ConspiriThursday

(Con report or not, I'm not missing a ConspiriThursday! I love the way the Thin Man's brain works--or doesn't.)

Conspiracy Notes:
Disclaimer: The following information is presented for consideration only. The author assumes no exclusive responsibility for the accuracy of the information (although the attempt has been made to be wholly factual). Unless expressly stated, the author does not necessarily agree with the conclusions implied by the data presented. In other words, this stuff is for you to look at and start researching yourself if it strikes a cord. Don't blame us for what you find, don't assume we mean everything we bring up for consideration, and don't take our word as a final authority. We're talking about conspiracies here; we just might lie.

Welcome to the world of Jude St. James...


AIDS/HIV
1984---Gallo and Montagnier separately isolate AIDS virus. Disagree on origin. Montagnier states origin of virus a mystery. Gallo states virus stems from monkeys, claiming freelance journalist Fettner told him in 1983 that AIDS came from green monkeys in central Africa. Despite the fact that Fettner (in her book The Truth About AIDS) does not refer to green monkeys and states that AIDS began as an American disease, Gallo's explanation becomes the official explanation until a separate group of American scientists claim origin of virus to be chimpanzees (late 1990s).

1978---Government sponsored experimental hepatitis B vaccine distributed in Manhattan. Experimental vaccine was cultured using chimpanzee-based media
1979---First reported incidents AIDS: "immunodeficiency disease" in Manhattan
1979-1980--- Government sponsored experimental hepatitis B vaccine distributed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, St. Louis, and Chicago
1980---Reports spread to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, St. Louis, and Chicago
1981---Official AIDS epidemic declared in the US
1982---AIDS epidemic declared in Africa

Midsouth Convention Report (Part 4 of a half-dozen or so)

Sunday started with a panel on writing for children. This was probably the least attended panel I was on (I think the audience was about three people) but it was nice—lively, open, and more of a roundtable format that a formal panel. From there, I was off to lunch with the other guests and the volunteers. I ended up with John Hudgens and Stanton Friedman discussing the graying, not just of science fiction, but the graying of science in general and, perhaps a good deal of ‘thinking’ society in general.

After a very stimulating conversation, I was off to discuss the death of the short story. Of course, it’s not dead; just starving its practitioners so the discussion moved along the usual streambeds of how to write and sell short stories and the changing nature of the market with the emergent on-line movement. That brought us up to closing ceremonies, dinner, a short night’s sleep, and back on the road back to the mountain.

As with most conventions, the people were wonderful and appreciative, the organizers and volunteers indefatigable and generous, and the convention was an overall success. The attendees are, on average, a bit younger than in the north and, consequently, not as overwhelmingly versed in their knowledge of the early writers (although very conversant in the later writers). Other than this slight difference, sci-fi people are sci-fi people.

I then return from the comfortable confines of my peers to the ‘real’ world where I get to fight with the car rental company over a chip in the car’s paint and mundane who think I took a three day weekend instead of a tiring but necessary journey that is part of the work I do.

Okay, next to hype some specific people.