Friday, June 26, 2009

MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON 1958-2009

Michael Jackson: The King of Pop

Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US

Died: June 25, 2009 (aged 50)
Los Angeles, California, US

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Saturday, June 13, 2009

Xena: Warrior Princess. The Complete Series 1-6

I’ve been asked a few times about this boxset since I added one of my dvd collection overview videos.

So! The other day I made this video. It’s in 2 parts, part 1 is just me talking-a-lot about it and part 2 has the set being shown in full.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

CARERS WEEK AND JAYDE IS 1

First of happy birthday to my wee niece Jayde who is 1 today. 1 already???

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Now onto Carers week that runs from the 8th–14th June ‘09

I’m one of the 6 million carers in the UK, here’s some stats about carers and my take on it from my experience to date (JT: MY COMMENTS)

(from http://www.carersweek.org/)

The results of two new surveys have been announced for the start of Carers Week 2009.

A survey conducted by YouGov questioned over 2,000 members of the public about their beliefs and attitudes towards carers.

The key finding was that the public rank carers alongside the emergency services in terms of their contribution to society. Six out of seven people (86%) believe that carers make a valuable contribution, behind only nurses (91%) and firefighters (90%).

(JT: THAT’S A NICE STAT RIGHT THERE, THAT’S A NICE START)

The overwhelming majority also agree that carers’ benefits are far too low, with over three-quarters (76%) stating that the current level of Carers’ Allowance is unreasonable.

(JT: IT’S A JOKE TO BE HONEST)

But when asked to estimate the number of carers in the UK, 8 out of 10 were unable to pick the correct figure of 6 million, with almost three-quarters (71%) underestimating by over 4.5 million.

(JT: NOT A SURPRISE REALLY, WHO REALLY THINKS ABOUT CARERS THAT MUCH? WHO WONDERS HOW MANY OF US THERE ARE?)

Meanwhile a Carers Week survey highlighted the shocking number of carers who have been pushed to extreme levels of stress and depression as a result of caring.

The results also revealed that carers feel they go unrecognised or ignored by different groups in society, and this has a significant negative impact on their lives.

Large numbers of carers say they have been pushed to extreme levels of stress and depression as a result of caring. Almost three-quarters (74%) of carers say that they feel that they have reached breaking point.

(JT: I’VE NOT REACHED BREAKING POINT. BUT I’VE BEEN CLOSE, I’VE HIT MY LOWEST LOW AND I GOT THROUGH IT. WHAT DOES NOT KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER AS THEY SAY.

IT’S SUCH A TOUGH JOB AT TIMES MADE SOOO MUCH HARDER BY THE LACK OF SUPPORT FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS, IT’S NOT EASY TO FEEL LIKE YOUR JOB DOES NOT MATTER TO MOST PEOPLE OUTSIDE YOU AND THE PERSON/S YOU CARE FOR. IT’S A CONSTANT BATTLE NOT TO LOSE YOURSELF TO THE PITFALLS OF DEPRESSION AND END UP NEEDING CARE YOURSELF.

IF YOU’RE NOT STRONG, YOU FAIL AT THE JOB YOU SET OUT TO DO. CARER IS NOT A DIRTY WORD. BE PROUD! BE STRONG!)

Over a third (41%) of carers stated that ‘frustration with bureaucracy’ pushed them to breaking point, often the complex and lengthy procedures for welfare benefits, healthcare and social services. Other factors include a deterioration in the health of the person being cared for, lack of sleep and financial worries.

For most carers, ‘practical support’ would – or did – make the difference when they were at breaking point, with ‘just having someone to talk to’ a close second. Nearly a third (31%) say that more money would make a difference – hardly surprising given that Carers Allowance is the lowest benefit of its kind at just £53.10 per week.

(JT: I’M LUCKY, AT THE MOMENT I HAVE NO FINANCIAL WORRIES, I DON’T GET MUCH MONEY AT ALL, BUT I DON’T SPEND WHAT I DON’T HAVE, I HAVE VERY LITTLE DEPT, BUT IT’S NOT BEEN EASY. THE RECESSION HAS MADE ME FEEL BETTER THOUGH, YES BETTER? HOW CRAZY IS THAT? KNOWING THAT EVERYBODY IS NOW IN THE SAME BOAT AS MYSELF WITH VERY LITTLE CASH AND HAVING TO SHOP IN SALES ALL THE TIME MAKES ME SMILE, IN FACT, I NOW GET ASKED HOW I GET SO MUCH FOR SO LITTLE. MY ANSWER? SHOP SMART! BARGAIN HUNT AND HAVE PATIENCE! IF YOU’RE A CARER, YOU HAVE THAT IN SPADES ALREADY.

MORE MONEY WOULD BE GREAT BUT CARERS HAVE LEARNED THE HARD WAY TO LIVE ON NEXT TO NOTHING AND STILL GET BY, WE ARE HARD WORKING PEOPLE WHO DESERVE RESPECT, £53.10 IS NOT RESPECT IN 2009, IT WAS NOT RESPECT IN 1990! )

A massive 8 out of 10 carers feel that their role is overlooked or ignored by professionals, who include GPs, social workers and hospital staff. Three-quarters of all carers also feel that their role is unrecognised by family members and friends. Almost two-thirds (63%) of carers say that their lives are made ‘much more difficult’ as a result of being overlooked or ignored.

More than half (54%) say that being overlooked has affected their health and a slightly higher number (55%) say that it has left them worse off financially. The ten charities who organise Carers Week are calling on the Government to do more to support carers, along with other organisations such as the NHS, improve carers' lives.

(JT: THIS IS IT, THIS IS THE HARDEST THING (FOR ME AT LEAST) THIS IS THE THING THAT REALLY GETS ON MY NERVES TO THE POINT I WANT TO SCREAM AT TIMES, HAVING FRIENDS AND FAMILY GIVE LITTLE TO NO SUPPORT OR RESPECT, HAVING FRIENDS AND FAMILY NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE THAT YOU HAVE A JOB!!!! ONLY YESTERDAY IN A CONVERSATION WITH ONE OF MY SISTERS I YET AGAIN HAD TO ENDURE GETTING TOLD I DON’T HAVE A JOB. I WAS TALKING ABOUT RAISING £4600 TO GET A RAMP FOR MY DAD, I WAS TOLD BY HER A BANK WOULD NOT GIVE ME MONEY BECAUSE I DON’T WORK??? I COULD HAVE GOT MAD AND HAD A FALLOUT WITH MY SISTER FOR BEING SO BLUNT YET AGAIN…

BUT!

THE SAD THING IS, AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME SHE’S RIGHT, AND IT’S ONLY BECAUSE OUR GOVERNMENT DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THAT WE WORK!!! IT’S A TOTAL JOKE AND IT NEEDS TO CHANGE (AND IT WILL!!!). HOW CAN FRIENDS AND FAMILY RESPECT CARERS WHEN OUR OWN GOVERNMENT IS SAYING WE DON’T WORK? THEY SAY IT BY DOING NEXT TO NOTHING FOR US. THEY DON’T PAY US AND THEY DON’T LET US HOLD OUR HEADS HIGH AND SAY PROUDLY THAT “I AM A CARER AND IT’S A JOB I’M PROUD OFF”

BEING A CARER IS ONE OF THE HARDEST (BOTH PHYSICAL/MENTAL OR BOTH, JOBS YOU CAN DO. YOU CAN GIVE UP SO MUCH OF YOU LIFE TO THE PERSON YOU CARE FOR THAT YOU HAVE NONE LEFT OF YOUR OWN.

YOU LOSE?

YOU LOSE FAMILY, YOU LOSE FRIENDS, YOU LOSE RESPECT. YOU CAN GET TRAPPED IN A BUBBLE AND FORGOTTEN ABOUT, YOU GIVE YOUR ALL AND YOU GET LITTLE BACK FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

YOU GAIN?

YOU GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU’RE DOING ONE OF THE MOST NOBLE HUMAN BEING WORTHY THINGS ON THIS PLANET! AND 6 MILLION OTHER CARERS, AND ALL THOSE THEY CARE FOR WILL TELL YOU THAT’S A FACT!

SO HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH AND DON’T GIVE UP, FRIENDS MAY STOP VISITING, FAMILY MAY ALSO STOP. THEY MAY TRY TO BRING YOU DOWN AND BATTLE WITH YOU, YOU WILL PROBABLY GET MADE TO FEEL THAT YOU ARE NOTHING (AND PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE).

IF YOU HAVE FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO ARE THERE FOR YOU, THEN THEY ARE AMAZING PEOPLE. IT’S A SHAME THEY ARE SO FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.

JUST KNOW THAT WHAT YOU DO… WHAT I DO! IS A JOB, IT’S NOT JUST A JOB, IT’S ONE OF THE BEST JOBS OUT THERE. YOU GIVE UP A LOT AND THAT’S A FACT, BUT YOU ARE AN ANGEL TO THE PERSON YOU CARE FOR FOR… AN ANGEL

CARER = LOVE

LOVE US BACK!)

So there you have it, I’m a carer and I’m proud to be one. I don’t ask for much and if there’s one thing I would wish for, it would be, to just be respected by my family (all of them) and to have some friends who understand that you can’t just go out when you please, still be there for me when I can.

Being a carer is a JOB! being paid next to nothing does not make it any less of a job. Give every carer at least that respect. Every time you tell a carer they have no job, a bit of them dies inside.

Carers are tough, we have to be! But we’re still only human.

Who cares for Carers? That’s the million dollar question. Let that answer be you!

James

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

MY DVD COLLECTION PART 3 + MAY DVD UPDATE IN VIDEO

Here’s part 3 of my DVD Collection and my May dvd update in video for the first time.

Lookout for part 4 soonish.