Educational and Inspiring DVD Seeks to Promote Hope in the Global HIV Struggle
Ever since I started traveling the emails and the Facebook messages have come in from people wanting to know more about the country I was in, the organization I was covering, or a story that I found profound. They wanted more than the writings and photos on the blog. They wanted a deeper connection. I thought what can I do? The not so secret answer is the “Hope & Global HIV” DVD.
I produced the DVD through the videos, photos, and interviews I conducted while in country. It will not win a Hi-Definition award for best documentary but I promise it will intrigue, inform and move a viewer. It has two objectives. The first is to educatethe audience about global HIV/AIDS but to also provide interesting cultural and historical notes on each country. It is also full of links and country specific music providing depth and launching sites for independent googling later. The second is to inspire by highlighting the story of an organization or an individual that is building hope through action. The Ruths of California, Marias of Nicaragua, and Daxas of India will provide poignant examples that we must never underestimate the power of the individual to greatly impact their community.
Each of the five countries has there own chapter in the DVD and I have shown the Rwanda, Nicaragua, and San Francisco chapters at presentations in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, California, and Connecticut to the exact reviews I hoped for. “Wow, I didn’t know that” or “Powerful”. I have already sold a third of the first production batch and I am immensely proud of the reviews and feedback from the DVD. Anything that both high school teenagers and adults find intriguing and powerful is a feat by itself!
I have personally raised all funds for my research and work. Much of it has been channeled through the Emily C. Specchio Foundation to ensure tax-deductible donations. The DVD is available for $20 and can be purchased via credit card on the Right Side Bar or if you wish to make it tax-deductible then it can be purchased via a donation to the foundation that clearly marks “Ambrosio HIV Project”. Thank you for the continued support!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Speaking Updates
Future
I am pleased to announce I will be guest lecturing at Fairfield University twice in February.
Feb 17 – Course: Nursing
Topic: Researching in Nicaragua: Expectations and Cultural Sensitivity
Feb 18 – Course: Justice in the Developing World: Nicaragua
Topic – Healthcare in Nicaragua: Role of Non-Governmental Orgs.
Past
Last week I presented “Faith in Action” to the Senior Class at Regis High School in NYC. I was very impressed with the service learning and service opportunities afforded to students at the school. I am currently working on a blog entry regarding my experience at Regis. The entry is a reflective piece stemming from a question I routinely get following a presentation - How did this all first start?
I've added the Twitter feature to the side bar and invite people to follow me on the newest rage in social media. My twitter name is Marcoambrosio
I am pleased to announce I will be guest lecturing at Fairfield University twice in February.
Feb 17 – Course: Nursing
Topic: Researching in Nicaragua: Expectations and Cultural Sensitivity
Feb 18 – Course: Justice in the Developing World: Nicaragua
Topic – Healthcare in Nicaragua: Role of Non-Governmental Orgs.
Past
Last week I presented “Faith in Action” to the Senior Class at Regis High School in NYC. I was very impressed with the service learning and service opportunities afforded to students at the school. I am currently working on a blog entry regarding my experience at Regis. The entry is a reflective piece stemming from a question I routinely get following a presentation - How did this all first start?
I've added the Twitter feature to the side bar and invite people to follow me on the newest rage in social media. My twitter name is Marcoambrosio
Monday, February 2, 2009
Science and Rice – A Mixture Saving Lives
Genetic Engineering a Valued Partner in Fighting Hunger, Famine, and Death
During yesterday’s Super Bowl a commercial stated 1 in 3 children are overweight in the United States. Almost immediately I thought of the countless children I met in the streets of Nicaragua or villages in India who had red patches in their hair – a universal mark of protein deficiency. It is said that nearly half of world’s population depends on rice as a staple food. Rice equals life for an alarming percentage of that half. It is at times one of the few barriers between life and starvation or starvation and death. If so many people, including the worlds poorest consume rice then how can we make it go further and do more? Scientists, particularly geneticists, have moved into the forefront to answering these questions.
Applying advances in science to real life use is sometimes controversial. Say the word genetic engineering and cloned sheep may jump to mind, but science when used for the greater good (admittedly a matter of perspective and relativity) can wind up to be a match made in heaven. If countless millions of men, women, and children suffer from malnutrition, chronic illnesses, and die due to lack of access to food, then should not science be used to answer the call?
One breakthrough response has been “golden rice” – rice that has been genetically altered to contain (express in genetic terms) beta-carotene. The beta-carotene provides vitamin A to the eater. According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency is responsible for 250,000 to 500,000 children going blind a year; half of which die within a year as a result of their blindness. The project’s objective is to provide a day’s worth of vitamin A in rice rich societies through enhancing what they already have available. It is worth visiting the Golden Rice Project to read about the how, why, and what is next of the work.
In 2008 soaring rice prices, due to higher energy costs (think fertilizers and transportation costs) and failed crop yields (both droughts and floods), left many developing countries and international food programs in dangerous and life threatening scenarios. One hopes the tipping point has been reached for renewable energy sources but one auspicious answer to the failing crop yields is “flood-tolerant rice”. In this case, geneticists have been attempting to alter genes to increase resistance of rice succumbing to flooding from the normal three days to up to seventeen. Scientists say flooding is responsible for ruining an “estimated 4 million tons of rich each year; enough to feed 30 million people”. Targeting flood prone sectors and introducing the genetically altered rice could present a viable solution for increasing access to a vital basic staple.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle in both Golden Rice and flood tolerant rice is passing the taste test of the locals and yield productivity measures of the farmers. Both projects took several years going through testing and trials because as with any gene altering or biotechnological project substantial testing and quality assurance is critical in both protecting the consumer and the local ecosystem. Unfortunately at times confidence wanes when programs are driven by profits and not social and corporate responsibility. It seems daily we are reminded of irresponsible acts of profit driven business executives or FDA announcements of salmonella outbreaks in tomatoes and peanut butter. Finally, one can not forget the viral video on Youtube of diseased cattle in the meat packing line. It makes understanding the delay and the lengthy debates regarding biotechnology understandable, but the future of hunger and malnourishment changes with each potential experiment.
Whether it was with red beans in Nicaragua (known as Gallo Pinto), curry and cilantro in India, plain in Rwanda, or as a bed for other foods to be served on in Thailand, the ubiquity, demand, and importance of rice left quite the impression on me. Food plays such a vital role in maintaining health and a dignified level of life that my experiences made realizing the breakthrough potential of these discoveries an a-ah moment; one where it seemed to make clear sense. The advances of science utilized to address such basic global and human needs, particularly food and health remind me of a quote that summarizes much of my outlook on science that has stayed with me throughout my education: “Talent is a loan from God for relief of man’s estate”.
During yesterday’s Super Bowl a commercial stated 1 in 3 children are overweight in the United States. Almost immediately I thought of the countless children I met in the streets of Nicaragua or villages in India who had red patches in their hair – a universal mark of protein deficiency. It is said that nearly half of world’s population depends on rice as a staple food. Rice equals life for an alarming percentage of that half. It is at times one of the few barriers between life and starvation or starvation and death. If so many people, including the worlds poorest consume rice then how can we make it go further and do more? Scientists, particularly geneticists, have moved into the forefront to answering these questions.
Applying advances in science to real life use is sometimes controversial. Say the word genetic engineering and cloned sheep may jump to mind, but science when used for the greater good (admittedly a matter of perspective and relativity) can wind up to be a match made in heaven. If countless millions of men, women, and children suffer from malnutrition, chronic illnesses, and die due to lack of access to food, then should not science be used to answer the call?
One breakthrough response has been “golden rice” – rice that has been genetically altered to contain (express in genetic terms) beta-carotene. The beta-carotene provides vitamin A to the eater. According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency is responsible for 250,000 to 500,000 children going blind a year; half of which die within a year as a result of their blindness. The project’s objective is to provide a day’s worth of vitamin A in rice rich societies through enhancing what they already have available. It is worth visiting the Golden Rice Project to read about the how, why, and what is next of the work.
In 2008 soaring rice prices, due to higher energy costs (think fertilizers and transportation costs) and failed crop yields (both droughts and floods), left many developing countries and international food programs in dangerous and life threatening scenarios. One hopes the tipping point has been reached for renewable energy sources but one auspicious answer to the failing crop yields is “flood-tolerant rice”. In this case, geneticists have been attempting to alter genes to increase resistance of rice succumbing to flooding from the normal three days to up to seventeen. Scientists say flooding is responsible for ruining an “estimated 4 million tons of rich each year; enough to feed 30 million people”. Targeting flood prone sectors and introducing the genetically altered rice could present a viable solution for increasing access to a vital basic staple.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle in both Golden Rice and flood tolerant rice is passing the taste test of the locals and yield productivity measures of the farmers. Both projects took several years going through testing and trials because as with any gene altering or biotechnological project substantial testing and quality assurance is critical in both protecting the consumer and the local ecosystem. Unfortunately at times confidence wanes when programs are driven by profits and not social and corporate responsibility. It seems daily we are reminded of irresponsible acts of profit driven business executives or FDA announcements of salmonella outbreaks in tomatoes and peanut butter. Finally, one can not forget the viral video on Youtube of diseased cattle in the meat packing line. It makes understanding the delay and the lengthy debates regarding biotechnology understandable, but the future of hunger and malnourishment changes with each potential experiment.
Whether it was with red beans in Nicaragua (known as Gallo Pinto), curry and cilantro in India, plain in Rwanda, or as a bed for other foods to be served on in Thailand, the ubiquity, demand, and importance of rice left quite the impression on me. Food plays such a vital role in maintaining health and a dignified level of life that my experiences made realizing the breakthrough potential of these discoveries an a-ah moment; one where it seemed to make clear sense. The advances of science utilized to address such basic global and human needs, particularly food and health remind me of a quote that summarizes much of my outlook on science that has stayed with me throughout my education: “Talent is a loan from God for relief of man’s estate”.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Something Old, Something New, & Something Yet to Be Determined
Reflection on the Legacy of MLK Jr, Former President Bush, & President Obama
Dr. King’s proud smile is all I can think about. On the heels of Martin Luther King Jr day, I can only wait in celebratory anticipation as our country’s highest honor will soon be filled by an American of color, but more importantly of high intellect and character. In landslide fashion it would appear that the dream of Dr. King has broken through as "the content of a person’s character outweighed the color of their skin". Yet my mind harkens back to the concept of legacy. Much has already been written about soon-former President Bush and President elect Obama but a legacy forms many years after the dust has settled.
I spent the morning rereading a few of Dr. King’s speeches. In them, as countless radio and television shows have documented today, a reader finds a voice of social consciousness – an immobile moral compass with a compassionate heart and prophetic calling to speak truth to power regardless of the consequences. Dr. King is etched in the annals of US history as a champion of the civil rights movement. A man who used non violent civil disobedience, encouraged social activism, and symbolizes the greatness of the American spirit. (Nonetheless after much controversy it was not until 2000 that MLK Jr Day was officially observed in all 50 states)
Often overlooked is the outspoken Dr. King - the anti-war advocate who sought to bridge the civil rights and peace movements in the mid 1960s. Often forgotten is the backlash Dr King received from the media and cherished supporters like the NAACP. In "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence", Dr. King stressed the weight of his Nobel Prize as one of the catalysts of his broader mission. In that address at the historic and storied Riverside Church in NYC, Dr. King’s full arsenal is on display as he inspires and challenges the congregation to think critically and compassionately. What does he use as his thought provoking device? It is none other than Vietnam’s history and the plight of her people. This too is Dr. King’s legacy. However King’s words and mission did not find much support because reconciling the truth is often a road too hard for many.
As President Bush affixes “former” to his title, writers and commentators have already begun the molding of his legacy. President Bush will undoubtedly be remembered for the catastrophe of Katrina, the 9/11 terrorist attack and the response (War on Terror, Patriot Acts, Gitmo, and Abu Ghairb all remain prominent), and the economic meltdown under his eight year watch, but there are meaningful positives that at times go unnoticed. The measuring stick for some will be that no terror attacks took place on US soil. Others, like Bill Frist(R), will point to the unprecedented and bold President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programming that has given hope and life to millions fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean. I have personally witnessed and documented in this blog how PEPFAR funds have lifted entire communities and made the US a popular country in sub-Saharan Africa. Lastly it could be argued that Former President Bush helped pave the way for equal opportunity and a black President. In Colin Powell, Condi Rice, and Alberto Gonzales, Bush appointed citizens of color and different ethnicities to the forefront of his cabinet and the highest leadership roles in the country. He provided the younger generation with the belief that mobility is possible and the older generation with a more representative face of the country.
Some people may be quick to think the inauguration closes the book on the civil rights movement, but undoubtedly Dr. King would only think a chapter has closed. As President Obama assumes command of the Executive Branch of government, all that is needed is a glance into the failng inner city school systems, the minority filled prisons, and the heavily disproportinate HIV/AIDS statistics to understand Dr. King’s words would ring true. As history has shown and with many of Bush’s biggest initiatives unfinished, it will be at least a generation until his legacy is near complete. Yet another legacy, joined by the smile of a great American from above, is in the meantime off to an auspicious beginning.
Dr. King’s proud smile is all I can think about. On the heels of Martin Luther King Jr day, I can only wait in celebratory anticipation as our country’s highest honor will soon be filled by an American of color, but more importantly of high intellect and character. In landslide fashion it would appear that the dream of Dr. King has broken through as "the content of a person’s character outweighed the color of their skin". Yet my mind harkens back to the concept of legacy. Much has already been written about soon-former President Bush and President elect Obama but a legacy forms many years after the dust has settled.
I spent the morning rereading a few of Dr. King’s speeches. In them, as countless radio and television shows have documented today, a reader finds a voice of social consciousness – an immobile moral compass with a compassionate heart and prophetic calling to speak truth to power regardless of the consequences. Dr. King is etched in the annals of US history as a champion of the civil rights movement. A man who used non violent civil disobedience, encouraged social activism, and symbolizes the greatness of the American spirit. (Nonetheless after much controversy it was not until 2000 that MLK Jr Day was officially observed in all 50 states)
Often overlooked is the outspoken Dr. King - the anti-war advocate who sought to bridge the civil rights and peace movements in the mid 1960s. Often forgotten is the backlash Dr King received from the media and cherished supporters like the NAACP. In "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence", Dr. King stressed the weight of his Nobel Prize as one of the catalysts of his broader mission. In that address at the historic and storied Riverside Church in NYC, Dr. King’s full arsenal is on display as he inspires and challenges the congregation to think critically and compassionately. What does he use as his thought provoking device? It is none other than Vietnam’s history and the plight of her people. This too is Dr. King’s legacy. However King’s words and mission did not find much support because reconciling the truth is often a road too hard for many.
As President Bush affixes “former” to his title, writers and commentators have already begun the molding of his legacy. President Bush will undoubtedly be remembered for the catastrophe of Katrina, the 9/11 terrorist attack and the response (War on Terror, Patriot Acts, Gitmo, and Abu Ghairb all remain prominent), and the economic meltdown under his eight year watch, but there are meaningful positives that at times go unnoticed. The measuring stick for some will be that no terror attacks took place on US soil. Others, like Bill Frist(R), will point to the unprecedented and bold President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programming that has given hope and life to millions fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean. I have personally witnessed and documented in this blog how PEPFAR funds have lifted entire communities and made the US a popular country in sub-Saharan Africa. Lastly it could be argued that Former President Bush helped pave the way for equal opportunity and a black President. In Colin Powell, Condi Rice, and Alberto Gonzales, Bush appointed citizens of color and different ethnicities to the forefront of his cabinet and the highest leadership roles in the country. He provided the younger generation with the belief that mobility is possible and the older generation with a more representative face of the country.
Some people may be quick to think the inauguration closes the book on the civil rights movement, but undoubtedly Dr. King would only think a chapter has closed. As President Obama assumes command of the Executive Branch of government, all that is needed is a glance into the failng inner city school systems, the minority filled prisons, and the heavily disproportinate HIV/AIDS statistics to understand Dr. King’s words would ring true. As history has shown and with many of Bush’s biggest initiatives unfinished, it will be at least a generation until his legacy is near complete. Yet another legacy, joined by the smile of a great American from above, is in the meantime off to an auspicious beginning.
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