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AS MANY AS 100 of those killed on a Malaysia Airlines plane that went down in Ukraine were delegates on their way to a global AIDS conference in Australia.
The Australian broadsheet and the Sydney Morning Herald both said that more than one-third of the nearly 300 who died were AIDS researchers, health workers and activists en route to Melbourne.
The Herald said those attending a pre-conference meeting in Sydney were told that around 100 of their colleagues were on the plane that went down, including former International AIDS Society president Joep Lange.
The Australian reported that delegates to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, which is due to begin on Sunday, were to be informed that 108 of their colleagues and family members died on MH17.
The International AIDS Society has confirmed that “a number of our colleagues and friends” were killed, but has not said how many.
Asked by reporters whether 108 people attending the conference were on the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, International AIDS Society president Francoise Barre-Sinoussi said she was not sure.
“We don’t have the confirmation (of numbers),” she said.
We don’t know how many were on that flight.
Organisers of the conference in Melbourne said it would go ahead regardless. Barre-Sinoussi said:
The decision to go on, we were thinking about them because we know it’s really what they would have liked us to do.
Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the OSCE, has called a for a crisis meeting to discuss the crash.
The Vienna-based body has been monitoring the security situation in eastern Ukraine for months.
A special Permanent Council meeting is taking place at 11:30am irish time.
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Innocent people trying to do some good in the world simply just wiped out.
Terrible
How ironic that such a large group of dedicated and brilliant scientists and health professionals working towards finding a cure for such an evil and cruel disease should be killed by such barbaric and evil people…… so sad, RIP all of them especially the 80 innocent children, so dreadful.
Howe strange indeed. These people fighting the spread of a lab created biological weapon and they are just shot down in a passenger plane. Yeah seems tragic.
@Noon
Are you saying HIV is lab created?
Yes. Maybe it’s impossible to create such a virus?
@Noon
You know we can link it’s origins back to simian immuno-deficiency virus (SIV) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, right?
Can we? Oh I just thought it appeared in 1981… and SIV had been around since time began.
Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan ecologist and the first African woman to win a Nobel prize, said Saturday that HIV was created deliberately in the laboratory as a biological weapon. “Some say that AIDS came from the monkeys, and I doubt that because we have been living with monkeys (since) time immemorial, others say it was a curse from God, but I say it cannot be that,” she said at a press conference following the announcement of her receipt of the Nobel prize.
@Noon
It first appeared in Africa from preserved blood samples in 1959.
She has been widely critises for that view and in later life became skeptical of it herself. I personally don’t believe a virus like that could be synthesised in 2014 let alone 1959. Lastly, yes. The genetic maps showing the development and history of HIV 1 & 2 in Africa are pretty clear.
What’s with all the foil hats today?
The virus couldn’t be synthesized in 1980????? Jeez
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_biology#History
Restriction enzymes necessary for synthetic biology, they were discovered in 1978. I doubt they came that far, that fast.
Sure thing, I thought it’s origins was in doubt. Jee thanks Mary.
All the conspiracy theorists are going to go mental.
Conspiracy Theorists ARE mental!
Says the plank in the selfie !!!!!!
It is horrific though, all of these noble people who dedicated their lives to fighting against a terrible disease, gone because of an act of mindless barbarity. This along with what is happening in Gaza…it is a terrible week for humanity.
By the way I was not insulting conspiracy theorists, we need people to ask the questions that nobody asks and the media do not raise, as long as they are intelligent questions obviously.
@Glen Its all good brother for I am a believer in certain theories myself.
This is Jim Corr territory alright
Jim Corr was kicked out of the international brotherhood of conspiracy theorists years ago.
Huge amount of knowledge and expertise in the fight against AIDS gone in one blow.
My question about this tragic incident,is what was this aircraft doing in restricted airspace over a warzone?There is a no-fly zone enforced in this area up to 31’000 feet.The Malaysia airlines flight was cruising at 32,000 feet just 1’000 feet above the restricted airspace.A bit risky don’t you think considering several aircraft have being brought down in recent weeks in that area.
In my opinion that’s a hell of a risk just to save on fuel costs.
Not a bad looking plank though glen.. :)
A tragic loss.
Funny how people who ask qs are called conspiracy theorists, and that they are mental, there’s me thinking those of you who trust our blatantly corrupt governments are mental. Funny old world eh
If you don’t conform to mainstream opinion, you are branded a nutjob or worse. I feel sorry for the conspiracy theorists. They have been proven right before.
Deep down people know that it’s all gone south
Their just afraid to admit it and have to deal with it so they live in their cocoon and say the people asking the serious questions are nuts.
@Stewart
Conspiracy theorists are much more likely to have anxiety disorders, paranoia and other psychological difficulties as compared to the general public so there is actually a link to being “mental”.
There’s a difference between asking genuine questions and just believing every crackpot batshit theory you come across on the internet.
Stewart there is a difference between asking questions and attributing every event to a grand plan by a hidden hand to create a demonic organisation. I mean FFS blue, 13, 33, 666, Pi, 7, 777, 111, 911, z*onists, y*****, !!!!, :):(: :: Who the eFf are these people. Where do they go shopping? What pubs do they go to? The X files has a lot to answer for.
Yea but I was nuts before I was a conspir……… Oh wait jaysus you might be onto something !!!
Asking questions doesn’t make them crazy, it’s when they profess their ridiculous theories as fact that the men in the white coats should be called
What is with this place? Why do facts get thumbs down?
Are they any worse than the people who denounced news outlets and commenters for suggesting that peaches died from being a junkie? I remember 100′s of red thumbs to anyone who even suggested it, and plenty of green thumbs to one guy who said that it was reported as fact that she died of an aneurysm. My point is that the mainstream are just as laughable as the conspiracy theorists, and both sides live in complete denial much of the time
Frank is gonna have a field day
Can’t wait!
Me neither Mary so
They found the cure and big pharma had it brought down as they stood to loose billions …… Sounds plausible.
@Glen
The big pharma run by gays, Jews and gay Jews.
@Mary….. I suppose it wont be too long before someone blames Israel for shooting the plane down.
Taxi
Their too busy wrecking Palestinian homes.
@Taxi
Israelis who were suspiciously dressed fabulously.
(Gay, I can say it)
“Big pharma” will actually go out of their way to stop their drugs being obtained by US prisons to execute prisoners.
I doubt that they would plot to bring down a plane full of people to further their own ends.
The plane was either taken down by the Russians themselves or the pro-Russian separatists using Russian weaponry. Almost certainly perpetrated by the separatists. They boasted on social media before they realised their mistake.
So “big pharma” would have to get these people to knowingly shoot down a plane full of innocent people and then make themselves look like eejits and boast that they took down a military jet before then changing their story. Do you really believe any of that is likely?
Pharmaceutical companies believe it or not aren’t run by evil people who will do anything to make a profit contrary to what you might think. They are people like you and I with consciences.
Use some common sense!
“Use common sense”
Why Querty ?? So we end up like you all stiff and proper ….. Loosing that tie and laugh at yourself it’s very therapeutic !!!
EU Big pharma retracted use of their chemicals in capital punishment because it was negatively affecting perceptions of their companies and damaging to stock.
Considering Pharma are facing a massive patent cliff and not many new drugs are making it to market, I am really interested to learn exactly why do you think Big Pharma would prevent development of a new drug for HIV/AIDS, which could make huge profits? I am sorry to question you, but Ive heard this many times on various “cures” for various diseases, and I am yet to hear any logical explanation. Please put some beef to your words on this?
It’s nearly impossible to suppress something that works.
Understanding what it means to be HIV positive is relatively simple — either you are infected with the virus or you aren’t — but how do you understand AIDS? AIDS, which stands for “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome” is a way of describing a whole group of symptoms and diseases associated with the damage HIV does to the immune system. As an HIV infection progresses, there is ongoing damage to immune defense cells and the body becomes increasingly less able to fight off infection. Once a person has Both the virus and the disease are often referred to together as HIV/AIDS. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection. As a result, some will then develop AIDS. The development of numerous opportunistic infections However great advances have been made now days people live a lot longer with HIV when taking the correct medication without the development of AIS
Wish the media would be distinctive between HIV & AIDS friends and many friends of friends within this community lost on this flight. This was despicable event. So much knowledge has gone within this community. The community will rally around each other and become stronger in the name of these individuals and what they stood for
Funny how people who question anything are immediately labelled conspiracy theorist and are called mental by those that accept as gospel information given to us by our blatantly corrupt governments , governmevts that have us on the bring of environmental, economic and climate collapse as well as on the brink of nuclear war. I guess our definition of mental varies wildly.
haha I do apologize, I am a believer in certain theories myself.
Are you sure they weren’t HIV experts?
What’s the difference, if you an expert of one are you not also of the other?
HIV is the virus that causes AIDS !
Positive.
@Vocal
Not necessarily. HIV is a virus and AIDS is not. It’s a series of “strange” ailments in conjunction with a failing immune system/low T4 cell count. So yeah, I had read HIV researchers on SKY and that would definitely be different.
@Jason
Not sure if that’s extremely subtle, inspired humour or not?
It was an attempt to answer your question while bringing a little unrelated humour into what is otherwise a very sickening situation.
But it said they were HIV researchers going to an AIDS conference, not AIDS researchers.
Regardless. If that was intended it was slick…
@ Mary
With your background I wonder why you got so many red thumbs!
@Taxi
Are you really suprised though? Some people seem compelled to question everything. And stating your profession can be seen as “showing off” despite the fact it clearly gives you a certain amount of credibility. It’s in the same way people yammer on about doctors I guess. Even undertaking a PhD in microbiology won’t make you an expert here… Not having one I’d say.
Not EVEN having one
#Cure postponed…deliberate…eggs in one basket…drum up hysteria…false flag…law of probability…
Good man Frank. We were all waiting for you!
@Frank
Marry me
@mary I hope u don’t mind a man in a tin foil wedding suit
@Derek
In fairness I think I’ve seen that on the catwalk at least twice this year!
Metallics are trés en vogue, Derek. Haha. As long as he wears the hat I’ll be happy.
@ Mary
I wonder what your kids would be like!! If you and Frank got together?
HIV Cure has been developed since 1996 …
US Patient NO US 5676977 A http://www.google.com/patents/US5676977
It is NOT in Big Pharma’s interest to research into HIV cures because they gain so much on keeping people on Antiviral medication and also an elitist population control.
Kill two birds with one stone. ……..Get rid of the AIDS scientists, and make it look like it was Russia’s fault.
#pathetic.
@Frank
You need to come out of the cellar Frank, you were in there all night researching your facts and missed dinner.
@Taxi
Something like this
https://www.google.ie/search?q=ukraine+eurovision+2007&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari
Lmao Mary I couldn’t care less what the study states , as a free thinker in well aware a study can be manipulated to say whatever the researcher or the money behind the research wants. Thanks though you are too kind.
@Stewart
You can’t write this stuff. The conspiracist is skeptical of the science about conspiracists. That’s poetic.
There is reports that an Irish woman was on that flight a neighbor of a colleague of mine.
So you don’t actually know her !!
I don’t but my colleague beside me is very upset about it, I am sure more information will become available soon.
Ah would ya look, another brain washed individual throwing insults that were designed to belittle the questioning of concerned citizens by linking any disbelief in mainstream reporting as mental. As I said we differ in our understanding of the term mental
Stewart
Brain washed. Ironic.
Our criteria is according to the DSM IV. It’s reasonable credible.
Reasonably
Beg pardon.
There was no humour in what I said, I badly ally questioned your facts, playing to your audience does not change the fact that you are wrong
Hey Stewart, just a friendly tip.
If you click ‘Reply’ directly under the comment you are replying to, your response will appear underneath that comment. It will make it easier for those you are talking to, and anyone else reading, to follow the conversation/debate.
So… D’ya want the article, or…?
Also… My “audience” seriously?
I’ve one too many red arrows for that to be true.
Tragic loss, but what an astonishing coincidence the people on board this flight had the same bomb proof, fireproof, explosion proof passports as the victims of 9/11??! What are the odds. A plane blown to smithereens and the passports don’t even get scratched FFS!!. Expect UN troops on the Russian border in days and Russia to be provoked into retaliation , the poo poo is going to hit the fan!.
Some time soon a virtual illustration done by some analyst will show where he thinks the rocket was launched from after analyzing the debris, then the blame shitstorm will kick off, especially if it was fired from the local pharmacy in Donetsk!
You do know that a study doesn’t equal scientific fact?
Especially on the realms of psychology. Cop on
@Stewart
Well actually, as a molecular biologist I tend to put great faith in studies because… It’s my job.
Secondly if it didnt work, those measles you didn’t get as a child? You would have got them.
Oh god, I mentioned the “vaccination” word.
Scary stuff and I’m flying in a few weeks :o
Don’t expect sympathy or well wishing on this site.
@Glen
It’s OK, it builds character :)
Unless your flight path takes you over Donetsk or Aleppo, there’s very little to worry about.
Yeah statistically you’re at more of a risk dying on the way to the airport.
I’m sure its all part of gods elusive plan..Whatever the that is..Yawn!!
I have no problem with vaccinations, don’t presume, also as a molecular biologist you should also know that many studies are complete bollox :-) get off your high horse ffs
@Stewart
Actually I didn’t presume, I poked fun at conspiracy theorists.
No, I don’t know they’re complet bollox and think quite the opposite. So you’re actually skeptic le of all science, ever? And with psychology, the whole field is BS, is it? That’s what you’re saying, right?
I’m not on any high horse but since I DO science you’ll forgive me for assuming I know something about it.
I apologise Mary, as a molecular biologist you must be very intelligent and I eagerly await your next ground breaking discovery….
No not all studied are bollox, you know as well as I do that a study is not scientific fact, stop pretending that it is. Also psychology is not bollox but it is however a lot less solid then say molecular biology for instance. In fact psychologists were still electrocuting people only a few short years ago as part of “science”
I am a big fan of science but it is not infallible and thankfully many men much more intelligent then I have questioned “science” over the years or we would be in a lot more sh*t then we currently are. Thanks for your time
@Stewart
Intelligent remark – your words not mine. If you infer that from a job description, whatever. Don’t imply I’ve said it.
As a scientific study aficionado you must surely have noticed that it is now mostly teams of scientists who make discoveries. You seem to have stumbled across bad logic. If scientific studies aren’t based on facts then neither is science. If science isn’t based in fact, then what is fact? I don’t imply science is infallible but if it’s good enough to have got us this far.
I know psychology is less viable, that doesn’t mean you get to pick and chose which ones aren’t. I mean, why stop here. Why not say that the studies proving same-sex marriage is also flawed? This is an Iona-esque argument which they would be torn apart for but yet, you believe this about the studies regarding personality, mental illness and conspiracy theorism? This is nonsense. Your argument does not hold.
And electrical impulses are still used on neural experiments. This is not a rarity. If you’re talking about electrotherapy, that’s gone a long time.
@mary You have not stated any facts, you repeated information that you read on the internet from an ambiguous study that was neither factual or correct
@Stewart
What are you on about?
The Airlines keep it quiet but there is a Lot of crashes and near misses we never hear about
@chris, thanks for the too but my reply button doesn’t work . I theorise that the powers that be are trying to censor me :-) @mary I read the study approx 2 months ago but again I thank you for your generosity
@Stewart
Are you saying that you are skeptical of the science?
That is really quite fitting.
@stewart
By any chance are you and Frank brothers?
Sweet Jesus Mary you have a shirt memory, are you sure your not mentally unstable?
What is with this place? Why do facts get thumbs down?
@Stewart
I don’t speak for everyone but I think that came out probably less funny than you thought it was?
I also said “what IS with this place” inferring I am likely aware of where I am.
Would you like me to link the summary from Psychology Today?
Strange that the other Malaysian plane ,that disappeared had a number of electronic warfare experts from the same company on board,and 4 shareholders ,coincidence ?
Colin the heat generated in this explosion would have been far less then 9/11, passports surviving would be expected
So again you are confirming that there are studies that are scientific theory and not fact especially with regard to psychology. This is all I’m asking you, thanks for answering
@Stewart
You are not using scientific theory in the right context, what-so-ever and verifying the existence of scientific theory does not for your argument. You are proclaiming studies to be invalid based on your own feelings with is spectacularly similar to religious zealots who refuse to acknowledge the science of gay people raising children. How is this viable?
Scientific theory definition: (observe the various ways it contradicts your points) A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method, and repeatedly confirmed through observation and experimentation.
So you agree then that many studies are scientific theory and not scientific fact? Thank god for that
@Stewart
Are you disputing the definition of fact? I can tell anymore.
And no, I am not saying studies produce theory and not fact. The Big Bang is a scientific theory as it currently fits with data but as nobody could have witnessed it, cannot be a fact in the strictest sense.
However, that the heart pumps oxygen around the body is fact, it can be witnessed.
Similarly, a study that (and there are numerous studies on conspiracy theorists and personality traits) is as viable as any study that examines the person. So how can this be wrong but studies that indicate traits of narcissism be correct? Or are they wrong too?
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