MAKING A DIFFERENCE... MARCH Madness continues! "If you won't be better tomorrow than you were today,
then what do you need tomorrow for?"
THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
EXCLUSIVE: CONSULTANT: REOPEN BID PROCESS FOR NEW COVINGTON HOUSING PROJECT In an exclusive report from The River City News, a consultant asked by the City of Covington to review the bid process to develop River's Edge at Eastside Pointe is ripe with irregularities and possible ethical lapses. An email obtained by The River City News explains that the Housing Authority of Covington's Atlanta-based contractor, Integral, may have influenced the bidding process in granting the lucrative contract to one of its own subsidiaries. The RC News: Consultant Urges New Bids for River's Edge SEE ALSO: The friction between at least a couple Covington City Commissioners and the Housing Authority of Covington may be on full display tonight at the joint caucus meeting between the Commission and HAC.
This October, in the 30th year of this grotesque calamity, marks the 20th year of my personal Journey through AIDS.More than 20 years and 20 million deaths since the first AIDS diagnosis in 1981, almost 38 million people (range 34.6 – 42.3 million) are living with HIV.AIDS is an extraordinary kind of crisis; it is both an emergency and a long-term development issue. Despite increased funding, political commitment and progress in expanding access to HIV treatment, the AIDS epidemic continues to outpace our response. No segment of humanity has been spared. The epidemic remains extremely dynamic, growing and changing character as the virus exploits new opportunities for transmission.This last year was our worst year ever, with 5 Million New HIV Infections (Prevention failures) and 3 Million Deaths (Treatment failures).As AIDS Quilt founder Cleve Jones said in 2001; "Our hearts may be filled, but there are only two emotions worth expressing at this perilous time: GRIEF and RAGE. Grief for the millions who have died and are dying. Rage at the indifference, greed, and stupidity that permit this grotesque calamity to continue."
Indifference, greed and stupidity are also the three major ingredients in the American recipe for what has come to be known as AIDS Complacency.A Cultural phenomena against which every major player in the fight against it has warned us continually for as long as I can remember.Indifference which is rooted in the arrogance that it can't happen to us, only "the right people"; mainly gays.Greed fueled by the profits, jobs and paychecks from the new industry and bureaucracy it spawned.Stupidity that feeds the intolerance, discrimination, stigmatization and demonization that prevents us from using every means available to prevent future infections as well as diagnose, treat and care for those who already have been.
"We need leaders everywhere to demonstrate that speaking up about HIV, which may advance to AIDS is
a point of pride, not a source of shame.
There must be no more sticking heads in the sand, no more embarrassment, no more hiding behind a veil of apathy.
Leadership means respecting and upholding the human rights of all who are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS…"
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan 2004 International AIDS Conference Opening Address
"I used to be afraid of dying, I'm not anymore. I'm more afraid of what happens to the people who live..." from "And The Band Played On"
"I f**ked up, I made a mistake, nobody does it better than myself! I'm Sorry, I'm not afraid to say, I wish I could take you back, but I can't. I'm so ashamed, you're in so much pain, I blamed you when things didn't go my way... I could've ...just kept my big mouth closed, I could've just done what I was told, maybe I should've turned silver into gold, but in front of you I was told, I f**ked up..."
Maya Angelou said "When Folks show you who they are, Believe Them the 1st Time!" Family & Friends keep telling me to forget about 'em, you can only do so much,
lead them to the water but can't make 'em drink, just take care of yourself; but I can't... I keep f**king up, keep believing when they say "WE the PEOPLE MEANS Everyone..." I F**CKED UP! I GAVE UP MY HOPE IN YOU & CANCELLED APRIL LOVE, I'm Sorry...
Arturo Schultz>LET'S REACH 1 MILLION PEOPLE CAMPAIGN...It's a start! LGBT EQUALITY: Continuing to e mail Mayors who have not signed on to endorse marriage equality. Today it was , Idaho - Boise, Couer d'Alene, Nampa, Meridian, Idaho Falls, Pocatello,Caldwell, Twin Falls, Lewiston. YOU can pick any State; Google City name, State, Mayor and usually a direct link to an email pops up.. I used freedom to marry's letter. And pasted. Now that they are in my email list, I will send them info on being an Ambassador, etc. for Lets reach one Million. I hope some other members will do this. Just pick a state google it and get the 10-20 largest cities, towns then Google City, State, Mayor and Bingo.
My Birthday is Monday: There are currently NO KENTUCKY Mayors on the List so My Wish #1 is that at the very least ALL 3 Mayors in the Cities that have Human Rights Ordinances be deluged with Requests...
2012 Worldwide LGBTQ Civil Rights March Team
WORLDWIDE MARCH LOCATIONS, WATCH/AFTER PARTIES, ONLINE EVENT AS WELL
"What would our community look like if it were a really healthy place to live?" The National Civic League (NCL) posed this question to neighbors in hundreds of communities across the country. This is how people everywhere responded:
A clean and safe environment
A diverse and vibrant economy
A place that has good housing for all
A place where people respect and support each other
A place that promotes and celebrates its cultural and historical heritage
A place where citizens and government share power
A place that has affordable health care for all
A place that has good schools
A place that has and supports strong families
But we are moving away from this ideal. In the Gannet News "Mood of America" poll, 76 percent of citizens agreed, "there is less concern for others than there once was."
We must be careful not to over generalize, since some Northern Kentucky communities may not fit these trends fully, or even at all. There will always be crosscurrents and countertrends. A few communities may have high levels of interconnectedness and public participation, with few glaring social problems and plenty of resources. But these communities are the exceptions.
Is the solution financial? Solutions often cost money, so, of course, more public funding to address local problems would be helpful. Support these efforts, but realize that in the present economic and political climate, success will not come easily and will cost each of us more than money. We need to understand there are no short-term solutions. We need CommUNITY Leaders who will engage, listen and translate the words into compelling long-term actions. Leaders who can then garner the support of government, private sector, faith community, public sector organizations and residents for the action plans.
Residents, along with the people who work, worship or have roots in a community need to be seen as an alternative resource, as someone with something important to share.
The task is to identify these alternative resources, then to coalesce and organize them, to plan, develop, implement, and sustain multiple community wide solutions. This will not happen all by itself. The structure for organizing and mobilizing community resources is generally not in place. A big plus is that people, 63 percent in one poll, believe that people are willing to pitch in and fix what is wrong in their communities, if they knew how. Mechanisms for involvement are rare, but do exist. Let us identify these processes and bring them into our communities.
America is the great democratic example, but because we lead there is no blueprint. America's greatness has been due to our ability, on the national, state and local levels, to find common ground. To large extent, it is our ability to reach consensus through civil discourse that has contributed to our greatness. Today, in our communities, neighborhoods, media and even in our legislative bodies, far too often, a difference of opinion is painted as evil, making constructive dialogue impossible.
In doing this work, the Boston Foundation developed "Seven Guiding Principles for a New Social Contract."
Incorporate those directly affected by policies at the heart of dialogue and community building.
Value racial and cultural diversity at the foundation for wholeness.
Promote active citizenship and political empowerment.
Build on community strengths and assets.
Ensure access to fundamental opportunities and remove obstacles to equal opportunities.
Support and enhance the well being of children and their families.
Foster sustained commitment, coordination, and collaboration based on a shared vision and mutual respect.
We hear congress can't get anything done, or that government can't get anything right. We are a democracy; the government is a reflection of ourselves.
The task ahead will be long and is not easy, so it is important we get started. In the words of Bobby Kennedy: "The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of bold projects and new ideas. Rather, it will belong to those who can blend passion, reason and courage in a personal commitment to the ideals of American Society."
"If you won't be better tomorrow than you were today,
then what do you need tomorrow for?"
Noun
1.
survivor guilt - a deep feeling of guilt often experienced by those who have survived some catastrophe that took the lives of many others; derives in part from a feeling that they did not do enough to save the others who perished and in part from feelings of being unworthy relative to those who died; "survivor guilt was first noted in those who survived the Holocaust"
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
You and I want our lives to matter. We want our lives to make a real difference - to be of genuine consequence in the world. We know that there is no satisfaction in merely going through the motions, even if those motions make us successful, or even if we have arranged to make those motions pleasant. We want to know we have made some impact on the world. In fact, you and I want to contribute to the quality of life. We want to make the world work. -Werner Erhard
If my doctor had told me I’d live to see the 30th anniversary of AIDS, when I was diagnosed 15 years ago, I wouldn’t have believed him. At that time, doctor’s waiting rooms were filled with people on the brink of death. All I could think about was how long it would be until I joined them.
When death sideswipes you and takes out the person next to you instead you’re left with a sense of survivor’s guilt. For years I wondered why I got to survive when others did not. Partly, it was luck. It was also because I was diagnosed when certain medicines were available. I had a job and health insurance so I could afford care. And I was diagnosed early, before I was too weak to recover.
As you know; this year World AIDS Day is the Sunday following Thanksgiving on December 1st, 2002 and we are now into the third decade of this global catastrophe. I recently taped an interview for a World AIDS Day program being produced to air on local cable outlets. Sitting here in the living room/office space of My South Bank HIVe,I looked into the camera after being asked my thoughts and replied: "I Never expected to Live This Long". I've been thinking about that ever since. I have been a Witness since the beginning and a survivor for the last eleven years. After I was tested and diagnosed in 1991, I began writing about my experiences and compiling them under the title: "Coming OUT of Hiding: A Retrospective Journey through AIDS...".The purpose and goal of this endeavor:The importance of telling such stories was recently addressed by a keynote address given by Mary Fisher during National AIDS Awareness Month(http://www.hivcouncil.org/mary_fisher.htm).
To continue; I've been thinking a lot about that statement in my interview, looking back over my last eleven years and having a hard time coping with My Life with HIV. Today, I finally seem to have emerged from this current Blue Spell and wanted to share these additional thoughts as well as begin compiling them on my web site.
Although we now know that the Virus doesn't discriminate against who it infects anymore, I think that the overriding point that SOCIETY still does is what the theme of Stigma and Discrimination was developed to address. It is that Stigma and Discrimination that continues to present obstacles to an infected persons "Quality of Life" and I fear that the current medical advances and increased longevity have come to sugar coat the reality of Life, and Living, with HIV/AIDS:
"U.S. Supreme Court decision: "Subsequent decisions have held that AIDS is protected as a handicap under law not only because of the physical limitations it imposes, but because the prejudice surrounding AIDS exacts a social death which precedes the actual physical one.
This is the essence of discrimination - formulating opinions about others not based on their individual merits but rather on their membership in a group with assumed characteristics." from the movie "Philadelphia"
"Live your daily life in a way that you never lose yourself. When you are carried away with your worries, fears, cravings, anger, and desire, you run away from yourself and you lose yourself. The practice is always to go back to oneself." - Thich Nhat Hanh
THIS IS MY Northern Kentucky-Greater Cincinnati view that "April Love" was designed to Invite the Tri-State into for EARTH-EQUALITY Day WEEKEND...
"REMINDER:One of the important areas that came up in the study performed last year for the timing of this event was of course ELECTION 2012; the LGBT advancement of rights stand to take a step backward if the LGBT does not educate themselves and our allies as to the issues and where candidates stand on overall issues of importance to the LGBT. These marches are to educate and enlighten in this and many other areas. So yes, WE DEMAND FULL FEDERAL EQUALITY and we want 100% KNOWLEDGE OF LGBT ISSUES AND CANDIDATES POSITIONS ON THOSE ISSUES KNOWN TO THE LGBT AND OUR ALLIES and we want 100% REGISTRATION AND ULTIMATE VOTING BY ALL LGBT AND OUR ALLIES. The committee is urging some form of voter registration at the march site, as well as handouts on LGBT issues of importance in this election year! There will be other specific demands for your own individual city/state/province/area/country where your march and non-march events are held; as long as they relate to equality for the LGBT, Basic Human Rights, or other pressing LGBT issues such as bullying, etc., please use these events to include those as well!"
Just had a thought... That would make a great synopsis of my motives in creating the "April Love" Theme here in the Tri-State MSA on The South Bank in the Mosaic known as Northern Kentucky! We were happy to have contributed to the "TriFecta Weekend"! I'm laying low because MARCH MADNESS has begun!Just downloaded a 2nd 30 day free trial of DreamWeaver, my Wish & Dream is to Update www.MWCLTonline.org and www.SouthBankHIVe.com to promote our Affiliation and Support for Worldwide EQUAL Human & Civil Rights.
We'd appreciate Y'Alls Support & Participation for the 2012 International AIDS Candlelight.org Vigil in MAY on the Sunday following Mother's Day. You know she'd want you to ;-)...
