent. The operation, performed Sunday, included a surgeon already famous for transplant breakthroughs, Dr. Jean-Michel Dubernard.
"The patient's general condition is excellent and the transplant looks normal," said a statement issued Wednesday from the hospital in the northern city of Amiens where the operation took place. Dubernard would not discuss the surgery, but confirmed that it involved the nose, lips and chin.
"We still don't know when the patient will get out," he said. A news conference is planned for Friday.
Scientists in China have performed scalp and ear transplants, but experts say the mouth and nose are the most difficult parts of the face to transplant. In 2000, Dubernard did the world's first double forearm transplant.
The surgery drew both praise and sobering warnings over potential risks and ethical and psychological ramifications. If successful - something that may not be known for months or even years - the procedure offers hope to people horribly disfigured by burns, accidents or other tragedies.
The woman was "severely disfigured" by a dog bite in May that made it difficult for her to speak and chew, according to a joint statement from the hospital in Amiens and another in the southern city of Lyon where Dubernard works.
Such injuries are "extremely difficult, if not impossible" to repair using normal surgical techniques, the statement said.
"For pushing the bounds of science, they are to be applauded, as long as they have got full informed consent from the patient and the donor's family," added Dr. Iain Hutchison, chief executive of the London-based Facial Surgery Research Foundation.
Scientists around the world are working to perfect techniques involved in transplanting faces. Today's best treatments leave many people with facial disfigurement and scar tissue that doesn't look or move like natural skin.
A complete face transplant, which involves applying a sheet of skin in one operation, has never been done before. The procedure is complex, but uses standard surgical techniques.
Critics say the surgery is too risky for something that is not a matter of life or death, as regular organ transplants are.
The main worry for both a full face transplant and a partial effort is organ rejection, causing the skin to slough off.
"It is not clear whether an individual could be left worse off in the event that a face transplant failed," said Dr. Stephen Wigmore, chair of the ethics committee of the British Transplantation Society.
Complications also include infections that could turn the new face black and require a second transplant or reconstruction, perhaps even one or two years later. Drugs to prevent rejection are needed for life and raise the risk of kidney damage and cancer.
Such concerns have delayed British plans to attempt the operation. In France, ethics authorities rejected an application to try a full face transplant last year, but left the door open for a partial procedure involving the mouth and nose.
In the United States, the Cleveland Clinic is among those planning to attempt a face transplant.
The French surgery "doesn't change our plans," said Cleveland surgeon Maria Siemionow. "We are really looking for the right candidate," which she described as "severely disfigured patients which have already had the conventional treatment" and for whom a transplant is the last chance.
Dubernard, who is also a lawmaker in France's lower house of Parliament, collaborated in the operation with the Amiens hospital's Dr. Bernard Devauchelle. Weekly news magazine Le Point reported that the recipient lives in Valenciennes, in northeast France, and that the donor's facial organs were removed in a hospital in Lille, about 60 miles from where the transplant was performed.
In 1976, Dubernard performed Europe's first pancreas transplant. He also led teams that performed a hand transplant in September 1998 and the world's first double forearm transplant in January 2000.
The hand transplant recipient, New Zealander Clint Hallam, later had it amputated. Doctors said he failed to take the required drugs and his body rejected the limb.
The double-forearm recipient, Denis Chatelier from France, said in 2003 that he had regained "normal usage" of his hands and was even able to shave himself. His forearms were severed in a model rocket accident.
Doctors from Jinling Hospital in Nanjing, China, reported that in September 2003, they transplanted two ears, part of the scalp and other facial skin from a brain-dead young man to a 72-year-old woman with advanced skin cancer.
Four months later, there were no signs of rejection or tumor recurrence, but it is not known how the patient fared after that.
Doctors around the world have performed partial face transplants using the patients' own skin.
[Last modified December 1, 2005, 01:08:09]

CONCLUSION:
It is my view that this scientific breakthrough should be commended. Anfd all the doctors involved in this operation given special recognition and kudos for making it physically possible.
On the otherhand, there was reports in the media that persons were saying this woman was emotionally and mentally un-stable to fully appreciate this gift of a new face. And that her mental and emotional sate may be the reason why she consented to this operation. I beg to differ on these allegations, for the following reasons:
* What human being (mentally un-stable or otherwise), would not jump at the possibility of replacing that part of their anatomy that was severely disfigured, or mauled, thus making them socially acceptable once more?
* This woman had over six months of educating, counseling, and medical advice on the risks involved in this operation.
* She was also cautioned that it may or may not be successful. And if it was, the body overtime may resist this alien part of it.
* Therefore, she was fully aware of the risks involved, yet she opted to go through with the operation, much to her benefit.
* She also said prior to the operation, should her body reject this alien tissue, causing her to die subsequently, then she was quite prepared mentally for that reality!
It takes a lot of GUTS, GAUL, and EXPEDIENCY, on the part of individuals, to go where no one has gone before!
Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator & Advocate.
Yahoo IM: derryck_mimbari
and derryckgrifith

CDC HIV Surveilance For 2005:

2005-11-19T22:34:00.000-08:00

Hello!
All this information is good for those who need or are into statistics. But the epidemic is still ravishing thousands here in America, Africa, Latin Amerca, and the Caribbean.
And governments throughout the world are still not too keen on investing funds, research or emphasis, on arresting the spread of this disease.
As for Africa, some African governemnts and their peoples' are still using traditional medicine to combat something that has no genetic history. (That is HIV). So thousands of Africans and other developing countries still view HIV as man made, and feel it is a myth!
So you go figure!
Derryck.
-----------------------------------------------------------------Overall U.S. HIV Incidence Stable But Significant Racial Differences Still Exist, CDC Data ShowHIV incidence in the U.S. "flattened" in 2004, falling from 22.8 new cases per 100,000 people in 2001 to 20.7 per 100,000 last year, but blacks and Hispanics are still more likely to be newly diagnosed with HIV than whites, according to CDC data from 33 states published on Friday in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports. HIV incidence is highest among blacks despite decreases in the rate of new diagnoses every year between 2001 and 2004 (McKenna, Atlanta Journal-constitution, 11/18).
The rate of newly reported HIV cases among blacks has decreased an average of 5% annually since 2001, declining from 88.7 cases per 100,000 people in 2001 to 76.3 cases per 100,000 in 2004 (Stobbe, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/18). However, blacks in 2004 were 8.4 times as likely as whites to be newly diagnosed with HIV. Ronald Valdiserri, acting director of CDC's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention, said, "Overall, new HIV diagnoses continue to disproportionately and severely impact African Americans, both men and women," adding, "This is not new, but it is critical that we do not become complacent" (Maugh, Los Angeles Times, 11/18). Hispanics, who accounted for 18% of new HIV diagnoses between 2001 and 2004, had an incidence rate more than three times that of whites in 2004 (Ricks, Long Island Newsday, 11/17). HIV incidence among Asian and Pacific Islanders increased an average of 9% during the study period, but the group's 2004 incidence rate of 7.2 per 100,000 was the lowest among any racial or ethnic population group (Espinoza et al., MMWR, 11/18).New Diagnoses Increase Among MSM in 2004, IDU Cases Down Although the number of new HIV diagnoses among men who have sex with men remained "relatively stable" between 2001 and 2003, the number of new cases among MSM increased 8% from 2003 to 2004, the Washington Times reports (Price, Washington Times, 11/18). However, CDC said the increase might indicate that more MSM are seeking HIV testing rather than an increase in the number of HIV-positive MSM (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/18). CDC also said that the number of new cases among injection drug users decreased 9% during the study period, and cases linked to heterosexual contact decreased 4%, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Russell, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/18). CDC attributed the drop in the number of cases among IDUs in part to a decreasing number of diagnoses in the group in New York City, here programs such as needle-exchanges have been implemented (Long Island Newsday, 11/17).Data CollectionThe data were collected from 33 states that have had confidential, names-based reporting systems for at least four years, the Journal-Constitution reports. CDC is using HIV cases to try to comprehend the growth of the U.S. epidemic. The agency previously tracked AIDS cases but found that data less useful as new drug therapies lengthened the time between HIV infection and progression to AIDS (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/18). For the first time, the report included statistics from New York, where about 20% of all new U.S. cases occur (Long Island Newsday, 11/17). Valdiserri noted that because the report includes data from New York, it is not comparable to previous years' reports (Los Angeles Times, 11/18).
California, Illinois and several other states that traditionally have had high HIV incidence rates also were not included in the data. In 2002, 10% of all U.S. AIDS cases occurred in California and 5% of all AIDS cases nationwide occurred in Illinois, the Miami Herald reports (Tasker, Miami Herald, 11/18). According to CDC recommendations, names-based reporting is more accurate than using numeric and alphabetic coding. Beginning next year, some federal funding distributed under the Ryan White CARE Act will be associated with the number of HIV cases in each state, as reported by states to CDC (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/15).********************************************************************The New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene is now offering information important for the health of all New Yorkers. To sign up for these new and valuable updates, log-on to our website at http://www.nyc.gov/health/email and select the NYC DOHMH updates you'd like to receive.Stephen BailousOffice of AIDS Policy Coordination40 Worth Street, Room 1519 , CN-1New York, NY 10013Tel (212) 442-3929Fax (212) 788-9360www.nyhiv.org

Seven Steps For Perpetual Physical Life:

2005-11-19T22:32:00.000-08:00

From the issue dated October 28, 2005
The Man Who Would Murder Death:
A rogue researcher challenges scientists to reverse human aging.
Related materials
List: Aubrey de Grey's seven-step plan to "cure" aging
Colloquy:
Read the transcript of a live, online discussion with Aubrey de Grey, a biogerontologist, about his theory that, in the not-so-distant future, no one will die of old age.
By THOMAS BARTLETT
Cambridge, England
If you wish to be a prophet, first you must dress the part. No more silk ties or tasseled loafers. Instead, throw on a wrinkled T-shirt, frayed jeans, and dirty sneakers. You should appear somewhat unkempt, as if combs and showers were only for the unenlightened. When you encounter critics, as all prophets do, dismiss them as idiots. Make sure to pepper your conversation with grandiose predictions and remind others of your genius often, lest they forget. Oh, and if possible, grow a very long beard.
By these measures, Aubrey de Grey is indeed a prophet. The 42-year-old English biogerontologist has made his name by claiming that some people alive right now could live for 1,000 years or longer. Maybe much longer. Growing old is not, in his view, an inevitable consequence of the human condition; rather, it is the result of accumulated damage at the cellular and molecular levels that medical advances will soon be able to prevent - or even reverse - allowing people to go on living pretty much indefinitely. We'll still have to worry about angry bears and falling pianos, but aging, the biggest killer of all, will cease to be a threat. Death, as we know it, will die.
Mainstream gerontologists do not agree and hate to even raise the topic in public. They shy away from talk about life extension or "curing" aging and prefer to focus on keeping older people healthy for as long as possible, a goal referred to in the discipline as "compression of morbidity" or "healthspan." Many of them write off Mr. de Grey as more beard than brain.
So ... is he crazy? Not in the sense that he is divorced from reality or just making things up as he goes along. Mr. de Grey is a serious, thoughtful, sincere, prolific, even brilliant researcher and thinker who seems to have devoted every last ounce of his intellect to conquering the single biggest medical menace facing mankind. Along the way, he has acquired plenty of supporters and detractors - and gained the respect of some of the top scientists in the world.
He even has a plan. It is, to say the least, ambitious, and it depends on a number of techniques and treatments that have yet to be developed (curing cancer, for instance, is one of the steps). His approach, which he has dubbed Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence, draws from different branches of science and medicine and is enough to spin the heads of specialists and nonspecialists alike. It has also caused a stir, something Mr. de Grey certainly knows how to do. "One hundred and fifty thousand people die every day, and two-thirds of those die of aging in one way or the other," he says, while nursing a pint of fine English ale. "If I speed up the cure for aging by one day, then I've saved 100,000 people." He pauses thoughtfully for a moment. "Actually, I probably do that every week."
Seven Steps to Eternal Life
He made this bold pronouncement, and several more like it, late one evening during a recent conference here that could have been called "The Aubrey de Grey Symposium on Cheating Death." He organized it, chose each of the speakers, decided when and for how long they should speak, and helped coordinate travel arrangements. He could even be spotted handing out name tags at the sign-in desk. Sessions began at 8:30 a.m., and it wasn't unusual to hear Mr. de Grey arguing well past midnight about the moral imperative of curing aging.
The speakers were invited because their specialties all, in some way, fit into Mr. de Grey's seven-step plan to keep people from growing old. Each of the steps is related to the death of cells. For instance, Mr. de Grey recommends using stem-cell therapy to introduce new cells that can fill in the gaps left by dead ones. He also suggests that plaques that accumulate around cells - which may be responsible for diseases like Alzheimer's - can be dissolved with small molecules called "beta-breakers."
If that sounds a little vague, it is. Mr. de Grey is not saying he knows for certain how to fix these problems, only that these are the problems responsible for the physical breakdowns we experience as we grow older. Lick them, and you've licked aging, or so the thinking goes.
Among the speakers was Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University. Dr. Atala, a surgeon and a researcher, explained how he and his colleagues are growing new human tissue and organs - bladders, kidneys, blood vessels, cartilage - in the laboratory using a patient's own cells.
For example, a few healthy cells could be taken from a cancer-stricken bladder and used to a grow a new bladder, which could theoretically then be transplanted with a very low chance of rejection. In 1999, Dr. Atala's team became the first to successfully transplant a lab-grown organ - by placing a new bladder in a beagle. Clinical trials will begin soon to see if this procedure also works in humans.
A few of Dr. Atala's PowerPoint slides show human organs that have never been inside a human. The images are at once disturbing and thrilling.
It may seem surprising that someone of Dr. Atala's stature was a featured speaker at an on-the-fringe conference. Although he declines to pass judgment on Mr. de Grey's more-extreme prognostications, he clearly respects him. "Aubrey is highly visionary and very selfless in his approach," Dr. Atala says. "It takes people like Aubrey to say 'Hey, look at this again. Maybe there is another way to do this.'"
Perhaps the biggest celebrity at the conference was Woo Suk Hwang, a South Korean researcher who has shocked the scientific world in the last few years with his laboratory's achievements. This summer Dr. Hwang and his colleagues at Seoul National University announced that they had cloned a dog, a feat researchers around the world had been trying to accomplish for years. Dogs are considered to be one of the trickiest animals to clone because of their unique reproductive system. Like a proud papa, Dr. Hwang showed a brief video of the cloned Afghan hound frolicking with several canine companions. "The dog is very cute," he said in careful, heavily accented English.
In May, Dr. Hwang announced that he had cloned human embryos and created 11 stem-cell lines that are genetically matched to 11 patients - a milestone that some believed would not be reached for years or possibly decades. Because his work often involves embryonic stem-cell lines and therapeutic cloning, Dr. Hwang has been criticized by opponents of cloning, and the Bush administration has even expressed concern over such research. At the moment there are few people in science generating more controversy or jealousy. As one conferencegoer put it: "Right now the man has to be walking on air."
And yet there he was, along with dozens of other well-regarded scientists who study anticancer therapies, immune-system disorders, or cellular aging. There were also less-mainstream researchers who look at topics like how to preserve tissue cryogenically. It was a strange hodgepodge of scientists who would probably never meet otherwise.
From Love, A Crusade
The man who brought them together began his career as a computer scientist, working for several years on programs that find bugs in other programs. He later received his Ph.D. in biology from the University of Cambridge and devoted himself, in a sense, to finding the bugs in human beings.
An important turning point in Mr. de Grey's personal and professional life occurred at a friend's party in 1990. That's when he met Adelaide Carpenter, who would later become Adelaide de Grey. When they met, Mr. de Grey was a computer scientist in his twenties and had never been married. His wife-to-be was in her forties and had been married twice before. Despite the 19-year age difference, they fell for each other immediately and have been together ever since.
At the time, Ms. de Grey was on sabbatical from her position as a professor of genetics at the University of California at San Diego. She had already established her reputation in the discipline (and made some discoveries that are now in textbooks) and had a comfortable, tenured position. But she had grown tired of her research and her job. So, after she met Mr. de Grey, she decided to quit, move to Cambridge, and work as a technician in a fruit-fly laboratory. It was a big step down professionally, but she enjoyed her work and the company of her new husband.
The age difference was unimportant to Ms. de Grey: What mattered to her was intellectual compatibility. "I need my male partner to be smarter than I am," she explains. "And - I'm trying to be modest here - that narrows down the field quite a bit." Does her husband fit that bill? She nods vigorously. "Oh yes."
Ms. de Grey taught her husband genetics over the dinner table. She was amazed at how quickly he could absorb the concepts. "Very shortly we were able to have a conversation rather than a tutorial," she says. While talking about her academic career and her relationship, Ms. de Grey is puffing away steadily on an unfiltered Camel. Mr. de Grey would like her to quit, but she's been a smoker since she was a teenager and believes that nicotine is necessary to kick-start her brain. Unlike her husband, Ms. de Grey has no wish to live forever. She has not agreed to be cryogenically frozen when she dies. (Mr. de Grey has, just in case medicine does not advance speedily enough to save him.)
"I don't think anyone would want to thaw me out," she says and smiles, revealing a mouth mostly devoid of teeth.
When the software project Mr. de Grey had been working on didn't pan out, he got a part-time job designing a database for fruit-fly researchers at the lab where his wife worked. It is a position he still holds; as it turns out, being a prophet is not a sufficiently remunerative profession. In 1995, after having absorbed a great deal of genetics, Mr. de Grey moved on to gerontology, a subject that had always intrigued him. For two months he immersed himself in the literature. He emerged with an insight into the mechanics of mitochondrial mutations, wrote a paper on what he thought, and submitted it to a respected journal.
It was accepted. He was off to a good start.
Mr. de Grey continued reading widely on the subject and soon came to the conclusion that not much was being done. "I assumed that everyone was beavering away on aging," he says. "But it gradually occurred to me that I might be wrong about that." The field, he believed, needed him. "Gerontology has more than its share of not terribly bright people," he says. That's because, according to Mr. de Grey, progress is incremental, so there's less chance for a young researcher to make a big splash, and consequently, the best minds go elsewhere.
One will not find Mr. de Grey in the laboratory hovering over petri dishes or test tubes. He readily acknowledges that he lacks the qualifications to perform experiments. What some might view as a handicap, he sees as a strength: Rather than spending his time behind a microscope, he reads the literature and searches for connections that a specialist may have missed.
Buoyed by his early success, Mr. de Grey started thinking bigger. He came to believe that most people in the world, including most scientists, are in a "pro-aging trance." That is, they believe that getting old is awful but inevitable and therefore it is best not to think about it. But what if aging were preventable? What if death were not a foregone conclusion?
He is not the first person to propose such an idea. But a couple of things set Aubrey de Grey apart from other eternal-life prophets. For starters, he is a bona fide scholar. Other researchers can, and often do, disagree with his conclusions, but they also acknowledge that he knows what he is talking about.
Also, Mr. de Grey is not hawking a product or hustling investors for some biotech start-up. He does raise money to fund the Methuselah Foundation, which among other things is responsible for the Methuselah Mouse Prize (awarded to the scientific research team that develops the longest-living mouse), and for the Institute of Biomedical Gerontology, which at this stage is just a proposal. But he's not trying to get rich. And the apparent purity of his motives, along with a genuine grasp of the science, is part of his appeal.
A Bounty on His Theory
He also has a talent for drumming up publicity. His eccentricities (the long beard, the thrift-store clothes, the pub crawling) appeal to journalists looking for a colorful feature subject. There is also his willingness - eagerness, in fact - to explain his plan for fighting aging to any reporter with a notebook and time to kill. More publicity, he hopes, will lead to more donations. The donations can then be used to help finance the kinds of research Mr. de Grey believes are most important.
Not every article, however, has taken a gee-whiz tone. In February, Technology Review, which is owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, published an article about Mr. de Grey along with an editorial written by Jason Pontin, the magazine's editor. The article, by Sherwin Nuland, a clinical professor of surgery at Yale University's School of Medicine and the author of How We Die, concluded that Mr. de Grey was "neither a madman nor a bad man" but that his plan "will almost certainly not succeed." And, even if it did, Mr. de Grey "would surely destroy us in attempting to preserve us" because living for such long periods would undermine what it means to be human.
The editorial took a more ad hominem approach. Mr. Pontin wrote that Mr. de Grey "drinks too much beer" and that even though he's just in his early 40s "the signs of decay are strongly marked on his face." He also called the potential social consequences of extending life indefinitely "terrible" and wrote that Mr. de Grey "thinks he is a technological messiah."
The response to the article and the editorial was extraordinary and extremely negative. Mr. Pontin says he has received thousands of e-mail messages, many of them from "enraged" readers. "It was as if I was personally depriving them of the possibility of immortality," he says. The online version of the article has been clicked on nearly a million times, making it by far the most-read article in the history of the magazine.
Readers criticized the magazine for dismissing Mr. de Grey's ideas as ludicrous without ever fully engaging with them. Because of the enormous and unexpected reaction, Mr. Pontin decided to do something unusual: He commissioned Cynthia Kenyon, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California at San Francisco and director of the Hillblom Center for the Biology of Aging, to review Mr. de Grey's ideas and write a follow-up. Ms. Kenyon is well-known among gerontologists and has made some important discoveries of her own. By altering a gene in a roundworm, she extended its life span from two weeks to 20 weeks, which may or may not have implications for humans.
Ms. Kenyon agreed to write the article and then, three months later, she backed out. Why she did this remains unclear. She declined a telephone interview with The Chronicle, citing a hectic travel schedule, but in an e-mail message wrote that she was "overwhelmed with other commitments then and didn't have time to do a good job."
Mr. Pontin then decided to put a bounty of sorts on Mr. de Grey, offering $10,000 to any gerontologist who could prove to an independent review panel that his ideas about radical life-extension had no merit. Mr. de Grey then upped the ante, matching the $10,000 through his Methuselah Foundation, making the prize for debunking him a generous $20,000.
You might think researchers would be lining up. In fact, no: So far Mr. Pontin has had no takers. He has also had trouble finding scientists willing to sit on the independent panel. Mr. de Grey sees the entire episode as a giant victory, particularly the fact that a prominent scientist such as Ms. Kenyon took up the project, then abandoned it. This is proof, he says, that "they can't ignore me any longer."
For Mr. Pontin, it is all somewhat exasperating. "People want to stay as far away from this as possible," he sighs. "If he's as crazy as people say, then even in lieu of experimental data, it should be possible to get someone to say why he's crazy."
Outrunning Death
"Aubrey's always arguing against people who tell him he's crazy," says Graham Pawelec, a professor of experimental immunology at the University of Tübingen in Germany. "I have never heard him lose an argument."
Mr. Pawelec is one of Mr. de Grey's staunch supporters. He quotes him often, beginning sentences by saying "Remember what Aubrey tells us ... ." He puts a lot of stock in Mr. de Grey's "escape velocity" theory. This is, in short, the idea that in the next 10 or 20 years science will have advanced sufficiently to allow people to live for, say, 150 or 200 years. And then by the time those people turn 200, science will have figured out how to allow them to live to 500. It is not that the battle against aging will be over shortly, but that there will be enough steady progress so that we can all live forever. More or less.
"In 10 years, we will have proof that we can cure these seven things and therefore beat aging," says Mr. Pawelec, who spoke at the conference on "immunorejuvenation" in the elderly. "All of my mainstream colleagues will be up there saying Aubrey was right. And then the general public will believe it."
But, even at Mr. de Grey's own conference, there was no shortage of doubters. Among them was David Finkelstein, program administrator for the Metabolic Regulation Program at the National Institute on Aging. He came to the conference, he says, because it attracts "some of the most creative scientists around." But he is definitely not one of Mr. de Grey's acolytes. "Is there a kernel of truth in what Aubrey says? Absolutely. Will it happen in the short term?" Mr. Finkelstein shakes his head. "To say if we solve these seven things we'll live to 1,000? That's hyperbole. I don't like hyperbole."
Mr. Finkelstein has little respect for Mr. de Grey's own research contributions. "I am very underwhelmed," he says. The fact that Mr. de Grey does not set foot inside a laboratory also bothers him: "Look, you either work at the bench, or you don't work at the bench," he says.
Some of Mr. de Grey's more extreme statements make it hard to take him seriously, according to Mr. Finkelstein: "There are people who say that if Aubrey says it must be right then it must be wrong." At the same time, despite his criticism, Mr. Finkelstein has some appreciation for Mr. de Grey's role as provocateur. "I like him," he says. "He ruffles feathers. He has the balls to say stuff."
The question is whether that stuff will prove to be true. Gregory M. Fahy, a biologist and vice president and chief scientific officer of 21st Century Medicine, a biomedical research company, was very skeptical at first. While they still do not agree on everything, Mr. Fahy has been largely won over. And, like Mr. Finkelstein, he respects Mr. de Grey for his courage in the face of ridicule. "If you think you're right, you have to stand up and say what you believe even if people think you're nuts," says Mr. Fahy. "Now, if they prove you're nuts, you have to shut up. But that hasn't happened yet."
HOW TO CURE AGING
Aubrey de Grey has a seven-step plan he says will "cure" aging and allow people to live for a very long time. Here it is:
The problem: Cell loss or atrophy
Mr. de Grey's solution: Develop stem cells to replace lost cells. Or use chemicals that stimulate the division of cells to produce new ones.
The problem: Cancer
Mr. de Grey's solution: Aggressive gene therapy will make it impossible for cancer cells to reproduce. Stem-cell therapy will prevent side effects.
The problem: Mitochondrial mutations
Mr. de Grey's solution: Mitochondria are the cell's power plants, and they house separate genes that are prone to harmful mutations that cause diseases. To prevent those problems, copy the critical mitochondrial genes and insert the copies in the cell's nucleus, where they will be better protected.
The problem: Unwanted cells (such as fat cells)
Mr. de Grey's solution: Possibly stimulate the immune system to kill unwanted cells.
The problem: Stiffening of proteins outside the cell
Mr. de Grey's solution: Proteins outside cells help support tissues, making arteries elastic and ligaments strong. But chemical reactions throughout life link those proteins and make them less mobile. Specific chemicals could break those links and allow the proteins to move more easily. One chemical is already in clinical trials, says Mr. de Grey.
The problem: "Junk" outside the cell
Mr. de Grey's solution: Plaques accumulate outside the cell and may lead to diseases such as Alzheimer's. Small molecules called beta-breakers may break these plaques down.
The problem: "Junk" inside the cell
Mr. de Grey's solution: As cells age, molecules can change in ways that make them stop working. Those structures can accumulate in cells and and eventually overwhelm them. Extra enzymes from bacteria could be given to cells to degrade the unwanted material.
More details can be found on his Web site: (http://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/sens/AdGbio.htm)
http://chronicle.com
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CONCLUSION:
If it becomes possible to make humans live forever. I imagine that some decree must be made by some government or culture, to stop natural pro-creation or human reproduction at some point in time. So that there would be enough food grown or produced on this planet, to feed the perpetual population it will have.
* And who will make that determination? Who will decide who lives, and who dies?
* Who or what nation will see the need to stop human pro-creation, in order to make room for a global population that will never die?
* And how will religion/religious beliefs, factor into this equasion?
Om Shanti.
Derryck S. Griffith.
Educator & Advocate.
Yahoo IM: derryck_mimbari
and derryckgrifith

Stem Cell Research In It's Entirety:

2005-06-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

Part 1.
December 12, 2001
"Embryonic Stem Cell Research"
This is based on the theory that in time, Clinical Science will be able to isolate 'cells' from a human embryo, in the pursuit of a cure for many diseases., eg cancer, alzheimers; heart; bone marrow, etc. Thus far, this is only a theory; the technology is still decades away.
Stem Cell Research & Human Cloning:
There is a possibility presently; for Clinical science to use Stem Cells from The Male; implant them into the Ovary of a Female; and produce "a precise Duplicate Of the Donor. This research is still in its' embryonic stage; but may be perfected in the not too distant future. Some Medical scientists believe that this break-through can be positively beneficial to the Medical community, for repairs or replacement of organs in the Human Body.
Some also fear that if this procedure is not monitored scruplously; their is a possibility that "Human Cloning" would be done in the future. The President and The US Senate strongly oppose this type of research at this time (Nov/26/2001)., for fear of what is likely to happen in the future. Incidentally, this Bill was unanimously passed in the House of Representatives, and is now left up to the Senate to debate and conclude on it.

Wednesday, January 02, 2002 (Part 2)
"Current Developments On The Above"
The BBC reported today (Dec/02/2002), that there has been a new breakthrough in Stem Cell Research. A litter of 'Piglets' have been successfully cloned; providing the "Genesis" for Useable or (non-rejected) organs for the Human Organism. It is the view in the Medical community; that this animal is best suited for the transfer of Organs to the Human Body, without rejection. Personally, I think that it is only a 'matter of time' before we hear of much more developments in this regard. I also believe that this is a good start in the right direction; because if we as Humans; use Pigs for food consumption, why not use it for Organ Replacement. (I think that this would be more beneficial) when used in this way.
I am also eager to hear what Vegetarians; Hindus, and Animal Preservationists have to say about this.

January 30, 2002 (Part 3).
The Bundestag or (German Parliament):
Today in the German Parliament; there was some heated debates on the issue of 'Whether Germany Should Indulge In Experiments On Human Stem Cells or Not; following this was the contention of the 'Ethical commission' in Germany that such experiments should not be taken lightly; considering our infamous history of Nazi clinical experiments on Jews, in an effort to support their view that The Aryan Race was superior. Thus far; importing Male Stem cells are only allowed to The Scientific Community; with familiar or specific lines; and are strickly monitored, and used for scientific research. However, scientists are still unable to produce skin tissue from this source, at this time.
Human Stem Cell Research (per se) is strictly prohibited in Germany.
Up-date: Today (Dec/27/2002), CNN & the local news media reported that ‘A New Born Baby’ was successfully delivered via cloning. This revelation was given by an international ‘cult organization’ who are involved in this revolutionary genetic engineering technology.
"I Report, You Decide."
Derryck S. Griffith.derryck1950@verzon.net http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith
(Part 4):.
Title: House Approves a Stem Cell Research Bill Opposed by BushSource: NY TimesURL Source: http://nytimes.com/2005/05/25/politics/25stem.html? hp&ex=1117080000&en=994c6b49e43dc0fb&ei=5094&partPublished: May 25, 2005Author: SHERYL GAY STOLBERGPost Date: 2005-05-25 09:07:24 by Paul4 Comments

May 25, 2005
House Approves a Stem Cell Research Bill Opposed by Bush
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON, May 24 - The House passed a bill on Tuesday to expand federal financing for embryonic stem cell research, defying a veto threat from President Bush, who appeared at the White House with babies and toddlers born of test-tube embryos and warned the measure "would take us across a critical ethical line."
The vote, 238 to 194 with 50 Republicans in favor, fell far short of the two-thirds majority required to overturn a presidential veto, setting up a possible showdown between Congress and Mr. Bush, who has never exercised his veto power. An identical bill has broad bipartisan support in the Senate; moments after the House vote, the Senate sponsors wrote to the Republican leader, Bill Frist, urging him to put it on the agenda.
The House action is the first vote on embryonic stem cell research since August 2001, when Mr. Bush opened the door to taxpayer financing for the studies, but only with strict limits. The new bill permits the government to pay for studies involving human embryos that are in frozen storage at fertility clinics, so long as couples conceiving the embryos certified that they had made a decision to discard them.
"The White House cannot ignore this vote," said the bill's chief Republican backer, Representative Michael N. Castle of Delaware, adding, "I'm elated."
But opponents also said they were elated. Representative Joseph R. Pitts, Republican of Pennsylvania, said: "I hate to lose, but I feel pretty good about this vote. We beat a veto-proof margin by 50 votes."
The big question now is what will happen in the Senate. Dr. Frist, a heart surgeon from Tennessee who supports the existing policy, is already facing intense pressure from conservatives over the issue of Mr. Bush's judicial nominees and does not seem eager to schedule a vote on stem cell research. He said last week that he wanted to check with his colleagues before doing so.
The House vote followed an impassioned lobbying campaign by advocates for patients, including Nancy Reagan. Mrs. Reagan, who became a strong backer of stem cell research as her husband struggled with Alzheimer's disease, telephoned fellow Republicans this week urging a yes vote, Mr. Castle said.
But Mr. Bush countered with a powerful one-two punch, throwing the full weight of the White House behind the opposition. On Friday, he issued a rare threat to veto the Castle bill. On Tuesday, just hours before the vote, he appeared in the East Room of the White House with families created by a rare but growing practice in which one couple donates its frozen embryos to another.
"The children here today remind us that there is no such thing as a spare embryo," Mr. Bush said, amid the squeals and coos of babies cradled in their mothers' arms. "Every embryo is unique and genetically complete, like every other human being. And each of us started out our life this way. These lives are not raw material to be exploited, but gifts."
The parents, who worked through a Christian adoption agency, applauded enthusiastically. When Mr. Bush said that "every human life is a precious gift of matchless love," a mother behind him on stage mouthed the word "Amen."
The White House event, on what conservative Christians and the president call an important "culture of life" issue, demonstrated just how far Mr. Bush is willing to assert himself on policy that goes to what he considers the moral heart of his presidency. In another sign of how important the issue is to conservatives, the House Republican leader, Tom DeLay of Texas, managed the opposition to the bill, also casting it in stark moral terms.
"An embryo is a person, a distinct internally directed, self-integrating human organism," Mr. DeLay said, adding, "We were all at one time embryos ourselves. So was Abraham. So was Muhammad. So was Jesus of Nazareth."
He went on: "The choice to protect a human embryo from federally funded destruction is not, ultimately, about the human embryo. It is about us, and our rejection of the treacherous notion that while all human lives are sacred, some are more sacred than others."
Human embryonic stem cells, isolated from human embryos for the first time in 1998, have the potential to grow into any cell or tissue in the body, and so hold great promise for treatment of disease. But the embryos are destroyed when the cells are extracted. So Mr. Bush, intending to discourage further embryo destruction, insisted in 2001 that federal financing be limited to studies of those stem cell colonies, or lines, that had already been created.
Instead, Mr. Bush is promoting research on adult stem cells, which are drawn from bone marrow and blood, including umbilical cord blood, and have narrower implications for medicine than embryonic stem cells. On Tuesday, the House voted 431 to 1 to approve a measure that would create umbilical cord blood banks to advance adult stem cell research.
But it was the embryonic stem cell debate that inflamed the passions of the House, sounding at various times like a lesson in cell biology, a theological discourse and a personal confessional. Lawmaker after lawmaker came to the House well to recount struggles with conscience and searing personal experiences with death and disease.
Representative Jim Langevin, Democrat of Rhode Island, rolled to the microphone in his motorized wheelchair to speak of his spinal cord injury, which he said could be helped by the research. Representative Jo Ann Emerson, Republican of Missouri, told of a young man named Cody, who had been paralyzed in a car accident at age 16 and asked her to rethink her opposition to embryonic stem cell studies.
"I later wrote a note to Cody's family telling them that even after hearing his story, I couldn't do as he asked," Ms. Emerson said, "and I have regretted writing that letter ever since."
But for every supporter with a compelling personal tale, there was an opponent like Representative Dan Lungren, Republican of California, whose brother has Parkinson's disease. "I've learned a lot of things from my brother," Mr. Lungren said, "But one of the things I learned most is that there is a difference between right and wrong."
The backers of the Senate measure, Senators Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, and Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, have scheduled a news conference for Wednesday to demand quick action. "I don't understand why Mr. Bush is doing this," Mr. Harkin said, adding, "I wish he would refrain from drawing lines in the sand."
Elisabeth Bumiller contributed reporting for this article.
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Comment:
An embryo is a person, a distinct internally directed, self-integrating human organism," Mr. DeLay said, adding, "We were all at one time embryos ourselves. So was Abraham. So was Muhammad. So was Jesus of Nazareth."
Derryck S. Griffith.Political Educator & Advocate;http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith
Hello!
It is indeed remarkable how reality can do strange things to some people, while others prefer to bury their heads in the sand.
President George W. bush has convincingly shown how backward and ignorant he is about modern science, and it's affect on medicine internationally. While the developed world is pressing for further scientific developments into ways for combating diseases and other ills. George W. Bush prefers to hold on to religious convictions, that hinder such developments and progress.
I often wonder if he or any member had a debilitating disease, if he would have held the same views?
If you cannot stand the waves Mr. Bush, get off the ship!
Om Shanti.Derryck S. Griffith.Political Educator & Advocate.http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith