but intellectual property laws as they stand in trade agreements and institutions would enable drug companies to hold patents on drugs (even indigenous or traditional medicines, as if they had the right to patent that in the first place) for longer periods of time, etc etc in such a way that production of generic drugs would be considered a "barrier to trade" (aka these companies lose money, therefore under the global trade agreements and institutions, it's illegal).



[ side comment...this makes me so mad, when things like health care are equated with money. i remember learning more about health care and medical research, hearing that the types of illnesses and diseases that are heavily researched usually have to do with which populations they affect. when you think of how much research there is on heart disease (and who does that affect, mostly?) and the history of aids research. institutional discrimination..its whats for dinner]



[Today, in response to the CAFTA talks]

(Washington, D.C.) Chanting “Bush’s CAFTA is a disaster for people with AIDS,” wearing hospital gowns reading “Another AIDS Death from CAFTA/Break the Patents, Treat the People”. 9 activists blocked mid-day traffic in front of the hotel where U.S. and Central American trade negotiators are meeting after a year of talks to finalize the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

The activists locked to each other and to traffic signals using chains and handcuffs. Four additional activists stormed the hotel carrying a banner reading “Bush’s CAFTA = DEATH for People with AIDS”. They entered the hotel and attempted to enter the negotiations. They were seized and forcibly ejected by Secret Service.

CAFTA’s provisions to protect and expand the patent monopolies of U.S. pharmaceutical companies in Central America will undermine access to affordable generic AIDS drugs and increase the price of medicines, according to the activists. Thousands of HIV positive Central Americans are in immediate need of treatment or else they will die.

The Bush Administration, along with all other WTO members, signed the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health (Doha Declaration) in November 2001, under extreme pressure from developing countries and civil society. The Doha Declaration reaffirms WTO member countries’ right to break drug company patent monopolies in order to promote access to medicines for all. Bush is disregarding this pledge in the CAFTA by establishing new rules that are tougher than what the WTO requires.

The CAFTA is just one of many trade agreements in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Africa and Asia, the U.S. is negotiating in poor regions. Winning new, higher levels of patent protection and new means to obstruct the market entry of generic medicines is an objective of each of these deals, according to activists.

“Bush plans to trade away access to medicines in order to maximize the profits of pharmaceutical companies—even if millions are left to die as a result,” said Eustacia Smith of ACT UP, a protester. “CAFTA’s false promises of so-called free trade won’t work for the dead.”

Generic competition is the most powerful mechanism for reducing drug prices; recent negotiations brokered by the Clinton Foundation between poor country governments and generic companies resulted in prices as low as $135 per person per year for a triple combination of HIV medicines. Under the CAFTA, similar negotiations with newer medicines would be impossible.

our poor doggy isn't doing well. she's been lethargic and won't run, and she's had a 'head tilt' since yesterday, where her head is very slightly cocked to one side. a head tilt is oftentimes a sign of something pretty serious.

i made kevino take her to the vet today and they gave us some stuff and told us to monitor her for the next two days.

its kinda sad bc she's usually spry and youthful. she's over ten years, but often gets mistaken for a puppy. plus, some food fell to the ground during dinner last night and she didn't even go for it. you know its pretty bad if sammy wont go for fallen foodstuffs.

"
and it's not what I think it's what you say, hey
and it works great for you to have your way, hey

but if the west can be a desperate place
you search all day for just a taste
of the cold, cold water, cold, cold water

and if you think I've gone too long
listen the sky will sing this song
as it burns up all the memories
that flow like water out of me
"

with all the talk about the direction of the global economy, what's the link between the global to the personal.. why should anyone care about what's happening with global trade agreements? there are a ton of reasons from the type of job that you can get, job 'security,' to issues of access (health care, water), the global aids crisis, to problems with corporate greed and accountability.

well here's a focus on an example of what's happening in our own community, from the guardian uk. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1089065,00.html)

earlier this year, ibm was 'discussing' moving millions of white collar jobs to southeast asia. if you bank with hsbc, you might notice many of your customer service calls being handled by people in india. it used to be manufacturing jobs leaving, now it's white collar jobs, and who knows what else. that's the race to the bottom that global justice activists talk about, where there is no end in sight to how low the standards go. the kind of shell of a community that's produced as a result is the sad thing... low wage jobs, no health care coverage, and no leverage for people to fight back from these kinds of conditions.

more and more there is a focus on the world water grab, the privatization of water. water covers most of the earth but only a small amount is available, and then mostly it's available to people who can afford it. we already pay so much for water-- we pay more for bottled water than we pay for gasoline. it takes a few cents for these companies to make bottled water, and the mark-up is so high, it's a billion dollar industry.

as much as i believe that our world is not for sale, companies are already displacing water in several ways and profiting from it. football field sized bags are filled with water that is moved from its natural sources to other locations. companies like bechtel and suez and vivendi and rwe have a strong hold on this industry. the wto, the ftaa, and other such institutions and trade agreements all enable these companies to take water out of bodies of water and make profit from it. the water fights are not just a phenomenon in africa either, there are groups in michigan fighting companies like nestle for taking water for profit.

for more on water privatization and the water for all campaign, check out (http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/)

Health care is also a huge part of these discussions, and may be more relevant than the water grab. hardly anyone i know who's around my age has health insurance, especially working folks. with the plans that people do get, one-third of the costs that you pay to your insurance company goes to administrative fees. that's a lot.. there's so much more i could talk on and on about health care but i'll save the diatribe. but one thing i'll mention is that i was just reading that the biggest reason why many employers aren't hiring people or have to lay people off is often health care-related. prices are skyrocketing and it's hard to keep up. i just hate to see what happens when we all get older, with the sad state of affairs that exist right now.

i love momma prisco for having such a good memory and i love grammomma prisco for creating the warmest three toned blanket on the face of the earth. and i love mike for letting me steal the warmth, and having tons of inspired energy always. i promise i really never held any grudges over the exploded beer thing despite what you think. and someday i will make up for not bringing anything back from br (it takes two of us to forget). somehow.

today is sunday of the angels. blue angels and brown angels. anime. gwendolyne n alleyne. traffic circles and guitars. brown tapestries and smoke. peanut butter recipes. bitters and absolut.

water street. obligations are so passe. blue ruched shoes. unwritten recommendations. unmade picture frames. self imposed deadlines. selective amnesia. instruments. pink thread. green on white. manic repressive meanderings. holiday meetings of the o'beberlicking family reunion. relativity.

charlemagne we seek your forgiveness in untimely callings. this is for you not by me. familiarity will set in

a touch of insomnia
a lot of questions
a blatant disregard for tomorrows appointments
a lot of hope

yay food shuttle avocados

ceramic tiling is tough without the right tools. so mike and i took an avocado sushi break.

oops oh my, theres a conflict tomorrow night. oh well

[One]

What -- "Writing a Difference: Activism and Writing"
When -- Friday, December 5 7:30 PM
Where -- Medaille College Lecture Hall, 18 Agasiz
Circle (Parkside and 198)

The WNY Peace Center's Visions For a Better World
series presents a reading/discussion on the
relationship between writing and activism. Chilean
poet and human rights activist Marjorie Agosin will
headline the event, with local panelists including
Manny Fried, Roxanne Amico, and Tim McPeek. For more info, call the Peace Center at 894-2013.


[Two]

The Unprofessionals
Squeaky Wheel (175 Elmwood Avenue)
Friday, December 5 at 8 PM
Programmed and selected from an open call by Lindsay Sampson

Amateurs and the unprofessionals. And all of those who do not fit too well in the Real world. The Messy and the inaccurate. The wild and absurd. The marginalized, the "different". The more interesting and complex. The under represented.

we just finished filming stuff for the 30 second move on commercial. when the editing is done maybe i'll post it here (bc we have that capability, right paul?) it was great fun

theres too much to say about today and tonight and tomorrow and such but who cares wins

now we're in december, hibernation season kicks in. its important to make sure to come out of hibernation for a short while to say hello. this applies to all of us.

everything all of the time