Cure ignorance, Cure AIDS

I've been developing a research project with a secondary student from the Melbourne Grammar School on HIV in Africa and its effects on economic productivity. Last week we penned a opinion piece which was carried by the Gulf Times of Dubai. 

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Cure ignorance, cure Aids 

It is a sad day for humanity when the foremost HIV/Aids scientist, Professor David Baltimore, has proclaimed that there is no foreseeable cure for the disease ("Vaccine for Aids unlikely to be found", Gulf News, February 16). The only cure for Aids is a cure of ignorance. That is the ignorance of the United States government and its approach to the HIV/Aids epidemic through President George W. Bush's emergency plan for Aids relief (Pepfar). Seventy eight per cent of Pepfar funds have been centred round a treatment based solution. As highlighted by UNAIDS [United Nation's programme on HIV/Aids], distribution of preventive aid must increase threefold to have any chance of eradicating the epidemic by 2015. Now that we accept that there will not be a HIV/Aids vaccine in our lifetime, the best strategy for ending the epidemic will be to prevent the spread of the disease. Alleviating suffering by treating victims is not enough.

From Mr H. Trent Moore
Melbourne, Australia

One desired to run, therefore one did run: An athletic epiphany

One frequently has epiphanies, but those of the intellectual sort. Not very often do the gods think its appropriate to endow one with an athletic epiphany, but one happened to me today.

As you may know, I have been injured for the last six weeks. One could believe that being hit by a car is a car ending injury. But not in my case! For every setback, there is two steps forward to be taken. I have not been able to ride my bike since my accident (maybe not for physical reasons, but certainly for psychological ones), however I felt game enough today to go for a run.

Some background: I have not run seriously for more than six years. I have focused all my energies on cycling and skating, and my biomechanics had developed in that way. Before my accident, I would run and start wheezing after about 200m  because my body was not properly trained for running. 

However, today, having not done any exercise for several weeks, when one desired to run, one did run, and one ran very well.

I set out from my house to the Carlton Gardens (1km return), then decided to head to parliament, then around the Fitzroy garden and back home through Brunswick street. This is certainly the longest distance I have run since moving back to Australia, and never has running come with such ease. I felt free, particularly after the constraints of injury, surgery and recovery.  

That being said, I shall train for an ironman - one must just get over the swimming part first. 

--- Aron Ping D'Souza

The slow road to recovery.

Its been two weeks since I was hit by a car whilst riding, and I thought it appropriate to give an update about my condition.

First, the damage: I have three fractures in my shoulder and a tiny one on my face. Although this sounds terrible, its really not that bad. Could have been a lot worse.

I was in a shoulder restraint for the last two weeks and on heavy painkillers. The restraint make working difficult and the painkillers made staying awake impossible. So, needless to say, no much work has been achieved in the last two weeks.

After a few visits back to hospital, my fractures are fusing together well and I won’t be needing surgery, which is a big relief. But my doctor tells me that I won’t be cycling for another three months, and I won’t be able to weight lift either. This compounds the difficult situation of muscle wastage: although I can use my arms, to a degree, I can’t do anything athletic. Obviously, my world record ride is off the cards until at least next year. It a bit depressing to think that I’ve lost 5kg in two weeks. Hopefully that muscle mass will return quickly once I can train again.

But, alas, I’m very happy to be alive and surviving such a crash without severe injury. Its going to be baby steps toward getting back on the bike, getting my fitness back and trying for the Melb-Sydney record.

--Aron Ping D'Souza

Gifted Education

My thoughts about gifted education in western secondary education was published in The Times of London. I wrote this opinion piece because of my experience in the University of Melbourne's mentor program for genius secondary students. 

The article which I replied to is "Genius in the Making." 

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Sir, Siobhan Mulholland’s article “Genius in the making” (Jan 31) fails to account for why some high-aptitude young people do not matriculate into high-achieving adults. The key reason is the restrictive nature of the secondary education system.

Western education is directed toward boosting low-achieving students to an average level of performance. The comprehensive education system, which enforces this rationale, is a suitable model for the vast majority of students. However, gifted students are often subjected to highly repetitive teaching with the result that they are often bored and disconnected from the traditional education process.

For the exceptionally gifted, the solution is often for them to skip a grade and enter university early. This strategy too is deeply flawed, as the social maturity of gifted students does not always match their intellectual abilities.

Programmes suitable to the needs of our best and brightest are expensive and often beyond the reach of even middle-class families. Therefore, it is not surprising that some highly gifted children do not mature into “successful” adults. This is a great loss for all involved, including our broader society.

Aron Ping D’Souza
Tutor in Political Economy
University of Melbourne