2009's World AIDS Day theme/slogan is: "Universal Access and Human Rights"

Since the first time we started listening,knowing,reading and thinking about AIDS a few advances have been made,though there is still a fierce battle to be fought against the poor response to HIV/AIDS pandemic crisis around the world in some key areas: ignorance, lack of information, myths, tabooes, prevention, care and treatment and research.

Maybe the research and finding a possible cure for it, is what is more urgent,because that would stop deaths of people who live with AIDS,no matter the way they contracted the terrible disease,all of them are victims who are suffering....

We must never forget that none of us is exempt of AIDS, maybe a friend of ours,a lover (or a former one),a son, a brother, sister,etc has already gotten this disease, no matter if we are straight, heterosexual, gay, adult, married, single or even a baby,and also disabled people... there is always a risk if we get sick or have an accident and we get infected blood,if we don't use protection when we have sex, etc....risks are unlimited.

"Leadership"=Trying to inspire all citizens around the world to take the lead in fighting and breaking down ignorance and fear about HIV, if we talk to those who still don't know about AIDS,or if we talk to those who can be an important key for finding a cure and developing a vaccine against HIV,we will be an active member of our world and we will be doing our best for at least saving a life...one life is enough!

All people is invited to join the effort and participate for fighting AIDS in our world...if you don't join, if apathy gets you...one day you might regret had avoided to at least speak your mind on the issue...

How can people participate?:

• For those who are talented for writing: you can write something about AIDS,reflexing your thoughts,post it in your site,blog,forum,etc...
• If you are good for speech,try joining a live campaign and speak your mind live and direct...
• You can also visit someone who is sick,already infected and at least give him/her a word of hope,be sure you'll give a good reason for smiling to someone who is already sick with HIV virus.
• Design posters,images if you are good at it.
• Or simply Wear a Red Ribbon,it can even just be posted in your site,blog,forum,etc...

A prayer for those suffering AIDS and a thought of hope for the finding of a cure...

Thank you for the time spent on reading this info...

Sandra Villanueva.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month 1-31 October 2008.
* Updated
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual international health campaign organised by all the major breast cancer and cancer charities.

The purpose of this campaign is about raising and creating awareness among public and health professionals.

Many women and also men suffer this disease and there is the need to create  more awareness by sharing experiences and ideas, plus more information about what breast cancer is all about.

There has been so much said about breast cancer and prevention of it, but there is also a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about the same.

Our culture has always put a big remark on the femininity about breasts,having big breasts or at least a very good pair of them means: beauty...the images of topless girls or just women wearing bikinis with their breasts almost exposed have been part of that cliche and it is why breast cancer receives much more attention than other forms of cancer.

In the same way, there is also the need of increasing funds for research into the cause, for preventing and cure of the disease once it is detected in order to offer more support to those affected by Breast Cancer.

Sandra Villanueva

Sold...my home for almost 16 years was sold...it sounds plain and even it is a happy news,we will be receiving the money and it will be invested and spent in things we still need to do to my current home,besides buying a new van for me...
I know I should be happy,yes,I am,I can't say it doesn't make me happy knowing all of the above besides that the house won't be abandoned anymore...but I can't avoid feeling this pain in my heart,a pain caused by all those memories for all those years I lived there in that pink house in Tijuana,B.C.,in the Altabrisa neighborhood,with the number 14450...

If you could...If you were...

"You could be very pretty if you tried."...A dear friend of mine was talking in my favorite forum IS about this phrase that 'a good friend of her' told for her,this phrase was said not really with good intention,actually what person in the world who can be called friend can go and tell it to a very sweet and innocent girl who is younger than 20 and still in the process of developing her personality and her life?

I must say that as soon as I read those words and the way she was wounded,it came to my mind 'a collection' of bad memories from the past,in which that phrase and many other similar ones were said to me,not only from friends but from my own family...

Stem cell breakthrough uses no embryos

By Malcolm Ritter, AP Science Writer

Scientists have made ordinary human skin cells take on the chameleon-like powers of embryonic stem cells, a startling breakthrough that might someday deliver the medical payoffs of embryo cloning without the controversy.

Laboratory teams on two continents report success in a pair of landmark papers released Tuesday. It's a neck-and-neck finish to a race that made headlines five months ago, when scientists announced that the feat had been accomplished in mice.

The "direct reprogramming" technique avoids the swarm of ethical, political and practical obstacles that have stymied attempts to produce human stem cells by cloning embryos.

Scientists familiar with the work said scientific questions remain and that it's still important to pursue the cloning strategy, but that the new work is a major coup.

"This work represents a tremendous scientific milestone -- the biological equivalent of the Wright Brothers' first airplane," said Dr. Robert Lanza, chief science officer of Advanced Cell Technology, which has been trying to extract stem cells from cloned human embryos.

Remembering with respect to all those innocent lives lost in one of the most terrible days the world has lived... May They Rest in Peace...

Generosity...kindness are really amazing...I always feel admiration and respect for those human beings who help people with disadvantages,because helping them,gives the people with less options to enter a world of better possibilities and freedom.

Last year I was one of those people who got a great benefit/help by a very kind human being when a former student of mine,donated me a new electric wheelchair...I knew/learned the great difference of a standard wheelchair to a motorized one,I got more freedom and my hands stopped of being hurt by 'driving' the standard wheelchair by myself (I used to have my hands with lots of calluses and wounds,besides a severe dry skin and my hands were in real pain,now they have healed),in the same way I'm able to go out by myself/alone in the neighborhood I live at.

I still don't know how to pay my former student for her gift,I just know I'll always thank Mrs. Emma Martir from San Diego,CA for her kindness.

Sandra Villanueva~ Salimacatwoman.

Donated electric wheelchair gives San Jose woman independence.
`I kept thinking it was a dream'
By Linda Goldston
From: San Jose Mercury News
July 24th,2007- 01:38:28 AM PDT

It was her first time in a new $16,000 electric wheelchair, and Gail Rennetty was a little nervous.

"Are you sure it won't tip over?" she asked.

"I have this really strong safety siren that goes off in my head, and right now it's saying, `danger, danger.' "

But the 300-pound black Quickie Rhythm wheelchair did not tip over and within an hour, on a test run in the parking lot outside her home, Rennetty had a big smile on her face as she zoomed across the pavement.

I was born on December 26th,1970 in Mexico,City (my loved hometown). I suffered an automobile accident when I was 1 year and 3 months old, due to the accident I am a wheelchair user...since very young I have learnt that nothing is easy for a disabled person and things are even more difficult when you live in a country where there is a great lack of information about the different kind of disabilities.

I am very thankful to my parents,my brothers and friends who have always helped me when I have needed them,especially in those years when I was a student and my friends helped me to "jump" the stairs. People might think I was a spoiled child because of my situation,but no,on the opposite,my parents never allowed me to be lazy,not even to miss classes when I was in the school (the only time I was allowed to stay at home was when I got sick), I had a normal school activity despite my disability and despite all the architectonical barriers we have in Mexico.

Sexy...what's it?, I have seen that there is a little misunderstanding on this word, at the Merriam-Webster's dictionary, sexy has 2 meanings,yes one of them is related with "Erotic" another misunderstood word sometimes,but the other meaning just say "Appealing":

sexy

Main Entry: sexy
Pronunciation: 'sek-sE
Function: adjective
Inflected Form(s): sex-i-er; -est
1 : sexually suggestive or stimulating : EROTIC
2 : generally attractive or interesting : APPEALING

The other day I was asked What's Sexy for you? and I answered with an example: Sexy can be an attitude, a soft smile, the way someone acts, walks and even speaks... for me sexy is not at all charged with the idea of eroticism...the way the word has been misused sometimes creates more confusion and we believe that using the word in a simple question or topic can be harmful or go beyond the allowed limit...but actually if we focus on the meaning of the word appealing we see that the word sexy can be used so freely that it's the reason why we are bombarded with this word everywhere and even teenagers use it...

A few friends and also many readers of Wheels' site have emailed me asking me why I haven't posted lately, why I have been a little away.

Well, I must say I was trying to get some extra rest for doing other kind of activities, I got a terrible flu that really has messed me, right now I am much better, though my nose is killing me!, but I am getting better, also I have had too much work on my profession, new students to whom I have to teach, it has kept me very busy during the week, actually since January I have been working a lot with all these 5 new students.