French scientists have unveiled the genetic mechanism by which they believe two m

Paris (AFP) - French scientists said Tuesday they had found the genetic mechanism by which two HIV-infected men may have experienced a "spontaneous cure", and said it offered a new strategy in the fight against AIDS. Both men were infected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), one of them 30 years ago, but never developed AIDS symptoms. The AIDS-causing virus remained in their immune cells but was inactivated because its genetic code had been altered, the scientists said. The change appeared to be linked to increased activity of a common enzyme named APOBEC, they theorised. The "apparent spontaneous cure" throws up an intriguing avenue for drug engineers, the team said in a statement. "The work opens up therapeutic avenues for a cure, using or stimulating this enzyme, and avenues for identifying individuals among newly-infected patients who have a chance of a spontaneous cure." The work, published in the journal Clinical Microbiology and Infection, was carried out by scientists at France's Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). HIV replicates by invading human CD4 immune cells, which it reprogrammes to become virus factories. A rare group of people -- fewer than one percent of those infected -- are naturally able to rein in viral replication and keep the virus at clinically undetectable levels. They are known as "elite controllers", but the mechanism by which they keep the virus at bay remains a mystery. The French group looked at two such individuals, a 57-year-old man diagnosed HIV-positive in 1985, and a 23-year-old diagnosed in 2011, and sequenced their virus genomes. Though they remained infected, standard tests could not detect the virus in their blood. The team found that in both cases, the virus was unable to replicate in immune cells due to mutations in its genetic code. The researchers suggested spontaneous evolution between humans and the virus, a process called "endogenisation" that is believed to have neutralised other viruses in humans in the past. READ MORE

The Price of American Eugenics

Forty years later, only one state is making reparations for thousands of forced sterilizations. From the early decades of the 20th century until 1974, 32 states in the union mandated the sterilization of more than 65,000 citizens. At the behest of government eugenics boards, girls and women had their tubes tied or uteri removed, and boys and men their vasa deferentia snipped because they had been deemed unfit to reproduce. Still others came under the scalpel of private doctors, and this second group makes the calculations difficult—65,000 represents only the number of sterilizations where there was municipal paperwork. In 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Eugenics Compensation statute, and last week the state’s department of commerce began the long-awaited disbursement of financial reparations to victims of sterilization. Two hundred twenty living victims will receive checks of $20,000 each—220 checks, out of 768 claims. Between 1929 and 1974, North Carolina sterilized at least 7,600 people. However mortifying the disparity here, we must give the Assembly credit for passing legislation that no other state has so far brought to a vote; by contrast, California has kept positively mum about its own similar history, which accounts for a third of all American sterilizations. READ MORE

A teacher is back in the classroom after reportedly telling students that she'd kill all black people if she only had one week to live.

How is the school administration comfortable that, a teacher, who, obviously hates blacks (innocent or not), is now, or has been treating black children fairly? Is she undermining black children surreptitiously? Is she finding ways to damage their self esteem? Directing snide and/or dismissive remarks to whatever black children have to offer? So many ways she can covertly work to hurt the black students entrusted to her care. Yet, the administrators feel there's nothing to be concerned about? Perhaps they feel the same way she does? Just a few thoughts that come to mind.

Student's Mom Says Teacher Told Class She'd Kill All Black People If She Had 10 Days To Live

A teacher is back in the classroom after reportedly telling students that she'd kill all black people if she only had one week to live. Untitled-1-Recovered-Recovered-Recovered A North Carolina teacher is under investigation after a parent notified school officials of an incredibly racist remark she made during class. Cynthia Ramsey, a math teacher at Camden County High School, was talking to a student in a classroom when she brought up her "bucket list." "She conveyed to me that Mrs. Ramsey had indicated that if she only had 10 days to live that she would kill all black people," Kimberly Ashcraft, the student's mother, told WAVY-TV. Other students were around, and confirmed that the teacher had made the remark. "I was completely shocked," Ashcraft said. "I asked her again, 'are you sure that was what you heard?' I could not have imagined a teacher saying that." Read More

White House Remains Silent On IRS Extortion Of Innocent Americans

On Monday, I wrote about the IRS practice of emptying private bank accounts when it appears to the government that there exists a pattern of bank deposits seeking to skirt the bank reporting laws requiring all deposits of $10,000 or more to be reported by the bank to the government.

The seizures are the result of a law passed in 2000 requiring banks to look for and report ‘structuring’ cases where bank deposits by an individual or business reveal a pattern of depositing sums just below the $10,000 reporting trigger in an effort to hide large deposits from the government.
The point of the law is to help the federal government hone in on terrorists, drug dealers and other criminals who deal in large sums of cash.

As noted in my earlier piece, the most recent statistics indicate that the law has gone wildly off-course with approximately 80 percent of those who had their accounts seized in 2012 turning out to be completely innocent people who did not meet the profile of a  terrorist, drug dealer or any other sort of criminal that the law was created to impact.

While I suppose one can argue that mistakes happen—particularly when the government is involved—one might also suppose that, upon learning of the error, the IRS would be all too anxious to return the money, with interest and damages, along with a profound apology for any damage done.
Not so much.  READ MORE

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TO SIGN THE WHITE HOUSE PETITION CLICK HERE
(note link didn't work previously because of changes to how the white house petition system now operates, until 150 people sign the petition is only available through this link. which you may copy and post elsewhere. Thank you.)

FIND THE BILL HERE H.R. 5212 Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act

5 Exonerated in Central Park Jogger Case Agree to Settle Suit for $40 Million | Blackbutterfly7

5 Exonerated in Central Park Jogger Case Agree to Settle Suit for $40 Million | Blackbutterfly7

Louisiana prohibits suing oil and gas companies | Frederick Leatherman Law Blog

Louisiana prohibits suing oil and gas companies | Frederick Leatherman Law Blog

The Case for Reparations - The Atlantic

The Case for Reparations - The Atlantic