Tag Archives: AIDS

Chewing their Quds

The boys over at Al Quds really need to learn how to read English. Elsewise they might not have gotten so excited about this old Lancet research that found no evidence the world’s oldest terrorist was poisoned—instead of secretly dying of AIDS after years of anal sex with other goat lovers.

In fairness, though, the Daily Mail, a paragon of Fleet Street journolism, started it recently when they recycled the article, did their own share of misreading the English (their own language) and announced that Arafat’s toothbrush was radioactive, ergo he died of radiation poisoning. Which the research never found. But that didn’t stop them from then leaping into the wholly unknown to blame the Mossad. The Jooze did it. Who else?

Which brings us back to where we began at Al Quds (for those of you who read Arabic; hit the Google translate button if you don’t), which translates, roughly, to Jerusalem, or at least means the same thing. Although I prefer the phonetic Arabic version because these guys are always chewing their Quds.

Via Simply Jews.

Sex ed at the end of fifth grade

This is Mr. B.’s last week in fifth grade and it’s being devoted to “health education.” Not nutrition. Not exercise. But puberty, its physical and emotional effects on boys and girls, sexual activity, rape, sexual harassment and sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS.

The school gave parents a chance to come see the curriculum materials and, if desired, to opt their kids out. I did the former but not the latter. Seems pretty tame to me, leaving all the politically-controversial words unspoken, and is therefore (as you might expect) misleading on many things, including the principal way the virus that causes AIDS is transmitted, i.e. by anal intercourse.

One of Mr. B.’s pals is sitting it out. His parents don’t trust the school system. I don’t trust the system’s overpaid administrators to do anything political that might jeopardize their careers, but I think the teachers are doing the best they can under the circumstances.

They do send home a FAQ sheet every day (blue for boys, pink for girls, isn’t that precious?) which asks parents to discuss the material and sign the sheet. Mr. B. and I have had some good, long (and detailed) conversations about the material. None of which my parents did for me in the relatively-repressed 1950s, and I remember my pubertal confusion.

He’s still not sure what all of this is about, saying he has no notion of why he would be interested in doing anything sexual anyhow. Apparently puberty’s light bulb has yet to come on. I’m not sure I will know when it happens, but I’ll be watching for the illumination.

Dr. Kenneth Blair, R.I.P.

He was my GP, when I was reporting on the AIDS epidemic and he was one of the few non-Gay doctors in Austin who would treat people who had it. I never knew that he had the virus, but I would not have worried if I had known. It is transmissible only in blood-to-blood contact. He was only 55 when he died Sunday. Bless his good heart.

UPDATE:  More here. Note that his first wife, Carol Cody, died in 2006.

HIV: the forgotten U.S. pandemic

AIDS, of course. It was the panic of the ’80s, brought under control by drugs in the 90s and faded from sight in the aughts. Except in Africa. Who knew D.C.’s HIV infection rate challenges that of three African countries?

“The current prevalence of HIV infection within certain subpopulations actually challenges rates observed in areas of Africa. Think about it for a moment. The incidence of HIV-infected adults in Washington, D.C. (one in 30) is actually higher than reported numbers for Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Rwanda.”

Right in the feds’ backyard. How come the pols never talk about it anymore?

Via Vanderleun.