Thursday, March 01, 2007

All's Quiet on the AIDS front

Before all else, just scoot your way over to a certain delightful Rob’s blog and read his latest brilliant posting. And be sure to leave a marking comment of your visit. Mainly stating how incredible the article topic is!....go now…go along… (but best you come back!)…

So, it’s been quite a while since we had a good little chat about that infamous epidemic quickly maiming and slowly killing our Southern African region.

Since then there’s been the old Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, claiming he too can now cure AIDS (and asthma). But only on Mondays and Thursdays (well, for AIDS that is. Asthma has other days). Understandably. Being President, he must already have quite a packed schedule.

What does not make too much sense to me (because oh yes, there is incredible amounts of sense in his ability to cure his citizens of AIDS with untested herbs, prayer beads, the Koran, and a good old tummy rub. Hmmm.) is why he became sensitive to the point of kicking out the top U.N. official in the country. Fadzai Gwaradzimba, a Zimbabwean national, is (was?) the resident coordinator of U.N. operations. That was until she made some noise about the dangers of this president’s untested claims. Then she was given 48 hour marching orders.

One always has to be weary of those people who are too scared to have their beliefs, and theories questioned. To give them that side-long silent studying gaze to the point they shift nervously about, and attempt to explain. Then you have them.

The world currently is doing this stare at Jammeh. Let’s see what 'sensible' justifications he comes up with.

After a quick survey of sites & mail, there is otherwise presently nothing too dramatic and silently happening the African AIDS world. (China has some tales of interest, though).

We are all just ploughing through the cash and systems at ready hand, to get governments accepting that they must react more dramatically & more efficiently to this epidemic, that citizens must protect and care and empathise, and to get science to figure out how to beat that little bugger of an evil virus cell.

And, also, that if we win the AIDS battle, we hope the consequential infrastructure established in developing countries will be able to better meet the other development issues. Hospitals with good systems will have been built, central government decisions will find their way quickly to the outskirting rural areas, people will have improved personal health regimes, medical costs will be realistic in terms of an African farmer’s salary. The education system too will be better structured & more relevant to the learners’ lives. Roads and buildings will have been created, as AIDS workers needed improved courses for resource runs. Aid money will no longer flow through systems where it collects along the pipeline’s walls, so only being a trickle at the critical end. Rather it will smoothly rush down the line and pour out into the relevant worthy people’s lives.

And also new improved systems, thanks to the AIDS fight, will one day be exposing those insane leaders, be they in the government or a religion or popular culture, to the global world. They will one day have to critically and intelligently answer to their “cute” ideas and random midnight theorising. They will be made to realise that people’s lives are at stake each time they arbitrarily open their untamed mouths.

And so we plough along. And so we hope we are doing this right. We hope a lot in this game. Romantics at heart, we all are.


P.S. So how many of you drove with your car lights blaring this morning? I saw at least five cars, one cash-in-transit vehicle (too close to my car for my liking), one motor bike, and a bus supporting this awareness & solidarity campaign. You have a week more to remember & support. If you choose to.

Ok NOW you can head to iScatterlings

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Completely forgot the light story, guess I am just a bit dim :-)

Don't motor bikes have to have their lights on? Just thinking out loud.

Wonder if Gambia has the same consultants as Dr Beetroot

Champagne Heathen said...

Guinnie - pun fool. I was wondering about the motor bikes thing.

No, apparently their president is just plainly autocratically cooked. No one's advising him of anything. Except maybe how to rub the herbs on his patients' stomachs.

Anonymous said...

Hey life without pun just ain't no fun.

Stomachs and cooked, now who is the the pun fool now hey?

Insane Insomniac said...

OOOHhhh..look at you! We have a celeb in our midst people! Where's the red carpet?

Champagne Heathen said...

Guinnie - mad man

Insanity - OOoOoo I KNOW! Look at me strut my stuff. Strut Strut StrikeAPose Strut! ....except that the point of Rob's interviews is to make ordinary bloggers heard. Ah well, I'll still keep strutting!

Revolving Credit said...

Nothing quite like the sweet sounds of money pouring?

Didn't realise that Matthias Rath was president of Gambia.

Champagne Heathen said...

Word has it that Rath went in backpacking search of the perfect African Potatoe, following a convo with a certain SA lassy, and got lost somewhere in West Africa - only to pop up a little darker & converted. Apparently his travel partner was Pat Holford.

Anonymous said...

Champs, what next, a book deal, red carpets, models ....... you got Fame!

Rev, you right it is all that Matthias when the Rath of the AIDS dissident comes to town. No pun contended.......

fuzzy logic said...

Yay congrats champs! At last, fame other than 'most shots downed at Terrace'
x

Champagne Heathen said...

Guinnie - why is Bowie feeling so gay at the end??

I think I'll worry about fame when a limo finally rocks up at my front door.

I can see you had a good chuckle to yourself when you wrote that comment to Rev! Impressive

Fuzzy - that will always be my most honourable moment in the limelight though! ;)

Where are your guys comments on darling Rob's site!??!

Anonymous said...

Not sure, guess it might have something to do with my last post yesterday? As much as I love Bowie, I would never question anything about his sexuality. One never knows what would come out of that :-)

Limo at front door? Guess the closes was driven in a red cabriolet.

Anonymous said...

Loved Rob's post. It was great.

I don't feel like commenting about idiotic leaders. They're not worth my two cents.

Anonymous said...

Yip, can make a country go to pot

Peas on Toast said...

Yeah nice one Champs! Rob did a great job.

Here's to limos rocking up at your front door. :)
xx

Anonymous said...

Rob, so you trying to say the bloggers are part of the social elite?

Will it be a cycle rickshaw, or do you imagin it powered by some muscled adonis?

Peas on Toast said...

Well you wrote the post Rob - so the question is, do you want to spoil her my dear? :)

Anonymous said...

Peas what are you trying to say and Rob is it true? ;-)

Champagne Heathen said...

Leave you guys alone for an afternoon & you make plans to send some gorgeous demi-god of a man over to do my bidding & rock me about on his rickshaw.

Wow.

I must leave more often!!

Phlippy - its the nature of our time so it seems. It makes you fear what they will call this era in centuries to come - The Age of Calamity.

Hey DJ Jamaloni - rocking those radio waves with your many cents!

Guinnie - you still on that pun roll...

Peas - ah thanks! And unless you guys do come through with that hot demi god slave, I'll ask the limo to do a spin past several of your houses. You up for muchos champagne drinking in style?!

Rob - you can alter my breathing??!!

No Maldives photos - you'll have to go back to Rob's post to see what the alternative proposition is :)

Anonymous said...

Seventy two hours? Might be easier to just ask Revolving Credit he seems to have a knack of finding pics of Champs.

Who is going to grease up the adonis, you or peas? Therapy is only in April ;-)

Anonymous said...

Champs don't say we don't look out for your best interest.

Pun roll hey, you know what they say, comedy is all about timing.

Champagne Heathen said...

Guinnie - what are you on about Therapy for?? The dance club or well, the healing form that can be done in oh-so-many-ways - like by an Adonis greased up & all!

I think Rob just tried to pawn me off to Rev, if you go back to the link to previous comments.

Rob!?!?

But now boys, I must prepare for this demi god, and so be off to yoga....! Smooches!

Anonymous said...

Yip, its the dance club. Atleast I won't get myself into trouble there.

Peas on Toast said...

Deal, as long as we get champagne. And the good stuff. :)

Anonymous said...

Peas, thought Champs was the good stuff.

Rob, sounds like you gave this a lot of thought. I am wondering, is it fantasy or are you talking from experience ;-)

Champagne Heathen said...

Guinnie - isn't Therapy the sort of place you are but bound to get yourself in trouble!

Robs - you are concerning me now. How do you know that Rev has never been greased up by 3 blondes before?? Am I spotting a conspiracy??

Oooo, a whip you say!

Peas - it seems the good stuf is going to be a rickshaw. Ah well. More bobbing and rocking then I guess.

Guinnie - not any real fantasy I have been involved in! But you never do know what those Namib boys got up to in the desert!