Guide to Donating To HIV/AIDS Awareness This Holiday Season By CreditCards.com

APPLE STORE LOGOS GO RED FOR WORLD AIDS DAY AS APPLE PROMOTES (RED) W/ APP STORE STORIES

Guide to Donating To HIV/AIDS Awareness This Holiday Season By M2M.org

The Trump Administration proposed budget cuts for the 2019 fiscal year that would take away millions in federal funding from multiple HIV/AIDS prevention programs. While Congress denied those budget cuts, advocacy groups around the world are worried that similar cuts will be passed in the future.

With World AIDS day coming up on December 1 and Trump’s recent budget cut proposals in the news, the spotlight on HIV and AIDS awareness has returned, causing many people to consider how they can donate to organizations looking to help with the epidemic domestic and abroad.

Donating to causes such as HIV and AIDS research has become easier than ever as more organizations begin using online donation portals and partnering with businesses such as Amazon. This year, holiday shoppers can effortlessly support the fight against HIV and AIDS just by being mindful of where they shop for Christmas gifts.

Shop smarter and make a difference

Organizations such as (RED) have been partnering with brands to help raise money and awareness for the fight against HIV/AIDS. By shopping for these brands or through certain portals, you can contribute to health and community programs around the world that are working to stop HIV/AIDS.

(RED) Partners

(RED) is one of the largest and most well-known organizations dedicated to the elimination of HIV/AIDS. Every year, they partner with big brands to collaborate on special edition items. Brands donate a certain amount to the Global Fund for each purchase of a (RED) collection item.

Here are some their 2018 partners:

• Apple. Apple has an entire line of products to support (RED), including a special edition iPhone XR.

• Bank of America. From November 20 to December 31, 2018, Bank of America donates the cost of a day’s worth of medication for each dollar spent during the (RED) shopathon.

• Beats. Beats donates a portion of every sale of (PRODUCT)RED™ headphones and speakers.

• Belvedere Vodka. Toast the holidays with Belvedere’s special edition bottle, and they’ll donate 50 percent of the proceeds to Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

• Telcel and Claro. These companies donate a portion of every (TELCEL)RED phone purchase to help fund programs in high-prevalence countries in Africa and Latin America.

• Starbucks. On December 1, Starbucks will donate 25 cents (USD) for every featured holiday specialty drink purchased.

• Durex. A percentage of each purchase of (DUREX)RED condoms will go towards The Keeping Girls in School Programme in South Africa, helping promote sexual health practices that prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

• AirAsia. If you plan to fly to Southeast Asia this holiday season, you could help raise funds and awareness by flying on the first-ever (RED) plane. The airline is also donating money for each flight booked on airasia.com.

Aspirin Could Help Reduce HIV Infections In Women -- A Dramatic, Promising Research Result In Nairobi

WOMEN IN KENYA. PHOTO BY JOHN MCARTHUR ON UNSPLASH

Aspirin Could Help Reduce HIV Infections In Women -- A Dramatic, Promising Research Result In Nairobi

By Colin Graydon, PhD Candidate in Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba and Monika Kowatsch PhD Student in Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba. First published on The Conversation Africa.

With nearly two million new infections and one million associated deaths each year, the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) pandemic is alive and well. Thirty-seven million people are now living with HIV, more than half of whom are women.

Today, most HIV transmission occurs through sex. Fortunately, you can protect yourself and others by keeping HIV away (abstinence, condom use, circumcision) or by inactivating HIV (microbicide gels or a combination of prophylactic anti-HIV drugs such as PrEP). However, these methods are not always feasible for many and can come with stigma.

Imagine though, if instead of targeting the virus, we could make people less susceptible to HIV and address the needs of communities by using a relatively safe, affordable and globally accessible drug with no associated stigma. This is where Aspirin comes in.

It may sound like a fairy tale, but results from our lab’s pilot study published last monthsuggest it may be true. Plus, there’s good science behind the explanation.

Amber Heard Rocks Proud In 'High Tide' Lensed By Olivia Malone For Porter Edit November 2018

Amber Heard Rocks Proud In 'High Tide' Lensed By Olivia Malone For Porter Edit November 2018

Actor Amber Heard is styled by Tracy Taylor in sleek denim and leather looks from Versace, Anna Quan, Orseund Iris, Totême Isabel Marant, Saint Laurent, Joseph and more. Photographer Olivia Malone is behind the lens, flashing ‘Hide Tide’ for Porter Edit November 30, 2018.

Ajesh Patalay sits down with superheroine Mera to chat about her blockbuster movie ‘Aquaman’, turning around her hellish personal life and why she almost walked away from her future as the Queen of Atlantis.

Heard speaks of her role as Mera in ‘Aquaman’, co-starring with Jason Momoa and Nicole Kidman, within the context of her public 2010 discussion around her bisexuality. At the time, the revelations were explosive and probably did impact her career. Heard has no regrets.

What am I going to say to my sister: ‘Sorry, I blew it, because I have a big mouth’? I was scared to death.” So why do it? “It was wrong [not to],” she says. “A lie is never sustainable. The truth is the only thing that’s sustainable.” She now campaigns on LGBTQ rights.

Amber Heard pulls no punches in her discussions around the challenges women face — not only around the cultural hypersexualization of women and also not believing women — that we don’t tell the truth. I invite you to read her comments on this topic. ~ Anne

The Surprising Way Plastics Could Actually Help Fight Climate Change

The Surprising Way Plastics Could Actually Help Fight Climate Change

What do your car, phone, soda bottle and shoes have in common? They’re all largely made from petroleum. This nonrenewable resource gets processed into a versatile set of chemicals called polymers – or more commonly, plastics. Over 5 billion gallons of oil each year are converted into plastics alone.

Polymers are behind many important inventions of the past several decades, like 3D printing. So-called “engineering plastics,” used in applications ranging from automotive to construction to furniture, have superior properties and can even help solve environmental problems. For instance, thanks to engineering plastics, vehicles are now lighter weight, so they get better fuel mileage. But as the number of uses rises, so does the demand for plastics. The world already produces over 300 million tons of plastic every year. The number could be six times that by 2050.

Petro-plastics aren’t fundamentally all that bad, but they’re a missed opportunity. Fortunately, there is an alternative. Switching from petroleum-based polymers to polymers that are biologically based could decrease carbon emissions by hundreds of millions of tons every year. Bio-based polymers are not only renewable and more environmentally friendly to produce, but they can actually have a net beneficial effect on climate change by acting as a carbon sink. But not all bio-polymers are created equal.

EYE: Alessandra Ambrosio For Numero Russia #53 | Alessandra + Nicoli Oddi +Alanui | GlamTribal Woolly Mammoth Jewelry

EYE: Alessandra Ambrosio For Numero Russia #53 | Alessandra + Nicoli Oddi +Alanui | GlamTribal Woolly Mammoth Jewelry

Supermodel and former Victoria’s Secret Angel Alessandra Ambrosio owns three covers of Numero Russia issue #53, edited with a look a fashion’s future: NATURAL, EDGY and SENSUAL. Ovidiu Buta styles Alessandra in a faux fur Max Mara coat, a MM6 Maison Margiela t-shirt, Comme des Garcons coat and more for images by Elio Nogueira.

Alessandra Ambrosio’s relationship with Nicolò Oddi is going strong.

Alessandra was first seen with Italian fashion designer Oddi at the September 2018 Green Carpet Fashion Awards in Milan.

Nicolò Oddi launched his fashion label, Alanui, in 2016 with his sister and business partner Carlotta Oddi. The label carries over-sized cardigans designed for the nomad in each of us with the brand’s name meaning “large path” in Hawaiian.

Gisele Bundchen Smolders In Vivara Jewelry Christmas 2018 Campaign By Luigi + Iango

Gisele Bundchen Smolders In Vivara Jewelry Christmas 2018 Campaign By Luigi + Iango

Global earth goddess, supermodel Gisele Bundchen reminds us that sensuality is also part of the Christmas season, styled by Patti Wilson in red draped fabric to keep engaged eyes on other dazzles. Gisele is lensed by Luigi + Iango, with Wilson decorating her body with Brazilian jewelry brand Vivara for their Christmas 2018 campaign.

When writing about Bundchen’s new book ‘My Path to a Meaningful Life’, we focused on her commitment to the environment and being a global ambassador for saving the planet. The truth is that Gisele also writes about why she left Victoria’s Secret, where she reigned as supreme queen for many years.

Halima Aden's TEDx Talk From Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya

Halima Aden's TEDx Talk From Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya

Rising fashion star Halima Aden made another appearance in the pages of Vogue Arabia, posing in the November 2018 for images by An Le. The AOC post prompted me to circle back to watch Halima Aden’s TEDx Talk in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, now that it’s available online.

Aden expressed profound thanks for getting the opportunity to revisit the Kakuma, which was founded in 1992 and is currently home to more than 185,000 inhabitants. “This camp taught me so many lessons and I’m so grateful I had the chance to return,” the model told her 620,000 Instagram followers. “A lot has changed since I’ve left but we still have along way to go.” 

At this moment when refugees are under assault globally, including in America, Halima’s words are deeply felt here at AOC. I also found this essay expressing in words by Halima many of the concepts expressed in her TEDX talk, posted on Dream Refugee.org.

Immersed in trying to piece together all of the refugee models and their intersections with each other, I momentarily forgot my own words from April 1, in which I already wrote that Halima Aden and Adut Akech were both born in the same refugee camp: Kakuma.

EYE: Halima Aden By An Le For Vogue Arabia November 2018 + Halima's TEDX Talk From Kakuma Refugee Camp

EYE: Halima Aden By An Le For Vogue Arabia November 2018 + Halima's TEDX Talk From Kakuma Refugee Camp

Rising Somali-American model Halima Aden is styled by Elle Cepada in neutral glam looks from Christopher Kane, Zimmermann, Tom Ford and more. Photographer An Le captures Halima for Vogue Arabia November 2018.

Girl Baby Elephants Become Proxy Matriarchs At Kenya's Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

Girl Baby Elephants Become Proxy Matriarchs At Kenya's Reteti Elephant Sanctuary

Sunday night has been elephant update night for Anne. My head is swimming in new information and stories. Before I venture out, let me share this charming, empathetic story in National Geographic about Kenya’s Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Kenya.

A few weeks ago, AOC featured the entire short virtual reality film ‘My Africa’, narrated by Lupita Nyong’o and set among the Samburu people. The region of the film and this May, 2017 article includes the Turkana, Rendille, Borana, and Somali peoples — besides the Samburu. Knowledgeable about many of the civil wars that have ravaged Africa (and America) I’m not familiar with tensions in this area. The point of our story and ‘My Africa’ is how these ethnic groups are working together today to strengthen their communities while protecting the estimated 6,000 elephants, according to National Geographic, who share the land.

In fact, I pursued the article because of this beautiful image of Mary Lengees, one of Reteti’s first female elephant keepers and Shyian. Upon landing at National Geographic, I felt a poignant moment for Shaba, a little female elephant who is now the boss. So much has been written about the great elephant matriarchs, strong leaders who sleep hardly at all to protect their herd.

The notion of a baby girl elephant’s natural instincts taking hold, making her the leader and caretaker long before her time is due reminds me of stories of young girls with countless siblings — too many for mom to manage — or even orphan girls with young brothers and sisters who suddenly rise to positions of leadership, almost out of instinct.

Lupita Nyong'o Talks 'Black Panther', Time's Up & 'Sulwe', Her New Children's Book For THR

Lupita Nyong'o Talks 'Black Panther', Time's Up & 'Sulwe', Her New Children's Book For THR

Actor Lupita Nyong'o covers the January 25, 2018 issue of The Hollywood Reporter, styled by Micaela Erlanger. Photographer Miller Mobley captures Lupita, an AOC favorite for her talent, work on behalf of elephants, and her determined efforts to stop the slaughter of elephants in Kenya. 

Lupita opens up about her globe-trotting childhood, exposure to political turmoil and why she went public on Weinstein: "I couldn't sleep. I needed to get it out." Then, we have Lupita's upcoming role in 'Black Panther', opening February 16.

Now the actress is planning to take an active role in the Time's Up anti-harassment initiative and is weighing how she can best serve it. She's as vocal in its defense as she is on subjects from colonialism to colorism, the prejudice against dark skin that is the subject of a new children's book she's writing, Sulwe, which Simon & Schuster will publish next year. "Sulwe is a young Kenyan girl who, though her name means star [in Luo], her skin is the color of midnight," she says. "And she's uncomfortable because she's the darkest in her family and goes about trying to change that, then she has this adventure that leads her to accept herself." The book came out of a 2013 speech Nyong'o gave "about my journey to accepting myself and seeing beauty in my complexion."

AOC is proud to say that we covered that speech and will post the link in a few.