World Aids Day
Posted by Michelle Moquin on December 1st, 2010
Since there has been so much chat here about cheating and condoms…who’s doing it, who’s donning one, and who’s choosing to opt out (not a good choice), I thought that since it is World Aids Day today, it was important that I show the numbers.
A chart for World Aids Day – Taken from the animated charts at Aids In Africa
The numbers needed to describe deaths, infections, and orphans brought by AIDS in Africa are too large for us to understand. We can simplify these numbers into abstract models; we can show them in relation to one another; we can chart them, graph them, subdivide them into smaller more tangible numbers. However, we have to accept at the end that we are not capable of grasping the scale in which people of Africa are suffering and dying due to HIV/AIDS.
Diagrams also fail to connect statistics with the real people they are meant to represent. When looking at a chart, it is easy to forget that each number represents a real life, with real family members and friends. A death is not a single unit, but an end of a painful progression of sickness that leaves behind widows, orphans, and demoralized communities.
Despite their weaknesses, diagrams serve an important tool for explaining the complicted dynamics of this monsterous epidemic. Most of the “People Charts” above are generated dynamically based on information stored in an online database. This makes it much easier to update the statistics and keep the site up to date, an especially important feature since the epidemic is in constant motion.
Sources
Most of the statistics presented here, including HIV prevalence, cause of death, and HIV/AIDS models have been obtained through UNAIDS website and World Health Organization’s public online library. Information on drug prices is partly drawn from a report by Doctors without Borders.
Readers: And as usual, President Obama is doing something about issues that are important to us. Just another thing to add to all that he has already done for the American people and the world.
Today, Obama Administration officials and leaders in the AIDS community will speak at a World AIDS Day event at the White House to reflect on the lessons learned and the path forward in the fight against HIV and AIDS in the United States and around the world. The White House World AIDS Day Event will include keynote remarks as well as a panel discussion with HIV/AIDS researchers and advocates and will be live streamed at 1:30 on www.whitehouse.gov/live.
Throughout his career in public service, President Obama has been committed to fighting HIV/AIDS here at home and around the world. With the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as a foundation, the President put forward an ambitious $63 billion Global Health Initiative (GHI) to combat HIV/AIDS, address other health challenges and assist partner countries to strengthen their health systems and build capacity to provide services sustainably. Through the GHI, the President’s aim is to ensure our programs have maximum impact, as this Administration’s focus is on outcomes, such as lives saved — not simply dollars spent. Since taking office, the number of those on antiretroviral treatment has nearly doubled to 3.2 million – up from 1.7 million in 2008, and under the GHI, the U.S. continues to be the global leader in funding for HIV/AIDS. The President proposed the largest request to date for PEPFAR for FY 2011. Additionally, in October, the Administration announced an unprecedented multi-year pledge of $4 billion for 2011-2013 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This pledge represents a 38% increase in U.S. support for the Global Fund, and is in addition to more than $5.1 billion provided to the Fund to date.
Domestically, the Office of National AIDS Policy released the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Federal Implementation Plan for the United States with three key goals: reducing the number of new infections; increasing access to care and optimizing health outcomes for people living with HIV; and reducing HIV-related health disparities.
Jeffrey Crowley is the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP)
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Don’t be a number and don’t subject your partner to being one. Thoughts to share? Blog me.
Hi Nancy: Thanks for the compliment, but even more so, thanks for taking a step in the direction of doing something. Much appreciated. :) ”Half The Sky” is certainly on my reading list. Let me know how you like it.
Pearl: GOAT? How can I not love that acronym, not to mention the definition! Thank you.
Rita: You said it better than I.
Ken: So…I’m dying to know…Did you get asked out on any dates? You know…did the grope get some rope worth pursuing? C’mon don’t hold back now. :)
Brenda: Gosh no. But when I thought no one did, I had to really read and re-read the article again just in case I was missing something. I wanted to see the other side. I mean after all this blog does point out quite often, and rightly so, how men try to control and hold women down. But I could find no fault this time. I truly thought that this surgeon was being sincere, and I liked his metaphorical meaning, so I made it a point to say so. Anyway enough said. As far as you getting a facelift: Go for it if you ever feel like it. And yes, donate to the SPCA too. How cool. Love you back. :)
Kimberly: Thanks for the kudos. My readers continue to delightfully surprise me.
Scituate Handyman: Well thank you. Please come back and read again.
Vera: You have me cracking up. I wish I had thought of that. You actually got arrested? Please blog me and give us the dope on the verdict.
Zen Lill: Love the story. And ya gotta love the Lucy girl. I certainly do.
Terrance: I know. It’s sick isn’t it.
Larry: Is this the same Larry that has been begging for pics of ZL? You crack me up – Yes, you are keeping your options open aren’t you?!
Peace & Love: “Live it, Give it”…and make sure that you put one “on it“.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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December 1st, 2010 at 3:12 pm
To those who are Jewish, I would like to wish everyone a HAPPY CHANNUKA.
December 1st, 2010 at 4:51 pm
The Four Most Important Skin Products
Karen Burke, MD, PhD
Mount Sinai Medical Center
Often women compliment dermatologist Karen Burke, MD, PhD, on her smooth, spotless, glowing skin — and assume that she’s had “work done” on her face.
But that’s not the case. “Instead of resorting to lasers, Botox or surgery, it’s often possible to achieve wonderful results with just the following four products,” Dr. Burke explained to Bottom Line/Women’s Health.
Mild, moisturizing cleanser. The goal is to remove oil, dirt and bacteria — without leaving skin overly dry. New technology: Dove Sensitive Skin Nourishing Body Wash with Nutrium Moisture contains a blend of soybean oil, fatty acids and glycerin to penetrate deep into skin (about $9 for 24 ounces).
Use it all over. To minimize facial sagging: Wash twice a day, gently moving fingertips back and forth across vertical lines by your mouth… and up and out over horizontal forehead, cheek and eye wrinkles.
Sunscreen. To guard against wrinkles, spots and skin cancer, use a sunscreen every day with an SPF of at least 30 (better yet, 40 or more) that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
Transparent: Sunscreens with the new micronized zinc oxide provide excellent UVA/UVB protection with no telltale white film.
Long-lasting: Anthelios face and body sunscreens contain mexoryl, which degrades much more slowly than other UVA filters do (www.Anthelios.com).
Antioxidant serum. This helps reverse sun damage by stimulating production of collagen (the protein that gives skin its structure) and neutralizing harmful free radicals.
Transforming: Apply six to eight drops of SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic to your face daily (about $142 for one ounce, http://www.SkinCeuticals.com).
Topical retinoic acid (tretinoin). Ask your dermatologist to prescribe this vitamin-A derivative to rejuvenate skin and help prevent skin cancer.
Thrifty: Generic tretinoin 0.01% gel costs less than brand-name (about $90 for 1.6 ounces, approximately a four-month supply). Apply at bedtime to the face and back of your hands.
To minimize flaking, use it every other day to start, working up to daily use. Note: Nonprescription products are far less effective because they break down quickly.
Women’s Health interviewed Karen Burke, MD, PhD, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and a dermatologist and research scientist in private practice, both in New York City. She is author of Great Skin for Life (Hamlyn).
December 1st, 2010 at 5:02 pm
No, Michelle, that Larry was not me. I’m into tall blondes.
December 2nd, 2010 at 2:56 am
Ruth, I woke up from a dream an hour ago haunted by a set of eyes, a girls eyes, I cannot recall the content of the dream but I remember thinking that I wanted to hear a story about the girls…I know that might sound odd but I’m beyond asking why the universe sends me messages in my sleep, where I am convinced I lead a whole ‘nother life : ) thank you, ZL
December 2nd, 2010 at 8:25 am
Zen Lill
It is nice to hear from you. I, too, am beyond asking why the Universe does what it does.
As for the girls, they are doing fine for the most part. I do have two who have presented me with more problems than all the rest put together. The are both 13 and into the latest fads.
Their grades are as good or better than most of my daughters but they must have the latest in whatever is new.
I had them on a bit of a hold because I had them convinced that money was a problem. But they wanted to work to be able to buy things. Since I would not allow it until they turned 14, they put together several internet enterprises.
One of them has made them more that $11,000 a month for the last 9 months. I hired an accountant to monitor and see to it that they do the right thing tax wise and keep things legal.
The accountant quit 3 months ago because she said that the girls had mastered her job and had set up an automatic deduction and tax monitoring system that had met the government’s approval.
I do not want to identify their products for fear they will be discovered as they use DBAs in all their businesses. I will say their services are for the teen market.
They absolutely adore Obama and the two First Daughters. They have enticed three of their sisters into designing products around them and the First Lady. So between posters of the USA presidential family all over the place and machines running practically 24/7 and the girls acting like they are a gang or law unto themselves my hands are full.
Evelyn is their big sister and god. She can do no wrong. I laugh because I am now in the stage with 13 daughters that I was in with one back in the day. Well, not really 3 are so attentive to me It practically drives me crazy. I try to get them to be more independent. Think of me less and more of what they want to do. Maybe I should just leave well enough alone.
Oh, and now that a man is in the picture regularly(They haven’t seen Anonz in 8 months.), they are finally losing their fear of men. Actually they adore Harris. He got his original pass because he was their big sister’s beau.
But since their first five or six encounters he has earned their and my trust and he is their official big brother. He dotes on them and they are crazy about him and delight in fussing over his red hair.
It worried me at first about allowing them to get so close to someone that is only a boyfriend of my daughter. It is her history to last only a year with most. But since she brought him over, I allowed it.
Now that he has proposed and Evelyn has accepted(sought of) – - -
Now, I know you read this BR, but don’t take a mother’s skepticism and gospel from her daughter. You know how Evelyn can be by now. – - –
Where was I, Oh, yes, Evelyn has put off any decision for a couple of years, she says. The girls on the other hand are busy planning her wedding. They persuaded her to allow them to plan and organize it.
I will admit it is so much fun with them taking me on the shopping and planning stints to “scout, locate, and secure” the most secret spot in France. And now they have to make even more money so the others are looking around for possible jobs they can make “lots of money at” too. The want to give their big sister “huge dowery” because they think Harris is a working stiff that will have his hands full supporting Evelyn and her mother and her 13 sisters.
The love and respect they show for each other grows as they plan and work together as a business enterprise so I allow the enthusiasm to run amok. As sisters They look almost nothing alike.
When we are together as an entire family, especially when Harris is along, I can just imagine the thoughts that must drift through the minds of some of the onlookers. The staring is incredibly rude some times.
Three of my girls are almost 6 feet tall, 3 have become so pale as to look white. Now that they have the best(a mother’s opinion) health and hygiene care their hair length and texture ranges from the short tightly cropped beads of Southern Africa to the silky look Northern Spain. And the colors are all over the place. One even has hair almost as red as Harris’s.
I needn’t say what comments that engenders when Harris is present. Evelyn says she tells people she had to accept the children of his African harem to become his wife. She loves a good joke.
I can only imagine what she will say later because the doctors say several of my daughters could reach 6’8″ to 6’10″. They are all very active in sports and computers. They love using the latter to discover competition and as a result, Evelyn, Harris and I are constantly traveling to competitions.
I am considering allowing them to be considered for Olympic training under the French league. But I must discuss this with Anonz first. The girls are very understanding about that. They know that Anonz is the final word on things that involve their personal safety.
I haven’t heard anything about Anonz, But I will get my annual brief on the 19 of December. I intended to inform you then of what I learned. I pray for him and so do the girls every night. Four of my girls were under the personal protection and tutelage of his friend and they have sketched pictures of her that they remind the others of.
She has become their Patron Saint.
All in all we are doing fine. I just need to remember to take my tonic everyday. I never imagined that after Evelyn left and moved a country and continent away that I would ever be as happy again.
Now, I not only have by eldest close by( only an inlet and country away) but I have 13 other lovely young things that need their mother’s guidance and love.
Now, if only Anonz would return, life would be wonderful.
Ruth
December 2nd, 2010 at 9:25 am
How to Survive Change You Didn’t Ask For
M.J. Ryan
Professional Thinking Partners
Half of your retirement savings disappeared virtually overnight… your employer went out of business… a routine physical turned up a serious health problem.
Adjusting to change is particularly difficult when change is both unwanted and unexpected. Sudden, life-altering events can create a paralyzing sense of lost control and dashed dreams.
Important strategies for surviving unexpected change…
Engage in at least one activity every day that you can completely control.
It’s normal to feel like a helpless victim when an unwanted change turns your life upside down. But you can start to shed these feelings of powerlessness by taking up a hobby or pursuing a goal that involves no one’s effort or assent but your own.
Example: A woman whose husband left her dedicated herself to running a marathon.
Fake the confidence and skills you need to rebound until you have them. Pretending we can do something helps our brains form the new pathways required to actually do it.
Example: I used to be a terrible networker. To overcome this, I asked myself, “What would I do right now if I were a great networker?” then I pretended that I was one.
That got me out the door and talking to folks at networking events. Within weeks, I was no longer pretending — networking started to come naturally to me.
Focus on where you want to be a year from now. It’s more useful — and more enjoyable — to look forward after an unwanted life change than it is to look back.
Obsessing over backward-looking questions, such as, Why did this happen to me? and What went wrong?, rarely helps us rebound.
Instead, view the current state of affairs not as a setback, but as a starting point. When your mind drifts back to the way things once were, remind yourself, This is where I am… Now, where am I going from here?
Celebrate small successes. Put even your tiniest accomplishments in your mental “win” column. This creates a sense that you’re racking up wins, which builds positive energy and forward momentum.
Example: If you lost your job, don’t wait until you land a new one to view yourself as a winner — that would only make you feel and act like a loser during job interviews.
Set an achievable job-search goal each day, such as calling three potential employers… networking with a colleague in your field… or researching a potential employer.
Then celebrate your accomplishment at the end of the day — Hooray, I made progress — and share it with others if possible.
Consider why options might work, even if you suspect they won’t. It’s easy to fall into the trap of “yes, but” thinking after unwanted changes happen to us.
When we come up with a possible solution, we immediately think of a reason why this solution will fail and conclude that it isn’t even worth trying.
The problem isn’t that the idea is flawed, but that recent setbacks have put us in a negative frame of mind.
When you think of an option, force yourself also to think, If I did this, here’s how it might succeed.
Help others with their problems.
Helping puts our own problems in perspective… proves to us that we can accomplish change… and allows us to take a much-needed mental break from our own worries.
Example: A woman forced from her home by wildfires discovered that collecting blankets for other victims helped her stop worrying about her home.
Encourage yourself as you would a child in a footrace. Tell yourself, You can do it! and You’re almost there! Do this out loud or, if you’re in public, to yourself. It may feel silly, but hearing over-the-top encouragement really does provide a confidence boost, even when it comes from your own mouth.
Schedule a 15-minute daily “worry time.” Chronic worriers tend to obsess about their problems, forcing out more productive thoughts during the day and preventing sleep at night.
These people cannot stop worrying entirely, but they can contain their worrying to a specific block of time each day.
Give yourself permission to worry during a particular 15 minutes each day, ideally at the time of day when your worries tend to be at their worst.
When you catch yourself worrying at other times, remind yourself that you have a schedule, and promise yourself that you’ll get all your worrying done then. Experiment with the best time to worry.
If right before bed makes it hard for you to sleep, find another time.
Give advice to someone facing a change similar to your own, then take that advice yourself. It’s often easier to analyze someone else’s problem than it is your own. Our emotions and ego get in our way when we think about our own lives.
Example: Think about what you would tell a friend to do to get her retirement savings back on track. Then follow your own advice.
Remind yourself of your strengths and positive qualities each time you think of your problems. Those facing unexpected problems tend to think about those problems much more than they think about the tools they have for overcoming them.
Whenever your problems come to mind, mentally list your skills, your friends and any other resources to help you rebound.
Personal interviewed M.J. Ryan, a change expert with Professional Thinking Partners, a consultancy based in Park City, Utah. She is author of AdaptAbility:
How to Survive Change You Didn’t Ask For (Broadway Books). She is former CEO and editorial director of the publishing company Conari Press and one of the creators of its best-selling series, Random Acts of Kindness. http://www.mj-ryan.com.
December 2nd, 2010 at 9:30 am
Michelle
One of the biggest problems we face here is the myth that a man can be cured of AIDS by passing it on to a virgin.
Young girls as young as a month are being rapped by diseased men in a effort to rid themselves of something they got from their filthy habit of fornication without sexual protection or precautions.
Reading your blog tells me that this is a world wide problem. Why men are so stupid is beyond me.
Jata
December 2nd, 2010 at 9:35 am
I believe that if american white women weren’t so stupid as a whole, women of America could be persuaded to no convict any female who removed the genitals of a man who gave her a sexual transmitted disease.
That would stop the nonsense. But as long as men feel that this is a crime that they can walk away from, women will continue to be exposed to the sexual irresponsibility of immature, selfish men.
Becci
December 2nd, 2010 at 9:39 am
Whoa a minute Becci. I’m white and I’m all for removing those genitals. If my man gives me a STD, I’m going to remove his eyes also. That way he won’t be tempted to do it mentally either since he won’t have a dick.
Carol
December 2nd, 2010 at 9:41 am
From us who are jewish. We thank you and wish you gentiles a very Merry Christmas. Oh and to the Moslems, we wish you the very best also.
Anonymous, thanks for thinking of us.
Wayne
December 2nd, 2010 at 9:46 am
I am a catholic woman who likes to read this blog. But I wish you women who feel so free to bandy the word “d**K” about would use penis instead. It is much more lady like.
TP this was not a criticism of you. I loved your poem. It was beautiful and so endearing.
My husband called it a disgrace by Michelle for allowing it to be printed. If he is reading this, I repeat YOU ARE A VERY JEALOUS MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fatima
December 2nd, 2010 at 9:50 am
Dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick…….. Penis.
Hey, I feel better and more lady like already. I guess you were right Fatima.
Chewey
December 2nd, 2010 at 10:15 am
Michelle
No, I am not that Larry. I am 33 and very well off. I own a restaurant on downtown State street in Santa Barbara. I was married to the person who introduced me to your blog.
We are still friends. She was honest when she told me that she was gay and wanted to be so full time. I still love her very much. But I want her to be happy. So I wished her and my chief chef the best.
They married during the time when it was legal in CA. I attended as the best man. She gave me 13 very good years. And she is still my best friend so I feel lucky that it all worked out so well.
I’ve finally decided to start looking again. We were married at 17. I was 17; she was 23.
She was my baby sitter since I was 7. I guess she just got tired of that job. I miss her some times when I wake in the middle of the night and realize she is gone.
But I date often, it is just no one seems to measure up to her. You have her gift for analyzing a situation and and speaking up about it.
I admire that. And you are so beautiful. So I threw my hat into a ring that doesn’t exist. It was a fantasy. Forgive me, if It was offensive, that was not my intention.
Larry