The most bizarre & baffling letters

I thought I was used to getting strange letters from Centrelink, but occasionally they still surprise me. It seems there's no end to their bafflement. These two though really take the cake. They're only form letters so I don't see anything wrong with posting the text of them.

When the pension card arrived, two other Centrelink letters came as well on the same day. I knew the card one as I could feel it inside so opened that first, "very good it's here, bla...."  The next one I opened was this:

WTF? I didn't have a clue what they were on about. My wife was an Australian, born and breed, and had never left the country, hardly left NSW even. I meet her here in  eastern Sydney. We lived in Eastern Sydney for the 17 years we were together. She was never able to work here because of illness, let alone work in America. If anyone should know this it should be Centrelink, as she spent many years of her life on the Disability Support Pension (a part payment in accordance with how much I earned). Yes, they knew she'd died, but how the fuck did they get the wacko notion that she was an American who'd actually worked over there? 

The only thing I could think was that they'd taken the small bit of info I put on the disability application form, and made no effort at all to check into it further. But even then I never said we'd been in America together or anything like that. These assumptions have all come from Centrelink. Quite apart from the fact that they're way out on left field with this, it's pretty bad getting mail (for no reason) about your partner who's passed away. I wonder if that helped to trigger my being upset that night about her after I signed the back of my pension card? 

So, before I rang them at the number on the bottom, I opened the other letter:

Fuck! They were talking about many years ago ('80-'83) when I was a student over there. Long story, I was brainwashed by the Pentecostals when I was young and stupid (I was ripe for the picking as I'd already tried suicide once by the time I was 18) and had gone to their college in St Paul, MN for 3 years to get even more brainwashed. I was there on a student visa and was able to work part time on campus to get by; um, slave labour in their kitchen to be precise. After I graduated I went back to New Zealand and for a short time became a licensed minister in the United Pentecostal Church there, before finally growing up and realising I was in some sort of weirded out cult, and left. Was pretty intense, they had all the phrases and programming, that I was "backsliding" and the like. Was no support for anything like that back then. 

If you're interested, the college is still there. I've heard they've had some kind of a major schism though (typical) and there's nothing like the number of students there that there used to be. Apostolic Bible Institute:

That's just a picture from the site. The men's dorms are over to the right, the women's on the left (no sex allowed!). For a while I was a cleaner there too, used to clean that great big church, all for fuck all money. Typical religion taking advantage of it's members like that. Funny looking back at that now, fuck I was naive then.

So anyway, somehow when working there on campus I ended up with a US social security card. Didn't think anything of it. Not long after getting back to New Zealand the US tax office sent me mail wanting me to do a tax return (even though I earned fuck all) and I had to fill out a form saying I was there legally as a foreign student and didn't need to do a tax return, or something like that. Never heard from them again. That was about 30 years ago FFS.

The Centrelink Disability application form had a question on it where I had to say all the countries I'd lived in since birth, and for how long. So I had to put America down for three years all that time ago. I had no idea that it would be taken up like this by Centrelink. 

As noted in the second letter, I'm required by law to do this. I don't want to, it seems a complete and utter waste of time. Haven't been over there since I left the college. Was only there as a student. I wouldn't want any American social security money anyway, wouldn't feel right. There's a lot more people over there a lot worse off than me who need that money much more. But anyway I've filled out the Centrelink form attached to the letter, as required by them, and will send it off too shut them up. Can't imagine anything at all coming from it. 

So hows that. Wow, right out of left field that one. Never in my wildest dreams...   

Picture from the past

There's a big post coming up tomorrow, about my time in America bazillions of years ago. The post will involve strange and bizarre Centrelink letters (2 of them). Meanwhile, I came across the non drivers thing that I got way back then in the early '80's. It was for ID, as although I'd had my licence since I was 15 in New Zealand, American driving was so fuckin out of this world compared to that that I didn't even want to be bothered, and I had no money to get a car anyway.

I was digging around in my shit from yesteryear, and I came across this. It made me laugh a lot. This was the ID I got done in Minnesota. I was about 19 I think, maybe 18.

 

Simon looked at it a while back but he's not seen the original, plus this one has been re-scanned from the original. Said I was very good looking. Meh, whatever. It's just a big laugh for me looking back at this shit. I think it's a strange photo. 

I look sort of OK in that, but I was far far from it. Back when the mask hid it all. It actually makes me sad looking at that now; sad that I was so naive as to think life was better than it was.

Card carrying pensioner

It has arrived, back dated to the 18th July.

This is much more useful than the simple Health Care Card. There's a whole list of concessions that are available with this, whereas the Health Care Card wasn't much more than just cheap transport and prescriptions. This is all that, plus much more. I haven't sat down and done the numbers, but getting these concessions very likely puts me in a much better position than when I was working only 3 days a week and paying full price for everything. 

Just been on the phone with the phone company as they give a discount for pensioners, as well as the electricity company. I see there's "optical" on the list too, which means I'll be able to get some sort of concessional rate on glasses. Just as well I'm starting to get a bit blind. Also with dental, my concerns over the reform of the chronic illness dental scheme are no more as with being a pensioner it's guaranteed I'll be looked after. Just as well too as I have some front teeth a bit loose but there was no money left to do anything about it last time I went to the dentist. I've looked into the travel out to Lightning Ridge too, but I can't get a discount online yet as I have to go into the Countrylink office at Central Station to register. After which a return ticket to the other side of the state virtually will cost me only $5. Brilliant! I get two trips like that a year, and even after that it's still discounted and a lot cheaper than full price. 

Have also just noticed too, the last lot of prescriptions I got was on the 20th July, so with the card back dated for the 18th July I'll be able to get refunded a lot of that money. It will only be about $18. I can get a receipt from the chemist I went to and take it to the Medicare office and they will give me cash. This prescription thing ($5.80 I think instead of full PBS price) is much needed. I was getting really worried about when it came time to go back on HIV meds that I wasn't going to be able to afford it. Assuming it was another two prescriptions for the month, that would've been about another $70, bringing the total spend for a month up to about $140. Just too much. That's if I didn't need anything else either, like antibiotics or whatever. Now that will be only about $30 for the month instead, including two HIV prescriptions. *phew*

Um, actually got a bit upset last night. These pension cards haven't changed in years, and are the same as my wife was getting. Signing the back triggered the memory of having to get another pension card sent out from Centrelink for her as her address changed to the nursing home she was in. Remember asking her to sign it, and she could hardly do so her hand was shaking so much. Went to the box in the closet where her stuff that's left is stored, and it's still there, shaking writing and everything, with the nursing home address on the other side. Things like that stick in my mind. A few tears were shed.

My latest trip to Centrelink

Went and get filled in from Centrelink today about the strange dates and amounts on their letter they sent. I couldn't figure out any relevancy at all to what they'd done. Looked to me like they'd just picked numbers out of the air at random. Would have been very helpful if they'd sent an explanation with the letter in the first place instead of me having to traipse up the road and spend about an hour there, mostly waiting to be seen by somebody behind the counter.

So I sit there bored shitless for ages, whilst people that were there before me slowly get called to be seen. A young couple with a baby are seen by one of the counter ladies. The guy has an Iphone and is taking pictures of the paperwork. How bizarre I thought. He lets the baby have a bit of a crawl around on the floor, hmmm, I wouldn't let a baby crawl around on that bloody floor, the carpet would have to be pretty germy with all those people walking on it. He bends down and picks her up, and has these ridiculous jeans on that you can see half his crack. Ack, no class..... 

I keep waiting. Next to me is a bloke with one of those weird hats on from another country, not sure which one, India maybe? He's clutching a stack of papers with a Centrelink letter of his own on top. I think he's probably as confused as I am.

Eventually after waiting ages I finally get called. Not feeling to well today, beers last night. Walk over with the guy to his desk, sort of like a confused zombie. Back is aching, headache, ugh... He asks me cheerfully how I am, at which time I reply with a dead pan face and I say "confused". Oh well, at least he's cheerful and making an effort. I must look a bit under the weather as he does a double take at me. Unfold the letter I printed out at home and sort of almost grunt defeatedly about the strange amounts on the letter with absolutely no explanation. Apparently Centrelink must think I have some sort of psychic ability and am able to channel them to know what it's all about.

He starts tapping away on the PC and in no time at all has the answer. Fuck I thought, if it was that easy why didn't they just send a fuckin explanation with the letter? *sheesh*

He explains that the pension card will be in the mail, so I can get all the cheap stuff. That's worth a lot of money in itself. It cheaper phone, utilities, public transport, and instead of $70 a month for prescriptions it'll only be about $18. The strange amounts on the letter are due to me getting the work redundancy payout, and by some magic Centrelink formula they have calculated next June as when it will increase to the full payment.

All a very simple explanation that took fuck all time to tell me, but had me wasting a whole hour to find out.

D'Arcy & Monk: Dumb and Dumber

"Dumb and Dumber" was how these two were described on the ABC program The Gruen Sweat the other night. I thought it was very apt, as they're in the news again. 

This is the picture that got them into trouble recently, which they posted on Facebook, a buddy shot in America:

 It's not anything major I don't think, but they both have quite a history behind them and the Aust Olympic Committee (it's been suggested) was looking for anything to get them out of the Olympic village as soon as they could before they did anything really stupid, again. They used this picture to justify sending them home after their events were over, as punishment.

I've already gone into D'Arcy's thuggery here, of which he declared bankruptcy to avoid paying his victim Simon Cowley $180,000 in compensation, which it seems to have been largely forgotten by many. Monk however has another story behind him.

In the same vein as is starting to look like a bit of a common denominator amongst some of our Athletes in London, Monk appears to have the maturity of a ten year old, despite being 23. Not long ago he was riding his skateboard and fell off, causing lots of damage to his elbow. 

However, even though he's all grown up and 23 now, he reckons he got scared of his coach as he wasn't supposed to be taking risks like that in the lead up to London. So what did he do? He told everyone he'd been hit by a car in a hit and run. Which of course made headlines, like "Olympic swimmer injured in hit and run", and the like. Yeah, real smart move there.

So there's public outrage at one of our precious Olympians being injured by a heinous evil dastardly type hit and run driver. The police launch into finding this asshole, to give him his just deserts (about now Monk probably starts getting a bit nervous about his lie).

I'll let the article tell the rest of the story:

INJURED swimmer Kenrick Monk's Olympic hopes are in deep water after he was yesterday forced to confess that his hit-and-run story was a lie.

The Commonwealth gold medallist broke down in tears yesterday as he confessed at a press conference that he broke his elbow falling off his skateboard.

On Wednesday he told police that he had been the victim of a deliberate hit-and-run by a P-plater. But after police told him a witness had surfaced to question that claim, Monk was forced to own up.

He faces a potential criminal charge for making false statements to police, and his prospects of selection for the London 2012 team are in jeopardy.

Monk insisted his teammates - originally reported as coming to his aid - knew nothing about the deception.

"There was a witness and that's why I told the truth," the 23-year-old said yesterday.

"I would have come forward anyway. I can't handle it no more.
Link

Fuck.... Yep, another wonderful representative of our country. So after that and D'Arcy in court for serious assault, they both put that picture on Facebook (um, gun laws are very strong in Australia). The AOC pounces on it, trumps it up, and tells them to leave London early and return to Australia.

And so we come to the latest chapter in this ongoing saga. They've left London, but for some strange reason they don't have to come back to Australia yet, instead joining their families for a holiday in Europe:

The Australian Olympic Committee has come to an agreement with swimmers Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk for them to delay their return to Australia provided they do not remain in London during the Games period.

In punishment handed out to the pair for posting photos on Facebook of themselves brandishing guns in America in the lead-up to the Olympics, D'Arcy - who failed to reach the men's 200m butterfly final - and freestyle swimmer Monk had originally been required to fly home once the swimming program had been completed.

But it is understood the pair will now fly to Europe to holiday with family and friends.

The AOC released a statement which said the pair had surrended their Olympic accreditation and left the athletes' village.

"They have given an undertaking to adhere to the earlier sanction and not engage in social media activity during the Games period," the statement said.

"Their travel back to Australia will be at their own cost."
Link

Fly back at his own expense? I though D'Arcy was bankrupt? It's a flight to the other side of the world, you can't just buy that with a couple of hundred dollars. And why did the so called "punishment" change? Did they both chuck a tantrum to get their way? 

What a farce. I wonder how Simon Cowley is feeling right now.

Now officially disabled, and confused

I got an online letter this morning from Centrelink. I am now officially a disabled person. Seems a bit overdue, maybe I should have done this much earlier than I did. Perhaps I was in denial about just how fucked up I really was. It just seems to have been too easy.

But all the smoothness of the application process looks like it's evaporated now. In true Centrelink style the letter they sent is completely confusing and I have not the faintest idea WTF they're talking about. I'll have to go in there on Monday I suppose, scratching my head, pointing at this letter with a mystified look on my face. 

For example, It was my understanding that I was to be back paid. I can't figure out from their letter if they've done that or not. Also, they've given me a "Pension Supplement", but not the pension itself. WTF? How can you get a supplement of something you haven't been given? Surely I should be getting the actual pension as well?

Oh well I had a good smooth run there with Centrelink for all of a month. About time I was due to be baffled again. Will have to go wait in the line again on Monday.

This was just the online letter. I imagine other stuff will come in the mail, like the pension card for cheap prescriptions and free doctors.


Signed: the cripple.

QLD "gay panic" law, crucial moment

I commented on this the other day. There has been further developments.

The Catholic Priest who started the campaign against this law (after someone was murdered in his church yard and the murderers got off with only manslaughter after using the "gay panic" law as a defence) has last Wed meet with the Queensland attorney general.  

I posted the link to his online petition in that other post (here is the link again) which is available to anyone in the world to sign online. This was in a recent article here from the ABC:

A recent State Government decision to scrap a planned tightening of the loophole has breathed new life into Father Kelly's campaign.

His online petition for change has now garnered more than 189,000 signatures, and attracted support from English comedian Stephen Fry and American actress Sophia Bush.

"Within a couple of days it's jumped tens of thousands of signatures. It's extraordinary," he told ABC News Online.

"What it says is that a broad sector of the local and world community sees that a law that even unintentionally has a negative effect on one particular group is not allowed.

"And whatever their beliefs, whatever their religion, they won't let that get in the way of protecting peoples' basic rights to safety."

Father Kelly says the law encourages a culture of hate. "What it's doing, without acknowledging it, is saying 'our society can understand that someone can lose it and lash out violently because they have such a revulsion to certain things that are deep in their prejudice, misunderstanding and fear'," he said.

Under the state's provocation law, defendants can argue they found a homosexual or heterosexual advance so offensive and frightening that they lost control and violently lashed out.

What it's doing is saying 'our society can understand that someone can lose it and lash out violently because they have such a revulsion to certain things that are deep in their prejudice, misunderstanding and fear'.

Father Kelly had a close encounter with the use of the defence four years ago, when Wayne Ruks was killed on the grounds of his church by two men.
Link

Since then I've just noticed there are now over 200,000 signatures on the petition.

I've also gotten this in an email from the priest Father Paul Kelly (fuck I never thought I'd be joining with a Catholic priest for change!):

On Wednesday, I met with the Attorney-General in Brisbane over the new government's support for the "gay panic" defence. I've been shocked, and disturbed by their response to killers walking free early using this archaic law.

But incredibly, the campaign is opening a window of opportunity. Campball Newman clearly doesn't want to be personally associated with this law -- and the government is suggesting they'll reconsider changing the law.

Now is our chance to finally rid Queensland of this archaic and discriminatory law. Can you help get Campbell Newman to stop stalling on ending this law by leaving a message with his office today? It only takes a couple of minutes, and is super easy.

Just dial 07 3224 4500. When the receptionist answers the phone, politely say:

"My name is ______. I know the Attorney-General is considering changes for the "gay panic" law after Father Paul's meeting on Wednesday. I want to urge Campbell Newman to weigh in and end this archaic law quickly. Killers shouldn't be able to get away with murder like this. Thanks." 

You could also say why you personally believe it's important to end the "gay panic" defence -- the more personal it is the more they'll take notice! 

It's important we speak out now -- to some people who call in they're saying there is no "gay panic" defence, when I know first hand how it was used as as a justification for killing someone in my churchyard.

There's a chance right now to ensure they listen to the legal experts, and the 198,000 people who have backed my petition. It's simply unacceptable for them to wait until it's "tested again" in another murder trial.

Please join me and other petition supporters in registering your concern with Campbell Newman's office. Call on 07 3224 4500.

Thanks for your help,

Fr. Paul Kelly

Catholic Priest, Maryborough

Dial away if you so desire. 

Another spoilt brat sent home from Olympics

WTF is wrong with our Olympians this year? This bloke I've never heard of before, but he's splashed all over the newspapers here after being expelled from the team and sent home in disgrace. 

It seems he took loosing the rowing rather badly darlings, and proceeded to get absolutely pissed as a fart afterwards. It didn't end there though, as being in such a pissed state he managed to cause $2,000AUS worth of damage to a couple of local businesses near the rowers village. He's very lucky not to be charged and the matter taken to court, personally I think he should have been. He's gone all sorrowful now (of course) and has agreed to pay for the damage out of his own pocket (maybe he can use some of the $10,000 the Aust. Olympic Committee gave him). 

After a day of negotiations between the AOC and local police from Egham, where Booth damaged two shop windows, the Australian team said no criminal charges would be laid with the Olympic rower agreeing to pay a $2100 repair bill.

Standing at the picturesque village green in Egham - near the Australian rower’s team village - Booth almost broke down as he faced the media reading from a prepared statement, and described his havoc-wreaked night as being the result of "an emotional outburst dealing with the emotional surfeits of Olympic competition".

Alongside the Australian chef de mission Nick Green, Booth stared straight ahead as Green confirmed he would be discharged from the team and sent back to Australia.
Link

What a fuckin child. He chucked a tantrum, simple as that. Like a 5 year old who didn't get his way. He tries to put a shine on his shit behaviour saying it was   "an emotional outburst dealing with the emotional surfeits of Olympic competition".  Pffft. Get real. It was a hissy fit of gigantic proportions, the type reserved for mentally very young spoilt brats who've been fussed over for too long. It makes me cringe when I think that this is what some people will think Australians are like now. Grow up. Believe it or not, this guy is 21. He's acting like he's 5.

Many many people have gone through much worse things here than loosing a bloody race. Look at my shitty life the last 10 years. I got pissed yes, but I didn't go out and smash things up in some kind of "emotional outburst"/tantrum. And believe me, I'd have had much more excuses for an emotional outburst than this guy. 

I feel really embarrassed that people like this are representing me in London. They just don't seem to be living in the real world some of them. Try holding down a job with a temper like that for instance. I wonder how he'll go trying to get a job in the real world now after that little effort.

Shooter Mark misfires

Russell Mark, the trap shooter who has gained much notoriety on this blog recently for his whinging and whining about the accommodation at the Olympic village and not being able to room with his wife, has failed to qualify.

Ha ha ha ha.... it seems that karma does exist. Another wanker goes down, beautiful to watch. Now this is what I call inspiring!

LONDON's mid-summer gloom has ended double trap shooter Russell Mark's long and decorated Olympic career - and possibly his Glasgow Commonwealth Games aspirations as well.

Mark, 48, was out-performed by younger rivals with sharper eyes and reflexes in overcast conditions at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

Confirming this was his sixth and final Olympic appearance, Mark said he would wait until November before deciding on whether to continue to Glasgow in 2014.

The Victorian finished 20th in qualifying with rounds of 43, 41, 44 for a total of 128 before dismissing suggestions the decision by Australian officials to stop him from rooming with his wife and fellow shooter Lauryn was a factor in his performance.
Link

Nice one Mark. Wonderful use of taxpayers money there. Just think, the only thing you will be remembered for in this Olympics is being a whinger. Gold medal for that!

Ah, I feel so much better now. I was pretty pissed off after doing that last post. 

Disarming the despots, America dithers

I've only been following this recently via Amnesty Int. I didn't know that the world was on the verge of finally putting together an Arms Trade Treaty. 

The goal would be to stop countries selling arms to tin pot dictators around the world who use these weapons in stupid wars that kill bazillions. You know, like Africa, where they're all so busy warring with each other that they've got no money for HIV meds and increasing the well being of their citizens. Or, they have some nut in power in their country who uses aid money to buy weapons to keep the population under control. Gov planning all too often gets wasted on how to kill instead of anything else. To say nothing of the Middle East.......

Great idea, lets stop arming these people to the hilt and then having to save them from themselves. You'd think it'd be a no brainer. Well, not in this crazy fucked up world. When the other day over a 100 countries were about to sign, guess who delayed the whole thing at the last minute? No prizes BTW, this is also a no brainer.

Why? Just why?

It seems now the next step is to wait until the Oct meeting of the UN General Assembly.

I'm disappointed, there’s no doubt about that. But I don’t view this delay as 'failure'. A hurdle, yes, but just one on a long road on which enormous progress has been made so far.

I feel heartened that, despite the efforts of the US, Russia and China to block a strong treaty, over 90 countries, including Australia, signed onto a statement expressing their disappointment a treaty had not been agreed upon. These countries also reaffirmed their commitment to establish a strong treaty as soon as possible.

What’s more, the final draft of the treaty, while not perfect, was strong.Several loopholes were narrowed and criminalisation of treaty breaches included. Best of all, it included measures that Amnesty has been campaigning about for years, including the "golden rule" that stops arms transfers taking place when it’s likely they’ll be used for serious human rights abuses or war crimes. This is a massive achievement.
Link

And why did America lead the way in this all falling to bits at the 11th hour? Because they feel threatened about not being able to arm themselves to the hilt at home.

The estimated $60bn international arms trade is unregulated, though the US and other countries have their own rules on exports.

The powerful National Rifle Association in the US has portrayed the treaty as a surrender of gun ownership rights enshrined in the US Constitution.

The politically controversial issue has re-emerged since last week's shooting at a Colorado cinema that killed 12 people.

On Thursday, a bipartisan group of 51 senators threatened to oppose the treaty if it falls short in protecting Americans' constitutional right to bear arms.

In a letter to Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the senators expressed serious concerns with the draft treaty that has circulated at the UN, saying that it signals an expansion of gun control that would be unacceptable.

Supporters of a treaty argue it would not affect law-abiding individual gun owners.
Link

 FFS..... So because of their right to blow each other away, we will continue (at least until Oct) to see nutbags in Africa and the like continue to buy weapons instead of HIV medicines. Un-fuckin-believable. Why should America impose it's loony tunes gun philosophy onto the entire world? Just because they want to be armed to the teeth doesn't mean we want to. Apparently American gun philosophy is more important that saving African lives.

I'm absolutely disgusted with this. Sure American pollies and gun worshippers, do your own thing over there, but don't fuckin preach to us about it. I didn't vote for your stupid NRA, and neither did the rest of the world. 

Note to the National Riffle Association in America. Fuck off!  You are a bunch of small minded twits.

I do hope that the momentum hasn't been lost in this, and that Oct will see movement forward, away from gun insanity.

A night out with Vanessa!

This came in the email today.

I blotted out the contact details as it came through a mailing list, but if you're interested in going contact ACON to see if you can get in. I just didn't want to put it out for everyone to see as, like I said, it came through a Positive Life email and it's not up to me to just stick it all over the place.

I do like Vanessa, she's so funny. I have decided to go.

Howard writes about American guns

I mentioned earlier about the latest gun massacre in America, the Batman killings. In that I also mentioned the Howard gov's response to our Port Arthur massacre when 35 people were killed. The Howard gov massively toughened gun control laws, and studies since then have proved that it saved lives.

Now ex Prime Minister Howard has written about the Batman killings in America. I disagreed with him on just about everything when he was PM, but not this, and I agree with his assessment that enacting those gun control laws was one of the biggest achievements of his gov.   

Just under two weeks ago, my wife and I were in Dallas, Texas, when the mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, took place. The responses of President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, his presumed Republican opponent, were as predictable as they were disappointing. While expressing sorrow at such a loss of life, both quickly said that they supported the Second Amendment to the US constitution: long regarded as providing an extensive right for Americans to bear arms.

The Second Amendment, crafted in the immediate post-revolutionary years, is more than 200 years old and was designed to protect the right of local communities to raise and maintain militia for use against external threats (including the newly formed national government!). It bears no relationship at all to the circumstances of everyday life in America today. Yet there is a near religious fervour about protecting the right of Americans to have their guns - and plenty of them.
...................................................
These [Australian] national gun laws have proven beneficial. Research published in 2010 in the American Journal of Law and Economics found that firearm homicides, in Australia, dropped 59 per cent between 1995 and 2006. There was no offsetting increase in non-firearm-related murders. Researchers at Harvard University in 2011 revealed that in the 18 years prior to the 1996 Australian laws, there were 13 gun massacres (four or more fatalities) in Australia, resulting in 102 deaths. There have been none in that category since the Port Arthur laws.

A key component of the 1996 measure, which banned the sale, importation and possession of all automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, was a national buy-back scheme involving the compulsory forfeiture of newly illegal weapons. Between 1996 and 1998 more than 700,000 guns were removed and destroyed. This was one-fifth of Australia's estimated stock of firearms. The equivalent in the US would have been 40 million guns. Australia's action remains one of the largest destructions of civilian firearms.

Australia is a safer country as a result of what was done in 1996. It will be the continuing responsibility of current and future federal and state governments to ensure the effectiveness of those anti-gun laws is never weakened. The US is a country for which I have much affection. There are many American traits which we Australians could well emulate to our great benefit. But when it comes to guns we have been right to take a radically different path.

John Howard was prime minister from 1996 to 2007.
Link

Pictures like this from America seriously do my head in.......

Unions take on outsourcing

I'm still a member of the AMWU (Australian Manufacturing Workers Union). As I'm not working the union fees are waved for up to a year. Have been a member for most of my working life, and way back when it was the much smaller Printing and Kindred Industries Union (before merging with the AMWU). I still get their newsletters and emails. 

In the main stream national news lately there has been reporting about a strike by a group of 550 warehouse workers at a Coles warehouse in Melbourne (Coles is a huge supermarket chain here). It became a particularly bitter dispute, and complicated by the fact that Coles was such a big company, and that it had outsourced it's workforce to another company Toll Holdings. Workers at this warehouse didn't have the same conditions on-site as was common throughout the industry as they were working for a contract employer of Coles. Sounds a bit complicated.

The strike lasted 2 weeks, and I'm pleased to say the company eventually capitulated.

On the fourteenth day of a hard strike – after two weeks of the company taking officials and members of the NUW to different courts around the country, intimidating workers and their families, and repeatedly saying they would never give the conditions that workers were seeking – finally negotiations were successful in coming to an agreed position for workers to vote on.

This resolution could not have happened without the industrial strength of the workers or without the amazing support from community supporters and the Union Movement as a whole. It was this industrial strength that delegates needed every time they sat down with the company.

This dispute was about fighting to attain long held warehousing industry-based conditions from a contractor employer. Members met in Somerton yesterday Toll vote to vote on their new EBA
Link

I really like the summing up at the end of the article, as I'm all too familiar with being treated like a number and my job outsourced.

This is the starting point from which to continue building, so that workers can have equal rights and conditions across the industry; so that workers are not treated as a number, but with dignity and respect; so that workers can be financially secure and plan for their future; so that Coles – or any other company – cannot outsource their responsibility to workers that are the back bone of any company, even if they want to outsource the management.

Every NUW branch, workplace and member commends the members at the Coles warehouse in Somerton for taking this fight on and winning. It is a fight toll last day they took on for all of us. And from all the members at Coles DC and all officials of the NUW, our thanks goes to all those who supported this campaign, it could not have happened without you.

You know I'm still actually very concerned about people's safety at my old job. All they're doing is training people for a few hours for a job that you're supposed to do an apprenticeship for. It's heavy machinery. I really do hope nothing happens to anyone that's left there. It will be the company's fault if it does.    

Bondi Hipsters - On the opening ceremony

This ChristiaanVanVuuren bloke has gone on since his hospital days to release extremely funny videos. This one is very topical, being about the opening ceremony of the Olympics:

"Life in a day, 180 days spent in Quarantine"

It hasn't been a good couple of days. I dunno where the depression comes from  as there just doesn't seem to be any major event that triggers it, or even any minor event. Last few days it's slowly built up, to where yesterday I simply felt like crying all day. Maybe the psychologist report (for Centrelink) had more of an impact on me than I realised? Or maybe the way work ended in June in such a fucked up way; I was glad of the redundancy money but to be treated as nothing more than a number/"unit" was a bit debilitating psychologically after being there for 13 years. 

I spoke to Simon last night when he rang a bit concerned. I'd let it slip in a text message earlier in the day that I was feeling depressed. Didn't want to worry him really though. We had a little discussion and it occurred to me that perhaps the reflective mood one gets in when they reach 50 had something to do with it. Said I felt sort of shell shocked at the moment about everything that's happened. A bit sort of numb and paralysed in the head. I got the feeling with the Centrelink guy that everything I gave him from the specialists and all was overkill, like hitting an ant with a sledgehammer. He seemed genuinely concerned for my welfare, not just about the process of getting the disability form through. That's pretty rare in my experience with Centrelink, as usually they're uncaring, brain dead, emotionless, bureaucratic automatons, being instructed for their every move by the PC screen in front of them. For one of them to actually show genuine concern, is perhaps a reflection of my actual state. 

It's been a hard road the last few years. Yesterday I felt like there was nothing left in the tank. Upset. I suppose given all the circumstances this is perfectly understandable.

Last night I slept solidly for 10 hours, after having a very nice fresh fish fillet I got up the road. Just cooked some pasta and sauce with it, a few mixed veges. Today I'm not feeling so bad. You do have to let these emotions run their course don't you to get through it. 

Today I also found a very inspiring bloke on the net, who it appears has become a bit of an online legend. He writes about this video:

For a total of 6 months between Dec 2009 and June 2010, I had been living in a hospital room, isolated because of a case of Multi-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis that I picked up travelling overseas. This video allows you to join me, in my hospital room, for my 180th Day.

I started Youtubing from inside hospital as "The Fully Sick Rapper" as a way to give a few mates a laugh, and keep myself busy, but it fast became a way for me to keep myself distracted from the health issues I have been facing, share my experience with the world, bounce positive energy off people going through similar circumstances, and escape the four walls of my quarantined room.

This video was made 3 days before I was told that I was cleared to go home, and when I made it, I was unsure of when (if ever) I was going to be able to go home again.

 

You can read the words in the YouTube page, but some of them:

Today in this mirror, there's a man I don't recognize, he's a boy wearing the body of a man for a disguise, this is a boy for whom I can't help, but sympathize, for it's the apparent strength of mine, on which this poor boy relies.

And these eyes in the mirror that stare back at me, no longer offer the strength and comfort I long to see, just a patient, a broken spirit, longing for sympathy, someone to save me from sinking in self pity.

But too proud to accept pity, and not wanting weakness to be seen, I'll wrap myself up in an artificial well-being, cause it's better than seeing myself as a weak human being, so I'll keep smiling and just keep on agreeing...

That everything's okay and that I'm feeling fine. Cause I know that there are hundreds of thousands that are left to die, who don't even get themselves the right to a medical file, or see a doctor, see a nurse, see anyone, and meanwhile....

I can choose to be a victim, cursed from the beginning, or can face up to fear, and do all my own forgiving, for the risks I have taken, and the mistakes that I have made, and for the errors of our brothers and sisters of yesterday.
Link

Today, it's pretty hard to read that without crying. It's pretty much exactly how I'm feeling right now. 

A short interview with him from the telly: