MedWorm: HIV AIDS

Gwenn's fuschia hair (fundraiser friday night!)

Shawn's HIV Blog — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:03:40 +0100

Team Supersnack hit $42,000 yesterday. Which means the team has raised $100,000 in four years... which means we hit the magic number for Gwenn to dye her hair... Voila! Gwenn in Brooklyn, see the hair in person at the Supersnack Fundraiser! Hope to see you there! Positively Yours, Shawn Supersnack's Big Third Ball: An Evening of Music, Hilarity and Hitting AIDS Where It Hurts" Friday, May 16, 2008 8:00 PM EDT (7:30 PM Doors) at Brooklyn Masonic Temple (A BENEFIT FOR AIDS WALK NY) Featuring: John Oliver! And The Mountain Goats, Rock Plaza Central, Dave Hill (MTV, VH1) & more! / Presented by Redhook Ale Brewery and Goose Island Brewery. Hosted by Shawn and Gwenn! You can still donate to Shawn and Gwenn for this Sunday's AIDS Walk. Just go HERE! (Source: Shawn's HIV Blog)

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Weho mayor jeff prang: come celebrate ca supreme court decision validating same-sex marriage, santa monica blvd. & san vicente, tonight 7pm (879)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:01:03 +0100

California Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Same-Sex Marriage RALLY & CELEBRATION TONIGHT IN WEST HOLLYWOOD March 15, 2008, 7:00 PM Corner of Santa Monica Blvd. & San Vicente The California Supreme Court has ruled in favor of same-sex marriage This is an historic day, not only for California, for but the nation. With this decision, LGBT can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel in our civil rights movement, at which equal opportunity and full civil rights will be extended. We still have many challenges ahead, including a November ballot measure by the foes of equality. However, Californians and the American people continue to demons rate, more and more, their fundamental belief in fairness to all people, no matter their status. Governor Schwarzengger has stated in the past that the courts need to sort this issue our before his supports marriage equality, and now that the courts have sorted things out, I look forward to his support of marriage equality for all Californians. West Hollywood will host a rally this evening, Thursday May 15 at 7:00 p.m. at the intersection of San Vicente and Santa Monica Boulevards as we celebrate this important victory! Please join us. Best regards, MAYOR JEFFREY PRANG City of West Hollywood Excerpt from the Court’s Decision: A number of factors lead us to this conclusion. First, the exclusion of same-sex couples from the designation of marriage clearly is not necessary in order to afford full protection to all of the rights and benefits that currently are enjoyed by married opposite-sex couples; permitting same-sex couples access to the designation of marriage will not deprive opposite-sex couples of any rights and will not alter the legal framework of the institution of marriage, because same-sex couples who choose to marry will be subject to the same obligations and duties that currently are imposed on married opposite-sex couples. Second, retaining the traditional definition of marriage and affording same-sex couples only a separate and differently named family relationship will, as a realistic matter, impose appreciable harm on same-sex couples and their children, because denying such couples access to the familiar and highly favored designation of marriage is likely to cast doubt on whether the official family relationship of same-sex couples enjoys dignity equal to that of opposite-sex couples. Third, because of the widespread disparagement that gay individuals historically have faced, it is all the more probable that excluding same-sex couples from the legal institution of marriage is likely to be viewed as reflecting an official view that their committed relationships are of lesser stature than the comparable relationships of opposite-sex couples. Finally, retaining the designation of marriage exclusively for opposite-sex couples and providing only a separate and distinct designation for same-sex couples may well have the effect of perpetuating a more general premise — now emphatically rejected by this state — that gay individuals and same-sex couples are in some respects “second-class citizens” who may, under the law, be treated differently from, and less favorably than, heterosexual individuals or opposite-sex couples. Under these circumstances, we cannot find that retention of the traditional definition of marriage constitutes a compelling state interest. Accordingly, we conclude that to the extent the current California statutory provisions limit marriage to opposite-sex couples, these statutes are unconstitutional. (Source: aids-write.org)

International carnival of pozitivities 2.11 published at dropdeadhappy.com (878)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:49:23 +0100

Hi folks, The May edition of the International Carnival of Pozitivities has been available since May 6th at dropdeadhappy.com. I was in the middle of posting announcements when I received word that my Mom’s health was failing. She passed away the next day and I am just now getting back to posting announcements. Please visit the May, 2008 edition of the ICP and bookmark it so you can take in all of the articles at your leisure. I hope you will leave feedback for the host and the contributors. Our next edition will be posted in June at Black Looks . Until then, peace to you all. Ron Hudson 2sides2ron Poundcake Love The International Carnival of Pozitivities (ICP) (Source: aids-write.org)

Next champ strategy lab conference call 5-21-08 (877)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:37:02 +0100

CHAMP STRATEGY LAB Next Strategy Lab Call Wednesday, May 21 3:30-5:30 EDT / 2:30-4:30 CDT / 1:30-3:30 MDT / 12:30-2:30 PDT Please note dial in 866-740-1260, passcode 4272302# We invite allies from CHAMP’s HIV Prevention Network and Research Advocacy lists, the HIV Prevention Advocacy Coalition, and the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership to join Strategy Lab members for this call. We appreciate and welcome your input in these important discussions! CALL AGENDA 3:30 - 4:20 • Dangerous Crossings: Prisons at an Intersection of HIV in the US • Is Opt-Out Testing a Real Option in Prisons and Jails? Review of CDC Guidance for HIV Testing in Prisons and Jails • Winning Strategies for Change: Reducing HIV in Communities Bearing the Burden of Incarceration. CHAMP reports back on our Project UNSHACKLE Strategic Planning Conference at Stony Point, New York Speakers include: • Catherine Hanssens, Executive Director, Center for HIV Law and Policy • Bebe Anderson, HIV Project Director, Lambda Legal • David Munar, Director of Policy, AIDS Foundation of Chicago 4:20 - 4:40 • Adenovirus Vector HIV Vaccine Trial to Be Considered for the US? Seeking Community Voices on the PAVE 100 Trial Proposal CHAMP, the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) and others seek community input on the PAVE 100 vaccine efficacy trial developed by the NIH Vaccine Research Center. While this trial is different from the Merck adenovirus vector trials that halted immunizations last fall, it has similarities. We encourage you to familiarize yourselves with the issues and to provide your thoughts during this call. Please download and read the AVAC materials below before the call to enable us to have an informed conversation in a very short time period: Click here to download the one-pager Making sense of the PAVE 100 debate: In brief. Click here to download the one-pager Making sense of the PAVE 100 debate: In brief. Click here to download Making sense of the PAVE 100 debate: A tool for HIV prevention advocates. Your input will be collected for a May 30th meeting at the NIH, where there will be a hearing of community priorities and concerns. 4:40 - 5:25 • That Troublesome Trio of Gender, Sexuality and HIV Current Efforts to Address Chasms in HIV Prevention Across the Spectrum of Gender and Sexuality Topics and speakers will include: • Does Stigma Really Matter? Insights from amFAR’s Women & HIV Stigma Survey Susan J. Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A., Senior Policy and Medical Advisor, amFAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research • Positive Women Unite and Take Charge: Building a National Positive Women’s Network Naina Khanna, Director of Advocacy, WORLD (Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Disease) • Victory at UNAIDS, or Still a Struggle? People are demanding that Gender Guidance to UNAIDS to address not only the HIV prevention needs of girls and women, but also men who have sex with men, transgender, bisexual and lesbian communities - are changes in hte language real, just window dressing, and/or not enough to truly address the gender spectrum? Moderated by: Julie Davids, CHAMP 5:25 - 5:30 Announcements —- Josh Thomas CHAMP - Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project 232 West Exchange St., Providence, RI 02903 www.champnetwork.org www.preventionjustice.org (O) 401.427.7030 direct dial (O) 401.427.2302, ext. 30 (M) 917.539.7016 (fax) 401.633.7703 (Source: aids-write.org)

Kevin yamamura, sacbee: schwarzenegger calls for budget balancing at ballot box instead of in legislature (876)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:21:21 +0100

Tough budget decision shifted to voters: Expand lottery or face sales tax hike? By Kevin Yamamura - kyamamura@sacbee.com Last Updated 1:01 am PDT Thursday, May 15, 2008 Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger once again wants voters to bail out the state. The Republican governor in 2004 relied on Californians to authorize bonds to pay off the state deficit. In 2005, he unsuccessfully asked them to institute spending control measures in a special election. Now he wants voters to expand the California Lottery and borrow against future profits to help plug a $15.2 billion hole in the state budget. He proposed Wednesday giving them a choice that critics considered more of a veiled threat: approve his lottery plan in November or face a one-cent sales “I think it’s basically a way of abdicating responsibility,” said Sen. Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego, chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee. “I think what’s most disappointing for us is it’s an abdication of a leadership role of the governor.” The revised budget seeks to close a $15.2 billion deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and build a reserve of about $2 billion. Schwarzenegger also wants lawmakers to put a “budget stabilization” measure on the November ballot that would give future governors expanded powers to cut programs in bad times and create a rainy-day fund to hold money from good years for use when the economy softens. Besides using the lottery money, Schwarzenegger would close the deficit by cutting most programs by up to 10 percent as he proposed in January – with notable exceptions. He backed off deep cuts to schools, abandoned plans to release some nonviolent prisoners early and discarded a proposal to close some state parks. But he proposed deeper cuts to health and social service programs. Democratic and Republican leaders denounced the governor’s lottery gambit in the corridors outside his budget presentation Wednesday at a Department of Health Care Services auditorium. Democrats blamed Schwarzenegger for relying on false hopes of lottery profits and cuts to social service programs to balance the state budget. Republicans assailed the plan for borrowing money and including a tax increase as a contingency plan. “I think that we need to be very concerned about the threat of a tax increase that this budget proposal, the way it’s being put forward now, certainly raises,” said Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto. “And I think that can be almost as detrimental as a tax increase itself as it relates to the impacts that it has on an already struggling economy.” Republicans said they would oppose the lottery plan as it stands, while Democrats attacked the proposal but said they would await a review by Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill. If the Legislature did put Schwarzenegger’s plan on the ballot, the governor would likely campaign throughout the state telling voters they need to authorize lottery expansion to avoid a sales tax increase. At 7.25 percent, California already has the highest sales tax rate in the country. “It’s obviously a false choice,” said Garry South, a Democratic political consultant and former adviser for Gov. Gray Davis. “If faced with the possibility of getting free money for something, why are voters going to opt for a sales tax hike?” South said fear of a sales-tax hike may be necessary to overcome skepticism voters have of privatizing lottery profits, based on past focus groups he’s conducted. Bill Carrick, a Democratic consultant, said many voters feel they were “sold a bill of goods on the lottery” when it was established in 1984 and have a general cynicism about tying the lottery to the budget. The governor’s tax hike option is modeled on a budget tool used by former Gov. George Deukmejian in 1983, which contained triggers based on revenue levels but was never used. Former Deukmejian chief of staff Steven Merksamer, who advised Schwarzenegger on his lottery plan, said the proposal allows the governor to say that he has “given the public a bold way to avoid any taxes whatsoever.” Merksamer said he doesn’t believe the governor is trying to pass the buck to voters. He noted that Schwarzenegger must ask voters for approval because the California Lottery was created by initiative and its provisions are contained in the state constitution. “If he could do the lottery deal unilaterally, he would do it,” Merksamer said. The lottery currently provides schools with about $1.2 billion annually, and Schwarzenegger said its full potential remains untapped. He said the game, established in 1984, simply needs “modernization.” Legislators questioned, however, whether the state could make enough changes to generate substantially more money. Other states with more profitable lotteries allow video terminals with instant payouts that function like slot machines. California does not allow such machines, and Indian tribes have exclusivity clauses in their compacts that preclude the state from using video machines. Lawmakers predicted that Indian tribes would finance opposition campaigns with tens of millions of dollars if the state sought to expand the lottery too far. Alison Harvey, executive director of the California Tribal Business Alliance, which represents six tribes, said her group is happy Schwarzenegger’s plan does not lease the lottery to a private outside firm. But she said tribes will watch closely to make sure that the state does not try to encroach on their exclusive rights. “I’ve never heard our guys say the lottery is competition for them,” Harvey said. “We would just be concerned about situations where the lottery would encroach on casino-style games.” Ducheny criticized the proposal as one that would disproportionately affect the poorest Californians. “Does California as a state want to put our basic services in a position where we’re forced to be marketers of gambling?” Ducheny said. “And gambling on the lottery is in street-corner liquor stores. It’s not a recreational hotel pastime as it is on many of our tribal areas. So what you’re talking about here is encouraging people who have little money to gamble.” About the writer: Call Kevin Yamamura, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5548. Judy Lin of The Bee Capitol Bureau contributed to this report. (Source: aids-write.org)

Kevin yamamura, sacbee: schwarznegger “on a lonely island” with budget proposals (875)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:55:25 +0100

Analysis: Schwarzenegger faces rough sledding on state budget negotiations By Kevin Yamamura - kyamamura@sacbee.com Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger held town hall-style meetings everywhere but Sacramento this spring, making the point that the state’s budget obstructions reside in the capital city. He asked leaders in Eureka and Garden Grove to demand that lawmakers resolve budget problems in April as the state faced a deficit as large as $20 billion, yet his message had little impact. As he releases his revised May budget today, Schwarzenegger must broker a deal in Sacramento with legislators who are disinclined to reach compromise on their own, skeptical of his intentions and believe his clout has waned in the Capitol. “It’s difficult to reign when you have a down economy, a down state budget and you’re forced to make cuts, especially when you don’t have your own party on your side and a changing of the guard,” said Jaime Regalado, executive director of the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs. “In a sense, the governor is a man unto himself. He’s on a lonely island.” Legislative leaders and Schwarzenegger haven’t met as a group since February to discuss the budget. He must deal with Republicans who refuse to raise taxes and Democrats who don’t want to accept cuts in education and social programs. He must do all of this in the face of significant negotiating hurdles. Schwarzenegger lost his chief Democratic ally Tuesday when Fabian Núñez stepped down as Assembly speaker. His relationship with Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata has been strained. The governor also has little sway with his fellow Republicans, who held out last year for 52 days before providing the necessary votes to approve a less problematic budget. He has frustrated the conservative GOP by striking deals with Democrats without Republican support and telling his own party that it is “dying at the box office.” Schwarzenegger recently rankled some rural legislators by suggesting they lacked a worldview necessary to tackle major public works problems because they hail from “those little towns.” Another problem is that Schwarzenegger lacks strong relationships with individual lawmakers, said Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica. She was engaged in negotiations last year on health care that ultimately died in her Senate Health Committee. The governor has been less hands-on than his predecessors, she noted, describing him as “much more standoffish and relying on pronouncements.” “I think he has lost influence with legislators since his (2003) election,” Kuehl said. “He came in with an enormous amount of good will, and I think an enormous amount of expectations on the part of legislators that he would be a person who would roll up his sleeves with us and see what could be done. Instead, over the years, we were pretty much handed his ideas with very little flexibility on his part.” From a transactional view, however, Schwarzenegger still has unique powers at his disposal. He can promise funding for projects in lawmakers’ districts and offer appointments in exchange for a budget vote. He can look favorably on a legislator’s priority bills. The governor, who continues to attract media attention as a celebrity, also could promise political support in future elections. Or he could travel to legislators’ districts and criticize them. In 2004, for instance, he held rallies at shopping malls and once attacked legislators as “girlie men.” “Governors always have clout no matter how many times legislators may proclaim a governor is irrelevant,” said Tim Hodson, director of the Center for California Studies at California State University, Sacramento. Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear would not describe the governor’s negotiating plans but said he considers legislators his “partners.” “He has maintained strong relationships with all four caucuses and has demonstrated his ability to work with them throughout his administration,” McLear said. Schwarzenegger had relatively easy budget negotiations his first three years; his longest first-term dispute lasted a month into the 2004-05 fiscal year. But Schwarzenegger hit a surprise bump last year when Republicans held out until late August. Some saw the move as a way for the Republicans to show Schwarzenegger he could not simply cut deals with majority Democrats while ignoring their concerns. Schwarzenegger aides last July suggested the governor strategically stayed out of budget negotiations to give lawmakers a chance to resolve their own differences. Former Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman, R-Irvine, said his caucus felt Schwarzenegger had not attacked the “spending problem” as aggressively as it wanted. To avoid a similar budget delay this year and ensure that his last two years are not plagued by deficits, Ackerman said, the governor “has got to stay strong and not agree to some compromise.” “I think if he takes a pretty hard line, which I think thus far he’s done – with no new taxes, making some cuts – if he holds tight on that he can prevail because of the seriousness of where we are,” Ackerman said. The governor is pursuing a long-term change in budgeting to establish a “rainy day” fund and automatic spending cuts when revenues decline. Republicans support such a move, and Schwarzenegger could offer them a long-term budget change in order to win short-term concessions to raise revenues. Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, said he believes the budget gap can be solved by cutting spending and tapping funds in special accounts that would otherwise go toward mental health services and health programs. “We’ve done everything we can to convince (Schwarzenegger) there’s a way out without raising taxes,” Cogdill said. Democrats say they oppose the governor’s proposed cuts in education and social service spending. They suggest they would be more willing to accept cuts if accompanied by new taxes or other substantial revenues. “I think it’s going to take the governor and both sides of the Legislature realizing there are no alternatives but to do this in a way that is balanced,” said Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, who will become Senate leader when Perata steps down. “You know, there will be the usual posturing and the usual dance, but I think the problem is so severe that I’m confident everybody will do the right thing.” Call Kevin Yamamura, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5548. (Source: aids-write.org)

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Buttock wasting options

Nelson Vergel's HIV Blog — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:57:00 +0100

I just wanted to let everyone know that a revised buttock wasting page is up at facialwasting.org This is the only page out there that focuses on this undressed issue. http://facialwasting.org/buttock_wasting.htm (Source: Nelson Vergel's HIV Blog)

Evan halper & patrick megreevy, latimes: schwarzenegger proposes diverting $828million gas tax windfall (874)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:04:07 +0100

New Schwarzenegger budget for California would divert gas taxes By Evan Halper and Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers May 15, 2008 SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger attempted to forge a path out of the state’s financial mess Wednesday by offering concessions to both Democrats, who are demanding that schools and other services not be cut, and Republicans disdainful of new taxes. Both sides immediately declared that they wanted little to do with the governor’s budget proposal, suggesting that Sacramento is in for another long, unproductive summer. The $144.4-billion spending plan would restore $1.8 billion for schools while making deep cuts in welfare and healthcare for the infirm, legal immigrants and impoverished parents. It would steer an $828-million windfall of gas tax revenue — the result of soaring prices at the pump — away from public transportation programs and into patching California’s $15.2-billion budget gap. The challenge that the governor and lawmakers face is daunting. The state has dropped $6 billion further into the red since January, when California was already struggling financially. The centerpiece of Schwarzenegger’s budget is a novel plan to ask voters for permission to borrow $15 billion from Wall Street against future earnings of the state lottery, and to temporarily raise the state portion of sales taxes — now 6.25% — by 1 percentage point if voters reject the proposal in November. “As the deficit grew these past few months, I knew that we could not solve this crisis by cuts alone,” the governor said in presenting his proposals. “We had to get creative.” (Source: aids-write.org)

Dan smith & judy lin, sacbee: schwarzenegger’s lottery borrowing scheme (873)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:53:53 +0100

Q&A: How the lottery proposal would work By Dan Smith - dsmith@sacbee.com Published 1:00 am PDT Thursday, May 15, 2008 Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1 Q: How would the borrowing work? A: The state would seek investors to lend $15 billion secured by future earnings from lottery games the state hopes would be improved and more lucrative. Investors would be repaid from lottery funds over 32 years. Schwarzenegger to propose lottery borrowing to ease deficit By Judy Lin - jlin@sacbee.com Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1 Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will propose borrowing against state lottery income to help close a projected $15.2 billion deficit when he updates the state’s budget today, according to administration officials. Backpedaling from his earlier plan, the Republican governor will not seek to close 48 state parks, ask for early release of 22,000 inmates or give schools less money than they are guaranteed by the state constitution. Advocates who were briefed on the governor’s plans late Tuesday, however, said most of Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts to health and welfare services will remain in a $101.8 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Instead of leasing the state lottery system as previously proposed, Schwarzenegger will suggest the state borrow cash from Wall Street by promising future game revenues to investors. According to the Governor’s Office, the governor will propose borrowing $15 billion secured by lottery income over a three-year period. The Legislature and voters would have to approve the ballot measure, which would require that the money be used for a rainy day fund. Of every $1 that went into the rainy day fund, 40 cents would be used for education and 60 cents would be used for other programs. Failure of the measure would trigger a 1 percent sales tax increase that would expire either on June 30, 2011, or when the rainy day fund contained $15 billion. The governor will also propose a $2 billion reserve. (Source: aids-write.org)

Judy lin, sacbee: schwarzenegger — “we cannot spend money that we do not have.” (872)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:32:23 +0100

Governor proposes deeper health and welfare cuts By Judy Lin - jlin@sacbee.com Last Updated 3:23 pm PDT Wednesday, May 14, 2008 In releasing his revised budget Wednesday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed deeper cuts to health care and welfare programs for the poor even as his administration calculated that the projected demand for government assistance is growing. The Republican governor also proposed $627 million more in cuts to health and human services, making it harder for poor families to qualify for welfare and health coverage. “I know this is going to be very difficult … this is why I had a hard time to make those cuts,” Schwarzenegger said. “But the absolute bottom line is we cannot spend money that we do not have.” Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, called the plan “a budget beneath a governor of this great state.” “It’s telling our citizens: This is it. Our best years are behind us,” Perata said in a statement. “Under this plan, schools will lay off teachers and increase class sizes, and we will abandon children and the elderly. It’s shameful.” Schwarzenegger said his discussions with voters around the state proved that tax increases are not politically viable. “They don’t want us to raise taxes, especially now when times are tough. And they want us to fix the dysfunctional budget system so we don’t have to go through this pain every time the economy cools off…We have to tighten our belts. We have to recognize there’s only so much money. If we go back to the people and start taxing them more, what will happen is they start moving out of the state.” The revised budget seeks to close a $15. 2 billion budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and build a reserve of about $2 billion. Schwarzenegger wants lawmakers to put a “budget reform” measure on the November ballot that would give future governors expanded powers to cut programs in bad times and create a rainy-day fund to hold money from good years for use when the economy softens. A second measure would include provisions to loosen restrictions on the state lottery, theoretically improving its performance and allow the state to borrow $15 billion over three years against increased revenues from the games. If the measure is defeated — or if the lottery does not perform to meet expectations — a one-cent increase in the sales tax would kick in for three years, but the governor said he doubted that would happen. “We have to utilize the potential of the lottery 100 percent,” Schwarzenegger said. “I think the people will understand it and go along with it.” Besides the lottery money, Schwarzenegger would close the deficit by cutting most programs by up to 10 percent as he proposed in January — with three notable exceptions. He backed off deep cuts to schools, proposing the fully fund the constitutional guarantee, he abandoned plans to release some non-violent prisoners early and he discarded a proposal to close some state parks, opting instead to raise fees at some parks. But he proposed deeper cuts to health and social service programs. Under the state’s health care program for the poor, known as Medi-Cal, the governor proposes saving $42 million by requiring undocumented immigrants to meet a monthly eligibility requirement for emergency services. Newly qualified immigrants and some permanent resident immigrants would see their benefits cut to the same level as undocumented immigrants, limiting care to emergency services, pregnancy-related services, long-term care in a nursing facility and breast and cervical cancer treatment. The move would save the state an estimated $86.7 million a year. The governor also proposes limiting Medi-Cal eligibility to families earning 61 percent of the federal poverty level in which the principal wage earner works less than 100 hours a month. Under Schwarzenegger’s plan, supplemental income for seniors and the disabled would neither receive a cost-of-living increase from the federal government or the state. Currently the state serves roughly 1.3 million seniors, blind and disabled under this type of Social Security program. Rather than passing scheduled increased federal assistance to the Social Security Income/State Supplemental Payment program, the state would absorb the savings. Families receiving welfare assistance under the CalWORKS program also would not receive cost-of-living raises under the governor’s proposal. The governor and Legislature have already approved a 10 percent cut to pay doctors, hospitals and health care providers for taking care of the poor. Advocates have filed suit seeking to block the cuts from being implemented in July. The governor took the opportunity to press for health care reform. According to the administration’s report, “Without comprehensive health care reform that infuses the health care system with additional, stable sources of funding, these services will unfortunately continue to be significantly impacted by California’s broken and volatile budget system.” (Source: aids-write.org)

New ca assembly speaker karen bass in latimes: let’s talk taxes (871)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:17:45 +0100

Let’s talk taxes The new Assembly speaker wants an independent look at the state’s revenue. By Karen Bass May 13, 2008 For all its wealth and resources, California is a giant in crisis. In preparation for my new job as speaker of the Assembly, I have talked to dozens of Californians who are feeling that crisis. I have conferred with business leaders in the Silicon Valley who are relocating overseas. I’ve met with farmers in the Central Valley who cannot afford to plant crops, which results in the abandonment of the workforce in nearby small towns. I have talked with teachers and school board members in San Diego and Norwalk, where teachers received layoff notices. I have met with students who will be saddled with oppressive debt as soon as they finish college. All this in a state with resources beyond the dreams of many nations: Silicon Valley leads the world in software and semiconductors; more than 50,000 companies export products around the globe; our ports handle almost $285 billion worth of goods every year. This state provides a home to almost one-third of the biotechnology firms in the United States, a $94-billion tourism industry and about 80,000 farms and ranches producing more than $30 billion worth of goods. With so much worth protecting and so much that threatens our economic well-being, it is far past time to move beyond simply patching over budget problems to finding a real, creative — and bipartisan — way off the budget roller coaster we seem to be stuck on year after year after year. On Wednesday, one day after I take office as speaker, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will unveil his revised budget. It will reflect the state’s revenue picture after the April 15 income tax deadline. By all accounts, it will not be good news. The word “disaster” has been mentioned. When there is a disaster such as an earthquake, a fire or a flood, political leaders put their ideologies aside and ask, “What can we do to alleviate the pain?” We must respond to the current economic crisis in the same way. We have to toss aside the boxes we have put ourselves in and the labels we place on others and get the job done together. I believe part of that job has to involve looking at the big picture. We have to ask the question of whether a tax structure that was established in the 1930s is sufficient to meet the needs of Californians in 2008. I believe we need an answer to that question that is developed outside the day-to-day give-and-take in the Legislature. That’s why I will be establishing an independent commission to examine California’s tax structure. This will be a bipartisan group of California’s brightest, working together for one year to develop recommendations on how the Legislature can identify more consistent sources of revenue; 12 other states already have such groups. The one-year term means that while the Legislature is at work on the immediate financial problems before us, the commission can take a longer-term view and make recommendations accordingly. The commission’s recommendations should be as free as possible from politics, but I don’t believe it would be in the public’s best interest for the Legislature to cede ultimate decision-making ability to this non-elected group. Florida has a tax commission that makes decisions without legislative oversight, and that panel just sent an ideologically loaded initiative to the ballot that could allow for religious-school vouchers. A better template would be something like California’s Little Hoover Commission, the oversight agency established in 1962. Made up primarily of citizens, it provides important and thoughtful policy input for legislators and the governor to consider, with the people’s elected representatives having the final responsibility to act. Such an independent group, directed to focus on the state’s revenue structure and containing diverse members with a broad range of experience — including government, private-sector and nonprofit perspectives — will provide the best hope for workable proposals. California may be an economic giant, but in the end, our society will be judged on how it treats its people — including children in the foster care system, students trying to get an education and elderly people who need a little help to stay out of nursing homes. As speaker of the Assembly, I believe that having a top-notch independent commission to review what’s wrong with our tax structure will be an important tool to build the kind of just, fair and prosperous society Californians deserve. Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) was sworn in as Assembly speaker tuesday. (Source: aids-write.org)

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For derek & his grandma at friday am politics & poetry at lulu’s (870)

aids-write.org — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:07:37 +0100

Surprised by joy–impatient as the Wind I turned to share the transport–Oh! with whom But Thee, deep buried in the silent tomb, That spot which no vicissitude can find? Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind— But how could I forget thee? Through what power, Even for the least division of an hour, Have I been so beguiled as to be blind To my most grievous loss?—That thought’s return Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore, Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn, Knowing my heart’s best treasure was no more; That neither present time, nor years unborn Could to my sight that heavenly face restore. William Wordsworth (Source: aids-write.org)

May 14/08 errands

acidrefluxweb.com — Thu, 15 May 2008 01:11:51 +0100

(Canadian movie kicking off the Cannes film festival this year) Graditude: __________________________________________________ One day this week I’m almost certain that I’ve screwed up my meds the night before, That feeling topsy turvy feeling had returned. The world feels dark. Not taking the prescribed Lithium the night before does have its not so great feelings. Although tolerable, the tell-tale state of mind of missed doses is very distinctive. No I’m not bi-polar - although I am buy-sexual, you buy me something, I be sexual:) -it’s used to augment the antidepressant. The grey skies and cool temperatures were adding to the overall effect as I left the apartment to get some errands done. Dog food bought - check that off the list. While walking up the sidewalk to enter the grocery store I looked up to see a man with a seeing-eye dog arm and arm with a woman. Upon closer inspection I could see that this woman was blind. One thing I noticed was how no one was paying attention to them at all. When I come upon these situations, I’m not sure when is the right time to step in to help. I’ve tried to in the past and received curt “I’m fine” responses. My gate slowed as I assessed the couple. With some fumbling and the help of the dog they got in. Afterwards they made their way over to the first cashier. At first I thought they needed a basket. Remarkably everyone around them pretended that they didn’t exist. As it turns out they were going in that direction to ask about something, and not for a basket. From then on they were fine. It was then I thought, “Who is the blind one here?” I certainly felt blind to the gratitude for all I have. It was if they were two angels sent to send me a message as I went around feeling chemically out of sorts. More and more I’m feeling as if life is an illusion, whereas nothing is what it seems. We just go on autopilot and see what our conditioned minds see, blinded to our true realities distorted by perception. This awareness is not such a bad thing. It means never assume things are as they are upon the first look. An angry person could be a friend, events which appear bad could end up being the best thing that ever happened. Things which I thought had meaning are feeling as if they are what they weren’t. Hence, the Gratitude is left empty above, as often it is about what we are not able to see. And no I didn’t mix up the meds last night….. (Source: acidrefluxweb.com)

Aids walk 2008: a hairy issue

Shawn's HIV Blog — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:13:25 +0100

Every year I dye my hair for AIDS Walk NY. 2006: Our first NY AIDS Walk with Team Supersnack! 2007: Rockin' the red, there's Gwenn and Sarah D. Bunting behind her, with a crown on. This year, I was going to wuss out. I'm in my indie phase with my beard. And indie kids don't dye their hair; that was so Cobain circa '92. But I think my indie phase ended on Mother's Day... that's what my niece was trying to tell me! She can't use words, so she used disdain, which I attributed to Kenneth Cole's diabolical mind. It wasn't that she hated the beard, or me, or the look. She hated that I wasn't coloring my hair for the AIDS Walk. (Her big sis probably told her all about it.) Not only that, other Team Supersnackers are dying their hair as well. Sarah of Tomato Nation is dying her's red. The first year, she promised to cut her hair off if her readership donated more than $2,000 or so bucks... and she did! That's how I spotted her. So this year, Gwenn is ponying up her locks, too. If Supersnack hits $42,000, or if we hit our goal of $2,500 before Sunday, she is dying her hair pink. This would be an incredible turn-on for me, so I'm hoping everyone comes through for the guy who was given two years to live at age 11, who shouldn't even be here walking. I know, I'm pouring it on thick. I care. I'm out of my indie phase. Positively Yours, Shawn DONATE! Or My Mom Will Shoot! Gwenn and I are so close to our goal of $2500... we're now at $2129.88! In the NYC-area? Gwenn and I are hosting the 3rd Annual Team Supernack Fundraiser on Friday, May 16. John Oliver of the Daily Show will be there, you should be too! CLICK for TICKET info and LOCATION! (Source: Shawn's HIV Blog)

Facial wasting reconstruction options- summary table

Nelson Vergel's HIV Blog — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:11:00 +0100

CLICK ON THE TABLE TO MAKE IT LARGER (Source: Nelson Vergel's HIV Blog)

Nata village to get a youth sporting club!

The Nata village blog — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:21:38 +0100

Pictured above are Mr. James and Mr. Highcourt. Most of you on this site know James as he was the past leader of Mabogo Arts and Culture Productions. Mr. James has started his own community based organization called Manuks Sporting Club. Mr. James worked tirelessly for Mabogo and he is someone who get things done. Two donors from Hong Kong were interested in donating funds for a youth center and Mr. James wrote a proposal that they accepeted. The Nata AIDS and Orphans Trust has received ANOTHER $10,000 to assist James in making his dream a reality. He recently aquired land and he plans to put in a football field, baseball diamond, netball courts, and small building to house the equipement. All of the labor will be provided by the Manuks football team and other youth in the community. The guys are pictured at their site showing what a great task they have in clearing the land before starting the fencing. We are all very excited to watch James and his team get this piece of land up and running for a real youth center. Thanks again to our Hong Kong donors. Nikki will be coming back to Nata next later in the year to monitor the progress. We will mention the donors names later only with their permission. Thanks so much!. Just having this project is a great way to keep the young people busy doing something constructive for their community. We are all so proud. (Source: The Nata village blog)

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Giant apple descends on boston

Nightmare Hall - Welcome to my nightmare — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:19:00 +0100

I'm tired...so very very tired. No energy at all and at times I feel sick from head to toe. I have heard that there is yet another mystery virus going around that's affecting a lot of people this way, plus the pollen counts are reading off scale.I'm tired of the grand crimes against humanity that are running rampant among the ruling elite as they prepare the masses for a one world, one size fits all total police state that will make Orwell's 1984 seem like a church picnic.There is no good news either in the corporate media or the independent outlets, so I am trying to back off from consuming too much news, just trying to decompress. So for now, something less serious in today's Nightmare Hall.This entry I hope will be a bit more light and airy. Today's title refers to the Apple Computer flagship store that opens on Boylston Street in Boston this week. A couple of news releases I have read claim it's one of the largest Apple stores in the known universe. Apple owners are like a radical religious cult in their devotion to the Mac. I doubt I will be drinking the apple flavored Kool Aide if it is some sort of cult. Although I recently bought a new iMac, I do not feel saved and destined for computer heaven. I'm still finding the Mac confusing to use in many ways, considering I've been a slave to Micro$oft since the days of DOS 1.0. I have called Apple Care tech support twice since I did purchase and extended 3 year warranty and tech support. What was amazing is that a real human. In the USA no less, answered my call in a flash answering my question in minutes.XP-Pro works just fine and I prefer Windoze Media Player over Quicktime any day, as it handles many formats and I find Windoze play lists much easier to create and manage. But the Mac does have an edge as far as video quality goes, and it does boot up very quickly compared to my XP machine. So far I have been using the iMac as a video server for watching full length movies plus a few TV shows online. I did download VLC player for Mac, which seems to handle some of the formats that Quicktime cannot play. I did try burning a couple of DVD's using Toast on the Mac, but none would load on either of my DVD players or either PC. I guess that's why they call it "Toast", which is what the DVD's were after trying to burn videos, the resulting disks usable only as drink coasters, but I never have a problem burning DVD's or CD's on the XP machine using Nero 7.0 I'll have to play around with Toast some more, as I probably screwed up somewhere, but it does do a good job of burning audio CD'sI got a call last night from the owner of the Scorched Pig blog, asking if I wanted to meet him in town to check out the new Apple store in Boston. He and I meet once in a while in town for coffee, lunch and to hobnob and browse around town. He is an Apple convert, and I told him depending on how I'm feeling maybe this Saturday could work for me, but I'm not going to make a special trip for the grand opening tomorrow.I suppose it will be interesting to check out a 3 floor store, dedicated totally to Apple products and they should do a brisk business considering the number of colleges, conventions, big hotels and upscale rich people in the area. Copley Square/Prudential is not what I would call a low rent district by any means. I do hope that Apple can make a big splash in Beantown, especially now that I own one of their legendary PC's.Boston used to host one of the biggest flagship Tower Record stores in the world at the corner of Mass. Ave. and Newbury Streets. I used to really like browsing there. The sales staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and they carried a fantastic selection of music and videos at very good prices. Alas, like so many other great stores like Lechmere Sales, Tower fell on hard times and from news I read the landlord wanted more $$$$ for rent, so Tower left. Virgin opened a mega stores at the same address a couple of years later, but I was not impressed. It had lots of glitter and glitz, but lacked the selection and prices of the Tower that occupied the same space. Virgin moved out and now a Best Buy sits at the Corner of Mass. Ave, and Newbury. It seems like a bit of overkill, since there is another large Best Buy store, less than a mile away in the old Fenway area Sears building.An interesting factoid is that the original Newbury Comics store resides just a few doors down on Newbury Street and they have managed to survive and prosper, despite having mega stores as neighbors, which all went the way of 26 cent a gallon gasoline. Three cheers for a local business surviving the onslaught of global corporate music and video stores!I am slowly getting acclimated to the iMac. I didn't even know how to rename a file and there was nothing in the Apple OS 10.5 Leopard book I got that mentioned file renaming. Piggy from the Scorched Pig cleared that one up, just view the files in thumbnail view and enter a new file name under the thumbnail.....duhhh! I'm so used to just right clicking on a file in Windoze explorer and selecting Rename from the drop down context menu.Here's a caveat for any "first time" new computer buyer. I got a very good price on my iMac at Micro Center, over $200 off standard price, not knowing that a newer iMac, with 128 Meg more video, a faster dual core processor and 320 vs 250 GIG hard drive came out just after I got the 2.0 GHZ dual core imac. The newer iMac sells for the list price of it's lesser sibling which I purchased. Is there a good time to buy a new PC? Actually no, since you're always looking at a moving technological target. I always tell newbies to go for all the performance that's affordable to them, beaucoup memory (2-4 Gig, especially for Vista), 128 Meg or more of video RAM, preferably a dual core Intel processor and 250 or more GIG hard drive. I also add that no matter how much bang for the buck they purchase, something bigger and faster will probably be on the store shelves for the same price of less, as soon as they get their new PC home and out of the box.If automotive price, performance and fuel economy kept up with personal technology (subtracting the current oil and transportation greed factor) cars would cost less than $2000, get 500 miles per gallon, cruise just under the speed of sound and essentially drive themselves. I have a pair of Bose Companion II's connected to the iMac, which sit on a shelf under the coffee table that the iMac occupies a part of. I got the Bose speakers for almost half retail price at BJ's a couple of years ago. Despite their small size, the Bose have an incredible sound when I'm seated in the center of the field of sound, so the iMac is well suited for watching online movies compared to the old XP box I sold to my friend Bob, who reported back that my aging Power Spec machine was like moving from a VW to a Ferrari, compared to the really old PC he replaced. So maybe this Saturday, depending on how I'm feeing and weather permitting, I'll catch the bus into town to meet Piggy for coffee, lunch and a browse of the new Apple store.A short list to a couple of South Park episodes, a Google Video list of George Carlin show links and MAD TV Apple skits for laughs, plus the usual stuff.Google This'MAD TV The iPhoneMAD TV The iPadMAD TV They iScrewed me againMAD TV Abercrombie skitsMAD TV The iRackColbert Roasts President Bush 2006 White House Correspondents DinnerGeorge Crlin Google Videos from some of his showsNaomi Klein Shock Doctrine The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Source: Nightmare Hall - Welcome to my nightmare)

Meanwhile, in toronto, the book was released…

My journey with AIDS — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:05:36 +0100

While I was in Montreal last week the anthology containing two of my stories was released in Toronto. Still Here: A Post-Cocktail AIDS Anthology OHTN - The Ontario HIV Treatment Network - acts as a collaborative network of people living with HIV/AIDS, health care providers, consumers, researchers, community-based organizations and government policy relating to the care [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS)

May 12/08 what would jesus do?

acidrefluxweb.com — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:16:10 +0100

Yesterday I was reminded about a story I had long forgotten about. Years ago in Winnipeg, while cleaning the kitchen in my Corydon Ave and Stafford (the area that is referred to as Little Italy, with emphasis on little) extremely cheap apartment, I received a phone call. These were the days before everyone had call display or with a quick *67 find out who just rang you up. It was the good old days when you could call anonymously with no apprehension. And anonymously was the call I received that afternoon. “Hello….” My greeting was silence. “Hello?….” You know the hello that is pronounced in a way that communicates, “Who the fuck is this and what the fuck do you want?” But this time I could hear some breathing that peaked my curiosity. “So what’s going on?” “Nothing” I hear a male voice say on the end. “So what are doing?” I ask, as I put down the mop and sit down at the kitchen table wearing my cleaning clothes, the ones that if you saw me any other time and in any other context, you probably think I’d be homeless. “Umm……” “Are you playing with your cock right now?” “Ya, I am.” “Well, I want you to stroke it up nice and hard for me…..” I politely ask as I cross my right leg over the left covering the hole exposing my knee. “It is….” “That’s a good boy, now what are thinking of? My cock too?” “Ya….” “Good, now think about it in your mouth getting bigger and bigger..” “Oh yaah… Needless to say I don’t have to carry on the rest of the conversation for you. There I was looking like a hag, in the middle of mopping the floor on a Sunday afternoon and some guy calls me, and all I could think of was: It’s Sunday, What would Jesus do? And in a selfless act of benevolent kindness, I got him off. Rather giving of wouldn’t you say? Once he came, I put down the phone, grabbed the mop, and without giving it much more thought, I went back to mopping my floors. (Source: acidrefluxweb.com)

Why is rapid hiv testing failing in canada & usa?

Slimconomy — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:37:00 +0100

It's been several years now since rapid HIV tests entered the market with FDA approval; first OraSure, then MedMira, then Trinity and BioRad and now Inverness. Yet we still haven't seen the growth in use (and subsequent sales for the manufacturers) as we should by now. Certainly the CDC has tried to educate the health care market and create rapid testing programs and opportunities. Canada's Public Health Service has been less than pathetic in promoting rapid testing, leaving it to companies like BioLytical to push for testing via NPO's. Non-Profits in Canada and the U.S. are advocating the use of rapid testing, clinics across the U.S. and Canada are implementing rapid testing programs, sometimes with little government support. Yet sales of rapid HIV tests indicate an overall lackluster uptake in the market in general.All quibbling of oral fluid vs. whole blood sampling aside, each test performs well enough to be a viable screening opportunity for HIV. Rapid tests are an excellent source of Leading Indicators for public health and epidemiological monitoring. They can save the lives of unborn babies and help ensure faster treatment of individuals and help shape better spending on health care budgets.Both OraSure and MedMira have reported increases in their product sales, stats for Inverness are unavailable and Trinity has basically placed their Uni-Gold out of the sales push. While increased sales are good news, it's plain to see the majority of testing is still done using ELISA tests, which take longer. With politicians belching that "HIV is just a chronic disease" will this help or hinder growth in rapid HIV test sales? Although it is far from a chronic disease, oddly enough it may help sales, and see increased testing. The basic of human psychology is that we are less afraid to learn we are infected with something that is treatable than we are of something that is going to kill us in short order.In part, I believe the lack of uptake on rapid HIV testing is that batch testing is still the cheapest route for hospitals, despite a longer wait. Additionally, national lab services like Quest Labs have no interest in promoting the use of rapid testing, in fact it takes dollars out of their pockets. In some cases, Quest has reduced the cost of HIV tests in order to ensure throughput as their business in this regard is based on volume. The rapid test market is still based on margin. A strategy that the manufacturers need to recoup their investment in bringing rapid tests to market and the high cost of FDA approvals and overall market entrance.Strangely enough, the perception by the general public (and research needs to be done on this) of HIV as a chronic disease, may see more rapid testing. Politicians will not have to address deeper sexuality and religious issues and treatment programs can be more easily funded. This is good, but is a double edged sword as it may impact if people have safe-sex and lessen the impact for public education programs.But the fact remains that there could be more rapid testing in hospitals, public health centres, doctors offices and community outreach clinics, than there is. Adoption has been far too slow. In part because of rapid testing having a poor name due to older technologies. In other parts because of the financial interests of major lab services companies and because of political lack of will to create unified long term policies. (Source: Slimconomy)

May 12/08 random acts of kindness

acidrefluxweb.com — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:23:13 +0100

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Mother's day

Shawn's HIV Blog — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:18:50 +0100

My brother, Kip, was born on Mother's Day- what a gift, right? Yesterday we not only celebrated the holiday, but we had cake for Kip's birthday, and sang to Gwenn, too, since her b-day is next week. Everything was perfect, except... My strained relationship with my 3-year old niece. Helayna, the newest edition to the Decker family, seems to hate my guts. Gwenn held her; she was fine. Mom held her; she was fine. I held her and she cried... no big deal, just bad timing, right? Maybe she just dropped a load, or wanted to suck on a tit. I don't know, I'm not a parent. I don't have those instincts. But I know enough to know I did nothing wrong. As soon as she was removed from my gentle embrace, she stopped crying. Then, later, I held her and she refused to look at me. Katelyn, my 9-year old niece, said, "Uncle Poo, she really hates you!" Then everyone agreed that it was my beard and glasses. It reminds of the time a sociopath blamed a dog's distrust of him on his sweater. Something was amiss. My mind raced... just as I was about to acuse Helayna of hating me because I have AIDS, it hit me: Kenneth Cole got to her. Probably offered the baby a lifetime's supply of designer diapers. What does the baby know? Of course you'll take that deal, at 3-month's that seems like a good trade-off. Why sink to this low? Well, it's six days until the AIDS Walk. Team Supersnack is in 6th place overall, Kenneth Cole's team is laggin behind. We've already raised more than they did last year, when he was still steaming over my refusal to disrobe in his storefront window. Alright, for now I need to focus on the home stretch, and continue to raise money and not be psyched out by Kenneth. I also need to find it in my heart to forgive Helayna, for humiliating me in front of the entire family with her mean-spirited displays of abject disgust and rejection... There were happy moments, and I'll leave you with this picture of my mom, taken yesterday on Mother's Day. Which may give Kenneth pause the next time he thinks about launching a divisive campaign against the family Decker. "Leave ma' famila alone, Mr. Big City-pants!" Positively Yours, Shawn The AIDS Walk NY is this Sunday, May 18. Click on the spooky boy to donate. Gwenn and I are so close to our goal of $2500... we're now at $1954.88! We at least have to make it to the current year, 2008. In the NYC-area? Gwenn and I are hosting the 3rd Annual Team Supernack Fundraiser on Friday, May 16. John Oliver of the Daily Show will be there, you should be too! CLICK for TICKET info and LOCATION! (Source: Shawn's HIV Blog)

Craig’s death - one year later (updated may 11, 2008)

My journey with AIDS — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:21:48 +0100

Friday It was one year ago today (May 9), while my sister Lynn and Craig’s partner Claude slipped out for a bite of lunch, that Craig took his leave from us in his Montreal hospital room. This has been an amazing week for Mom, Claude and me as the inaugural presentation of the Chaplin Memorial Award was [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS)

The split personalities of hiv

Slimconomy — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:59:00 +0100

In Africa, get HIV and you're pretty much dead inside of 7 years. In North America and Western Europe, get HIV and you could go 20+ years until full-blown AIDS hits you. Is part of the battle for HIV/AIDS impaired due to mixed messages in the media, and resulting public and government sentiment? American, Canadian and some European governments would have us believe HIV/AIDS is simply a chronic condition. Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Obama all seem to think so. Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, didn't even bother to show up at the last World AIDS Conference, signifying Canada just doesn't feel HIV/AIDS is a pressing political issue.Yet at the grass roots level, the battle is raging furiously. In America, Canada and Europe, a surface search of Web related articles on community-based activities and a scour through the AEGIS news archive showed that between September 2007 and March 2008 there were over 250 grass-roots based HIV/AIDS functions that reached out into surrounding communities. These programs were a mix of public awareness "marches/walks", education sessions and testing clinics. Viewing grass roots communications materials, no where do they state that HIV/AIDS is a chronic disease and in many cases there is material to suggest these groups are saying exactly the opposite. Non-Profit Organizations in DC's (Developed Countries) targeting LDC's (Less Developed Countries) push the dangers of HIV/AIDS much more aggressively - but that does help them get funding.As a marketer and communicator, what struck me was the dichotomy of the messages. With multiple media channels today, and the ability for communities to provide instant feedback via Web-based services, the challenge to maintain a consistent message is difficult at best. On the global scientific level to fight HIV/AIDS it is fraught with political and corporate agenda's that do nothing to facilitate a collaborative approach towards a unified strategy on the medical front.Now we can see that the medical/scientific battle is further confused by mixed messages over what HIV/AIDS is in terms of a deadly pathogenic epidemic or a chronic disease that is easily treated with some pretty pink pills and mixed with Ibuprofen you won't feel that bad anyway. If politicians can mitigate the perceived "dangers" of HIV/AIDS then they can re-direct the issue away from having to deal with sexuality, religion and ongoing budget cuts to health care for HIV/AIDS victims.Since Western DC's see far less cases of HIV/AIDS (although research indicates HIV is not decreasing overall) it is easier to put it in the "chronic disease" category. This stance, like the approach to health care management in Canada, USA and some EU countries is going to bite us in the glutimous maximus very hard in a few years since our health care system is based on emergency medicine/treatment, not on chronic care.Political interests should know better. Now we have a confused public that has multiple perceptions, and we end up with a Jeckyl & Hyde view of a virus that is gleefully laughing as we stumble about trying to find some level of consistency. (Source: Slimconomy)

To all you mothers out there

Shawn's HIV Blog — Sun, 11 May 2008 08:54:46 +0100

Thanks for putting up with us kids, scaring the shit out of you from day one. Positively Yours, Shawn (Source: Shawn's HIV Blog)

A big disappointment?

Shawn's HIV Blog — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:39:27 +0100

Gwenn is seriously stressing the Sex and the City movie. It's a series she absolutely loved; in particular the character of "Big", her favorite. Now, the rumors are floating around that Big dies. So, her concerns about the movie being a letdown have gone from the realm of "crappy movie" to "they are killing off my favorite character". I told Gwenn this could be her Ric Flair Interview moment. Only in that situation my high expectations were squashed. Maybe her low expectations will not prepare her for the awesomeness of the Hollywood magic that awaits? -------------- I didn't go see the Cure last night, and forgot to ask my doctor on Thursday whether he thought that concert would help my immune system. After the appointment, a very nice older Indian man drew my blood, though, and he was pretty serious about reading the labels. "Think they are getting enough?" He asked, gathering the seven tubes that would soon be filled with my blood. "I think so," I said. He laughed- he was joking. "I just hope I can drive home after you take all that," I came back. "I'm cutting you off," he said. One thing that kept me alive before HIV meds was cereal. And, while walking down the aisle the other night, I took this picture; what, is the next Indiana Jones movie about his daring escape from a giant cereal box? What is Kellog's trying to tell us? Whatever, as long as they don't put big in a box at the end of the month, all in my household will be fine. Positively Yours, Shawn The AIDS Walk NY is in one week, next Sunday, May 18. Click on the spooky boy to donate or he'll kill Mr. Big in the Sex and the City movie. Gwenn and I are so close to our goal of $2500... we're now at $1954.88! We at least have to make it to the current year, 2008. In the NYC-area? Gwenn and I are hosting the 3rd Annual Team Supernack Fundraiser on Friday, May 16. John Oliver of the Daily Show will be there, you should be too! CLICK for TICKET info and LOCATION! (Source: Shawn's HIV Blog)

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Craig’s death - one year later

My journey with AIDS — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:32:06 +0100

It was one year ago today, while my sister Lynn and Craig’s partner Claude slipped out for a bite of lunch, that Craig took his leave from us in his Montreal hospital room. This has been an amazing week for Mom, Claude and me as the inaugural presentation of the Chaplin Memorial Award was made at [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS)

U.s. ambassador and zebra's player visit nata!

The Nata village blog — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:58:14 +0100

Pictured above are U.S. Ambassador Kate Canavan and Zebra's football player Kagiso Tshelametse greeting Nata youth at the Kgotla. It was great to have these two celebrities visit our little village. Pictured above are folks waiting to test at the Tebelopele Caravan. We want to thank Brian Awsumb, Peace Corps Volunteer with Tebelopele, for providing a summary of the days events. Below is an excerpt from his report. Thanks Brian!U.S. Ambassador Katherine Canavan and Botswana soccer star Kagiso Tshelametse addressed community members at the Nata kgotla on the importance of HIV testing. Both were in the village to wrap up a Zebras4Life—Test4Life football tournament in the area. Canavan also used the date of the occasion, Earth Day, to highlight the U.S.-Botswana partnership to conserve the Makgadikgadi Pans and other wilderness areas. The day's events were organized by the Nata community, the U.S. Embassy, and Tebelopele Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centres. Tebelopele VCT offers free, confidential HIV testing and counseling to those age 21 and older (younger clients need parental permission) at their regional centres and mobile outreaches. (The nearest centre to Nata is in Francistown, 200 km away.) Although government clinics offer HIV testing services, such as in Nata, Tebelopele plays crucial role in Botswanas effort to fully address the HIV/AIDS scourge. The problem in Botswana, however, is that men are much less likely than women to test for HIV and take a personal interest in their health. U.S. Peace Corps volunteers in Botswana who were inspired by Magic Johnson and Lance Armstrong recommended the use of the men's national soccer team, The Zebras, to link men to HIV testing services. The resulting campaign, Zebras4Life—Test4Life, plays on the fans motto of unwavering support of the team and the linkage between testing and moving forward in one's life. Participating Zebra players wear blue wrist bands as a symbol of knowing their status and appear in media advertisements, printed brochures, and make public appearances at testing events. Those that test with Tebelopele receive a wrist band like those worn by the players. The campaign receives financial support from the U.S. Embassy though it is a partnership between Tebelopele, the Botswana Football Association, the Botswanagovernment, and Peace Corps volunteers.For the past three weeks soccer clubs in the Nata area had competed in a football tournament intended to provide information about HIV/AIDS and offer testing services to participants. Moaloso Football Club in Nata received the top prize on the 29th of April event—t-shirts and a personal congratulations from Ambassador Canavan and Tshelametse. Tebelopele reported that 168 Nata community members testing for HIV on 29-30th of April, a record client load for the area. (Source: The Nata village blog)

My bad, robert smith

Shawn's HIV Blog — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:29:10 +0100

In yesterday's blog, I wrote that Robert Smith has worked with Ashlee Simpson... that hasn't happened. Was a rumor started by Entertainment Weekly last year. Here's one thing Entertainment Weekly got right: "My Pet Virus is a sweet reminder that no matter how bad things get, there's no reason to stop laughing."... Was this all an excuse to post that again? Maybe. Someone else who has never worked with Ashlee Smith is Anita Mann. If I were Ashlee, I'd have my peeps contact Miss Mann immediately. OK, off to a doctor's appointment today. Will have new lab results next week, though, thankfully, there hasn't been much drama in that department. We'll see how the recent caterpillar episode and watching The Orphanage has affected those Mr. T's. Positively Yours, Shawn The AIDS Walk NY is on Sunday, May 18. Click on the spooky boy to donate... Gwenn and I are so close to our goal of $2500... we're now at $1850. Donate or you will see this little guy every night before you go to sleep. In the NYC-area? Gwenn and I are hosting the 3rd Annual Team Supernack Fundraiser on Friday, May 16. John Oliver of the Daily Show will be there, you should be too! CLICK for TICKET info and LOCATION! (Source: Shawn's HIV Blog)

May 08/07 registration deadline for mexico 2008 has passed, do you know where your childred are?

acidrefluxweb.com — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:50:26 +0100

Wonderful, I’ve got two candidates for to get blown, any others? Actually I always loved that line “Who do I have to suck off to (fill in the blanks). It’s an attention grabber, that’s for sure. In all honesty cocksucking for me is a religious experience. Consider it a gay variation of taking Communion. Although I’m not Catholic, however, it does conjure up many images. I’m not sure what I’d declare myself when it comes to religion. I was brought up in a Protestant, United Church. Well, my mom tried unsuccessfully. During the Vietnam war she took me to church and afterwards I declared to my mother, “I don’t believe anything in the Bible, there are photos to prove any of it. Anybody could have written it.” Then I’d run away from Sunday school; mom eventually gave up. To quote Madonna from American Life, “I’m not a Christian, I’m not a Jew.” At the Kabbalah Centre when I’m asked if I’m Jewish, the implication is then I’m Christian if not Jewish. This is not true either. I do believe there was probably a spiritual teacher at that time, most likely a slightly delusional, or more aptly put, those who followed were delusional. Through Eckhart Toll, and seeing his interpretations of some of the lines in the Bible, I can see that if one goes beyond the literal there is wisdom there. Does that mean I believe he turned a piece of bread into a dozen loaves of Wonder Bread? Not really. I love the book that Oprah brought to my, and many other’s attention, A New Earth. Books are not my thing, I struggle to get myself to read. It is not within my nature to rush out to buy a book just because Oprah has put it on her book list. By page ten, I was captivated. As he writes, you are either ready for this, or you won’t get it all. I was getting it, big time as it has the basic tenant of all spirituality. Thus, 12 stepers declaring, “It’s just like the steps!” And the Kabbalists with “It’s just like Kabbalah!” So many get spiritually so fucked up in their head as if it were some imposing judgmental doctrine imposed on you while sitting in a Church or where ever. In reality is about what happens within oneself, our state of consciousness individually and collectively. In the spirituality I learn and practice, the imposing judgment I receive is from myself, not others. In fact I learn to not give a shit about other’s judgment — not always so easy. It is about working on my own consciousness and what the brings to my life. A New Earth, works a lot on the “now” and how to stay in it. How to create Presence. Recently a friend of mine who is reading it tells me he is struggling with this book. It is so much work from him to read it. He gets it theoretically but doesn’t know how to put it into practice expecting that he is going to have this magical awakening, and it isn’t happening. What he doesn’t realize is that this work is like going to the gym. You have to be at it consistently with a new awareness, and it doesn’t happen over night. There are successes, and then there are the learning experiences where we may not classically define as success. However it there is something to be learned or new awareness is created, is it a failure at the end of the day. Now, enough seriousness, back to cocksucking! Any other takers:) (Source: acidrefluxweb.com)

A saucer full of secrets

Nightmare Hall - Welcome to my nightmare — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:03:00 +0100

I don't know why the sheeple have this idea that there are no conspiracies, and that people who believe there are any are kooks.According to Webster's dictionary a conspiracy is a group of conspirators who plan a criminal act, or other form of wrong doing in secret.I was not very popular as a kid, the always bright polite little nerd. This assured my social death in school, growing up in a mostly blue collar mill town. There were three kinds of kids in out school, the more upscale popular crowd destined for the best colleges and social circles, the blue collar probably future labor class and the geeks. Neither the future elite nor the tough kids had any love for the kids who had all the right answers in class, were thinkers, members of the science, model plane and rocketry and ham radio clubs. In their eyes we were just sissified weirdos who deserved every bit of their wrath.I was also always very sensitive to lies and secret plots, and was the regular target of social ostracizing as were the few fellow geek friends I had,. The two groups would whisper and pass around, "ignore them, snub them make snide remarks, make them uncomfortable, drive them out of our school." The popular kids mostly ignored at best or laughed at and ridiculed us. The bullies got by with brute force, "you better help me cheat on the science test or me and my friends will kill your cat and burn your house down." The bullies would probably go on to be cops, criminals or politicians in adulthood.So was there a conspiracy as a kid...sure there was and being a geek I utilized CIA spying techniques (I should have been a spook) I built electronic bugs and long range listening devices, eavesdropping on the groups who gathered in tight whispering circles, plotting their next moves against the poofy nerds. A number of people jokingly said that I missed my calling and should have gotten a technology job with the CIA or other spook agency....well I never felt comfortable joining any club or group that you can never really leave.This brings me to the current time. The Internet is one of the greatest sources of information ever conceived, and there is a lot of wheat among all the chaff. Years before there was any Internet, I was researching spook stuff, gummint and corporate corruption and secret societies. The town library was one of my ore popular haunts.I was in high school when JFK was assassinated and knew instinctively that the Lone Gunman cover was a hoax. I was in the Navy when MLK and RFK were assassinated, also suspecting their assassins did not act alone.Lies and secrecy ran rampant in the Nixon administration, which in part brought it down. The media semi-worked back then. Ever since, each successive administration seems to get progressively more secretive and deceitful. It's reached the point since the Reagan years...how deep does the rabbit hole go.When a gummint or other body of power acts in total secrecy and the fact becomes obvious to those in the population who are awake, it's normal for some among us to speculate on what's going on. You can call it "conspiracy theory" of you wish, but due to the tireless research of a few people some truths have emerged, unfortunately in most cases long after all guilty parties have either dyed or left positions of power.I watch a lot of science documentaries besides those that focus on conspiracy and secret societies...I'm still a techno geek at heart. I still get blown away when I read about or watch films on emerging technologies that lived in the realm of science fiction when I was a boy. There was no Internet, but ham radio was a flourishing hobby for millions after WWII. I got my General Class ham radio license when I was 12 and was active rag chewing with other hams from around the world. The Citizens Band followed for those who were less technically inclined. With the arrival of personal computing the Internet was a natural outgrowth of all the electronic hobnobbing. The Net is the last public commons where people gather to share information.Enjoy the Internet while we have it as it exists today, but be careful comrade secret police are listening :-)A short list, yadda yadda, blah blah, of news and video linksCorporate ChristianityCorporatocracyIs God a NaziPopulation exterminationUnbrainwash yourselfDead Women Tell No Tales The D.C. Madam Cover-UpAre Black-Eyed Beings Walking Among UsDo you have a plan (Personal)Endless War Is the U.S. Trying to Set Whole World on FireIt's the Obscene Profits Stupid! Exxon's Enormous Gains from the U.S. Keep GrowingThings That Will Never HappenYouTube FAKE UFO ATTACK PLANYouTube New American Theology of Civil SubmissionYouTube Shift Happens NarratedYouTube teabowbraine's ChannelThe Ruthless Id Bill Hicks - 1 Revelations Bill Hicks - 2 Revelations Bill Hicks - 3 Revelations Bill Hicks - 4 Revelations Bill Hicks - 5 Revelations Bill Hicks - 6 Revelations Bill Hicks - 7 Revelations Bill Hicks - 8 Revelations (Source: Nightmare Hall - Welcome to my nightmare)

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The orphanage

Shawn's HIV Blog — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:54:29 +0100

The caterpillars seem to have disappeared- just dried up, run-over guts all over the driveway and carport remain... Kenneth's plan totally failed and he, like hemophilia, hepatitis and HIV, has to look up at the victorious, smug grin of one Shawn Decker. In fact, I'm toying with the idea of going to see The Cure in DC on Friday night, because I find it sad that a kid diagnosed with HIV in the 80's has never see The Cure live. But wait... this could be a trap. Maybe Robert Smith is in on this. He did work with Ashlee Simpson recently, so it's not a stretch to picture him scheming with Kenneth "The Caterpillar Man" Cole. Imagine my horror if Robert said. "Now, the next song goes out to Shawn; courtesy of Mr. Cole." The band launches into "Caterpillar Girl", and instead of balloons falling from the ceiling, it's thousands of caterpillars, dropping onto the unsuspecting heads of everyone in the Patriots Center. It's too risky. I have to stay inside until the AIDS Walk. Oh, one thing I did venture to do was watch a very cool movie, The Orphanage, last night, thanks to the urgings of Andy of Bella Morte. (He's an expert on spooky, and has his own horror book coming out next year.) The movie is a ghost story, beautifully shot with a storyline that is PF- Positoid Friendly. One of the main characters, a boy named "Simon", is HIV positive. A scene from The Orphanage... or the REAL reason why Shawn was kicked out of sixth grade? Definitely check it out if you're not afraid of getting spooked or reading subtitles. Positively Yours, Shawn The AIDS Walk NY is on Sunday, May 18. Click on the spooky boy to donate... Gwenn and I are so close to our goal of $2500... we're now at $1850. Donate or you will see this little guy every night before you go to sleep. In the NYC-area? Gwenn and I are hosting the 3rd Annual Team Supernack Fundraiser on Friday, May 16. John Oliver of the Daily Show will be there, you should be too! CLICK for TICKET info and LOCATION! (Source: Shawn's HIV Blog)

May 07/08 my body keeps changing my mind

acidrefluxweb.com — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:32:04 +0100

[cock pussy cunt snowballing fucking balls bottom top S&M piss virgin cumhole] I just thought if I put some keywords in to see if I get some interesting hits. I’m starting to wonder, “Who do I have to suck off around here to leave a comment?:)” What to report on to today? I’ve still yet to write my perverse daddy story for this Boston boy. That’s my homework. What kind if literary treat will I have in mind? I have to be inspired, I just haven’t been in the mood for KFC over the last 24 hours. I’m sure I can muster something up to make him happy. For the first time in my life, I’m happy that I’ve lost weight. After spending most of the first portion on my life desperately wanting to can weight it feels kind of weird. I’d have to say something all the time in hopes that I could head off any comment on how skinny I was. My normal weight at the time was 135 pounds at close to six feet. “If I could only gain 20 pounds I could do Karen Carpenter in drag.” “I can never go to Ethiopian restaurants because they call me waiter.” “I could never own a Greyhound because people wouldn’t know who to give the cookie to first.” “I’m the first Caucasian Care Package Poster Child.” When I went to speak at schools in the 80s and early 90s about HIV and living with it, I could read their faces, and they were saying: Of look at that poor guy. Look what it’s done to him. I wonder what he used to look like before he got “it.” He was probably about 190 pounds six months ago. The funny part is that I’d tell them that I knew that they were thinking that and laugh. I then proceeded to explain you can’t judge people by how they look. Today with the drugs, the weight just goes to that famously patted stomach of mine. The one former supreme court judges couldn’t resist about which I’ve obsessed for quite some time. My weight is 168 -169 and I am quite happy. I’d even be happy with 165. A weight that someone (muscle steroid-driven guy) I know, who if could be any more shallow would simply become a flat surface, proclaimed he’d kill himself if he ever weighed that amount again. Well bring out razor blades out because I rather be well toned and lean than have roid rage, aspire for something that is unattainable thus denying who I am with ever repetition of weights or steroids I take. It’s hard to believe I was once 200 pounds. Looks like I figured out what to write about today. (Source: acidrefluxweb.com)

A day of firsts

My journey with AIDS — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:25:27 +0100

This afternoon, in a Toronto hotel ballroom, the anthology containing two of my short stories, will be released at a wine and cheese party. I will not be there as I am in Montreal for another significant event - the inaugural presentation of Craig`s memorial award. It is a lovely day and Mom, Claude and [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS)

Farewell peter robson - you will be missed!

The Nata village blog — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:37:26 +0100

It was a sad day in Nata as we all had to say goodbye to Peter Robson. He has been living in Nata village for almost 16 years and for the most part was the only "white" guy in the village. He was born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and immigrated to Botswana due to the countries instability. For years he ran Robson Automotive and pulled endless tourists out of our salt pans when they ignored all warnings and drove on them anyway. Peter can fix anything. His workshop was legendary. He fixed fans, fridges, quad bikes, toasters, hair dryers, anything and everything...not to mention cars and trucks. He was a welcome site to many a tourist who broke down in our remote area. Peter was a great friend to the Nata Blog and let us use his land rover on a few occassions to distribute donations in the village. He also repaired Melody's bicycle for free for 3 years. He was well aware of the meager Peace Corps stipend! Repairs included at least 8 flat tires, a broken chain and brake problems. Thank you Peter!! He met his wife, Bernie, 13 years ago when she was a teacher at the Nata junior secondary school. Bernie came from Ireland and did a great job teaching the Nata youth until she moved to Sowa town and taught at the mine school. They have both left for Australia and Peter will continue his automotive work while Bernie will go back to teaching. We will all miss them. It's the end of an era! If there is a qualified auto mechanic out there....please come to Nata!!!! (Source: The Nata village blog)

Kaisernetwork: health care providers sue ca to prevent medi-cal payment reductions (865)

aids-write.org — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:37:57 +0100

Lawsuit Filed To Stop 10% Medicaid Provider Payment Rate Reduction in California [May 06, 2008] A number of groups that represent hospitals, physicians, dentists and other health care providers in California on Monday filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court to prevent a scheduled 10% reduction in reimbursements under Medi-Cal, the state Medicaid program, the Wall Street Journal reports. The state Legislature in February approved the $1.3 billion Medi-Cal reimbursement reduction, which would take effect on July 1, as part of a proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) to reduce funds for all state services by 10% in an effort to address an estimated $20 billion budget deficit for fiscal year 2009 (Rundle, Wall Street Journal, 5/6). Medi-Cal has about 6.7 million beneficiaries (Tayefe Mohajer, AP/San Jose Mercury News, 5/6). Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include the California Medical Association, the California Hospital Association and the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (Fernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/6). According to the lawsuit, the Medi-Cal reimbursement reduction would violate state and federal laws that require payments to remain adequate to ensure beneficiaries receive the same level of access to services as the general public. The state approved the Medi-Cal reimbursement reduction “solely due to state budgetary woes, without regard to the impact on the availability” of the program, according to the lawsuit (Lin, Sacramento Bee, 5/6). The lawsuit states that the Medi-Cal reimbursement reduction would prompt fewer physicians to accept beneficiaries as patients. “The exodus of providers from the program is leaving massive numbers of Californians without access to critical services or is forcing them to obtain care in the already overcrowded and increasingly scarce emergency departments of hospitals throughout the state,” according to the lawsuit. In addition, the Medi-Cal reimbursement reduction would force the closure of some health care facilities, such as hospitals and skilled nursing facilities in rural areas, and would affect pharmacies and adult day care centers, the lawsuit states (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/6). Comments Craig Cannizzo, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said state officials consider Medi-Cal a “pot of money they can steal from anytime things get tight” with the budget. According to Cannizzo, the plaintiffs will file declarations from individual patients, physicians and other providers who will testify about the current problems with Medi-Cal, as well as the potential effects of the reimbursement reduction. He said, “The situation has gotten worse, and an extremely small number of providers are providing virtually all care” (Wall Street Journal, 5/6). Lisa Paige, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger, said, “The governor fully understands the devastating impact of these cuts, which is why he continues to push for health care reform and structural budget reform,” adding, “Together, they will bring stability to Medi-Cal budgeting and ensure that the state never has to make such drastic cuts again” (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/6). (Source: aids-write.org)

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Icp 2.11 is now available (1)

2sides2ron — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:20:00 +0100

Dear Friends of the International Carnival of Pozitivities (ICP): It is a tremendous pleasure to announce the publication of edition 2.11 of the ICP at DropDeadHappy. Mark has done a beautiful job of tying together a number of new blog posts from the world of HIV/AIDS. I encourage you to bookmark this edition and visit it over time so that you can enjoy each of the contributions. Please leave feedback for the contributors and especially for the host for these selfless efforts to help us continue presenting the ICP. Next Edition: Your Help is Needed Please visit the ICP homepage to learn more about this project and how you can contribute. We are now accepting submissions for edition 2.12. There is not yet a host for this edition. If you would like to host or contribute your work, I would be delighted to work with you. Please send me an email if you would be willing to host the June edition or any future edition for that matter. To be Removed From or Added To the ICP mailing list: To be removed from the once-monthly ICP mailing list, please click here. To be added to the once-monthly ICP mailing list, please click here. If you did not receive notice of the ICP from me via direct email, then I do not have your email address in the mailing list. Please note that I can not remove an email address that does not exist on the mailing list. Your privacy is absolutely critical and no email addresses will be shared, sold or given to any other source. I use blind-copy distribution technology to prevent your identity from being revealed. Peace to you and yours. Safe Journeys! Ron Hudson 2sides2ronPoundcake LoveThe International Carnival of Pozitivities (ICP) (Source: 2sides2ron)

May 6/08 daddy dearest

acidrefluxweb.com — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:02:14 +0100

There are several markers I’ve learned of growing older. One is the response of “You look good!” when you state your age. I’m still not exactly sure when that started happening, or for when it ended for that matter! The other is getting contacted by younger men on the internet. At first I wanted nothing to to with someone who was in their 20s. “Too much training!” I’d say while puffing on an imaginary cigarette to friends. However there has this daddy thing starting to rear its head. The first time in a role play scenario was when I was over at the guys place with a friend over (the one that ended smoking crystal in front of me and I had to say bu-bye). “Ya, I want some of that daddy cock….” and so on and so forth. I just went with the flow, until the drugs came out. I recently went on this site (here’s another one for you Butchie — Daddyhunt.com) thinking, you know maybe meeting someone close to my age or old is the way to go. But what I ended up getting was younger guys messaging me. I began chatting with this 21-year-old. This is what happens when I start back up on Andro Gel, the testosterone gel. After a couple messages I wrote out this long message of what I’d do to a boy like him. At the end I gave him homework to write me an email about his first daddy fantasy, and some more photos. He complied. Sitting there with a raging hard on, I read this email not knowing if I was bordering on perversion or the thought of corrupting the appearance of innocence was becoming a new territory for me. Anyway, if you’re going to shave your head (I have taken a number one to my head with a very small mohawky thing, I call it a bohawk (baby mohawk - it’s not faux, those I call Fawks) and be in my 40s. (Source: acidrefluxweb.com)

Table of contents for aids-write.org on tuesday, may 6, 2008, los angeles & west hollywood, ca

aids-write.org — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:16:06 +0100

AHF’s immodest proposal: redirect $9.2 million from CHRP/UARP to CA ADAP & TMP funding for HIVers (864) When faced with a choice between funding a monetarily inconsequential research program or providing drugs and drug monitoring, there can be no choice but to fund treatment. Research can be funded through other UC resources but there are no other resources to buy drugs for the population ADAP serves. josh, wintering in waterloo: safe injection site in vancouver successful stopping spread of HIV/AIDS (863) lin, sacbee: ca broke in august? (862) waxman at 4-22 oversight meeting: “the government’s own study showed no effect for abstinence - only programs” (861) blank physician’s statement regarding medical cannabis (as per California Health & Safety Code 1136259 (860) paige grey, a crystal globe: AIDS blogging internationally (859) lindsey tanner, san jose mercury news: picking who should “forgo life-sustaining interventions” in a plague (858) kearns at AIDS-write interviewed in “eclectic medicine” documentary on medical cannabis @ usc social work film fest 5-8 (859) USC SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK FILM FESTIVAL 2008 MEDIA IN SOCIAL WORK (SOWK 687) STUDENT DOCUMENTARIES “THE OTHER AMERICA: “Humanizing the Vulnerable Through Documentary Filmmaking” Thursday, May 8, 2008 @ 6:30pm SEELEY G. MUDD BUILDING (SGM-123) ECLECTIC MEDICINE GINA MURDOCK AND MIA HUMPHREYS FILM THE FIGHT FOR SAFE ACCESS TO MEDICAL CANNABIS IN LOS ANGELES CHAMP announces HIV/AIDS national prevention justice alliance kickoff teleconference 5-6 (858) Alexandra Juhasz speaks on AIDS & censorship at fowler 5-18 (857) May 18, 2008, 2 pm Fowler OutSpoken Lecture: Video Remains/Video Changes: 20 Years of AIDS Activist Video In the earliest days of the epidemic, people affected by AIDS took up camcorders to self-represent in the face of glaring mis- and under-representation, producing an unprecedented variety of activist video documenting the art, theory, science, politics, humor and daily experiences of AIDS. This highly celebrated work from the first decade of the crisis holds the charge, anger, community and power of its time, as well as the faces, words and actions of the many who died (and the few who lived). As people died or despaired, this (video) movement quieted and AIDS became a chronic illness or the tragedy of another region. Alexandra Juhasz, professor of media studies at Pitzer College, will outline the history of AIDS activist video, showing clips and considering what we might learn about AIDS now from the video remains of the past. table of contents at aids-write.org for wednesday, april 30, 2008, los angeles & west hollywood, ca table of contents at aids-write.org for friday, april 11, 2008, los angeles & west hollywood table of contents at aids-write.org for monday, march 24, los angeles & west hollywood, ca table of contents at aids-write.org for monday, march 17, 2008, los angeles & west hollywood, ca table of contents at aids-write.org for monday, march 10, 2008, los angeles & west hollywood, ca table of contents at aids-write.org for wednesday, february 27, 2008, los angeles & west hollywood, ca table of contents at aids-write.org for wednesday, february 6, 2008, los angeles & west hollywood, ca table of contents at aids-write.org for thursday, january 24, 2008, los angeles & west hollywood, ca . . ———– This work is licensed under a creative commons attribution — non-commercial 2.5 license. citation: “copyright © 2007 by richard kearns at aids-write.org” Enter your Email Powered by feedblitz (Source: aids-write.org)

Ahf’s immodest proposal: redirect $9.2 million from chrp/uarp to ca adap & tmp funding for hivers (864)

aids-write.org — Tue, 06 May 2008 15:42:51 +0100

chers— the text below comes from a presentation packet distributed by AHF (AIDS healthcare foundation) to CA senate and assembly budgeting subcommittees in sacramento at the beginning of april. it calls for redirection of $9.2million originally earmarked for CHRP (california HIV research program, formerly UARP, the universitywide AIDS research program) to shore up the life-saving ADAP (AIDS drug assistance program) and TCM (therapeutic monitoring program) funds in the proposed CA FY2008-09 budget. CHRP funding was untouched by governor schwarzenegger’s 10 percent “across the board” budget cuts (just what does “across the board mean,” then?). i was initially attracted to the idea because it shakes things up in terms of funding priorities — one of the advantages of badboyism. however, other activists in sacramento advised me it is not considered a serious proposal. they said it is more evidence of a longstanding feud between AHF and CHRP/UARP. Nor did the AHF representative speak about the proposal during the subcommittee hearings, although i’m sure it was discussed in one-on-one conferences. it’s a proposal that needs to be on the table and needs discussion. it cuts to the heart of a lot of significant issues about research and treatment brewing at the moment. i anticipate writing posts about it, but thought it would be good to have the text available separately. AHF also proposed negotiating with big pharma to get price reductions on meds similar to what has been accomplished in the veterans’ adminisration. will post those figures separately. the document is printed on gcg rose & kindel letterhead, which reads as follows: [top] gcg rose&kindel STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS FINANCIAL – CORPORATE – PUBLIC AFFAIRS [bottom] 915 L Street, Suite 1210, Sacramento, CA 95814 Tel (916) 441-1034 Fax (916) 444-9632 www.rosekindel.com NEW YORK CHICAGO LOS ANGELES SACRAMENTO LONDON MADRID TEL AVIV AIDS Healthcare Foundation FY 2008-09 Budget AIDS Treatment or Research? No matter what agreement is reached by the various parties, there will invariably be some cuts to state programs in the 08-09 budget. Among those cuts are proposed an $11.3 million aggregate reduction in state AIDS funding, with the bulk of cuts falling on two essential care and treatment programs: • ADAP — AIDS Drug Assistance Program which dispenses life-saving drugs to low-inome Californians <7.5 million> • TMP — Therapeutic Monitoring Program which provides testing for low-income Californians to ensure the drugs are working <4.3 million> At the same time, the proposed budget fully funds the California HIV Research Program (CHRP) at 9.2 million. This program, which is housed at the university of california, was created in the mid-1980s when no entity on the state or federal level was funding any AIDS research. Since that time, state and federal research dollars on AIDS have blossomed many times over, leaving CHRP as a tiny research fund that is dwarfed by UC’s research budget. When faced with a choice between funding a monetarily inconsequential research program or providing drugs and drug monitoring, there can be no choice but to fund treatment. Research can be funded through other UC resources but there are no other resources to buy drugs for the population ADAP serves. The solution is to redirect the $9.2 million appropriated for CHRP to the office of AIDS for purposes of backfilling the ADAP and TMP programs. These funds should not be captured for General Fund purposes because in calculating the entire AIDS budget across all departments, AIDS funding would still make its fair share contribution to the General Fund deficit. This redirection would also help defuse any concern about the state’s ability to reach its manitenance of effort obligations under federal Ryan White AIDS funding. (Source: aids-write.org)