The Strasbourg Court condemns France for denying a lesbian adoption

In an unprecedented move, the European Court of Human Rights has condemned France for having prevented a lesbian couple living in adopting a child, considering that this woman was the victim of discrimination.

It is the first time the court sentenced one of the 47 States of the Council of Europe for discrimination of homosexual character on an application for adoption.

The judges of the court, by 10 votes to seven, felt that France committed a discrimination against the complainant because of his sexual orientation, and a violation of respect for private and family life.

For these violations of the European Convention on Human Rights condemned France to pay 10,000 Euro in moral damages and court costs 14,528.

Court spokesman said that this ruling will set case but said that with the same, the Court does not validate the adoption of children by gay couples in France. "The Court says that you can not discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation when authorizing an adoption. The verdict states that the homosexual condition of the plaintiff contributed to the decision of the French authorities," he said.

In 2002, the Strasbourg Court ruled against a gay Frenchman who also consider themselves discriminated against for their sexual orientation when eligible for adoption. Now, on this occasion, the applicant, a 45 year old woman living in a pair with another, had requested in February 1998, the adoption of a child, a request which was rejected by the regional authorities of Jura (east).

These were based on the recommendation of the committee responsible for reviewing applications for adoption, based in turn on reports of a social worker and a psychologist who saw the ambiguous status of the applicant's partner and found that there was no parental figure.

The complainant appealed the decision and, after a marathon court, the State Council, France's highest administrative body, endorsed the rejection of adoption, so she went to the Strasbourg court to consider that he had suffered discriminatory treatment by their sexual orientation and a violation of their right to privacy.

The Court of Human Rights held that "the plaintiff's homosexuality has been filed with the motives" of the French authorities to reject his application for adoption. "The reference to the complainant's homosexuality was, if not explicitly, at least implicitly, and its influence on the assessment of demand is not only proven but is equipped with a decisive character," the Court.

The judges considered that since France is allowed adoption to single people, only homosexual status of the applicant could justify its rejection. Given this finding, the Court finds that the complainant was subjected to a "differential treatment" because of their homosexuality.

Just so the judiciary initiated by the complainant, responding to the letters of EB. Since Jura authorities rejected his suit in March 1999, EB went to court to defend their cause. Adoption services led to its rejection in the absence of a father image and the ambiguity presented by the fact that the applicant lived in a pair with another woman, despite his petition as a single.

Besançon Administrative Court annulled these two reasons in February 2000, but regional authorities appealed and the Court of Appeal gave the reason Nancy in December of that year. E.B. took the case to the State Council, which in June 2002 rejected his appeal, finding that the decision not to grant the adoption was not based on sexual orientation of women, but on the needs and interest of the child.

News:

The Ukrainian orphan Elton John is planning to adopt wasn’t allowed to go with him and his partner David Furnish home. A Ukrainian family minister said that the singer and his longtime partner cannot bring the child home due to a national law that prohibits unmarried couples from adopting but John and Furnish entered into a civil partnership on December 21, 2005 – the first day such unions became legal in England. Ukraine low is very strick when it comes to adoption same sex couples. Last hope for Elton is a presidential dispension to take 14-moths- old baby.

So, let me know what your point of view.

Do you think gay couples can be good parents to adopted children?
Are gay couples capable of raising children with as much devotion as a heterosexual couple?
When should not a couple be given a chance to adopt children?
What are your views on gay couples raising children through adoption or
surrogacy/insemination? What about children's feelings ?

Does age matter in relationships ?

Why is age such a factor in relationships?
When does younger than me become too young for me? And why is an age gap such a difficult thing to bridge?

There are many things someone can do to try to give themselves a better chance of successfully dating, but what if it was all in vain, as apparently, your too young from day one? And why is it ok for older men to be with younger women, yet older women with younger men is frowned upon socially?

Statistics indicate us that older- men / younger –woman couple will continue to become more and more prevalent – in part, because men are living longer than ever before and looking and acting more younger than ever before, whereas woman and waiting longer to marry, and because divorces from first ( and second) marriages’ continue to rise.

Age is a problem for almost all people. I'm sure at some point everyone has heard objections from friends and family like "You cant be with him, he's far too old for you". Usually an age gap is very popular reason for break ups. You have idea WHY ?
What will bring relationship with someone, who is too old, or instead too young for you ? In our society its very traditional for an older man to be with the younger woman. You have idea why ?

Did you know : According to a study of 50,000 women daters over 30, conducted by an online dating site in 2007, more than one-third of the subjects showed interest in men at least 5 years younger. And in 2003, an AARP survey revealed 34 percent of 3,500 women (between ages 40 and 69) dated men who are 10 or more years younger than themselves.

This trend appears to be shocking to some people, but I don't find it so unusual.

We ( Women ) have a problem being judged socially. We worry about nearest and dearest opinion. We are afraid of being embarrassed by a less experienced or less mature guy.

I have recently become involved with a man, almost 10 years older than me. Age gap is not problem for us. We have a lot of fun, we talk, we go places, we enjoy each others, we share a lot of interests. Of course on beginning our relation was a “ small secret” , however with time , when our love grown up, we not hide feeling anymore. Age gap was not anymore problem for us. Opinion of our nearest and dearest friends was not important anymore .

“ The media focuses on the age difference, but what really makes or breaks the relationship is how well the couple can form a partnership that works”

There appears to be a trend of older women dating younger men, notably illustrated by celebrity couples including Demi Moore and Aston Kutcher, Madonna and Jesus, Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry, and the most recent fling between 48-year-old Linda Hogan and 19-year-old Charlie Hill
But also a lot of live in relation with younger woman as : Woody Allen and Soon Yi, Micheal Duglas and Catherina Zeta Johnes, and relation between 85 – year old Andrzej Łapicki with 25-year old Kamila Mścichowska


Love not counting age gap :











Please take the look forum opinion :

“I am 20 years old and I fell in love with a person sixteen years older than me. When I first met him I was 17 years old, but he grew on me. He's very different in the "worldly sense" he has no post secondary schooling, he works for his family, but the one thing that sets him aside is that he is the father figure I always wanted to have. He treats me like a princess. I never felt that way before and no matter how many times my mother and my father (who made a fuss out of a droplet of water and who has never been there for me) tell me, he has always been a supportive individual in my life. There are times where I feel as if the world has a dead end. I feel pressured by my family's expectations since I am an only child, and am the only person in my family going to college, but I still haven't forgotten my roots. He is from my family's country and I also feel more mature since my mother is in his mother's generation. I was born to a very antiquated family. I feel completely comfortable with him. He likes the same music I like, we enjoy the same recreational activities and he respects me for who I am. Now, it is difficult to tell your same peered friends that go to college that one is attracted to an older man because all they do is say "eww your nasty", but no matter what even if you are in this situation all your looking for is comprehension. They are committed, and talk to you any time. Aside from the fact that he is very distant from me, I can call him in the wee hours and he still listens to what I have to say. That is the kind of counseling I missed from my own father and unfortunately I have found it in him, and my father cries about it. “

“I started dating my gorgeous but “forbidden” love when I was 20 and he was 49. Coming from a very conservative family I don’t how to bring myself and tell my parents that I’m dating a man who’s older than my father (not by much, but still). They would right away jump to the conclusion that he’s just using me for my looks and my body. We keep our love a secret. In public sometimes I can’t even hold his hand and it kills me. It’s a price that I pay for being such a coward and not being able to be strong enough and stand up for what is most important to me. He is the most beautiful, generous, kind being that I know and he loves me endlessly. Needless to say that money or anything else has nothing to do with our relationship. He says that he has never been happier and that is most important for me. Not too long ago we went through a difficult time together (still recovering from it) and he told me that if it wasn’t for me he would cry every night. The more I get to know him, the more I love him, but it’s so hard. He tells me that I will need to move on and find someone my age, but I can’t even think about being with another man. He’s in a good health, but of course he’s not a teenage boy (although he acts like one most of the time :P); he worries about things like maybe in the future he may not be able satisfy me sexually or he doesn’t want to be a burden. Doesn't he realize how much I care for him and that I want to be with him and for him?
Acceptance is a big thing. Acceptance from him, acceptance for myself (I want kids in future, but it would be impossible if I were to stay with him), acceptance from my parents. How does one find peace of mind? How can I learn to just accept?
I'm very lucky, because I look around and see so many unhappy couples, failed marriages, singles desperate to find love, and we are just grateful for every moment that we share together. I bring happiness into his life and he fills mine with so much love.”

“I am a 26 year old man and my woman is 58 year old. She is a retired government employee. I saw her in a bus stop. she was old but very attractive. When I went out of the bus I saw her coming out of the bus. I just asked her name and devoloped a relationship. She was married and her husband died two years back. she has a daughter and she too married and has a child. Her daughter is staying with her and her son is law is working aboard. When I am in her company I feel secured and feel that I am in the safest place.”

“I am 21 years younger than my wife and I am glad to see an article recognizing this kind of relationship. Being married to an older woman is adventurous even without leaving the house. One thing I haven't heard or seen mentioned about this kind of relationship is the thrill of rebelliousness against what society expects. There are many ways to be happy and this is our way. Keep in mind, unlike the couples described in some other letters here, this is a marriage, not a fling. It's taken very seriously. There are many reasons I prefer a older woman to be my wife. She has seen life and doesn't take it for granted. She is mature and that includes sexually. I don't have to play games that younger women seem to thrive upon. My wife is my best friend and I love knowing she needs me. She has an attitude toward life that encourages me. I think that my age brings a vitality to her that a man her age or older could not give her. Most men want beauty. I wanted substance in that beauty and that's what I have.”

“I am in love with a woman who's 22 y/o older than me, she means the world to me and i can't imagine my life without her in it, we've been together for a 18 months now. We had that age problem in the beginning but now we are totally happy and absolutely mad in love. When you find the right woman, you love her for who she's and nothing else. Age gap doesn't really matter.”

Age is not something that can be changed, or caught up. So what can be changed? Opinions and beliefs. I would like to know Your opinion .. Is it OK to have a partner who is much older or younger than You ? Can older woman/younger man relationships last ? Why cant a man and a woman who love each other be together because of what others may think?! Let’s find together a way around it.

Stop Violence

Violence Against Woman .- Few days ago, we celebrated the International Day of Action Against Gender Violence, violence against women, gender violence, male violence ... all terms that define aggression women by men thugs and torturers who think they have the right to refer their partner to a continuous abuse to end their lives.

Given these facts I can only bow in pain from all those mothers who lose their children due to violence by domestic partners therefore to all those children who can never fully possess their lives because they always bear the burden and impairment of have seen their mothers suffer until death and witnessed in many instances these abuses, to all those families who in one way or another are orphaned, deprived of life who is going to the hands of these domestic terrorists.

Violence against women, is a long-term problem, some suffer abuse sometimes others are victims of humiliation. Always bear physical violence, because they decide to report,and others endure verbal aggression, because fear does not let them talk.So they lose their self-esteem, his strength and power of reasoning, continue with the abuser, believe that over time will change. Many are isolated from family,fear threats, other retaliation, this is how they achieve the obedience with shock or anger control. Fear paralyze you, if you're one of those victims, I advise you seek help quickly, with relatives or friends. Also if you know of a woman,suffering some form of aggression, urgent complaint to the abuser,and it provides support and protection. To this day serves to remind,all women who suffered, who died in the hands of violent, not to repeat again
Gender violence is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation. As long as we can not say that we are making real progress towards equality, development and peace. "

Through this idea proclaims the basic principles for combating this phenomenon. As the first point, its clear that the whole society to assume that gender violence is everyone's problem, not just victims of abuse.

Conclusions :

The whole society has to assume that gender violence is everyone's problem, not only victims of abuse.

Only if we improve the information from victims in terms of rights available and the tools that the society can progress in gender violence.

It´s capital the coordination between administrations to avoid mistakes in this matter. We must improve the implementation of coordination protocols.

The improved training of workers who perform their function in the various government assumed responsibility in gender violence prevents mistakes and errors in applying the rules.

No. It was necessary to draft and adopt a comprehensive Law of the victim in the criminal process that includes all of the victims, obviously including those of gender, should enjoy a special status and own other than they now have as one more witness criminal proceedings.

If many victims refuse to testify against their abusers after having denounced and still others refuse to sue is because we have not yet been able to transfer the security that must have to take that step. If the victim is unsure revoke or declare against her attacker. The security company must transmit to the victim, but not just with words or laws, but with deeds for these to know that behind his apparent loneliness society supports him.

A victim of the aggressor is economically dependent on it extremely difficult to take the step of the complaint. It should work to achieve full integration of women victims to make them self-reliant and not dependent on the abuser.

The first assistance to the victim when he comes for the first time to testify about your case is critical for her. Therefore, attention in police, hospital and the judiciary is essential to transfer you to feel supported and protected. You can not fail in the first attention and we must make him see that we understand your problem and treating him properly.

Gender violence is a crime very different from others in the Criminal Code, and all the legislative that surrounds this type of violence should be chaired by specialty to be treated this crime. The victims of gender violence are separate victims of other crimes and this is an indisputable reality.
We can not allow that many victims of violence against women continue to die for taking the decision to regain the freedom they lost when the relationship began with whom he mistreated them. It should be stressed that leave is the only solution, not the best, but this has to be accompanied by social and labor support without which the letter of intent is only that and the realities of the victims are different from those draw on paper that later became law.

Pictures comes from :

http://ireland16days.wordpress.com/what-is-the-16-days-campaign/

http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/home.html

16 Days Of Activism Against Gender Violence

Voices for Darfur: 5 Years of Advocacy

What is violence against women?
What are the most common forms of violence against women?
Is violence not just a simple loss of self-control?
Are some women more vulnerable to violence than others?
What are the consequences of violence against women?

Let me know your opinion.

So you say I should get a new phone? - mobile phones part 3

Have you ever wondered how mobile technology will develop, in which direction and how fast?

Below you can find a few ideas of what we can expect in the (near) future.

First up is Zumba Phone, the first phone with full voice control. Dictate a sms etc.

Need a small device? Have a look at Pantech C300!

Nokia 888, a phone that you can bend to your will ;-)

We have 4G networks incoming as well, providing 1 Gbit/s transfer rates over secured IP connections.

Lastly have a look at this cool OLED display which you can bend.

I'd like you to post what are your predictions for the future. Do you think mobile phones will be integrated within the human body or are they going to stay external devices as they are now?

My phone is better than yours!

Here we are, over 25 years after the first mobile phone entered the market. There are several manufacturers. Their current market shares look like this:

Manufactures	Market Share
Nokia	52.38%
Sony-Ericsson	15.98%
Samsung	7.13%
LG	2.9%
BlackBerry	2.79%
Motorola	1.54%
HTC	0.31%
Huawei	0.21%
T-Mobile	0.2%
Sanyo	0.13%
Apple	0.11%
Siemens	0.08%
Sagem	0.06%
NEC	0.06%

As you can see Nokia has a huge lead and by huge I mean really huuuuge.
Most of you know that Nokia is flooding the market with hundreds of models which are basically the same on the inside and the only differences are in design of the chassis.

Nokia N95 is a bit different, it's probably the most feature packed mobile on the market. 5MP camera, WLAN, GPS, accelerometer, video call camera, mp3 player, radio, bluetooth, infrared and many more.

To be honest I have no idea who would need all these features but in fact it's very hard to find a decent phone with no camera for example.

Touchscreens are getting trendy nowadays, we're experiencing the launch of many such phones lately. Here's a example what can you do with a touchscreen phone:



or another example



I like the second one better ;-)

I'd like you gals and guys to write which phone are you using and do you use it for anything else than making calls and texting others.

Tests, tests, tests

What are the reasons to get tested for HIV?

            There are a number of important reasons to be tested for HIV. The longer a person remains unaware of their infection, the less likely it is that the treatment will work. By knowing your status, you can find out whether or not you can infect others, and what precautions you might take to prevent transmission to other people.

What Are HIV Antibody Tests?

            As the body fights viruses, the immune system creates antibodies to that virus. HIV antibody tests do not measure or detect the virus itself. If antibodies to HIV are detected, it means a person has been infected with HIV. There are only two exceptions to this rule:
    =Babies born to HIV infected mothers retain their mother's antibodies for up to 18 months, which means they may test positive on an HIV antibody test, even if they are actually HIV negative. Normally babies who are born to HIV positive mothers receive a PCR test.
    =Some people who have taken part in HIV vaccine trials may have HIV antibodies.

            With this test, an initial assay is used (the ELISA), and confirmed using a more specific test (the Western Blot).

Rapid tests

            These tests are based on the same technology, but instead of sending the sample to a laboratory to be analysed, the rapid test can produce results within 20 minutes. Rapid tests can use either a blood sample or oral fluids. They are easy to use and do not require laboratory facilities or highly trained staff.
            All positive results from a rapid test must be followed up with a confirmatory test, the results of which can take from a few days to a few weeks.

What is a window period?

            The "window period" is the time it takes for a person who has been infected with HIV to react to the virus by creating HIV antibodies. This is called seroconversion.
            During the window period, people infected with HIV have no antibodies in their blood that can be detected by an HIV test, even though the person may already have high levels of HIV in their blood, sexual fluids, or breast milk.
            The three month window period is normal for most of the population. Many people will have detectable antibodies in three or four weeks. Very, very rarely, a person could take six months to produce antibodies.
            It is very important to note that if a person is infected with HIV, they can still transmit the virus to others during the window period.

Western Blot (WB)

            The WB is a confirmatory test. It is only performed if an ELISA or rapid test is positive. The WB can be positive, negative, or indeterminate. An indeterminate result usually means that a person has just begun to seroconvert at the time of their test. In the rare cases in which this occurs, the person will need to be retested, usually about one month later. False positive results are extremely rare with the WB, so it confirms that HIV antibodies are present.

Antigen test

            Antigens are the substances hat trigger the production of antibodies in the body. The antigen on HIV that most commonly provokes an antibody response is the protein P24. Levels of p24 antigen increase significantly at about one to three weeks after initial infection. It is during this time frame before HIV antibody is produced when the p24 test is useful in helping to diagnose infection.

Fourth generation tests

            Some of the most modern HIV tests combine P24 antigen tests with standard antibody tests to reduce the ‘diagnostic window’. Testing for antibodies and P24 antigen simultaneously has the advantage of enabling earlier and more accurate HIV detection.

PCR test

            A PCR test (Polymerase Chain Reaction test) can detect the genetic material of HIV rather than the antibodies to the virus, and so can identify HIV in the blood within two or three weeks of infection. The test is also known as a viral load test and HIV NAAT (nucleic acid amplification testing).
Babies born to HIV positive mothers are usually tested using a PCR test because they retain their mother's antibodies for several months, making an antibody test inaccurate.

If you are interested, here is a list of places where you can be tested for free. link

Sources:
img1
img2
avert.org
wikipedia.org
thebody.com
labtestsonline.org

How do you get it

            You should know that billions of dollars are spent on research each year, so the situation is different today than 10 months earlier.

HIV symptoms:

            The earliest symptoms of HIV infection occur while your body begins to form antibodies to the virus (known as seroconversion) between six weeks and three months after infection with the HIV virus. Those who do show early HIV symptoms will develop flu-like symptoms. Only by being tested for HIV can you know for sure if you have been infected. Despite the absence of HIV symptoms, you are still highly contagious during this time making it very much a possibility to infect others, including your baby.
            As the infection progresses, people with HIV grow increasingly susceptible to illnesses and infection that don't normally affect the healthy population.
            Without treatment, people infected with HIV can expect to develop AIDS eight to ten years after HIV infection. Taking HIV medications, however, can slow down this progression. With treatment, it can take ten to 15 years or more before you develop AIDS. In the later stages of HIV, before it progresses to full blown AIDS, signs of HIV infection can involve more severe symptoms: (Chronic yeast infections, Fever, Tendency to bruising, Extreme exhaustion, Body rashes, Skin changes, Weight loss, Diarrhea). Additionally, vision loss, nerve damage and brain impairment can also occur.
            While there are treatments to help prolong the life of those infected with the AIDS virus, there is currently no AIDS cure. The best way to protect yourself is by taking preventative measures.

HIV cells spread on camera:


HIV replication:


How is HIV transmitted:

The most common ways that people become infected with HIV are:
            -by having sexual intercourse with an infected partner
            -by blood
            -from infected mother

Vaginal sex:      
HIV is found in the sexual fluids of an infected person. For a man, the fluids which come out of the penis before and during sex. Infected fluid can pass into the woman's blood stream through a tiny cut or sore inside her body. For a woman, fluids produced by the vagina before and during sex. HIV could get into the man's blood through a sore patch on his penis or by getting into the tube that runs down the penis.
            If there is any contact with blood during sex, this increases the risk of infection. For example, sex during woman's period.

Oral sex:
            Oral sex with an infected partner does carry some risk of infection. The virus could then get into the blood if you have bleeding gums or tiny sores or ulcers somewhere in the mouth. But infection from oral sex seems to be very rare.

Anal sex:
            If a couple has anal intercourse, the risk of infection is greater than with vaginal intercourse. The lining of the anus is more delicate than the lining of the vagina, so it's more likely to be damaged.

Injecting drugs:
            The virus can be passed by sharing needles, syringes, spoons, filters and water. Disinfecting equipment between use can reduce the chance of transmission, but doesn't eliminate it. You are fool if you share injecting equipment with someone who has the virus. In January 2007, HIV infection was confirmed in more than 10 thousand of our countrymen. Over half the people who become infected through injecting drugs.

Blood transfusion
            These days, in most countries all the blood used for transfusions is now tested for HIV. In those countries where the blood has been tested, HIV infection through blood transfusions is now extremely rare.

Infection in the health-care:
            There have been a few documented instances of patients becoming infected by a health-care worker. But you need to remember that we live in Poland so everything is possible.

Pregnant woman:
            An infected pregnant woman can pass the virus on to her unborn baby either before or during birth. HIV can also be passed on during breastfeeding.
If a woman knows that she is infected with HIV, there are drugs that she can take to greatly reduce the chances of her child becoming infected.

Tattoos:
            Anything which allows another person's body fluids to get inside your body is risky. If the equipment is not sterile, having a tattoo done could carry a very small risk. If you are thinking of having a tattoo or piercing, ask staff at the shop what procedures they take to avoid infection.

Kissing:
            At the moment, scientific opinion is pretty clear that you cannot become infected with HIV through kissing. Unless both partners have large open sores in their mouths, or severely bleeding gums, there is no transmission risk.

Coughing, sharing cups etc
            HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host. It can live for only 20 seconds in the air. You also can't be infected in swimming pools, showers or by sharing washing machines or toilet seats.

Insects:
            Even if the virus enters a mosquito or another sucking or biting insect, the insect does not become infected and therefore cannot transmit HIV to the next human.

Sex with condoms:
            If an unbroken latex condom is used, there is no risk of HIV transmission. There are myths saying that some very small viruses can pass through latex but this is not true.

Risk of catching HIV:

            -Passive role in anal intercourse with infected person 1/100
            -Passive role in vaginal intercourse WIP 1/1000
            -Active role in anal intercourse WIP 1/2500
            -Active role in vaginal intercourse WIP 1/2000
            -Active role in oral intercourse WIP 1/2500

            I should admit that these figures are approximate, because everything depends on many factors. The risk is low but still exist. Furthermore you should know that women are more vulnerable to being infected with the virus, than a man! Most important, the carrier is most infectious in the initial phase, even when tests can not detect it!

Immunity to infection:

            Risk of infection in every human being is different. Most susceptible to the virus are addicts. It also depend on blood group. It's lowest for people with B and Rh(-), while the largest for those wit 0.
            Some of us are completely or partially immune to HIV and it's not a joke. You can test yourselves on testdna.pl

Questions:
Have you changed your mind after reading this post? (I mean those about work and dating from previous post)

Should HIV positive workers have to tell their employers of their status?

Sources:
epigee.org
prowokacje.com
video1
video2
aids.org
wiki.answers.com
4.bp.blogspot.com

What we think about that

            The order is very important so please comment this before next post :-). The main target of this post is to get our opinion about HIV.

Let's see what black Americans think about this.

How do you get it?


Blacks and the virus


A cure


Prison


Down low brothers


More black women infected
I have no idea that is this statement true or not.


Questions:
Would you work with HIV positive?
What do you think about HIV positive people?
Would you date with someone HIV +?
What is the best way to prevent HIV?

Sources:
video1
video2
video3
video4
video5
video6

HIV origins

Howdy group!

            It's another weekend and another topic to discuss. Today I'd like to introduce you the world of contagious diseases. You can be surprised but I don't mean pathetic AH1N1 which is a hot topic for most people right now. Why pathetic? Despite the horror stories, 90% of those who become infected go on to make a full recovery. However, what about human immunodeficiency virus also called HIV?

            Human immunodeficiency virus is a member of the retrovirus family that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome also called AIDS, a condition which the immune system begins to fail.
AIDS has killed more people than the first and second world wars combined.
Now at this point you are probably thinking: so what? This don't affect me, HIV is the problem of third world at the moment but it's not true. Everyone is potentially at risk even if don't use drugs and don't have sexual life.

How could HIV have crossed species?

            There was a lot of theories about HIV origin. Most assumed that the virus passed to us from apes and that firs infections occurred in Africa between 1910 and 1930. Non of them explain how exactly it spread on mankind so quick and effectively. It can live for only 20 seconds in the air.

The Hunter Theory

            The most commonly accepted theory. In this scenario, virus was transferred to humans as a result of chimps being killed and eaten or their blood getting into cuts or wounds on the hunter.

The Oral Polio Vaccine theory

            It suggests that HIV was transferred via oral polio vaccine. The oral polio vaccine called Chat, given to about a million people in the Belgian Congo, Ruanda and Urundi in the late 1950s. To be reproduced, live polio vaccine needs to be cultivated in living tissue, and Hooper's belief is that Chat was grown in kidney cells taken from local chimps infected. In February 2000 the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia announced that it had discovered in its stores a phial of polio vaccine that had been used as part of the program. The vaccine was subsequently analysed and in April 2001 it was announced that no trace had been found of HIV. A second analysis confirmed that only macaque monkey kidney cells, which cannot be infected with HIV.

The Contaminated Needle Theory

            This is an extension of the original 'hunter' theory. In the 1950s, the use of disposable plastic syringes became commonplace around the world as a cheap, sterile way to administer medicines. However, to African health-care professionals working on inoculation and other medical programs, the huge quantities of syringes needed would have been very costly. It is therefore likely that one single syringe would have been used to inject multiple patients without any sterilization in between.

The Colonialism Theory

            During the late 19th and early 20th century, much of Africa was ruled by colonial forces. In areas such as French Equatorial Africa and the Belgian Congo, colonial rule was particularly harsh and many Africans were forced into labour camps where sanitation was poor, food was scarce and physical demands were extreme. Moore also believes that many of the labourers would have been inoculated with unsterile needles against diseases.

The Conspiracy Theory

            Some say that HIV is a 'conspiracy theory' or that it is 'man-made'. A recent survey carried out in the US for example, identified a significant number of African Americans who believe HIV was manufactured as part of a biological warfare programme, designed to wipe out large numbers of black and homosexual people.

The Polish theory :-)

            During my research I found the memoirs of the Polish traveler and writer, Andrzej Korsak. In the 80th's Korsak was a ship doctor. In one of the ports of Tanzania had the opportunity to hear the strange story of the origin of this disease. It's my favorite theory. I'm not a good interpreter at all so I'll give it as a link in order to keep the message.

link
            According to this text, we got HIV as a result of use cheaper therapy. Therapy that uses monkey blood to cause high fever, healing thousands of patients and spread the virus among humans. Monkey blood was used in many countries. For example, the Americans used it on prisoners.

Questions:

            What is your opinion about that? Do you still trust the organization that deals with your health, for example WHO? Which theory do you think is most likely? Or maybe you have your own theory?

Sources:

wikipedia.org
avert.org
upload.wikipedia.org
focus.pl
aidshiv.suite101.com
evolution.berkeley.edu
aidsonline.org
luther.edu
luther.edu

What?! You don't have a mobile phone? - mobile phones part 1

Do you even realise how our world would look like if not for mobile phones? One thing is clear - without them communication would be much more difficult.

Let's have a closer look at how and when everything started.

April 3, 1973. Martin Cooper from Motorolla makes the first call on a hand-held mobile phone on to a rival, Dr. Joel S. Engel of Bell Labs, in front of reporters and passers-by on a New York City street.

This was the Motorolla DynaTAC - the first mobile telephone which could connect to the telephone network without the assistance of a mobile operator and could be carried about by the user.

Mobile phones came into public in 1979 with the launch of the first commercial and fully automated cellular network in Japan. Over the next few years analog cellular telephony known widely as 1G appeared in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, UK, Mexico, Canada and in the US. To cover huge areas cellular networks were intoduced. (for more info visit Wikipedia)

Year 1993, Finland. Digital cellular technology network (2G) is launched. On this date SMS text messaging was born. 2G allows to transfer voice, messages, data and money via payment systems eg. bus tickets, parking, fast-food restaurants. Be sure to check out mPay.

"The more you have, the more you want" so in 2001 3G was launched. It's offering simultaneous use of speech and data services and higher data rates (up to 14.0 Mbit/s on the downlink and 5.8 Mbit/s on the uplink). In 3G technology video calls are possible - quite handy unless your mother-in-law is calling...

A device by itself won't let you call anyone without a proper battery. First models came with nickel metal-hydride power cells, then lithium ion and finally lithium-polymer are used today for their lower weight and possibility to make them in every shape.

For several years charging batteries was a serious problem since each manufacturer had its own and unique connector plug. Thankfully on 17 of February 2009, the GSM Association announced that they had agreed on a standard charger for mobile phones. The standard connector to be adopted by 17 manufacturers is to be the micro-usb connector. Yay for us!

Now.. we have a device and a charged battery. The problem is that we can make calls only to emergency numbers like 112. To call others we need a SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module). Basically it's microchip that stores the phone's configuration data, and information about the phone itself, such as which calling plan the subscriber is using.


Now.. I'm sure all of us are using mobile phones every day. Could you exist for let's say a week without a mobile? What would you feel? Joy, anger, frustration maybe alienation?
In other words does this simple device have a big impact on your life?


That's the end of part one, please be sure to comment on the questions asked above.

As a bonus below you can see a nice video on how handhelds changed over the years.