Support Team Beckham & Help Us reach Our $1000 Goal for AIDS Walk 2011

Me and the rest of the Beckham Family are doing this years AIDS WALK.  Our goal is to raise $1,000 to help fight this disease. I KNOW WE WILL SURPASS THAT! We are going to grind to make this goal a reality and we would like your help as well. Please Visit our Team Page Team Beackham AIDS Walk to make donations to help us reach our goal. We will personally thank all that donate. We will be recording our efforts for the BECKHAM FB page. Also, meet with us for AIDS WALK Sunday May 15th and march with the Beckham fam.

Please add us on the following social networking sites:
Facebook: We R Beckham

Twitter: @We_R_Beckham

GERMAN POP STAR ADMITS TO SLEEPING WITH EX-LOVERS WHILE HINDING SHE HAS HIV

On August 16th German pop star Nadja Benaissa (pictured above) of the group “No Angels” stood before a court in Darmstadt, Germany weeping. Nadja, once part of the biggest-selling German girl group to date, stands trial this week facing charges of aggravated assault due to allegations she had unprotected sex with her ex-lovers without informing any of them of her HIV status. Nadja, now 28, was told of her status at the tender age of 17 following a routine screening. Of the three men she’s said to had sex with between 2000 and 2004, one of them was infected with HIV and is proclaiming he contracted the disease from Nadja. Nadja was arrested last year and served ten days in jail.

Janet Jackson, Linda Evangelista, Dita Von Teese Help to Raise $1.1 Million at Inaugural amfAR Milano Event

Kanye West, Donatella Versace, Rachel Bilson Also in Attendance - Event Presented by DSQUARED², BMW GROUP ITALIA, AND LAMBERTZ

Milan, Italy, September 29, 2009 - Janet Jackson, Linda Evangelista, Dita Von Teese, Kanye West, Rachel Bilson, Dean and Dan Caten, Cristina Lucchini, Chanel Iman, Noemie Lenoir, Anja Rubik, Donatella Versace, and Alek Wek were among those who came out to La Permanente last night in support of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. amfAR Milano, the Foundation’s inaugural event held in conjunction with Milan Fashion Week, raised $1.1 million for amfAR’s lifesaving research programs.


Janet Jackson, longtime dedicated philanthropist and HIV/AIDS activist, chaired the event along with Asia Argento, Roberto Bolle, Dr. Hermann Bühlbecker, Andrea Castronovo, Dean and Dan Caten, Lapo Elkann, Linda Evangelista, and Cristina Lucchini.

Other guests who attended the gala included Roberta Armani, Arturo Artom, Tommaso Aquilano, Caterina Balivo, Neil Barrett, Giovanna Battaglia, Matilde Borromeo, Bianca Brandolini D’Adda, Coco Brandolini d’Adda, Maria Buccellati, Michael Burke, Ennio Capasa, Cristiana Capotondi, Beatrice Carbone, Rosita Celentano, Valentina Cervi, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Rosana Davison, Poppy Delevinge, Antonia Dell’Atte, Peter Dundas, Delfina Delettrez Fendi, Ferruccio Ferragamo, Benedetta Mazzini, Angela Missoni, Camila Missoni, Margherita Maccapani Missoni, Teresa Missoni, Martina Mondadori, Alessandra Moschillo, Saverio Moschillo, Chiara Muti, Pavlina Nemcova, Michele Norsa, Sara Nuru, Anna Piaggi, Pier Paolo Piccioli, Camila Raznovich, John Richmond, Roberto Rimondi, Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, Renzo Rosso, Remo Ruffini, Peter Sartogo, Clarence Seedorf, Luca Stoppini, Simona Ventura, and Giuseppe Zanotti.

amfAR Milano was presented by DSquared², BMW Group Italia, and Lambertz, along with media partner Vanity Fair and hotel partner Westin Palace Milano. The black tie dinner and auction was followed by an after-party deejayed by Bob Sinclar.

Linda Evangelista opened the event, welcoming guests and praising the dedicated support of the fashion industry in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Evangelista recalled the desperate times of the early epidemic, praised the progress made in treatment and prevention thus far, and expressed hope for a cure through research. The supermodel introduced amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost who went on to speak about the recent headline news of an experimental AIDS vaccine that has shown promising results.

“That is the power of research,” Frost said, and “many in the field of AIDS research believe, as I do, that we have seen a flicker of light.” Frost thanked amfAR Milano chairs, sponsors, and guests and encouraged them to continue their support of the research efforts that will ultimately lead to a cure for AIDS.

DSquared² designers Dean and Dan Caten then introduced Janet Jackson. Jackson took the stage to uproarious applause and made heartfelt comments about the “5,000 lives lost to AIDS every day.” She encouraged those in the room to “please keep fighting this battle…so that we can realize our dreams of a world without AIDS.”

Burlesque artist Dita Von Teese, a longtime amfAR supporter, celebrated her birthday on the evening of the event. Von Teese closed the night by treating guests to a special performance of “Le Bain Noir.”

The live auction was a highlight of the evening and included a one-of-a-kind custom DSquared² jacket, designed especially for amfAR Milano 2009, and signed by many of the celebrities in the room, including Janet Jackson, Dita Von Teese, Kanye West, and Linda Evangelista. The jacket was modeled onstage by Chanel Iman and sold to Diesel designer Renzo Rosso for $52,683.

Dean and Dan Caten auctioned off a private DJ lesson with the acclaimed Bob Sinclar in his Paris studio. Sinclar joined the designers on stage to help with the effort and the lesson sold for $40,975.

Alek Wek and Giuseppe Zanotti auctioned off a pair of Giuseppe Zanotti boots designed exclusively by Mr. Zanotti for Michael Jackson to be worn on the opening night of his planned come-back tour. The dazzling hand-embellished boots sold for $14,634.

French model Noemie Lenoir made the impromptu decision to go out on a date with the highest bidder in the room and, in doing so, raised $16,097.



Other auction highlights included:

Bianca Brandolini D’Adda auctioned off a one-of-a-kind Fendi Selleria bicycle personalized for amfAR Milano with features including hand-cut, sewn, and assembled leather detailing, and a GPS navigator, for $23,414;

A weekend at the Goodwood Revival and private tour of the Rolls-Royce factory donated by BMW Group Italia sold for $7,317;

American Girl In Italy, 1951 by Ruth Orkin, an iconic print by the celebrated American photographer, sold to Giuseppe Zanotti for $26,341;

A chance to join the crew of the Born for Sports 140’ record-breaking sailing yacht in its attempt to beat the Trans-Mediterranean record sold for $26,341;

AC Milan footballer Clarence Seedorf and Dr. Hermann Bühlbecker helped to auction off a Milan Football package including a private meet and greet with Football great Dejan Stankovic of Inter Milano, seats at an Inter Milano match and a championship AC Milan match, a weekend at the Westin Palace Hotel, and a Quintessentially membership, for $21,951.



About amfAR

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy. Since 1985, amfAR has invested nearly $290 million in its programs and has awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide.

amfAR recognizes American Airlines for its commitment to the fight against AIDS and its generous support of amfAR’s mission

Man Arrested for Transmiting HIV to Partner

News that for the first time an HIV vaccine has had some success in protecting people from the disease is severely tempered by news out of St. Louis County that a 40-year-old African American male is being held on $200,000 cash bond on six counts of recklessly risking infection of another with HIV. The news of the vaccine shows how far we've come in the battle against HIV, but the arrest of this St. Louis County man shows how much further we have to go in educating the public.

Prosecutors say that Orlando A. Hadley had numerous sexual encounters with a woman and did not reveal his HIV status to her. The woman later tested positive for HIV. Now, police are polling the public to see who else may have had sexual contact with Hadley.

Let's be clear, not being honest with your sexual partner about your HIV status is terrible. Individuals, though, must learn to take steps to protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases, regardless of what our partner tells you. The advance in HIV/AIDS medications has turned the disease into more of a chronic condition for some, but just because living with HIV/AIDS is easier doesn't mean we should let down our guards.

"Quite frankly, this kind of prosecution misses the boat and does harm. Outside of rape, it takes two people to transmit the disease," Phill Wilson, president and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute in Los Angeles, told Black Voices in an interview. "This says to folks, 'I don't have to protect myself.' What would be healthier is to change the conversation to address how it is each of our responsibilities to protect ourselves."

It's a conversation that needs to happen now because HIV and AIDS is ravaging the African American community. According to the Centers for Disease Control, African Americans account for 51 percent of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. African Americans also account for 48 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS. At the end of 2007, 40 percent of the people with AIDS who died were African American.

These horrible statistics point to the fact that we are not doing enough to protect ourselves. Reducing the number of partners we have and always using condoms are good places to start. We need to address the terrible problem of intravenous drug use in our communities and also the stigma against homosexuality and HIV/AIDS. According to the CDC, in a recent study of men who have sex with men in five cities, 46 percent were HIV positive and 67 percent were unaware of their infection.

Because of the way people with this disease are treated, some may choose not to know their status despite the consequences.

"There are people that are HIV positive and don't want to believe it and ignore it. There are people that know or suspect their partner is involved in high-risk behavior and don't protect themselves," Wilson said.

This is more of a moral issue than a legal issue, except in rare cases when an individual seems to be repeatedly and purposely infecting others. Putting this one man behind bars will not go as far as continued and strengthened outreach to those who are most at risk.

New AIDS Vaccine Shows Modest Success

Hopes of seeing an AIDS vaccine in our lifetime may be in sight.


A new AIDS vaccine, called RV 144, was tested on 16,402 volunteers in Thailand and worked to protect 31% of the test group against infection. One-half of the 16,402 volunteers were given six doses of two vaccines in 2006 and the other half were given a placebo (basically a dummy shot). All participants received regular HIV tests over the next three years. Of those who received the placebo, 74 became infected, and of those who received the vaccine, only 51 did. In the over 20-years history of AIDS vaccine trials, this is the first time a vaccine has yielded even part-success.

The clinical trial, however, doesn’t necessarily equal a breakthrough, according to one of the trial’s backers. The researchers are not sure why the vaccine worked. The vaccine consists of a combination of two genetically engineered vaccines, neither of which ever worked on humans before. The vaccine tested in Thailand was designed to fight against a common strain of the virus found in Southeast Asia. The strain found in Southeast Asia is different than that found in Africa, the U.S. and elsewhere, and there is no certainty the vaccine would yield similar results in these different strains, even if modified.

Although the protection results of the vaccine were modest, its significance rests in the creation of the vaccine itself.