OT For Me...

 

Many of the articles out this morning were focused primarily on cultural issues & their relationship with HIV.  There were quite a few on groups, ethnicities & regions I'm not involved with including; domestic violence & how it correlates with HIV.

Most were probably perfectly fine pieces, but not in my wheelhouse.  Then why am I discussing them?  I realize there are a lot of works over HIV that simply do not pertain to me.  That doesn't make them lesser, it just means that they aren't what I post about.  

It's OK to be selective & critical.  I like comic books.  I don't like all comics & don't bother with a large percentage of them out every month.  There are topics, styles, storylines, etc... I don't find interesting.  Even with the comics I do like, I can get very critical of them & drop them for a while or forever.

Just because you like something, doesn't mean you like everything pertaining to it.  You might, but you don't have to.  I like cheese, but I'm not a cheese fanatic.  There are cheeses I definitely do not like.  Some people put cheese on things I would never want it on.  That doesn't mean that I don't like cheese.

Strange venues I know, cheese & comics.  But when you write about something, you need a focus, especially when it's a broad topic.  If you don't hone in, your writing won't have main topic.  HIV is a umbrella subject now, not a focused topic.  I'm interested in things that relate to me, my area, my situation.  That's what I try to write about.

That's all for now, take care.

Cya...

Maybe...

 

Maybe it's just the 24 hour internet outage, the sidelined errand or crappy weather, but I'm not doing as well as I'd like.  I'm tired, anxious & cold.  The net's working, it's sunny & supposed to warm up.  Some issues are being handled.  Still it's exhausting.

There are articles out lately about "curing" HIV.  These things are being titled & worded as if they're just around the corner & they're not.  They get hopes up about research possibilities.  These things may never materialize.  Even if they do, it may years out.  

There was a point when education, awareness & prevention were major parts of the HIV battle plan.  Now, that has been cast aside for "treatment as prevention."  anxiousUnless it's medication, there's little discussion of prevention methods.  

In a world where the current generation has the lowest awareness & knowledge of HIV, it would seem like it's time to bring back the old model.  Many of these people don't really understand the concept of HIV, AIDS or the transmission of the virus.  Prevention is prevention, treatment it treatment.  Both are important & neither can replace the other.  It's not a hard concept.

Cya...

Problematic Pieces...

 

The article I found this morning is a bit troublesome.  The title is, "Gene Therapy Can Effectively Eliminate HIV Infection."   The article covers the same info I did for a recent post.  It discussed deactivating the CCR5 mutation & snipping the virus from the cell.  The concept CRISPR has been around a bit.  The method has been studied for a while, still it isn't a proven strategy.  Thus far, it's been used in humanized mice.

Even though the title infers there's a cure for HIV via gene therapy, there isn't at this time.   Maybe this can be made to work in mice 100% of the time.  That doesn't mean it will automatically translate to any other animals or humans. 

Still the title remains & many people will read that & think they can be cured tomorrow.  Articles like this can do far more harm than they will inform of future possibilities.  Before you write, know your audience.  Albeit there was some serious jargon in this article, it was written to lean towards lay people, not medical professionals.  Even though the title is technically accurate, it's click bait & a false promise.  This type of writing is misleading, harmful & quite frankly disgusting.

Cya...

Not Articles...

 

Occasionally I see articles that sound interesting, except they aren't articles, they're unsupported statements or opinions.  Badly written pieces don't make articles, most of them aren't even well constructed OpEd's.

I saw a piece inferring it would cover racism in the  medical setting & how it impacted the treatment of HIV+ people of color.  The lengthy article said stigma & prejudice were present for ethnic patients, it never supported.    

When dealing with HIV; stigma, discrimination & prejudice are always a fear & too often a reality.   This article implied it was going to cover such matters, it  didn't.  It simply stated it happens & it's bad. 

There was little actual research noted & I'm not certain where the few stats  cited came from.  This wasn't an article.  It wasn't an OpEd.  It was a  distraction.  People, learn to actually write articles.  Start by learning to write basic essays; have a point, make it, support it, then conclude.  These articles should be as brief  & concise  as  possible.

Take care.

Cya...

Uggh...

I'm sick of dreary, rainy days.  I need sunlight.   I'm spent.  It's supposed to be sunnier today.  I hope so, I need it.

There's 1 thing I hate more than not finding articles or finding only rehash/op-ed.  It's advice columnist.   These writers do their smoozy best to come off as accepting & supportive.  That's BS.  

These columnist have serious bias.  They just get these people writing in to show their guts & then the writer stomps on them.  The advisors harbor a slightly more restrained, cooler abhorrence against fringe groups not in vogue.

If the writer is younger, gay, trans, POC or liberal, they are part of the promised people.  Let them be older, white, religious & then by all means tear them down.  Older, white women, especially if slightly more affluent are prime targets.   These writers love telling people in the most Karen of ways just how out of touch they are.  They ridicule them for not being PC & being relics of their time.   

If you aren't part of their target demographic, then your fair game to attack.  To be advice-splained to about all the wrongness that is you.  Funny, I thought that was what the progressives accused of conservative of doing.  It always comes down to, "star on thars."

Cya...

Just The Facts...

Often, while reading articles, I don't just see the facts.  Even if the piece I'm scanning is over HIV related matters, I still find sentiment, opinion & judgement. Few today write objectively & it diminishes their work.  Let the writing stand on its own.  Present your analysis, not your biases.  I'm reading the work for the research, not social judgement.

For example, I saw an article today pointing out Black males  still make up a huge part of new HIV cases.   This wasn't just presented  as fact, this was a social judgement.  This point was never direct, but the meaning was clear.  Black male culture was incapable of taking care of this issue, so others, especially White others, needed to step in & take care of the matter.

Maybe authors are just oblivious to the implications.  These pieces imply Black men can't handle health matters.  It puts the onus on society to handle their inability.   1st, if this inability does exist, it's a cultural matter, not a disability.  These men are capable of handling their health concerns.  Finally, it's not anyone else's responsibility or right to step in on these men's health matters.  These attitudes are insulting & arrogant.

Write your research.  Give us the facts.  A writer is allowed to draw possible conclusions or even give opinions.  But those must be presented as the author's believes, not facts.  Definitely not as judgements on their subjects or society.

Take Care.

Cya...

Article Selection...

I didn't find any articles I wanted to cover today.  Yes, there were articles out there.  However, they fell into these areas:

• Things I've covered before with no new info
• Things that are too vague or novel 
• Things that are too subjective
• Things that are not pertinent to my area/situation

Most of those are pretty straight forward, except for perhaps the last point.  I don't tend to cover things that are entirely removed from my area.  Articles that only affect other countries aren't things I approach.  Now, if an article is about funding, meds or drug resistance, I'm prone to go over them.

I'm not saying these other issues don't matter.  I'm saying they aren't in the purview of this particular blog.   I try to focus on matters that could impact me & those in similar situations.  If I don't cover an article you may find intriguing, it was either due to those factors, I'm waiting or I just didn't see it.

Cya...

Not Easy...

I'm having a hard time finding things to write about.    Good articles are scarce.  My life is the same old, same old.   My time is mostly just moments ticking into moments.  Nothing much in between.  

The holidays aren't getting me down like they used to.  It's hard to tell it's a week until Thanksgiving & not long off to Christmas.  I guess that's because the holiday season isn't like what it was when I was a kid.  Now, there's just cheap, hollowed out versions of the things I was fond of as a child.   People threw out the spirit & only kept what they could sell.  Blinking lights on houses aren't for celebration now, they're just supporting the facade of success.  Nostalgia can be very disappointing.

I guess that's enough depressing talk for the moment.  Take care.

Cya..

Harder...

It's getting harder to write this blog.  I made a commitment to do a daily entry if at all possible.  I've mostly been successful.  However, for the last several months, coming up on a year, articles regarding HIV have been in short supply.  What has been there, has been mostly rehashing & unsubstantiated.    

There have been a lot repeat articles & days without anything at all.  I've gone on the best I can, but I have to admit there times, when I wonder what I'll write about.   Today is another day of limited publications, most of which, I've already addressed.  It's getting harder to carry on this conversation, when other people aren't partaking in the process.

Maybe there'll be something tomorrow.

Cya...

Literature...

I don't normally talk about literature of the dramatic type here.   This article is about a memoir of a man whose father died of AIDS.  More importantly it centers on the questions that surrounded his perception of his father's illness.  It looks like a good read.

I can only attest to my own issues & experience with HIV.  I can't imagine having to walk through this illness with someone close to you, especially at the time this memoir is set.  It's easy to forget the people on the sidelines; family members, friends, caretakers & the like.

HIV is a disease that affects us like few others.  The virus itself can be devastating & deadly, but the stigma & ignorance surrounding AIDS can be significantly worse.  Fear, ignorance, confusion, hatred, misinformation, uncertainty, lies, shame are all good ways to describe the emotions surrounding the early years of HIV.

I may have to look for this book.   Maybe I can actually get myself to read it.

Cya...