What makes a family?  Let’s look at the definitions of family. According to the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary online, a family has many definitions, but 5 (a) sounds like more of what the traditional thinking has been ;

5 a: the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children; also: any of various social units differing from but regarded as equivalent to the traditional family <a single-parent family>

Well, that’s what many people have long thought about what a family is.

Now, in the 21st Century, there seems to be evolution of society’s definition of ‘family’. For example, an article by Katherine Schulten, in the New York Times blog , ‘How Do You Define Family?’, refers to a study by Pew Reasearch Center on seven trends of new definitions of  ’family’ on the horizon;

more unmarried couples raising children;more gay and lesbian couples raising children; more single women having children without a male partner to help raise them; more people living together without getting married; more mothers of young children working outside the home; more people of different races marrying each other; and more women not ever having children.

Wait, back up! This post is about Joshua Tree Gay Pride being held June 11, 2011! Oh, o.k. I got it now. The theme this year of the Joshua Tree Gay Pride event is “Love Makes A Family”!  Now, that is very simply stated what a family is made of, LOVE! Mike Lipsitz is inviting everyone June 11, 2011 to Joshua Tree Gay Pride “family friendly” events being held at the Art Queen Complex, located at 61855 29 Palms Hwy, Joshua Tree Ca., 92252.

Solar flares are acting up! Check back later as updates will be posted, but be sure to attend the Joshua Tree Gay Pride on June 11, 2011!

Whew, that was a chore! After noticing that there was not much data in analytics for HiDesertWeb.com, a deeper investigation was needed since this site has been online for over 4 years and enjoyed a modest amount of visitors. It was very noticeable when @Twitter posts by @HiDesertweb were not appearing on the weekly recap posts! While reviewing several possible candidates for the cause of the site errors, it was narrowed down to a couple of things, the forum and/or database space! Turned out to be both. The forum caused the database to fill up due to you know, those people and bots that flood your sites!

Well, so far so good with the repair of Hidesertweb.com site. Upgraded WordPress, MySQL and a few other little annoyances like that forum! There is more maintenance needed, but at least HiDesertWeb.com is back at work again!

Now, I can get back to the blog! I have missed quite a few events and activities that I will catch up on, so check in later!

All over the world, December 1 is recognized as World AIDS Day. This year 2010, World AIDS Day offers hope for people who have been affected by HIV/AIDS due to the significant awareness and education that has spread throughout the world! Over the past 20 years, many people have become more open to learning about HIV/AIDS as a result of the resilient and hard work of persons in the trenches to bring awareness and fighting for a cure.

World AIDS Day began on a December 1, Wednesday as an observance of an estimated 25 million people who died from the virus between 1981 and 2007. Those numbers are staggering when you put a face on them. There are some of my dear friends who are in that number, and for them, I try to reach out, inform, and educate as many people I can about HIV/AIDS. In a shocking statement, Pope Benedict XVI has stated that “in certain cases” use of condoms by Catholics is acceptable. This is a slight shift from the Vatican’s long held blanket ban on the use of contraceptives. According to the Guardian, Pope Benedict XVI first acknowledged that using a condom to reduce the risk of HIV infection, thus moving away from a total ban on condoms. Hopefully the Pope can influence other religious leaders and others to start a dialogue about the importance and urgency of preventing and stopping HIV/AIDS.

Many HIV/AIDS persons experience various forms of discrimination from employment to health services.

World AIDS Day is also designed bring the attention of the human rights violations suffered by people living with HIV/AIDS as detailed by World AIDS Campaign here.

Below are some recent facts about HIV/AIDS.

Facts and figures, according to the UN AIDS Global Report for 2010:
- In 2010, just over 33 million people around the world are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. Compared with 10 years ago, there were only 26.2 million people with HIV.
- There are an estimated 2.5 million children living with HIV.
- The most stricken area in the world is Sub-Saharan Africa. Around 68 percent of the world’s HIV-infected persons live in the region.
- South Africa is the most infected country: 5.6 million people have HIV.
- More than 5 million people are getting HIV treatment, including 1.2 million who are receiving the new antiretroviral therapy. Since 2004, the number of people getting treatment internationally has increased by nearly 13 times.
- HIV prevention is working: In 33 countries, the rate of new HIV infections has decreased by more than 25 percent between 2003 and 2009. Twenty-two of those countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, there were 1.8 million new infections in 2009, down from the estimated 2.2 million infections in 2001.
- However, seven countries had a 25 percent increase in new infections. Five of those are in Central Asia and in Eastern Europe: Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, and Philippines.
- Among children around the world, new infections are decreasing. An estimated 370,000 children were infected in 2009, which signifies a drop of 24 percent from 2004.
- Deaths related to AIDS have decreased. In 2004, an estimated peak number of people, or 2.1 million, died. In 2009, an estimated 1.8 million died.
- An estimated $15.9 billion was earmarked for AIDS response in 2009.
- In the United States, the top 10 states for reported AIDS diagnoses in 2008, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were: California, Florida, New York, Texas, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and North Carolina.

World AIDS Day has events scheduled all over the world and online. For example, celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams and others are posed in coffins to raise money for the HIV/AIDS fight- coffin slideshow here. For World AIDS Day material click The Light For Rights campaign. Also, The Light For Rights campaign  to underscore this year’s focus on HIV and human rights is to encourage people in cities around the world to “dim the lights on key landmarks to remember the devastating affect AIDS has had on us all, and to turn back on the lights to illuminate the fundamental rights we all share.”

In the Desert, join Desert AIDS Project @ 1695 Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, Ca in commemorating World AIDS Day 2010! There will be a candlelight ceremony at Sunset, lighting of the building – “Lights For Rights” and other activities. Go out and show support for the wonderful people who work Desert AIDS Project and the people they serve! RSVP is requested by emailing RSVP@desertaidsproject.org.

Thanks to all those in the trenches fighting to stop HIV/AIDS and We Will Win!

• RT @LocalTwo Ca. gov hopeful Meg Whitman in the Coachella Valley today; pics here: http://bit.ly/9eXUwx #

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Democrats in the Hi Desert of Southern California are coming out of the closet! On Sunday, October 24, 2010, Morongo Basin Democratic Club put out a call to Democrats of the Morongo Basin, located North of Palm Springs, to come out to meet and greet at the induction celebration of the their 100th member.

The Mid-term election of 2010 officially takes place November 2, 2010 and this years’ election campaigns have been a battle for hearts and minds in the media and gatherings all over the country! Many of the media outlets are pushing the notion that the Tea Party along with the Republican party are leading an enthusiastic charge for replacing and defeating Democrats across the United States, while Democrats sit and watch idly by. Much of the campaign rhetoric against the Democrats is leveled against The President of The United States, Barack Obama and his actions to turn around the down sliding  United States economy that began before he was nominated or elected! As such, the charges against the Democratic party by the Tea Party and Republicans, especially those in Congress who opposed actions to steer the United States economy out of the slumps, have been overly critical and negative .

But I digress. Many people in the Morongo Basin consider ourselves “Bi-Partisan” and would seek to elect the best candidate for the job despite party affiliation of the candidate. However, in this 2010 Mid-term election, campaigns for local, State and National offices, have drawn party lines causing one to pick a side.

The Morongo Basin Democratic Club gathering was a modest affair where attendees had the opportunity to meet some of the Democratic candidates in local, State of California, and National races present. Democratic Candidates in attendance at the meeting was Pat Meagher, candidate for  U.S. House of Representatives for the 41st Congressional District of California, Carl Wood, candidate for California State Assembly for the 65th Assembly District and other candidates seeking local offices.

Pat Meagher for 41st District of California

Carl Wood for California Assembly 65th District

Both Pat Meagher and Carl Wood provided their campaign platforms to an eager audience. It was refreshing to finally see the candidates who wants your vote up close and personal! The bottom line was to GO VOTE 2010! The candidates in the California Mid-Term elections are fighting a fierce battle drawn heavily along party lines, so Get Out The Vote 2010! Thanks to Mike Lipsitz, Vice President and the Morongo Basin Democratic Club for sparking some “enthusiasm” in the Hi Desert!

Note: No money was paid or received for this.

• Yes! RT @JeanetteJoy Some days, you just gotta love Twitter. #
• getting adjusted to changing weather and daylight. Love #change #
• Happy Sunday ALL! Getting ready to go out and get inspired! How about U? Have a great day no matter what and enjoy! #

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• ! @CVNETWORKING Thanks for adding to list @CVNETWORKING/l001 ! #

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