..click to enlarge**





-->> Hi,tOkKIe-Pokies ..i hope you will read this.
Last year; tOkKa made a personal commitment & tried to be involved with a local HIV/AIDs organization that provides support,services,caring,education and research-based prevention programs that target high risk populations within the areas South of Denver (ect. ..).






.. ..December 1 is World AIDS day ..






"Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is a retrovirus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. .."





The commitment i had made for the organization has proven challenging to say the least. 2007 has proven to be one of the most difficult i've ever endured. As my career seeming is slowly emerging out of the mud, the challenges have often gotten into the way of promises i've made. Even the one i made last year. Sometimes i became so wrapped up in everything i was doing i even cowarded. away from my promise.



However..a year later, after a terrible amount of wracking my brain on how to keep my promise..lessons have been learned.




"A Summit of health ministers back in 1988 designated December 1rst as World AIDS Day to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS victims around the world. (*src.)




"The concept of a World AIDS Day .. World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention. Since then, it has been taken up by governments, international organizations and charities around the world."



.."Around forty million people are living with HIV throughout the world - and that number increases in every region every day."



Help tOkka fight the prejudices and ignorance about this epidemic thru' learning,prevention and awareness !!





..Here are some helpful links!! ::





-





- INFORMATIVE HIV & AIDS FAQ'S & QUIZ !!**






- Kid's Health . ORG's HIV/Aids education page ** !! (Pretty cool site for kid's to get the lo'down !!)





-'AVERT' is a U.K. Based HIV/AIDS charity with a very global view !!**





- The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS !! **





The main theme for W.A.D. thru' 2010 is ::






"Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise !!"





..



..i've had to learn to keep mine. While unable to keep mine it a timely manner to .. on S-cap, The Southern Colorado AIDS project (CLICK HERE) !!**..
this goofy excuse for a snapper WILL keep it.



I had promised one (or more) fine-art paintings to the organization as a volunteer commission. With the exception of a digital proof i can keep for my own records..the entire piece(s ?) would go directly to S-cap for them to do as they pleased. S-cap at the time they had set up an ** auction system with all funding from the auctions going directly back to support S-cap. I'll do my best to change that within' the coming weeks.



After all this time of wondering how i would pull this off on what be a very different project than anything i had created before..things are slowly coming back around in the light of some heavy statistics.



- .." 33 million people around the world are diagnosed to be living with HIV. The number seemed to have leveled off from 40 million worldwide which sounds promising but it still is a matter of great concern. Another 2.5 million people contracted the virus this year, which means a 40 percent lower than the estimate for 2006. Two million people more have died from AIDS since the beginning of the year."



- "The most affected region of the world is known to be sub-Saharan Africa. Eight African countries account for almost one third of all new HIV infections and deaths, according to the International Herald Tribune. Zimbabwe, for example, has known a drop of HIV prevalence rates, but AIDS is still the biggest challenge the country faces, according to Owen Mugurungi, who heads the government's HIV/AIDS and TB unit, quoted by Zimbabwe's Financial Gazette."



- ".. data come from Western Europe too. According to a survey in Great Britain the number of HIV cases is almost as high as in South Africa and that’s a country where about 19 percent of the population is HIV-positive. What is the most worrisome is that one in seven British people aged between 14 and 25 say they would’t stay friends with an HIV-infected people."



- "According to World Health Organization HIV has increased by more than 150 percent in Eastern Europe and central Asia in the past six years. The number of people living with HIV has more than doubled in Vietnam, while Indonesia has the fastest growing epidemic."



- "Almost 700,000 people are infected with HIV in China according to a survey released on Thursday by the United Nations and the Chinese government."



- Detroit, for example, has more than 40 percent of Michigan’s HIV and AIDS cases. Infection rates for African American are seven times higher than for whites and 17 times higher for black women than for white women. The number of gay men contracting the virus is also increasing."



-"Despite better prevention efforts, more than 6,800 people are infected each day and nearly 6,000 people die from AIDS.December 1rst is a day which tries to prevent HIV/AIDS from spreading, and according to these reports worldwide, there’s still a lot of work to be done fighting the disease and the prejudice that accompanies it."






..a time to cower, hardly. Above is the preliminary thumbnail for the piece i shall be creating in the coming weeks for S-cap. It will take time.. but i shall figure it out and complete it.



Inspiration lies in the mighty and endangered lion of sub-Saharan Africa. Also the Bert Lahr characterization of The Cowardly Lion from the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" ( a film i am sure you've never heard of ). After numerous obstacles and adventures..your friend, the Lion..desperately seeks courage from the Wizard.
After helping and protecting his allies ((with a little touch of the wizard's placebo ))toward the end, the Lion earns the Badge of Courage..




" -.. which makes him believe he has regained his courageous nature."




..within the deeper truth.. the Lion had a heart of gold.. and despite his overwhelmed fear, he remained steadfast and kept his commitment to his friends.



Ultimately :: The Lion had courage the entire time. Needing to prove it to himself was among his greatest challenges. Despite astounding odds..he persevered and helped everyone !!



He kept his promise !!



Prolly multiple lessons here, the Lion displays he Badge proudly. In such a crazy world ,he reminds us we need to be courageous in the face of adversity and HIV/AIDS.



Keep the promise !!




..for information on S-cap in the Southern Colorado area..please CLICK HERE !!**





..>v<