Brazil's fight against AIDS loses U.S. funding:Nation won't condemn prosti

[Judi Lynn]

Brazil's fight against AIDS loses U.S. funding
Nation won't condemn prostitution
Larry Rohter, New York Times

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Rio de Janeiro -- In their baseball caps and T-shirts adorned with a rose in the shape of a heart, they are a familiar and welcome presence in the red-light district on the outskirts of downtown here. For years now, they have been distributing condoms to the prostitutes who work the streets, part of the Brazilian government's larger effort to hold AIDS in check.

Until recently, the condom campaign of the group called Fio da Alma had been partly financed through the U.S. Agency for International Development. But no longer: Rather than comply with a U.S. demand that all foreign recipients of AIDS assistance must explicitly condemn prostitution, Brazil has decided to forgo up to $40 million in U.S. support.

"Our feeling was that the manner in which the USAID funds were consigned would bring harm to our program from the point of view of its scientific credibility, its ethical values and its social commitment," Pedro Chequer, director of the Brazilian government's AIDS program, said in Brasilia. "We must remain faithful to the established principles of the scientific method and not allow theological beliefs and dogma to interfere."

Experts here and abroad say the disagreement over how to deal with prostitution is symptomatic of a larger conflict between Brazil and the United States over AIDS policy. Brazil, which spends more than $400 million annually on what is regarded as the most successful AIDS program in the developing world, is taking a pragmatic approach in combatting the global epidemic, the experts say, while the United States, increasingly, is not.
(snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/31/MNGLHDUJ2G1.DTL

[matcom]

1. Ahhh, yet another country we BLACKMAIL into conforming

:eyes:

become white, male, christians or DIE

:puke:

[Matilda]

2. I guess those prostitutes should just say no.

(sigh)

[flordehinojos]

3. allright now, three heroes have stood up to bush and his stupidity...

sometimes at a price to their own country and their own people.

INACIO LULA DA SILVA

CHAVEZ

CASTRO

are these three heroes all power and control freaks, or just men standing up to bush's manipulation and saying you ain't gonna manipulate me! well, may be one of the three is a power and control freak who is standing up to bush and his bullshit and saying, you ain]t gonna control me .

thumbs up to all three for standing up to bush!!!!!!!!

[dArKeR]

4. What is the choice for people who don't get lovers? Rape?

Sex is natural and look what the religious leaders have done trying to stop. Christian Republicans are sick people!

[struggle4progress]

10. Las Vegas Sex Workers

The Law

... NRS 244.345 ... '8. In a county whose population is 400,000 or more, the license board shall not grant any license to a petitioner for the purpose of operating a house of ill fame or repute or any other business employing any person for the purpose of prostitution.'

Clark County, the Nevada county that Las Vegas is situated in, has had a population over 400,000 since the very early 70s ...

NRS 201.380 ... '1. It shall be unlawful for any owner, or agent of any owner, or any other person to keep any house of ill fame, or to let or rent to any person whatever, for any length of time whatever, to be kept or used as a house of ill fame, or resort for the purposes of prostitution, any house, room or structure situated within 400 yards of any schoolhouse or schoolroom used by any public or common school in the State of Nevada, or within 400 yards of any church, edifice, building or structure erected for and used for devotional services or religious worship in this state.'

That said, let's see what Clark County has to say about hookers within county lines. For this, we go to Chapter 12.08 Prostitution, of Title 12, Public Peace, Safety and Morals, of the Clark County Code, where we find that not only is the 'Maintaining of a place of prostitution unlawful', but that 'Accosting and Soliciting (is) unlawful in the county ...

http://lasvegas.about.com/cs/legalprostitution/a/Sex_workers.htm

[Laughing Mirror]

5. Sex-obsessed US has no lessons to teach sex-practical Brazil

During the late 1990s, Brazil was able to reduce the HIV infection rate to 50% of the World Bank's projected estimate. The number of new cases sharply declined — falling to less than 15,000 per year by 2003. Mortality caused by AIDS had also dropped more than 50% by 1996.

Despite pressure from the United States and the pharmaceutical industry, Brazil modeled a comprehensive response to the AIDS pandemic.
. . .
The Global Fund represents a partnership between nations, IGOs, NGOs and private donors to combat AIDS through a coordinated effort and infrastructure. It represents the globalization of Brazil's model of harnessing the forces of government and civil society to confront the AIDS challenge.
. . .
Brazil's tested strategy of negotiating globalization is making a big difference in the WTO's Doha Round trade negotiations and serves as the inspiration behind President Lula's international leadership of the Action Against Hunger and Poverty, launched at the United Nations in September of 2004 with the support of 130 nations.

http://www.theglobalist.com/dbweb/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=4605

Brazil seems to be doing pretty well tackling HIV without needing to preached to by the sanctimonious United States, which can't seem to get a handle on the problem.

Meanwhile ...

U.S. Falls Short Of AIDS Rate Goal

AP) Despite the U.S. government's promise to "break the back" of the AIDS epidemic by 2005, about 40,000 Americans test positive for the HIV infection every year — the same number as a decade ago.

The figure is double the annual goal of 20,000 new HIV cases laid out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nearly four years ago. Nearly a million people in the United States now have the AIDS virus.

. . .

The CDC believes up to 950,000 people in the United States are infected with HIV and up to 280,000 of them don't know it, Valdiserri said.

The rate of HIV diagnoses in the United States increased slightly — by 1 percent — between 2000 and 2003, from 19.5 people per 100,000 population to 19.7 per 100,000 in the 32 states surveyed by the CDC.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/02/health/main658746.shtml

[Massacure]

6. I'm so proud of Brazil for just saying no.

To the Shrub administration that is. :)

[dArKeR]

7. Luxury brothel to be erected for next year's World Cup

One of Germany's biggest luxury brothels is being built in the capital to cater for visitors to next year's World Cup.
The 60-room bordello -- oddly named Artemis after the goddess of chastity -- is within walking distance of the Berlin Olympia stadium.

legitimate work

Prostitution, which was legalized in Germany three years ago, is expected to be a huge money spinner during the competition, with brothels paying around 20 euros (US$24.2) for each prostitute each day to the authorities.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/07/31/2003265797

It's okay for the Bush Crime Family and GOP leaders to go have sex with women for hire!

[D-Notice]

It'll be better than

watching England get shafted... again!

[arwalden]

8. Pathetic. Disgusting. I'm Ashamed Of Our Government.

[truthisfreedom]

9. excuse me, mr. bush, but does the mustang ranch ring a bell?

prostitution is LEGAL in the US, mr. bush.

[VegasWolf]

11. Well, I guess that Nevada can now officially exit the Puritanical United

States of America.

[Straight Shooter]

12. Brazilians could stop drinking Coca-Cola

and donate the money instead to those organizations who are trying to improve the health conditions of their fellow citizens.

Coca-Cola, according to buyblue.org, is a red company, anyway. So that's two birdbrains with one stone.