smorg

I read about this in the book China Road recently, but just had a discussion with someone and went to look it up. Seriously messed up.

Bloodhead scandal

From the early to mid-1990s a network of businessmen and government workers, known as “bloodheads”, set up hundreds of official and unofficial blood donation stations in Henan Province to supply the market for blood plasma created by hospitals and manufacturers of health products. The common practice of reusing needles, not screening for diseases, sellers traveling from station to station with false records to maximize their income, and the mixing the blood prior to centrifuging and re-injecting the separated red blood cells back into the peasant blood-sellers guaranteed the rapid spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B.

The blood stations began to be closed down in 1995 when the scale of the HIV outbreak began to become apparent. The ensuing coverup saw government officials take credit for dealing with the crisis which they caused, the harassment of journalists attempting to cover the story, and of whole villages dying of what was to them a mysterious disease because they had not been informed that they were likely to have been infected.[111]

In 24 August 2002 the prominent HIV/AIDS activist, Wan Yanhai, was arrested in Beijing and detained for a month for leaking an internal government report on the Henan’s AIDS crisis.

Compensation
In early December 2006, it was reported that a group of 19 people who contracted HIV from tainted blood transfusions at a hospital in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang were awarded 20 million yuan (US$2.5 million) in compensation. The landmark case involves the largest single group stricken by HIV in China. Eighteen of the victims will receive a one-off payment of $25,500 from the hospital and an additional $380 in monthly payments. Payment will go to the family of the one victim who has already died from AIDS.

Technorati Tags: china, aids

:)

Click the picture

kdka.com - Military Asks Wounded Soldiers To Return Portions Of Signing Bonuses
Wounded Soldier: Military Wants Part Of Bonus Back

The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.

To get people to sign up, the military gives enlistment bonuses up to $30,000 in some cases.

Now men and women who have lost arms, legs, eyesight, hearing and can no longer serve are being ordered to pay some of that money back.

One of them is Jordan Fox, a young soldier from the South Hills.

He finds solace in the hundreds of boxes he loads onto a truck in Carnegie. In each box is a care package that will be sent to a man or woman serving in Iraq. It was in his name Operation Pittsburgh Pride was started.

Fox was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle. He was knocked unconscious. His back was injured and lost all vision in his right eye.

A few months later Fox was sent home. His injuries prohibited him from fulfilling three months of his commitment. A few days ago, he received a letter from the military demanding nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus back.

Thats what they get for having their limbs blown off before they fulfilled their obligations. Damned freeloaders.

It’s almost as if the truck were driving itself…

Click for bigger

There are some things that I like, whether I want to or not. These include:

• Dogs - I have been afraid of dogs for my entire life, ever since a Dalmatian chased me into the ocean when I was around 7 or 8 and scratched my back up. But since we’ve had Taco, I’ve gotten to the point where I smile when I see a big dumb dog slobbering out a car window or on the streets, and want to go pet it and say ‘good boy, good boy, yes who’s a good boy, you are! that’s right you are!’. Damnit.
• Dane Cook - it’s something about his delivery. I’ve heard all the jokes before and told better, but some nuance in his enunciation and delivery makes me involuntarily laugh. I was listening to his new CD on the way to work this morning, and couldn’t help but laugh at his derision for his Tivo and how he calls it ‘Tito’ when it records the wrong thing, just to show it that he’s in control. Bastard.
• People - not ALL people, mind you. As a rule I find them annoying and suspect. But over the past 5 years or so I have become increasingly social and don’t mind hanging out or going to events. It’s weird, because Holly (who was the social one) has become more anti-social, although not as bad as how I was (you know, putting urine in jars and covering my ears and screaming when more than one other person was in the room). Even with these advances though, don’t ask me to go anywhere or do anything with you.
• Gray hair - I’m getting more and more of it, especially on the sides and when it’s short. I don’t care. I really, really don’t. I kind of like it, as it makes me feel like my age and body are starting to catch up with the crazy shit in my head. It can color itself like Richard Gere or fall out Bruce Willis style and I could give a shit, seriously. Holly, however, has threatened to dye it in my sleep if that happens, so if you ever see me and I am blond with highlights - that’s what’s happened.
• Making lists - I like making lists of things that I need to do, because even if I check off one thing, I feel a brief sense of accomplishment. On the flip side, the sheer volume of unchecked stuff makes me want to stick a fork in my temple.