Pic(s) Of The Day - 12.01.15 - World AIDS Day

Legacy Community Health-Montrose hosted a community-wide World AIDS Day Candlelight Observance. Several people spoke and names were read of the deceased. Opening and closing the event were cast members of RENT from Theatre Under The Stars' Humphreys School of Musical Theatre.

Pic(s) Of The Day - 11.30.15 - On The Radio

Someone found a letter you wrote me on the radio. Sorry. I digress.

So...Monday evening found me back at KPFT. The topic of discussion for me was World AIDS Day. After my portion of the interview with Bryan and Jennifer, it was turned over to Amy and Venita to talk about current treatment and prevention efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Pic(s) Of The Day - 12.01.14 - World AIDS Day

Legacy Community Health Services co-sponsored the candlelight vigil this year.  It took place at the Montrose location.  Montrose Center and City of Houston co-sponsored the event.

For the second year in a row, I led the effort to have the building bathed in red ribbons.  Our neighbor, El Real, acknowledged the day with a message on their marquee.

World AIDS Day-2014

I can't let today go by without recognizing today as being World AIDS Day.  It is a day that brings attention to the fact that the disease is still with us and hopefully one day we will be at zero infections.

Tonight Legacy Community Health Services hosted Houston's World AIDS Day candlelight vigil.  It was co-sponsored by the City of Houston and Montrose Center.

Once again, we lit our Montrose building with a sea of red ribbons. And, our neighbor El Real Tex-Mex acknowledged the day on their marquee.

Today always takes me back to people I know who have died from AIDS.  This gives you some background.

World AIDS Day 2013

Legacy Community Health Services-Montrose World AIDS Day 2013

Today is World AIDS Day. A global day to bring awareness about a disease that affects children, women and men.

When people were first infected with HIV in the early '80s, Montrose Clinic (now Legacy Community Health Services) went from being an STD clinic for gay men to one of the first responders to the pandemic in Houston. Legacy went from teaching people how to die from HIV/AIDS to teaching people how to live with HIV/AIDS. Treatments have changed over the years and people are living longer. The face of HIV/AIDS has changed. It went from being a gay man's disease to a disease that affects everyone but one thing hasn't changed: the stigma attached to being HIV+

I was getting ready to head over to a holiday party and visit with friends but before I headed out for the day, I did want to take a moment and acknowledge this day. You might say that the above photo says it all but it is too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday weekend and forget about today.

The photo above was taken last night after I arrived back in town. Katy Caldwell, (Executive Director at Legacy) Gary Archer (from Bright Star Productions) and I had been trying to think of a way to illuminate Legacy's Montrose location for World AIDS Day. Katy suggested a red ribbon. I suggested a string of red ribbons on the white tile. And well then, we left it up to Gary.

from Gary:
I thought it should be multiple ribbons all the way across, some larger, some smaller, different shades of reds, bold, shadows, etc. I visualized this as each of us standing side by side honoring those friends &family who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. That’s my take on this…my concept. On a personal level, I see many friends up there and therefore, I see myself.

So folks there is the story behind the building being lit. And there is also an obscure part of the story that not many people know about.

Back in 1997, I became involved in a committee to raise awareness for World AIDS Day and Illumination Project. Jane Weiner was in charge of the project and I had never met her. I was warned not to drink her Kool-Aid but I did. In one of the meetings, Jane wanted to know why a building or buildings in Houston weren't decorated with the red ribbon. Well, six years later we have one building lit; maybe more will follow.

I hope that you will take a minute to remember everyone who has died from HIV/AIDS, everyone living with HIV/AIDS and everyone who is helping fight the battle. You don't have to light up a building but you can light up your heart.

POSTSCRIPT:

For more photos, visit Legacy's Facebook page.

To read CultureMap's story, click here.

World AIDS Day

As a reminder, today is World AIDS Day. Please take a moment to remember those who have died of AIDS, who are living with HIV/AIDS and those who work to fight the disease and to raise awareness.

If you are in the Houston area, you can tested for free at Legacy Community Health Services. Also this evening, there will be a Candlelight Observance at Tranquility Park in Downtown Houston. It will begin at 530P and end at 700P. For more information, visit World AIDS Day Houston and click on the Events tab.

Dec. 1: World AIDS Day 2009

Next Tuesday, December 1, will mark the 21st Anniversary of World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day is important because it reminds people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

December 1 is a day to increase awareness, fight prejudice, and improve education about HIV/AIDS. Events will be occurring around the nation. Locally there will be events on December 1 and on the days following World AIDS Day. For a listing of some of the events in Houston, visit World AIDS Day Houston.

There are two things happening that day that I would like to bring to your attention. The first is the Candelight Vigil that will occur in downtown Houston at Tranquility Park. This will begin at 5:30p.m. The agenda for the event can be found on the World AIDS Day Houston website under the events tab.

The second event is the free HIV testing that will occur at Legacy Community Health Services. Tests will take place at the location on Westheimer and the location on Lyons. If you haven't been tested in awhile, Tuesday would be a great day to do so. You owe it to yourself.

Lastly, I encourage you to wear a red ribbon on December 1. The ribbon is a symbol of our solidarity in the fight against HIV/AIDS and is also reminder of those who passed away.

If you want to know why World AIDS Day means so much me, read this post from 2007. I think it explains it all.

Brother can you spare a dime?

OK. So.

Last Thursday night before I went to bed, I SWORE I was going to sign up for AIDS Walk Houston. Money donated goes to a good cause and I had been a slacker in trying to request donations. With the current economic conditions, I decided to set an achievable goal and to give people an incentive to donate (a set of handpainted cards by me!).

In less than 24 hours, I reached my goal so I raised it to $700.

THEN, I met that goal. People really amaze me.

I am not raising the goal to $1,000 but just in case you're wondering, I am $80.00 short of $1,000. And to think I was only trying to raise $200.

I know that times are tough and some people can't donate and trust me, I completely understand. Be there in spirit with the thousands of walkers who will take to the streets of Houston on Sunday, March 15.

If you can spare $20, how about pushing me to $1,000? Remember, for every $20 donated I will give you a set of 5 cards that I have made. For more information, click here.

World AIDS Day

Monday was World AIDS Day. It was the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day/Houston decided to make it a week long observance. One of the events was a candlelight vigil that was held on Monday evening in Tranquility Park in downtown Houston.

The City of Houston Health Department coordinated the event in conjunction with Montrose Counseling Center. Mayor Bill White and other city officials spoke at the event. The Gay Mens Chorus of Houston sang. Two of the speakers were the face of AIDS. One person was a female who was infected by her husband. Through the years she has had some issues to reconcile. The thing that struck me most about her was her attitude. She said that she doesn't live with HIV; HIV lives with her.

Another speaker was a male who by all counts should be dead. Because of the intervention of someone, he is alive today. It was through the care of the staff at Legacy that he is able to stand in front of people and tell his story.

It was a chilly evening in Houston and Monday night events are always difficult to draw a crowd. It was a good turnout but I wish there had been more people.

The week ended last night at Zilkha Hall/Hobby Center. Illuminations Project was an evening of performers using their talents to bring awareness to AIDS. The line up was as diverse as Houston.

Planet Funk, Hope Stone, The Houston Ballet, Sara Sjolander, ShyAnne, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Flyboys of Flag Troupe Houston were just a few of the performers.

The Gill Family did a montage of songs from You're A Good Man Charlie Brown. It took me a moment to figure out what was going on and then I realized that they were all playing a character from the show. However, the person who have played Snoopy had passed away and they were doing the songs in his honor.

That performance brought tears to my eyes. You see...

When I was a senior in high school, our Spring musical was You're A Good Man Charlie Brown. It is a very small cast and because of all of the rehearsals we became very close. I haven't kept up with the other cast members but I could relate to the emptiness that the performers were relaying in their production.

ShyAnne did a song that I will never be able to listen to again without thinking of last night. ShyAnne performed Hurt by Christina Aguilera (click here to view Hurt). There were two male dancers from The Houston Metropolitan Dance Company who performed while she sang. One of them was wearing a shirt that a very big red ribbon on it. That dance number changed the whole context of the song for me and now when I listen to it I will always think of last night.

It reminds me of something that happened back in 1992.

There was a dedication of panels for The AIDS Memorial Quilt. The dedication took place on the lawn of Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Someone sang The Dance by Garth Brooks and it forever changed the meaning of the song for me. I remember someone was in the crowd and start to cry out loud and sob. That was sixteen years ago and in my mind it is almost like it happened yesterday.



So today I've sort of been in one of those moods of missing people.

On a brighter note, Legacy received Illuminations Project Award for its service and commitment to fighting AIDS. Congratulations to the staff for the recognition.

World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day. Last year I had several posts about people I have known who have died of AIDS.

World AIDS Day was started in 1988. Here it is 2008 and there isn't a cure. There is a whole generation of people who have died. There is a whole generation of people who don't know what it's like to have a friend die from AIDS.

The World AIDS Day Houston committee has gathered information about events happening not only today but throughout the week. Our goal was to educate people and to create awareness. Please take a moment to visit the website. Hopefully you will be able to attend an event. At a minimum, take a remember to those who have died.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 15.1

Project Runway
Last night's challenge was to create a design for drag queen. Some of the contestants did a wonderful job and went over the top and a few fell flat on their face.

Surprisingly, Str8 Joe won the challenge! He had some strong competition from Terri and Korto. And I must ask, "Why didn't one of the fags end up in the top three?" Instead they were the bottom (three) and Blayne should have been with them. Just sayin'.

Once again, there were some funny lines last night. This one was actually a compliment. It's not verbatim and I can't remember who said it: "It looks like the love child from Mahogany and Gene Simmons."

The other one (not verbatim) that made me cackle was a comment that RuPaul said to Keith, "And the dingo ate your baby. All I'm hearing is excuses."

For a recap (because I can't compete with these two and wouldn't even DARE to try), check in with LoneStar Steve and David Dust.

Olympic Fever

There are just too many events to cover and too many accolades to give. However, I would like to blame Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh for making me get to bed late last night. You see...

I have ALWAYS loved volleyball. I've had my moments on the court but I actually like watching it more than I enjoy playing it. Whether it's men's volleyball or women's volleyball, indoor or beach, I *heart* volleyball.

So last night after America's Greatest Dog, Project Runway and Shear Genius I flipped channels over to the Olympics only to realize that it was the gold medal match for Women's Beach Volleyball and it was live! It was also pouring down rain in Beijing but the game was going to happen one way or the other.

It was EXCITING! Misty May-Treanor & Kerri Walsh defended their gold medal from 2004 Athens and racked up consecutive win #108. You geaux girls!

By the time it was over, my adrenaline was pumping. The Calvinator went to bed without me and even came back to the living room to see if I was ready to go to bed. I couldn't sleep I was so excited.

Weird Things
Do you ever catch yourself doing something weird?

I've noticed that recently I've been pinching my waist to see if I have a muffin top. I notice it when I'm at the gym, running or at the grocery store. I'm sure I do it others time during the day. Weird isn't it?

Have You Ever...
seen a nice butt and want to walk up and grab it? Just askin'.

Rain
OK. So we go from near drought levels to having the wettest month of the year and the month isn't over yet. I know I shouldn't complain but it is causing me to have to run on the treadmill and I hate running on a treadmill. So to add to my misery I do inclines and I hate running inclines!

With all of this rain, don't worry, I haven't left my cake out because I'll never have that recipe again.

World AIDS Day Houston 2008 (Dec. 1)
Plans are underway for a week long commemoration of World AIDS Day. As soon as we get definite details for the events, we will have them posted on the website.

I'm really impressed with the cooperation and involvement of so many people. It's a good group of people working for a good cause.

1111111111

OK bois and gurls, that's about it for today. Tomorrow I'll give you details about Ivana Trump coming to Houston for a Legacy event.

Catching Up

I know I've been a bit quiet lately. I really was disappointed that I didn't get the job that I really wanted. I guess it was best to find out early in the week rather wait and wait and wait and then find out later in the week. Disappointment is never fun.

So here are some snippets of what has been going on.

• A group of us met on Tuesday to start planning for World AIDS Day Houston 2008. We are still trying to figure out what it will consist of but there will be events on and around December 1.
  
  
• I'm not getting much sleep again. I was up at 4:30 a.m. today. I'm averaging about 5 to 6 hours of sleep each night and I've gone back to not eating much. Good news is that I'm getting back into clothes from 2002. This is also partially due to the fact that since I can't sleep, I get up and go run or workout and/or both.
  
  
• Friday night was a full evening. Montrose Counseling Center had an Open House and the dedication of rooms. People who supported the capital campaign and donated at designated levels have had rooms named after them. Kenny In Montrose (KIM) has a room named after him. We got a peek and I noticed a few things were missing. For instance, no bar, no vodka and no Elaine.
  
  
• Later on Friday night Gray Squirrel Micheal (yes, that is spelled correctly) celebrated his 40th birthday with over 100 of his closest friends. It was a fun evening full of chatter, gossip, cocktails and laughter. Plus it was a pretty crowd. Today is actually Micheal's birthday so a shout out to Micheal and welcome to The 40s. You're in good company.
  
  
• Saturday I didn't run because I was suffering from vodka remorse. Once I was finished being remorseful I made my way to St. Anne's for a class. On the 4th Sunday of the month I will be helping during the 5:00 p.m. Mass in the distribution of the Eucharist. I thought I had signed up to be a substitute but I am part of a permanent team. It was amazing what all came back to me from being an altar boy for so many years. My biggest fear is falling down the steps (which I did when I was an altar boy). Guess I'll be wearing rubber soled shoes on the 4th Sunday of each month. No leather soled Cole Haans for me!
  
  
• Saturday afternoon was the perfect afternoon for being out by a pool so I took my quasi-happy ass to a Summer Solstice Party that was being thrown by Bill and David. This was not an S&M Pool Party...you know, Stand 'n Model...this was a get in the pool party so I did. Once again, good chatter gossip, cocktails and pretty people.
  
  
• Saturday evening was a concert performed by Bayou City Performing Arts. It was a nice evening. I ended up going by myself which was OK because at one of their concerts I know I will always run into folks that I know...and I did.
  
  
• Sunday I woke up early and decided that I needed to go run...so I did. Then as punishment for not running on Saturday, I went to they gym and did an extended workout on the Stairmaster. OMG! I obviously picked the wrong settings because I was beat and covered in sweat when it was all said and done...or was all that sweat from the alcohol consumed on Friday AND Saturday? I'm just asking.
  
  
• Sunday afternoon Krewe of Olympus had a Rush Party. Ginger Grant hosted the Krewe at her adobe and fixed a wonderful brisket. I worked the bar (as a bartender) for a bit. It was a nice afternoon. While I was at the party, I found out that one of the costumes I will be wearing in February '09 will probably require me to lose about 50 pounds of fat and put on 25 pounds of muscle. GEEZ! LOL

During the weekend I found out that three couples I know have visited Splitsville. It really has me bothered. I guess it just goes to prove that what you see on the surface is just that...what you see on the surface.

At the same time, I found out that two couples I know are going to be wed in California. One couple will be married today and the other in September. I guess hope springs eternal.

A couple of other things are really bothering and I won't go into much detail. One is the guy who has not been formally charged with murdering his two children. Their burned bodies were found the other day.

The other thing that is bothering me is about a guy who literally ran his dog to death at Memorial Park and left it there. It happened a few weeks ago and I was finally able to put all of the pieces together.

Not to be judgemental but I think there is a special place in Hell for people who don't protect children and animals. And as always, I have a song. It was recorded by The Carpenters when I was a young kid and it is titled, Bless The Beasts & The Children.

So that's about it for now. Calvin is fine and is getting in some long walks. And I need to scoot.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 13.1

World AIDS Day Houston 2008

The first meeting to start making plans for World AIDS Day Houston 2008 will take place tomorrow (June 17). The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at Montrose Counseling Center (401 Branard Street, Houston, TX 77006). If you are interested in helping make plans for December 1, please attend or get in touch with me. Bring your ideas and suggestions

Tony Awards

OMG! Patti LuPone (La LuPone as I like to call her) cracks me up! I am so glad that she won for her role as Mama Rose. The reviews that I have read say that she knocks the socks off of you. Her intensity last night in Everything's Coming Up Roses made me ooze just thinking about what she must do with Rose's Turn.

photo: Jeff Christensen AP

What had me laughing though was when she wouldn't shut up! LOL Sort of like Elaine Stritch a few years ago. La LuPone said that she had waited all of these years to finish thanking people. You see...

Her only other Tony (hard to believe she only won one other time) was for Evita in 1980.

It was great to see the original cast from RENT. I need to do some research but I'm sure all of them were in the show when I first saw it on Broadway. Watching them perform put a lump in my throat. The enthusiasm of Laura Benanti for her winning an award for her role in Gypsy also put a lump in my throat. I just love live television!

photo: Jeff Christensen AP

Speaking of live television...Did anyone else see the stagehand run out and pick up Stew's microphone? You see...

At the beginning of the performance for Passing Strange, Stew was jumping up and down. He isn't light on his feet and the vibration made the microphone fall off of the stand. I wondered if Stew was going to pick it up but instead a stagehand ran out and put it back on the stand.

And I really liked the comic relief that Whoopi brought to the awards. I think she needs to be put on the rotation for hosting the show. They haven't had a real host since Hugh Jackman.

photo: Jeff Christensen AP

It was fun watching the show and emailing and texting Running My Mass Off. We had comments on everything!

OK...last night in the production number for Xanadu, Cheyenne Jackson was wearing Daisy Dukes and not knee length cut-offs. Running My Mass Off took notice of his legs. I thought I had nice legs until I saw him. Guess I'll start wearing Clam Diggers.

And just for laughs, they rolled out Liza. Poor thing. Seriously though, I'm glad she was able to walk out on her own.

photo: Jeff Christensen AP

For a list of all of the winners, click here.

Conversation
This is how my day started at 5:45 a.m.

Me: Hold on. I need to tighten up my shorts. They're falling.

Running buddy: How old are they? They look new.

Me: I bought them after Tropical Storm Allison. Jerry at RunSport had placed an order for a track team and part of the shipment got damaged so he had them on sale.

Running buddy: So the elastic is all stretched out.

Me: You could have said, 'You've lost some weight, guess that's why they're loose.'

Running buddy: LOL

Me: Thanx

AIDS Walk Houston 2008

On Sunday March 9, 2008 several thousand people will gather downtown for AIDS Walk Houston. It is a 5K (3.1 miles) course.


Even though progress has been made since HIV/AIDS first came onto the landscape, a cure still has not been discovered. Houstonians continue to contract HIV at an alarming rate. HIV doesn't know the boundaries of sexual orientation, gender or ethnicity.


Money raised from the walk will be used for education and prevention programs, pediatric care, housing, food, and medical care.

Readers of this blog will remember that I was involved with World AIDS Day Houston 2007. In a previous post I did a memorial to friends. In another post I gave my reasons for being involved with World AIDS Day Houston 2007. And in another post I gave some statistics about HIV/AIDS.

I hope that you will read some of my previous posts on this blog and then consider making a contribution to the walk. Anything that you can contribute will be greatly appreciated and go to a good cause.

You can click here to the walk's website.

AIDS Walk Houston 2008

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 7.0

I've been working on something since yesterday. I'm not finished. My fingers and shoulders are tired and I decided to stop. It will f___g be there in the morning and no matter what I do tonight it won't be finished tonight so I stopped. And it is almost time for Project Runway.

Need to catch you up on a few things.

Montrose Counseling Center & Dalton DeHart

Tomorrow night Montrose Counseling Center is honoring Dalton DeHart. It is a kick-off for their building fund.

I probably met Dalton in 1994 when I joined Executive & Professional Association of Houston (EPAH). As long as I have known Dalton he has had a camera around his neck. :-) Dalton has documented many parties and events throughout the years.

Dalton has many photographs of me with a cocktail in my hand. In fact, one time he took my picture at a press conference and I didn't have a cocktail in my hand. He said I broke his camera because of the missing cocktail. LOL

Dalton also has many photographs of me with big hair. He has also documented my weight gains and weight losses. I'll always stay on Dalton's good side because I'm afraid he might have some photos worthy of blackmail.

In addition to being a photographer, Dalton has been involved in many community organizations.

I'll be stopping by and hope to see you there!

Illumination Project

I just remembered that I haven't done a recap of the performance on Saturday night. I need to find the program to refresh my memory. Look for it soon.

Running & Weights

I met up with runnerOne yesterday morning at 545A. It was a bit on the frigid side. It was 36 degrees Fahrenheit. It was so cold (HOW COLD WAS IT?) that even the guys who run shirtless were a bit bundled up. We had a good 3 mile run. Did a negative split.

I got a 3 mile run in today. And get this. Yesterday I even went to LeFittes.

Parallel Lives

No. Not Parallel Lines by Blondie.

Running My Mass Off has commented that we have parallel lives. That got me to thinking. Seems like there is someone else that has paralleled my life. I realized yesterday morning that runnerOne and I have parallel lives almost to the point of it being freaky.

Word Of The Day

Hoodwinked

tim mARTinez CARDS

http://timartinezcards.blogspot.com

Recuerdo

Today is World AIDS Day. A day to remind people that the HIV virus and AIDS is still with us. A day to remind people to get tested. A day to remind people to be careful. A day to remind people to get involved in the fight. A day to remember.

I went to a small Catholic school in Ft. Worth. I attended there for grades 1 - 8. Pretty much everyone I started with in the 1st grade I graduated with in the 8th grade. There were some people who didn't stay the entire 8 years and some who joined us after the 1st grade. So you see, it was a very tight knit group of classmates for 8 years.

Derek started the 1st grade with me. I think he may have left the school after the 6th or 7th grade. I know he wasn't with us in the 8th grade. I lost contact with Derek but I knew that he still lived in the school's neighborhood. My parents knew his parents. Some of my friends were his cousins. I always knew Derek was around.

Derek died of AIDS at a very early age. I can't remember the year that he died but I doubt that he lived to see the age of 30. Derek was the first person I knew of to be HIV+ and to die of AIDS

Two years ahead of me was a guy named David. Like Derek, David was a really nice guy. David died of AIDS in his early 30s.

I remember sitting at my parents' dinner table and my sister was talking about David's funeral. They were classmates. My mother made the comment that it didn't matter to her about a person's lifestyle, no one deserved to die at such a young age and she couldn't imagine having to bury one of her children. Children should outlive their parents.

Not too many years after David's death, HIV/AIDS would claim another friend of the family. My brother had a friend named Troy. Troy was a ball of energy and lived life to it's fullest. When Troy started suffering from complications of AIDS my brother was there by his side to help in anyway that he could.

I'm not sure but I think Troy died at the age of 30, if not younger. If I remember correctly, my brother helped Troy plan his funeral. I do remember that one of the songs that Troy wanted sung at his graveside is a Tejano song by Ruben Ramos (or maybe Alfonso Ramos). The English translation says something like, "Don't bring your tears and your flowers to my funeral. Bring your laughter and your memories." Troy's request was honored at his graveside.

Then there was Andy. OMG. Why I didn't meet him sooner in my life I don't know?! LOL Andy is another one who lived life to its fullest.

Andy was a good friend of my good friend Lyndon. I always heard about Andy but never met him until JazzFest in New Orleans and then the circumstances of the meeting were a bit odd. This was in April of 1994.

I flew in from Lubbock to New Orleans on a Friday. Lyndon was supposed to meet me and then we were going to an apartment in the French Quarter where Andy and his friend Bob were already staying.

Lyndon had a family emergency and couldn't make it. I show up in New Orleans with a week's worth of luggage and I have never met Andy or Bob.

When I get to the apartment on Royal Street, I see a guy leaning against a lampost staring at me with all of my luggage. He walks up to me and says, "You must be Tim. I heard about you and your luggage." My options were: a) make friends real fast with Andy and Bob; b) call friends in NOLA and find out if I could stay with them; c) go back to Houston.

Andy, Bob and I chose option A. It was one of the most fun weekends I have ever had in NOLA. For example, I remember Andy and I were at Parade upstairs at The Pub and I decided around 200A that we needed to have an underwear party. So I convinced him that he and I needed to strip down to our boxer briefs and we got everyone else to join us. We danced the morning away.

Andy is on the left. I ran into Shelly at Jazzfest. Had not seen her in a few years. That's me with hair. And Bob is on the right. Sorry for the quality but I was afraid to take this out of the frame and have the whole thing fall apart.

Even though Andy lived in Atlanta I kept in touch with him and kept promising that I was coming to the ATL for a visit. I almost waited too late.

In an odd way, I found out in September of 1995 that Andy was fighting AIDS. I decided I was going to the ATL. As it turned out, he planned a weekend at a HUGE cabin up in the mountains near the Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee borders. There were about 8 of us. The only person I knew was Andy.

It was a fun weekend. For instance, before we left we each had to model women's once piece bathing suits and NO I'm not posting those pics. :-)

The extended weekend gave me the chance to talk with Andy face-to-face and as it turns out, that was the last time I saw him. He died in 1996. I believe he was 37 at the time.

To this day, I think I see him every now and then. I remember one day I was driving up San Jacinto from the Medical Center and I looked in the rearview mirror. Behind me was a guy who looked like Andy and was driving a BMW convertible like Andy's and was playing with his hair like Andy. I looked again in the rearview mirror and he was gone.

There have been other people in my life who have battled HIV and have lost. I have friends who are living productive lives with the virus but I know it hasn 't been easy. So now you know some of the other reasons I've been involved with World AIDS Day Houston.

And he was the first friend I lost to AIDS. There have since been others, and there will be more. But there is a large bookmark at the place in my life where he died. It marks one place where I grew up, where I was shaken from the occasional conceit that maybe this is all not real, where I was rudely reminded how harsh life can be. -Dale Carpenter

World AIDS Day - Dec. 1

www.worldaidsdayhouston.org

More Young Americans Are Contracting HIV

By E.J. Mundell, HealthDay Reporter - Fri Nov 30, 8:45 PM PST

FRIDAY, Nov. 30 (HealthDay News) -- In the 26 years since scientists first spotted AIDS in America, millions of dollars have been poured into outreach efforts aimed at keeping young people clear of HIV, the virus that causes the disease.

But on the eve of World AIDS Day, a disturbing statistical fact has emerged in this country: The number of newly infected teens and young adults is suddenly on the rise.

And the question is, why?

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2001 to 2005 (the latest years available), the number of new cases of HIV infection diagnosed among 15-to-19-year-olds in the United States rose from 1,010 in 2001, held steady for the next three years, then jumped 20 percent in 2005, to 1,213 cases.

For young people aged 20 to 24, cases of new infection have climbed steadily, from 3,184 in 2001 to 3,876 in 2005.

Experts say a number of factors may be at play, including the fact that many HIV-infected patients are now being kept healthy with powerful drugs -- making AIDS seem like less of a threat to young people than it did in the past.

"Certainly the 'scare factor' isn't there anymore," said Rowena Johnston, vice president of research at the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) in New York City.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, the ravages of AIDS were apparent to most Americans -- either on their TV screens as high-profile celebrities succumbed to the disease, or as individuals lost friends or family members to HIV.

"To see people looking gaunt, skinny and skeletal, and to know that they were going to be dead soon," Johnston said. "It had a sobering effect."

The advent of antiretroviral drugs in the mid-1990s changed all that, however. "These days, for the most part, you can look at a person and not know that they even have AIDS," Johnston said.

That's making HIV seem like less of a threat to young people, said Martha Chono-Helsley. She's executive director of REACH LA, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that helps disadvantaged youth understand and defend against threats like poverty, drug abuse and HIV.

"They're in this age group that feels they are invincible -- that it's never going to happen to them," she said. "Yes, they're getting all these messages from public schools on HIV and AIDS, but they've never actually seen what HIV has done, up close and personal."

Chris Blades, one of REACH LA's young, black "peer educators," said he's seen a kind of nonchalance towards HIV among the gay or bisexual men of color that he counsels. "On a daily basis, they don't see their friends suffering from it, so it's not a major threat to them," said Blades, 21. "They're in that whole mindset of 'Oh, it can't happen to me, it will never happen to me.'"

But there has been a recent, troubling spike in new infections among gay men, young and old alike. According to the CDC, the rate of new cases of HIV infection linked to male-male sex held steady at around 16,000 cases between 2001-2004, then suddenly jumped to 18,296 in 2005.

Johnston and Chono-Helsley both point to advertisements for HIV-suppressing medicines as one possible contributing factor.

"In gay magazines, you now see [ads with] buff, handsome men climbing mountains, with some kind of quote about how 'I'm not letting HIV get in my way,'" Johnston said. "It sends the message that you, too, can be hot, buff and handsome, even with HIV."

Chono-Helsley agreed. "It's always these bright, healthy vibrant young men in these ads," she said. That could spur young gay men to relax their guard and take more risks, thinking that if they do contract HIV, "I only have to take a pill," she said.

The reality of living with HIV in America is much different, however, even when medication is working. According to Johnston, the side effects of powerful HIV-suppressing drug cocktails include fat redistribution (including unsightly "humps"), insulin resistance, higher cholesterol, increased risks for heart disease, and dangerous liver toxicities.

There's also the fear that, someday, HIV will develop mutations that render these drugs useless, triggering the re-emergence of AIDS, she said.

HIV continues to cut a wide swath through young men and women in the black community, too. According to the CDC, the number of new infections actually dipped slightly for black Americans between 2001 (20,868 cases) and 2005 (18,121 cases). However, black men are still six times more likely than white men to contract HIV, and black women are 20 times more likely to acquire the virus compared to white women.

The answers to that disparity lie mainly in economics, experts say.

"The young men that we work with are predominantly African-American, and HIV is not their No. 1 priority," said Chono-Helsley. "Often survival is their main priority -- where they are going to sleep tonight. They're kicked out of the house; they have substance abuse issues, they're in recovery."

Young black women can easily get caught up in similar problems, or are coerced into unsafe sex by their partners, she added.

Another trend -- soaring rates of methamphetamine use over the past five years -- may also be fueling HIV infection rates for both blacks and young gay men, the experts noted.

Too often, marginalized young people develop "a 'whatever' attitude -- whatever happens, happens," Chono-Helsey said.

Outreach aimed at HIV prevention remains important, of course. But one expert believes too much state and federal money is being funneled away from community outreach programs and toward "HIV Stops With Me" campaigns that focus on individuals already living with the virus.

"The message there is that, if I don't have HIV right now, then all I have got to do is avoid those people who have got it," said Carrie Davis, director of adult services at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Community Center in New York City.

She believes those types of messages allow uninfected people to shift the burden of responsibility from themselves to the HIV-positive, or to people they deem at high risk, such as gay men or drug abusers.

"I think it affects straight people, too, in that they absorb this 'magical thinking' -- that this is someone else's problem," Davis said.

So what doeswork to change attitudes and behaviors? That's a tough question, Chono-Helsley said, and the answer usually depends on particular contexts and communities.

"You really have to evaluate what methods you're using and think about the person as a whole, not just the infection," she said. "Because they've all heard 'use a condom, use a condom.'"

The right approach is key, Blades added. "If you deliver the message to them in a way that's not preachy or looking down on them, I think that's more effective," he said. "That's what we try to do - deliver HIV information in a way that will click in with them, so that they'll take home something that they didn't know the night before."

"One thing is for sure, we can't just shake our finger at young people and say, 'You're bad,'" Chono-Helsley said. "We have to be supportive. They're young, we've all been there, remember.

You can save some, but you can't save them all."

World AIDS Day - Dec. 1

www.worldaidsdayhouston.org

HIV/AIDS

If you think AIDS is a gay disease,

you need to start thinking straight.

Several years ago, I saw this on a billboard in Dallas near Northpark Mall. I can't remember if it was a Kenneth Cole billboard or if it was posted by an agency. It obviously made an impression upon me.

Tomorrow is World AIDS Day and I wanted to give you some stats. These are from www.until.org:

Vital Statistics

Worldwide

• Over 22 million people have died from AIDS.
  
• Over 42 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and 74 percent of these infected people live in sub-Saharan Africa.
  
• Over 19 million women are living with HIV/AIDS.
  
• By the year 2010, five countries (Ethiopia, Nigeria, China, India, and Russia) with 40 percent of the world's population will add 50 to 75 million infected people to the worldwide pool of HIV disease.
  
• There are 14,000 new infections every day (95 percent in developing countries).
  
• The UN estimates that, currently, there are 14 million AIDS orphans and that by 2010 there will be 25 million.
  
• HIV/AIDS is a "disease of young people" with half of the 5 million new infections each year occurring among people ages 15 to 24.

United States

• An estimated one million people are currently living with HIV in the United States, with approximately 40,000 new infections occurring each year.
  
• 70 percent of these new infections occur in men and 30 percent occur in women.
  
• By race, 54 percent of the new infections in the United States occur among African Americans, and 64 percent of the new infections in women occur in African American women.
  
• 75 percent of the new infections in women are heterosexually transmitted.
  Half of all new infections in the United States occur in people 25 years of age or younger.

World AIDS Day - Dec. 1

www.worldaidsdayhouston.org

Something You Should Know

aussieBum Gets Bigger and Bigger!

Australia's favourite underwear company breaks the Guinness World Record for the World's Biggest Underwear

SYDNEY, Australia, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- It's official; this morning in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, aussieBum revealed the world's BIGGEST underwear!

aussieBum has successfully broken the Guinness World Record by producing the world's largest pair of underwear on international Guinness World Records Day.

The underwear, constructed from a dazzling red Sensitive(R) fabric provided by leading Italian fabric firm Eurojersey, took over two months to produce.

Measuring in at 15.9 metres (50.85 ft) wide and 10.55 metres (36 ft) high, with a waist circumference of 32 metres (105 ft), the mammoth underwear includes 300 metres of fabric(985 ft), 500 metres (1640.5 ft) of wide-width elastic, 5000 metres (16404 ft) of cotton, a 1.5 x 6 metre (5 x 19.6 ft) logo, and they weigh in at a whopping 180 kg. The statistics smash the current record of 14.4 metres (47.2 ft) wide and 10.48 metres high.

Producing the undies was no small feat. Eurojersey, aussieBum's long-term partner and major name in the international textiles industry, put its faith into aussieBum and provided the 300 metres (985 ft) of Sensitive(R) fabric necessary to produce the World's Biggest Undies. The
incredibly soft, light and easy-to-handle nature of the Sensitive(R) fabric helped aussieBum achieve this challenge.

The garment was so large that even sailmakers could not help with the production. The aussieBum team spent hours on their hands and knees, hand stitching the underwear, with a team of people feeding the fabric and elastic through an industrial sewing machine.

Sean Ashby, aussieBum founder and Director, says, "The World's Biggest Undies project has been loads of fun! We're thrilled at this new milestone in our company. Whilst some may suggest that we are heading towards being world's biggest underwear company, we can now definitely confirm that we have, in fact, made the world's biggest undies!"

aussieBum is the all-Australian company that has pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable in the fiercely competitive world of fashion underwear. aussieBum has established an envied reputation for continually producing cutting edge designs and styles that men around the globe are quick to embrace, such as the aussieBum Wonderjock

World AIDS Day - Dec. 1

www.worldaidsdayhouston.org

Inspi(red)

Regular readers of St8 Up With A Twist know that for the past several months I have volunteered some time to work with World AIDS Day Houston. Realtor Alan invited me to a meeting and the timing of it was appropriate.

Last December when I was iJacked I decided that I would replace the iPod nano with a red iPod nano. I figured Apple could give a few dollars to Product Red. And of course I had to have a (RED) t-shirt from The Gap. Should I get TI(RED), BO(RED), ADMI(RED)? I purchased DA(RED).

And while I felt good that I was a part of a campaign that is endorsed by Oprah and is co-managed by Bono and that the money was going to fight AIDS in Africa I began to wonder what is being done locally? It was pointed out to me by someone that Oprah sees the world as one community. Good point. I still wanted to feel like I was making a difference on the local scene.

And yes, Legacy is a part of the fight against HIV/AIDS so I know I'm making a difference there. However, something was still missing and that is where World AIDS Day Houston filled the void.

A group of people came together to put the red ribbon back on the map in Houston. We have identified over 25 events that will be occuring this weekend. World AIDS Day is actually Dec. 1 and because it falls on a Saturday this year, it gives organizations and agencies the opportunity to schedule events over a three day period. The events are located under the EVENTS tab on
www.worldaidsdayhouston.org.

There is a performance on Saturday that I am going to attend. The Illumination Project will be presented at The Hobby Center at 800p. (The arts have probably been the hardest hit by HIV/AIDS.) Several performance groups in Houston have stated that they will do a moment of silence before the beginning of their performances and will distribute information about HIV/AIDS.

I hope that you will consider joining us on Saturday evening. If you can't, please consider attending one of the other events. At a minimum, take a moment wear a red ribbon on Saturday and/or take a moment to remember those who have passed away and those who fight HIV/AIDS everyday.

And as a reminder...HIV/AIDS isn't just a gay thing. The face of HIV/AIDS has changed over the years. As an example, 1 in 20 people in the District of Columbia has tested positive for the virus.

Also, take a look around town starting today. AIDS Foundation/Houston worked with Clear Channel to get 40 billboards for us.

Montrose Blvd @ Fairview (facing south)

And BTW, following The Illumination Project, we will be going to Meteor for a cocktail or two. Hope you can join us.

If you need more information, please contact me at:

absolutrunnr77007@yahoo.com