Friday, December 01, 2006
December 1 is World Aids Day and I really hope that today, if you do nothing else that you at least take a moment to reflect on the number of people who have died of AIDS and those living with AIDS and who are HIV positive. Because people are living longer with AIDS, the disease seems to have been kind of glossed over in the more developed countries and is not in the forefront of our consciousness now as it was.
For some reason in the 90's I found myself in London on World Aids Day for four or five years consecutively and there was always something going on to make people aware of the perils of the disease and at the same time to make sure people had some fun in return for their time or money. The Virgin Records Megastore in Piccadilly Circus was the scene for some incredible concerts inside the store from some of the best UK musicians and it was all free. People would wander in and out of the concert all day while at the same time signing petitions, donating money, and just becoming more aware of the world around us.
I also had the honor of seeing the entire AIDS quilt in Washington DC when it was displayed in its entirety for the final time. For those of you who have been to DC, the quilt stretched from the US Capitol all the way to the Washington Monument and it was just truly breathtaking.
It used to be trendy to wear an AIDS ribbon and so people wore them. Now, people just look at them and all the colored, rubber bracelets that are out there with indifference. I am not asking you to do anything, but just reflect and realize that it is still a devastating disease for much of the planet and is the 3rd biggest cause of death in the world.
http://www.joinred.com/
I promise the rest of the day will be more uplifting and I will be back later with LINKS. I just had to say what was on my mind.
no need to promise anything more uplifting! seeing that you posted about world AIDS day on your blog was a really positive thing. you rock!
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