Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Morning Edition - 7/26/06

Can’t See Passed Your Fat Ass
Approximately 64% of Americans are either overweight or obese. Doctor’s have found that this presents a problem when x-rays or scans are needed to determine the presence of tumors, broken bones, etc. Dr. Raul Uppot, Radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital says the problem is more widespread than previously thought. Fat-person x-rays are being written-up as “These images are limited due to body habitus.” Translation: I can’t see a thing through fat boy’s rolls. Uppot says fat-folk x-rays look like a snow storm; an illegible blur. Different new machines are being explored to help get adequate readings when treating the “growing” American population.

A Gay Vacation
Now vacationing for gays doesn’t have to consist of gay-friendly destinations. Resorts are now catering exclusively to the gay community – with all-inclusive locked and secured compounds. One of the newest spots, Island House, is just 10-minutes from the Key West, Florida airport. To check out the full details –without bringing our straight friends to tears – click here
http://www.islandhousekeywest.com/ Enjoy! I’ll check y’all out there this winter.

The Birds; Revenge Not So Sweet
Donia Monique Brooks, 25, of Fredericksburg, Virginia, took her pet Cockatoo to the movies with her on Saturday. Unfortunately, Brooks decided to leave her feathered-friend in the back seat while she went in to catch a flick. While she left a window cracked for tweety, the bird, who authorities say was acting distressed when witnesses called them in for help, died of heat exhaustion in his cage before they could free it from the sweltering vehicle. Now, Brooks is charged with animal cruelty, a misdemeanor in Virginia, and can serve up to one year in jail.

On Blast
A man was recently sentenced to twenty five years in prison for infecting his sex partners with HIV. We’ll skip the details, since they are not the basis for today’s question. The law is apparently absolving adults of their responsibility for participating in unprotected sex and is choosing to punish only one partner. That said, should individuals who infect folks with other sexually transmitted diseases – such as the herpes, etc., be given some sort of criminal punishment for transmitting diseases to unsuspecting sexual partners? Is the legal system intervening in the private lives of adults?

Keep passin’ the open windows…

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Caspar… I disagree
I’m a firm believer in personal responsibility. Outside of being infected via pedophilia or sexual assault (both crimes in their own right) I believe each person has the responsibility to treat each partner as though they are infected and protect themselves. When you accept the risk of sex and increase the risk of infectious diseases by engaging in it raw, you must accept the consequences. Come on… let’s get real. This is 2006. Our choice to have protected or unprotected sex is our own. You can’t cure herpes and like HIV today, it’s treatable, but not curable. No one was doin’ time for that life-long fiasco. Where do we draw the line? When do we force adults to act like they have ownership over their own lives and choices? Next we an sue the makers of blow-torches for not forcing us to put on goggles and only mentioning that they would protect our eyes from being seared.

Unknown said...

The issue is simple. Your life is yours. Folks lie, cheat, etc. all the time. Why entrust your life to anyone. Condoms are not 100% safe and there is no proven 100% safe method of intercourse, but used properly, they are proven to safeguard you from HIV and other STDs. Conversely, it doesn’t matter whether you wear a condom, herpes is still transmittable and permanent. No one is being sent up the river for that. HIV is no longer a death sentence – so the argument that an infected person that doesn’t disclose their disease is in some way premeditated or negligent homicide is moot. The herpes virus that causes genital herpes is said to progress into cancer, the argument can be made that in some ways herpes transmission is negligent or premeditated homicide as well.

All said folks, people can say (or not say) anything. The ultimate choice to be safe (or raw and daring) is yours. Unfortunately, the consequences for your actions are yours as well. AIDS/HIV is not going away and complicating matters by adding the stigma of legal repercussion for “knowing” you have the disease and not telling everyone you’re remotely intimate with, does not solve the problem. Know, get treated if necessary and be responsible. The legal system is busy enough with violent crimes to be suddenly flooded with crimes of passion, disregard or fear.

You can disagree all you like, but ultimately if you’re infected and decide to pursue legal retribution, will having the, alleged, person who infected you prosecuted going to make you healthy again or will it give them a fresh pool of victims to infect and unsuspectingly bring that disease to their partners when they get home from the pen? Hey, it’s an endless circle of responsibility….

Anonymous said...

shut up Hector.
You are talking out of your azz again. Literally.