True Ease in Writing comes from Art, not Chance, As those move easiest who have learned to dance. - Alexander Pope

Biology

Sickle Cell Disease: An Informed Answer

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A recent question submitted anonymously to the Balafong facebook group read "If u had a 1/4 chance of sickle cell kids (or other genetic diseases) would u break it off and have no kids, or take your chances for love?"

An interesting (not to mention passionate) debate ensued and good arguments were made for the different courses of action mentioned in the question. We felt that one particular comment was quite informative, so we publish it here in hopes that our readers who might not be part of the facebook group can also benefit form it.

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Immortal Beauty

 

The night was still and the wind chill
The stars in the dark sky were but a few
Crickets chirped and a distant owl hooted
Surrounded by this heavenly calm, she lay.

Her head, a mass of thick ebony curls
Her beautiful dark face, now pale
Roses for lips and almonds for eyes
In her pure beauty, she lay

Limbs more fragile than autumn branches
Skin as cold as the winter wind
Yet, like Spring daffodils, she beamed
And like a midsummer's rose, she lay

Her lips curved like the mighty Atlantic
As quietly, she brought her arms to rest
Just above that motherly bosom
As, waiting patiently, she lay

The wind blew harder, but she stayed still
Eyelids drooping and the smile fading away
A deep sigh, and then cold air inhaled
As, slowly breathing her last, she lay.

Getting to Zero... Are We?

2010/11 could easily be called the most successful years since HIV scorned the human race some two decades ago. It witnessed ground breaking advances on all fronts, from the political desks to the laboratory benches. Successes registered are so great that recent discussions are centred around achieving an HIV-free world. The short term goals are achieving ZERO new HIV infections, ZERO AIDS-related deaths and ZERO discrimination. Yes you heard right, we are thinking of going down the PATH TO ENDING THE PANDEMIC!  Nations have taken commitment to end Mother to Child Transmission (MTCT) completely by 2014! That’s right, ZERO childhood infection by 2014. Therefore, the theme “GETTING TO ZERO” could not be more appropriate for World AIDS Day 2011.

All governments and stakeholders, funding agencies and policy makers, from Alaska to New Zealand deserve to be commended for such outstanding progress.

Apr 24, 2011

World Malaria Day

*I was planning to write an article about it, but this lady summed it up more eloquently than I ever could. She is the Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and Former Health Minister of Senegal, Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck. Here is her statement commemorating World Malaria Day*

A decade ago, far from public outcry or front-page headlines, malaria was killing 3,000 people every day, mainly African women and children. Few of the over 3 billion people at risk had access to mosquito nets or effective malaria drugs. Chloroquine, the main malaria drug, had become ineffective against malaria's deadliest strain, and the pipeline for new drugs, vaccines and other tools to control malaria was virtually empty.

(Today) April 25th is World Malaria Day. It is an opportunity to recognize the achievements of the last decade, since the moment when advocacy efforts shifted malaria from a neglected disease to global health priority.

A Valentine's Day Look

For Valentine's Day, even as we mostly know very little of its history and origin, you must show the one you love, that regardless of the kind of date he takes you on or no matter what your girl is up for, there's not just a lot of love in your heart, but a little bit of love in your outfit. If you want to impress on the 14th, you need to put your first step forward.

You must attach a touch of love and dedication to every bit of your night; from morning face washes, to cream baths, to healthy happy breakfasts to your outfit and outlook for the evening.

Valentine’s Day Colors

The traditional Valentine’s day colors have been tagged, red of all sorts and black.

Dec 19, 2010

Lucy the Chimp

Lucy and Janis Carter taken a year before Lucy's death

I lived in Gambia my entire life and never once heard of Lucy. Imagine the huge surprise I got when my roommates summoned me to the living room because they wanted to talk about a sensitive issue regarding a chimp killed in Gambia. This was a year ago. They asked me if I knew Lucy. I said "Nope..never heard of her.

Dec 18, 2010

Yohoss

I've had this on my Facebook for quite a while and I forgot to put it on here. I made "yohoss" ( Oysters & Gravy ) about a month ago. Since I couldn't get my hands on freshly smoked oysters, I grabbed two packs of canned smoked oysters from the supermarket. It wasn't expensive at all. I spent no more than a $1.70 on each.

Nov 29, 2010

Embrace your skin color


Don't let anybody fool you. Nothing beats your natural skin color and glow. Each year, we give millions away to companies targeting dark skinned women. These products are supposed to make our skin lighter but I say they do nothing but ruin it. It saddens me when I see people I care about using it and I wish they would stop. If they only knew how beautiful their skin was.

Jun 04, 2010

The Mosquitoes

There are our old friends, the mosquitoes. From the first evening, outside on the verandah praying, they make their presence felt. They descend from the skies in ones and twos, and settle daintily, almost fondly onto the bare patches of skin that wait, like fields buried beneath which lie globules of blood, waiting to be harvested. There are two main reactions to the mosquito. First there are the swipers, who cannot sit still for a moment in a mosquito's presence, because even hearing the whine of the insect in the air (or imagining they hear it) sets their skin to crawling. And so they swipe their hands through the air, and clap them together.