Monday 6 April 2009

Monday 06/04/09

Mega internet problems - having to use my mobile to connect.

I was considering doing a special souvenir Jade Goody pull-out supplement, but it doesn’t quite work on Blogs.

Another picture from Hay – Nanjing at night:



She says that all the locals want to take pictures of her. They don’t get to see too many 6 foot blondes. It must be like that scene from the end of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, where the human enters the spacecraft and all the little aliens crown round wanting to touch him.

New Smoke got back to me to say they don’t know what happened to my free sample, as it was definitely sent. They’re sending me another.

On Sunday mornings here in the UK there’s a radio programme called Sunday Love Songs, hosted by Steve Wright. There’s a section called Lost Loves, where people send in requests for information on people they went out with millions of years ago and lost contact with. Whenever a request is read out for information on say Helen who was last heard of in Wigan in 1982 and was the love of Dave in Clayton-le-Moors, Hay shouts at the radio, “She’s happily married with 3 kids, so get over it! Why did you leave her in the first place, arsehole?”

More fun on the atheist forum yesterday (you have to admit that I do know how to have a good time). Someone was wanting to debate God-sanctioned genocide and child sacrifice – purely as an attack on the Old Testament. He asked the theists whether they would do it if asked by God. I replied that it would depend on the race and whose children, pointing out that if it were to be Richard Hilton’s kids, then bring them to the altar. He replied that a sacrifice involved giving something up and I had to admit defeat, as there would be no personal sacrifice in offering Paris Hilton up to God – it would be a pleasure, which kind of defeats the objective. Mind you, he did agree that we could commit genocide against the French, despite them not strictly being a race.

Got my letter from the Blood Transfusion Service on Saturday. I’m scheduled to give blood on April 15th. Go on – give it a go yourself; you could be saving someone’s life.

15 comments:

Richard said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
The Irascible Fairy said...

The Blood transfusion service makes me spit blood - they won't allow gay men to give blood!

Richard x x x

Jinksy said...

Now, I could see you sucking blood, but giving it? Will have to use my imagination twice as hard...

Belle said...

Is this true Richard? If it is, it is bloody appalling!

Kabbalah Rookie said...

So I'm not the only one who shouts at the radio, then? Cool.

Richard - I saw the question on sexuality on the BTS Donor form, but didn't realise they used that to exclude gay men. My question is, what could they do if you lied? (Who, dear? me dear? Gay dear? No, dear!). If they caught up with you afterwards perhaps you could say that you forgot...

kapgaf said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kapgaf said...

Getting people to spit blood ? Hmmm, this could work for people who don't like needles.
And can't they be had up for discrimination ?

On the sacrifice side, I think it's only virgins, so Paris Hilton is definitely a no-go area (in a manner of speaking).

As for genocide of the French, can you give me a heads-up ? There are one or two people here I'd quite like to save. And the French really are a race (three-legged, wheelbarrow or sack, you decide)

The Irascible Fairy said...

Better give me one also - a heads up on sacrificing the French that is as I have French cousins!

Belle - it's quite true if you answer yes to the question about sexuality on the form you are asked to leave. So it comes down to putting yourself in the closet and giving blood or being truthful and being shown the door.

Of course you could give the answer a friend of mine did - "I'm not homosexual - but I've slept with a man who is!"

Richard x x x

Belle said...

Is that not blatant discrimination? I thought ALL blood underwent strict screening. I sleep with men regularly (oops, that should read - man)How is your blood different to mine?

The Irascible Fairy said...

Belle - yes it is blatant discrimination and I can't answer your questions as to why. It is possible for HIV in the very early stages to go un-noticed in blood - and it's HIV they are scared of - but even so.........

There was some talk last year of changing this ruling but I think that it came to nothing.

I suppose if given my blood you might become Irascible!

Another thing that makes me angry. On May 18th 2007 Gavin and I celebrated our Civil Partnership - had I married Daisy the barmaid from the Red Lion, after 6 months she would have been entitled to a full widows pension - roughly 50% of what I get now. As it is Gavin gets a pension based on contributions made AFTER November 2005 - as I retired in November 2006 this will amount to about 3d a week.

Richard x x x

Belle said...

Well there's something worth fighting for. You could start your own blog. A blog for Fairy Rights.

The Return of the Native ... sort of. said...

I can't give blood in France as I am a 'foreigner' and the same thing applies in England too, I think - haven't asked about Belgium as quite honestly the sight of blood (and even just writing about it) makes me very wimpy.

kapgaf said...

That's weird : I gave blood in France for years (stopped after an illness). Is this a new ruling ?

Richard - 3d ? Those were the days, when you could still use a spanner to pry the coin out of someone's hand.

A Woman Of No Importance said...

I used to give blood prior to all the bloody abnormal things happening to it, and the fact that I've recently had an op means that you can't... Now my doctor is taking it from me phial by phial, week upon week, for testing - He could be about to open up a Transylvanian Private Blood Bank for all I bloody well know...

I thought you couldn't donate, TC, if you'd got High Blood Pressure?

I am sorry to hear that that clause on the Donor's form is being used to discriminate against gay men! I am now irascible.

And as for Hay's height and blonde wonders, my OH has his blond hair touched by children in the arms of their parents in supermarkets in Nigeria where he sometimes works... It's a funny ol' world...

Chairman Bill said...

Campaigners are calling for tight restrictions on sexually active gay men donating blood to be relaxed.

The National Blood Service says clear evidence shows gay men have a greater chance of passing on HIV and other infections in donated blood.

However, campaigners say there are fewer restrictions on heterosexuals who have high-risk sex.

They want gay men to be judged individually according to their lifestyle, not as a homogenous group.


I just want to be equal - everybody should be judged on their personal activities
Russell Hirst

Currently, blood donated in the UK is screened for a number of bloodborne viruses, including HIV, and hepatitis C.

However, if the donor has been newly-infected with these viruses, there is a "window" in which the tests do not work.

To reduce the risk of contamination, the National Blood Service does not allow sexually active gay men to give blood.

There are also restrictions on intravenous drug users, or heterosexuals who admit "risky" sexual practices involving prostitutes.