hong kong brisneyland

mood: satiated (is that a mood?)
state i'm in: on track, not sure if moving fast enough however.
tune: peggy lee "i've got the world on a string".



well, one more jurisdiction's discriminatory laws have been overturned...

last august (2005), william leung appeared in court in a judicial review seeking to overturn legislation making it illegal (and carrying a sentence of life imprisonment) for gay men to engage in intercourse. the current law in hong kong makes it illegal for individuals under the age of 21 to have anal intercourse (the law does not specify the gender these laws apply to, but i think one can extrapolate what the law was in effect legislating against). vaginal intercourse is illegal for individuals under the age of 16. mr leung won.

of course, that ruling was appealled against. however, the government of hong kong has failed in its attempt to have the landmark ruling overturned. the court ruled that the laws were "anti-gay". judge michael hartmann ruled that the laws “discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation” and “are demeaning of gay men who are, through the legislation, stereotyped as deviant”. thanks mr hartmann! :-)

mr leung's solicitor knew it was a tricky case. “i’d been thinking about (the age of consent) issue for some time... the ordinance was obviously draconian. life in prison... for what? for being in a loving relationship!” he said. he needed someone who was an average young chinese man, not an activist, not a chinese who had spent his life thus far in the (all-corrupting) west, and certainly not a white guy! he got it in billy leung.



and so history has been changed in honkers.



but what of little old brisvegas?

interesting to note, but such a law exists right here in queensland. although it does not carry with it the threat of life behind bars, it is illegal for individuals under the age of 18 to engage in anal intercourse, whilst the age of consent for vaginal intercourse is 16. in fact, queensland is the only state or territory in australia not to have an equal age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual intercourse.

so what does that mean? well, obviously, there is the issue raised by judge hartmann in hong kong, that such a law is demeaning to gay men. but what of the fact that minors, who might be engaging in such sexual acts, are generally unable to gain a great deal of safe sex information on anal intercourse through the usual channels. such material is unavailable to minors, as it is an illegal act. not really good enough at a time when significant rises in STIs (including HIV) are being noted in queensland.

true that the law is likely unenforcable as it is grossly unconstitutional, but why will the state government not erase it completely? premier peter beattie and attorney general linda lavarch maintain their standpoint that "the issue of the age of consent is a vexed one in which there are deeply held and opposing views".

well, homer simpson once said it: "boy, you've learnt a valuable lesson today: if something's too hard, then it's probably not worth doing". now, tell me again, who's running queensland, mr beattie, or mr simpson?

99 green bottles...

mood: pretty happy.
state i'm in: well, i don't have dysdiadochakinesis - that's good.
tune: craig david "hidden agenda" takes me back to cairns '04.



ok peeps, med school keg IV is coming up, and who else will be organising it than yours truly, in conjunction with jack, adalbert and ben. date is next friday, 6th october (2 weeks out from MSATs!! eeek!!!)

8 kegs of beer and a shitload of cheap brown brothers later and it will all be over. between then and now will be the cutting up of many onions, the turning of many snags, some pathetic renditions of '80s hits, and watching sol chat up some unsuspecting blondes.

if anyone wants to help, please do. lord knows we need all the help we can get. ladies, if you're keen to hang out with a real-life hottie, maybe you'd appreciate knowing that winkel has already signed up his services for the night :p

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changing topic to something scotty brought to my attention tonight, first noted by mediawatch. the seven network posted this lovely obituary of the death of motor racing legend and public figure peter brock.

i especially love the line "as seven returns to coverage of V8s and bathurst..." now, network seven, that wouldn't possibly be a cheap plug would it? you'd never use such a tragic event as the death of mr brock for commercial gain would you?

aaaah, the media. ever the virtuous and incorruptible pillar of society.

rocky bound

mood: as before, more tired now.
state of mind: tummyache abating.
tune: incognito "autumn song".



one more important thing to add before i finish the week. suffien left for rockhampton to do a dairy cattle prac. gonna be up early, milking cows, getting some experience in cow medicine hopefully, and things like that. he'll be gone until next sunday, that's his whole holiday the poor fella.

he really is a special guy, and i am going to miss him a lot while he is gone. take care babe!!

the weekend in pictures 2

mood: as before...
state i'm in: pain in gut is subsiding, slowly.
tune: a new funky generation "the messenger".

sunday, i was a little worse for wear. the old cask wine went down easy, a little too easy. something that cheap should never be drinkable. what better way to get over it then bacon and eggs for brekkie at 11am, then head off down river on the citycat, with a bottle of wine and a couple blocks of cheese.

emma j's birthday today, so celebrations were in order. new farm park, in good company. had a blast just relaxing by the river, watching the passing parade, and laughing at all the people who just had to come and give em and clay's two beagle pups a pat.

here's some highlights...

jun, em, and nic, looking sunday beautiful.

and now the real reason why we all came, bella and monte... they love their mummy!

that eye-liner really sets off your eyes bella, absolutely gorgeous darling.

scott that paisley panama akubra is just stunning!

clay, wtf are you doing or saying to the poor girl...?

now that's a little better. what a cute couple! altogether... "aaaaaaaaaawww!"

the weekend in pictures 1

mood: scattered.
state of mind: lethargic from overindulgence.
tune: the 6ths "winter in july" cutest japanese electro-pop, thanks mr renfan.


karl is leaving tonight, about 11:30, singapore airlines. brisbane-singapore-seoul-vancouver. lucky SOB. i'm gonna miss that kid so much. had a bit of a family and frieinds do last night at his parents' place, plenty of cask wine and laughter going 'round. then a quick trip out to the sticky wicky.

bit of boogie, bit of beer, and a bit of some random guy coming up to me to tell me about cosmology. he saw me from the other side of the pub and thought i looked interesting, spotted me as something different. rant rant rant he went, and imparted a lot of shit, coating a pretty poignant message. other than that, bumped into a few old acquantances, including someone i snogged about 8 years ago. random!

tonnnes and tonnes and tonnes of hugs later, and i finally said good bye to karl. best of luck, i will miss you sorely. i love you so much!

here's some highlights...

nikki, sayaka (lieing), brad, me, karl, mido (standing), another brad, and puss-ua on the table in the foreground.

and now for a retarded shot everyone! except mido, you can just keep looking cool.

much lovin' with mr karl. xoxo.

wordup to nanna! much love here.

mido, sayaka, me, and karl. sayaka being a tart as usual, the breezers are kicking in. random brats.

me and spunky mido.

mr pitkin: "now we've finally got karl out of our house, we're gonna get you two out next, deported as soon as possible".

this one's just for karl... "those fuckin' prawns, hey!"

california love

mood: more relaxed than i should be!
state of mind: california dreaming.
tune: mylo "emotion".


just been in a cali mood today. not sure what triggered it. my friend karl is off to canada and the states for 16 months or so, maybe it is getting me sentimental. everything seems to be pointing to cali right now. something subconscious happening.

so i guess i feel like reflecting. heres a few narrated pics from san fran, san juan bautista, and santa barbara. i really felt quite at home in these places. they had a quintessential californian vibe, which isn't really that different from east coast australia, especially when you can smell the eukalyptus oil from all the eukalypts they have planted over there.



san fransisco was awesome. easy to get around, weather was fantastic, clubs were too much fun, downtown was cool. stayed in mission district, which made for some interesting sites, really got an idea of the latino slant on frisco life.











downtown frisco viewed from the western aspect of alcatraz. for a little rock with such a brutal past, it sure is photogenic.











this pic sums up the backstreets of mission to a tee. primarily a lower SES latino area, it just has the most awesome aura. pimped up rides with salsa and meringue blaring out of them, cheap cons, and some damn good fried chicken for breakfast - latin ghetto style.











says it all really...


--

san juan bautista, a small town about an hour and a half drive south of frisco. my "family for a day" insisted on lunch here, at a little place they think is the best mexican from san fran to LA.











the old spanish mission, one of seven or eight left in california. the whole site is a 'national historic landmark'.











from left: me, judy, grace, and john. my adopted cali family for the day, outside the old mission. john and judy , acupuncturists, had just been to a natural medicine conference in frisco - how west coast! they accepted my hitch hiking ways on the grounds that they were paying their dues from all the times they did it back in the 70s. wonderful people.














the plains and mountains to the east of the town. just out of shot in the foreground is the old narrow dirt track that the spanish missionaries (including san juan bautista - st john the baptist himself) travelled along.


--

santa barbara, apparently america's most beautiful town or so i was told. not that santa barbara is unattractive, but if it is the MOST beautiful, america is an ugly place.











the offshore oil rigs viewed late at night from the end of stearns wharf.











the offshore oil rigs viewed in the morning from the end of stearns wharf.











the drainage creek disappearing under e cabrillo blvd before entering the pacific. the palms really give it away.

just a lonely little sports fanatic

mood: nice and calm.
state i'm in: still a little under the weather.
tune: nick holder "summer daze".

last week, prime minister john howard commemorated the 50th anniversary of television in australia, with some warm remarks for the medium.

here's my favourites:


"of all the things that television has done well, and it has done many things well, none has it done better than its coverage of sport."

"it's a wonderful medium for the sick and the lonely..."

"i don't think there's better quality free-to-air television than is to be found in Australia."


lonely mr howard, with only the sport for company, safe in the knowledge that australian television, with it's mammoth levels of local content, is the best free-to-air television the world over!

--------------------

speaking of quality australian television, how about poor little wawa, the papuan boy 'today tonight' host naomi robson tried to save from his cannibalistic villagers before being booted out of indonesia for working without the appropriate visa - she had only obtained a tourist visa for her journalistic (and i use that word lightly) expedition into the west papuan jungle.

naomi, i expected better from you. surely this isn't a case of an insatiable appetite for ratings. i couldn't beleive you would possibly stoop to such levels. i know how seriously you take your own professionalism. why, who could have forgotten the conversation you had with your autocue operators last year:


naomi said (when she thought she was off-air):

"fucking drop it in at the last minute... you should be able to read every fucking word, every comma, it should be very specific because if we've seen it before we've got a chance in our mind to go 'oh look they've fucked up this, they've fucked up that.' "

she goes on to say:

"you're the fucker who wasn't able to, you know, sort of, work it out as you were going along.

"well fucking you sit up here and you read the bloody autocue."

thanks to the daily tele for the image!

any reason left?

mood: overdrive - essay writing mode
state i'm in: throat is a little sore
tune: brand new heavies "right on" - tight horn section!



the german philosopher kant was a great champion of the idea and importance of autonomy. for kant, human beings had the capacity to not only act in order to achieve their goals and desires, but to impose upon themselves rules or laws of morality, which he considered must be based in reason. these were amongst the defining properties of human beings, and if each human being were of that kind, it followed that each person must be treated as an “end in itself” rather than an object. kant implored us to always act so that at the time of acting we would simultaneously “will” that the maxim or principle of our action could become a universal law - these are rather complicated ways of saying that we should treat others as ourselves - the golden rule.

mal parker on the philophies of kant.


kant was making a bit of sense when he was talking about this stuff, but i don't suppose anyone gives a shit any more.

oi, dickhead! vol2

mood: sort of flat.
state i'm in: worried, too much on this week.
tune: jack johnson "curious george" soundtrack

our current government just keeps on offering us bullshit. this time it is the ill-founded citizenship test, championed by parliamentary secretary for immigration andrew robb, apparently aimed at ensuring migrants are more able to integrate into australian society.

the notion of the test runs in stark contrast to the government's current paradigm on increasing the australian population. with the aid of prime-time advertising, i have been given the impression in the past few years that the government is interested in increasing the nation's population by encouraging migrants to naturalise, and increase the birth rate (remember costello's 'have one for australia' line - i often cringe at the fifties'esque nature of our political environment). australia has a skills shortage, they tell us, and these are ways to address this.

in the current plans for a citizenship test, i see only discouragement for migrants to become australian citizens. why bother to naturalise, when one can enjoy all of the benefits of australia's freedom and social infrastructure, find employment (very few foreigner's qualifications are recognised anyway, even in the trades), or study (fees for permanent residents are no different from those for citizens). there is no test if someone wishes take advantage of what australia offers - nor should there be.

if the aim of the federal government is to encourage integration, this is ultimately a flawed attempt at doing so. it is more likely to maintain a larger class of unnaturalised migrants, languishing on the australian societal fringe, who are further from benefiting from what the policy is aimed at addressing - integration, and access to such things as formal english language training. it will also decrease the chances of addressing the skills shortage we are so often reminded about.

so if a test is to be brought in, what is to be asked of our potential fellow contrymen and -women? if the british test, launched late last year, is anything to go on, can we expect australia-relevant versions of questions along the lines of: "how many young people are there in the UK?", "where are geordie, cockney and scouse dialects spoken?" and "what is the house of lords, and who are its members?" these are actually questions from the british test. similarly, the test for american citizenship involves knowledge of many past american presidents.

so can anyone, without the help of google or wikipedia, tell me what strine dialect is and who speaks it, how many elderly people are in australia, who was the australian prime minister at the commencement of world war II, or what is the role of each of the australian houses of parliament? ok, so potential residents are allowed to research the country before the test, but is all that really necessary?

i don't know about you, but to me this all reeks of white-or-elite-only australia free from 'undesirable' migrants. it will be quite easy for english and western european migrants to gain entry, likewise kiwis, yanks, canucks and south africans. most wealthy asians, eastern europeans and latinos speak english. but what of the poorer people of the non-english speaking world, in particalar those illiterate in their own language? i admit, that a level of english proficiency ought to be strongly encouraged for potential residents, but i don't think this the way to go about it. seems like a policy more directed at local politics than the welfare of migrants, playing on the fear of middle-class australia (oh dear, i think a baby was just thrown overboard!).

i guess i am just growing a little tired of the 'my way or the highway' approach that has become endemic in australia in the last eight to ten years. i wasn't aware that that was the philosophy this nation of immigrants was built upon. i suppose it suits the current 'us-and-them' political mood. so much political and military banter going on in the world now, with the west on one side of the fence (championed by the moronic pope of late), and islam on the other. i am not one to proclaim doomsday, or be pessimistic, but i see a formal clash of civilisations likely (perhaps after the papal visit to turkey in november?). i can't help but wonder how muslims in this country will be treated by the australian government and people in the coming years, and, personally, what it might mean to be in a relationship with one when it comes to such situations as our travelling together.

in closing, i would also like to ask, in addition to the questions listed above, what are australian values? what is the australian way of life? not to lead, but in my opinion, yes, a fair go for all is a part of it, as is inclusion, tolerance of others views and beliefs, and fair and equitable access to all institutions of this society, such as its health and education systems. mr robb's draft policy does include what my idea of what being australian is. perhaps it is just fashionable to have one, to keep undesirables out, much like a metaphorical security fence with an alsatian (mr robb and ms vanstone are fighting for this role) on the other side.

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seven burmese refugees have been flown from christmas island to nauru today. the group were found on ashmore reef - recall recent legislation passed that declares that offshore islands are not australian territory for the sake of refugees' landing. in their home country, as members of the karen ethnic minority, they might have their legs cut off before being killed in the event of their being suspected of being in cahoots with that groups political movement. these poor gents, from a pretty shithouse corner of the world, are now just another part of the "pacific solution" (how nazi does that sound!).

as a result, nauru's population is burgeoning, and they no longer have to rely on birdshit for livelihood. "thanks uncle johnny, for everything" they must be saying. and thanks uncle johnny, from the australian people, for affording us the privilege of no longer having to give a fuck about refugees and the plight of those in more unfortunate parts of the world. makes me feel less guilty when i spend my money on shitty consumables :-)

in all honesty however, i must commend the government for agreeing to take more burmese refugees over the coming years from thai camps. just a shame the ones that make it here have to endure more pain and stress than is warranted.

must... clean... things...

mood: happy (satisfied isn't a mood i don't think).
state of mind: smitten with my kitchen's progress.
tune: random disco, funk, and house - the music i listen to when i'm happy.

it's so easy to tell when i am getting a little panicky. the inner control freak inside comes to the fore, and i must clean and tidy things.

exams are getting closer, and i am starting to stress a little. they say a bit of stress now and then, and the subsequent corticosteroid release that follows, is good for one's health. if nothing else, it is certainly good for my kitchen; the benches are now clean, no dirty dishes in sight, shiny stovetop - salmonella and e. coli didn't even see me comin'! still have a few things to do, and i am having grand visions of procuring a new, convenient-sized bin to help put an end the transient piles of trash that appear here and there.

my poor roomie was admitted to hospital thursday night for an appendectomy. this clears the way for me to clean things without her being around. i can move her shit, and reclaim dishes from her room, all in the name of "just looking out for her when she is ill"... alterior motives ahoy!




gotta go, my bathroom is looking evil.

a roof in sydney

mood: a little edgy.
state of mind: borderline panic.
tune: nas "war".




ok, slight problem...

sort of haven't got accommmodation booked yet for sydney new year's eve. the airfares are all booked - i will be there, but no roof as of yet.


aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!


if anyone out there has a spare room for three, maybe a spare penthouse suite, or even a vacant backyard dunnie, let me know please! things are getting desperate. willing to sell you my friends for the four nights. their in good condition, been around the block once or twice, but reconditioned only a few thousand kilometres ago.

any bidders, let me know.

looking past ambiguity

mood: content like a kitten - 'a salt and battery' for dinner.
state of mind: bludge night tonight.
tune: phoenix "it's never been like that" album - this shit is really cool!!


it's time for some fun. med is slowly sliding into a neurology block, the final module for the year. this can't happen fast enough for me! it feels so damn good to be back in territory that is not just familiar, but comfortable to boot. gastro and cardiology were cool, but neuro is where my heart is. to celebrate the official entry into the neurology block on monday, i am writing this blog entry.


this type of thing takes me straight back to the good old days of journal club with prof. jack pettigrew. this man rocks, and the journal clubs he held in my neuro courses were about 20% work, 80% "stories around the campfire", just how most learning ought to be.

take a look at his website for some fun games with interhemispheric switching in your brain, under the "perceptual rivalry demonstrations" link.

http://www.uq.edu.au/nuq/jack/jack.html


now, have a look at the following image...



would you believe that the middle part of each of the two crosses is the same colour? the middle part on the cross on the left appears blue right? and on the right, the same part appears yellow does it not? but they are the same colour. don't believe me? open photoshop and see for yourself. they are the exact same colour!


ok, big deal, an optical illusion. now the next image is where it all gets a little more applied, and relevant to everyday life, especially in the jungle, or on the savannah, or in the african lake margins, or wherever else has been surmised to have been the cradle environment for the descent of man.

on the following diagram, i once gave a lengthy presentation.



the area above the midline of the stone in the diagram, and the area below it, are identical in tone. once again, if you don't believe me, plug it into photoshop.

it is quite clear to the occipital cortex and other brain regions devoted to visual processing that the two parts of the diagram are a different colour: the area on top is notably darker than the area below. however, photoshop disagrees. the supreme judge of colour, it is well aware that they are identical. so why might we see, or fail to see as it might be, such a phenomenon.

but more honestly, who cares! well, our brain certainly doesn't, that's a certainty. of what benefit is it to an individual to determine precisely what colour is what, when the consequences are of little difference? to illustrate this point to my audience at my presentation, i used three citrus fruits. one, an orange, another, a mandarin, and the third was a rather flat looking orange, more closely resembling a mandarin. my audience was unable to tell that the third fruit was an orange, thinking it might be a mandarin, or, perhaps relying on the knowledge gained thus far that i was presenting different varieties of citrus, a tangerine. but the point was: if you were really hungry, who cares! just eat it. mandarin, orange, pear, all are fruit, and all would go some way to satiate a hunger.

to place this in a wider context, be aware that the brain actually throws out more than 98% of the stimuli that it is presented with. since i sat down at my computer, numerous cars, and the odd bus have driven by, but in all honesty, the only one i have heard was the one that drove by as i typed this sentence. does that mean all of the others have failed to stimulate the inner hair cells of my ear? likewise, i have been wearing clothes since i dryed myself after a shower. but save for the first few seconds, and when i have gotten up and moved, my brain has registered few messages from my skin to tell me there is fabric touching it. does that mean my clothes have failed to stimulate the pacinian corpuscles in my dermis? of course bot, but to centrally register all of the stimuli that our peripheral senses and eyes detect would be mentally overwhelming, and pointless to say the least. (by the way, a bus just drove by!)

in the instance of my presentation of fruit to my audience, if they were awfully hungry, their brains wouldn't be interested in citrus ambuguity. under all circumstances (except for my talk), nor would they be when presented with such stimuli as given in the above diagrams. the idea central to this theory, nutted out largely by prof. dale purves, is that the sum of all previous visual stimuli will influence the perception of what is seen at any given moment - "what we see at any moment is, quite literally, always predicated on the probability distribution of the possible sources of the retinal stimulus." if the brain, based on the multitudes of previous occasions when it has been presented with similar stimuli, perceives something as probably dark in colour, then for that moment, it will do only good, and little harm, to perceive it as nothing else. or, if it looks like a mandarin, for all the good it will do me, it probably is.

how is this phenomenon applied day to day? as i look at the wall behind my laptop, the desklamp has cast many shadows on it. some are darker than others, depending on whether or not additional light has been cast upon the same area. i can look at the curtain hanging from the wall on the other side of the room. as the fabric follows a path of flowing in and out of loose folds, some areas are illuminated by the ceiling light, others are not, with a myriad of intonations of darker and lighter between the two. the curtain is the same colour, end to end, but the eye perceives some areas of beige, others of chocolate brown.

these visual experiences are but two of the millions that influence the outcome of my brains perception of any similar stimuli it might subsequently receive. our brain might ask itself, is this a highly reflective surface in weak illumination, or a weakly reflective one in strong illumination. the judgement it makes will likely be strongly under the influence of past experiences.

is it a mandarin, or an orange? who cares, i'm hungry. is it light grey next to a dark grey surface, or dark grey next to a really dark grey surface. who cares, i have better things to do with my attention, i'll trust what it has always been in the past when it has looked this way.

recalling the fact that interneurons in the central nervous system connect all of our sensory modalities many times over, as well as our visceral affectors, emotional circuitry, and many other areas, one can begin to imagine the complexity involved in perceiving and responding to the outside world.


one more for the hell of it. the squares on the board at A and B are the same tone. but you believe me right? no need to open photoshop, and waste valuable attention that might be better spent keeping an eye out for a potential predator, or amassing wealth with which to impress a potential mate...

traveller's ignoranceopathy

mood: relaxed and focussed.
state of mind: getting my shit in order.
tune: andy caldwell "warrior" still!


travelling is wonderful. you can travel to another city, maybe in another country, and marvel at it's architecture, stand spellbound by it's natural histroy, or flail helplessly in the molasses-thick idiosyncasies of another culture. it gives you the chance to escape the mundane existence of your day-to-day life in your home town, escape the opinions of friends and foes, and escape a climate that might not be to your liking.

importantly, you can also run away from the follies of your own society, and bask in ideologies more in tune with your own beliefs, and cultural nuances that feel more comfortable. at the same time, whilst donning an ignorance of the current turmoils in your own state, you can blissfully sleepwalk through your destination, and remain ignorant of the dilemmas that the people and institutions there are enmeshed in (provided it is not a third world state you are travelling through of course).

in the last few weeks, i have become aware of troubles unfolding in several countries through which i have recently travelled:


malaysia:
former deputy prime minister anwar ibrahim, recently released from prison, was regarded by most of the world as essentially a political prisoner. officially, mr anwar was imprisoned on dubious charges for, of all things, committing sodomy. general consensus is, however, that mr anwar was imprisoned in fact because he represented a real challenge to then prime minister mahatir mohamad. the glass and steel skyscrapers, set amongst acres of parkland in kuala lumpur's golden triangle, as well as the "melting pot" feel of that metropolis' cultural mix, did a good job affording me ignorance to the high-level corruption and erroneous judgements characteristic of the state's leaders.


czech republic:
a recently formed coalition that has governed the czech republic has fallen apart. having been in power less than two months, it now looks like the defunct alliance between the parties will give way to a more conservative coalition of governing parties. however this coalition lacks a parliamentary majority, so another election is likely. sounds like a mess to me! when admiring praha castle, from within its walls or from across the vltava river, or whilst captivated by the bones of 40,000 plague victims in the catacombs of a small church in kutna hora, thoughts of the country being in complete political suspension were farthest from my mind.


iceland:
above-target inflation; excessive private debt; poor planning; a current account deficit far in excess of GDP (highest in OECD); high interest rates (knee-jerk to inflation). these were the findings of the latest OECD survey of the land of fire and ice. here i marvelled at some the most amazing natural features of any land i have seen, wandered the streets of a small city that at times resembled a lunar space port, and stood on the edge of reykjavik harbour and felt on my exposed nose the edge of the civilised world. when i proclaimed to family and friends that this land was more akin to another planet, i had little consideration that the issues it was facing were very much of this world.


the U S of A:
rates of poverty didn't rise in america in the last twelve months. this is the first time this has occurred since the current bush administration came to power. countering this however, was a larger than average drop in the number of americans with any sort of health care. so whilst the poverty figures are reassuring they are hiding a continued downward trend in the fortunes of many americans. could this also be overlooked by a visitor?

i wandered the streets of new york city and san francisco, and had nearly as much fun in those two towns as what i have had in my entire life (to which i am indebted to osiame for assisting with, i owe you kid!). NYC is certainly the town of all of tomororow's parties, but sad to say, many nu-yoricans aren't enjoying the party. a great many people are sleeping in the gutter with an enormous fiscal hangover. the only place i witnessed more homelessness than NYC is san francisco, a phenomenon that, a local told me, could be explained simply. which city's streets would you rather sleep on?

uncle sam sure does wear his heart on his sleeve.

freight train approaching

mood: a little antsy
state of mind: trying to convince myself that i am on top of things.
tune: andy caldwell "warrior"


it happened this morning... i felt a certain anguish. something felt not quite right around my ankles. i looked down to see that my feet had been tied with a short and cold chain to railroad tracks, and there in the distance was a giant metal freight train engine, approaching fast. it was that first wave of genuine 'omg i can't believe it is so close, i am so fucked, what am i going to do' panic.

in other words, my finals are 6 weeks away!!

between now and then i will let you into the inner realms of my mind as i go all non compis mentis. you will witness the dark side of a medical student, as i try to cram enormous volumes of textbooks, countless lectures and resources, and the odd wikipedia article (ok, more than is probably wise) into my not all that capacious brain.

what was reassuring however, was then presence of my med family. PBL guys rock, i would go insane without them. PBL tutorials always give me the opportunity to release some of that pent up med-steam, as we joke and carry on. venetia up on a chair modelling her gorgeous dermatomes, chris' artictic interpretation of the case of the week, nicola's psycho-babble (lol, kidding, babe) and adalbert's constant bullshit banter - be lost without you all. nearly bumped into aisha'a warm smile at the bottom of the hill during the walk home, and met with waves and smiles from tu and nicole driving past me at the top of the hill. at the bare minimum, at least "we are all in it together". but i know that there is more to it than that.

thanks guys :-)


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and changing topic just a little...

the man pictured at right needs your help! queensland liberal senator warren entsch is a bushie from the cape who has described himself as "100% heterosexual" and "fiercely heterosexual". no, he isn't a homophobe - those comments don't reflect the reason why he needs help. what they do allude to is the fact that it is possible for heterosexual politicians (even those "fiercely" so) to step forward and champion the rights of minority groups to which they do not belong.

mr entsch is introducing to the senate in the near future a bill that seeks to make amends to a raft of current discriminatory legislation. it is aimed at expanding the recognition of inter-dependent relationships between heterosexual and LGBTIQXYZ people (don't even know which letter i am anymore!). current laws discriminate on a wide range of issues such as taxation law, superannuation, social security, medicare, and the pbs. in mr entsch's words, current laws are "fundamentally unfair".

if you wish to learn more, or sign the petition hosted on mr entsch's website, visit the following url:


http://www.warrenentsch.com.au/interdependency.htm


thanks mr entsch.


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and still on the andy caldwell tip from last night. picked up a recent track of his, "warrior", that i just can't stop spinning. i don't think i have had this sort of response to a track in months, since i came across eric benet dueting with jill scott on "one time". sensual, soulful, and just plain sexy. once again, made all the sweeter by mr caldwell's charming good looks.

thanks mr caldwell.

weekend in review

mood: happier (than last week).
state i'm in: bed is calling, pretty loudly too.
tune: moca feat. deanna "higher" knee deep club mix


well, like many, i spent most of last week coming to grips with the saturation coverage of all forms of media with the news of a certain passing. i don't want to say the name, or else i will get counted by the blog gods as just writing another one of those blogs.




more pertinient to me personally was the end of week death of peter brock. this man was my brother's childhood hero. my brother was motorsport nuts as a kid, and hence my father, brother, and i took many trips out to lakeside raceway on brisbane's northside to watch the proceedings and even meet the drivers. mr brock, always the obliging gentleman, you will be missed sorely. your efforts in furthering the cause of road safety and public health will not be forgotten quickly, much like the number 05 that adorned the door of the cars you drove. in reference to mt panorama, commentator mike raymond once said in jest "maybe they should rename it... mt brock". maybe they should.




mr beattie is re-elected. the electoral campaign waged between the state government and opposition has been quite the non-event. it has barely even registered on my radar for one, and i like to consider myself "politically and socially aware". everyone knew the issues; everyone knew mr beattie has done little of late to make a difference to water shortage and health concerns, the key election issues; everyone knew the opposition is sadder than a bed of petunias under level four water restrictions; everyone had a fair idea of what the outcome would be.

sorry mr beazley, i think you are completely wrong - this was not a protest vote against the federal government in relation to their recently implemented IR laws. whilst most aussies are pretty simple folk, i don't think that they are dumb enough to beleive you (although let's be honest, most australians, as uninformed as they prefer to be, probably weren't aware you even opened your mouth).

as far as health is concerned, i think the state government can stop holding its breath in anticipation. the promised federal funds that were due to replace earnings from the "golden casket" lottery as health funding aren't coming! yes, the federal government are cunts for not delivering on a promise, but that ain't a new phenomenon now is it. clearly, it is up to the state government to solve the problems in the health system - funding; staff appropriation; clearing out the cobwebs of red tape that allow clinicians of egregious standard to slip thorugh the net and practice.



felt so good to not go out and do anything tiring this weekend. no clubs or pubs, thanks! spent some wonderful time with suffien. still have to stop and pinch myself now and then. life really is like "the bold and the beautiful" i think. so little can happen for weeks on end, the same old plot going round and round, and then all it takes is one episode, and things have changed forever. someone arrives on the scene, and before you know it, months have gone by and you are finding that your life would really be a different place without them, a place that you are not all that keen to see. thanks for stopping by suff :-)




otherwise, study, study, study, music, music, music (and a couple of jamesons irish on the rocks). story of my life these days. dug out some not to old house compilations i picked up in the final weeks of my old job. particularly fond of an andy caldwell mix. a frisco native, this shit is some tight, electro-tinged house. and andy is such a spunk too. anything is better when the purveyor is hot.

ok, party's over. back to the grind.