Analysis: Pharma's woes not over, more restructuring seen
By Esha Dey
NEW YORK | Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:52pm IST
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global drugmakers have cut tens of thousands of jobs ahead of patent expirations on their top-selling products, and the pain is not yet over.
Divisions across these companies -- from sales to research to manufacturing -- are still seen as vulnerable to additional cuts. Marketing expenses will likely continue to be slashed the most heavily.
"We will see even more restructuring as we near the patent cliff ... selling, general and administrative expenses will take the hardest hits, also manufacturing and research and development," Morningstar analyst Damien Conover said.
He estimated additional cuts of up to 2 percent of company workforces, saying "every major pharma will keep doing it."
The vast sales forces for major drugs going off patent, such as Pfizer Inc's cholesterol fighter Lipitor, are among the most obvious targets for job cuts.
According to a survey by consultant Challenger, Gray & Christmas, more than 45,000 job cuts were announced by the pharmaceutical industry this year through October, outpaced only by government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
More recently, Switzerland's Roche Holding AG announced plans to cut 4,800 jobs, or 6 percent of its workforce, over the next two years.
Novartis said it sought additional cost cuts in manufacturing, marketing and procurement, but dismissed reports that it was readying huge layoffs to do so.
A rolling wave of restructuring reflects the lack of major new drug launches to offset looming generic competition to multibillion-dollar medicines like Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb's drug Plavix for blood clots and Merck's Singulair for asthma.
While concerns over the "patent cliff" have dogged the industry for several years, in some cases the entry of generic versions of brand-name drugs has picked up more quickly than Wall Street had anticipated.
The entry of generics can cause branded drugs to quickly lose at least 80 percent of U.S. sales, but can be 90 percent or more once multiple generics are available.
In their latest quarter, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline and Roche reported sales that were hurt by generics and their shares fell, signaling their valuations may not have the patent loss impact fully baked in.
Most major drugmakers' shares have been on a downward trend since, with the Arca Pharmaceuticals Index down 4.6 percent since October 20, compared with a 1.9 percent rise for the broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index.
"The patent cliff was expected, but the rate of penetration of generics has been much higher than what anybody imagined," Deutsche Bank analyst Barbara Ryan said.
PATENT CLIFF JOURNEY
Analysis: Pharma's woes not over, more restructuring seen
By Esha Dey
NEW YORK | Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:52pm IST
According to pharmaceutical market information company IMS Health, four large pharma companies -- AstraZeneca, Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim and Bayer AG -- as of the end of 2009, had progressed less than one-third of the way through the patent cliff that runs from 2005 through 2014.
"There is more restructuring to be done ... large pharma, on an aggregate, is 40 percent of its way through with the patent cliff journey," IMS Health analyst Murray Aitken said at the Reuters Health Summit earlier this month.
IMS projects generic penetration could reach 85 percent by 2014.
Drugmakers are also facing greater pricing pressure due to more recent developments, such as a new U.S. healthcare law and price controls in European countries. That raises the need for innovative drugs that generate bigger volumes, if not the sky-high margins of past treatments.
"Low productivity of internal research and development has rendered the drugmakers inadequately prepared for the patent cliff," Argus Research Co analyst Patrick Cheng said.
AstraZeneca, which reported a 4 percent drop in quarterly sales late last month, said it was not done with cost cuts.
"You'll continue to see us reallocate marketing and sales resources," Astra CEO David Brennan told the Reuters Health Summit.
Germany's Bayer also announced a cost- and job-cut plan, and Pfizer recently said it expects to exceed its original target of a 15 percent workforce reduction related to its $67 billion purchase of rival Wyeth.
Many analysts say drugmakers have no choice but to get even leaner, though research and innovation are essential in the long run.
"Most of these big companies have a lot of middle management; that is one area that they could focus on for further savings," Hapoalim Securities analyst Jon Lecroy said.
At the same time, cost cuts alone is not a strong sell when it comes to Wall Street.
"The industry is still trying to cost cut its way to intermediate terms of success," Fred Frank, a biotechnology banker and vice chairman of investment advisory firm Peter J. Solomon Co said, adding that was not a sustainable trend.
"Earnings don't produce revenue. Revenue produces earnings," he said.
(Reporting by Esha Dey; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Tim Dobbyn)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Lesbian family film "Kids" elbows into Oscar race-Wed Nov 17, 2010
Lesbian family film "Kids" elbows into Oscar race
Credit: Reuters/Suzanne Tenner/Focus Features
By Christine Kearney
NEW YORK | Wed Nov 17, 2010 3:47pm EST
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A low-budget movie about a lesbian couple raising two children might have once seemed a long shot for packing theaters and claiming Oscar glory.
But "The Kids Are All Right," a modern take on the comic family drama starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, has sparked a lot of talk heading into Hollywood's awards season and is widely being mentioned as an Oscar contender.
The film, which hits DVD shelves this week in the United States and is about to open in theaters in Germany, Brazil, Austria, Portugal, South Africa and the Netherlands, currently averages a 94 percent positive rating among the top critics on review website rottentomatoes.com.
Bening is hearing the loudest Oscar buzz in the best actress category playing a caring, but at times acerbic, mother trying to maintain control of her unraveling household after her and her lesbian partner's (Moore) teenage kids meet their sperm donor dad, portrayed by Mark Ruffalo.
"Kids" also is gathering steam as a possible best film Oscar contender, while Moore, Ruffalo and director Lisa Cholodenko are considered in the running for supporting actor and director categories, respectively.
Cholodenko, 46, who in real life shares a child from a sperm donor with her female partner, said it was "a long haul" from starting the script in 2004 to seeing it premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. But after "Kids" first screened, she knew it had the potential to please audiences.
"It was one of those astonishing moments when I thought, 'Wow, this is working," she recalled of the initial reaction. "I don't know if I ever went, 'Wow, this is going to win an Oscar, but I did go, 'Wow this translated. I am so relieved'."
ACTORS PROVE CRUCIAL
Shot in roughly three weeks with only a few days rehearsal, the actors' skills were crucial, said Cholodenko. Both the teenagers, played by Josh Hutcherson and Mia Wasikowska ("Alice in Wonderland"), have won breakthrough acting awards.
Moore, 49, championed the film for several years after reading an initial script, while Cholodenko chased after Bening for her "great command of comedy drama," combined with being "sexy and smart and having real acting chops."
Bening, 52, was interested but juggling other movies, plays and being a mother of four, so Cholodenko "kept on her and everybody else in my world kept on her. I made it clear there wasn't anybody else who I wanted to consider."
The film, which cost $4 million to make and has so far grossed $20 million worldwide deliberately avoids being a pigeonholed as exclusively a lesbian film.
Instead it portrays a well-adjusted gay family, struggling with some unusual circumstances, no doubt, but also with many of the same issues faced by anyone bringing up teens.
"It's things that people can relate to in their own lives, with this added twist of a family that is unusual and a situation that is presented in a not very unusual way," she said. "I wanted to do it in a more mainstream accessible way."
Cholodenko noted that if "Kids" received some Oscar nods, as did gay romance "Brokeback Mountain," it could bring depictions of lesbians further into mainstream Hollywood.
It wasn't interesting to us, writing a political film or dissecting lesbian culture or whatever, lesbian identity ... choosing the normalcy of it as a point of departure was really our objective," she said, "If it gets recognized, that's an amazing thing, that's a first, that's novel."
But the fact that mainstream audiences are even discussing "Kids" is a career breakthrough for the indie director of 1998's "High Art," as well as episodes of the "The L Word."
"It's definitely helped me transition from the smaller arthouse world into a more commercial world," she said. "There are so many more roads I can travel."
(editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
Credit: Reuters/Suzanne Tenner/Focus Features
By Christine Kearney
NEW YORK | Wed Nov 17, 2010 3:47pm EST
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A low-budget movie about a lesbian couple raising two children might have once seemed a long shot for packing theaters and claiming Oscar glory.
But "The Kids Are All Right," a modern take on the comic family drama starring Annette Bening and Julianne Moore, has sparked a lot of talk heading into Hollywood's awards season and is widely being mentioned as an Oscar contender.
The film, which hits DVD shelves this week in the United States and is about to open in theaters in Germany, Brazil, Austria, Portugal, South Africa and the Netherlands, currently averages a 94 percent positive rating among the top critics on review website rottentomatoes.com.
Bening is hearing the loudest Oscar buzz in the best actress category playing a caring, but at times acerbic, mother trying to maintain control of her unraveling household after her and her lesbian partner's (Moore) teenage kids meet their sperm donor dad, portrayed by Mark Ruffalo.
"Kids" also is gathering steam as a possible best film Oscar contender, while Moore, Ruffalo and director Lisa Cholodenko are considered in the running for supporting actor and director categories, respectively.
Cholodenko, 46, who in real life shares a child from a sperm donor with her female partner, said it was "a long haul" from starting the script in 2004 to seeing it premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. But after "Kids" first screened, she knew it had the potential to please audiences.
"It was one of those astonishing moments when I thought, 'Wow, this is working," she recalled of the initial reaction. "I don't know if I ever went, 'Wow, this is going to win an Oscar, but I did go, 'Wow this translated. I am so relieved'."
ACTORS PROVE CRUCIAL
Shot in roughly three weeks with only a few days rehearsal, the actors' skills were crucial, said Cholodenko. Both the teenagers, played by Josh Hutcherson and Mia Wasikowska ("Alice in Wonderland"), have won breakthrough acting awards.
Moore, 49, championed the film for several years after reading an initial script, while Cholodenko chased after Bening for her "great command of comedy drama," combined with being "sexy and smart and having real acting chops."
Bening, 52, was interested but juggling other movies, plays and being a mother of four, so Cholodenko "kept on her and everybody else in my world kept on her. I made it clear there wasn't anybody else who I wanted to consider."
The film, which cost $4 million to make and has so far grossed $20 million worldwide deliberately avoids being a pigeonholed as exclusively a lesbian film.
Instead it portrays a well-adjusted gay family, struggling with some unusual circumstances, no doubt, but also with many of the same issues faced by anyone bringing up teens.
"It's things that people can relate to in their own lives, with this added twist of a family that is unusual and a situation that is presented in a not very unusual way," she said. "I wanted to do it in a more mainstream accessible way."
Cholodenko noted that if "Kids" received some Oscar nods, as did gay romance "Brokeback Mountain," it could bring depictions of lesbians further into mainstream Hollywood.
It wasn't interesting to us, writing a political film or dissecting lesbian culture or whatever, lesbian identity ... choosing the normalcy of it as a point of departure was really our objective," she said, "If it gets recognized, that's an amazing thing, that's a first, that's novel."
But the fact that mainstream audiences are even discussing "Kids" is a career breakthrough for the indie director of 1998's "High Art," as well as episodes of the "The L Word."
"It's definitely helped me transition from the smaller arthouse world into a more commercial world," she said. "There are so many more roads I can travel."
(editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
Indian gay pride parade draws thousands-By Henry Foy/ Sun Nov 28, 2010
Indian gay pride parade draws thousands
By Henry Foy
(WELL GOOD TO KNOW!!! I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT THIS ISSUE AT LENGTH IN THIS BLOG BUT ITS IMPORTANT TO CHECK,EXPOSE AND KEEP EYES ON CRIME LIKE SEXUAL EXPLOITATIONS OR HARRASSMENTS OF ANYONE SPECIALLY KIDS OR HELPLESS AND CULPRITS SHOULD NOT BE SPARED IN THIS COMMUNITY ALSO!!!)
NEW DELHI | Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:18am EST
NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - Thousands of people danced, sang and cheered through the streets of Delhi on Sunday in a colorful and vibrant celebration for the first gay pride parade since gay sex was made legal in India.
Under a huge rainbow flag, to the sound of drums, whistles and horns, 2,000 gay activists and supporters clad in feather face masks shouted slogans and waved placards as they marched through the capital of this still sexually conservative country.
"Today is about saying that we are gay and we are proud. We are not going anywhere, we are a part of society, and today we can celebrate being different," said Amit Agrawal, one of the parade organizers.
The parade brought traffic to a halt in the commercial heart of the city, leaving bemused drivers watching in astonishment as kissing male couples, dancing transsexuals in bright pink skirts and thousands of rainbow flags went past.
While the previous two annual marches were billed as protests against legislation that criminalized homosexual sex in the world's largest democracy, in July last year a landmark case in the Delhi High Court finally overturned the colonial-era Section 377 of India's penal code after nine years of legal action.
"Last year it was about protest, but this year it is all about celebration. It has only been a year, but it has been a huge year," said Hillol Dutta, a gay activist.
Yet despite the ruling, gays still face a social stigma in India, where hugging and kissing in public even among heterosexual couples is strongly frowned upon.
Strong religious and family values mean many homosexuals choose to hide their sexuality for fear of discrimination, while attacks by police, especially in rural areas, are common.
"It is still socially unacceptable. Many gays have to keep their sexuality concealed, many are married," said Ashok Das, who was not taking part in the parade.
But attitudes are slowly changing, especially in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Eighteen months ago, only one bar catered to Delhi's gay community, but today a host of nightclubs host regular gay nights as owners and promoters look to cash in on the 'pink rupee'.
"Change is good, but you have to take small steps. The youth have accepted it, but I think it will take at least 10 years before society in general accepts homosexuals," said Saurabh Gaur, a heterosexual man who had come to support a gay friend.
By Henry Foy
(WELL GOOD TO KNOW!!! I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT THIS ISSUE AT LENGTH IN THIS BLOG BUT ITS IMPORTANT TO CHECK,EXPOSE AND KEEP EYES ON CRIME LIKE SEXUAL EXPLOITATIONS OR HARRASSMENTS OF ANYONE SPECIALLY KIDS OR HELPLESS AND CULPRITS SHOULD NOT BE SPARED IN THIS COMMUNITY ALSO!!!)
NEW DELHI | Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:18am EST
NEW DELHI (Reuters Life!) - Thousands of people danced, sang and cheered through the streets of Delhi on Sunday in a colorful and vibrant celebration for the first gay pride parade since gay sex was made legal in India.
Under a huge rainbow flag, to the sound of drums, whistles and horns, 2,000 gay activists and supporters clad in feather face masks shouted slogans and waved placards as they marched through the capital of this still sexually conservative country.
"Today is about saying that we are gay and we are proud. We are not going anywhere, we are a part of society, and today we can celebrate being different," said Amit Agrawal, one of the parade organizers.
The parade brought traffic to a halt in the commercial heart of the city, leaving bemused drivers watching in astonishment as kissing male couples, dancing transsexuals in bright pink skirts and thousands of rainbow flags went past.
While the previous two annual marches were billed as protests against legislation that criminalized homosexual sex in the world's largest democracy, in July last year a landmark case in the Delhi High Court finally overturned the colonial-era Section 377 of India's penal code after nine years of legal action.
"Last year it was about protest, but this year it is all about celebration. It has only been a year, but it has been a huge year," said Hillol Dutta, a gay activist.
Yet despite the ruling, gays still face a social stigma in India, where hugging and kissing in public even among heterosexual couples is strongly frowned upon.
Strong religious and family values mean many homosexuals choose to hide their sexuality for fear of discrimination, while attacks by police, especially in rural areas, are common.
"It is still socially unacceptable. Many gays have to keep their sexuality concealed, many are married," said Ashok Das, who was not taking part in the parade.
But attitudes are slowly changing, especially in the cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Eighteen months ago, only one bar catered to Delhi's gay community, but today a host of nightclubs host regular gay nights as owners and promoters look to cash in on the 'pink rupee'.
"Change is good, but you have to take small steps. The youth have accepted it, but I think it will take at least 10 years before society in general accepts homosexuals," said Saurabh Gaur, a heterosexual man who had come to support a gay friend.
Gay community asserts identity with pink products-India's first legal gay pride parade marches through Delhi-
Gay community asserts identity with pink products
New Delhi: Mugs and T-shirts with witty one liners like "Jalebii High", "Pink Sheep of the Family", "Haan Hoo! Toh?" (Yes I am! So?) are catching up among the capital's gay community that held the third edition of its 'Gay Pride Parade on Sunday.
Image: LGBT members participate in a gay pride parade in New Delhi on Sunday, November 29, 2010.
India's first legal gay pride parade marches through Delhi
Updated November 29, 2010 11:20:10
Gay communities in the West were badly affected in the 1980s, when AIDS first hit the headlines at the beginning of the decade.
Indeed, the disease was then closely linked to homosexuality. That attitude was exploited by many conservative and religious groups as well as anti-gay individuals. More than 20 years later that stigma has led many countries to make gay sex illegal. India only recently legalised homosexuality after a nine year battle in the high court. And this weekend the country's gay community took to the streets of New Delhi to celebrate. Thousands of people danced, sang and cheered through the city in India's first gay pride parade since gay sex was made legal earlier this year.
Presenter: Richard Lindell
Speakers: India's gay pride marchers
New Delhi: Mugs and T-shirts with witty one liners like "Jalebii High", "Pink Sheep of the Family", "Haan Hoo! Toh?" (Yes I am! So?) are catching up among the capital's gay community that held the third edition of its 'Gay Pride Parade on Sunday.
Image: LGBT members participate in a gay pride parade in New Delhi on Sunday, November 29, 2010.
India's first legal gay pride parade marches through Delhi
Updated November 29, 2010 11:20:10
Gay communities in the West were badly affected in the 1980s, when AIDS first hit the headlines at the beginning of the decade.
Indeed, the disease was then closely linked to homosexuality. That attitude was exploited by many conservative and religious groups as well as anti-gay individuals. More than 20 years later that stigma has led many countries to make gay sex illegal. India only recently legalised homosexuality after a nine year battle in the high court. And this weekend the country's gay community took to the streets of New Delhi to celebrate. Thousands of people danced, sang and cheered through the city in India's first gay pride parade since gay sex was made legal earlier this year.
Presenter: Richard Lindell
Speakers: India's gay pride marchers
Commemorating World AIDS Day with comics-(theme: Universal Access and Human Rights)-December 1st, 2010
Andy Wilson
By CitizenBot
Commemorating World AIDS Day with comics
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 at 10:47 pm Category: Comics, Commentary
Today, Dec 1, is World AIDS Day, and in today’s musings I’m going to do two things I thought I’d never do: say nice things about DC Comics, and say nice things about President George W. Bush.
But my dislike for DC is nowhere near my general distaste for Bush, so let me begin there. On World AIDS Day it is time to remember those we know who live with HIV/AIDS or have died from the tragedy that is AIDS—an important distinction since HIV is no longer a death sentence if you can get access to the life-extending medication.
But I don’t have a close personal friend or relative who is HIV positive or that I have lost to AIDS, but I feel like I do thanks to the world of comics.
Of those living with HIV or who have died from AIDS, the latter category includes Jim Wilson, a longtime friend of Bruce Banner and nephew of The Falcon, who died in Hulk #420 (Dec 1994). Wilson is attacked by an angry mob protesting an HIV positive boy being ordered to be able to attend school, and his injuries are so severe (and that he had been covering for his poor condition to begin with) that he dies from complications of pneumonia. Wilson pleads with Banner to use some of his blood to cure him, but Banner is afraid of creating another monster and refuses. In 1994, AIDS was a death sentence.
Amazingly, also in 1994, we were introduced to comics airtist/writer Judd Winick on MTV’s the Real World. At the time, I though judd was cool but kind of boring (still do) and spent less time dealing with Puck and Pedro and more time thinking how cute Cory and Rachel were. But Pedro’s death from AIDS inspired Winick’s graphic novel Pedro and Me, one of Winick’s most award-winning books.
It’s also hard to think about AIDS in the 90s without thinking of its fictional counterpart in comics: the Legacy Virus. While an interesting plot device in the mid-to-late 90s, the Legacy Virus eventually transformed into a metaphor for AIDS. And when one of my favorite X-men, Colossus, sacrificed himself in order to provide a cure for the world, I wept.
This was AIDS in the 90s. A lot of heartache. A lot of death. HIV was a death sentence, and we desperately needed a cure, one which would likely require sacrifice in the meantime.
But in the last decade we saw the rise of something completely different. Anti-retroviral drugs now meant that HIV could be controlled and corralled, so you could live with HIV, not die from AIDS.
Kevin Smith’s Green Arrow books took a big risk when he introduced a new Speedy, a new sidekick: but this one was a girl, and a former prostitute. Mia Dearden was also HIV positive. And she could kick ass as well as anyone, not only playing sidekick to Green Arrow but also as a member of Teen Titans.
You might have also seen Mia in a few of last season’s Smallville episodes. Although it’s funny to think of a hero having a sidekick when he’s only like 21 and she’s 17. That’s barely sidekick. But hot and kicking lots of ass regardless.
So way to be for DC comics of actually doing things that are interesting, socially relevant, and give me further emotional attachment to your properties. See, I can say nice things about DC!!!
The point is, though all of this, I feel like I have friends who deal with issues of HIV and AIDS. It’s obviously not the same heartache to actually lose a family member or friend or lover as it was to lose Colossus to the Legacy Virus. There’s no patch on the AIDS quilt for him, nor should there be.
But this is the essence of what the artform of comics ought to be: to provide some pathos, some moral context, to introduce you to the unfamiliar and to understand the universal in all of us.
As for the real world, there’s work to be done. Antiretroviral drugs are lifesavers if they can be distributed. Great strides were made in dealing with the plague of AIDS in Africa, and much of the credit should go to someone I am loathe to give credit to: George W Bush. In an op-ed in the Washington Post he writes:
I firmly believe it has served American interests to help prevent the collapse of portions of the African continent. But this effort has done something more: It has demonstrated American character and beliefs. America is a certain kind of country, dedicated to the inherent and equal dignity of human lives. It is this ideal – rooted in faith and our founding – that gives purpose to our power. When we have a chance to do the right thing, we take it.
Steve Rogers couldn’t have said it better himself.
So while I think it’s probably not appropriate to “celebrate” World AIDS Day, I hope we can all reflect on how comics have increased our awareness, and celebrate characters like Speedy who live with HIV rather than die from AIDS.
There are a few other HIV positive characters from comics, tv, movies, and so forth. Wikipedia has a good list I can recommend.
And because I don’t want to leave you too depressed, here is something to cheer you up: Conan O’Brien and the Walker: Texas Ranger lever’s single greatest scene ever:
By CitizenBot
Commemorating World AIDS Day with comics
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 at 10:47 pm Category: Comics, Commentary
Today, Dec 1, is World AIDS Day, and in today’s musings I’m going to do two things I thought I’d never do: say nice things about DC Comics, and say nice things about President George W. Bush.
But my dislike for DC is nowhere near my general distaste for Bush, so let me begin there. On World AIDS Day it is time to remember those we know who live with HIV/AIDS or have died from the tragedy that is AIDS—an important distinction since HIV is no longer a death sentence if you can get access to the life-extending medication.
But I don’t have a close personal friend or relative who is HIV positive or that I have lost to AIDS, but I feel like I do thanks to the world of comics.
Of those living with HIV or who have died from AIDS, the latter category includes Jim Wilson, a longtime friend of Bruce Banner and nephew of The Falcon, who died in Hulk #420 (Dec 1994). Wilson is attacked by an angry mob protesting an HIV positive boy being ordered to be able to attend school, and his injuries are so severe (and that he had been covering for his poor condition to begin with) that he dies from complications of pneumonia. Wilson pleads with Banner to use some of his blood to cure him, but Banner is afraid of creating another monster and refuses. In 1994, AIDS was a death sentence.
Amazingly, also in 1994, we were introduced to comics airtist/writer Judd Winick on MTV’s the Real World. At the time, I though judd was cool but kind of boring (still do) and spent less time dealing with Puck and Pedro and more time thinking how cute Cory and Rachel were. But Pedro’s death from AIDS inspired Winick’s graphic novel Pedro and Me, one of Winick’s most award-winning books.
It’s also hard to think about AIDS in the 90s without thinking of its fictional counterpart in comics: the Legacy Virus. While an interesting plot device in the mid-to-late 90s, the Legacy Virus eventually transformed into a metaphor for AIDS. And when one of my favorite X-men, Colossus, sacrificed himself in order to provide a cure for the world, I wept.
This was AIDS in the 90s. A lot of heartache. A lot of death. HIV was a death sentence, and we desperately needed a cure, one which would likely require sacrifice in the meantime.
But in the last decade we saw the rise of something completely different. Anti-retroviral drugs now meant that HIV could be controlled and corralled, so you could live with HIV, not die from AIDS.
Kevin Smith’s Green Arrow books took a big risk when he introduced a new Speedy, a new sidekick: but this one was a girl, and a former prostitute. Mia Dearden was also HIV positive. And she could kick ass as well as anyone, not only playing sidekick to Green Arrow but also as a member of Teen Titans.
You might have also seen Mia in a few of last season’s Smallville episodes. Although it’s funny to think of a hero having a sidekick when he’s only like 21 and she’s 17. That’s barely sidekick. But hot and kicking lots of ass regardless.
So way to be for DC comics of actually doing things that are interesting, socially relevant, and give me further emotional attachment to your properties. See, I can say nice things about DC!!!
The point is, though all of this, I feel like I have friends who deal with issues of HIV and AIDS. It’s obviously not the same heartache to actually lose a family member or friend or lover as it was to lose Colossus to the Legacy Virus. There’s no patch on the AIDS quilt for him, nor should there be.
But this is the essence of what the artform of comics ought to be: to provide some pathos, some moral context, to introduce you to the unfamiliar and to understand the universal in all of us.
As for the real world, there’s work to be done. Antiretroviral drugs are lifesavers if they can be distributed. Great strides were made in dealing with the plague of AIDS in Africa, and much of the credit should go to someone I am loathe to give credit to: George W Bush. In an op-ed in the Washington Post he writes:
I firmly believe it has served American interests to help prevent the collapse of portions of the African continent. But this effort has done something more: It has demonstrated American character and beliefs. America is a certain kind of country, dedicated to the inherent and equal dignity of human lives. It is this ideal – rooted in faith and our founding – that gives purpose to our power. When we have a chance to do the right thing, we take it.
Steve Rogers couldn’t have said it better himself.
So while I think it’s probably not appropriate to “celebrate” World AIDS Day, I hope we can all reflect on how comics have increased our awareness, and celebrate characters like Speedy who live with HIV rather than die from AIDS.
There are a few other HIV positive characters from comics, tv, movies, and so forth. Wikipedia has a good list I can recommend.
And because I don’t want to leave you too depressed, here is something to cheer you up: Conan O’Brien and the Walker: Texas Ranger lever’s single greatest scene ever:
Cricket unites for people living with HIV and AIDS on World AIDS Day-1/12/10
Cricket
unites for people living with HIV and AIDS on World AIDS Day
Kandy, Sri Lanka – Players and match officials will wear red ribbons in the ODI matches being played on Wednesday between Sri Lanka and West Indies; Bangladesh and Zimbabwe; and India vs New Zealand and, as well as on the opening day of the Ashes Test match between Australia and England on Friday. Further activities are also being held in South Africa.
In addition, Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will travel to Papua New Guinea this week to help take part in a variety of education and fundraising activities promoting World AIDS Day.
Sri Lanka captain and Think Wise champion Kumar Sangakkara believes it is vital that cricketers show their support for the Think Wise initiative, a joint partnership between the ICC, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative that has been running since 2003. The initiative aims to raise awareness around HIV prevention and eliminate discrimination against people living HIV and AIDS.
“It is very important because many people living with HIV live in cricket-playing countries. It is something that you cannot escape, no matter where we play and the lack of awareness and low sense of risk are some of the factors that contribute to high risk taking, making particularly young people in the 15 to 24 year age group vulnerable to infection,” said Sangakkara.
“This lack of awareness is compounded by the discrimination that those living with HIV and AIDS undergo. It is therefore important to create awareness to stop the spread of the virus while also curbing discrimination and as international cricketers we can help to achieve this objective.
“The red ribbon that we wear symbolises our support for the cause to help those living with HIV and AIDS to live a full and productive life in society without giving up hope. It is a disease that we should fight by understanding how it spreads and encouraging people to talk about things like sexuality in their homes,” added the Sri Lanka captain.
The focus for the Think Wise campaign for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be ‘Get the Facts, Protect Yourself’. The campaign will encourage young people to be informed, take appropriate action to prevent HIV infection and stand together against stigma and discrimination often facing people living with HIV and AIDS. Players will also wear red ribbons in important matches at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, including the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
unites for people living with HIV and AIDS on World AIDS Day
Kandy, Sri Lanka – Players and match officials will wear red ribbons in the ODI matches being played on Wednesday between Sri Lanka and West Indies; Bangladesh and Zimbabwe; and India vs New Zealand and, as well as on the opening day of the Ashes Test match between Australia and England on Friday. Further activities are also being held in South Africa.
In addition, Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will travel to Papua New Guinea this week to help take part in a variety of education and fundraising activities promoting World AIDS Day.
Sri Lanka captain and Think Wise champion Kumar Sangakkara believes it is vital that cricketers show their support for the Think Wise initiative, a joint partnership between the ICC, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative that has been running since 2003. The initiative aims to raise awareness around HIV prevention and eliminate discrimination against people living HIV and AIDS.
“It is very important because many people living with HIV live in cricket-playing countries. It is something that you cannot escape, no matter where we play and the lack of awareness and low sense of risk are some of the factors that contribute to high risk taking, making particularly young people in the 15 to 24 year age group vulnerable to infection,” said Sangakkara.
“This lack of awareness is compounded by the discrimination that those living with HIV and AIDS undergo. It is therefore important to create awareness to stop the spread of the virus while also curbing discrimination and as international cricketers we can help to achieve this objective.
“The red ribbon that we wear symbolises our support for the cause to help those living with HIV and AIDS to live a full and productive life in society without giving up hope. It is a disease that we should fight by understanding how it spreads and encouraging people to talk about things like sexuality in their homes,” added the Sri Lanka captain.
The focus for the Think Wise campaign for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be ‘Get the Facts, Protect Yourself’. The campaign will encourage young people to be informed, take appropriate action to prevent HIV infection and stand together against stigma and discrimination often facing people living with HIV and AIDS. Players will also wear red ribbons in important matches at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, including the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
बरखा दत्त अपने ही चैनल के पर्दे पर बेपर्दा-आलोक तोमर/2/dec/2010
बरखा दत्त अपने ही चैनल के पर्दे पर बेपर्दा
आलोक तोमर
(GOOD ONE!!! LAW WILL TAKE IT OWN COURSE.AS PEOPLE ARE JUDGING ON THE BASIS OF MEDIA TRIAL,SHE HAS RIGHT TO SPEAK IN HER DEFENCE,THOUGH SHE COULDN'T FOUGHT WELL IN HER DEFENCE!!!....VIBHA TAILANG)
टेलीविजन मीडिया की सुपर स्टार बरखा दत्त को बचाने... के लिए उनके चैनल एनडीटीवी ने भारतीय पत्रकारिता के इतिहास में पहली बार अपने ही किसी पत्रकार का अपने ही पर्दे पर कोर्ट मार्शल करवाया और सच यह है कि इस कोशिश से बरखा दत्त को और अधिक अपमान का सामना करना पड़ा।
बरखा दत्त किसी भी सवाल का सही जवाब नहीं दे पाई और आखिरकार उन्होने सवाल करने वालों से ही सवाल करने शुरू कर दिए। चैनल उनका था, कार्यक्रम संचालित कर रही देवी जी उनके अधीन काम करती हैं और संपादकों का जो पैनल बरखा से पूछताछ करने बैठा था उसमें वे मनु जोसेफ भी थे जिन्होंने ओपेन मैग्जीन के जरिए नीरा राडिया और बरखा के टेप उजागर किए हैं।
बरखा ने पूछा कि आउटलुक ने जो 104 टेप छापे हैं उनमें तो 40 पत्रकारों के नाम है, सिर्फ मुझे ही क्यों घसीटा गया है? बरखा ने तो वीर सांघवी का नाम लिए बगैर उनके बच जाने पर सवाल किया। सबसे पहले राडिया बहन जी के बरखा बहन जी के साथ टेप छापने वाले मनु जोसेफ भाई साहब के सवालों के सामने बरखा ध्वस्त हो गई और उनसे उनकी पत्रकारिता की नैतिकता पर सवाल करने लगी।
रही बात बाकी संपादकों की तो दिलीप पंडगावकर से ले कर स्वपन दासगुप्ता तक कोई यह मानने को राजी नहीं था कि बरखा ने नीरा राडिया के साथ मिल कर खेल नहीं खेला है। बरखा को कहना पड़ा कि वे तो खबर पाने के लिए नीरा राडिया को बेवकूफ बना रही थी। उनको यह भी मंजूर करना पड़ा कि नीरा राडिया ने ही उनकी रतन टाटा से कई मुलाकाते करवाई थीं।
मनु जोसेफ ने पूछा कि आखिर नीरा राडिया सरकार बनाने में दो पार्टियों के बीच मैनेजर बनी हुई थी और क्या यही असली खबर नहीं थी? पहले तो बरखा दत्त ने माना कि उनसे फैसला करने में गलती हुई मगर मुझे वास्तव में पता नहीं था कि नीरा राडिया कौन है? मेरे पास तो हजारों फोन आते हैं, यह बरखा ने कहा। लेकिन यह मनु जोसेफ के सवाल का जवाब नहीं है।
बरखा ने जानबूझ कर एक घंटे के शो का समय बर्बाद किया। उन्होंने अपने टेप दिखाना जारी रखा, अपनी अपनी रिपोर्टिंग के बुलेटिन फिर दिखाए और यह साबित करने की पूरी कोशिश की कि देश में उनसे बड़ा प्रतिभाशाली और शानदार पत्रकार कोई नहीं है। बरखा दत्त जो शुरू में थोड़ी आत्मरक्षा की बाते कर रही थी आखिरकार इसी बात पर आ कर अटक गई कि यह अगर पत्रकारिता पर नैतिकता की बहस है तो ओपेन मैग्जीन के मनु जोसेफ से भी पूछा जाना चाहिए कि आखिर उन्होंने उनके होर्डिंग क्याें लगाए और उनके निजी एसएमएस को सार्वजनिक क्यों किया?
मनु जोसेफ लाख करते रहे कि आप मेरी निजी दोस्त नहीं हैं और वे एसएमएस आपका पक्ष जानने के लिए एक संपादक के तौर पर भेजे थे लेकिन बरखा दत्त जो टीवी अच्छी तरह जानती है, वक्त गुजारने के लिए उनसे बहस करती रही और कार्यक्रम का ही वक्त खत्म हो गया। मौजूद संपादकों में बिजिनेस स्टैंडर्ड के संपादक और प्रधानमंत्री के प्रेस सलाहकार रहे संजय बारू भी थे और उनके एक सीधे सवाल का जवाब बरखा नहीं दे पाई। बारू ने पूछा था कि क्या आप सिर्फ हमे यह बता दे कि आपको इस्तेमाल किया गया या आप जानबूझ कर इस्तेमाल होने के लिए तैयार थी?
By:Alok Tomar
आलोक तोमर
(GOOD ONE!!! LAW WILL TAKE IT OWN COURSE.AS PEOPLE ARE JUDGING ON THE BASIS OF MEDIA TRIAL,SHE HAS RIGHT TO SPEAK IN HER DEFENCE,THOUGH SHE COULDN'T FOUGHT WELL IN HER DEFENCE!!!....VIBHA TAILANG)
टेलीविजन मीडिया की सुपर स्टार बरखा दत्त को बचाने... के लिए उनके चैनल एनडीटीवी ने भारतीय पत्रकारिता के इतिहास में पहली बार अपने ही किसी पत्रकार का अपने ही पर्दे पर कोर्ट मार्शल करवाया और सच यह है कि इस कोशिश से बरखा दत्त को और अधिक अपमान का सामना करना पड़ा।
बरखा दत्त किसी भी सवाल का सही जवाब नहीं दे पाई और आखिरकार उन्होने सवाल करने वालों से ही सवाल करने शुरू कर दिए। चैनल उनका था, कार्यक्रम संचालित कर रही देवी जी उनके अधीन काम करती हैं और संपादकों का जो पैनल बरखा से पूछताछ करने बैठा था उसमें वे मनु जोसेफ भी थे जिन्होंने ओपेन मैग्जीन के जरिए नीरा राडिया और बरखा के टेप उजागर किए हैं।
बरखा ने पूछा कि आउटलुक ने जो 104 टेप छापे हैं उनमें तो 40 पत्रकारों के नाम है, सिर्फ मुझे ही क्यों घसीटा गया है? बरखा ने तो वीर सांघवी का नाम लिए बगैर उनके बच जाने पर सवाल किया। सबसे पहले राडिया बहन जी के बरखा बहन जी के साथ टेप छापने वाले मनु जोसेफ भाई साहब के सवालों के सामने बरखा ध्वस्त हो गई और उनसे उनकी पत्रकारिता की नैतिकता पर सवाल करने लगी।
रही बात बाकी संपादकों की तो दिलीप पंडगावकर से ले कर स्वपन दासगुप्ता तक कोई यह मानने को राजी नहीं था कि बरखा ने नीरा राडिया के साथ मिल कर खेल नहीं खेला है। बरखा को कहना पड़ा कि वे तो खबर पाने के लिए नीरा राडिया को बेवकूफ बना रही थी। उनको यह भी मंजूर करना पड़ा कि नीरा राडिया ने ही उनकी रतन टाटा से कई मुलाकाते करवाई थीं।
मनु जोसेफ ने पूछा कि आखिर नीरा राडिया सरकार बनाने में दो पार्टियों के बीच मैनेजर बनी हुई थी और क्या यही असली खबर नहीं थी? पहले तो बरखा दत्त ने माना कि उनसे फैसला करने में गलती हुई मगर मुझे वास्तव में पता नहीं था कि नीरा राडिया कौन है? मेरे पास तो हजारों फोन आते हैं, यह बरखा ने कहा। लेकिन यह मनु जोसेफ के सवाल का जवाब नहीं है।
बरखा ने जानबूझ कर एक घंटे के शो का समय बर्बाद किया। उन्होंने अपने टेप दिखाना जारी रखा, अपनी अपनी रिपोर्टिंग के बुलेटिन फिर दिखाए और यह साबित करने की पूरी कोशिश की कि देश में उनसे बड़ा प्रतिभाशाली और शानदार पत्रकार कोई नहीं है। बरखा दत्त जो शुरू में थोड़ी आत्मरक्षा की बाते कर रही थी आखिरकार इसी बात पर आ कर अटक गई कि यह अगर पत्रकारिता पर नैतिकता की बहस है तो ओपेन मैग्जीन के मनु जोसेफ से भी पूछा जाना चाहिए कि आखिर उन्होंने उनके होर्डिंग क्याें लगाए और उनके निजी एसएमएस को सार्वजनिक क्यों किया?
मनु जोसेफ लाख करते रहे कि आप मेरी निजी दोस्त नहीं हैं और वे एसएमएस आपका पक्ष जानने के लिए एक संपादक के तौर पर भेजे थे लेकिन बरखा दत्त जो टीवी अच्छी तरह जानती है, वक्त गुजारने के लिए उनसे बहस करती रही और कार्यक्रम का ही वक्त खत्म हो गया। मौजूद संपादकों में बिजिनेस स्टैंडर्ड के संपादक और प्रधानमंत्री के प्रेस सलाहकार रहे संजय बारू भी थे और उनके एक सीधे सवाल का जवाब बरखा नहीं दे पाई। बारू ने पूछा था कि क्या आप सिर्फ हमे यह बता दे कि आपको इस्तेमाल किया गया या आप जानबूझ कर इस्तेमाल होने के लिए तैयार थी?
By:Alok Tomar
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