Monday, November 28, 2011

The End of AIDS?

"AIDS is a war against humanity ...
this is a war that requires the mobilization of entire populations." Nelson Mandela

"I used to be afraid of dying, but I'm not anymore...
I'm more afraid of what happens to the people who live!" from "And The Band Played On"

The results of a huge clinical trial published in May prove that if people living with HIV receive anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment, it prevents the spread of the virus to their partner. This ground-breaking evidence gives us a fantastic new tool to fight the epidemic. When coupled with a combination of other effective prevention, treatment and care efforts it gives us the chance to begin to bring an end to AIDS.

The key is whether our leaders take this chance.
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PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV & AIDS

Today, organisations of people living with HIV are a key driving force in the response to HIV/AIDS, giving a personal power to people living positively with the virus, and inspiring others to action. In this section, you will find more information about PLHIV campaigns and activities.

PLHIV are activists, informed patients, care givers, educators, researchers, policy makers, and health care providers. They ask questions, and do not rest before they have an answer or a solution to their challenges. PLHIV are leaders in stopping HIV and show visionary leadership in implementing and supporting prevention, treatment and care.
However, this leadership has not come easy. At the beginning of the epidemic at the Denver AIDS Conference in 1983 people living with HIV had to storm the stage to be heard. The Denver conference signalled the birth of the PLHIV movement, and first articulated the GIPA principle. People living with HIV and AIDS demanded the right to be involved in every level of decision making affecting their lives, and to determine their own agenda. These rights are as valid now as they were then.

Why is positive leadership important?
Networks of people living with HIV/AIDS have been harnessing the leadership of PLHIV for over twenty years.
Over that time global networks have organised eleven international PLHIV conferences. Women living with HIV have made the needs and challenges visible of children, mothers and grandmothers living with and affected by HIV.
Networks of PLHIV have been leaders in setting up The Global Fund against AIDS, TB and Malaria and have ensured the involvement of PLHIV is anchored in The Global fund mechanisms on global as well as national level.
PLHIV and their supporters have lead advocacy efforts with governments all over the world for faster and increased access to essential treatment. And in many places succeeded.
Nevertheless, PLHIV still struggle to remain in control over their own lives. International political leaders have been – at best – inconsistent in recognising the importance of leadership and involvement of PLHIV. On a global scale public health initiatives rarely are designed together with people living with HIV or with the interest of PLHIV in mind. Instead recent policies around testing, prevention, breast feeding and access to safe abortions are little more but virus containment strategies, which ultimately will be ineffective without PLHIV involvement.
It is essential that global leaders fully recognise the value of involving PLHIV. Without the leadership of PLHIV, universal access to prevention, treatment and care will remain a dream. Without the leadership of people living with HIV stigma and discrimination of PLHIV will prevail and human rights violations against people living with HIV will continue. And without an open environment for all people living with HIV the uptake of testing and prevention measures will lag behind, and the HIV epidemic will not be halted.
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South Bank HIVe CommUNITY-Based Network
The Denver Principles Empowerment Index:
"I’ve been asked to talk about the Denver Principles and their relevance today. The first question is, Why do we revisit the Denver Principles? It’s very simple, they’re the foundation of the People with HIV Self-Empowerment Movement. They show us how earlier activism influences our struggle today and what we can learn from that experience. The Denver Principles are also the foundation of building a grass roots movement, one led by people with HIV, into a powerful voice."

Renewing the Denver Principles:
“We condemn attempts to label us as ‘victims,’ a term that implies defeat, and we are only occasionally ‘patients’ a term that implies passivity, helplessness and dependence upon the care of others. We are people with HIV-AIDS.”
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Advocacy-Education-Support-Outreach-Prevention

“We need leaders everywhere to demonstrate that speaking up about HIV (which may result in) 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

"On Coming Home"

"Home is not a place; it is an attitude. It is an attitude which depends on how much we are able to feel at home with ourselves as well as with others. Home is something which happens to a person; homecoming has less to do with geography than it has to do with a sense of personal integrity or inner wholeness.
The most important of all endeavors in life is to come home. The most terrifying of fears is loneliness. It means that one has become a stranger to himself, and consequently, to others. To be lonely is to feel fear, to be forever unsettled, never at rest, in need of more reassurance than life can give.
Someone truly loves us when he brings us home; when he makes us comfortable with ourselves, when he takes from us the strangeness we feel at being who we are. We are loved when we no longer are frightened with ourselves."
"Dawn Without Darkness" - Anthony Padavano

From the AIDS Treatment Data Network:
You don't have AIDS as soon as you're infected with HIV. The disease process takes a while, around 10 years on average. The process goes from being HIV+ without any symptoms or signs of disease to being HIV+ with symptoms to having AIDS. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Immune deficiency means that your immune system has been damaged by HIV. A damaged immune system can't protect you from infections as well as a healthy immune system.

******************************************************

Friday, November 25, 2011

The SHOW Must Go ON!

How to Fulfill Your Dream

If you don't have a dream, start thinking about what the dream for your life is. Start believing that just having a dream begins the process of fulfilling it. You can do it if you're willing to let every step you take move you in that direction. Remember, you deserve the best life has to offer.

In the beginning, SILENCE = DEATH because that's all there was... NOW, after 30 Years; there's better Drugs/Treatment, more Knowledge, better prepared Doctors, Survivors living longer, and Less Deaths. Groundbreaking results from scientific studies have radically altered the way we see treatment. Because treatment is also prevention, the conversation focused on how we can get more drugs to more pe...ople in more countries (including the United States) more affordably...
All these things spurred a worldwide discussion around an incredible notion: the end of AIDS. Global health experts claimed, in chorus, that our generation has the tools to stop the spread of HIV forever.
The Problem that remains is that there's still

too much Silence!

Those of y’all who have known me the longest understand my passion for My Mission. One of the things I’m Proud of is having established a Living Trust that has guided and supported my Life with HIV. I may not always succeed in my attempts to Educate about, Support and Advocate for the HIVe CommUNITY (as well as manage My HIVe’s Budget, LOL!); but I’ve done my best and haven’t given up. The People and Places through which My Journey has led me; have shared with, taught me and enriched it more than I can ever repay; Thanks Y’All.

Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good." --Vaclav Havel

Achieving a More Coordinated National Response to the HIV Epidemic in the United States:

The Nation (WE, the People!) can succeed at meeting the President's goals! It will require the Federal Government and State, Tribal and Local Governments, however, to do some things differently. Foremost is the need for an unprecedented commitment to collaboration, efficiency and innovation. We also must be prepared to adjust course as needed. This strategy is intended to complement other related efforts across the Administration. For example, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has taught us valuable lessons about fighting HIV and scaling up efforts around the world that can be applied to the domestic epidemic. The President's National Drug Control Strategy serves as a blueprint for reducing drug ude and its consequences, and the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness focuses efforts to reduce homelessness and increase housing and security. The White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) will work collaboratively with the Office of National Drug Control Policy and other White House offices, as well as relevant agencies to further the goals of the Strategy. The Strategy is intended to promote greater investment in HIV/AIDS, but this is not a budget document. Nonetheless, it will inform the Federal budget development process within the context of the fiscal goals that the President has articulated. The United States currently provides more than $19 Billion in annual funding for domestic HIV prevention, care, and research, and there are constraints on the magnitude of any potential new investments in the Federal Budget. The Strategy should be used to refocus our existing efforts and deliver better results to the American people within current funding levels, as well as to highlight the need for additional investments. Our national progress will require sustaining broader public commitment to HIV, and this calls for more regular communications to ensure transparency about whether we are meeting national goals. Key steps are to:

Increase the coordination of HIV Programs across the Federal government and between federal agencies and stste, territorial, tribal and local governments.
Develop improved mechanisms to monitor and report on progress toward achieving national goals

This Strategy provides a basic framework for moving forward. With government at all levels doing its part, a committed private sector, and leadership from people living with HIV and affected communities, the United States can dramatically reduce HIV transmission and better support people living with HIV and their families.

*****************************************************

Greetings!

This October, in the 30th year of this grotesque calamity, marked the 20^th milestone of my personal Journey through AIDS.

I'm Facing My Life this World AIDS Day and I invite you to join me!
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. 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 prevents us from using every means available to prevent future infections.

Since May 16th, 2004; the first local observance of the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial - the purpose of which was to act as a catalyst for our CommUNITY to begin again to talk about HIV/AIDS, the theme of "Turning Remembrance into ACTION!" has evolved into this blueprint for a Stronger, Louder, Prouder and More Respected South Bank response to the AIDS epidemic.

This is the intention of "World AIDS Day @ the World PEACE Bell"; to facilitate, generate and motivate a Grassroots CommUNITY Conversation about our National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the benefit of those of us who are Actually Infected or Affected and Living with it in America...
We will have a Community Support & Education Forum from Noon to 5:00 leading up to the CandlLight Ceremony at 6:00 pm. We will be set up in the Conference space that connects to the Bell walkway which will be also be the site for the "Facing AIDS", "NOH8", "Greater Than AIDS" & "ItGetsBetter" Photo Ops. ALL Greater Cincinnati HIV/AIDS Professional, Community-Based & Non-Profit Service Organizations & Agencies as well as Northern Kentucky Social Service Providers are Invited and Encouraged to participate in this CommUNITY Conversation.
********************************************************************
AIDS/HIV
Reaching the Unreachable.. Online Outreach

Outreach professionals are always looking for those hard-to-reach populations where HIV education is in desparate need. They take to the streets; to local bars and clubs; to bath houses. Now there is a new way to reach those hard to reach populations...online. The need for this type of outreach is certainly there. The web site Gay.com surveyed 3000 of their site visitors. 84% of those visitors reported they had met sexual partners online (Brown, Washington Post, 2/03). Other studies have traced STD outbreaks to internet chat rooms. many who have been diagnosed with STDs report the met the person who infected them via the internet.

Why the Internet?
What makes the internet so attractive to those seeking sexual liaisons? First of all, the initial meetings and discussions take place in a safe enviroment...in front of a computer. For obvious reasons, many people fear meeting a stranger in a strange, secluded place. Yet they are looking for sexual contacts. To ease their fear and still meet potential partners, people take to the chat rooms. Before any potentially harmful meeting takes place, two people can get to "know" one another online.

Knowing one another brings us to the second reason the internet is so appealing. People can be whatever or whoever they please. Six feet tall, blue eyes and blond hair....an artist....an athelete...single....or "well endowed". The internet provides a safety net for those who want to pretend.

On the other side of that same coin, chat rooms allow people to be themselves without the fear of rejection. Being cast aside online is a far cry from being rejected in person. Chatters are free to learn about one another without the pressures of that uncomfortable "first meeting".

Finally, the internet can be a very private place. Many people exploring their sexual desires want to do so under the umbrella of anonymity. For instance, many heterosexual men look for male sexual partners to explore their bisexual desires. They wish to keep these relationships and their feelings of bisexuality from their wives or girlfriends. Chat rooms are a perfect place to do so.

Is there a need for online outreach?
Simply put, yes there certainly is. Several studies have linked outbreaks of STD's such as syphilis with partners found in internet chat rooms. Two studies presented at the 2003 National HIV Prevention Conference noted that online chatrooms and Web sites are replacing gay bathhouses and sex clubs as the most popular meeting points for arranging high-risk sex. In fact the need is being recognized by prevention and outreach agencies across the country. Funding streams are now allocating funds to maintain online outreach staff. Mind you, the funds are limited but the fact that any money is available unscores the perceived importance and value of online outreach. Programs are now in place in Detroit, Seattle, Boston, Miami and Los Angeles.

What is the advantage of online outreach?
Experts agree, people who use the internet to find sexual partners have a greater number of partners than those who find sexual partners the traditional way. In addition, many of their partners are nonlocatable which makes partner notification, testing, and counseling problematic. Online outreach gives prevention specialists another tool with which to educate about safer sex and to locate potentially exposed persons. In addition, many times, online counselors are reaching people at precisely the time they are deciding whether or not to have anonymouos sex. Terrence Lo, epidemiologist with the California Department of Health Services points out that by providing anonymity, the internet allows counselors to reach those people who may be reluctant to discuss safer sex issues in other settings.

Does online outreach work?
How effective is online outreach? It's too soon to tell however some programs are showing promise. From January 2003 to October 2003, The Midwest AIDS Prevention Project in Ferndale Michigan spent over 100 hours online in chat rooms. According to their data, 289 client interventions took place (Resource: Midwest AIDS Prention Project, November, 2003). How many of those people would have engaged any prevention efforts offline?

Reaching the unreachable...online outreach and prevention. Using the internet to educate...ironic...that's what the founding fathers of the internet had intended all along.
~ Mark Cichocki

Copyright © 2004 About, Inc. About and About.com are registered trademarks of About, Inc. The About logo is a trademark of About, Inc. All rights reserved.
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The South Bank HIVe

An OnLine CommUNITY-Based HIV/Aids, Social Service and Survivors Support Network

315 W. 7th Street - Suite #2 * Covington, Kentucky 41011

859-261-HIVe1 (4481) * SoBankHIVe@zoomtown.com

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

"World AIDS Day @ The World PEACE Bell" The Proposal/Plan

From: sande

Sent: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 6:08 PM

To: Michael Connett

Subject: Re: "World AIDS Day @ the World PEACE Bell" & The National HIV/AIDS Strategy - Re: Ms Nevada's call...

I am not dead and you are not on any list LOL. Been buried at Covington and NKU stuff. Sorry ! How are plans going? Have you found a space?

Saturday November 19th – 11 Days to go...

Tuesday November 22nd – 8 Days away...

SoapBlog 3 - Let's Deep-Six Mark Twain's Prediction

"When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always 20 years behind the times." – Mark Twain
I don't know about you but I have to be honest – every time I hear this quote I am completely perturbed. Cincinnatians, and others for that matter, reference it all the time. Sometimes I hear people say we're only 10 years behind, but the way I see it, 10, 20 or even one year behind is unacceptable to me.

We in the Greater Cincinnati region need to be looking out the front windshield for our greatest accomplishments and quit viewing our greatness on the road behind us. The Big Red Machine, the Union Terminal, the canal system the breweries, Newport gambling and girlie bars, Marge Schott and Mapplethorpe. The good and the bad that people talk about is all old history! Where's the newness?

We need to be creating new headlines with a positive spin. Focus a positive light on what we are doing not re-casting a dim light on what we've done. We can start by forging leading civic programs that other cities emulate and rectifying depressed areas of our community that will serve as role models for other communities.

We cannot be afraid to fail. We have to look outside our own borders and give cause for people to visit the region. We must create uniqueness of today and for tomorrow because frankly, our history isn't one that warrants any specific attention.

I, for one, am trying to provide an annual, international, world-class fine arts event that will attract the educated, creative class from across the country and around the world to put our region on their calendars. The Cincinnati Reds and the Bengals are not going to do it. We need more people willing to fail big if we want to accomplish anything of significance.

You can sit on your sofa with your bag of chips or you can get out and risk it all to make something (ANYTHING) happen.

Ms. Friedman has it right. Snap out of it! Like the sports icon says, "Just do it!"

Michael Wallace Connett

"We need leaders everywhere to demonstrate that speaking up about HIV (which may result in) 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

On World AIDS Day, December 1, We the People; Commemorate those we have lost, as well as All those Infected and/or AFFECTED!
Over the years, World AIDS Day has become a global phenomenon that has prompted massive media coverage, raised awareness, encouraged people to get ...involved and amplified the voices of those living with HIV. But how can we get people to care about HIV/AIDS after Dec. 1?

EVERYDAY IS WORLD HIV DAY! Living With HIV IS Not Dying of AIDS;
Many people living with HIV in America today face a unique set of structural and lifestyle challenges, including, but not limited to: poverty, hunger, under- or unemployment, illiteracy, racism, discrimination, immigration issues, homelessness, stigma, previous or current incarceration, sexual or domestic violence, homophobia, substance use, criminalization, addiction, and childcare and mental health issues. Much of what we have learned about fighting HIV has to be reconsidered in light of who is contracting the virus today and why...

"World AIDS Day @ the World PEACE Bell" is currently scheduled for 6 pm and was intended to be an outdoor/undercover event leading up to the outdoor lights coming on which would be colored Red, like they did @ The Rock Hall in Cleveland last year. As details have yet to be finalized, there is an Opportunity to use the Welcome Center as an Advocacy-Education-Support-Outreach-Prevention Center starting at say, NOON!" Turn the Holidays a Complimentary RED & WEAR the RIBBON!

"Countless Americans have devoted their lives to fighting the HIV epidemic and thanks to their tireless work we've made inroads...
Our country is at a crossroads. Right now, we are experiencing a domestic epidemic that demands a RENEWED commitment, INCREASED public attention, and LEADERSHIP." -Executive Summary, National HIV/AIDS Strategy for The United States

The South Bank Beacon: Too many HIV agencies and organizations...

mwcltonline.blogspot.com

You can not solve a problem without looking at BOTH side of the issue. After 30 years of HIV, there is a lot of conflicting information in regards to HIV Prevention, and most of this is as a result of too many HIV agencies and organizations. Nationwide, these HIV agencies set goals, raise funding and TALK but, non have pioneered NEW HIV Prevention Strategies or taken action outside the limits of "The Status Quo". Time is running out for your local HIV agency and NO ONE can stop the evolution of thought and freedom of choice.

The vision for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy is simple:
The United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination.

To accomplish these goals, we must undertake a more coordinated national response to the epidemic. The Federal government can't do this alone, nor should it. Success will require the commitment of governments at all levels, businesses, faith communities, philanthropy, the scientific and medical communities, educational institutions, people living with HIV, and others..."
-Executive Summary, National HIV/AIDS Strategy for The United States

The World Peace Bell™
425 York St. World's largest swinging bell; swings daily at noon in honor of world peace.

After my current 20 years actually Livin It; my disappointment at our failure to prevent new infections and get more people tested and into treatment ensures my job security for as long as I have left... "World AIDS Day @ the World PEACE Bell" was always focused on Turning Remembrance into Action by kicking off National HIV/AIDS Awareness Month.

This is the intention of "World AIDS Day @ the World... PEACE Bell"; to facilitate, generate and motivate a Grassroots CommUNITY Conversation about our National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the benefit of those of us who are Actually Infected or Affected and Living with it in America... We wanted it to be more than just 15 minutes in the weather; as the QUILT display didn't pan out and all the other AIDS Service Organizations announced their plans we are now aiming for an Afternoon Affair leading up to the CandleLight Ceremony & "possible" RED Lighting of the Bell.

Regarding the Event and Ceremony at The PEACE Bell; Any help & advice you can give would be appreciated!

Haven't starting putting the Program together yet –was waiting for Election returns! Now for the invites: President Obama, Secretary of State & Former President Clinton, Governor Beshear, Rep. Arnold Simpson, 3 County Judge Execs, River Cities Mayors/City Managers, Dr. Savani & Group, Southbank Business & CommUNITY Leaders, Clergy.....

Following up on recent contacts & phone messages. Earlier today, I learned that another Greater Cincinnati AIDS Service Organization had announced their World AIDS Day plans for the World Premiere showing of the Documentary "We Were Here!" at The Carnegie in Covington! THIS is a Great Event! It is also an excellent example of the Failure of the Greater Cincinnati AIDS Service Organizations to Synergize... We're ALL in this Together; People merely Affected by HIV is everyone, isn't it!?

Best Regards,

Michael

From: Michael Connett

Sent: Monday, November 07, 2011 12:01 AM

Subject: [SouthBankBeacon] We're Making AIDS History! "World AIDS Day @ The World PEACE Bell"

Having trouble viewing this email? http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148520821858073

Click for video!

We're Making AIDS History!

Sadly, 30 years after its discovery, HIV/AIDS is still having a devastating effect around the globe. Approximately 34 million people worldwide, including more than 1 million Americans, are living with this deadly disease.

The disease continues to spread...with more than 7,000 men, women and children becoming newly infected with HIV each and every day. Although there are drugs to combat the disease, there is still no cure.

Without adequate research funding, this deadly disease will continue to claim lives for years to come. That's why a cure is so necessary, but for that to happen, research on HIV/AIDS needs to be a top priority with consistent and increasing levels of funding.

We've all lived with the disease for 30 years now. Isn't it time we made it history? »

Thanks for taking action!

Samer
ThePetitionSite

On World AIDS Day, December 1, We the People; Commemorate those we have lost, as well as All those Infected and/or AFFECTED! 'World AIDS Day @ The World PEACE Bell' & the National HIV/AIDS Awareness Month AIDS Quilt Display is set for the 1st weekend of December!

From: Worley Rodehaver
To: Michael Connett
Sent: Saturday, November 5, 2011 4:26 PM
Subject: AIDS Day

I would like to do a story in GLBT News about the AIDS Day event at the Peace Bell. I have checked your Facebook and cannot find a time anywhere.

What I need

Time: Depends on Who & What; Ceremony is scheduled to start @ 6:00 pm (To catch end of Local into National Media Window)

Names of any speakers: The list is long; but I'm preoccupied with nailing down a Display Location for The QUILT! Put the Buzzz out Friday afternoon; but have several suggestions and ideas in the works...

Parking: Local lots, etc; will follow up...

Info on Quilt:

AIDS Memorial Quilt: Fifty days to World AIDS Day -- December 1, 2011. Why not open your doors to a display of The Quilt? Already on board to host: The William J. Clinton Library, University of Colorado, Texas A & M, Emory University, Breaking Boundaries, Harvard University, Edward R. Murrow High School, SUNY Medical Center and many

Are you the sponsor and do you have help?

Be specific, I don't have much space and I don't have time to dig through much material.

The Presenting Sponsors are MWCLTonline.org-SouthBankHIVe.com-ideaZone Marketing, LLC

VIEW the Quilt

aidsquilt.org

At The NAMES Project Foundation we are always working to ensure public accessibilty to both The AIDS Memorial Quilt and to the individual stories of the men, women and children we have lost to this epidemic.

I've been thinking about this since I first saw last year's "Cleveland Clip" and been researching how we can equal or better a Metropolitan Response in this the 30th Year; and it is the Ultimate in a "Teachable Movement". So yes; we can always use more GrassRoots Help! If the Local AIDS & LGBT Bureaucracies want to share their 2 cents worth for the Cause, we welcome them as well.

EVERYDAY IS WORLD HIV DAY
Living With HIV IS Not Dying of AIDS; Unfortunately, we have "AIDS fatigue" among younger people & those who have no memory of the worst phase of the HIV epidemic in the 1980s and early 1990s, as well as condom fatigue among those who have grown tired and disillusioned with the... unrelenting and sometimes unrealistic safer sex message.

Over the years, World AIDS Day has become a global phenomenon that has prompted massive media coverage, raised awareness, encouraged people to get involved and amplified the voices of those living with HIV. But how we can get people to care about HIV/AIDS after Dec. 1?

Many people living with HIV in America today face a unique set of structural and lifestyle challenges, including, but not limited to: poverty, hunger, under- or unemployment, illiteracy, racism, discrimination, immigration issues, homelessness, stigma, previous or current incarceration, sexual or domestic violence, homophobia, substance use, criminalization, addiction, and childcare and mental health issues. Much of what we have learned about fighting HIV has to be reconsidered in light of who is contracting the virus today and why.

Turn the Holidays a Complimentary RED & WEAR the RIBBON!

Thanks,

Worley

MAPublications

Dear MoveOn member,

Did you know that there's an election in Covington next Tuesday, November 8? If you didn't, you're not alone. Off-year local elections are often decided by just a few hundred or even dozen votes. And when you combine this with the tea party's focus on state and local elections, every vote really does count.

That's why we're working on new ways to get MoveOn members to the polls—and one of them is sending a text message reminder to vote on Election Day. It's part of a new project we've just launched, MoveOn Mobile, to send urgent updates, events, breaking news, and election reminders via text message.

Will you sign up to receive a text message reminder to vote, as well as other important MoveOn updates?

This is a low-volume, high-impact network. You'll only get two or three texts a month, when important news demands quick action.

Thanks for all you do.

—Kat, Tate, Elena, Eli, and the rest of the team

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Michael Connett on November 4, 2011.

From: Michael Connett

Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 4:25 PM

Subject: Fw: Stop the Bullying

Tuesday Greetings Y'All! Will be interesting to see if The Commissioners have their Yoda on this evening...

Agenda #7 CDBG GUIDELINES:

An Order/Resolution approving the Adoption of Guidelines for the following Community Development Block Grant Programs: Upper Floor Residential Rehabilitation Program, Business Rent Subsidy Program and Small Business Micro Loan Program!

SouthBank Tenants Advocacy Project

Ya know, SlumLords are like Politicians in that they think and count on the belief that the Poor are not aware of the issues and their rights and don't vote and then get away with treating them with little to no respect and much Inequality...

It's Time to stop the "War on The Poor" as well as Landlord Bullying!

THANK YOU FROM THE RIVER CITY NEWS

Since it is now November, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you readers for making October such a huge month for this news outlet. Since launching in June, our numbers have doubled each month. Except in October. They quadrupled! 4 times as many people got their Covington news from us in October compared to August/September which had double the numbers from July which had double the numbers from June. Thank you for your trust, your feedback, and your continued readership in this new experiment of local journalism. –Michael

NEW MAYOR'S FIRST MEETING AGENDA SET

by Michael Monks

Email Michael

Find us on Facebook: The River City News @ Facebook

@theRCnews on Twitter

Mayor Chuck Scheper takes
oath of office

A unified stance against school bullies, an order for road salt, the hiring of an interim Arts District manager, and the sale of a city-owned property for $500 are among the highlights of Tuesday's Covington City Commission meeting, the first official meeting presided over by newly named Mayor Chuck Scheper.

A Resolution Against Bullying

Candlelight vigil for Sam
Denham, 13

The Commissioners indicated just days after a student at Woodland Middle School committed suicide following torment at the hands of bullies online and at school, that they would move to adopt a unified resolution urging the state legislature to pass anti-bullying legislation. The death of Sam Denham, 13, led to two public vigils and emotional support from the commission against bullying.

SEE ALSO: Commissioners Want Resolution Following Suicide of Bullied Teen

Candlelight Vigil Remembers Teen Bullied at School, Online

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In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include:
(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;
(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors."

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