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Fifteen miles south of Santa Fe stands the old New Mexico State Penitentiary which opened in 1956 and closed in 1998. Virtually every other piece of historical information regarding the prison pales into insignificance in the face of a riot which began at approximately 2 am on February 2, 1980. That riot is considered to be the most violent prison uprising in U.S. history if not the deadliest (that dubious honor likely goes to the 1971 riot at Attica in New York). Information on the prison's architecture and overall history apart from the riot is nearly non-existent, buried under the mountain of horror unleashed that day in February. So, here is the story of the New Mexico State Penitentiary riot, told for the umpteenth time, though hopefully more comprehensively than what you'll find on Wikipedia and with some recent photos. (Photo above is of the pen's gas chamber, which was used only once, in 1960, to execute a man that killed a hitchhiker. New Mexico repealed the death penalty earlier this year.)
In the early 1970's, the New Mexico State Penitentiary operated under a system whereby certain inmates were selected to help run prison programs. These prisoners could approve or reject other prisoner's requests to join programs and, as these programs were popular with the prisoners, it was in everyone's best interest to assure their continuance.
Further, the New Mexico State Penitentiary contained high-security cells, New Mexico's death row and its attendant gas chamber, as well as the protective custody unit, in which those inmates considered at risk of assault if allowed in the general population were housed.
Finally, those guarding the inmates at the penitentiary had grown demoralized and careless. In any given year, 80% of the prison staff quit. The high-turnover rate meant that guards were frequently unfamiliar with the operation of the prison and the building itself. Nor would the guards always know the history of those incarcerated in the prison. At the time of the riot, many guards let prisoners do as they pleased in their cells, as long as it didn't turn into something the guards had to deal with personally. Thus many prisoners were routinely victims of physical and sexual assault and drug use was rampant. In addition to drugs, some prisoners made their own alcohol, a strange fact which ended up being the flame which finally lit the fuse.
It was about this time that some inmates, possibly less than a dozen, set out for the protective custody unit. Once there, suspected informers were taken from their cells and set on fire or had their limbs cut off one-by-one, each successive wound cauterized to prolong the suffering. One prisoner was propped in front of a window and, in full view of the National Guard, now gathered beyond the 12-foot fence outside, was killed with a blowtorch. While keys to the outside doors of several wings of the prison were available, the decision was made not to enter and, instead, to attempt to negotiate with the prisoners. Meanwhile, the carnage inside escalated.
During the negotiations it became clear that, in fact, no one was in charge of the riot and, therefore, no one was in a position to stop it. Those convicts being negotiated with made claims of overcrowding, bad food and harassment while others, weary of the violence, began to leave the prison and line up along the outside fence, seeking refuge.
By the bitter end, only three hostages remained and two very violent prisoners, Michael Colby and William Jack Stephens, demanded and were granted transfer to a federal facility for their release. Colby and Stephens were told to get their belongings from their cells, the three hostages were released, and the State Police and the National Guard entered the prison and re-took it without opposition from the approximately 100 inmates still inside.
(Above photo shows an old bed frame in the infirmary.)
The major causes of the riot are out-lined above, all of them preventable. Lawsuits had already been filed regarding the overcrowding, the lack of a command structure within the NM prison system was well-known (basic security inspections at the penitentiary went undone for years as no one knew who should be conducting them) and the use of drugs amongst inmates was no secret. Thus the riot itself should have come as no surprise. What is surprising, of course, is the level of violence. Obviously, housing the protective custody unit, which included "snitches," in the main facility was a grievous mistake and one subsequently corrected.
The American justice system seems a shadowy and powerful animal and the forces it wields are largely beyond our understanding. We know very little about how to alter the human spirit to the good; there are myriad ways to corrupt that same spirit and plunge it into darkness. Can prisons consistently do the former rather than the latter? To what degree does the criminal justice system create monsters that can murder without mercy? Or, to what degree do those monsters arrive fully-formed, merely waiting? The questions are serious, the answers remain unclear. (Photo below is of the check-in desk of the infirmary. The infirmary was raided for drugs during the riot.)
Interestingly enough, apart from the obvious changes to the prison system in the years following the riot, changes in the prison population itself have reduced the likelihood of such riots. Prison gangs have consolidated their power and, where numerous small gangs used to fight for position and influence, now only a couple well-established gangs maintain a fragile peace. Finally, in the mid-1980's, drug smuggling within the New Mexico State Penitentiary (and, I would imagine, prisons throughout the country), became more sophisticated and materially lucrative. Drugs are now a significant incentive, both to the users and distributors within the prison, and no one wants to rock the boat if it means they might not get their fix. Thus crime controls the criminal.
There have been books published on the riot, such as the Devil's Butcher Shop by Roger Morris and the Hate Factory by Georgelle Hirliman, yet much of what you find on the internet is somewhat basic and very similar. One of the most instructive websites I found included this INTERVIEW with an initial investigator of the event. Also, Time Magazine's original coverage, published just after the riot, was quite interesting.
(Above photo is from the second floor of the prison. This may have been a cafeteria.)


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Attack of the power migrants
Why are some immigrants more successful than others? This question is periodically debated in the US. For example, the fact that within a short space of time, Asian immigrants have outstripped long-established African-Americans with regard to social status – something that has fuelled animosity between the two groups – was already on the table more than 20 years ago in connection with the LA riots.
Amy Chua and her husband, Jed Rubenfeld, two law professors from Yale, both of whom have found fame and fortune by writing bestsellers independently of each other, are now offering a bafflingly simple explanation for the differing advancement dynamic of distinct immigrant groupings: it's culture, stupid!
Three years ago, 52-year-old Chinese-American Amy Chua caused a furore with her confessions of a "Tiger Mom" in her book "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother". In this book, which was published in German under the restrained title "Die Mutter des Erfolgs" (The Mother of Success), she praised the strict parenting methods of Chinese mothers who forbid their children to watch television, go on sleepovers with friends and even celebrate their birthdays, instead spurring them on to perform to their maximum potential at school and in learning to play a musical instrument – if needs be, by threatening to burn their beloved cuddly toys. This unsubtle "praise of discipline" could be succinctly summed up thus: Chinese mothers are better than others.
For her new book, Chua has now joined forces with her 55-year-old husband, Jed Rubenfeld, to explore the connection between culture and success. In their research, they identified eight groups as "over-performers" in consideration of criteria such as income, exam results and intelligence tests. Chua and Rubenfeld's personal Top Eight include Chinese and Jews – groups to which they both belong – as well as Iranians, Lebanese, Nigerians, Cubans and even Mormons.
The over-performers
The author couple maintain that these groups have all attained social advancement in the US because they had at their disposal a particular bundle of qualities that other groups lack. This explains the book's original title, "The Triple Package"; the German version is strangely titled "Alle Menschen sind gleich. Erfolgreiche nicht." (All People Are Equal. The Successful are Not).
Their Triple Package formula is simple: firstly, all of the highlighted groups have a superiority complex – or, in other words, a deeply rooted belief in the distinctiveness of their own group. Secondly, even though it may sound like a paradox, they are also characterised by a deep-seated insecurity and fear of never being able to meet their own expectations.
The third factor is impulse control. This means the readiness to put one's own desires on the back burner, the ability to bounce back from setbacks and be tough on oneself in the form of self-discipline and resilience.
It is at this point that, from far back in the mists of time, we hear the voice of Max Weber and his "Protestant ethic" theory, which has long been a familiar strand of sociological discourse. The popularity of the idea, which suggests that a particular cultural mentality influenced the triumphant march of capitalism, has not been diminished by the fact that it has been called into question on several occasions.
In a similar vein, the rise of the Asian Tiger nations was attributed to an alleged "Confucian ethic", and the devout and hard-working entrepreneurs of Central Anatolia, who currently form the power base of the Erdogan government in Turkey, were swiftly declared "Islamic Calvinists". After all, the capitalist ethic has long undergone a process of globalisation.
It is no coincidence that the "triple package" theory is strongly reminiscent of the "Asian values" cited to explain the economic boom in the authoritarian Tiger nations of the region in the 1990s, before the Asia crisis brought it to a temporary end. In fact, the theory is so insubstantial that upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that it is little more than cod folk psychology.
It is, nevertheless, in vogue because it gives bar-room prejudice a pseudo-scientific aura. At the latest since Samuel Huntington divided up the world into cultural spheres, it has become fashionable to use the terms "culture" or "civilisation" to explain everything from terrorism to economic success to failure at school. Not that there are no cultural aspects that can impact upon all these things, but these days, "culture" is applied as a blanket concept to explain everything and nothing.
Debunking the myth
Perhaps we can at least be grateful for the fact that unlike Thilo Sarrazin, Chua and Rubenfeld do not blame genetics or religion for the fact that talents are so unequally distributed. The book was nevertheless savaged by US critics. Even the German daily "Die Welt" wrote of "racist fear propaganda".
But in Germany too, the fact that the offspring of Vietnamese immigrants are more successful in school than the offspring of Turkish immigrants is often explained by cultural aspects – the Confucian ethic, remember? The fact that discrimination could be a factor or that the children of Italians – who are among the most popular immigrants here in Germany – have below-average school grades, is often ignored; after all, it doesn't chime with the cliché that the Islamic religion is to blame for every indication of backwardness.
For Chua and Rubenfeld, Jews are the "epitome of the successful migrant": while they account for just two per cent of the US population, they are clearly over-represented among Nobel prize-winners, in business and law as well as Wall Street and in Hollywood, which provides ample material for conspiracy theories. But as far as the myth of the Jewish zeal for education is concerned – often cited in explanation of this phenomenon – the authors set the record straight.
Most of the Jews who arrived from Europe at Ellis Island in the early twentieth century had barely any education and were incredibly poor. Moreover, the members of that first generation, which made a living as craftsmen and retailers, were not overly concerned about a securing a better education for their children, write Chua and Rubenfeld.
The authors neglect to mention, however, that this was also one of the reasons why the US drastically reduced immigration from Eastern Europe after World War I. The advancement of American Jews was a process that began later.
Cultures change, and immigration often occurs in cycles: while the first generation brings with it the audacity to assert itself in a new environment, but must fight for its very survival, it is generally only the second generation that manages to advance. The third generation then rests on its laurels, on what has been achieved, and ambition wanes.
It is obvious that secondary virtues such as hard work, discipline and tenacity are important when aiming to achieve advancement from the very bottom. Moreover, the fact that exclusion by majority society can serve as a motivation to be twice as good as others is something that can be said of many immigrants. For this reason, the choice of the eight groups highlighted by Chua and Rubenfeld appears quite arbitrary.
African-Americans lack drive
In order to justify their selection, they quote statistics that back up their theory, stack up the generalisations and omit any facts that could interfere with the overall scheme. For example, that Iranians and Cubans were members of the elite before fleeing to the US ahead of the revolutions that swept their nations, or that Nigerians and Indians benefit statistically from immigration regulations that favour particular professional groups and academic qualifications. This is why upper-class emigration from western Africa has resulted in the phenomenon that at many elite universities in the US, black students from Africa have outperformed African-Americans.
But it comes across as almost cynical when Chua and Rubenfeld try to explain this development by saying that African-Americans lack the right kind of drive to fight their way to the top, because they place their faith in the promise of equality enshrined in the US constitution. There could hardly be a more flippant way to qualify the legacy of slavery, the reverberations of which can still be felt to this day.
The bottom line of the book is this: a female immigrant gives her new country a stern talking to, confident in the belief that she is superior to majority society. By praising the set of values present within those ethnic communities that have apparently not yet been corrupted by the molly-coddled mainstream of the US and its "culture of immediate reward", she is essentially celebrating the country's parallel societies. Her bellicose message reads: Move over, old America, the ambitions of many immigrants are inevitably propelling them into the fast lane.
Their ultra-conservative performance creed also plays on the fears of the white middle classes that they are not good enough to assert themselves in global competition. This fear – that one's own children might soon be outpaced by brilliant immigrant nerds – is not limited to the US. For this reason, Chua and Rubenfeld can expect their book to rocket up the German bestseller charts, just as Chua's previous work did. People who will order their book have already bought books such as "Lob der Disziplin" (In Praise of Discipline), "Warum unsere Kinder Tyrannen werden" (Why Our Children Are Turning Into Tyrants) or "Warum französische Kinder keine Nervensägen sind" (Why French Children Aren't Annoying) on Amazon. After all, no one wants to be left lagging behind.
Daniel Bax
© Qantara.de 2014
Translated from the German by Nina Coon
Editor: Aingeal Flanagan/Qantara.de
Comments for this article: Attack of the power migrants
The third factor is impulse control. This means the readiness to put one's own desires on the back burner, the ability to bounce back from setbacks and be tough on oneself in the form of self-discipline and resilience.
Impulse control is the most important ingredient in personal success, but is a poor predictor of group success.
While taking nothing away from the successful individuals in these groups and lauding their accomplishments, there are macro factors that may well have been more critical in determining their success in the USA.
What the book fails to note is the relatively small size numerically and the geographical concentration is affluent areas.
Additionally, the featured successful immigrant groups arrived with enormous human capital in terms of high levels of education that were immediately applicable in highly remunerative occupations.
The dynanics of the American economy also provided the successful groups opportunities in virgin economic fields at the time of their arrival.
Labor in highly remunerative occupations was available at the time these immigrant groups were available and untethered to other fields of enterprise.
The migrants' recognized the patterns and behaviors needed to succeed and worked hard to pass them on their children, it remains to be seen whether the success of the successor generations stems more for the relatively high status from which they began their careers or whether they will be able to advance still farther in American life.Robert Chapman29.03.2014 | 17:11 Uhr


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- 1 Filet mignon steak, about 4-inches thick
- 1 1/2 tablespoons spice rub of your choice
- 1 stick of butter, softened
- 1 minced shallot
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
- Cooking oil
- Season filet and bring to room temperature, at least 30 minutes.
- Mix butter, shallot and tarragon in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat grill. Oil grill. Pat filet dry and place on grill, just off direct flames, and cook for 2 minutes. Once you flip filet over, spread a little compound butter on top. Continue flipping filet until you have cooked it for 2 minutes on all sides, spreading butter on as you go
- Let filet rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot.
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The recipe was originally published as The Perfect Filet Mignon Steak on Relish.com


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EXTRA_MUROS: Using urban Montreal as a canvas
MUTEK_10 inaugurates EXTRA_MUROS, a series of outdoor projects using urban Montreal as a canvas for play and projection
With this endeavor, MUTEK reaffirms its role as trampoline to propel visionary artists into the streets of the city and into the realm of new and uninitiated audiences, many of whom will see Montreal in a new light as a result.
This first tier of local and international talent invites you to see the city as a platform punctuated by their monumental creativity. Their work will be on display throughout the festival, from Montreal's Old Port all the way up the Saint Laurent Boulevard's annual sidewalk sale.
Installations run from Wednesday May 27 to Sunday May 31 - from dusk to 3 am
ANTIVJ is a visual collective that brings together a diverse mix of European artists who share a common interest in using light projections as an influence of human perception. Given the contrasting nature of their techniques and their individual work habits, AntiVJ specialize in installations and live performances that inflict a mix of projection techniques upon architectural structures .
For the occasion of MUTEK_10, the Old Port's Conveyors' Tower becomes the object of AntiVJ's attention as they bring the structure back to life with arresting optical effects.
This project will be launched a day earlier than the festival - Tuesday May 26 at 9PM - in the presence of the artists JOANIE LEMERCIER and OLIVIER RATSI
Location: Conveyors' Tower, Quays of the Old Port of Montreal
MAKE OUT by Montreal's RAFAEL LOZANO-HEMMER uses literally thousands of videos pulled from the Internet featuring couples gazing at each other. When a spectator passes in front of the installation, the couples begin their embrace . The kissing continues until the spectator leaves, and only then does the mass embrace end and the couples revert to awaiting their next unwitting witness. Nothing is more natural than setting MAKE OUT in the heart of the Red Light district!
MUTEK is very proud to finally present to Montreal the work of this master of monumental interactivity, who has been very much in demand on the media-arts international scene for many years and too often absent from the city where he has chosen to keep his creative studio.
Location: 2-22 Sainte-Catherine East (corner of Saint-Laurent)
DISLOCK_ by Montreal's DOMINIQUE T SKOLTZ is a series of small tableaus in which two dislocated bodies come together over a passage of time . One man, one woman, drawn to each other through sheer magnetism. The unfolding imagery is arrhythmic, like irregular breathing, in the image of the bodies that compose the tableaus. Sequential photographic snapshots assure the temporal fragmentation of the action.
Polymorphic artist Dominique T Skoltz has collaborated for over ten years as a member of the duo SKOLTZ_KOLGEN . An intuitive creator, her corpus negotiates between intention and accident.
Location: Immeuble Cooper Building, 3981-3987 Saint-Laurent Blvd
First presented within the Biennale de Montréal, AMUSE 's THE GOOD CONSPIRACY is a co-creative event by MELISSA MONGIAT designed to infiltrate Montreal's public space. Citizens are invited to discover elements of the conspiracy on public grounds and become conspirators themselves in the name of Good.
For MUTEK, EMMANUEL SÉVIGNY creates a video projection on the side of the 4040 Saint Laurent building and relays live messages sent in by web-users and cellphone-texters as well as giving information on the project's numerous other sections.
Creative Team : Mélissat Mongiat / Daniel Canty / Amélie Bilodeau / Emmanuel Sévigny / Guillaume Sasseville / Kung Fu Numérik
Contribute to the conspiracy!
laconspirationdubien.com | twitter.com/inspireconspire | 514.933.BIEN
Location : 4040 Saint-Laurent Blvd
- Date
May 31, 2009 21:00 - June 01, 2009 03:00
- Venue


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unified communications tag
10 result(s) displayed for unified communications (1 - 10 of 10):
Schedule a Free Assessment of Your SIP Trunk Installation @ ITEXPO
ITEXPO attendees can schedule a free, one-on-one consultation on-site with Bandwidth.com, Broadvox, Media5, ShoreTel, Intertex Data AB and/or Ingate Systems for a personalized assessment of their specific network deployment. Get advice, suggestions and solutions to your individual installation needs. Contact... Full Story
Posted on September 7, 2011 11:26 AM
New Unified Communications, SIP Trunking Seminars at ITEXPO
We've announced the schedule for the new "Unified Communications: SIP Trunking, Video, Collaboration and More" seminars at ITEXPO. UC adoption is on the rise. We're addressing the key questions with these educational sessions, free to all ITEXPO attendees. Speakers include... Full Story
Posted on August 22, 2011 11:04 AM
New Unified Communications Seminars at ITEXPO: SIP Trunking, Video, Collaboration and More
Unified Communications is transforming the 21st century enterprise, fueled by the exponential growth of SIP trunking, which lowers operating costs, delivers rapid ROI and feature-rich-applications. UC implementation rates doubled from 2010-2011 according to CDW's third annual Unified Communications Tracking Poll.... Full Story
Posted on April 4, 2011 3:18 PM
LIVE Blogging from ITEXPO in Miami
The SIP Trunk-Unified Communications Summit is in full swing here in sunny Miami Beach at ITEXPO. We're blogging live from the SIP Trunk-UC Summit. If you're attending the show stop by the Summit in room A208 – you don't want... Full Story
Posted on February 3, 2011 11:10 AM
Service Provider Pre-Conference Workshop and SIP Trunk-UC Summit at ITEXPO
Get the facts about Unified Communications and SIP trunking at ITEXPO. Attend the new Service Provider Pre-Conference Workshop on Feb. 1, we're discussing how SIP trunks and Unified Communications can maximize revenue and minimize deployment costs. FREE to attend. Register... Full Story
Posted on January 19, 2011 2:28 PM
UCIF, BroadSoft to Speak at SIP Trunk-UC Summit
Interoperability is becoming a central topic at the SIP Trunk-Unified Communications Summit at ITEXPO. The Unified Communications Interoperability Forum and SIP trunking leader BroadSoft will both be speaking, which tells me that Unified Communications is gaining traction significantly and... Full Story
Posted on September 1, 2010 3:18 PM
Announcing the New SIP Trunk-Unified Communications Summit at ITEXPO
SIP trunks are fueling interest in, and adoption of, Unified Communications. That's why at the ITEXPO in October, in LA, we're debuting the new SIP Trunk-Unified Communications Summit, to showcase the close relationship between these two services. We're developing... Full Story
Posted on July 7, 2010 10:28 AM
Incumbent Telecoms and Unified Communications
At Ingate we've been talking recently about the evolution of SIP to Unified Communications. We've been looking at this topic for some time now, when several years ago we first addressed it as, "global SIP communications." As our industry... Full Story
Posted on June 23, 2010 7:43 AM
SIP Trunking Seminars and Beyond
The February SIP Trunk Seminars were a great success. Thank you to everyone who attended. I am proud to say we had more people in attendance at the last Seminars than ever before. If you missed any of our very... Full Story
Posted on March 4, 2009 10:53 AM
An Exciting Time in Enterprise VoIP
These are interesting times for every player in the IP communications space. SIP trunking has really been taking off, making enterprise VoIP easier to adopt - and more cost-effective - than ever before. Carriers and IP-PBXs are seeing this growth... Full Story
Posted on October 31, 2008 10:04 AM


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Classroom: Technologies in Homeland Security
On one Thursday morning in September, students piled into MacLean B01 as the ten-o'clock hour approached, filing into their seats, lining up along the walls, and dragging up chairs to attend ENGS 11: Technologies in Homeland Security. "If we're going to have this many people interested in the class, we're going to need a larger room," said Professor Susan McGrath. The following week, the class moved to Spanos Auditorium, capacity 120.
The size of the class underscores how large homeland security looms in today's American psyche. But as McGrath points out, concerns about defense are nothing new.
"Homeland security concerns have existed ever since humans have, as long as there was a home to protect. It is not something that started with 9/11," she says. "Various technologies have been developed over the centuries to assist with protecting nations. Homeland security encompasses much more than terrorist events."
In class, McGrath provided examples of threats to homeland security, including the 1918 influenza epidemic, World War coastal protection initiatives, and Hurricane Katrina. "I want my students to gain an appreciation for the complexity and variety of incidents that are considered 'homeland security' events," says McGrath. She also wants students to understand the need for a wide variety of relevant technologies. "There is not one technology that represents the Holy Grail," she says. "Homeland security requires incorporation of many technologies that apply to each of the emergency response cycle phases: mitigation, planning, response, and recovery."
The technological possibilities cover everything from electronics to materials to infrastructure and beyond. "Some obvious historical technologies include firearms and defensive structures, such as castle walls and moats," she says. "Others include satellite technologies to monitor activities throughout the world, and health measures, such as vaccines to prevent disease from spreading."
McGrath's class examines advances in personal protective equipment, physical and cyber security systems, communications and information technologies, intelligence gathering, robotics, and simulation and training technologies. McGrath tells them about new ways to detect chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events, including handheld units that emergency responders can use to sample air for radiation and chemicals. "Research is also going on with sensor networks, where you would have sensors distributed throughout major metropolitan areas," she reports. "With such widespread systems, radiological or chemical events could be detected automatically."
Since 2001 McGrath has been working with civilian emergency responders and the military to use sensors and wireless networks to monitor the health of troops and responders in the field. Director of the Thayer School-based Emergency Readiness and Response Research Group, McGrath encourages students to contribute their ideas for new technologies.
"There will always be threats: earthquakes, disease, pressure from other countries. There is no such thing as 100-percent protection," she says. "Homeland security is something everyone should be concerned with, as the effects of our failure to properly address potential events will have an enormous impact on our society. And since homeland security technologies are so varied, just about every engineering discipline has something to offer."
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Changes in body fat became a signature struggle among the HIV population during the early years of the modern era of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, which began in 1996 with the introduction of the first of the triple combination drug cocktails. Lipodystrophy, which refers to an abnormal distribution of fat in the body, soon replaced wasting and Kaposi sarcoma (KS) lesions as the most prominent physical manifestation of HIV. It was a cruel irony that some of the very drugs that helped return so many HIV-positive people to robust health during that time wound up making many look sick, at least in the eyes of the uninformed.
Lipodystrophy and wasting syndrome can be disfiguring and emotionally devastating conditions, fortunately both are less common in people living with HIV today thanks to advances in ARV treatment. Click below for more on the causes of and treatments available for these conditions:
What is lipodystrophy?
Lipodystrophy is an umbrella term that refers to both:
Lipohypertrophy: abnormal accumulation of fat in certain parts of the body
Lipoatrophy: abnormal loss of fat in certain parts of the body
As new and improved ARVs have come out, replacing the drugs infamous for causing lipodystrophy, the side effect has become much less common. But because these changes in fat distribution are more or less permanent, they typically persist in those who have already developed them. Also, because HIV itself can apparently cause these changes, even people who have never taken those older ARVs may still develop fat abnormalities. The good news is that many HIV-positive people these days never experience lipodystrophy.
The most common forms of lipohypertrophy are:
- Accumulation of fat around the organs, known as visceral fat or visceral adipose tissue, which causes a firm, enlarged abdomen. An excess of this kind of fat can raise the risk of a heart attack and diabetes.
- Breast enlargement (gynecomastia), which can occur in both men and women
- A fat pad on the upper back and neck area (known as the "buffalo hump")
- Enlargement of the neck
- Round lumps of fat under the skin (lipomas).
Severe, abnormal accumulation of fat can cause physical discomfort, such as back pain from the burden of excess breast fat, and can sometimes impair breathing, range of motion or other bodily functions.
Most commonly, lipoatrophy occurs in the:
- Face, particularly the cheeks, "smile lines" (nasolabio folds), temples and eye sockets
- Arms
- Legs
- Buttocks, which can make sitting uncomfortable and make finding pants that fit a challenge, especially if this effect is coupled with an increase in belly fat
- Soles of the feet (less common)
Such loss of fat can make veins look very prominent, especially in the limbs.
Women are more likely to experience fat build-up in their breasts and bellies. Men are more likely to lose fat in the legs, arms, buttocks and face.
HIV-positive individuals who experience lipodystrophy, especially facial lipoatrophy, tend to have trouble with their body image and are more likely to become depressed and socially isolated, and to suffer from low self-esteem. Such psychological effects may also lead individuals to become less adherent to their medications. It's very important for your health that you keep taking your HIV treatment and, if you and your health care provider decide you should switch meds, only to do so under the supervision of your physician.
Lipodystrophy is also associated with what are called metabolic abnormalities, including:
- An abnormal amount of fats in the blood (dyslipidemia), including triglycerides and cholesterol. High cholesterol can raise the risk of heart attack or stroke. Increased triglycerides can raise the risk of damage to the pancreas.
- Insulin resistance and a high level of sugars in the blood (hyperglycemia), which can lead to diabetes.
- Increased lactic acid in the blood. This can lead to a rare, dangerous condition known as lactic acidosis. Symptoms include fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, and weight loss. Signs of life-threatening lactic acidosis can include elevated heart rate, rapid breathing, jaundice (yellow skin and the whites of the eyes), and muscle weakness. Contact a medical professional immediately if you suspect you may be experiencing this condition.
As for weight loss or wasting syndrome, modern ARV treatment has greatly reduced the risk of these conditions. However, a small proportion of people with HIV still do experience them.
It's very important that you mention to your clinician if you are experiencing any unexpected changes in the distribution of your body fat or in your weight. During your medical checkups, you should also get regular lab tests to check for all the metabolic changes mentioned above.
What causes lipodystrophy?
The causes of lipodystrophy are not very well understood, unfortunately. Research suggests that there are many contributing factors, including:
- The see-saw effect as HIV depletes the immune system and antiretroviral (ARV) treatment leads to its resurgence
- ARVs themselves
- Abnormal shifts in the body's metabolism of fatty acids
- Hormonal changes
- Genetics
- Diet and obesity.
- Damage, caused both by HIV and some ARVs, to the mitochondria of cells. A component of all cells, mitochondria are responsible for regulating energy.
HIV-positive people most at risk for lipodystrophy include:
- Whites
- Older people
- People who have been living with HIV for longer
- Those who start HIV treatment with lower CD4 cell counts
- Those who start HIV treatment with higher viral loads
- Individuals who takethefollowingolderARVs, which are specificallyknowntocauselipoatrophy, or fat loss (and which are rarely used today):
- Retrovir (AZT, or zidovudine)
- Retrovir is a component of Combivir (zidovudine/lamivudine) and Trizivir (abacavir/zidovudine/lamivudine)
- Zerit (d4T, or stavudine)
- Videx (ddI, or didanosine)
- Obese individuals, and those who experience significant shifts in weight
According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), there is no clear evidence that any medications to treat HIV cause fat accumulation, or lipohypertrophy. HIV-positive people who have never taken ARVs do sometimes experience abnormal changes in fat distribution. The EMA has narrowed its general warning of ARVs causing lactic acidosis to include only Retrovir, Zerit and Videx.
What is the treatment for lipodystrophy?
When it comes to tackling both the physical and metabolic changes (such as high fats or sugars in the blood) associated with lipodystrophy, you should first have a comprehensive discussion with your doctor. You should discuss your HIV medication history, as well as your personal and family medical history, particularly any incidence of high lipid counts, diabetes or insulin resistance, and heart disease.
Equally important is how you feel about the changes in your body—how they are affecting your self-esteem, your relationships, and your ability to do your work and the things you enjoy. Part of the treatment may be a referral to some form of psychological counseling to help you deal with living with the condition on an emotional level.
Since it's pretty rare these days for people to take any of the older ARVs that are implicated in causing lipoatrophy, switching HIV medications is unlikely to affect that condition. Even when people were taking those ARVs, going off of them only meant the potential for modest and slow return of limb fat.
The changes in fat distribution resulting from both lipoatrophy and lipodystrophy are generally permanent.
However, there are options for reconstruction through plastic surgery, and some other treatment options for fat gain in particular. There are also lifestyle changes you can make to improve your appearance and your overall health.
Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly may help you build up lean muscle mass and reduce unwanted fat build-up. Strength training, such as through weight-lifting, can also help improve your overall ratio of muscle to fat. Engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise may help reduce the accumulation of belly fat, and can likely do so without affecting lipoatrophy (fat loss). Regular exercise can also help regulate cholesterol, triglycerides and sugar in the blood. It's best to avoid rapid weight loss, because you'll risk losing vital lean body mass.
Consider consulting with a registered dietician to devise the best nutritional strategy to help you combat changes associated with lipodystrophy, as well as any unwanted shifts in the fats and sugars circulating in your body. It's a good idea to eat less saturated fat (not all fat, just saturated fat—an important distinction), limit your sugar intake, and cut back on alcohol. Eating less saturated fat may help lower your cholesterol too
Other Treatments For Fat Gain:
- Egrifta (tesamorelin) is a synthetic growth hormone-releasing factor analogue. In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug to treat excess abdominal fat in people with HIV experiencing lipodystrophy. On average, the daily injectable drug reduces belly fat by about 18 percent over a one-year period. Some who take the drug have a better response than others. Once individuals stop taking the drug, any lost belly fat will rapidly return. Side effects include joint pain, redness and rash at the injection site, stomach pain, swelling and muscle pain. Additionally, Egrifta may cause blood sugar to rise.
- Serostim (somatropin) is a daily injectable human growth hormone. It was approved by the FDA in 1996 to treat HIV-related wasting, and may reduce visceral fat around the organs (belly fat), although it is not FDA approved for the latter purpose.The most common side effects include muscle or bone pain and swelling in the hands and feet. Some people taking Serostim develop carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition in the hands and fingers.
- Liposuction is an option for the fat pad on the upper back/neck (buffalo hump), although the fat often returns. Liposuction is not a possibility for reducing belly fat, because that fat is around the organs, as opposed to directly under the skin (subcutaneous). It is too dangerous to try to suck out fat from so deep in the abdomen.
- Breast reduction surgery can reduce fat accumulation in the breast, both for men and women. However, the fat often returns.
- Treat increased lipids by switching HIV meds. Some ARVs are believed to have less of an effect on cholesterol and triglycerides than others. Statins are common drugs are used to control cholesterol levels. They also lower triglycerides.
- Treat high blood sugar, insulin resistance and diabetes with medications that can treat these health conditions. Or consider switching HIV meds. A change in your ARV regimen may improve your glucose levels.
- Myalept (metreleptin) is an injectable, synthetic version of the hormone leptin that was approved to treat the complications of a deficiency of the hormone among people with lipodystrophy. In a clinical trial, those taking the drug showed improved measures in their blood sugar and triglycerides. Side effects include headache, low blood sugar, weight loss and belly pain. The drug can also increase the risk of lymphoma.
- Metformin has shown moderate success treating belly fat accumulation among HIV-positive people with insulin resistance. However, it may cause lipoatrophy symptoms to progress. Those with chronic liver or kidney disease need to use caution when taking the drug.
- Psychological counseling may help you cope with how the physical changes of lipodystrophy are affecting your everyday life, your emotions, your relationships, and so on.
What is facial lipoatrophy?
Facial lipoatrophy, also known as facial wasting, occurs when individuals lose volume in the fat that normally pads the face. Typically, fat is lost from the cheeks, the smile lines (nasolabial folds), and the temples. Lipoatrophy can also affect the eye sockets. This can give the face a skeletal, sunken, or hollow look, often with deep smile-line furrows.
Dealing with facial lipoatrophy can be particularly difficult for HIV-positive individuals. The condition can lead to depression, anxiety and social isolation, as well as to poor adherence to HIV treatment. Not only do many find the physical changes unattractive, but they feel that HIV is, in effect, written on their faces. This can ultimately accentuate the effects of HIV stigma. Other people who recognize the condition on the face of someone experiencing lipoatrophy may know that it is a sign of HIV, while others may think that it indicates some sort of illness.
What causes facial lipoatrophy?
The causes of lipodystrophy, including lipoatrophy (abnormal fat loss) and lipohypertrophy (abnormal fat gain) are not very well understood. However, what is known is that three older antiretrovirals (rarely used today) are associated with fat loss in the face, including:
- Retrovir (AZT, or zidovudine)
- Retrovir is a component of Combivir (zidovudine/lamivudine) and Trizivir (abacavir/zidovudine/lamivudine).
- Zerit (d4T, or stavudine)
- Videx (ddI, or didanosine)
An estimated 40 to 50 percent of people who were treated with these antiretrovirals experienced some form of lipodystrophy as a result. Since these drugs have been replaced by newer, less toxic medications, new cases of facial lipoatrophy have become far less common among people living with HIV.
What is the treatment for facial lipoatrophy?
Facial reconstruction
An array of fillers are used to restore volume lost to HIV-related facial lipoatrophy. When seeking out a clinician to perform such a procedure, ask about their training and experience with the technique, including how many similar patients they've treated. Also ask if the clinician uses a needle or what is called a cannula to perform the injections, as the latter implement is safer. Costs may vary a great deal, depending on the practitioner and the place where you live.
Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid)
- Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat HIV-related facial lipoatrophy in 2004.
- Cost: about $700 to $800 per vial. Mild facial lipoatrophy requires about four cumulative vials, moderate about eight to 10 vials, and severe perhaps 12 or more.
- For information about the Sculptra patient access program, call 866-310-7551.
- Typically applied in stages: three to four sessions, scheduled every month or so.
- Effects build up over a few months, last for about two to three years.
- Perhaps one in five people who receive Sculptra will develop nodules, which are bumps under the skin that typically fade over the course of months. Other side effects include pain during injection, bruising, swelling and tenderness.
Radiesse: (calcium hydroxylapatite)
- FDA approved in 2006 to treat HIV-related facial lipoatrophy.
- Cost: about $600 to $700 per syringe. Mild facial lipoatrophy requires about four syringes, moderate about six to eight syringes, and severe 10 or more.
- Effects are immediate, and then fade over the course of about a year.
- For information about the Radiesse patient access program, call 866-862-1211.
- May be used with Sculptra, so the Radiesse provides an immediate effect that fades as the Sculptra builds up over time.
- Side effects include pain during injection, bruising, swelling, tenderness and bumps under the skin that disappear in time (the risk of bumps is apparently much lower than with Sculptra).
Restylane, Perlane, Hylaform, Juvéderm, Juvéderm Voluma (hyaluronic acid)
- These are gel fillers.
- Cost: about $800 vial, with mild lipoatrophy requiring two vials and higher levels of fat loss requiring four or more.
- Effects are immediate and last about six to 12 months.
- Voluma is more expensive, at about $1,000 a vial, but tends to last longer.
- Side effects include bruising, redness, swelling, pain, tenderness and itching.
Bellafill (formerly ArteFill)
- Semi-permanent
- A combination of bovine collagen and a permanent acrylic-based filler known as polymethyl methacrylate, or PMMA.
- Injected in a series of treatments over perhaps a year. Following each treatment, the collagen portion will gradually dissipate, while the base of permanent filler will remain.
- Cost: about $800 to $1,000 per syringe. Moderate to severe facial lipoatrophy may require 35 or more syringes total. The upside of the high cost is the lasting effect of the treatment.
- Side effects include lumps at the injection site, redness, swelling, pain, tenderness and itching.
Fat transfer
- Transferring your own subcutaneous fat from one part of your body to another through a surgical procedure.
- A higher upfront cost than with temporary synthetic injectable fillers. But it may cost less money in the long run because of its relative permanence; a single treatment may do the trick.
- It can be hard to find fat to harvest in those who have experienced a great deal of lipoatrophy.
- Compared with Sculptra treatments in particular, fat transfers have a much lower rate of adverse reactions, outside of possible dissatisfaction with the results on account of overcorrection or asymmetry.
- Collagen fillers are a thing of the past, except as a component of Bellafill.
- Liquid Silicone
- Health care providers have largely turned away from liquid silicone, a permanent filler. It can drift, leading to jowls, and cause hard bumps known as granulomas. It cannot be removed.
What is wasting syndrome?
HIV-related wasting is a consequence of an abnormal metabolism, in which the body's ability to process carbohydrates, proteins and fats and ultimately to produce energy and build tissue has been altered. This can lead to:
- Unintended weight loss of more than 10 percent of total body weight that occurs with diarrhea or chronic weakness and fever for at least 30 days and that is not as a result of a non-HIV condition. This weight can be hard to gain back.
- Lowered physical endurance
- Loss of lean body mass, including muscle
- People experiencing such weight loss may have little or no appetite.
Wasting syndrome was a major health problem among people with HIV during the first 15 years of the AIDS epidemic, when there were no adequate treatments for the virus. Even though wasting syndrome is now much less common thanks to modern antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for HIV, it still occurs in a small proportion of people living with the virus. Even those with higher CD4 counts and lower viral loads may experience HIV-associated wasting. Significant weight loss can be a major detriment to an individual's quality of life.
What causes wasting syndrome?
Scientists don't have the firmest grasp on what causes wasting. It appears to have many overlapping causes. Possible contributing factors include:
- Proinflammatory cytokines—this is a natural immune response that HIV prompts, even when it is fully suppressed by ARVs
- Low hormone levels, such as testosterone levels
- The body's resistance to growth hormone
- A rise in how many calories the body burns at rest, known as resting energy expenditure (REE)
- Infections
- Recreational drug use
- Depression and isolation
- Loss of appetite
- Reduced food intake as a result of nausea (a common side effect of HIV medications), depression, fatigue, altered taste perception, social isolation or inability to purchase adequate food
- Difficulty swallowing, possibly because of symptoms from oral and esophageal conditions such as candidiasis and aphthous ulcers
- Diarrhea, which is a common side effect of HIV medications. Also, HIV causes immediate and largely permanent damage to the gut shortly after infection, raising the overall risk of diarrhea among those living with the virus.
What is the treatment for wasting syndrome?
There are various steps you can take, in terms of lifestyle changes, treating HIV, and taking medications, to tackle the condition.
Eating the right kind of foods is key for coping with wasting syndrome. You may want to increase the number of calories and amount of fat you consume, while also consuming plenty of protein to help prevent the loss of muscle mass. Strongly consider consulting with a registered dietician, one who has experience working with individuals with HIV-related wasting, so they can help devise nutritional strategies for you. However, just upping your calories without tackling other potential causes of weight loss may not be enough to turn the tide and help you gain weight.
Antiretroviral treatment
Antiretroviral treatment prevents the onset of AIDS, which is a major risk factor for wasting syndrome. A major study recently confirmed that it is better for the overall health of people with HIV to begin treatment soon after diagnosis, rather than waiting for the CD4 cell count to drop.
Undergoing a strength-building routine by lifting weights can help you build muscle mass, provided you also eat enough. Note that if you engage in aerobic exercise without eating enough of the proper nutrients, you could lose even more weight.
Treat low testosterone
Among men with low testosterone, testosterone replacement therapy, injectable or administered through the skin through a patch, cream or gel, can lead to significant weight gain, including lean body mass gain. Such treatment may increase the risk of heart disease.
Nutritional Supplements
High-calorie liquid supplements include Ensure, Sustacal, Jevity, and Replete. To meet individual dietary needs, some are free of wheat, dairy (lactose), or other components that can be difficult to digest.
Serostim (somatropin)
The human growth hormone Serostim is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of HIV-related weight loss. Serostim has been shown to increase muscle and help the body convert fat into energy. The drug is usually taken once a day using a hypodermic needle or a needle-free pump-like gadget that pushes the drug directly through the skin. It has ben shown to lead to weight increase, including lean body mass, while reducing fat mass. The most common side effects include muscle or bone pain and swelling in the hands and feet. Some people taking Serostim develop carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful condition in the forearms or wrists. The drug is highly expensive and insurance coverage can be hard to secure.
Appetite Stimulants:
Megace (megestrol acetate)
- Approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat HIV-associated anorexia (loss of appetite)
- An appetite stimulant that is a synthetic form of the hormone progesterone
- Mostly leads to weight gain in the form of fat
- Side effects include upset stomach, gas, vaginal bleeding, mild skin rash, weakness, insomnia, decreased interest in sex, erectile dysfunction, difficulty having an orgasm.
Marionol (dronabinol)
- FDA-approved to treat HIV-associated anorexia
- A synthetic form of an active ingredient in marijuana
- Studies have shown the drug increases appetite, although the drug is not consistently associated with weight gain.
- Side effects include mood changes, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, feeling high, weakness or lack of coordination, anxiety, confusion, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting diarrhea, warmth or tingly feeling, insomnia.
- Medicinal pot is now legal in some states.
- Research suggests smoking pot stimulates the appetite and can lead primarily to fat gain.
- Side effects include increased heart rate, bloodshot eyes, dizziness, impaired concentration and memory, slower reaction time, addiction, increased risk of heart attack or stroke, and breathing problems.
Treat gastrointestinal disorders
Finding ways to combat diarrhea, such as through the use of antidiarrheals, can improve the absorption of food and combat wasting. Other gastrointestinal disorders may also contribute to wasting. For example, infections in the gut can have a serious effect on the way nutrients in food are absorbed into the blood. A clinician may want to take a stool sample to test for such infections and then devise a treatment to counteract them. Drugs to control nausea and vomiting (antiemetics), possible side effects of ARVs, can also improve food intake.
Switch HIV medications
If certain antiretrovirals could be causing side effects, such as nausea or diarrhea, that may be interfering with food intake or absorption, switching to a different HIV treatment regimen may help you put on weight.
Depression and social isolation can diminish your appetite. Seeing a counselor or taking antidepressant medications may help improve your overall mood and sociability, and along with them, your interest in food.
Recombinant human growth hormone
Recombinant human growth hormone has been shown to lead to significant weight gain, including lean body mass, among people with HIV-associated wasting. Side effects include joint and muscle pain, puffiness and diarrhea. Adjusting the dose can help with side effects.
Treat opportunistic infections (OIs) and conditions that affect swallowing
Opportunistic infections, common among those with compromised immune systems, can interfere with swallowing and reduce overall food intake. Such infections include candidal, herpes or cytomegalovirus (CMV) esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus). Aphthous ulcers can also interfere with swallowing. Additionally, treatments for conditions such as Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), tuberculosis (TB), and Kaposi sarcoma (KS) are often associated with increased weight.
Research has shown that the drug thalidomide leads to increases of about 4 percent in body weight among people experiencing HIV-associated weight loss. Studies have also shown it can reverse oral aphthous ulcers, which can make swallowing difficult and reduce food intake, as well as reduce the number of bowel movements per day among those experiencing chronic diarrhea. In both cases, this shift can lead to weight gain. Side effects include sleepiness/drowsiness, peripheral neuropathy, hypersensitivity (the immune system reacts in exaggerated way, such as with allergies or autoimmune disorders) and neutropenia (low levels of a particular kind of white blood cell that fights infections, particular bacterial and fungal infections). Thalidomide was once widely used as a sedative as well as a treatment for morning sickness, and led to terrible birth defects in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Consequently, it can be difficult to access, and those who do use it must take considerable precautions not to become pregnant.
Last Reviewed: February 14, 2016


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Man Who Drank Only Beer For Lent Lost 40 Pounds
By Bill Galluccio
April 19, 2019
When 43-year-old Del Hall announced that he was going to drink only beer during Lent his family and friends didn't believe he would actually follow through with his plans.
"My family thought 'Oh, that's just Del being Del.' No one really believed me. To me, it's not that big of a deal. I've done all kinds of crazy things in my life," Hall said. "I know when I put my mind to it, I'm going to do it."
Now, as Lent is coming to an end, Hall is detailing how his new diet has changed his life. Hall says that he drank between two and five beers each day during Lent.
"Beer isn't as bad a people think. People really vilify beer. Everything in excess is bad for you, and really, the average American diet will kill you faster than craft beer will," Hall said.
He told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he has lost 40 pounds and has never felt better. In addition to losing weight, he says he needs less sleep and has a clear mind.
"I feel like I'm in my 20s," the 43-year-old Army veteran said.
When Hall started his fast, he planned to drink a specially crafted doppelbock which was inspired by a group of monks who would drink it as their primary source of nutrition. Once he is done with the fast, he may not go back to that style of beer for a long time because they are "too sweet" for his taste.
Once Lent is finished, Hall will ease himself back onto solid food over the course of a few days. He will start with broth before moving to steamed vegetables and then eventually introducing meat back into his diet. He expects to be able to eat anything he wants after about one week.
Hall says the fast has helped him understand his body better and plans to eat healthier once Lent is over.
"When I thought I was hungry, I wasn't. True hunger isn't that rumbling in your tummy," Hall said. "If I didn't eat for 46 days, missing one meal isn't going to kill me."


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August 2012 Synchroblog and Provoketive Magazine: Follow Me
This month the Synchroblog is partnering with Provoketive Magazine once again. We will each explore the implications of Jesus' words: "Take up your cross and follow me."
"Take up your cross and follow me." ~Jesus
As I reflect on the severely polarized and politicized struggles within American Christianity it is evident how little these struggles really have to do with Jesus. Both sides are more interested in isolating an ideology and then vilifying those who hold a different view. And of course, we are all convinced that our ideology is more "biblical" than any other. In all honesty, I think we hold on for dear life to our stances and beliefs so that we may convince ourselves that this is what Jesus really wants from us. It's like a collective thought disorder. But it's much easier than following him.
Because truthfully, who really wants to follow him?
He did the very thing that our American worldview does not allow. We are all about being upwardly mobile, successful, safe and prosperous and so we have co-opted God into that belief. We believe that God is all about blessing our efforts and that our success proves God's favor. Our Christianity has become a prop for middle to upper class comfort and security. That ideal is found nowhere in the gospels. Jesus' movement was decidedly downward. He moved right into the neighborhood of powerlessness and need.
I think what is most difficult for us is that Jesus, though already fairly poor, chose to become homeless. He claimed all humanity as his family and moved away from his nuclear family, which in his culture was a shameful act. (He obviously needs a tutorial in family values.) But in addition to that, while most good Jewish men of his age would have married and started having children, his singleness aligned him with the "non-procreators", like the eunuchs, who were considered unclean and inferior. There were no categories of gay or straight in Jesus' day; people were either procreative or non-procreative. Those who did not or could not produce children for any reason were suspect, or outcast. (See Jesus' words in Matt. 19:11-12.) He chose solidarity with the most despised.
We know he treated women as full and competent disciples, he welcomed the stranger and the sick, touched the dead, and healed the children of the enemy. In his presence the tight miserly hands that held onto precious silver and gold opened wide. He undermined every structure of religion and empire and really, really ticked off those with power. Let's just be honest. It's far, far easier and safer to convince ourselves that being pro-life and justifying the harsh realities of the lives of those with less (money, resources, opportunity), or feeling superior for being more tolerant than thou, is somehow at all like the path Jesus walked. Instead, Jesus asks us to pick up the instrument of our death and to follow where he goes. Any sane person would count the cost. Any sane person would struggle with it, because to follow Jesus means that we no longer get to co-opt the faith to make our own lives work.
Many of those whom I know that consider themselves to be "biblical" Christians feel that the "dying" that is asked of them means they reject the "world" and its values (hence the dogged political views). However, I wonder if how we have come to understand "the world" has become quite distorted. Blogger and Wild Goose Founder Mike Morrell says, "Jesus was referring to the world of principalities and powers, those inhuman and dehumanizing forces of religion and empire. He wasn't referring to culture-as-such, and certainly not to planet earth. Millions of friends-of-God are awakening to the reality that we live in a God-blessed and God-beloved world that God still thinks is 'very good,' however marred by egoic haze and degradation its become. We're all connected – for life or death."
And there it is. What will "kill" us is following Jesus' movement into the God-blessed and God-beloved world, and receiving those for whom Christ died as we would Christ Himself. That means making a home with them all, in the here and now. That means looking beyond political and doctrinal divisions into the eyes of all humanity, not to minister to them or over them, but to join them and work alongside them. Jesus asks us to do the very thing our religious and political hearts find abhorrent. But by making space within ourselves to receive the other, we are changed by them and ego dies. We begin to become less defined by our certainties and stances, and more defined by love, by becoming "we". And Kingdom comes. That was Jesus' prayer for us before he died, and his prayer for us as he continues to live.
It's much easier to convince ourselves that we are following Jesus by choosing to eat or not to eat at a certain chicken restaurant. It's much harder to share your table with those whom you have decided don't belong. It's even harder to admit that there is only One Table. However, we are going to need each other because let's face it, Jesus' path is more than a little crazy. It will cost us our lives.
Links to the Synchrobloggers will be added as they come in. 🙂
Carol Kuniholm Which "Way" Am I Called to Follow?
Glenn Hager Strange Places
A lot there, Ellen. A wonderful and a potentially disruptive post: "… to follow Jesus means that we no longer get to co-opt the faith to make our own lives work." T. Davis …


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During the Art Forum Berlin from September 23rd to 27th, the Berlin 'Kunstsalon' took place for the sixth time. The exhibition featured works by 71 artists on 7500 square meters at the impressive brick building of the Humboldt transformer station on Prenzlauer Berg. Shortly after the entrance, having passed through a crowd of apparent nuns and priests, the ironic installation 'J'adore aglisia' by architect Rafael Schmidt and Ole Kretschmann, runner of Berlin's popular Polaroid photo booths, caught your eye. The photo booth which was elaborately transformed into a confessional enables the sinner to free his conscience from all the past misdoings – for a mere pittance, of course. As a personal piece of evidence he receives a stamped photo strip.
"The name aglisia is an acronym for the Latin termini of the seven capital sins; therefore, it is an honest commitment to a new religious orientation which states: I covet sin! For a small fee, you can be redeemed from your sins."


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Dennis Rodman Heading to Vatican; Wants Meeting With Next Pope
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman said he is trying to get in touch with cardinals at the Vatican in order to secure a meeting with the next person chosen to fill the seat made vacant by Pope Benedict XVI.
In what many will describe as another strange move by the controversial sports star, Rodman told TMZ that "his people" are in Rome trying to speak with officials from the Vatican to arrange a future meeting with the next pope. Rodman himself is expected to arrive in Rome on Tuesday.
"I want to be anywhere in the world that I'm needed ... I want to spread a message of peace and love throughout the world," Rodman said about his purpose in trying to speak with the next man to be elected as leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
Last week, the former NBA star surprised many when he said he paid a visit to North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un in the secretive Pacific nation for a basketball exhibition game. While North Korea remains in a hostile relationship with much of the rest of the world, Rodman insisted that Kim is a great friend and a good leader, and urged President Barack Obama to call him so that the two can have a real discussion.
"He's proud, his country likes him – not like him, love him, love him," Rodman said of Kim. "Guess what, I love him. The guy's really awesome."
Rodman was heavily criticized for his support of the North Korean leader, with the Institute on Religion and Democracy reminding the former NBA star that thousands of Christians are currently suffering horrible abuse in the reclusive country.
"From incarcerating Christians and political prisoners in gulags to executing those caught fleeing over the Chinese border; North Korea's despotic rulers have consistently held the title of worst oppressors in the world," the organization reminded Rodman in a statement.
The Vatican has not yet responded to Rodman's request for an audience with the new pope, who might be chosen as early as this week.
The conclave to elect a new leader is currently taking place in the Vatican, though a frontrunner has not yet been named. Many say the Catholic Church finds itself in difficult times of transition, and a strong leader to replace the retired Benedict XVI is greatly needed.
"St. Paul teaches that each of us must work to build up the unity of the church," Cardinal Angelo Sodano said ahead of the vote. "All of us are therefore called to cooperate with the pastors, in particular with the successor of Peter, to obtain that unity of the holy church.


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happy hallowe'en evening!
thankfully, it is not frankenstorming here, and if they bundle up, the little goblins and goblettes should be able to enjoy their trick-or-treating (although the accompanying moms and dads may be hiding out under umbrellas due to the inclement weather)!
in honour of october 31st, i give to you our tribute to hallowe'en in the form of a 31 pumpkin feature presentation.
have a spooktacular night!
and, finally, saving the best til last:
did you dress up or wear orange today? i saw some adults in costumes when i was out and about -> love when people get into the hallowe'en spirit!


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Luxury 4 Bedroom /3 Bathroom Villa with own heated kidney shaped pool situated on a prestigious gated community. Just 15 mins from Disneyworld - the entertainment capital of the world.More details »
Fond Bay Suites & Villa
Holiday Villa to rent in Micoudweekly from€844
The Villa is located in an extremely quiet and safe area not developed for Tourism but enticing to vacationers looking for a relaxing holiday, a local food and culture experience or exploring.More details »
Soren Resort
Holiday Villa to rent in Malagaweekly from€1500
Confortable apartamento en el corazón de Puerto Banús.More details »
Misty Blue Homestay Wayanad
Holiday Villa to rent in Wayanadweekly from€218
This property is at the center of Wayanad. This property is very close to Nature. Here the sound of Nature. It has a good frontage and Garden. So many tourist spots are nearby.More details »
Bliss By The Sea
Holiday Villa to rent in Treasure Beachweekly from€2045
Bliss By The Sea is the perfect escape for couples, friends and groups looking to pamper themselves with sun and sea.More details »
Villa Brisa de Mar - Sea View
Holiday Villa to rent in Morairaweekly from€2500
Villa Brisa de Mar is a brand new modern villa, built in 2016 and located in Moraira. It is ideally situated at the end of a cul-de-sac road. It's 5 minutes to Moraira and the beach. A truly comfortable luxury villa for an amazing holiday!More details »
Creekside Villa
Holiday Villa to rent in kissimmeeweekly from€1009
Luxury three bed pool home close to Disney and all attractions, the perfect setting for a perfect vacation.More details »
Tantaa Moon Beach Villas
Holiday Villa to rent in Manadoweekly from€6182
The Accommodation has beach front villa which if you're lucky in the morning you can see dolphin in front of your door step. And you can directly swim to the ocean.More details »
Peaceful Mountain Cabana #3
Holiday Villa to rent in Agua Calienteweekly from€306
Keytoparadise is a rustic mountain retreat consisting of 98 acres on the top of a mountain here in Cartago, Costa Rica.More details »
Spanish Villa
Holiday Villa to rent in Palm Springsweekly from€1311
1937 Spanish Villa is in the midst of Little Tuscany Area, many Estates of current and past Celebs Walk or bike to Downtown Exotic Heated Pool & Spa, Gorgeous Desert Landscaping in peaceful relaxing privacy behind the walls and gates of this Villa,More details »
Ta ' Marie Farmhouse
Holiday Villa to rent in Xewkijaweekly from€700
Quietly tucked away and newly converted farmhouse Ta' Marie is located in the peaceful village of Xewkija offers a warm welcome to guests looking for some peaceful rejuvenation and time out !More details »
Villa Dragana
Holiday Villa to rent in Poljicaweekly from€1600
Villa Dragana,villa with a private pool in Trogir.More details »
Villa Galazio
Holiday Villa to rent in Parosweekly from€1800
Beautifull 3 Bed 3 bath villa to sleep 8 or 10, on hill overlooking AntiparosMore details »
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Johnson City, Tenn. -- East Tennessee State University head basketball coach Ed DeChellis today announced that Sam Oatman (Neenah, Wis.) has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Buccaneer program.
Oatman earned four varsity letters for head coach Scott Anderson at Neenah High School. The 6'1" point guard was a three-time All-Conference honoree and also earned All-Area honors twice.
During the 1999-2000 season, Oatman earned honorable mention All-State and Post Crescent Player-of-the-Year honors. He was also selected to the All-Defensive team. Oatman led his team to a 19-5 record and a berth in the quarterfinals of the Wisconsin State High School Tournament.
"We are extremely excited to have Sam join our basketball program," DeChellis said. "He is an intelligent player that understands and knows how to play the game. He is an excellent shooter that also has the ability to find the open man on the court. We are very pleased to have Sam join our ETSU basketball family."


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I was late to the party when it came to reading Joan Didion. For years I had the vague sensation that Didion wasn't for me. It was one of those unapologetic prejudices people have for certain writers, a prejudice that ended when I picked up a copy of The Year of Magical Thinking. It was evident from the start why Didion was held in such high regard—she was good. And yet, because I'd read Magical Thinking and its meditation on her husband's death, I decided to pass on Blue Nights, her new memoir about the death of her 39-year-old daughter.
If it's a truism that a critic should always review the book in hand, and not the book they wish had been written, then I've eagerly crossed the line. My own "magical thinking" involved—not denying the death of writer John Gregory Dunne, as Didion initially did—but wishing that his death and her subsequent grief wasn't the focus of the book. I found myself skimming over passages about the Beth Isreal ICU or long meditations on grief to find those where Didion recalls her marriage and life in Los Angeles in the 1960s and '70s.
photo credit: softestthing
I wanted to hear about two writers living a blessed life of work and play in a California that no longer existed. I wanted it to be LA in 1971 when Didion wore oversized Rachael Zoe-like sunglasses and chain-smoked cigarettes as if they were elixirs. I wanted to go back before all the dying:
"One summer when we were living in Brentwood Park we fell into a pattern of stopping work at four in the afternoon, and going out to the pool. (John) would stand in the water reading (he reread Sophie's Choice several times that summer, trying to see how it worked) while I worked in the garden….Just before five on those summer afternoons we would swim and then go into the library wrapped in towels to watch Tenko, a BBC series, then in syndication, about a number of satisfyingly predictable English women…..At seven or seven thirty we would go out to dinner, many night's at Morton's. Morton's felt right that summer. There were always shrimp quesadilla, chicken with black beans."
You get the idea. There are similar passages capturing life in Malibu and stays in Hawaii. It's the writer's life as well as the life of a marriage, rendered simply by a great writer.
"…many night's at Morton's. Morton's felt right that summer." What a beautiful line. It's worth reading an entire book just to hit upon such a line.
Yet the book is not a memoir of marriage, but a book about death and loss. And in her confrontation with grief, Didion soldiers under a strict scorched-earth policy, burning down any hint of solace or false comfort in her way.
"Only the survivors of a death are truly left alone," Didion writes, "The connections that made up their life—both the deep connections and the apparently (until they are broken) insignificant connections—have all vanished."
After reading Magical Thinking I can only assume Blue Nights will be even more punishing. A recent review by writer Rachel Cusk in The Guardian confirms this suspicion:
"Didion's strategy, or rather her instinct – the instinctive response to chaos – is to repeat herself. She struggles to revive the form and style of her earlier book, to make it live again; she repeats anecdotes, and often sentences, word for word; she creates repeating prose patterns whose effect, in the end, is to confer the author's own numbness on the reader."


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Doug (Chicago): Do you think everyone from Ozzie's coaching staff will be back or will someone like Cora get a mgr's job and Walker potentially resigning?
Bruce Levine: Walker I believe will be back. He and Ozzie occasionaly go back and forth with each other but they have a good understanding these days. Walker is also a close personal friend of Reinsdorf and they have an understanding with each other as well. Joey Cora has a real good shot at the job in Seattle. He interviewed there two years ago before Wakamatsu got the job. I'm hearing it's between Joey and San Diego bench coach Ted Simmons.
September 28, 2010
Joey Cora one of two finalists for the Seattle Mariners' manager job?
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When Guggenheim Partners entered the ETF market, it wanted to make a permanent impression. Over the past year and a half, the firm acquired Claymore ETFs and Rydex SGI. The moves have vaulted Guggenheim to become one of the top 10 providers of ETFs worldwide, offering more than 100 ETFs and ETPs. Guggenheim's consolidated ETF lineup now includes BulletShares, CurrencyShares and RydexShares. All three will be marketed in the U.S. under the Guggenheim name.
To discuss what lies ahead for Guggenheim and the U.S. ETF market, Research magazine sat down with Bill Belden, managing director, head of product development and management at Guggenheim Funds. Excerpts of the interview are below.
What changes should investors expect by combining Guggenheim Funds and Rydex SGI ETFs under the Guggenheim brand?
We're excited about the prospects of our combined ETF businesses, and over time, the Rydex ETF products will be rebranded to Guggenheim. Our product lines are very complementary to each other and together, we're better positioned than ever to deliver a broad array of strategic and tactical investment options to investors that can potentially improve their portfolio performance.
For example, the strength of the equal-weighted suite of ETFs at Rydex, combined with the Guggenheim lineup of emerging market exposures, delivers a powerful combination of equity strategies covering the globe. Add the unique and innovative Guggenheim BulletShares ETFs and the 10 Rydex CurrencyShares products, and you've got the building blocks for a great ETF lineup. Beyond that, however, Guggenheim Investments' longstanding ability to apply our intellectual capital to creating opportunity for clients enables our ETF business to deliver solutions that capitalize on these opportunities.
What is the basic strategy behind the BulletShares and who might they appeal to?
The market has long delivered products — mutual funds, UITs, SMAs, ETFs, etc. — that provide investors an avenue through which they can obtain fixed income exposure. While these packaged products offer benefits over holding individual bonds, a significant number of investors are willing to take on the additional risks associated with investing in individual bonds. Seeing this caused us to ask the question, "What do individual bonds provide that is not obtained through traditional fixed income packaged products?"
We believe the answer is permanence and definition — an anticipated yield to maturity when purchased, a prescribed date of maturity at which time a final distribution is made to the holder, a continually declining duration and the ability to fine-tune or specifically target maturity exposure. This premise served as the basis for developing the Guggenheim BulletShares ETFs. Based upon a simple concept, a product that provides an investment and cash-flow profile similar to holding an individual bond, BulletShares ETFs are able to do that while also providing the benefits and advantages inherent in an ETF — exchange listed, diversified, transparent, tax efficient, etc.
Guggenheim's actively managed ETFs are currently focused on bonds. Do you see active ETF strategies opening up in other asset classes?
While our existing actively managed ETFs are fixed-income focused, we believe there are opportunities for other assets classes within an actively managed ETF wrapper. The argument often made is that active managers, especially equity managers, are hesitant to disclose portfolio holdings daily because they don't want others to know how they've positioned their portfolio. The fact of the matter is, however, that while portfolio holdings are disclosed daily, the portfolio must be disclosed prior to the open of the next trading day, which allows for trades to be executed by the portfolio manager prior to disclosing the new positions. This theoretically allows for positions to be disposed of and acquired prior to acknowledging to the market what trading activity has occurred so that the fund isn't subjected to front-running. As active managers come to better understand this notion and fully appreciate the other structural benefits that ETFs provide, there will be many opportunities to launch successful actively managed ETFs in other asset classes
It seems like the defensive equity sectors like utilities and consumer staples have been holding up better than the broader market. What are some ETF strategies for this trend?
One strategy to obtain this exposure would be through ETFs that track indexes covering these specific sectors. While potentially providing near-term opportunities, this tactical approach requires diligent oversight to know when future shifts may be warranted. An alternative method can be achieved through a fund like the Guggenheim Defensive Equity ETF (DEF). DEF tracks an index that represents a "defensive" portfolio with the potential to outperform broad equity market benchmarks on a risk-adjusted basis during periods of market weakness, while still providing the potential for positive returns during strong market periods. The 100 stocks included in the index represent a group of companies that generally have low relative valuations, conservative accounting practices, a history of dividend payments and have historically outperformed during bearish market periods.
Does Guggenheim see ETFs inside the 401(k) retirement plans market as a future opportunity?
We view the low penetration rate of ETFs within 401(k)s as a significant opportunity for the future growth of ETFs, which we believe will likely come from a combination of demand pull from investors and a supply push from fiduciaries overseeing 401(k) plans. [A] recent survey indicated that 44 percent of investors plan to allocate more of their assets to ETFs in the next 12 months. Given that many investors have the most significant portion of their investable assets in 401(k) plans, we believe investors are beginning to appreciate the benefits ETFs provide and will start demanding plans to offer ETFs as an alternative. This will require plan sponsors to either rework with "plumbing" that supports 401(k)plans so that ETFs can be efficiently purchased in the open market and allocated to client accounts or they will need to offer directed brokerage programs within the 401(k) plan to extend the opportunity for investors to access ETFs.
Where are we at in terms of the ETF maturation cycle?
Based upon the number of ETFs and the assets invested in them, many may tell you that we are in the second half of the maturation cycle, but we would strongly argue that we are in the late first or early second quarter. Product innovation continues to be a driving force in the growth of the ETF marketplace, and we believe that will continue for the foreseeable future. As the line of ETF market entrants continues to grow, along with the number of investors looking to ETFs to meet their needs, our commitment to the space is stronger than ever. New structures delivering new asset classes and strategies heretofore only available to institutional investors (if at all) are coming online daily. Additionally, the ETF continues to deliver exposure to international markets in an efficient manner that aligns beautifully with the ongoing globalization of the world's economy. There's no question that the ETF market is increasingly dynamic, and there will be winners and losers over the longer run. A look at our product lineup, and more so at our product pipeline reinforces our belief that the ETF maturation cycle is much closer to its beginning than its end. •


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I've been playing with the latest preview version of Windows 8 all weekend, and I still think it's needlessly confusing and hard to use.
I'm not the only one.
Todd Bishop at Geekwire admitted he was "struggling with Microsoft's new thing."
Windows watcher Paul Thurrott seems positive about it as a consumer product, but recently suggested Microsoft "doesn't actually expect businesses to upgrade to this new system in any meaningful way" and wondered whether the two-in-one interface was "genius or insanity?"
Ed Bott at ZDNet mostly praised it, but he noted that the interface has its quirks:
The Start screen thumbnail in the lower left corner is smaller than in the Consumer Preview, making it less likely that you'll confuse it with a clickable icon. The behavior of the corners on the right side of the display has changed subtly so that revealing the Charms menu feels less like a task where you have to unlock an achievement. [Emphasis ours — talk about damning with faint praise!]
I've spoken to other people who have been testing Windows 8 for months. A lot of them found it puzzling like I did, and it's getting worse, not better, with each beta update.
These reviewers and developers are experienced, highly technical people who are mostly favorably disposed toward Microsoft. I'm not talking about huge Apple fans or Microsoft haters.
Imagine what regular people who don't follow tech blogs and download beta releases are going to think when they walk into a store in November and start playing with the new PCs.
I'm afraid Microsoft has no idea what it's walking into. The culture there under Steve Ballmer and Steven Sinofsky is not very open to criticism. They don't want to hear bad news, so they're not listening. Or maybe they hear but it's too late to turn back. Ship fast, break things, iterate quickly. Sort of like Facebook does. Only Windows is a $20 billion annual business with 70% profit margins, and millions of businesses depend on it every day.
Windows 8 does have some good points — it starts up fast, runs efficiently (unlike Vista, which was a resource hog compared with XP), and includes some excellent consumer apps. The Sports app is amazing.
But unless Microsoft makes some major usability changes before final release, reviews will be bad, consumers indifferent, corporations will ignore it, and PC makers will eventually scream and Microsoft will have to keep offering Windows 7 (like they did with XP) for a long time.
This won't kill Microsoft — Office, Exchange, Windows Server 2012, SQL Server 2012, other enterprise software, and the long-term license agreements that Microsoft sells to big corporations will keep the company strong for years. Long enough for Microsoft to fix any big problems by Windows 9.
Plus, Microsoft still makes money on every Windows PC sold, regardless of whether it's Windows 7 or Windows 8.
But get ready for "another Vista."