Canadian Same-Sex Marriages Growing At 5 Times Rate Of Opposite-Sex Unions
And WE are TWO of those 45,300 people…
by The Canadian Press
(Ottawa) Same-sex unions are growing at five times the rate of opposite-sex ones according to census numbers that also reveal, for the first time, the number of gay marriages in Canada.
Some 45,300 couples, both common law and married, reported as same-sex in the 2006 census, up from 34,200. Those numbers represent a 33 per cent surge since 2001, while heterosexual couples grew by just six per cent in the same time period.
The historic Statistics Canada query on same-sex marriage, coming in the wake of Parliament legalizing such unions in 2005, revealed 7,465 gay and lesbian marriages.
That’s considerably lower than numbers reported by the now-defunct advocacy group Canadians For Equal Marriage. The group, based on its own research of municipal records, reported last November that 12,438 marriage licenses had been granted to same-sex couples since provincial courts began recognizing such unions in 2003.
The census relegated same-sex marriages to a write-in category under the questionnaire’s ‘other’ box _ a move that raised the ire of Egale Canada. The national advocacy group responded by urging its membership to list their relationships as husband and wife.
“One box for everybody,” is how executive director Helen Kennedy described the group’s position.
“People are people and people just want the same things out of life. Your sexual orientation should not matter.”
Anne Milan, a senior analyst at Statistics Canada, stands by the accuracy of the census data but concedes the limitations of relying on the answers people provide.
“It’s the first time that we’ve asked same sex marriage so it’s really a benchmark number,” said Milan, who added it’s “difficult to say” what effect Egale’s dissent had on the numbers.
“Future census releases will allow us to compare the count and see what’s happening.”
The fact that the question was being asked at all shows that “people are getting on with their lives, which was fundamentally what the whole debate was about,” said Michael Leshner, a lawyer and one of Canada’s first legally married gay men.
“It’s really a debate that hopefully has run its course… We’re just part of the boring middle class now,” Leshner said.
According to the census, same-sex couples accounted for 0.6 per cent of all couples in Canada. That falls in line with numbers reported in the United States, New Zealand and Australia. More than half, or 54 per cent, of same-sex married Canadian spouses were men.
Some nine per cent of same-sex couples had children, more commonly in female unions (16 per cent) than male ones (three per cent). Children were present more in same-sex married couples (16 per cent) than common-law ones (eight per cent).
Clarence Lochhead of the Vanier Institute for the Family says the gay community’s successful fight for marriage reflects the desire to be accepted in the larger community.
“To the extent that you can think of the homosexual community feeling that they’re marginalized populations, I don’t think it’s all that surprising that they would want access to those forms of unions that are recognized in a much wider social community sense,” he said.
Ontario became the first province to legally recognize same-sex marriage following a 2003 decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal. Similar decisions followed in British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, and New Brunswick.
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the third country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after the Netherlands and Belgium. Spain and South Africa have since legalized gay marriage as well.
“As my spouse Mike Starkel always says, we won. There’s nothing they can do, we won,” said Leshner.
©365Gay.com 2007
For the Bible Tells Me So …
For The Bible Tells Me So – Trailer
For more information go to: For The Bible Tells Me So…
Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm separating gays and lesbians and Christianity too wide to cross? Is the Bible an excuse to hate? Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival, Dan Karslake’s provocative, entertaining documentary brilliantly reconciles homosexuality and Biblical scripture, and in the process reveals that Church-sanctioned anti-gay bias is based almost solely upon a significant (and often malicious) misinterpretation of the Bible. As the film notes, most Christians live their lives today without feeling obliged to kill anyone who works on the Sabbath or eats shrimp (as a literal reading of scripture dictates).
Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families — including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson — we discover how insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard’s Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity.
Labels … Let us Reflect on them …
Krystalnacht – The Night of the Broken Glass…
The Beginning of The Holocaust
Work Makes You Free …
A Survivor from Buchenwald
Yad Vashem – Jerusalem Holocaust Memorial
Auschwitz – Concentration Camp
****************************************
The Red Ribbon – Synonymous for AIDS
The Pride Flag – Proud Symbol for all things Gay
The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt – For all those who died from AIDS
My friends,My family, My brothers and sisters…
The JEW – The Star of David used during the Holocaust …
**********************************
You who live safe
In your warm houses,
You who find, returning in the evening,
Hot food and friendly faces:
Consider if this is a man
Who works in the mud
Who does not know peace
Who fights for a scrap of bread
Who dies because of a yes and a no.
Consider if this is a woman,
Without hair and without name
With no more strength to remember,
Her eyes empty and her womb cold
Like a frog in winter
Meditate that this came about:
I commend these words to you.
Carve them in your hearts
At Home, in the street,
Going to bed, rising;
Repeat them to your children,
Or may your house fall apart,
May illness impede you,
May your children turn their faces from you.
Primo Levi
Survival in Auschwitz
The Homosexual – Also Used during the Holocaust …
A Young Man – Hungarian Jewish Boy -
From Fateless, the Motion Picture
The Label Chart Used By the Nazi Party within
the Death Camps and Concentration Camps to
Identify people…
Location, Ethnicity, Area, Orientation, Religious Affiliation
There weren’t only Jews in the Camps…
The ACT UP slogan for Gay and AIDS circa 1980
What Would Jesus Do???
This is my Label – I earned every hour of it, with Pride…
We Should Be Proud, but we should remember what labels have done to millions world wide over the Decades. I think it is time to move past them, to stop labeling and Outing people. I think we need to learn to live together PEACEFULLY in order to stop the killing of ALL people around the world…
THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER – SO THAT WE NEVER FORGET!!
ACLU Charges TSA Official and JetBlue With Racial Profiling
JetBlue and a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) official, identified as “Inspector Harris,” would not let Raed Jarrar board his flight at John F. Kennedy Airport until he agreed to cover his t-shirt, which read “We Will Not Be Silent” in English and Arabic script. Harris told Jarrar that it is impermissible to wear an Arabic shirt to an airport and equated it to a “person wearing a t-shirt at a bank stating, ‘I am a robber.’” The American Civil Liberties Union and New York Civil Liberties Union today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the TSA official and JetBlue Airways.
“It is a dangerous and slippery slope when we allow our government to take away a person’s rights because of his speech or ethnic background,” said Reginald Shuford, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program. “Racial profiling is illegal and ineffective and has no place in a democratic society.”
I’ve had this blogger on my read list for some time, along with Baghdad Burning, since the war in Iraq began. I happened upon Raed’s blog today and saw this latest entry and I thought I’d share it with you, since it is relevant and appropriate. You can click on the link above and find out more.
Clinic Update …
I finally got to talk to the doctor this evening and he confirmed that it was a simple case of hemorrhoids. And that I should be ‘soaking’ and using my ‘creme’ that I have already. There is no need to worry about gastro issues. We get back to regular life tomorrow.
AIDS virus is a "double hit" to the brain: study
God, I have a headache now !!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The AIDS virus damages the brain in two ways, by not only killing brain cells but by preventing the birth of new cells, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.
The study, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, helps shed light on a condition known as HIV-associated dementia, which can cause confusion, sleep disturbances and memory loss in people infected with the virus.
It is less common in people taking drug cocktails to suppress the virus, and why HIV damages brain function is not clearly understood.
The virus kills brain cells but it also appears to stop progenitor cells, known as stem cells, from dividing, the team at Burnham Institute for Medical Research and the University of California at San Diego found.
“It’s a double hit to the brain,” researcher Marcus Kaul said in a statement. “The HIV protein both causes brain injury and prevents its repair.”
The cocktail of drugs known as highly active antiretroviral therapy or HAART that treats HIV does not infiltrate the brain well, allowing for a “secret reservoir” of virus, said Stuart Lipton, who worked on the study.
HIV-associated dementia is becoming more common, as patients survive into their older years.
Working in mice, the researchers found that the virus directly interferes with the birth of new brain cells from stem cells.
“The breakthrough here is that the AIDS virus prevents stem cells in the brain from dividing; it hangs them up,” Lipton said. “It’s the first time that the virus has ever been shown to affect stem cells.”
The culprit is gp120 — a protein found on the outside of the AIDS virus, the researchers found.
“Knowing the mechanism, we can start to approach this therapeutically,” Lipton said.
“This indicates that we might eventually treat this form of dementia by either ramping up brain repair or protecting the repair mechanism,” Kaul added.
Clinic
I called the clinic this morning, and I can’t get in – they are too busy. I am waiting on a call back as I write this: 10:30 a.m. I’m not gonna freak, but take it easy in any case. Maybe they can fit me in later today. If not tomorrow. As long as another episode does NOT happen, I am going to stay out of my head.
Bloodletting …
I guess I need to rewrite this post and try to explain the “bottom line.” I ate very lightly over the past few days. Monday night after a weekend of little substance I had a steak and potato dinner. Which is all well and good.
Today, when I went for coffee with my “peeps” I had a couple cups of coffee as usual.
Anyways, I went to the restroom to relieve my bladder and I “moved” but this afternoon’s movement was accompanied by “Blood” a lot of Blood!! More blood from a location that isn’t usually an issue for me. I freaked out. I invited Ms. Nikki into the bathroom with me because she works at the General so she knows about these kinds of things.
The bleeding stopped. We went on to the meeting. There was no more bloody paper after that one occurrence. What was it? I don’t know. I haven’t had another “movement” since this afternoon. And no more blood – in any case.
Tomorrow I am going to go to the clinic and drop some labs – as it is time, and while I am there I am going to see the doctor and let him tinker under the hood and tell me if I need to be worried or not. I’ve never had gastro-intestinal problems before so this might be just a cranky hemorrhoid and not something much worse.
I did have the maxi pad conversation with Ms. Nikki, as she took a handful of paper products from the restaurant to make sure if I had bled again, I’d be prepared. I’ve never had Men-strual issues before.
Sunday Prayers …
It has not been a very good day. In fact, it has been a hard day for many of us who work with others. Last night, in the midst of dialysis, Karl’s father had a heart attack. We have worked over the last two years to help Karl grow into the man he is today. But family illness has dogged him for a long time. From addiction to illness, minor issues to major health crises. It has been a long haul for Karl to find himself standing where he is standing tonight.
Dad has had one foot in the grave and one foot on the proverbial banana peel for some time, and his strength has surprised the best of us who have walked people to the door many times. It seems he just won’t let go. And I wonder if that is a good thing? The end is imminent – imminent that it is close, but the road is foggy ahead, and a visual confirmation is not yet available.
This morning when I woke up there was a simple email, please call – it’s rather important. So I did, finally, after getting a hold of friends who are close to Karl as well, seeing he might have called Mike and Tom prior to calling me. We had a conversation about the news and I had some info to work with.
Karl and I have had many conversations about the “what if’s” and taking care of the kids and his role as man of the house should his father died. Knowing his mother’s propensity to turn to pills and the bottle, Karl must be prepared to be isolated in his dealing with everyone since he doesn’t have an ally there in Katy. I have done my best to prepare my friend for the inevitable.
There may come the day when we have to say “enough of this” it is time to let him go into his heavenly inheritance. I know that family will hold onto him until he is so tired that holding on becomes too much for him and he will die. Tomorrow an angio-gram will be performed and dialysis will continue. And I asked my friend, “at what point do you say this is enough?” he responded with – “that isn’t my decision to make!” I have spoken to Karl once this afternoon and again this evening, and all is well right now. Dad is stable and will have tests done tomorrow.
So we pray:
Oh God in whose merciful love
we abide,
hear the prayers we ask of you
and in your wisdom make the way clear
bless those who are grieving and worrying
help those who are sick and heal those you can
We know the end is nigh for one we pray for and
we ask your mercies upon him that you would comfort
him and bless him and if it is your wisdom that you call
him home, be gracious with your hand
and carry your servant back into your healing presence
where there is no more pain and suffering.
We ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ
your son, who lives and reigns with you in the union
of the Holy Spirit – One God forever and ever.
Yesterday evening I had dinner at the home of Jacob and Angela. It was a nice time to talk about projects and writing. I haven’t had the energy to do anything because I am not feeling all that hot tonight. UGH!! I went to bed early last night and spent the better part of today in bed sleeping. As long as I have the quiet time to myself, I am going to make the best of it.
I’ve been craving rest as of late. With all that is going on – I have to take care of me as well. Angela is going to help me produce a book of the writings that I commissioned for my birthday, the Tanka from Angela, the short story from Ben and the Totem writing of Cooper. I have to write the introduction and the back page, yet and as well, get my business cards finished. We had no agreed on what they would look like yet, although I did think about it today, and I think I have found the correct title for them.
We spoke yesterday about me applying for a position in the school board as an aide for kids with aspergers and autism. Each child gets a sum of money from the government each school year and I decided that I would like to offer my services to the school and to Jacob, that is why I have to get my CV and my business cards finished soon. You will find that I added new categories to my writing. We will be writing about aspergers and my work with Jacob so that others can come and read and maybe participate in my building a community here for my kids.
I spoke at long length with Chuck (he’s on the blog list) the other day about my work with Jacob and his wisdom on the subject is invaluable. So in the coming months we will be adding new medical content to our writings to include aspergers and autism. I encourage you, my readers to share this new information with those who might need to read it and hopefully we will begin building a resourceful list of information and contacts for people to utilize in their own lives.
I posted some news earlier today. I was touched on the report of the death of Merv Griffin. When I was a child, my maternal grandmother watched specific programs, The Price is Right, and Merv Griffin. Not to mention the soaps which were great tools to teach language. I guess I had some early education in French and English. For many years during my early childhood many Merv Griffin shows were part of the social lexicon of television, and as the years progressed at least one of his creations was on one tv or another in my house. Mr. Griffin did a lot for many with his shows and his time of television himself. He will be missed.
Eternal Rest Grant Him and may Perpetual Light Shine upon Him.
I know that there is at least one young man who reads this blog every day, so we have come to learn yesterday. So this is my advice for the day. It is ok to chill out and to relax, in fact, after a day of excitement I would spend some time thinking about the day and what I have learned. Spend some time talking to your mother about all that you did. Never let anger guide you, always keep it in check. Behave yourself and be good to your mother because she loves you and so do I.
Know that I think about you every day. And I pray for you as well. I work very hard to understand you and I want to help you SUCCEED and that we shall in time. There is no rush – and we have every opportunity to grow and to work together.
So my apprentice, be good to yourself and your mother.
Let us pray for Karl and his family, because they need our prayers tonight. Let us pray for those who minister to them, Michael and Tom, and the many we do not see in Texas, let us call on God to do what he needs to do in this very trying time.
May God bless us and keep us safe
Until the morrow…
until pen meets paper again,
I leave you with my prayers.
Medical Update 7-24-07
I have been on this drug regimen for a month now. Today I saw the doctor for the first time since I started them. My T-Cells are sitting at 1186 and my Percentages are at 34% which is phenomenal. My bad cholesterol dropped from 9.8 to 3.4 in trends over the last 4 lab draws.
I feel good. Aside from a little gas, and a little morning sickness here and there, I am in fine shape. My “doc” was out, so I saw a doctor who was in the clinic and he was pleased with my labs. He told me that 40 was no big deal for him. And I am way past my expiration date. So I am keeping my impending birthday next Tuesday in perspective. He told me that for him, 50 was a big deal. So if we follow The Aging Model:
- In our Twenties – we are exploring life and ourselves
- In our Thirties – we are finding the rhythm and we are supposed to find the way
- In our Forties – we are ready to put all that knowledge into action for certain
- In our Fifties – we are ready to live out our calling, having done all that self study
- I hope that I am aging gracefully and the way I am supposed to…
Laugh Out Loud
Courtesy of: The Ministry of Pleasure. (NSFW)
An 85-year-old man was requested by his doctor to obtain a sperm count as part of his physical exam. The doctor gave the man a jar and said, “Take this jar home and bring back a semen sample tomorrow.”
The next day the 85-year-old man reappeared at the doctor’s office and gave him the jar, which was as clean and empty as on the previous day.
The doctor asked what happened and the man explained,
“Well, doc, it’s like this – first I tried with my right hand, but nothing. Then I tried with my left hand, but still nothing. Then I asked my wife for help. She tried with her right hand, then with her left, still nothing. She tried with her mouth, first with the teeth in, then with her teeth out, still nothing.
We even called up Arleen, the lady next door and she tried too, first with both hands, then an armpit, and she even tried squeezing it between her knees, but still nothing.”
The doctor was shocked! “You asked your neighbour?”
The old man replied, “Yep. None of us could get the damn jar open!”
DR O'Malley Emmy Nominated!!
YAY, Dr. O’Malley is nominated for a supporting actor Emmy !!!
Congrat’s T.R.
Friday the 13th …
Photo courtesy of: The Ministry of Pleasure
Last night I got to bed wayyy to late to function this morning. After watching some Hilary Duff last night. Anyways, I got to bed around 2:30 in the morning and sat down with some veggies and French baguette while reading Anne Rice’s “Pandora.”
This morning the alarm clock went off at 9:00 a.m. and my body wasn’t having any of that, so I went back to bed until 3 p.m. My medications are making me a little sick to my stomach, I’ve got potty issues, and I feel like I am pregnant because now I am getting “morning sickness!!”
It is a comfy 22c here in Montreal – with clear skies at the moment although the possibility of thunder storms are in the forecast tonight. Where everyone else around North America and Canada are sweltering in the heat – it was 38.8 in some areas of B.C. yesterday!! Yikes!! The breeze is blowing and the sun is on its way down down and evening is about to start.
We’re going OUT for dinner tonight and then a Movie, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix.
High hopes for new AIDS lab
| By Anna Bratulic, The Suburban |
|
Renowned AIDS specialist Dr. Mark Wainberg says the opening of a new Staff and equipment moved into the $5 million facility housed “We’re very proud to announce the opening of this new lab, which The lab is among a handful of similar labs in the country Wainberg says the old lab was running the risk of falling short “We really needed to have a new lab in order to meet all the Research will focus on understanding immune responses Wainberg doubts a cure or vaccine will be found in his lifetime In Canada, where there are an estimated 65,000 people While both are HIV viruses, they respond differently to treatment. “It turns out that the way the virus becomes resistant to the drugs He added that some of the researchers at the new lab will be Research will also study ways to detect infection earlier than Current screening methods can only detect antibodies that Wainberg added that the upgraded facilities will hopefully make |
Medication Journal Entry #1
Day 1 – Saturday June 30th 2007 – Medication Journal Entry #1
Night Dose:
Norvir (100 mg ) 1 pill twice a day
Prezista – Darunavir TMC 114 (300 mg) 2 pills twice a day
TMC 125 (100 mg) 1 pill twice a day
Integrase (100 mg) 2 pills twice a day
Time: 10:28 p.m.
It's All About Me !!! Episode 1
This episode is brought to you by the Motion Picture: Trick
Thank God it’s Friday. The weather is beautiful outside, there is a light breeze and the temperature is sitting at a comfy 22c. It was a busy day today. I had to go to the clinic and drop labs, that is always fun. I had to fill out a questionnaire for the TMC 125 drug that I am taking now for the study. The common list of symptomatology and emotional status in the last four weeks.
I love those questionnaires because I leave little obnoxious comments on the page along with my answer like:
1. Do you feel good about yourself? Why of course, I am always slap dash happy!
2. Have you thought about killing anyone lately? No! But now that you mention it!!
3. Have you been depressed in the last four weeks? No, not really, but if you really want my sob story for the month I can tell you about it. And this one really made me laugh,
4. You are “Somewhat sick” — WTF? Are you kidding? This must be a trick question! I’ve got HIV, is that somewhat sick? Does that make me somewhat sick?
5. Have you thought about hurting yourself in the last four weeks? Um, Not really!!
6. Do you have any complaints (medically, sexually, emotionally)??? Well, now that you ask!!
I will have to fill out this questionnaire every time I go into the clinic to follow my progress with the new medications. They are serious questions, I was just in that kind of mood this morning to be catty! Someone at the other end will get a good laugh out of me at least.
After I finished at the hospital I headed over to the village to look see the goings ons, since I needed to get out of the house for a while. I went over to the new “North Bound Leather and Fetish shop, since I had not seen the renovated store. It is quite beautiful. With state of the art display cases with the trinkets and jewelry, and they painted the walls which brightened up the space a great deal.
Then it was off to Priape for a little impulse shopping. And to see the boys – Pride is gearing up quite nicely. Ste Catherine’s street is blocked off in the village and there are terraces in front of all the bars and restaurants for outdoor dining.
The village is hosting an art show right now. I did my shopping and headed home. The trains were PACKED because the Montreal Jazz Festival is in town until the 11th of July. So there are a bunch of festivals going on at the same time, really, you could leave home in the morning and be occupied all day and night. Here is the list as it goes:
- The LotoQuebec Fireworks Festival
- The Montreal Jazz Festival
- The Village Art Show
- Pride will be in a few weeks
I had to pick up the rest of my meds at the pharmacy on the way in. To give you an idea about the cost of HIV meds here – This was my bill today:
- Prezista – Darunavir (300mg) Insured: $23.65 Uninsured: $862.78
- Norvir (1oomg) Insured: $0.00 Uninsured: $93.42
- Incidental Medications Insured: $30.57 Uninsured: $75.79
- TMC 125-C214 (Clinic Distribution) I don’t have these costs yet.
- Integrase (Clinic Distribution) I don’t have these costs yet.
GrandTotals: Insured: $54.22 (What I pay p/month) — Uninsured: $1031.99
Thank God I live in Canada…
PODCASTING!!
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Would you like to see “All About Me on Video?” Since traffic here has spiked over the last few weeks, I thought about putting up some pod casts. So send us your questions, concerns and pecadillos and we will start posting those videos for you very soon.
This concludes All About Me Episode #1
New HIV Medication Regimen
|
For more information on these meds and test regulations and availability worldwide go to this link: http://www.mcgill.ca/microimm/department/associate_adjunct_prof/wainberg/ Most doctors around the world have access to test information and access points for these meds as some of them have not been approved in the U.S. and in other parts of the world. I DO NOT know if these meds will be made available in Africa as of yet, as most of them are still in test phase. I don’t have information as to where these meds are being researched world wide, but Dr. Wainberg can help you with your inquiries. I would talk to your front line primary HIV / AIDS doctors and inquire about the new meds on the formulary and in test and research phases. NOTE: That your labs will be checked prior to being given access to new meds and they are quite strict here by lab results and acceptance parameters. |
Ugh. So it begins again.
This Friday I will begin these new drugs when my local pharmacy receives some of my meds. These four drugs based on my Geno-Pheno typing information on my last checkup tells us that these drugs used in conjunction should produce great results as my doctor is confident that this mixture of meds will work. He attended a seminar this week about these meds and studies have been very promising.
Some of the meds, as stated below are not YET on the market, even here, but I am getting them through expanded release on governmental approval, and a selection process based on current lab work collected at the clinic site. Drugs released to patients on expanded release are closely monitored and approved based on current labs that will be checked every six weeks, once treatment has begun.
I have to drop labs once this week for baseline numbers – then repeat labs every six weeks after treatment begins.
I have already begun to loose weight now that I am off the Zerit, Videx EC and Viracept regimen that I was on. I have been on a drug vacation for a month now, as my body is starting to change. I am also on a new diet – less sugar, diet drinks and juices, and a lower cholesterol and carbohydrate meals.
Here is the drug information for those of you who might be interested.
1. TMC 125 (Etravirine) 100 mg. Twice a Day (BID)
What is Etravirine?
- Etravirine is in a category of HIV medicines called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Etravirine prevents HIV from entering the nucleus of healthy T-cells. This prevents the cells from producing new virus and decreases the amount of virus in the body.
- Etravirine will need to be used in combination with other drugs. Clinical trials will evaluate its effect in combination with other drugs, including protease inhibitors (PIs) and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs).
What is already known about Etravirine?
- The etravirine dose being studied in phase III clinical trials is two 100mg tablets taken by mouth, with food, twice a day.
- Like other NNRTIs, etravirine might interact with other medications, including those used to treat HIV. It is important that your personal physician and/or the research nurse or study investigator be aware of all drugs you are taking, including those you buy without a prescription.
- It is expected that etravirine, when combined with two nucleoside analogues, will have strong activity against HIV in people who have never taken an NNRTI in the past.
- In clinical trials, the 800mg twice-daily dose was considered to be the safest and most effective. However, a new formulation of etravirine is being tested. Instead of 800mg twice-daily, the new formulation will allow for a much lower dose: 200mg twice-daily.
- It is not clear how effective etravirine is against strains of HIV that are already resistant to currently available NNRTIs. All of the currently marketed NNRTIs are highly cross-resistant to each other. Test tube data suggest that etravirine might be effective against strains of HIV that are at least partly resistant to any of the approved NNRTIs. But this cannot be determined until information from clinical trials is made available.
2. TMC 114 ( Prezista – Darunavir) 600 mg. Twice a Day (BID)
What is Prezista?
- Prezista is an anti-HIV medication. It is in a category of HIV medicines called protease inhibitors. Prezista prevents cells infected by HIV from producing new virus. This reduces the amount of virus in your body.
- Prezista must be used with low-dose Norvir® (ritonavir) and in combination with at least two other anti-HIV drugs.
- Prezista, manufactured by Tibotec (a division of Ortho Biotech Products), was approved for the treatment of HIV by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 23, 2006. Prezista, combined with Norvir, is only approved for HIV-infected adults who have tried other anti-HIV drug regimens in the past. This includes people who have HIV that is resistant to more than one protease inhibitor. It is not approved for HIV-infected people starting anti-HIV treatment for the first time.
What is known about Prezista?
- Prezista has a different structure than other protease inhibitors and is active against strains of the virus resistant to other protease inhibitors that are currently available.
- The correct dose of Prezista is 600mg twice a day (two 300mg tablets twice daily) plus 100mg Norvir twice a day (one 100mg capsule twice a day). Norvir is necessary to help keep levels of Prezista high in the blood, which is very important for the drug to be effective.
- At the present time, Prezista is only approved for HIV-positive people who have tried other anti-HIV medications in the past. However, once-daily Prezista is currently being studied in clinical trials for HIV-positive people starting treatment for the first time (two 400mg tablets combined with one 100mg Norvir capsule once a day).
- Prezista, combined with Norvir, should be taken with food. The type and amount of food is not important. In other words, Prezista/Norvir can be taken with a full meal or a light snack.
- Prezista is recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for HIV-positive people who have tried and failed other protease inhibitors in the past. It is not recommended by the DHHS for patients who are new to anti-HIV treatment or starting a protease inhibitor for the first time.
- Clinical trials have demonstrated that Prezista is an effective option for patients who are not likely to respond to older protease inhibitors, especially when it is combined with other anti-HIV medications that a patient’s virus is still at least partially sensitive to.
- Prezista works best when it is combined with anti-HIV drugs that the virus is still sensitive to. However, this can be challenging for HIV-positive people who have tried several anti-HIV drug regimens in the past. Drug resistance tests, such as genotypic assays and phenotypic assays, and treatment history, can be very useful in figuring out which anti-HIV drugs the virus is still likely to respond to.
TMC114, now called Prezista, has since been licensed in Canada, while access to TMC125 remains restricted, and I am receiving it on expanded release through the clinic.
3. Integrase Inhibitor ( MK0518 – Raltegravir) 400 Mg Twice a Day (BID)
I am receiving this drug via expanded use through the clinic.
One of the critical steps in the HIV life cycle is the integration of the virus’s genetic information into the host cell DNA. This allows the host cell to turn into a “HIV factory” and produce many, many virions each hour. The enzyme integrase is the enzyme that accomplishes this task. Integrase inhibitors serve to stop this enzyme.
Integrase inhibitors are oligonucleotides, which are small segments of DNA or RNA that are synthetically prepared. Modified oligonucleotides can serve to block RNA/DNA interactions and modify protein or enzyme synthesis.
One drawback to integrase inhibitors is that it only has one chance to act for each cell. If it fails, any further attempts are futile since the genetic information is already incorporated. In contrast, NRTI’s have thousands of opportunities to act during the process of reverse transcription.
From: Wikipedia
The integrase protein contains three domains:
- an N-terminal HH-CC zinc finger domain believed to be partially responsible for multimerization,
- a central catalytic domain
- a C-terminal.
Both the Central catalytic domain and C-terminal domains have been shown to bind both viral and cellular DNA. Currently no crystal structure data exists with Integrase bound to its DNA substrates.
Biochemical data and structural data suggest that integrase functions as a dimer or a tetramer.
Additionally, several host cellular proteins have been shown to interact with integrase and may facilitate the integration process.
Integration occurs following production of the double-stranded viral DNA by the viral DNA polymerase, reverse transcriptase.
Integrase acts to insert the proviral DNA into the host chromosomal DNA, a step which is essential for HIV replication.
Integrase catalyzes two reactions;
- 3′-end processing, in which two deoxynucleotides are removed from the 3′ ends of the viral DNA.
- the strand transfer reaction, in which the processed 3′ ends of the viral DNA are covalently ligated to the host chromosomal DNA.
Integration of the proviral DNA is essential for the subsequent transcription of the viral genome which leads to production of new viral genomic RNA and viral proteins needed for the production of the next round of infectious virus.
Essentially, integrase is a key step in allowing viral DNA to become a permanent member of the host genome. This integrated proviral DNA is then translated using host cell machinery (see translation) into viral proteins.
HIV integrase is a 32 kDa protein produced from the C-terminal portion of the Pol gene product. Integrase, therefore, is an attractive potential target for new anti-HIV therapeutics.
In November 2005, data from a phase 2 study of an investigational HIV integrase inhibitor, MK-0518, demonstrated that the compound had potent antiviral activity, and the manufacturer, Merck, is undertaking further clinical studies. [1][2]
It is important to note that there are currently no FDA-approved integrase inhibitors available to the public.
4. Norvir (Ritonavir) 100 mg. Twice a Day (BID) Protease Inhibitor
What is Norvir?
- Norvir is an anti-HIV medication. It is in a category of HIV medications called protease inhibitors (PIs). Norvir prevents T-cells that have been infected with HIV from producing new HIV.
- Norvir is manufactured by Abbott Laboratories. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved it for the treatment of HIV infection in 1996.
- Norvir is one of the two drugs in Kaletra®. Kaletra contains the protease inhibitor lopinavir and small amounts of Norvir.
What is known about Norvir?
- The official Norvir dose for adults is six 100mg capsules twice a day. However, this dose is rarely used anymore because it is associated with a number of side effects. However, Norvir is still being usually used at much lower doses (one or two 100mg capsules twice a day) to help boost the levels of other protease inhibitors in the bloodstream.
- Norvir has been approved for use in children 1 month of age and older. The dose will depend on the child’s body size. The dose should be between 350 to 400mg per square meter of body area, twice a day. As the child grows, the dose will increase. However, the dose should not exceed 600mg twice a day. The starting dose should be 250mg per square meter of body area. Every 2 to 3 days, the dose should be increased by 50mg, until a total of 400mg per square meter of body area is reached. For children who cannot tolerate a dose of 350 to 400mg per square meter of body area, alternatives to Norvir should be tried. To learn about treatment options for children, click here.
- Norvir, even if low doses are used with another protease inhibitor, should be taken with a meal or light snack.
- Refrigeration of the Norvir capsules is recommended but is not necessary if they are used within 2 months and stored below 77° fahrenheit (25° celsius).
- All of the protease inhibitors are broken down (metabolized) by the same family of enzymes in the liver. In order for the protease inhibitors to be metabolized by these liver enzymes, they must first either slow down its activity or speed it up. All of the currently approved protease inhibitors slow down the activity of these liver enzymes. Norvir is the most powerful of all the protease inhibitors in this regard, even when low doses of the drug are used.
- In turn, Norvir can prevent other protease inhibitors from getting to the enzyme, causing levels of these other protease inhibitors to increase in the bloodstream. This can make the other protease inhibitors more effective against HIV. It also means that lower doses – or less frequent daily doses – of these other protease inhibitors can be taken. This is why low doses of Norvir are often combined with other protease inhibitors: to make them more effective and easier to take.
Trans Issues (A Response)
I am painfully aware of other LGBTQ issues across the board, being HIV+ myself. And I do support everyone in our community. I watch queer television from Toronto and I am aware of trans gendered/Trans Sexual issues and people. I am not heartless nor judgmental about them. When I came out some of the most important friends I had were men going through transition even then as a young gay boy I knew what “we” as community were facing because I fought with them and I fight with you as well. I am not one sided nor arrogant to disregard the other communities that make up the balance of LGBTQ.
I work with families and their children. I work with People with Aids and I write for a living educating and advocating for rights and equality. I wish my parents were as accommodating as some have been, alas they were not. So I know what abuse is from the straight side AND the gay side. Remember that when I came out as HIV+ 13 years ago, people were being thrown out on the streets and civilized humanity became uncivilized and I witnessed that WHILE many of my friends who were trans gendered and those who were transsexuals going through transition helped me through my hard times, all of them went to their deaths due to illness and I survived, who knew… So I do get why we need to remember the fight (the struggle and the emancipation).
I just think that it is time to begin to build our community in spite of the rest. And openly flaunting our differentiation is defeating our ability to attain equality. There at some point, has to come an awakening in the LGBTQ community that we don’t need to justify to anyone and that if people cannot deal then f*ck them.
I am not ignorant of the entire community nor their families. I just think we need to find other solutions to attaining equality and I want to find it before more people die of AIDS, ADDICTION, HATE CRIMES and INJUSTICE and IMPRISONMENT. As a sober member of the Gay,HIV community, I just see the need to seek other solutions because what we are doing isn’t working.
Cheers
Jeremy
The Camille Levesque Centre
A snapshot of what was added to my Mission Statement above…
All I need is some serious investors that want to help me build it. If you know anyone with a cool few million dollars to spare, let me know.
**Updated May 9, 2007**
We Now Have a floor plan drawn out for designers and real estate companies. It is quite incredible. I sat down and sketched out what my vision of the location will look like. I know what colors will be incorporated and I am thinking of getting some of our “urban artists” to paint murals on some of the interior walls. Oh, this is going to get exciting.
Imagine the following: We call this the Camille Levesque Centre.
I find myself drawing out floor plans, decorating the space in wondrous colors and comforts of home. On one floor a dedicated space to a “Club Room.” A club room for recovering people that opens at 7 a.m. and stays open until midnight. Manned and staffed with a kitchen, coffee bar, facilities and comfy sofas, tables and chairs.
Where we would host meetings all day into the night (Imagine a dedicated meeting space in the same location every day, throughout the day). This DOES NOT exist in Montreal, but it does in Miami and is a very big draw to recovering people.
Imagine that there are offices to be housed by facilitators and recovery advisers. My office, open to anyone for spiritual direction or counseling. We would have outreach for kids in distress, for Pop’s kids to come and rest. We’d have an open kitchen to feed people who needed it. We’d have dedicated space for child care for parents who need to come to a meeting and need to keep their children and young people occupied for an hour or so.
We would offer HIV counseling. LGBTQ support for young people and adults. We would have a gathering place to have meetings and support for these very important groups. having personal experience in these areas gives me insight to what I know is important, and to build a space that I would want to visit. There are so many areas we could hit all at once in one comprehensive location.
Does this exist in Montreal? No it does not. But we can build it…
With all the recovery experience I have had since 1994, I have seen countless “recovery rooms, spaces, rehabs and such and so forth.” We would combine the best concepts in our location that I have visited and been part of over the last 14 years. In one area of the building we would have a dedicated chapel for prayers.
This is such an amazing concept and brings with it such promise.
I have floated these ideas to my home group participants and they all think that this is a wonderful idea that should be realized. This is more than ‘church’ this is Home. A place that I could build and coordinate and build into a community home that would rival any spiritual/recovery center in the city. I have people already lined up, who would work for me where ever I set up shop. I have people who would utilize the space immediately, upon opening. The desire exists in our community, all it would take is someone to build it and I want to be that someone.
We would have a youth center where we would offer bible study and religious education and counseling services to the community. Young people could come and be fed spiritually in safety and serenity. Just imagine the possibilities…
Those are my ideas today…
I’m tired, it’s been a long day…
More tomorrow.
Come on, folks, let’s build this dream center. It will change the face of Montreal in ways we could never imagine. I know how to do it, I have the inspiration to create this and the desire to see it to fruition.
HIV medication Update – Doctors Visit 5-2-07
Here it is, The list of new medications that I will be taking from this point onwards. My doctor says that this regimen will last for at least 1 year. We may change to other medications as they become available. The first drug (TMC 125-Etravirine) is not yet approved in the U.S. but I have access to it here because of the research arm of the McGill University Health Center AIDS research center and the Jewish General Hospital Aids research clinic.
I have had a ‘slow creep up’ of my viral load which is sitting around 6,000 copies and my CD4 levels are around 700. Down from the 1000 mark 6 months ago. Over all the doctor thinks that these new medications will stop the Lipodystrophy from the D4T for the last 10 years. He thinks these new medications will also work seamlessly into my daily regimen, with some pills being a once a day dose and others a two dose a day treatment.
I am confident with this new regimen and so is my doctor. We had some discussion about my last visit. It seems the intern that saw me was a little off with his diagnosis of my case which caused us both some serious stress. But all is well, otherwise.
I am told that the TMC 125 should be available in the next two weeks and that I will begin the entire regimen at that time. There is no reason to start single medication regimen now and add later. The drugs [in combination] work better than single regimens.
It goes without saying that I will be testing medications that some of you MAY be placed on later when the U.S. approves them for use in the states. So stay tuned and I will report what I learn as we go along this new treatment regimen.
******************************
Brand Name: TMC 125 – Etravirine
Drug Class: Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
TMC125, also known as etravirine, is a type of medicine called a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). NNRTIs work by blocking reverse transcriptase, a protein that HIV needs to make more copies of itself.
TMC125 is an investigational medicine that is not yet approved by the FDA for use outside of clinical trials. It is being studied for the treatment of HIV infection. Early studies indicate that TMC125 may be effective in treating HIV that is resistant to other NNRTIs. This medicine does not cure or prevent HIV infection or AIDS and does not reduce the risk of passing the virus to other people.
Brand Name: Viread – Tenofovir
Drug Class: Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (tenofovir DF), also known as Viread, is a type of medicine called a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI). NRTIs block reverse transcriptase, a protein that HIV needs to make more copies of itself.
Viread is an anti-HIV medication. It is in a category of HIV medicines called nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Viread prevents HIV from altering the genetic material of healthy T-cells. This prevents the cells from producing new virus and decreases the amount of virus in the body.
Brand Name: Prezista – Darunavir
Drug Class: Protease Inhibitors
Darunavir, also known as Prezista or TMC114, is a type of medicine called a protease inhibitor (PI). PIs work by blocking protease, a protein that HV needs to make more copies of itself.
Prezista is an anti-HIV medication. It is in a category of HIV medicines called protease inhibitors. Prezista prevents cells infected by HIV from producing new virus. This reduces the amount of virus in your body.
The correct dose of Prezista is 600mg twice a day (two 300mg tablets twice daily) At the present time, Prezista is only approved for HIV-positive people who have tried other anti-HIV medications in the past. Clinical trials have demonstrated that Prezista is an effective option for patients who are not likely to respond to older protease inhibitors, especially when it is combined with other anti-HIV medications that a patient’s virus is still at least partially sensitive to.
HIV medications Information Online
The Good news – And the Bad news
Actually, there is no good news today.
Like I need another headache to worry about. It seems I have come to the end of this present HIV medical regimen. The Zerit, Viracept and Videx EC diet is coming to an end.
My viral load has gone downhill, well actually UP hill. From an undetectable position to more than 6,000 points in the last few months and my T-cell count has dropped drastically. So, in a months time, I will be starting a new regimen of meds that have been approved in Canada. There are a few to look at, and also today the blood vampire took 12 vials of blood to test, UGH!!
The doctors are afraid that I may be in danger of the numbers dropping quicker now as they are sure that my virus has begun to mutate. Damn those fuckers!! So times to make a change. They are doing a blood sugar test and a genotyping test and all those regular blood work for people with HIV.
In addition, I have been experiencing water issues and diet issues and sleeping issues and the doctor has warned that I may be crossing into “Diabetic” territory. So this means I must do some dietary changes, (ala the Atkins or Mediterranean diet) just something that will remove the simple sugars, major carbs like bread, rice and potato. UGH!! I LOVE baked potato!! god dammit…
The doctor is not pleased with my current state of physical being. I need to loose more weight and cut the sugars and he thinks I can get back to some normalcy with moderate diet change and a bit more exercise. I can do that. I’ve lost a few kilos since my last visit and that is a start.
I don’t feel sick, in that “sick” kind of way. Although I am tired more often and my fluid intake at times, is really heavy, which means at night I am making numerous trips to the potty during the night and I am not getting a full nights sleep as I used to. I told him that my academic undergraduate is coming to an end – so he has given me a months grace period before he starts making massive changes to my system and my diet.
I need to see the dietitian in a months time, but I talked to my friendly pharmacist on the way home so she gave me some reading material. I think I am set in that department. So if any of you have information on any of the diets I listed above, please by all means, drop me a line.
Times are a changing. My doctor has admitted that I don’t take to change very well. He is very observant. Although I have to say the new doctor that saw me today was very soft on the eyes. Me thinks he should come around here a lot more…
I think nasty thoughts about some of the cute doctors who come through the clinic. Too Bad he’s straight and has a wife! Damn those straight men… They were all into a huge discussion about Battle Star Galactica, too bad I’m not a watcher…
Oh well, you win some and you loose some…
The importance of Integrity
In the world of Gay and the world of HIV and AIDS, I have my judgments of those who the world calls on to comment and dictate the gospel of all that is gay and who we will listen to as the voice that can best represent the world of HIV and AIDS.
I have been at this fight for over a decade. And I have listened to people talk and share their point of view and their perspective on the disease. The men I listened to when I was diagnosed are all dead now. Those men who spoke with integrity and respect and honor. Which is why today I have made my position loud and clear.
When it comes to spokes-persons in the world of AIDS and HIV, I count myself among the number of Long Term Non-Progressors. Those men who have defied the odds and are still alive after the 80′s and 90′s. In particular, writers of today’s social gospel on AIDS and HIV are few and far between. And I do not prescribe to the social gospel of people like Andrew Sullivan.
I have listened to him speak on a number of topics and at events over the years since my diagnosis, and you know what, I have little respect for some of my brethren, because they sold out to the establishment. They pandered to the ‘right’ and the conservative base, which just makes me utterly ill.
There are those who stayed in the trenches and worked our asses off, for what? We educated and cared for thousands on our own. And what did we get for our efforts? Not one god damned thing. Yet, the world, in all its wisdom crowned the men who would be the spokespersons for a generation of men. I don’t write to hear myself write. I have documented a generation of AIDS in my own way and nobody tends to give a shit about the trench writers. But they can surely glorify the fatted calf.
I caution my readers on just who they put their trust in when it comes to certain subjects. There are some who did the dirty work while others wrote about love, and sex, and politics and themselves! One must consider the source for ones respect and see if the body of work testifies to the men we have become.
Nobody speaks for me in this world, and surely not Andrew Sullivan. Nobody can tell my story or speak for me unless they know the intimate details of the last 14 years. While some gay men climbed the ladder in status and arrogance, some of us remained in the trenches testing medications, educating the masses of gay boys coming through the ranks. I may not have a P.H.D. Yet, but I am well on my way. I have little respect for certain gay folk who think they are the pulse of the “POLIS.”
Nobody wanted to hear what the rest of us were saying, but the publishing world and the world of HIV magazines and educational systems made their choices long ago, and turned a blind eye to the rest of us who were the real “guinea pigs” of the AIDS research arms.
Nobody stopped to think about the people who were in the trenches while the others looked down their noses at us and said “oh, poor you!” We don’t have any need to hear from you because you don’t fit the mold. You are not “one of us.”
I remember when I was diagnosed the ways AIDS patients were portrayed as sickly and dying, those of us suffering unspeakable illnesses and side effects of such massive amounts of medications on an hourly basis for years. I wrote for a popular magazine who asked me to contribute and when I did, my articles never made it to print, but my knowledge was used in lieu of other writers who decided to capitalize on what the rest of us were doing.
The a backlash occurred and the dying were starting to live and we cried out for new representation. The dramatic dying and sickly visuals were getting old and tired as drugs were produced that started working. And the writers of the age were ensconced in their ivory towers the “Idols” of the AIDS fight. Those lofty queers who would be the speakers of us all. What an insult to those who knew the fight the worst. Then like the sun rising on a new day, people with AIDS and HIV were buff, and lofty, and we were alive and brilliantly airbrushed climbing mountains and scaling sky scrapers and doing things that people with AIDS would or could never dream of doing before.
Print media caved to the changing of the times. Some encouraged this move, others were not so accommodating to the way we were now represented. It was now popular to have AIDS and be mobile and active, this new lofty goal was unattainable for most, because they were so deathly ill. Then again, some of us rose to the challenge, to get better and start climbing mountains.
We weren’t sick at home with explosive diarrhea and AIDS related side effects and infections that kept us bedridden for weeks at a time. Once again I was asked to write for a particular AIDS magazine and I did. But my words never made it to print because I was not AIDS royalty like some had been made and it is those people who sit in positions of esteem today. Writers like me never got to speak for the generation we were part of.
Some writers never made it out of the so called “writers darkness.” But some did, because of politics and good breeding and also, the writers who were part of the influential gospel of AIDS lived in the Big City of New York. The Capitol of Suffering, second only to San Francisco.
Writers who lived at other points of the compass were ignored. Our stories were not that important to tell because, let’s face it, gay men in San Francisco and New York suffered more than the rest of us. So they must be given wide berth to pontificate and expectorate on the world stage. 14 years later, and the AIDS organizations I have attempted to become part of don’t want to hear what I have to say. They tell me I am uneducated and that I could not possibly know all that I have spoken about here and to many in the field.
Which brings me to the issues of self respect, dignity and integrity. The stories of AIDS crossed the country from East to West, North and South. Why the world sees fit to place all their eggs in one basket, worshiping at the feet of the fatted calf is beyond me. Nobody cared to collect ‘our’ wisdom and give credit where credit were due. We, the people with AIDS that lived outside the “POLIS” of the AIDS experience were just numbers, statistics for that matter. None of us held any positions as advisors or speakers for our “POLIS.”
I contend that there are millions of stories and people who did not get fame and fortune from the word Go! like some because of “location and who that person knew in the fight against AIDS.” It was who you knew and what you had and where you lived that produced for anyone with a voice to get noticed. I’m not jealous one bit of notoriety, I could care less. I just know, from where many of today’s commentators came from.
The audacity that some speak in the name of all of us as the voice of AIDS, makes me sick. What do you know about my experience, OUR experience? Like the writers of today came to us and said, “tell me your story so that I might know you” that never happened. And until it does, I will never subscribe to any queer who thinks that they represent me on the world AIDS stage.
Who you are in the fight against AIDS is deemed by where you lived when it all happened, who you knew in the social AIDS arena, and what godless acts you performed while you were out there. The elders of the fight against AIDS are rolling in their graves, because some, not unlike myself, made a promise to those men that we would tell our stories and speak up for those who went unnoticed. Paul Monette was one of those men. He is the man that spoke to me when I was diagnosed. Nobody from the outside world came to my community – we took care of our own in silence. Most of those boys and men are dead now, and I keep their memory alive here on this blog and in my writing.
The world of AIDS is so political and the men who think they speak for the rest of us are so far up the asses of social politics that they stink. When the world realizes that there are many more voices to consult and to listen to and respect, then things will change. But as I see it and as I saw it, some of us will never be given the same respect and voice that some did by virtue of personal relationships and location.
It just makes me sick to know the real truth behind the AIDS dynasty of kings and queens and who the world places their trust in as sainted advisors for the world of those people living with, and for some still surviving with AIDS and HIV. I just don’t get into the pomposity of some writers – and the arrogance of some people who take liberty to even ponder and say the words “I speak for people with AIDS!”
Remember the men and boys who suffered and died this Holy Week and pray for their souls. They did not die in vain. Until I take my last dying breath I will stand on my soapbox and preach, because I know the truth because I lived it. I know how it went down and who was brought onto the train of trusted advisors and why.
They teach us in the program that it is people before personalities. Sometimes I beg to differ. I am not resentful or arrogant, I have written from the most honest place in my heart. The story of AIDS in my life is horrid, painful and pitiful at times. I have seen some pretty fucked up shit in my life. And I know how regular people treated those of us who were sick. How families turned on each other. How Gay Men treated their own, their lovers and their friends. Gay men turned on Gay men because they were sick. And those in ‘writing power’ refused to tell that side of the story because gay men would never abandon their own, would they? You bet your ass they did…
Look at the past – those who have been the voices of the “POLIS” over the last 15 years and tell me that they have given fair and balanced writing of the events as they unfolded from MANY perspectives and from MANY locations. If you did not live in New York City or San Francisco during the 80′s and 90′s nothing you did, said or wrote about was ever reported.
I just do not have a stomach for the pomposity, prejudice and politicking that is the backbone of some writers. I am not a Republican and I do not identify with my brethren in the Republican crib. I don’t support many writers of today because of what they represented to us all over the world. Ignorance, Stupidity, Arrogance and Pompous attitudes, like they owned the corner market on the AIDS experience.
I know from patient Zero, the French flight attendant, because my doctor today treated him. Now that man takes care of me. It took me years to convince him to step outside the box of medical and to consider the spiritual, and I live to tell that story. And I know the history because he shared that history with me. It took me leaving the U.S. to find my place and my voice. And here I am sharing with you some truth. Now what will you do with it?
Who is it that you would want to speak on your behalf?
Nobody speaks for me Politically, Medically, Socially or Religiously.
And you never will.
You can take this to the bank.
Canadian dies on Kilimanjaro
Globe and Mail National Online
Canadian Press
OTTAWA — CARE Canada says a volunteer died during a fundraising climb on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
The agency says Marcel Bujold, 65, of Carleton, Quebec, died Thursday as he was being evacuated from the mountain due to illness.
A. John Watson, the president and C-E-O of CARE Canada, said they are devastated by the news.
Andrea Lanthier-Seymour, a CARE Canada spokeswoman, said after suffering some distress Wednesday, Mr. Bujold was provided oxygen and was accompanied by one medically trained guide and four porters to return to the base of the mountain.
Marcel Bujold, 65, of Carleton, Que., died Thursday as he was being evacuated from Kilimanjaro due to illness. (CARE Canada)
Internet Links
But his condition deteriorated, and hours into the evacuation he died.
Former deputy prime minister John Manley, who is participating in the climb, said on his Globe and Mail blog Saturday the news of Mr. Bujold’s death was devastating for everyone involved in the climb. Mr. Bujold was climbing with a separate group from Mr. Manley’s when he fell ill.
“At this time, I still don’t know what was the cause of death nor whether it was mountain or atmosphere related. It was devastating news for everyone involved in the climb,” Mr. Manley wrote.
“We developed a plan to try to help as much as possible Marcel’s wife, Pauline, who was climbing with him. I contacted the Canadian High Commission in Dar el Salaam, which immediately began to take action to assist her by sending a consular officer to Moshi the next morning,” he wrote.
“Early next morning (we were wakened at 5) we informed the climbers of Paul’s departure, and of the sad event in the other group. Few in our group knew Marcel but one who did said that he loved mountains, he was deeply involved in CARE, and that this was to be the climb of his life. Many tears were shed, and we all resolved to carry on, dedicating our climb to Marcel’s memory.”
Four climbers returned to the base to be with Pauline Bujold.
Ms. Lanthier-Seymour said the climb up Africa’s highest peak – at 5,895 metres – is not complicated technically, but is at a very high altitude and “people respond to high altitudes differently.”
She said people on the climb told the agency Mr. Bujold was fit, and that people as old as 80 have taken part in such climbs.
An autopsy will determine the cause of death.
Relatives of C. difficile victims tell Quebec inquest hospital hygiene lacked
LIA LEVESQUE
ST-HYACINTHE, Que. (CP) – Relatives of four people who died in a C. difficile outbreak at a St-Hyacinthe hospital choked back tears Wednesday as they told a coroner how their in-laws were cared for in unsanitary conditions.
Hygiene and cleanliness seemed absent at the Honore-Mercier hospital when their relatives were patients, said the relative of one of the 16 patients who died in the hospital between May and November 2006.
“There was urine on the floor,” said Pierre Leclerc, husband of Marie-Andree Dorion, 59, who died Sept. 25.
His wife had been admitted to hospital for another illness but had contracted diarrhea connected with C. difficile.
Leclerc said he saw few precautions other than wearing a smock and gloves and safety measures were not carefully followed.
He said he saw dust under his wife’s bed as well as Kleenex.
Leclerc blamed hospital administration.
“There are lots of people on top but not many working, too many chiefs,” he said.
Richard Gravel, a truck driver who lost his 74-year-old father to cancer on Nov. 5, had to fight back tears as he testified.
“I transport pigs in pigstyes and there are standards of cleanliness that you do not see in certain hospitals,” he said.
He blamed the workload of the staff and their lack of precautions.
“My father was confused,” he said, adding that the elderly man’s gown was soiled. “He had some on his hands, it was everywhere. The toilet was full of excrement. It’s not magic.
“There were failures, negligence,” he said, his anger still apparent. “People should do their jobs.”
Relatives of other patients continued the litany of complaints.
Coroner Catherine Rudel-Tessier told journalists afterward that hearing from the families of the victims is as important for them as it is for her investigation.
“It is to make some things comprehensible for the families,” she said. “It adds a human dimension to all that the hospital administrators have told us.”
Hospital officials have said that they were surprised to learn there were gaps in their disinfection procedures.
C. difficile is a common infection in hospitals but can be especially deadly to people weakened by illness. It has caused an estimated 2,000 deaths in Quebec since 2003.
Earlier in the day, Dr. Marie Gourdeau, a Quebec microbiologist, said there should be an information campaign on ways to fight C. difficile and more funds available in a crisis for things such as faster lab tests.
Rudel-Tessier is expected to make her report in the fall.
