World Aids Day

This appeared in the Chicago Defender

Advocates push for wider HIV/AIDS testing to stem rise of disease in Black community
by Leslie Jones McCloud
December 2, 2005

Going to the Chicago Cultural Center Yates Gallery Exhibit Hall on World Aids day was like entering into a different world.

There, people either knew their HIV status or were being gently pressured by friends to go get tested, or were getting tested. They weren't shy, nor did they find the subject matter too distasteful to discuss over hors d'oeuvres.

Either attendees were openly gay or still debating the issue, advocates for the cause or affected by it.

Some had friends who died during the 1990s (when gay men, mostly white, were still dying in droves from AIDS) and had changed their outlook on life or they had plenty of friends who still embraced a carefree lifestyle and all of its pitfalls.

It didn't seem to matter.

Hundreds of people poured inside the Yates Gallery Thursday. Vendors stopped handing out leaflets long enough for the entire room to fall silent in honor of those who had died from the disease.

People gathered to hear the various speakers and singers, to network and chitchat, but mostly, they were there to get tested for the virus that causes AIDS.

Phyllis Rogers, 43, arrived with her female friend, who did not want to be identified.

Rogers said she gets a yearly HIV test usually from her doctor but this year decided to utilize the OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV1/2 Antibody Test that was offered at Yates Gallery. The test requires a swab of the cheek, Chicago Department of Public Health Operations Manager for Outreach Mobile Services, Yvonne Cruz said.

Because there are so many sexually transmitted diseases on the horizon, Rogers said she gets tested regularly.


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"I've been divorced six years. I haven't been very sexually active since, but I have had two sex partners since my divorce. I have had unprotected sex with both," she said.
The first incident of unprotected sex happened because she and her sex partner didn't discuss safe sex.

"I'm ashamed to say we didn't discuss it. I panicked afterwards," she said.

Since then, she decided to get tested regularly. She said the condom came off during sex with her second sex partner.

"I panicked again. Since I get tested anyway, I decided to come here instead of my doctor," Rogers said.

She wasn't aware of the differing privacy levels when it comes to HIV/AIDS results reporting. Rogers and her 29-year-old friend said they were told results would be used for statistical purposes.

"I'm old school. This did not exist in my late teens, early 20s. It scares me," she said.

Roger's friend said she was certain her test result would be negative-and it was.

"I protect myself the majority of the time and my partner and I talk about safe sex," she said.

The Yates testing site was one of several sponsored by organizers at the Greater West Side Development Corp. and U.S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-7th). Gospel Shout Out, a free gospel concert held at John Marshall Metro High School to wrap up World Aids Day, featured more than just music, said Beverley Donley, executive director of Greater West Side Development Corp. Executive Director.

Statistics from the CDPH state that women of color and non-Hispanic Blacks are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and account for nearly 90 percent of all HIV infections in adolescent and adult women in Chicago between 2003-2004. Statistics also show heterosexual contact and injection drug use is the two main ways in which adolescent and adult women are currently being infected with HIV.

Davis and guest speakers like Dr. Lisa Henry-Reid, chairwoman of Adolescent and Adult Medicine at Stroger Hospital of Cook County, provided information about HIV/AIDS during concert intermissions.

Davis said his interest in HIV/AIDS education is a continuation of a life long effort.

"I'm an older person and have been working in the health area for 30 years - health prevention and awareness - long before I ran for public office," he said.

Davis said he plans to tell the audience that they should do all they can to stop the increase of HIV/AIDS infections.

"They can do that by abstaining from sex - in one way and practicing safe sex - in another way. Using protective devices like condoms and shields and other things and knowing the history - as much as they can - of their sex partners. That is what people really need to do," he said.

Davis said people should stop complaining about what the government and other institutions lack but take responsibility for his or her own health and the health of others.

"We can save lives and the life that we save may be our own," he said.

Henry-Reid said half of all new HIV infections in the U.S. are in the 14 to 24 year-old group.

"Kids are sexually active during the middle adolescent years 14-17 they are capable of having sex and getting pregnant but they (have a health education knowledge deficit). They feel invincible and that nothing will happen. Parents play a big role in preparing them for peer pressure they will encounter," Henry-Reid said.

Although she agrees with abstinence education, she feels it is sometimes an unrealistic curriculum. She said many 15 and 16-year-olds have had sex already. During the course of her day, Henry-Reid often interacts with youth and plans to tell audience members to stay safe. In her position, she gets to see many health trends.

"It's just a mishmash. We have a big problem with adolescent girls dating men and if the girl says that, 'it didn't happen,' the police have no recourse," she said.

World Aids Day participant, Leedale Carter, 39, said he found out he was HIV positive in the 1990s from his partner. The saying, "your partner's past can affect your future," became a reality for him.

"Unfortunately, my partner didn't know he was positive and I became infected by him during our relationship. It didn't upset me," he said.

His partner only found out he was positive because of a toothache. A dental office he frequented had been trying to contact him for two years to tell him he may be infected with HIV.

"When he went in for the toothache that is when they let him know. I'm grateful he told me. I was prepared for what my results were and we are still friends," Carter said. Currently, Carter said he is in a relationship with an HIV negative partner.

His main concern about being infected with HIV was that he would have to take lots of medicine. He started out taking five pills a day.

"It's getting better. We are living longer and making great strides with the medication. No longer do you have to take 20 or 30 pills a day. (For me) its just three," Carter said.
Getting tested for the virus that causes AIDS was the thrust of World Aids Day, but there weren't many people getting tested. In years past, the event would draw 30 or so to get tested, on average, said Lora Branch, director of STD/HIV Prevention and Care Program.

She expected a similar turnout this year.

www.OpticsPlanet.com

My mom won't leave the house without her Ray Ban shades. Even after she got Transition lenses on her new glasses, she still liked to wear the sunglasses. She has had quite a few pair of shades over the years.
I found this site called www.OpticsPlanet.com. The site has thousands of the best binoculars, telescopes, flashlights and sunglasses. They have a Gift Guide
where you can see what the Best sellers are and choose from there. If you are wondering
Why buy from OpticsPlanet just look at some of your loved one's Christmas lists. Children go through a phase where they want binoculars (believe me, I know. If you like, you can check out the OpticsPlanet Blog to find out more about what to tell Santa to bring the kids--or maybe you.

Tight and cuttin'

The only thing I like about the way kids dress these days is the looseness of the clothing. I graduated high school in 1984. Clothing was to be worn tight. Remember designer jeans? How tight were your jeans ladies? We were all a lot thinner back then and a lot younger and maybe a tad bit more foolish.
Well, I grew up slow and hadn't heard of wearing tight jeans with no undies until Brooke Shields did it on a commercial.
Lawd Have Mercy.
Every young girl had blue denim painted onto her ass and hips. Some were cutting inbetwix and between with the seam causing boils but the pants got tighter. They even had a style of jeans called half n' halfs. The pants were like the Chic style with no pockets and peg-legged with slits on either bottom side. The zip went from the front of the jean all the way down between the leg and to the back. They could be zipped apart so ladies had to be careful to Brazilian the area.
Thank heavens for spandex in denim. I had a pair of Gloria Vanderbilts in the llth grade me and Mom caught on sale at Venture. Even then I was too fat for all of that tight.

Massage anyone?

Have you ever come home and at the end of your day, sit and
think how great it would be to have one of those fancy Massage
Chairs you see in stores and on television in your home?
Have you ever tried to schedule time away to go to the spa instead?
We all know to go to the spa would inconvenient or you don't have time.
Here is the answer. Get the Human Torch 7450 Zero Gravity
Massage Chair.
There are four precise techniques that imitate those used by
massage professionals. It uses percussion, rolling,
compression, and kneading. The experience combines the
sensations of hands rapidly tapping on the back, gentle
rolling, alternating strokes and relieving spinal pressure, and
kneading to work out knots and ease soreness.
The HT 7450 Zero Gravity Massage Chair calibrates the body
frame of the person sitting in it and adjusts according to
that man or woman's unique physique, so each massage in the HT
7450 is perfectly focused on the right areas of the body.

Count Your Steps when Stepping

The difference between someone who actually knows how to perform Chicago style stepping and a person who is only shuffling his or her feet is noticable and great.
I learned the basic 5-6-1 count and it works perfectly to any stepping music fast or slow.
Steppin' Dance Videos and DVDs
"Steppin' is not just a dance, it's the music, the moves, the clothes, the mood. Chicago Style Steppin' is composed of 10% technique and 90% style," writes the creator of Chicago Style Stepping Instructional video.
Now, this is not a sponsored post. This is a public service announcement. People who dance with folks who can't dance but always on the dancefloor are thanking me right now. Those of you who have danced with me at the 3 G's are laughing and thinking, 'wow does she have a lot of nerve!'

Depp at his best: Sweeney Todd

Remember when Joe/Donnie in the movie Donnie Brasco had to explain the nuances of "Forgettaboutit?" I like the old school Budweiser can on his head and the relaxed way he segued into his ongoing problem with Lefty. It's a part of undercover work audiences don't get to even imagine about. He knew that Lefty would get blamed for letting in a mole and get whacked. Depp's character was torn. I also like in the movie Blow where Johnny plays the character of George and he found out he got screwed out of his connections and the big drug deal and Deigo admits he stole the connections in Cali. I mean what did George think he was doing and who did he think he was going to tell? I thought George was going to get whacked right there because Deigo was high on coke and had all of his crew laughing at him. Danggone coke freaks. I liked that movie but all of the drug and drug use highlighted the more disgusting but I guess necessary segments of our society. Depp is always so believable in his roles so I guess I couldn't separate the character from the actor. You just wanted him to turn it around. I wanted him to be the good guy. Maybe that is why I liked Donnie Brasco.
For those of you who are not familiar with Donnie Brasco, Depp played an undercover FBI agent who infiltrated the mob but in doing that developed very close relationships with the mobsters--the movie basically outlined the pitfalls of undercover work. The emotion Johnny Depp showed in that role made what would have been another mob movie meaningful. It gave a whole new depth to the movie. That is why it will always be a classic.
Depp's newest role as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, is his darkest role ever! It is about Benjamin Barker who is unjustly imprisoned but later comes back to town as Sweeney Todd the barber and begins his killing spree in revenge to what happened to him, his wife and child.
The movie is scheduled to be released December 21 and is rated R for bloody violence. Imagine what Sweeney Todd is going to do with that straight edge razor!
Visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace or visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site for movie trailers, times, movie listings and more of the backstory.

I bought some whole cinnamon a while back

I looked up at the sky today and although I have never been to Wyoming or Montana the sky over my city was big and blanketed with white cotton-like clouds. It was like the whole cotton--the kind you have to tear apart to use--real cotton. I felt nice for a moment, just looking at the sky and feeling good. I'd like to feel that way most of the time instead of just moments out of a string of bad to worse days or simple ambivalence.

It seems sometimes the ambivalence is there only to break up the mostly sucky days and nights that have become my existence. Then again, maybe it's just winter doldrums. Heaven knows it's dark at four-thirty. Somebody ought to help me because I don't have the strength to help myself. I'm going to stop combing my hair until things get better for me. We'll see what happens then. (I really can't shake this cold!)

Trusted Tours and Attractions

It's wintertime in the Midwest so that means some of us are getting the itch to go someplace sunny, bright and warm.
Trusted Tours and Attractions offers discounted tickets to the best sightseeing tours in Key West, San Diego and Savannah. Travelers get to see attractions like the San Diego Zoo to city-wide excursions on their famous Old Town Trolley tours. Whatever you taste Trusted Tours is the source for great activities for your winter getaway.
If I had my druthers, I'd go to Key West, Florida. I've always wanted to visit the land of Hemmingway. I remember one summer in college I spent it reading all of the Hemmingway greats. This man made me want to go to Key West. He wrote about Spain too in the Bullfighter but I wanted to go to Key West. It seemed as if the fresh sea salted air inspired him to write. Since that summer of reading, I always said I would go there. Also since that summer of reading I have been to Florida several times but never got to drive all the down A1A (which turns into Federal Highway or Hwy 1 somehow) All of that lovely coastline and sunshine to enjoy in a convertable along with my favorite friends. What a lovely time indeed.
As far as tours there is the Shipwreck Historeum Museum of Key West, the Conch Tour Train Key West, the Old Town Trolley Tour of Key West and the Key West Aquarium. There are many more to choose from but those would be some of the first tours I would take.

Whatever happened to hankerchives?

I ran out of facial tissues yesterday and forgot to pick some up today but there was this rag in the car and I used it as a handkerchief. I had to my nose began to run really really bad and I didn't have enough tissue in my purse. It was used anyway.
However, I got to thinking about handkerchiefs. It's a lot greener than individual tissues because you can launder them and reuse them over and over again.
Where would I buy handkerchiefs? Are there any for women? Maybe I should use the men's handkerchiefs. I dunno. It felt strange blowing my nose into cloth. It just felt wrong.