More nuts

A gun nut : Another gun nut has had to be shot by the Police, this time in Christchurch.

But the question I always ask is where did they get the gun, after all this is not the US. It seems this guy was a member of a gun club and had a gun legally but in a Radio NZ interview a neighbour said the Police had visited him before when he was firing at people.

This was later confirmed and the Police said they are still investigating the background to this revelation. But the point I couldn't get was why Radio NZ diddn't pounce on this knowledge straight away - instead they just ignored it and ploughed on with the next (prepared??) question.

Be interesting to hear the outcome.

Rugby and a French nut : As for the French Rugby player who now admits he lied about being beaten up in Wellington. I doubted his story from the start as it seems did the Police. A 20 year old out alone late at night who doesn't speak the language???. This would be contrary to team policy and it now appears he was drunk and was punched by another player. However, it must have been a management cover up as I am sure they would have known the truth.

Keith Quinn the famous rugby commentator spoke to our Rotary Club last night. He was just incredible with a hundred stories, all told brilliantly.

I asked him about my 'bete noire' the Times rugby writer Stephen Jones. His response was that he is good writer and a good bloke but tailors his writing for his audience plus Keith thought he did admire NZ Rugby. Well - in the Lions v Springbok tests in the first Jones blamed our referee for the poor showing of the Lions scrum. If so then how come when Phil Vickery was replaced the Lions scrum was at least on par with the Boks? It was poor selection.

In the second he blamed our Assistant Ref for not standing up to the Referee to get Burger red carded. Sorry - but it is the Ref who makes the decision and at least another Jones, our Vinnie Jones did see the illegal act. But with Stephen Jones we can never win. As for Burger getting Yellow Carded and later getting an 8 week ban - so whats new for him.

Meantime in the series in South Africa - the Lions gave away the 2nd Test and will be lucky to win the 3rd. Luckily for us (maybe) is that the Springboks coach is pretty poor. Then again I don't rate Henry as I think he is over thehill although at least he has Wayne Smith and Stu Cron as the forwards coach who I think are good value.

Just a nut Michael Jackson : Dead at age 50, but a good career move. He has never impressed me - I am too old for his music I guess but I have to admit that he was a fantastic dancer. Still to me he remains Whacko-Jacko.

What a Berk and a Burke

The Referendum: The definition of Berk is a fool.

I have written previously (6 December 2008) about how I respect the views of Edmund Burke as to how Parliamentarians should act. They are elected for their judgement.

So I am generally against having referendums - our MP's are elected to make decisions as they should be in a better position to make the decisions. They should have opinions and beliefs. That's the theory anyway. Probably the only time I consider a Referendum should be held is when Constitutional matters affecting Parliament itself are being considered, such as when we changed our Electoral System.

So we are to have a Citizens Initiated Non binding Referendum at a cost of $9 million with the idiotic question of -

" Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?"

It seems if you believe that a child can be smacked (ie Yes) you have to vote No, and if you believe a child cannot be hit (ie No) you have to vote Yes. Both the PM and Leader of the Opposition say the question is badly worded and neither intends to vote at all.

When I first read it, and even on the 3rd or fourth reading, I was still confused. The question is a Berk!!

Anyway, my view is that I support the law. So I will be voting - yes.

Probably in a minority; but as I understand it the law is working satisfactorily and I believe, like a lot of things, Parliament has to lead public opinion and not necessarily follow public opinion. Like Burke said - excercise judgement. In the Parliament that approved the law only about 6-7 voted against.

Capital punishment is a matter that a majority of people would probably support, but it has been banished from most democracies, apart from the USA, for years. Then again, with their Electoral College system is the US a democracy?

Over the past 200 or so years I think a person (a person being a male) could hit 5 'things' without legal repercussions - your wife, your servants, your children, in the military and in the prisons. All have been gone for many years, except for children, until the recent change. I seem to remember an article saying that when the House of Commons was passing an Act to stop allowing men to hit their wives, a member of the Lords said "They'll stop me from hitting my horse next"

But it doesn't matter as Parliament is to ignore the Referendum result and the taxpayers lose $9 million.

I don't worry about being in the minority as they are often right - Capital punishment as I said, the Vietnam war; at the start most favoured, Apartheid; and I voted for a four year parliament which was well defeated. Also most Americans - but about 50/50 here from memory - supported the Iraq debacle.

Advertising: Telecom are wasting millions on new adverts. Their new system allows phones to work in Ethiopia but they don't show where they don't work such as, according to a letter writer to the Herald, parts of suburban Auckland. They (ie we the taxpayer) are running ads against driving while drunk. A waste of $$ in my view. The idiots still drink and drive.

Rugby: AB's sneaked a win but still poor. Lions lost but the Boks were much better than the result. Where is the vaunted Northern Hemispere scrummaging. Although the frogs weren't bad.

Music: Looking at my Soundsold music site the other day and I see that Lonnie Lee's Starlight Starbright is now the biggest download.

Big Update

A big update as have been flat out.

Hutt Radio: A group are starting up a Hutt Radio site. Will be interesting to see what they play and if we can hear it here, although they will only be up the road at Naenae. Will sign up as a foundation member for SeniorNet at very least to get some free adverts. Will see if Rotary are interested.

Rotary: Sadly a very dear friend and fellow Rotarian passed away last Sunday. Funeral was on Friday (had to miss Probus which was the Film Censor, which would have been interesting). Tremendous turnout for a man who achieved much in his professional and personal life - would have been near 200 people present.

Politics: Richard Worth has gone. However, as usual when people make accusations their own private life, warts and all, are also dragged into the limelight. Labour easily won my old home suburb of Mt. Albert. Unfortunately, not that it would have gone National, Melissa Lee was a disaster. Her long term political career is probably over.

Rugby: All Blacks were terrible and France well deserved wimnners and in fact should have won by more.

Kipp: Haven't had him over for a while but he stayed last night. As for Monty - he is making tremendous progress, kicking away and trying to crawl.

SeniorNet: Has been taking up a fair bit of my time lately as we have been looking for new premises. These have now been found and we now move to the planning stage for the move. Will be pleased to move as the last premises didn't work out as well as we wanted, or were promised. Hope this lot go better.

More Politics or is it common sense. It has been called the Black Swan Theory.

1. What is fragile should break early while it is still small. Nothing should ever become too big to fail.

2. No socialisation of losses and privatisation of gains. (Which I have said myself before). Whatever may need to be bailed out should be nationalised; whatever does not need a bail-out should be free, small and risk-bearing.

3. People who were driving a school bus blindfolded (and crashed it) should never be given a new bus.

4. Do not let someone making an “incentive” bonus manage a nuclear plant – or your financial risks. Odds are they would cut every corner on safety to show “profits” while claiming to be “conservative”.

5. Counter-balance complexity with simplicity.

6. Do not give children sticks of dynamite, even if they come with a warning . Citizens must be protected from themselves in important matters.

7. Only Ponzi schemes should depend on confidence. Governments should never need to “restore confidence”.

8. Do not give an addict more drugs if he has withdrawal pains.

9. Citizens should not depend on financial assets or fallible “expert” advice for their retirement. Citizens should experience anxiety about their own businesses (which they control), not their investments (which they do not control).

10. Make an omelette with the broken eggs. Finally, this current economic crisis cannot be fixed with makeshift repairs, no more than a boat with a rotten hull can be fixed with ad-hoc patches. We need to rebuild the hull with new (stronger) materials;

D - Day 6th of June

D- Day

The D in D-Day stood I read for Destination Day. Maybe it should have been Destiny.

Sixty five years ago and still wars go on.

Richard Karam, David Bain and the indefatigable Joe Karam.

The trial of the Century - so far. David Bain was found Not Guilty yesterday. By chance I decided to turn on the 4.30 news on TV One where they said the jury was about to return and that they would be crossing to the Courtroom. As it happened they arrived just as the verdict was being read out and as soon as I heard they had found him Not Guilty on the first charge then of course the rest were just a formality.

Did he do it and if not was it his father. Well only David knows. I thought he did do it but what was his motive? He had no reason. If it was to hide all the family problems then he must of known that they would come out at a murder trial. So only Robin Bain had motive because of his relatioship with her father.

Anyway it is all over now at a cost of at least $4 million. One person who must be admired is Joe Karam. The man never gives in.

Joke. The British are now going to have Muslim weather. It is either going to be Sunni or Shi'ite.

20/20. Andrew Symonds. Sent home from the 20-20 - just normal transmission for him. And Netherlands beating England in the first game just shows that anything can happen on the day but more so in a hit and miss short game like this.

June - Queens Birthday

Sir John with his wife Lady Helen

Queens Birthday: Back to the old honours system and we now have Sir John Walker.  Quite a reasonable lot this time with no politicians or hangers on featuring. I note no Dame for the ex-PM Helen - she of course does not agree with the Honours system so even if it was offered I am sure she wouldn't accept.

 

Sir John means that all of our Olympic track (running) gold medalists are Knights with John joining both Murray Halberg and Peter Snell; although Dr. Snell was under the old regime and won't be able to call himself Sir Peter until 1 July. Colin Meads took the title I see - well he is a conservative at heart. 

Weather: June has arrived. The end of May wasn't so hot - in fact bloody cold, wet and windy with snow in the South and the middle of the North. What was amazing was how little damage was done considering the gales etc.  However, not so hot on the roads with the Queens Birthday toll already double last years, and only half over. 

 Bonnie the cat: Sarah and the kids, along with their two students, are having a week at Taupo with Joe going up at the weekends. It will be cold there and probably a bit of snow. We are looking after the dogs and cat while they are away and before they left we all commented on Bonnie the cat; how she had got so thin. Angela and Christine went around to feed the animals on Saturday and found Bonnie had died. It didn't seem to linger - just got thin and dropped dead. She texted Sarah who was a bit upset. 

Rugby: Super 14 over for another year and another triumph for the Bulls in Pretoria when they thumped the Chiefs. Never thought the Chiefs would do it but 61 -17... good grief. Africa must be a real threat for the next world cup as they are now playing an expansive game.  I can't see the British & Irish Lions footing it. 

All Black team is pretty predicable although the inclusion of Bryn Evans in the wider squad is a surprise - although not to me as I have been a fan of his all year. 

SeniorNet: Has been keeping me busy while we have been looking for alternative premises and also deciding if we should take what the current landlord has offered. Anyway, some real progress made over the past few days and we hope to finalise everything this week if all goes well.