The color of AIDS

In the United States, HIV/AIDS is no longer just a disease affecting white, gay men. The percentage of cases of women living with HIV has tripled in the past 20 years, and women of color are most affected. Yet outdated perceptions about the epidemic drive government prevention work, from the way data is collected to who gets tested.

On this edition, those on the frontlines of the grassroots HIV/AIDS movement bring the discussion about HIV risk up to date. They say generating more relevant prevention models is literally a matter of life and death, especially for women of color.

Greener Magazine

Featuring::

Silvia Martei, HIV positive woman in Oakland, CA; Naina Khanna, W.O.R.L.D. community outreach coordinator; Silvia Lopez, Co-Founder of the Women Rising Project; Waheedah Shabazz-El, ACT-UP Philadelphia member, Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project and Philadelphia FIGHT community organizer/trainer; Kenyon Farrow, Prevention Justice Mobilization Communications coordinator and Queers for Economic Justice board member; Ginger Virago, harm reduction specialist and Saint James Infirmary board member and case worker at “Positive She,” a University of San Francisco program for HIV-positive women; Esther Lucero, San Francisco Native American AIDS Project HIV case manager; L. Nyrobi N. Moss, Sister Love sexual health educator; Dazon Dixon Diallo, Sister Love intervention specialist founder/chief executive officer; Lisa Diane White, Sister Love program manager.

Senior Producer/Host: Tena Rubio
Managing Show Producer: Pauline Bartolone
Associate Producer: Puck Lo
Contributing Producer: Noah Chandler
Interns: Samson Reiny, Joaquin Palomino and Elena Botkin-Levy

Bonus Audio::

At an October 22nd, 2007 Washington, DC press briefing called "Women and AIDS: Federal HIV-reporting policy and its impact on women," HIV organizations spoke to the need to make changes in the Centers for Disease Control's HIV surveillance system:
Colin Flynn, Chief of Surveillance and Epidemiology at the Maryland Dept. of Health and Hygiene's AIDS administration, presented the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists HIV surveillance position paper.

Carrie Broadus, Executive Director of the Women Alive Coalition, presented the National Women and AIDS Collective (NWAC) position paper.

Emerging radio producers Renita Pitts and Shanina Shumate created this 10-minute web segment:
Fighting AIDS in Oakland, a report on AIDS and African-American women featuring the voices of U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Dr. Robert Scott, Anita Schools of Women Overcoming Life Threatening Diseases (WORLD), Bishop Dr. Yvette Flounder, and Sheryl Lee Ralph.

For more information::

Sister Love
PO Box 10558
3709 Bakers Ferry Road, SW
Atlanta, GA 30331
404-505-7777; 866-750-7733
info@sisterlove.org
www.sisterlove.org

AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power
PO Box 22439
Philadelphia, PA 19110
215-386-1981
actupp@critpath.org
www.critpath.org/actup/

W.O.R.L.D.
414 13th Street, 2nd Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
510-986-0340 x306
www.womenhiv.org

Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project
32 Broadway, Suite 1801
New York, NY 10004
212-937-7955
champ@champnetwork.org
www.champnetwork.org

Prevention Justice Mobilization
www.preventionjustice.org

St. James Infirmary
1372 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-554-8494
www.stjamesinfirmary.org

Native American AIDS Project
1540 Market Street, Suite 130
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-431-6227
www.naap-ca.org

Truth AIDS
PO Box 147
New York, NY 10035
646-707-0485
www.truthaids.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
404-639-3534
800-311-3435
www.cdc.gov

National Association of People with AIDS
8401 Colesville Road, Suite 750
Silver Spring, MD 20910
240-247-0880
www.napwa.org

Philadelphia FIGHT
1233 Locust Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-985-4448
www.fight.org

Queers for Economic Justice
16 West 32nd Street, #10H
New York, NY 10001
212-564-3608
http://qej.tripod.com/qej2/index.html

Additional information::

Black Coalition on AIDS
2800 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-615-9945
bcoa@bcoa.org
www.bcoa.org

The Philadelphia AIDS Consortium
112 North Broad Street, 9th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
215-988-9970
comments@tpaconline.org
www.tpaconline.org

Prevention Point Philadelphia
Trans Health Information Project (TIP)
166 Lehigh Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19133
www.preventionpointphilly.org/services/services-trans.html

AID Atlanta
1605 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-870-7700
www.aidatlanta.org

Harm Reduction Coalition
1440 Broadway, Suite 510
Oakland, CA 94612
510-444-6969
www.harmreduction.org

New York State Black Gay Network
103 East 125th Street, Suite 7E
New York, NY 10035
212-828-9393

HIV/AIDS Amongst Women
www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/women/resources/factsheets/women.htm

Ms. Foundation
The National Women and AIDS Collective
http://ms.foundation.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=421
http://ms.foundation.org/user-assets/PDF/Program/NWACpolicypaperFINAL81505.pdf

For a free video contact::
HIV Positive Voices
www.hivpositivevoices.org

Music::

De La Soul - "Hey Love Love"
Ghetto Muffin - "Tsanana"
Unknown Artist - "Balm in Gilead"

Prediction, more virulent microbes

A study to be published tomorrow in the journal Nature predicts there will be more virulent disease events in our future as microbes continue to adapt to their environment, us.

Many of the most successful microbes are those that inhabit but do not kill their host. What explains their success? A new mathematical model, devised by a microbiologist renowned for his study of H. pylori and a mathematician, provides the framework for understanding how persistent microbes obtain equilibrium with their human hosts.

Microbes and humans interact in myriad ways, sharing a long history. Many of the most successful microbes are those that inhabit but do not kill their host. Cheaters lose. Tuberculosis settles into the lungs. Helicobacter pylori, the microbe causing ulcers, burrows into the stomach where it thrives on acids. And Salmonella typhi takes up residence in the gallbladder. All of these organisms can persist in our bodies for decades. What explains their success?

A new mathematical model, devised by a microbiologist renowned for his study of H. pylori and a mathematician, provides the framework for understanding how persistent microbes obtain equilibrium with their human hosts. The multi-scale model, published in the October 18, 2007, issue of the journal Nature, is based on the idea that certain microbes and humans evolved together and along the way established complex strategies that enabled them to co-exist. These strategies are contingent in part on human population size.

The model helps explain the rules that govern the transmission of microbes and how they have operated in human history, says Martin J. Blaser, M.D., the Frederick King Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine, and Professor of Microbiology at New York University School of Medicine. He and Denise Kirschner of the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, are authors of the study. The model uses game theory, developed by Nobel prize-winning mathematician John Nash, the subject of the book and movie A Beautiful Mind, to describe a particular type of equilibrium.

The model can be used to better understand microbial responses to a changing human world, says Dr. Blaser. Based on their formulations, our biological future will probably be filled with some “pretty bad epidemics,” says Dr. Blaser. “Our model predicts that as effective population size increases and as immunodeficiency increases due to the spread of HIV infection, and an aging population, there will be more virulent organisms. This is bad news for us.”

Through the course of human evolution, Drs. Blaser and Kirschner propose that three classes of persistent microbes have evolved, each employing a different biological strategy to avoid being eliminated quickly by their human hosts. TB, H. pylori, and Salmonella are an example of each class. Any microbe that was “cheating” the system, in other words, tried to expand its territory in the body, wouldn’t survive because it would likely kill its host.

According to their theory, small populations select for certain kinds of microbial agents. More than 50,000 years ago, when humans lived as hunter-gatherers in small, isolated groups, the majority of microbes were transmitted within families or were those that would emerge late in life. Microbes that were not lethal were favored because there wasn’t a large reservoir of people to infect. Any microbe that killed off its hosts, wouldn’t have survived itself. H. pylori evolved during this time.

As population size increased and humans became less isolated, organisms that had perfected ways to hide in the body for decades, such as TB and Salmonella typhi, and then suddenly reactivate or get transmitted, evolved. These organisms could afford to induce more disease early in life because they had mechanisms to sustain themselves in human populations.

As even larger societies developed, more virulent organisms, such as measles, emerged because the population could permit the virus to spread. Our most recent epidemics, including influenza in the early 20th century and AIDS today, involve organisms that can kill millions because these highly virulent organisms have a huge pool of people to infect, and still be transmitted.

“We did not make the laws of nature,” says Dr. Blaser. “Even though we may not like them, we need to understand them to better control infectious diseases.”

Greener Magazine

More:: Interview with Dr. Blaser (Pdf)

New Orleans Now:

Immigrants, Labor Rights and the Human Cost of Rebuilding an American City - Part 3

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 40 million people in the U.S. without health insurance. Those mostly affected: people with low income and people of color. Now, imagine you're both and from another country. You've come to help rebuild New Orleans and you find yourself working in unsanitary, unregulated and hazardous conditions. Where do you go for help if you get hurt or you get sick?

On this edition, part three of our immigration series, we hear from two people who have affected countless lives by providing a basic necessity: health care.

This series was made possible in part by the Open Society Institute.

Greener Magazine

Featuring::

Jennifer Whitney, Latino Health Outreach Project (LHOP) co-founder and coordinator; Dr. Ravi Vadlamudi, Common Ground Health Clinic medical director & Tulane University¹s Uptown Square Clinic doctor.

Senior Producer/Host: Tena Rubio,Open Society Institute Fellow
Mixing Engineer: Phillip Babich
Interns: Alexis McCrimmon and Samson Reiny
Translation: Frank Rubio, Andrew Reisseger, Christine M. Rodriguez
Voiceover talent: Jose Ramirez, Dr. Joseph Khamsi, Paul Bieber, Samson Reiny, Steve Masar, Christopher Williams, Aaron Shuman, Joshua Grossman
Transcribing: Casting Word

Much appreciation to all the people who contributed their time, energy and support to this show, Eve Troeh, David Kunian, Claire Schoen, all of those listed above and especially to Steve Masar and Emily Polk.

For more information::

Latino Health Outreach Project
Thursdays at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. & Claiborne Ave.
(Jueves: Avenida de Martin Luther King Jr. y Avenida de Claiborne)
504-377-7281
www.cghc.org/lhop.html

Common Ground Health Clinic (Latino Health Outreach Project)
1400 Teche Street
PO Box 741801
New Orleans, LA 70174-1801
504-361-9800; healthalgiers@yahoo.com
www.cghc.org

Other helpful links::

Workplace Justice Project
Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law
7214 St. Charles Ave., Box 901
New Orleans, LA 70118
504-861-5550; molina@loyno.edu

New Orleans Worker Center for Racial Justice (NOWJC)
The New Orleans Worker Justice Coalition
504-363-1108; organizer@neworleansworkerjustice.org
www.neworleansworkerjustice.org

Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104
www.splcenter.org

The People's Hurricane Relief Fund (PHRF)
1418 N. Claiborne, Suite 2
New Orleans, LA 70116
504-301-0125; 1-888-310-PHRF; info@peopleshurricane.org
www.peopleshurricane.org

The joys of summer: safe fun in the sun

Safety tips for this summer's enjoyment and don't forget the
The Great American Campout coming up June 23rd.

Ah, summer! Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie—bugs, heat, accidents. Follow these tips to keep your family healthy this summer.

Play it safe. Whether it’s hiking, bicycling, inline skating or soccer, everyone loves to get out and play, but that often means an increase in injuries.

“We see more trauma cases during the warm months, like someone playing basketball who sprains an ankle,” says Nick Zenarosa, M.D., medical director of the emergency department and a physician on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Garland. Wear the proper clothing and gear for your activity.

Beat the heat. Excessive warm-weather activity can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke, particularly when humidity is high. “The importance of hydration cannot be overstressed,” says Dr. Zenarosa. Drink plenty of water, and switch to sports drinks if you’ll be working or exercising in the heat for a long stretch. Limit outdoor activities when heat alerts are forecast. If you begin to feel dizzy or nauseated, get out of the heat and drink some Gatorade or water. Try to speed the cooling process by wiping down your skin with moist cloths and sitting in front of a fan.Young children and the homebound elderly are especially at risk for heat illness. Check on relatives, and never leave kids or pets in the car.

Don’t get burned. Use SPF 15 or higher sunscreen, wear a hat and sunglasses, and limit sun exposure. The same goes for kids. “Children’s skin is more sensitive to the sun,” says Dr. Zenarosa.

Bug off. Use insect repellent containing DEET, particularly at dawn or dusk. Few people develop West Nile virus, but keep an eye out for fever, headache and body aches after a recent outing where you may have been bitten.

Put it on ice. When picnicking, bring ice packs to keep cold food cold. “Don’t leave food out very long. Anything made with eggs or mayonnaise can go bad very quickly,” says Dr. Zenarosa. Toss leftovers unless you’re certain they’ve been kept properly chilled. Make sure grilled meat is cooked thoroughly.

Just say no. Alcohol increases dehydration and mental impairment and is a big factor in many car and watercraft accidents.

Lock and latch. Kids wander away quickly, so be sure your swimming pool is secure. If you’re planning a road trip, buckle up.

Whatever your plans this summer, pack a little common sense and you’ll have everything you need to stay safe.

Greener Magazine

Keywords:: SUMMER SAFETY, BUG SPRAY, PICNICS, HEAT STROKE, DEHYDRATION, SUNBURN, SPF, WEST NILE

WWII survivors - lessons in resilience

University of Maryland post traumatic stress disorder expert Glenn Schiraldi spent four years traveling the U.S. to talk with World War II combat veterans whose lives have been characterized by resilience. In this Q&A, Schiraldi describes his experience and what the veterans can teach us about resilience in the face of trauma and loss.

Schiraldi interviewed
Tom Fields,
second from left

What gave you the idea for the book?

SCHIRALDI: My public health career has focused on helping people to cope with stress. Prior to the publication of this book, I'd spent five years writing The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook, which describes the nature and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD can afflict survivors of combat, terrorism, rape, any kind of abuse, natural disasters, and the like. Once you get a handle on treating a psychological disorder, you then naturally begin to think about preventing it. So the next logical step was to explore resilience--the strengths of mind and character which help people facing overwhelming stress to function well and preserve their sanity. Particularly after 9/11 and the war in Iraq, with the resulting up ticks in PTSD, anxiety, and depression, it seemed imperative to better understand what resilience is and how it develops. I began to consider a group of people who might share the secrets of surviving extreme adversity.

Why did you choose WWII survivors?

SCHIRALDI: Wartime stress is a metaphor for all other forms of stress. I'd also always been fascinated by the Greatest Generation, my parents' generation. They had been steeled by the Depression and hard work, and then, of course, so many of them answered freedom's call in WWII in truly remarkable ways. The fact that I'm a graduate of West Point probably also gave me a special feeling for these people and their sacrifices. When I interviewed them, they were eighty years old on average, so they also shared profound insights on surviving challenges across the lifespan. I think that their experiences and insights have much to teach all survivors--from combat to everyday stress and strain. Not only did this remarkable group of forty-one survivors have much to say about not stumbling psychologically, but they also shared much about being strong and productive before, during, and after crises.

What were your criteria in selecting people to interview?

SCHIRALDI: I interviewed people who were survivors of combat, who returned from the war well-adjusted, and who were well-married, an enduring marriage being another indicator of good adjustment. I asked them each to tell their stories about their pre-war years and then their war years. Then I asked them about what helped them to cope--how they got through the war psychologically intact. I specifically asked what was in their hearts and minds on topics ranging from staying calm under pressure, to emotional intelligence, forgiving, humor, optimism, spirituality, meaning and purpose, love, creativity, character, and how to view suffering and loss.

How did you find the people you interviewed?

SCHIRALDI: I simply asked people if they knew individuals who met my critieria. I started with veterans I'd known for years, such as Captain Joseph Taussig, a Naval Academy graduate who lost his leg at Pearl Harbor on the USS Nevada, the only battleship to move under its own power during that battle. Sometimes the WWII survivors referred me to comrades in arms with whom they'd served and knew well. In some cases, I learned about remarkable individuals through their books or television documentaries. For example, Irene Gut Opdyke, a Polish partisan, was an extraordinary woman. Her book (In My Hands) describes how she hid twelve Jews in the basement of a villa where she kept house for a German major. The Fighter Pilot's Story started out as a video which Quentin Aanenson made to explain the strains of war to his family. It has since become a PBS documentary.

How did you manage to interview all of the people in person?

SCHIRALDI: Over a five-year period, from 2000 to 2005, I traveled the country, sometimes flying but usually driving, visiting the survivors. I almost always met with them in their homes, because I wanted to get a sense of who they are. I often met their families, and in making follow-up calls and visits, came to feel that they and their families had become like an extended family. The individuals ranged from poor coal miners and farmers to privileged urbanites. The visits covered Maine to California, and included a Navajo Code Talker, a Tuskegee Airman, Marines in the Pacific, GIs in Europe, Sailors, Airmen, prisoners of war, survivors of the Bataan Death March and the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (of Bridge Over the River Kwai fame)--virtually all aspects of the war. I loved it when they pulled out old photos and relived their memories. Many of the photos are in the book.

Were there any surprises?

SCHIRALDI: Perhaps that people can endure incredible suffering, yet still remain soft and whole inside--hopeful, loving, and happy. While we hear about the real and tragic casualties of war, we perhaps hear less about those who withstand so much, and yet return to live productive lives. This book is, in a sense, stories of those who figured out ways to keep it together. I've often thought that this was a very warm and likeable group of individuals. Sometimes trauma makes people hard and bitter inside. But that wasn't the case with these people.

What can veterans from more recent wars such as Viet Nam and Iraq learn from these WWII vets?

SCHIRALDI: I believe the strengths of resilience are timeless and universal, and that we can all still learn much from these survivors. People often ask me if I would find similar strengths in the veterans of more recent wars, and I reply, "You would in the resilient ones." It was Viktor Frankl, the Holocaust survivor, who wrote that people can withstand almost any suffering if they have a reason to, something to give their lives meaning and purpose.

What were some of the traits these people shared?

SCHIRALDI: These survivors were very clear on their lives' purposes, why they were fighting, and what kinds of lives they wished to return to. They were also very clear on matters of character. They'd decided in advance what they would and wouldn't do, and thus carried fewer regrets back home with them. Whether it was standing up to immoral orders or being faithful to loved ones, this was a remarkably moral group of individuals. For the most part, they came from close-knit families, with adults who taught them values, responsibility, respect for others and property, and the value of hard work.

What are the one or two most important life lessons you learned from these veterans as far as overcoming difficulty in life?

SCHIRALDI: Perhaps that we can't separate psychological strengths from physical, spiritual, and philosophical strengths. The philosophical and spiritual strengths, especially, grounded these survivors inside and provided comfort amidst their chaos. Also, resilience usually doesn't just appear in times of crisis, but is developed over the lifetime. It can be learned.

From a professional point of view what did you learn that can you apply in helping people recover from PTSD?

SCHIRALDI: This book really says more about developing strengths long before we need them. However, a part of resilience is also rebounding from psychological pain. This was what these survivors did so effectively. We might remember that even exceptionally resilient individuals struggled with fear and sadness from the loss of comrades who had become like family. Yet they pressed ahead, despite their pain. This is a fine treatment model: We acknowledge our pain kindly and without judging it, then we press forward despite the suffering. If we have to function (as in emergencies), then we do so to the best of our abilities. When things settle down, then we grieve so that we don't carry these sufferings inside forever.

What are some of your best memories of your experience writing the book?


SCHIRALDI: That I was privileged to get to know these individuals in ways that most people don't; that I learned things that they had sometimes not even told their families about the realities of war and developing a winner's heart. I feel like I am a better man for getting to know these people in such an intimate way. For example, Mrs. Opdyke was quite frail when I interviewed her. She had gone into the ghettos to teach young people not to hate because hatred brings war, persecution and unhappiness. She'd tell those young people that she was there because she loved them, much like Mother Teresa. They would often follow her down the street and ask for another hug. As I was leaving her home, this little woman, still beautiful, pulled my shoulders down and gave me a kiss on the cheek, and said, "You are like a son, I love you." I understood immediately why those children connected with her; it was a moment I will always cherish. When I thanked one man who had been wounded in Europe for his service, he said, "God bless you, old soldier." You don't forget memories like that. When I call these people, I consider them friends, and when I hear of one's passing, it is like losing family. I was inspired not only by what they did, but more by the people they were and are.

What else would you like to comment on?

SCHIRALDI: Traveling the backroads to locate these survivors reminded me of our country's great beauty, both from a physical perspective and also in terms of the hearts of the American people. I get a lump in my throat when I think of this generation. I want to say thank you, not only for what they did to preserve our freedoms, but for what they stood for and exemplified.

Greener Magazine

Great American backyard campout June 23

High gas prices putting a crimp in your summer vacation plans? Head out the back door to experience a night with Mother Nature. You don't need to go to Yosemite to experience the great outdoors and the National Wildlife Federation can help. So put down the remote and mouse, grab the family, friends and neighbors and enjoy a noctural backyard adventure.

Sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation to encourage parents and kids alike to turn in their tv remotes, ipods, Playstations, computers, MP3 players, cell phones and all things high tech, and experience a night with Mother Nature including listening for nocturnal wildlife (maybe even see a few), star-gazing, cooking over an open fire, telling stories about Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, and exploring a whole other world right in their own backyard.

Last year over 60,000 families from around the country participated in the Backyard Campout. You don’t need to go to Yosemite to experience the great outdoors and the wonders it has to offer. Just open up your backdoor.

Where: Backyards across America
When: Saturday night, June 23, 2007
Who: Families, friends, neighbors

Why: This initiative is part of a National Wildlife Federation campaign to rescue our nation’s kids from what famed author Richard Louv calls “nature deficit disorder.” Research now shows that kids spend an average of 44 hours per week staring at electronic screens, tv, video games and computers -- for the first time in our country’s history, we have an entire generation that is growing up disconnected from nature.

This can lead to a weaker immune system, greater dependency on ADHD drugs, lost creativity, less self-sufficiency, lack of interest in maintaining the wildlife legacy they have inherited. To say nothing of the good old-fashioned fun they are missing.

Get Started::

The National Wildlife Federation is provding everything you need to head out into the great outdoors called your backyard. The web site has packing lists, recipes, nocturnal wildlife guides, exploration activities, nature guides. Check it out at www.backyardcampout.org. People can even sign up on the site to share their campout plans and experiences.

Greener Magazine

Camping out in your backyard? If you've signed up to campout this June 23rd for the Great Americam Backyard Campout, send us your family fun in words or pictures to Campout@GreenerMag.com, We'll publish as many as we can with our readers here and abroad. Share the experience!

Watch here for more camping tips, links and campfire tales in the weeks to come.

Keywords:: SUMMER, FAMILIES, CAMPING, KIDS, CHILDREN

Liberian leader Sirleaf, launches global initiative

Ms. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first black, woman president of Liberia and often referred to as “The Iron Lady”, is launching a global campaign to raise funds in hopes of repairing her country’s debt-ridden economy.

Recently Johnson accepted an invitation to visit Canada where she met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. During her 2-day visit, Johnson sought Harper’s support for debt waiver ahead of the upcoming G-8 meeting. Canada is a member of the G-8.

While in Canada Johnson presented a keynote speech at the Canada 2020 Conference on social policy and global leadership, where it was announced that Spread the Net and UNICEF Canada have purchased 33,000 long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets for distribution to children and pregnant women in Liberia. Liberia is facing a significant health challenge from malaria, the number-one killer of children there. Liberian parents often have large families, 6 or more children, in the hope that at least one or two will survive to adulthood.

Spread the Net is raising funds in Canada for the purchase of additional bed nets for children under the age of five and pregnant women in both Liberia and Rwanda. The two-year campaign, launched in November 2006, aims to raise $5 million to provide bed nets to these two countries.

Johnson is faced with the challenge of not only reducing her nation’s crippling financial debt and eradicating malaria she must also find a way to eradicate persistent, endemic corruption, address human rights abuse and investigate war crimes at the same time her government struggles to foster goodwill among surrounding countries that were former enemies.

As part of her mission to wrest Liberia from the brink of disaster and educate the world about the need for parity among people and nations, Johnson has accepted an invitation to deliver the commencement address to the Spelman College Class of 2007 on Sunday, May 20 at 4P.M.

Considering the serious issues of illiteracy, abject poverty, sexual violence, domestic abuse and political disenfranchisement that exist in her country, it is not surprising that Johnson would pick Spelman, this private, historically black women's college in Decatur, Georgia boasts such outstanding alumnae, as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis; authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson

Spelman’s graduating class will be fertile ground over which to reiterate the promise Johnson made during her inaugural speech: “This administration must endeavor to give Liberian women prominence in all affairs of our country. We will empower all Liberian women in all aspects of our national life…. We will enforce without fear of failure the laws against rape. We will encourage all families to educate all children, especially the girls.”

By Harlan Weikle
Greener Magazine

ABOUT SPELMAN:: Founded in 1881, Spelman College is the only historically Black college in the nation to be included on the U.S. News and World Report's list of top 75 "Best Liberal Arts Colleges. http://www.spelman.edu.

Further information:: Bed Nets - Nothing But Nets

Keywords:: ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF LIBERIA SPELMAN MALARIA AFRICA

Swimming in Winter

There is still a lot of swim in Winter, though she may not know it yet, and if the staff of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida has anything to say about it, the tiny dolphin that lost her tail will soon be swimming with the best of them.

Winter, a bottlenose dolphin, that became entangled in a crabber’s buoy line when just two months old was rescued near Cape Canaveral in December 2005. Abandoned by her pod and severely injured, she would eventually lose her tail fluke; Winter’s prognosis was dire as she was transported to the sea mammal rehabilitation facility in Clearwater, FL. There, veterinarians, therapists, volunteers and well wishers began with Winter the longest swim she would ever make, her journey back to health and a new life with humans.

On Friday a team, which includes scientists Stephen McCulloch director of dolphin and whale research at Florida's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Dr. Juli Goldstein, also of Harbor Branch, Michael Walsh of the University of Florida Marine Mammal Program and Kevin Carroll, Vice President of Prosthetics for Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics Inc. in Bethesda, MD held a news conference to announce their plan to fit Winter with the world’s first complete prosthetic tail fluke.

Currently a 34-year old female bottlenose named Fuji at the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan wears a partial prosthetic device following the loss of 75 % of her fluke.

The process to develop a prosthetic tail for Winter began Friday after the press conference as aquarium staff carefully lifted the dolphin onto a pad beside her swim tank. Using a hand held laser scanner, technicians generated a 3-dimensional image of Winter’s tail stub. The image will be used to cast a snug fitting socket for Winter’s backside, which in turn will anchor an artificial ball joint and fluke assembly made of titanium steel and a special, light weight rubber. With this tail like apparatus Winter will be able to swim using a normal up and down fluke motion rather than the alligator-like side to side motion she has adopted since losing her tail.

“Our goal,” said Dr. Walsh, “Is to provide a sense of realism for Winter. She is going to have to relearn how to swim.”

Although Winter will be able to use the new tail just a few hours a day it will, the scientists believe, counter spinal damage her current swim motion is causing. “Winter just has the will to survive”, said McCulloch, “She’s an amazing personality.”

As Winter grows she will have to be refitted with 2 or 3 new tails but the team sees a benefit in that as well; the continued research project will most likely result in unseen benefits for other stricken animals as well as human patients.

Hanger Prosthetics is paying the cost of research and development of Winter’s new tail. Hanger spokesperson Jennifer Bittner said, “We are confident in the chances for Winter’s success.”

By Harlan Weikle
Greener Magazine

Keywords:: DOLPHIN PROSTHETICS WINTER HANGER CLEARWATER MARINE AQUARIUM TAIL

Related news: Shippers make way for dolphins