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World AIDS Day 2008

Watching Terry Higgins die without warning and within a few short years knowing so many beautiful young guys transform seemingly overnight into shadows of their former selves had a devastating effect on those that survived too. I used to write their names in the front of my bible - so I would not forget their names, but when the list of funerals I attended reached 50 it seemed wrong too to tally them up and I stopped counting. In recent years of course medications stopped the torrent, but im ever mindful that we never know when those dark days will return, either because hiv will mutate faster than therapy can be produced or as more likely - people don't get tested - and develop serious secondary infections that will be the first indication that anything is wrong - too late for many. Us old guys have seen the future - it does not need to be grim - But you really must heed the warnings - Play Safely - Get Tested! Its as important now as it ever was. We lost a generation of guys - and today we remember them with love and sadness that they were infected without the knowledge to protect themselves with information thats freely available today - Dont let their deaths be in Vain

A4e Worse Experience for unemployed as seen on TV

Today I had a brand new experience, which for a guy of 53 with my already extraordinary lifestyle was pretty dam exciting ;)

If it were not just a little bit scary.

I have been fortunate enough to try the governments latest strategy in preventing the pain of mass unemployment as it privatises the old "Ministry of Labour".

A4e a £120m, 2500-strong, global private sector organisation the UK's largest provider under the Jobcentre Plus / New Deal brand, A4e deliver employment training to over 60,000 people every year paid for by the Department for Works and Pensions. (www.a4e.co.uk ). Located in the old South Wales Argus print halls off Newport High Street.

Day one got off to a bumpy start, twice as many Jobcentre Plus customers had been signed up than were expected so were left sitting in an icy cold room with a noticeable wind chill factor until mid morning while photo copiers were set in motion and decisions were taken about how to carve us up, by mid morning the Victor Meldrew in me could contain itself no more, I piped up and askd if we could actually get on with it?, please.

The temperature dropped in the already ice cold room and the pain in my TB scared testical throbbed with a gut wrenching ache, normally just a reliable barometer that snow was on its way.

I was hauled out of the room and made to feel like a naughty primary child being made an example of in front of the class and I was marched to head mistress office and demanded I tell them who my Jobcentre Plus Advisor was and added that they had some power to stop my benefits and housing support and everything! - Suddenly it dawns on me these jokers are for real.

I was sent back to the group and when she finally returned I'm informed I'm to go with her to the Headmistress - . So I unreservedly apologised for any upset I may have caused her by implying she was disorganised or poorly trained.

Off With His Head! she yelled! - at least that what I swear to my dying day is what I heard, (National Health

Hearing Aids should be considered a crime against humanity). But no, he should be struck off she was demanding, I should be sent back to Jobcentre Plus be punished she insisted, at that moment I looked down

into my lap and saw the funny side - In my lap was a paperback of WICKED I just picked up at the - and of course looked up at my nemesis.

Happy days we all kissed and made up and it was decided by the very wise headmistress that I was to be shuffled off to a delightful and bubbly A4E employee on the floor above.

At Last the school bell went off and everyone scrambled for the doors like it was the last day of term, I stayed behind for a while to say hi to my new mentor and guide for the next 16 weeks.

Well thats the plan but only if my two minor surgical procedures scheduled for the next two weeks don't keep me away for more than a week or the whole scene shimmers to a freeze frame and your suddenly propelled back at to GO! - do not collect £200. You are automatically signed off.

You are now newly unemployed and start the whole process again.

Thankfully Newport Jobcentre Plus are becoming a little more deafness aware and don't force me to use the telephone booking system and were able to get me back onto benifits quite quickly even if I did loose sight of my poor employment advisor under a mountain of paperwork it caused.

Infuriatingly it costs Newport City Council a fortune in labour and administration costs to stop any housing

benefits only to have to start them all over again the very next day. I suspect that office is staffed by a white rabbit running around looking at his watch yelling I'm Late I'm Late!

I really don't know if my anti-depressants are going to hold If I got to do an induction week a third time.

Suddenly the words LOCKDOWN filtered through my hearing

aids and a vision of storm troopers flashed through my mind as those of us stragglers were told that "we could not leave the building until searched by police". At this stage I am half expecting a third rate reality TV film crew to burst in and say how hilarious we have all been.

We were left to ponder our fate, a fellow prisoner and I checked that the emergency exits were unlocked in case of an armed or violent incident and waited anxiously for news.

It transpired that an A4e client 2 floors down was suspected of dealing drugs and a Lockdown is a state temporary imprisonment until cleared by police often using sniffer dogs.

There were no sniffer dogs present today, indeed I did not see any police presence in my part of the building when we were released.

Thursday we are all prepared, snow gear, gloves carves and 3 layers of underwear keeps the frostbite out but sadly our Health and Safety lecturer was snowed in so we had a movie and general knowledge quiz to distract us from staring through the frosted windows at the staff huddled around a fan heater.

My own fairy god mother appeared to tell me I am going to the ball - so its Cinderella Time for me as I get a placement at the Riverside Theatre until January. I don't know what job they have in mind but I will pack my wellys and grab my mop bucket just in case.

I would welcome your thoughts if you had been as fortunate as I have been today.

Kind regards

David

________________________________

“You certainly have an exciting life!”

It all appaers to have ended well.

Very best wishes,

Paul Flynn MP House of Commons London SW1A OAA

Welcome Home Mandy - We missed you

Peter Mandelson - Aside of the fact he looks a real dweeb, he attracts controversy like flys to shit, he sounds like a queen, has had more comebacks than Tina Turner, he does have one of the sharpest political minds in Britain today. It is great to see him back - The potential depression ahead needs his experience, with our European partners and he knows personally every world leader, ministers of trade and finance - name a single tory that comes close?  

Now if Gordon Brown would just phone Ken Livingstone and give him something like Transport people would remember the Gordon Brown era as a Labour Golden Age.

WILL MARTIN

WILL MARTIN

Probbably the most exciting discovery of the new mellenium. 

A New World

The very cute and breathtakingly talented 24 year old is sure to make a massive impact on the gay sene, with a a background that includes school musicals, playing piano in bars, waiting tables and singing in a rock band Will sang the national anthem for a sold out All Blacks Final.

His New album "A New World" has already gone platinum 2 days before it hits the shops here in the UK. 

Great news for music lovers hes now based in the UK 

A New World - is a collection of classical and contemporary songs composed by the world’s greatest songwriters. The repertoire includes Dvorak’s ‘Going Home’, right through to ‘Into The West’ from The Lord Of The Rings, with all the anthemic arrangements brought to fruition by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Hes keeping me guessing ... but here are some quotes that quicken my heart : " I have been chatted up by guys in the past. I find it truly flattering and I like to think that the music has something to do with it! If people are enjoying my music and me as an artist, then that is a beautiful thing." I for one would put him in the Celtic Manor and order up a Steinway as he starts his unique "Singing For His Supper tour".

Will is about to embark on an intriguing tour of the UK. Deciding to do it the old fashioned way, Will is set to exchange a song for his supper!

Following the example of minstrels from the middle ages, Will will be travelling across the UK and in exchange for supper and a bed for the night he will entertain the household. 

Will is hungry to experience everything that the UK has to offer and sees this as a way of travelling around the UK doing what he loves best; singing. 

To apply for Will to come and play at your house, visit his advert on Gumtree 

Youtube  http://www.youtube.com/willmartinmusic

Myspace http://www.myspace.com/willmartinofficial

Homepage http://www.willmartin.net/

Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-World-Will-Martin/dp/B000YVCQZM

Official Download of Single - So Far Away   - Links Classics & Jazz / itunes / napster/ tesco

Rainbow Nation 

Pictures

Pic from a while ago im guessing .. 

Pic lookin a lil ginger : 

Brit Awards 

Cheeky guy next door 

The UK Look 

Album Art 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Statutory Drinking Licence UK

Its a real shame the UK still does not have a national identity card system-

A huge problem in every city centre late night shopping area and public spaces is the amout of binge drinking by youths.

The ID chip on the card can provide a a partition for your Statutory Drinking Licence -

If you wish to enter a Licenced Premises you must swipe your card to gain entry.

To Purchase Any Alcohol The Statutory Drinking Licence Card must be swiped at Point Of Sale:

Age 14 Provisional Licence - Personal Use Only
Age 18 20 min formal Test & issued DRINKING LICENCE
Age 21 Advanced Licence (Licensees, Trading, Bulk Bulk buyer).

Drunk and Disorderly automatically loose licence 3 months (Can be imposed on the spot by police officer).
Any Provisional Licence holder found guilty of a drink related crime Licence revoked until 18th birthday
Any licence holder selling alcohol to a Non-Licence holder will pay a statutory fine PLUS loose Drinking Licence for a fixed period set by the court.

Treat people like adults they will behave like it.

Mahler 8th Symphony at St. Paul's Cathedral, London with the LSO

imagine living a life and not discovering Mahler - they would have to invent reincarnation just so you get another shot at it

TV & PVR REVIEWERS missing 8 million users .....

I wish all reviewers would start testing Subtitle performance
When deaf people rely on Subtitles or the many thousands of users that put it on as an English teaching aid subtitles are really important, sadly sky platform can be appalling, sometimes its down to weather, or dish alignment is not spot on, or subtitles lag so you can be reading what happened five mins ago.
Worse offenders are advert breaks, a big splash across your screen imploring you to BE KIND TO YOUR BOTTOM - Andrex … and it stubbornly remains there 5 mins into the next programme until your forced to change channel and back.
The Font and Big Bold helvetica font has not changed in 30 years. Its awful, time has moved on when will at least one manufacturer at least try to offer an alternative.
choose a font, a colour scheme, transparency, with or without background.
We want real subtitles, not something dreamed up in the days of CEEFAX time has moved on.

Deaf and hard of hearing adults in the UK *

These are the latest estimated figures for the number of deaf and hard of hearing adults in the UK. There are:

* 8,945,000 deaf and hard of hearing people
* 2,474,000 deaf and hard of hearing people aged 16 to 60
* 6,471,000 deaf and hard of hearing people aged over 60
* 8,257,000 people with mild to moderate deafness
* 2,366,000 people with mild to moderate deafness aged 16 to 60
* 5,891,000 people with mild to moderate deafness aged over 60
* 688,000 people with severe to profound deafness
* 108,000 people with severe to profound deafness aged 16 to 60
* 580,000 people with severe to profound deafness aged over 60.

*RNID

DRUGFUCKED

DRUGFUCKED
Animation, music engaging and entertaining.

http://drugfucked.tht.org.uk

Hearing Impaired

don't ya hate terms like "hearing impaired unit" it congers up visions of CP30 screaming at R2D2 saying "Speak Up Dear!"

if Deaf - not fucking impaired in any way

Earthquake Cyclone Tsunami - Where the hell were International Rescue ?

I am 54 this year and I'm living in my own future, the brave new world, populated by real life Dan Dares, Space travel, the Atom, satellites, LASER beams, and wall sized televisions, To me the future represented by shows such as International Rescue offered me an optimistic view of a future society where intercommunication cooperation and a world view solved all our problems.
As a young child I was told by the generation that survived German bombs that things like the United Nations and the EU have come about by the desire of some men to put away their need for wars, to cooperate and democracy would prevent tyrants.
As you get older you soon realise politics money and power shape our world.
We are indeed living in amazing times, Video phones can shows us live events happening in the remotest parts of the world and see them flashed up on our wall sized TVs.
We have seen within living memory dreadful human tragedy's - these are not unexpected, we know that every single year some people somewhere are in desperate need of highly specialised help delivered fast and a helping hand to recover surely the time has come for us to ask we still don't have a real International Rescue.
The internet , the UN should have vast resources stored around the world that SHOULD automatically swing into action at the first sign of a natural disaster.
Instead of these scenes of pathetic squabbling about VISAS at borders while people may be in urgent need of vast field hospitals International Rescue front-line first response teams should have full UN diplomatic status and pre agreed access in times of natural disasters.
Its going to cost, and often the poorest countries have the more devastating time after the natural disaster has struck simply because the local level of infrastructure may be very poor.
Natural disasters occur naturally - its part of life - they are generally hard to predict but that should not stop us preparing for them, its the most natural thing in the world outside your own home, you get in trouble and dial 999, heads would roll if the emergency service did not respond without question.
We should expect nothing less for any child any where any colour any religion any place.
Calling International Rescue ... International Rescue .... Come In Please !!! hello ..... is there anyone ...

Do Not Buy Rice! - Its not ours.

Viral Marketing - CYCLONE VALUE Nargis Myanmar Rice Tesco Boycot Appeal


Click Here for A4 Version http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddb_uk/2477083210/

Comment seen on Fitlads in an AIDS related thread " they all be dead soon......................oh wait no they wont"

well yes they might be!........

The reason we don't see the relatively quick deaths on the scene is because we are a sophisticated bunch and lived through that era - know our status - get tested - join the drug trials - set up support networks - and most of all got educated.

If your HIV+ you can access highly toxic drugs that will stabilise the condition for many years and may prevent many of the opportunistic diseases developing. There is No cure.

If your test is clear you can relax safe in the knowledge that HIV is still very hard to get, and as long as your mindset treats EVERYONE as if they have HIV, its likely that safe sex will truly save you from a lifetime of vile drug therapy and illness.

If Gaydar and Fitlads were my first faltering steps to the "Gay Scene" I would be forgiven for thinking HIV/AIDS is yesterdays news - that bare backing is no more dangerous that riding a bike without stabilisers.

We run a risk of returning to a time when young men only start reporting symptoms to doctors in quite advance stages.
With new strains constantly emerging the and hopes of vaccines advancing ever into a distant future we need to think carefully about our modern view of the AIDS pandemic when responding on these sites.