Asshole and Hero of the Week

Although we love to view the world in absolutes, things are seldom black and white. Heroes have skeletons in their closets and assholes secretly donate money to the ASPCA commercials with Sarah Mclachlan. Okay, maybe not.

But the point is that the world is a complex place, full of moral ambiguity, double standards and mixed feelings.

So we have taken the task upon ourselves to bring back the epic binary of “good” versus “bad,” “right” versus “wrong,” and “virtuous
versus “evil.”

We humbly present to you: Asshole and Hero of the week.

Asshole: Sharlene Simon

Sharlene Simon is a cunty Canadian who accidentally ran over three teens with her SUV in 2012, killing one and severely injuring another. This unfortunate act alone does not make her an asshole, of course. Accidents happen, Murphy’s law, etc. etc.

What’s unbelievable is that sociopathic Simon is actually suing the family of the kid she killed (whose 23-year-old brother has since died from an apparent drug overdose) for over a million dollars, claiming that she has suffered from depression, anxiety, PTSD and irritability in the event’s aftermath. Her reasoning is that the boys were “incompetent bicyclists” and, thus, are the ones to blame.

Because, you know, dying isn’t payment enough.

Simon’s parasitism is illogical in that she herself is a mother of three. One would think she’d empathize with parents who have had two sons taken from them brutally and unnecessarily.

This whole situation demonstrates the malignant effect of money on the human psyche. Our capacity for empathy is supposed to be what sets us apart, but as soon as currency enters the equation we are often no more than savages beating each other with sticks in an endless and futile quest for one-upmanship.

Heroes: Aarhaus University Scientists

Although the AIDS pandemic has dwindled since the 1980s, the global problem still persists on a massive scale. In 2011, 34 million people reported to be living with AIDS, with the number of deaths at 1.7 million.

A team of scientists from Denmark’s Aarhaus University have found that a low-dose of the chemotherapy drug romidepsin awakens dormant HIV from cells, which can then be combated by HIV vaccines.

The tendency for HIV to lie dormant has been a major obstacle in finding a cure for the virus because even after anti-viral drugs are administered, HIV incorporates its DNA into our own in HIV reservoirs. Thus, once the anti-viral meds are no longer being administered, the virus returns and continues to wreak havoc.

Although this drug in itself is not an end-all cure and still requires much research, it does present promise for the elimination of the virus in the future, particularly if it is implemented with a highly effective HIV vaccine and perhaps gene therapy.

Featured photo courtesy of: News.Softpedia

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