Morning Edition - 11/14/07

Feeling: I learned from the Best; Whitney

Baby Fat
A U.S. gym operating in London is signing-up babies as young as 4 months old to encourage exercise at an early age. Though some say the gym rats are operating on parent’s fear that their child will be the one in five children under 11-years old that is found to be obese, others believe there’s no such thing as too early to start on a good exercise regimen. There are already over 500 children scheduled to attend the baby gyms and grandparents are said to be considering it one of the hottest gifts for the holiday. At over $600 a pop, the gym isn’t cheap. Experts say that there is no benefit to having a child that can barely crawl, do any real exercise. Meanwhile, the folks at the gym are saying that parents will be pleasantly surprised with the amount of exertion the gym brings out in the babies.

Die Now or Live With HIV?
Not since 1985 has an organ transplant recipient been infected with the virus that causes HIV/AIDS. Unfortunately, even with screening potential donors for the virus that causes HIV, the set-up is not 100% safe. Two weeks ago, four patients who received organs from an infected donor back in January while at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Rush University Medical Center and the University of Chicago Medical Center were informed that they are HIV and Hepatitis C positive. Ultimately, the doctors say that all precautions were taken – including testing the donor for HIV and Hepatitis, but the negative test results were not capturing the reality that the donor had been infected shortly before his death. The donor questionnaire shows that the donor engaged in high-risk behavior a short time before his death. Doctors say that the risk calculation is simple; if a patient will die without the transplant, then taking the risk of transplanting an infected organ outweighs the threat of immediate death. With over 400,000 organ transplants taking place without a hitch since the 80s, it’s safe to say that the screening process has worked well.

Commodity: Puerto Ricans
Since the Jones-Shafroth Act in 1917, Puerto Ricans have been U.S. Citizens. Whether born on the U.S. mainland or on the island of Puerto Rico, Puerto Ricans are Americans. Since 2004, the U.S. mainland Puerto Rican population has managed to match (and some say surpass) the four million inhabitants presently living on the Caribbean island. Before you start any ignorant talk about tacos or Ricky Ricardo, neither of these are Puerto Rican and do not stem from Puerto Rican culture. First, tacos (taco bell included) are Mexican based. For the record, Mexicans are the largest Latino group in the U.S. with over 26 million Mexicans spread across our nation. Second, Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) was Cuban. Although Cuba is a neighbor of Puerto Rico, Ricky was not Puerto Rican. Finally, you won’t ever hear a Puerto Rican refer to someone as “Hey ‘Ese’ how’s it going?” Puerto Ricans do not use the word ‘Ese’ to refer to friends or family – EVER. Although likely to be found anywhere in the U.S., Puerto Ricans are said to be concentrated in New York City, Connecticut, Chicago, Florida and Houston – notice that there is no mention of Los Angeles. The city of Angels’ largest Latino population is mainly Mexican. So before you go labeling every Latino person you come across as Puerto Rican, recognize that when put into context, Puerto Ricans are a rare commodity.

On Blast
What culture outside of your own would you be curious to have a sexual experience (encounter) with? Why?

Keep passin’ the open windows…