Aids: the First 10,000 American Cases (1981-1988)

The XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City from August 3 through 8 has, as its stated goal, to conduct a forum that “promotes scientific excellence and inquiry, encourages individual and collective action and dialogues, and fosters accountability.” The conference’s impressive agenda is testimony to how far we have come in dealing with the worldwide problem as well as how much has been forgotten regarding the early causes, and rapid spread, of the illness in America. Specifically, why were the rather obvious dual goals of prevention and education ignored for so long?

By the summer of 1981, an unnamed phenomenon was being widely discussed in medical circles. Three here-to-fore rare illnesses: a pneumonia (Pneumocystis Carinii), a cancer (Kaposi’s Sarcoma) and a fungus (Candida) were atypically being observed in increasing numbers in large American metropolitan centers. A Center for Disease Control (CDC) task force created a new term grouping them as “Opportunistic Infections” meaning conditions that would not normally appear in healthy individuals and which, therefore, needed some “opportunity” to manifest themselves. Sadly, since the problem was so largely based in the homosexual community, it did not ignite concern in government or even among the general public. A conservative wave had come to power in Washington, DC, and it was clear that as long as “normal Americans” were not at risk, there was no reason to prioritize research programs or even education. 

In January of 1982, the CDC had documented one hundred eight cases of the “syndrome” and formed an “Opportunistic Infection and Kaposi’s Sarcoma task force.” It requested $830,000 from the NIH (National Institute of Health) multi-billion dollar budget – a request that was denied. Of primary concern was whether the illness was bacterial or viral. If the former was true, surely an antibiotic could easily be identified to kill the bacteria. In the case of the latter, the virus would have to be “isolated” so that a vaccine could be made from the antibodies the infected person’s immune system makes to fight the virus. The term “isolated” was coined with the discovery of the electron microscope in the mid-twentieth century that allowed researchers to actually “see” tiny viruses. Once the virus is isolated, it was thought, a vaccine could easily be made – like Jonas Salk had done with Polio. As we all know, the Polio virus still exists. The vaccine does not destroy the virus but rather it changes the host who has been immunized so that the virus becomes ineffective and thus irrelevant. 

While scientists on both sides of the Atlantic were racing to identify the virus, the condition was being called “the gay plague.” Fortunately, the gay community thought during the winter of 1982, there were increasing hints that the new illness was not confined to homosexuals. On February 25, 1982, The Wall Street Journal featured an article titled “New, Often Fatal, Illness in Homosexuals Turns up in Women, Heterosexual Males.” A month later, The Los Angeles Timesprinted a similar piece to coincide with the CDC’s announcement that the number of cases had nearly tripled in three months to two hundred eighty-five. The CDC had changed its name for the disease from GRID (Gay Related Infectious Disease) to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), signaling the discovery that the general population’s immune system was somehow being targeted.

Clusters of new sub-groups began to emerge which led to the calloused term “four H’s” for homosexuals, heroin addicts, Haitians and hemophiliacs, presumably in decreasing order of undesirability. 

By 1983, the illness had been observed in sixteen countries and most scientists had come to believe that AIDS was indeed caused by a virus. Jean-Claude Chermann, at The Pasteur Institute in Paris, was the first to suggest that AIDS was not only a virus but a “retro-virus” and, importantly, was not the same virus that causes leukemia as was theorized by Robert Gallo at The National Cancer Institute (NCI). A retro-virus not only attacks and kills its target but it invades the cells thus releasing many clone viruses after it destroys the attacked cells. This soon to be recognized fact, along with the added problem that, with the passage of time, the virus was “mutating” (creating variations of itself) seriously magnified the difficulty of producing a vaccine. 

In November, 1983 representatives from thirty nations attended the first AIDS conference in Geneva, Switzerland, as the number of reported AIDS cases in America rose to over 3,000. Regular annual meetings named “International AIDS Conferences” began in 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia. 

1984 saw the beginnings of a sad phenomenon that slowed the research trying to isolate the still unseen virus that causes AIDS. The Pasteur Institute in France and the National Cancer Institute in Washington began competing rather than cooperating – both hoping to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine. The two teams could not even decide on what to call the mystery they were looking for. The French referred to the virus as “LAV” while Doctor Gallo, holding firm to the concept of a link with HTLV-I (the virus that causes leukemia), called it HTLV-III. As any hopes of a trans-Atlantic cooperation disappeared, the number of reported cases was skyrocketing. In April of 1984 there were 4,100 reported cases in America with 1,807 deaths. Two months later the figures had risen to 5,000 cases and 2,300 fatalities while only a few superficial, palliative treatments were available. 

In the spring of 1984 America lost a great opportunity to de-stigmatize AIDS which would have accelerated research and education. Actor Rock Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS. For months he tried in vain to conceal the news while being treated in France – ironically at The American Hospital of Paris. He did manage to fool one important friend, however. At a White House celebration in August, 1984, and in response to First Lady, Nancy Reagan’s question regarding the actor’s gaunt appearance, Hudson claimed he had been food poisoned in Israel while shooting a film. Worse, perhaps, Reverend Jerry Falwell said we all “needed to return to moral sanity” and not to “favor homosexuals” in medical research. The un-protested comment was made during a speech at the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. 

Finally, and for the first time since one of the most overt act of discrimination in modern history had begun, public protests erupted in California and New York amid confusion of how the virus was contracted. Many believed it was transmitted through casual contact such as kissing or touching and, therefore it was suggested, the “contaminated” individuals should be quarantined. Others took an opposite point of view. Doctor Gallo said that only one out of one hundred people who were exposed to the virus would progress to developing “full blown AIDS”. That theory was discounted when the number of reported cases crossed the 6,000 mark and Ronald Reagan’s first term was drawing to a close without the President having ever addressed the problem during a policy speech. In fact he had never uttered the word “AIDS”. 

Shortly after Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his second term, and as the number of American AIDS cases reached 8,000, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) actually cut spending for AIDS research from $96 million to $85 million. Equally disappointing was the fact that the CDC did not fund a proposed unit which was suggested to be called “Operations AIDS Control” even though there was increasing documentation of heterosexual transmission of the virus as well as a reported incidence of the disease in the US Army and new awareness of the risks associated with sharing IV needles.

By mid 1986, the “two viruses” (HTLV-III and LAV) were recognized as one and internationally renamed HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). At the same time, it was becoming widely accepted that that there were several strains of the virus and that the easiest way to determine the virus’s effect and damage to the immune system was to measure a type of white blood cell called the CD-4 lymphocyte, also known as the “T Helper Cell” and commonly referred to as the “T-Cell”. By this time, the number of AIDS cases in America had passed 10,000.

The early evolution of AIDS in America chronicles a sad chapter in our history. Questions abound regarding what the progression of AIDS might have been if President Reagan had emphasized education and prevention. Would an early government “Manhattan-type Project” to discover a vaccine before HIV mutated have been possible? If Rock Hudson had confided in Nancy Reagan, might she have convinced the President to consult experts and emphasize safe sex education? Obviously, there are no verifiable answers to these theoretical questions. 

Luckily, however, the world now benefits from Herculean efforts to combat the AIDS crisis such as the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in cooperation with Warren Buffet. These laudable programs are trying to address the challenges posed by the thirty-three million cases of HIV worldwide. However, while these topics will be discussed and analyzed at the XVII International AIDS Conference, let us remember the innocent, early victims who died frightening, painful and dehumanizing deaths. 

©2008 Richard René Silvin

101 First Male Artists With a No1 Single in

What can really Charts tell us?

Is it just a proof of commercial succes or can we find out more?

Many artist we all loved never really made it to the top, while others who were not even real singers did.

Did you know that Benny Hill had a no 1 single in October 1971? Do you remember Kojak, the tv series with greek-american actor Telly Savallas? He had one too.

Anyway this is the full list of 101 first male artists with a number 1 Single.

1. AL MARTINO

in NOVEMBER 14 1952 with HERE IN MY HEART

2. EDDIE FISHER

in JANUARY 30 1953 with OUTSIDE OF HEAVEN

3. GUY MITCHELL

in MARCH 13 1953 with SHE WEARS RED FEATHERS

4. FRANKIE LAINE

in APRIL 24 1953 with I BELIEVE

5. MANTOVANI

in AUGUST 14 1953 with THE SONG FROM THE MOULIN ROUGE

6. DAVID WHITFIELD

in NOVEMBER 6 1953 with ANSWER ME

7. EDDIE CALVERT

in JANUARY 8 1954 with OH, MEIN PAPA

8. JOHNNY RAY

in APRIL 30 1954 with SUCH A NIGHT

9. FRANK SINATRA

SEPTEMBER 17 1954 with THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN

10. DON CORNELL

in OCTOBER 8 1954 with HOLD MY HAND

11. BILL HALEY AND HIS COMETS

in JANUARY 7 1955 with ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK

12. TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD

in MARCH 11 1955 with GIVE ME YOUR WORD

13. TONY BENNETT

in MAY 13 1955 with STRANGER IN PARADISE

14. JIMMY YOUNG

in JUNE 24 1955 with IUNCHAINED MELODY

15. DICKIE VALENTINE

in DECEMBER 16 1955 with CHRISTMAS ALPHABET

16. DEAN MARTIN

in FEBRUARY 17 1956 with MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

17. RONNIE HILTON

in MAY 4 1956 with NO OTHER LOVE

18. PAT BOONE

in JUNE 15 1956 with I’LL BE HOME

19. FRANKIE VAUGHAN

in JANUARY 25 1957 with THE GARDEN OF EDEN

20. TAB HUNTER

in FEBRUARY 22 1957 with YOUNG LOVE

21. LONNIE DONEGAN

in ARPIL 12 1957 with CUMBERLAND GAP

22. ANDY WILLIAMS

in MAY 24 1957 with BUTTERFLY

23. PAUL ANKA

in AUGUST 30 1957 with DIANA

24. HARRY BELAFONTE

in NOVEMBER 22 1957 with MARY’S BOY CHILD

25. JERRY LEE LEWIS

in JANUARY 10 1958 with GREAT BALLS OF FIRE

26. ELVIS PRESLEY

in JANUARY 24 1958 with JAILHOUSE ROCK

27. MICHAEL HOLLIDAY

in FEBRUARY 14 1958 with THE STORY OF MY LIFE

28. PERRY COMO

in FEBRUARY 28 1958 with MAGIC MOMENTS

29. MARVIN RAINWATER

in APRIL 25 1958 with WHOLE LOTTA WOMAN

30. VIC DAMONE

in JUNE 27 1958 with ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE

31. TOMMY EDWARDS

in NOVEMBER 7 1958 with IT’S ALL IN THE GAME

32. CONWAY TWITTY

in DECEMBER 19 1958 with IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE

33. RUSS CONWAY

in MARCH 27 1959 with SIDE SADDLE

34. BUDDY HOLLY

in APRIL 24 1959 with IT DOESN’T MATTER ANYMORE

35. BOBBY DARIN

in JULY 3 1959 with DREAM LOVER

36. CRAIG DOUGLAS

in SEPTEMBER 11 1959 with ONLY SIXTEEN

37. JERRY KELLER

in OCTOBER 9 1959 with HERE COMES SUMMER

38. ADAM FAITH

in DECEMBER 4 1959 with WHAT DO YOU WANT

39. ANTHONY NEWLAY

in FEBRUARY 5 1960 with WHY

40. JOHNNY PRESTON

in MARCH 17 1960 with RUNNING BEAR

41. EDDIE COCHRAN

in JUNE 23 1960 with THREE STEPS TO HEAVEN

42. JIMMY JONES

in JULY 9 1960 with GOOD TIMIN’

43. RICKY VALANCE

in SEPTEMBER 29 1960 with TELL LAURA I LOVE HER

44. ROY ORBISON

in OCTOBER 20 1960 with ONLY THE LONELY (KNOW HOW I FEEL)

45. JOHNNY TILLOTSON

in JANUARY 12 1961 with POETRY IN MOTION

46. DEL SHANNON

in JUNE 29 1961 with RUNAWAY

47. EDEL KANE

in AUGUST 3 1961 with WELL I ASK YOU

48. JOHN LEYTON

in AUGUST 31 1961 with JOHNNY REMEMBER ME

49. DANNY WILLIAMS

in DECEMBER 28 1961 with MOON RIVER

50. RAY CHARLES

in JULY 12 1962 with I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU

51. FRANK IFIELD

in JULY 26 1962 with I REMEMBER YOU

52. TOM JONES

in MARCH 11 1965 with IT’S NOT UNUSUAL

53. CLIFF RICHARD

in APRIL 15 1965 with THE MINUTE YOU’RE GONE

54. ROGER MILLER

in MAY 13 1965 with KING OF THE ROAD

55. KEN DODD

in SEPTEMBER 30 1965 with TEARS

56. JIM REEVES

in SEPTEMBER 22 1966 with DISTANT DRUMS

57. ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK

in MARCH 2 1967 with RELEASE ME

58. SCOTT McKENZIE

in AUGUST 9 1967 with SAN FRANCISCO (BE SURE TO WEAR SOME FLOWERS IN YOUR HAIR)

59. LONG JOHN BALDRY

in NOVEMBER 22 1967 with LET THE HEARTACHES BEGIN

60. GEORGIE FAME

in JANUARY 24 1968 with THE BALLAD OF BONNIE AND CLYDE

61. DES O’CONNOR

in JULY 24 1968 with I PRETEND

62. JOE COCKER

in NOVEMBER 6 1968 with WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

63. PETER SARSTEDT

in FEBRUARY 26 1969 with WHERE DO YOU GO (MY LOVELY)

64. MARVIN GAYE

in MARCH 26 1969 with I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE

65. TOMMY ROE

in JUNE 4 1969 with DIZZY

66. ROLF HARRIS

in DECEMBER 20 1969 with TWO LITTLE BOYS

67. LEE MARVIN

in MARCH 7 1970 with WAND’RIN’ STAR

68. NORMAN GREENBAUM

in MAY 2 1970 with SPIRIT IN THE SKY

69. JIMI HENDRIX

in NOVEMBER 21 1970 with VOODOO CHILE

70. DAVE EDMUNDS

in NOVEMBER 28 1970 with I HEAR YOU KNOCKING

71. CLIVE DUNN

in JANUARY 9 1971 with GRANDAD

72. GEORGE HARRISON

in JANUARY 30 1971 with MY SWEET LORD

73. ROD STEWART

in OCTOBER 9 1971 with MAGGIE MAY

74. BENNY HILL

in DECEMBER 11 1971 with ERNIE (THE FASTEST MILKMAN IN THE WEST)

75. NILLSON

in MARCH 11 1972 with WITHOUT YOU

76. DON McLEAN

in JUNE 17 1972 with VINCENT

77. DONNY OSMOND

in JULY 8 1972 with PUPPY LOVE

78. ALICE COOPER

in AUGUST 12 1972 with SCHOOL’S OUT

79. DAVID CASSIDY

in SEPTEMBER 30 1972 with HOW CAN I BE SURE

80. GILBERT O’SULLIVAN

in NOVEMBER 11 1972 with CLAIR

81. CHUCK BERRY

in NOVEMBER 25 1972 with MY DING-A-LING

82. GARY GLITTER

in JULY 28 1973 with I’M THE LEADER OF THE GANG (I AM!)

83. ALVIN STARDUST

in MARCH 9 1974 with JEALOUS MIND

84. TERRY JACKS

in APRIL 8 1974 with SEASONS IN THE SUN

85. RAY STEVENS

in JUNE 15 1974 with THE STREAK

86. CHARLES AZNAVOUR

in JUNE 29 1974 with SHE

87. GEORGE McCRAE

in JULY 27 1974 with ROCK YOUR BABY

88. JOHN DENVER

in OCTOBER 12 1974 with ANNIE’S SONG

89. KEN BOOTHE

in OCTOBER 26 1974 with EVERYTHING I OWN

90. DAVID ESSEX

in NOVEMBER 16 1974 with GONNA MAKE YOU A STAR

91. BARRY WHITE

in DECEMBER 7 1974 with YOU’RE THE FIRST, THE LAST, MY EVERYTHING

92. TELLY SAVALAS

in MARCH 8 1975 with IF

93. JOHNNY NASH

in JULY 12 1975 with TEARS ON MY PILLOW

94. ART GARFUNKEL

in OCTOBER 25 1975 with I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU

95. DAVID BOWIE

in NOVEMBER 8 1975 with SPACE ODDITY

96. BILLY CONNOLLY

in NOVEMBER 22 1975 with D.I.V.O.R.C.E.

97. JJ BARRIE

in JUNE 5 1976 with NO CHARGE

98. DEMIS ROUSSOS

in JULY 17 1976 with THE ROUSSOS PHENOMENON EP

99. JOHNNY MATHIS

in DECEMBER 25 1976 with WHEN A CHILD IS BORN (SOLEADO)

100. DAVID SOUL

in JANUARY 15 1977 with DON’T GIVE UP ON US

101. LEO SAYER

in FEBRUARY 19 1977 with WHEN I NEED YOU

First Time In San Francisco?

I’m taking a road trip from Seattle to San Francisco in the end of July. I’ve never been before, and we’re only going to be there for 4 days. What are some things to do? I would really like so ideas of things to do that people veiw as “MUST DO’S”. Also, I am really intersted in finding a really good place in the area to see live reggae music. Please give me some ideas! Also any idea of things to do in between Seattle and San Francisco would be great too!

Are You and Your Family Prepared for the First 72 Hours?

   Experience gained from past disasters has shown that it can take up to 72 hours or more to mobilize a significant relief effort during an emergency.  Therefore everyone needs to be preparing to cope on his or her own for at least the first 72 hours – that’s 3 days – of an emergency.
   Of course common sense dictates that we should be prepared for any emergency situation, however the fact is that only a few of us are ready for even the smallest crisis, let alone one of larger significance. 
   One obvious advantage of being prepared – it allows emergency workers to focus on people in very urgent need of their help. To support their efforts, the rest of us must to be prepared to look after ourselves for at least 72 hours.
   The San Francisco area is exposed to a wide variety of hazards, both natural and man-made. The path of destruction that Hurricane Katrina left in its wake across the southern U.S. in August 2005 and the widespread flooding of 2007 – 2008 have provided a horrific reminder of the importance of being prepared for disasters. Unfortunately no part of our country, or North America for that matter is immune to a natural or a man-made disaster.
   Earthquakes, power outages, floods, fires, severe storms and acts of terrorism are just some of the potential emergencies. Many of these emergencies have been deadly in the past. Being prepared can save lives and can help to reduce the impact of a disaster on you and your family. 

Why prepare your family? 

   Imagine for a moment that you have no electricity, no gas, no water and no telephone service. Imagine that all the businesses are closed and you are without any kind of emergency services. What will you do until help arrives?
   What will you do if your local authorities issue and emergency evacuation order?  Remember, in such a circumstance there will be no stores open for you to acquire anything, the store personal will be evacuating also!
   If you have not prepared beforehand for either of these events, both you and your family may have a very difficult time when a disaster strikes your hometown. 

   While governments are working hard to keep citizens safe, we all have an important role to play in emergency preparedness and response. By being prepared to take care of yourself, you allow community resources to be used more effectively during an emergency and you help keep your own family safe at the same time. Very simply put, emergency preparedness must begin at home.

Start to plan today!
   As neither man-made nor natural emergencies can be predicted; therefore it is imperative that we are all prepared well in advance of the disaster.
I cannot over stress this point.  

   Prepare your emergency kit and your family – so in the case of a major emergency like a flood or blackout – you are ready to take care of yourself and your loved ones for at least 72 hours. You should be prepared to live without running water, electricity, gas, telephones and assistance from safety services for at least three days following a disaster. 

What do you need? 
   You need to have an “Emergency Kit” in your home, ready to go at a moments notice.
   Your family Emergency Kit is comprised of two separate parts, a First Aid Kit and a Go Bag.

   Your own 72-Hour Emergency Kit should be tailored to meet the basic survival needs of your family. Store your emergency supplies in an easily accessible if evacuation is required. Items may be stored in a 32-gallon trashcan, suitcase, duffle bag, backpack, footlocker or individual pack.  

Your First Aid Kit 

   In any emergency situation, you or a family member may be cut, burned or suffer other injuries. It is imperative that you keep basic first aid supplies handy so you are prepared to assist when someone is hurt. Medical help may not be available during or immediately after a large-scale disaster.
My personal list of items that should be in your First Aid Kit: 

Adhesive bandages in a variety of sizes
Gauze pads and bandages
Butterfly Closure bandages
Sterile dressings to stop bleeding (Blood stopper)
Elastic Wrap
Instant cold pack
Cleansing agent/soap and antibiotic towelettes to disinfect
Antibiotic ointment to prevent infection
Burn ointment
Sting Relief Pads (for insect bites)
Sunscreen packets
Eye wash solution to flush the eyes or as general decontaminant
Cotton tips
Scissors
Tweezers
At least two pairs of disposable gloves
A First Aid Instruction Guide
Hygiene kits
Flashlight or brightstick 
Medicines such as Aspirin or other pain reliever, laxative, anti-diarrhea medication  

Your Go Bag:
   A major component of your disaster kit is your Go-bag. Every household should pack a Go Bag — a collection of items you may need in the event of an evacuation order. 
   Your Go Bag may be assembled or purchased as a ready-made kit for convenience. Your Go Bag should be packed in a sturdy backpack or suitcase on wheels.
   The Go Bag should be easily accessible if you have to leave your home in a hurry. Make sure it is ready to go at all times of the year as an emergency evacuation order can occur at any time of the year. 

   Prepare one Go-bag for each family member and make sure each is tagged with the name of the person it was packed for. You may not be at home when an emergency strikes so keep some additional supplies in your car and at work.  

Items that should be in your Go Bag:
The prescription medications you take every day such as insulin or heart medication.
All prescribed medical supplies such as glucose or blood pressure monitors
Drinking Water
Non-perishable food such as food ration bars or Meal-in-a-Box
Manual can opener
Plates, utensils and other cooking supplies
Flashlight and extra batteries or Hand-charged Flashlight
Pocketknife or Multifunctional Tool
Battery-operated AM/FM radio and extra batteries
Whistle
Waterproof Matches
Water filtration bottle
Duct Tape, permanent marker, and paper
Cable Ties
Light Stick
Rope or twine
Emergency cash in small denominations and quarters for phone calls
Heavy work gloves
Disposable lighters
Phillips Screw Driver
Standard Screw Driver
Folding Shovel w/Sheath
Trash Bags
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Personal Hygiene kit
Shave Kit
Maps
Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, gloves and a warm hat
Emergency Survival Sleeping Bag
Rain Ponchos
Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes
List of emergency contact phone numbers
List of allergies to any drug or food
Copy of health insurance and identification cards
Extra prescription eyeglasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
Prescription medications
Extra keys to your house and vehicle
Disposable camera
Any special-needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities.

Don’t forget to make a Go-bag for your pets.
   Remember that if you have to leave your house due to an evacuation order, you will be living and sleeping somewhere else for a while. It is therefore a good idea to add some activity items to the kids Go Bag.

Some suggestions may be a couple of favorite books
Crayons, pencils and plenty of paper
A puzzle
A favorite toy such as a doll or action figure
One or two board games
A deck of cards
A Favorite stuffed animal or puppet
Favorite blanket or pillow 

   I sincerely hope that this article will provide the incentive for you to get prepared for an emergency now.  Don’t put if off for another day.  The safety and well being of your family is at stake. 

Allan Wright
First Aid Kit Products

Dancing With the Stars – 4.3 – the First to Go Is..

It appears to be anybody’s game for Dancing with the Stars season four. Although there were many assumptions and speculations on who would get axed first, the results of the first elimination were deemed to be shocking.

Surprisingly, Dancing with the Stars sent home Paulina Porizkova and dance partner Alec Mazo. Despite the couple’s mediocre performance, not to mention Porizkova’s sophistication and graceful execution of her dance routine, they were voted off on the first results show, which aired Tuesday, March 27, 2007. And although the couple trained extensively, their dance act just was not enough to fascinate the interest of the voters of Dancing with the Stars.

Porizkova, a 41-year old Czech supermodel turned actress, escalated to fame when she graced the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1984 and 1985. She also made appearances on Vogue, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Self, Cosmopolitan and Glamour. As an actress, she worked in films like Her Alibi, Knots, and Roommates to name a few. In addition, she has also written several books. As for Mazo, he is known as a professional ballroom dancer. This Russian-born dancer is presently based in San Francisco and has been part of Dancing with the Stars since its premier season. Prior to his stint on the show, he studied at UC Berkeley and acquired a degree in cognitive science. As a professional dancer, he won the Emerald Ball Latin Amateur Champion, and landed first place in the 2001 International Grand Ball in San Francisco, and the 2001 Holiday Ball in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Among the participants, many anticipated that Clyde Drexler, Billy Ray Cyrus, or Leeza Gibbons would be the first to exit the popular celebrity competition, based on their not so remarkable performance. Given this, it is very intriguing to imagine the outcome of the coming eliminations.

For more resources about Dancing with the Stars or especially about Dancing With the Stars – 4.3 – The First to Go is… please visit http://www.buddytv.com

Bears First in Sports History to Accumulate Victories, in Spite of Winning

The Chicago Bears won a total of 3 playoff games between the 1985 and 2006 seasons (21 years), out of a total of 11 games. They did not appear in the playoffs from 1995 until 2001, recording only winning season in that span. After securing home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs in 2006, they were assured of their third “final 8″ appearance in 6 years. A feat only 5 other teams can currently lay claim to (Philly-5, St. Louis- 3, Pitt-4, NE-5, and Indy-4). The Bears have celebrated one Super Bowl victory (many NFL championships, but just the one SB in ’85). Not much to be proud of unless you consider that there are 6 teams in the NFL who have never been to a Super Bowl at all, and 15 total that have never won a Super Bowl in its 40 year history.

With that kind of recent history, the Bears fans should be proud of the 2006 team for what they have accomplished to this point. Remember just 4 years ago, when the team didn’t even have a home game because of the Soldier Field renovation, started an NFL record 49 different players because of injuries, and won only 4 games despite coming of a 13-3 season the year before and starting 2-0? Those were rough times, but we’ve recovered. Now they are one win away from their 2nd Super Bowl appearance ever. However, national pundits and even several of our own kind, have led us to believe this Bears team is not worthy of the slightest praise. Consider the following, if you will, that the Bears are:

Week 1: (vs. Green Bay, 26-0) the worst team to ever shutout Brett Favre’s Packers at Lambeau Field

Week 2: (vs. Detroit, 34-7) the worst to ever hold their first 2 opponents to 7 points.

Week 3: (vs. Minnesota, 19-16) the worst team to ever win their first 3 games, 2 of them on the road. Also the worst team to ever win a game against a team wearing purple.

Week 4: (vs. Seattle, 37-6) the worst team to ever win a game in which the opponent’s best player was inactive. They are also the worst team to ever win a prime time game against a fellow undefeated, who happens to be the defending conference champs. And the worst team to ever win a game in which they had to win to be considered “for real”. Which also makes them the worst team to ever be labeled as “for real”.

Week 5: (vs. Buffalo, 41-7) the worst team to ever beat the crap out of a former coach. They are also the worst team to ever dominate an opponent into submission before the halftime bell sounded. Worst team to ever be 5-0. Rex Grossman also became the worst player to ever win player of the month honors.

Week 6: (vs. Arizona, 24-23) the worst team to ever win a game, period. The worst team to ever use special teams and defense to win. The worst team to ever win a Monday Night road game. The worst team to ever win by one point. The worst 6-0 team to ever be considered in the same class as a 1-5 team by the opposing coach. And finally, the worst team to ever be drug through the mud by an opposing coach, after beating that team on their home turf.

Week 7: (Bye) the worst team to ever be on bye week.

Week 8: (vs. San Francisco, 41-10) the worst team to ever beat the hell out of the 49ers. The worst team to ever win by simply stepping onto the field. The worst team to ever crush an inferior opponent into oblivion.

Week 9: (vs. Miami, 13-31) the worst team to ever wait until Novemebr to get their first loss. The worst team to ever “show their true colors” in a loss. The worst team to ever need 7 wins to balance one loss.

Week 10: (vs. Giants, 38-20) the worst team to ever win by dominating when it counted. The worst team to ever rebound from a loss.

Week 11: (vs. Jets, 10-0) the worst team to ever win 2 straight games at the Meadowlands. The worst defense to ever record a shutout on the road.

Week 12: (vs. Patriots, 13-17) the worst team ever told their season was over at 9-2. The worst team to ever play 3 straight road games against playoff bound teams on the East Coast and win only 2.

Week 13: (vs. Vikings, 23-13) the worst team to ever sweep a division opponent. Also the worst team to ever run up and down the field against the best run defense in the league..

Week 14: (vs. Rams, 41-27) the worst team to ever trail at halftime and win by 2 touchdowns. The worst team to ever win 4 prime time games in one season.

Week 15: (vs. Bucanneers, 34-31) the worst team to ever win in overtime. Also the worst team to secure home field advantage.

Week 16: (vs. Lions, 26-21) the worst team to ever accumulate 13 victories. Also the worst team ever with 6 Pro Bowl selections

Week 17: (vs. Packers, 23-7) the worst team ever to not lose their 3rd game of the season until after Christmas. The worst team to ever go 6-2 at home, 7-1 on the road, and 5-1 in their division 2 straight years.

Week 18: The worst team to ever relax at home while inferior opponents earn the right to play them. Oh yeah, the worst team to ever have inferior competetion.

Week 19: (vs. Seattle, 27-24) the worst team to ever win a playoff game.

At this point, some other possibilites still exist;

Week 20: (vs. New Orleans) the worst team to ever go to the Super Bowl

Week 21: worst team to ever win a Super Bowl with the worst QB to ever win a SB under the worst coach to ever win a SB in the worst year in NFL history.

Am I predicting the Bears to win another game? No. Its not about predictions. Its about respect. “The Bears played the easiest schedule”. Yep. Just think, if the Bears had finished 0-16, their opponent’s cumulative record would look really good. There are 28 other teams in the NFL that are going to be eating pocorn this weekend, wishing they were as bad as

the Bears. Eventually, the Bears may lose and all of the morons who think the Bears were the worst playoff team ever, and now the worst final four team ever will look as if they called it right. Sort of like Russian Roulette. You keep firing the gun, eventually a bullet will come out…………….

The First 26 Years of Gurbaksh Chahal’s Life

Gurbaksh Chahal, more commonly known as “G”, at the age of 26, is one of the youngest and most successful entrepreneurs of our times. He is also considered to be one of the most eligible bachelors of America.

Gurbaksh Chahal was born in the town of Tarn Taran, near Amritsar in Punjab (India) to Avtar and Arjinder Chahal. In 1985, his parents received a visa for America through a lottery-based system in India. At the age of 4, he immigrated to the United States with his family and settled in San Jose, California. Gurbaksh came from disciplined background where education was compulsory, so he went to public schools all throughout his early life in San Jose, attending high school for two years, albeit soon enrolling in Accel Middle College, which allowed him to enter college while finishing his high school degree.

Chahal believed that life is all about risks and the definition of failure is only when you let fear take over your instincts. Even as a teenager, Chahal was an avid risk taker. Therefore, he chose a different route as his career path. At the age of 16, Chahal dropped out of Accel Middle College to start his first venture. Having seen the amount of money being made by prominent Internet companies of the 1990s, Chahal founded ClickAgents, one of the first online ad networks to focus on the needs of performance-based advertisers, rather than brand advertisers. Just two years later, ValueClick agreed to buy ClickAgents for $40 million in stock, making him a multi-millionaire by the age of 18.

In January 2004, at just 21-years-old, he found his second company “BlutLithium”. It was the next generation ad network focusing on data, optimization and analytics and was a pioneer of behavioral targeting. Under his leadership, BlueLithium was named one of the top 100 private companies in America and in 2006 received highest honor as Top Innovator of the Year. On September 4th, 2007, Yahoo! announced that it was acquiring BlueLithium for $300 million in cash.

After the sale of BlueLithium, Gurbaksh Chahal decided to make a list of all the different things he wanted to do outside of business. His biggest dreams were – “The Dream”, to be a part of “Secret Millionaire” and be interviewed by “Oprah Winfrey”. In November 2007, he signed up with William Morris to explore these projects (The Dream and Secret Millionaire). 2008 proved to be a very lucky year for Gurbaksh Chahal as all his dreams came true in 2008.

Not content to cool his heels after selling ad network BlueLithium to Yahoo!, founder and entrepreneurial guru “Gurbaksh Chahal” rejoined the technology game with gWallet, a new ecommerce solution. Based in San Francisco, gWallet is the next generation shopping destination for the online consumer. gWallet will help revolutionize the way consumers shop, transact, and interact with merchants.

Gurbaksh Chahal is accustomed to risk. That’s how the 26-years-old Indian American raised in San Jose built an Internet fortune for himself, and he is not going to stop taking chances any time soon.

To know more about Gurbaksh Chahal, please visit the site http://www.chahal.com

 

First Trip To San Francisco, What Should I See?

I will only be in town Thanksgiving weekend & am taking my boyfriend to the Raider game on Sunday, so I only really have Friday & Saturday. I heard Gary Danko’s restaurant is good, so we will being going there. What else?

A First Time Triathlete’s Guide to What’s Important for Preparing for Your First Triathlon

I did my first triathlon at the Marin Triathlon in 2008 and wanted to share my experiences for any other potential first time triathletes. It was a greatly rewarding experience that still gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. I think most anyone can do a triathlon if they put their mind and body to it. In researching a triathlon, you’ll be bombarded with information. I want to share how I did it and what I found out was important to me.

While I researched triathlons fairly extensively before doing my first one, I am by no means an expert. I am only sharing my experiences to help give you a perspective that might help you. Use only as directed and please consult a doctor before trying. Your mileage will vary.

Learn the basics
My wife bought me two books. One was Triathlon Training in Fours A Week (By Eric Harr) and the other was Complete Triathlon Book from Triathlete Magazine. I also found a great number of good resources on the Internet. The book by Eric Harr I thought was the best for me. It was conversational and really spoke to me as a first-timer. I highly recommend the book.

I also found that Youtube is a great resource for instructional videos on just about anything. If you do searches on triathlon you’ll see a lot of free instructional videos, many by coaches and champion triathletes on how to run, bike and swim faster and better. There are a lot of great instructional videos on how to set up the transition area effectively. You can also see what a triathlon start looks like and how people transition during a race.

The most useful videos I found were on swim technique. I knew how to get across a pool but I didn’t know how to do it efficiently. Learning how to swim properly and then trying it in the pool really helped improve my swim efficiency. If I had to do it all over again, I would have taken a master’s swimming program. I improved my swim efficiency by 20-30% just by improving my technique. I used less energy and reduced my post swim soreness by a lot after knowing how to swim better (more later).

Buying the equipment
For cycling, I needed to get some new equipment to get started. After a few months of research I decided on a Trek 1000. I bought the previous year’s model and got a nice discount on it (I ended up paying $600 for it brand new). I had to buy some other equipment like a bike toolkit, spare tube, water bottle cage, tire pump (or you may decide to use CO2 cartridges), bicycle jersey and triathlon pants (the kind that have some padding but are made of fast drying materials). People tell me you really need to use bicycle clips and that it can increase your efficiency by 20-25%. I used a regular shoe cage and pedaled in my running shoes. That seemed fine and it made me T2 time really fast because all I had to do was hop off the bike, take off my helmet, stretch my legs a bit and go.

I already had a nice pair of running shoes so I didn’t need much there. Besides, I was planning to wear the same clothes as the bicycle portion so I didn’t need new clothes.

Swimming can be very expensive. If you are doing an open water swim in cold water you probably want to consider a wet suit. After much research, I found the best deals at two places. Sports Basement has a nice rental program where I could rent a high quality wetsuit for $20 for a day. The sales people there are pretty experienced – in fact the person who helped me with my rental actually coached triathletes so I got some great advice from him. The best place to rent in my opinion is Fit 2 Race (www.f2r.com). The people there are super nice, super helpful and the prices are very reasonable. I rented a suit for 30 days I think for $50 (that included the cost of sending the suit back after the race). They have nice wetsuits, have prompt service and if you decide to buy you can apply the rental price towards their very reasonably priced suits. Try them out. It’s a solid deal, particularly if you are unsure about making the investment in your own suit.

I found it invaluable to take a lesson in open water swimming. I took a class with www.swimart.com which really helped me understand what open water swimming was about. If anything it alleviated many of my fears. After I decided to jump in and take the class, I signed up for my triathlon a few weeks later knowing that I could handle the cold water, knowing the techniques I needed to know and having gone through a practice swim or two at Aquatic Park. Leslie Thomas is the proprietor of Swim Art and is an excellent instructor. I took one class and did one group swim and did a few of my own swims at Swim Art and I was set

All told with equipment, lessons, registration, clothing, race nutrition I probably spent about $1200 and that was going really on the cheap (and renting a wetsuit, not keeping it). The bulk of the expenditure was on the cycling portion of course. Registration for this eco-friendly race was over $200.

Also check out the course when you get a chance. I drove the course the day before and I could better plan how I was going to expend my energy. I noticed that the cycle and run had a lot of hills which would present themselves at the beginning and the finish of each section. I metered my energy a lot better knowing that.

Training
I was surprised to find that my body was able to complete the required distances individually. I could run 6 miles and have done so many times in the past so I wasn’t too worried about that portion. I was worried about the bike and swim portion since I really never went anywhere close to the distances required.

I think for most people it’s a matter of mind over matter. Build yourself up slowly and you’ll probably find that you can handle these distances at a nice comfortable pace. Over time you can work to improving your times once you have the confidence to know that you can complete it. I never thought I could do 80x25m laps in the pool but once you find a comfortable pace and style, you can get it done. For my practice sessions, I ended up swimming 2km per workout and it took me about 40-45 minutes. To get to that level took me about 4-5 training sessions. I swam about a mile each time I went to Aquatic Park in the open water just so I knew I would be able to make the whole swim and to get comfortable with being out in the open water, swimming in near zero visibility.

Technique was really important here. I found that I was not swimming “long” and “flat”. By reaching a bit more and raising my butt a bit higher than usual I produced less drag. Also I was not gliding enough on the reach portion of my stroke. I found that if I glided (almost like a sidestroke), I was able to swim with a lot more power and less energy. The most important improvement to my swim stroke was on the very finish of my stroke. I tended to lift my hands out of the water too early and didn’t let my hand basically touch my leg before coming out. I changed my stroke to push down further on the last part of my catch (almost as if I was pushing something down) and then brush my hand against my thigh to make sure I was doing my entire stroke. This really helped my stroke efficiency immensely. They always say swimming is all about technique and I didn’t experience that until I actually made some of these improvements.

Do focus on the brick workouts. The transitions between swim and bike and from bike to run are pretty critical. The bike to run (or T2) is particularly important because that’s when your body wants to rebel. After being on a bike for some time and then getting off to run is really difficult. Your legs don’t feel like working right and it sometimes takes ½ mile to even a mile before you feel like you are hitting a decent run stride. The more you practice this, the more you feel comfortable with it. And the less likely you’ll injure yourself. I made sure I could do a 25mile bike/6 mile run in practice before I felt confident I could finish the race.

I didn’t practice any swim to bike transitions mostly because it was inconvenient for me to do so. When I did it in the race, I did find that after swimming I was a little bit dizzy from being horizontal and then going vertical but it was not much. I kept things slow and didn’t try to look like a superman running from swim to the transition area. My T1 time was pretty quick (just a few minutes) so even though I felt I was going slow I really wasn’t.

Couple of key pointers during the race!
I found it was super-critical to ask about the swim path before the race. When there are tides at play, you can really get yourself in a hole if you swim the wrong course. There were strong tides (mostly in our favor) in the Marin Triathlon however, if you didn’t play it right, it could be your worst enemy. We were facing a big right to left tide (if you are looking out from the shore) so in order to make the turn around the first buoy you really had to shoot far right to make it around. I followed the advice and shot around the first buoy nicely. What nobody explained to me was what to do with the 2nd buoy which was a little bit further out and I missed the buoy by only about 2 yards. But it was too late. The tide had already swept me and I had to fight the tide to swim back around the 2nd buoy so I wouldn’t be disqualified. Well, I had never experienced swimming against a strong tide because I had done all of my practice swimming in a pool and in the Aquatic Park in San Francisco, which has a barrier around most of the swimming area. It felt terrible. The buoy literally looked liked it had a motorboard engine and was puttering away from me at a good clip. I gave myself an extra push and swam like crazy (swallowing some water in the process) and eventually made it around but it did suck out a significant amount of energy. I was surprised at how powerful the tides could be. When people tell me that you can make no, or negative progress in a strong tide, I understood it 100%. I almost felt helpless from the strength of the tide. From then on, I respected the tides much more and gave myself good distance around the buoys but without knowledge of the tides you will be flying blind.

Pace yourself well on the swim because things always look closer than they really are. You think you are close to the finish line and you wonder why it’s taking so long to get there. Practicing sighting is also really key. I’m not a terribly good sighter but having practiced the basics a couple of times helped me a lot in swimming more straight. Ask around for the path you need to swim in the race. Otherwise you look around wondering why those people are swimming there, and why those other people are swimming over there. You can get confused about the right thing to do. I popped up my head several times wondering whether I was on the right path or not.

Another quick story. Remember that first buoy I told you about. Well a bunch of swimmers aimed more left while a good chunk of the people followed the advice and went as far right as they could. The people who aimed left looked like they would get to the buoy much faster and looked like they would get a leg up on the competition. When they hit the current, they struggled mightily to get back around the buoy. Because it was a timed start and I was in the 40 division we could see the first couple of groups go out and how they approached the first buoy, I could hear the chuckles from the more experienced triathletes who were looking at the people who decided to cut a straighter path to the first buoy. “Look at them burning all that energy just on the first turn” they laughed amongst themselves. We all headed far right on the swim.

While I was warned about all the bumping and bruising during the swim start, I didn’t have it too bad. I started a bit towards the back and while I bumped into people and got bumped, everyone was there to have fun and it wasn’t a big deal. Just remain calm and know that everyone is in the same boat. If you feel someone touch your leg or you crash into someone ahead of you, don’t freak out. It would be very rare to have it worse than what people warn you about and your not in the elite bunch anyway.

During the bike portion it’s easy to expend a lot of energy to make a good time. If you have good endurance that’s a good thing to do. However, if you aren’t a great runner, you need to conserve a little bit of energy for the last couple of miles on the run. I got saucer eyes when I was on the bike and probably pushed it a little bit faster than I should. Luckily, I didn’t get injured during the run especially as I felt my legs were getting very tired after mile three of the run.

One observation that I made during the race was that each course has its own psychology. For the Marin, it was an out and back course which means you go out and come back the same way. So as I was a five to six miles into the bicycle, the elites were already starting to come back. This wasn’t as bad as the beginning of the run where there were people finishing the race just as you were starting your grueling six miles. It was depressing for a little while seeing all of the people coming back and finishing the race just as I was starting. In a multi-lap race, I’m sure there are similar feelings as people lap you.

Nutrition during the race

You’ve probably been able to do a good workout without eating or even drinking. In a triathlon you are burning a lot of energy and can literally run out of gas, resulting in “bonking”. I was surprised at how much athletes can eat during an event. One cyclist I know eats everything in site during the rest stations. He eats a sandwich or two and eats goo and Powerbars and drinks constantly. Find what your stomach can tolerate during strenuous activity and eat lots of it. I cramped up for the first time in a long time at mile 3 of my run. That same cyclist also recommended Enduralyte pills for cramping. I wish I had taken some but I was still able to work through my cramp.

For me it was Clif Goo’s. They are mostly organic and don’t have all the nasty chemicals. They seem to digest pretty well and they are easy to store and eat.

Couple of other tips.

I hear static stretching is actually not that good for you and that in fact, it can increase your chance of injury.. There’s a NYtimes article on that. So it’s better to warm up by doing dynamic stretching – or basically by just warming up. Some people go for a swim or a run beforehand. For me, that doesn’t work – it just gets me more tired.

One other interesting advice which worked for me when I got my cramp during my run was to just stop and massage it. That worked wonders versus stretching or doing anything else. Forcing yourself to eat at regular intervals is also critical to make sure you don’t run out of energy or cramp up. As I mentioned before, I heard people swear by Enduralytes although I’ve only tried them once.

Also, settle down as quickly as you can in the race. You’ll be so hyped up that you’ll want to go faster than you had planned. In addition, you form will likely go out the window. Try to settle down a bit and concentrate a bit on your form. I took stock a couple of times during the race to think – hey, this is great – I’m competing in a triathlon. There’s nothing like that in the moments before the swim start and as you are running and biking. Take in the scenery, relax a bit and enjoy. A triathlon is not a sprint after all so make sure you are pacing yourself well throughout.

Make it a community

I hadn’t done much biking and I certainly never hung around with the triathlon community but the people who punish themselves by doing these sports are really a very community minded group. When cyclists have a flat tire, you won’t believe how often others ask to stop and help. And they love to give advice to each other and help out. Really tap into the knowledge source. Also, triathlon training can be quite boring, so it’s nice to have a partner or two on those long bicycle rides, runs and swims (although with swimming it’s pretty monotonous). You can use a solution like Qlubb to organize (where I work) and plan workout sessions and share photos of the event afterwards.

Don’t forget to keep working out afterwards. You are probably in the best shape of your life. Might as well maintain it.

After you get through the finish line celebrate! The feeling is exhilarating and surprisingly you’ll be wanting to sign up for the next one.

Baby’s First Teeth

Baby’s First Teeth

The 20 (primary) teeth your baby has at birth play a crucial role. Normally the front four teeth will appear, or erupt as we call it, within six months to one year. The late blooming other teeth will continue to appear as your baby approaches age three. The primary teeth teach your baby to chew, speak properly and create space in the jaw for their later permanent teeth.

As your child grows, the permanent teeth begin to push upward, removing the primary teeth in their way. The permanent tooth takes the place of the earlier primary tooth, giving them a full smile. At times, children can lose their primary tooth before the permanent is ready to take its place. If this happens, contact us immediately. The teeth on either side could begin to move into the empty space, limiting the place for the permanent tooth. This can crowd the teeth out of alignment. Depending on the situation, a space maintainer can hold the space and avoid any future issues. During these times, it is important to be in contact with us. Proper maintenance prevents many issues at a younger age.

Based in San Francisco, Dentist Dr. Derrick M Chan, DDS brings over twenty-nine years of dental experience & is a long-standing member of the dental community. Dr. Chan brings both practical knowledge from years of performing dental procedures, and the ability and desire to stay at the forefront of oral health advances, to his San Francisco-based practice. Visit Cosmetic Dentist San Francisco today!

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