Category: well?

is it just me?, listen up!, politics, venting, well?

New Orleans, Kansas, and another veto?

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Apparently, Bush has gone out to visit Kansas today, specifically to check out the destruction that occurred in that small town that was pretty much wiped off the face of the earth. While I do feel bad for the people that were affected in this small town of 1600, one question just keeps poking at my brain; have we completely forgotten about New Orleans?? I mean, Katrina displaced and killed a hell of a lot more people, and in many parts of the city, the place is still the equivalent of a third world country! Where is the priority to restore their utilities, homes, businesses, schools, lives, etc? There are still people living in used FEMA trailers for crying out loud!!! I am all for helping the people in Kansas, but I can’t believe that this outcry of attention to rush to their aid hasn’t at least sparked some attention at the complete opposite way Katrina was, and is still being, handled. I would like to see some more light shined on that “little” problem we seem so happy to forget about and sweep under the carpet. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, really, considering these are the actions of a sociopath we are talking about. I just wish things could be different, for this country. Is that too much to ask, Mr. Bush?

Additionally, I read that Tony Snow has already said that Mr. Bush is already planning to veto the newly revised bill the Congress and the House are working on. WTF, you asshole? Remember, you said you would compromise!? This just proves that what I have said all along is 100% correct: you are not willing to compromise. You have your own set of priorities, and you don’t care at all what anyone else says, you want us in Iraq forever. What’s worse, is that you, Mr. President, DO NOT care about the troops, and you are a big, fat, stinking hypocrite!!!!! You accused the Democrats of politicking (they are politicians, remember?) with this bill, when you are doing the same thing. If you really support the troops, why not get your head out of your ASS, fly back to Washington, and actually represent this nation, Mr. President? The nation is speaking loudly, yet you continue to turn away and refuse to listen. This is so infuriating, to know that so many voted to give such an evil, vindictive, know-it-all so much power. Apparently, the goal of the Bush presidency was to do no good, and that is a goal that has definitely been achieved. I can’t imagine what those in Congress and the House are going through, because it is only so long that you can beat your head against a wall before your head starts to bleed. Ugh. Keep the fight, people!! He is definitely WRONG!

is it just me?, listen up!, politics, venting, well?

democrats, you caved too soon

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UPDATE: Perhaps I spoke too soon… Either way, they need a good continual reminder to stay strong. Rock the house Pelosi!

First of all, the Democrats need to grow some balls. I can’t fucking believe that they went through the whole process of proving a point by putting the time line requirement in that bill, only to drop it when Bush vetoed it. WTF?

Democrats! Listen up! You are our voice! So stop slinking back into the corner when big bad Bush says no! You should have sent the exact same bill back to his ass, and said, HERE is our compromise. In fact, they should have tacked on a few more million dollars for the troops, and then sent it back; that would prove the point that this isn’t about the money for the troops, it is about ending this war. Point is, it doesn’t even matter about this bill, as there is funding for the war through at least July; this is a supplemental bill. If the Bush administration wanted the troops to have the things this bill allocates, it would have been in the national budget that he sent to congress for this year. It wasn’t, hence the need for said bill.

Now, I want to say this to the congressional and senatorial democrats: You need to stand up for the politics you believe in, and stop letting Bush walk all over this country. I am appalled that they caved so quickly.

I am, however, trying to cling to the tiny bit of hope that by trying to sneak in different requirements, and actually require that a real plan for ending the war be developed, they are still focused and unwavering in the conviction necessary to end the war. Additionally, these requirements will hopefully stop people from reusing this “we can’t pull out, it would be disaster!” nonsense, as a slightly different plan will be in place. I am not happy that we are settling for “benchmarks” and requirements to report back to Congress as an alternative to getting the fuck out of there, because frankly, it doesn’t matter how long we stick around; the democracy we are shoving down their throats is not going to take unless THEY develop and accept it. We cannot continue killing their people and policing their civil war, and truly expect them to have an epiphany one afternoon and start being democratic. I am, however, truly excited to see that there are democrats and republicans starting to come together and work together on this. THAT is progress; even if it isn’t the level of progress I would like to see.

If the thing that needs to happen is that Iraq needs to be split into different factions, regions, states, or even countries, it is something that they have to work out. We can provide them the help, money, support, etc. that they need, but we cannot truly expect them to take it or for them to change if we occupy their country, and continue fueling a civil war.

I am so sick of this bullshit. I wish that all of this would have never happened. I wish Al Gore would have actually been able to take the presidency he won. Perhaps we would be in a totally different state of being right now; but unfortunately, that is moot. The fact is, that we need to accept that things have gone batshit crazy, come up with a plan to get the fuck out, and GET THE FUCK OUT OF IRAQ. Pussyfooting around and playing politics (BOTH SIDES), is obviously doing more backpedaling than anything, and it needs to stop. Regardless of what is going on in DC, we are still at war with Iraq (and WHY?!). Every day that this war goes on is a day wasted. And it is getting really, really old.

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I want my pink shirt back!

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And by pink shirt, I mean foreskin. (yikes!)

Most people know that I am not for circumcision, that is, unless you choose it for yourself. I believe that aesthetics, unsubstantiated HIV “prevention”, hygiene, and personal preference are not solid enough arguments (even when strung together) to justify genital mutilation. And I want mine back.

I have looked into it, and there are TONS of different methods and things available to restore one’s foreskin. There is even a society, dedicated to the cause! While I am not willing to undergo surgery, I really think it would be great to regain a part of my body that was taken from me without my permission. Do I think that I can’t live without it? No. But, I do think that if there is a pain-free way of getting it restored, why not give it a shot, right? I mean, it is MINE after all! (well, it WILL be mine)

James didn’t seem to happy about the idea, and insisted that I go and talk to our doctor. Since he wants that, I will make an appointment, but I don’t think that this is really a medical thing. The procedures are practically the same thing a body piercer would do in conjunction with you to stretch your ears, or any other piercing site. People have stretched ears, and it was not done by a doctor; it is a body modification. In the case of the foreskin, it is restoring the body to its original state. It is stretching the skin so that it will be like it was, or like it should have been, that is, if it wasn’t hacked off when I was a wee little thing. This is something private, that I kind of want for myself; that poses no real harm if I do it (I know how to keep my body clean; trust me).

I am still contemplating it, mainly because of the time commitment, but I seriously think that this would be a pretty cool thing to have foreskin. Just based on the fact that it would make things more sensitive, as well as the fact that it would give me back what was taken from me without my permission, I think that this idea is a good one. I don’t necessarily have a time line in mind of when said “restoration” would begin and end, but it is definitely a thought mulling around in my brain.

Now, if you are wondering what got me thinking about this in particular, it was two things. First of all, fellow blogger Joel sent me this article, in which the author likens the removal of the foreskin to the removal of cataracts. I wholeheartedly disagree, mainly because the foreskin is something that every boy is born with, and it is not a disease that causes harm to the body. And second, to build on that, a colleague of mine got into a discussion about it yesterday (good timing, huh?), who insisted that it was a good idea because of hygienic reasons, to which I promptly reminded him that you can just keep it clean instead of hacking it off. Can you imaging sewing up your asshole because shit comes out? Exactly! You learn to wipe your ass! So, that is where this whole thing it came from.

But don’t think that I made this decision (I haven’t ordered anything yet) without giving this a lot of thought; I have. I would say that I have actually given this a fair amount of thought for over a year, and this instance of discussing it just pushed it to the front of my brain.

I am interested to see what ya’ll think… I mean, not so much about me restoring my foreskin, because, well, I don’t want everyone actively thinking so much about my penis; but just the idea of the restoration itself? I personally see it as a way to do something for yourself that is totally attainable, if you should want to do it. Body modification/restoration. Nothing invasive, and nothing that would cause any harm. In fact, it wouldn’t even be a big deal if you didn’t know I did it. Right?

is it just me?, politics, venting, well?

way to go Pelosi!

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I wonder if it will even affect Bush that she called him out, right there in the open, about his own history of requiring a time table of Clinton (ha ha Mr. Hypocrite!)? I also wonder, if her strong words about how it was Bush disrespecting the troops by vetoing a bill, and not showing one ounce of a possibility of compromising on the need for an exit strategy? I certainly hope that more people listen to great people like Ms. Pelosi, and do the right fucking thing; get us out of Iraq, so that we can focus on the real issue, which is taking care of our country and our people. If we really want to rid the world of terrorists, we should stop putting ourselves in the position of creating them. It’s time to be a little more intelligent people!

If ONE person can substantially say that our presence in Iraq is doing more good than bad; I am challenging you to PROVE IT. It is obvious that our stay is no longer welcome, and we need an exit strategy, or this silly occupation will go on, and more people will unnecessarily die. Unfortunately, more than 3000 soldiers have already given their lives; when will enough be enough?

On a different, yet related note, I think that I have finally figured out the solution that Bush wants for Iraq. If we can’t leave, and we can’t announce a time for exit (because, by his claims, they will just “wait around until we are gone” and stir shit up again) it is obvious to me, that Mr. Bush has only two options: we occupy Iraq forever (in which, proves that he is a liar, saying that he wants democracy there), or, we kill everyone that lives in Iraq, effectively ending the presence of an insurgency. I would think that there have to be other options, and I am personally glad that I have people like Ms. Pelosi on my side. Bush wants this war to go on, even though the overwhelming majority of the people that HE REPRESENTS wants it to stop. What does that say about him? At a minimum, it makes he look like a hardheaded little brat, who just won’t give up until he gets his way; no matter the cost.

I am just happy that he isn’t the only one who gets to make decisions. I hope that the congress and the senate can get what we need; a real plan. A real PLAN!!!!!!!!!!! Rock out Pelosi!

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what does idol REALLY give back?

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Last night, I went over to my buddy John’s to watch the spectacle that was “Idol Gives Back”, a charity event where every celebrity they could muster showed up in support of “raising awareness” for people in need. The focus, was raising money to give to kids in Africa, as well as those still in need here in America (did someone say Katrina?). While I honestly want to believe that their hearts were in the right place, this absurd spectacle of “giving back” just made me angrier and angrier as the show wore on. Basically, they showed clip after clip of celebrities going to Africa, walking through the ghettos, and showing these poor unfortunate souls (Ursula!) suffering and dying in the slums.

Now, I am all for charity. In fact, I am all for the raising of awareness. I am all for giving to these people, because they need us. BUT, I am not okay with this dog and pony show parading these kids around in this manner. For the first hour of the program, they didn’t even say AIDS. Now, I understand that the “general” public doesn’t want to hear about the reality of AIDS in Africa, but the fact is, it is real. It isn’t going to go away if you throw a few million dollars at it. To say that it will enrich lives and make things all better is a lie, and that is what is wrong with what happened last night. Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest sitting in a one roomed house with a boy of twelve telling him to “just let it out” because he was sad that his parents were both dead was sickening. To top it off, they didn’t even address the fact that this kid’s parents likely died as a result of AIDS.

I truly want to believe that all of these celebrities give tons of money to help rid the world of poverty. I really want to believe that American Idol’s true motive behind this was nothing other than philanthropic; but it wasn’t. Even Ryan Seacrest said it, and said it well, “PART of the proceeds will go to charity”. If they were serious about helping these people in need, then all of it would go to charity. The POINT of the event was to raise money for charity, so where is the other PART going?

Additionally, if I see one more fucking celebrity “slumming” it up in Africa, surrounded by little AIDS infected orphans, saying how the antiretroviral drugs will save their lives and allow them to live happier and healthier lives, I will throw something at the fucking TV. Yes, Madonna, Bono, all of you, I am talking to YOU. Just because you put on a ragged t-shirt, go make-up-less on TV, and talk about how our $1 donation will “save lives”, doesn’t mean that it will. What it does mean, is that you are even further out of touch with reality than I would have ever believed possible. When you get on your private jet to fly home to your 15,000 square foot home, think about this: The only thing that will truly save these children is a continuous stream of money and support that doesn’t show up and then disappear. Spectacles like this merely shine a light on a problem that has been around for decades, and once that light goes out, and the show ends, the focus again dims, and the problem continues to get worse.

If they really wanted to do something lasting, do something good, and do something for these people, this would not be an “awareness” raising event; it would be a daily practice. These celebrities have more money than anyone else, and they have the gall to stand there and ask people to give and give and give some more. I think that we should all give, and I know that many of them do as well, but ask yourself; isn’t a bit hypocritical to live in your mansions on the top of the hill, and point out to the middle and lower class the plight of poverty throughout the world? Do you even know what it means to live paycheck to paycheck?

I would love for every problem in the world to be solved by a night of seeing Josh Groban surrounded by African children, and people calling in to donate money, PART of which will be given to charity. But over simplifying their problems by saying things like, “all they need is a $10 net to stop malaria”, and “if they could just get the antiretroviral HIV drugs, then their lives would be great” is disturbingly misleading. If you really want to do some good, focus on getting that money, ALL of it, to these people, and find a way to make sure that the focus does not wane; otherwise, you have done it in vain. The only way to stop AIDS is to talk about it and maintain a focus on it EVERYDAY. Events like this are a flash in the pan, and in the long run do practically nothing for the people suffering. This seriously frustrates the shit out of me.

</end rant>

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just a return of little perspective…

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Mr Bush, stop sniveling that the Congress won’t do everything that you want them to do, in your way, and support the fucking bill already. You should know, that you can’t serve as president with the Congress that you want… you have to serve with the Congress you have… you can’t wait around for the Congress you wish to have at a later time.

I remember someone *cough* Rumsfeld *cough* saying that same thing about the military… interesting… that perspective totally applies here too! But, I am sure that things are too dark down there in the sand to actually see the parallel, and you know that these folks would never admit that they were careless, thoughtless, or disrespectful, you know?

Man, I love you Randi Rhodes.

is it just me?, well?

enough already!

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Is it just me, or are they really beating the VA Tech thing into the ground? I mean, seriously, talk about the victims, talk to the victims, whatever, but stop showing these “horrific” videos, and stop showing pictures and airing text of the killer. It is just validating what he did. He did it for attention, and the more time we spend on him, the more we give him what he wanted.

Am I alone here?

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why we need a national mental health system that works

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In light of the events that transpired this week, there is buzz on the internets about gun control and whatnot, and I was seriously thinking about chiming in, but I realized that there is something that is far more critical to focus on: mental health and the lack of support for those that need it. The man that committed these murders at VA Tech this week was suicidal and declared officially mentally ill and a harm to himself by a court and professional mental health professionals. So why didn’t he receive treatment? A teacher even threatened to quit if he wasn’t removed from her class because he was so disturbing; yet the system still failed him. If he would have had the support of a working mental health system, there might not have been an incident as awful as this one.

I am not saying that a mental health program that truly works to treat those that need it will solve all of these problems, and I am certainly not suggesting that this was a simple solution that could have definitely prevented the attack at VA Tech. But, it is ignorant to think that it couldn’t have at least opened up the chance that it could have been prevented.

The key philosophy of public health is prevention. It is the foundation upon which all of our epistemological approaches to handling epidemics and pandemics is built. Preventing the disease, and preventing it from spreading is always more important than waiting for the fall out of what happens when people become infected, or in this case, if the disease is allowed to run its course without treatment.

Cho was mentally ill. Severely disturbed. He should have gotten the help he needed. There were at least three known incidents in which he was deemed unstable before this attack, and yet, he was never forced to get the treatment he needed; even though that forced treatment was recommended by a court. We need a system in this country that provides that level of service for people like Cho. We need a system in place that will work to help people like Cho, instead of letting them fall through the cracks.

When youth act out in ways that are characteristic of mental illness, what they need is treatment. This treatment can save them; and more importantly, it can save others. Currently, there is no such program, because if there were, there wouldn’t be mentally ill youth sitting in juvenile detention facilities instead of mental institutions getting the treatment they need.

This lack of services, and the lack of those getting the help they need when they need it is backed by this statement, taken from the National Institute of Mental Health’s website:

The study indicates that the U.S. mental health care system is not keeping up with the needs of consumers and that improvements are needed to speed initiation of treatment as well as enhance the quality and duration of treatment. For instance, over a 12-month period, 60 percent of those with a mental disorder got no treatment at all.

60% is a lot. We must do something about that. Our government must do something about that. Whether or not you agree with socialized medicine, I would hope that you can see how crucial this health service is to our society. It can not only save those that need the help directly, but it can save others. If only Cho would have been able to get the help he needed, things might be different. I personally hope that this sends a loud message to the government, that they immediately work to invigorate and revamp the current mental health services available in this country. I hope that action will be taken before another tragedy like this occurs; because apparently, it didn’t happen after Columbine, which happened under similar circumstances.

The time for mental health is NOW.

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the opinion post follow-up… uh, post.

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So here it is, the follow up post to the post I wrote a few days ago requesting the answer to this question:

If you could describe the state of HIV and AIDS today, how would you describe it?

Alright, first of all, I didn’t realize something until sometime yesterday, which I honestly don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner, but I think that I unintentionally intimidated people by posting this question, because of where I work. I have been pretty frank with my feelings about public health because of where I work, my educational background, and what I believe, and I know that did prevent some folks from responding and thinking that their perspective mattered. For that, I wish I would have realized it, and accommodated accordingly, but alas, I did not, and there it is. Regardless, I got some great perspectives, and I will focus on those, rather than the intimidation.

First of all, I got a strong sense of complacency that people recognize with respect to HIV/AIDS today. People definitely feel that HIV isn’t as focused on today, mainly because of the availability of treatments, and the diminished face of AIDS in the news and in the media. Basically, we try to cover up the real need for help with campaigns for ipods, and that just reinforces that sense of complacency. In addition to this complacency, we have become disillusioned to believe that the treatments available for HIV have actually made this a manageable disease that isn’t so difficult to live with; as, again, is illustrated by the lack of the true face of AIDS in the media and on the news. In addition to the complacency, many see that HIV/AIDS is hidden, and this is illustrated by the belief that HIV isn’t as bad in industrialized nations, and that the people that tend to become infected in the US are junkies, and really high risk individuals; not just anyone who happens to put themselves at risk by simply having sex.

This is the new, current face of HIV. There is a lack of reality, and it has caused us to see the disease as it isn’t. We don’t see it as a problem that we still face day to day, because we have it “under control”, and because we have “treatments” that will “let us live happy healthy lives” if we should somehow become infected. Sadly, this complacency for the disease is exactly what is wrong with the stance we have taken in fighting the epidemic. Many correctly pointed out the sheer willful ignorance in the lack of proper education for our nation’s youth, and the improper use of “values” that impose horribly useless abstinence only tactics to try and convince teens to not having sex. Regardless of this “head in the sand” take on preventing teen pregnancy and HIV transmission among youth, many of you again correctly surmised that these tactics are not only NOT working, but they are doing way more harm in the process. And that level of complacency is unacceptable.

The reason I initially posted this question, was because I was going over the data from the study that I work on, and a continual theme among the respondents was that HIV was not only manageable, but it wasn’t really that big of a deal anymore. People didn’t see the disease as a problem, and I wanted to see if that was reflective of the general population as well; well, at least the general population of people that read my blog. What I found was a similar belief, only with a definitive higher level of concern and awareness of that complacency; which was to be expected from those that are smart enough to be pretty internet savvy.

I also wanted to write this, because I honestly feel like the problem that is causing this increased complacency with the disease, and with the active participation of people in this country in preventing the spread of it, rests on only a few specific things. First, there is a major problem with people thinking that HIV is readily treatable, and is actually a manageable disease. HIV is still a terminal illness, and the drugs that you take for it are not like taking an aspirin for a headache. There are horrible side effects. Those drugs cost thousands of dollars, and without them, people still die quickly. This does even take into account the drug resistant strains of HIV, which are certainly a faster death sentence. The point I am trying to make, is that when the pharmaceutical companies portray a happy healthy HIV positive gay man in their ads, they are reinforcing a belief that having HIV isn’t really all that bad. That does so much harm, because it lulls us into a sense of complacency, and as we all saw, as represented by your comments, that is a large part of the problem. The pharmaceutical companies have got to change the way they portray the disease, as well as the media at large. Until we start to see the true face of AIDS again, much like we did in the early and late 80’s, we are only back peddling. Things have got to change. The face of AIDS must be seen, or the problem will continue to get worse. Part of the reason we don’t see this face of AIDS, is because that face has largely gone more and more brown over the years, and it is easy for the media to turn away from the disenfranchised. Again, this is bad, bad news for the epidemic. Hopefully, through our own awareness and education, we can all start to make changes.

The other problem that comes from this complacency, is the belief that we cannot be infected, which is largely a part of the media ignoring the disease, that is, except to sell a red ipod. Sure, it does some good, and we do help out a few of those suffering in Africa, but it isn’t enough. This is just putting a band-aid on a gaping wound, and it is clear that it is hurting more than helping. This lack of real action and realistic exemplification of the disease, displaces our belief that we are still at risk every time we have sex. Additionally, risk factors like drug use are rampant throughout the gay community, and this increases risk of HIV transmission so much so, that it makes me dizzy. Yet, people are still willing to take these risks. But why? Because they have displaced HIV to another part of the world, or to another community other than their own, and that, coupled with the idea that it is treatable, creates and implements a fatal combination of complacency and ignorance. It is used as an excuse for someone who was already looking for a way to say, “nope, not me, no need to worry”.

I am sorry this post is as long as it is, but this is something that is truly passionate to me, and something I hope to do good with in my life. I want my mark on this world to be a positive benefit towards public health, and if that means helping one person, or many people, understand the real causes that force the epidemic to go on, then I am doing good. We must make pharmaceutical companies change their advertising methods. AIDS is not a pretty disease. You will not get infected, and then live a normal life. HIV should not be something we are complacent about, and we must really protect our youth. We must be more vocal about HIV, and make it way more visible. We must inform ourselves, and we must be realistic about this; because if we aren’t, it will just continue down this same old road. AIDS isn’t going anywhere, and it is just as bad as it was before; sure, more people are living longer lives, and there are less instances of HIV becoming AIDS, but HIV infection is still VERY high, even here in the US. Yet, still, we pretend that it isn’t a major concern. And that, is what’s wrong. We focus on getting people tested, without worrying about preventing them from getting the disease. We worry about knowing your status, but only for the few that believe they are at risk. This needs to extend to everyone, and HIV needs to become something that is talked about again. HIV needs to be made real again.

Thanks for weighing in your opinions, and feel free to weigh in more if you would like. I think finding a holistic view of the state of HIV today is a great conversation to move us out of complacency, and into really talking about and dealing with the epidemic. Until then, there are only a few that are forced to do the heavy lifting, and I for one, would like to see us coming in to help them carry the burden. It is up to us, we are the generation that can affect this change, and we need to get on it now.

get over it!, listen up!, near and dear, politics, tragic, venting, well?

say again?

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Um, apparently, the surge IS working!

That’s right! Alright, so, no, that isn’t right. I am glad, though, that they did report the many, many people that were killed this past weekend, instead of pretending that no one is dying in Iraq, and that things are actually getting better, when things are getting far worse; more people are dying everyday at rates higher than ever before. But the surge is working? Um, I don’t think so.

Also, Mr. Bush seems to think that this surge is working because, according to him, having a pull out timetable is exactly what the terrorists want:

President Bush said Saturday that a Democratic plan to set an end date for the war gives “our enemies the victory they desperately want.” (link)

Actually, Mr. Bush, what I think they want is exactly what they are getting; a bloodbath. Their victory is coming everyday in increments; ever soldier lost is a victory to them. We are dying, the citizens of Iraq are dying, and at a rate that is the highest rate since we invaded. And still climbing. But you are right, keep those troops in there so more can die. The surge is working! FOR THE TERRORISTS and for DEATH. Jeez.

Also, I am deeply saddened by the actions of one troubled person yesterday at VA Tech, but I don’t think that the sensationalistic way that the news is all over this thing is helping. It was a tragedy. Yes. I feel sorry for everyone that had to endure that awful situation, and I feel for each person lost and their families. But, more people than this die in Iraq everyday, and we don’t seem to be too concerned about that. Let’s not even mention the thousands and thousands of people dieing in Africa everyday; did someone say genocide in Darfur?

All I am saying, is I wish there were a little more levity when it comes to death and destruction, and the way it is used to stir up fear, as well as less sensationalism in the media. No wonder we are so afraid, the way the news portrays any violence would scare the bejesus out of anyone, as it does; and it is time to stop doing that. It is time to just report the news and do so without the sensationalism. It was a tragedy, but I think it is going a little far to say things like, “I think everyone will remember where they were when they heard the news”, like I heard on NBC last night. The sensationalism has to go if we are to ever exist without the culture of fear controlling us.

Also, as for those people out there saying things about the shooter being a terrorist (without evidence), and people like that moron Dr Phil saying that the problem is video games, SHUT THE FUCK UP idiots. Seriously, you are causing more problems, and contributing to the problem. Exploitation of this situation is deplorable and disrespectful.

Sidenote: I am not avoiding addressing the answers of the previous post; this was just the forefront of my thoughts, and it actually gives a little more time for more people to give their take on the state of HIV/AIDS today. I hope there will be more insight shared. A follow up post is something you can count on, so no need to worry about that.