The nutters: Another superb Tom Scott cartoon. The man is a genius. This is in relation to a terrible story on the front page of Time about a woman in Afghanistan having her ears and nose cut off by her 'husband' (she got 'married' to him at age 10). For all the arguments about our being involved in this war, one thing is clear; the Taleban are a bunch of thugs and scum - every one that is killed improves the world.
Politics and Grey Power: The PM was to speak at Grey Power yesterday and we went along. On the way Christine mentioned that she thought he wouldn't be there as the funeral for the fallen soldier in Afghanistan was being held at the same time - and she was right. Instead John Carter fronted up with the local list MP Paul Quinn. John was reasonably on top of it but Paul not so much - then again he is a new MP while John has been around a few million years.
I saw some years ago that the nickname for the Australian cricketer Mark Waugh, and the brother of his better known twin Steve, was called 'Afghan' - the forgotten war. Clever.
I asked a question (and praised him (Carter) for his support of SeniorNet) about 3rd party insurance and he said the usual that it is being looked at - as it has been for the past 50 years.
The meeting was a the usual for Grey Power.
All complaining, niggling complaining in a greedy way - wanting more money that they think grows on trees. One had been in a state house for 40 years and was grizzling about the rent (that we subsidize and why hasn't he owned it after all this time?), another wanted a 50% increase in the pension (money to come from where?), one said her sons didn't join the Army to go off to war (!!!) a couple gave speeches and so on.
A local City Councillor wanted food to be GST free. She couldn't understand that the rules to cater for that would cost more than would be given back plus all the other legal problems. I spoke to her later and what I did learn was to make sure she doesn't get my vote. She blamed men for the system!!! She claimed it was simple. If it goes in your mouth it is food. Does that include cigarettes, your don't eat flour in its original state, chewing gum goes in the mouth but not eaten (usually) cooking oil, lollies, chippies and Coke etc. The lawyers would drive holes a mile wide through her theory.
Rugby: During the last test versus Oz, Tony Woodcock took an Aussie out with a shoulder from behind. He should have got 10 minutes but the amazing thing is that the citing commissioner said it was OK. Crazy. Is Peter De Villiers right when he says the AB's are sacrosanct.
Change: Over thirty years ago we changed to the metric system. People (especially advertisers) still talk Imperial. Even I do, but I was brought up on the system. Some things that are really expressions (I said above 'a mile wide', also the word mileage) will never go out but why can't they get with it. The other day on Radio NZ a commentator said 'what is an inch'.
As she said, being brought up metrically she didn't have a clue what inches and pounds etc were.
Todays answers: The only number as a word in Alpha order - forty. The quiz was bad news - 7th out of 12. But we learnt the first player to get a Yellow Card in Super 12 was Frank Bunce.
