Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Run by: |
Bill Gates |
Senior Fellow: |
Rao Gupta |
Endorsed and supported by: |
Bertran Auvert Bill Clinton Oprah Winfrey |
Bill Gates, Bertran Auvert, Dirk Taljaard, Cynthia Nhlapo. |
The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation actively promote male circumcision as "HIV prevention",[1] traveling to Africa to promote it.[2] Bill Gates was convinced to promote circumcision by Bertran Auvert.[3]
Contents
Media Funding & Objectivity
According to a report in the Seattle Times, the Gates Foundation has become a force in journalism, and contributes millions of dollars to nonprofit and for-profit media to help cover issues of interest to the foundation. Not just MSNBC, but also ABC, NPR, PBS, and Public Radio, as well as others. Many worry that its growing support of media organizations blur the line between journalism and advocacy.[4]
According to this report, "some grants have indeed spelled out coverage topics, including male circumcision to reduce transmission of AIDS, and clinical trials — the latter of which are crucial for Gates-supported vaccines and drugs being tested in the developing world."
This seems to apply particularly to some of the Foundation flag programs, such as the Voluntary Male Circumcision initiatives for Africa, where according to a journalist, "as a government policy, it appears circumcision is reluctantly promoted by some MPs because other health-related and donor-funded initiatives are tied to this programme."[5]
The case of the disappearing articles
An article "Circumcision does not affect HIV in U.S. men" disappeared from MSN[6] Screenshot [7]
The same article (or an article with the same title) is still available in Reuters[8]
Another article titled "Scientists discover natural barrier to HIV" referring to the Langerhans cells of the foreskin, also disappeared from MSN:[9] Screenshot [10]
However, again the information is still available in other places:[11]
These articles and the core study are specially intriguing because traditionally it was thought that the Langerhans cells of the Prepuce (foreskin) constituted an entry point for HIV[12], and this concept is one of the reasons behind the hypothesis that circumcision may reduce the risk of a male becoming infected with HIV from a female partner. This Dutch study contradicts this idea, by stating that the Langerhans cells block HIV[13].
Quotes
“ | Circumcision Studies Bertran Auvert, is so modest about his work, but he has new theories that we're putting money behind and he is just making it work. – Bill Gates (Newsweek)[14] |
“ | Circumcision is... ...cheap, effective, and easy to apply – Bill Gates (Reuters)[15] |
Unusual Medicine
Holy Water Healing.[16]
Sadism
Crying Baby Symphony.[17]
References
- ↑ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Search Results: Circumcision
. Retrieved 24 March 2011. - ↑ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Search Results: Circumcision Africa
. Retrieved 24 March 2011. - ↑ Lyons, Daniel.
Saving The World 2.0
. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
Quote:How do you address global hunger, epidemics, and poverty? According to Bill Gates, it takes R&D, software, and plenty of money.
- ↑ Doughton, Sandi; with Kristi Heim [deprecated REFjournal parameter used: <coauthors> - please use <last2>, etc.] (19 February 2011)."Does Gates funding of media taint objectivity?", The Seattle Times. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
Quote:Better-known for its battles against global disease, the Gates Foundation has also become a force in journalism. The foundation's contributions to nonprofit and for-profit media have helped spur coverage of global health, development and education issues. But some people worry that its growing support of media organizations blurs the line between journalism and advocacy.
- ↑ Mukundu, Rashweat (1 October 2012)."Zimbabwe: Will Circumcision Change Behaviour or Reinforce Machismo?", All Africa. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
Quote:As a government policy, it appears circumcision is reluctantly promoted by some MPs because other health-related and donor-funded initiatives are tied to this programme.
- ↑ MSNBC. "Circumcision does not affect HIV in U.S. men". Retrieved 2 October 2012.
Quote:Text: We're sorry. The text content of this page is no longer available. Discuss: Circumcision does not affect HIV in U.S. men 4 total comments Removing foreskin no protection for American men of color, study finds
- ↑ Archive (2012-10-02)
- ↑ Fox, Maggie (4 December 2009)."Circumcision does not affect HIV in U.S. men", MSNBC. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
Quote:Black and Latino men were just as likely to become infected with the AIDS virus whether they were circumcised or not, Greg Millett of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. "We also found no protective benefit for a subset of black MSM (men who have sex with men) who also had recent sex with female partners," Millett told reporters in a telephone briefing.
- ↑ MSNBC.
Scientists discover natural barrier to HIV
. - ↑ Archive (2012-10-02)
- ↑ Mundell, E. J. (5 March 2007)."Scientists discover natural barrier to HIV", Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
Quote:Researchers have discovered that cells in the mucosal lining of human genitalia produce a protein that "eats up" invading HIV -- possibly keeping the spread of the AIDS more contained than it might otherwise be. Even more important, enhancing the activity of this protein, called Langerin, could be a potent new way to curtail the transmission of the virus that causes AIDS, the Dutch scientists added.
- ↑ Kawamura, T.; with Kurtz SE., Blauvelt A., Shimada S. [deprecated REFjournal parameter used: <coauthors> - please use <last2>, etc.]. The role of Langerhans cells in the sexual transmission of HIV.. J Dermatol Sci. 40(3): 147-55. PMID. DOI.
- ↑ de Witte, L.; with Nabatov A., Pion M., Fluitsma D., de Jong MA., de Gruijl T., Piguet V., van Kooyk Y., Geijtenbeek TB. [deprecated REFjournal parameter used: <coauthors> - please use <last2>, etc.]. Langerin is a natural barrier to HIV-1 transmission by Langerhans cells.. Nat Med. 13(3): 367-71. PMID. DOI.
- ↑ Lyons, D. (2010, January 10). Saving the world, 2.0. Newsweek.
- ↑ Kelland, K. (2010, July 19). Bill Clinton & Bill Gates want value for money in AIDS fight. Reuters.
- ↑
Holy Water Healing
, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
Quote:Can science and faith work together to fight HIV and tuberculosis?
- ↑ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Crying Baby Symphony
. Retrieved 27 June 2011.