IS HIV/AIDS THE FORGOTTEN EPIDEMIC?

I subscribe to POZONLINE, a magazine that is published 6 times a year and contains a wealth of knowledge. But the other day they had a poll asking a simple yes or no question, “Is AIDS the forgotten epidemic?” I answered yes and then found out that most of the people who answered said the same.
In the early days of HIV/AIDS it seemed that just testing positive was a death sentence but today we are living longer due to newer and better medications. But unless you have the virus yourself or know someone who does, you don’t know the costs of living longer. I’m not just talking about money but also about the pain that you pay by living longer. That isn’t talked about in the media but it is certainly real enough. Bouts of diarrhea, pain in your extremities, fat deposits in different parts of your body like the back of the neck or stomach. Some of the medications can cause you to have diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, liver and kidney problems and yes, some of them can even cause death. And of course all of them seem to cause dry mouth which leaves you with a constant thirst. You don’t hear a lot about these things and for that reason and the fact that we are living longer, people aren’t taking this virus seriously anymore, and they still need to. Having a longer life is great but if you are in pain and don’t want to get addicted to pain killers or have them just knock you out, what good are the extra years?
Doctors and researchers need to do a better job of coming up with medications that help without hurting further. I believe that the physicians oath is “First do no harm” but if it isn’t, it should be. At 62 years young, I am being force into a scooter because a two block walk just about kills me. I’m grateful for the scooter, don’t get me wrong, but I would much rather walk on my own. And this is what people, especially young people need to know, need to see and need to hear.

WORLD AIDS DAY

December1st each year is WORLD AIDS DAY, a time to remember all of those who have perished because of this disease and to celebrate those living with it today. Around the world the day was marked and remembered as it was here in St. Petersburg, Florida. A good friend and artist who works in metal artistry, Mark Hester, created bronze plates with inscriptions of those of us living with HIV/AIDS in our own handwriting and they were displayed locally at The Flamingo Resort. People were invited to not only read but also run their fingers over the words that were transformed into art as a living memorial. It was a sobering experience for me and others and our minds were reminded of the great quilt that started with one square in remembrance of one who had passed. The names of those who wrote their feelings are not reveled to anyone other they themselves and the artist but I and others witnessed first hand the solitude of those who read and/or felt the words. But the best thing that could come out of this World AIDS Day and others would be for a cure to be found or at least kinder and gentler medications that right now are causing as much pain as the disease it self. Your comments are welcome.

THE WORLD WILL END IN 2012, OKAY, MAYBE

People all over the world are worried that the because of the Mayan calendar the world will end in December of 2012. Did it occur to anyone that the accountant just ran out of chalk and the whole village decided it would be fun to go into town and toss a few back and keep him company on his quest to get more chalk? And for that matter, who said you were going to live to see that day come? Do you drive or walk across streets? Who knows what can take a person out or when.

So why not try this, be the best person that you can be for the rest of your life. Help others where and when you can and live every day like it could be your last because it just might be. Set an example for others by the way you conduct your life and just maybe it will catch on. World peace is an obtainable goal in our lifetime if we can overcome hate and poverty. Don't just sit on your sofa and wait for the end of the world, make it a better one while you're here.

A MESSAGE FROM JESUS AND ME

"Let the one without sin cast the first stone," Jesus said to the crowd when they were about to stone Mary Magdalene to death. Am I without sin? Not even close, but I do try to be the best Mike that I can be with this quote in mind always. Note I said try and I do. Wouldn't the world be a better place if we could all do the same. And I try to stay positive everyday and that isn't easy either especially when I feel like I am standing in the shoes of Mary Magdalene. Being a gay Christian is extremely difficult because SOME who call themselves Christian, would rather hurl their stones at me and others in the LGBT community, chasing some of God's children away from Him instead of bringing them closer. Maybe, rather than hurling stones at the ones you disagree with, you can expend your energies in positive ways: helping the poor; tending to the sick; working for a greener world and saving future generations or maybe just trying to make peace in the world in your lifetime.

I was born gay and so were millions of others. This is not a choice, who would chose to go down a road that would cause you to be cast out not only by family but also strangers, and in the name of God. With 10% of the world being gay, doesn't that tell you that the Lord has a special purpose for us? I have no idea exactly what it is, but I do know that he doesn't make mistakes.

EVERYBODY HAS ONE...

No, not that. Everybody has someone in the film; music; television or other art industry that they relate to on one level or another and feel like that person would be a wonderful person to know and be friends with. My latest is Pauley Perrette who plays Abby on NCIS. I think that she is a hoot and would love to tell her so but someone started stalking her on line and she pulled her personal blog. I'm a fat, old gay man and don't think of her in that way. (However, I do drool over the men on that show, whew!) But I do like to research actors and such, mostly on Wikipedia because I feel safe on that site, and found out that she also supports Gay and Lesbian marriage, now I know we could be friends. But that assumes that she would like me as a friend and has all kind of time to write or call and catch up on things, duh. She is a great actress in my eyes and makes me laugh with some of her antics but we live in different worlds so I just hope someone reads this and tells her for me. I'm a writer but that doesn't mean that she would like or even appreciate some of my tales or short stories, but then again, how could she not? LOL

So, who would you like to write to or talk to? I dream about being able to meet the cast of The Guiding Light I have been watching them for so long I feel like they are family to me.
Mike

FIGHTING GAY MARRIAGE

Why in the world would Christians who profess love, be wasting all of their time; energy; money and other resources be fighting the sanctity of love in any form? Especially when they could be helping fight poverty and sickness around the world. The word MARRIAGE is reserved for when two people who love each other want to make a lasting commitment to one another and announce to the world that they hope that love will last forever. It does not have to be a religious thing, many heterosexuals get married by justices of the peace, in chapels along the highway or in other countries (not to mention those Elvis look-a-likes). More gay and lesbian people than you probably know are Christians, just the same as you. Well, not really like you, but Christians just the same. And why should it matter that they are Christians or not? Who gave you the RIGHT to try and control the lives of others who do not play by YOUR set of rules? This is the United States of America and we have a bill of rights that this country was founded upon and not by any religious organization. We have the freedom to decide what if any set of doctrines that we will follow.

As I said in the beginning, use your money; resources; and whatever is at your disposal to fight poverty and sickness throughout the world. I have seen the bumper sticker on more that one vehicle that asks WWJD? Where would he want you to put your resources? Against love or against suffering?

CRANK DOWN THE VOLUME

Could I be the only one out here who is tired of holding onto the remote all the time because as soon as a commercial comes on the volume pumps up so high that the neighbors can hear it? It used to be that the commercials couldn't be any louder than the loudest part of the show but that seems to have fallen by the wayside. I mean is it really necessary that if I should decide to go to the kitchen to get a drink or some chips that I hear the whole advertisement about something that I could care less about?

Well dear advertisers, I have taken to muting all of your messages or recording the program so that I can just speed thru all of the commercials. True, I won't be able to see things in real time but I don't have to sit with the remote in my hand. All things considered it just boils down to good old fashioned greed and that is something the whole world could do without. If fact, if greed isn't brought under control and soon, what is going to happen to this planet of ours? Over pricing products for sale is pushing consumers to the brink. I don't buy brand name products much anymore. I've learned to buy the generics and spice them up some how and have turned to buying more and more fresh produce from the growers, even if it means going out of my way do do so. And I am not alone. You should keep that in mind when raising your prices higher and higher. We are making serious cut backs in our budgets and it's time for you to do the same. And a nice start would be to crank down the volume on your commercials and maybe I will listen to them.

That's my take, let me hear from you.
Mike