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AOL Blog
Arianna Huffington's posts
Nov 30th 2011
Taking Our Talents to South Florida: Introducing HuffPost Miami
Today marks the rollout of our latest local section, HuffPost Miami. Yes, like generations of snowbirds before us (and a certain basketball player from Cleveland), we are heading down to the Sunshine State -- and not just for a few months on South Beach. We're here to stay.
Miami is, after all, one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the world -- and, thanks to scores of South Florida-set movies and TV shows, ranging from Flipper to Scarface to Miami Vice to Ace Ventura to (gulp) Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, one of the most recognizable.
HuffPost Miami will, of course, bring you the stories and images that have long defined Miami in the popular imagination -- from airboats gliding through the Everglades to Bentleys cruising down Ocean Drive; from the clatter of dominoes on Calle Ocho to the crack of the pelota at the Jai Alai fronton; from D-Wade, LeBron, and the Heat throwing it down on Biscayne to David Caruso's Horatio Caine pulling off his shades and delivering a mordant zinger; from the skyscrapers of downtown to the kick-back vibe of Coconut Grove and the Art Deco hotels on South Beach.
But we'll also dig deeper in an effort to tell the stories of all the people who make up this unique city -- one that is a combustible blend of the old and the new, the glittery and the grimy, the transient and the entrenched. Our coverage will include the struggles that are familiar to cities all across the country but that have hit Miami particularly hard. Indeed, in many ways the city is emblematic of post-meltdown America. In Miami-Dade County, one in five mortgages is in foreclosure, and the unemployment rate is 10.8 percent -- nearly 2 percentage points above the national average. And Miami is among the top five American cities that have witnessed the exodus of young people in recent years, while Florida is home to one-third of the country's homeless population.
At the same time, South Florida remains a beacon of opportunity in the American immigrant tradition; nearly half of those living in Miami-Dade were born in another country. The city's burgeoning art scene includes Art Basel (which kicks off tomorrow), the emerging Wynwood Arts District, and the Adrienne Arsht Center, the country's second-largest performing arts center behind New York's Lincoln Center. And Miami's culinary scene has exploded in recent years into a thriving outpost of celebrity chefs, homegrown stars, food and wine festivals, and food trucks.
With a combination of original reporting, comprehensive curation, and a group blog, HuffPost Miami will function as a virtual public square for the city's diverse voices. And HuffPost Miami will be working especially closely with HuffPost Latino Voices to ensure the best possible coverage of Miami's robust Cuban, Caribbean, and Central and South American populations.
Among the original stories by HuffPost reporters and editors we're featuring today: Cristina Costantini takes a look at how Spanish has become integrated in Miami compared to other cities with high Hispanic populations, and Matt Sledge reports on the body blow delivered to Miami-Dade county's finances by the NBA lockout.
Like all our sections, HuffPost Miami features a group blog where some of the city's most compelling voices -- both prominent and unknown -- weigh in on the issues and ideas, both big and small, they care most about. Be sure to check out our launch day blog posts, including University of Florida ecologist Frank Mazzotti on how protecting the Everglades is both a moral imperative and a good business plan; Miami-Dade County Commissioner Xavier Suarez on why he didn't support Mayor Gimenez' budget; food writer Ellen Kanner on an organic farm whose feasts draw hungry locals and star chefs alike while raising money for local children's programs; businessman and philanthropist Stuart Paskow on how Miami can reestablish itself as a leader among cities in charitable giving; and University of Miami professor Dr. Casey Klofstad on why changing attitudes in the Cuban-American community haven't yet "turned Little Havana blue" at the ballot box.
HuffPost Miami is edited by Janie Campbell, a proud Florida native who previously worked as deputy web editor at NBC Miami. She has also served as an editor at The Feast and SB Nation, and has written for NBC Local Media and a slew of irreverent sports blogs. (And its first loyal reader will be Roy Sekoff, HuffPost's founding editor, who was born in Miami, graduating from Coral Gables High and the University of Miami, and whose wonderful mom and dad, Leah and Arthur, have owned and operated Book Horizon bookstore on South Dixie Highway for the last 58 years. His dad, by the way, is the sharpest evaluator of my hair whenever I appear on TV -- good or bad, he lets me know it.)
So check out HuffPost Miami, and use the comments section below to let us know what you think. We hope you'll help make the HuffPost Miami community a big part of the editorial mix -- suggesting and submitting stories, voting on polls, uploading pictures to interactive slideshows, and posting on the all issues that matter most to you and most impact your life.
(This post originally ran on The Huffington Post.)
Nov 17th 2011
Tweaking The Recipe: Announcing the New and Improved Kitchen Daily
My memories of growing up in Greece are filled with food -- fresh fruit and vegetables, a great deal of fish, and a seemingly endless amount of olive oil. My mother, to whom food was a sacred part of life, could be found most of the time in the kitchen. I think she truly believed that if you didn't eat every 20 minutes something terrible would happen to you. And, of course, no one could ever come to our house -- whether a UPS delivery man or a parent dropping off a child for a play date -- without being offered something to eat.
So I'm delighted that Kitchen Daily will approach food not just as sustenance but as something to be shared and enjoyed, over which we tell stories and spend time with family and friends. Kitchen Daily will be a one-stop destination for the best recipes, cooking tips, taste tests and product reviews.
We want to help satisfy everyone's curiosity about food, whether you're a mom cooking for your family, a recent college grad out on your own for the first time, a fledgling foodie, or an experienced cook. Check out today's blog posts from Mario Batali, on the importance of family dinners; John Besh, with a passionate plea for home cooking; The Splendid Table's Lynne Rossetto Kasper; chef Marcus Samuelsson and more.
The new Kitchen Daily will be all about community, connecting you with a diverse mix of voices, both amateur and expert, from your favorite celebrity chef to fellow readers working their ways around the kitchen. And it will complement the food news and trends you can find at HuffPost Food.
Kitchen Daily is overseen by Colin Sterling, the senior editor of HuffPost Food, who has been with HuffPost since before Day One -- and certainly long before there was a HuffPost Food. It will be edited by Kristen Aiken, a graduate of Barnard College, where she labored toward her goal of working for the New York Yankees. After writing and editing several years for the Yankees and then MLB.com, she changed gears and earned a degree from the French Culinary Institute. Before becoming our Kitchen Daily editor, she worked as an online editor at Martha Stewart Living.
So do yourself and your taste buds a favor and check out Kitchen Daily. As always, your participation is central to what we do, so please submit your photos and tips, vote on recipes and products, and use the comment section to let us know what you think. Bon Appetit!
(Originally posted on Kitchen Daily)
Oct 11th 2011
Bonjour, Paris: HuffPost and Le Monde Announce Le Huffington Post!
PARIS -- Bonjour from Paris! It's 3 a.m. Tuesday morning here. This has been a really exciting day. Every time I come to Paris -- starting with my first trip outside Greece when I was 11 -- I love every minute here. But this trip was special, as I'm here to announce the upcoming launch of Le Huffington Post, in partnership with Le Monde and French media powerhouse Les Nouvelles Editions Indépendantes (LNEI).
The new site, which will of course be in French, will be up and running by the end of the year, combining HuffPost's signature mix of news, blogging, community, and social engagement with our partners' unmatched local expertise. Le Huffington Post will be deeply rooted in French culture and run by French journalists. It will, like France itself, have a very distinct personality -- its own way of approaching the world.
And to make that happen, we couldn't have found better partners. Though it's certainly venerable, Le Monde is actually not that old. It was founded in 1944, at the request of Charles de Gaulle, to be an independent and truly French voice that would take the place of Le Temps, which had been irreparably tainted during the German occupation. Le Monde's founding editor was the legendary Hubert Beuve-Méry, who was famously feisty, independent, incorruptible and pessimistic (for which some might say there's a pretty high bar in France). ''He was upright, exacting and constant," said President François Mitterrand when Beuve-Méry passed away in 1989. "He never betrayed himself." He was also legendary for being a fierce thorn in the side of those in power. "Journalism is contact and distance," he wrote. "Both are necessary. Sometimes there is too much contact, and not enough distance. Sometimes it's the opposite. A difficult equilibrium."
Le Monde has a unique organizational structure, in which its editors, writers and staffers have a powerful voice in management decisions. And though the paper is a French institution, it is also no stranger to the web -- having been online since 1995.
As we've worked out the details of our partnership, it's been a real pleasure getting to know Louis Dreyfus, the CEO of Le Monde (one of the few French chief executives regularly on Twitter), and Matthieu Pigasse, one of three major Le Monde shareholders, as well as the owner and Chairman of LNEI, which puts out the pop culture magazine Les Inrockuptibles. Oh, yes, he is also the European head of Lazard, an ardent fan of punk rock and videogames, and known to sleep very few hours a night (so he can expect me to be on his case about getting more sleep!). Working with Louis and Matthieu has also allowed me the chance to shake the rust off my French (and, yes, apparently I have something of a Greek accent in French, too).
This is a great moment to be entering the world of French news. Across the political spectrum, people are asking the big questions -- about the European Union, about class, about immigration, about race, about what the government's responsibility is to its people, about what the people's responsibility is to their country, about what it means to be French, about what it means to be European.
Just this weekend there was the first-ever American-style primary for the French Socialist Party. At least for the time being, the Socialists are widely believed to have a good chance of unseating President Nicolas Sarkozy in elections next year. This, and the fact that the Socialists haven't won the presidency since 1988, made the primary particularly important. The move to a primary was premised on the idea that this would result in a candidate with broader appeal for the general election. But though the primary was American-style, its other elements were thoroughly French. The winner was François Hollande, the party's former leader. But because he got under 50 percent, he'll face a runoff against Martine Aubry. In fourth place was Ségolène Royal, the candidate who lost to Sarkozy in 2007. She's also Hollande's former partner and the mother of his four children. The couple split up in 2007, after Hollande had an affair with a journalist -- though they decided to do the mature thing and remain
friends Socialists ("Honey, let's not fight in front of the Party").
There's also the saga of what might be called France's Lehman Brothers -- a troubled banking giant called Dexia, which France and Germany have just decided to bail out. Apparently it was exposure to Greek bonds -- not Greeks -- that brought the bank down.
It's also intriguing watching how France, a country with a defiantly unique social personality, is putting its stamp on social media. According to a recent article by our new partner (translated here by Time.com), using Twitter to teach journalism and good writing is gaining steam in France. One teacher, Jean-Roch Masson began employing Twitter in 2010 with the slogan, "We are going to be the journalists of our own lives." Could there be a better motto for journalism in the era of social media? And as another teacher Stéphanie de Vanssay points out, Twitter can make students realize that writing is, ultimately, about communication. "Just writing a line makes no real sense," she says, "but writing it for someone does."
And we'll get the chance to cover -- up close and personal -- those there-will-always-be-a-France stories people love to share. Like this story about how the words "Twitter" and "Facebook" were banned this summer from being used on TV or radio, unless in a news story. The decision was based on a 1992 decree holding that mentioning brand names like these constitutes an unfair act of advertising. So maybe we'll get some great lines in French TV shows like, "Hey, will you select me as part of your social circle on a popular online community site, assuming we are, in fact, both members of such a site, if one were to exist?"
Even more French is the ban, or at least the constraint, on putting ketchup on french fries -- or anything else -- in French schools. The purpose of the regulation isn't health, but education -- about French culinary history and standards. Baguettes, along with ennui, are being offered without limit.
One thing we hope to have an impact on is the distinction, still being stubbornly clung to in much of French media, between online journalism and print journalism. In the U.S. that line is quickly eroding, as traditional outlets adopt the tools of digital journalists, including speed, transparency, and social engagement, and new media adopt the best practices of traditional journalism, including fact-checking, accuracy, and fairness.
But in France, blogs and online journalists are still deuxième classe. For example, last year the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche reported rumors that both President Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, were having affairs. But the report only ran on the paper's website, as if there were different standards for accuracy online and off, and their website was suitable simply for rumors and speculation ("Tartuffe in the age of Twitter" the New York Times' Steven Erlanger called it). So we hope Le Huffington Post can help bring a little egalite to the world of French digital journalism, as well as make the site a destination for real and meaningful conversation.
Also being imported from HuffPost HQ will be our commitment to breaking down another distinction -- that between right and left. This should be especially interesting, given that France is where the terms were given their political meaning. The designations date from the French Revolution, in which supporters of the king sat on the president's right side in the National Assembly and those opposed sat on the left. We like to think that there is some great meaning behind the ways we identify ourselves. But as the history of right vs. left shows, it's often arbitrary -- which is great for those of us who can't wait to get beyond the constant division of every issue into right vs. left. Sometimes right vs. left is just a seating chart.
I spoke about these and other related issues last night when I gave this year's inaugural address at the Centre de Formation des Journalistes. I was introduced by Henri Pigeat, the Centre's chairman, and the former CEO of Agence France-Presse. Pigeat is a tireless defender of press freedom, and an articulate voice on how technology can be used to improve journalism. (It goes without saying that I asked him to blog for our new site.)
As I said, we plan to launch "Le Huff" by the end of the year. So whether you find yourself in France, or just want to hang out in a virtual French café, come to Le Huffington Post and join the conversation. À bientôt!
(This post was originally posted on The Huffington Post)
Oct 7th 2011
A Grand Slam of New Sites: Introducing Huff/Post50, HuffPost High School, HuffPost Gay Voices, and HuffPost Weddings
I hope you are all in the mood to try new things, because I am delighted to announce four new additions to the Huffington Post menu today: Huff/Post50, HuffPost High School, HuffPost Gay Voices, and HuffPost Weddings (how's that for a diverse quartet?).
Let's start with Huff/Post50, our new site devoted to those of us who are part of the so-called "baby boom" generation born between 1946 and 1964 (the site's name was the brainchild of Rita Wilson, Huff/Post50's editor-at-large). There are currently 77 million of us in America (and 116 million aged 50 and over).
Our country has a very schizophrenic relationship with aging. On the one hand, we are a culture that is obsessed with youth and staying young. At the same time, thanks to advances in science, health, and medicine, Boomers are living longer and staying more active than ever before.
Huff/Post50 covers the challenges, complexities, and joys faced by Boomers -- everything from the "sandwich" pressures of simultaneously taking care of children and aging parents, to navigating the latest innovations in health and the science of aging, to sex and relationships at 50+ , to the question of reinventing oneself -- either out of necessity (sudden unemployment) or a desire to explore new interests and find new meaning in life.
F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said that there are no second acts in American life. Boomers are proving him wrong on a daily basis. After all, I co-founded HuffPost in my mid-50s. And I'm far from alone in launching a new project after 50. Indeed, one of the reasons I asked Rita to help create Huff/Post50 was how inspired I was by seeing her pursue her lifelong dream of performing in a musical, realized when she made her Broadway debut, at age 49, in Chicago.
Huff/Post50 will question the conventional wisdom that life post-50 is about winding down, and spotlight other Boomers who embrace the idea of taking on new challenges and reinventing themselves, regardless of their age. It will offer the latest news and information on the issues that matter most to men and women 50+, including health, relationships, politics, retirement planning, spirituality, humor, culture, philanthropy, and facing illness and death. And we are creating a robust community for conversation and engagement on all these topics.
Huff/Post50 of course features a dynamic and vibrant group blog. Among those weighing in today are Bill Maher, on being in his fifties and finally being able to "see over the crest of the mountain"; Ann and Nancy Wilson on the important role music can play in life's journey; Christiane Amanpour on life's certainties evaporating after 50; and Rita Wilson on learning how to rebalance being there for her loved ones while exploring all the things she still wants to do. We are also launching our "Late Blooming" series with a funny and revealing Q/A with Jane Lynch.
Located on the other end of the demographic spectrum is HuffPost High School, devoted to teens and the issues they care about. The new section features content from some of the nation's top teen journalists and writers, and a group blog where teen bloggers can weigh in on everything from college prep to high school sports, to homework, to the role technology plays in their lives, to comedy, poetry, politics, proms and beyond.
Over the years, HuffPost has regularly covered the troubled state of America's education system, with plunging test scores, skyrocketing dropout rates, and crumbling classrooms. It's a system that's become a bloody battlefield, with our children too often getting caught in the crossfire.
But these failures are symptoms of flawed policies, an antiquated approach to learning, and our leaders' perverted priorities -- not a reflection of the intelligence, curiosity, and passions of our nation's teens. Indeed, as I travel around the country, I've been consistently impressed by the talented young people I meet, so many of them engaged by the most important issues of our time, and committed to being part of making a difference in the world. HuffPost High School intends to put the spotlight on them, and to give them a safe and welcoming platform to talk about what's really happening in their lives -- socially, academically, and culturally.
Driven by the creative input of smart, talented young people with a desire to share their ideas, we hope the site will become a go-to destination for -- and by -- America's teens. To this end, we've forged a long list of partnerships, including with TeensinTech.com (their "Teen 2.0" column will highlight amazing teen entrepreneurs around the country); Dosomething.org (they've developed a widget for HuffPost High that helps make stories on the section "actionable"); Varsitynetworks.com (to help cover high school sports); Figment.com (featuring some of the best student fiction and poetry); and iKeepSafe.org (a group devoted to making the web a safe place for teens).
The third of our new sites is HuffPost Gay Voices, a section offering the latest news and unfiltered opinion on any and all matters of interest to the LGBT community. The issues addressed will be as varied as the community itself. Everything is fair game, including -- but not limited to -- race, class, ethnicity, faith, family, sex, work, culture, marriage, civil rights, and politics, as well as everyday topics such as travel, food, style, health, and celebrity gossip.
HuffPost has long covered LGBT news, culture, and opinion -- with a special focus on the struggle over gay rights. We've cheered the advances (the repeal of DADT, the incremental advance of same-sex marriage), and criticized the setbacks (boos rained on a gay soldier's question during a GOP debate, the recent refusal of an appeals court to rule DADT unconstitutional, complicating the efforts of discharged gay service members to be reinstated). HuffPost Gay Voices provides a platform for all these stories to live in one place -- making it easier for readers to find, share, and discuss them. In the end, HuffPost Gay Voices is just that, a section comprised, first and foremost, of voices -- offering opinions as diverse as the community they spring from.
Today, you can check out our not-to-be-missed interview with Lady Gaga, where she weighs in on bisexuality, outing, DADT, pop culture's ability to change society, and creative re-invention. We also have the exclusive debut of lesbian folk singer Melissa Ferrick's new video "Still Right Here," and, coming later in the week, a slideshow on the gayest moments on Glee. And we have fresh takes from Margaret Cho, blogging on why she considers herself queer even though she's married to a man; Bruce Vilanch on the community he found while attending the North Louisiana Gay & Lesbian Film Festival; and "Glitterbomber" Nick Espinosa on what it's like being a straight male activist for gay rights.
Finally, we are also launching HuffPost Weddings, a section that will cover the joys and headaches of weddings and modern marriage. At HuffPost, we've always done things unconventionally, so it should be no surprise that one year after launching our popular Divorce site, we've decided to go back to the beginning with a site bringing you the latest news and opinion on getting -- and staying -- married.
We'll cover it all, from wedding day minutiae (gowns! cakes! bridesmaids! first dances!), to dream honeymoons, to anniversaries, to the latest research on coupledom, to the challenges of making a modern marriage last.
Launch day stories include a post from reporter Catherine Pearson on the trend toward unconventional weddings and the couples who have them; a look at ten video marriage proposals that went viral; a collection of our readers' wedding day disaster stories; the first installment of our "10 Things You Don't Know About My Marriage," from Joy Behar; a slideshow of The Most Awkward Wedding Photos of All Time; a Q/A with the National Marriage Project's Brad Wilcox about a new report that reveals the many ways marriage is good for the economy; and a blog post from Lori Leibovich, our Executive Women's Editor, about IndieBride, a site she founded and which will now be part of HuffPost Weddings.
These four sections bring the number of new sections we've launched since March to 21 -- all part of our continued effort to provide content, community, and a platform for self-expression for as many of our readers' interests and passions as we can.
So check out Huff/Post50, HuffPost High School, HuffPost Gay Voices, and HuffPost Weddings and use the comment section on this post to let us know what you think -- and what other interests and passions you'd like to see us cover.
(This post was originally posted on The Huffington Post)


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The second film in Marvel's Phase Two Thor: The Dark World already dominated the box-office and now it's ready to bring the thunder to Digital HD and Blu-ray.
In the latest chapter of the God of Thunder it's been a year since the events in Avengers and Thor is battling to save the Nine Realms from a mysterious enemy older than the universe, led by Malekith who plans to plunge the universe into darkness. Thor must unite with Jane Foster and set out on a journey that will force him to make the ultimate sacrifice against an enemy not even Odin and Asgard could overcome.
This release will not only feature the film, but also numerous special features including never-before-seen extended and deleted scenes, the featurette A Brothers' Journey: Thor and Loki, a first look at Captain America: Winter Soldier, commentary and more.
Fans will no doubt want to add this latest addition the Marvel experience to their collection so be sure to get yours when it hits Digital HD on February 4th and Blu-ray on February 25th.

subset: commoncrawl


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Welcome to the explain xkcd wiki! We already have 5 comic explanations!
(But there are still 1696 to go. Come and add yours!)
Latest comic
|Speed and Danger
Title text: NASCAR removed the passenger seats because drivers hated how astronauts kept riding along with them and loudly announcing "Ahh, what a nice and relaxing drive."
| This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: More on the speed of sport cars and the race cars. How much faster does it feel for a human to see a regular sports car on a high way and then a formula one car. More on why a rocket seems slow?
In this scatter plot Randall plots the speed of several vehicles (including people on foot for "normal sports") and how disastrous a crash would be. The punchline is that space rockets travel so dangerously fast, and crashes are so utterly catastrophic, that it pushes literally every other kind of crash to the "slow and safe" corner by comparison.
With the plot Randall makes the observation that the danger of a crash is greatly influenced by its speed and highlights the concept of relativity between what we perceive as 'fast', normal sports and two different types of racing cars, vs. a much faster vehicle, a rocket during launch. A rocket may appear to ascend slowly (and of course it begins its ascent slowly), but on the way to orbit it ends up moving very fast. But before it reaches the more extreme speed regime it will be far away from the ground (and the casual observer), where there is nothing to compare this speed to as opposed to a race car speeding by a spectator during a race. (Of course rockets are slow compared to the speed of light...)
Apart from the high speed, there is also the altitude to take into account for the rocket launch, and the vast amount of fuel needed to get into orbit, and any sort of failure is almost certainly fatal.
Racing cars are often involved in crashes, but at that speed it is possible to construct them so even serious crashes may not be fatal. Although rockets are also made as safe as possible, it is a completely different regime of speed and danger, and the risk of something going wrong during a take off is much higher, and it is impossible to prevent a lethal disaster if the launch fails during the ascent. This results in a much higher mortality rate for each crashed rocket (probably 100%) vs. crashed sports/race cars.
Rocket launches is compared to "normal sports" (presumably meaning people running approximately 15 mph, and possibly also polo horses galloping approximately 25 mph), NASCAR (which reaches speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph)), and Formula One, where the fastest race cars go 380 km/h (240 mph).
A rockets launched to reach the ISS needs to eventually match the speed of the space station which moves at 27,600 km/h (17,100 mph), and a rocket that needs to escape from Earth (like in going to the Mars) needs to reach 40,270 km/h (25,020 mph). The lowest of these speeds divided by the highest of the cars is still more than 70 times as fast...
The title text serves to further emphasize the point, as an astronaut (used to the several G's of acceleration during takeoff and overall much higher speeds) would likely find a NASCAR car moving at ~200mph paltry compared to what they're acclimated to and has supposedly aggravated NASCAR drivers by making a point of saying so. And thus this is used to explain why there is no passenger seats in NASCARS, to prevent astronauts in joining the drivers for a nice slow ride.
Of the many charts in xkcd this one is notable for containing the fewest samples of point of any scatter plots in xkcd.
- [A two-axis diagram with two double headed arrows centered in the middle of the panel. Each arrow is labeled. There are four large dots in the diagram, three close together in the top left corner and one in the bottom right corner. Each dot is labeled.]
- [Y axis:]
- Top: Crashes are safe
- Bottom: Crashes are dangerous
- [X axis:]
- Left: Slow
- Right: Fast
- [Dots from top left to bottom right:]
- Normal sports
- Formula One
- Rocket launches
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Its color is green.
Ironically enough, it is worn all over the face of Floyd Mayweather Jr., even despite the fact that he has a lot of it. The root of all of his evil cannot pay off the wages of its sin.
There is a reason why it is a deadly sin.
Envy is a symptom of a lack of appreciation of our own uniqueness and self worth. When you're plagued with this, it destroys relationships of all kinds and leaves you empty. Each of us has something to give that no one else has. It is not the same thing as Jealousy, which is when you count someone else's blessing instead of your own.
But this quality also applies to Floyd to a lesser extent when it comes to Manny Pacquiao.
He should know by now that trying to blow out someone else's candles will not make his shine any brighter. Ali is unique in history for having accomplished this because of a legendary, difference making personality and set of circumstances that were unprecedented.
He always told us who he was and backed it up- which is never bragging when you can do that. He never had to wear a hat to tell us what he decided to show us after telling us he was "The Greatest".
Nearly 50 years after making an indelible impression among fight historians then and now as the greatest fighter to have ever lived, I can't imagine Sugar Ray Robinson watching the sight of Mayweather emblazoned in "TBE" hats and shirts. It's as if he wants to convince himself more than you, and in a way that has nothing to do with merit.
The real "TBE", or "The Best Ever", fought fellow all-time great Jake LaMotta six times, winning five of them. He never talked about how many losses a fellow fighter had in an effort to discredit or avoid someone they way Floyd does Pacquiao.
Fellow defensive genius and all-time great Pernell Whitaker, had an incredible resume in comparison to Mayweather's current one. Like Robinson, he was brash, condescending and obnoxious. But he never looked for ways to avoid prime opposition even when he was outside of it.
I don't remember Roy Jones Jr. counting money or burning it in the faces of those who helped him make it. The same people who came from the streets he did. Roy had a mouth as big as Ali's at times, but he wasn't going to avoid Antonio Tarver- win or lose- and we love him for that.
When I watched Floyd cheering wildly for Pacquiao in his 2006 rematch with Erik Morales, I couldn't imagine him becoming as envious as he's become of this man.
No other great has worked as hard as Floyd has to remain unbeaten while avoiding competition (his "retirement" in 2007 was designed to avoid an elite 147lb. pool of talent) and fighters (Kostya Tsyzu, Vivian Harris, Vernon Forest and Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams automatically come to mind beyond Sergio Martinez and Pacquiao) to proclaim "best ever" status.
He'll conveniently tell the public Pacquiao faces his "leftovers", but then that's not what Cotto was when he faced what he thought was a diminished version Pacquiao destroyed nearly 3 years prior.
We'll leave out that Pacquiao's win didn't count because Cotto fought him at a "catchweight", even though Canelo was forced to fight him at one.
Floyd told the world recently that Pacquiao faced a "blown-up" lightweight in Brandon Rios. Hmmm. So what was Juan Manuel Marquez if not that, and why did he pay 600K to cheat him on the scales at that to come in at 146lbs? You mean to tell me that Robert Guerrero wasn't a blown up lightweight or super lightweight? Is anyone sure Rios wouldn't beat Guerrero?
Pacquiao would destroy Robert Guerrero.
Floyd can't stand the various accolades that were bestowed on Pacquiao or Freddie Roach, yet his bitter green envy can't mask his insecurity or reluctance to face this man or fight him other than in the media.
What is he going to say on April 13th, if Pacquiao faces and beats Timothy Bradley impressively? All the totally legitimate WBO Champ (who didn't beat Pacquiao the first time- let's keep this real) is, is a young black and undefeated threat Floyd wouldn't know anything about. Why? Because he doesn't face young or unbeaten black fighters.
Still no word from Floyd on Pacquiao's challenge of his manhood or fight for charity. Still no official word on how he'll explain Amir Khan's true credibility, or his 1st round KO loss to Bredis Prescott. Or his near maiming at the hands of Marcos Maidana. Or his complete ass-whooping at the hands of Danny Garcia. Oh let me guess Floyd, it was a long time ago? But is that what you say when you bring up Pacquiao losses.
Know why? Envy.
Everytime he opens his mouth its Pacquiao this or Pacquiao that. What Floyd needs to know is that someone else's victory isn't his defeat- or the other way around.
Not even all the "Money" in the world, his nickname and the root of all of his evil, can get him in the ring with a man he envies in a way that baffles the hell out of me. There's no other explanation for this than he's scared to face him.
If you're the TBE- you must BMP...


text:
We could not agree more with Adornments Flowers & Finery that decking yourself with fresh flowers can be the ultimate feminine fashion statement for your wedding. You can be whimsical, playful, demure or wildly majestic. You could have a large floral headpiece or something a little small. Either way you go, you are bound to look gorgeous.
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From Adornments Flowers & Finery:
We couldn't resist having some fun with this trend. A detail that is typically seen on flower girls but is greatly dramatized with brides and bridesmaids, various colors and textures were used to further the alluring feeling of enchantment.
Knowing it would all be captured by the stunning artistry of Michelle Warren Photography, we created pieces with flora of rich, deep and vibrant hues and the sensuality of neutral shades. The coastal setting of the Cass House Inn was a natural and serene backdrop to our vision of soft, lovely days abundant with passion.
Photographer: Michelle Warren Photography
Venue: Cass House Inn, Cayucos CA
Hair & Makeup: Rhyan Townsend
Creative Director, Florist & Styling: Adornments Flowers & Finery
Fashion & Beauty Collaboration: Kierna Terrisse from Beauty Mark Marketing


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What? I'm talking about her butt!
March 7, 2008Cutest cherub cheeks Ever!
What? I'm talking about her butt!
January 25, 2008Oh yeah, and I totally LOVE this Wood Nymph!
January 25, 2008I could never expect this woman to bail me out of jail, because her ass would be parked next to mine in the cell. What I love about her most, is that she treats me like a $100 whore, when most others treat me like a $50 whore. Ah, well, money is money!
If she could just understand that she's always welcome in my home without leaving all of her crap behind!
Oh, yeah, nice behind!
In a world gone mad, we will not spank the monkey, but the monkey will spank us!
May 31, 2007Deep GORgeous eyes.
March 10, 2007without Tree, there would be no fire in my life.
January 9, 2007The first breath of a baby fawn
Dawn breaking through a cold winters Day
Sweet dew on the morning leaves
Tree's sweet laughter.
Tree Rocks. Hard. Rock on Tree!
October 29, 2006Beautiful.
Flowing with youthfulness.
Your spirit and love shine through the beauty of your childs nature.
Thank you for being a part of my path!
Often, I write all day
"Radio to make you Scream - in a good way"
"Ho. Ly. Crap."
"Radiohead Makes Me Weep"
"What's for Dinner?"
"Banishing ickies"
!Colorado Music!, amoebafunk, Apogaea, Colorado Burners, Doctor Who, DragonFest Colorado, DreamTheFuture, Eat Local, Edible and medicinal plants of the wild, Ethical Consumerism, FAMILYMOONS, Firefly, Girls who can drink guys under the table, I just finished reading..., I love Psytrance and Im not a hippie, In Communicado, JIM KAVANAGH IS AN ALRIGHT GUY!, Mountain Vision, Nature Spirits, Nine Inch Nails, ...
Each person who ever was or is or will be has a song. It isn't a song that anybody else wrote. It has its own melody, it has its own words. Very few people get to sing their own song. Most of us fear that we cannot do it justice with our voices, or that our words are too foolish or too honest, or too odd. So people live their songs instead.
about me
Well she's kind of like an artist
Sittin' on the floor
Never finishes, she abandons
Never shows a soul
And she's kind of like a movie
Everyone rushes to see
And no one understands it
Sittin' in their seats
And she's kind of like a poet
Who finds it hard to speak
Poems come so slowly
Like the colors down a sheet
She opens her mouth to speak and
What comes out's a mystery
Thought about, not understood
She's achin' to be
-The Replacements
You are not connected to Treesong - Word Witchwant to grow your network?
Word are like leaves, and where they abound,
It feels like I am losing my voice. I realized this morning it is because my heart is now frequently located in my throat, occupying most of the room in my neck. I felt it contract when I dropped Indigo off at school and watched a particularly bright and shiny little girl get out of the car in front of us, her rainbow colored bow struggling to hold back a torrent of black curls, her smile the smile of innocence. Then I paid particular attention to all the children walking into school, each... read moreFri, March 26, 2010 - 8:22 AM permalink - 3 comments
This was my winter:Sat, March 13, 2010 - 7:45 AM permalink - 6 comments
"My finely orchestrated lonliness continued to hum along like the well-oiled machine it had become, fueled by fear and lubricated by heartbreak and disappointment kept alive long past its expiration date." -Treesong 12/20/09
but then:
"The past is a TV playing in your mind.
Shut it off!
Turn on
to the Flowing of the present."
-Treesong 1/20/10
It has been a long, lonely and insightful winter. But now my windows are open, I can hear birds making a comeback ... read more
Whisper into the rockSat, November 21, 2009 - 6:44 AM permalink - 3 comments
someone is listening in a hidden place
receives the word
carries it forward
and makes it come true.
- The Word, by Paulus Utsi
Image - Jorma Puranen: Kuvitteellinen kotiinpaluu, Lagestunturi, 1991
He hid his nail clippings from her for fear she could use them to hex him. She laughed at his silliness. Everyone knows a lock of hair works just as well.Sat, October 10, 2009 - 11:16 AM permalink - 4 comments
(for Boots)
Image: Witch Night by Julia Kaye
This story involves a girl waking up with a pillow over her head and a neck massager cradled in the crook of her arm. She knew it was snowing out and thought about making chili to warm her, made from the bits of her last conquest.Sat, October 10, 2009 - 10:51 AM permalink - 0 comments
(for Steve-Bob)


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I have announced my candidacy for the State Assembly for the 68th District. Assemblyman Don Wagner, who has served us well in Sacramento, is retiring due to term limits.
If I am elected to serve in the California legislature, my commitment to you is straightforward:
Californians need:
These are just some of the important areas on which I would focus as your representative. As my campaign goes on, I will be talking about more of the important issues facing our state. I know trying to bring common sense to the State Capitol will be a daunting task, but together I know we can do it!
That said, I ask you not to judge me based on what I say I will do – but rather by looking at my record, at some of what I have already done in public service, both as an elected school board trustee and on the City Council in Irvine, where I am honored to have been twice elected as a City Councilman and where I am currently in my second term as our city's directly-elected Mayor. Just since my election as Mayor in November of 2012, here are some of the accomplishments I have achieved working with my colleagues:
Please allow me to serve you by voting for me on the Primary Election Day on June 7, 2016. Together, let's make California a better place to live in.
It is my privilege and honor to serve the people of Irvine, and it would be to serve all of the people of the 68th Assembly District.
God bless you.
Mayor Steven Choi
Candidate for 68th Assembly District
Paid by Steven Choi for Assembly 2016. ID # 1378587


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Red flags and cool weather kept the beach at Beach 18 Street, and those around it, almost empty, as the beach season neared its end on Monday afternoon. Some people ignored the flags and went in for a final swim.
Copyright 1999 - 2016 Wave Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved


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Ok.... so lately i've been reading and hearing of men who claim to be HIV undetectable...and thus they are unable to transfer the disease. Now.. This is a first. My gut/knee jerk reaction based on what I know thus so far is that even if the antibodies are low and your white blood cell count is great and high..... One still can transmit HIv into another host via blood/semen. Is there other information and studies that i need to be updated on.
Lately i've been seeing people online in profiles saying "i'm undetectable.... I BB".
Lately i've been seeing people online in profiles saying "i'm undetectable.... I BB".
posted by:
Re: Hiv Undetectable?Thu, August 21, 2008 - 2:53 PMthere's a lot of hoopla about this right now. a study recently showed that when the viral load is undetectable, HIV is not transmitted in the absence of other STDs and various confounding factors. it needs to be duplicated and the bottom line is that being undetectable isn't an excuse to stop using condoms....yet
according to sf aids foundation:
Is Someone Who Takes HIV Drugs able to Transmit HIV?
Some people believe that taking antiretrovirals or having an "undetectable viral load" means that they can't transmit HIV to their sexual partners. That is nottrue. A person who takes HIV treatments--even those who have "undetectable" viral load counts--can still transmit HIV.
Effective drugs, taken properly, can significantly decrease viral load (the amount of virus in one's blood). It is known that the higher one's viral load, the more likely one is to transmit the virus and the lower one's viral load, the less likely one is to transmit the virus. But, regardless, HIV can still be transmitted. It is also important to note that viral load can change from day to day, so one can never be certain of their viral load count at a particular time. In addition, viral load tests only reflect the amount of virus in the blood, not necessarily the level of virus in other bodily fluids, such as semen and vaginal fluid.
Here's the citation to the article, I'm yet to find it in English:
P Vernazza et al. Les personnes séropositives ne souffrant d'aucune autre MST et suivant un traitment antirétroviral efficace ne transmettent pas le VIH par voie sexuelle. Bulletin des médecins suisses 89 (5), 2008.
the gist of it as that it is a promising sign, but there are various confounding factors and the study needs to be duplicated. i would stick with sfaf and various other organizations that say the same.
One of my colleagues at the clinic I volunteer at had this to say:
The swiss opinion piece is based largely on results from an observational study that, while very promising, also showed that stringent conditions are required for ART [anti-retroviral therapy] to be protective....monogamous stable relationships, consistently undetectable viral load, and absence of STIs. Along with ART, condom use was also protective.
he also mentioned another study that may be reproducing these results, we'll see. interesting study tho...
Re: Hiv Undetectable?Tue, September 30, 2008 - 2:18 AMman this shit sounds dangerous!
Viral loads can fluxuate/change rapidly and just because somene is on tons of HIV meds it doesn't mean that other Poz/Neg person they are with won't become HIV+ or get another strain of HIV or pass another strain of HIV to the other HIV+ person if they are Poz.
If you want to go and have sex with people who are HIV+ nobody is stopping you but when you wind up HIV+ you'll only have yourself to blame.
People who are HIV neg and knowingly have sex with HIV poz people are into risky sex, playing with fire, and they've got a death wish and are probably bug chasers even if they do repress it or don't even realize it themselves, or want to admit it.
I know it's not PC to say this but it's true and HIV does equal a slow horrible death no matter how many toxic medications you take that harm your body (the meds while they might be good for combating HIV and keeping the TCell count from lowering are VERY bad to take), and the best way not to get HIV is not to have sex with Poz people or share needles if you IV drugs.
When are the HIV poz people going to realize that the only way to rid our planet of this scourge is for them, as a group, to take the matter into their own hands and refuse to engage in sexual activity with anyone who is not HIV poz, ever, for any reason?
Why cannot HIV+ people not recognize the power they have to make a great contribution to humanity by declaring that they will not, under any circumstance, engage in any behavior that carries with it the possibility of HIV transmission to another human being?
Why is it that Poz people do not feel incredible remorse when engaging in behavior that carries this risk? Why is it that they are willing to serve only their desires and are willing to engage in sexual activity with anyone who does not question whether the risk of HIV transmission is present? Also let's not forget about how many people who are HIV+ also have Hepatitis C and how easily that can be transmitted to others.
This troubles me greatly. I used to feel nothing but compassion for those with HIV, but the longer that I am exposed to their reckless behavior, the less I am able to hold compassion in my heart.
I even know people who are HIV+ who don't tell others that they are when they have sex with them, even when they're asked by the other person/people, or when the other person/people want to swallow them or bareback them.
I know Poz people who still bareback/swallow and don't care how many strains of HIV they get or pass onto others, and I even know HIV+ people who are involved in HIV educational centers and non profit orgs where they tell people how important it is to get tested and use condoms, yet they are all into bug chasing/breeding/"gift" giving and are totally cool with letting people gang fuck their ass every weekend and flood it with load after load.
You can get HIV from giving oral sex, and swallowing or having semen in your mouth is high risk for HIV; but it's not as risky as unprotected receptive anal sex or sharing a rig/works (needles) with an HIV+ person.
Also just because someone is on medications it doesn't mean that your chances for gettting HIV are completely eliminated or that you can't get it from giving oral sex without or with swallowing, since viral loads can go up unexpectedly when someone is on meds.
Yes PEP (the post exposure meds) are available but the side effects suck and you have to take them for months and it's no gaurentee that you won't become HIV+.
Re: Hiv Undetectable?Tue, September 30, 2008 - 4:09 PMman this shit sounds dangerous is exactly right....let me tell you what sounds dangerous...
I feel this response is filled with sweeping generalizations and wrong information. It puts people into boxes, robs them of their agency and aims to ostracize them from the rest of society. Viral loads don't fluctuate – the basis of the study is the fact that once you get to an undetectable viral load, it is not transmissible. Granted, there are stringent conditions that must be met and the study is preliminary. However, you cannot completely discount it, as you have decided to do.
I am also in complete disagreement with your statement that people who knowingly have sex with people with HIV "are into risky sex, playing with fire, and they've got a death wish." It's inappropriate to say something so strong and presumptive. There are many reasons people engage in the sexual activity they do.
Then you go on to say that HIV leads to a miserable death and discount the benefit of the drugs. Of course they make you feel like shit – they also help to keep you alive for a lot longer. Adding to this that they need to "refuse to engage in sexual activity with anyone who" isn't infected is ridiculous. That simply isn't the way the world works. I feel this isolates the HIV positive community even more than they already feel. I cannot speak for the entire HIV positive community, but there is something fundamentally wrong with demanding they don't have sex. Or shall we go back to the eugenics arguments from the beginning of the 1900s…
I find your methods for prevention very interesting, as well. You tell us the best method of prevention is not to have sex with positive people or share needles. What if having unprotected sex is the only way you're going to get dinner or a place to stay tonight? What if you have an addiction and getting high now is more important than your health in ten years? I don't have vast experience working with sex workers and injection drug users, but I have worked with a few as well as talked to many that DO work in those fields and experience (and, likely, research) will tell you that you're a little off.
As for telling the HIV community not to have sex, do you realize that as much as a quarter of the HIV-infected population doesn't know they are infected? Sorry, even if they took your advice, the epidemic wouldn't stop. Then you mention hepatitis C – surely you know that it isn't transmitted easily through sex to the point that the medical community doesn't call it an STD, right?
Then you lose your compassion for the HIV positive community. How dare you decide that the experiences of a few people YOU know personally reflect those of a worldwide community of literally millions of HIV positive individuals? Instead of judging them, perhaps you could offer them support they need. I feel it is exactly people that make statements like yours that marginalize communities and lead members of them to engage in irresponsible behavior.
It also appears that you're convinced HIV is transmitted by oral sex. This is extremely contested in the medical community. In the absence of sores or lesions, your risk is relatively low. Continuing with your medically wrong information, you end with what you started on – that major researchers are wrong and "viral loads can go up unexpectedly when someone is on meds." You also say PEP is taken for months – when its not, only one month – and that there's no guarantee. Of course there isn't a guarantee, just like in your ideal world where the HIV positive population somehow isolates itself, despite so many people being infected and not knowing, there's still no guarantee. It's the treatment the medical community has accepted, and, like other things in life, no, there's no guarantee. Unless you want to complete all the research to disprove what's already out there, I suggest you check your facts before making claims as you have. I also strongly urge you not to judge, criticize, marginalize, or demean any community in an open forum such as this.
Re: Hiv Undetectable?Tue, July 6, 2010 - 6:15 PMI just had to respond to this post because of the large amounts of misinformation that is being claimed as fact; and because of the obvious internalized fear you are projecting into irrational and discriminatory suggestions in the name of ending HIV. As a point of disclosure, I am an HIV/AIDS researcher for the Department of Public Health with a master's degree in the subject, and follow (and contribute to) the research extensively. I felt it my minor duty to clear up some of the information for anyone else who reads this thread in the future.
The Swiss Study is the first, admittedly bold, but entirely scientifically informed, proclamation that HIV-positive people are non-infectious given that they are a) on successfull ARV treatment that has reduced their viral load to undetectable levels for at least six months, b) do not have any other STIs, and c) have continued access to health care that monitors the above. The study DOES NOT outright say that HIV-positive folks should discontinue use of condoms, although this conjecture is well within the logical slope that they present, and it is this potential conjecture that has been the largest cause of concern within the HIV/AIDS research community. Importantly, the study was a meta-analysis meaning they did not gather any new information but rather amalgamated information from already completed studies. The resulting statement was a result of analysis and discussion and was primarily meant for the medical and research community.
Their argument is buttressed by the latest study from 2010 CROI (Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections) which concludes that the risk level for serodiscordant couples where the HIV-positive person is on treatment (regardless of their viral load and safer sex behaviors) is 0.08% Yes, that's LESS THAN 1%. If you include the consideration of undetectable viral load, it is completely within the realm of scientific possibility that HIV-positive folks falling under the above guidelines are essentially non-infectious. It was not an erroneous or scientifically unsound conclusion - just one that could have disastrous public health implications. Understandeably, the hoopla denouncing the statement has attacked just that - the public health implications - not, the science.
Also important was that the studies they analyzed were largely of heterosexual serodiscordant couples, and the applicability of the results is still questionable given the different transmission methods of MSM. But the biological basis of their argument remains the same - undetectable viral load in the blood means undetectable viral load in the semen 95% of the time. The remaining 5% of the time the viral load in the semen is at a level that does not stastically signal infectiousness - this is because the lowest recorded case of viral load infectiousness between a serodiscordant couple was at 1000 u/l (meaning every recorded case of infection between a serodiscordant couple was when the positive partner had a viral load higher than 1000).
So that brings up your first point of viral load "blips" between tests. A study that addressed this very question found that there is a 95% chance that the viral load will remain under the 1000 u/l marker between undetectable viral load tests (generally given every 3 months), and that number goes up to 99% if the HIV-positive person was initially treated with at least a three-drug cocktail (versus two or one). Again, not 100%. But your chances of being infected by just about every other STD is greater than it is of getting HIV from a known HIV-positive person who fits the above profile.
I know the other gentleman responding to your post addressed this already, but I just have to reiterate that HIV DOES NOT "equal a slow horrible death" NECESSARILY. In fact most studies show that many of the HIV-positive people living today will in fact die of a NON-HIV related disease. The difference between mortality rates (people who die from HIV-related deaths) versus the morbidity rates (people who are suffering from HIV-related illness) is increasing year after year. This means that people who are HIV-positive are still dying, but more and more it is because of non-HIV related illnesses. They die of heart attacks, strokes, and cancer just like the rest of the world.
Relatedly, the medications today and many in the pipeline are very well-tolerated. The side-effects of 10 years ago (lipodystrophy, peripheral neuropathy, wasting) are being seen less and less. That's not to say they aren't happening, because they definitely are, but physicians now have an army of alternate medications that they can choose from to help mitigate the side-effects.
I'll leave the social stigma issues you brought up alone because they were addressed by two previous posters. I'll just say that I sincerely hope that you are able to reconsider your views based on real scientific information, rather than the fear and dated information you base your current viewpoints on. Also, many many many studies actually show a marked DECREASE in risky behavior by HIV-positive folks once they learn of their diagnosis, not the anecdotal increase you seem to be arguing for. Indeed, there are people like you described who continue to put others at risk - but that is not by any means the general behavior of the HIV-infected.
Lastly, oral sex is not a "high risk" activity like you stated - in fact, even for someone who is not on medications it is considered a "low risk" activity. The risk is not zero - but there are actually no verified cases of transmission occurring this way - again, just anecdotal evidence which may or may not be the result of self-reporting variances (i.e. they simply don't report having had risky anal sex because of the self-blame, etc. that it would induce). Admittedly, this would be an impossible and unethical clinical trial to conduct, so we may never know 100%. Speaking in abstract, it is definitely possible - absolutely, all signs point to probably. Speaking scientifically, we simply don't know for sure.
Please please please inform and educate yourselves before putting information out there that further stigmatizes and divides an already disparate LGBTQ community. If we are ever going to overcome this disease, we are going to have to do it together.
Re: Hiv Undetectable?Thu, February 2, 2012 - 4:30 AMDoes anyone know if there are any reported cases of HIV being transmited from someone that is on medication and has an in detectable viral load??? Thanks
Re: Hiv Undetectable?Thu, February 2, 2012 - 11:11 AMYes you can get infected with HIV even if the other person is on medications and "undetectable".
Even if you are HIV+ and on meds and undetectable you can still get reinfected with other strains of HIV, or infect someone else that's HIV+ with another strain of HIV.
You can also get other STDs as well. Ignore the idiots with death wishes who claim that if you're HIV+ and on meds that you can't infect and HIV Neg person or that you can do it raw and bare all you want and not get infected with other strains of HIV or get reinfected.
Re: Hiv Undetectable?Fri, February 3, 2012 - 5:43 PMi agree 100% with ryan
Re: Hiv Undetectable?Tue, April 14, 2009 - 10:55 PMI agree with the person who wrote how it sounds dangerous.
The real reasons why the notorious Swiss study was so roundly condemned. It's not because it went against the "condom always" advice, which is egregiously disingenuous on his part.
This study is easily misinterpreted, for one thing, because all its subjects were heterosexual and engaged only in vaginal intercourse. Compared to unprotected vaginal intercourse, unprotected anal intercourse is 10 to 100 times more likely to transmit HIV. The lining of the rectum is far more fragile than that of the vagina, and the cells that are open to infection are much closer to the surface. During anal intercourse this lining may rupture, allowing HIV to break through and infect cells.
Furthermore, it is simply not true that "undetectable" = "noninfectious." HIV is found to be "undetectable" ONLY in the circulating peripheral blood, but only 2% of CD4 cells in the body, the cells infected by HIV, are found in the peripheral blood. The other 98% of CD4 cells are found elsewhere, and the viral-load test is not testing "elsewhere." HIV is present in the gut, the lymph nodes, the brain, the testes.
Did the Swiss scientists look for HIV in semen? Did they prove that HAART made HIV undetectable in all these other places in which HIV "hides" or lies dormant?
If a viral-load test is undetectable in the peripheral blood, and HIV is therefore, according to the Swiss, incapable of being transmitted, why haven't they also declared that such "undetectables" are cured?
From the Associated Press:
"Not only is [the Swiss proposal] dangerous, it's misleading and it is not considering the implications of the biological facts involved with HIV transmission," said Jay Levy, director of the Laboratory for Tumor and AIDS Virus Research at the University of California in San Francisco. Levy said there was no safe way of knowing whether a patient with HIV who has no detectable virus in the blood will not transmit the virus. More research into the links between viral load in the blood and the presence of the virus in genital fluid was needed, he said.
Men who are treated with anti-HIV therapy can develop drug-resistant virus in their semen, and there is evidence of multi-drug resistant strains of HIV developing in the genital tract but not blood. Furthermore, semen that has an undetectable viral load is still potentially infectious, and cells in semen can contain HIV proviral DNA and can act as vehicles for sexual transmission of HIV.
THAT is why responsible prevention advocates recommend that HIV prevention messages targeted to both infected and uninfected persons communicate the importance of condoms and other risk-reduction strategies regardless of HIV treatment status and at all stages of HIV disease.
HIV+ SEX IS SAFEThu, June 17, 2010 - 10:46 PMOne of these guys sounded like he was reading from Mein Kampf. To add a little more grounded common sense to this discussion:
If you are having sex with someone who is HIV+, it can be totally safe. Just take certain precautions:
1. Use two condoms when having anal sex.
Crown skinless skin condoms, manufactured by Okamoto in Japan are a great brand that almost never break (i.e. never) and feel great on. And in the RARE chance it does break you can count on the second one you have on!
2. Ask your HIV+ partner to pull out before cumming (if it makes you feel better)
While any precum will be trapped inside the condom, you have the added security that their mother load is outside of your concerned ass.
3. Wear a single good quality condom when performing or receiving oral sex
(none of the existing posts suggest this--HELLO!) As you have your mouth on it, you can ensure it is secure and unbroken. A super thin japanese condom works well for this (it's what many pornstars use)
4. Before kissing your HIV+ lover make sure both your mouths are safe and sealed up.
Ensure that neither of you have brushed your teeth, flossed, or eaten foods that might have irritated the gums for at least four to five hours prior to contact. Also remember that HIV is not carried in saliva and even if there was an undetectable abrasion in one mouth, the likelihood of you contracting HIV from a HIV+ person on meds is next to NON EXISTENT (BOTH of you would have to have open wounds in your mouth that made blood contact and defied an undetectable viral load--if you're even the least bit careful, it ain't gonna happen--and I don't think there is ANY record of this ever occuring).
5. Finally, enjoy foreplay.
Obviously make sure there are no open wounds on the body (and don't do things like pop or disturb a pimple as there could be blood). Body licking, massage, fingering (use a glove if you feel safer), necking, etc. Great risk free foreplay combined with safe sex will make for a fantastic and SAFE experience with your HIV+ lover--short or long term.
It is also worth noting that many new HAART therapies have little to NO side effects and while still demanding of the liver and kidneys, newer far less toxic therapies are already coming out and are definitely on the horizon. Many recent international studies show that the mortality rate of HIV+ and HIV- people is getting closer and closer to being equal (provided that HIV+ people catch the desease early and start and MAINTAIN therapy and a healthy lifestyle). A recent study in France showed that HIV+ people with a healthy lifestyle who are diligent about taking their meds can expect to live as long as someone who is HIV- (see the article here www.aidsmap.com/en/news/50...B339D.asp). Of course quality of life is still the big question, but if you are able to stay healthy and happy, with newer therapies on the horizon, the prospects of a healthful long life are already very very good and are just getting better for people with access to good healthcare.
So if you develop a long term relationship with someone who is HIV+ don't expect that you'll be taking care of someone who is always sick when they get older--the likelihood is they won't be (if they maintain a healthy lifestyle and stick to their meds).
To say that HIV+ people should not have sex with HIV- people is built on fear. You might as well be asking black people to go to the back of the bus. If they and their partners are RESPONSIBLE (extra safe oral and anal sex, safe kissing practices) and they are on meds, the risk is next to none. There are MANY responsible HIV+/HIV- long term couples out there--in their 50s and older!
And consider (as one writer mentioned) that MANY people out there are HIV+ and don't know it! If you are having safe sex with someone who is HIV+, you are probably WAY less at risk then if you have unprotected sex with someone who swears they are HIV- so suck on that.
Just use common sense. Be logical and considerate. A sexual relationship with someone who is HIV+ can be very safe.
Happy fucking.
Re: HIV+ SEX IS SAFEFri, July 9, 2010 - 1:10 AM"That simply isn't the way the world works."
That's not the way WHOSE world works?
It is mind-boggling to me that anyone could still be out there day after day having casual and anonymous sex with multiple partners knowing the prevalence of the HIV rates and the risks involved. It's why I stay home alone all the time. I have never had any interest in sexual activity without an emotional and intellectual relationship being involved, and given the disease factor, you could not pay me enough money to have sex with anyone that I was not in a monogamous relationship with. Which is why I am single. I completely reject that current gay paradigm that we are to stay single, or become partnered, and just keep fucking whoever comes down the street. Instead, I want the expansion of consciousness that comes when two people are involved in a loving partnership on all levels. I don't ever want to have to worry about STD's at all ever again as long as I live. And no sexual encounter is worth my peace of mind. NOBODY can do me like I can anyway.


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I was a child living in Westchester, yet I can still recall the New York Daily News' coverage of the March 13, 1964 brutal murder of Catherine Susan Genovese---Kitty Genovese---by a psychopath named Winston Moseley. I can still remember how the phrase "Kew Gardens" was equated with injustice and horror. Her murder took 33 minutes but the effects have endured for decades. Newspapers said as many as 38 witnesses in her serene Kew Gardens neighborhood had seen the crime and done nothing. Scholars, scientists and journalists have tried to understand how so many neighbors could watch a young woman being sexually assaulted and stabbed and not help her or call the police. The case became a scandal, stirring up fierce emotions about violence, crime in the city, and the decline of neighborhoods during a period of great upheaval and urban decay. It even sparked a new sociological theory, the "bystander effect", now a mainstay of psychology textbooks.
But the real story of Kitty Genovese is far more complicated and compelling.Now, on the 50th anniversary of the killing, Kevin Cook tackles one of the 20th century's most sensational true crime stories in Kitty Genovese: The Murder, The Bystanders, The Crime That Changed America (W. W. Norton, $25.95). An award-winning author and journalist, Cook takes readers back, not only to the night in question, but to the cultural landscape and historic aftermath of this notorious murder. Using newly discovered documents and original interviews, Cook uncovers the truth of what happened that night. Through his gripping retelling of a crime that changed history, the book gives readers new perspective on the life of the victim, the background of her killer, and the riveting hunt for justice.
Cook introduces Kitty herself with great empathy and compassion. Few know the truth of Kitty's fascinating life as a young woman, a bit wild, enamored of the colorful scene in Greenwich Village. Through her story the reader experiences the cultural and political transitions of '60s New York. As Publishers Weekly remarked, "Cook never loses sight of the victim, tracing the arc of Genovese's 27 years of life, and presenting the memories of her partner, Mary Ann Zielonko… In an especially moving section, Cook notes the chance elements that put Genovese in harm's way."
A close examination of Kitty's life and murder of this woman reveals a complicated tableau of the individuals involved. Among them is Winston Moseley, a modern-day psychopath. Moseley's gripping trial, informed in Cook's account by transcripts and interviews, reveals disturbing details about the killer's psychological makeup. Cook also presents a riveting narrative of the manhunt that followed his later escape and rampage.
Most of all, Cook questions the prevailing narrative that bystanders did not help the beguiling young victim. His research reveals that the Times got it wrong: most of the so-called witnesses would not have been able to see or understand the crime. And, most shocking of all, one of the witnesses did, in fact, help Kitty. Cook's critical exploration of what was characterized as a failure of human feeling reveals a more complicated truth.
As the tale unfolds, Cook guides the reader with unflinching honesty. His observations look beyond the headlines to ask: "Maybe that view of the crimes endures because it isn't true, because it boils a complex, troubling story down to a single, simple question: How could those people watch what happened to her, and do nothing?"
Pursuing this question with great feeling and compassion, Cook explores the legacy of the case, which extends deeply into society and science. Public outrage inspired criminal justice reforms and the 9-1-1 emergency response system. After decades of scholarship and speculation, Kitty Genovese presents the most accurate and compelling account of the Genovese murder to date.
Other writers and publishers are presenting other books on Kitty's murder. Here's one: Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and Its Private Consequences (Skyhorse Publishing, $24.95)
Catherine Pelonero, a playwright, writes about the murder and the widespread inaction of her neighbors, crystallized a host of new understandings, most famously "the bystander effect." With Good Samaritan laws constantly under discussion, her case is no less relevant—or less shocking—than it was 50 years ago.
While volumes have been written about the apathy of these witnesses, there has never been more than a paragraph here and there about Genovese's life. Pelonero's book is the first to paint a comprehensive, haunting portrait of the titular young woman struck down in the prime of life, as well as her attacker, Winston Moseley. Pelonero is the only author Moseley has ever spoken with (he wrote her letters while in jail), and her portrait of him tracks the evolution of one of history's most terrifying and complex serial killers.
Pelonero's substantial new research is also based on firsthand interviews with witnesses, former Kew Gardens residents and people who knew both Genovese and Moseley.Unlike other books on the subject, Pelonero's omits nothing, including Moseley's little-known '68 escape from custody and his subsequent three-day crime spree through Buffalo. The press release fails to mention Kitty's partner, Mary Ann Zielonko. Let's pray "omitting nothing is accurate.


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EUEGENE, Ore. -- The University of Oregon women's soccer team will meet its first top-10 opponent of the season on Thursday as No. 6 BYU travels to Eugene. The fixture will get underway at 7:05 p.m. (PT) at Papè Field and will be televised live by the Pac-12 Networks, with Ann Schatz and Kendra De St. Aubin calling the action.
Facing a ranked opponent won't be a strange sight for head coach Kat Mertz's Ducks, who have already faced No. 15 Portland and then-ranked Wisconsin. The Ducks forced Portland into overtime for the first time in program history before falling by a 2-1 score, and also netted a second half equalizer against Wisconsin before falling 2-1. Nine of Oregon's 2013 opponents are currently ranked or receiving votes in today's NSCAA Continental Tire Poll.
The Cougars are perfect on the season at 4-0-0 and are coming off a home victory against Utah, where they won 1-0.
The Ducks are coming off a pair of tough-luck matches, where they dropped two one-goal decisions. Oregon fell to Hawai'i 1-0 on Friday before suffering a 2-1 setback against UC Irvine. Junior Bri Pugh provided a bright spot for the Ducks, tallying a combined 14 shots, nine shots on target and a goal in the two matches. Junior Abby Steele made 11 saves on the weekend, moving to fourth on UO's all-time goalkeeper saves list (182). Steele ranks first in the Pac-12 in saves (28), while Pugh ranks fourth in shots (21).
The Duck offense has received contributions from across the board this season, as five players have combined for the team's eight goals while six players have totaled Oregon's seven assists. Pugh, freshman ShayLee Miner and Brooke Strawn lead the Ducks with two goals, while Kiyomi Cook leads the team in assists (2). Steele and defender Reilley Moore have played every minute this season.
After meeting BYU, Mertz and the Ducks will continue their nine-game home-stand by hosting San Francisco on Friday, Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. (PT).


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9 comments
July 25th
What else do you think would've happend? a giant wizard in the clouds make you apear out of nothing??
August 13th
cool beans.
Feb 28th
lol. dude this is gold.
Dec 4th
bahaha i like it! lkf
April 13th
Lol! Nice one, Mike!
July 15th
what`s that?
June 21st
Well it's true so you can't deny it!!!!
June 7th
Hahahaha, excellent...
June 6th


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