One Geek

Bono is speaking out about the poor performance of G8 nations in poverty reduction in Africa. He points out America’s good work on HIV/AIDS and Malaria. Though USAID has some interesting policies regarding abortion they do fully support ABC programs and give out condoms. I must say I also quite like Bill and Melinda Gates foundations work on HIV/AID.

The groups in G8 committed to increasing funding to $US5.4billion since Gleneagles and have only increased it by $US2.3 billion. That is one nice thing about Australia not being big, I know that us failing to meet our targeted 0.7% of GDP has less affect then countries in the G8.

Over 30% of new HIV/AIDS cases outside of Africa are people who inject drugs. Only 8% of injecting drug users have access to HIV Prevention programs. These programs are usually about clean needles and drug substitution. I find this lack of HIV protection programs for injecting drug users very disappointing.

I wonder if the problem is that many people don’t like to:
a) admit that people use illicit drugs,
b) that harm minimisation methods are thought to encourage or condone the use of drugs.

In addition, access to antiretroviral therapy is “unacceptably low” among IDUs because of a “lack of information, exclusion and widespread stigma and discrimination,” according to UNAIDS.

I am at the Howie’s tonight, Jenny cooked a lovely meal, and we are now watching tv and using the Internet on our nice white macs.

A man on death row requested that his last meal a vegetarian pizza be given to a homeless person in Nashville where he was in prison. The prison authorities denied this request but that did not stop the people from giving. Instead of one pizza being given on the day of his execution 100’s of pizzas were delivered to homeless shelters around the area.

Is giving seniors a $500 once off Tax free program anything but an attempt to buy votes?

Also of interest to me the baby bonus is now getting an education program associated with it to tell young people babies are expensive and it’s not worth getting pregnant just to get what is soon to be a $5000 bonus.

Today my Mom got a box of chocolates from someone who had an overdue book. It was the first time in her 20 years working there that it had happened there. She was quite pleased.

Note:
At the school where my Mum runs the library she does not charge overdue fees.

Tax cuts for the rich.
More money for defence and border security.
Bribes for the general public.
A half hearted commitment to the environment and addressing global warming.
No significant increase in our Overseas Development Aid, particularly in funds directed towards the MDG’s.

After a long time with no films this week I went and saw Shooter, Spiderman 3, and 300.

All the films were pretty good, though all had their overly preechy moments.

It is interesting watching films so many violent films and thinking about how many of the problems could of been solved by non-violent means.

This is an interesting post on premarital sex, safe sex, and Christian’s.

I am feeling good tonight.

I love TEAR.

I went to visit the Melbourne office today and it was all so nice.
The nicest thing was I kept getting introduced as a former fieldworker and things and then someone went to the trouble of coming up with a current definition for me. It was so sensitive and just the sort of thing that I needed.
I also got a lot of encouragement from some of the International Vet’s I know there.
It’s comforting to here others talk about how long it took them to settle fully back in, though I hope I am finished adjusting in less then six months.

Our indigenous population has the worst healthin the developed world. There is no good reason for an aboriginal to have 17 years less life expectancy then a white Australian. It makes me made.

We need to make Indigenous Poverty History.