Tragic Rabbit

While I am often the one summoned to dispose of 'nasties' (spiders, wasps, bees, hornets and uninvited, belligerent exes or salesmen), in the case of all but the exes, my method is simply to pick them up and deposit them outside where they can recuperate from all the brouhaha and go about their way. Stinging insects do not bite me, except for mosquitoes and some types of biting 'fly', so I'm willing to do this. What I tell people who actually and purposely kill spiders is... I HATE YOU...no, just kidding, but do you know that (a) 99.9999% of all spiders you will ever SEE are not only harmless but (b) mainly just want the hell out of your sight to continue their own activities - activities that you might not ought to be so quick to dismiss from your home, ? as most not only kill off tiny vermin like flies and such, but (d) some are even able to catch mice and other household undesirables. Additionally, my Irish mum always insisted that (e) killing a spider brings threefold bad luck into a household, so why risk all that? And yet...felled by a wee desert spider. I researched the symptoms and emailed my doctor. As luck would have it, we had (sort of) everything on the list that I needed, including my not insubstantial (but unrecognized by any state agency, alas) nursing skills which I then turned upon myself. 24 hours later, I was in the highly disturbing fevered delirium state I mentioned and the fever broke (even in my delirium, I was aware that coma followed by death was an alternative stage three but then I was sure my dead dog was in bed comforting me...and it was a comfort), more of less, within 48 hours. I was again able to actively nurse myself and it is following the predicted pattern. My leg should be fully functional for walking, or perhaps gentle walking, in a few weeks from initial symptom outset. This is the listed most optimistic outlook. I am taking the meds and other requirements, including keeping the wound elevated above my heart as much as possible. What I've actually got feels like pureed calf muscle/tendon, layered over with skin lightly laced with acid and looking like a bad keloid outcome. I've resigned myself to some unpleasant scarring, I'm now just praying for use of that lower leg to rerturn. I've had my fill of the 'gimp' role... Sleeping is nearly impossible between the pain and finding a position that does not 'touch' the back calf 'scalded' zone. And all this from the tiny bite of one disturbed, grumpy and fairly small brown recluse spider. They are small, have a tiny 'violin' pattern on their backs, two fewer eyes than most spiders, and also weave webs for art and not lunch. The recluse also comes in a 'non-brown' variety. Apparanantly they strongly disapprove of being disturbed while in repose. Brown Recluse Spider: For the science minded, here are some stats on brown recluse venom (source: WebMd for brevity): The brown recluse venom is extremely poisonous, even more potent than that of a rattlesnake. Yet recluse venom causes less disease than a rattlesnake bite because of the small quantities injected into its victims. The venom of the brown recluse is toxic to cells and tissues. This venom is a collection of enzymes. One of the specific enzymes, once released into the victim's skin, causes destruction of local cell membranes, which disrupts the integrity of tissues leading to local breakdown of skin, fat, and blood vessels. This process leads to eventual tissue death called necrosis in areas immediately surrounding the bite site. The venom also induces in its victim an immune response. The victim's immune system releases inflammatory agents-histamines, cytokines, and interleukins-that signal specific disease-fighting white blood cells to the area of injury. In severe cases, however, these same inflammatory agents can themselves cause injury. These secondary effects of the venom, although extremely rare, can produce these more significant side effects of the spider bite:Destruction of red blood cells Low platelet count Blood clots in capillaries and loss of ability to form clots where needed Acute renal failure (kidney damage) Coma Death Brown Recluse Bite Symptoms Brown recluse spider bites often go unnoticed initially because they are usually painless bites. Occasionally, some minor burning that feels like a bee is noticed at the time of the bite. Symptoms usually develop 2-8 hours after a bite. Keep in mind that most bites cause little tissue destruction. Victims may experience these symptoms:Severe pain at bite site after about 4 hours Severe itching Nausea Vomiting Fever Myalgias (muscle pain) Initially the bite site is mildly red and upon close inspection may reveal fang marks. Within a few hours, the redness gives way to pallor with a red ring surrounding the area, or a "bull's-eye" appearance. The lesion will often appear to flow downhill over the course of many hours. The center area will then often blister, which over 12-48 hours can sink, turning bluish then black as this area of tissue dies. The wound can appear like the following: Bull's-eye appearance (common) (Note: If you live in an area where Lyme disease is common (Northeastern states), then this type of lesion is more likely caused by tick-borne Lyme disease than a brown recluse spider bite.) Blistering (common) Necrosis (death) of skin and subcutaneous fat (less common) Severe destructive necrotic lesions with deep wide borders (rare) And this has been your Daily Land of Spiders and Scorpions Update from... a semi-lucid TR PS Don't ask me for awhile if I still like arachnids....

Thanks for the worry but I was delirious with fever and didn't even notice the quake. 5.8 wasn't it? Over the weekend, I was bitten by one of only four North American spiders that can cause harm to a human (and only 60 of the resident thousand varieties that can even bite a human for you paranoid arachnophobes) and have just this morning recovered from the first-stage (intense fevered delirium)...to find my left left swollen, red and utterly useless. Attempts to use it generate screams of agony and I assure you, I have a high pain threshold. These entertaining aspects of the spider bite will apparently last for two weeks. This... condition will slow down my unpacking (duh) as well as my regular duties and, well, pretty much everything. I love arachnids but promise you that this incident (or anyhow, arachnids) will appear in more than upcoming Ground Zero Satire stories, it will creep into the AD Flash section if nowhere else here. I feel a need to repay the...debt. TR

I wholeheartedly agree and wish there were no penalties for those choices. TR

Gay Teen Arrested for Filing False Hate Crime Report By 365gay Newscenter Staff 07.24.2008 5:19pm EDT (Anderson County, S.C.) An 18-year-old, who had told police he was beaten by his father after attending a gay pride parade, was charged Thursday with filing a false police report. Dwight Clark Ables told police last week that his father yelled, swung the bat and tried to "cast the demon of homosexuality out of him." He claimed his 49-year-old father prayed as he swung the bat and then threw him out of the house. He also said that several days later, when the teen returned home to pick up his clothes, he was punched. In the report he filed with police, the teen said that his father "has a problem with him being gay and that is why he hit him with the baseball bat." Investigators said Thursday they had found no evidence to support any of the allegations. Ables is being held in a detention center awaiting trial. http://www.365gay.com/news/gay-teen-arrested/

Just adding in one of my favored orgs (Media Matters, though as Trab suggests, my ebox is full of orgs protesting this stance) for positive change and their info, links and directions on how and where to complain about Michael Savage's remarks: July 23, 2008 Dear Friend, Since our last email, the pressure on Michael Savage has intensified as media coverage has grown, along with protests by concerned parents of autistic children, statements from members of Congress, and calls from concerned citizens to stations around the country that carry his radio show, The Savage Nation. As a result, Savage's show has been dropped from the seven-station SuperTalk Mississippi radio network, and the insurance company AFLAC announced it will no longer sponsor Savage's program. How has Savage responded? By stating, " I stand by my words." If you haven't done so already, please call the station in your community that carries The Savage Nation and tell it what you think about Michael Savage's incendiary and hurtful comments about autistic children. Click here to find your local station, log into our calling tool, and let us know how your call went. Savage didn't stop there; instead of apologizing to the millions of children and their families living with autism, he falsely recast his controversial comments to claim that they had been taken out of context and by lashing out at Media Matters for America. Media Matters National Press Secretary J. Jioni Palmer said it best: "Savage can try to obfuscate matters all he wants, but the fact remains -- his words are his words, and they were clearly directed at children with autism. Instead of trying to shift blame, he ought to do what's right and apologize to the millions of autistic children, their families, and others he insulted." The actions you have taken have been successful, but there is still a long way to go. Talk Radio Network, which syndicates The Savage Nation, claims that Savage is heard on more than 350 radio stations. The program reaches at least 8.25 million listeners each week, making it one of the most listened-to talk radio shows in the nation, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show, according to Talkers Magazine. We need your help to continue the great success we have achieved so far. Click here to find your local station, log into our calling tool, and let us know how your call went. If you have already called your local station, spread the word -- send a message to your friends and family asking them to take this important action. Thank you so much for your continued action on this important issue, Erin Hofteig Director, New Media Media Matters for America PS - You can find an archive with information, news coverage, press releases from Autism organizations, and statements from members of Congress and other politicians, as well as quotes from a variety of people involved, by clicking here. http://mediamatters.org/donate?src=savage-0723-7http://mediamatters.org/action_center/sava...c=savage-0723-8? 2008 Media Matters for America 1625 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20036

Nice use of the word 'vex'.

More to help your nightmares along... Surgeon Ordered to Pay $795G for Cutting Off Man's Penis

And just think, James, the CSA could have won if they'd allied themselves with the British. BTW, it's not rude to 'celebrate' American Independence Day on a website chock-full of Brits? Oughtn't we offer them condolences or something...? TR

Stylish Man Castrates Gay Lover

No, it's just a glitch. That and other stories that came in on the 365 Tuesday Update today all wrongly list the year, but they came through today....well, now it was yesterday. It's listed correctly on the front page and so are the other Update stories throughout the site. TR

The Dude gave it a good hard...kick. Truth to tell, that's pretty much the only solution we have around here, so thank god it's so successful. The Cure is an English rock band that formed in Crawley, Sussex in 1976. TR

I think we can start redirecting this sort of thing to the Story Editor with a CC to The Dude starting mid-month or so. Always remember to CC both TR & Dude on any story, site or author issue. Thanks, TR

[Note: the following article must be read while listening to either 'I Will Always Love You'sung by Whitney Houston or 'You Light Up My Life' by Debby Boone.] Spurned Man Castrates Gay Lover by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff Posted: July 1, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET (Manila) A man who discovered his boyfriend had an affair with a woman is accused of castrating his lover in a jealous rage. Jose Feliciano Valderama, 35, is charged with attempted murder. Police allege that Valderama and Marvic Manquera, 21, sought a room at a Quezon City hotel after a night of heavy drinking. While they were having sex Manquera allegedly told Valderama that he had previously had an affair with a women. While Valderama slept and angry Manquera reportedly severed his lover's penis. Responding to screams from the room hotel employees found Manquera on the bed in a pool of blood and Valderama with a bloodied knife ready to commit suicide. Employees prevented Valderama from taking his own life. The workers told Police they asked Valderama what he did with the severed organ and the man said he flushed it down the toilet. Manquera is reportedly in serious condition in hospital but is expected to survive. ?365Gay.com 2008 http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/07/070108cas.htm

Well, the login and out (and in and out) for the Forums had been bugging me since yesterday, and I see that the issues, for me, are the same as Trab and WBMS report. Just a tad annoying but thought I'd chime in, too. TR

The CDC and Harvard Law have done numerous studies on the subject. The consensus is that, yes, a person can 'turn gay', but the process is complex and highly unlikely to occur accidentally. For one thing, it involves watching Sound of Music 27 times in a row while drinking fruity wine coolers and wearing tight pants. TR

Five years ago today, we made history ? and the world is literally a different place for LGBT people. Six justices said yes, the constitutional guarantee of liberty applies to all of us. On June 26, 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled all remaining state sodomy laws unconstitutional in Lambda Legal's groundbreaking Lawrence v. Texas case. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy issued a ringing declaration of dignity and equality for gay and lesbian people: "The state cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime." This year Lambda Legal is proud to premiere "Overruled!," a short documentary about Lawrence v. Texas and the monumental legal and cultural shift it inspired. In the past five years the Lawrence case has worked its way into the fabric of our lives. It's been cited in hundreds of cases addressing employment discrimination, custody rights, relationship recognition, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and criminal law. It's given us a powerful tool to win LGBT equality. As we celebrate the fifth anniversary today, we celebrate progress. We celebrate freedom and equality. We celebrate the forward march of history. But history is not over, and we are still fighting to make the impact of Lawrence come to life in our laws and in our lives. Thank you for being there with us. All best, Kevin Cathcart Executive Director Lambda Legal

Steve Martin Clip and King Tut (live)

Bart, I actually considered naming you and pulling you into the discussion as I wrote that but chose not to, seemed tacky. Sorry if the terms are wrong, they were what I was taught when, as an undergraduate, I volunteered for years at the university's Behavioral Studies Center that treated locals on a sliding scale. Lower echelon positions were filled by student volunteers. The Center was highly geared toward the Skinner approach and that was why I ultimately stopped volunteering but that is also where I came to know a number of autistic children and adults, along with persons suffering from other disorders but I worked specifically with two very small autistic children, so those memories constitute the majority of what I learned while working there. Autism seemed, and still seems, so frightening to me, particularly given how naturally social the human animal is. However, my point was only that it is wrong to wish upon others the kind of isolation that autism inflicts (without intervention). Humans are designed to be social and touching maintains health of all kinds. Consigning PLWA to a pseudo-autistic lifestyle based on their HIV status seems beyond cruel. I posted this article to remind everyone that AIDS is an international issue, not African, not American, not gay and definitely not about morality. TR

Well, one does one's best TR, oft stirred but seldom shaken

I wasn't trying to be romantic (by which you mean untruthful or wishful?), only practical. Let me be specific. [warning: sexual content ahead] Aside from the non-sex ways one can come into contact with the HIV, 'having sex' is...a broad and happy category , a thing that makes life more loving and fun even when practiced among friends or strangers. Some sex acts have zero risk of HIV infection. Don't forget that you take risks every day: driving a car, walking in crowds, turning on the cooker or booking a plane flight. Don't let words like 'risk' keep you living in a box all your life, that's what life is --- risk. Forget 'risk' and think, if you'll pardon the expression, positively! In the words of Cole Porter 'experiment!' Humans, like bonobos, have a intrinsic urge, need, for touch and contact and the ultimate contact is sex, though a nice cuddle, hug or kiss is worth ten times its weight in gold. Ways for an HIV- person to 'have sex' with someone whom they know to be poz (ranging from zero probability to very low statistical risk for the neg party) include, but are not limited to: * getting naked and rubbing against one another, skin to skin, will bring more than orgasm, it brings peace of mind, in my opinion, it's something our bodies and brains are wired to want, to need, even to crave. And bonobos do it with all their friends, why must humans (close relatives of bonobos) make it so...fraught with morals or meaning beyond the very goodness of the act itself? * fellatio - saliva kills the HIV, no one says you have to swallow or even use your mouth to completion - god gave us hands and many other parts for a reason...why not use them to make your and others' lives happier ones? Fellatio can be mutual or take-turns, fellatio can be a feather that drives you mad with want or a rough and tumble quickie backseat after work. Sex is fun! Sex is...human, warm and makes you feel loved (among other things). God wasn't punishing us when syphilis or HIV popped up, it's just how humans work in groups, diseases are born and transmit themselves...but, like humans through the ages, we should learn to adapt and cope without penalizing or denying ourselves or others the joys of life. * lying naked, side by side, and using hands to bring one another to completion while kissing and otherwise making lots of lovely skin contact. If this doesn't sound fun, then you've never tried it (my opinion). * intercourse (part A) can be performed without condoms and/or without insertion into partners' body parts (between buttocks or thighs) and still be immensely satisfying. And this is a game two can play. Taking turns is such fun with the game of sex, don't you think? And (B) intercourse with penetration (technically fellatio is penetration, BTW, but talking anal here) can be performed in various ways that severely limit risks: with a condom, without a condom, external ejaculation ('pulling out' prior to emission), 'femidoms' (prob misspelled that - it's a sort of reverse condom), only engaging in it when recipient is sure his skin has no breaks or lesions, or simply choosing not to be penetrated in that fashion. One can simply prefer penetration with different body part or a 'toy' of one's choosing. Local sex toy stores stock all sorts of interesting and fun toys, even dildoes where two can be penetrated at the same time, and many other toys worth trying. If there are no local toy stores in your area, try online, there are a good number of reputable companies that deliver discretely. Shopping at a toy store with a friend, BTW, whether RT or online, can be playful or romantic if you let it. Penetration can be pleasurable without directly involving the penis, penetration with fingers, hands, toys, etc is not an uncommon practice and also not limited to gay male community. It makes me very sad to know that people wish their fellow humans to opt out of one of the greatest joys of living just because they are poz for HIV. There are other STDs, BTW, and many more diseases transferred without any sex at all...from the common cold to Ebola or, maybe, autoimmune diseases. We take risks every time we start our car engines, every time we step outside our homes to encounter our fellow humans, every time we touch a surface or take a breath. Unless you are a 'boy in a bubble', you are risking infections each and every day. Is the answer to this to isolate ourselves from all touch, all friendship, all love? That's autism...and it's a serious and terribly sad psychological disorder. Humanity is a communal and highly social animal and always will be. You ought to kiss and hug (or whatever) men whom you love as friends, no matter their HIV status, and it's been my experience that those kisses, hugs and whatever else are treasured all the more by PLWA for the very reason that there are those out there who consider them to have contagious leprosy or inhabit some sort of Untouchables category. I don't, won't and can't believe people get infections because they are 'bad' or gain wealth and health because they are 'good'. If anything, I'd say the opposite but know, in reality, that there is no such connection. All rolling the dice, from day one: what parents you are born to, how much money and love and time they have, right down to how you deal with the misfortunes and fortunes that Life flings at you over the years. HIV is not a death sentence, but it can deprive you of the minimal amount of love, kindness, friendship and love that makes these small lives of ours worth living. Try not treating your HIV+ friends any differently, or maybe go out of your way to treat them better than others...trust me, they'll notice. TR

Sure. Do you not live where there are many gay people? A good number of my friends, perhaps half or more(?), are positive. I've had poz lovers. I know quite a number of men (and two women) who have been 'living with AIDS' since the 90s or even the 1980s. The cocktails that came into use...can't remember when really, they made a huge difference in survival rates, so that sometime during the 90s it became more possible to live a....well, not normal life but pretty close and experience downtime in cycles rather than a single downward slide into death. That is not to say it's fun to be poz and for that reason I disapprove of the medication adverts that portray such healthy active patients in their visual ads...that's maybe on a good day but that's not really life with AIDS. The thing is, though, that a poz diagnosis is not the end of your life (anymore) and that includes bonds of love and/or sex. Some PLWA choose to abstain from sex, most take precautions and that's all anyone can do outside just opting out of sex or out of some sex practices. There are dating clubs, parties, ads, potlucks for PLWA. You can meet someone who is also poz. Most men have a condom handy? I'd think so but never done a survey. Guys tend to keep condoms handy these days or engage in acts with low risk rates, such as fellatio or mutual masterbation. People do tend to disclose in intimate settings, I honestly think the number that willfully do not is minute but that's only an opinion. What isn't just my opinion is that the length of time between exposure to the HIV and when a test might come up poz can be years. Yes, years. Most of the Poz people I know do one of these things: (1) are moderately to very sexually active (btw a lot of this is within semi-closed groups of friends,though seeking out anonymous encounters is something every category of human does...not just gay men), (2) have a partner to whom they have pledged sexual fidelity or some such and trust to that arrangement (going by het stats, it's not ironclad), (3) date within a poz community, (4) date outside the poz community but disclose (knowing they may be asked to leave or play by a different set of rules...and I guess (5) some knowingly don't disclose but even then might only engage in low-risk acts. I think the idea that all gay men with AIDS go around doing #5 is a myth born of ignorance. That it happens is undeniable, that it is anywhere in the vicinity of the norm is fantasy. Most gay men know signs of someone living with AIDS, slight though they may be, and has an effect on who sexually interacts with whom. And in gay contexts, friends or acquaintances do often disclose their HIV status in non-sexual situations.(but it's illegal for you to do so, btw, about other people). HIV status is protected information. The important thing is to regularly get an across the board STD test series at your local men's clinic or health clinic and practice whatever reasonable precautions you personally choose. As I said before, individuals may choose abstinence, either short term or over a lifetime, but wow, that's a very tiny percentage of the human animal. If you practice abstinence, that's fine but that doesn't make it do-able, workable or even remotely desirable to another human. We are what we are. I mean this in the fullest sense because HIV is transmitted in other ways than between two men. Sex is not the only entry vector for the HIV. And coming up poz for HIV does not mean you have AIDS. And if your HIV infection brings you AIDS, it can go into remission for long periods. You would still come up poz, but all the counts would be good and you could be more active. People with are HIV poz live all different sorts of lives. They are not lepers: you can drink after them, kiss them and, yes, even have sex with them without risk of exposure. Nor did they 'get' AIDS from being 'bad' or acting immorally. It is the nature of humans to crave touch, friendship, love, and sex right along with food and shelter. It's just a dice roll, who is poz and who isn't --- no matter what the colour of your skin or the continent of your birth. What seems forgotten in this thread (and why I posted it) is that the HIV has nothing to do with being gay, that just happened to be the vector it entered America, so far as anyone knows. Mere chance. Patient Zero might just as easily been, say, a heterosexual man involved in the 'swingers' community who went about spreading it that way (unknowingly, of course) and within those very different groups. Would the early cases then have been called in the news victims of The Housewife Plague or something? There are other ways to contract the virus than sex and there are all kinds of sex. I'm getting the feeling that's another facet of misunderstanding here. Eg. One of my best friends is an AIDS activist (in the true sense) and has assured me that current medical opinion does confirm that saliva kills the virus and that, for example, performing fellation on someone who is poz is a lot less risky than the auto drive to Starbucks next morning. I don't think Americans will be abstaining from automobiles or sex anytime soon, despite dangers - dangers which can be minimized with a tad of effort. AIDS never was a 'gay plague' in any country, whether America or Africa. This whole 'Africa' thing on this thread has me a little disappointed, its diverse society and complex history lumped into some colonialist view suggesting 'Africans' need to be 'led' or taught because they are childlike. That's just the old 'White Man's Burden' prejudice living on in the Eurocentric arena (yes, AU, US and UK) and we ought to be really, really leery hasn't managed to lurk in the attics of our minds.

Perhaps you should consider why you wrote this phrase and why you are compartmentalizing the AIDS epidemic by...hemisphere? continent? colour? Africa is many countries. America is one. We are in no position to dictate solutions while we have none. The statement about poz people shouldn't have sex and the 'death sentence' thing make me sad. You can have sex with a partner who is poz and do it safely if you wish. Humans have sex, that's all there is to it. Abstinence is a concept without content. An individual may end up spending a lifetime abstaining from sex but he or she is a rarity, surely you see that? You seem to have some misconceptions about PLWAs, human sexuality and the mechanics of HIV infection... Just a thought. TR

A Doctor was addressing a large audience. "The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be disastrous, and none of us realise the long-term harm caused by the germs in our drinking water. But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?" After several seconds of quiet, a 75-year-old man in the front row raised his hand, and softly said, "Is it Wedding Cake?"

AIDS devastating Africa, 14 million people died since 2000: UN June 10th, 2008 - 1:15 am ICT by IANS New York, June 9 (DPA) The AIDS epidemic has eroded African societies in multiple ways, from threatening government institutions to decreasing agricultural production, a report said Monday, adding that more challenges were expected in coming years. The report by the African Development Forum presented at a conference on HIV/AIDS at the UN headquarters in New York provided a gloomy analysis of the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, which has been hardest hit by AIDS in the world. ?Our overall conclusion is that the epidemic poses a great threat to governance in Africa,? the forum said. ?In many parts of the continent the impact of AIDS already has significant consequences for all forms of social, economic and political activity and thus for governance in the years to come.? The disease has killed more than 14 million Africans since 2000 when the continent established the African Development Forum to raise awareness of the impacts of HIV/AIDS. Millions had died before that year, but the forum was considered a watershed in the fight against the epidemic. An estimated 17 million Africans have been infected with the AIDS virus since 2000 and the number of AIDS-related orphans increased from 8.5 million in 2000 to 14 million in 2006. The UN estimated a total of 32.2 million people living with HIV around the world in 2007. The forum said AIDS deaths in Africa have created a brain drain, reducing the ranks of educated and professional people, and preventing the education of younger cadres. The most severely hit African countries included Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Zambia, Lesotho, Tanzania, Central African Republic, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda. Shortened life expectancy due to AIDS, as low as less than 40 years, have been documented in Botswana, the Central African Republic, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The gross national product in worst AIDS-hit African nations could contract by 18 percent by 2020, and the disease could kill 13 to 26 percent of the agricultural labour force in those countries by that year. The UN said its efforts to provide anti-HIV/AIDS anti-retroviral treatments, which reached one million infected people in 2007, was outpaced by the number of infections - 2.5 million in the same year. ?Strong, sustained political commitment and leadership? was needed to fight the epidemic, which has killed more than 25 million people since AIDS was first isolated in the mid-1980s, the report said. ?True leadership is reflected in action, not words.? The HIV/AIDS conference was aimed at a progress review in order to provide new impetus and activities so the spread of the epidemic could be halted by 2015. The drive is part of the so-called Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000. Other MDGs are eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the achievement of universal primary education, reduction of child mortality rates and improvement in maternal health care by 2015. DPA

Gosh, Camy, you understood some of that? Wow, I didn't. Still no idea, not that I'm buying a two thousand pound TV this week or anything. I'll try my own question. Okay, this whole 'HD DVD' 'blu-ray' thing, does it mean and or all of the following: 1) HD TVs are different from non HD TVs 2) HD TVs only play HD DVDs 3) non HD TVs don't play HD DVDs at all 4) HD and blu-ray are synonymous 5) normal TVs will play HD and/or blu-ray 6) what IS 'blu ray' and how does it relate to all this HD and new broadcast stuff for Jan 2009 7) What CAN'T you play on a 'regular' good TV with a (non HD) DVD or VHS player? 8) Techo fads come and go, which of any of the above (assuming I get the explanation) do you guys think will win out? Eg Betamax was ten times better than VHS but lost out on the market, LaserDiscs make a beautiful picture but also died out. Incidentally, can I play my LaserDiscs on any of this new gadgetry? 9) What do you need to play an HD DVD and/or a blu-ray whatever it is? New set and new players? 10) Blu ray is ___________________________. One of my best friends just bought one of these satanic machines and I have to say, the picture is beautiful and screen humungous but so was the pricetag....something two grand? prob plus extrans, she was trying not to freak me out. But, I mean, it's a television.... Thing is, I'm mad for films and watch them constantly (VHS and DVD) so am wondering if they'll play on the stuff coming on sale in near future--like when the DVD (non HD) player dies or summat. Baffled Bunny AL FRANKEN WAS JUST ENDORSED ON THE FIRST BALLOT AT THE DEMOCRATIC-FARMER-LABOR MINNESOTA STATE CONVENTION! FRANKEN CAMPAIGN WEBSITE