Dr. Graves is a Human rights leader and international AIDS activist, graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, served as Communications Officer aboard the U.S.S. Buchanan, is considered the world's leading investigating research expert on the U.S. Special (HIV) Virus Program and is author of two books detailing his 15 years of medical research discoveries and judicial activism, including: “STATE ORIGIN: The Evidence of the Laboratory Birth of AIDS,” and “WORLD WAR AIDS: The Third World War.”
Dr. Graves will be in Toronto Saturday Dec 12th, 2007 from 1pm to 8pm lecturing on the U.S. Special (AIDS) Virus Flow Chartpresented by the ONELOVE C.E.O.T Unity Movement located at 11 Blue Grassway off Jane St. west on Firgrove Cres. Suggested donation of $20 (under 21 free). SPACE IS LIMITED SO ARRIVE EARLY. No Video cameras please. Community Radio Hosts with ID may bring audio recording devices. For Vending Opportunities and Information call 416 301 7216. For directions call 416 717 9927 or Email: culturaleducators@hotmail.com/gmail.com.
Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is one of the oldest known diseases of the plant world. Plague--known as the "black death" in medieval Europe--is one of the oldest diseases afflicting humans, and has become a focus of concern in recent years because of its potential use as a bioweapon. Now scientists have transformed TMV to infect host plants and produce immunizing proteins rather than debilitating leaf shrivel, turning greenhouse tobacco into a biofactory for plague vaccine.
Biotechnology specialists Charles Arntzen and his colleagues at Arizona State University used a process developed in Germany to effect the change. First, they injected the tobacco plants with TMV, genetically modified to produce one of three previously proven plague antigens: proteins known as F1, V and a fusion of the two. The three varieties of modified viruses quickly infiltrated the plants and replicated, but instead of producing infection, each viral cell started producing its assigned type of antigen. Within 10 days, the researchers had a full crop of tobacco leaves filled with vaccine. "Every time it replicates, it makes the proteins that we are interested in getting produced," Arntzen says.
Arntzen and colleagues then ground up the leaves--garnering roughly two milligrams of antigen for every gram of leaf--and purified the resulting vaccine with acids. Fellow researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease in Maryland then vaccinated groups of eight female guinea pigs with the different varieties of antigens before exposing them to Yersinia pestis--the bacteria responsible for airborne plague, the most potentially deadly form. Within six days, whereas all guinea pigs that had not been vaccinated were dead, nearly 60 percent of the vaccinated guinea pigs survived, and even those that died survived for longer than six days. The V antigen proved most effective, saving 75 percent of the inoculated guinea pigs.
Human testing remains to be done. But if the vaccine passes that test, it could provide an effective deterrent to emerging strains that have shown resistance to the antibiotics that have kept the deadly disease at bay in recent history. The findings are being published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. --David Biello
WASHINGTON – In an historic step toward equality, the U.S. House of Representatives successfully passed today the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA. The vote, 235 to 184, marks the first time ever that either chamber of Congress has passed employment protections based on sexual orientation."Today, we witnessed the making of civil rights history in the U.S. House of Representatives by the passing of ENDA," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "This vote by Congress is an important step at ensuring that millions of gay and lesbian Americans will never again have to go to work in fear of losing their jobs because of who they are."
In 31 states, it is currently legal to fire someone based on their sexual orientation. In 39 states, it is legal to fire a person for being transgender.The Human Rights Campaign helped introduce ENDA 13 years ago to prevent workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. This year, for the first time, HRC and allies on the Hill included gender identity in the bill to also protect transgender workers. One month ago, House leadership made it clear that Congress did not have the votes to pass HR 2015, which prevents discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This week, House Rules Committee reported out Congressman Frank’s HR 3685, a bill that protects only sexual orientation, to the floor.
While HRC was disappointed that HR 3685 did not include protections for transgender Americans, it believes the successful passage of Congressman Frank’s bill is a step forward for all Americans, and that it paves the way for additional progress to outlaw workplace discrimination based on gender identity. "Our fight for equality will not be won overnight," said Solmonese. "It will be won one step at a time, and we will not give up until we reach the finish line. This is a critical piece of legislation and a major step toward the finish line for all Americans."
Throughout history, Congress has often taken an incremental approach toward equality for other civil rights and business regulatory legislation. For example, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was introduced in five consecutive congresses for eight years and was vetoed twice by former President Bush before it was finally signed into law on February 5, 1993, by President Clinton. Each time the FMLA was introduced, Members built upon the protection from the previous year’s legislative action. Additionally, each piece of civil rights legislation passed by Congress -- in 1957, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1990 -- continued the legislative path of the expansion of essential civil rights protections in law.
On Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign joined the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR); the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), among other organizations in the civil rights community, in support of the bill that would make it illegal for employers to discriminate on sexual orientation. The letter was signed by 10 national civil rights and worker protection organizations representing millions of Americans.
On three of the four Reconciling matters before the Judicial Council here in San Francisco last week, 3 things have come down favorable for the Reconciling side-and a fourth is on hold.
Decision 1074 on whether a Transgender Pastor can be appointed. The Council is basically saying the Book of Discipline says nothing. Here is the actual wording from their decision:"A Clergyperson who remained in good standing in the Annual Conference is required to be continued under appointment. A Clergyperson's good standing cannot be terminated without Administrative or Judicial action having occurred and all fair process being accorded. All clergy name changes regardless of the reasons for the name change are to be placed under minute question #91. The Judicial Council does not reach the question of whether Gender Change is a Chargeable Offense or violates Minimum Standards established by the General Conference."
Decision 1075 on whether Lay Employees of the Church can put Domestic Partners on Health Plans: The Council says it's okay since the Employee is paying for the addition of the Domestic Partner. Quoting the decision:"The Domestic Partner Benefits Plan adopted by the Minnesota Annual Conference does not violate 161C, 161D, 161G, 304.3, 341.6, 612.19, or 806.9 of the 2004 Book of Discipline. No United Methodist funds are being used to supply Domestic Partner benefits for Lay Employees under the Conference Health Benefits Plan."
Decision 1080 is about whether the Northern Illinois Conference can include LGBT families in its General Family outreach efforts. The Judicial Council appears to have sidestepped the question on a technicality. From the opinion:"The Judicial Council lacks jurisdiction because the request for Declaratory Decision were not separately debated and voted upon, but rather, were handled en masse as part of a Consent Agenda."
Decision 1081 is about LGBT outreach in Campus Ministries. The Judicial Council has kicked this back to the Western North Carolina Annual Conference. It has said the Council on Finance and Administration of that Annual Conference has to determine whether any Conference funds are being used by the Conference for the Wesley-Luther Campus Ministry to "Promote Homosexuality." After that decision is made, the Judicial Council wants that case back within 60 days.
"I am elated that the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church has affirmed Bishop Schol's rulings of law:That Transgender Persons be appointed and serve as United Methodist Pastors.
I celebrate this historic day in our denomination. The Judicial Council's decision is a very important first step in opening the doors of our churches to the Transgender Community. And I am confident that our General Conference, when it meets in April of next year, will open the doors further to not only Transgender Persons but also Gay Men and Lesbian Women.
This is our opportunity and invitation as a denomination to come to God's table to dialogue openly and respectfully about the full inclusion and participation of all God's children.
In the meantime, I will continue to serve in my present appointment at St. John's of Baltimore City. St. John's is moving through an exciting time in its life as a community and its ministries. The congregation is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse and socio-economically diverse (we have members who are homeless, in section 8 housing, who are doctors, PhDs and accountants). We are intergenerational; the fastest growing segment of our congregation is under age 30. We have families with kids actively participating in worship and people who left the church and swore they would never return again, coming to St. John's every week.
We are excited about our ministries. Our Hart's Place emergency shelter opens this Sunday, November 4th for its 21st season (We are the only United Methodist Church in Baltimore City with an emergency shelter). Casa Baltimore/Limay (a sister city partnership between St. John's and the community of San Juan de Limay, Nicaragua), is another long-term ministry of our church. We also support SIDAREC (Slums Information Development and Resource Education Center), a grassroots community development and relief organization in Nairobi, Kenya, and sponsor two neighborhood youth arts programs.
This year we initiated a unique partnership with 2640, a community activist collective, We share the building and through our dialogue and shared events, we are bridging a gap between the church and secular community organizations.We are breaking the young generation's stereotypes of what it means to be a church. We are inclusive and socially progressive. In only a few months several new members have come to our congregation because of our partnership with the collective.
What I seek to live and speak as a pastor and what I seek to live and speak as a congregation is Jesus' fundamental message of love. Jesus manifested God's boundless, unconditional love for all people. the Judicial Council's ruling is a sigh that this love has, and will, overcome the fear so prevalent in our society."
I wish I could find
One denomination
That would accept and embrace me
No matter who I am
And no matter what God
Uses my voice to speak of.
Because I'm queer
I feel like a wanderer of God.
Born into the Greek Orthodox church--
Not welcome,
No room—
I'm a woman and I'm queer…
My voice is trapped
In the back of my throat.
I wondered away.
I attempted Atheism,
But God kept His promise
And did not let me fall away.
I entered a non-denominational church
And was told they would not
Change their view on homosexuality
Even if it condemned
A child of God.
So, I wandered away.
I come to seminary
Because of the grace and support
Of one church.
And stand in the middle
of denominations
looking around, feeling like a
wonderer, again.
Not one denomination
Will accept, and therefore ordain me,
Unless I remain exiled and
Kept to a certain location—
Otherwise I am not seen or heard.
Not one denomination
Will accept me
Through and through
As a legitimate, welcomed
Voice of God
In all my Glory
And in all my humanity…
Sometimes I ask myself
What's wrong with me?
And sometimes, it's,
What's wrong with them?
And sometimes I cry
For the LGBT youth-
Who hear houses of God
Teach that they, also, are
Unacceptable in all their
Glory and all their humanity—
And choose, to kill themselves.
We just want to serve God.
I just want God's truth to be revealed.
It would make such a
Difference
If one
Denomination
Present in this seminary
And present across
The nation
Would take this wanderer in,
And affirm that for God to be heard,
I must be heard, too.
Tobacco Plant Transformed
U.S. House Takes Historic Step by Passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act 
Last Weeks 
Rev. Drew Phoenix Comments on
A Poem by Christine Holcomb
