Category: Life: News Commentary

Since writing my original entry about World AIDS day (also known as ‘AIDS awareness day’) this morning, quite a number of other bloggers have blogged about it (as per the aim of Link And Think) and I’ve had a couple of search queries arrive at the site (only because I’ve been doing some work on the server backend) so for all those people – here’s even more information about “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome” and “Human Immunodeficiency Virus” – including a list of famous people that have already died from AIDS/HIV related illnesses.

Originally published at 02:16am
Updated at 07.50am, 14.22pm
Continued as World Aids Day – Part II

Neil’s post reminded me that it was “World AIDS Day” today (AIDS is an acronym for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome”). (I did originally read about it via WannaBeGirl‘s site)

Like Neil, I believe I am HIV negative (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) negative – i.e. I am not carrying the virus that leads to AIDS (if I was, I would be HIV Positive: that is the HIV virus had been detected in my bloodstream).

Neil did comment “The fact that there is no real cure, the fact that you know you will die a slow, painful and premature death should the disease take hold” does ring a bell for me, as a relative of mine does have Myasthenia Gravis (which, like HIV+/AIDS, is where the body’s immune system develops a fault – but luckily MG isn’t transferable between people, except maybe through hereditary reasons).

Oh, and whilst on the “tangent of the subject” – did you know, that like Alzheimer’s Disease, no one has yet directly died of AIDS. But, rather, AIDS related illnesses. All three conditions mentioned (AIDS, MG, AD) weaken the body in such as way that even a common cold can develop into pneumonia and kill a sufferer.

Other bloggers, please consider joining in with the “Link And Think” campaign.

For more details, facts and statistics about AIDS (include how you can get tested and/or free contraceptives) – read on!

I laughed as soon as I came across this article on BBC News about the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) ruling that new adverts for the ITV’s satire show 2DTV video were “offensive because they questioned President George W. Bush’s intelligence, and without having asked his permission”.

Do you really have to ask someone’s permission to insult their intelligence?

Yeah, yeah – I know that isn’t quite what they said, but Dubya does seem to be acquiring a reputation of not appearing too intelligent. And a satire/parody/caricature show is all about “enlarging” certain factors of a person’s personality/looks to make them larger than life. In the word’s of Slashdot – “It’s funny, Laugh”! Plus, if the BACC really think that people belive that is the “real” George Bush putting a video into a toaster – doesn’t that mean that they are insulting the intelligence of the viewing public themselves?

Anyway, 2DTV is back on TV and is being broadcast tonight for half-an-hour at 10.30pm…

It seems those strange Texans are at it again! According to this news article I found via Big Pink Cookie‘s blog, a woman from Longview, Texas was pulled over for drunk driving, but was also arrested and charged with felony obscenity after police found obscene materials and devices in her car (we in the UK call them “sex toys”, the Texans call them “an obscene device [which] is a simulated sexual organ or an item designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs.” It seems if you are caught with more than 6 sex toys in Texas, you are promoting them – and that’s illegal!

She worked for a company called “Slumber Parties” and was transporting the “goods” as part of her business (holding “parties” at peoples houses where they could then buy the items in question). I just wonder if there is anything like that here in the UK, if so all the Ann Summers distributors better start getting worried….

The Wall Street Journal has a good article about blogging (link to 3rd party site as the WSJ keeps it’s “archives” for subscribers only). It covers quite a number of blog directories as well, but doesn’t mention the ODP’s category though (which I’m a bit disappointed about as I’ve been working a bit in those categories recently).

Oh, and did you know that the UK’s Guardian news paper has it’s own online blog?