Write Stripes

Hey all~~

Thanks for the talk today: it was *very* interesting. I'm reading your reflections now and will be back with a couple of comments.

ky

Some things that I would really like to understand concerning the AIDS topic have to do with the pharmaceutical companies. By the end of this project I would like to come away with a greater understanding of why the AIDS drugs cost so much for patients. I would also like to know about these companies and what they plan on doing about the cost of the drugs and the availability of the drugs to patients in other countries. Right now I am in the dark about the role that these companies play in research and in helping people in other countries get the treatments that they need. I think this is a very important issue for our topic and I am definately not the only person who does not understand the role of the drug companies in AIDS research and AIDS treatment availability and prices. I think this is pretty complex for college students to understand, but also important because over the next few years if the drug prices continue to go up, us college students are going to be paying more and more for the treatment of individuals who cannot afford the drugs.

For the other groups, I am most interested in learning about the Patriot Act. I think this topic probably has the most influence in my life as far as my personal rights are concerned but I know very little about the topic. I am interested, like Tripp, in learning all I can about what the act entails, how it was actually passed, and if there are any new proposals to reverse some of the most extreme measures in the act.