Pearl Jam and Loomstate collaborate with Target for charity

When I first heard that Pearl Jam was partnering with Target, I glanced out the window to see if pigs were soaring overhead. After all, the Seattle-bred grunge band set the bar for not selling out in the '90s -- taking on Ticketmaster to reduce its exorbitant ticket fees and shunning arena-band fame and fortune with all their might.

But, true to form, the band's collaboration with the discount retailer was inspired by altruism. Together with upscale organic clothing brand Loomstate, the band has created a limited-edition T-shirt -- sold exclusively at Target stores and on Target.com -- to raise money for the National Hunger Relief Program (www.feedingamerica.org.) All proceeds from the tee sales will benefit the charity.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/alltherage/2009/09/pearl-jam-and-loomstate-collaborate-with-target-for-charity.html

Good News From the HIV Vaccine Trial: The Success That Came From Failure

Last year the prospects for an HIV vaccine looked so bleak that some scientists began to talk about calling off the search all together. But today, the AIDS research community is reenergized—and surprised—by new data showing for the first time that a vaccine can partly stop transmission of the virus in humans.

Many in the community had not expected the vaccine to succeed, and they still don't understand exactly how it works. It's "a humbling reminder of how little we actually know," says Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which helped fund the trial. But it's also the best lead the field has produced in a decade—and that means that instead of stopping the search for a fully effective AIDS vaccine, it's time to rev things up.

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2009/09/24/good-news-from-the-hiv-vaccine-trial-the-maybe-cure-that-almost-wasn-t.aspx