Fight, Yer Bastards, Fight.

Oh dear, Bethune is finding out pirates really are dishonest pricks.  Thieves even.

This story brings a warm glow to Adolf's inner being.

“I spent five months in maximum security prison in Japan on behalf of these guys, and to have to take them to court is most disappointing,” Mr Bethune says. “It breaks my heart.”

Mr Bethune says he is owed half a million dollars from the sale of the trimaran to Sea Shepherd.

And then the bastards scuttled the bloody thing, to get a bit of publicity.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Serves you bloody right.

For gods sake Tony sometimes just shuddup

Stick to rugby, in all your years of involvement and rubbing shoulders with people who understand the sport you have picked up a little knowledge.


In Matters equestrian you know sweet f#*k all.

Your understanding of dressage was abysmal and then when the cross country was being replayed today swmbo who has some knowledge, she was a judge for the NZ horse society for years, had to turn the sound off and that spoke volumes as she is normally a very tolerant soul.

Riders in this most demanding activity are not passengers with a throttle control to hand.
They are constantly monitoring, assessing, calculating and  managing the resources of their mount to get home as close to the optimal time so as to avoid penalties.
You, Tony  seemed to think they could 'sprint' the last kilometer and solve problems that had accumulated in the round.
When a horse through a misjudgement of steed or rider has a moment of panic it delivers a shot of adrenaline that burns valuable fuel reserves that make the very accurate demands of the preset optimum time a much bigger hurdle.

The 3 day event is a team event that has an individual component running within it. Therefore often a rider with little or no chance of winning an individual medal is required to settle for a finish with time faults as a contribution to the team. A scenario that the "grunts'in the Paleton of road cycling do day in day out.

Mark Todd's delivery of his result was all about "horsmanship" with a very inexperienced horse and it showed.
Pity it went over your head TJ.

You did a great job of backgrounding the geography and the landscape and identifying some of the notables in the crowd even to the achievement of correctly identifying the princesses Eugenie and Beatrice  who were without their 'Hats', but seriously 'dilligaf'.

To have done justice to the job you undertook you needed to learn about impulsion, collection, obedience, pace, cadence, balance, timing, accuracy, and they are just a few that a layman might garner about dressage.
Too much of your commentary  seemed to overshadow Andrew Scott's clearly much more erudite and practical contributions.  The sum to me and many like me was lacking in professional content. At one stage you erroneously stated a rider could make up 15 seconds in a minute, pffth to that, utter bollocks.

Also very disappointing to an armchair spectator 12 000 miles distant was the coverage of the New Zealand riders, a fact that I accept was beyond your control. When Joanne was on the course we saw the first three fences and then the last few but as you observed Tony,  we were fed endless minutes of a Belarous rider and the Russian dressage disaster with 80 something penalties, neither of whom had a snowballs chance in hell as individual entries.


TJ buy a horse and have a go you could develop a talent in this field, you have the voice and the tv nous. Oh and btw, see if you can get Andy to understand the finer points of hitting the mike with his voice, too much of his work was silent movie stuff.

That was still the best coverage of equestrian from the Olympics ever, thankyou very very much Sky TV.

Christopher Wren is dead, sorry.

It is said that nothing concentrates the mind as does imminent execution.

Another relevant statement when a sportsman drops a hanging ball in cricket, baseball or rugby etc,"he/she had too long to think about it".

In having only 100 days to deliver a plan for the basis of reconstructing the central area of Christchurch, many are surprised at the coherence and attractiveness of what was delivered last evening.

When, following the destruction of much of the then city of London following the Great Fire, Sir Christopher Wren, who was already working on a restoration of St Pauls, was engaged or embarked on a burst of architectral activity that involved sixty churches, Hampton Court, the buildings that are the backdrop to the Olympic Equestrian events and others, the legacy of which have inspired calls for a 21st century Wren to take on the CBD rebuild plan for the village of the dammed.

Two things make that impossible;
Wren was not able to do more than plan rebuilds or New structures that fitted the existing infrastructure,
and he was pretty much the only person available albeit with a team around him.

Today we are all qualified to have opinions worthy of inclusion even if they are supported by a minority of one.

The plan revealed yesterday by the PM is the result of work by among others CERA and Boffa Miskel that will gradually draw criticism from barrow pushers and the perpetually discontent.
For me it is clean, forward looking , achievable and inspirational.
It does not tick all my boxes but as others have already stated, accept it, stand back and let those who are willing to invest in it make their moves.

Just do it or we will still be discussing it in 50 years time, hang on I wont, that aint gunna happen.

MEMO TO JOHN KEY

Maori doesn't OWN the water.   We ALL do.

You said it.

Shearer said it.  

Nuff said.

Devastating Destruction.....

.......of the Great Global Warming hoax.

For the first time, here is authoritative (WMO - ISO methodology) confirmation of Adolf's long held suspicion that temperature records world wide have been fudged by climate conspirators on a scale never before seen.

Never has so much snake oil been dressed up by so many to resemble Chanell No 5.

Alert readers will remember Adolf's challenge a couple of years ago.   A good bottle of Barossa Shiraz was offered to any person who could provide evidence of any raw temperature data which had been adjusted downward by the worlds horde of 'scientific' data adjusters.  The bottle was never claimed and now you can see why.

First, the authenticity:-

Watts et al 2012 has employed a new methodology for station siting, pioneered by Michel Leroy of METEOFrance in 2010, in the paper Leroy 2010, and endorsed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMO-XV, 2010) Fifteenth session, in September 2010 as a WMO-ISO standard, making it suitable for reevaluating previous studies on the issue of station siting.

Second a sample of the disgraceful findings:-

Using Leroy 2010 methods, the Watts et al 2012 paper, which studies several aspects of USHCN siting issues and data adjustments, concludes that:
These factors, combined with station siting issues, have led to a spurious doubling of U.S. mean temperature trends in the 30 year data period covered by the study from 1979 – 2008.
Other findings include, but are not limited to:
· Statistically significant differences between compliant and non-compliant stations exist, as well as urban and rural stations.
· Poorly sited station trends are adjusted sharply upward, and well sited stations are adjusted upward to match the already-adjusted poor stations.
· Well sited rural stations show a warming nearly three times greater after NOAA adjustment is applied.
· Urban sites warm more rapidly than semi-urban sites, which in turn warm more rapidly than rural sites.
· The raw data Tmean trend for well sited stations is 0.15°C per decade lower than adjusted Tmean trend for poorly sited stations.
· Airport USHCN stations show a significant differences in trends than other USHCN stations, and due to equipment issues and other problems, may not be representative stations for monitoring climate.

Read the whole thing.

And then laugh at the stupidity of Gillard, caving in to the Greens on her suicidal Carbon Tax.

Then wonder, how many decades will it take for the so-called 'scientific community' to get back any semblance of credibility?

CONGRATULATIONS

To the UK Service Chiefs who told LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games)  to 'sod off' with their demand that military personnel drafted in to support the games organisation wear track suits because their regular uniforms "might appear too intimidating" to the public.

LOCOG would have been better to confine themselves top working out why their contracted security provider (G4S) failed so massively to step up to the mark necessitating intervention by the military.   One would hope the incompetence shown by G4S didn't extend to those responsible for drawing up their contract which hopefully included substantial penalty provisions for non-performance.

The need for military personnel to wear their uniforms so as to be instantly recognisable is really a 'no brainer'.   Seems that LOCOG is a bit short in that department.  

Sorry Neddy too late now

And 6 years on just plain whinging.

In the aftermath of Cardiff 2007 I was somewhat depressed and bewildered at Mr Barnes efforts but for your theory to have any credibility it required the tacit support of the two on the side, line, the referees manager and the entire committee running that world cup and not one Paki or Curry muncher in sight
Do you seriously expect us to believe it is not just poor form and small mans syndrome manifesting.
Sheesh what does it say in your book about having Aaron Major in the stand wearing his jacket and tie.
I know when swmbo tackled Hansen on that matter at a later q&a social function, his response was all about denigrating the questioner and totally ignoring what seemed to her, a perfectly valid query.

Shut up and be considered stupid etc etc.

OTOH as part of a rehabilitation and another shot at Bills Cup, tactically very astute moves.

Quiz results

Going to catch as much of the equestrian as possible then a day away from contact so ending things early this week.

Hp in first with a solid 1 correct and a good dose of feminine logic and lateral thinking. Ploughing lol
Chris another 1 plus.
Marc 3.
Billy  2.
Allan four eventually and a boost for our ratings.
Bazza a humorous interlude but sadly a zero for points. well maybe a 1 for the Davis connection.
George gets bragging rights with four and 3/4, very close with the fifth, am I being harsh not accepting options as answers. Definitely not the Motutapu.
and Cadwallader a solid 3 plus bonus for regions.

I have been sitting on the forbidding and fascinating terracing for weeks, I think I was hoping for someone to explain it but my thinking is it is just unusual geological shapes, possibly glacial, very LOR to us, as tourists.
Located on the Wanaka Mt Aspiring Rd west of the West Wanaka Rd  and I have mislaid the GPS numbers.

Answers:

1 The Late Morrie Davis during the unfolding of the Erebus disaster. Strain clearly in evidence
2 Cromwells answer to the Ohakune Carrot situated on the northern entrance to the town off Highway 6.
3 Opotiki in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
4 The stabilisation structure on the slopes of the Cromwell Gorge to hold unforseen slipping that could have had serious repercussions for lake Dunstan. I see it as an Inca like structure. On the southern side of the lake just east of the "Miners Memorial".
5 Unusual terracing off the Mt Aspiring Rd. Quite forboding with the lighting and structures when the pic was taken and I have not captured it as I would like.

He makes Homer Simpson look good.

Caught the end of Q & A when scrolling for Olympic coverage of the Dressage and saw an illuminating segment with Shane Taurima trying to make sense of North Dunedin MP David Clark's private members bill to raise the minimum wage from the present $13.50 to $15.

Described as having "won" his seat when he inherited it from the cadaverous Pete, it could have been won by a swede on a manuka stick so long as it had a red rosette, Mr Clark started confident with a smile that was worth a thousand votes.
Soon the smile was definitely pasted on and each progressively inane response  to Shane  was opened with an increasingly strident "LOOK" when I think he meant listen.

With absolutely no disclosed understanding of the economic employment or social outcomes his stupid idea would have on the situation, particularly for youth Shane made him look like a complete muppet but that is unkind to Miss Piggy.

Clark's profile lists a BA and a BTHEOL with 1st class hons, time spent "working on farms and factories", spent 3 years as a PhD student then 3 years as a treasury analyst, yet when Shane asked him about costing the Min Wage policy he was like a possum in the headlights.
If he is a rising star for Labour he disappointed as he was more of a falling one. He might get it with a few years of lies and training.

Hey Mr Clark  why not shoot for $20 an hour and we will all be richer.
Then again deep down with your 3 years as a treasury analyst you might just have learnt something, here's hopeing.

Mamma Don' 'Llow......

...no Spanki Ban Ki Panky around the UN??????

Noooooo.    Well, what about

...no laughing in the supermarket?

Hey!, that's more serious.

The other day The Cook was mooching around (That's why I shop on my own.  The other day, over at Viagra Veggies, she individually examined every shrink wrapped cucumber on the stand before selecting her preferred victim - the second one she picked up.) one of our three local supermarkets when she heard a moderately loud gale of laughter from the bowels of the deli section.

As she looked up, some mid level gauletier strode to the counter, wagged a finger and sternly admonished "No laughing!! No laughing."  Apparently, the look on the face of the ladies behind the counter was reminiscent of Colonel Klink hearing of his transfer to the Minsk zone.

Adolf was reminded of the main reason he so enjoyed shopping at Foodtown in Northcote on Auckland's permanently saturated and wind blown North Shore.  The staff there were a happy, cheerful, helpful, gabby lot who seemed to laugh ALL THE BLOODY TIME.  Mind you, that's not surprising when you consider they hailed from such diverse and ungermanic places as Tonga, Niue, Samoa, Fiji, India, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, even one or two from the NZ and one at least from UK.  The latter took a little time to learn how to laugh.

I wonder if our local store's senior management has done any analysis of it's staff retention.  Do they know whether there is above average staff turn over in the ever serious delicatessen section?

Do they ever train their managers in the gentle art of 'people skills'?   Is it company policy for managers to publicly chew out staff IN FRONT OF THE FUCKING CUSTOMERS?

Adolf will be extremely unlikely to cross their threshold and again ever tip some coin into their register.

It All Seems A Bit Pointless In 2012

Marriage is only another word  that increasing numbers totally ignore anyway

From criminalisation and the severe social stigma of homosexuality  mid 20th century we progress to a wider acceptance of what most see as an orientation fact of life. Colin Craig is struggling a bit with the concept.

With the continued degradation of the once exaulted state, although too often a bit ragged, of holy matrimony to an alarming casualisation of relationships that, fueled by ever increasing state intervention by way of welfare rewards, it is now widely accepted in many nations that committed same sex relationships exist amongst us  and are completely legal.

As to the usurping of the legal term "married" for couples of the same sex who choose to commit to entering a civil union, I see that as no more than a progression to a state of affairs desired by social engineers.

Along with such terms as Gay, chutney, and other words converted to soften an image, now it is Marriage.

Whatever.

The other major question under consideration in tandem, is 'gay adoption'.
This has been flying under the radar for years due to the pertinent fact a lesbian woman has been able to concieve and bear children without any serious barrier, social or biological.
It is more complicated for a Male couple as they need an opportunity to access adoption unless a child can be brought to the new arrangement from a heterosexual relationship and it requires some support from the "mother".
Accessing adoption as a means of acquiring a child is now nigh on impossible as welfare conspires to reduce the availability of "Unwanted" or other children as a couple or a solo mother is incentivised to keep such a child.
Instead of offering a couple who, due to a ticking biological clock, suppressed fertility or other reasons are denied a baby, a solution by adoption, we spend thousands of precious health dollars on fertility programs,  something that is seen as totally counterproductive in the natural world. Overcoming the genetic progress that such obstruction to natural fertility as Dawins theory of selection would employ, by artificial means, is just nuts.


Adoption does not exist anymore, such transfer of parenting is now only an upmarket fostering system.
Providing a home for a child that for whatever reason is not wanted, in the home of a childless couple, to be raised as their own is now prohibited. I guess in the all too often chaotic family circumstances of the 21st century home it has just been buried under the pervasive force of WELFARE and what sociologists see as desirable.

Adoption did sometimes go awry historically but often due to mismanagement of the information allowed to the growing child, the truth too often revealed, only when an adult applied for a passport or other official discovery opportunity requiring a birth certificate.

Know Your Country Sunday July 29th

Looks Smart Enough Though.

Nice shirt, tie and seems a wee  while from the dementia ward yet.

Mayor of Matamata-Piako District calls for more fencing after a 15 yo male dies following being struck by a train.

Hello'o, the deceased was 15 and sadly must have been still unaware that trains are big, hard,  cant stop quickly, cant swerve and are often found traveling on the parallel long bits of steel in much of New Zealand sometimes at deceptively fast speeds.
Loopy Len hasn't enough yet so it could get worse.

Sorry Mr Vercoe it was 100% down to the ignorant being who got too close to the train and if he was that stupid after 15 years it was possibly just Darwinism being proved yet again.

A fence, why, if he was that thick he would have climbed it anyway, just to prove he could.

You're stupid? Don't worry, we'll protect you

From Stuff:

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against a real estate agent for offering financial advice he was not qualified to give.

In the advertisement which aired on The Radio Network stations, Property Brokers managing director Tim Mordaunt said with the retirement age likely to rise people should be thinking about their own super schemes.

''Now is the time to buy an investment property,'' the advertisement said. ''Prices are affordable, interest rates very low. Your tenant will pay of your mortgage and Bingo, when you retire you have income.''

The ASA said the ad could be considered investment advice which was the domain of qualified investment professionals.

It also said the statement strongly implied that a financial return was guaranteed if people bought an investment property, which was misleading as ''no such surety could be given by the Advertiser''.

''In the Complaints Board's view this was a very simplistic summary of [the] risks of property investment.'' 

Oh dear.  The problem with poor financial literacy is hardly a bit of puffery on a radio ad.

I Must Have Missed Something.

Although most hope that Justice is a laudible aim in law enforcement, in a recent case that reached another milestone today, Justice seems to have been missing in action.

A man described among other various sobriquets as a "comedian", not one that I would even consider, was convicted of "kiddy fiddling" and sentenced to 8 months home detention that will be served in the home of his 4 yo victim. He is still able to work from home.

Briefly the facts as I understand them were;

He arrived home from a christmas party affected by alcohol.
He climbed into bed with his Partner.
He woke up after the toddler had also joined the occupants in the bed and proceeded to 'touch her intimately'. The partner woke and asked him what he thought he was doing.
He was subsequently arrested for sexual assault of the toddler.
His defense was "that he thought he was fondling his partner", unfuckingbelievable.

Judge Phillipa Cunningham discharged him without conviction and included in her comments at that stage was the totally unbelievable and unacceptable reason, he "made people laugh".

Following a totally understandable out pouring of public disbelief, he was re-arraigned before Judge Mark Perkins and many of us thought at least this time the prick will need his pjs and a tooth brush.
Noooo another dopey member of the judiciary, although convicting him, left the very encompassing suppression order in place and sentenced him to "home detention".

Now I had thought assaults on the very young were something abhored by most thinking people but it seems that if the victim is not physically damaged or dead it appears it is not that big an issue. Forget about the potential mental and social damage a "kiddy fiddler" might inflict, in the eyes of Perkins and Cunningham it is minor.

When was any reference to "justice" removed from the criminal code.

Not quite the same as the Original.

The Quadrennial Chemists competitions are upon us.
Supporting athletes and numerous officials will be joined by members of possibly the most corrupt organisation before the IPCC was foisted upon the world.

The original games had only one winner in an event who won a wreath of laurel leaves and competed buck naked.

In a little over two weeks the eye watering cost will be added up by London City and the British Government and how to pay for the party will be next on the agenda but as it is OPM it wont really matter.

Very good wishes and best of luck to all who aspire to a gold medal and to those who think a fourth place medal is a good idea just give all the also-rans a lead medal for taking part.

To those who regard quallifying as their goal, give the money back.

Yevette Williams was inspirational in 1952 but who else went?
At least I understood the earth was round and Helsinki was very close to the other end of the earth  when images were transmitted to the Auckland Weekly and looked up in the atlas.

At the end of it all my fervent hope is that no individual or group succeed in making their strange point of view the focus of the event.

Is it possible the massive media contingent will satisfy their ego by telling us what actually happens, I think not, it will come down to opinions I care little for, punctuated by endless interminable pauses that could all be eliminated by editing.

K1, 10/3 - Mallard to be investigated for making a false complaint

WARNING: Long post follows.

The police have result codes, or "K" codes.  So when an offence is alleged, the police investigate the alleged offence, and then for their records they issue the result in a "K code.  For example, K1 is no further police action required.  A K"9" is an arrest.  A K"6" is a report written about the incident/offence.

The other codes they use are "active" codes.  These are "10" codes.  A patrol car calling in 10/2 is on the way to a job.  A 10/7 call is arrived at the job.  A 10/3 call, is free and mobile.

So K1, 10/3 is "attended the job, no further police action required, free and mobile".

And so the detectives who wasted their time on the Banks donation complaint are now K1, 10/3.


Various commentators concentrated on section 109 of the Local Electoral Act, which gives the requirements relating to the candidates' returns.  Here's Graeme Edgeler on Public Address a while ago:

I've re-read the Local Electoral Act a few times over the last few days, and reached a different conclusion each time over what obligations it actually imposes.


What follows explains what I believe is the generally-accepted approach to the obligations on candidates under the Local Electoral Act 2001 to donation disclosure.

Graeme listed a plethora of obligations, all of which are contradictory and confusing.  That's because they are.  The Act is a legal quagmire, and it is, as Graeme Edgeler says, "derisory".  I'd call it meaningless and incomprehensible.

When the investigation was announced, another legal commentator, Andrew Geddis said this about the obligations of Banks (and others, of course):

Because, if there is a clear explanation for the whole "Banks.com" affair that demonstrates how Mr Banks cannot be guilty of any breach of the Local Electoral Act and shows that Mr Dotcom's account of what took place is false ... well, we're yet to hear it.

Again, focusing on the breach.  According to all and sundry, including the mainstream media, Mallard, Shearer, Peters et al, Banks broke the law.  He filed a false donations return!

Yet no one looked at the offences section closely.

Firstly, the obligations under section 109:

Return of electoral expenses

• (1) Within 55 days after the day on which the successful candidates at any election are declared to be elected, every candidate at the election must transmit to the electoral officer a return setting out—

  • (a) the candidate's electoral expenses; and

  • (b) the name and address of each person who made an electoral donation to the candidate and the amount of each electoral donation; and

  • (c) if an electoral donation of money or of the equivalent of money is made to the candidate anonymously and the amount of that donation exceeds $1,000,—
    • (i) the amount of that donation; and
    • (ii) the fact that it has been received anonymously.
      
      
  (2) Every return under subsection (1) must be in the form prescribed in Schedule 2 or to similar effect.

The highlighted words or to similar effect, become important later.  Remember them.

Section 133 is the first offence section.

Failure to transmit return

• (1) Every candidate commits an offence who fails to transmit a return of electoral expenses in the prescribed form to the electoral officer within the prescribed period.

  
  
  (2) Every person who commits an offence against subsection (1) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 and, if he or she has been elected, to a further fine not exceeding $400 for every day on which he or she continues to act until the return is transmitted.

You should now read section 109(1) again.  It says a candidate must transmit a return of electoral expenses and donations.  Under section 133, failing to transmit a return of expenses is an offence.  But section 133 is silent on whether it is an offence if a candidate fails to file a donations return.  You have to file one under section 109, but it is not listed as an offence if you don't.

Here's a further "offence"section (134) of the Local Electoral Act regarding, apparently, donations:

False return

• (1) Every candidate commits an offence who transmits a return of electoral expenses knowing that it is false in any material particular, and is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

  
  
  (2) Every candidate commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 who transmits a return of electoral expenses that is false in any material particular unless the candidate proves—

  • (a) that he or she had no intention to mis-state or conceal the facts; and

  • (b) that he or she took all reasonable steps to ensure that the information was accurate.

Two offences, relating to electoral expenses.  No offences listed relating to filing false donations returns.  But surely these are the same thing?

The definitions of electoral expenses and electoral donations are in section 104.  They've been given different definitions.  Naturally that's because they are different.  What candidates spend is completely different to the donations they receive.

Section 3, the purpose section, lists as a purpose, the following:

adopt uniform rules in relation to—

• (vi) offences against this Act and penalties for those offences; and...

So the purpose is pretty clear.  The Act lists the offences, and the penalties.  But the Act does not list as an offence transmitting a false donations return.  It only stipulates the transmission of a false expense return as an offence.

When lawyers interpret legislation, they look at the principles of the Act as well as the Act's purpose.  What are the principles of the Local Electoral Act 2001?

Principles

• (1) The principles that this Act is designed to implement are the following:

  • (a) fair and effective representation for individuals and communities:

  • (b) all qualified persons have a reasonable and equal opportunity to—
    • (i) cast an informed vote:
    • (ii) nominate 1 or more candidates:
    • (iii) accept nomination as a candidate:

  • (c) public confidence in, and public understanding of, local electoral processes through—
    • (i) the provision of a regular election cycle:
    • (ii) the provision of elections that are managed independently from the elected body:
    • (iii) protection of the freedom of choice of voters and the secrecy of the vote:
    • (iv) the provision of transparent electoral systems and voting methods and the adoption of procedures that produce certainty in electoral outcomes:
    • (v) the provision of impartial mechanisms for resolving disputed elections and polls.
      
      
  (2) Local authorities, electoral officers, and other electoral officials must, in making decisions under this Act or any other enactment, take into account those principles specified in subsection (1) that are applicable (if any), so far as is practicable in the circumstances.

  
  
  (3) This section does not override any other provision in this Act or any other enactment.

Nothing in there about expenses or donations.  Mother Hubbard's cupboard is bare on those.  And subsection (3) means sections 109, 133 & 134 prevail anyway.

Conclusion?  Not only did Banks not breach any law, there was/is no law in the Act for him to break.  Moreover, no candidate since 2001 has been required to file a donations return, and even if they had and it was intentionally false, it wasn't an offence.

I considered whether Schedule 2 to the Act imposes an obligation to submit the same information in the same return (i.e. a return of expenses and donations together, and both have to be correct).

But remember those words or to similar effect that I earlier said were important.  They mean that the pro- forma expenses return form is just that - a pro-forma.  Candidates can use what they like.  They could use a separate form for expenses than they use for donations.  They could submit a few pages of an expenses return (they have to as they break the law under section 133 if they don't), but they could just refuse to file a donations return; or they could file a completely wrong donations return and both of those are not offences under the Act.    

Section 109 is headed up Return of Electoral Expenses.  That vital word "donations" is again omitted.  That is important, as are the other omissions of the same word, because of section 5 of the Interpretation Act 1999:

Ascertaining meaning of legislation

• (1) The meaning of an enactment must be ascertained from its text and in the light of its purpose.

  
  
  (2) The matters that may be considered in ascertaining the meaning of an enactment include the indications provided in the enactment.

  
  
  (3) Examples of those indications are..headings to Parts and sections..and the organisation and format of the enactment.

The header of section 109 can be used to interpret it.  The header omits mentioning donations.  Sections 133 & 134 omit them.  The purpose and principles sections fail to mention them.

My conclusion is that it is not even an offence to fail to file a donations return; and it is not an offence to file a false return.

The person who should be prosecuted in all this is Trevor Mallard.  He was a Minister in the Helen Clark government in 2001 when this law was passed.  He was part of introducing shabby legislation that he tried to wrongly use against John Banks.

That is shameful.  Mallard is the person who should be investigated.  I'd love to see him in the dock.

Again.

Defund It Or Sell It

Here's how Television New Zealand trains up the next batch of Labour Party press secretaries.

Below is the totality of TVNZ's political news page from its website, taken a few minutes ago.  For a moment, I thought I was reading The Standard.

Political News

Opposition calls for Key to dump Banks

updated 17:02
Opposition parties are calling on the Prime Minister to dump John Banks as a minister after police found he knew about donations…

• 

  Confidence gay marriage Bill will get through
  updated 15:22

  There is confidence a Bill to legalise gay marriage will be approved by Parliament.
• 

  Ardern 'won't lose sleep' over rival MP's child jibe
  

  Jacinda Ardern has dismissed comments suggesting she is not qualified to speak on paid… video
• 

  Extending paid parental leave an 'investment'
  

  The Labour Party's paid parental leave bill has passed its first hurdle in Parliament. video
• 

  Key tight-lipped over espionage allegations
  

  The Government is refusing to comment on accusations a Canadian naval officer sold secret…

Text Of The Day

From todays Hawkes Bay Today.

`Re most Kiwis opposed to asset sales: I believe the issue is of National being re-elected despite intending to sell the assets is not the cause of MMP  but the dumbing down of our Nation as New Zealanders are steadily becoming politically ignorant. Just a thought for you. Unattributed.

pdms comment:   The political ignorance of New Zealanders was shown in the period 1999-2005. Just look at the damage that that Labour led government did to our country. BTW Texter where you use the word cause re MMP you should have said fault.

You Can Wash My Mouth Out With Carbolic Soap

For once, Adolf thinks the Black Arsed JackAss is right.

"I believe the Second Amendment guarantees an individual the right to bear arms," Obama said. "But I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not on the streets of our cities."

Except for the fact that fully automatic assault rifles are not legally sold in the US so, as usual, the JackAss has goofed again.. The AK47 is a fully automatic assault rifle and in all the pictures of guns involved in"Fast and Furious' I did not see one. As far as I could tell, those were all semi-automatic.  That is to say, to fire a burst of five rounds, you squeese the trigger five times very quickly.

 

Some readers may be unaware an assault rifle is a 'halfway house' between a submachinegun and a high powered hunting rifle or perhaps even a light machine gun.

I'm not an expert in matters ballistic but my understanding is as follows:-

 

An assault rifle is light and has a high rate of fire - usually semi-automatic- but uses a round with a lighter charge and less hitting power than that of a hunting rifle (eg..303 or .308); whereas a submachinegun has a high rate of fire but uses pistol ammunition of low power (eg 9 mm)

 

 

The ubiquitous AK47, invented by a Mr Kalashnikov, probably is the most well known and widely distributed assault rifle and has a fully automatic function.   Adolf never has fired one but one wonders how long the barrel might last when used on automatic mode.

Declaration: In his younger days, Adolf left his mark on one or two rifle competitions using a trusty Lee Enfield No 4 Parker Hale conversion.

Politics can often be a Bit Brutal

But it depends how you view "Brutal"

Yesterday, Shortarse Claytons, the MP you have when the voters toss you out on your sorry so close to the ground arse, referred to the National Annual Conference at Sky City as a Neuremberg Rally, a sad comment that he thought hilariously funny.

He withdrew and apologised but with another nasty little aside that totally proved the insincerity of his retraction.

Then in the debate on Moroney's bill to add another 13 weeks to motherhood leave, Maggie Barrie suggested that Jacinda Adern may not be totally qualified to be so authorative on matters of parenting as she had not had hands on experience ie she is apparently childless.

Now today, even with the passage of time, exhaustion, broken sleep, smelly nappies, screaming children in pain, total revamping of priorities and routine were never adequately presented by any advice written or oral.
However the reality of the lesser joys of early child rearing were somewhat in your face when they were confronted.
Hence I didn't see Maggie's rejoinder as anything more than stating the bleeding obvious with no retraction required.

Otoh the comment by that miserable excuse for an MP,  scum lister,  considered in the reality of what the Nazi Rallies portrayed in the light of subsequent events did ring rather unfortunate. Made rather worse by the totally insincere retraction.

51.5% Looks Pretty Good To Me

Today's Roy Morgan poll delivers a killer blow to Labour and the Killer Greenz.

Gnats  47.5%
Act       1.0%
Cons     3.0%

Good bye Labour

Good night Greenz

It's true, yannow.  All John Key has to do is smile and wave.  The opposition is so pathetic, nobody takes them seriously.

Kiwi Icon - `The Maggot Pack - Is Dead and Gone

Yes that is right - the Meat Pie was dead and buried at the BakelsSupreme Pie Awards late last week when in their collective wisdom the judges gave the Supreme Pie Award to a - wait for it - gingered Peach and Pear with Cointreau Pie.


Gingered Peach and Pear with Cointreau - that is a bloody pudding surely.

What happened to a good old fashioned Meat Pie - known through most of my life as a `Maggot Pack'? While not a huge fan these days of a mince pie I do enjoy a good plain Steak or Steak and Onion or Steak and Kidney pie and I sure would not waste my hard come by dollars on one of those winning pie.

To ensure sanity returns next year I nominate the following to be judges for the 2013 Supreme Pie Awards:
Piri Weepu, Parekura Horomia and a bloke I know from Wellington who had the nickname `Two Pie' at his place of employment because he had two meat pies for smoko most mornings.

Winners, Losers and Lost

A winner, looks, sounds and acts presidential; and is on the rise

A loser, looks, sounds and acts furtive, bitter and mean; and is on the make

Lost, looks tired and stale and is on the take.

They Just Don't Want to Share or See The Potential

Once again we are discussing expanding the tourism opportunities of Fiordland National park by investigating a road or rail link from the N/W end of Lake Wakatipu where the Rees and Dart rivers enter the lake to Milford Sound crossing the Holyford River opening up another small area of the largely hidden National Parks. Glenorchy  the proposed start point for many of the proposals is at present well served by an upgraded road and the SS Earnslaw.

At present the "tourist trail travels south from Queenstown into Northern Southland then back N/W to Milford through Te Anau. It begins and ends in Qtown

Not for the first time this idea has been raised and again a concerted chorus of opposition is making noise in an attempt to deny progress for nearly as many nefarious reasons as there are squeals.

Te Anau has never caught the imagination of the present 'Trail' as by and large nearly all just pass through only pausing to relieve themselves.
Those with the means eg money for a helicopter,  the fitness to walk or  mountain bike, want to for some reason that escapes me  to exclude the rest of us real and potential tourists from any roads or the now suggested railtrack through tunnels, across rivers and through native bush and deny the opportunity to view that spectacular scenery to the mobility constrained New Zealanders and tourists from the world.

Fiordland National park plus Mt Aspiring National Park, both are involved, total over 1.6 million Hectares and this current proposal wont total more than say 300 Ha, little more than .02%.
 How does the rail corridor of the "Transalpine" impact as visual pollution compared to the thousands apon thousands of Hectares it makes available for viewing as a jewel in the crown of Kiwirail, albeit largely financed by the dreaded coal trains without the income stream of which,  would go the way of all other branch lines.

Others argue we will lose the world heritage status of Fiordland National Park, bullshit to that, there are already roads, tunnels, a hotel and tourist activities including walkways such as the iconic "Milford Track" complete with sandflies, what difference will a separate rail system matter.

It is called progress I remember when the fertile productive farmland of the Te Anau Basin was just seemingly endless acres of dead manuka scrub, killed by a blight, and it was as exciting as the endless gumlands of the Australian "bush". It is today another example of progress for the betterment of us all but it involved "change".

Te Anau wont necessarily die as many will travel the rail and return by bus or vice versa, The nimby obstructives should see the half full glass, accept that Milford Sound with its rainfall, land constraints and seismic threats,  will always be a day trip for most and figure out how to market the additional options of  Lake Te Anau, Lake Manapouri, the glowworm caves, Deep Cove and Doubtful Sound to get the daytrippers that churn through on a day trip from Queenstown, leaving only effluent,  to stay over and see some more of what is a unique and very precious scenic adventure.
We are still discussing less than .5% of the total area  of the freekin parks.

This story Has Legs And It's Running

A few years ago a 'young and naive' thirty five year old red headed female partner in a major law firm specialising in trade union business handled the settlement of a Fitzroy house purchase in the name of the union official with whom she was sharing reproductive fluids at the time.

The funds for the house purchase came from what appeared to be a union account (of which the union itself had no knowledge) but the law firm partner did not think to ask why the title was not to be registered in the union's name..

The house has long since been on-sold but there is no evidence of any sale proceeds reverting to the union.  It appears some half a million or more dollars were paid into the bogus union account by Theiss Construction in a legitimate transfer of state government grants for 'training.'  Theiss thought it was paying the real union.

There were many large cheques drawn for cash and at about this time the 'young and naive' law firm partner had her own house in Collingwood renovated.  It is widely suspected the renovations were paid for by her then stud, using cash from the bogus union account.

Some months ago an intrepid reported from a Sydney radio station got onto the story and gave it a run.  The reaction of the Prime Minister's department was apoplectic and within a short time the reporter had been sacked.  No journalist has since dared attempt to run the story.  The PM's excuse then was that at the time of the suspect transaction she thought nothing was amiss as she was 'young and naive.'  Australia doesn't have Tui Beer (Thank God) but Adolf can feel a 'yeah right' coming on.

Enter the ex Labor Attorney General who was demoted to the back benches by Julia Gillard on account of his open support for Kevin Rudd's failed January leadership bid.  He has lifted the lid and the whole sordid tale is starting to pour out but you'd never know if you got your news from Fairfax publications and/or the ABC.

Keep an eye on this story.  It is the first time I can remember any PM in Australia or NZ being accused of receiving stolen funds and using them for personal gain.

Then Most of Them Have No Idea.

Dunedin Sth MP and one whose self promotion leaves no doubt as to her own estimation of relevance in Labour 2012, Clare Curran, again demonstrates her complete ignorance in matters Legal and Commercial in the real world.

The bint may have some knowledge around communication in the digital age and social media but it stops right there although she has incurred much disbelief and merriment by her many idiotic mismanagements in those fields.

John Key is investigating the possible repercussions around "plain Packaging" of cigarettes and other tobacco products and for very good reasons.
However attractive the theme appears to the ignorant, it is a veritable minefield with Trade Marks, Branding and the established commercial law to be negotiated with the until now lawful promotion of legal products in a free society and world trading law.

The stupid socialist numpty, coming from her blinkered socialist view of the world, thinks that everything is possible if she believes it , whereas Key understands the very expensive disaster that awaits a government that plunges into the whirlpool of commercial reality with such dumbarse stupidity.

Her description of John Key's caution as Whimping Out, proves my point although an unquestioning fawning media print her inanity anyway so I guess she scores with her fellow ignorants.

Text Of The Day

From todays Hawkes Bay Today.

`The Treaty Of Waitangi started as our `founding document' and has ended up as our `floundering document'. GH

pdms comment:  This texter might just be right.

Skewing The Polls?

I have long wondered about the manner in which American public opinion polls sometimes seem to be manipulated to achieve a predetermined result.  Recently I asked David Farrar to put up some commentary on Kiwiblog and he did.  Thank you David.

However, yesterday I came across two pieces from the US, one from The Weekly Standard and one from Huffington Post, both pretty much pointing the finger and shouting ‘BIAS.’

The thrust of argument in both pieces focused on two practices; first, the use of ‘likely’ voters versus ‘registered’ voters and second, the weighting of the poll sample to produce a predetermined ratio of Democrat/Republican/Independent respondents.

Regular visitors to No Minister will know Adolf relies heavily on the Rasmussen poll because it uses ‘likely’ voters which seems to me to provide a more accurate picture of reality. (Let’s face it, would you include Catholic nuns in a survey of preferred contraceptives?  So why include people who are not going to vote in a survey of political opinion which is supposed to be a guide to voting results?)  What I had not known before was that all the major polls switch to ‘likely’ voters a month out from election day.  It’s almost an admission of guilt.

However, the more important argument is the ability to ‘steer’ a poll by manipulating the sample.  If you want Obama to look good you boost the percentage of registered Democrats in the survey and visa versa for Romney.  It seems to me quite odd that polls can tilt the scales in this way.  The money quote comes from Jay Cost who asserts that currently polls are grossly understating support for the Republican challenger.

“….The quarter-century trend (1984 through 2008) has seen an average Democratic turnout edge of 3 points, 39 percent Democratic to 36 percent Republican. I’d expect something roughly similar this time around.

The clear answer is: they skew Democratic. In fact, every recent registered voter poll with party spreads I could identify had a Democratic advantage that exceeded the quarter-century trend. And the average of all these polls together is 35 percent Democratic to 29.5 percent Republican, or D +5.5……”

So, all the ‘in the tank for Obama’ media polls have over sampled Democrats by a range of two to five points?  They must get their sampling done by the same guys who set up the climate data to support the great global warming hoax.  The measurable historical data from exit polls over twenty five years shows a three percent advantage in Democrat voter turnout but the ‘climate models’ produced by most of the pollsters have ‘adjusted’ the advantage to five and a half percent.

Now let’s see what Mr Blumenthal has to say at Huffington Ppost.

“Are national pollsters over sampling Democrats? That's a charge made by some conservative pundits, and they may have a point: If the most recent polls could accurately predict which self-identified registered voters actually would cast ballots in November, their horse race numbers on the presidential election likely would tip a few points more Republican…….”

Just imagine what fun you can have adjusting all those battleground state polls back to reality.  Here’s how they would look.

Ohio                 Obama                         by 1.8%

Virginia             Romney                        by 1.3%

Florida             Romney                        by 1.4%

Iowa                Romney                        by 1.2%

N Carolina       Romney                        by 2.9%

Colorado          Obama                         by 0.4%

Nevada            Obama                         by 2.7%

Missouri           Romney                        by 5.5%

Wisconsin         Obama                         by 2.3%

Michigan          Romney                        by 0.7%

Pen’vania         Obama                         by 4.9%

New H’shire    Obama                         by 2.8%

No wonder the JackAss and his gangster mates are panicking.  

Comments

A number of trolls are complaining about my deletion of their comments.

They should read the rules of this blog.  Comments which cast aspersions on the character of the gentle, humble and civil blog host will be deleted.  End of story.

One bloody fool ranted over the deletion of it's (assume gender neutral) comment and went on to describe the aforesaid gentle, humble and civil blog host as a coward.

Be it known that henceforth anonymous comments will be deleted.

If you can't pluck up the courage to pontificate using a pseudonym then you might as well fuck of, loserf.

I think there's a storm coming.

If good ole boy Basher wants to avoid crawling out of a foxhole for an appointment with a loop of best Pakistani hemp or dying in a ditch, now would be a good time to call a taxi.

Saudi Arabia, Paris or Geneva could figure as better options.

Michael Valley writes at "The Standard" that  Syria has entered the "Endgame", I thought that happened when the dopy bugger shot down the Turkish Fighter but I agree that when shelling your own National Capital is an option it has an erie similarity to Berlin in 1945.

I do not see much improvement for Syria or Lybia and Egypt with the "arab spring" but it is movement to a solution that will continue to ellude the pawns until a change is forced on "the religion of peace" by education and enlightenment.

I am optimistic, sheesh who seriously saw the rapid collapse of "the iron curtain" as Churchill so aptly described it.

Certainly nobody I knew or discussed it with.

Why Is It................

....that the greens want to ban smoking tobacco but are dead keen to legalise marijuana?

....that so many people wander along the footpath in the main street of town during the day with their heads down while texting?   (Not just youngsters either.  Adolf today shouldered out of his way two fat women in their forties.)

IRRELEVANCE PERSONIFIED

You need look no further than the call by the Vicar of St Mathew in the City (Auckland), Reverend Clay Nelson, for the ditching of the bible in schools programme, to understand why the Anglican Church in New Zealand is now irrelevant to mainstream Christianity (and perhaps even to New Zealand itself).

It is reported that Reverend Nelson has joined the atheist run-Secular Education Network in a bid to get the religious education programme out of the country's primary and secondary schools.    Nelson said "the programme is an imposition on the human rights of children as it restricts the freedom of other religions which is protected under the Bill of Rights".     No matter to Reverend Nelson that attendance is entirely voluntary and no matter that the programme focus is on 'values-based' Bible learning within a curriculum that had been approved by the Ministry of Education and various school boards.

For a cleric in Holy Orders to align himself with atheists seeking to further secularise the society we live in shows just how irrelevant the Anglican Church has become in New Zealand.

My father was confirmed into the Anglican Church by the Archbishop of  Canterbury.   My mother was a devout Baptist.  I guess you can say I am a wandering Protestant looking for a home.   That home is NOT the Anglican Church.

So Sorry Jim Your Whanau Have a strange view Of RIP.

Some 25 years ago James Takamore left his TuHoe homeland and when his life was ended prematurely by an anuerism 1n 2007,  he was living in Christchurch with Partner Denise Clarke and their family.

Following his sudden death his body was lying at a Marae awaiting burial according to his wishes as his executor and surviving partner planned them to be carried out.

Then a bizarre and undignified series of actions were put in place by his allegedly estranged "whanau" from the Bay Of Plenty.

A van was hired, his casket was removed from the Marae, and under the watchful observation of the constabulary the entourage traveled to his home Marae as decided by his Whanau and James's body was interred in the Urupa there.

Ms Clarke gained a court order that restored her right to carry out the original funeral plans and the required disinterment of the body but it never happened. Apparently that order did not state who was entitled to perform the action or who would be paying.

Her favorable court decision was upheld first in the High Court then the Appeal Court and now the whole sorry saga is awaiting a reserved decision in the Supreme Court.

What a travesty and misuse of our Judicial system.
It has long been accepted by most that the executor has the right to dispose of a deceased person and only in a situation where no will exists can such inappropriate behavior manifest that conceivably would allow the unseemly actions of a group of people with scant regard as to what was understood by those closest  as desired, could be thwarted.
 It has come a a surprise to me and many others that taking James to Tu Hoe as a living being would be  kidnapping but removal of his remains in similar circumstances is not covered in NZ Law.
At the time thoughts of indignity being visited on a deceased persons remains did occur to me.

His sister, Josephine, has publicly stated the members of his Whanau who rode roughshod over any wishes of the deceased, his partner of long standing and their family, will  ignore whatever The Supreme Court Rules, so no surprises there.

Just as the "claim" over water leaves most citizens somewhat bewildered this saga is equally unsettling if not unnerving but tempered by the very real and personal grief being heaped on a family whose tragic untimely loss was grief enough.
 For me it brings further diminishing of any wish to accept the so called tikanga of the people whose ancestors arrived  before mine.

If ever there was a case to support "one law for all" then this charade is a great example.

My sincere regrets that James Takamore's attempts to make his life in 21st century New Zealand can be totally disregarded by a group clinging to 17th century mores, customs and values that we are required to accept, albeit only as oral history.

Will his Idea of humour be Reviewed also.

 Stuff reports "a comedian earlier discharged without conviction after ADMITTING he sexually assaulted his young daughter, will be re-sentenced today"

My recollection has the judge in a moment of gross stupidity making the discharge order with remarks that "the comedian made people laugh".
As if that was any justification along with the claimed inebriation.

Now I am yet to find anyone who shared that sentiment as disgust of his actions over-ruled any feeling remotely accepting of the gross groping of the child by a supposedly drunk man who thought he was fondling his "wife".

I sincerely hope this time justice is done and also following that, the original sentencing judge is assessed as to suitability of the role occupied in light of what happens today.

Update

Following on from the totally inadequate action and out of touch attitude of Judge Phillipa Cunningham in her initial assessment of the seriousness of this scroats kiddy fiddling, now Judge Mark Perkins needs seven days to consider his response to what all but the more depraved among us consider to be name and shame and gaol time of five years without parole as a starter.

Another failed link in the judicial chain I fear.

Text Of The Day

From todays Hawkes Bay Today.

`If Maori want to own our water then i guess they will take ownership of the problems and costs associated with water - eg. Flooding, sanitation, pollution etc. Unattributed.

pdms comment:   An excellent text but unfortunately those Maori driving this matter don't take responsibility for anything - they just want more off the public tit. 

EXOTIC?

One of the more 'exotic' pastimes you can indulge in Malaysia is to shell out a few dollars and stick your feet in a tank along with a few hundred others and have fish come and nibble away bits of you (costs about NZ$3 for 30 minutes).


Poor bloody fish being subjected to smelly sweaty feet.    If the Greens were ever to get into power in Malaysia I suspect they would ban this as cruel and unnatural punishment for defensive animals.   Would probably support them.


'Fergy' has a lot to answer for.     I don't do toe licking and/or biting and neither should the fish have to.. 

WILLIE APIATA

The media reaction to the news the Willie Apiata is to quit the Regular Force (but not the Army) was just a tad over the top.    Those selected for service with the SAS do so for a variety of reasons but very few do it in the expectation their time will be limited to peace-time soldiering.

All of us who have served overseas in operational deployments have experienced a certain let-down on RTNZ none, I suspect, more so then members of the SAS with their exposure to high intensity operations.  

Some will opt to leave to take advantage of the lucrative contracts on offer in the private sector.   I note for example that today a United States based firm is advertising for Embassy Security Force personnel at a tax free salary of NZ$136,000 working a nine week on, three week off rotation (with all airfares paid).      Compare that with the $51,800 to $58,400 that a Corporal in the SAS would be earning.    The New Zealand Defence Force can never match that.  

Others will just want to take a break from full-on soldiering.

I thank Willie Apiata for his ongoing service.  I suspect that if/when the SAS are again deployed into an operational theatre Willie will be first in line seeking to transfer back into the Regular Force.

Its Not Just Bob And It Is Just Dumb

There are some people in and about the Christchurch City Hall including Mayor Bob who are dreaming of a light rail system for the rebuilt City.

Rickshaws make more sense.

A first stage is proposed to run from the city center where ever that may exist and Ilam University.

Who is going to need to travel from the old CBD (and we have no idea what will result there from the rebuild) and Ilam.

Prior to Sept 4th 2010 all student accommodation was and still is in a crescent from Bishopdale through Ilam to Sydenham centered on Ilam Uni leaving me and many others wondering who will ever travel by the fruit loop I mean the light rail.

There is some appeal with the largely empty canvas that is much of the old city center to consider such broad brush applications but that area is still surrounded by residential and light industrial in situ and functioning.
For a city with almost all its land area flat and money from payouts fleeing to other Cities and Aus this pipedream is and will remain economic insanity.

Such pie in the sky stupidity  must be left to the people who might wish to invest their funds in the rebuild of ChCh and I bet a $k to a knob of possum shit it wont happen unless  a bunch of dreamers using OPMs to plan and build it and then go back year on year to the same OPMs to fund the operating costs that will be eyewatering.

Rickshaws, taxis and mini buses to move people is all that will be required because the city is developing in a way that strengthens the already dominating suburban "Hubs", Westfield, Northwood, Hornby, Northlands, Eastgate and The Palms.
Of those only Westfield is within cooee of the pipedream lightrail.

 I fear in 50 years time the trouser seat shiners will still be talking about a "PLAN" while the real money stays away because of over restrictive "planning, poor prioritising, stupid descisions from dreamers and ongoing arguments between every one but those holding the chips who will invest elsewhere.

A rebuilt CBD will be dominated in use by Tourism, the Law and The Judicial functions and if and when the rebuild includes a covered Stadium and a Conference center  then an efficient people mover from the airport to the rebuilt CBD may have to be created but the natural corridor for that has little relevance to Ilam as the two migrations are at right angles, Ilam Nth/Sth and the other East/West.

And They All Laughed - Updated

Update:

The trolls will love this.  

1. The Pentagon is beefing up its forces in the gulf in preparation for a "flare up with Iran."  Now chaps, who is the commander in chief?  What's his name again? Obama?
2. For the first time (I think), an American presidential incumbent is fundraising for re-election overseas, namely in China, Switzerland and Sweden

Join the dots, feller, just join the dots.  He's being given the bums rush by donors on the home front so he has to open up the channels for his good friends overseas.  Those friends like Chavez, Putin, Ahmadinajed, Assad and Co.

A word of warning to lurking trolls.  If you want your comments to stand, refrain from smart arse snide remarks.

Some time ago, Adolf predicted that America's Bullshitter In Chief would order a military strike on Iran in the event he found himself lagging in the opinion polls a few weeks before early November.  Trying to 'do a Thatcher.'

All the local insular lefties jeered and booed.

Well now, what do you know.  It looks as though Adolf is not the only person who assesses Obama as the greatest charlatan and crook ever to occupy the oval office.

I would expect a real chance for a preemptive strike against Iran, or perhaps even a few UN-approved lead-from-behind bombings in Syria—but only if Obama were 5 points or more behind in the polls and Putin gave him permission.

 One can only imagine what sort of 'flexibility' will be shown to Putin in return for his 'permission.'

Forget "TomKat" this is Much Bigger.

This morning DPF at Kiwiblog posts on the very public and vitriolic divorce being conducted in the Aussie Media of the shorter than Cruise/Holmes marriage between The ALP and The Aus Greens.

More and more members of the ALP are coming to understand the very high potential cost to standards of living of many of the lower socioeconomic members of "their Family"  and the Nation as the Greens get more of their destructive and poverty based policies into the policy mix of the very dependent Gillard Government.

One union leader commented that the Greens policies were more destructive than Tony Abbotts but better disguised.

New Zealanders take note, better to stop a disastrous marriage than bring in the lawyers to end it.

There Was Something Missing.

On Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning MH interviewed Ken Shirley who I think is CEO of the road Transport Forum or similar and KS proceeded to dismantle Loony Len's OPM schemes for his re-election as Mayor of Jaffa Land by attacking the poor prioritising and potentially wasteful moves that the great socialist is proposing.

Following the comprehensive attack MH thanked Ken and moved on.
There seemed to be something missing, then I realised there was no denigration of the opinion, by Hosking recalling Shirley's brief stint as a Labour Cabinet Minister while he was a supporter of The Douglas Faction and then his three terms one as Deputy Leader of the ACT party, irrelevant facts from history that most of the Red Media stars would have included as necessary background. Facts that Soper et al  would have made the focus of the interview.

My only hope is that Auckland voters were listening.

It does Not Matter who Owns It

"Nobody does" any more than sunlight or space

It is all about who pays, as many competing ideas  strive to gainfully employ means to harness it, as it travels through the basic weather cycle.
Yes some maoris have a stake in water as a food source and a historic means of travel but to merely clip another ticket as it passes through is just plain unadulterated rubbish.

With the current debate on water and amongst that some real humour with a bit of a surplus in places such as Westport, another facet of the issues comes to mind.
 Large tracts of Canterbury were radically reshaped by graders and scrapers to create dykes that water, released at the higher end flooded down between the borders until all but the border ridges was irrigated using gravity (is that the next claim).
It was a system that was cheap to run after relatively high capital costs, but very inefficient as far as wateruse and leeching were concerned and heightened after conversion to dairy with pugging of  the wetter areas nearest the race.

With the advances in Rotorainers, K Lines, Pivots and Trickle systems much of the bordered land is being converted to the more efficient if somewhat expensive delivery systems that place very accurate volumes of water to target soils to an extent that computor controlled pivots can vary the amount to different mapped soils as they passs over.

I presume in an attempt to carrot the change from borders, regional councils are formulating policies that address the disposal of rainfall from the border areas that in significant rainfall events can accumulate surface water causing flooding. Costs associated with this facet are remitted if conversion from border dykes is introduced.

It appears to me that it is not who "owns the water" but who will pay for the accumulation, both as a benefit and a problem, with water being the "meat in the sandwich" literally.

As Garrick Tremain encapsulated so nicely when the flood suffering property owner phones 'Wiremu' up to remove "his bloody water".

The Tiresome Herald

So much for the loudly trumpeted focus on 'investigative reporting' at the New Auck Times, paper of discord.

Road consultants paid 'eye-watering' $200m

Information released to Radio New Zealand under the Official Information Act shows $216 million has been spent on investigation and design work on the Puhoi to Wellsford highway, Auckland's western ring, the Waikato expressway, Wellington's northern corridor and Christchurch motorways.
Of this, $200 million was paid to consultants, with $92 million for work on Wellington's northern corridor.

 
One can easily picture the slovenly reporter, stealing the story from Radio NZ so its already second hand, then phoning Labour's Phil Twyford to offer him a free hit.

Aaaaaaaha well.  That's the day's work done.  Now, back to Trademe and surfing the net.

He or she didn't even have the wit to ask how much was paid to 'Taniwha' conultants.


By the way, did you notice that this vitally important investigative work is done commonly by private companies worldwide?   Of course it is.  You wouldn't want the accuracy of Treasury figures attached to engineering analysis, would you?