Some of the better sailing terms around!
Tack - A maneuver the skipper uses when telling the crew what they did wrong without getting them mad.
Mast - religious ritual used before setting sail.
Clew - an indication from the skipper as to what he might do next.
Berth - a little addition to the crew.
Dinghy - the sound of the ship's bell.
Cheers
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Different Rules for MP's
Todays Herald http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10408030 reports that special arrangements had to be made with speaker Margaret Wilson before they could raid discraced Labour MP Phillip Field's parliamentary office. This raises several questions.
Firstly, surely "a criminal investigation" should be allowed to occur unhampered by any sort of political interference? An elected official who has committed a criminal offence is still a criminal.
Why can the police only raid a MP's office when parliament is not sitting? What makes our representatives think that they are above us? If a police investigation needs to take place, no matter who is involved, it should. There is a charge for obstructing a police investigation that the rest of us mere mortals face if we do so.
Why did the (Labour) speaker have to be informed? It sounds suspiciously like this is allowing evidence to be removed.
Why has it taken so long for the police to move on this? Political interference?
Why were the hard drives of the computers not removed for forensic investigation? To copy the drives will not reveal deleted information. This is another whitewash investigation into Phillip Field by the Labour government.
Surely Parliamentary Privilege is there for MP's to be able to make statements or ask questions without the fear of libel/slander charges and not to give the MP's a cushy life?
Do you believe Helen Clark when she said that she new nothing of the raid?
I will not be holding my breath to see what becomes of this investigation.
Firstly, surely "a criminal investigation" should be allowed to occur unhampered by any sort of political interference? An elected official who has committed a criminal offence is still a criminal.
Why can the police only raid a MP's office when parliament is not sitting? What makes our representatives think that they are above us? If a police investigation needs to take place, no matter who is involved, it should. There is a charge for obstructing a police investigation that the rest of us mere mortals face if we do so.
Why did the (Labour) speaker have to be informed? It sounds suspiciously like this is allowing evidence to be removed.
Why has it taken so long for the police to move on this? Political interference?
Why were the hard drives of the computers not removed for forensic investigation? To copy the drives will not reveal deleted information. This is another whitewash investigation into Phillip Field by the Labour government.
Surely Parliamentary Privilege is there for MP's to be able to make statements or ask questions without the fear of libel/slander charges and not to give the MP's a cushy life?
Do you believe Helen Clark when she said that she new nothing of the raid?
I will not be holding my breath to see what becomes of this investigation.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
From The Herald
This seems to have slipped in under the radar.
The Government has been advised that the Parliamentary Service may have made a momentous blunder in failing to get the Speaker's written authorisation for parliamentary party spending since 2000 and that virtually all of its party spending since then may have been unlawful. The Herald understands the blunder was identified in the past few weeks by officials working on election legislation but that it is being disputed by the Parliamentary Service, the body that administers Parliament. The matter is separate from the unlawful expenditure of just over $1 million on advertising last election, as identified by the Auditor-General, and could involve up to $100 million over the six years. But because the retrospective legislation rushed through Parliament last week covers the Parliamentary Service's spending back to 1989, all unlawful expenditure, including any newly identified breaches, has been validated.
..and they run our country!
Male Role Model
From Lindsay Mitchell
"This website is recommended by the Ministry of Social Development funded Family Violence Clearing House It is a site for pro-feminist men and features many articles such as "Degendering Daddy";
Ours is a society in which males are still encouraged to think less of females than they do themselves. From entertainment and ads to much relationship counseling and clothing fads, women are constantly paraded and parodied as sexy but shallow at best or outstanding but out-of-place at worst. Though it is not politically correct to claim one's allegiance to this attitude, the thinking yet prevails among males that females are not any more fit to lead men, families, institutions, and societies than an infant attempting to steer the Titanic.
or
“I am a woman. My screams are silent,” by some really creepy guy writing about how he has changed (it's so creepy I won't quote from it), or "Are men evil? Reflections on the tactics and motivation of men’s rights advocates" and "Starting your own group for men against sexism"."
Is this what our great leaders think of men or what they want men to become? Is this how they want the father in a family unit to be seen? No wonder there is a shortage of male role models in society.
Women need to be congratulated if they acheive, as one must do for men. However if they make choices that result in their being single parents on the DPB with a different father for each child, or with a down-and-out inadequate man as the only partner they can get, they must accept that they made the choices and must now live with the consquences of those choices. This is not a problem caused by men!
They need help now, just as they needed guidance from their parents,teachers or role models, but they do not need society making excuses for them and blaming men for their predicament.
This country offers everybody a chance to achieve, man or woman, boy or girl. The choice is theirs.
"This website is recommended by the Ministry of Social Development funded Family Violence Clearing House It is a site for pro-feminist men and features many articles such as "Degendering Daddy";
Ours is a society in which males are still encouraged to think less of females than they do themselves. From entertainment and ads to much relationship counseling and clothing fads, women are constantly paraded and parodied as sexy but shallow at best or outstanding but out-of-place at worst. Though it is not politically correct to claim one's allegiance to this attitude, the thinking yet prevails among males that females are not any more fit to lead men, families, institutions, and societies than an infant attempting to steer the Titanic.
or
“I am a woman. My screams are silent,” by some really creepy guy writing about how he has changed (it's so creepy I won't quote from it), or "Are men evil? Reflections on the tactics and motivation of men’s rights advocates" and "Starting your own group for men against sexism"."
Is this what our great leaders think of men or what they want men to become? Is this how they want the father in a family unit to be seen? No wonder there is a shortage of male role models in society.
Women need to be congratulated if they acheive, as one must do for men. However if they make choices that result in their being single parents on the DPB with a different father for each child, or with a down-and-out inadequate man as the only partner they can get, they must accept that they made the choices and must now live with the consquences of those choices. This is not a problem caused by men!
They need help now, just as they needed guidance from their parents,teachers or role models, but they do not need society making excuses for them and blaming men for their predicament.
This country offers everybody a chance to achieve, man or woman, boy or girl. The choice is theirs.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Labour support slipping
The latest Collmar-Brunton polls show that Labour are shedding their support rapidly. I'm not at all surprised after the rabid attacks by Clark on Brash and the rest of the National Party, the continual churning out of 'spin' that is so patently inaccurate and the behavior by and comments from her 'senior' colleagues. Unfortunately she is still the preferred Prime Minister.
I would not be surprised if there is some respose from the 'central committee' over at Labour and that heads will roll! Even the Unions are not being very enthusiastic over helping Labour pay back the public money it illegally (now legal) spent on electioneering. This is all being aggravated by the numbers of New Zealanders expressing their anger by signing 'the petition' over the retrospective law change rammed through parliament by Labour last week to get themselves out of the dwang.
I would not be surprised if there is some respose from the 'central committee' over at Labour and that heads will roll! Even the Unions are not being very enthusiastic over helping Labour pay back the public money it illegally (now legal) spent on electioneering. This is all being aggravated by the numbers of New Zealanders expressing their anger by signing 'the petition' over the retrospective law change rammed through parliament by Labour last week to get themselves out of the dwang.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Rainy day in Auckland
I have spent a few hours reading other people's Blogs - some good, some bad - and have decided to start my own. It has not taken me long to come up with a theme. This site will be for like-minded persons (of either sex) to comment on their lives, their politics and their interests.
This is not a sexist site, in fact I really do like women (more of that later). However it will not be a PC site and in fact I will actively discourage any persuit of PC ideas and labels.
I consider myself to be a very fortunate person as I live in a wonderful city, have a good job and am financially comfortable. I am happily married and have a wonderful daughter, and a dog that adores me.
However none of this came easily - "the man at the top of the mountain did not fall there". I have worked hard all my life, as has my wife and we are encouraging our daughter to develop a work ethic. I believe that successful people work hard to get there!
What are my interests?
This is not a sexist site, in fact I really do like women (more of that later). However it will not be a PC site and in fact I will actively discourage any persuit of PC ideas and labels.
I consider myself to be a very fortunate person as I live in a wonderful city, have a good job and am financially comfortable. I am happily married and have a wonderful daughter, and a dog that adores me.
However none of this came easily - "the man at the top of the mountain did not fall there". I have worked hard all my life, as has my wife and we are encouraging our daughter to develop a work ethic. I believe that successful people work hard to get there!
What are my interests?
- My new-found passion is sailing. I have recently bought a small keel boat - a Herreschoff 28 - which is in reality a touch over 29ft long, Bermudan sloop built out of GRP. It can sleep 6, but would be a bit crowded. As I'm new to sailing it has been a very steep learning curve. I had hoped to share this passion with my family but have found out that my wife does not enjoy sailing. My daughter and I do some sailing together but she is of an age where friends and retail therapy are more inviting. I have a few mates that I sail with but their families keep them tied down as well. So I have taken to single-handing my boat. This has been a liberating experience.
- Scuba diving. This has taken a back seat to sailing recently and I find that as I get older I seek out warmer, calmer waters to dive in. I have dived in many places around the world including the Red Sea, the Maldives and Fiji.
- Gardening - not the drudge of mowing lawns and keeping it looking clean. I always want to redesign my garden and make it look better. I have recently put in a concrete outdoor eating area and pathway around the front of the garden (still under construction). It has been framed with old railway sleepers and filled with concrete coloured with an oxide pigment. The plantings are going to be all New Zealand natives.
- I take an interest, but no part in politics. I was brought up in a country where discrimination was rife and have an abhorrence for such politics. I believe in personal freedom and believe that with such freedom comes responsibility. I believe in an equal opportunity for all and a wefare system that is there for those who fall. I am also for small government that is not ideologically driven, and low taxes.
- I enjoy watching sport on TV - mainly cricket and rugby union.
- The internet - forums, blogs, anywhere one can find out other peoples opinions about a myriad of topics.
- Reading.
The rest of my time is spent at work.
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