World AIDS Day finally has the anthem the pandemic has been calling out for
In the upcoming season of “Merce,” the lovebirds consider what a cure would mean. In a romantic gesture that would make any person living with HIV swoon, Merce’s boyfriend assures him that his love will be the cure.
Monthly Archives: December 2017
Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Charged with Lying to FBI
Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Charged with Lying to FBI
Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has been charged with making false statements to the FBI.
Flynn is scheduled to appear at the federal court in Washington at 10:30 am where he is expected to make a guilty plea.
Read the charges HERE.
Developing (refresh for updates)…
The post Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Charged with Lying to FBI appeared first on Towleroad.
Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Pleads Guilty to Lying to FBI: Updates
Apple And Stanford University Launch Heart Study On Apple Watch
Apple And Stanford University Launch Heart Study On Apple Watch
Apple has today launched a major health experiment called the Apple Heart Study.
In a partnership with Stanford University School of Medicine, the study uses the heart rate sensor on the Apple Watch to collect heart rate data and in turn better understand the condition of an irregular heart beat.
One such example of this is AFib, a condition that affects potentially tens of millions of people and can lead to blood clots or even heart failure.
The problem is that for many, the symptoms needed to diagnose it go completely unnoticed.
This is where Apple comes in. Millions of people now have a pretty accurate heart rate sensor on their wrists in the form of an Apple Watch.
Using the data anonymously collected by the heart rate sensor, researchers at Stanford are hoping to not only better understand irregular heart rates but even potentially reach a stage where gadgets like the Apple Watch can predict if they’ll lead to something more serious.
The study is currently only available in the US and includes a dedicated app that once installed will not only send data anonymously to Stanford but will also notify the participant if it detects an irregular heart beat.
Once notified they’ll also get a free video consultation with one of the study’s medical professionals through the app.
If further study is needed they could then send the user a BioTelemetry electrocardiogram (ECG) patch which would then need to be worn for seven days and can then be used for further diagnosis.
The study is the latest example of a series of tools that Apple calls HealthKit and ResearchKit.
While HealthKit stores all the health data that it collects, ResearchKit then allows universities to create apps that can then collect and analyse that data anonymously through Apple.
There have been a number of studies so far ranging from tackling dementia to helping people handle the stress of having a cancer diagnosis.
101 Faces of AIDS at the Start of an Epidemic
101 Faces of AIDS at the Start of an Epidemic
www.advocate.com/photography/2017/12/01/101-faces-aids-start-epidemic
Festive Nostalgia: A 90’s Christmas From Inside My Childhood Terraced House
Festive Nostalgia: A 90’s Christmas From Inside My Childhood Terraced House
Everybody loves a little nostalgia every so often, so what better time than to reminisce about Christmas time as a kid during the 90’s. Yes the 90’s. A time of Take That, Penguin Bars and glow-in-the-dark Ghostbuster pyjamas.
I am a father to a daughter and I must say I have started to feel the excitement toward the festive season once more. Not since I received a Turtle Blimp in ’93 have I felt so positive about Christmas.
Let’s rewind to the 90’s, inside my working-class household.
The build up to the big day was a casual affair. We never ventured out to cut a fresh Christmas tree – instead, we had a damp, heartless, fake one which lived in a place where children were never allowed to go – the loft. A dark, dingy place which was only opened twice per year.
Decoration Day was so exciting. Our whole lives would stop. My parents insisted on keeping to the Never-Putting-The-Decorations-Up-Earlier-Than-Two-Weeks-Before-Christmas-Day routine. Ahhh, the smell of damp boxes and 17-year-old tinsel was bliss. A true Christmas sense.
Dad would use the classic gold pins to place the decorations on the ceiling. Mum would annoy him by telling him they looked skewwhiff. Mum took on the role to project manage the tree. Tinsel, baubles and of course chocolates! I would mischievously pinch a cheeky chocolate when Mum and Dad were in the dining room squabbling over whether there was a need for a table decoration.
Tinsel galore. Lots of sparkles and colours. Our house resembled an Indian curry house with a bulky television.
To continue the magical build-up, it was now time to visit the great fella himself. Namely Father Christmas. We would be taken to some far-flung destination ― namely our local shopping centre to visit the bearded bloke. I don’t remember too much of these encounters. Probably scientific proof that meeting a strange man with a white beard is a truly frightening experience. What I do remember were the pathetic gifts you used to receive from the elf once the visit was over. I didn’t even ask for marbles.
Christmas Eve Antics
Christmas eve approached incredibly swiftly; excitement builds dramatically on this day. I can’t recall too many times during my life where I have felt true excitement. Probably a realisation to myself that I lead an incredibly dull life, then.
Mum would put out some Christmas Eve nibbles – usually some Quality Streets, some cheese footballs, cheeselets, dry-roasted peanuts and some more cheese footballs.
Dedicated sacks for presents were put out for all four of us siblings. Big brother must’ve known that Father Christmas was as real as wrestling. Smug. Names on sacks and an allocated area for each sibling was granted. Mine was always nearest the tree (morning chocolate).
Bed time was imminent – semi-skimmed milk, a mince pie from Kwik-Save and a carrot were left out for Santa as reward for giving us presents. Classic Father Christmas cuisine. He knew where he stood with our family. No mucking about with gluten-free sandwiches or protein shakes.
No Sleep
Sweat built and a peculiar realisation sunk in that a person dressed in a suit would enter our house via a chimney we didn’t have. Footsteps were heard. That sounded like dad falling up the stairs. Need to hide under my Attack of the Killer Tomatoes duvet cover.
I remember needing a piss during the night, but being too afraid to venture on to the landing and in to the bathroom. Terrifying. What if he saw me? Big brother was probably fast asleep looking forward to opening his requested Hi-Tec jumper.
He’s Been!
Christmas morning finally arrived. You awaken from a semi-deep sleep and realise it is the day you have been waiting for. You know it is Christmas morning because it is 4:09am. You wander in to the parent’s bedroom; they are fast asleep dreaming about cooking the turkey and washing sprouts.
I remember wandering downstairs on my own to see whether he “had been”. Sounds like I was looking for him to have done a poo somewhere in the house. Unsurprisingly, he “had been”. Off I ran up the stairs to inform the parents. “He’s been”, I would announce. No positive response from them, other than, “What time is it”?
C’mon parents, get in to the spirit of Christmas ― doesn’t a turkey need basting you lazy b******s.
I didn’t say that.
Siblings would also be awake and off we all went down the stairs. I ran of course, and skidded over the living room carpet in complete joy. What a life!
You asked your parents for permission to begin the process of opening the sack-full of presents. You knew which one was the ‘main’ one. It was obvious. You begun by opening the boring ones. The socks; the felt tips and a dairy milk selection box. Slowly you worked your way up in order of amazingness (is that a word?). Next up was the inevitable calendar ― usually a WWF Wrestling one. Out came the middle-of-the-road ones such as the Golden Axe video-game for the Mega-drive. A good, solid present.
Next up was Rocksteady and Beepop figurines from the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. Another decent, well respected present. Thanks parents. Respect.
Now for the main event. Here it comes. It’s big, it is wrapped impeccably well. You have waited many weeks for this moment. And it is finally here. THE MEGAZORD. Yes, the Megazord is now firmly in your hands. You saw them inside their boxes in Gamleys, in Toystack and in Woolworths for many months preceding this very moment. And now it is in your living room. In case you were wondering, the toy in question was from Power Rangers. All the Rangers would morph and become one giant beast to defeat evil. So happy.
Dad would suddenly blare out all the Christmas tunes from the state-of-the-art cassette player ― probably Shaking Stevens. “Snow is falling…All Around me…Children singing…Having fun”.
And Christmas had begun!
HRC Observes World AIDS Day With Our Global Innovators and Fellows
HRC Observes World AIDS Day With Our Global Innovators and Fellows
Today, December 1, HRC commemorates the 30th observance of World AIDS Day. Each year, millions around the world remember those we’ve lost to HIV and AIDS and recommit ourselves to ending the epidemic.
According to UNAIDS, there were approximately 1.8 million individuals newly diagnosed with HIV globally in 2016. In an update to its 90-90-90 goals for 2020, UNAIDS reported that only 70 percent of people living with HIV globally have been diagnosed as of 2016. These statistics highlight the need for more accessible HIV programs and services, particularly in developing countries with limited medical resources.
“On World AIDS Day, we pause to remember those we have lost to AIDS-related illness, and recommit ourselves to ending the HIV epidemic and combating HIV-related stigma,” said Peter Cruz, Associate Director of the HIV and Health Equity Program. “We must keep fighting back against the continued attacks by Donald Trump and Republican leadership on the Affordable Care Act and critical HIV and AIDS programs. Today and every day, HRC stands united against attempts to roll back our progress and believes we must do everything in our power to accelerate the pace of progress toward an AIDS-free generation.”
To mark World AIDS Day, HRC recognizes a few of our Global Innovators and Global Fellows who are working tirelessly on behalf of individuals living with and affected by HIV in their countries.
Manisha Dhakal, Blue Diamond Society, Nepal (HRC Global Innovator)
“HIV and AIDS service interruption because of funding gaps was the biggest challenge that we face. Because of these gaps, it is difficult to access condoms, lubricants, and testing services for gay men and transgender people.”
My Call-to-Action:
“There should be an enabling environment that helps people access services. Enabling environment means sensitizing service providers and supporting legal provisions for the most at-risk populations so that they can access those services easily. Let’s work together to end discrimination and stigma to create an enabling environment with a rights-based approach.”
Ryan Law, Zhitong Guangzhou LGBT Center, China (HRC Global Fellow)
“People living with HIV and AIDS are still facing huge stigma and big challenges in terms of getting medical care and equal worker’s rights. We have been doing a lot of work to tackle this issue, like HIV prevention outreach education within the community, working with hospitals to offer better testing services and non-discriminatory and professional treatment to individuals living HIV and AIDS, and building a platform for people living with HIV to come together and support themselves. We are making progress. Earlier this year, we won the first case ever forbidding workplace discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS.”
My Call-to-Action:
“I think we should push for access to PrEP, because it is an effective way to stop new infections. Unfortunately, we don’t have it [in China]. One of the biggest reasons new infection rates are going up is because we lack proper sex education; if you don’t talk about sex, then you can not talk about sexual health, and that leads to unhealthy behavior. That is why we need to push our educational system to have better sexuality education.”
Diego Leo Mora, HIV en los medios, Colombia (HRC Global Fellow)
“The biggest challenge facing people with HIV and AIDS in Latin America is the stigma and discrimination that they are exposed to due to ignorance of the epidemic. Unfortunately in this region, people are not very proactive when researching HIV and prefer to have actions that are a consequence of what is heard from voice to voice, which implies a lot of barriers that affect the quality of life of people living with the virus, including access to health services, work, education and the treatment of society in general.”
My Call-to-Action:
“We must be multipliers and generators of new HIV information, where we can encourage the use of good language and good practices to end the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. It is necessary to ally with different stakeholders in society. We are all political agents and from our own homes and friends we can begin to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV and AIDS.”
Alexis Nizigiyimana, Village Health Action, Burundi
“My entire work is focusing on advocacy and HIV prevention and management among key populations (people who inject drugs, sex workers and LGBT) through Village Health Action that I founded in Burundi. Through my work, I realized that there is an increased prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis B & C. The main challenges are criminalization of the LGBT community in Burundi, impeding them from accessing health care services. Most importantly, a law which forbids the provision of opioid substance therapy and needle syringe exchange programs for people who inject drugs led to an increase in HIV and Hepatitis B & C transmission.”
My Call-to-Action:
“Advocate at the local and global level for improved access to health care as a human right for key populations. Also, increasing financial support to organizations that provide health care services and advocacy to these populations. Lastly, influence policy makers to abolish these discriminatory laws.”
Confessions of a Not-So-Newly HIV-Positive 30-Something
Confessions of a Not-So-Newly HIV-Positive 30-Something
Tyler Curry has a message for all those living in the HIV closet.
www.advocate.com/commentary/2017/12/01/confessions-not-so-newly-hiv-positive-30-something
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The Waugh Zone Friday December 1, 2017
The Waugh Zone Friday December 1, 2017
1. GREEN FINGERED
Exactly two years ago today, when Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership was in its infancy, one Labour MP summed up his party’s mood with this immortal line: “Every day is like opening an advent calendar of shit”. As Theresa May plans her own countdown to Christmas, she faces not just Brexit hurdles but also the threat of yet another Cabinet resignation.
Yes, today’s political advent calendar contains an unwelcome present: a former police detective claims Damian Green viewed “thousands” of pornographic images on a desktop computer in his Parliamentary office. Neil Lewis, who has not spoken publicly before, told the BBC he had examined the computer during a 2008 inquiry into government leaks and was “in no doubt whatsoever” that Green had accessed legal pornography “extensively”.
A friend of Green’s told me this morning that he was “gobsmacked” by the new allegations, adding that it was “ridiculous” to suggest he had enough spare time on his hands to spend hours viewing porn. Green has put out at statement denying the claims. Andrew Mitchell, who himself had a run-in with the cops over Plebgate, told Today that Green had assured him he was telling the truth “that’s good enough and I believe him”. Yet ex-cop Lewis said: “In between browsing pornography, he was sending emails from his account, his personal account, reading documents… it was ridiculous to suggest anybody else could have done it.”
Will Sue Gray, the ‘Propriety and Ethics’ chief at the Cabinet Office and the lead investigator into claims of Green’s inappropriate conduct, accept his word too? The Sun cites sources saying Gray’s report will be ‘damning’ and Green will face serious criticism, not least for the way he publicly responded to the claims (fellow MPs were struck by the way he amended his denials). Even today, the Green defence seems an odd one, with allies stressing that the porn ‘legal’. It’s unclear if Green broke the ministerial code, yet even if he hasn’t, will Theresa May still stand by her old friend and deputy if he’s not been fully honest? Downing Street keeps telling us the inquiry process is “not complete” but sources tell me the report is already finished. It’s extraordinary that Gray didn’t contact Lewis to hear his version of events. Surely she has to call him in and the report has to make a judgement call on whether Green or Lewis is telling the truth? Remember, no criminal burden of proof is needed, just a balance of probabilities.
The really worrying element in this saga is the suggestion that we won’t get to see Sue Gray’s report, even in redacted form. There appears to be no justification whatsoever for that. Indeed, few in Whitehall see Gray herself as independent, given she is a Cabinet Office official in the very department whose Secretary of State is under investigation. No.10 refuses to say whether the official ‘independent advisor’ on the ministerial code, Sir Alex Allen, has been involved. May was strong enough to stand up to Trump this week, but is she strong enough to ask her former Oxford friend to quit? If he’s criticised in any way by the Gray report, surely he will have failed Michael Fallon’s test of not meeting the high standards of office expected of a Cabinet minister?
2. BANKER BASH
Jeremy Corbyn is certainly in confident mood. Days after a merchant bank suggested he was a bigger threat to UK business than Brexit, the Labour leader put out a video hitting back hard. “When bankers like Morgan Stanley say we’re a threat, they’re right. The next Labour Government is a threat to a damaging and failed system that’s rigged for the few.” The clip, put out by his net-savvy social media team, had lots of shares. It’s a reminder that for many of the public, ‘bankers’ are the enemy and seen as untouched by the financial crisis that millions are still living with. The FT splashes with the story, showing Team Jez can make an impact in print as well as online.
And Corbyn’s confidence was further underlined with GQ making him their cover star yesterday, complete with him wearing a smart suit (an affordable Marks & Spencer one, not Savile Row). The transformation from shell-suit wearing pensioner to PM-in-waiting was noted by many. But GQ editor Dylan Jones decided to go on the Today programme to plug his exclusive. He proceeded to claim that Corbyn’s team didn’t know that he would need a cover photo shoot and “would need to be presentable and he couldn’t just turn up in his anorak.” “It was almost like he was being pushed around like a grandpa for the family Christmas photograph. He wasn’t particularly aware of what was going on.”
Jones added that Corbyn refused to be interviewed by Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former press man who does GQ’s major political interviews. Instead interviewer Stuart McGork was deployed and went to interview Corbyn as “something of a fan” but was “quite quickly disillusioned”. Corbyn apparently couldn’t name any business advisors, or a book or film he had read (the middle one is particularly odd as Corbyn is an avid reader). But Jones is himself notorious for having been a fan of David Cameron, even co-authoring a much-ridiculed book with the former Tory leader. Worse still, older hands remember Jones had backed David Davis when it looked like he was winning the Tory leadership. Expect all that to be dragged up today.
3. SPECIAL SCHOOLED
As she repeated her spokesman’s line that Donald Trump had been ‘wrong’ to retweet far-right racists, Theresa May yesterday was extremely careful not to depart from her script. Looking down repeatedly at her text, her answer to journo questions in Jordan was designed to send out the message the President had crossed a line, yet also to insist that nothing would weaken the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US. As we discuss in our podcast this week, May won some early concessions from Trump on defending Nato and not ending Russian sanctions. If she can steer him away from tearing up the Iran nuclear deal and pulling out of the climate change accord, for many ministers that really would prove it’s worth holding his hand.
Which is why the invitation for a State Visit (a hastily-arranged stunt that is being blamed on former chiefs Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy) remains such an albatross. Several ministers think a full Royal-carriage-down-the-Mall visit has been shelved indefinitely and a downgraded ‘working visit’ is more likely next year instead. This alternative trip, to open the new US embassy in Battersea, has been put back to February. Justice Minister Sam Gyimah was brave enough to speak out on Question Time last night to say (three times) that he was “personally deeply uncomfortable” about a full State Visit. “He [Trump] is deliberately divisive, and this would be divisive at a time that we are trying to unite our country,” Gyimah said. Two former UK ambassadors to Washington tell HuffPost the invitation won’t be withdrawn as that would be a step too far.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have genuinely Anglo-American ‘special relationship’, but Whitehall is relieved protocol means Trump won’t get an invite (Obama didn’t attend William and Kate’s wedding, and Reagan didn’t attend Charles and Diana’s). Still, there’s talk of the Obamas being invited to Windsor Castle for the big day, which could send Trump into a fresh Twitter fit of jealousy. Tory MP Gary Streeter (whose Twitter game is rather excellent) spoke for many of his colleagues when he tweeted yesterday “#only3moreyears”. If Trump is re-elected, the State Visit will be difficult to avoid. Mind you, if Trump is re-elected, the world will have a lot more on its plate than worries about him getting a Royal red carpet.
BECAUSE YOU’VE READ THIS FAR…
Watch Fort Worth police department hire Chewbacca as their ‘rookie’ ‘Wookie’.
4. RATION WAGON
The Budget was nine long days ago, but the backlash continues in earnest today after NHS chief Simon Stevens spelled out the rationing of healthcare that would be needed because he didn’t get the £4bn increase he wanted. Lots of papers carry the story, but the Mail splashes its front page with it (providing yet another prop Stevens can wave in front of MPs, perhaps).
Stevens said ripped up waiting-time targets for routine surgery, declaring that cancer, mental health and GP care should take priority. Patients will be told to stop expecting the NHS to treat coughs, indigestion and other minor conditions, and instead of getting prescriptions they will have to buy medicines over the counter. Some ministers think Stevens is ‘grandstanding’ but he can inflict significant political damage. Perhaps most worrying was his warning that new guidance issued by NICE could not be implemented next year unless funding is agreed in advance – a decision that could affect treatments for sight and hearing loss and arthritis and dementia care.
5. IRISH STEW
The DUP gave the Government a strong reminder yesterday that Theresa May is only propped up in power thanks to their 10 MPs. After an emergency meeting with the PM’s chief of staff at No.10, the DUP’s Sammy Wilson said: “If there is any hint that, in order to placate Dublin and the EU they’re prepared to have Northern Ireland treated differently than the rest of the UK, then they can’t rely on our vote”. Given that many people expect the only way to avoid a ‘hard border’ is indeed to treat the province as a special case, Wilson’s warning is a problem.
The Commons Brexit Select Committee has a new report which concludes that a return of customs checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic now seems inevitable. But four Tory members of the committee (and Sammy Wilson) have refused to endorse the report. Irish PM Leo Varadkar meets Donald Tusk today and the race is on to sort the issue before May meets Juncker on Monday. But the DUP warning suggests a form of words will have to be found that fudges or at least parks the issue to allow a breakthrough at the December EU summit. Finding the exact diplomatic wording to satisfy all sides will require real finesse. Speaking of Brexit, ‘Remainer rebel’ Nicky Morgan tells The House Magazine: “One person’s rebel, is another person’s freedom fighter”.
COMMONS PEOPLE
Our latest CommonsPeople podcast is out. Hear us chinwag about Trump-May relations, Brexit breakthroughs and where deputy PMQs left Damian Green (him again) and Emily Thornberry’s political futures. Oh, and there’s quiz about who the Queen has hosted for State Visits. Listen HERE on iTunes and HERE on Audiboom.
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Got something you want to share? Please send any stories/tips/quotes/pix/plugs/gossip to Paul Waugh, Ned Simons, Kate Forrester, Rachel Wearmouth and Owen Bennett.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-waugh-zone-friday-december-1-2017_uk_5a212f50e4b03c44072ca07b
A Little of What you Fancy Does You Good
A Little of What you Fancy Does You Good
Julie Bracken posted a photo:
I never was a one to go and stint myself
If I like a thing, I like it, that’s enough
But there’s lots of people say that if you like a thing a lot
It’ll grow on you and all that sort of stuff
Now I like my drop of stout as well as anyone
But a drop of stout‘s supposed to make you fat
And there’s many a lar-di-dar-di madam doesn’t dare to touch it
“Cos she mustn’t spoil her figure silly cat.
~An old 78rpm rendition by Marie Lloyd
Makeup and styling by the talented Kelayla of www.transvista.co.uk/
DSC09647
11 Nov 16
