ManAlive 07 Features Mark McLaurin

Mark Jason McLaurin is the Executive Director of the New York State Black Gay Network, the nation’s only staffed statewide policy and advocacy coalition dedicated to improving the overall health and wellbeing of black gay men.

He is one of the featured keynote speakers at ManAlive 07 - the annual Chicago gay men's health summit being held this Saturday, November 3, at the Center on Halsted.

Click here for more info and to register.

Mark has been working in the field of HIV/AIDS Prevention Policy for nearly ten years and serves on the Board of Directors of CHAMP (Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project), is a board officer of the National Black Gay Mens Advocacy Coalition and serves as Chairman of the Board of the House of Manolo Blahnik (an entity which seeks to target the ballroom community with effective HIV prevention messaging).

Mark is a graduate of the Catholic University of America, Human Rights Campaign’s Youth College for Campaign Training and the Black AIDS Institute’s African American HIV University. Previous stints include service as Policy Advisor to United States Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), Midwest Regional Director for National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities and Director of HIV Prevention Policy for Gay Men's Health Crisis.

He dedicates his work to the memory of countless loved ones gone much too soon.

Click here to read about the other keynote speaker, Tony Mills.

Sexy and erotic shave with a straight razor

Something to take your mind off the trials and tribulations of the world. And no, the shave does not go below the waist.

A world away?

AIDS / The impact of HIV from Congo to Canada

by Shawn Syms for Xtra.ca

"In the early days of the epidemic in North America, when only gay men and heroin addicts had HIV it was easy to shun people with the disease: these were marginalized groups, easily isolated."

-Stephanie Nolen in 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa

Zackie Achmat went from fighting apartheid to fighting for his life. After he tested positive the gay activist formed the Treatment Action Group in 1998 to demand affordable medication for three million people living with HIV in his country. Achmat announced he would "not take expensive treatment until all ordinary South Africans can get it on the public health system." He became a national hero.

Achmat is profiled in Stephanie Nolen's 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa. Nolen, who identifies as queer, is the Globe and Mail's Africa correspondent. She's written about AIDS since 2003. Her choice of 28 stories is symbolic, representing the estimated millions of Africans living with HIV.

A moving and intelligent book, 28's great strength is a freedom from moralism. In her introduction Nolen gives the most straightforward description I've read of how HIV operates in the body, how it's believed to have first manifested among humans and the trajectory of the virus across the continent and around the world.

Blaming others is a universal aspect of the response to HIV. In North America the onset of the epidemic among queers and IV drug users was interpreted as a morality play. Many of Nolen's interviewees express disbelief they could be touched by that "white man's disease," an export from America, which, at worst, was thought to affect prostitutes and the poor.

Read the rest.

More Hallo-Woofiness

[grrrr]

HalloWoof Wednesday

[boo]

Hey sexy! Have you registered for ManAlive 07 yet?

Chicago's very own gay men's health summit is
THIS SATURDAY.
Click here to register/learn more.

Obama is asked about Donnie McClurkin in Iowa

Click the pic for the YouTube vid and here what O had to say.

Read more on O and Donnie here.

Universal HIV Testing: Is it Enough?

There is an editorial, by M. Goicoechea and D.M. Smith, appearing in the most recent Clinical Infectious Diseases & commenting on the Keruly & Moore article (summarized in today’s Kaiser Daily AIDS report) on some people diagnosed with HIV presenting later for treatment.

Excerpted from the editorial:

“HIV disease is a disease of poverty. In the United States, HIV infection disproportionately affects uninsured, low-income persons, who constitute a vulnerable population that often has multiple health care needs…[F]indings suggest that ‘universal’ HIV testing also requires ‘universal’ health care for there to be a significant impact on diagnosing HIV infection at the earliest stage possible. … it is a shameful commentary on our own health care system that the average CD4 Tcell count before initiation of antiretroviral therapy in North America is similar to that of some underdeveloped countries in Africa.”

The editorial is here.

Clinton Signs Pledge To Commit To Fight Against HIV/AIDS

via today's Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS report

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, recently signed a pledge to commit to investing $50 billion by 2013 to fight HIV/AIDS domestically and worldwide, the New York Times reports. Clinton also plans to issue a formal policy on the disease, according to the Times (Seelye, "The Caucus," New York Times, 10/26).

The Global AIDS Alliance Fund and other groups have called on U.S. presidential candidates to sign the pledge, which asks candidates to commit $50 billion to HIV/AIDS efforts. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) was the first candidate to sign the pledge. On the groups' Web site -- 08stopaids.org -- there is a citizen's pledge that calls on voters to urge the next U.S. president to "create, support and fund a comprehensive plan to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic" (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/22).

According to the Times, ACT UP, an HIV/AIDS advocacy coalition, had been planning a demonstration on Tuesday in Philadelphia -- where the Democratic candidates are scheduled to participate in a debate -- to protest Clinton because she had not signed the pledge. Clinton signed the pledge shortly after being contacted by the Times. According to a statement from Clinton's campaign, she has "been working on a formal AIDS policy that she will be unveiling in the near future." The statement added that Clinton "already supports investing $50 billion over the next five years to fight global AIDS and advocates a comprehensive approach to fighting AIDS both here and abroad."

According to the Times, former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), both of whom are running for the Democratic presidential nomination, have not signed the pledge. Kaytee Riek -- a member of ACT UP and Health GAP, which is co-sponsoring the Tuesday demonstration -- said the demonstration originally had been directed toward Clinton rather than the other candidates because "she's the front-runner," even though she has had a "spectacular" record on HIV/AIDS policy. Riek added that because Clinton has signed the pledge, the focus of the demonstration likely will shift to encouraging all candidates to discuss HIV/AIDS during their campaigns.

Edwards was the first candidate to issue a comprehensive, $50 billion HIV/AIDS plan, the Times reports. Obama has said that if elected, he would increase foreign spending to $50 billion annually for several projects, including increased treatment access for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Obama in his "millennium development goals" said he would "dedicate as much funding to HIV/AIDS as possible ... to ensure a comprehensive fight against this global pandemic" ("The Caucus," New York Times, 10/26).

Quote Unquote - Perry Halkitis

You need to equip individuals to handle more complex decision-making rather than being expected to use a condom every time. That’s too simplistic.

It’s time to stop talking about negotiating safer sex and start talking about negotiating desire. We’re talking about emotions and feelings. How do you negotiate that desire to keep yourself safe?

- Perry Halkitis, NYU
Oct 18 New York Blade

New Site About Poppers

www.poppers.cfsites.org
is a new poppers info website.

It is a work in progress and has bibliographies of published research about poppers and immunosuppression, KS/HHV-8, HIV infection, and some links.

Check it out.

Gay Enclaves Face Prospect of Being Passé

This Halloween, the Glindas, gladiators and harem boys of the Castro — along with untold numbers who plan to dress up as Senator Larry E. Craig, this year’s camp celebrity — will be celebrating behind closed doors. The city’s most popular Halloween party, in America’s largest gay neighborhood, is canceled.

The once-exuberant street party, a symbol of sexual liberation since 1979 has in recent years become a Nightmare on Castro Street, drawing as many as 200,000 people, many of them costumeless outsiders, and there has been talk of moving it outside the district because of increasing violence. Last year, nine people were wounded when a gunman opened fire at the celebration.

For many in the Castro District, the cancellation is a blow that strikes at the heart of neighborhood identity, and it has brought soul-searching that goes beyond concerns about crime.

These are wrenching times for San Francisco’s historic gay village, with population shifts, booming development, and a waning sense of belonging that is also being felt in gay enclaves across the nation, from Key West, Fla., to West Hollywood, as they struggle to maintain cultural relevance in the face of gentrification.

There has been a notable shift of gravity from the Castro, with young gay men and lesbians fanning out into less-expensive neighborhoods like Mission Dolores and the Outer Sunset, and farther away to Marin and Alameda Counties, “mirroring national trends where you are seeing same-sex couples becoming less urban, even as the population become slightly more urban,” said Gary J. Gates, a demographer and senior research fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles.

At the same time, cities not widely considered gay meccas have seen a sharp increase in same-sex couples. Among them: Fort Worth; El Paso; Albuquerque; Louisville, Ky.; and Virginia Beach, according to census figures and extrapolations by Dr. Gates for The New York Times. “Twenty years ago, if you were gay and lived in rural Kansas, you went to San Francisco or New York,” he said. “Now you can just go to Kansas City.”

Read the rest in the New York Times.

And come back and tell us what you think. Are gay ghettos on the wane? Are they irrelevant? Do they still matter?

ManAlive 07 Features Tony Mills

Los Angeles-based physician Tony Mills is a leading clinician in the fields of men’s health and HIV disease and serves as the primary care provide for 1500 patients including over 700 living with HIV. He is one of the featured keynote speakers at ManAlive 07 - the annual Chicago gay men's health summit being held this Saturday, November 3, at the Center on Halsted.

Click here for more info and to register.

Tony is a member in many professional societies including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of HIV Medicine, Infectious Disease Society of America, American Society of Microbiology, the International AIDS Society and the HIV Medical Association. He is also a nationally recognized speaker on a variety of healthcare issues including HIV treatment and care, men’s health, substance abuse and addictive disease. He speaks to a wide range of audiences including physician groups, educational seminars, and community forums.

As an Editorial Advisory Board Member at Muscle and Fitness Magazine, Tony combines his own passion for health and physical fitness with his medical expertise to advise and educate competition athletes and fitness enthusiasts. And yes, he is also a HOT LEATHER DADDY. He won the title of International Mister Leather in 1998, is featured in the documentary "Beyond Vanilla" and is a cast member of Mr. Leather, a documentary that had a limited theater release in December 2006

Hello!

WANTED! Canuck Condom Testers for Durex

Not a bad way to win 1g

[click image and find out more]

"Kevin's Room - together " Premieres at Reeling November 12

Chicago Dept of Public Health
Office of LGBT Health & STD/HIV/AIDS Division
and Karl Productions
are proud to announce

the World Premiere

KEVIN’S ROOM together

Monday, November 12, 8:30 pm
Center on Halsted
at the REELING FILM FESTIVAL

See the 3rd of the Kevin’s room series


Buy Tickets online:
By phone (773) 293-1447
or at Chicago Filmmakers
5243 N. Clark St.

It began with the release of Kevin’s Room in 2001—a boldly innovative effort by the Chicago Department of Public Health’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health to address the crisis of HIV/AIDS in the African American gay community. The groundbreaking film introduced Kevin and his support group for men “in the life,” garnering national accolades for its realistic, positive portrayal of LGBT people of color and their allies. Kevin’s Room II: Trust (2003) reinforced this message of inclusion, tolerance and collective responsibility while tackling the related issues of monogamy, sexual boundaries, and the re-emergence of STDs.

Now, the story comes full circle in this third and final installment of the acclaimed series. While continuing to explore many of the issues raised in the first two films, Kevin’s Room: Together addresses new concerns reflected in today’s headlines – violence, sexual identity, spirituality – and the ways in which a community can help shape its own future. Consistent with this theme, the film broadens its focus, transcending sexual, gender-based and racial lines, suggesting that such problems must be met with a cohesive voice.

Click the trailer.

Click the website.

Reeling Film Festival Opens November 8 in Chicago

Reeling 2007 will present to Chicago 11 days of amazing films from over 28 countries. Compelling dramas, explosive documentaries, hilarious outrageous comedies... New films include ones from the directors who brought you "But I'm a Cheerleader", "Open Cam", "Unveiled", and "Slutty Summer", along with amazing new features by up-and-coming filmmakers. Gay celebrities will provide some sparkle as well, with confirmed stars such as RuPaul (superstar of Starrbooty) and Bruce Vilanch (writer of fabulous hit songs for Naked Boys Singing, as well as the directors and stars of many of the feature films and shorts.

"I am astounded..."

“I am astounded by those who believe hostility toward homosexuals and the denial of civil rights to them is not a civil rights issue. ... Gay and lesbian rights are not ‘special rights’ in any way. It isn’t ‘special’ to be free from discrimination – it is an ordinary, universal entitlement of citizenship. The right not to be discriminated against is a common-place claim we can expect to enjoy under our laws and our founding document, the Constitution. That many had to struggle to gain these rights makes them precious – it does not make them special, and it does not reserve them only for me or restrict them from others.”

Julian Bond, board chair of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, in a Sept. 18 letter to the organization’s chapter in Fort Lauderdale, which has an anti-gay mayor.

Gay Argentinian Tango - Augusto and Miguel

Gay Argentine Tango Augusto and Miguel recorded at
www.tangoindevon.co.uk event in Devon

"Oh Mother..."

Awkward 70's Film on Masturbation

Free and Easy

Subscribing to LifeLube is FREE and EASY. Just a click and you can enjoy this JUICY blog in a web reader of your choice, or delivered right to your box - FREE.



And EASY.

Obama Explains Why He's the Best Candidate for LGBT Americans

Read the interview with him in the Advocate.com here.

Excerpt:

"You’re talking to somebody who talked about gay Americans in his convention speech in 2004, who talked about them in his announcement speech for the president of the United States, who talks about gay Americans almost constantly in his stump speeches. If there’s somebody out there who’s been more consistent in including LGBT Americans in his or her vision of what America should be, then I would be interested in knowing who that person is."

Gay Sex Tips - What to do about the multitudes of bottoms

[Gay Sex Tips is great blog with lots of advice from other guys - not medicalized, just practical, based on real life, and from the, um, heart...]

Here is a sample question from a couple days ago:

"I consider myself to be a bottom, however, many of the boys who I find attractive and are attracted to me, are mainly bottoms themselves. I've tried to take on being more of a "versatile" sex partner. However, this has proved to be very difficult, as when I'm in a situation where I am going to penetrate whoever I am with, I lose my erection. I know I don't have an erection problem, I'm just trying to figure out why I can't get myself to top. I've always aimed to please - kind of like "Whatever makes him happy". Anyone out there who may be reading this have any experience with this? If so, did you find a solution?"

Click here to read the responses...

John Shaw Dancing with Erick Sweet

This is in memory of John, an amazing rectal microbicide advocate (among other things.) John is the one with short hair. Video shot at the Phallic/Image workshop facilitated by Keith Hennessy and Jack Davis, San Francisco, January 27, 1991.

xxoo John

“Ex-Gay” Donnie McClurkin is Not So “Ex-Gay”

[previous LifeLube post on this Obama drama here]

Donnie McClurkin, the African American gospel singer and so-called “ex-gay” is apparently not as “ex-gay” as he would have everyone believe. Blogger Clay Cane has an interview with a former bed buddy of McClurkin’s who says clearly that he had sex with McClurkin after McClurkin claimed to have prayed away the gay.



Read the rest on Bloggernista.


Read some interesting analysis on Rod 2.0

Nature setting lures controversy

Area's wooded terrain becomes contested ground for 2 groups at odds: Bird-watchers and gay men seeking sex.

Luis Munoz, an avid bird watcher of 12 years, has seen a remarkable range of rare winged creatures this fall migration season, including the Nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow and the red knot.

He also has come face to face with one species he hopes never to encounter again but knows he will: the Chicago cruiser.

As sure as Munoz and his fellow birders can find an array of lovely birds in the area's most densely wooded spots, they also routinely find men trolling for casual sex.

Read the rest in the Chicago Tribune.

Trailer - Bangkok Love Story - เพื่อน กูรักมึงวะ

Bangkok Love Story - Commentary

[via fridae]

Thailand has been producing gay-themed movies (often ladyboy or kathoey themed) at a surprising rate over the last few years. Doug Sanders looks at the current hit, Bangkok Love Story, and recent productions.

A three-story banner on the side of the great MBK mall in central Bangkok showed two shirtless men lounging together on a sofa. One has his arm around the other’s waist. His hand slips under the top of the other mans jeans. Man number two has a pistol in his hand.

The movie that was being advertised was Bangkok Love Story. The Thai language title, Puen Koo Rak Meung Wah, translates something like “Friends: I Fucking Love You,” a rather coarse expression of mateship (or more). The writer-director, Poj Arnon, insists that he had the idea for the story well before Brokeback Mountain.

Read the rest.

Friday is for Faeries 1, 2, 3

Woops!

Dearest LifeLube Readers ---

We had a few flubs yesterday, which have now been fixed. The broken links in the Prevention Justice Mobilization post have been repaired, and the date for the Manifest Love event in Chicago is Sunday, November 4. Clearly, Sunday, November 5 does not exist. The flier is incorrect, and the organizers have been notified. We will post a new flier when we receive one.

Thanks for letting us know!

MWAH

New! Prevention Justice Action Kit for World AIDS Day and More!

NEW
FROM THE COMMUNITY HIV/AIDS
MOBILIZATION PROJECT (CHAMP)

Because HIV is not just a disease....
It's proof positive of injustice!

The Prevention Justice Mobilization (PJM) is a series of HIV-prevention events and actions across the United States this fall. We are uniting to demand leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS and justice in prevention policies.

We are inviting you to participate in the PJM in three ways:

1. Endorse our statement of principles at www.PreventionJustice.org/endorse
2. Join us for events in Atlanta at the National HIV Prevention Conference,
   including a spirited Unity Rally on Tuesday, December 4 from 4:30 - 6 pm
3. Affiliate regional events with the Prevention Justice Mobilization at www.PreventionJustice.org/affiliate

And to help with that, we've got a great new tool on event planning and promoting Prevention Justice:

The World AIDS Day and Affiliated Events ACTION KIT

This 63-page new kit from CHAMP offers:

-- Specific information about the 2007 Prevention Justice Mobilization (PJM)
-- Frames and messages to communicate your prevention justice issues
-- Suggested events to further Prevention Justice, including World AIDS Day events
-- Tools and resources for various kinds of event planning, including:

• Skills-building sections on media and communications
• Tips for successful local events
• How to make signs and banners

Check it out to see what may be useful to you. Some sections may also be useful in the future for other kinds of event planning.

Click here to get the kit, or scroll down to learn more about affiliating events with the Prevention Justice Mobilization:

What does it mean to affiliate your event with the PJM?

--> Affiliated events will be listed on the PreventionJustice.org website, featured in our blog, and may be cited in our outreach to the media.

--> Affiliated events can be any size as long as they represent or embody the principles outlined in the Prevention Justice Endorsement Statement (available at www.PreventionJustice.org/endorse)

--> To affiliate your event with the Prevention Justice Mobilization, go to: www.PreventionJustice.org/affiliate

For any questions about the PJM, contact Jesse Ehrensaft-Hawley, CHAMP National Organizer at 212-937-7955 x70 or jesseeh@champnetwork.org

Remember, PJM events do not have to be big public gatherings. For instance:

--When it comes to building the movement for Prevention Justice, a brown-bag lunch discussion that gathers staff, clients, and/or volunteers to bring a personal perspective to the PJM principles (see below) can be a powerful way to build our unity.

-- A community dialogue between representatives of two different groups -- such as one that focuses on women and the other on gay men, or between an HIV/AIDS group and a social justice organization -- is an act of Prevention Justice and we'd love to know about it for our listings.

-- A November meeting with an editorial board at your local newspaper to broaden its coverage of World AIDS Day to integrate a Prevention Justice issue could be a great way to shape public consciousness about Prevention Justice.

-- Your group may be presenting a workshop or a poster or participating on a panel at the National HIV Prevention Conference that touches on an aspect of Prevention Justice. Please affiliate it with the PJM so that more people hear about it, read about it on the blog, and/or contact you for further information.

-- And a few people standing up from different corners of the room to ask a presidential candidate if he or she would lift the Federal funding ban on syringe exchange or insist on a national AIDS strategy that would confront the drastic differences in infection and survival rates of people of color is a powerful act that can help change our nation.

-- You may already have an event or ongoing activity that is suitable for PJM affiliation. Just let us know, and we will add it to the list. And let us know if you are having a Prevention Justice event even if you do not want it listed publicly - it helps us learn more about the diversity of this movement around the country.

Thank you for all your efforts for justice in the fight against HIV/AIDS

Read more on the controversial Prometa drug treatment and the fallout in Washington state

"Drug program leaves questions" via thenewstribune.com - Tacoma

"Pierce County Alliance officials on Wednesday responded to criticism of
a controversial, expensive drug treatment called Prometa, after an audit
released Tuesday found no evidence the treatment works."

Read the rest.

And read about a fall in Hythiam stock after the announcement yesterday on Motley Fool.

Here is that snip:

“Investors got blindsided this morning when tiny niche health-care services company Hythiam (Nasdaq: HYTM) plunged nearly 20%. The only news I could find for the plummet was that the Pierce County, Wash., council cut funding for the company's substance-abuse protocol Prometa. As a longtime holder of tiny drug developer Insmed (Nasdaq: INSM), I feel their pain.”

Is Swearing Good For You?

[via the Feast of Fools multi-award-winning podcast. LifeLuber Jim Pickett swore up a shite storm with these crazy boys last week... Click here to go right to the flippin' show.]

Nuttyfudgeskins! Freakin’ frackin’!

Corn sarn it! Like it or hate it, cursing may actually be good for you.

A recent study by a British University on 100 British and American people found that cursing actually can serve to relieve stress and allow groups of people to vent frustration and build stronger relationships, if done wisely. If not, you just sound like Alec Baldwin talking to his daughter on the phone, you little pig!

Professor Yehuda Baruch from the University of East Anglia who oversaw the study said: “Managers need to understand how their staff feel about swearing. The challenge is to master the art of knowing when to turn a blind eye.”

Fabulous! Podcasts, free of FCC regulations, may actually provide some health benefits to them by encouraging you to express yourself freely and openly.

On today’s show we exercise that right by talking to one of fabulous local friends, Jim Pickett, director of Advocacy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the Midwest’s largest AIDS advocacy group. Jim used to perform at the live shows back in the day (1999) and now works full time working to teach, preach and inform people about the pending issues that people living with HIV/AIDS face today.

Like P-Diddy says, “we all have AIDS.” If one of us has it it, everyone has it. So you owe it to yourself to get tested and find out more about this life threatening disease.

On the show with Owen Keehnan two weeks ago we were talking about “bareback” porn where the actors purposely do not use condoms. I made the comparison to other types of risky behavior that Hollywood used to portray often but doesn’t anymore and offered the perspective that perhaps one day the American porn industry won’t be making as much of this type of porn because audiences wont identify with it as much as they do today. One of our lovely listeners, Curtis pointed out that I might be wrong in making the comparison between smoking in film and condomless sex in film. He feels that perhaps the motivations are these types of behaviors is different. We ask Jim his thoughts on these subjexcts and invite you the listener to tell us what do you think?

Being diagnosed with HIV doesn’t mean the end of your life in any way. But it does mean you are now living with a disease, and you need to take good care of yourself. Understandably, there is a difficulty that people face when they are involved in relationships where both participants do not have the same HIV status or as we like to say are engaged in “sero discordant relationships.” Say it with us a folks, “sero discordant relationships.” Well, I have to tell you if Chris Evans told me he was deeply in love with me and was HIV positive, we’d still manage to make it work, but having been in mixed HIV status relationship in the past myself, I know it’s not easy...

Click here for more scintillating analysis of bareback porn, sero-discordant dating, tender booties, rectal microbicides, diarrhea, leprosy, the World of Chocolate... just go enjoy the GD podcast already.

ManAlive '07 - November 3 is getting close Chicago boys!

People With Moderate HIV Viral Loads More Likely To Transmit Virus, Study Says

[via the Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report - from yesterday]

People with moderate HIV viral loads are more likely to transmit the virus to a larger number of people over time than those with high viral loads, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Reuters reports. Lead researcher Christophe Fraser of Imperial College London and colleagues examined several groups of HIV-positive people in Africa, Europe and the U.S. They also analyzed previously published European and African studies that examined viral load, infectiousness and mortality.

The researchers focused on people with moderate viral loads because such individuals might not show symptoms or progress to AIDS for about seven to eight years, Reuters reports. Fraser said people with high viral loads typically progress to AIDS in a short period of time -- about two to three years. In addition, although individuals with high viral loads are the most infectious group, they have a limited amount of time to transmit the virus to others, according to the researchers. "The surprise was that those people with high viral loads actually infected fewer people because they progressed to AIDS more quickly," Fraser said.

People with moderate viral loads also form the largest, most common group not to receive treatment access, so these individuals likely play a larger role in contributing to the spread of HIV, the researchers said.

Reaction
Fraser said the findings suggest that targeting people with the highest HIV viral loads might not be the most effective approach to fighting the spread of the virus. The findings also suggest that HIV has adjusted to reach the optimal balance between infectiousness and virulence to increase its chances of spreading, Fraser said. "We now want to see whether the virus has adapted in order to allow it to infect the most people, which seems plausible given the results of our study," Fraser said, adding, "While it is too early to sound the alarm, more research to prove or disprove this theory is urgently needed" (Kahn, Reuters, 10/22).

An abstract of the study is available online.

Crystal Meth Task Force questions new meth treatment

via the Chicago Free Press [more on Prometa and Hythiam - see earlier post today on this topic as well]


By Matt Simonette

Members of the Chicago Crystal Meth Task Force attended a presentation sponsored by Los Angeles-based pharmaceutical company Hythiam Oct. 16 to explain its new Prometa addiction treatment.

The keynote speaker at the presentation at the Chicago Public Library’s Lincoln Park Branch was Andrea Barthwell (pictured), former deputy drug czar under President George W. Bush. Barthwell was briefly considered as Illinois’ Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in 2004 and has been an outspoken critic of medical marijuana. She is a member of the Hythiam board. [LifeLube note - she is also a shareholder.]

Prometa is a three-part protocol designed to treat addictions for crystal meth, cocaine and alcohol. The regimen includes several I.V. infusions, nutritional supplementation and psychotherapy. All the medications involved in the protocol have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for indications other than drug use.

Read the rest.

Manifest Love explores new ways to be with and for each other

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 4 (please note this CORRECT date. the flier has a misprint in it.)

The day after Chicago's
Man Alive 2007
come back to the Center for
Manifest Love
a fabulous one-day workshop
by the author of
"The Soul Beneath the Skin"
David Nimmons

It is transformative.

Click image to enlarge.

Bollywood Mania... Buffalaxed with Crazy English Subtitles

Because after a long day with the CDC, LifeLube wants to giggle

Hey Dems - Dead People Don't Vote

click flyer to make it bigger :)