Posted on 03/12/2002 4:08:25 PM PST by metacognate
Asimov book reveals he died from AIDS By JAM! Books A forthcoming posthumous autobiography of Isaac Asimov reveals that the science fiction legend's death 10 years ago was due to AIDS, according to the New York Post.
Asimov, whose works include "I, Robot," reveals in "It's Been A Good Life" that he contracted the disease via tainted blood while undergoing a 1983 heart bypass operation.
The Post said Asimov's wife, Jane, compiled the new book from essays and notes her husband left behind when he died at 72.
History of the last 100 years is that a citizen is far safer living in a society where some people do believe in the virgin birth rather than under the rule of or among secular humanists.
Hey, I like the idea of philosopher-kings, but I think I and Asimov are (were) both smart enough to recognize that the idea is horrible in practice.
Assimov (sic) wasn't in the same league as Philip K. Dick...
Oh, I think they were in the same league. It is possible to like them both for what they were, in and of themselves, rather than trying to measure them against each other ;)
My son died in August 1985 because of complications of his leukemia...but he could have just as easily have died from HIV, through transfusions because of the lack of testing...
To me, its really quite pathetic that there are those who would prefer to believe that Asimov contracted Aids as a result of his behavior, rather than the most logical conclusion, which would be that he got the HIV from a blood transfusion, exactly as he thought...
It already tests most of the US and European blood supplies and has for a couple of years. It was too good to let FDA approval get in the way of its use. But according to the rules, the company wasn't allowed to make a profit selling the technology until it was approved by the FDA. The FDA literally dragged their heels until they were forced to make a decision due to a mandatory deadline on the last day of February. The government stood to save money by not approving it since they are one of its biggest users, and not approving it allowed them to use it on the cheap because the company was not allowed to make a profit on the government's widespread usage of it.
The same technology also currently tests for Hep-C. Additional viral RNA/DNA profiles are being added to the library that the technology can screen for.
I remember donating blood in January of 1985, and hearing that they were going to start testing, officially, in May...I was glad to hear it, but I've never trusted the testing, truthfully...
Our son had a reaction to a medication in 1986 that caused him to have a severe platelet depression, and the doctor mentioned transfusions at one point. I absolutely refused, and he didn't bring it up again. Fortunately, our son recovered, though slowly; he was forbidden to participate in school athletics for several years due to the bleeding risk...
I have no doubts; it was entirely possible. My late father in law had a quadruple bypass in 1982 and we were scared to death when all the stories started appearing later that year about the blood supply being tainted. It turned out that he was fine, but before we knew that for sure, we stopped giving blood to the Red Cross for a LONG time. They had gotten too interested in sucking up to the homosexual lobby and weren't too diligent about checking the donated blood. When the hemophiliacs began contracting AIDS, folks started to take notice then the Red Cross got more on the ball about it.
It's a shame so much of his other stuff is out of print....
The Red Cross is using it. Last I heard, about 70% of the blood supply in the US is currently tested with this new technology. It is expected that the stragglers will get on board shortly, as this technology really is the gold standard for virus detection. There has been talk of mandating this type of technology for blood testing, especially as more viruses are added to the library of things it can detect.
You gleefully plan on laughing at all the sinners as the "past on" and burn for eternity in a fiery pit? That's not very Christian of you.
And history for thousand of years before that show just the opposite.
I read I, Robot about 1962. It was terribly touching.
At that time I had a friend building robots and learned about microswitches and relays.
When he was tired of one we would destroy it with "flamethrowers"--syringes of antifreeze shot through candle flames.
Nothing like an anthropomorphic robot has evolved; only welders of Saturns and Sony pets.
If you don't count Al Gore.
Or the Asimovimagination.
Chuck & Hill went to ground Zero!
To flech donated dollards
Hill wants the power and chuck the dollars.
and most of the New Yorkers aren't any smarter!
I hear "Through a Scanner Darkly" is in production. I thought the book a riot but Hollywood will probably make it dark and depressing.
All kinds of people have Near Death Experiece (NDE)!
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