The Red Badge of Courage...

As we begin the quick rush toward the end of 2008, it's an important time to pause and reflect upon what we miss while pondering the holidays. Today marks an often overlooked observance: World AIDS Day.

Since the early days of HIV awareness in 1981, over 25 million people worldwide have lost their lives to AIDS. While we have come far in our understanding of HIV and mislabeling it a "gay disease", a certain amount of prejudice still exists. It can effect anyone, without regard for age, race, or sexual orientation. Some victims, like Liberace, kept quiet for fear of scandal. Others, such as Ryan White, became public speakers helping the world understand the virus better and giving sufferers a face of normality. Yet there are still people who believe past misinformation and stereotypes. For as far as we have come, we have greater strides to make.

Throughout my life, I have watched the slow changes since its initial discovery. I remember watching Ryan White on television and seeing the earliest uses of the symbolic red ribbon. I have known and befriended people living with the disease. I have watched fear and hysteria give way to somber understanding. Great advances have been made in the past 20 years, from drug cocktails to scientific work on a vaccine. Yet the fight isn't over. In 2007, the number of individuals living with HIV was estimated at 33 million. In poorer countries, the survival rate is extremely low. While we may not consider AIDS as a serious affair worthy of news attention today, the battle hasn't ended.

It doesn't take much to become a catalyst for change. Educate yourself on the disease by reading information provided by the World AIDS Campaign or volunteer some time or financial donations at one of the many AIDS organizations throughout the world. HIV won't disappear simply because we turn a blind eye. Like anything we fear, we have to face it head-on.

Sickness and Stylishness...

It has been a quiet start to November for me. I have spent the past few days recovering from a major chest cold so I haven't quite felt up to writing much. I still feel a bit under the weather, but I'm determined to make a speedy recovery. I have too much to get caught up on and too many things coming up to allow myself to be out of commission for too long.

But even in sickness, I found something fitting to mention here.

Having gone through at least one box of Kleenex in the last two days, I now understand why I aways believe in having plenty on hand. And for those of you with the morbid streak, why not try black tissue? For those in mourning, wanting to look sophisticated, or depressed about the status of health care in America, Diashowa, a Japanese company, released its own line of black facial tissue... though with a price tag of $178 for 20 boxes, it might not be a wise choice of you're sick!

Though if you prefer blowing your reddened nose with toilet paper, Renova has a cheaper black alternative for mourning losses of a different kind. They also have more cheerful, vibrant colors if your bathroom would like a chipper feel to it.