Articles

Writer’s Block, Issue 1: “The Weight of the Heart”

Welcome to the first edition of “Writer’s Block”, where I’ll feature writing pieces from people in Birmingham and beyond. Our first submission is from “Sandie lee” of Ontario Canada. Sandie lee has been writing for 15 years and lives with her husband and three feline “kids”.  She is currently working as an assistant editor for Imagination-Cafe, an online magazine for kids ages 4-12 of Imagination Cafe (http://imagination-cafe.com), as well as the blog and newsletter editor  of the Imagination Cafe Blog (http://imaginationcafeblog.blogspot.com). Check out her story, The Weight of the Heart, below, and if you’d like your writing to be featured on B. Positive, email me at moniquej@bpositivemag.com.

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The Weight of the Heart
By Sandie lee

“Three more. Two more. Come, on people,” commanded Tory, the perky fitness instructor. “Reaching your goals means pushing yourselves.”

Janet gasped as she lunged toward her out-stretched leg.

Easy for her to say, she thought. She’s not the one carrying around an extra fifty pounds. At least we’re sitting down – not so far to fall if I pass out.

Janet grunted, bent, and stretched out her fingers until they barely grasped her big toe. Sweat rolled down her face and dripped from her chin. She quickly wiped it on her shoulder as she heaved herself to the left.

“Good job, people!” Tory chimed.

Janet screamed in her head…why do I put myself through this torture? I could be sitting at home, eating my sorrows away. Oh…that’s right…I could be “eating” my resentment towards Charles for leaving me. At least, that’s what my therapist keeps telling me.

The class finally ended and Janet collapsed onto her back, panting hard. She closed her eyes and tried to bring her breathing back from race-horse-pace to normal.

“Good workout today, wouldn’t you say?”

Startled by the male voice, Janet popped up to a sitting position and looked at the man. He was gorgeous – tall dark and handsome; such a cliché but totally accurate in this case. Janet quickly glanced around to see who he was talking to, but he kept his eyes on her.

A blush spread across Janet’s face.

“Ah…yeah…fabu-”

Just then, Kim and Shelley, the resident hot-bodies, walked past, interrupting Janet’s response.

“Hi Todd,” they chimed in unison. Todd smiled and nodded back.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you around,” he said. He turned and followed the ladies out.

Janet watched him leave.

Why would Todd make a point of talking to me?

He was so good looking, and a fireman to boot. He could have anyone he wanted.

He was probably just being nice, she reasoned.

Janet gathered her towel and water bottle and headed to the change room. The showers weren’t full but her own self-consciousness won’t let her disrobe in front of the other women. Instead, she grabbed her gym bag, flung open the door and zigzagged her way around the equipment toward the front exit.

Suddenly she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned and to her surprise it was Todd.

“Hey. I’m glad I caught you,” he smiled brightly. “Would you like to join me for a fruit smoothie at the juice bar?”

Janet’s mind raced. Was this really happening?

“Ah…well…I…”

“My treat” he coaxed.

“Okay…sure,” was all she managed to sputter out.

They walked together to the sitting area and set their belongings in the corner of a booth.

“So, what’s your poison…strawberry, banana, acai berry?” Todd flashed another killer smile.

“Whatever you’re having is fine.” Janet slid herself into the booth and tried to slow her pounding heart.

“Great, triple soy chocolate it is,” he said.

When Todd returned with the drinks he placed one in front of Janet. He then slid into the booth across from her. His leg brushed hers and immediately Janet felt goose bumps crawl up her arm. She gave him a nervous, twitchy smile as she took a sip of the thick liquid.

“Hard to believe these are healthy,” he said, tipping the cup to his lips.

Janet nodded. And I can’t believe I’m sitting here.

“So, I’m Todd.” He stuck out his hand.

“I’m…a…Janet,” she said, grasping his fingers, giving a weak shake. They felt so strong.

“I guess I should apologize to you.”

Janet was puzzled.

“I’m not usually so forward,” he explained. “I had a horrible divorce…you know…once bitten twice shy and all that. But you don’t look like you’d bite my head off. So I thought, why not?”

Janet nodded. “I was wondering why you were being so nice to me.”

I’m a practice run.

Now it was Todd’s turn to look confused. “What do you mean?”

Janet tittered. “Didn’t you see Kim and Shelley in there?” She motioned with her head. “They were definitely into you.”

Todd smirked. “Really? Never noticed.”

Janet took another sip of her drink.

“Besides…you’re much more my type.”

Janet was shocked. “Why!? I’m so…so…unfit.”

That’s it, no more games. Be straight with people. (Dr. Harris would be proud).

Todd looked at her with such tenderness she thought she might burst into tears.

“I was once over weight myself,” he said. “Why do you think I endure this torture every week?”

He then gently grasped her hand. “Besides, the weight of the heart is only about 260 grams.” He held her stare with his soft brown eyes. “So, I’d say we’re good to go.”

Janet was speechless. But she let the warmth of his hand seep through her loneliness and into her soul.

The End

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Tags: artistry, Arts, block, Entertainment, writer's, writing

How about those "Glee" pictures?

(credit: GQ, Google)

Okay, for any Gleeks at the website, this one is for you.

Recently, there’s been some controversy surrounding the actors of Glee, particularly Dianna Agron (left), Cory Monteith (center), and Lea Michele (right). In the latest issue of GQ Magazine, the two girls are portrayed as one of the most popular male fantasies–fresh, highly sexualized high-school girls, complete with red lollipops (click here to see the pictures in question). Meanwhile, Monteith, the only male in the photoshoot, is frequently clothed in layers–one picture has him in two shirts and an overcoat! The Parents Television Council has since come out against the pictures, stating:

It is disturbing that GQ, which is explicitly written for adult men, is sexualizing the actresses who play high school-aged characters on Glee in this way…It borders on pedophilia … Many children who flocked to High School Musical have grown into Glee fans. They are now being treated to seductive, in-your-face poses of the underwear-clad female characters posing in front of school lockers, one of them opting for a full-frontal crotch shot. By authorizing this kind of near-pornographic display, the creators of the program have established their intentions on the show’s direction. And it isn’t good for families.

Agron has released a well thought-out statement which states how she apologizes for how the photos came across, stating:

[I]n perpetuating the type of images that evoke these kind of emotions, I am sorry. If you are hurt or these photos make you uncomfortable, it was never our intention.

(for the full statement, click here)

So, with that said, I put it to you: Do you think that the Glee GQ photoshoot was bordering on pedophilia, was just a “regular” level of disgusting, or are you unaffected? Sound off below. I’ll start off by throwing in my two cents–at least Agron is wearing a skirt throughout the photoshoot, unlike Michele.

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Tags: awful, Glee, hot, photos, risque, topics

HIV Prevention using Microbicides

As we gear up for the upcoming HIV awareness month, I thought it would be great to share a new form of contraception. Microbicides, currently still in the research phase, could possibly be used to lower the risk of acquiring HIV in women.

The Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) is leading the National Institutes of Health-funded study in which SPL7013 Gel, or Viva Gel, is being tested for the first time in sexually active young women to determine the product’s safety, acceptability and ease of use. The expanded safety study, known as MTN-004, is being conducted at the University of South Florida in Tampa and the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan through collaboration between the MTN.

Vaginal microbicides are applied topically to the surface of the vagina and are designed to reduce or prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. A microbicide can be formulated in many ways, such as a gel or cream. Several microbicide products are being tested in clinical trials, although none is yet approved or available for use by women. VivaGel is thought to act by hampering the ability of HIV to attach to and infect healthy cells. Unlike other candidate microbicides, including those that target similar cell mechanisms, the active ingredient of VivaGel, belongs to a class of compounds called dendrimers. A dendrimer is a large molecular structure that incorporates multiple units of an active component on its surface. In the case of SPL7013, each dendrimer incorporates 32 copies of the active component. Researchers will assess the safety of VivaGel compared with the placebo gel through laboratory tests and regular clinical examinations of study participants. (Baeten, Wang, & Celium, 2005) Web-based questionnaires are used to  provide information about the product’s acceptability, such as what participants liked or disliked about using the gel, how their sexual partners felt about its use and how likely they are to use microbicides in the future. Participation in the study will last three weeks, including the two-week period that gels are used.

As of 2007 there are 33-million people globally living with reported HIV.  Approximately 15.5 million HIV patients are women whom have reported their status to a health department. In Sub- Saharan Africa 22 million people are held reported to have contracted HIV and in Middle East and North Africa roughly 380,000 people have been reported to have HIV. In eastern and Western Europe almost 1.6 million people have been newly affected victims of HIV.  (www.UNAIDS.com 2007) To any health professional these numbers would be alarming and they should alarm us all. The question is how we prevent these numbers from escalating without offending other countries and their cultural activities as it relates to intercourse. Researches saw a need to help these women so they studied a molecule known as SPL7013 gel otherwise known Microbicides.

Imagine if your right to say “No” to sex was taken away from you, rape charges were not considered a crime in your country, and your husband has the right to sleep with people outside your marriage. Adding insult to injury, you are now a newly infected woman with HIV who had no control over the circumstances that have altered your life for years to come. For many women of southeastern Europe and Africa this is the culture of the countries they live in and they have no right to determine if they want to be in contact with this disease. Some people may argue that this issue is very much prevalent for women in our own country here in the United States. The difference that sets this culture apart however is that in some parts of Africa and Europe the men residing in these countries choose to participate in intercourse and not use lubrication which could possibly cause lacerations and tears to a woman’s vaginal wall. In return it makes the women whom are the receiving partner more susceptible to contracting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus otherwise known as, HIV.

To understand why this is such a big problem for receiving partners in these countries and surrounding countries, we first need to understand what HIV is and how it affects the body.  The immune system is a network of complex cells, tissues, and organs that communicate with each other to keep pathogens from invading the body. When this system fails to operate successfully, virus, bacteria, and fungi can invade our body and cause damage to tissues and organs that can lead to permanent damage or if left untreated can cause death. HIV is transmitted through blood, bodily fluids, (semen and vaginal secretion), and breast milk. This can occur through vaginal, anal and oral forms of sex, shared use of needles, birth, and breastfeeding. Lymphocytes, which are cells of the immune system, respond to the virus. T-lymphocytes commonly known as T-cells are the cells in the immune system that the HIV virus attack and destroy

“It’s important to study this  gel in young women who are sexually active because this is the very population likely to use and benefit most from this kind of HIV prevention approach,” said Ian McGowan, M.D., PhD., professor of medicine, Center for Prevention Research at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. “If we are satisfied with the results in terms of the gel’s safety profile we may consider conducting trials that would include more women, and eventually, look to see if the gel can help reduce their chances of acquiring HIV,” added Dr. McGowan, who, in addition to serving as protocol chair of the MTN-004 study, is MTN co-principal investigator.(Baeten, Wang, & Celium, 2005)

The Gel can be used with a contraceptive such as the Nuvaring . As the study is in research phase, scientist are trying to find a gel that dries, yet still active for women in countries where the mate prefers dry intercourse which transcends the high risk of acquiring HIV.

For more information you can visit: www.UNAIDS.com, www.Microbicides.org or www.USAID.gov

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Tags: Contraceptions, HIV Prevention, Microbicides Research, Women's Health

Stay Focused Part 1 "F it"

John 15:5
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Stay Focused!

The only thing that can stop my destiny is loosing focus. Most of us are Tripolar! We are trying to satisfy me, myself, and I. In order to stay focused you have got to F_it. I know you all are looking at me saying Pastor Mike done lost his mind, he want us to curse. No, that is not what I mean. Back in the day my F_it meant something totally different than what I am talking about today. When your road is dark and you can see the light, you have to FAITH IT!! When the bills are do and you have no money in sight FAITH IT!! In order to get to the next level, you have to Faith it into existence. From now on you have to walk by Faith and not by what you see. The reason I don’t panic is because if He made a way last month, it is no thing for Him to do it this month. People will sometimes get envious when they see you walking in Faith. Faith makes a struggle look good. Faith will cause you to shout over your future blessing even in the midst of your present hell.

There are 3 F’s we need to stay Focused.
(1) Fellowship- Spend time in God’s Word. John 15:5 says I am the vine= the Source, the coiling together. When I get connected to God and coiled up in his vine, you can’t tell where God ends and I begin. When I show up, he shows up! As Mary Mary said it, Its the God in Me!!!!! When you be good to God, he will be good to you. in 2010 I am doing everything for God because he is the only one who never left me. He that abides in Me and I in him. We are the Branches on God’s vine. And when a branch disconnects from the source, over time it withers and dies. So you have to say that no matter what the Devil throws at you, you can’t risk being disconnected from God. When you stay connected to God you gain power. The problem is that sometimes we connect ourselves to people who pull us to them and away from God. But I am saying that this year, I will stay coiled in the vine despite what people do or say because without God I can do nothing.

(2) Faith-
Psalms 55:22, 22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.
I may not be there yet, but I am going to throw my burdens to Jesus from where I am. God is faithful. You can come to him with your problems and secrets and keep you when you are not strong enough to keep yourself. Our problem is we throw our burdens to people who turn around and throw they to other people in the form of gossip. You don’t have to worry about your secrets getting out when you give it to God. And when you give it to God, you have to let it go in order for him to work. God has the power to make your enemies your footstools. He will use them to Bless you even when they don’t want to.

(3) Future- Prepare for the Future. If we are honest with ourselves, we would admit that we are failing in a lot of areas in our lives because of poor on no preparation. We must plan and prepare in order to achieve success. Once we do these things, it puts us in position to be Blessed.

Words brought to you by Pastor Michael McClure Jr. and The Rock Church. For more information please do not hesitate to give us a call at 205.798.7621, CIO, Marcus McCord.

You can also follow my personal blog by clicking here.

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Tags: birmingham, inspiration, pastor mike, religion, the rock