Amy: From Life To Legend

It will go on as long as there are drugs, sex and rock and roll, prodigies will perish, geniuses will have gone off, the brilliant will leave behind the bereaved, the virtuosos will vanish and the creative will become casualties.

Jimi Hendrix said in his song ‘If 6 was 9’, “I’m the one who’s gotta die when it’s time for me to die…so let me live my life… the way I want to.”

We, the fans, the freaks and the fools who listen to and idolize them in both life and death are left with only a question…why?

Amy Winehouse is now among them, a great voice and talent gone from the world as flesh and blood to be another flawed being immortalized as a hero to rock and roll. She is one, like the others…who’s vices became so dominant in her life that those vices took her life. She will be celebrated for her defiance and her brazen soul sound that took us back to the 60’s and 70’s. Ironically, that is when some of the best of the others…the legendary famous dead rockers lived.

You know who they are, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison aka The Lizard King, Brian Jones and Roger McKernan to name a few. These are the ones who have left here as mortals and now live forever on the airwaves, the internet, CD’s, vinyl, tape and i-pods. It is a short hard life when your big star bound without any way to stop the runaway horses of drugs, addiction, fortune and fame. She had been married, divorced, cheered on stage, booed off the floor and she ran away from rehab.

Many news outlets report that she is also a member of the ‘27 club’ that is not only a famously dead recording artist, but dead at the age of 27. I have already mentioned some of them, Jimi, Janis, Jim, and Brian but let me not forget Kurt Cobain and blues master Robert Johnson. But now what? There will be a coroners inquiry, there will be a funeral, there will be unanswered questions, along with a long stream of flowers and tears.

But this sultry untamed spirit that was Amy Winehouse will continue with her famously dead contemporaries as a rock/pop/soul music immortal. Songwriters John Holman Stevenson and Alan Earle O'Day put it best in a song they wrote for Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield (aka: The Righteous Brothers) their words describe it best:

"If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there's a rock and roll heaven
Well you know they've got a hell of a band, band, band

Jimmy gave us rainbows
And Janis took a piece of our hearts
And Otis brought us all to the dock of a bay
Sing a song to light my fire
Remember Jim that way
They've all found another place
Another place to play

If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there's a rock and roll heaven
Well you know they've got a hell of a band, band, band"

Amy, no longer mortal, no longer has to worry about being trampled by the horses of drugs, addiction, fortune and fame.

Now she will join all our other rock heroes in the hereafter waiting for us to get where they are, waiting for us to join them in the hereafter and forever.

Until then, we will always have Amy, like we have the others, on our CD’s, records, tapes and I-Pods, ready to perform at a moments notice.

RJ

Sexting & Scandal

“So man, how did she get in that position where you could fuck one and suck the other?” A loud collective WHOA roared through the bar. D.B. really wanted to know.

D.B. didn’t care that Zed was in the bar with one of the two women that he bragged doing a threesome with back in 2009, and D.B. could give a shit the old neighborhood bar in North Baldwin had at least four women sitting around when he brought up the topic to Zed. The bar had at least 15 people in it.

How D.B. got to the topic was the result of a ‘sexting’ incident that referenced Zed, and D.B. thought it appropriate to bring up a ‘guys only’ conversation that took place with Zed and about a half dozen of the old timers, regulars in the ‘Old Boys Club’ that meets there on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. What was worse is that D.B. got ‘cc:d’ on the sexmail. It was a Friday night before a Yankee game.

Zed’s faced flushed red, violet and some other indescribable colors that I cannot adequately detail. Zed’s woman, Bab’s, got that deer in the headlights look that soon turned to pure rage as D.B.’s mouth continued to run like an open sewer at a white sale. Though most of the regulars could feel this getting kind of uncomfortable, everybody stayed glued to their seats. The game in the bar was more interesting than what was on TV.

“I mean, damn, she’d have to be a contortionist to do what you described Zed, but from the looks of her in this photo she’s a little thick” said D.B. as Zed sternly retorted, “SHUT UP.”

D.B. a midsized, middle aged, black man who had all the tact of a dog in heat did plead his case even more. “Don’t be like that, I got the picture right here on my ‘droid’…look man them legs are thick but her pussy got muscles…look” said D.B. as he now passed the phone down to the back end of the bar.

Let me give some background here, the woman in the photo is not ‘Babs’ but the other woman in the threesome, ‘Mandy’. After their threesome sex episode, Mandy and Babs didn’t talk to each other for about a month. But Mandy, who is very bisexual, likes to show off her goods to her freaks and freakettes. One of her female freaks dates D.B.’s cousin who got the sexting photo of Mandy, who passed it on to D.B. who is a voyeur and a pervert.

“You don’t talk about this stuff in front of women in a bar” screamed Zed. D.B. begged “I’m not, they are” pointing to two of the women at the bar. D.B. continued, “They were talking about Mandy bragging about some dick she got while her hands and feet were on an iron bed frame, I remembered you bragging about Bab’s and Mandy….” “SHUT UP, SHUT THE FUCK UP…” said Zed as Bab’s reached into her purse for her tazer.

“G” went from being bartender, to referee and inquisitor. “Get your hand out of the purse Bab’s,… D.B. change the subject or come back after the game” said “G” who quickly brought order to her bar. The old timers in attendance felt sorry for Zed and bought him and his woman a round or two but they didn’t stay too long.

D.B. got a reprieve when Zed and Bab’s left the bar. One of the old boys, ‘Ned’ said “D.B. you should be ashamed of yourself and you should know better than to talk about that stuff in mixed company.” Sadie and Wendy, the women who were having the conversation D.B. stepped in on piped up. Wendy immediately took Ned’s rebuke for decency as a sexist statement.

“Mixed company…why do women need to be excluded when men talk about sex, like we haven’t heard it or seen it before” said Wendy as her eyes flashed like spotlights in a prison camp.

“Wait a minute, women talk about men just as bad as men talk about women, even worse” said “G” “that’s why some good guys never get a break or a date with a hot woman…their reputations are damaged because of bad dates with bad women.”

“Ned, don’t jump on me man, the whole thing was started by Mandy and these two nasty heifer’s right here talking about how hard it was and how long it should have went.” Sadie and Wendy actually got their hands on D.B. when “G” slammed a mini ball bat on the bar. “D.B. your buying drinks for these ladies, ladies calm down let the asshole pay” said “G” as a low roar and applause came over the bar.

D.B. showed the sex pict from the sexting message to Wendy and Sadie who agreed that Mandy is a ‘superfreak’. D.B. asked Wendy and Mandy ‘how did they know’ implying they were ‘bi’, that's when “G” slapped D.B. upside his head and had him reaching in his pocket for funds, the insult had him buying another round. “Ned said, “see what Weiner started…sexting, perverts and assholes putting their ‘privates’ on display for the whole world to look at.”

“Weiner didn’t start this mess, horny teenage kids did when all cell phones got cameras attached to them” said Doc Banks as he put down his gin. Ned snapped “What,…kids are doing this sexting shit, …your kidding right Doc?” Now Doc is a Professor of History at Hofstra and has the good scoop on most everything. As the bar was in roar with several conversations going over D.B.’s pictures, Doc filled us in.

Doc Banks said, “The term ‘sexting’ allegedly started in a British newspaper called ‘The Sunday Telegraph’. Back in 2009 both CBS and ABC News did reports on sexting among teens and soon the practice was a worldwide fad and still is. The problem is now you need new rules for this new game.

What happens when private photos end up in the hands of perverts or porn distributors or even worse, causes a scandal that could damage a reputation?”

“Stop staring at me Doc” screamed D.B. as Doc continued his lesson in pop culture phenomenon. Doc smiled, got another gin, and continued now with a few more listeners as the roar of conversations started to wind down.

Doc took a sip of his gin and picked up where he left off, “but most damaging with this sexting thing is the legal problems it could cause a man or woman who sends or receives a sex message, a photo of somebody in a triple X photo. If the picture is of a minor the sender and/or recipient can get arrested, tried and jailed. All the sudden you have a sex offender handle on your ass and all you did was get a hot picture.”

“How can you go to jail for that” roared D.B. Doc said, “Well if the picture is of a minor or a person who is mentally challenged then you have problems. Let me elaborate; In 2009, a Wisconsin 17-year-old was charged with possessing child pornography after he posted naked pictures of his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend online.

In Alabama, the law arrested four middle-school students for exchanging nude photos of themselves. In Rochester, N.Y., a 16-year-old boy is looking at up to seven years in prison for forwarding a nude photo of a 15-year-old girlfriend to his friends. Anthony Weiner is the first of what will be many politicians caught up in some kind of sexting scandal over the next few years.”

Wendy said, “All you men are dirty fucking perverts who can’t help but look at some tits or ass.” “What’s wrong with that” said Rocco, an old regular, as he put down his beer. Doc said, “Absolutely nothing is wrong with that…just don’t take nasty pictures of someone or even yourself and send it over the internet. It will come back to haunt you.”

“G” said, “Look, I have no problems with having guys look at me but if anyone circulates my picture without permission I will litigiously sodomize them until I leave them broke and bitter.” “Sounds like my wife” said Ned as he paid up and headed home. Sadie took a shot of Black Haus and said “your all a bunch of nasty folks, but guys are just wired that way, I bet all of them are sexting or getting sex pictures.”

Doc said, “wait a minute, recently a study found that women are more active at sexting than men. I’ll get to the point; ‘a recent study by Diane Kholos Wysocki, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Cheryl D. Childers, a professor of sociology at Washburn University, said women are more likely to send nude photographs or sexually explicit text messages than men. About two-thirds of women surveyed sent such lewdness compared with roughly half the men.’”

Doc Banks got the bar breaking into a ruckus over that revelation and he also pointed out that “women cheat just as much or more than men do and like all kinds of sexcapades often with one or more person outside their regular relationship, be that with a man or a woman.” D.B. said, “see, I’m not a freak and I don’t take texts from minors…but if I can get in trouble for sex picts from crazy women, I might be in trouble now.”

“G” took a picture of her wonderfully voluptuous, mouth watering tits and texted it to someone.

I’m not telling.

RJ

Out With The Old...In With The New

“Well, there they are!” Ruby ran to meet two gentlemen who came into see her in the quiet establishment sitting in the middle (but out of site) of Woodmere’s boutique shop district, it was Thursday afternoon.

The small neighborhood bar is the long time hiding spot of hard working bookmakers and hard drinking sports fans for decades. Ruby quickly introduced me to the gentlemen who looked like they came back from a vacation in Hawaii.

The one gent, early sixties, looked like a sophisticated Red Foxx with a Hawaiian Shirt and a baseball cap. He was easy going but gave me a hard straight look of a man who knows the world, Ruby said “RJ meet Kingfish”. I said “How are you sir,” as I shook his hand which was a good hard handshake you get from old school types. “Just fine young man, just fine” said Kingfish as he eased back in his seat.

Ruby then pointed out the other gentleman who was a big guy, as I reached to shake his hand I realized he could palm a basketball or hide a softball with no problem. Ruby said “RJ, this is Smurf.” Smurf is a good 6’5” and could easily be a guard for the Giants or the Steelers (Jets like smaller faster guys like Ferguson at that position). As we all sat down Ruby had drinks materialize on the bar and she started talking.

Ruby said “Kingfish just finished dealing with Mr. E, the old haunt by CVS will be reopening under his and Smurf’s management.” I congratulated them, “good luck and I hope you have much success.” “Quite frankly, Kingfish, I thought another group of folks from the West Indies was opening up on the Corner.” Kingfish said “No, just us folks from here RJ.” Ruby said, “a lot of new bar owners are not from here.”

But it was clear that Kingfish and Smurf are locals from Lawrence and South Queens who grew up knowing the neighborhood and the people. As we talked I learned Kingfish owns other bar & grill establishments and that he is quite aware of what goes on in the Long Island/Queens bar scene. Kingfish is a Vietnam Era Army Veteran who knows his business. He knew of the recent history of the area and the shifting migration patterns of the population. Kingfish did much homework.

But what Kingfish couldn’t figure out was how Mr. E. couldn’t make a profit in that location. By that time another former bartender was sitting down along with some folks who ‘used to’ go to Mr. E’s place. Then conversation got to the legendary landmark that was the ‘Beverly’, ‘Cheers’, “The Corner Tavern” and now formerly “The Broadway Lounge.” “Mr. E never really knew how to handle the bartenders” said one patron.

“No, the problem was he wanted to handle all the bartenders” said the asian woman with a hot fine frame. I asked Kingfish, “how did you get that nickname?” Kingfish put on his glasses (now he looked like Fred Sanford but sounded like an economics professor) “I’ve been called that since I was a kid for always having a hustle, like ‘Kingfish from the Amos & Andy Show.” Smurf’s nickname was more obvious like calling a giant ‘tiny’.

We had a long conversation about how things used to be under the several owners of the Old Corner Tavern alias all else, when we hit upon how well the bartenders treated their customers when the shift change took place and Ruby’s relief showed up. It was a circus of miscue’s, mindlessness and mess ups that had Ruby come back and settle everything and everybody down before she left ‘again’.

On my way through to East Rockaway, I saw Kingfish out in front of the old corner haunt getting it ready for business again. After hearing from some former patrons and a couple of former bartenders Kingfish had two questions stirring in his head, how long would it take to get the customers to come back and is the place worth what he paid Mr. E. Time will tell. “KING SMURF” opens for business today, Sunday July 17th.

Good Luck and Fair Weather.

RJ

Leeta: Be Sure You Don't Have It Too

During the weekend I got a call from an old friend who was on the Island from Pittsburgh. He came up to see the Yankees and visit some of his family in Amagansett.

E.Z. and I met in the Corps on a deployment to Australia back in the 80’s and we had fun in the sun from American Samoa all the way to Perth Australia with stops in Fiji and other exotic places. At 53 he looks great, a gut as tight as a washboard, and all muscles. Castillian Spanish and Brazilian blood gave him a bronze tint.

We talked for about a half hour catching up on old times and mocking all the assholes we stepped over to push our way up the ranks.

Then E.Z. got kind of quiet, I asked him what was going on. “E.Z., what can I do for you my man?” “RJ, its Leeta, I think she’s dying?” “E.Z., she’s dying of what? Leeta? Tell me man don’t mess around…shoot straight.” (Leeta is E.Z.’s baby sister, stone fox, brick house, so good looking no less than five sailors offered to be E.Z.’s bitch for a day to get a date with Leeta).

In 1982, when Leeta was a 17 year old piece of serious jail bait on the move, she caused traffic problems on 29 Palms when she had to live just off base with E.Z. and his woman. Now at 46 she still something, a cross between Pam Grier and a light skinned Tina Turner. I had to find out what the hell was going on. “E.Z., what the hell is she dying from?” After a pause E.Z. said, “She’s got some kind of throat cancer RJ…” I just jumped all over him, “What kind? Is it cancer or not?”

“Fuck it RJ, I’m trying to tell you…” “Sorry, E.Z., go ahead I’m listening and I won’t interrupt.” “RJ, there is something called the ‘Genital Human Papillomavirus’ a kind of sexually transmitted disease. Leeta, well you know how she is, she’s very sexual and has a lot of partners, mostly women, but the throat cancer she has was a result of her getting this HPV virus.” “E.Z. how long has she had the virus?” “RJ, nobody knows, she could have had it for years.”

“E.Z., what stage is the cancer in?” “First stage, she is going into chemotherapy by the end of next week, I need you to pray man, somehow God listen’s to you RJ? “That depends on the mood God is in E.Z. An Almighty God puts up with much but does little when we don’t listen.” “RJ, I remember when you were stuck alone with Leeta, most guys would have tried to fuck her senseless, but she always talked about how you took care of her when I was away and how you treated her like your own family.”

“Which brings me to this point E.Z., ‘why didn’t she call me’?” “She was ashamed RJ, this cancer is the result of wild sex and poor judgment.” “Where is she now E.Z.?” “She is staying with Aunt Zoey in Amagansett until she can get Uncle Jasper to get her a place in Harlem so she can be closer to Memorial Sloan-Kettering in the City, RJ”. “E.Z., I have business in Fort Lee later next month so when she makes that move let me know.” “Thanks, RJ…pray.” “I will my brother, keep faith in God E.Z.”

I sat there on the couch in my study, smoking my pipe and pouring a glass of Jack Daniels. I thought about Leeta, how she lives, how she loves, how naturally sensual she is and how easy it is to judge her because of the virus.

But when I gave it serious thought I realized that all of us ‘so called’ ‘heterosexuals’ practice some of the same sex practices as those who do both men and women. Though I never had any kind of sex with Leeta, I knew I had better check this out with my Doctor.

Everybody is concerned about HIV, AIDS, VD and Cancer, but what about this other stuff. What exactly is the ‘Genital Human Papillomavirus’ how does one get it and how do you know if you have it?

So off to my new Doctor, who generally avoids me like I have the plague. My doctor, a woman, young and not more than 50 herself actually sat down with me and we talked about this because I had other problems related to the ongoing function of my manhood.

Doctor V., after we discussed my problems and got most of them squared way let me ask her some questions about the ‘Genital Human Papillomavirus’ . “What is this HPV virus Doctor and what can I do about not getting it? Doctor V, got on her soap box and let loose on me like I was thoroughly conformed pervert. “First, you need to have one partner and stay monogamous, otherwise you risk all kinds of disease related to bad sexual behavior. I will break it down simply so listen:

HPV, Genital human papillomavirus (also called HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females. These HPV types can also infect the mouth and throat. Most people who become infected with HPV do not even know they have it. (She saw my eyeballs light up like the Marquis at the Apollo) Yes, oral sex, fellatio, cunnilingus or anilingus are common ways to get this virus.”

Doctor V., then went on to other details that had me starting to sweat. “HPV is not the same as herpes or HIV (the virus that causes AIDS). These are all viruses that could be passed on during sex, but they have different symptoms and health problems.” Doctor V. continued, after checking some papers,” Most people with HPV do not develop symptoms or health problems from it. In 90% of cases, the body’s immune system clears HPV naturally in about two years.

But sometimes, certain types of HPV can cause genital warts in males and females. Rarely, these types can also cause warts in the throat -- a condition called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis or RRP.

Other HPV types can cause cervical cancer. These types can also cause other, less common but serious cancers, including cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and head and neck (tongue, tonsils and throat).

The types of HPV that can cause genital warts are not the same as the types that can cause cancer. There is no way to know by race, sex or blood type who will get HPV or will go on to develop cancer or other health problems.” So Doctor if I or anyone else engages in certain sex practices is there a chance of getting HPV? “If you engage in any sex practices there is a chance of getting HPV.”

“Doctor, stop staring at me like I’m a freak, I’m not asking for myself, but a female friend who has throat cancer as a result of HPV.” “Risky behavior has its penalties no matter how much fun it seems to be…be glad you haven’t had to pay the penalty RJ. Always get checked so if you do receive the penalty for your risky living you can get treated early. Understand RJ?”

She looked at me like I was a convict after a cavity search, I simply said, “Yes Doctor V., I understand.” Doctor V. gave me some literature from none other than the CDC that I thought I would share with you.

Signs and symptoms of HPV-related problems:

Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or groups of bumps in the genital area. They can be small or large, raised or flat, or shaped like a cauliflower. Health care providers can diagnose warts by looking at the genital area during an office visit. Warts can appear within weeks or months after sexual contact with an infected partner—even if the infected partner has no signs of genital warts. If left untreated, genital warts might go away, remain unchanged, or increase in size or number. They will not turn into cancer.

Cervical cancer usually does not have symptoms until it is quite advanced. For this reason, it is important for women to get regular screening for cervical cancer. Screening tests can find early signs of disease so that problems can be treated early, before they ever turn into cancer.

Other HPV-related cancers might not have signs or symptoms until they are advanced and hard to treat. These include cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, anus, and head and neck. For signs and symptoms of these cancers, see www.cancer.gov.

RRP (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis ) causes warts to grow in the throat. It can sometimes block the airway, causing a hoarse voice or troubled breathing.

How do people get HPV?

HPV is passed on through genital contact, most often during vaginal and anal sex. HPV may also be passed on during oral sex and genital-to-genital contact. HPV can be passed on between straight and same-sex partners—even when the infected partner has no signs or symptoms.

A person can have HPV even if years have passed since he or she had sexual contact with an infected person. Most infected persons do not realize they are infected or that they are passing the virus on to a sex partner. It is also possible to get more than one type of HPV.

Very rarely, a pregnant woman with genital HPV can pass HPV to her baby during delivery. In these cases, the child can develop RRP.

How does HPV cause genital warts and cancer?

HPV can cause normal cells on infected skin to turn abnormal. Most of the time, you cannot see or feel these cell changes. In most cases, the body fights off HPV naturally and the infected cells then go back to normal. But in cases when the body does not fight off HPV, HPV can cause visible changes in the form of genital warts or cancer. Warts can appear within weeks or months after getting HPV. Cancer often takes years to develop after getting HPV.

How common are HPV and related diseases?

HPV (the virus). Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. Another 6 million people become newly infected each year. HPV is so common that at least 50% of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.

Genital warts. About 1% of sexually active adults in the U.S. have genital warts at any one time.

Cervical cancer. Each year, about 12,000 women get cervical cancer in the U.S.

Other cancers that can be caused by HPV are less common than cervical cancer. Each year in the U.S., there are about:

· 3,700 women who get vulvar cancer

· 1,000 women who get vaginal cancer

· 1,000 men who get penile cancer

· 2,700 women and 1,700 men who get anal cancer

· 2,300 women and 9,000 men who get head and neck cancers. [Note: although HPV is associated with some of head and neck cancers, most of these cancers are related to smoking and heavy drinking.]

Certain populations are at higher risk for some HPV-related health problems. This includes gay and bisexual men, and people with weak immune systems (including those who have HIV/AIDS).

RRP is very rare. It is estimated that less than 2,000 children get RRP every year in the U.S.

How can people prevent HPV?

There are several ways that people can lower their chances of getting HPV:

· Vaccines can protect males and females against some of the most common types of HPV. These vaccines are given in three shots. It is important to get all three doses to get the best protection. The vaccines are most effective when given before a person's first sexual contact, when he or she could be exposed to HPV.

Girls and women: Two vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil) are available to protect females against the types of HPV that cause most cervical cancers. One of these vaccines (Gardasil) also protects against most genital warts. Both vaccines are recommended for 11 and 12 year-old girls, and for females 13 through 26 years of age, who did not get any or all of the shots when they were younger. These vaccines can also be given to girls as young as 9 years of age. It is recommended that females get the same vaccine brand for all three doses, whenever possible.

o Boys and men: One available vaccine (Gardasil) protects males against most genital warts. This vaccine is available for boys and men, 9 through 26 years of age.

· For those who choose to be sexually active, condoms may lower the risk of HPV. To be most effective, they should be used with every sex act, from start to finish. Condoms may also lower the risk of developing HPV-related diseases, such as genital warts and cervical cancer. But HPV can infect areas that are not covered by a condom - so condoms may not fully protect against HPV.

· People can also lower their chances of getting HPV by being in a faithful relationship with one partner; limiting their number of sex partners; and choosing a partner who has had no or few prior sex partners. But even people with only one lifetime sex partner can get HPV. And it may not be possible to determine if a partner who has been sexually active in the past is currently infected. That's why the only sure way to prevent HPV is to avoid all sexual activity.

How can people prevent HPV-related diseases?

There are ways to prevent the possible health effects of HPV, including the two most common problems: genital warts and cervical cancer.

· Preventing genital warts: A vaccine (Gardasil) is available to protect against most genital warts in males and females (see above).

· Preventing Cervical Cancer: There are two vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil) that can protect women against most cervical cancers (see above). Cervical cancer can also be prevented with routine cervical cancer screening and follow-up of abnormal results. The Pap test can find abnormal cells on the cervix so that they can be removed before cancer develops.

An HPV DNA test, which can find HPV on a woman's cervix, may also be used with a Pap test in certain cases. Even women who got the vaccine when they were younger need regular cervical cancer screening because the vaccine does not protect against all cervical cancers.

· Preventing Anal and Penile Cancers: There is no approved screening test to find early signs of penile or anal cancer. Some experts recommend yearly anal Pap tests to screen for anal cancer in gay and bisexual men and in HIV-positive persons. This is because anal cancer is more common in those populations. These tests are not routinely recommended for anal cancer screening because more information is still needed to find out if they are effective.

· Preventing Head and Neck Cancers: There is no approved test to find early signs of head and neck cancer, but tests are available by specialized doctors for persons with possible symptoms of these cancers. [see www.cancer.org]

· Preventing RRP: Cesarean delivery is not recommended for women with genital warts to prevent RRP in their babies. This is because it is not clear that cesarean delivery prevents RRP in infants and children.

Is there a test for HPV?

The HPV tests on the market are only used to help screen for cervical cancer. There is no general test for men or women to check one’s overall “HPV status,” nor is there an HPV test to find HPV on the genitals or in the mouth or throat. But HPV usually goes away on its own, without causing health problems. So an HPV infection that is found today will most likely not be there a year or two from now.

Is there a treatment for HPV or related diseases?

There is no treatment for the virus itself, but there are treatments for the diseases that HPV can cause:

Visible genital warts can be removed by the patient him or herself with medications. They can also be treated by a health care provider. Some people choose not to treat warts, but to see if they disappear on their own. No one treatment is better than another.

Cervical cancer is most treatable when it is diagnosed and treated early. But women who get routine Pap tests and follow up as needed can identify problems before cancer develops. Prevention is always better than treatment. [see www.cancer.org]

Other HPV-related cancers are also more treatable when diagnosed and treated early. [see www.cancer.org]

RRP can be treated with surgery or medicines. It can sometimes take many treatments or surgeries over a period of years.

Well that’s about it. The moral of this dilemma is to bag the phallus and wash your ass.

Do it for somebody your already having sex with before you do it with somebody else you think your going to have sex with. Get checked you may have HPV.

RJ.

4th Of July – What We Need to Always Celebrate

There they were, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, John Penn, Samuel Chase and the other 49 signers of the Declaration of Independence standing with the Almighty on the edge where time meets eternity, looking down on America all amazed, some dumbfounded by what they saw. Jesus laughed hysterically.

“Hey George, look at the President of the United States” said Franklin. “My God, what have they become” screamed Thomas Paine. “I WILL TELL YOU WHAT THEY HAVE BECOME….ONE NATION UNDER ME, DESPITE ALL OF YOU” said the Almighty. “They’re a nation of drug abusers, self serving, greed afflicted, money chasing hypocrites” said John Penn.

“Yes, They All Follow The Paths Laid By You Fathers For Your Sons” said Jesus. “Stop staring at the President George”, said Adams. “He is indeed an American and indeed President.” Washington said, “This is all Abe Lincolns fault, now what for America, now what?” “Stop your bickering, look at them, they have become glorious, they have become the greatest republic in all human history” said John Hancock as he nodded approvingly.

Then GOD pointed at the large scroll before them which the cherubim had unrolled on a great table, then had the signers read in turn the words to the greatest document penned by men, those men who now looked down from heaven upon the earth. They signers were to read the Declaration of Independence before GOD.

Thomas Jefferson began reading “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

We now break from Heaven to take a look at what we on earth really should celebrate about the 4^th of July. First of all what we now call the United States had not become fully formed yet, the Constitution had not been written yet. The Colonies, soon to become the United States operated under the Articles of Confederation from March 1^st 1781 to June 20^th 1788.

The Constitution was ratified or that is, the law of the land on June 21^st 1788. But the Declaration of Independence was the most eloquent apologetic for both the dissolution of bonds with a government and the creation of a new government. That is what we really celebrate, the power of the people to change the way we govern and how we live under government.

Author Kate Kelly notes, the 4^th of July was not an official holiday. And Americans of African Ancestry didn’t even recognize Independence Day. Kelly writes: “As tensions over slavery grew during the 19th century, some African Americans began to talk about the fact that the declaration did not apply to them. By 1859, movement was afoot to address this directly.

Philadelphia's Banneker Institute -- begun by Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) an African American mathematician who was born free in a slave state -- urged African Americans to celebrate Independence Day but to bear witness to the inconsistencies between the ideals espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the practice of slavery.

By the 1870s, the Fourth of July had become the most important secular holiday on the calendar. On June 28, 1870, Congress passed a law making Independence Day an unpaid federal holiday. In 1938, Congress voted that it should become a paid holiday for federal workers.”

Fireworks were most always a part of the American Independence Day celebration. Since nearly the very beginning of our celebrations we used fireworks as noted in a letter by John Adams in a letter to his wife Abigail in which he wrote, “... It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more."

As we celebrate the 4^th of July, let us not forget the strife this country was born out from . It took decades after the ratification of the Constitution before slavery

ended and that only after a civil war.

In the War of 1812 the British invaded the United States and burned down Washington DC, including the White House. In December of 1945 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and invaded U.S. territories in Alaska, that is the Aleutian Island. Today the British and Japanese invasions continue through tourism the British and Japanese are the largest groups of tourists from foreign countries.

Never forget that from the time of the American Revolution until a few days ago, American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are dying in wars and conflicts to keep America free.

Never forget as we barbeque our dogs and burgers, enjoy seafood and ice cream, that this is possible because selfless souls serve at the Presidents discretion to do the hard things to keep little boys and girls safe at home.

We now go peer back on the edge where time meets eternity, as Benjamin Franklin reads the last of the Declaration Of Independence. With force and spirit, Franklin reads “We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;

that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

We, the Americans, should celebrate and share as much as we can today with love and celebration for all the freedoms we have and all the freedoms we must still secure. Give a smile, a hot dog or a hug. And wish all you see a happy 4^th of July.

Like the founding fathers, we must pledge or Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred honor to keep freedom free. Thank God for the Americans who keep and have kept this pledge. This we must celebrate and do not just today…but every day!

RJ