STD Update

As a followup to my post "Trouble in Paradise," I decided to do an update on the current status of STD's you cannot get rid of: HIV (or AIDS), Herpes (type II, mainly), and HPV (human papilloma virus). Crab lice, Gonorrhea, even Syphilis, you can exterminate from your body. The first-mentioned group, however, are life (or death) sentences of varying severity. Hepatitis prevention, transmission, prognosis, and curability differ with the various strains of the virus.

There are multiple sources for information on STD's on the Net, but the most centralized and authoritative starting point is at the United States Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Their home page on sexually transmitted diseases will connect you with a lot of information.

I am not a medical doctor, research scientist, or any other kind of expert on these matters; but I decided to look at the latest information that people who do not want to contract an incurable STD should be aware of. Look at the sources yourself, draw your own conclusions, and see your doctor for personalized advice and treatment. It appears the least pernicious of the incurables is:
HPV, human papilloma virus: here are the CDC poop sheets in general, for both sexes, and for men. Poignant pointers from the poop sheets:

There is no general test for HPV that can tell a man or woman his or her “HPV status”. There is no clear health benefit to knowing if one has the virus—since it usually causes no health problems and goes away on its own.

HPV is not a sign that you or your partner has been unfaithful in the relationship. HPV can be silent in the body for many years before it is found on a test. She may have had HPV for many years, and there is no way to know when or from whom she got HPV.

Approximately 20 million people are currently infected with HPV. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women acquire genital HPV infection at some point in their lives. By age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection.

Most people who have a genital HPV infection do not know they are infected. The virus lives in the skin or mucous membranes and usually causes no symptoms. Some people get visible genital warts, or have pre-cancerous changes in the cervix, vulva, anus, or penis.

Genital warts are diagnosed by visual inspection. Visible genital warts can be removed by medications the patient applies, or by treatments performed by a health care provider.

There is no "cure" for HPV infection, although in most women the infection goes away on its own. The treatments provided are directed to the changes in the skin or mucous membrane caused by HPV infection, such as warts and pre-cancerous changes in the cervix.

There is a new Q&A on the just-approved HPV vaccine for women aged 9-26 that is very encouraging. Here are funky pictures of severe HPV outbreaks on a woman and on a man.

The next incurable STD is Herpes, caused by the herpes simplex virus, primarily type II, although it is possible to get a type I infection in the genital area. Here's the CDC home page for genital herpes and the fact sheet, from which I quote the following:

Between the late 1970s and the early 1990s, the number of Americans with genital herpes infection increased 30 percent. Genital HSV-2 infection is more common in women (approximately one out of four women) than in men (almost one out of five). This may be due to male-to-female transmissions being more likely than female-to-male transmission.

HSV-1 and HSV-2 can be found in and released from the sores that the viruses cause, but they also are released between outbreaks from skin that does not appear to be broken or to have a sore. Generally, a person can only get HSV-2 infection during sexual contact with someone who has a genital HSV-2 infection. Transmission can occur from an infected partner who does not have a visible sore and may not know that he or she is infected.

HSV-1 can cause genital herpes, but it more commonly causes infections of the mouth and lips, so-called "fever blisters." HSV-1 infection of the genitals can be caused by oral-genital or genital-genital contact with a person who has HSV-1 infection. Genital HSV-1 outbreaks recur less regularly than genital HSV-2 outbreaks.

There is no treatment that can cure herpes, but antiviral medications can shorten and prevent outbreaks during the period of time the person takes the medication. In addition, daily suppressive therapy for symptomatic herpes can reduce transmission to partners.

The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, including genital herpes, is to abstain from sexual contact, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.

Genital ulcer diseases can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. Correct and consistent use of latex condoms can reduce the risk of genital herpes only when the infected area or site of potential exposure is protected. Since a condom may not cover all infected areas, even correct and consistent use of latex condoms cannot guarantee protection from genital herpes.

Persons with herpes should abstain from sexual activity with uninfected partners when lesions or other symptoms of herpes are present. It is important to know that even if a person does not have any symptoms he or she can still infect sex partners. Sex partners of infected persons should be advised that they may become infected. Sex partners can seek testing to determine if they are infected with HSV. A positive HSV-2 blood test most likely indicates a genital herpes infection.

Another good site is Herpes Diagnosis, which has a very informative article on the disease that has the funky pictures within and also has an article on the new blood tests that can tell type I from type II. A comprehensive article on both types of Herpes Simplex is on the eMedicine site at WebMD.

The next category are the Viral Hepatitis infections, liver diseases, with five strains now identified. Intravenous drug use is a very high risk factor in Hepatitis, but there is risk of sexual transmission as well.

Type A, HAV, according to the CDC fact sheet, "is usually spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth (even though it may look clean) that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A." Some kinds of sexual contact could obviously result in transmission. There is a vaccine for type A that is recommended for travelers to high-risk countries and for men who have sex with men. There is no chronic (long-term) infection, however; and one-third of Americans have evidence of past infection (immunity). There's more information in CDC's type A FAQ.

Type B, HBV, again according to the CDC fact sheet, is best protected against by vaccination, which has greatly reduced the infection rate. High risk factors for type B include multiple sex partners, men having sex with men, occupational needle sticks, sharing personal care items that might have blood on them (razors, toothbrushes), tattoing and body piercing, and others. Condoms are recommended, but their efficacy is unknown at type B prevention. Learn more from CDC's type B FAQ.

Type C, HCV, by CDC's fact sheet, has transmission methods similar to type B but with lower risk in the cases of people having sex with multiple partners and people having sex with an infected steady partner. "HCV can be spread by sex, but this is rare." See CDC's type C FAQ for more.

Type D is a defective virus that needs the hepatitis B virus to exist.

Type E is transmitted in much the same way as hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis E, however, does not occur often in the United States.

This post is getting overlong, so just go to the CDC HIV/AIDS start page for much information on that plague. Prevention is the key here. Go on, go get tested. Get that nagging doubt off your mind. Know that you're clean of HIV and whatever other STD's you're clean of. Brag about it.

UPDATE: AIDS testing recommended for most Americans: Government wants routine screening for all between ages 13 and 64.

UPDATE: The Truth about HSV-1 and HSV-2; Herpes Simplex; Herpes Simplex Virus Infection

PBS Frontline's "The Dark Side"

Every American citizen owes it to his or her country, fellow citizens, and the world to watch this well-produced television program and browse the show's website.

Dixie Chicks Videos

With the Dixie Chicks (Wiki) getting so much grief and being dropped from some country radio stations, it's nice to see their support spreading to the pop world at large and their new album selling well.

MSN streamed their recent London concert in video and still has some highlights online. My favorite video (and song) is "Lubbock or Leave It." Rock fans, trust me; click the link. Don't forget the full screen button; these babes are talented and cute. Whether country fans dump these Chicks or not, rock fans are gonna pick 'em up. Here's the Austin City Limits video of the song; and here's a fan video of the song as recorded, with excellent stills and on-screen lyrics.

YouTube now has scads of videos on these wonderful entertainers you can select from by clicking here. You can also stream their entire new album right here and find more on their official site.

Comments on which Chick is the most attractive and/or most talented are welcome below.

The One Percent Doctrine

Subtitled Deep Inside America's Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11, Ron Suskind's new book The One Percent Doctrine sounds really interesting, if this snippet from Barton Gellman's book review in the Washington Post is any indication:

The book's opening anecdote tells of an unnamed CIA briefer who flew to Bush's Texas ranch during the scary summer of 2001, amid a flurry of reports of a pending al-Qaeda attack, to call the president's attention personally to the now-famous Aug. 6, 2001, memo titled "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US." Bush reportedly heard the briefer out and replied: "All right. You've covered your ass, now."

President Strap-On?

There's a woman running for Governor of Nevada, Leola McConnell, who has a strange story to tell about our President. You might want to read her press release on the matter, her tell-all site, and her campaign site. You might also click on the title of this post for a piece of good art work.

The (Postponed) Death of Zarqawi

I found a piece in The Nation very interesting:

In March 2004, NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski reported that the White House had three times in 2002 turned down a Pentagon request to attack Zarqawi, who then was believed to be running a weapons lab in northern Iraq--in territory not controlled by Saddam Hussein's government. Miklaszewski wrote that "the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam." That is, the Bush White House let Zarqawi alone so it would have an easier time selling the war in Iraq.

Did you know that? Check it out.

Shawn Lane Videos

I was telling SteveAudio the other day about my treasured acquaintance Shawn Lane, now sadly departed, when I found a trove of videos of Shawn playing on Google Video (which is now shut down, so I've changed all the links to YopuTube).  From his biography on allmusic:

Shawn Lane was a phenomenally talented guitar player who never quite broke out beyond guitar enthusiasts and critics, but will remain influential to players for many years to come. Originally hailed as a child prodigy, Lane joined Black Oak Arkansas as a teenager, and could have been part of the guitar shredder movement of the late '80s and '90s, but his restless musical inclinations led him down a different path.

Shawn was too lyrical and too much the composer to be satisfied with shred. When I returned home to Memphis in 2000, I started catching his shows. He played synth live along with his awesome guitar playing; and his taste ran the gamut from rock to classical to fusion to Indian music. He could put you in a state of bliss. Then, on one daunting day in 2003, I attended the funeral of Paul Burlison of Rock 'n' Roll Trio fame and then went to Shawn's wake. Celebrate Shawn's life again with me, though, by watching his videos; and help his family by buying his records. Below is Shawn performing "Gray Pianos Flying" from his Powers of Ten album. Click the play arrow and enjoy!

"Christian" Video Game

Have you heard about the "Christian" video game coming out for Christmas where you have to convert nonbelievers or kill them? I would say, you can't make this stuff up, but someone did. The game is based on a best-selling series of Christian novels and will be marketed through mega-churches.

Here's the company site for the game, LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces. Here's the trailer in .wmv format, a trailer page or two, and a preview with screen shots.

As described on Talk To Action in two parts:

Imagine: you are a foot soldier in a paramilitary group whose purpose is to remake America as a Christian theocracy, and establish its worldly vision of the dominion of Christ over all aspects of life. You are issued high-tech military weaponry, and instructed to engage the infidel on the streets of New York City. You are on a mission - both a religious mission and a military mission -- to convert or kill Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, gays, and anyone who advocates the separation of church and state - especially moderate, mainstream Christians. Your mission is "to conduct physical and spiritual warfare"; all who resist must be taken out with extreme prejudice.

Wait, let's be fair and let the game's creators tell us about it:

Wage a war of apocalyptic proportions in LEFT BEHIND: Eternal Forces - a real-time strategy game based upon the best-selling LEFT BEHIND book series created by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Join the ultimate fight of Good against Evil, commanding Tribulation Forces or the Global Community Peacekeepers, and uncover the truth about the worldwide disappearances!

· Lead the Tribulation Force from the book series , including Rayford, Chloe, Buck and Bruce against Nicolae Carpathia – the AntiChrist.

· Conduct physical & spiritual warfare : using the power of prayer to strengthen your troops in combat and wield modern military weaponry throughout the game world.

· Recover ancient scriptures and witness spectacular Angelic and Demonic activity as a direct consequence of your choices.

· Command your forces through intense battles across a breathtaking, authentic depiction of New York City.

· Control more than 30 units types - from Prayer Warrior and Hellraiser to Spies, Special Forces and Battle Tanks!

· Enjoy a robust single player experience across dozens of New York City maps in Story Mode – fighting in China Town , SoHo , Uptown and more!

· Play multiplayer games as Tribulation Force or the AntiChrist's Global Community Peacekeepers with up to eight players via LAN or over the internet!

As a former associate of the company told the Los Angeles Times, "It's absurd. You can be the Christians blowing away the infidels, and if that doesn't hit your hot button, you can be the Antichrist blowing away all the Christians." Hmmm....