Cat Power at the National

Chan Marshall’s performances have been known to be intimate, powerful, mesmerizing, and even a total letdown depending on what night you catch the soulful songstress.  Marshall is a performer known to wear her emotions on her sleeve and has stated she sometimes suffers from horrible stage fright.  But she has also been at it for almost two decades and has built a reputation that rivals her contemporaries like Fiona Apple on not quite knowing what you’re going to get.

After the cancellation of her European tour last November, citing angioedema, possible money woes, and other health problems for it, Cat Power’s fans were left wondering if this abrupt false start was just a bump in the road or a premonition of things to come.

The opener was an up and coming band from Los-Angeles called Sisu (pronounced “see-soo”) that carries a mix of electronic and shoe-gaze with hints of front-women, Sandra Vu’s other band Dum Dum Girls all mixed together. The band played adroitly, but really kicked things when they brought the rawkus and showed off their shredding skills. The band didn’t communicate much, but jokingly thanked the audience for “being so quiet”. A talented group no doubt.

Marshall and crew were a little late starting their set. Bob Dylan’s “Shelter From The Storm” blared over a dark stage, marking an ominous undertone for the evening and for the ever-patient crowd. Soon the recently cut short, platinum blonde haired chanteuse appeared looking a little put off but ready to go nonetheless.

Marshall began with her 2006’s magnificent “The Greatest” and swiftly kicked into her new single “Cherokee” that proved to be powerful and the highlight of the night. She was joined on stage by a tight backing band that had showed little interest in anything but playing well and supporting the Cat Power. All the while, a beautiful screen of sky and clouds flashed behind the band to match the music’s themes.

Marshall was mostly quiet in-between her songs, but assured the audience she was theirs with beaming smiles, winks and occasional waves. Marshall’s vocals were a little withdrawn and explained to her audience that she was suffering from the flu and hoped not to let anyone catch anything. Between breaths, it looked like she might be close to vomiting, but that never occurred no matter how awesome that may have been in terms of good concert stories to tell later.

The night was heavy with Cat Power’s new, electronic influenced album, Sun, which is a welcome new sonic direction in Marshall’s already accomplished repertoire. Maybe this ties into the choice in a Dylan song earlier in the night. The only other song from Marshall’s past was an unusual upbeat “I Don’t Blame You” from 2003’s You Are Free which featured a bubbly remodeling that proved to be another highlight. The show ended without an encore, but with Marshall throwing t-shirts and a bouquet of flowers to the audience. Marshall seemed generally happy to be there and appreciative of the love the audience showed for her. It was a good night.

It would be easy for Marshall to rest on her back catalogue and sprinkle in new songs between old favorites. So you have to hand it to Marshall to be willing to challenge herself, her audience, and her own live set, as she has the perfect voice, beauty, and draw for a smoky nightclub and follow her melancholy bluesy singer-songwriter roots. This proved that these sides of Chan Marshall do not confine her as an artist, but instead showcases her pallet as a bold performer.

HIV virus illustration by Russell Kightley

National AIDS awareness   month is a time where focused attention is drawn in on the who, where’s, why’s, and how’s, of the epic uncured disease of our time HIV/AIDS.  Attitudes, perceptions, and scientific knowledge on the disease has developed significantly over the past 2 decades as drastically as the viruses’ ability to adapt in one’s body and ultimately become a new diseased reality.

First, to understand what both HIV and AIDS represent, let’s take them out of the acronym states.  Aids.gov provides a short and easily understandable definition of the two diseases. HIV is H – Human – I – Immunodeficiency – V – Virus. “HIV can destroy so many of your immune system cells that your body can’t fight infections and diseases anymore. When that happens, HIV infection can lead to AIDS.”  AIDS is, A – Acquired – I – Immuno – D – Deficiency – S – Syndrome. A syndrome is a collection of complex illness with a wide range of complications and symptoms.  People at this stage of the HIV disease have badly damaged immune systems, which put them at risk for opportunistic infections (OIs).  So what have we learned with over 2 decades of medical studies, anthropological evidence, & socio-economic trends? Let’s discuss what we thought we knew then, & what we think we know now.

The viruses’ national debut in 1981, pointed the untested, discriminatory finger at gay males in the U.S. It wouldn’t be long, though, before we caught onto the fact that AIDS didn’t only afflict gay communities. The AIDS epidemic in Haiti also made its debut in the early 1980s, following the discovery of a number of Haitians with AIDS-related conditions. Soon, medical journals and books began to claim that AIDS had come from Haiti. These claims, however, were unfounded and soon it became a diligent work to try and separate the culture of discrimination, racism, and classicism, with that of true epidemiological findings on the cause of the disease.

Symptoms of the HIV/AIDS virus.

Regardless, of this emotionally charged atmosphere surrounding the cause of HIV/AIDS, studies ensued. Recent studies now claim that HIV may have jumped from monkeys to humans as far back as the late 1800s. The Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) that affects monkeys is now the generally accepted descendant of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus. One may question if HIV started out in monkeys, then how could it have crossed species? When a viral transfer between animals and humans takes place, it is known as zoonosis. Some of the most common theories about how SIV became HIV in humans are:

“The ‘hunter’ theory”- where SIV was transferred to humans as a result of chimps being killed and eaten or their blood getting into cuts or wounds on the hunter.

“The oral polio vaccine (OPV) theory” which purports that HIV was transferred iatrogenically (i.e. via medical interventions). This controversial theory states an oral polio vaccine called Chat, given to about a million people in the Belgian Congo, Ruanda and Urundi in the late 1950s, is deemed the carrier of SIV to that population.

There is also “The colonialism theory”, where during the late 19th and early 20th century, much of Africa was ruled by colonial forces, therefore “SIV could easily have infiltrated the labour force and taken advantage of their weakened immune systems” due to the unsanitary conditions of forced labour camps in colonial central Africa.

However, are any of these theoretical causes bringing us any closer to actually curing HIV/AIDS? In 2004, VH1 suggested that pop culture in America had dealt with the arrival of “HIV and AIDS in five stages: silence (1980 to 1985), fear (1985 to 1990), activism (1990 to 1994), mainstreaming (1994 to 1997), and complacency (1997 to 2004).”  Have we become numb to the ghastly nuisances of this virus?

Via Medindia

Curing AIDS is generally taken to mean clearing the body of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Antiretroviral drugs interfere with this replication process, during treatment, the concentration of HIV in the blood often falls so low that it cannot be detected by the standard test, known as a viral load test. Unfortunately, “resting” CD4 cells, once infected with HIV, lie dormant for many years or even decades.

The numbing reality for many has been to turn to alternative approaches for remedying HIV/AIDS.  Numerous countries, such as Nigeria, India, & Mexico have thriving holistic health clinics dedicated to treating the varying viral load levels of HIV/AIDS.  Many of these ‘clinics’ have been deemed by the western medical establishment as untrustworthy, unreliable, and detrimental to those undergoing treatments.  Generally speaking, the holistic natural remedy being suggested for restoring good health, vitality, and total cure in HIV/AIDS sufferers; is a combination of herbal, nutritional and psycho-social therapies at the appropriate time and in the right proportion.  However, there have not been enough studies proving these methods are either efficient, or deficient at remedying HIV/AIDS.

Icon Magazine recently caught up with the staff at the Virginia Department of Health Division of Disease Prevention Hotline including Ryland Roane, Program Administration Specialist II and the HIV, STD, Viral Hepatitis Hotline Supervisor. Mr. Roane enlightened us on the introduction of the HIV/AIDS virus to the state of Virginia, its growth over the last decade and what his hopes are for finding a cure  for a virus  that is responsible for over half a million U.S. deaths and has currently infected 1.2 million American citizens.

Icon:  When did the virus become prevalent in Virginia?

Ryland Roane/VDHDPH: AIDS has been a reportable disease in Virginia since 1983, and HIV infection since July 1989. The face of the epidemic has changed in Virginia and nationwide since the early years.

The number of new HIV infections in the US is estimated to be around 56,000 annually. Although this has significantly decreased from earlier days of the epidemic due to activities such as HIV testing, behavior intervention, screening the blood supply, and advances in HIV therapies, challenges still remain. Too many people are unaware of their HIV infection; there is limited access to HIV prevention and care; and public attention toward HIV/AIDS-related issues has diminished in recent years.

Icon: How has the disease evolved in the state of Virginia to this day?

Ryland Roane/VDHDPH: Since 1999, the number of HIV disease diagnoses in Virginia has remained relatively stable, between 958 and 1,111 cases newly diagnosed each year.

In 2009, there were 498 cases of AIDS diagnosed in Virginia, the lowest since the decline began in the early 1990’s.

The first cases of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Virginia were reported in 1982; the epidemic peaked in the early 1990’s with more than 1,200 new AIDS diagnoses per year. Since then, the number of new AIDS diagnoses each year has declined until 2006 with a rate of 7.3 per 100,000 populations.

Virginia HIV/AIDS via VDHDP

Icon: In the last decade what has been the primary cause for contraction here?

Ryland Roane/VDHDPH: The most common method of transmission is though men having sex with men (MSM), as men who have sex with men is the most common category of transmission from 2001-2011.  Heterosexual contact is the second highest transmission category.

From 2005 to 2009, the largest percentage (77%) of male diagnoses between 2005 and 2009 were among men who have sex with men (MSM).  Among females, 87% of the new HIV disease diagnoses were attributed to heterosexual contact (VDH 2011).

*Table provided by Va. Department of of Health Division of Disease Prevention Hotline

Icon: What are some of the newest treatment methods that have been adopted within the last decade and how much of an impact has that made on those who have been infected in the state?

Ryland Roane/VDHDPH: HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) involves taking three or more drugs that fight HIV at the same time. HAART can strengthen the immune system and reduce the amount of HIV in the blood. Many medicines are available, and no one combination is best for everyone. Not everyone with HIV needs HAART, which is usually started only when signs of immune system damage (ideally CD4 <500, or HIV viral load >100,000), or symptoms of HIV appear. Drugs that fight HIV are divided into several “classes” or types. The different classes of drugs are used in combinations. Each class of drugs affects HIV in a different way:

• NRTIs (nucleoside and nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors) interrupt the first step that HIV takes to “copy” itself inside a cell.
• NNRTIs (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors) also interrupt the first step that HIV takes to “copy” itself, but in a different way than NRTIs.
• Protease inhibitors interrupt the last step that HIV takes to “copy” itself.
• Entry inhibitors (including fusion inhibitors) stop HIV from entering a healthy cell.

New medicines in each of these drug classes are being developed. New drug classes, which attack HIV in new ways, are also being researched. 5. Have you seen a rise in life expectancy for those infected?

Advances in medical therapies have resulted in people living longer with HIV disease. Quite often no treatment is needed in the early stages. However, there are now a number of drugs used to slow down the disease. When a person has AIDS, there are many drugs used to treat the various diseases that can invade the body. A person with HIV infection should talk to a doctor or other health care provider about treatment options.

Icon: Demographically, what is the profile of an infected Virginia resident? 

Ryland Roane/VDHDPH: For every 5 Virginians diagnosed with HIV disease, approximately:

• 4 are men
• 3 are Black
• 3 live in the Eastern or Central region
• 3 are MSM or MSM – IDU
• 2 are aged 20-34 at diagnosis

Via Top News in Health Diseases- HIV/AIDS online

Icon:  What areas have you noticed higher populations of infected residents or higher risk areas?

Ryland Roane/VDHDPH: While everyone is at risk for HIV infection, the areas of Virginia with the highest rate of infection per population are central, eastern and northern Virginia.

• Petersburg City
• Richmond City
• Roanoke City
• Fairfax County
• Arlington City
• Alexandria County
• Prince William

Icon: What kind of role do you anticipate the HIV/AIDS virus to have within the next decade? Do you see a cure or advanced treatment methods?

Ryland Roane/VDHDPH: Although there is no cure for HIV infection, there are treatment options that can help people living with HIV experience long and productive lives. CDC and other government agencies continue to work on a variety of treatment-related activities, including:

• HIV/AIDS clinical research and drug trials;
• vaccine research;
• development of treatment guidelines and best practices; and
• Creating and implementing treatment-related prevention strategies that can help stop new infections.

Icon: How do you feel about the holistic health treatments such as the utilization of herbs and other organic medicines? Do you find that they have been effective?

Ryland Roane/VDHDPH: Research indicates that further research is needed into the efficacy of the use of alternative medication strategies such as holistic health treatments.  At this time, it remains largely unstudied.  One should always speak with a doctor before adding any additional alternative medication to their regimen as there may be harmful side effects of which the person is unaware.  At this time the most effective way to treat HIV/AIDS is through proper adherence to a highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) regimen.

Icon: What is your take on the origins of the virus and its rapid growth in the U.S.?

Ryland Roane: While 30 years have passed since the discovery of HIV in this country, the fight to eliminate the epidemic is not over.  We have the power to end HIV.

For more information about HIV/AIDS in the state of Virginia visit the Virginia Department of Health Division of Disease Prevention’s website.

Vanessa Williams accepting the crown as Miss America in 1982.

In fact, the very first beauty pageant was presented by the famous P. T. Barnum, in 1854 who’s brought us Ringling Bros. and Barnum in Bailey Circus that we still enjoy today. Since then, beauty pageants have become a practice in communities all over the world, not restricted by gender, race or age.

Tracey Parrish, Founder & Director of the Eastern States Pageant

As a veteran in the field of pageantry, The Eastern States Pageant Founder and Director Tracey Parrish has over 17 years of experience as a director for multiple state pageants, pageant coaching and judging. Mrs. Parrish was also a former instructor at Barbizon and is a current title holder of Ms. All American Woman 2012. After working for others within the pageant circuit for a healthy number of years, Tracey decided to start The E.S.P. where she continues to instill the importance of poise and self-confidence among our youth.

The Eastern States Pageant of America is a fine example of a pageant system that not only celebrates overall beauty in many forms but also focuses on the success of young women of all ages regarding other pivotal areas of their lives such as academics, careers, community responsibilities and self esteem. With areas of competition in fashion wear, evening wear and interviews, the E.S.P. crowns girls and women from the ages of three to twenty four and they compete for the DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia titles. They encourage self-esteem, public speaking as well as presentation skills in their family oriented show. Their contestants compete for scholarships, prizes and awards including vacations, banners, and trophies as well as an opportunity to be discovered by model scouts, record label executives, entertainment agents and a variety of world renowned special guests. In addition to prizes and exposure, the winners of the state pageant also receive an automatic paid entry into the National pageant!

By the way, an Interscope Records representative was in attendance at this year’s pageant!

This year there was an array of beautiful and intelligent young ladies that competed for the E.S.P. titles. This year the winners are as follows (from left to right):

The Eastern states Pageant 2012 winners.

Miss Jr Preteen Maryland – Madison Spencer

Miss Maryland Preteen- Hannah Bruckheim

Miss Northern Virginia-Farrah Siltanen

Miss Maryland Jr Teen- Lakema Fox

(Center) Miss Mini Northern Virginia- Angel Vesperman

Miss Teen Maryland- Vinielle Acha- Morfaw

Miss District of Columbia- Ayshia Thomas

Miss Northern Virgina Preteen- Alexandria Hunter

Miss Jr Preteen Northern Virginia- Madison Ramsingh

All of the title holders are found on Eastern States Pageant of America website.

Like most pageant systems, the Eastern States Pageant of America is keen on maintaining a presence within the community through their charitable endeavors and this year they adopted Ronald McDonald house as their official charity; further promoting awareness and the importance of charity and solidarity within their community.  The Eastern States Pageant embeds their crowned queens in the community where they volunteer at charity events and promote awareness for organizations in their respective states thus exemplifying the notion that beauty does indeed lie deeper than just the skin.  This pageant strives to continue encouraging young girls and women to find the beauty in life through confidence, charity and competition.

If you would like to compete in The Eastern States Pageant 2013 national pageant you can also find that information on their website and you can register on their registration page The upcoming 2013 national pageant will be held during July 12-14 in VA Beach, VA and its open to girls across the U.S.!

Photo Credit: AP/Bob Brown

Due to a controversial bill supporting abortion clinic regulations that were just passed by the VA General Assembly last month, Virginia’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Karen Remley, has resigned as of last Thursday.

In her resignation letter to her colleagues she writes, “Unfortunately, how specific sections of the Virginia Code pertaining to the development and enforcement of these regulations have been and continue to be interpreted has created an environment in which my ability to fulfill my duties is compromised and I can no longer in good faith continue in my role”.

Appointed into her position by former Governor Tim Kaine  (who is currently running for U.S. Senate) and continuing service under Governor Bob McDonell, Dr. Remley has served as Health Commissioner for 5 years. So what are some of these regulations that prompted Dr. Remley to resign from her title after spending 5 years dedicated to servicing Virginia families? In September The Board of Health voted for existing Virginia abortion clinics to become regulated the same as new hospitals. This includes regulations on hallway widths, ventilation systems, sheltered entrances and many more building renovations. Unfortunately none of the 20 clinics who have recently applied for a new license currently meet the requirements, which mean it’s highly likely they will need to shell out extra money to undergo the costly alterations in the allotted two year time frame they have to make the required changes or they will not be eligible to open for service.

Photo Credit: Richmond Times Dispatch/Bob Brown

Unfortunately this has angered many abortion rights advocates who fear many clinics, new and existing; will be forced to shut down due to stricter and “medically unnecessary” building regulations clinics must abide by in order to maintain a license. So in a nutshell abortion clinics will have one of two options: Face regulatory changes and pay high construction and renovation costs to maintain their business or shut down completely.

In addition to what seems to be an underlying ultimatum for the state’s abortion clinics, it has also been perceived as an underlying goal for pro life political influences to force-feed their personal beliefs about abortion onto those who support a woman’s right to choose. Michelle Movad, a staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights stated her own frustrations with the new regulations, “Not a single other type of health care provider in Virginia has been subjected to this level of political bullying and government interference… these unwarranted requirements specifically target reproductive health care providers- many of which have been serving Virginia women and families for roughly 40 years- with regulations that have no medical purpose”. Many who feel the same sentiments as Movad have expressed their aggravations with these so called “political bullies” who are identified as Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (who is running for Governor of Virginia in 2013) and Gov. Bob McDonnell, both whom maintain their personal beliefs have not influenced the newly passed regulations. A spokesperson for Ken Cuccinelli reassured the public by stating, “Our office merely reviews the regulations and certifies whether they are compliant with the law or not. We make that determination solely on a legal basis, not on the basis of whether we agree with the policy or not”.

So what does this mean for the future of Virginia’s outpatient abortion clinics and how will this affect the upcoming elections in the coming weeks? Only time will tell. But one thing we can definitely foresee; this newest game changer by our state government has only added more fuel to an already embroiled fire that has been aflame for too long.

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s response to Dr. Remley’s resignation:

Erica became a victim of teen domestic violence at the tender age of 14. But in the beginning, Erica, who was an honor roll student and a junior varsity cheerleader, said her relationship with John1 was perfect.

“I would sneak out the house to go visit him,” the 19 years-old said with a laugh. “I would tell my mother I was going somewhere else. He came to my games to watch me cheer. He treated me really well.”

After a few months into the relationship, sex became an issue.  Erica said John started to pressure her to have sex with him and became verbally abusive.

“He tried to have sex and I said no,” she recalled. “After that it went downhill. I got called all the names in the book. He got really mad. I knew the other girls he used to talk to were kind of easy. But I wasn’t going to compromise myself.”

Erica said that wasn’t the only time her ex-boyfriend was verbally abusive towards her. She eventually became accustom to his nasty words. One day, John took it a step further.

“The first time John put his hands on me was while we were watching TV,” Erica said. “I had my phone on my lap and I got a text from my best friend who was gay male. He assumed it was a guy trying to talk to me. He threw my phone and accused me of cheating. Then he put his hands around my throat. He choked me and asked me, ‘why do you do things to make me mad?’ I was really scared.”

John eventually let go of Erica. She said after the incident he quickly apologized.

“He kept apologizing and he said he would never do it again,” Erica said. “He said he was going to change. I believed him.”

The two remained together. Erica said she didn’t go over John’s house for awhile. But he still showed his support for her by coming to her games. About ten months into their relationship, John’s ex-girlfriend approached Erica at school.

“His ex told me they still messed around,” Erica said. “I approached John about it and all hell broke loose.”

Erica said she went to John’s house to confront him. She showed him the texts John’s ex sent her. He insisted he wasn’t cheating and started to accuse Erica of cheating.

“He called me a hoe and accused me of being with all these other guys,” Erica said. “Then he punched me in my arm. I just took it. I don’t like crying in front of [John] so I held it in. I moved to the other side of the couch looking pitiful.”

She tried to get away but John wasn’t going to let her go that easy.

“We continued to fuss but I got tired so I left,” she said. “He got up and followed me. Then he pushed me down the stairs. I felt a tear come down my face so I brushed myself off, got up and got into my car. Then I cried all the way home. It hurt and I felt very degraded.”

Erica broke up with John soon after. But several months later, they were back together. Erica said she didn’t want to be single.

“John sent flowers and messages to me through a mutual friend to get me back,” she said. “He called and texted me saying he was really sorry and he was going to change. He said he loved me and I was the one for him.”

Kelli Bolton, author of You Said You Loved Me, said a relationship that involves any kind of abuse, verbal or physical, is not a reflection of true love.

              “God has a specific kind of love, and it isn’t angry and it isn’t jealous,” the Christian-fiction writer said. “When you have someone hitting you, that’s not real love—that’s not the love God has for you. And that’s what I wanted to show young people.”

              Bolton’s book involves a high school freshman girl and her new boyfriend. The young girl attacks her boyfriend when she sees him talking to another girl. Bolton said she was inspired to write this book after learning about Chris Brown and Rihanna’s abusive relationship.

              “I was a little shocked because they were portrayed as Hollywood’s hottest couple,” Bolton said.  “But everything wasn’t all good. I was driving to work and God was speaking to me. Young people need to know what real love is. And a person who loves you won’t do those things to you. I wanted to give young people an idea of what real love is. Just because they say it doesn’t mean they mean it. Their actions need to line up with their words.”

              Bolton warned young people to pay attention to signs and signals. She stressed the need to speak up. The writer said if you don’t address it in the beginning, it will only get worse.

              Erica’s relationship with John got worse. She said the first couple of months after they got back together were good. But the abuse still lingered. John didn’t hit her for a while but would grab her or push her to the couch. But the final straw was when John hit Erica in her face.

“John’s cousin went back and told him he saw me and a guy friend flirting,” Erica said. “When John confronted me about it, I defended my guy friend instead of apologizing. We were fussing back and forth. Then he grabbed me up and punched me in the right eye. I pushed him. I got my stuff and left his house. I was really hurt. It took me a while to get over it. It breaks you down when you get hit in your face.”

Throughout her relationship with John, Erica said she received at least five bruises from him—including one she got on her back from when John slammed her onto a picture frame. Erica said after John hit her in her face, he blew up her phone trying to talk to her. Erica never picked up the phone when he called. She said that was the only way she knew to keep herself from being vulnerable to him.

Now a student at Norfolk State University, Erica said things would have been different for her if she stayed with John.

“I would have gotten really hurt if I stayed in the relationship. I would have lost all of my self-worth. Don’t ever let anyone disrespect you. Make sure your happiness comes first.”

For more information on You Said You Loved Me and other Christian fiction books, visit Kelli Bolton’s website at  http://www.kelliwrites.com.

[1] Name changed to protect the victim’s identity.