The Real Republican Real Women of Real America

OK, it seems that abortion is still under debate in America. Fuck, still debates about gays in the military, abortion, and just maybe whether Obama is the Antichrist or not. What? The Antichrist? Seriously? Do the 14% of Americans who think this (according to linked the poll) have any idea how fuckin stupid they look from eastern Sydney FFS? And these people can vote?

OK, now that I've managed to get myself up off the floor after laughing to the point of gasping for breath, here is the video that lead me to this look at these bizarre and weirded out crazy people. This is a little piss take of the abortion thing:

 Oh, and BTW, if anyone over there thinks there's no gays in the American military, think again.

Conversations. With an audience

Have almost finished the U2 By U2  book. The Elevation tour never got down under so I'm not sure the album "All that You Can't Leave Behind" had quite the same impact here as their previous work, and I was surprised to read that it went straight to number one in 32 countries when it was released in 2,000. "Beautiful Day" was the first single off it which became very popular. I didn't really take to that song though. I mean it was alright but it just seemed a bit up beat at the time for some of the many things I was facing on a daily basis. Almost a weak cliche.

I was in the thick of it, so to speak. My wife was full tilt in Chronic illness, often very self centred and verbally abusive. I however had to do much of the housework and cooking for the 3 of us whilst working full time. Our daughter then was about 9 or 10. I was doing afternoon shift at a recently acquired new job after the last place had gone bankrupt. It was advertised as afternoon shift in the paper, and I was a bit unwilling to do those hours (3pm-11pm) but as I was the sole income earner for the family I decided to take it and see how I went rather than risk waiting for another job more suited. As things progressed from there the job actually helped a lot as it left me free during the day to take my wife to her many appts, and to get my daughter off to school in the mornings along with her weekend activities. I was happy to do all of this as we all loved each other, but of course with chronic illness comes many problems. My wife was becoming increasingly isolated and bitter in her own world, often lashing out aggressively at me and often our daughter too. They were tumultuous times. Times of love and frustration, happiness and anger, emotions stretched to the limit. It would be 6 years before she died, all of that a long slow decline. It wasn't easy.

In the midst of all that this album was released. I remember listening to many of the songs on it completely absorbed in them, as they seemed to be talking about my life. "Stuck in a moment you can't get out of", and "Walk On" in particular. And it was on the Elevation tour in Europe that Bono's father became very ill and passed away. Bono was flying back to Dublin much of the time in between shows to be at his bedside in hospital, and gained some sort of closer and peace with each other. At the funeral he sang the song he'd been working on "Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own", which later ended up on the next album "Vertigo".

I was impressed with some of the things he said leading up to his father's death. He found solace in the music as it was a form of release. Instead of cancelling concerts through it all, he felt helped by expressing himself in them:

"Most of the problem of grief is that people bottle it up. But I could use those songs to keep myself sane. I was having conversations in those songs that maybe I couldn't have with people".
Bono - U2 By U2

In 2006 at my wife's funeral, my daughter and I agreed this was the best song to play. It summed up much of what had happened perfectly. With my family in New Zealand I'm used to rather emotionless funerals, people staid and upright. At the end of this song though it was something different at my wife's funeral; people openly sobbing, releasing intense grief. Underneath the damage of illness, my wife was a lovely caring person who had made a big impact on many people in her short life. 

But reading the above comment today I thought about this blog. People have asked why its been so important for me, and my simple answer is that it gives me a way to release emotions. A way to deal with things. A conversation that maybe I couldn't have with people in a normal setting.

And then I thought how Bono was having that conversation in front of an audience. I've said many times on here that I started the blog not caring if anyone read it or not, but with an audience now it seems different. Perhaps there's something about expressing your grief to an audience that's cathartic? Perhaps an audience is of significance. Perhaps there's an exchange of some sort of energy with the communication, even though we're all just online.

Sometimes you can't make it on your own...

Chained to the toilet; HIV bowelology :s

It started at about 1am this morning. I had to go to the toilet, and was a bit of diarrhoea involved. Then again at 2am. Again at 3am. All night, and by morning it was bloody full on. Seems to have settled down by now but fuck it was bad. Lost count how many times, but at one stage it was about every 10 minutes I was going. Been drinking water but I'm probably dehydrated after all that. Couldn't drink too much as anything in my stomach at all made me feel really sick, and I didn't want to vomit up the happy pills.

It may have been the chicken I did last night; is looking that way. It was a couple of days past the "Best Before" date but it'd been at the bottom of the fridge in the cooler part, all sealed still from the supermarket. Opened the packet and smelled it straight away and it seemed fine. I guess not. Maybe in the old days when I had an iron stomach but apparently not now.

Just couldn't believe the intensity of it. Started getting a bit worried about how much fluid I was loosing. The doctors have told me though that it's best to not take anything to stop it as it's the body's way of getting rid of the bad food. Oh what fun.

Cancelled the psych guy this morning and made an appt for next Monday. Was going to go down to where Simon is this afternoon as it's a lovely day outside and I got the camera back working. Just too risky though, it's horrible being out even if it's just pains in the stomach from the diarrhoea, let alone when it's full on like that. Just having a quiet day at home and going nowhere. Feeling a bit weak at the moment.

I do know I'm much more susceptible to this having HIV as a lot of the HIV resides in your lower bowels. Had a look into it earlier and came across this most interesting page about HIV, the lower bowel, and diet.

What if the virus found a sanctuary from which it could reproduce and multiply and then invade the bloodstream? A sanctuary beyond the reach of the phagocytes and macrophages of the immune system that would eat them up?
 

The HIV virus may have a sanctuary from which to grow and multiply and invade the bloodstream. That sanctuary is, I believe, the lower bowel of the intestinal tract (the colon).

Digestive efficiency is never 100%. A yeast organism, called Candida Albicans, resides in the lower bowel of the intestinal tract and consumes simple sugars and produces alcohol as one of its byproducts. While the yeast cells live off of sugar and carbohydrates, the HIV virus lives off of proteins that are not completely broken down in the stomach into their constituent amino acids.

For harder to digest proteins like “gluten’s” in certain grains like wheat and “casein” in most dairy products and other proteins like eggs and meat cooked at high temperatures, the efficiency of protein digestion could drop to 60% or less. The higher the temperature that meat is cooked, the more coagulated the protein becomes and the harder it is for the digestive juices, like hydrochloric acid and pancreatic enzymes, to break down the proteins into simple amino acids.

If 40% of the protein you ate passed into the colon undigested, the HIV virus could have a field day reproducing itself.

Link 

It goes on to assert that having proteins digested more efficiently basically reduces the capacity for the HIV virus to replicate in the lower bowels. Sort of starves the little fuckers of the undigested protein that they feed off. OMG I couldn't ever stick to that diet they put there though, no meat and all. I work hard and need the protein. Not gonna live off bloody lettuce leafs. 

The Anti-AIDS diet is high in raw foods, low in fat, especially saturated fat, contains no animal protein, no beef, pork, poultry, fish eggs, cheese, ice cream or cow’s milk. It is “gluten” free and has no wheat, no bread, no spaghetti, no macaroni and no bakery.

Is there anything left that I can eat? Get fuckin real man. And I'm seriously not going to douche twice a day either. I live in the real world. For me that diet is completely impractical. I do think though that some of the pointers about cooking meat and fresh food are helpful.

*goes back to toilet*

Heffernan's homophobia

Thanks again Rob for the link (comment below). It's particularly interesting as we've just had our own very recent bully homophobic attack here. By none other than the senior Liberal party (conservatives here) member Bill Heffernan:

OPPOSITION leader Tony Abbott's political enforcer Bill Heffernan is accused of a homophobic attack on a senior Liberal staffer during a Central Coast party meeting.
 
Ray Carter, 67, has filed a formal complaint to the Liberal Party demanding action be taken against Bill Heffernan after he allegedly hit him at a branch meeting and abused him for being gay.

Mr Carter, who has a heart condition, has made a statutory declaration detailing the incident on May 3 at the Breakers Country Club in Terrigal. His statement is backed by statutory declarations from two Liberal Party witnesses.

A third witness confirmed that Senator Heffernan launched an anti-gay tirade against Mr Carter after the meeting.

Mr Heffernan, a controversial Liberal senator since September 1996, is Tony Abbott's representative on the powerful NSW Liberal Party State Executive. He was a close confidant of former prime minister John Howard and performed the same duty.

In his statement, obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Carter said Mr Heffernan was seated three rows behind him when the meeting started at 7pm. Mr Carter left the room briefly for a discussion with his employer, MP for Terrigal and NSW Minister for Resources and Energy Chris Hartcher.

Read more of the statutory declarations on Bill Heffernan

When he returned and was about to sit down, Mr Heffernan allegedly leaned over and hit Mr Carter so hard he was knocked off balance.

One witness heard the thud from the attack and saw Mr Carter grimace in pain.

"Senator Heffernan leaned over and hit me on my left shoulder and said something I did not hear (I am partially deaf in one ear) and tried to grab a sheet of paper out of my hands. I was knocked off balance. I said: 'Take your hands off me!' I then fell into my seat," Mr Carter said in his declaration.

"I was shaken and upset. I said nothing more. At the end of the meeting I was standing near to the exit door leading into the corridor. I was alone though many people were milling about. Senator Heffernan walked up to me and said in a low voice: 'I didn't know you were a poofter'. He said this in an aggressive manner.
"Rather than have a public confrontation I left."

The Sunday Telegraph understands Mr Carter wants serious action taken against Mr Heffernan by the Liberal Party's state executive.
Link

Unfortunately Labor is doing very badly in the polls, largely due to a scare campaign by Abbot devoid of anything factual, and a gov that seems inept at avoiding controversy. (The Federal election is next year and it's looking very bad for Labor). It's comforting at least that there's no debate about Carter's sexuality being wrong, simply that Heffernan was wrong to not only assault the bloke, but to bring his sexuality into it as well. Related to this was the recent Queensland State election, in which the Labor party expelled one of it's candidates from the party over his views on homosexuality. 

Teenage Queensland ALP candidate Peter Watson has been expelled from the party after admitting to a series of anti-gay rants on the internet.

Mr Watson was forced to resign as Labor's candidate for the Southern Downs electorate last night, after linking homosexuality to paedophilia in website postings made around four years ago.

This morning, the ALP said in a statement Mr Watson had also been expelled from the party.

The 19-year-old admitted to ABC Radio's AM program earlier this morning that he did write the posts.

"I said that homosexuality and paedophilia were linked because there's been some research done ... and it's been published by the Catholic Church, that suggests that 30 per cent of male paedophiles are homosexual," Mr Watson said.

"I made the comments, so I do agree with it.

Audio: Listen to the interview (AM)

 

"These comments I made about homosexuals were made when I was like 14, 15 years old, so we're talking about four, five years ago.

"[But] I do agree in some sense.

"Research - and it's been published by the Catholic Church - that suggest that 30 per cent of male paedophiles are homosexual."

Mr Watson's posts also described homosexuals as "social degenerates" and accused them of destroying society's values.

"They do - in a sense homosexuality does degrade our society's values," he told AM.
Link

One would expect the Liberal party and Heffernan (if Carters allegations are true) to be heading into some real difficulty with this. The fact that he's such a senior Liberal of many years in the parliament just makes it worse. And the fact that the Labor party has shown it has no tolerance for homophobia you'd expect at least a decent dressing down of this guy from the part hierarchy. I'm not holding my breath though.

Pressure to raise unemployment benefit

I thought it would never happen. The ultra conservative Business Council of Australia has amazingly come out to support a $50 a week increase in the unemployment benefit. 

 ''Anyone can end up on welfare given changed circumstances and bad luck, and the Labor Party should always have in its eye that people who fall on hard times can live with some dignity and respect,'' the NSW senator Doug Cameron said.

The Northern Territory senator Trish Crossin has called for a welfare summit, so the system of payments and allowances can be examined.

Melissa Parke, who represents Fremantle in Western Australia, said the unemployment payment did not recognise that people faced different costs depending on where they lived.

''Cost of living varies a lot across Australia and one of the difficulties is that the areas where work is available often tend to be areas where the cost of living is high and the availability of housing is poor,'' Ms Parke said.

Conservative economic commentators such as Ian Harper, Judith Sloan and Hugh Morgan have recently said the unemployment benefit is punishing people rather than giving them an incentive to work.

The head of the Business Council of Australia, Jennifer Westacott, told The Sun-Herald there was a ''crude view that somehow if you make payments really inadequate that's an incentive to get back into work''.

''Well, $50 a week is hardly going to change someone's views about work incentives,'' she said. ''People have lost their confidence and their health, they don't have money to get to interviews, they don't have clothes.''

Welfare groups have called for a $50 a week increase.

Link

I nearly bloody fainted when I read that. I dunno if that would change the Sickness Allowance at all, which I had the misfortune to be on last year for a month or two. Even with full rent assistance it was only $300 a week. The rent here is $360, and even if my share is only about $200 then that leaves only $100 for everything else. It's just impossible. 

Being as they've just ripped the guts out of the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme though to bring the gov back into surplus this coming year, I don't think we should all be holding our breaths here. I do like the idea of a "welfare summit" though. People like me just fall through the cracks and get nothing, while they hand out middle class welfare by the truckload to families who have both parents working getting good money.

Sunset over the bay

I discovered the button today that shows all the comments on the blog :s  Noticed the odd one or two I missed. I do like to read them and interact even when they're disagreeing like this one, so I've replied to then ones I missed. Apologies for getting there a bit late.

Had a pretty good day yesterday. Went over to the house that Simon is looking after (with the dog) and had a meal over there. As it has Botany Bay across the road I went out to take some photos. It was a beautiful day, sunny and clear. Turned on the camera, and nothing. WTF? The battery was completely flat, must have left it on last time I had it out, I dunno. Ugh, I was so pissed off. I'd never looked across the Bay that much before but this time I noticed the memorial thing that marks the original place that Captain Cook landed (he couldn't find fresh water in Botany Bay and so sailed up the coast a bit and entered what is today Sydney Harbour). It's actually quite near, dunno how I didn't notice it earlier times. Alas the picture will have to wait another day. 

Later we had a beer or two at the sailing club very nearby, sitting outside on the balcony and watching the sun setting. It was a spectacular sunset, all red and orange, reflecting off light high clouds. The sun set behind the huge machinery at the container terminal that they use to load and unload ships with, making a very interesting picture of nature and machinery combined. I was so spewing the camera wasn't working. Perhaps another day. 

Was thinking about going to the Lord Roberts pub this afternoon. Simon is over at about 4pm but it's pissing down with rain now. Typical. I don't think I'm going to feel like going anywhere if it's still weather like this. We shall see.

Angry!

The $guru sent me back an email yesterday about that stupid bank letter. He made some enquiries and it turns out that the Dept of Human Services - DHS - (who are processing my claim for early Super release) had not yet received an email from the other bank that I have debts with, being the "proof of debt" document. It had already been sent previously from the bank, to the $guru, who forwarded it on to the DHS. That wasn't good enough for the DHS who said they couldn't accept it as it had come through a third party; the $guru. So the $guru then had to instruct the bank to send another proof of debt document to the DHS directly. This was the last and final hurdle before (after 3 months at that stage) my Super funds could be released to cancel all my debt. 

Get this: the bank never sent the proof of debt document. Even though they knew they would get their money as soon as the DHS got it. I can't fuckin believe the stupidity! So for another month we've all been waiting around patiently, wondering WTF is taking so long again, only to find the last bit of documentation required to complete the whole process wasn't sent by the bloody bank. Oh FFS! So the $guru has to ring them again yesterday and tell them to send it. The DHS has now been processing my claim for 4 months. They are supposed to take 10 days.

So the other asshole bank proceeds to start legal proceedings against me, apparently it's collections dept not taking the effort to look into the whole history of the matter, and enquiring to the relevant people within it's own banking structure as to where we're at with it all. So I end up getting this 3 page threatening letter from them, which is obvious from it they've not looked into my case at all. 

Incompetence from both banks.

Re the dental scheme, I've pretty much given up on the Garrett thing. Can't say I was expecting much, but the abysmal response was even worse than I thought. I think he probably hasn't got the nerve to say straight out that I won't be eligible anymore for the dental scheme because I'm not on gov benefits. I'm actually worse off than a pensioner as far as disposable income is concerned. It's only because I'm getting the odd day here and there of extra pay that's keeping my head above water. But you can't tell any of this to Centrelink, they just switch on the tape player in the back of their head and drone on, I know what they're like. If you earn over X amount (gross) then you can't get a cent off them. They don't take into account how much private rent you have to pay or anything. I even looked into trying to get public housing through the special scheme set up for HIV positive people, but it turns out I earn about $100 a week too much and my CD4 count is too high (yes, apparently I'm too healthy). I'm left right in the middle, no man's land, barely earning enough to get by, but earning too much to get any assistance at all. I can't even get a health care card FFS. I'm stuffing around trying to avoid bankruptcy and I earn too much for even a health care card. Now it looks like I may lose the dental assistance as well.

I'm gonna have to start pushing work for more hours I think. I may ask for every week the extra day and see how we go. 

On the bright side, these made me laugh. They're protest signs against that dreadful Westboro Baptist Church over in America:

OMG! Donna Sumer has carked it!

The queen is disco is dead.

I have this one on my MP3 player. Think it's my favourite.

Apparently she went all Christian later on, poor dear. Started hating gays they reckon. Then got boycotted. Ah but who can forget songs like the above. She will always be the un-Christian Donna Summer to me.

The end of a full 5 day week

A fitful nights sleep last night. I have however made it through an entire week of work (well I'm up on Friday morning so I'm counting today as well). It's been a bit hard getting up of course all week, and there's been the decline in my mood suddenly over the last couple of days. Seemingly right out of the blue. I'll be finished the folder job at about lunch time it looks and may ask to go home then, with the remaining time taken out of annual leave. I don't think there's much for me to do after that as the other bloke is there on the guillotine.

They wanted me to come in on Monday again next week too for another big job. I agreed yesterday but after the unhappiness I felt last night after getting that stupid bank letter, I think I'll keep my psychologist appt instead and tell them I can't make it Monday. It's no biggie as it's not part of my working week anyway. If they're disappointed or can't deal with the work well that's their problem not mine. I'm the one with fuckin HIV. 

Haven't seen the psychologist in a couple of months, as various appts got stuffed around and last Monday I ended up working. I haven't been in any major crisis or anything and things were going quite well I thought. But the way I reacted from that bank letter was a worry. Haven't thought about suicide for some time now. He always asks me each visit if I have, and last few I've had a run of saying no I haven't. This time though will be the first time in a while I have.

Nearly blurted out my status at work the other day in the middle of everyone. One of the blokes has been constantly late, and has even been officially warned about it. So one day this week he turns up late again. Of course we all give him stick, saying things like "nice of you to join us" and the like. The supervisor has a stress at him. And I catch myself just as I'm about to blurt out "I get here on time and I have fuckin HIV!". A close call, especially with my recent history of blurting out stuff inappropriately. 

Car park suicide

This add was played about a year ago on a nationally broadcast TV show where they were discussing suicide.

Some of them in the discussion, involved with suicide prevention, said that in Australia they would not use such an add. Although it's very confronting, it in fact portrays a method of suicide.Something that they would not do.

I disagree. I think it's very confronting, but if someone is suicidal they will chose their own way to do it. Maybe it will be by jumping, or maybe not. It's their decision isn't it. That doesn't mean they're going to do it, it just means they've decided how to do it if they actually do.

For me the add changed my mind. My preferred suicide method had in the past been either a very tight plastic bag over the head, or go and get some heroine and as I don't use it a big blast would kill me outright. All that seems a hassle now and drawn out. If I do ever get to deciding to do it the jump is going to be my new method. Quick and easy. Just got to make sure the building is high enough.

I saw the above add ages ago. I've never forgotten it. It doesn't scare or confront me. It makes me feel very peaceful watching it.

Stressing

I got a default letter today from the asshole bank, re my credit card account with them of now over $13,000 (about $1,000 more than originally was in Oct or so last year because they continued to charge me interest and account keeping fees, which is unusual given the legislation, and because the Dept of Human Services have taken now about 4 months instead of 10 days processing my claim). It's obviously a letter spit out from the bank's systems that isn't the slightest bit in touch with the reality that the bank knows overall. It even tells me for example that if I can't make payments because of "illness" changes can be made to the contract. WTF? Hello? I've sent off a PDF of the 3 page blabbering letter to the $guru, telling him how much I'm stressing about getting letters like this, and WTF is happening with the Dept of Human Services in regards the Super money that was imminently to be released nearly a month ago? FUCK. I can't deal with this shit any more. I told the $guru I'm basically ready to declare bankruptcy as I've just had enough and can't play this jumping through gov hoops any-more. I honestly can't.

The big work week

G'day Rob. Yes I have posted this before but who the fuck knows where in this blog? I haven't the faintest. But it's worth another look I reckon. Just for you Rob (and me too mate I really enjoy this song)

It's mid way through the week. I've been on the big folding machine all week running the big folding job I got called in all week to do. It's a bit over 300,000 runs. There is 100,000 to go, so it looks like it will be finished by Friday afternoon, which is when production and planning wanted it finished by. It appears I have become some sort of folding machine hero. Only because though that most of the staff there in management today weren't around when we used to do jobs like this all the time. Some of them would be over a million runs, and would take a month to get through. It's all old hat to me. I haven't run the folder like this for days on end with a big-ish job like the old days for well over a year, but it's all come back simple. It's a welcome change from lifting tonnes of paper a day on the guillotine. I changed the knife on there today for the agency bloke as he was honest enough to say he wasn't sure how to do it.

Simon is still around his friends place. Has been texting me about Friday. He's taking her (his friend) to the airport that day and won't be in company with her after that as she jets off to England for 2 months. He's saying how the "fun will begin". Oh I so hope I'm not in a shit mood and exhausted like last Friday as I so very want to have a good night out with him. We've decided to go to Kens for their final last hoorah no towel night (as they're closing Sunday). Imagine the place will be packed. He's meeting me at the pub after work he reckons to get me "tanked" and "in the mood".

In the still of the night

I can't sleep. Went to bed early as there was nothing on the TV and was really tired. Slept for a bit off and on. Woke up a couple of times not knowing what time it was thinking it was nearly morning. Had been only 10pm or so. Then about half an hour ago tossed and turned so much I woke up and it's like I can't get comfortable any more.

Sat up on the edge of the bed and sighed. Fuck everything is aching. My back is sore, my legs hurt in the muscles in the back. Neck is stiff. Headache. Food in my stomach is churning. Even a thumb is throbbing as the nail is a bit damaged. 

It's one of those moments of discouragement when I'm sick of everything. The silence of the night, the stillness, seems to accentuate it all. During the day I'm busy with other things. In silence with all else absent, doubt and worry can sometimes scream at me. Those quiet times in the middle of the night can be the worst times of all.

I've taken a couple of Panadol and they should work soon. Simon is at his friends nearby before she leaves on Friday. I wish he was here tonight. Having him to hold in the night is always a help, particularly when I'm feeling like this.

Latest Peter Garret reply

I honestly don't know if this email is from Garrett himself or from one of his staffers. I find it very form letter-ish, or like there's stuff copy and pasted in there. It's not like someone actually replying to my simple question, but just more blather and gov lines. This is the reply I got today:

I am writing in response to your email regarding your concerns for the closure of the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (CDDS) and your eligibility under a new national scheme.

It has long been the Gillard Government’s policy to close the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (CDDS).

While the CDDS provides services for some parts of the population, is not well targeted to provide assistance to access dental services to those Australians most in financial need. However, the Senate has twice prevented closure of the CDDS, which means that the Government has been unable to put in place a more appropriate scheme.

No closure date is currently set for the CDDS.  A date and appropriate transition arrangements for the closure of the scheme will be detailed once the necessary arrangements for the closure are tabled in Parliament.

I appreciate the time you have taken to bring your concerns to my attention.

if you require any further assistance in relation to any other Federal matters please don’t hesitate to contact my office.

Yours sincerely

Peter Garrett AM

Federal Member for Kingsford Smith
Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth
P: 02 9349 6007 F: 02 9349 8089
www.petergarrett.com.au

And this is the one I sent off just now:

Thanks for your reply.

From it my assumption is that the answer to my question "Being HIV positive, will I still be eligible for assistance under the new scheme, and will I be able to use the private dentist that I've been using for the last 2 years who is part of my health care plan?" is that at this stage you don't know?

I hope that as someone only working 3 days a week I may be considered one of those "most in financial need", although even though I only work 3 days a week I still don't qualify for even a health care card as apparently I earn too much. I did go into all of this in the original email I sent through your contact thing on your website.

Again, I find myself frustrated as this raises more questions than it answers. What then is the criteria for those "in most financial need"? Someone like me who after rent has only about $300 to live off (paying full prescription price for all prescription medicines, not entitled to any Centrelink assistance whatsoever because my gross wage is over) or a pensioner who has about $300 a week to live off as they pay no rent and own there residence? Is the financial test for eligibility going to do something Centrelink doesn't do; take into account my circumstances rather than just my gross wage?

As your minority gov is it seems (thankfully) answerable to the Greens in the Senate regarding this, I take it then that you are unable to close the CDDS until you reach agreement with the Greens as to how this will happen? Is that right?

Honestly Peter these are straightforward questions mate. Can you please just tell me straight out without the party lines? All I want is to know exactly where I stand with this, OK? I have issues of anxiety and something factual would help me in this.

I have an appt shortly with my dentist through the CDDS scheme. I have about $700 I think left until the end of the year, and after that we both expected the next 2 years to be renewed. He can't do any more right now than just cleaning and fillings until that happens. I do need a crown done on a root canal from months back. WTF do I tell him?

Again, all this is going on my blog. I'm sure I'm not the only HIV+ person in Australia concerned about this. I look forward to something more informative.http://lifewithhiv-peter.blogspot.com.au/

Thanks,

I'm feeling pretty discouraged with the gov right now, in fact all politicians in Canberra. If this is any gauge then they're in their own world and not mine. Apparently I pay their wages to get diffuse answers like the above.

A funny assortment

OK, I've come across a bit of a variety of things in my online happenings last few days. They're just stuff that didn't end up in posts that I was intending to do so.

I was looking through the stuff about the gay marriage protests, and there were of course pictures all around the place, some of them not from this year so I couldn't use them in reference to the rally on the weekend here. 

 There was also a day or so ago Simon was complaining he couldn't go into a shop and buy anything of the Pet Shop Boys. He's the older man darlings but honestly he's just tragic about the net; has not the faintest half the time. I've taken to giving up on the share programmes as they all seem to be crap these days and the songs come with viruses. I signed up for free with Big Pond Music, and now just download for a little bit of money but fuck all really. No hassle, no crisis, and for $2 a song of what you want is brilliant. I found a best of double album of the Pet Shop Boys, most of it all remastered, for only $16. Simon bought it with his credit card, and I downloaded it and burnt it onto a couple of blank CD's for him. He was amazed at how it all worked, that you could get a whole album online like that, and turn it into a hard ware thing here at home. Poor dear he has a lot to learn.

Anyway, he and I really liked the song "Go West", and so I looked up the music video of it on YouTube, much to his amazement of course. I'd not seen it in decades, and neither had he, but we both remembered that it was pretty bloody funny:

And we couldn't remember when it was done so I Googled that. And then we found out that the Pet Shop Boys version of "Go West" was actually a cover from the original song from the '70's. None other than "The Village People". And there it was in all it's glory on YouTube:

Link only, embedding disabled 

We both thought they deserved to be famous after watching that. They were very talented. Dunno where the video is from but we certainly didn't have that on the one TV channel in New Zealand back then. I do remember some of their more popular songs of course on the radio. But where I was from in New Zealand we never acknowledged the existence of gay people even. I can't remember it even being recognised back then that the Village People were gay FFS.