Why are you looking for the living among the dead?

Dear readers!! I know it has been a while since i wrote but now i'm back for good.
Easter is around the corner. On TV and everywhere there are advertisements about easter bunny giving out candies for kids, where to get the best deals on candies and chocolates in Easter eggs and clothing, etc,.... although all those things seem to be fun we need to acknowledge what easter is truly about. There is more to Easter than just gathering with family and friends but sadly slowly the meaning of Easter is being forgotten.

1. WHAT IS EASTER?

Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ after he has been crucified. Easter is a joyful celebration for Christian because Jesus's death commemorates his mission on Earth. Jesus has been sent to wash away all humans sins by dying on the cross. His death wasn't a pleasant one but rather painful and cruel. Imagine yourself being beaten, spit on, dragged, forced to carry the cross you'll be nailed on, humiliated, crowns with thorns which get deep into your head with your blood shedding all along the way and being nailed alive on a cross feeling the nails piercing through your hands and feet. Yet Jesus took on Himself to go through all that so mankind will be saved. That's how much He loves us. Who can give his/her life to a friend not to talk about a stranger? But for Jesus even though He didn't meet us personally He considers us as His brothers and sisters.

2.WHY DO CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE EASTER?

The New Testament teaches that the resurrection of Jesus, which Easter celebrates, is a foundation of the Christian faith.1 Corinthians 15:12 The resurrection established Jesus as the powerful Son of God Romans 1:4 and is cited as proof that God will judge the world in righteousness.Acts 17:31 God has given Christians "a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead".1 Peter 1:3 Christians, through faith in the working of God Colossians 2:12 are spiritually resurrected with Jesus so that they may walk in a new way of life.Romans 6:4
Easter is linked to the Passover and Exodus from Egypt recorded in the Old Testament through the Last Supper and crucifixion that preceded the resurrection. According to the New Testament, Jesus gave the Passover meal a new meaning, as he prepared himself and his disciples for his death in the upper room during the Last Supper. He identified the loaf of bread and cup of wine as symbolizing His body soon to be sacrificed and His blood soon to be shed. 1 Corinthians 5:7 states, "Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed"; this refers to the Passover requirement to have no yeast in the house and to the allegory of Jesus as the Paschal lamb.
For that reason Easter is a celebration because Jesus has conquered death. He died in order for us to be saved and to have a new life.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE AND REMEMBER THE KEY TO HEAVEN HAS BEEN NAILED TO THE CROSS AND IS CHRIST JESUS!!! THE LORD WILL SOON BE RESURRECTED... HALLELUJAH!! 

World AIDS Day Awareness

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. Government and health officials also observe the event, often with speeches or forums on the AIDS topics. Since 1995, the President of the United States has made an official proclamation on World AIDS Day. Governments of other nations have followed suit and issued similar announcements.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the human immune systemcaused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This condition progressively reduces the effectiveness of the immune system and leaves individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections and tumors. HIV is transmitted through direct contact of a mucous membrane or the bloodstream with a bodily fluid containing HIV, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluid, preseminal fluid, and breast milk. This transmission can involve anal, vaginal or oral sex, blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, exchange between mother and baby duringpregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other exposure to one of the above bodily fluids.

AIDS is now a pandemic. In 2007, it was estimated that 33.2 million people lived with the disease worldwide, and that AIDS killed an estimated 2.1 million people, including 330,000 children. Over three-quarters of these deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. According to UNAIDS 2009 report, worldwide some 60 million people have been infected, with some 25 million deaths, and 14 million orphaned children in southern Africa alone since the epidemic began.

Genetic research indicates that HIV originated in west-central Africa during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. AIDS was first recognized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1981 and its cause, HIV, identified in the early 1980s.

Although treatments for AIDS and HIV can slow the course of the disease, there is no known cure or vaccine. Antiretroviral treatment reduces both the mortality and the morbidity of HIV infection, but these drugs are expensive and routine access to antiretroviral medication is not available in all countries. Due to the difficulty in treating HIV infection, preventing infection is a key aim in controlling the AIDS pandemic, with health organizations promoting safe sex and needle-exchange programmes in attempts to slow the spread of the virus.

HISTORY

World AIDS Day was first conceived in August 1987 by James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter, two public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Bunn and Netter took their idea to Dr. Jonathan Mann, Director of the Global Programme on AIDS (now known as UNAIDS). Dr. Mann liked the concept, approved it, and agreed with the recommendation that the first observance of World AIDS Day should be 1 December, 1988.

Bunn, a broadcast journalist on a leave-of-absence from his reporting duties at KPIX-TV in San Francisco, recommended the date of 1 December believing it would maximize coverage by western news media. Since 1988 was an election year in the U.S., Bunn suggested that media outlets would be weary of their post-election coverage and eager to find a fresh story to cover. Bunn and Netter determined that 1 December was long enough after the election and soon enough before the Christmas holidays that it was, in effect, a dead spot in the news calendar and thus perfect timing for World AIDS Day.

On 18 June, 1986 KPIX'S “AIDS Lifeline," a community education project, was honored with a Presidential Citation for Private Sector Initiatives presented by President Ronald Reagan. Because of his role as a co-creator of "AIDS Lifeline" Bunn was asked by Dr. Mann, on behalf of the U.S. government, to take a two-year leave-of-absence to join Dr. Mann, an epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control, and assist in the creation of the Global Programme on AIDS for the United Nations' World Health Organization. Mr. Bunn accepted and was named the first Public Information Officer for the Global Programme on AIDS. Along with Mr. Netter Bunn conceived, designed, and implemented the inaugural World AIDS Day observance – now the longest-running disease awareness and prevention initiative of its kind in the history of public health.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) became operational in 1996, and it took over the planning and promotion of World AIDS Day. Rather than focus on a single day, UNAIDS created the World AIDS Campaign in 1997 to focus on year-round communications, prevention and education.

In its first two years, the theme of World AIDS Day focused on children and young people. These themes were strongly criticized at the time for ignoring the fact that people of all ages may become infected with HIV and suffer from AIDS. But the themes drew attention to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, helped alleviate some of the stigma surrounding the disease, and helped boost recognition of the problem as a family disease.

In 2004, the World AIDS Campaign became an independent organization.

The Campaign Theme for 2010 is Universal Access and Human Rights. Help save AIDS infected people by taking action http://www.worldaidsday.org/

                                                                                                    Souce: http://www.wikipedia.org/

Origin of the Character Uncle Sam: Nickname of The United States Of America

Uncle Sam Recruiting Poster

The image above presents a rousing illustration of the venerable "Uncle Sam", as he appeared in a World War I Army Recruiting poster.  We will examine how this popular image came about, and how "Uncle Sam" became the popular symbol of the United States.

Uncle Sam, is a popular name for the government of the United States. Its origin was as follows: Samuel Wilson, commonly called "Uncle Sam," was an inspector of beef and pork, in Troy, N. Y. He inspected the meat purchased for the government after the declaration of war against England in 1812. A contractor named Elbert Anderson purchased a quantity of provisions, and the barrels were marked "E. A.," the initials of his name, and "U. S.," for United States. The latter initials were not familiar to Wilson's workmen, who inquired what they meant. A facetious fellow answered, "I don't know, unless they mean 'Uncle Sam.' " A vast amount of property afterwards passed through Wilson's hands, marked in the same way, and he was rallied on the extent of his possessions. The joke spread, and it was not long before the initials of the United States were regarded as "Uncle Sam," which name has been in popular parlance ever since. Even a popular song says: "Uncle Sam is rich enough to give us all a farm."

Prior to the Civil War, Brother Jonathan Was the Popular Icon of the United States

So, by 1820, Uncle Sam was sometimes used as a term for the United States.  The popular image of Uncle Sam did not emerge until some time later.  In fact, prior to the Civil War, another character was much more commonly used as a symbol for our country; Brother Jonathan. The Cartoon above is from an original 1862 Harper's Weekly newspaper.  The cartoon deals with the controversial Trent Affair, in which US naval officers boarded a British Ship, and arrested Confederate Commissioners Mason and Slidell. In the cartoon, the figure representing the United States is Brother Jonathan.  It can be seen that Brother Jonathan has many of the features we have come to associate with Uncle Sam . . . striped pants, a coat with tails, and a tall top hat. At the start of the Civil War, Brother Jonathan was almost always used as the symbol of the United States. 

To the left we present one of the first ever published images of Uncle Sam. Again, he is dressed in patriotic attire, with stars on his hat, and stripes on his shirt.  The image is a cartoon from the December 21, 1861 edition of Harper's Weekly. The cartoon is captioned, "Chief Cook CAMERON divides the VIRGINIA GOOSE between MARYLAND and DELAWARE. " This cartoon appeared shortly after the start of the Civil War, and is dealing with the issue of Virginia being split into two states.

By 1864, Uncle Sam had become the more pervasive symbol of the United States in newspapers and other publications, as Brother Jonathan gradually faded away.  

Our popular image of Uncle Sam (As seen in the image on the top of this page) was defined in large part by Thomas Nast, who was one of the most popular artists of the 1800's.  Nast was also responsible for our popular images of Santa Claus, the Republican Elephant, and the Democratic Donkey. Nast's first illustration of Uncle Sam appeared in the November 20, 1869 edition of Harper's Weekly.

Thomas Nast's First Image of Uncle Sam, "Uncle Sam's Thanksgiving Dinner"

While Uncle Sam does not show the top hat and striped pants that we have come to associate with him, he shows something much more important in this image.  In this image, Uncle Sam is a symbol of unity and equality. The image shows many people welcomed at Uncle Sam's Thanksgiving table . . . Black, White, Chinese, and Indian, as wall as many others are seen sitting around the table.   The image is captioned, "Uncle Sam's Thanksgiving Dinner; Come One, Come All, Free and Equal." The image clearly shows that Uncle Sam was originally a symbol of freedom, and equality.  Uncle Sam was a unifying symbol.

By 1876, Nast's Image of Uncle Sam had evolved into one that we would recognize today.  The image to the left is the cover of the November 24, 1876 Harper's Weekly. The image features Uncle Sam with striped pants, a long overcoat, and a top hat. In this image, the top hat also has feathers.  This image deals with Reform of the Civil Service System.

While the exact image of Uncle Sam has evolved over the years, one thing remains constant.  He is a symbol of the best ideals of the United States.  From the earliest days until today, he has stood for Freedom, Equality, and Justice. While as a Nation, we do not always perfectly achieve these ideals, Uncle Sam remains a poignant symbol and reminder of the goal and objective . . . One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All.

                                                     SOURCE: http://www.sonofthesouth.net/uncle-sam/