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Celebs reveal the absurd reason why we haven't beaten AIDS in telling PSA.

“So why aren't we talking about it?"

Right now — this very moment — we have the tools to stop AIDS in America ... but the S-word is getting in the way.

Nope, not that one.Stigma.

“I felt very lonely," Justin Bell of Jacksonville, Florida, told WJCT of his emotional health after being diagnosed with HIV in 2007.


Because he'd lived a "clean life," he explained, he didn't think it was possible for him to contract the virus. It took a near-death emergency room visit to spur his diagnosis.

"I felt as if no one else could possibly understand what I was going through."

1.2 million Americans are living with HIV.

Unfortunately, Bell's story is not unique. Despite the fact that we've come so far with prevention and the science behind fighting the virus, misconceptions about what kinds of people have HIV make it much more difficult to combat.

"Stigma is the greatest driver behind the epidemic," according to GLAAD. "Stigma is what prevents people from taking preventive measures, getting tested, and getting into and staying in treatment. By stigmatizing people with HIV, we are actually making all of society more vulnerable."

Stigma is also a big reason why GLAAD partnered with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to create a new PSA.

And they recruited some star power to help get the message out.

Meredith Vieira, Whoopi Goldberg, Jonathan Groff, Michael Emerson, Tituss Burgess, and Bebe Neuwirth can all be spotted in the 30-second ad released on Oct. 20, 2015, which aims to "inspire, inform, and reignite the passion and action needed to beat the HIV and AIDS epidemic once and for all."



GIFs via GLAAD/YouTube.

According to Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO and president of GLAAD, the PSA focuses on the form of stigma that persists throughout "the sensationalized and negative media coverage of the HIV and AIDS crisis."

"All too often, the way the media portrays HIV today stigmatizes those who are living with the virus. Currently, the popular characterization of people with HIV we see, in news media especially, is as potential spreaders of the virus, and in some worst-case scenarios, as predators."
GLAAD

It's a shame, too. Because the facts prove we could be doing so much more in stopping the virus.

HIV is still affecting millions of people, but it's not making headlines like it used to.

About 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV — more than the population of some states. And infection rates of young people — those who didn't witness the AIDS crisis of the 1980s firsthand — are disproportionately high.

According to the CDC, people between 13 and 24 years old accounted for over a quarter of all new HIV infections in the U.S. in 2010. What's more, it's estimated that half of American youth who are infected don't even know it yet.

"Conversation about HIV and AIDS is barely discussed in individual circles and has comparatively fallen out of the news cycle. This is despite the fact that the U.S. has not seen a decrease in new infection rates in nearly two decades."
Joel Goldman, managing director of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation

Here's how you can promote change.

It's OK to start small.

Combating stigma starts with simply learning the facts— like who can contract the virus and how. Then, talk about it — don't be afraid to chat about HIV with loved ones or your partners (it may not be the most romantic discussion topic, but it's an important one). And — this one's big — don't forget to get tested and always use protection. It's crucial.

Learn more about HIV and how you can help prevent it here.

Check out the PSA below:


Time travel back to 1905.

Back in 1905, a book called "The Apples of New York" was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson's personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.






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Health

Gen Xer explains sense of 'impending doom' that seems to define the Millennial generation

Somebody finally put it into words and a lot of Millenials are feeling seen.

A woman looks to the ground in dispair.

At the end of his YouTube video “Does Anyone Else Feel Like Everything Has Changed?” self-development influencer Stephen Antonioni makes a rather haunting observation: "In many ways, the world is a better place than it was yesterday, just judging by objective measures. But I can't help share the feeling that something is off and perhaps terribly so. And therefore, I have to ask the question: Does anyone else feel like everything has changed?"

The most popular comment on the video, which was liked over 28,000 times was written by a YouTuber named Tracy Smith. Even though, at 57, she’s a Gen Xer, her thoughts have resonated with thousands of Millenials.

“I am 57. Not only does it feel like ‘something wicked this way comes’ but there is also this feeling that the whole world is holding its breath. Almost as though we are all waiting for some catalyst or sign or event that puts an end to this feeling of being put on hold,” Smith wrote. “This vague, unexplained unease we feel. Something terrible lurking just out of our field of vision but we all feel it closing in. I cannot count the number of people who have told me they wish that whatever is going to happen would just get on with it. That this waiting for the thing in the darkness is unbearable.”

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Melissa Pateras explains how dry cleaning works.


Have you ever wondered what happens at the dry cleaners? Or are you like me, who just assumed the people at the dry cleaners were wizards and never questioned their magic? Turns out, dry cleaners aren't magic and there's actually a pretty interesting explanation of how they came to be and what they do.

Melissa Pateras is known on Tiktok for her laundry knowledge. Seriously, her ability to fold laundry is hypnotizing. This time, she created a video explaining what actually takes place at the dry cleaner and the internet is aghast.

Before Pateras explained what happens in the mysterious world behind the counter of a dry cleaner, she asked a few of her friends what they thought dry cleaning was. Their answers were...interesting to say the least.

One friend surmised, "You put it in a box, right...and then you let some wind, really fast wind, blow around on your clothes and it wipes off all the dirt." The friend, whose username is @unlearn16, continued with her working hypothesis, saying that the clothes are then blasted with infrared heat to sterilize the garments. While that is certainly an interesting theory, that's not what happens.

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Joy

Doberman's blissful reaction while getting pampered at bathtime goes viral

This "scary" dog's next-level beauty routine proves there's nothing scary about him at all.

Representative Image from Canva

May this adorable video show that Doberman's don't deserve their bad reputation.

Let’s face it, Hollywood has given Doberman’s a bad reputation. So often they are depicted as the canine henchman to the evil villain, that many people assume that’s their temperament in real life.

But the truth is: like just about every dog on the planet, Dobermans are sweet, loyal and affectionate canine companions. And, much like Pit Bulls, they are not nearly as inherently aggressive as pop culture makes them out to be—especially when properly trained.

I mean, just take a look at Atlas. This goodest of good bois recently went viral on TikTok while getting a nice, relaxing bathtime session. He proved that not only are Doberman’s capable of extreme levels of chill, they can have a deep felt appreciation for some good old fashioned pampering.

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Photo by Gustavo Fring|Canva

Therapists explains being 'touched out' and gives tips to help

Just about every mother has experienced the feeling of being touched out. They may not know that's what it's called, or some may feel embarrassed to admit they're feeling that way due to fear of judgement. But when you think about it, being touched out, especially when you have younger kids seems inevitable.

The sense of your body not belonging to only you can start during pregnancy. Everything you do directly affects your developing fetus, and once the baby is born, it needs a lot of physical contact for proper brain, social, and emotional development. So babies are held a lot outside of feedings. Those babies turn into toddlers who then turn into early school agers, all of whom rely very heavily on co-regulation of their emotions and being physically near their parent to feel safe.

It's pretty much a constant state of being touched throughout much of the day. When psychologist, Dr. Raquel Martin reveals she too feels touched out in a video on Instagram, parents across the internet felt validated.

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No better time to grab a little shut eye.

For those in the military, sleep can mean the difference between life and death. But shut-eye can be very hard to come by, especially during active conflict.

According to Sharon Ackman, the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School developed a scientific method to help its pilots fall asleep. Through this technique, 96% of the pilots were able to fall asleep in two minutes or less.

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