Chaves won by the way.

THE GOD DAMN HEALTH SYSTEM

Today I had the pleasure of visiting a back specialist.

I only had to wait two months for an appointment, and thankfully didn't have to pay for it.

I then went and got an xray, and found out the normal charge is around $90.

Then off I trapsed down the corridor to my next specialist to make an appointment.

"Christmas dear" I'm afraid, said the lovely old duck.

The chap who I needed to see just happens to be the one and only of his type for the resident population from Otago south.

One can only make a conclusion that our tax payers money is still not being spent in the right place.

It is enough to make you get really mad about our health system, not so much for myself in question, but for the elderly in this country who have held it up for so long and have to travel long distances to get some sort of care.

It's a disgrace.

TRAPPED IN THE SNOW

The local fire wood trade must have been doing a boon trade lately.

Here it has been the coldest in living memory for many people, snow to sea-level, and the surrounding hills. It just keeps coming.

Today is no exception.

The rain, hail, sleet and snowflakes are pouring in while the sea is a mass of high seas.

Global warming has certainly found it's way to the fashion traps of southern New Zealand.

Woolley hats, coats, gumboots, scarfes and cups of soup are the order of the day.

SNOW DOESN'T MAKE OIL

Snow hit the southern region of New Zealand today.

Snow flurries cut across the Otago Penninsula, and it's surrounding villages and townships.

An unusually cold snap, particularly down south seems rather odd to me. I also woke up to the news of a mini-tornado in the Taranaki striking and flattening a house.

A cyclone also struck China today.

What with Charley, Bonnie, the Chinese cyclone, our own mini-tornado and treacherous snow storms causing havoc throughout the South Island, something must be done to right the capitalist efforts going into cutting off our oxygen supply of consumer behaviour seen daily at the local mall.

The oil price has also gone up over $46US dollars tonight (NZ time) in anticipation of a revolt if Chavez loses the recall today.

I hope to wake up in the morning to good news.

Oh and so you know, the summer fashion colours are all 80's, pale pinks, lime greens, lemons. Yum Yum.
Think I'll stick to sushi.

Pink Reporter

CHAVEZ , REVOLUTIONIST

As I watched the snow flurries whist past my window, my mind switched to the potential revolution about to take place on the other side of the world.

Twenty-five million people in Venezuela are about to go the polls, and stories of what Chavez has implemented for the poor are abundant.

Health clinics, subsidised food at special supermakets, free literacy lessons are just some of the measures
the people of Caracas' slums are currently enjoying.

He is a local hero to many Venezuelan's.

We can only hope that the man will be elected, and be able to continue his presidency until 2007.

PINK, REVOLUTIONETTE

WEATHER REPORT

I've been sick all week, it's 11.23pm local time.

I'm currently following Charley as he weaves his way through the Carribean and the various islands.

One current report locates it off West Cuba right now.

The Water Vapour picture for the area doesn't look too good. Glad I'm not there. Cruise ships have diverted and families are still out on the Florida keys. A type of dam to protect the key that is going to be built hasn't been built yet, so the locals have to go through this "season" without protection.

Storms are brewing here in New Zealand tonight too. Snow down to sea level, wind and gales so it seems once again one might make an opinion that the world's weather systems are linked. Bad weather there, bad weather here.

If the Atlantic Ocean is warming up, forcing the cool air into the atmosphere, making the low pressure which is driving the current hurricane to make a possible class 2 hurricane, apparently not seen for a long time according to a local weather person, is this the type of future weather we should expect?

I being an amatuer weather guru can only put two and two together.

Not that anyone cares. The Gulf of Mexico who has Bonnie hanging over it, threatening to go to hurricane status too.
Funnily enough, the gulf contains oil and gas fields. The company wants to get the crews back out there as soon as the coast is clear.

Capitialism at it's best.

Watching from New Zealand.

Over and Out.

THE REVOLUTIONETTE

What a relief to finally have access to something on the big screen commmunicating a message to the mainstream about the type of society we live in and are subjected to.

The up close and personal images of the person running a major economy of the world on camera pondering his next move, quite uncomfortably while a crisis is unfolding is quite remarkable.

To see someone obviously completely mystified as to what to do is extrodinary.

Moore's ability to communicate simply and clearly about politics and to get down to working people's level is a skill few have.

Tonight's theatre showing that I attended in Dunedin was filled with white middle class New Zealanders.

Attending a film however where I am surrounded by people of only one class it merely highlights the poverty-striken and uninformed section of the so called "wonderful NZ" who do not have the means or access to view this film.

Would some film house out there consider having a free screening in a town near you? Probably not.

As an ex-soldier recruited at 17.5 years of age in the 1980's here in NZ, the faces are not unfamiliar if you go and look on any recruit parade ground here.

Don't think for a moment army soldiers are old, mean, green and ugly.

I joined up in a small-town working class freezing work beat because I saw the ad in the paper and I would get paid more than what I was earning selling cameras. There weren't too many choices coming out of the far south then.

It was pretty easy to join up. No mention of learning to fire weapons, throw grenades, or running down the firing range with targets "targets up" "targets down". Just do a few tests and you are in.

Being left-handed didn't help much though. Guns whoops sorry weapons are made for you right-handers out there.

Armies need young people to send overseas to do their diry work for them.

Most of the guys who joined up did so so they would keep out of trouble at home.
Some had been in borstal. The majority of recruits were black. Funny that.

People just about jump out of their seat when I tell them I was in the Army.

It's quite a good ice-breaker especially when you wish to break some news story.

Let me know if you hear of a free screening.

Pink.