AIDS

Now I'm not going to get too technical in this article, in order to break it down as simple as possible. So if you want to get in touch with me and have an intellectual conversation about HIV/AIDS you know how to reach me....I digress...All right. I've been working at an AIDS Research Center for some time now, and I've learned so much about the virus and of myself as a scientist. People always have their own perspective of how the virus came into this world and the possible conspiracy behind it. First, I would like to dispel that myth...THE GOVERNMENT DID NOT...I REPEAT...DID NOT CREATE HIV/AIDS VIRUS! Come on people. Who ever still believes that should know that to think that is plain ignorant. Just wanted to clear that up. Also, if people have questions don't hesitate to ask me. I will answer to the best of my ability. Conversing with other scientists and doctors that work with patients and conduct research on the virus, I have made up my mind that I would like to fight AIDS one-on-one! If that was possible I would do it, but the virus is such a pest. There are tons and tons of scientists, including myself, working very hard on a vaccine and other methods to stop the virus from spreading. The big debate that is starting to be discussed among scientists is whether or not a vaccine is EVEN possible at all!? Some believe it can be developed (optimistic scientists) while others think not (pessimistic in my opinion...lol...I always think positive). I'm beginning to believe it is very hard to actually design a vaccine due to the characteristics of the virus. When the virus is in a host and it is continuously copied it always changes! How can you design something against that!? I'm pretty sure a computer scientist can write up an algorithm or a java program to combat it, but let's be real...we're not machines. More scientists are beginning to focus on ways to stop it from spreading. For example, "creams" that women can massage around and inside their vagina to block the virus 100% from entering their body during vaginal intercourse--to be blunt and as elementary as possible. That's only one example and there is more to come.

The thing that perplexes me is how people continuously play Russian Roulette with their lives, from a sexual standpoint and not literally holding a gun of course. People really be "raw dawg" it (which is pretty much the slang description of not using a condom at all) with people they don't even know. Absolutely crazy. I'm gonna end on that. I know if a woman is gonna tell me, "you don't have to use a condom," I would tell her, "so long, we'll see each other some other time." So please "wrap it up", "wear a rain coat", or whatever you want to call it. Just be safe and stop this virus from spreading.

More to come soon...any questions?

Sean Bell Court Decision

This past Friday the decision of the Sean Bell case was given around 9am. Before the verdict was given I was on my way to work thinking of what the judges decision would be. On one hand, if the judge decided that the officers were guilty I know most people who were affected by the death of Sean Bell and avid readers, and listeners would feel that justice would have been served. The officers would be serving some jail time, and it would serve as a bit of relief for some; not much, but "eghh". On the other hand, if the judge felt the officers were not guilty it would not be a surprise to anyone. The case involves a young African-American who was to be wed the next day, and was at a strip club with his homeboys. Whether or not he was intoxicated is not known to me, but he probably was. Now they got into an argument or some kind of verbal disagreement inside, which led outside. There were officers that were not in uniform, and never informed Sean Bell and his boys. It was stated that Sean Bell's car bumped the unidentified officers' car. The officers felt they were in danger and open fired 51 times or more (read the paper if you haven't).

Now the judge found the officers not guilty. No surprise at all to me, but waaaaaooooow! I feel for Sean Bell's fiancee, family and friends. I know they are hurt. To them justice was not served at all, and that was shown through the decision of the judge. I know there is some further allegiances that the judge has, but that is mere speculation which you can never count out. The officers felt that they were in danger and had the right to protect themselves!? That's crazy! I just read an email where a brother of mine mentioned what if 'I feel in danger when I'm around an officer! Would I have the right to pop off some shots to protect myself!?' Most likely not...lol...That's the truth though. I know one thing though. Al Sharpton's old self need to stop getting in the front of everything. Give it a rest. Sometimes I feel he may hinder certain causes when he gets involved. He is not the contemporary civil right's activist representing all African-Americans. He's donned the classical conk forever and it's time for younger individuals to get involved and take the reins of today's civil rights stage. It is a shame that we jump on the band wagon when things like this happen, and not when there's in gang violence or black-on-black, latino-on-latino, black-on-latino, etc etc etc. A lot of people having been voicing this concern. I've been reading emails after emails, blog after blog. It's a shame though. I don't know Sean Bell and his boys, but what most concerns me is that officers have the right to protect themselves when they feel they are in danger. And it's a fact that most officers feel in danger whenever they are around a group of African-Americans or Latinos. I want to know that if I'm with my fellow brothers, whether they be African-American, Latino, White, or whoever...that there's not a possibility of me getting shot! I'm never scared though. We all live and have to die some day. I'd be tight though...lol...I try to put humor in everything. You can't be too serious all the time. I'm not a comedian, though, but I do love to laugh, and laughter to me is therapy. There's ways in which we all don't want to die, and that's one of them. I'd rather duke it out. Why use guns?? Either way my life and yours is in the hands of God, but as good citizen we can prevent the cops from doing what they did to Sean Bell, by just being cooperative. If a man pulls a gun on me though. My hands go directly in the air and my mouth is shut...lol...and I'm praying to God they just want my money, which I will not have because why carry cash when you could have it all in your checking account :-\ I'm going all of topic (sigh). This was on my mind all weekend and hope that people will never give up hope. Times are changing and you just need to continue to fight. Al Sharpton give it a rest and let it all fall into place. We're really good without you. Just my thoughts.

Vote Against MLK, Jr. Holiday?

My day was going so well. First of all, it's Friday. Second, I'm hitting happy hour up with my brother from another mother. Finally, I came across a NY-Times article that literally shocked me. I usually read the paper in the morning with a cup of coffee or tea, but throughout the day I check for updates and browse through their blogs. On the website was the headline, "John McCain regrets voting against MLK holiday!" Wow! How can you vote against that. For everything he stood for, why vote against it? I really see McCain in a different light now. I really hope whoever is the Democratic candidate whips his "tail" (yea i'm trying not curse anymore...Orbit gums cleans a dirty mouth...see the pun? lol). I read the article and couldn't close my mouth (PAUSE...it's a NY thing...gotta protect myself for fraudulent comments...lol...you'll only understand if you're a guy or if your from the city). What was he thinking when they voted for that. Some of the thoughts going through my mind right now are: (1) man, I lost all respect for this guy, (2) I expected more from him (maybe my expectations shouldn't have been so high), (3) is he a racist (probably behind closed doors, but not to the public, since he regretted more like apologized for not voting for the holiday), and (4) how does he REALLY feel about civil rights? It's been 40 years since the assasination of Bro. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This doesn't just my feelings because MLK is a member of the illustrious fraternity of which I am apart of, but rather because of everything he stood for, and to have a man who's running to become our next president (right behind G.W. Bush) and not want to accept MLK, Jr. as a national holiday!!!!! In my NYC, sometimes needed slang, "He's WHILING!!" He should lose any, if not all, the African-American vote, and the Latino-Americans should join as well. For a man who stood and fought for so much change to come to this world (US for starters, but he had the entire humankind in mind) how could you not give him his just deserves of a national holiday, so that no one can forget what happened but just 35+ years ago. That's a shame (shakes head in disgust). I really don't care if he regrets his decision. He has to live with it, and him regretting that now, shows that he is less of a man not holding to his decision that he made. He's kissing a lot of gluteus-maximus right now...lol...I wonder if this lit a light bulb in anyone else's mind?

What if men could carry babies?

I recently heard that there's been a rumor going around of a guy being pregnant. I asked around, and am pretty sure it's false. I believe that many things are possible, but a man carrying a baby!!! That's crazy! That would go against every "man law" there is (pun intended...lol...come on; is there really a such thing as a man law?). I can't imagine my wife telling me, "Baby you ready to carry the next one? I've carried the last two, so it's your turn." What!? I would be held literally speechless. One, it's physically impossible for men to carry babies, because it isn't within our given structure to support another life inside of us. I could get technical, but what for right now. I'm keeping this as simple as possible. There's just no way. Why change something like this if you could. Change is always good, but people today like to force things that shouldn't be (tangent-->case in point ligers. have you seen those things! they're monstrous!). I have nothing against people who are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, or transgender, but don't try to have things that you weren't meant to have. For example, if you don't have a penis, what do you need one for; if you don't have a vagina, why; if you can't carry babies, who in their right man would want to (excluding woman who can't physically carry babies due to a genetic defect, my heart goes out to them)! I'm a heterosexual male who loves women and that's me. You cannot knock my hustle and no one should ever knock your hustle (shout out to Jay-Z...lol). All I know is I will never carry a baby. That's that. Oh, and also, people just are content with who they are. Just be you. I'm confused how people get breast implants, breast reductions (i feel David Chappelle, because if you have big breasts, then do some exercises for your back to strengthen so you can supoprt those big mellons...lol) penis enlargements (if you don't have a big penis that just means you weren't meant to be a porn star and you'll be practicing felatio alot...lmao...i'm too funny, and i'm not at a disadvantage, for I was blessed by God...shout out to God) fake calves, nose jobs, chin jobs, etc etc etc. The list can go on and on of numerous things that people are insecure of. Like Kat Williams said, "It's called self-esteem! Esteem of your mutha-f%*&ing self!" Be happy with what you got. I'm gonna write a whole other entry on that as well. Peace

Cutting people out of your life...hmmm?

Just the other day I was having a conference call with a few of my fellow college alumni. We are all good friends and have decided to throw an event together. For the past couple of months we've been in contact talking about logistics, life in general, and future plans. One who is a very good friend of mine is actually an ex-girlfriend. Somehow out of nowhere she said that she was cutting me out of her life (lol...shakes head in disappointment). At first I thought it was kind of funny, but then I deduced that it was a really mean statement. I thought our friendship was beyond that. Never had I felt that I was going to cut her out of my life, because I still feel that we are good friends and if ever I was to have a special moment in my life I would want her to be there or know of it. Her argument, basically, was that recently at church (I'm not sexist or anything, but women in general, who are spiritual and have been brought up in the church, take everything their past says for being right...sorry) her pastor said that when you enter a stage in your life (e.g. being married) you have to cut people out of your life, so that your past feelings will not pull you back-n-forth from what you are building with your newly found partner. I felt hurt, but if she really did it in the future, that would prove to me how much of a friend I was to her, because I wouldn't do the same to her. I agree that certain people do need to be cut out of your life, for example, if there is a particular someone that the only relations you had with him/her were sexual and you were seeing someone else and trying to have a serious relationship, then maybe you don't need to be around that person who you had these strong sexual relations with. On the other hand, though, I feel that if someone who you have known for a long period of time and they are important to your life as just being friends you don't have to take drastic measures in cutting them out of your life. If your man-enough/woman-enough to marry someone then you should be able to conduct yourself accordingly around your friends. If you have a problem being around them, then you're just not grown enough to put what's in the past, in the past. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but have your own opinion. Something that I really dis-like is when people all of sudden when they hear something from someone take it for being the truth, when it sounds so good, and right; they never took the time to think about it and formulate their own opinion or to even ask questions. (sigh) All right. That's enough for now. I wonder what others think?

Prostitution is the occupation for young women of the future??!!

After this media blitz of all the dirt from Governor Spitzer--soon to be "former" governor by tomorrow--the prostitute, but being the gentleman that I am, I will call her PYT (pretty young thing, has recently come out with a hot new track. And for some reason radio DJ's and hosts have been playing it. What is this world coming to? After getting paid well over 3K an hour will Governor Spitzer you get that much closer to a record deal? I know all the women that have been honestly hustling and have never compensated their morals or their bodies to get them that much further in the game. They are tight right now! People are accepting her for a singer now, and for not what she was doing. Now young women are going to look at this and be like..."dam! i can make 3K an hour! And then become an actress!" Let's be real here. I'm just disappointed and ashamed. I would never play her track. It's not in my hands though, but I can at least give my opinion.

03/17/08 @ 5pm
Just an update I recently received about the young lady who likes to be known as "Kristen." Just some stats for you...Her myspace page went from a few thousands hits to well over 5 million since the news broke out, who the prostitute was that was spending these nights with former-Governor Spitzer. Also, she has her single on some website where it is selling for around .98 cents, where she receives 70 percent. So far it has been selling at an alarming rate and she's made well over $1 million dollars within 24 hours. If that is not fair, then what is. Again, my heart goes out to all the women out there on their honest grind trying to get a new record deal. Good luck.

New Opportunities

Now I know why I moved from Rochester; the horrible weather! I was there this weekend for a few reasons . (tangent...for some reason I seem to have a habit of writing on Mondays...??? not sure why...well...back to the subject) So the weather was horrible Friday night and all of Saturday. Now after I attended college I began working in Rochester, but it really wasn't for me. It wasn't what I really wanted to be involved in. When I returned to NYC I found the opportunity of a lifetime; AIDS Research! I'm a scientist at heart, and there's a lot of history as to why I wanted to get involved with HIV/AIDS Research. I can speak about that later, but where ever there are opportunities for me, no matter how far, and preferably in warm climate--now that I'm not a full-time student/slave to a university or institution. I'm doing great research that will help people with a virus that plagues the world for long. It's wonderful being apart of such outstanding research and scientific work.

I've also had the opportunity to coach a wrestling team. Even though I've been an assistant I felt more apart of that team than anything else. These young guys don't know what the future holds for them, and I'm glad I can help them see something better than what they think it will be. Shout out to one of my wrestlers, Andrew, who just this past weekend became the first wrestler from my high school Fordham Prep to win the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Tournament. We've had wrestlers place, but never win, so congrats to him on his victory.

This was a good weekend, but I know I will never rent a car again! I'm under 25 and they literally take you for everything that you have. Never again! Overall I did enjoy my weekend.

I'll have more intellectual dialogues coming soon. I've just been in an expressive mood lately.