Man says blood center rejected him because he appeared gay

"Pace visited Bio-Blood Components Inc. in Gary, which pays for blood and plasma donations, up to $40 a visit. But during the interview screening process, Pace said he was told he could not be a blood donor there because he “appears to be a homosexual.”

No one at Bio-Blood returned calls seeking comment, but donation centers like it, and even the American Red Cross, are still citing a nearly 30-year-old federal policy to turn away gay men from donating.

The Food and Drug Administration policy, implemented in 1983, states that men who have had sex — even once — with another man (since 1977) are not allowed to donate blood." Read More

Obama tells Muslim world vaccines are not CIA front, then runs CIA vaccine front.

In his 2009 speech to the Muslim world, President Barack Obama announced a new effort to eradicate polio, which persists in three Muslim countries. One of the biggest hurdles had been persuading some local leaders that vaccination campaigns were independent health efforts, not nefarious programs being run by the CIA.

With the Obama administration's assurances, Muslim scholars issued a religious decree that parents should vaccinate their children. The administration and public health officials cheered as the number of new polio cases began to fall in some hard-to-reach areas.

Recently, however, as the U.S. closed in on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, the CIA used a vaccine program as cover, a way to try to collect DNA from bin Laden's family and confirm he was hiding inside a walled compound.

Public health officials swiftly criticized the move, saying the independence of health workers must be sacrosanct. World Health Organization spokeswoman Sona Bari said health officials were caught by surprise when the story was first reported by the Guardian newspaper in London. The Associated Press has confirmed details about the vaccination program from U.S. officials.

"It's just so unfortunate. It's the worst kind of labeling you could put on a public health campaign," Bari said Wednesday. "Any backlash against this will hurt the children of Pakistan."

Read more

Is Your House Making You Ill?

ha.*clears sinuses*


"Most of us assume that when we walk into our homes, we slam the door on exhaust, secondhand smoke, and other air-pollution ugliness. In your own house, everything is safe and clean. Oh, if only. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), levels of about a dozen common chemical pollutants are two to five times higher inside homes than outside of them. Part of the problem is that houses are so much better insulated than they used to be: That's a good thing when it comes to conserving energy, but being more airtight also means that "whatever you emit indoors — whether it's your burnt microwave popcorn, cigarette smoke, or cleaning-product fumes — is going to persist in the indoor environment for longer," says Lynn Hildemann, an environmental engineer and researcher at Stanford University. In light of this, scientists are beginning to suspect that it may be these indoor nasties — not just outdoor smog — that are responsible for rising rates of asthma and other respiratory diseases. Indoor pollution can also cause headaches, flu-like symptoms, and, in serious cases, neurological problems.

We know this sounds scary, but don't panic: You can minimize your family's exposure with a few simple steps. None involve buying expensive products (the hulking air purifiers you see in SkyMall catalogs, etc.); in fact, some of the best fixes are the most basic." Read

Not Always Sunny in California

"Of particular importance to California is whether federal authorities will tolerate states, cities or counties licensing and regulating commercial marijuana growing and distribution.

Tommy LaNier of the National Marijuana Initiative, which is funded by the White House, is unequivocal: "That, in very simple terms, is what drug traffickers do,” LaNier says.

Justice Department officials in California say they are stepping up a broad enforcement strategy that could target medical marijuana operators even if they are in compliance with state medical marijuana laws.

But Jay Rorty, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, says those warnings violate previous assurances from federal officials.

"It's important that the DOJ makes clear that people who are complying with valid state law do not fear federal prosecution," Rorty says.

Rorty and others insist that was the promise made in a 2009 Justice Department memo, which he interprets this way: Comply with state law, and federal officials won't prosecute you." Read More

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless....Wait?! This shit is REAL???

"University of Montreal researchers say that the drug metyrapone reduces the brain’s ability to re-record the negative emotions associated with painful memories. In other words, bad memories are effectively blocked from being recalled or remembered.

The team’s study challenges the theory that memories cannot be modified once they are stored in the brain.

'Metyrapone is a drug that significantly decreases the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that is involved in memory recall,' explained lead author Marie-France Marin, a doctoral student." Read More

"Thousands of people chased a Kenyan down ATL streets this morning, but they didn't catch him."

"@ajc: Thousands of people chased a Kenyan down ATL streets this morning, but they didn't catch him. http://t.co/WKnSUPX #prr"



"Sammy Kitwara of Kenya won the 42nd Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race on Monday, winning the 6.2-mile run through the streets of Atlanta. He beat countryman Mathew Kisorio in a sprint to the finish, winning in a time of 28 minutes, 5 seconds."

Two studies show that drugs used to treat AIDS can be used to prevent HIV infection, too

"Two new studies done in three African countries have shown for the first time that AIDS drugs taken daily can cut by more than half a person’s chance of becoming infected with HIV through heterosexual intercourse.

The results, announced early Wednesday, provide more evidence that the drugs responsible for saving the lives of millions of HIV-infected people over the last 15 years may also be the most useful tool for preventing new infections."

i dont understand the purpose of saying "heterosexual intercourse", or why they thought that it would only work for gay ppl and not str8, but whatever.

read more

America's fatal addiction to prescription drugs

"Over the last 10 years, prescription drug abuse – abuse of medications which are legal for distribution – has become a national epidemic. Prescription drugs now surpass motor vehicle accidents as the No 1 cause of accidental death in almost half the states in this country. Last year, nearly 30,000 Americans died from an overdose, with at least half of these deaths related to legally controlled substances that were misused, abused, prescribed incorrectly, or simply just in the wrong person's hands.

Among the startling statistics, the United States now consumes 80% of the world's opioid pain medications and 99% of the world's hydrocodone (semi-synthetic opioid). The milligram per person use of prescription opioids in the United States increased from 74mg to 369mg, an increase of 402%, between 1997 and 2007. Prescription medication abuse is now only second to marijuana in terms of frequency. Prescription pharmaceuticals have become the newest – and seemingly, deadliest – gateway drug we have seen yet; nearly a third of people aged 12 and over who used drugs "recreationally" for the first time in 2009 began by using a prescription drug non-medically.

Controlled substances are regulated by the DEA, which means they are legal medications that can be obtained at most pharmacies for the treatment of pain and other disorders. Unfortunately, some physicians have prescribed these medications in a fashion that has contributed to the abuse problem in the United States. While some doctors prescribe in an obviously egregious manner (purely for profit and recklessly), far more doctors simply lack the proper training to manage these medications – unwittingly contributing to the problem." Download Here

p.s.

ALSO, im thinking about cutting and coloring my hair.



*shrug* just a thot.

March Madness

Starting March 1st I will limit myself to one hour of visual media a day and a stick to a vegetarian diet for one month.


I'm telling the world so I won't puss out. wish me luck ;)

Freekey Zekey promotes Bone Marrow registration, donation, and awareness

"Recently, Shannon Tavarez, one of the young stars of The Lion King on Broadway, passed away after a battle with leukemia. She was 11-years-old. It was another example of a tragedy that is likely happening all the time, every day. But the struggle to find Shannon a bone marrow match again brought to light the under-representation of people of color in bone marrow registries, like DKMS. And it was inspiring to see folks like Tony Yayo, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys and others take up that cause. (Just as Nelly did before his sister succumbed to leukemia in 2005)

Now Freekey Zekey is acting as the hip hop spokesman for bone marrow organization Preserving Our Legacy and addressing the NYC Council -Committee on Health today. And in this video, he also helps debunk the process of joining a bone marrow registry. While anything bone marrow-related makes my spine tingle, I didn’t know that registering only involves a painless mouth swab. Now if you’re a match and agree to donate, then the process does involve an out-patient procedure, that can be done with general anesthesia (aka: lights out), no stitches, no immune-system weakness, and, yes, soreness that may last a few weeks. Big up to Zekey for helping us learn about the need and the process." -MissInfo


EXTRA


Lion King star dies

Size Matters...

"CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton explained,"There appears to be a difference in the size of the brain when you compare men versus women, we're talking about the anatomy here. Obviously, male brains tends to be larger, because men tend to be, but within the brain certain structures and parts of the anatomy, some are bigger in women, some are bigger in men. So, for example, in male brains, men have six and a half times more gray matter than women do. Gray matter is partly responsible for information processing, so may explain in general men tend to be better in math."

But women, Ashton said, have as much as 10 times as much white matter -- the part of the brain that's I partially responsible for connecting information processing centers. Ashton said this could contribute to why women are such good multi-taskers." Read More

9 Warning Signs of Autism

"Parents fear autism, and rightly so. The mysterious brain disorder devastates a child's ability to speak and interact with others. Kids usually aren't diagnosed until age two, but some kids start showing signs of autism well before that.

Is your child at risk for autism? Here are nine red flags to watch for, from top autism researcher Dr. Rebecca Landa, director of the Center for Autism & Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore." Read More

Your Black is Beautiful

"What is beauty? who determines what attractive looks like? these are questions that have plagued society (primarily women) for ages. For as long as I could remember being considered beautiful held almost as much importance as breathing. Some may say that is an exaggeration but given all the things women do to be considered beautiful I would say that it’s an understatement. Women of all racial backgrounds go to the most ridiculous lengths to meet a standard of beauty that is virtually unattainable. Growing up being pretty was at the forefront of everything, the pretty girls got all the attention the pretty girls appeared to have the most fun…this has not changed and if anything it has gotten worse. Every race has their own standard beauty, physical qualities that some races treasure others discard as natural deformities that have to be fixed." - READ MORE

72 year old woman looks AMAZING!

Healing Powers of Ayahuasca

This short film explores the powerful healing aspects of Ayahuasca - the sacred spirit medicine found throughout the Amazonian basin of South America. Ayahuasca has been used by indigenous shamans for thousands of years to heal everything from depression to cancer to chemical addictions. After premiering at the Elevate Film Festival in LA, De Vine makes its television debut on Current TV. Directed by Ciela Wynter and Chris Brickler.

Born Into Brothels

Born Into Brothels (Calcutta's Red Light Kids) is a 2004 American documentary film about the children of prostitutes in Sonagachi, Calcutta's red light district. The widely acclaimed film, written and directed by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, won a string of accolades including the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2004.



AN AMAZING AND BEAUTIFUL DOCUMENTARY!
(if movie stream doesnt work, CLICK HERE )

"no one lives as filthy as we do in any other country......That's why i like photography.I want to put across the behavior of Man" - little boy
Learn More




UPDATE



'Born Into Brothels' leads to real-life happy endings for some
By Teresa Wiltz, The Washington Post February 25, 2005

For those who've seen the Oscar-nominated ''Born Into Brothels," the documentary that tracks the children of Calcutta's red light district, the ending lingers long after one has left the cinema: images of sweet-faced kids, wisecracking kids, talented kids, kids faced with not-so-happy endings.

The question persists: What happened next?



EXTRAS
its a suprise ;)

Good vs Bad

EXTRA

Precious

so i JUST got around to watching this movie. Off the cuff its alot to take in. but in that same breath i was instantly drawn in, and felt like it needed to be made. a friend of mine said he hasnt seen it becuz he heard that it was offensive to black ppl. I think that if ur "blackness" is offended by this then u are not very intouch w/ humanity, society, or history, in all of its beauty and horror.


i think Mariah did very well, even thought her appearance was brief.
o shit! its lenny kravitz!!! Mo'Nique deserve the acolades she received in my opinion. very well done. finally, Gabourey Sidibe did a very good job. i think she deserved more credit but i found that it was the supporting characters that were more entrancing to me. thats no disrespect to her becuz i think she played her role well. i also fell in love w/ the Rhonda character. idk y, but she stuck out to me.

def. worth watching.

"Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is....Precious."

An Open Letter to Republicans from Filmmaker Michael Moore
To My Fellow Citizens, the Republicans:

Thanks to last night’s vote, that child of yours who has had asthma since birth will now be covered after suffering for her first nine years as an American child with a pre-existing condition.

Thanks to last night’s vote, that 23-year-old of yours who will be hit one day by a drunk driver and spend six months recovering in the hospital will now not go bankrupt because you will be able to keep him on your insurance policy.

Thanks to last night’s vote, after your cancer returns for the third time — racking up another $200,000 in costs to keep you alive — your insurance company will have to commit a criminal act if they even think of dropping you from their rolls.

Read More