Hiv and Aids Legal Clinic (HALC)

In 2007, I will be coordinating (with the help of another) the HIV and AIDS Legal Clinic (HALC).

The clinic provides free legal advice to people living with HIV and AIDS and is run out of the Positive Living Centre on Commercial Road, Prahran.

If anyone feels they would like to donate their time to HALC, or has ingenious fundraising ideas for the service, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The Positive Living Centre's website is here:

http://www.vicaids.asn.au/content/ContentPage.asp?SectionID=24

Life of the Tutor

While I am a novice at the art of tutoring, the first week of taking American Politics appeared to run smoothly. This is apart from asking an Australian citizen with an non-English background whether he was an international student, that is. This offending behaviour did not go unnoticed and the student appeared visibly annoyed. Fair enough. I saved the day (sort of) by asking the very Anglo-looking chap sitting next to him whether he too was an international student. Alas he was not, and my original question appeared to hang in the air; the overwhelming waff of political incorrectness. But the remaining encounters with students avoided vague and unsubstantiated generalisations and moved to deeper isses such as Cond Rice's immaculate dress sense. Ultimately, I wanted the group to go beyond mere fashion to topics such as why Condi has (reportedly) not been in a romantic relationship and how repressed she must be exercising every morning at 5 am. By the close of proceedings many in the class, and I would say curiously, could not fathom what motivated me to purchased a 'Condi 2008 Bobble Doll' off the internet.

They still didn't get it even after talk of Chanel suits, those huge Island Pearls and that awesome 'do.

On a more serious note, there was much general discussion about the 2008 Democratic and Republican electoral candidates. The reader of this blog may choose to scroll below and see my favourite pick -- Barack Obama himself -- looking very presidential indeed. I personally don't believe that Obama has a hope in hell, but having an 'untainted' candidate who speaks of hope and who is black and went to Harvard is like every 'small l' liberal's dream. He is just like Bill, but hotter!

In-fact, the reason I don't believe Barack can do it is more due to the fact that his inexperience will be ruthlessly exploited by his opponents (having been Senator for the great state of Illinois for a mere 2 years). Hillary appears to be the Party's choice, but I doubt she will be the people's choice when it comes to the crunch. She may be able to fundraise like hell, but will she wash with people given her positions on abortion and gay rights? Johnny Edwards seems the more realistic pick for the people's favourite, but I think Hillary will win the Party's nomination. Her campaign can only derail if all those nasty Republican rumours about her being a lesbian during high school begin to stick.

On the Republican side, the issue is even more complex. Guliani is popular, but has a really messy personal history which includes sharing a residence with a gay man and informing his wife of wanting to leave her just before he told the entire population of New York City. McCain is the cuddly Vietman Vet and 'man of integrity' but has some politically dodgy positions on increasing troops at a time when Americans just want out of Baghdad.

Mitt Romney is someone I know little about, while Sam Brownback et al. won't win because they are unknown entities on the national scene.

Join the Australian Donor Conception Register

Here exists the first comprehensive donor conception register.

This is a place where donor-conceived individuals and donors may provide details about themselves in the hope of being linked. The reigster is entirely run by me, so the process of linking is informal and therefore linking cannot be guaranteed. It is more a forum, rather than an offical register, in which donor-conceived individuals and donors can come and share their thoughts on the system of which they are a part; their concerns and their hopes for the future.

All personal or contact information provided to me is kept completely confidential.

Some information of what to include for donor-conceived individuals would be year of birth; clinic at which you were born (and the state the clinic is in); and information about physical appearance. For donors, this includes year of donation; clinic at which donation took place (and state clinic is in); and information about physical appearance.

Linking can never be achieved without a high-quality paternity test. However, by providing the information listed above, donor-conceived individuals and donors can become part of a nation-wide online community dedicated to sharing information which may lead to a link.

Also, please feel free to provide thoughts/suggestions/comments on an upcoming submission to Attorney-General Philip Ruddock myself and an academic from Melbourne Law School are preparing which argues for a national register to link donor-conceived individuals with their donors.

What a hottie!