MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'activism'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:52:38 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181722&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F09%2Fcreating-people-seems-like-a-necessary-but-not-terribly-nice-thing-to-be-doing.php Less us ponder the subject of having children in the face of the existence of aging coupled with the possibility of progressively defeating aging - perhaps to the point where some of us alive today will escape age-related death by the skin of our teeth. Or perhaps not if we don't get our act together here and now. Evidently we need to have children in order to have the chance of incrementally defeating aging by building ever better versions of a biological repair kit to reverse ever more of the damage that causes degeneration and death. This task is one of decades, long enough that it may be today's researchers who start the job, but it'll be younger hands that finish it - their children and grandchildren. Yet creating people is somewhat like drafting them into a war and a human condition ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181722 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5181722 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174818&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F29%2Ffinal-tributes-to-jack-layton-in-pictures%2F   It was an emotion-packed, life-affirming day. (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174818 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:55:20 +0100 5174818 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174581&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fchanging-the-mythology-thoughts-on-sonia-arrisons-100-plus.php The latest book to emerge from the longevity advocacy community is entitled "100 Plus: How the Coming age of Longevity Will Change Everything, From Careers and Relationships to Family and Faith", and is penned by Sonia Arrison, whom you might have heard of. The foreword is by Peter Thiel, whose name you should certainly know by now - you might recall his $3.5 million funding of the SENS Foundation's program of rejuvenation biotechnology, back when it was a branch of the Methuselah Foundation. Thiel makes a point in the opening pages, and it's one to keep in mind when reading the rest of the book: Unlike the other animals, we have knowledge of death. The origins of language, of culture, and of religion can perhaps all be traced to that point in the distant past when our ancestors first acq... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174581 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174581 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169674&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F27%2Ffinal-tributes-to-jack-layton-in-pictures%2F Click for pictures from Jack Layton’s final journey today from Toronto City Hall, and then Roy Thomson Hall. It was an emotion-packed, life-affirming day. (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169674 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 22:35:20 +0100 5169674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159631&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F25%2Fthere-are-some-blog-posts-id-like-to-forget-on-returning-to-the-ndp%2F I’ve always tried to make this blog somewhat of a record of my life, however fragmented, warts and all.  Here in the archives is my defiant abandonment of the New Democratic Party for, let’s say, greener pastures.  However right it felt at the time, and for a couple of by-elections and a general election after, [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159631 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:54:54 +0100 5159631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130967&cid=t_103880_133_f&fid=35095&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAutismsEdges%2F%7E3%2Fk8_DcA02pcw%2Fblogher-2011-unpacking-special-needs.html (Source: Autism's Edges) Autism's Edges blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130967 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 22:08:00 +0100 5130967 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130713&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fis-pharma-ready-for-a-conversation-on-facebook Jonathan at Dose of Digital talks about pharma’s fear of Facebook pages centering around 2 issues that pharma thinks require 24/7 monitoring: Adverse Events and negative publicity. I hear the same excuse on why pharma companies are so scared to look at patient comments on blogs: adverse events. I’m sorry, but adverse events are happening [...] (Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM) NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130713 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:28:26 +0100 5130713 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125703&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2Fnobody-is-arguing-that-radical-life-extension-is-impossible.php Discussions on "when" can probably be skipped as lacking rigor: no-one knows. All the meaningful timelines depend greatly on seeds sown now that will only bear fruit in the 2030s - the course of twenty years remains a matter of long term planning and great uncertainty in specific outcomes while we're stuck living lives that top out at a century (and that with great luck). The beginnings of a larger research community, the outcome of the debate over strategy in longevity research, and so forth. It is interesting to ponder and plot the windings of future events, but that time is probably better spent on influencing the "how" discussion or materially contributing to progress. As to the discussion on whether engineering longevity is desirable, or should be blocked by people in power - I think... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125703 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5125703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077633&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fpartaking-of-the-hope.php If you go through the first half of your life basically healthy, there are actually only a few important differences between your situation and that of your ancestors a century or two ago when it comes to health and medical technology. For all that we live in the opening years of an era of advanced biotechnology, and in an age of far greater wealth, a healthy person benefits only through (a) the reduced burden of infectious disease, and (b) through the insulating effects of wealth against malnutrition, exposure, and other environmental misfortunes. These two points are enough to explain much of the steady rise in life expectancy that occurs with growing wealth and advancing medical technology over the past centuries. What is the point of mentioning this? It is to remind us that we are no... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077633 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5077633 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069420&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2Fwe-dont-need-to-persuade-everyone.php The point of advocacy and education for the development of rejuvenation biotechnology, such as evangelism for the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence, is not to persuade everyone. It's to persuade enough of the right people: enough to ensure that progress occurs and ways to significantly reverse aging and its diseases are produced within our lifetimes. That doesn't have to be a sizable fraction of the population: the plausible cost of achieving radical life extension in mice is one to two billion dollars over a decade. Most of the really big pharmaceutical companies each spend that much on the development of two or three mainstream drugs, all costs included. A billion dollars is small change when considered against the economic output of even small segments of the human race. ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069420 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5069420 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008118&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F07%2Fjoin-the-national-womens-law-center-for-a-birth-control-blog-carnival On July 21, the National Women’s Law Center is hosting a “Birth Control: We’ve Got You Covered” blog carnival to talk about the importance of access to birth control and to encourage the U.S. government to include birth control in a list of services that will be available without a co-pay. The Affordable Care Act requires coverage – without a co-pay – for preventive services. Decisions about which services will be included are expected sometime this summer. Advocates, including the NWLC, have been working to encourage the Institute of Medicine and Department of Health and Human Services to include birth control as one of the preventive services to be covered. If you’re unfamiliar with the “blog carnival” concept, it’s when lots of people post... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008118 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:56:05 +0100 5008118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992643&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fthere-is-no-i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life.php There should be no such thing as "I don't know what to do with my life." Scratch that statement away and erase it, as it should be "I will aid the development of life extension technology until I do know." It should be no surprise to anyone that many, or perhaps even a majority of people at any given time have no real idea as to what they want to do with their lives. No vision, no grand dream that captures them, no burning desire to achieve a specific great work. That isn't because they are incapable - far from it, it is because they haven't found their own personal blue touch paper yet. The space of ideas and ideals is vast, and even the most aggressively autodidactic internet-addicted polymath cannot embrace more than a fraction of the sphere of human knowledge. Yet you cannot know you... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992643 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4992643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968528&cid=t_103880_99_f&fid=34589&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Faetiology%2F%7E3%2FtOJIeD4jG-k%2Fepidemiology_and_social_media.php I have written and deleted this post. Twice. But damn it, it needs to be said. I'm here in charming Montreal for the North American Congress of Epidemiology. It's a good-sized meeting, as far as epi meetings go. The site notes that it's a joint effort between four major Epi organizations: The American College of Epidemiology (ACE); The Society for Epidemiologic Research; the Epi section of the American Public Health Association, and The Canadian Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Collectively, those associations represent a lot of epidemiologists. The conference started off well. The first night kicked off with a movie about bioterrorism preparedness followed by a panel discussion. Great--movies! Engaging public in novel ways! Love. On to Wednesday, when the first real sessio... Aetiology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968528 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 01:20:51 +0100 4968528 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968436&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fanother-crowdsourced-research-funding-success-for-longecity.php I'm pleased to see that the Immortality Institute / Longecity has completed fundraising for their latest project, an investigation of the potential benefits of microglia transplants in the aging brain: After months of fundraising we are now delighted to announce that the project has started! Through many donations large and small, the community has raised sufficient funds to initiate the project. Last month, we passed the 80% mark and knew that full success would only be a matter of time. Then, something amazing happened: though promoting this effort, a far sighted investor has stepped forward who can see the potential in developing this research project. The angel [committed] a substantial contribution towards a research arm that is closely aligned to the project LongeCity is funding. Th... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968436 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4968436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934076&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2Fupcoming-webinars-on-latinos-and-abortion-fda-drug-approvals-and-breast-cancer An upcoming webinar may be of interest to readers: Patients Before Profits: What You Should Know About the FDA, Big Pharma, and Breast Cancer June 21, 2011 10:00AM – 11:00 AM Pacific (1:00 pm – 2:00 PM Eastern) Featuring Miriam Hidalgo, BCAction Volunteer Program Coordinator and Jane Zones, Medical Sociologist and Former BCAction Board Member We will focus on how the competing interests of pharmaceutical companies and regulatory governmental bodies can fail to deliver safe and effective drugs that patients need. If you sign up, you will learn about power players at the FDA, the origins of the accelerated approval process, and more. You will need to register online for this webinar and then will receive an email with instructions on how to join in on the 21st. (Source: Our Bodies Ou... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934076 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:04:44 +0100 4934076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934056&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fconfusion-abounds-especially-when-religion-and-spirituality-become-involved.php Confusion is an important barrier to overcome when advocating engineered human longevity. For those folk who are not paying much attention to the topic - which is, sadly, 99.9% of the present roster of the human race - there's little apparent difference between advocacy for real, plausible scientific development and the nonsense of the "anti-aging" marketplace. It's pretty much all the same to them, and that's a big problem. One of the long term projects for the advocacy community is to raise the general level of education and awareness, such that a far greater number of people do know that they should support SENS research and not the ramblings of the pill and potion vendors if they do have an interest in living longer. Not a small project, but we can all help. Things become somewhat w... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934056 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4934056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921360&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fopen-cures-a-protocol-outline-for-mitochondrial-protofection.php Open Cures is an initiative that aims to accelerate the development of existing longevity-enhancing biotechnologies demonstrated in the laboratory, but which are not being developed for commercial use in humans - largely due to regulatory barriers. Open Cures is a volunteer initiative, open to everyone willing to help, that aims to speed the advent of biotechnologies that can slow down or repair aspects of the biological damage of aging and thus extend healthy human life. Our primary long-term goal is to bring together (a) promising but undeveloped biotechnologies of longevity and (b) the developers who can bring them to the clinic. A fellow named Allen is one of the folk whose interest in the Open Cures vision convinced me that I needed to do more than just talk about it: you can see h... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921360 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4921360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911432&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2Fhyperactivism-considered-harmful.php What I'll here call hyperactivism is a poisonous sort of dysfunction that you'll find in activist and advocate communities associated with struggling industries or long-standing initiatives that have failed to fulfill early visions of growth. It comes about because the early supporters in any new field tend to be passionate, driven, ornery, and focused: if they didn't have these characteristics, they wouldn't be up for the job of fighting over and again to persuade people to see things their way. If you are trying to build a new venture, then you need these people: they are worth their weight in gold, and they will help you succeed. When an initiative does succeed attracting broad support and a large community, the energy and quirks of the early activists are tempered by a sea of more sed... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911432 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4911432 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893377&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F06%2Fpetition-let-justice-be-done-in-sexual-assault-case You’ve probably heard of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund who has been indicted on attempted rape and other charges in connection with the sexual assault of a hotel worker at a Manhattan hotel. Joan Ditzion, an OBOS co-founder, alerted us to a petition on change.org “to unite people in support of the alleged rape victim.” Available in English, Spanish, and French, the petition, which so far has more than 2,200 signatures, is a statement of international support for “a wake-up call to renew action against sexual violence, not only in the US where his arrest occurred and in France, where media and many public figures are portraying him as the victim, but around the world.” Started by a group of international feminists, ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893377 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:11:51 +0100 4893377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883538&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fan-introduction-to-open-cures-at-h-magazine.php I recently wrote an article that introduces the Open Cures initiative and explains the backdrop of medical research and regulation that makes Open Cures - or something very much like it - absolutely necessary. The piece is presently published at h+ Magazine: You may recognize me as the author-slash-editor of Fight Aging!, a long-running news and advocacy site focused on progress towards reversal of aging and engineering longer human lives. There is more to progress in the general sense than just the underlying science, however, and with that in mind I recently announced the launch of Open Cures, a volunteer initiative with the aim of greatly speeding up the development of clinical applications of longevity science. Participation is open to anyone who can help with the goals listed in the ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883538 Mon, 30 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4883538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872044&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=35049&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nakedmedicine.com%2Fstop-pretending-you-dont-know-pharma-companies I remembered years ago I was speaking to a Forest employee who told me how proud she was to be working at Forest because of how ethical the company and the CEO was. That same employee was critical of me for talking to the WSJ about some of the less ethical practices that pharma companies [...] (Source: NAKEDMEDICINE.COM) NAKEDMEDICINE.COM blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872044 Fri, 27 May 2011 17:24:42 +0100 4872044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872038&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fcountries-medical-tourism-law-a-research-project-for-the-open-cures-initiative.php I am looking for volunteers to undertake some light, spare-time research for Open Cures: An open volunteer initiative that aims to speed the advent of biotechnologies that can slow down or repair aspects of the biological damage of aging and thus extend healthy human life. Our primary long-term goal is to bring together (a) promising but undeveloped biotechnologies of longevity and (b) the developers who can bring them to the clinic. The Open Cures roadmap looks a way past the present foundational work (website, writing, organizational details, and so forth) and past the forthcoming efforts to build a repository of documentation for longevity-enhancing biotechnologies. Beyond all of that lies a process of building relationships with the medical tourism industry and developers outside the... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872038 Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4872038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862477&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fthree-parallel-tracks.php There are three parallel tracks along which the future development of longevity science must progress, and we'll reach the end goal only as rapidly as the slowest of the three tracks moves. 1) Science and Biotechnology The most obvious of the tracks is that the technologies of rejuvenation must be developed. We can see what the form that these technologies must take: damage repaired, waning cell populations renewed, waste byproducts broken down and removed, cancer thwarted. Initiatives like SENS can describe the needed procedures in great detail, at the level of cells and molecular machinery, as we truly are within a tantalizingly close reach of their creation. But the biotechnologies of rejuvenation don't yet exist, and the many technology demonstrations of long-lived mice, flies, and ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862477 Tue, 24 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4862477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862480&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fthe-latest-rejuvenation-research-and-the-most-important-debate.php I'd missed the emergence of the latest issue of Rejuvenation Research last month, which opens with this: Possibly the biggest battle that I have had to fight over the past decade is to persuade people to take seriously the idea that it is time even to think about "reversing aging" while we remain so negligibly able even to slow aging down. The flaw in that logic is simple: it is that rejuvenation, i.e. the restoration of an organism's physiological state to how it was at an earlier age, will be achieved not by reversing the processes of aging but by repairing the accumulated damage that those processes create. To get back to where we came from, in other words, we do not need to retrace the route we took from there to here. Any route will do, and in this case there turns out to be a vastly... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862480 Mon, 23 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4862480 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862483&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2Fannouncing-open-cures.php I'm pleased to announce that Open Cures has launched. This is the volunteer initiative sprung from discussion of the Vegas Group concept that has been taking place here for the past few months. More than a dozen ways to extend life in mice have been demonstrated in laboratories Yet the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) forbids commercial therapies for aging Thus the best biotechnologies for human longevity languish, undeveloped... But this is a shrinking world, linked by the internet and medical tourism Advanced, safe clinical development takes place in many countries We can work around the FDA, and this is how it will be done » Looking at the future of commercial medical development and rejuvenation biotechnology, it seems clear that something has to be done. The present ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862483 Sun, 22 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4862483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841416&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2Fhealth-literacy-resources-for-providers Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the IHA health literacy conference, where many experts spoke about ways to make health information more understandable to more people. Health literacy is a complex topic that I’m still learning about, but it encompasses more than just reading skills. According to a common definition, health literacy is “The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.” Encompassed in that definition are basic reading skills, but also more complex skills such as those required to read a prescription bottle and figure out how and when to take a drug, number skills, listening skills, and other abilities needed to navigate ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841416 Tue, 17 May 2011 15:06:29 +0100 4841416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4797767&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2Fcelebrating-all-mothers-everywhere Motherhood and Justice: This special series, published at RH Reality Check in partnership with Strong Families, examines various issues at the intersection of justice and motherhood. Recent stories include: “The Up and Down Journey of Motherhood: Let’s Lift As They Climb,” by Marlene Sanchez; “Supporting Her Journey: A Full-Spectrum Doula’s Look at the Politics of Motherhood,” by Lauren Guy-McAlpin; and “Mother’s Day 2011: Why Reproductive Justice Is a Black Thing,” by Walidah Imarisha. Strong Families, a project of Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, is a national initiative to change the way people think, feel and act in support of families. Read more accounts of motherhood at the ACRJ blog, and view some of the amazing stor... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4797767 Sat, 07 May 2011 18:54:11 +0100 4797767 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780458&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fnot-really-end.html Did you know that the world is going to end on May 21st, 2011? I saw a guy on a street corner today with a sign that said just that. And then I saw a big-ass caravan with the same message. Contemplation of our impending collective doom helps to put yesterday's election into perspective. It doesn't matter if the Conservatives were gifted with a whopping majority if none of us is going to live long enough to deal with the consequences. There must be more of these end of the world types than I previously suspected. That would help me understand how it is that so many of us thought endorsing the Conservatives would be a good idea.Or something. You'll have to forgive me, it's been a hell of a day. I stayed up way too late watching the election results and then stumbled around like a zombie all ... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780458 Wed, 04 May 2011 03:07:00 +0100 4780458 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780285&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F05%2Fput-on-your-walking-shoes-walk-for-maternal-health-on-may-5 The International Confederation of Midwives is asking member associations, midwives and their supporters to take to the streets on May 5 — International Day of the Midwife — to raise the profile of maternal mortality and access to midwifery care before, during and after childbirth. From the ICM: “Over 340,000 women die each year, with millions more suffering infection and disability as a result of preventable maternal causes. The ICM, alongside UN agencies, WHO and a range of other international partners, is committed to addressing maternal mortality and morbidity through greater access to essential midwifery care worldwide, particularly in developing countries where 90% of maternal deaths occur.” The walk is the first stage of the Road to Durban, where midwives fro... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780285 Tue, 03 May 2011 19:25:49 +0100 4780285 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780453&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F03%2Fjune-18-proclaimed-as-pride-day-in-the-town-of-perth-ontario%2F Imagine my delight, and yes pride, to learn that LGBT Lanark County had won its bid for a Pride Day proclamation in Perth for June 18. (This was also the first I’d heard of LGBT Lanark County. Their web site is pretty impressive!) The Perth Courier, and an advertiser-householder known locally as the EMC, both [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780453 Tue, 03 May 2011 14:59:43 +0100 4780453 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4762734&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2Fpotential-early-documentation-projects-for-the-vegas-group.php What is the Vegas Group initiative setting out to achieve, in a nutshell? I'm still working on that short explanation, but here is one attempt at it. Thanks to the present regulatory situation in the US - where aging is not recognized as a disease, and therefore no therapy for aging can be legally developed - there are any number of potentially useful biotechnologies presently languishing without further development. These are methods and techniques shown to extend life in mice or repair and reverse specific biochemical aspects of aging, but for which there is no further funding for clinical development. Nothing may be happening for these technologies in the US, but there are active biotechnology and medical development communities in other parts of the world who are not so encumbered by l... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4762734 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4762734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758721&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2Fsens-foundation-is-hiring-for-the-lysosens-project.php LysoSENS is the SENS Foundation initiative to build a platform for medical bioremediation capable of breaking down the damaging byproducts of metabolism that build up in old cells and degrade their ability to recycle garbage. The short of is that we know that out there somewhere are bacteria that can eat these compounds, such as the lipofuscin that contributes to many age-related conditions. There is no buildup of prominent components of lipofuscin in graveyards, for example - so something is consuming it. That bacterial something will be armed with enzymes, biological knifes and saws that might be turned into a therapy to destroy lipofuscin if identified and introduced into the human body. You might recall that the early LysoSENS volunteers ran a contest for soil samples from obscure loc... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758721 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4758721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753647&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2Fan-update-on-early-vegas-group-discussions.php The Vegas Group is a recently launched initiative that aims to speed up translation of existing longevity-enhancing biotechnologies from the laboratory to human therapies. There is little incentive for commercial entities to work on these technologies in the US because the FDA does not recognize aging as a disease, and will therefore never approve a therapy for aging. But if these technologies, currently documented only in the prickly, dense scientific literature, can be brought into the open biotechnology arena, explained, and made accessible, they will be picked up by semi-professionals, developers, and commercial ventures in less restricted parts of the world. Protofection, for example, is a technique for introducing replacement mitochondrial DNA into all the cells of the body - a way... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753647 Sun, 24 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4753647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734019&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2Fa-mailing-list-for-discussion-of-the-vegas-group-initiative.php I have created a mailing list - actually a Google group - for discussion on the Vegas Group initiative, as outlined in past posts here at Fight Aging!: The Vegas Group: a so far fictional community of the next ten years that will merge the longevity advocacy and open biotech communities in order to (a) reverse engineer the most promising life-span-enhancing techniques demonstrated in the laboratory, (b) translate that work into human rejuvenation biotechnologies, and (b) make these therapies available for use via medical tourism to Asia-Pacific region clinics. I suppose it's not quite so fictional now that a small group of people are talking about how to make it happen. The present focus - for me at least - is on kickstarting a narrow, exploratory project of documentation and reverse eng... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734019 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4734019 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4719872&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2Freversing-engineering-protofection-as-a-first-target-for-the-vegas-group.php The Vegas Group is a yet-to-be-built community initiative intended to bring longevity science to the open biotechnology and DIYbio communities - and from there reverse engineer and make ready for human use the most promising longevity-enhancing technologies demonstrated in mice in the laboratory. We are entering an age of medical tourism, and the clinics and laboratories of Asia will be happy to accept business and open source biotechnologies generated by DIYbio work in the US. At this stage, I'm still thinking through the project: breaking it down into manageable chunks, and considering what I should work on first: The path to this future involves networking and community building in a whole new and different direction from that taken by much of the longevity advocacy community - and the... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4719872 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4719872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714705&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2Freversing-engineering-protofection-as-a-first-target-for-the-vegas-group.php The Vegas Group is a yet-to-be-built community initiative intended to bring longevity science to the open biotechnology and DIYbio communities - and from there reverse engineer and make ready for human use the most promising longevity-enhancing technologies demonstrated in mice in the laboratory. We are entering an age of medical tourism, and the clinics and laboratories of Asia will be happy to accept business and open source biotechnologies generated by DIYbio work in the US. At this stage, I'm still thinking through the project: breaking it down into manageable chunks, and considering what I should work on first: The path to this future involves networking and community building in a whole new and different direction from that taken by much of the longevity advocacy community - and the... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714705 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4714705 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709355&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fvote-early-vote-often.html I watched last night's English language election debate with interest. I was shocked at how quickly the two hours passed, although this was greatly aided by the fact that I wrote and read a steady stream of commentary on Twitter and Facebook (sorry to my followers and friends who don't give a damn about the Canadian federal election!). It helped me to keep watching without blowing a gasket. I felt like I was at a bar with friends hooting and hollering, except that I was in my basement drinking tea with my son and my spouse (another advantage to Tweeting during the debate was that I had to keep looking down at my Blackberry. This kept the orange decor from searing my retinas and Harper's cold eyes from turning me to stone).I thought that all the opposition party leaders did well. Duceppe de... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709355 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:53:00 +0100 4709355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693309&cid=t_103880_99_f&fid=34589&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Faetiology%2F%7E3%2FbZXhDfxBv7A%2Fcbs_airs_anti-vaccine_jumbotro.php Via Skepchick, CBS will be airing ads from the National Vaccine Information Center and Mercola on the CBS Jumbotron in Time's Square (NVIC announcement here). This, while there's a measles outbreak in Minnesota (and another one being investigated in Utah), and we're on the heels of the worst pertussis outbreak in generations in California. Shameful. Hello, I recently learned that CBS will be playing ads featuring misinformation by the National Center for Vaccine information Vaccine Information Center. These ads are misleading and potentially dangerous. Vaccine-preventable illnesses have had a resurgence in the past decade, and there currently is an ongoing measles epidemic in Minnesota. Pertussis cases (and deaths) hit a record high in California in 2010. Much of this increase in diseas... Aetiology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693309 Sat, 09 Apr 2011 06:35:42 +0100 4693309 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693252&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2Fa-few-large-numbers.php Some numbers to consider, since everyone and their dog seems to be talking about the disposition of inordinately large sums of money - and little else - at the moment: Between 1970 and 2000, increasing life expectancy added $3.2 trillion in effective wealth. The yearly cost of natural death: more than 50 million lives and $100 trillion in wealth. The estimated cost of developing robust rejuvenation in mice via SENS, the Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence: $100 million per year over ten years. The 2010 budget for the US National Institute on Aging: $1 billion. The 2010 budget for the US National Institutes of Health: in the vicinity of $35 billion. The NIH comprises perhaps a third of medical research funding in the US. The cost of acquiring sirtuin research company Sirt... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693252 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4693252 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684263&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQPvbHPrpY8g%2F By George Scoville DON'T FORGET: Our fiscal policy conference, "The Economic Impact of Government Spending," featuring Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), former Senator Phil Gramm (R-Tex.), Representative Kevin Brady (R-Tex.), and other distinguished guests, begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern today. Please join us on the web--you can watch the conference LIVE here. Atlas Shrugged Motors presents the Chevy Volt. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us about the moral value of voluntary charity toward the needy--it says nothing about using coercive government programs of the modern welfare state. It is not the role of the Court to rewrite laws for Congress. The failed "war on drugs" has reshaped our budgets, politics, laws, and society--and for what? Thursday Links is a pos... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684263 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:50:14 +0100 4684263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670300&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fquestions-for-candidates.html From the Canadian Breast Cancer Network: Questions to ask your local candidates during the election campaign Question 1: The Financial Impact of Breast Cancer  In May 2010, the Canadian Breast Cancer Network released the research report entitled Breast Cancer: Economic Impact & Labour Force Re-Entry, which firmly positioned breast cancer as an economic as well as a healthcare issue.  The economic impact of breast cancer is significant, and in many cases devastating for patients and their families. 80% of respondents experienced an economic impact following their diagnosis, often with distressing long-term financial consequences.   Some report findings: Average decline in household income was $12,000 or 10% of family income44% of respondents used savin... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670300 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:34:00 +0100 4670300 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631454&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2Fan-approach-to-step-one-of-the-vegas-group-bootstrapping-the-codex.php The Vegas Group: a so far fictional community of the next ten years that will merge the longevity advocacy and open biotech communities in order to (a) reverse engineer the most promising life-span-enhancing techniques demonstrated in the laboratory, (b) translate that work into human rejuvenation biotechnologies, and (b) make these therapies available for use via medical tourism to Asia-Pacific region clinics. So I have been pondering how best to make the vision of the Vegas Group a reality: what steps do we take so that we wake up six or seven years from now to an open source biotech community whose members are working on enabling the best longevity therapies produced by the formal research community - and who have the overseas connections to enable responsible use of resulting therapie... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631454 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4631454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592340&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2Fhow-to-make-the-vegas-group-a-reality.php Elsewhere, in the land of wishful thinking: The Vegas Group came together formally sometime in 2016, though the first kick-off meeting was the year prior at one of the bi-annual conventions for longevity research held in California. ... The Vegas Group was a natural outgrowth of a decade of advocacy and anticipation for human enhancement technologies, coupled with the frustrating realization that no such technologies would be meaningfully developed, never mind made available to the public, under the regulatory regimes then in place in the US and Europe. ... by 2017 the direct action contingent of the Vegas Group consisted of about a hundred people all told. Their declared objective was a distributed collaborative effort to (a) develop human versions of the most successful longevity and me... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592340 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4592340 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4566297&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fstill-aint-satisfied.html Yesterday was International Women's Day and I marked it by keeping a therapy appointment and running a bunch of errands for my kids. In yesterday's paper, Margaret Wente (whose column I avoid like the plague, as it's on the list of things that give me heartburn) wrote a column entitled "For the free, educated and affluent, welcome to the decade of women":"In the West, International Women’s Day doesn’t mean much any more. It’s little more than a marketing opportunity for businesses, or an excuse for the last remnants of women’s grievance groups to keep griping." Setting aside the erroneous and offensive assumption that any woman reading the Globe in the western world is "free, educated and affluent", Wente's assertions are just plain untrue.In "Why International Women's Day Matters"... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4566297 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:16:00 +0100 4566297 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560218&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F03%2Fcloser-but-still-so-very-far-away.php I noticed a recent New York Times article on the interests of one of the world's few hundred billionaires: Because [David Murdock] is 87, it makes an unusually robust specimen, which is what he must be if he is to defy the odds (and maybe even the gods) and live as long as he intends to. He wants to reach 125, and sees no reason he can't, provided that he continues eating the way he has for the last quarter century: with a methodical, messianic correctness that he believes can, and will, ward off major disease and minor ailment alike. ... His affluence has enabled him to turn his private fixation on diet and longevity into a public one. I went to see him first in North Carolina in late January. It is there, outside of Charlotte, in a city named Kannapolis near his lodge, that he has s... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560218 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4560218 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4545141&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F03%2Fmichael-lucas-and-the-pink-washed-liner-notes-of-men-of-israel%2F His fans might be forgiven for not actually knowing his name. Michael Lucas has made millions from gay men who have bought, or otherwise paid to view, one of hs 100+ films – roughly eighty percent of which he has starred in. Lucas touched off a controversy last week when he threatened to pull his [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4545141 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 02:59:55 +0100 4545141 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4525145&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F26%2Fresistance-and-recording-history-through-music-in-palestine%2F Songs from a Lost Homeland, which originally aired on Al Jazeera English last year, is in the programming rotation again this weekend. Is there a song in the west right now with even a small percentage of the punch of these musicians? I hope you get a chance to see the entire documentary. There’s another [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4525145 Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:46:00 +0100 4525145 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4525146&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F26%2Fmusic-of-the-movement%2F One of the first activists’ songs that had any resonance for me was “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” (1961) and then “Give Peace A Chance” (1969). Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind” (1963) was an anthem, if ever there was one, and I remember making a connection with “One Tin Soldier” in 1969. While grown-ups [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4525146 Sat, 26 Feb 2011 05:29:00 +0100 4525146 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517150&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F02%2Fwalk-for-choice-events-happening-this-weekend Walk for Choice events will be held in cities all across the United States this Saturday to show support for abortion rights in response to recent anti-choice legislation — especially HR 3, The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. The walks are expected to take place from 12-3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, and are currently planned for more than 50 U.S. cities, plus Melbourne, Toronto and still-to-be-determined cities in Pakistan and the United Kingdom. More information is available at walkforchoice.tumblr.com. There is also a Twitter profile and hashtag (#walk4choice) for the event. Chicago area activist Raven Geary said in a statement that HR3 was the catalyst for Walk for Choice. “While most Americans are demanding jobs, the GOP seems to have made overturning Roe v. Wade it... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517150 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:00:28 +0100 4517150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512574&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F23%2Fas-libya-and-neighbours-seethe-cpt-reports-on-west-bank-demolitions-by-israel%2F CPTnet 23 February 2011 SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Israeli military demolishes village of Amniyr Amniyr, South Hebron Hills, West Bank At 5:00 a.m. yesterday morning, the Israeli army, accompanied by members of the Israeli District Coordinating Office, arrived at the village of Amniyr and demolished five tent-houses, two cisterns and the village’s olive trees. The demolitions [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512574 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:08:57 +0100 4512574 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495379&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F18%2Fawesome-task-or-perhaps-not-bridging-the-perspective-gap%2F Excerpts from my tweets (and a RT) from early this afternoon: Death by daily repression and near-starvation or death by desperate martyrdom via the State responsible? Your choice? #Bahrain #Libya #Yemen MD from #Bahrain: “Pls, pls, where is the #UN; we need the world; ppl are being killed in the streets!” Ambu’s BLOCKED frm #PearlRoundabout [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495379 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:06:06 +0100 4495379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455433&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F09%2Ftxt-telephone-or-blog-lets-talk-about-mental-illness%2F This is Bell Let’s Talk Day. Multiple Olympic medallist Clara Hughes, lead spokesperson for the campaign, was on CTV News in Toronto today. From among the calls she fielded came this articulate gem, “To kill the pain too often means to kill oneself.” However, and this was Clara’s message, help and hope are available to [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455433 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 19:48:33 +0100 4455433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455434&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F09%2Fshelter-from-the-st-valentine%25e2%2599%25a5s-day-maacre%2F Having, hopefully, just paid at least the minimum owing on their Christmas credit card bills, gluttonous consumers are now being cajoled into the can’t-win Valentine’s Day debacle. Take heart…PLEASE! First of all, what are we teaching our kids when we buy them Flat Stanley-sized boxes of Valentine’s Day cards, so intimately perforated along the edges, [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455434 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:36:55 +0100 4455434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4442091&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F05%2F30-years-out%2F If ever I’ve had a “But for the grace of God, there go I” occasion (even though I have problems with that expression) it would have to have been February 5, 1981 – thirty years ago today. At 11 p.m. that night, more than 150 police carried out simultaneous raids on four of Toronto’s most [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4442091 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 08:39:02 +0100 4442091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4438991&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F05%2F30-years-out%2F If ever I’ve had a “But for the grace of God, there go I” occasion (even though I have problems with that expression) it would have to have been February 5, 1981 – thirty years ago today. At 11 p.m. that night, more than 150 police carried out simultaneous raids on four of Toronto’s most [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4438991 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 08:39:02 +0100 4438991 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4436900&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F04%2Ffeeling-powerless-so-far-away-from-egypt-help-change-the-canadian-governments-response%2F Like so much of the world I have been transfixed on the dramatic events in Egypt, but feeling a little powerless to help – until I read about the Harper government’s response (which, I guess, we shouldn’t be surprised about)! What follows came from the Canadian Peace Alliance. Stephen Harper backs Mubarak’s ‘transition’ plan Contact [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4436900 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:07:26 +0100 4436900 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419372&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F31%2Fwhat-to-call-this-p-c-fs-denial%2F This story from Xtra! Vancouver infuriates me: AIDS groups remove ‘AIDS’ from their names. If “AIDS” still carries too much stigma, which it does, that is what to work on, not re-branding! I do not consider my HIV/AIDS diagnosis to be retractable.  When I had an AIDS-defining infection, cryptosporidiosis, that was very close to killing [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419372 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:37:46 +0100 4419372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4414516&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2Funcertainty-over-life-expectancy-becoming-a-mainstream-concept.php Following on in the theme of last week's post on the spreading ideas of longevity science, I think it's fair to say that uncertainty in projected life expectancy is now a fairly mainstream concept. Vast sums of money - the massive industries of pensions, life insurance, and so forth - rest upon reasonably accurate actuarial projections of life span and mortality rate. Long term projections of life span continue to trend upward as the actuaries revise their opinions on biotechnology - but I believe they still fail to account for potential revolutionary advances in medicine that lie ahead. The level of uncertainty at least is fairly well grasped now within the actuarial industry, but for various political reasons it is only slowly seeping into official projections. Unfortunately for these... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4414516 Fri, 28 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4414516 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4405762&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWk_iIYBXFic%2F By Ilya ShapiroI am pleased to pass on word from our friends at the Institute for Justice that they have established a new Center for Judicial Engagement.  The center is dedicated to reinvigorating the judicial branch to stand up and perform its constitutional role instead of showing the deference so many courts now give to the political branches of state and federal government. As much lip service that has been paid to the bogeyman of “judicial activism,” the reality is that the courts have been all-too-reluctant to sacrifice constitutional questions to acquiesce to the supposed wisdom of political actors.  Veteran IJ lawyer and friend of Cato Clark Neily will be heading the center, and had this to say about its mission: We need judges to judge.  What we see too often now is judges... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4405762 Thu, 27 Jan 2011 04:38:45 +0100 4405762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4389315&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F22%2Fwe-talk-about-hivaids-ht-amanda%2F h/t Amanda (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4389315 Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:42:52 +0100 4389315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4386422&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F22%2Fwe-talk-about-hivaids-ht-amanda%2F (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4386422 Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:42:52 +0100 4386422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4382923&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F21%2Fmichael-kimber-is-out-torontoist%2F A really great read from Torontoist: Michael Kimber Is Out. (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4382923 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 06:41:40 +0100 4382923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4386267&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2Ffifty-years-from-now-youre-either-dead-or-dying-so-do-something-about-it.php Much of the more active end of the present transhumanist community is very concerned with existential risk on a grand scale: the Singularity Institute, the Lifeboat Foundation, the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, and so forth. It doesn't hurt to have some people thinking about the end of the world - it seems like a good plan, given the balance of risk and odds as we presently understand it. A tiny risk, gargantuan consequences, a lot of people in the world, and just a few thinking meaningfully about how it might all fall into the pit. A sort of inverse Pascal's Wager, if you like. As a fraction of the community of folk focused seriously on advancing technology and pushing out the horizons of what is considered possible - as opposed to those who are short-sighted or merely along for... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4386267 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4386267 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4377542&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2Fthe-ideas-of-longevity-science-are-spreading.php When it's working, advocacy for longevity science funding and progress towards rejuvenation biotechnology is a steady process of growth; an accumulation of articles, conversions, acts of persuasion, and new advocates. It continues year after year, and perhaps it is sometimes hard to tell whether we're better placed in 2011 than we were in 2010, but we can certainly look further back to see clear and meaningful progress over the past five or ten years in public awareness of longevity science, media attention, and support for bold action in the scientific community science. Turning a formerly fringe idea into a mainstream vision for the future - persuading the world, in other words - doesn't happen overnight, sad to say. But it does happen, and it is well underway for the goal of greatly ext... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4377542 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4377542 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4372021&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2Fdo-you-trust-women-to-make-their-own-choices-about-reproductive-healthcare The majority of sexually active adolescents and adults in the United States use birth control and are in favor of women being able to make their own reproductive health decisions. Despite this support, opponents of family planning and women’s rights have tried to assert themselves as the true moral voice — and have made political gains that severely threaten women’s health. This year, as women’s health advocates celebrate the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Jan. 22, the Silver Ribbon Campaign to Trust Women for Reproductive Rights and Justice has emerged as an opportunity to show our strength and claim our rights to the legal healthcare to which we are entitled. The Silver Ribbon Campaign is the effort of dozens of organizations — including Our Bodies Ourselves &#8... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4372021 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:05:41 +0100 4372021 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4327041&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F08%2Fsarah-palin-incites-stupidity-why-not-worse%2F “If a Muslim put a map on web w/crosshairs on 20 pols, then 1 of them got shot, where would he b sitting right now? Just asking.” (tweet from Michael Moore) I have nothing but best wishes for the victims and families of today’s gun madness in Tucson. Speaking from family experience, the first brain [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4327041 Sun, 09 Jan 2011 02:39:20 +0100 4327041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309813&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F03%2Frequiem-for-an-old-neglected-empress%2F A banner light for the Yonge-Downtown BIA is framed wth sad irony as water is poured on the former Empress Hotel today.   Oh, your Highness, The Empress Hotel, I didn’t know you, not even your successor The Edison. (Most Torontonians lived elsewhere or were not yet born during your building’s heyday; now your Ryerson [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309813 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 01:32:36 +0100 4309813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4313977&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2Fsupport-real-progress-in-life-extension.php When it comes to a motto and a goal in life, you could do far worse than "support real progress in life extension." I may be biased on this topic, of course: As we start the new year, it is helpful to draw attention to the sobering fact that no credible human rejuvenation therapies are available today, and it is doubtful that such therapies will see the light of day in the short term. ... There is a broad consensus in the life extension community that more resources need to be allocated to combating aging as such, as opposed to increasingly futile efforts to extend life by treating aging-associated diseases. Unfortunately, the objective to launch a serious rejuvenation research program has limited mass appeal so far. As a consequence, we will have to get involved ourselves. Hopefully we... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4313977 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4313977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304865&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2011%2F01%2Fmy-little-black-book-for-sexual-health If you have ever wished you had a little black book that answered your questions about sexual health and insurance, your wish has come true. My Little Black Book for Sexual Health — LittleBlackBookHealth.org – is available online to help you navigate the maze. This resource offers information on various topics, including how to obtain low cost insurance and rules that might govern whether birth control is covered by your insurance. Described as “a guide for getting the health insurance you need to prevent pregnancy until you’re ready,” My Little Black Book is aimed at young people between the ages of 18 and 26; this group is most likely to be uninsured and faces a high rate of unintended pregnancy. The interactive website is easy to use (or download the PDF ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304865 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:50:35 +0100 4304865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4305059&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F02%2Fpm-harpers-new-years-toast-to-canadians%2F Stephen Harper has shaken a bottle of champagne sparkling cider, held it against the collective ass of Canadians, and let the cork fly into our nether regions with a monotone “Bonne année Canada, happy new year Canada.” At this time last year Canadians by the thousands held cold weather protests against dictator Harper’s proroguing of [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4305059 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 18:00:59 +0100 4305059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302108&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2Fthe-methuselah-foundation-needs-a-smart-reliable-technical-volunteer-linux-php-mysql.php The Methuselah Foundation, founded back in 2003, aims to promote and support scientific progress towards defeating age-related disease, repairing the damage of aging, and greatly extending the healthy human life span. To that end the Foundation has raised more than $10 million in funding pledges, and their initiatives include the Mprize for longevity science, the recently launched NewOrgan Prize, investment in tissue engineering startups such as Organovo, and - prior to the establishment of the SENS Foundation as a separate entity - the funding of Aubrey de Grey's research program for rejuvenation biotechnology. These activities, and the networking to support them behind the scenes, have had a great impact upon the state of the aging research community, media treatment of longevity scienc... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302108 Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4302108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4298764&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F29%2Fit-gets-better-tops-2010-list%2F Dan Savage and husband Terry Miller started something in 2010 that Mark Kelley and the CBC Connect crew put at the top of Connect 10: A  Countdown of the most popular stories online in 2010. Responding to highly-publicized cases of bullying and suicides of gays and lesbians, the “It Gets Better” project was launched with [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4298764 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 03:09:31 +0100 4298764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4298606&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2Fwealth-does-not-grant-vision.php There is a discussion that takes place with great regularity within any community of advocates. It builds from the eternal triad: (a) exceedingly wealthy people exist, (b) their wealth could change the world for the better if applied in the right way, and yet (c) they are not applying their wealth in this right way. Pick your "right way" from any of the paths you consider valuable - for me, it's generating meaningful progress towards the prevention and reversal of degenerative aging, the universal medical condition that kills more than 100,000 people every day. But perhaps you have something better, more beneficial to humanity in mind. After all, we're all very sure of the causes we support. Some folk seem to thrive on the outrage they can generate by considering just how many dollars of ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4298606 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4298606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294595&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2Fimmortality-institute-fundraising-for-microglia-stem-cell-study.php The present fundraising initiative at the Immortality Institute is another in their series of small research projects that can, despite their modest price tag, contribute to progress in longevity and aging science: Cognitive functions of the brain decline with age. One of the protective cell types in the brain are called microglia cells. However, these microglia cells also loose function with age. Our aim is to replace non-functional microglia with new and young microglia cells derived from adult stem cells. We will inject these young microglia cells into 'Alzheimer mice' - a model for Alzheimers disease. After giving the cells some time to work, we will sacrifice the mice and measure microglia activity, neurogenesis, proliferation of neuroprogenitors and plaque density in the brain. A ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294595 Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4294595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4275551&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F21%2Fsenator-don-meredith%2F One of the first business days after the House of Commons broke for the Christmas recess and Stephen Harper appoints Don Meredith to the PM’s new favourite play-pen, The Senate. Wait! This Don Meredith? Stephen Harper’s cynicism knows no bounds – appointing to the Senate the fifth-place finisher, himself an appointed replacement to the Conservative [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4275551 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 05:36:24 +0100 4275551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4266136&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F17%2Fa-simple-gesture-over-the-holidays-that-could-make-a-world-of-difference%2F   I know that I was not the only Canadian very proud a few years back when Parliament passed legislation designed to make it easier for generic pharmaceutical companies to ship life-saving AIDS medications, and others, to developing nations of the south. So it was rather shameful to learn that, so far, only one shipment [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4266136 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:49:11 +0100 4266136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4259129&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F14%2Factivists-warmly-received-okay-met-with-mild-bemusement-during-very-cold-die-in-for-bill-c-393%2F It was such a cold walk down to Yonge-Dundas Square this morning I was glad to be able to walk the full block south from Gerrard to Gould Streets through the corridors of Jorgenson Hall at Ryerson University. I was dressed for the outdoors reminiscent of my childhood in Quebec.  Fluorescent red earmuffs, attached to [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4259129 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:20:09 +0100 4259129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4253397&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F12%2Fthe-re-activation-of-an-aids-activist%2F While no one could say that I had ever completely stopped my AIDS activism I have, I would suggest, limited myself in recent years to writing or speaking about it on a smaller scale. It was consistent, determined protests – some of which I was a part of – that led to government speeding up [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4253397 Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:45:55 +0100 4253397 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245490&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F09%2Fdie-for-access-to-generic-aids-meds-in-the-poorest-of-countries-it-wont-kill-you%2F Over the lunch hour this coming Monday the Bill C-393 Student Coalition, along with members of AIDS ACTION NOW and other allies, will join in creative protest in support of vital legislation before Canada’s Parliament. Bill C-393 is designed to reform CAMR (Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime), the legislation passed back in the dying days [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245490 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:37:35 +0100 4245490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233149&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F12%2Fdeadline-approaching-for-comment-on-nitrous-oxide-review-c-section-reduction-review-now-open-for-comment Last month, I posted that public comment was being solicited for an upcoming review of nitrous oxide for relief of labor pain. As a reminder, comments are being accepted until Dec 8, so submit yours here if you have any thoughts on the proposed questions to be examined in the review. The public comment period has just opened on a second upcoming review that may be of interest to readers: Comparative Effectiveness of Interventions to Reduce Cesarean Births. If you have suggestions on the proposed questions that the review will try to answer or things the review team should be aware of, please submit your comment by December 29. I’ll be involved to some extent with both of these topics at work; we appreciate your input! (Source: Our Bodies Our Blog) Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233149 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:29:35 +0100 4233149 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233362&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F06%2Fdecember-6-1989-universite-de-montreal%25e2%2580%2599s-ecole-polytechnique%2F Fourteen women…killed en masse because they were women Geneviève Bergeron, 21, was a second year scholarship student in civil engineering. Hélène Colgan, 23, was in her final year of mechanical engineering and planned to pursue her master’s degree. Nathalie Croteau, 23, was in her final year of mechanical engineering. Barbara Daigneault, 22, was a teaching [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233362 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 05:57:48 +0100 4233362 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4220415&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F01%2Fcelebs-with-900-sunglasses-and-coke-in-their-pants-can-be-silent-today-if-they-want-not-me%2F I’m all for vaccuous celebrities shutting their yaps today, especially as a fundraiser, but if I don’t tweet or “poke” or “like” it won’t be because I’ve gone silent for World AIDS Day. How many years passed before those in power, like Reagan for example, even mentioned AIDS? And Canada continues to sell out on [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4220415 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 11:04:37 +0100 4220415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4220416&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F01%2Fworld-aids-day-2010-by-aless-piper%2F Each writer in this series has generously given me permission to post their work. The views and experiences shared are their own. Where applicable, links will also be provided at the end of the piece. Tony Kushner wrote in the Playwright’s Notes for Act 2 of Angels in America – Perestroika that Harold Bloom translated [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4220416 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:00:10 +0100 4220416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214404&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F01%2Fworld-aids-day-2010-stories-2-this-friend-living-with-aids-who-gave-me-so-much-by-dominique-gauvreau-google-translation-edited-by-kc%2F Each author in this series has generously given me permission to post their work. The views and experiences shared are their own. Where applicable, links will also be provided at the end of the piece. This is the World AIDS Day, 2010 entry in Dominique Gauvreau’s blog Rencontre sous le Chêne de Mamré (Meeting under [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214404 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 07:49:35 +0100 4214404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214405&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F01%2Fworld-aids-day-2010-stories-1-excerpts-from-the-prologue-of-crooked-road-straight-the-awakening-of-aids-activist-linda-jordan-by-tina-a-brown%2F Each author in this series has generously given me permission to post their work. The views and experiences shared are their own. Where applicable, links will also be provided at the end of the piece. AIDS didn’t become important to me until somebody I knew died. I imagine that is also the case for most [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214405 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:50:32 +0100 4214405 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4179339&cid=t_103880_99_f&fid=34589&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Faetiology%2F%7E3%2FtU-CdYMzKCY%2Frock_stars_of_science_part_deu.php The second edition of the Rock Stars of Science is now out online, and in the November 23rd ("Men of the Year") edition of GQ magazine. As Chris Mooney notes, this is a campaign funded by the Geoffery Beene Foundation, working to raise recognition of scientists' work (and scientists, period, since roughly half of the American population can't name a single living scientist). Part of the campaign is to make science noticeable and "cool;" I'll quote from the press release: ROCK S.O.S™ aims to bridge a serious recognition gap for science, observes journalist Chris Mooney, co-author of the recent book, Unscientific America, and a partner of the campaign. "The current gap between science and our popular culture," says Mooney, "keeps Americans from recognizing the centrality of science to t... Aetiology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4179339 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:20:00 +0100 4179339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4175664&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2Fspark-summit-sounds-alarm by Nekose Wills | OBOS program assistant The challenges girls face today are unlike the challenges many of us faced growing up. I’m 32, and I remember not caring about my Oscar the Grouch eyebrows, who designed my clothes, or how sexy I looked in them. Girls growing up today don’t have such freedom — they’re sexualized everywhere they look. The SPARK Summit, held Oct. 21 at Hunter College in New York City, was an alarm, waking us up to the role we can play in bucking the status quo and giving us the tools to take on this fight. SPARK stands for Sexualization Protest: Action, Resistance, Knowledge. The day started with opening remarks from Hunter College President Jennifer Raaband and MTV’s Amber Madison, summit host and author of “Hooking Up: A Girl&#821... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4175664 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:25:12 +0100 4175664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4167932&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F11%2Fsuggestions-for-year-end-charitable-donations-to-further-longevity-science.php The end of 2010 approaches - blink and it'll be the winter solstice already. Time flies. It seems somewhat traditional here on the American side of the watery divide for people to make their charitable donations near the year-end, and so here are three suggestions for those of us interested in advancing the cause of engineered human longevity. 1) SENS Foundation The SENS Foundation funds research into rejuvenation biotechnology, and aims to encourage greater adoption of the repair-based engineering viewpoint espoused by biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey. Repair the known forms of biochemical damage that cause aging, in other words, and thereby reverse and prevent the diseases and frailty of aging. This is sadly a minority position in the aging research community, and few researches... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4167932 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4167932 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151734&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2F2011-conference-on-social-justice-health-disparities-and-womens-health In January 2011, the DePaul University Master of Public Health Program will host the “The Health Disparities and Social Justice Conference,” with a special focus on women’s health. The conference itself will be free of charge and will be held in Chicago, IL. Limited information about the program is available at this time; the save-the-date announcement indicates: Presentations will take the form of skills-building workshops. Sessions will be focused on some aspect of the intersection of health disparities and women’s health among diverse populations, such as: immigrants, communities of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, low-income families, seniors/elders, and/or youth. In addition to the workshops and keynote speaker, a community lunch-hour session will in... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151734 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:56:37 +0100 4151734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4152156&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fcontested-irrelevance.html I'm going to be quoting this brilliant speech given by my friend Andrea today (I'm doing a talk at Carleton University) and I realized that I have never shared it with you here, even though I found it to be deeply inspiring.Please watch, and go and leave a comment over at We Can Rebuild Her so that Andrea can know the relevance and resonance of her words. It's a welcome reminder that nothing we do to effect positive change in this world is ever irrelevant.This talk got a standing ovation at PAB 2010. I've watched it several times and it still gives me shivers.If you are reading this post on a site other than Not Just About Cancer (besides Facebook or a feed reader), you are reading stolen content. (Source: Not just about cancer) Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4152156 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:00:00 +0100 4152156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4139209&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2Fshare-your-story-what-have-you-learned-about-your-body-from-a-womens-health-nurse-practitioner-or-other-ob-gyn-clinician Our Bodies Ourselves recently received a wonderful picture of pre-teen girls watching one of their moms get a pelvic exam, complete with mirror and flashlight, along with a note about how the nurse-practitioner conducting the exam explained everything that was being done in simple, straightforward language. As a way to underscore how much young women across the country are able to learn about their bodies through such critically important show-and-tell learning, we are inviting women to share with us (anonymously is fine) stories of how nurse-practitioners and other ob-gyn clinicians (including nurse-midwives, family physicians and obstetrician-gynecologists) have taken the time to teach them more about their bodies through use of speculums (some with flashlights built in!) and mirrors, pa... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4139209 Fri, 05 Nov 2010 11:02:13 +0100 4139209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133648&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2Fnpr-takes-on-pink-ribbon-fatigue-views-from-komen-breast-cancer-action We’ve written multiple times about pink ribbon-type breast cancer awareness campaigns — with good reason. Concerns abound over whether the explosion of pink products for purchase promotes a false sense of doing something about breast cancer; whether the dollars collected by these pink campaigns are directed effectively; the gender stereotypes perpetuated by both the color focus and many of the product campaigns; and whether some of those pinked-out products may actually be harmful to women’s health. Noted author Barbara Ehrenreich explores the issue more thoroughly in this still incredibly relevant 2001 Harper’s piece, and discussions of “pinkwashing” can be readily found online. NPR dove into the debate recently with two interviews: one with Barbara Br... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133648 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:45:03 +0100 4133648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4124980&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2Fget-out-and-vote Former Democratic Representative Patricia Schroeder gave one of the plenary speeches at the recent Cochrane/Campbell meeting I attended. Her speech addressed the question, “Can Democracy survive?” Schroeder spoke about the growth of angry rhetoric and of corporate funding in campaign advertising, as well as of some people’s apparent lack of belief in facts and science. She encouraged everyone to get MAD. But she’s not interested in inciting more shouting: Schroeder asked instead that we all work hard to Make a Difference. That said, tomorrow’s election day. Get out there and vote. It’s the easiest starting point for engaging with democracy and making a difference! While in Colorado, I heard a lot about the fetal personhood amendment on the ballot in tha... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4124980 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:46:02 +0100 4124980 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4119517&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F10%2F29%2Fclint-i-like-it-when-gays-die-mccance-speaks-to-cnns-anderson-cooper-brain-farts-maybe%2F I’m keeping this post open to add more developments.  Suffice to say, to begin, that Clint McCance’s so-called apology on AC 360 is not going over very well.  (As I wrote at the time it seemed like Anderson had to pull out the nature of his wrongs.  They weren’t forthcoming from McCance himself.) Tonight I’m [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4119517 Sat, 30 Oct 2010 02:02:00 +0100 4119517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4105642&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2Fmeeting-dispatch-resources-from-the-cuecochranecampbell-colloquium Last week I had the privilege of attending the Consumers United for Evidence-based Healthcare Advocacy Summit, followed by the joint colloquium of the Cochrane and Campbell Collaborations. Each of these organizations is focused on promoting evidence-based healthcare, through consumer advocacy organizations (CUE),  systematic reviews and meta-analyses on healthcare (Cochrane) and social, education, and justice work (Campbell). Over the course of the conference, I attended a lot of great sessions, met plenty of interesting people, and learned about many resources of interest. Here are a few from that last category: The Campbell Library: freely available systematic reviews on crime and justice, education, and other social welfare topics The Cochrane Library: systematic reviews on a variety ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4105642 Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:24:42 +0100 4105642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4098330&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F10%2F20%2Fsticks-and-stones%25e2%2580%25a6%2F I’d imagine it must be painful for a parent to have to impart to their children those familiar words, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me.” I was certainly skeptical. Long before summoning the courage to come out to my parents at age 21, I had known that I [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4098330 Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:15:54 +0100 4098330 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4060563&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F10%2F12583 It’s October, so the explosion of pink products at the grocery and other stores shouldn’t surprise us: it’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the time of the year when we’re asked to eradicate breast cancer by buying pink-ribboned  products. Over the years, many women’s health activists have criticized the pink ribbon campaigns, protesting that these efforts do little to fund prevention, are less useful than direct donations, and promote a false sense of doing something to cure breast cancer. The New York Times Well Blog yesterday included a piece on “Pink Ribbon Fatigue,” which nicely summarizes some of the objections to the overwhelming pinkification of October and breast cancer campaigns. Breast Cancer Action, of course, has run a “... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4060563 Tue, 12 Oct 2010 17:32:33 +0100 4060563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4045289&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fbody-mind-spirit-national-conference.html From the Canadian Breast Cancer Network:Please circulate this to your network members, friends and family, we would love to see them there! OTTAWA, Oct 1 /CNW/ - Today, October 1, is the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the Canadian Breast Cancer Network and co-presenter Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation will recognize the month with a unique networking event for 400 young women with breast cancer. The National Conference, called "Body, Mind, Spirit", will offer young women with breast cancer the opportunity to network with others who understand their situation, find out about the latest research directly from some of Canada's bright young researchers, and follow theme sessions on issues everyone with breast cancer is confronted with. Young women will have the chance to be supp... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4045289 Fri, 08 Oct 2010 13:00:00 +0100 4045289 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4040726&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fletter-of-day.html Yesterday, CBC Radio's Q featured an interview with Samantha King, author of Pink Ribbons Inc. At the end of the interview, listeners asked the following questions (they were also posted to the Q blog): What are your impressions of cancer fundraising and awareness efforts? Are they working? Do you find any aspect of them troubling?My sister-in-law, B. alerted me to the interview (she listens on the east coast schedule) and encouraged me to write a letter in response. This morning, a slightly edited version of this letter was read on the air (I was the "Letter of the Day"):In January 2006, when I was 38 years old an the mother of two young children, I was diagnosed with very aggressive breast cancer. I underwent a brutal treatment regimen only to learn in November of that same year that the... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4040726 Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:49:00 +0100 4040726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4036611&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F10%2Fthe-rational-use-for-excess-money-is-longevity-science.php Let me be far from the first to observe that humans, collectively, are grandly and suicidally irrational. I point to war and destructive waste of institutional government as the primary symptoms, but there countless others. We humans are instinctive builders of social hierarchy, and aggressive optimizers in short-sighted search of the local maxima of our personal wellbeing. We'll ignore any number of fascinating mountains on the the horizon to climb to the top of the pitcher's mound right in front of us. These two aspects of human nature - the short-sighted quest for gain and the need for hierarchy - combine to form a collective insanity, and are the root of the grand and depressing cycle of human societies. Production of wealth in a free society leads to the creation of a violence-backe... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4036611 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4036611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4031440&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fi-ran-for-cure.html photo: Ian HendelWith my sister.At the finish line.Wearing my Songbird scarf.And my hat from Texas.Team NO PINK FOR PROFIT was 43 members strong. We raised a whopping $25,000.Sometimes life is very sweet.If you are reading this post on a site other than Not Just About Cancer (besides Facebook or a feed reader), you are reading stolen content. (Source: Not just about cancer) Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4031440 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:29:00 +0100 4031440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4013122&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2Fthe-future-of-aging.php Via Maria Konovalenko, I see that the book The Future of Aging will be published soon. It's a collection of chapters written by well known names in the field of aging and longevity science, spanning a wide range of the present field - and its goals for the next few decades. Just as the health costs of aging threaten to bankrupt developed countries, this book makes the scientific case that a biological "bailout" could be on the way, and that human aging can be different in the future than it is today. Here 40 authors argue how our improving understanding of the biology of aging and selected technologies should enable the successful use of many different and complementary methods for ameliorating aging, and why such interventions are appropriate based on our current historical, anthropologi... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4013122 Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:00:00 +0100 4013122 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987027&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F09%2Fquick-hit-amnesty-international-unveils-maternal-death-clock From Amnesty International: Beginning September 20 at 9 a.m. EST, the start of the Millennium Development Goals Summit, the Maternal Death Clock began to tick – keeping track of the total number of maternal deaths in the world. September 20-22 world leaders are gathering in New York to chart a course forward on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the framework that will guide the fight against global poverty through 2015. The one goal aimed at decreasing maternal deaths has fallen far short of where it needs to be to meet the MDG target of cutting maternal deaths by 75% by the target date. Hundreds of thousands of women and girls continue to die in pregnancy and childbirth each year. Most of them live in developing countries and low-income communities. In fact, one woman ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987027 Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:02:45 +0100 3987027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946654&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fopen-letter-run-for-cure.html Dear Friends and Family, This year, I am running/walking in the Run for the Cure in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and I'm writing to ask if you'd be willing to make a donation. As you know, this is an issue that is very personal for me. In November 2006, when I was told that my breast cancer had spread to my liver, I knew no one who had survived this kind of diagnosis. Even my oncologist reluctantly told me that I had “years not decades” to live. But my response to treatment was immediate and dramatic – by June 2007, there was no longer any sign of cancer in my body. As I write this, I am still in remission. I'm also still in treatment, as we don't know enough about what happens when metastatic breast cancer disappears to make an informed decision about stopping. T... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946654 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:26:00 +0100 3946654 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3924860&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F09%2F20000-for-a-plan-to-remove-buildup-of-the-age-glucosepane.php The SENS Foundation recently teamed up with InnoCentive to spur movement in the development of AGE-breakers for human use. I'd mentioned this over at the Longevity Meme, but the initiative seems worth more time and attention than just a link. So here we are: but what is an AGE-breaker, and why should we care? In short, it has been known for some time that one of the unpleasant changes that takes place with aging is the accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts, or AGEs, in our biochemistry: Your body needs certain proteins in order to work properly; the creation of AGEs involves taking two or more of these proteins and sticking them together with chemical gunk, preventing them from doing their jobs. This is known as crosslinking; day in and day out, it is taking place in your body. S... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3924860 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3924860 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3924861&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2Ffundraising-success-for-mitochondrial-uncoupling-project.php A little while back, I pointed out the Immortality Institute's present fundraising program for modestly sized research projects. The Institute volunteers solicit proposals from life science researchers, showcase the most worthy, and match donations with funds from from the Institute coffers. The latest project will run in a Singaporean research laboratory and investigate mitochondrial uncoupling. I believe that this model for fundraising represents the future of research funding: a very transparent process, in which donors can educate themselves about the science, pick and choose exactly the projects they are willing to fund, and engage with the researchers in dialog and feedback. Many small projects compete for funding in place of one large umbrella grant, adding an additional layer of ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3924861 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3924861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920801&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2Ffundraising-success-for-mitochondrial-uncoupling-project.php A little while back, I pointed out the Immortality Institute's present fundraising program for modestly sized research projects. The Institute volunteers solicit proposals from life science researchers, showcase the most worthy, and match donations with funds from from the Institute coffers. The latest project will run in a Singaporean research laboratory and investigate mitochondrial uncoupling. I believe that this model for fundraising represents the future of research funding: a very transparent process, in which donors can educate themselves about the science, pick and choose exactly the projects they are willing to fund, and engage with the researchers in dialog and feedback. Many small projects compete for funding in place of one large umbrella grant, adding an additional layer of ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920801 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3920801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3914994&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2FpKo4bfVXKQ0%2F By Glenna Crooks. I still remember the first patient advocate I ever met – Henrietta Aladjem. She outlived predictions of imminent death from Lupus and despite her condition helped others, providing information, inspiration, advocacy and hope everywhere she went. Gracefully. Persistently. Since then I’ve met more than 10,000 advocates – some of them children – in 26 countries. In their work they help millions of patients and families address hundreds of diseases and the consequences patients face to get insurance, education, housing, employment and civil rights. In many cases, they or a loved one were in dire need of help they did not receive, so they vowed to help others. It was  a way to reclaim  power, to work through grief or to constructively use anger. It’s impos... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3914994 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:14:43 +0100 3914994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899357&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2Fhazy-on-the-topic-of-how-aging-relates-to-the-diseases-of-old-age.php The latest issue of Rejuvenation Research is available online for those of you who like to keep up with the scientific journals. In the opening commentary, Aubrey de Grey points to the recent position paper issued by noteworthy biogerontologists and folk from the Lifestar Institute. In his view, it is a sign of noteworthy progress in the long struggle to turn the institutions of life science research towards a more productive approach to human aging: Most nonbiologists, and even quite a few biologists, are spectacularly hazy on the topic of how aging relates to the diseases of old age. The prevailing biogerontological approach has long been that aging is not a disease, or at best that it predisposes to disease. Regular readers will know I'm not going to agree with that, and that I view it... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899357 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3899357 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3889054&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2Ffundraising-for-mitochondrial-uncoupling-research.php As you might recall, the Immortality Institute started their search for a new research project to fund earlier this year. This is a follow-on to raising funds for laser ablation of lipofuscin last year. I am hopeful that the Institute can make this a regular yearly feature, and not least because establishing reliable methods for crowdsourcing life science funding is an important development for the future of research. The Institute has settled on the project to be funded, which is an investigation of the phenomenon of mitochondrial uncoupling: Scientific research is the only way to conquer the blight of involuntary death. The ImmInst.org community isn't rich, so we pick our priorities quite carefully. The mitochondroial uncoupling project ticks all the important boxes: it investigates ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3889054 Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3889054 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880886&cid=t_103880_99_f&fid=34589&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Faetiology%2F%7E3%2F_aNl5ptwQ7c%2Fskepchicks_are_made_of_awesome.php The Skepchicks are sponsoring a pertussis vaccination clinic at Dragon*Con over Labor Day weekend. They're teaming up with the Georgia Dept. of Health, who is providing free assistance and vaccines, but they need some assistance raising funds to cover space rental, posters, and other miscellaneous charges. If you're able to assist, you can donate to their "Hug me! I'm vaccinated!" campaign at the links included in the post. And while I'm nagging about donations, I'll also note that donations to help the flooded in Pakistan have been slow, especially compared to the Haiti earthquake. If you can spare a few dollars, Doctors Without Borders is one of my favorite charities (though I've not seen a dedicated Pakistan donation page there), and here is one list of other charities working there. ... Aetiology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880886 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3880886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3865230&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2Fthe-balancing-act-of-longevity-research-advocacy.php Advocacy for longevity research is a balancing act informed by ongoing developments in raising funds, actual progress in the fields of interest, and the growth of the community of supporters. In an ideal world, these three factors will all advance steadily: an upward curve of success. In practice things are never that easy. A supportive community of a given size will only contribute so much in the way of resources: are those resources assigned to research, which tends to produce newsworthy results at irregular intervals in addition to actual progress, or to outreach and education? What will best grow the community so as to grow the resource pool of donations, and in turn help to achieve research goals more rapidly? Life science research is an unreliable beast by its very nature: progress ... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3865230 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3865230 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3861997&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXBJxksfw9xI%2F By David BoazCal Thomas, who bills himself as “America’s #1 nationally syndicated columnist,” rose to fame as the vice president of Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority in its heyday, though you won’t find that fact in any of his official biographies. But you could figure it out by reading his columns. In his latest, on the California gay marriage decision, he ranges from factual inaccuracy to a revelation of just how reactionary and authoritarian he really is to a really striking biblical citation. He starts by denouncing the “decision by a single, openly gay federal judge.” Not true. Judge Vaughn Walker may be gay, but he has never said so. And Salon magazine demonstrates that any such “evidence” is extraordinarily thin. So this is an extra... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3861997 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:06:16 +0100 3861997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3861990&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F08%2Fchemistry-for-change-call-on-congress-to-support-the-endocrine-disruption-prevention-act The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has long studied the various potential health effects of low-level exposure to chemicals called endocrine disruptors that interfere with development and function. These substances, both natural and man-made, include pharmaceuticals, dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, DDT and other pesticides, and plastics such as bisphenol A (BPA). Very little action has been taken on the basis of these studies, but new legislation working its way through Congress aims to change that. The Endocrine Disruption Prevention Act of 2009 was introduced last December in the Senate (S-2828 [pdf]) by  Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and in the House of Representives (HR-4190 [pdf]) by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.). TEDX , the Endrocine... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3861990 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:33:04 +0100 3861990 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858132&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F08%2Ffor-the-new-school-year-medical-and-nursing-students-for-choice As we know, the majority of U.S. counties lack an abortion provider, and ensuring that proper training in the procedure is available to future healthcare providers is one key aspect of making and keeping abortion available. As the new school year approaches and new medical and nursing students are arriving at campuses all over the country, we thought we’d list resources for students interested in organizing to promote and protect abortion training in their programs. Two organizations working hard to provide information and resources on abortion training and availability are Medical Students for Choice and Nursing Students for Choice. Medical Students for Choice provides student organizing resources including tips on curriculum reform and tools for student leaders, a list of U.S. and ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858132 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:22:32 +0100 3858132 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858119&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F08%2Fescaping-the-hand-you-were-dealt.php We all grow up indoctrinated; bathed in the the common views and short-cut truths of the society in which we were raised. The early rebellious years don't tend to change this state of indoctrination all that much. For every obvious thing to rebel against, there are a hundred viewpoints layered deep - opinions and teachings left unexamined for so long that they become axioms. Those are the chains and walls that matter: the things that nearly everyone takes for granted, that place bounds upon how you view the world. But people tend to rebel against the color of the wallpaper - whilst taking it as read, just like their parents and peers, that the wall must exist and must be made of bricks. Unless you are particularly willful, it can take a lifetime to escape the formative shaping of your min... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858119 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3858119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3848858&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F08%2Ffirst-annual-latina-week-of-action-for-reproductive-justice Via @NLIRH, we learned that the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice and the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights have teamed up for the first annual Latina Week of Action for Reproductive Justice, starting today and running until August 15th. As part of the week, the groups are asking supporters to contact their Congressional representatives “to ask the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support comprehensive family planning services that include contraception as a key women’s health service under the Women’s Health Amendment.” As with many online action campaigns, you can put in your zip code to identify your Representative and Senators and send them a letter ex... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3848858 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:46:05 +0100 3848858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3822896&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqtyO5XcPZn8%2F By David BoazChuck Donovan of the Heritage Foundation denounces Judge Vaughn Walker for “extreme judicial activism” and “judicial tyranny” in striking down California’s Proposition 8, which barred gay people from marrying. And of course he doesn’t fail to note that Judge Walker sits in . . . San Francisco. Robert Knight of Coral Ridge Ministries ups the ante: Judge Walker has “contempt for the rule of law” and is part of “the criminalization of not only Christianity but of the foundational values of civilization itself.” National Review allows the head of the National Organization for Marriage to mutter about the judge’s “personal bias.” Blog commenters rail against the “left-wing liberal judge.” In f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3822896 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:52:58 +0100 3822896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3822891&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F08%2Fhealth-on-the-net The Health on the Net foundation is conducting a survey of how people (both health professionals and patients) use the Internet for finding and accessing health information. They estimate that the survey will take 10-15 minutes, and it is available in both English and French. You may have seen HON code certification on some health-related websites; the certification denotes that the site has met certain criteria for credibility and transparency, and has applied for certification and been approved. HON provides a list of some of the principles used in evaluating health websites. Other guides for evaluating the quality and reliability of health information websites are provided by the National Library of Medicine (my current favorite, available in English and Spanish), the National Cancer In... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3822891 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 16:48:11 +0100 3822891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3805801&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2Factivists-protest-anti-abortion-campaign-targeting-women-of-color Earlier this week, the so-called “Pro-Life Freedom Ride” (alluding to the civil rights freedom rides) arrived at the King Center in Atlanta to demonstrate in opposition to abortion rights. The “freedom ride” campaign is being organized by Priests for Life to “build…on a method that the Civil Rights Movement used effectively forty years ago,” and consists of anti-abortion activists taking a bus to cities “with strategic significance for the movement” (such as Atlanta and Birmingham) to demonstrate against abortion. The “ride” to Atlanta follows up on previous efforts in the state targeting women of color with the goal of restricting abortion. Atlanta was the target earlier this year of an anti-abortion billboard campaign targ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3805801 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:54:17 +0100 3805801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3805789&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2Fthe-tedium-of-discussing-boredom-in-connection-with-enhanced-longevity.php It seems I have become jaded - one might even say bored - by repeated discussion of the potential for longevity-induced boredom. My capacity to enjoy the novelty of each new appearance of this fairly simple exchange of views has been blunted. For now, at least - it'll take a couple of years for that to wear off. There really isn't much to it: one side says, without any real evidence to back it up, that longer lives will inevitably lead to the boredom of repetition, and a dulled, meaningless existence. Those of us with more sense and imagination pull out the numbers to show that this viewpoint is nonsense however you choose to look at it. There is more to be experienced than any person could undertake in a million years, even in this limited world of ours today. And if you have the prospec... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3805789 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3805789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3798533&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2Flive-in-massachusetts-support-midwives-call-your-legislator-today If you’re in Massachusetts, please ask your state representative to urge House Speaker Robert DeLeo to bring an important midwifery bill to a vote. Text of the bill — House 4810: An Act Relative to Certified Professional Midwives and Enhancing the Practice of Nurse-Midwives – can be found here. The bill was just released from the House Policy and Steering Committee and is now in Third Reading, chaired by Rep. Vincent Pedone of Worcester.  The legislative session closes on Saturday, July 31. If it’s not voted on by then, the bill would die and have to be reintroduced in the next legislative session. If you’re able to discuss the bill with your legislator or a staff member, please be aware that some legislators have misinformation about the midwifery bill’s ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3798533 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:40:22 +0100 3798533 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3761407&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2Fthe-new-abortion-providers-and-the-old-political-dilemmas The New York Times has published online an extensive article about “The New Abortion Providers” (it will appear in print in Sunday’s Magazine), which I highly recommend reading. Such detailed reporting from a mainstream publication on the struggles of individual medical students and doctors to make abortion an accepted, integrated part of healthcare is quite welcomed. The story provides both a historical and personal context for understanding the challenges — and the courageous dedication — of women’s health advocates on the frontlines of reproductive health for the past four decades. Unfortunately, this ground-breaking journalism appears the same week in which we learned the Obama administration is denying abortion coverage for women whose pre-existing ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3761407 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:24:37 +0100 3761407 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3761409&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2Fgloria-feldts-personal-response-to-friday-night-lights Earlier this week, we wrote about the groundbreaking “Friday Nights Lights” episode that dealt more honestly with abortion than most television shows in the past 30 years. We’re pleased to include this reflection by Gloria Feldt, activist, author, blogger and past president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. We hope you’ll follow through on her suggestions to thank NBC for allowing this episode to air. On a personal note, it pleases me no end that this truth-telling episode appeared on “Friday Night Lights.” The show is based on Buzz Bissinger’s book of that same name, a sociology of the very West Texas town (Odessa, TX) where I lived for 20 years and the high school (Permian) from which my three children graduated. Not only do ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3761409 Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:46:51 +0100 3761409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3753785&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36050&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblisstree.com%2Flive%2Fsecret-environment-enemies-lurking-in-your-grocery-store-refrigerators%2F photo: Thinkstock You know those giant grocery store refrigerators that keep all your organic, locally-raised and grown meat and produce cool? Those monsters are actually killing the environment. And it’s not the amount of electricity they use, either. Most large grocery store fridges use hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) to keep the food cool. While HFCs are ozone-neutral (which is why they replaced the ozone-depleting CFCs and HCFCs back in the 1990s), they have about 3,900 times the global warming effect of carbon dioxide. In fact, one ton of HFCs produces a global warming effect that’s the same as one billion car trips to the grocery store. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is trying to raise awareness about the environmental problem, but not many supermarkets are respon... Breastfeeding 1-2-3 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3753785 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:49:04 +0100 3753785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3733058&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F07%2Fquick-hit-public-comment-open-on-hospital-visitation-rule-change We recently wrote about a proposed rule change that would protect patients’ rights to choose and designate their own visitors during a hospital stay. The change would make hospital visitation much easier for LGBTQ patients and their partners. At the time, we indicated that while public comment would be open for 60 days before the rule could be made official, the proposal hadn’t been posted yet for comment. The proposed rule is now posted for public comment at Regulations.gov. Comments are being accepted until 11:59 pm Eastern time on August 27, 2010. Click on “Submit Comment” at the top of the page to weigh in on the proposed rule. Once comments are submitted and uploaded, you’ll be able to view them here. (You won’t see any just yet, as none have been u... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3733058 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:24:02 +0100 3733058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3726587&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=34980&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fightaging.org%2Farchives%2F2010%2F07%2Fon-the-view-of-death-as-oblivion.php Here are two quotes from writers of antiquity, letters in a bottle to demonstrate that for all the great differences in time and place, the core of human nature in complex civilizations remains much the same. So far, at least: Death: There's nothing bad about it at all except the thing that comes before it - the fear of it.   - Seneca I think the slain care little if they sleep or rise again.   - Aeschylus Insofar as death is oblivion, the destruction of the self, it is rational to be unconcerned about being dead. You won't exist to have feelings on the matter - which is exactly the same situation as for all time prior to the point in your development at which you like to think that you became yourself. Equally, it is rational to be very concerned about be... Fight Aging! blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3726587 Sun, 04 Jul 2010 23:00:00 +0100 3726587 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3699467&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F06%2Fon-making-forbes-magazines-top-100-websites-for-women Our Bodies, Our Blog is delighted to be included on Forbes magazine’s top 100 websites for women – a list of “the most dynamic, inspiring and helpful websites for women.” We were cited for educating readers on women’s health issues through “topical, newsy content.” Meghan Casserly and Jenna Goudreau write in the intro: “To determine which sites and blogs made the cut we looked for compelling and decidedly female-oriented content, outstanding design, an active community and frequent updates. In short, sheer clickyness.” What’s really cool is the number of feminist sites on the list, including Catalyst, Feministing, Feministe, Hello Ladies, Jezebel, Salon’s Broadsheet and Women’s eNews. It’s no surprise to us t... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3699467 Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:19:05 +0100 3699467 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3699468&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F06%2Fproposed-rule-change-would-improve-hospital-visitation-rights The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week announced a proposed rule change intended to make hospital visitation much easier for LGBTQ patients and their partners. The rule rule “would protect patients’ rights to choose their own visitors during a hospital stay, including visitors who are same-sex domestic partners.” The proposed rule change follows up on an April 15 presidential memorandum requesting, in part, that critical access hospitals and hospitals participating in Medicaid or Medicare allow patients to designate visitors who would receive the same access as “immediate family members.” These participating hospitals “may not deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gen... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3699468 Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:52:21 +0100 3699468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4259207&cid=t_103880_151_f&fid=35819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamblingwatchglobal.com%2Farchives%2Fns-group-wants-to-talk-with-author-of-conservative-government-rejected-study%2F Safe Bet Society wants to meet with Mark Anielski, the author of a gambling impact study rejected by a former Conservative Party Committee. Safe Bet Society says it can live with the government’s decision to not release the draft report, providing it waives contract conditions preventing it from having access to author Mark Anielski. The report looks [...] (Source: Gambling Watch Global) Gambling Watch Global blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4259207 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:57:51 +0100 4259207 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4259208&cid=t_103880_151_f&fid=35819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamblingwatchglobal.com%2Farchives%2Faccounting-for-the-real-impacts-of-gambling-in-canada%2F Mark Anielski, economist and president of his family-owned corporation Anielski Management Inc. and adjunct professor of corporate social responsibility at the University of Alberta’s School of Business in Edmonton, Alberta is not happy a Nova Scotia commissioned gambling impact report was rejected. Accounting for the real impacts of gambling in Canada The study had two objectives: to establish [...] (Source: Gambling Watch Global) Gambling Watch Global blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4259208 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:20:51 +0100 4259208 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690813&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F06%2Ffinding-what-is-there-a-medical-ethics-challenge Several prominent blogs have recently covered the story, first reported by Alice Dreger and Ellen K. Feder at  Bioethics Forum, of pediatric urologist Dix Poppas and his research involving clitoral surgery on young girls and young intersex patients to make their genitals less “masculinized” — that is, less large. The research, conducted at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, is troublesome for a number of reasons, including lack of indication of an underlying medical problem. In each case, the clitoris was deemed simply  too large, whatever that might have meant to the girls’ parents or the girls’ physicians. Not only are the surgeries, as well as the accompanying attitudes and ethics, hugely problematic, but there ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690813 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:00:33 +0100 3690813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4259209&cid=t_103880_151_f&fid=35819&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamblingwatchglobal.com%2Farchives%2Fgambling%25e2%2580%2599s-real-impact-nova-scotia%2F Gambling’s real impact NS Study killed by province would help us understand how VLTs, casinos affect society, says economist who wrote report By MARK ANIELSKI | COMMENTARY 2010-06-20 IN 2007 OUR firm, Anielski Management, won the bid to conduct a study on the impact of gambling in Nova Scotia, the first of its kind in Canada using [...] (Source: Gambling Watch Global) Gambling Watch Global blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4259209 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:29:29 +0100 4259209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3644960&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fspeaking-to-end-breast-cancer.html In 2004, I participated in the Weekend to End Breast Cancer in Toronto.In 2006, several women participated in Ottawa in my name.Next week, I'll be speaking at a fundraiser for the same event (now called the Weekend to End Women's Cancers) in Montreal. Sylvie Grégoire, a two-time breast cancer survivor is organizing the fundraiser luncheon. She was first diagnosed at 38 (the same age that I was at my own diagnosis) and had a local recurrence four years later. She's now, in her words, "healthy and happy!'This will be the sixth time that Sylvie takes part in this 60 km, two-day event. I am so impressed by this achievement and thrilled to be given the chance to help (I'm also more than a little nervous. I need to speak for around thirty minutes. The thought is a little daunting).You can contr... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3644960 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:13:00 +0100 3644960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3641219&cid=t_103880_133_f&fid=35098&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclub166.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Finconvenient-truth.html photo credit-newagecrapcreative commons licenseUnfortunately, one of the things that has become obvious to me over the years is that the general public doesn't have a clue what it's like to raise a special needs kid, has no real desire to know what it takes, and when times are the least bit tough the public is especially willing to throw our kids under the bus if it will help their own situation in any way. This is true, whether it's a smaller, relatively well off district like the one we live in, or a large one such as Los Angeles.One might expect that the Superintendent for one of the largest districts in the country would be a little savvy when it came to talking about how resources were allocated during an economic downturn, and would refrain from saying things that were just REALLY ST... Club 166 blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3641219 Tue, 08 Jun 2010 04:02:00 +0100 3641219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3640993&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F06%2Flive-web-streaming-available-from-women-deliver-conference The Women Deliver 2010 conference is happening in Washington DC today through Wednesday, focusing on global maternal and reproductive health and featuring great speakers from numerous U.S. and international agencies. I just listened to Melinda Gates wrap up and pledge $1.5 billion in new family planning and maternal/child health grants for next 5 years; an archive of these videos is expected to be posted as well. The conference is streaming live at http://www.womendeliver.org/conferences/-2010-conference/webcast/. You can follow tweets using the hashtag #WD2010, which are also streaming on the webcast page. I’ve set up archives at Twapper Keeper and What the Hashtag? to save tweets with this hashtag for later review. (Source: Our Bodies Our Blog) Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3640993 Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:58:39 +0100 3640993 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3633583&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Flapse-in-judgment.html In the last couple of weeks, I have received two emails from Rethink Breast Cancer, an advocacy organization aimed at younger women. The messages urged me to by tickets for the Rethink Romp, a Toronto fundraiser and party.I like a party as much the next girl and the idea of a superhero themed party made me smile. I love superheroes. I eagerly clicked through to check out the "Shazamer", an interactive site where I could make my own superhero. At that point, the fun came to a screaming halt, as I read the words: "Show of your six packs and your great racks in support of Rethink Breast Cancer".It's a great site, with some really cool interactive features but the model is built like Barbie and the "Superheroes" title bears the sub-head "with a great rack comes great responsibility."The idea t... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3633583 Sun, 06 Jun 2010 13:00:00 +0100 3633583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3621912&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F06%2F02%2Fthe-world-cup-cbc-and-soccer4hope%2F What an inspiration to see the CBC’s Scott Russell on The National Tuesday night with his profile of Soccer4Hope! (It’s at the 36-minute mark of the video) which probably only stays up until Wednesday night’s broadcast. S4H looks very promising, modeled as it is after its basketball counterpart Hoops4Hope in bringing together the issues of [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3621912 Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:33:58 +0100 3621912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3618036&cid=t_103880_133_f&fid=35130&url=http%3A%2F%2Fautisticbfh.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Froses.html When I wrote a post last month about pruning my rosebushes, Clay commented that he'd like to see another photo when they came into bloom. All the cold wet weather in the northeastern United States this year has been good for the plants, whatever else we might have to say about it. The roses are blooming quite nicely:I've been reflecting on how much our society's understanding of neurodiversity, like my rose garden, has grown over the past five years. At the end of 2004, shortly before I started blogging, typing "neurodiversity" into a search engine yielded very few results. Finding a new self-advocate website or a parent site that wasn't doom and gloom was like discovering an oasis in a vast scorching desert of intolerance.At that time Kathleen Seidel had just recently set up neurodiversit... Whose Planet Is It Anyway? blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3618036 Mon, 31 May 2010 16:22:00 +0100 3618036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3610471&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F28%2Fas-seen-on-facebook-from-others-who-like-me-remember-1981%2F Open Letter to Pride Toronto from founders of Pride in 1981 As founding members of the Toronto Lesbian and Gay Pride Day Committee, and people involved in organizing the first Pride event in Toronto at the end of June in 1981, we stand totally opposed to the decision of the current Toronto Pride Committee to [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3610471 Sat, 29 May 2010 01:00:23 +0100 3610471 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3607478&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4p9MAsnEARs%2F By David BoazState Rep. Raul Labrador walloped Republican establishment favorite Vaughn Ward in Idaho’s 1st District congressional primary. Idaho native Sarah Palin campaigned for Ward, who had worked in the McCain presidential campaign in 2008. Labrador drew strong support from Tea Party activists. According to Politico, “Ward’s defeat also came despite his high-profile support from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who did more to assist Ward than she did for almost any other House candidate. Last Friday, she headlined a rally and fundraiser for Ward, and her parents and in-laws were supporters of Ward’s campaign.” Lots of Republican incumbents lost their legislative seats, too, suggesting the continuing power of Tea Party activism and general populist unrest. (Sourc... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3607478 Thu, 27 May 2010 19:35:34 +0100 3607478 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595835&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F24%2Fto-the-pride-toronto-brain-trust%2F I shall not be returning the calls of your volunteer recruitment team, at least one of which I’ve already received. Even if you don’t agree with Desmond Tutu or Jimmy Carter, both of whom use the term “Israeli apartheid”, doesn’t the censorship, the lobbying and the impugning of motives (with the incendiary, inappropriate charge of [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595835 Tue, 25 May 2010 01:25:31 +0100 3595835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3590462&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F23%2Fbeaten-senseless-windsor-man-adds-his-story-to-the-archives-of-insane-gay-bashings%2F I’m angry, I’m sad, angry, sad, angry, sad…   The Windsor Star’s account includes a video of the young victim, who clearly understands the value of personal story-telling, holding a press conference to describe the beating he endured and some of the deeper meanings, however ironic. I heard about this yesterday but only started to [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3590462 Sun, 23 May 2010 11:58:35 +0100 3590462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3573892&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F17%2Fon-this-international-day-against-homophobia-and-trans-phobia%2F To Head Teacher/Principal wannabe Carl Glenn, who rarely missed an opportunity to taunt me, terrify me, pit me against his son and my other classmates; To the kids who teased me for the friends I chose; To those who often made the forty minute bus ride to and from high school each day so frightening; [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3573892 Mon, 17 May 2010 13:58:15 +0100 3573892 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3570024&cid=t_103880_135_f&fid=35247&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmyjourneywithaids.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F05%2F17%2Fon-this-international-day-against-homophobia-and-trans-phobia%2F To Head Teacher/Principal wannabe Carl Glenn, who rarely missed an opportunity to taunt me, terrify me, pit me against his son and my other classmates; To the kids who teased me for the friends I chose; To those who made the forty minute bus ride to and from high school each day so frightening; To [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS) My journey with AIDS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3570024 Mon, 17 May 2010 13:58:15 +0100 3570024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3567913&cid=t_103880_93_f&fid=35707&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHemodynamics%2F%7E3%2FSNHsvK43dRA%2Fstop-obamas-misguided-global-aids.html Photo: Kaytee Riek, whose other photos of this recent demo can be found at kayteeriek.comPresident Obama is making big mistakes on global AIDS. Click to read South African AIDS activist Zackie Achmat explaining why.See also:TakeANumber.orgNew York TimesZackie Achmat in New York, May 13 2010: (Source: hemodynamics) hemodynamics blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3567913 Sat, 15 May 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3567913 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3560439&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fjust-what-i-needed.html I was feeling a little sad and frustrated this morning (no bad news and no crisis just some things that made me feel, well, sad and frustrated).Then I saw this video that my friend H. posted to Facebook and I laughed, smiled and sang along. It made me feel hopeful, too.Then, via this post on BlogHer, I discovered Regretsy.Have you heard of Etsy? It's a great web site where crafters and artists of all kinds can sell their wares. I love Etsy and have spent many hours checking out its contents. I've also bought many wonderful things.However, the vendors are not adjudicated. This means that goods posted to Etsy can be, a little uneven in quality - sometimes a little (or a lot weird) and sometimes just plain atrocious.Regretsy brings together the best of the worst of these (the site's motto is ... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3560439 Wed, 12 May 2010 17:48:00 +0100 3560439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3538066&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Fcampaign-asks-for-creation-of-office-of-maternal-health Amnesty International, which recently released a report on maternal health in the United States, is asking supporters to contact Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, to ask for the creation of an Office of Maternal Health to “ensure that the country’s maternal health care crisis is addressed in a comprehensive manner.” In the provided letter, the organization asks for such an Office to work on the following priorities: gathering comprehensive data on deaths, complications and performance measures along with an effective nationwide review process; ensuring access to timely prenatal care; issuing evidence-based protocols for health care providers to prevent, recognize and respond to the leading complications that cause pregnancy-related deaths; encou... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3538066 Wed, 05 May 2010 18:02:10 +0100 3538066 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3538067&cid=t_103880_87_f&fid=36088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ourbodiesourblog.org%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Fsisters-of-st-joseph-punished-for-supporting-health-care-reform-legislation A group of Catholic nuns who broke with the bishops by supporting health care reform legislation has garnered the wrath of some leaders in the Catholic Church. Earlier this year the nuns signed a letter to members of Congress from the National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. The letter stated that: The health care bill that has been passed by the Senate and that will be voted on by the House will expand coverage to over 30 million uninsured Americans. While it is an imperfect measure, it is a crucial next step in realizing health care for all. It will invest in preventative care. It will bar insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions. It will make crucial investments in community health centers that largely serve poor women and children. And despite false claims to the ... Our Bodies Our Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3538067 Wed, 05 May 2010 17:56:24 +0100 3538067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3538356&cid=t_103880_136_f&fid=35316&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnotjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fthank-goodness-someones-brain-is.html I've been staying  up way too late and drinking too much coffee to compensate. Then I have trouble sleeping. It's a bit of a vicious circle.As a result, I seem to be having problems jump-starting my brain.The items in this post have no real connection, except that I found them on the internet and they were all drawn to my attention by local bloggers.Zoom wrote about this lost cat. Is she yours? If her owners aren't found, do you have room in your home for this sweet girl? She's been taken in (and cared for) by the Crazy Cat Lady but she needs a forever home.Nat got my blood boiling with this righteous rant (on why she won't "shut the f. up") and made me laugh with this piece on Ottawa's ant plague (I feel so much better knowing thaat I'm not alone) and cry with her link to this amazin... Not just about cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3538356 Wed, 05 May 2010 16:10:00 +0100 3538356