Array Working in an elementary school means that some of the kids that I work, I will work with for seven years. And of those kids, there are: a couple with serious mental illnesses, several who are struggling to read, a couple with autism, two that don’t really speak or understand English, and more who are tired, hungry, and not interested in school. I don’t know how we’ll possibly provide adequate service to kids that need a lot of special attention when our paraprofessional staff gets cut again.Like other teachers, I wonder when education will not have to be about “getting by.” After all, I think that each of us has our own unique behaviors when low, but the biochemistry would be the same.”I don’t know if we’ll ever know how Dixie (or other dogs like her) senses hypoglycemia. I would assume that some of how Dixie knows is scent, because I know of other people who have trained dogs for diabetes alerting and have used scent training techniques. It’s a deep connection that helps the dog know. What I do know is that knowing what is happening inside me is Dixie’s gift and her talent.The photo is of Dixie pushing the mounted life alert switch in my house.
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1983 stands as a bold point in AIDS history, as that year marked the first time any religious group took a public stand on the issue.Of the new voices that clamored to present an opinion on AIDS in 1983 and beyond, few were louder than that of Jerry Falwell, pastor of the 22,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. During a rally in Cincinnati in July of that year, Falwell infamously called AIDS a “gay plague” Facing his greatest moral challenge at perhaps the height of his national appeal, Falwell also placed himself in position to be a figurehead for the up and coming battle between Christian fundamentalism and the homosexual community.SourcesAlthough every religious group handled AIDS differently, it is possible to classify their actions according to six varying response types. The judgmental response, Palmer writes, “…is most often found among fundamentalist groups, who tend to view the disease as a form of divine punishment…there is no pity or aid extended to PWAs [People With AIDS], who are considered responsible for their fate, and consequently should be shunned.” as such, he quickly developed the belief that AIDS was a punishment from God for the perverted lifestyle led by homosexuals.Because the issue being argued here is actually an interplay between AIDS, Jerry Falwell, and the homosexual community of the United States, a variety of sources are necessary for its complete study. There are two major sources for AIDS history that will be used here: And the Band Played On, a 1987 book written by journalist Randy Shilts, and AIDS Doctors: Voices From the Epidemic, published in 2000 by Ronald Bayer and Gerald M. Using his journalistic training and firsthand knowledge of the epidemic, Shilts follows the virus from Denmark to New York, from homosexual men to pregnant women, from GRID to AIDS. The result is a more straightforward narrative than that seen in Shilts.Sources on Jerry Falwell (including those on fundamentalism in general) and his relationship to homosexuality are found in a variety of arenas. Also useful is Falwell’s own web site, www.falwell.org, which has links to biographical information, and the home page of his church, www.trbc.com, which provides past sermons, as well as a searchable database for frequently asked questions.Focal Point The larger question here is not whether or not Jerry Falwell fits into the judgmental response group—it will be assumed for the purpose of this paper that such a statement is true, based on his initial reaction to the growing epidemic. And Part three is a closer examination of the relationship that was forged between Falwell, homosexuals, and a microscopic virus that has plagued the world for nearly twenty-five years. While the suggestion of their closure was a hotly debated topic in the early 1980s, the bathhouses were also an early target of Jerry Falwell, who saw them as a representation of the promiscuous, immoral gay lifestyle.In the (official) Beginning…To anyone who reads the history of the first years of the AIDS epidemic, it is apparent that there were in fact two separate beginnings for this terrible disease: an official and unofficial one (or the one we can document and the one we cannot). The epidemic that would become AIDS officially entered the lives of the American people over twenty-one years ago. First, all the Los Angeles cases involved homosexual men, a fact that the MMWR report said, “suggests some association between some aspect of a homosexual lifestyle or disease acquired through sexual contact”; When asked by CDC doctors in 1981 to estimate his lifetime sexual encounters, he came up with an average of 250 new partners a year, in ten years as an active homosexual.The impact of Dugas on the spread of AIDS in the United States was extraordinary. Such a realization was important, despite the fact that it took quite some time to prove conclusively, because it signaled that AIDS was not a disease of homosexuals, but of the sexually promiscuous. Later, drug users would show that it was also a disease of the careless, a concept not addressed by Jerry Falwell in 1983.Even this early breakthrough, however, could not resolve the damage that had already been done to the homosexual community. Affected GroupsThe name GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency) suggests that homosexuals were the only group affected by the epidemic in its first year. GRID was dropped completely, and the community reference was eliminated from CAIDS and ACIDS, leaving behind the now familiar name: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS.Jerry Falwell and AIDSWhile homosexuals such as Gaetan Dugas were contentedly enjoying the freedom of the gay liberation movement and doctors were celebrating advances in the fight against Hepatitis B (thought to be the last great sexually transmitted disease), Jerry Falwell was preparing to leap headfirst into the fray. Moral majority is a special interest group of millions of Americans who share the same moral values.”At the same time, Falwell made it clear that while his organization was meant to bring power to conservative voters and candidates for office, he did not expect it to cater to a particular religious ideology:The acceptability of any candidate could never be based upon one’s religious affiliation. Although it had only survived for ten years, it was still an organization that, during its life, had been proclaimed by some “…as the most important new political force to emerge in America in decades.”The Life of Jerry FalwellLong before he became a dominant political and religious figure, Jerry Falwell was just another son of the south. Jerry Falwell credits each of his parents with some strong aspect of his own personality: from Carey, the knowledge and appreciation of the value of hard work, and from Helen, a tangible example of what steadfast religious faith could mean to an individual.After graduating from Brookville High School in 1950, Falwell enrolled in classes at Lynchburg College. It was his greatest talent, connecting with people on a personal level, and the one that would eventually make him both extremely powerful and potentially dangerous.The 1960s brought about another transformation in Jerry Falwell, resulting in a man more along the lines of the one that became alternately loved and hated two decades later. rally in Cincinnati in 1983, he was firmly entrenched in the world of political religion, regardless of what his Moral Majority mission statement said to the contrary.Defining FundamentalismThe conflict between Falwell and the homosexual community did not originate in 1983; Falwell views the gay liberation movement, with began with the aforementioned incident at Stonewall Bar in 1969, as a move backwards in the moral growth of America. people were able to understand, while displaying that unerring belief in the absolute truth of the Bible.Perceptions on Homosexuality For years, Falwell has held fast to the belief that the Bible outlaws homosexuality as a sinful activity, spreading his ideas to both believers and unbelievers through sermons and interviews. We have already discussed the general feeling of uncertainty surrounding the early years of the AIDS epidemic and the highlights of Jerry Falwell’s life between his 1952 conversion and the 1989 breakup of the Moral Majority. The only major area that now remains to be addressed is the way that Falwell perceived the homosexual community. The real question, then, centers on the origin for this viewpoint: how does Falwell justify his belief that homosexuality is a sin?In explaining his stance on homosexual behavior, Jerry Falwell likes to quote from the Bible. According to Falwell, the story of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden is a sufficient rationalization for homosexual behavior: “Because we have a fallen nature, we are capable of doing anything.” The biblical condemnation of homosexuality begins to be nailed down as Falwell provides another source that helps prove his point. Falwell looks at this story and sees the issue in black and white: the men of Sodom practice homosexuality. Therefore, the story shows that God is clearly against homosexual behavior.The story of Sodom and Gomorrah illustrates the misunderstanding that exists between Falwell and homosexuals. In a panel discussion with the Heritage Foundation in 1984, Falwell said, “As long as the homosexual is not…recruiting students…” In his view, homosexuals are all the same: brutish beasts who prey on unsuspecting, innocent people, turning them on to a sinful lifestyle.Homosexuals are also sex fiends, according to Falwell’s view of the world, an idea that was undoubtedly influenced by the San Francisco and New York bathhouses that he suggested should be closed in the 1980s. This viewpoint is brought across clearly when Falwell discusses Mel White, a friend and ghostwriter who came out as a homosexual after many years of marriage. While it is true that the early years of the gay liberation movement were based largely on sexual activity (New Yorker Michael Callen once said, “The belief that was handed to me was that sex was liberating and more sex was more liberating.”), it is equally true that the AIDS epidemic drove a large part of the homosexual community into a type of fearful monogamy or abstinence. Falwell, however, does not even suggest that a homosexual relationship could be about something more than meaningless wanton sex. In a sense, it is not a surprising position on the issue, considering the way biblical texts such as Genesis 19:1-28 characterize those who practice the homosexual lifestyle.Unholy Inheritance?Falwell’s characterization of the homosexual community as a group of people living a life of sin ties directly into his most controversial viewpoints on the subject:I do not believe that homosexuality is inherited…I believe it is learned… homosexuals from what is perceived as a sinful and perverted lifestyle, their research digs deeper and exposes what Falwell conveniently leaves out: “…many of the claims come from organizations with an ideological perspective which condemns homosexuality. In other words, although the conversion therapy initially appears successful to Falwell, in medical practice it has a number of flaws.Proper Treatment of Homosexuals Falwell has very distinct views on how homosexuals are and should be treated by society: The problem with homosexuality is that most people look on this sin in a different way than all other sins. at a 1999 meeting between 200 homosexuals and 200 Christians, Falwell admitted wrongdoing, saying, “While the evangelical church has been very responsive in condemning drug addiction and alcoholism and simultaneously reaching out, we have condemned homosexuality without building a bridge.” doctrine and trying to at least offer help and advice to homosexuals, Falwell has moved to a more Christian approach to the problem, rather than the early dismissals of any possible help.Final Thoughts: Falwell vs. Along the way, it has become evident that Falwell did not have any major concerns regarding the AIDS virus itself, but rather the people who were inadvertently spreading it throughout not only the United States, but also the rest of the world. The homosexual community was not at fault for the advent of the AIDS epidemic in the United States. But to blame this group alone for such a dreadful scourge is, as one picketer of Falwell’s Cincinnati rally put it, “like blaming polio on kids because they were affected by it.”In focusing the blame for AIDS squarely on the homosexual community, Falwell made perhaps his worst miscue ever, allowing his dislike for a particular group of people to cloud his judgment. For Falwell to characterize AIDS as a gay disease in 1983, therefore, was totally wrong, and the action that ultimately drew the well-deserved ire of the homosexual community.One thing that must be noted is that Jerry Falwell’s use of the term “gay plague” The real conflict is not between Falwell and AIDS, or even Falwell and homosexuals, but Falwell and himself.
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a senior walk-on, who had been inserted down the stretch- intentionally fouled fellow walk-on senior Ross Condon at the top of the key. Mimmo committed this foul, explicitly to provide Condon a second chance at the line (he had missed both FTs in his first opportunity, which had come when he was fouled by Rutgers’ Jason Cherry with 49 seconds remaining).Fortunately, Condon made the most of his second last-in-a-lifetime chance to score in his final Pavilion game as a Wildcat. Villanova dominated this game for the other 99.9% of its play, as thoroughly as they have beaten any opponent (Big East or otherwise) this year.Curtis Sumpter, Will Sheridan, Mike Nardi, and Ross Condon were honored in traditional Senior Day ceremonies at 3:40. For Rutgers, Marquis Webb led with a dozen points, with the best overall day coming from JR Inman, who finished with eight points and 14 rebounds in only 27 minutes.Ironically, it was a freshman, Scottie Reynolds, who led the way for the Wildcats on Senior Day. (He had two more points that RU’s whole team.) RU had made just 5 of its first 25 shots from the floor.The signature play of the game came when Rutgers committed a turnover on what should have been the final possession of the first half, giving ‘Nova the ball under its own basket with 3.8 seconds to play. The second-best of the second half had come shortly before, at the 11:29 mark: a steal by Reynolds off Anthony Farmer, and then an acrobatic loop-de-loop layup to convert it at the other end.With Rutgers never remotely in the game, it became – To Wright’s credit, he re-inserted Condon well before the end, restoring him to the floor with 5:37 to play and ‘Nova up 68-39. at the 1:58 mark, so every Wildcat saw action.The clear goal, from the moment he returned at the 5:37 mark, was to get Condon the ball and permit him to score. and crowd, who loves Condon (Jay Wright joked with the crowd in advance, telling them that they put “too much pressure on me to put Russ Condon in”), was continually frustrated in pursuit of this goal. After they both went down, Wright wisely pulled Condon out and sent in Redding, giving Condon a chance to make a glory-laden exit. He finished his Pavilion career, with this box score line:Russ Condon - 6 minutes - 0-4 FG - 0-2 3FG - 2-4 FT - 2 rebounds (1 offensive)- 1 Turnover - 2 Steals - 2 Points.Series HistoryVillanova now leads RU all-time, 23-7, and is also 6-1 vs.
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A comprehensive preview…The Viewpoint on the Rutgers Scarlet KnightsCoach: Fred Hill (1st season) - record @ RU, 10-172006-07 season analysis - 3-11 Big East, 10-17 overall, RPI rank #191, SOS #90, as of Monday, February 19, 2007, CollegeRPI.com)Nonconference ScheduleRutgers is observing their basketball centennial this year, the same way Georgetown is. The Hoyas have had a lot to celebrate with their centennial commemoration - national ranking and a sure bid to the NCAA tournament. (RU will now be missing the BET for the third time in the seven years that the BET has excluded teams from participation, and for most of that span it was only the bottom two, not the bottom four, that were omitted.)Big East ScheduleWhen Big East play started, the losses began to mount. Rutgers started the season by losing six of its first seven Big East games, with the lone win being @ woeful Cincinnati in the second game (they lost narrowly to in-state rival Seton Hall in the opener). (In other words, RU’s three Big East wins are all against teams that won’t go to New York, either.)Overall AnalysisRutgers has little to play for, and the reason is the bloated Big East and its consequent need to limit the conference tournament to the top 12. Unfortunately for ‘Nova, the scuffling UConn Huskies managed to win at the RAC, rendering RU’s season over, as the Scarlet Knights have now been officially eliminated from the Big East tournament. One is that Rutgers is 10-17 overall and with a RPI rank - as of Monday, February 19, 2007 - of #191, almost lower than I could imagine any Big East team having. (Rutgers has only two non-RAC wins all year, @ Princeton and @ Cincinnati).A Capsule on Recent Rutgers HistoryRutgers, in theory, should be at least average in Big East basketball, due to the resources of a big state school, central location in the Northeast’s prime recruiting territory, and a home court that is extremely difficult for opponents, even with the Scarlet Knights’ Inman # 15 - 6-9 – Sophomore (Pomona, NY) - Forward - 32.9 min/12.3 pts/gameMarquis Webb # 1 - 6-5 – Senior (Paterson, NJ) - G-F -36.5 min/9.9 pts/gameAdrian Hill # 4 - 6-8 – Senior (Canton, OH) F - 24.9 - 39.6 min/9.6 pts/gameJaron Griffin #32 - 6-7 – Sophomore (Manchester, NJ) - G-F - 30.4 min/8.9 pts/gameAnthony Farmer #2 - 6-1 – Sophomore (Millville, NJ) - G - 33.5 min/8.1 pts/gameOff the BenchOllie Bailey # 13 - 6-7 – Junior (Chicago, IL) - FCourtney Nelson #3 - 6-1 – Sophomore (Newark, NJ, via University of Richmond) - GHamady N’Diaye #5 - 6-11 – Freshman (Dakar, Senegal) - CHill uses a fixed starting lineup, with the original five intact for the balance of the season.
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Today marks 50 months since our first date, a golden anniversary of sorts