The River of Babble-on

Guyana Jungle Adventure

2011-08-26T06:59:00.004+01:00

Finally sorted through the 300+ pics of the trip to the Guyanese Jungle (and picked a representative sample of about 65):

(click here to see the pics)

Seoul - August 2011

2011-08-26T04:14:00.018+01:00

So on my work trip to Korea I was able to have a day stop-over in Seoul. A couple of friends that had been were not that impressed with it (though one was - Lorenzo thought it was worth stopping), I figured what the heck why not. And I'm actually really glad I did.

Things I learned in my 24 hours in Seoul:

1) it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world, and it's really urban sprawl gone wrong. At the cost of any sense of aesthetic or spirit (I even heard a story of the demolishing of historical buildings in order to put up high rises).

2) I cannot tell the difference between the people of China, Japan, and Korea

3) I still don't like spicy food.

4) Korea is really not a "First World Country" (yet) - someone I met said they are only really 10-15 years ahead of China. Their economy is doing well, but the "social indicators" are still missing.

5) When you tour by yourself, you inevitably ended up chatting to interesting people. (Even if Seoul is still not super tourist friendly - though, bless them they are trying.)

And the pictures:

Fish Heads, rolly-polly fish heads

How come we couldn't get a bean hot dog?

Myung Dong

Hanuk village - a tourist spot...

...but at least it's pretty

side-walk engraving

Canal

Wedding dress options?

Best brand logo EVER

Changdeok Palace

Peanut in Changdeok Palace

Peanut in the Secret Garden

Another reason people suck

2011-07-21T19:30:00.000+01:00

Indonesian babies held hostage by unpaid midwives
Source: bbc news online, Rebecca Henschke, 17 July 2011

A young mother watches as two three-year old boys chase each other around the car park of a health clinic on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Yetriana Lopez is keeping a close eye on her identical twins, understanding all too well what it means to lose one of them.

"When I was pregnant I didn't have an ultrasound," she remembers. "So it wasn't until I gave birth that I found out I had twins."

Ms Lopez and her husband Mulyono had only saved enough to pay the clinic for one birth - but twins meant the fee was doubled.

The clinic refused to hand over the second baby until a bill for $500 (£311) was paid.

Arist Merdeka Sirait, secretary general of the national commission for child protection, acknowledges that this is not an isolated case.

"In 2010, our commission received 36 reports of baby hostage-taking by hospitals, clinics and private midwives," he says.

"Those were just the cases that were reported to our commission so it's not accurate national data. The real figure is likely to be much more than that."

Ms Lopez was separated from her newborn son for four months while she and her husband tried to cobble together enough to pay the bill.

Every day the debt increased, as the clinic charged for the baby's upkeep.

But eventually the story came to the ear of Robin Lim, a 54-year-old American midwife, who decided something had to be done.

Robin Lim decided to become a midwife after her own sister died during pregnancy "I said 'OK, let's go and find out what the midwife wants. Let's not ask questions, let's just get this baby home,'" she told the BBC.

But when she accompanied Mulyono to the clinic to offer to pay the balance of his debt, they were told the baby had been sold to someone who could take care of him.

Just a few days earlier Mulyono had visited the clinic to pay an instalment of the debt, and the sum had been accepted gladly.

"There are lots of cases where, if the mother can't pay, the baby becomes the property of the hospital," says Mr Sirait. "They then believe they have the right to sell the baby to someone else."

Ms Lim contacted the police and local journalists, to launch a search for the child.

The fact that the boys were identical made him much easier to trace, and within three weeks he was reunited with his family.

"They asked me, 'Is this your baby?' And I knew it was because there was a birthmark," says Ms Lopez. "I put him straight to the breast and he took it."

Universal healthcare for pregnant women in Indonesia is being rolled out this year under a scheme called Jampersal. But it has been beset with funding problems.

Until then, mothers will only qualify for free midwife care if they are officially deemed to be "poor" - but the means test designed to separate the poor from the rest of the population often fails to identify families in need.

To fill this gap Ms Lim set up a foundation called Bumi Sehat, in Ubud, Bali, in 2003.

It has a team of nine midwives who offer free pre-natal care, delivery services and medical aid to anyone who needs it.

After the tsunami of 2004, a smaller clinic was opened in Aceh to care for displaced survivors. Together the clinics have helped to deliver 5,000 babies.

Bumi Sehat is part of a global initiative to reduce maternal mortality and a member of the international coalition for maternal health, the White Ribbon Alliance.

Ms Lim points out that the Millennium Development Goals agreed by UN member states in 2000 set out to reduce infant mortality, improve maternal health and combat HIV/Aids and malaria, by 2015.

"I felt like as a midwife I could look at these really important issues," she says. "These are things that I do every day."

How a couple of cows explain a changing region: equal opportunity offender edition.

2011-06-24T02:25:00.001+01:00

BY KARIM SADJADPOUR | JUNE 15, 2011
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/06/15/the_cynical_dairy_farmer_s_guide_to_the_new_middle_east?page=full

In the early years of the Cold War, in an effort to simplify -- and parody -- various political ideologies and philosophies, irreverent wits, in the spirit of George Orwell, went back to the farm. No one really knows how the two-cow joke known as "Parable of the Isms" came about, but most students of Political Science 101 have likely come across some variation of the following definitions:

Socialism: You have two cows. The government takes one of them and gives it to your neighbor.

Communism: You have two cows. The government takes them both and provides you with milk.

Nazism: You have two cows. The government shoots you and takes the cows.

Capitalism: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

Over the years, the parables gradually expanded, using the two-cow joke to explain everything from French unions (You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows.) to the Republican Party (You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So what?). While in its original iteration the cows were a metaphor for currency, capital, and property, they later began to take on different meanings.

Today, the Middle East has replaced the Cold War as America's primary foreign-policy preoccupation. As opposed to the seemingly ideologically homogenous communist bloc, however, the 22 diverse countries that compose the modern Middle East are still confusing to most Americans. Why can't the Israeli and Palestinians stop fighting already? What's the difference between Libya and Lebanon again?

Herewith then is a satirical effort to simplify the essence of Middle Eastern governments so that, in the immortal words of George W. Bush, "the boys in Lubbock" can read it. And, rather than symbolizing property, the cows here symbolize people, which -- funny enough -- is how most Middle Eastern regimes have traditionally viewed their populations.

Saudi Arabia
You have two cows with endless reserves of milk. Gorge them with grass, prevent them from interacting with bulls, and import South Asians to milk them.

Iran
You have two cows. You interrogate them until they concede they are Zionist agents. You send their milk to southern Lebanon and Gaza, or render it into highly enriched cream. International sanctions prevent your milk from being bought on the open market.

Syria
You have five cows, one of whom is an Alawite. Feed the Alawite cow well; beat the non-Alawite cows. Use the milk to finance your wife's shopping sprees in London.

Lebanon
You have two cows. Syria claims ownership over them. You take them abroad and start successful cattle farms in Africa, Australia, and Latin America. You send the proceeds back home so your relatives can afford cosmetic surgery and Mercedes-Benzes.

Hezbollah
You have no cows. During breaks from milking on the teat of the Iranian cow you call for Israel's annihilation.

Iraq
You have three cows: one Sunni, one Shiite, and one Kurd. The first is milked by Saudi Arabia, the second by Iran, and the third smuggles its milk abroad. The United States picks up the manure.

Bahrain
You have three cows: two Shiites and one Sunni. Invite Saudi Arabia to come kill a Shiite cow and import another Sunni cow.

Yemen
You have two cows. Feed them khat instead of grass and neglect to milk them. Watch them fight each other.

Hosni Mubarak's Egypt
You have 10 cows. Neglect to tend to them, but prevent them from fighting Israel in order to get milk from America.

Post-Mubarak Egypt
You have 10 cows who think they now own the farm. There's still no milk.

Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's Tunisia
You have two cows. Beat them regularly and use the milk money for your wife's shopping sprees in Paris. When the cows revolt, retire to Saudi Arabia.

Post-Ben Ali Tunisia
See post-Mubarak Egypt.

Libya
You have two cows. You wish they were camels. Feed them only your words of wisdom and kill them if they dare moo.

Turkey
You have two cows and one sheep. You claim that the sheep is really a "mountain cow."

Qatar
You have one cow that has hundreds of udders. You use the limitless milk money to set up a television channel that broadcasts the other cows in the region being milked (except Saudi Arabia's).

United Arab Emirates
You have two cows. You bring in Filipino nannies, South Asian laborers, and Russian prostitutes to make sure they're well taken care of. Sell the milk to build the world's biggest shopping mall.

Jordan
You have one cow, surrounded by wolves. Pretend that it's a magic cow that has the power to pacify wild animals, and then ask America for milk.

Palestine
You had two cows that were lost decades ago. Lament them.

Israel
You have two bulls. Pretend they are helpless calves.

How a couple of cows explain a changing region: equal opportunity offender edition.

2011-06-24T02:25:00.000+01:00

India health costs a crisis impoverishing millions

2011-06-06T22:09:00.000+01:00

Source: K Daigle, Associated Press, 5 June 2011

When Nasir Khan cried out at night from the searing pain of kidney stones, the entire slum could hear him.

A magic healer promised an inexpensive cure through chanting while pinching his side where the kidney stones were lodged, but it only made it worse. His condition became life-threatening, and doctors said he would need surgery for a fourth time.

The operation cost him - and his extended family - their home.

Without insurance and unable to get a loan, they sold the broken brick shack in the industrial north Indian city of Aligarh for 250,000 rupees, or about $5,500. It had been home to the 35-year-old Khan, his four brothers, three wives and 11 children.

"There is no choice. It is my life," Khan said in gasps, writhing atop a crude wooden cot as his relatives hovered helplessly nearby.

He screamed for his mother. He screamed for Allah. He screamed for anyone to deliver him from the pain.

His story is repeated so often across India it evokes little sympathy, yet it represents one of the biggest threats to India's battle to lift its poor up from squalor.

Each year, the cost of health care pushes some 39 million people back into poverty, according to a study published in the Lancet medical journal. Patients shoulder up to 80 percent of India's medical costs. Their share averages about $66 (3,000 rupees) annually per person - a crippling sum for the 800 million or so Indians living on less than $2 a day.

A diagnosis of asthma, a broken leg or a complicated childbirth can mean having to choose between medicine or food, spending on treatment or relying on prayer.

"We are too poor," Khan's uncle Bhuere Khan said. His aunt Rafiquan Mohammed offered another justification for selling the house, as if one were needed: "He has to live. He has small children."

While India boasts an economic growth rate near 9 percent, the wealth has done little to help millions burdened by poverty and disease. The poor, aside from struggling to afford care, also face extreme shortages of doctors and medicines.

The situation is particularly dire in rural areas, where more than 70 percent of the country's 1.2 billion people live. Some desperate patients resort to seeing quacks. Others pay bribes. Many simply don't seek help until it is too late.

The World Bank and other experts have warned that failure to address the country's health care woes could take a toll on long-term growth - especially as two-thirds of the population is under 35 and would form the backbone of India's work force for decades.

Yet India's government spends comparatively little on health care: just 1.1 percent of the country's GDP, a figure that hasn't changed much since 2006 when China was spending 1.9 percent; Russia, 3.3 percent and Brazil, 3.5 percent, according to World Health Organization figures.

"The political will is simply not there yet. We have to help realign the country's priorities," said Dr. K. Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India and part of a government-commissioned committee recommending reforms.

Statistics that might highlight areas of need are scarce, thanks to erratic case reporting, few autopsies and a tradition of quick cremation that destroys evidence of disease. WHO reports often leave India out for lack of data. A recent study in the Lancet suggests malaria deaths could be 10 times higher than estimated.

India, which says hospital costs impoverish a quarter of all patients, has vowed to raise spending on health to 3 percent of GDP by 2015 and provide universal primary health care - but it's an unfilled promise that's been made before.

The Lancet, in a series on India in January, urged the government to double its pledge to 6 percent by 2020 or jeopardize its ability to shake off poverty.

"What is the point of economic success if there is nothing in it for the population?" Lancet editor Richard Horton said.

"In a short amount of time you can do a lot - if you have the right leadership, the right administration and the public will. India has the people and it has the funds. We'll see if they can do it."

Meanwhile, India boasts a thriving medical tourism industry with shiny private clinics luring tens of thousands of foreigners for everything from bargain tummy tucks to experimental stem-cell treatments in an industry estimated to be worth nearly 100 billion rupees ($2.3 billion).

The pharmaceutical industry is making lifesaving drugs at cut-rate costs, private hospitals are pioneering advances in open-heart surgery and medical schools are churning out physicians eager to work in the West.

For most Indians, however, this is happening in another world.

Uttar Pradesh, one of India's poorest states and home to the padlock-manufacturing city of Aligarh, is a land of barren rural landscapes pocked by crumbling mud huts, wandering cattle and roadside shacks selling potato chips and curry.

Its infant mortality rate - 96 of every 1,000 newborns die - makes it one of the worst places on Earth to be born. The average Indian rate is better at 63 but still grim compared with China's 15 deaths out of every 1,000 births.

The state's leader, Mayawati, who uses only one name, rose from India's lowest caste to power and prominence. She calls health care a top priority. Yet since taking office in 2007 she has spent just $224 million on medicines for the state's 195 million people, while spending $569 million to build memorial parks and statues of leading dalits - also known as untouchables - such as herself.

In rural India, the poor often have to walk kilometers (miles) to reach a clinic, with no guarantee of finding a doctor or the medicine they need. On any given day, at least 40 percent of government doctors are absent - often busy moonlighting for higher pay at private clinics.

Drug supplies are also erratic; last year, India was short 35 million vaccine doses for diphtheria and 30 million for tetanus, a Health Ministry report said.

Many patients simply rely on traditional holistic medicine approaches such as ayurveda, or seek help from quacks, who have become so common the government uses them as information sources on everything from environmental contamination to polio outbreaks.

They advertise in graffiti scrawled across roadside buildings in rural Uttar Pradesh, promising treatments for venereal disease, erectile dysfunction, urinary tract infections - and charging according to what patients can pay.

Cities such as Aligarh, a three-hour drive east of New Delhi over potholed roads, are somewhat better off. They have hospitals, doctors and drugs - though often in short supply.

The government says the nation needs tens of thousands of clinics and 700,000 more doctors.

At Aligarh's Mohan Lal Gautam District Women's Hospital, dozens of women line up each day for a free sterilization procedure that will spare them the risk and cost of having and raising another child.

"It is too much," said 32-year-old Pinky Devi, the frail wife of a rice farmer who said she paid about 20,000 rupees ($450) to have her second daughter in a hospital. "I want to educate my children well. I want a good life. That is why I am here."

The state hospital has only three doctors, who race each day through seeing some 500 patients giving birth, needing operations or seeking treatment for pelvic inflammatory disease and other conditions at subsidized costs.

There are 10 vacancies for doctors, but it is all but impossible to find practitioners who will work for 20,000 rupees (about $450) a month when they can make at least double at a private clinic, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Poonam Sharma said.

"We cannot give the patients good treatment," she said. "They won't get the quality time, most maybe just three minutes." More than half of Aligarh's babies are still born at home, often in unsanitary conditions, Sharma said.

The medical community, eager to increase its numbers, has debated ideas such as training ayurveda or yoga practitioners to give basic care, offering bonuses for working in remote areas and recruiting from Africa.

In the meantime, private health care is booming, with clinics and insurance schemes multiplying and driving up costs.

There are piecemeal efforts to help: a national mission launched in 2005 to improve rural care, and some states offering to cover hospital bills for the poorest.

But patients like Ibne Hasan, diagnosed with HIV two years ago, say they have seen no such benefits.

Once employed in the packaging department at Aligarh's lock factory, 35-year-old Hasan has had to sell his two slum plots and all of his belongings save a threadbare armchair, a few tin pots, a worn mattress and a tiny room he shares with his wife and two children. The money has long been spent.

They are shunned by friends and neighbors. With no electricity or stove, they survive on food Hasan's wife brings from her housekeeping work, and use her monthly 1,100 rupee ($25) wage on AIDS drugs for Hasan and asthma medication for their 5-year-old son, who is far too small for his age and may also have HIV.

"When we can, we buy medicine. I haven't gotten one rupee in treatment," Hasan said, as the listless little boy huddled in the room. Laughing children threw pebbles at the shack from outside. "They make all these promises, but they are only promises. I have seen nothing."

My Father's European Vacation

2011-04-21T11:26:00.003+01:00

I realised that I never posted the pics of my dad's trip to Europe. It was actually great having him to myself for a whole week and getting to show him some new places.

The pics are here:

Dad's Trip to Europe

Playing tourist in Nepal

2011-04-19T14:40:00.004+01:00

So on my current work trip to Nepal, I actually managed to take a bit of time and see some of the sites.

I took a day trip to Bhaktapur and Nagarkot, and even flew to Pokhara for the weekend. Something that I didn't get to do that I hope I can come back someday for is trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas - anyone want to come!? :-)

Click here to see the pics:

My Last Trip to Nepal

GO FOR IT ANYWAY

2011-03-30T14:36:00.001+01:00

(Stolen from someone else) Can you imagine not doing what you're doing in your life right now, but doing something completely different? Something exciting, fun, even risky, like quitting your job and traveling around the world. Or working part-time and going to school full time to study scuba diving or basket weaving. Or owning your own home, business, plane or boat. If you can imagine it, why aren't you doing it? I'll tell you why. Because the moment you think about it, you think about all the reasons you can't. "How will I pay my bills?" "Who will take care of my family?" "Where will I get money?" "What will people say?" Well, here's another question for you, How do you ever expect to be happy or at peace if you stay where you are? If you don't allow yourself to dream, to dare, to move up, out, forward: how will you ever know what you are really capable of? Look at it this way, what's the worse that can happen? You could end up right where you started, doing exactly what you are doing. Oh, what the heck, go for it anyway.

Sometimes charity workers

2011-03-15T10:53:00.002Z

need to let off some steam.

http://andresomar.blogspot.com/2011/03/sometimes-charity-workers.html

Can You Call Yourself X if You've Never Y'd?

2011-02-07T12:17:00.000Z

Author: Cory Silverberg
Source: About.com, 7 February 2011

Last week I received this email question from a reader: do you suppose it is proper for someone to label themselves bi-sexual if they've never had sex?
It's an interesting question, which feels like several interesting questions in disguise. Here's how I responded.

My instinct is to start answering your question by noticing the different questions that seem to be lurking underneath it. I read at least three questions here:

1.What's the connection between sexual orientation and sexual activity? Can you call yourself X if you haven't Y'd?

2.What are the defining features of sexual orientation? That is, in this case, what makes a bi-sexual a bi-sexual?

3.Who gets to call themselves what? Or in your words, when is it proper to call yourself something?

Let's start with your first question first. There isn't a precise or clear relationship between sexual orientation (here: bisexuality) and sexual activities (which I want to define as whether or not someone has engaged in any activity they or their partner consider to be sex). Having sex, whatever that looks like, doesn't make us anything. It's a behavior one engages in. So the short answer to your question is that someone might call themselves bisexual whether or not they've had sex with anyone.

Sexual orientation may have many definitions (see below) but it isn't the same thing as sexual activity. The distinction to be made here is that sexual activities are what you do, and sexual orientation describes who you want to do things with. Of course we might describe the "who" in any number of ways. Sexual orientation focuses only on gender. Which brings us to your second question. What defines sexual orientation?

First let's consider the word. Sexual orientation originally referred to how one positioned oneself in terms of a sexual goal (which might have been something you wanted to try, someone you wanted to be with, some way you wanted to be known).

In this way we each had our own unique sexual orientation to others and to the world. The way we use sexual orientation today comes from a medical model or approach to sexuality.

This approach is the one favored by most sex educators, researchers, medical doctors, and an ever growing army of sex pundits. The medical model relies on the understanding of sexuality as something we can measure, and know, and evaluate objectively. In this model individuals may have their own interests, but we can all be categorized and defined using labels that apply to everyone. The essential falsehood about these labels is that they are objective or scientific. They are, of course, as value laden and tied to things like race, class, and culture, as anything else. Sexual orientation is just another label.

Sexual orientation today is used to categorize people based on the gender of the people they are primarily sexually attracted to. The defining characteristic of sexual orientation is not what someone does sexually, or wants to do sexually, nor is it what they call themselves, it is solely a reflection of their identified gender and the gender of the people they are most interested in being sexual with.

For someone to be considered bi-sexual by the powers that be, all they need is to be someone who is sexually attracted to people who identify as men and women. This brings us to the last question, which is really about whether or not we want to let the powers that be define these things for us in the first place.

Who Gets to Call Themselves What?

The way you asked this question "is it proper" for someone to call themselves something may read at first like a question of fact. Maybe even a scientific question. But it's neither. The question you're asking, which is an excellent one, is philosophical, moral, and ethical (more how do I feel about eating meat? than do seat belts save lives?).

It's a question most people don't bother to ask themselves, but I believe we'd be better off if everyone did, because it's a question we all need to decide for ourselves.

Annoying as it is, I want to answer your question with one of my own: do you believe people have the right to identify themselves in ways that fit them as individuals?

In this context, does someone have the right to call themselves bi-sexual because that's how they identify themselves or that's who they feel themselves to be? Or do you think they need "proof" of their orientation? Do they need someone else, a professional, who applies a label based on definitions developed for everyone?

If you prefer the latter option, you have to ask yourself what proof would satisfy you? And should you, or anyone else, be in a position to demand such proof in the first place?

What does it mean to give any individual, organization, or government the power to tell us who we are? I know these questions may not seem nearly as fun as trying to figure out which celebrity or which one of your friends is "really gay" but if you're interested in treating others like people, and not stereotypes, these are the questions you need to ask yourself.

For what it's worth, my own belief is that people must be given the opportunity and respect of identifying themselves, regardless of whether or not they fit into the checkboxes established by others.

To do otherwise is to deny a person's basic human rights. Taking this position isn't always easy. People can identify in ways that, while not exactly infringing on the rights of others, can make it more difficult for others to access their own basic rights. But the alternative, which is to subscribe to a medical model that defines everything for us, is not an option for me.

I would much rather deal with the complicated responses that grow out of treating people with respect and honoring basic rights, than the silence that follows yet another labeling of someone else's identity.

Despite everything you may have been taught, the choice is yours.

Backblog: European vacation 2010

2011-01-21T16:07:00.004Z

So after putting up my winter vacation pictures, I realised that I never put up my summer ones. And that is just not cool.

Having a July birthday means that I must take a vacation every summer, lucky for me last year it coincided with the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, and since I had never been to that part of the world (for the most part) I decided to make it into an exploratory trip into Central/Eastern Europe – a part of Europe I have always been afraid to visit (let’s be honest their history with the ‘melanin-endowed’ has been less than stellar).

Even luckier for me Prasad was willing to come along (as if he would ever pass up the chance at a trip).

We ended up cramming 5 cities (Vienna, Bratislava, Salzburg, Prague, Budapest) in 4 countries (Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary) over 10 days. It was daunting, but it proved doable thanks mostly to the fact that Europe is tiny and everything is close by, everything is accessible by trains, and we were not too ambitions in what we actually hope to accomplish in our limited time in each city.

Highlights included:

• Spending quality time with Prasad
• Meeting Chris and Brian
• Classical concert in Salzburg
• Travelling by train during the day to see the country side rolling by
• Catching-up with Wanja, Kent, & Qasim in Vienna, and Neil in Prague
• Budapest as a whole
• Sacher Torte! (you must say it with a Teutonic accent)

European Vacation 2010

Indonesia 2010

2011-01-08T15:50:00.002Z

This winter in my attempt to escape the dreary grey that is London I headed to Indonesia with Michael and Peanut. Those of you who read my rants on Facebook, know what a painful process it was to actually reach my destination. Alas, once I did touch down on the humid land mass that is the world's most populous Muslim country.

I unfortunately missed on Jakarta, due to my travel dramas, but Yogyakarta, Bali, and Lombok did await.

Michael and I had a great time discovering a country that both of us have been eager to visit. And though Bali left a lot to be desired, Lombok was an absolute paradise (one which will surely be lost once the new international airport opens up in 2012).

Highlights of the trip include exploring Borobudur and Prambanan temples (and we know how much Peanut loves old temples). Exploring Ubud in Bali. And the beaches of Lombok.

The seafood was sublime, the beer cold and the company most excellent.

And though I would not go during the rainy season again (when Bali says rain, they really mean it - no monsoon I have ever been through can compare); next time I would skip Java and Bali go straight to Lombok and continue exploring east.

Here are a few pics if you are interested:

Indonesian Vacation 2010

Now I need to figure out where to go next, before my suntan fades!

Penile hygiene-Everything you didn’t know about the hygiene practices of fishermen in Kisumu, Kenya

2010-09-23T15:51:00.004+01:00

Genital hygiene practices of fishermen targeted for a topical microbicide intervention against sexually transmitted infections in Kisumu, Kenya
Kwena ZA, Bukusi EA, Gorbach P, Sharma A, Sang NM, Holmes KK. Int J STD AIDS. 2010;21:435-40.

Research on hygiene has been relatively limited in the current era of rigorous observational studies and clinical trials. Kwena and colleagues set out to investigate the perception and practices of genital hygiene among fishermen working on the beaches along Lake Victoria, targeted for a topical male microbicide hygiene intervention. They conducted 12 focus group discussions involving fishermen (n = 130), recording the discussions in Dholuo (the local language) and transcribing them verbatim before translating into English. Transcripts were double-coded and analysed using constant comparative analysis. Despite easy access to lake water and recognition of a link that may exist between poor genital hygiene and the risk of penile infection and poor sexual relationships, few fishermen regularly washed their genitalia due to fear/embarrassment from cleaning their genitalia in public, traditional Luo beliefs such as that washing with soap would reduce the fish catch, lack of time because of their busy schedules, laziness and lack of responsibility, and excessive consumption of alcohol and illicit drugs. Hygiene practices of the fishermen were poor and could contribute to genital infections including sexually transmitted infections. Given the fishermen's poor genital hygiene practices, they may benefit from hygiene intervention, including that provided by penile microbicides, which can be applied in the privacy of their bedrooms.

For abstract click here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20606226

Editors’ note: This qualitative study among primarily Luo fishermen at 32 beaches along Lake Victoria is an example of ‘formative research’. A variety of methodologies can be used in formative research to better understand the behaviours, attitudes, and practices of a population in which a trial is to be conducted. Formative research can also help discover how best to reach priority populations at the stage of programme design. The focus here is on understanding the poor hygiene practices of uncircumcised fishermen in preparation for a topical penile wipe intervention. One of the more striking beliefs that emerged in the focus groups was that the vagina cleans the penis. Another finding was that women are less likely to comment about a man’s poor hygiene if it is a transactional sexual relationship, such as when a woman receives free fish or fish at a reduced price. The idea of a penile wipe is not new – military forces with limited access to water in combat zones in both World War I and II used a penile microbicide to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections. Despite the fact that the water of Lake Victoria is all around, lack of privacy may be the most important reason that the penile wipe concept would be attractive to uncircumcised men.

Walk All Over Poverty

2010-09-20T14:13:00.000+01:00

Please sponsor me for CARE International's 25km walk, with monies raise going towards our vital Rapid Response Fund that enables us to be amongst the first to respond when emergencies strike.

http://original.justgiving.com/andyoms

Galapagos - Part 4

2010-09-18T11:43:00.006+01:00

Slowly but surely I am trying to put up my Galapagos pics. This is the last set from San Cristobal.

Turtle Poop!! :-D

Fundraising Walkathon - Please Give Generously

2010-09-08T16:25:00.002+01:00

http://original.justgiving.com/andyoms

I am participating in the CARE International UK's Walkathon in order to raise funds for the Rapid Response Fund which enables CARE to provide fast, effective relief to people in need as soon as emergencies hit. Most currently the fund is being used inwhere torrential floods have affected an estimated fourteen million people and the situation is constantly evolving. Whole villages have been washed away. Many families are now left without shelter, clean water or food, and are also facing the risk of disease. With rains forecast to continue, the situation is likely to deteriorate. Thanks to the Rapid Response Fund, CARE International was able to respond within a few days.

What is the CARE Walkathon?

The walkathon is a 25km walking challenge along the riverside in Windsor. The route comprises mostly theThamespath and the Jubilee cycle path. It can be slightly muddy (depending on the weather) in places, but it is a non-technical flat walk.

Where will my money go?

All funds will support CARE’s Rapid Response Fund (RRF). Our RRF enables us to be amongst the first to respond when an emergency occurs. For example in an emergency like the Haiti earthquake, where 222,000 people were killed, as many as 1.3 million were left homeless and many women were forced to give birth in makeshift camps, your £100 could provide 20 mothers with newborn kits containing a receiving blanket, layette gown, cloth nappies, safety pins, bars of soap and socks.

£3 could provide a shawl for a person in an emergency.
£10 could provide a week’s worth of heating and cooking coal for a family in an emergency.
£25 could provide 2 families with safe water kit (water container, jerri can, bucket, bathing soap, and laundry soap) in an emergency.
£30 could provide a family hygiene kit.
£32 could provide 2 families with a safe water kit.
£49 could provide a family with a kitchen set including items like plates, cups, utensils, and cooking pots in an emergency.
£64 could provide 5 families with an emergency survival pack.
£159 could provide 14 families with high-energy biscuits.

How can you sponsor me and donate?

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: CARE International UK gets your money faster and, if you’re a taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please sponsor me now!

Galapagos - Part 3

2010-08-17T19:35:00.007+01:00

Continuing to slowly put up my Galapagos (work) Trip pics here is from when I went snorkeling around San Cristobal.

Galapagos - Part 2

2010-08-08T20:36:00.005+01:00

A few more Galapagos pics. These are from San Cristobal.

AIDS 2010 - Impressions

2010-07-21T17:01:00.003+01:00

I so don't get modern art

2010-07-13T23:03:00.002+01:00

Call me uncouth, but I fail to see how this is art.

Galapagos: Part 1

2010-07-10T20:56:00.005+01:00

One of the great things about my job is that I get to go to some pretty cool places. Recently, I was fortunate enough to go to the Galapagos. For those of you who are wondering why would an HIV guy need to go to the Galapagos for work, let me tell you that the Galapagos Province has an alarming rise in the rate of STIs and HIV, particularly for such a small community. Additionally, we are supporting the Provincial Department of Education in rolling out comprehensive sexually education in the government schools.

In between meetings (I was working after all) I was able to take in some of the sights. Luckily the islands aren't that big so I was able to get a good flavour for things.

Below is a set I took with a water proof disposable camera of a snorkeling trip I took of the coast of San Cristobal.

Need vs. Want

2010-07-10T17:16:00.002+01:00

Do we get what we deserve? Do we deserve what we want? And who the hell gets to decide that!?

The nuances between need and want are pretty hard to distinguish sometimes, but at the end of the day it is all a matter of perspective. If we live in a meritocracy life may actually be a bit simpler. You get what you work for. However, that doesn't really mean that you get what you, or even worse you may not get what you want.

But in our soulless, consumeristic, corporate driven, disposable, pseudo-democratic society we don't necessarily get either.

You get what you are given, and you grow to like it. Either that or you wallow in the misery of knowing that no matter how what you do, things don't always get better.

So do we stop trying? Or do we scamper on hoping for the best?

Cornwall: The British Southwest

2010-07-08T17:47:00.009+01:00

After 3 years in the UK, and barely having crossed the M25, I thought it was high time I explored my adoptive country a bit more. So using the excuse of the Mika concert at the Eden Project, Norman, Peanut, and I rented a car and headed west for the weekend.

Cornwall seems to have a unique culture, spectacular landscape and mild climate. We definitely were not in London any more. To be honest it was cute, but it's not like I am rushing to head out there again. Glad I saw, but it's been scratched off the list. Granted the ice cream was delish.

It was über-white with an underlying hint of in-bredness that reminded me too much of the U.S. rural south. And the hetero-centrist B&B (just how many times do I need to be asked about my wife?), did not add to my feelings of exclusion. Something I really did not understand was how were people splashing about on the beach (though at least it had sand and not pebbles) when the water was barely above arctic!

But weather was good, concert was grand, and it felt nice to be out of London, but not on a work trip. And Peanut love the flowers!

Oh God Where Has the Time Gone!?

2010-07-03T14:57:00.003+01:00

Freaking 'ell! it's July. It's July 2010. I turn 34 in a couple of weeks. Damn. How did that happen? Nothing is like it was supposed to be at this stage in my life. I'm single. I'm broke.

On the positive side I have been to more countries than your average Puerto Rican (36 by my last count). I've been able to see and do more than most. On the negative side, I am still sleeping alone at night. I am still living paycheck-to-paycheck. And I have no clue where my life is heading.

Aren't things supposed to be easier the older we get? When does life wisdom kick in?

The clock is ticking. Will I ever have any children?

The cycles of life

2010-07-01T06:35:00.002+01:00

It fascinates me how the older I get the more confused I seem to become. Every time I think I know what I want and where I am handed, something comes along to screw that up. Leaving me a confused and wounded mess, retreating into my shell and wondering what went wrong.

This seems to happen to me every few years. I think life throws me these little hiccups when I get to cocky...when I get too comfortable and settled. It's like the fates are trying to say, "this is not for you, so don't get used to it."

But the big question is, what DOES the future hold?

I wish there wasn't so much of a disconnect between what I want and what I get. I guess the old cliché - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger - holds, but shit at this rate I'll be stronger than the Hulk by the time this is all done.

The fun bits of my job

2010-01-25T23:54:00.002Z

Sometimes my jobs rocks :-) like today when I got to see a few performances by some youth programmes in Ecuador with children and teens infected and affected by HIV.

This video is from a group of kids using handmade bamboo instruments that utilises music as part of their learning programme.

Randomly Interesting Sexual Health Articles

2009-12-11T13:00:00.002Z

India: condoms go with a bang

Vandals are targeting condom vending machines in Mumbai because they create a big bang when firecrackers are burst inside them.

More than 700 of the 3,200 machines, which were developed by Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT), across India's financial hub and its neighbouring areas have been destroyed.

The money and condoms are taken away as "fringe benefits" while the machine itself is reportedly sold piece-by-piece in the open market.

Rajesh Nainakwal, programme manager at HLFPPT, told the Times of India: "We have noticed several instances of people putting bombs inside the machines for a bigger bang.

"This destroys the machines and the criminals then take away the structure, one piece at a time, to sell in the open market."

He added: "The money inside the machines and the condoms are the fringe benefits."

Within the last three years, nearly 22% of the condom vending machines placed in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region have been stolen or vandalised and the developers say they are shocked at the reaction of the police to the issue.

Mr Nainakwal said: "Police stations issue an acknowledgement slip and assure us of a probe into the incidents but routinely refuse to register proper complaints. We have made repeated requests but there is no action so far."

Joint police commissioner Himanshu Roy said the programme developers needed to approach superior officers "instead of filing a general diary at a police station".

Source: Press Association, Google News, 11 December 2009

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'Friends with Benefits' sex does no psych harm - profs

Boffins in Minnesota have a message for young adults: sleeping around is OK. Your prospects in terms of psychological health should you indulge in casual flings are every bit as good as they would be if you bizarrely chose to waste your wild-oats years in one or more doleful and ultimately doomed monogamous relationships.

According to Marla E Eisenberg and her colleagues at Minnesota uni:
"Speculation in public discourse suggests that sexual encounters outside a committed romantic relationship may be emotionally damaging for young people, and federal abstinence education policy has required teaching that sexual activity outside of a marital relationship is likely to have harmful psychological consequences".

Au contraire, say the researchers - a few notches on the bedpost achieved in one's salad days will do no harm at all. Having surveyed 1,311 Minnesotan youngsters whose average age was 20.5 during 2003-04, they found no evidence that the odd fling leads to psychological problems whatsoever.

"Young adults engaging in casual sexual encounters do not appear to be at increased risk for harmful psychological outcomes compared to those in more committed relationships," says Eisenberg.

The study did appear to refer to so-called "friends with benefits" cheery consequence-free shagging among likeminded sorts who already know each other socially, as opposed to more risky practices such as simply picking up sailors on the docks.

Also, Eisenberg did offer a note of caution.

"This should not minimize the legitimate threats to physical well-being associated with casual sexual relationships, and the need for such messages in sexuality education programs," she adds.
Or, freely paraphrased, you won't (or anyway, needn't) feel cheap or worthless and end up dead inside if you occasionally have a bit of meaningless fun, but there is the risk of a nasty/fatal dose of Cupid's measles - so chastity is optional but condoms are not.

Eisenberg and her colleagues' new paper, 'Casual Sex and Psychological Health Among Young Adults: Is Having "Friends with Benefits" Emotionally Damaging?' appears in this month's issue of 'Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health'.

Source: The Register, (UK) 9 December 2009

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Testosterone link to aggression may be all in the mind

The popular idea that testosterone always makes people more aggressive has been debunked by researchers. A team based in Switzerland has shown that the hormone can make people behave more fairly in an effort to defend their social status.

Ernst Fehr, an experimental economist at the University of Zurich, and his colleagues used the 'ultimatum bargaining' game to test how testosterone would affect behaviour in a group of 121 women. Counter-intuitively, women who were given testosterone bargained more fairly.

But the idea that testosterone causes aggression in humans, as it clearly does in rodents, is so firmly ingrained in the human psyche that women who believed they had been given testosterone — whether or not they had — bargained much less fairly.

Women, not men, were tested because they have less variable 'baseline' blood testosterone levels.

The study is published in Nature1. "It is a folk hypothesis that testosterone causes aggression," says Fehr. "But human society is more complex than this."

Fair play

Several studies in humans have shown positive correlations between high blood testosterone levels and confrontational behaviour. But it has been hard to determine experimentally whether the aggression is caused by testosterone or is instead a consequence of a challenge to a person's social status.

The ultimatum game makes it possible to distinguish between these possibilities.

In the game, two individuals must agree on the division of a sum of money. The proposer suggests a particular splitting of the sum and the responder must accept or reject the offer. The proposal is an ultimatum — the responder may not make a counter-offer. If the responder accepts the proposal, the money is duly allocated. If the responder rejects the proposal, neither the proposer nor the responder gets any money.

Responders normally reject very low offers as unfair — they would rather receive no money than see their partner carry off a disproportionate amount of cash.

Some proposers offer a 50-50 split because they are motivated by fairness, although most push to keep a bit more for themselves — but not so much more that they risk rejection and ending up with nothing.

Fehr's team reasoned that if testosterone caused aggression, it would cause proposers to make low offers. If, however, it promoted social-status-seeking behaviour, proposers would make higher offers to avoid the social affront of having their offers rejected.

Beggaring belief

The women were given either 0.5 mg testosterone or a placebo four hours before playing the ultimatum game for the sum of 10 money units. Before they played, they were asked to say whether they believed they had been given testosterone or placebo.

Women who received testosterone made significantly higher offers than those who received placebo — an average of 3.9 money units compared with the placebo group's average offer of 3.4 money units.

"In the socially complex human environment, pro-social behaviour, not aggression, secures status," says Michael Naef, an experimental economist at the Royal Holloway, University of London, who is a co-author on the paper.

The study has an additional, equally important message: those who believed they received testosterone, whether they had or not, made much lower offers — as low as 2 money units in some cases, or even nothing.

"We think their belief that they had received testosterone, and that testosterone promotes aggression, gave them an up-front excuse to act more aggressively," says Fehr.

Responders remained as likely to reject a shabby offer when they were treated with testosterone as when they received placebo, showing that the hormone was not promoting altruistic behaviour.

Adam Goodie, a psychologist at the University of Georgia in Athens who works on decision-making, says: "The paper is a major blow to the popular wisdom that testosterone simply makes you more aggressive and less cooperative — the true picture is not nearly as negative."

"And it takes the field of neuroeconomics an important step further by showing that not only does biology affect economic behaviour — but so does belief," he adds.

The powerful impact of belief is a good lesson for neuroeconomists, adds Fehr: "Belief should always be controlled for in neuroeconomics studies, but often it is not."

Source: Nature.com, 8 December 2009

Time for more accurate terminology

2009-12-09T16:15:00.000Z

Swedish Association for Sexuality Education
PRESS RELEASE
Stockholm 8 December 2009More information: Olle Castelius, RFSU press officer. +46 70 552 00 81. olle.castelius@rfsu.se

Hymen renamed “vaginal corona”

The mythical status of the hymen has caused far too much harm for far too long. Last spring, RFSU published an information booklet in Swedish intended to dispel some of the myths surrounding the hymen and virginity.

The booklet was a great success and flew off the shelves. There was clearly great demand for the Swedish version, and in response to numerous requests, RFSU has now had it translated into Arabic, English and Sorani.

“When we introduced a new term for the hymen in Swedish, slidkrans, many people commented that it was good to finally have a word that accurately described this body part. A lot of people also asked why we hadn't had the booklet translated. Now we have,” said Åsa Regnér, RFSU secretary general.

The new term for the hymen in Arabic is تاج{اكليل}المهبل،,
The new term in English is vaginal corona.
In Sorani, the term is ئهڵقهی زێ

(If there are problems viewing the Arab and Sorani versions in this email, please see the attached pdf).

“After talking to organizations working in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights with people from non-Swedish ethnic backgrounds, we decided to start with these three langu¬ages. However, we aim to publish our booklet in other languages as well,” explained Ms Regnér.

The booklet describes what the female genitals look like and what the vaginal corona actually is. It also dispels many of the myths surrounding female sexuality and the misconceptions concerning the hymen and virginity. Etymologically, the term hymen comes from the Greek word for membrane. In Swedish, the hymen used to be called mödomshinna, which translates literally as “virginity membrane.” In fact, there is no brittle membrane, but rather multiple folds of mucous membrane. A vaginal corona, in other words.

“The vaginal corona is a permanent part of a woman's body throughout her life. It doesn't disappear after she first has sexual intercourse, and most women don't bleed the first time,” said Ms Regnér.

“The myths surrounding the hymen were created to control women's freedom and sexuality. The only way to counteract this is by disseminating knowledge. Translating this booklet into languages spoken by large communities in Sweden is a step in the right direction. We also hope the booklet and the new term will find their way to other countries,” said Alán Ali, RFSU board member and in charge of two projects in Malmö tackling honour-related oppression. RFSU's vaginal corona booklet is available free of charge. It can be ordered by email from bestall@rfsu.se or downloaded (PDF) from the RFSU website at:

Arabic: http://www.rfsu.se/upload/PDF-Material/Slidkrans_ARAB2009.pdf
English: http://www.rfsu.se/upload/PDF-Material/Vaginal_corona2009.pdf
Sorani: http://www.rfsu.se/upload/PDF-Material/Slidkrans_SORANI2009.pdf

RFSU (the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education) was founded in 1933. Today it is the leading organisation in Sweden in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). RFSU has no party political or religious affiliation.

KTM: Kathmandu Durbar Square

2009-11-11T22:17:00.006Z

The Kathmandu Durbar Square held the palaces of the Malla and Shah kings who ruled over the city. The area is actually quite picturesque with some notable sites including Kasthamandap and the Kumari Devi.

Peanut hates lay-overs

2009-11-06T22:38:00.001Z

Particularly when 2 out of 3 flights have been delayed.

So he just snatched the computer and decided to read comics and ignore me.

KTM: Swayambhunath

2009-11-05T04:39:00.004Z

The Kathmandu tour started out at Swayambhunath, which is also known as the monkey temple due to the thousands of monkeys that roam around.

I actually really liked. I love the concept of monkeys. They are so cute from a distance, they actually remind me of little hairy old people :-)

KTM: Patan Durbar Square

2009-11-04T02:45:00.005Z

Patan Durbar Square, houses the residence of the former Patan royal family, and is a good representation of Newari architecture. Last time I was here, I got the 5 second tour around it, but this time I was able to see some more.

It's actually a really cute area.

And this lion seems a little more than happy to see us!

The group enjoy a tour day

KTM: Pashupatinath

2009-11-02T13:19:00.004Z

Another place in Kathmandu that we went to is Pashupatinath Temple, which is considered to be one of the most important Hindu temples in Nepal. It is believed that to die and to be cremated here will release one from the cycle of repeated birth and death.

I for one wasn't that impressed, but who am I to judge.

KTM: Boudhanath

2009-11-01T17:15:00.003Z

I actually got a day off! Yay! I crammed as much sightseeing as I could into the day. So at least I have proof I came to Kathmandu. :-)

Here is Boudhanath Stupa, the largest stupa in Nepal and the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet.

I'm not one for sentimentality, but I will say that this was really magnificent. Even the circle of shops were cool. It all seemed to fit together. Even the "Om Mani Padme Hum" chanting blasting from the music stores added to the vibe of the place.

KTM: Dinner and a Show

2009-11-01T04:09:00.005Z

I think there is nothing as draining as being trapped in a hotel with 30 colleagues and project partners. But to add to the exercise in tolerance, it was decided we needed to have a social event in the evening also.

So we all went to Bhanchha Ghar, claims to be the first specialist Nepali restaurant in Nepal, and as part of a complete dining experience courses are by a cultural show, showcasing the dance and music of different ethnic groups from around Nepal. Though I really could not tell the difference among all of them.

Though the food was alright (momos aside I'm not too keen on Nepali cuisine), the company turned out to be better than I thought it would. I guess you do need to get people "outside" of work in order to get a better sense of them. Though I'm sure the social lubricant, also known as alcohol, helped.

Raksi - a traditional distilled rice liquor was served throughout the evening

The group consisted of representatives from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh

And of them was drinking alcohol for the first time

And the obligatory closing speech by the project director

Kathmandu: Room with a view...

2009-10-29T07:47:00.002Z

...sort of.

As always, Peanut traveled with me to Nepal and since i'm working he he has to find ways to entertain himself.

We are staying on the 6th floor of the Radisson Kathmandu, and he noticed that even though he can see out of the building form 3 different sides - the view is all the same.

Maybe next time we should go out to the country side.

Google Rocks

2009-10-22T08:30:00.002+01:00

Backblog: Geneve

2009-10-10T12:38:00.007+01:00

A few weeks back I had to go to Geneva for the day to attend a meeting. It was my first time to Switzerland and I was a bit bummed that I could not really get to see the city, but luckily I had a couple of hours from when the meeting finished before I had to catch my flight back to London.

Geneve was cute :-) I wouldn't mind going back and seeing it better.

I hate the journey

2009-10-07T21:52:00.004+01:00

I travel a fair amount. Not as much as some. But still more than your average joe. A problem that I have is that I actually hate travelling. Not actually being in new places, but the actual journey. I hate the whole airport experience. I hate having to fly cattle class to random spots of earth, I hate having to wait hours on end in crap airports to board my flight. I hate the endless announcements on the PA system.

Why can't they develop an instant mode of travel? Why can't i just get there?

Sigh, I'm just tired and whiny, but transiting in this airport for 3 hours is really rubbing my nerves raw. I need lounge access double quick.

Peanut dans Versaille

2009-09-22T22:43:00.007+01:00

During the Paris weekend, Peanut took a day trip to Versaille. It looks like he had a nice time.

EEWWW and Why!?

2009-09-17T18:42:00.004+01:00

Sad part is I think I have seen him in an airport queue in India. I distinctly remember been grossed out then also.

Anthony Victor of India has hair measuring 7.12 inches sprouting from the center of his outer ears.

World records revealed: From tallest teen to most Smurfs

Back blog: Lisboa

2009-09-12T11:31:00.004+01:00

Anthony took me to Lisbon for my "29th for the 5th time" birthday :-). We had a great time. It was my first time there, though like always Anthony had been there before.

Though I will say that the food wasn't as good as I thought it would be. It was nice, but it wasn't great. Granted the pasteis de nata more than made up for it.

OH, and I also found out that my last name means salty snack (Salgado) :-(

One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster

2009-08-02T12:56:00.002+01:00

Well 3 actually.

I'm in a middle of a quickie Asian tour for work (if you count a couple of days in Nepal and a couple of days Thailand as an "Asian Tour").

The fabulous Tony is letting me crash at his place while I'm here for my meetings. I've spent the day shopping, which is what one does in Bangkok, and like Manu (who I missed by a day!), the humidity got the better of me also.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should go for a massage and a facial or bask in the wonder that is A/C.

Decisions, decisions.

I have joined the cycling revolution

2009-06-21T11:28:00.010+01:00

Now that I am much closer to work, I figured it was time I joined London's growing cycling craze.

For one, I feel like my weight gain has reached obese proportions and that is just not on. Two, I truly hate the commuting traffic in public transport, i can feel my blood pressure raised each morning when I have to deal with the masses. Three, in the long run it is cheaper - the money I am saving on commuting will pay for the bike in 9 months.

Granted I do have the attention span of a gnat and the coordination of a spastic on speed, and I am dealing with London rush hour traffic; but really how bad can it be!?

Anthony having increased my life insurance coverage doesn't bother me. Thousands of people cycle around London each day and only a few die a month. Statistically speaking I should be fine.

Though the fates do seem to have a special fondness for fucking with me. Anywho, if you never hear from me again, it probably means that though I survived bomb blasts in Pakistan, i was squashed by a bendy bus in London.

I end up buying the bike in North London, they were great, really helpful (Chamberlaines in Kentish Town - check them out), but i had the issue of getting my bike to South London. That meant that though I have not ridden a bike in 20 years, my first ride would be 8.5 miles from the shop home. And did I mentioned that I had no clue where I was going?

In the end I made it home in about an hour, not sure where that falls on the scale between fat-ass loser and Olympic athlete; but I was just grateful to get home in one piece. Granted I was scared shitless the whole time and today my ass and legs are sore...and not in a good way.

Let's see how it goes tomorrow. I better loose some weight by the end of summer for all this trauma to be worth it!

On eating out

2009-06-16T08:46:00.004+01:00

Don't you love it when restaurants make an effort in the presentation. Granted cute rice bears doesn't make you want to hack into them, but still that didn't stop Anthony.

So I got a new job right

2009-06-14T22:55:00.003+01:00

I'm one of those international development guys and have always worked for small NGOs or local grassroots organisations. But now I am working for one of the big ones, the really big ones.

I am excited yet scared and overwhelmed.

As cliched as it may sound, it is way easier to be a big fish in a small pond. Plus it is faster to get things done when you don't have as big a structure.

Yet you can't argue with the resources and reached the a big organisation brings. Even if it comes with layers of management and bureaucracy.

Still, I am thrilled for this opportunity, let's just hope I don't fuck it up.

What is family for?

2009-04-30T19:05:00.002+01:00

My baby sister got knocked up. Under normal circumstances I would be indifferent about this. Pregnancies have never excited me much. However, in this occasion I am fuming. Don't get me wrong she's not a teenager, she's a very respectable 21; and I used to think of her as the smart one among my four siblings. Yet, her remarkable lack of judgement and downright stupidity regarding procreation has definitely redefined my opinion of her.

I have no qualms with pre-marital sex or unwed mothers, but I do have issues with someone who is still living at home with her parents, that hasn't finish school, that doesn't have a job or a cent to her name thinking that she can raise a child. How does someone who has never had to struggle a day in her life, that doesn't know the meaning of sacrifice think that they can be responsible for someone else's life?

And to REALLY get my blood boiling: I asked her if she knew what kind of work I do, her reply "Something with AIDS right?" I asked her if she knew the prevalence of HIV and other STIs in Puerto Rico "I don't have to worry about that." Apparently she's immune. And why don't you use condoms or take the pill if you are fucking around I ask, "Because for 4 years I haven't gotten pregnant so didn't think I had to worry." Lord Fucking Help Me! If this conversation had been in person I think I would have slapped her.

So now, I am the bad guy for pointing out the bleeding obvious - her inability to raise a child when she can't take care of herself. Though I never actually told her she needed to abort the damn thing, I did everything in my power to indicate that it was the only choice she had. And she made it pointedly clear that she could not in good conscious "murder her unborn child". apparently she is too christian for an abortion, but not christian enough to keep her legs crossed. Go figure. Her master plan for taking care of herself and her baby - a healthy combination of parental support and welfare. Eye roll.

The hardest part for me in all this is that I will never be able to look at her in the same way again. That the one sibling I had that I thought could make something of herself was too stupid to protect herself/to plan ahead and too damn selfish to not burden others (because apparently her moral compass is OK with mooching from the rest of the family in order to deal with the problem).

At this point I actually have no interest in seeing her anytime soon or meeting the little bastard she's growing and that makes me really sad.

Peeps About Town

2009-04-11T21:13:00.007+01:00

So James and David told me of a contest in DC for Peeps Dioramas. That reminded me of the fact that I never entered (or posted) my Peeps pictures for the "Introducing the Peeps in Places Photo Challenge!".

Last weekend, Anthony and I took a family of Peeps out for a tour of London, with every intention of entering the contest; but being the lazy sods that we are, we never got around to it.

Alas, here are the results:

Who counts as 'human'?

2009-04-03T12:32:00.001+01:00

Source: The Guardian, 1 April 2009

A number of posts responding to this series have argued that human rights are self-evident, that they are expressions of the good society or, more extravagantly, that they are natural properties attaching to people like arms or legs.

Common to these arguments is the assertion that rights belong to humans on account of their humanity and not of a narrower membership such as nation or state. This is a comforting thought.

But when we examine it closer, it appears to be one of these paradoxical half-truths that litter our understanding of human rights.

A history of 'humanity'

The idea of "humanity" is modern. Athens and Rome had Athenians or Romans but not "men", in the sense of members of the human species. The word humanitas first appeared in the Roman Republic and meant eruditio et institutio in bonas artes (erudition and training in good conduct). Humanity was not a quality shared but, as Cicero put it, a standard of behaviour used to separate the homines humani (the educated Romans) from the homines barbari (the rest).

Christianity undermined the classical hierarchies. St Paul's statement that there is no Greek or Jew, man or woman, free man or slave (Epistle to the Galatians 3:28) introduced spiritual universalism. All humans have a soul and can be saved in God's plan of salvation, but only if they accept the faith since non-Christians have no place in the providential plan. This radical divide founded the ecumenical mission and proselytising drive of Church and Empire. In the Roman Empire, and those that followed it in exercising rule over large parts of the world, the line between humans and barbarians split the globe diagonally between the faithful and the heathen.

The Christian meaning of humanity was vigorously contested in one of the most important debates in history. In 1550, Aristotelian philosopher Gines de Sepulveda and cleric Bartolomé de las Casas debated the Spanish conquerors' attitude towards the Indians of Mexico. Sepulveda argued that "the Spaniards rule with perfect right over the barbarians who, in prudence, talent, virtue, humanity are as inferior to the Spaniards as children to adults, women to men, the savage and cruel to the mild and gentle, I might say as monkey to men."

Las Casas disagreed, arguing that the Indians had well-established customs and settled ways of life. They are "unwitting" Christians, he said, like Adam before the Fall, and would convert to Christianity but also accept the Spanish authority if the conquerors respected their traditions, laws and culture.

Las Casas combined theology and political utility in an early example of multiculturalism. But his Christian universalism was, like all universalisms, exclusive. He repeatedly condemned "Turks and Moors, the veritable barbarian outcasts of the nations". Las Casas won the moral argument but Sepulveda's advice was adopted by assorted colonialists and imperialists.

The next step in the history of "humanity" was taken by the early modern political philosophers and 18th century revolutionaries.

The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen states that "men are born and remain free and equal of right" but proceeds to bestow these rights, in their real, legal and political sense, to only some Frenchmen: citizens.

From this point on, statehood, sovereignty and territory followed a national principle. The gap between universal "man" and national citizen is filled by foreigners – they do not have rights because they are not citizens and as a result they are not fully human.

By separating humanity from citizenship, the French Declaration (and today, human rights treaties) introduced two alternatives: imperialism, in which the nation claims to be the expression of humanity and to spread its civilising influence through conquest. The Napoleonic wars are an early example, Iraq a contemporary. Or cosmopolitanism, in which universal values override local idiosyncracies. It was left to the Haitian revolution, which emancipated slaves and gave political rights to colonial people, to uphold universalism against its inventors.

The "man" of the "rights of man" has no concrete characteristics, except for free will, reason and soul. These universal elements secularised the Christian belief in the sacredness of life and endowed humanity with dignity and respect. At the same time, this "man" is an abstraction without body, colour, gender or history, as Hegel, Burke and Marx agreed.

Yet the empirical man who actually enjoyed rights was literally a man — a well-off, white, Christian, urban male. He condensed the abstract dignity of humanity and the privileges of the powerful. Ever since, full 'humanity' is constructed against a background of preconditions (citizenship, class, gender, race, religion, sexuality) which exclude the majority of human beings.

If rights are universal, refugees, "illegal" immigrants or the Guatanamo detainees who have no country to protect them should have humanity's entitlements. But they have none – they are just bare, unprotected life. Human rights do not belong to humans, the construct a graded "humanity".

The human rights movement can be seen as the ongoing but failing struggle to close the gap between the abstract man of the Declarations and the empirical human being.

Anti-discrimination conventions for people of colour, women, children, gay and lesbians add flesh, blood and sex to the pale outline of the "human". Have they succeeded? Yes and no.

The concept of a common "humanity" introduced the vocation of universal dignity. History has taught us, however, that there is nothing sacred about any definition of humanity and nothing eternal about its scope. Humanity's mastery, like God's omnipotence, includes the ability to redefine who or what counts as human and even to destroy itself. The dialectics of Enlightenment led both to emancipation and to Nazism. Similarly, rights are both a way of protecting the individual and a tool that governments use to discipline societies and, recently, the world.

Every historical age has used its (philosophical or empirical) definition of humanity to separate between rulers, ruled and excluded.

Those who don't speak our language, share our religion, belong to the wrong class, gender, colour or sexuality have always been left outside locally defined "humanity". These categories of exclusion are still active. They have been joined by the "bottom billion", the "human waste", the rejects of global neoliberal capitalism. Despite claims to the contrary, humanity cannot act as a normative ground.

A bill of rights?

Rights are an important liberal institution, but liberal philosophy – endlessly recycling 18th century ideas of the social contract (Rawls), natural rights (Dworkin) or the categorical imperative (Habermas) – misunderstands them.

Rights do not belong to fully formed humans. On the contrary, rights are tools through which people build their identities in an ongoing struggle for recognition with other people and social institutions.

Anti-discrimination rights give my racial or sexual characteristics minimal recognition and help me match public and private identity. But as Hegel explained, a formal right to property not accompanied with material means deprives the person of (self) respect and splits her identity between abstract dignity and concrete degradation.

This distance between formal rights and the preconditions necessary for their exercise is a key problem.

The European Convention of Human Rights and the Human Rights Act do not include even a basic right to equality.

The civil and political rights covenant creates enforceable rights while the economic and social rights covenant asks states to "take steps" towards their implementation. These gaps and omissions reflect the divergent trajectories of the liberal and socialist traditions, which lead to different versions of rights.

This historical and philosophical understanding helps reorient human rights in a number of ways. International human rights are a fact in the world and this adds a veneer of universalism.

But whatever international treaties, commissions and courts say, rights are violated or respected by state and local armies, courts, bureaucrats, financiers and police forces. Civil and political liberties, economic and welfare rights, have been won in political struggles against national authorities not in international conferences.

Talk of universal rights has rhetorical value but little purchase when electronic, CCTV and data surveillance – this new vis anglais – maps and records every aspect of life.

Francesca Klug recently argued that bills of rights are not "a substitute for politics". This is right but unfortunately no longer true.

Over the last 30 years, rights have become a main way of doing politics for both left and right. I do not refer here to civil liberties and the limited protections the underprivileged, the oppressed and the poor enjoy. Defending them is the core case of human rights, the contemporary expression of the urge to resist domination and oppression.

The problem is different: by becoming the vernacular expression of every kind of individual aspiration and desire, and a dominant language of public policy, they have lost their significance and edge. The Mail, the Sun and the Conservatives lead the attack by targeting "illegal" immigrants and "bogus refugees", while promoting the rights of crime victims, property owners and bankers. For these defenders of free-market individualism, rights are playthings of the middle-class.

Jack Straw joins the chorus from the other end. Responding to Tory attacks, the government promises a bill of "rights and responsibilities", and compares it to the Magna Carta and the 1688 Bill of Rights. According to Justice Minister Michael Wills, the bill will cover not just traditional liberties but also "jobs, housing, healthcare and education … the daily frustrations of public life … the hunting and the smoking ban". This is a pretty comprehensive list of political priorities.
When Labour was still a party of the left, it understood that politics expresses, condenses and aims to mediate social and economic conflict.

Antagonism is the life of politics and social justice its aim. But as Labour and the Tories moved to the ideological centre and pursued similar policies, conflict was declared finished.

The emphasis on the rights of crime victims and consumers pursues the same agenda. It gives the impression that fat cat bosses and the unemployed share common interests and values.
However, rights as entitlements of individuals cannot tackle inequality nor are they synonymous with justice. When rights become the main language of politics, they join the choice agenda and become an expression of neo-liberalism. As conflict returns in new intense forms, the left needs to rethink rights.

I'm not the only one that loves Peeps :-)

2009-04-02T00:28:00.003+01:00

Introducing the Peeps in Places Photo Challenge!

Teehee! What better way to get some global exposure to the those little sugar coated marshmallow dreams.

I need to figure out where best to take the photo for my entry :-D

I love me some Peeps

2009-03-30T18:52:00.004+01:00

Nothing says Spring like Peeps! :-) Last year the lovely Alan sent me a box with my favourite Easter treat. This year while Anthony was in LA, he was a total sweetie and got me a wonderful assortment of them. Yey!

I didn't even know that now they came in so many colours.

Though not for everyone, they are definitely one of my faves.

So I'm Uganda, right

2009-03-27T14:43:00.005Z

I had to come to Kampala for a short assignment for work. I'm only here for the week, but it is totally random and last minute and I'm actually quite excited. Last time I was here was spending the Christmas holidays with my friend Sue over 4 years ago, who was working here at the time and it was strange coming back here.

Last time it was purely a social visit and I stayed with Sue and she and her friends took care of me and showed me around, but this time I don't know anyone and I am stuck in a hotel in downtown Kampala, which in the immediate vicinity doesn't seem to have much.

I am sure if explored a bit I could find stuff, but after working all day I just don't have the energy and I wouldn't even know where to get started.

This is the immediate area around the hotel.

As part of my work here I have been meeting some traditional birth attendants. Gladys is the warmest, most welcoming TBA I have ever met. In any country. With her demeanor it is obvious why a woman would choose to go to her for delivery as oppose to a hospital or clinic that may be short-staffed and under supplied.

This is where the women deliver

And here we have a community health education group singing a song about abstinence :-)

On Male Greetings

2009-03-02T17:18:00.002Z

I always find greeting men so difficult.

Being gay and being Hispanic means that I am very touchy-feely, we are hugging/kissing people. Unfortunately that doesn't always translate well into male interaction unless the other person is also a fag, a spic, or both.

I find heterosexual white men the easiest. Firm handshake, slight nod and you are done. But the rest, are a bit anxiety inducing.

During this trip to Pakistan I keep having this ackward dance of handshake-hug-handshake. But sometimes, it's hug-handshake-hug. Other times, it's been handshake-hug or hug-handshake. And I've been caught in a few "was-supposed-to-be-just-a-handshake-but-I-went-in-for-a-hug- so-then-they-felt-obliged-but-by-that-point-I-had-started-to-withdraw-and-we-end-up-in-a-half-assed-pat".

Aren't there some sort of protocols for these things? It would be great if someone just told me when to use whcih combination. Are there are rules on occasion vs. length of time since last you saw each other?

Lord I need a Xanax.

So I am in Pakistan again, right

2009-02-26T09:35:00.004Z

Normally these trips are quite boring. Project monitoring, budget meetings, etc. But this time I got a bit of modern history thrown in.

Below is a picture of the hotel where apparently one of the World Trade Center bombers hid before he was captured. This lovely hotel is in downtown Dera Ghazi Khan, which one of it's notable achievements is its high incidence of suicide bombers. Fun times!

And I was able to capture this shot on the drive between Multan and DG Khan. Don't you hate it when your donkey runs out of fuel!?

Yet another reason why I hate people

2009-02-14T19:57:00.003Z

Homophobic people like Janet Parshall can go around saying that gay adoption is "state-sanctioned child abuse" (CNN's Larry King Live, Jan. 17, 2006, but it's OK for a single mother (Nadya Suleman) with no verifiable source of income living in a 3 bedroom apartment have 14 children through IVF and then ask money to help support her children or a 13 year old kid can father a baby with a 15 year old girl.

I see you

2009-02-12T00:20:00.006Z

At my last visit to the ophthalmologist, they took a picture of a my retinas. Pretty cool, eh?

I think I have beautiful eyes, don't you?

:-)

Babies everywhere

2009-02-06T13:48:00.003Z

Is it me or is everyone getting a kid these days?

I know that I am of that "age group" where my peers are doing their bit of ensuring the continuation of the human race by procreating, but this is getting ridiculous.

Four of my friends have gotten a baby in the past 12 months, and I found out this week that 2 others are expecting. For god's sake, when did reproduction come back in fashion!?

And as if that wasn't bad enough, my mother keeps asking me when am I going to give her the grand-daughter she always wanted. Eye roll.

Yey! Snow Day!

2009-02-02T09:08:00.002Z

Something I miss about DC life is good snow day. Sometimes it is cold and miserable outside and you just don't feel like dealing with it, so the god's provide you an excuse in the "Snow Day."

A day when mother nature says, 'it's ok dear, stay in today'.

Well, London sucks for its lack of snow. It is cold. It is miserable. It is wet. But alas it does not snow. Normally.

Last night however, we got blanketed with snow. The whole of England is swathed in pure white snow. What that means for London is that everything comes to a grinding halt because frankly it happens so rarely that systems can't handle it.

Yey for me! I physically cannot get into work today.

The trains are suspended, the bus is not running, hurray!

Now I wished I had grocery shopped this weekend so I would have food at home. Darn :-(

View from the front

The Back Garden

Teehee

2009-02-01T20:34:00.002Z

Cake Wrecks: when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong

Almost as funny as http://www.engrish.com/ :-)

My quote for today

2009-01-29T14:44:00.001Z

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. - Steven Weinberg

better get checked

2009-01-27T20:02:00.001Z

Sex drive link to prostate cancer

Prostate cancer may be linked to sex hormones

Men who are more sexually active in their 20s and 30s may run a higher risk of prostate cancer, research suggests.

Back Blog: Mexico Trip - Random Images of DF

2008-12-28T13:31:00.006Z

To finally put this line of entries to rest, I want to close with a few pictures of el Distrito Federal.

La Casa Azul de Frida Kahlo - it was a beautiful house inside but you couldn't take pictures

The courtyard of El Palacio Nacional - with amazing Diego Rivera murals

El Angel de la Glorieta de la Independencia

El Palacio de Bellas Artes - a truly stunning building. David and I watched the Ballet Folklórico de México

DF has some amazing outdoor art

Not sure what I was up to here, but I wanted a picture of me up :-)

Why is there a statue of Gandhi in Mexico?

David HAD to have his shoes shined

How anonimous is it if there is a big sign outside?

The flag waving proudly

I don't know what she was about, but thought she was so cool. You have to love eccentrics.

Mexico City vistas

Back Blog: Mexico Trip - Los Voladores

2008-12-24T18:11:00.003Z

So trying to finish my Mexico City entries (considering I've been at it for 4 months now - pathetic, I know) I wanted to post the pictures of Los Voladores de Papantla. It's basically Mexico's version of the Maypole Dance, but way scarier and way cooler. Apparently the dance, has ritualistic roots.

Here is a video that someone took to give you an idea of what is going on:

Backblog: Mexico Trip - Teotihuacán

2008-12-13T22:03:00.008Z

Continuing the much delayed posting of the summer trip to Mexico, it is time for Peanut to show his pictures. As we know Peanut does enjoy his outings, and this trip was no different.

We went to Teotihuacán, and aside of having to climb the Pyramid of the Sun (and its endless steps - though not for Peanut because the lazy git just hitched a ride up on my shoulder) it actually was a great day out. The weather was absolutely perfect warm with a light breeze. We go there before the buses full of fat American tourists arrived. And after walking around the archaeological site for a bit we had a tasty, yet expensive lunch.

Peanut was really looking forward to the Pyramids - he wants to be an archaeologist when we grows up.

And from this high up you can see the nice smog cloud which covers the State of Mexico valley.

Aren't we cute :-)

Nopales with tuna (also known as prickly pear, I will say - I tried the leaf, I tried the fruit - it wasn't for me)

Oh no, Peanut is going to get eaten!

La Gruta - the food was overpriced, but you can't beat the ambience.

Backblog: Mexico Trip - Vera Cruz

2008-12-10T07:11:00.010Z

So last month Anthony and I went on a short trip to Mexico City (he was working the flight, I just tagged along) and though he is usually pretty good about chronicling his work trips, for some reason this particular one fell on the wayside. Not that I am insecure or anything, but I do wonder if it has to do with me having gone with him. Anyway, with the crappy weather in London I was inspired to finish posting my pics from Mexico (from back when I went in August) and hopefully this will encourage Anthony to finally post about Mexico.

So after the International AIDS Conference ended, I decided to stay in Mexico for an extra week and hang out with David since this was my first time in the country. Well it turns out that David's family was already planning a weekend to the beach - lucky me! They being the hospitable spics that they are, invited me to come along; and me being cheap and up for anything said yes.

So the family and me (all 10 of us) got up early, prepared some snacks, crammed ourselves into 2 cars and drove the 5 hours to Vera Cruz. Road trip! It was great fun. The weather was perfect, the view was scenic, and it provided the perfect escape that we all needed.

So just to rub it in a little, and because I am sick of the British winter here are some pics from that trip.

El Popo - between Mexico City and Puebla you can catch a glimpse of one of Mexico's most famous volcanoes.

I was in awe of this beautiful misty valley

Group Picture! The Diaz-Trujillo Family and Me :-)

Big ass mango on a stick What would a beach weekend be, without burying someone in the sand?
Ok, yes it was hot, and the water was refreshing, and I can understand seating under an umbrella in the sand...but seating under an umbrella in the water!? - for the record, they were not with us.
David passed out - we did come for some R&R after all.
David trying to work it. He doesn't look half bad for a Mexican.
Even the fish like pork rinds :-)
I think I got a bit too much sun :-) I had forgotten what that felt like
Downtown Vera Cruz is beautiful, full of life and music
And dancing in the streets.

Yeah good times were had :-)

I'm really impressed with Google

2008-11-26T14:20:00.003Z

Why can't more companies and people be like this:
Transgender Remembrance Day
11/20/2008 10:01:00 AM We believe great ideas can come from anywhere and everyone. And we aspire to be an organization that reflects global diversity, because we know that a world's worth of perspectives, ideas and cultures leads to the creation of better products and services. We have more than a dozen employee-driven resource groups, from Gayglers to GWE (Google Women Engineers), that actively participate around the world in building community and driving policy at Google. The post below kicks off an occasional series, entitled Interface, about valuing people's similarities and differences in the workplace. For more information on how Google fosters an inclusive work environment, visit Life at Google on our Jobs site. – Ed.

November 20th marks Transgender Remembrance Day, which takes on a special significance in a world awakening to the need for unity among all people. In observing this day, the Gayglers — the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) group within Google — extend their wholehearted support to the LGBT community at large, as we reflect on the senseless violence perpetrated against transgender people around the world.People who identify or express their gender differently than the one assigned to them at birth usually call themselves transgender or transsexual. All too often, they are subjected to a range of not-so-subtle prejudices and transphobia, from verbal abuse to physical violence. Imagine walking into a public restroom in a state of dread over a confrontation about your appearance. Imagine visiting a doctor and worrying about how far to "out" yourself to receive appropriate care. Studies suggest that transgender people are 16 times more likely to be killed than the general population -- earlier this month, in fact, a transgender woman in Tennessee was murdered -- and this is just the most recent of many such cases.We're fortunate here at Google, where there are LGB and T people at all levels of the company, thanks to enlightened hiring and promotion practices that set aside sexual orientation or gender presentation. Ultimately, Google fosters a workplace where everyone has the ability to be themselves at work. For transgender employees in particular, that means everything.On this Transgender Remembrance Day, take just a few moments to remember the trans siblings, parents, friends and lovers who lost their lives to gender-based intolerance and hatred. Let's all share in a future where tolerance and understanding transforms the world. And let's work to create a better place for everyone to live peaceably in an all-inclusive world community that merits our deepest pride.

Posted by Kai Johnson, Software Engineer

Told you girls had cooties

2008-11-22T12:07:00.002Z

Women's hands 'harbour more bugs'

Human skin harbours many bacteria

Women have a greater range of different types of bacteria on the palms of their hands than men, US research suggests.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7705608.stm

Memories

2008-11-03T06:50:00.003Z

So I find myself in Kolkata for a few days for work. It has been over a year and a half since I was last here and my first time back in India since I left last year.

It has a vaguely surreal feel to it. My friends are still here and the city looks the same, but there is definitely a sense of time having passed.

Besides the constant comments on my weight gain (which I attribute to domestic bliss) the other questions are on way I am such a slacker on my blog.

I have so many intentions to be a better blogger. I actually have a list of things I want to blog about. It's the execution that gets me. I want to be able to capture the fleeting moments of my existence and immortalised them in some small way. Considering the unlikely hood of producing off-spring, this public diary of mine is the only way I can make my presence publicly felt.

As I sit here reminiscing of times past and musing on things to come I wonder how long it will take for me to be forgotten. But at least this little blog of mine serves to collect in some manner the randomness of my existence.

People are sick

2008-10-07T17:32:00.001+01:00

Why on god's green earth, would you want to make art out of your placenta!?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placentophagy

http://www.blissfulmomblessedbabe.com/kits/placenta.html

http://mandermusings.blogspot.com/2008/08/afterbirth-artwork.html

My quote for the day

2008-09-12T12:44:00.003+01:00

"Going to the gym turns you into a blood-thirsty fascist potentate "
- Caitlin Moran

"Three (thin, reedy) cheers for British weediness. When I look at our uniformly mild, paunchy, metrosexual British politicians, it makes me swell with pride"

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/article4685516.ece

~~~

And this is why living in London works for me in my present weight.

Mexico Trip: Tlalnepantla

2008-09-07T21:44:00.005+01:00

So Tlalnepantla really doesn't have much going for it on its own. It's pretty much an industrial suburb of el Distrito Federal. It was great being able to stay with David and his family, but the place itself really didn't have much to see.

There was there Pantheon the Cristo, which seems to be the town's answer to Rio's Cristo Redentor.

Also, there was a temple ruin, Taneyuca, that was the original model for el Templo Mayor.

Mexico Trip - The International AIDS Conference

2008-08-31T23:26:00.005+01:00

Fun times aside, the actual reason I went to Mexico was to participate in the International AIDS Conference. For those of us in the HIV field, this is THE event. This is the 17th conference, but only my second time attending. My first time was in Bangkok in 2004. I don't know if I was more excited then or trigger happy, or maybe the Bangkok conference was more visually appealing but I seem to have way more pics of the conference in 2004 than this year's.

The conference is a great way to get updated on the latest issues in the AIDS industry, as well as being able to network with people and connect with organisations that one may normally get the chance to. For me it is also a great way to connect with my far-flung friends and colleagues which I only get to see in these types of meetings/events.

I actually presented 2 posters on my MSM work in Asia

And what is an HIV conference without a protest of big pharmaA drag queen teaching kids how to put on a condom on a dildo - fun times

And who makes the prettiest tranny, Michael or me?

The conference was held at Centro Banamex, however the event was so large they had to build an extra space in the middle of the horse track - this hosted the "Global Village"

It was great seeing Michael and Paul again, I hadn't seen them since Bangkok

And I missed my Sue

No comment :-P

Ashok and Vivek, my old bosses at Humsafar

"Hair Stylist Against Aids", and you ask why people call it the AIDS industry?

Sue leaves me again for deepest, darkest Africa - Uganda really, but that doesn't sound as exotic

Centro Banamex, and a sampling of the 25,000 attendees

:-) Happy Condoms

International march against stigmatization, discrimination and homophobia

2008-08-13T15:25:00.009+01:00

The day before the AIDS conference there was a large demonstration/march. Allegedly this was the first march against stigmatization, discrimination and homophobia, however I would argue that every gay pride march since Stonewall served the same purpose. Alas, 13,000 people joined and united for a common cause. I think the best part was the boy scout troop that was having some sort of jamboree in the same space. Some of the kids looked like deer in headlights, others liked the belonged in the march. I wonder if the scout leaders planned it on purpose :-)

We marched from the "Glorieta del Angel de la Independencia" to el Zocalo. It was kinda fun.

Mexico City

2008-08-11T17:14:00.006+01:00

So last week, I was rather tied up with the conference and what not, which made it kinda hard to blog. But, this week I am on holiday and can take a more relaxed approach to the recounting of my Mexican saga.

First off, let me point out that I am staying with my friend David, whom I met when we were both working in India (him for private, me for non-profit). Being spics in India, really made for a bonding moment, and we have remained friends since. And in true Latin fashion, when I told him I was going to Mexico City he insisted I stay in his house with his family. "Mi casa es su casa" after all.

He lives in Tlalnepantla, which is located about 5 miles (10 km) northwest of Mexico City (See Map), in the State of Mexico

View Larger Map

Latin hospitality rocks. David had a last minute business trip, which meant he would not be in Mexico City when I arrived. So it was left to his brother to pick my up and for his family to welcome me. Having arrived Wednesday, 30 July, by Thursday I was already adopted and they invited me to join them on the family trip to the beach in Veracruz the following weekend.

Thursday and Friday I worked :-( but on Saturday I joined the Anti-homophobia march (pics to come). :-)

I'm in Mexico

2008-07-31T10:15:00.002+01:00

Attending the International AIDS Conference (I'm actually supposed to present a couple of posters), but I have so much other work to do I am not able to enjoy my time here :-(

At least I took a week after the conference as vacation, that should be fun.

Uhm, eew

2008-07-26T12:11:00.002+01:00

What kind of statement does this make on our society, when news actually discusses the pubic grooming preferences of movie stars:

Sienna Miller's private parts digitally enhanced for film Hippie Hippie Shake

First we brought you Alfie Allen and the sensational bush-plucker trials...

Now gird your loins for the next hair-raising installment - Sienna Miller and the magical growing muff!

Yep, the stunning actress found herself on the horns of a prickly dilemma during post-production of her latest movie Hippie Hippie Shake.

While Si, 26, played her role as 60s publisher Richard Neville's girlfriend, Louise, to perfection, her, er, lady garden - or rather, lack of it - wasn't up to, er, scratch...

"The film is set in the swinging 60s when fashion was wild and body hair even wilder," says our studio mole.

"Sienna was an absolute star throughout filming and her performance was flawless.

"The only slight problem being that she's very much a girl of the Noughties - and this extends to her personal upkeep.

"Unfortunately, Brazilians weren't common in the 60s and Sienna's part involved one or two nude scenes - meaning that her grooming habits were on full display.

"A merkin or pubic wig simply wouldn't have done the trick, but luckily computer wizardry came to the rescue.

"Sienna's private parts were digitally enhanced, giving her a rather unruly, loud and proud bush.

"All the cast had a good giggle about it and stoical Sienna happily played along.

"But it's safe to say this is one look she won't be recreating on her next summer hols."

We don't blame her - we doubt her new squeeze Balthazar Getty would be a fan.

Starring alongside Sienna in the film about the controversial Oz magazine editor who was jailed for obscenity in 1971 are Cillian Murphy and Derek Jacobi.

Fortunately they escaped digital enhancement.

But, of course, Sienna is not the first star to have problems down below.

In February we told you how Alfie Allen was ordered to trim his, ahem, undergrowth in preparation for the nude scene on the opening night of the stage play Equus.

Poor Alf - described as a grower not a shower - was asked by producers to get out the nail scissors and tidy up the offending area.

He should have gone to Sienna for some tips...

This looks interesting

2008-07-25T11:13:00.001+01:00

Asia's answer to the Michelin guide: http://www.mieleguide.com/

This makes me sad

2008-07-24T20:14:00.001+01:00

Are things really getting any better?

Gays in Iraq terrorized by threats, rape, murder

Editor's note: CNN agreed to change the names of the two men in this article to protect their identities.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Kamal was just 16 when gunmen snatched him off the streets of Baghdad, stuffed him in the trunk of a car and whisked him away to a house. But the real terror was about to begin.

The men realized he was gay, Kamal said, when he took his shirt off and they saw his chest was shaved.

"They told me to take off my clothes to rape me or they would kill me immediately. This moment was the worst moment in my life," he told CNN, weeping as he spoke of the 2005 ordeal.

"I was watching them taking off their clothes, preparing to rape me. I did not know what to do, so I started shouting loudly, 'Please do not do that! I will ask my family to give you whatever you want.'" Watch the tormented life of gays in Iraq »

His pleas went unheeded. "The other two kidnappers took off my clothes by force and, at that time, I saw them as three dirty animals trying to tear my body apart."

He was held for 15 days, released only after his family paid a $1,500 ransom. He was raped every day. Only once, he said, was he allowed to talk to his family during captivity. "I told my family that I was beaten by them, but I did not dare to tell my family that I was raped by them. I could not say it, it's too much shame."

CNN spoke with Kamal, now 18, and his 21-year-old friend, Rami, about what it's like to be gay in Iraq. Coming out as gay is not easy in any country, but to do so in Iraq could mean a death sentence or torture.

The two men rarely show feelings toward each other in public. They spend a lot of time in Internet cafes in Baghdad, surfing gay chat rooms and seeking contacts with other gay men in Iraq and elsewhere.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the situation for gays and lesbians in Iraq has deteriorated. Ridiculed under Hussein, many now find themselves the targets of violence, according to humanitarian officials.

Lesbians are also victims of harassment and violence, but not nearly as often as gay men.

It's unknown how many homosexuals have been killed by militias in the lawless streets of Iraq's cities, but some Web sites post pictures of Iraqis they say were killed for being gay.

One photo on the Iraqi Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender site shows a group of men standing around three male bodies sprawled on a street, blood pouring from their heads. "Gay Iraqi victims of the police and death squads," the site says.

A U.N. report on human rights in Iraq reinforces the accusations of violence. Although gays are supposed to be protected by law in Iraq, it says, they face extreme brutality.

"Armed Islamic groups and militias have been known to be particularly hostile toward homosexuals, frequently and openly engaging in violent campaigns against them," the report said, adding that homosexuals have been murdered.

"Militias are reportedly threatening families of men believed to be homosexual, stating that they will begin killing family members unless the men are handed over or killed by the family," it said.

The report was issued at the end of 2006 and is the last U.N. study to touch on the subject.

Human rights experts say homosexuals are targeted for cultural reasons as well.

"Gay men and lesbians in Iraq face a lot of risks right now, because homosexuality is sometimes interpreted by people in Iraq as being a Western import," said Scott Portman with the Heartland Alliance, a group that promotes human rights worldwide. "So they can sometimes be targeted by insurgent groups or militias, in part, because of animosity toward the West and, in part, because homosexuality is not well-accepted in Iraqi society."

He added, "The biggest threats right now are from militia organizations, who will attack and actually sometimes kill gay men and women."

Kamal and Rami say the dangers are all too real in Baghdad -- and they live in secrecy not to shame their families.

"I would rather commit suicide than allow my family to find out I am gay," Rami said.

Kamal said he often pretends to have girlfriends in social settings and tells his friends he's dating girls. "I am also careful with the way I dress -- not to show them that I am gay, especially my family."

What would his family do if they found out?

"They will force me to give it up, and I cannot do that," he said. "The 'normal' people cannot live in Iraq. Imagine how the life is for gays."

Rami added, "I do not know why people hate gays even though so many have this tendency. But still they hate it."

Homosexuality is a touchy subject for many Iraqis. When CNN asked Iraqis in Baghdad how they felt about homosexuals, we found intolerance to be widespread.

One man said he considers gays no different from "criminals and terrorists." Another claimed homosexuality was "illegal under Islamic law, and they [gays] should be punished by law like criminals."

Rami said he once fell in love with a man who was part of the Mehdi Army, a Shiite insurgent group loyal to the radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Their relationship eventually soured.

"One day he told me he would come over to my house and kill me in front of my family," Rami said. "I told him I would come outside and be killed in the street because I do not want my family to find out I am gay."

Both men hope to escape Iraq. They say their ideal destination would be San Francisco, California. For now, both of them keep their feelings secret.

Kamal is still tormented by what happened to him nearly three years ago.

"During my sleep, I only see nightmares and I start crying. My family thought it was because they were beating me."

He paused, "Only my close friend Rami knows about this secret."

I'm having one of those weeks

2008-07-18T08:20:00.003+01:00

where I wish I was rich enough where I could quit on the spot. Is it possible to work for a company where you do not respect or trust the management? I really like the work I do, but the people above me leave a lot to be desired.

Sigh.

Today Dilbert got promoted to VP of Making Employees feel Miserable and Helpless. I wonder if my line manager and the CEO have that included in their job descriptions or does that fall under "other duties as assigned."

Made it home

2008-07-15T21:56:00.002+01:00

Yey! I'm back home. That work trip was way too long. I don't know how James does that his endless work trips, because I am totally exhausted after this one.

I will say as much as I whined it was great being in Pakistan in the middle of mango season :-)

Now I have to catch-up with all of the office work and reports and endless crap before my next trip, which just so happens to be in 2 weeks. Ugh!

إن شاء الله

2008-07-08T19:51:00.002+01:00

InšaʾAllāh, which translates into English as "God willing" or "If it is God's will", is a handy little phrase when you don't want to take responsibility for the failure of something - anything from punctuality to actual success of a product.

"Insha'Allah, I'll get that report to you next week/the air conditioning will work/we will get that grant."

However, one does not really want to hear it when it comes to being on a flight.

"Dear passengers, we are now flying 30 thousand feet over Karachi, and Insha'Allah we will reach Multan in approximately 55 minutes."

Which to my un-Muslim ear sounds a lot like

"Dear passengers, we are now flying 30 thousand feet over Karachi, and if we are lucky we wont crash and die before we reach Multan."

Call me a heretic, but when both the cabin staff and flight crew are invoking "Insha'Allah" to reach our destination, it really does not invite much confidence in PIA.

I'm all for religious humility, but one does have to have limits.

It's not that I mind really

2008-06-30T05:57:00.003+01:00

But why does EVERYONE have to assume I'm South Asian. OK, yes, I'm in Pakistan, and yes I'm brown; nevertheless does that automatically mean I am desi?

I have come to realise that I am this non-ethnic specific brown that seems to blend into whatever melanin-enriched group people are most familiar with. Even in London I have people speaking to me in some South Asian language. It wouldn't be so bad if some people didn't take offence to the fact that I "deny my true heritage."

(Insert Random South Asian Here) - "Why do you call yourself 'Andy', why don't you go by your real name?"

(Me) - Because, I don't like the way most people mispronounce 'Andres'!

Though I have had 2 interesting comments during the trip:

You look Pakistani, but you have Latin eyes. (I'm not quite sure what that means. I guess it means I don't have the dark circles that South Asians seem to be predisposed to)
For a white guy you are OK. (WHITE GUY!? I couldn't pass even if I was on the phone to someone while sitting in a dimly lit room)

Oh, well what can we do. I guess it is human nature to categorise, label, and catalog others in order to make sense of the chaotic swarm that is existence.

The fascinating phallus

2008-06-26T10:11:00.002+01:00

"those possessing more than 8 inches (20 cm) making up less than 2% of the world’s population"

"No racial or ethnic group is uniformly large and no group is uniformly small."

Who gets to conduct this research!?

Find out more in: The Big Penis Book

Why does heat make you so sleepy?

2008-06-26T09:56:00.003+01:00

I'm trying really hard to concentrate. I must finish these proposals and reports. I can barely keep my eyes open.

Right now is a balmy 38C/100F with 50% humidity. Yeah it's toasty. And I'm seating in an office with a faulty air-conditioner and a ceiling fan that just moves the heat around.

I need to work. I need to get these things done. I need to lay down and have a nap.

So I'm in Pakistan right...

2008-06-24T11:17:00.003+01:00

...here for work nothing too exciting, just drafting 2 new project proposals, delivering 2 different trainings in 2 different cities, and monitoring 3 projects among 5 partner organisations across 5 different cities - no biggie.

The issue I have is with this whole concept of "load shedding", at pre-selected intervals (6-8 times per day) electricity is cut-off across segments of the city in order to not overwhelm the power plants, which cannot produce enough electricity to meet demand/need.

The reason the power plant gets overwhelmed is because it is summer - which means air conditioning season.

It's in the upper 40'sC (110'sF), not a really cute time to be without a/c. I don't know how we used to cope before but I do know that I am not built to stand it now.

In a week and a half I head to Dera Ghazi Khan, where temperatures will be in the 50'sC (120'sF). I fully expect to be hot, miserable, and bitchy. I already warned the project partner there that I am likely to find fault with everything - he's scared.

Sigh!

Sometimes it's just not worth getting out of bed

2008-06-11T20:38:00.002+01:00

Today was not a good day to get out of bed.

It started out with getting stopped by the police for a "random" stop and search of citizens for potential threats. Under the auspices of the Terrorism Act of 2000, police can stop potential suspects or random individuals without cause.

I am not sure which one I am, however considering I have been stopped twice now for the same reason, I begin to question the whole randomness of the selection process. I personally think they are just going for brown males.

However, they really do need to be a bit more selective.

Honestly, do I look like a terrorist!? I carry a purple satchel for goodness sake. How many terrorist would put a bomb in a purple Crumpler? And if they are searching for weapons, again they are kinda missing the boat. I guess I should be grateful that they think I look butch enough to carry a knife (gun crime is low in the UK, here people just stab each other), but as my father would say "I'm not exactly He-Man, now am I?"

These cops really do need to fine-tune their detective skills a bit.

Moving on to the rest of my day - it was crap. Work is sucky hectic at the moment - long, long days in preparation for a couple of trainings I am doing in Pakistan.

And then to end the day I loose my phone on the train home :-(

Yep, should have stayed in bed today.

Happy Birthday My Love

2008-05-31T15:56:00.002+01:00

To Anthony on the 30th anniversary of his birth. Many Happy Returns!

Praha - Day 5 - Peanut's Day Out

2008-05-26T16:24:00.000+01:00

Peanut is my traveling companion in the absence of Anthony, since Anthony has Eddie, his pal since the day he was born, it was felt I should have a pal too.

On the last day of my Prague visit, I decided that I should take Peanut out and show him the city. I think he really enjoyed himself, he had a smile on his face all day long. And it was a glorious warm and sunny day.

We started off the day walking down Wenceslas Square, which has a great front view of the national museum.

At the Lucerna Palace off Wenceslas Square, you can find one of David Černý's sculptures. Entitled Horse, it represents St. Wenceslas raiding a dead horse.

Inside the National Museum. We got bored of that quickly.

Another of Černý's sculptures can be found crawling over the Prague TV Tower. Allegedly it's an homage to materialism, I thought was kinda creepy in a cool sort of way.

City view from a park.

A great example of art nouveau architecture. The Europa Hotel.

And we got to ride the tram.

Another example of Frank Gehry's somewhat irresponsible architecture - Dancing House.

The home of Prague's Philharmonic Orchestra - Municipal House - is another example of the city's impressive architecture.

After a hard day of touristing, we needed a caramel frappucino break.

And alas, that was the end of our little weekend getaway. We buckled up and headed back to London.

Praha - Day 4

2008-05-25T08:46:00.000+01:00

The fourth day in PRG had us meandering through the city exploring its ethereal charm. It was fun.

Don't you love random pieces of outdoor art. I have no clue if these served any purpose, and if they did it sure as heck was not obvious, but each 'head' was different.

Old Town Square is fun, jammed pack with tourist and the perfect place to get pick-pockted (luckily I was safe). But the neat bit is this Clock Tower and it's astronomical clock, that does a fun dance thing on the hour.
The spirit of Don Giovanni. Turns out the Mozart opera opened 1787, just around the corner from where we were staying. Don't you just love Europe and it's quaint historical stuff :-)

I just thought this was a fun archway :-)

Now this is a knocker.
The National Museum. As far as museums go, it was ok - and all displays were in Czech, like whatever! - but the building itself was cool.

Random little dragon on a perch

In memoriam of Kafka.

To my pleasant surprise, Prague had a deep love affair with Art Nouveau.

I was really impressed with the architecture.