Regular Bible Reading Essential for Christians

My mate Andrew got interviewed by The Press yesterday, for an article they were writing about a study just out that indicates that shows 46 per cent of Kiwis identify as Christian, but just 5% of people read the Bible daily and only 6% weekly.

"Andrew Sinclair, 24, of Christchurch, reads the Bible "almost daily". Sinclair, who is a ministry trainee at St John's Anglican Church in Latimer Square, said it was essential for Christians to read the Bible regularly.
"This is God's word and this is how he speaks to us. We ought to be reading it to know more about him," he said." 

Andrew's right, you can't grow as a Christian if you're not regularly reading the Bible.

Bible Society representative, Stephen Opie said "Christian churches tended to focus more on entertainment and motivating their parishioners rather than preaching from the Bible, he said.", and he is horribly correct, this is a huge problem with churches all around the world today.

Click here to read the article at www.stuff.co.nz.

Update, 8:55pm: picture added.

Save the Farmers

...keep 1080 

At Question time in Parliament yesterday, the issue of the use of the pesticide 1080 was raised by Independent MP, Gordon Copeland.  Below are some comments the MPs made, taken from Hansard.

Gordon Copeland (Independent) to the Minister of Conservation: Will she undertake a comprehensive review of her department’s use of aerial 1080 drops, following the news that seven kea have died after eating that deadly poison?"

and a little later on in the debate...

Eric Roy: How can the public possibly have any confidence in the Minister and the Department of Conservation, when in one week its officers shot a takahē, mistaking it for a pūkeko, and in the next week we learnt that seven kea were killed in a botched poisoning operation?

Hon Steve Chadwick (Minister of Conservation): In reference to the first part of the question, the Department of Conservation staff are devastated by the outcome of that experience, and I reject the assertion of that member opposite. He was in a party that did nothing for 10 years about 1080 poison. If the members think they knew the risks about it, why did that member not speak to his Minister at the time and say that that operation should have been stopped. They did nothing because they knew the benefits."

Doesn't it strike you as pretty darn pathetic that our 120 representatives in Parliament are sitting back in their green leather chairs, discussing the death of a takahē?  Or the fact that seven Keas (native birds, but not endangered) bit the dust.

Peter Dunne (United Future Leader) refered to the deaths as "indigenous avian genocide", while ex-United Futre MP Larry Baldock, now leader of the Kiwi Party made the following comment in a press release,

"The Minister further confirmed her ignorance of the real dangers of 1080 when she stated that it broke down safely in water. The tests done to confirm that were carried out with water at 21 degrees C. Perhaps she could please advise which of NZ rivers are flowing at that nice warm toasty temperature so we can all go and have a hot swim completely safe from 1080 poisoning, said Mr Baldock."

However, the Department of Conservation website states that "1080 operations are usually conducted in winter and spring when wetter conditions assist rapid breakdown.", and also "1080 baits are dyed green and flavoured with cinnamon to make them less attractive to birds.  Individual birds may be poisoned but these numbers are exceedingly low."

The death of seven Keas and one Takahē is  nothing compared to the much higher threat to native birds from such pests as possums and ferrets, which the pesticide is so effective against.  Instead of a typical knee-jerk reaction, banning 1080, why don't we instead do some research into how it can be used with minimum adverse effect to our native and endangered wild-life?

But what about the farmers? Is anyone standing up for the hard-working farmers who form the backbone of New Zealand's economy?  Or are we so blinded by our desire to not let a few little birdies be accidentaly killed, that we will ban the pesticide which is currently the cheapest and most effective on the market?

"Another season of low wool prices means escalating pest control costs will take their toll on farming families. The financial limitations mean that a cheaper alternative to large-scale aerial 1080 poisoning is needed if farming operations are to remain viable at today’s commodity prices."
- from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry website

It would bother me far less that a handful of birds were killed by 1080, than that a farming family had to sell up due to yet one more unrealistic and unfair regulation imposed upon them.  And why can't our members of Parliament spend their time discussing important issues, not aruging out of their lack of experience, on subjects that they do not understand.

Freesias

I'm a big fan of freesias, so when I saw these sitting on the table I just had to get a photo...

Here's some more nice pictures of freesias...

An Australian Crime

I hold my head in my hands.

This is absolutely disgusting, a 12-year-old girl was left without food or water to die in the backyard of her foster home, delirious with pain and unable to move.  Give me a break, she was just 12 years old!  Below is an excerpt from the article (30 July) at www.theaustralian.news.com.au,

"Mr Coates said Ms Reynolds was a "stubborn" woman who insisted the child had sustained a sports injury which would improve with exercise. When the girl refused, Ms Reynolds would "smack her leg with a stick".

"(The child) was unable to stand unassisted and when she was forced to she would just fall to the ground," Mr Coates said during opening submissions.

"When assistance was not forthcoming to help her to the toilet she would urinate and defecate in her clothes where she lay."

Mr Coates said social workers who visited the three-bedroom Palmerston home - which housed 17 people - the day before the death found the child lying on the kitchen floor crying.

When she was told to have a shower she struggled to walk and had to use the walls for support. Mr Coates said the jury would also hear evidence that, hours before her death, the girl was "punished" for soiling her clothes and taken out to the backyard.

"The children were told they were not allowed to help her get food or drink," he said.

"You will hear evidence from children who were out playing in the yard that later in the day (the girl) began to talk about fairies and witches and she said a limousine was coming to pick her up ... (The girl) said yeh, I can see the light now, and she just stopped breathing."

From what I understand of the story, there were fifteen foster children housed in a home, looked after by two sisters (Toni Melville, 43, and Denise Reynolds, 42) in Palmerston, Australia.  It is painfully obvious that they were incompetent as carers, and this tragic situation should have been intercepted much earlier.  The frustrating irony is the cases where good foster parents have been refused foster-children due to their stance on homosexuality, child-discipline or the like.

This case brings to mind the 2007 film, An American Crime an eerie portrayal of exactly this kind of abuse.  And the recent case of the murdered Kahui twins, where at the end of lengthy court proceedings and public outcry, no-one was ever charged for the death of these poor little boys who never got a chance.  I thought the Anti-Smacking Law was supposed to sort out New Zealand's child abuse problem...

"Ms Bradford [sponsor of Anti-Smacking Law] says parents need to accept that it is no longer legal to hit children. She remains confident her anti-smacking laws will change what she describes as a culture of violence." - Newstalk ZB, 15/01/08

However, Bradford said back in 2007,

“The epidemic of child abuse and child violence in this country continues – sadly. My bill was never intended to solve that problem.” - National Radio - 21 Dec 07

Instead of the growing international trend to criminalise good and loving parents for giving their child a smack, let us rather crack down on the real child abusers.  While governments persist with their totalitarian, socialist, nanny-state agenda, the number of child abuse cases can only increase as increasingly, good parents are pushed out, setting the scene for horrific new cases of child-abuse and neglect to mar the front page of your morning paper.

(hat tip, NZ Conservative)

Hardy Boys

I collected most of the Hardy Boys books, an impressive line-up of the work of Franklin W. Dixon.  After obtaining almost all the titles, I found out that there was no such person as Franklin W. Dixon, and that it was a pool of authors who had written the series.  It was also about this time that I began to get right into collecting Captain W. E. Johns' Biggles series.  Coupled with these two factors, and my growing distaste for some of the latest Casefiles titles that had begun to be published, I became thoroughly dissilusioned with the the stories of the two Hardy brothers, Frank and Joe.  I sold off almost the entire collection at about 50c to $1 per book.  And it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I began to wish I hadn't been so quick to disolve the collection.  Anyway, I do have a few books left, including a nice old copy of  The Secret of the Old Mill, and  The Twisted Claw.  I took a photo of the Twisted Claw, because it's such an interesting, destroyed book.  It is also very old, published in 1939, number 18 in the series.  I've also included photos of the inside flaps, as the writing is so old-fashioned...  "They can drive a car and pilot a speedboat" Chuckle...

So well dressed, and not a hair out of place

I reccomend these books to all young boys (say, 9 - 14yrs).  They are inestimably more worthwhile than the postmodern, politically correct, sexually perverted children's books that they are churning out these days.  With 301 books in the series, I wouldn't reccomend attempting to collect or read them all.  Some of the books in the Casefiles series are ok, but I did find some of them pretty racey and far more sinister, to say the least.

Zimbabweans Resort to Bartering

The situation in Zimbabwe is deteriorating rapidly. I can't understand why everyone seems to have a lot to say about it, but nothing is being done, and the citizens of that country are just trying to make it til tomorrow. Below is an article that Lyd forwarded to me,

"I popped out for a Z$25,000 loaf of bread last Friday. It had gone up to Z$30,000 dollars. I ran home for the extra, ran back to the shop - and the price of my loaf had risen to Z$44,000. That's life in Zimbabwe today - or at least it was, until this week when our government took bold and decisive action to reduce the inflatory spiral, and predictably everything got even worse straight away. Perhaps alarmed by the forecasts of doom issuing from the lips of American ambassadors and others, the government decided that the simplest way to cut prices was to... well, cut prices. An order went out to all manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers to slash their prices by half. Any who showed the slightest reluctance to do so were visited by the Green Bombers - young graduates from the Zanu-PF terror camps whose economic arguments are enforced with a smack on the head with a stout stick. Those shops that obeyed the edict and reduced their prices were invaded by fervent shoppers, and the result was chaos, with many businesses threatening to close their doors for the rest of the week at least, if not for good. And the end result? Where it worked best, where prices were cut by a genuine 50 per cent, the government succeeded in reducing the cost of living to almost exactly what it was 10 days ago..."

Make sure to read the rest of the article here at www.thefirstpost.co.uk

The UN should go in and burn Robert Mugabe's playhouse down.

Ms.

The courtesy title, Ms. which began to be popularised in the 1970's has come to remove the need for people to refer to a woman as Miss or Mrs. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Alma Graham (the first lexicographer to put the courtesy title Ms. into a dictionary), with emphasies my own.

"Ms. Magazine, first published in 1972, was instrumental in popularizing Ms. Ultimately, it was widely adopted because it filled a real need in the language. More and more, as women claimed careers of their own, many resisted being labeled according to whether or not they were married. Originally used only when marital status was unknown, Ms. came to be used when such status was considered irrelevant. Some mistakenly thought it was to be used if a woman was divorced, but the whole point of Ms. is that it says nothing about a woman's marital status. The biggest faux pas is using it before a man's name as a substitute for Mrs., as in Ms. Frank Mitchell. Ms. should always be followed by a woman's name: first and last or last name only, as in Ms. Jo Gillikin, Ms. Gillikin. Informally, it may be followed by a woman's first name only, as in Ms. Jo."
- excerpt from All About "Ms.", from the Virginia Tech Library website

The commonly repeated reason given for the use of this title generally goes something like this, "As a courtesy title, Ms. serves exactly the same function that Mr. does for men.", which is a fair enough point to make. However, as we read above excerpt, we see that the real reason the Feminist movement was so determined to propogate the use of the title Ms. is that they decided that it was irrelevant whether a woman was married or unmarried.

This is precisely the reason that I object to the use of the title; it devalues the importance of marriage, and carries with it the sentiment, "Who cares whether I'm married or unmarried? Marriage is obsolete!".

Perhaps the reason the title Mr. (as used to refer to boys and men) never really stands out, is because the abbreviation has not been introduced into the English language as a means of furthering a cause. Even so, if we value the importance of distinguishing between Miss and Mrs, then we should also be sure to use Master and Mr. in their respective places.

Timeless Cinematic Moments 9

"The frost. Sometimes it makes the blade stick."
(at 40:12)

General Maximus Decimidius Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, played by Kiwi actor Russell Crowe, is about to be executed on the order Commodus (acted so well by Joaquin Phoenix) the new, self-appointed Emporer of Rome. This is just one of many memorable scenes from Ridley Scott's masterful film, Gladiator (2000), which won no less than 5 Academy Awards. Also starring in this benchmark war movie is veteran actor Oliver Reed, who died in 1999 aged 62, during the filming of the movie. It cost the company $3 million to recreate his face so he could "appear" in the scenes he still had left to shoot. Shot on an estimated $103m budget, the film has so far earned almost half a billion dollars Worldwide.

The soundtrack for this film, composed by Hans Zimmer takes it's place among the most prestigious compositions ever to grace the ears of its hearers.

Weekly Joke

A man walks into a bar in Dunedin with a bulldog under his arm. The dog is wearing an England jersey.

The barman says, "No pets allowed. You'll have to leave."

The man pleads, "Please, I'm desperate! My TV's broken and this is the only place I can see the game."

After warning him that he'll be thrown out if the dog causes any trouble, the barman relents and allows him to watch the game.

Almost from the kick-off England score a drop-goal. The dog jumps up on the bar and begins singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot.

The barman laughs and asks, "What does he do if they score a try?"

The Englishman replies, "I don't know, I've only had him for five years.

Taxpayer-Funded Humanist Propaganda

At a community centre in Christchurch yesterday, I found a display of pamphlets on a stand. Produced by the Ministry of Health, there are four pamphlets in the series, and they are entitled Feeling Good, Good Communications, Grief and Loss and Anger, Conflict, Bullying. The Anger and Communications pamphlets are not that bad. However, tax-payer's dollars should not be used to produce the politically correct drivel which is contained in other two. That's not to say that they have no worth at all, but they will not ultimately help people who need the help that the pamphlets appear to be offering. Flicking through the pages of these snazzy, upbeat tri-fold pamphlets, I was surprised to find that they were published in 1994. If these are fourteen years old, I would hate to see a revised 2008 version. Below are a few excerpts from the pamplets, with my comments in italics - will try to keep them brief!

Feeling Good Pamphlet

Do you want to feel happy? Do you want to have an inner strength that no one can take away from you? Then try some of the following ...If you have negative thoughts, catch yourself and turn the thoughts around."

Negative thoughts are important - simply ignoring them because they are negative is foolish.

Encouraging and Praising yourself: You don’t have to wait for someone else to give you praise and encouragement - you can do it yourself..."

Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth - Proverbs 27:2

Accepting yourself: It’s natural to like some things about yourself more than others. Try to accept yourself - both the good things, and the points you don’t feel happy about..."

No, if there are problems in your life, simply accepting them will not help you one iota. You need to work at solving the problems, and accept suggestions and criticisms from friends and family

Expressing yourself: People sometimes think their feelings are either “good” or “bad”. For example, being happy is good, being sad is bad. In fact, no one can be happy all the time. No feelings are either right or wrong. They just are. It is better to accept feelings than to push them away, because there is always a reason for how you feel... ...Express your feelings in words to yourself or others. Say how you’re feeling clearly and directly. Express your feelings by yourself by doing anything creative like music or art, having a cry, writing them down, hitting your pillow or shouting out loud."

No, there are good and bad feelings - and there are feelings that it is imperitive that we push out of our minds as quickly as possible. Writing down your feelings or hitting a pillow or shouting is not going to help.

Treating yourself well involves getting used to being relaxed about yourself and being kind to yourself.
You can do this by giving yourself gifts like: Doing something you enjoy e.g. listening to your favourite music, reading, playing sport. Going out and having a good time."

To truly feel good, you should do good to others. The Bible teaches that our duty is first to Jesus, then to Others, then to ourselves (You), and that is how to find true JOY.

Being Happy by Yourself: Spending time alone gives you a chance to get to know yourself better. This can be scary at first, but over time it becomes less weird and more enjoyable."

Do we really need the Government to tell us to spend time by ourselves to get to know ourselves better?

Grief and Loss Pamphlet

"Escape from your grief for a while by listening to some of your favourite music, going to the movies, playing sport or reading. Anything that gives you a rest from it."

Though there are some good recommendations made in this pamplet, the awful thing is that it offers no hope. Temporary measures for dealing with grief are discussed, but really, what can a godless, humanistic Government department offer grieving people in the way of genuine hope or comfort?

An excerpt from the Anger pamphlet is worthy of mention,

"There are things you can do to let your anger out without hurting yourself or others. You are ANGRY! Go to a place on your own. Talk, swear, bang a pillow, do something physical. Get the anger out of you. Use your anger energy somewhere else. Go for a run, hit a punching bag."

---

I think if you wanted to sum up the message of the four pamphlets in just one sentence, it would be this:

"We don't need God"

The simple fact is, the Government has no business telling people how to think and act. It is the responsibility of friends, families, community groups and Churches to give what support is needed to people who are struggling. Not Nanny State.


I believe that the timeless hymn, What a Friend we Have in Jesus has much more to offer on the questions which the Governement's little pamphlets fail so miserably to address.



1. What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.

2. Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

3. Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield thee;
thou wilt find a solace there.

Why So Serious?

Currently ranked #1 film in the World on the International Movie Database, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is also smashing record after record at the box office. Reaching $203m after just five days in the Box office, the film has also taken the place for biggest opening weekend.

In this sequel of Nolan's first Batman movie, Batman Begins, we see quite a different Bruce Wayne. Through most of the movie, he is questioning himself, torn between keeping the enigma that is Batman alive, or stepping back and assisting Harvey Dent (candidate for District Attorney of Gotham City) in the fight against crime. We also see a very different Rachel Dawes, who this time is played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The loveable grandfather figures of Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman return, bringing with them the wit and dry-humour which we so enjoyed in the first film. Christian Bale carries all the charisma across from the first film, reinforcing that he is the best portrayal of the Bat Man to date.

Reminds me of one of the posters for another one of my favourite movies.

Was Heath Ledger's last appearance on the silver screen, with his performance as the Joker worthy of an Oscar? We have to wait and see what other films come out this year before we can say for sure, however his all-engrossing depiction of the hideously deformed and enigmatic villan definitely makes him worth considering. Even if there another actor were to steal the limelight in this round of the Oscars, I think it would be quite fitting to award a posthumous Oscar to Heath Ledger, for his amazing portrayal as the Joker in this movie, and also in recognition of his contribution to the film industry. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine and Aaron Eckhart have already pledged to vote that he is awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

The bank robbery at the beginning of the film felt like de ja vu

Batman's new commute is just as impressive.

For a film that I have been looking forward to for so long, I cannot say that it quite lived up to my expectations. The ambience, the ear-splitting gun-shots and explosions certainly re-emphasise the darker nature of the film. Harvey Dent who is played by Aaron Eckhart is involved in an accident part-way through the film, and unfortunately the visual-effects-team has had a field day in re-creating one half of his face. This definitely ramps up the scare-factor, making the movie unsuitable for younger children, and causing an older audience to roll their eyes.

However, it is not many 160 minute films that keep me transfixed throughout almost the entire film. Or to laugh at the moments which weren't funny. It's hard to put my finger exactly on it, but there is something different about The Dark Knight, which leaves you with a whole lot of unanswered questions. Joe Maurone who blogs at SOLO has this to say...

"...The moral of this story is: as long as Christianity has a grip on our culture, as long as it claims a moral superiority over life on this earth, as long as it requires good people to accept selfless sacrifice over self-defense, should that defense require killing your enemy, as long as it presents lifeboat situations as the standard, the norm, then the Joker truly has won. The Joker, for all his madness, had a reason for his actions. We know this because he shared them with us constantly throughout the movie. But the good guys have nothing but altruism, an unnamed, but present secularized Judeo-Christian altruism. Which is why I say the Joker is the hero as protaganist; he's the only one able to pursue and achieve his goals of disintegration, while the "good guys" can't even articulate theirs. Good does not conquer evil here; it never had a chance. (In this regards, the theme is similar to Oscar-winning NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, where "evil just keeps on coming..."). This is not the Objectivist Batman, elevating reason and achievement as an absolute. All his gadgets and batmobiles are impotent and useless in the presence of a clown with a knife. The one character who claims to take control of his own fate is shown that is not the case, that life is as random as a turn of the cards, or the flip of a coin. No, this Batman leaves the Batcave wide open to nihilism."

I don't agree entirely (for instance, Christianity doesn't have a grip on our culture - our culture has been built on Christianity), but he definitely makes some good points. If I was going to compare the two movies...

Harpoon the Dolphins

After picking up a copy of the First Year Accounting Textbook from another student who had done the paper last semester, I turned around to head back up the stairs into the library, and lo and behold, in this most socialist heaven, was a few copies of the SAMIZDAT magazine sitting on a little table.

"Hah, Rick's been here"

I had a flick through, and it's the usual stuff, an alternative budget from the Libz, happy birthday to Ayn Rand's book "Atlas Shrugged", a bit of classic National-slamming, and of course, we can't let the Muslims off either, can we?  Anyway, one article which caught my eye, I thought I would share with you - checked out the Sense of Life Objectivists website, and sure enough they had a copy of the article...

"When Fisher & Paykel moved their manufacturing base offshore to source cheaper labour and production costs, ‘Foul!’ was the cry. The eeevil capitalists’ move was going to cost a significant number of people their jobs. This was terrible; how dare they? To be fair, I was disappointed with the move too—I’d much rather a productive business remained in New Zealand. But here’s the rub:

It’s not my company.
It’s not my money.
They’re a whiteware business, not a job factory.

To remain in business, they need profit; to remain profitable they need to lower production costs. Sue Bradford did not understand the move and claimed F&P were making “good money” and were betraying NZ workers. Well “good money” isn’t what keeps a company competitive and in business. The min/max game of production costs and profit is what keeps a company competitive and in business. Thailand is more conducive to lower production costs than New Zealand. We lose—too bad, so sad, moving on ...

Isn’t it funny though, with the announcement of the misguided protection measures for Hector and Maui dolphins, measures that do far more harm to fisheries than bestow benefits on dolphins, the Greens no longer give a flying fish about them poor workers: the estimated 300-odd who are going to lose their jobs, not just in fishing, but onshore processing, the supply industry and wider economy. In fact not only do the Greens not give a flying fish, they don’t think the measures go far enough. Despite Jim Banderton’s restrictions offering up human sacrifices to protect the lives of dolphins (which the restrictions actually have no impact on), the Greens would rather further measures were taken, measures that would see greater human sacrifices. (And all this at a time of rocketing food prices!) Damn the workers, the fishermen, and the wider industry—it’s the dolphins we must save!

Bollocks! If it comes down to even one human going hungry vs a dolphin dying, I say: “Save The Humans, Harpoon The Dolphins.”

By Lance Davey, May 30, 2008

Good, good.

Most Tranquil

Let me draw your attention to my sister Lydia's website.  She has some really nice drawings which she'll be updating fairly frequently, thanks to the uber-cool third-party Flickr-gallery creator that we found.  There's also her blog which she writes in occasionally.  Here's a couple of her pictures that I particularly like.

First Letter

Below is the first letter I wrote. I wrote it when I was five and a half (2/5/1992), and sent it to my gran and grandad.

"Dear Gran and Grandad. Did you hvae a good Easter? I went to a farm. I saw some deer. I got a present from Ursula. Love from Andrew"

Oh, isn't that nice. I don't know if you ever have this feeling, but sometimes I look back at pictures of myself, or think back as far as I can, and look at myself then as if I am someone else, and yet observing myself. Here's a couple more pictures, because they're so cute.

At my fourth birthday.

He's Not a Good Joker

Mike Moreu is not a good joker, I often find his cartoons to be offensive and trivialising such serious issues as child abuse, and even going so far as to gain some sense of self-importance by scribbling libelous drawings, attacking perfectly decent people.

However, Winston Peters is not a good joker either. And so despite my dislike of Moreu, today's cartoon is so apt, so timely that I have to show you it.

If you're wondering what the cartoon is about - because you're not from New Zealand, in a word, Winston Peters, leader of the NZ First party has been caught out not declaring donations (over $100,000 dollars). And the ironic thing is that it was his party which tipped the balance and enable the Electoral Finance Act to go through; that draconian piece of legislation whose main purpose is to crack down on anonymous donations, and what some have termed "the Americanisation of NZ politics". The NZ First party and the Labour party make up New Zealand's current Government, so Helen Clark is scared of denouncing Winston, as his party's support is essential for her to remain Prime Minister. However the blogs and newspapers are calling for Winston's blood.

Cooking with Andy 1

Twirly Pasta with Lacerated Greens and Dead Cow

Today, on Cooking with Andy, we learn how to make this infamous Kiwi dish, which is guaranteed to be a favourite with your cousin from Australia who you didn't know you had, and to warm the heart of even your most cruel friends.

Ingredients
Half of a garlic, chopped up finely
Two onions, sliced lengthways
Some brocolli
A red pepper and a green pepper
Some herbs from the mysterious cupboard above the stove - you know the one.
Three cans of Italian tomatoes, they must be Italian
5 kransky sausages
Some mince patties
A pack of twirly pasta

Instructions
Fry garlic until it starts to go brown, then add onion.  When onion has started to turn light brown, add your herbs - such as rosemary, oregano and some cumin might be nice.  Keep stirring it with your wooden spatula.  Get the left-over mince patties from the fridge, and break them up into little chunks and pop them in the pan.  Then slice up your kransky's and throw them in.  Give her a good old stir and then proceed to tear apart the green pepper and the red pepper, both of which look just a bit past their use-by date.  Nice.

The baked-bean can with the whole Italian tomatoes in it looks a bit lonely there in the fridge: cut them up with a knife a bit and then pour them in.  Wrestle the tops off a couple more cans of chopped tomatoes with the blunt can-opener, and drop them in the mix as well.  Ah, blow it - the brocolli, cut that up and drop it in too, maybe no-one will notice.

Now, when it comes down to it, nobody actually knows how to cook pasta.  There is no "correct" way to do so. Just put it in a pot with some boiling water, and throw some salt and a bit of oil in.  Put a lid on the pot if you care about your wallpaper.  It's all about gut-feeling here, instinct.  About 10 minutes into the cooking process, carefully get a piece of pasta and chuck it from hand to hand until it is cold enough to bite.  If there's just the tiniest shade of white when you've made a cross-section of the pasta with your teeth, she's good to go!

When the stew-mixture starts to bubble over, and Italian tomato juice starts to drip down the cupboard doors, you will know that it is all nice and cooked.  Get rid of the water in the pasta pot, and then dump the contents of the pan in.  Stir it all up nicely, remembering the rule about mixing muffin-mixture.  Put some in a bowl and...  Enjoy!

Coffee Part 3

He let the flowery-patterned curtain fall back, damp from where it had come in contact with the window. The rain was coming down in sheets outside, turning the lawn into a shallow lake. Next to a large pile of socks, his boots were lying, muddy, in a heap in the corner by the door, where he had kicked them off last night. If his sister had not been staying the last few days at her friend's home, he knew that his socks and boots would not be lying there. But they were, and that had been his last pair of dry socks, so there was nothing for it but to pull them over his feet and then step into his damp boots. The sole of the right boot had started to perish from old age, leaving the inner sole nice and sodden - he'd been meaning to get a new pair - but they cost so much these days! "Still", he thought, as he tied the mud-stiffened laces of the boots, "the feet will keep moving, she'll be right". Taking the knee-length leather jacket from where it lay over the armchair by the fire, he found that it was warm, but still damp from last night. As he pulled himself into the jacket and slowly did up the zip, and then the buttons, he cast his eye around the comfortable but untidy room.

This always happened. His sister went away for a few days and the place just fell apart. In fairness, it wasn't that bad, and Lizzy could have probably had the place looking ship-shape again in a few minutes. The dutch cabinet, inherited from someone old - he couldn't remember, had sat in that same spot, next to the book-case, for as long as he could remember. Looking over towards the low book-case, the beginnings of a smile came over his face, as he noticed the disaray of the collection. The sign of well-used books. It was just a taste of the alexandrian collection that was stored safely at his parent's house back in town, but even so, there was room on the shelves for a selction of Biggles books, some titles by G. A. Henty and R. M. Ballantyne, a handfull of Jane Austen titles, and a few by Elizabeth Gaskell. The others had him on a bit when they would find him asleep, sprawled out on the rug in front of the fire, a copy of Pride and Prejudice, or North and South clasped tightly in one hand, lulled to sleep by the familiarity of reading it for the third time.

Glancing across at the mantle-piece over the fire, his heart stopped for an instant, and a worn, painful expression came over his face as his eyes lighted on the lone picture-frame which reposed there. Shoulders sunken and head bowed, he turned his back and turned the circular brass handle on the ancient kauri door of the little cottage. The door had been salvaged from a house in the city that was being demolished, when his dad, a young apprentice builder at the time, had spotted the door and - nobody ever found out exactly how, managed to cycle twenty-odd miles back to his home with it.

The wind and the rain in his eyes, he pulled the brim of his stockman's hat down, and gratefully turned up the collar of the Rodd & Gunn jacket. Plodding through the puddles and deep in thought, he looked up into the early morning sky. Who needs soap and warm water. Rubbing the weariness away, he rubbed the rain-water into his face, better. His head down again, he strode into the horizon, hands deep inside the pockets of his jacket.

brrrr-brrrr, brrrr-brrrr. The phone was vibrating. Bah, why did they always call him just when it was raining? Turning away from the rain, and sheltering the phone with one hand, he looked at the screen. It was Brian. He had best-mates with Brian, he could call him as much as he wanted, for only $6 per month. He cancelled the call, and then proceeded to call Brian back, careful to not get the phone too wet.

"Are you there mate?" The Rural-Auckland drawl was unmistakable, and the question the same as ever. "Yep, I am". He tilted his head to stop the rain from dripping down his neck. The man on the other end of the phone spoke quietly, a hint of danger in his voice, "I've been meaning to say this to you", he chuckled, "Every time I ring you, you cut me off, and it's costing me a fortune... I just give it a couple of rings, but you're too quick for me!...". Brian's voice trailed off. "Ahh, yes, ok... I'll try and remember that one". He was supposed to let Brian cut the call off, and then it didn't cost anything, and then he could call him back. Brian's voice came again, staticky because of the rain. "Ok..." he chuckled again, "now about the hole you need dug?..."

Which Pride and Prejudice Character are You?

At the risk of having the label of girly film geek indelibly associated with my name, I can't help but copy my results of the Which Pride and Prejudice character are you most like? quiz on my blog. It's a pretty radical quiz, 65 questions long, but I answered them as truthfully as I could, and couldn't be a whole lot happier with the result (I would have prefered Mr. Darcy).

Elizabeth Bennet		85%
Mr. Darcy		80%
Charlotte Lucas		65%
Mrs Bennett		65%
Mary Bennett		60%
Lydia Bennett		55%
Kitty Bennett		55%
Mr Bennett		50%
Mr. Collins		45%
Mr Bingley		45%
Lady Catherine de Bourgh		35%
Jane Bennett		30%
Mr. Wickham		20%

Ok, having Mrs. Bennet that far up in the results is nothing short of scary. Charlotte Lucas has a strange element of coolness, perhaps her fatalistic outlife on life and love has some uncanny resemblance to my own.

Oh, and just for the record, I can't stand the Kiera Knightley's portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet, in the 2005 Pride and Predjudice. I might even go so far as to say that I can't stand that adaptation of the book, or even Kiera Knightley herself. Though I do have a bit of time for the first Pirates of the Carribean movie. The others are pathetic rubbish.

(thanks to Theresa for the link to this quiz... it's cool, try it!)

The Link Between Abortion and Child Abuse

Jeffrey Jones over at the Abort73.com blog has been doing some research into the link between legalised abortion and child abuse.

"I've been doing some research lately on the relationship between abortion and child abuse. Some believe, in theory, that legalized abortion should have had the effect of reducing child abuse. The theory goes: "unwanted" children are normally the objects of abuse; if we reduce the number of unwanted children by making abortion available, child abuse will decrease. The data, however, very plainly shows that child abuse has not decreased but increased since abortion was legalized. From 1980 to 1993, the child maltreatment estimates rose 149%, from 625,100 cases to 1,553,800. Since 1993, that number has dropped, leveled off, and remained around 900,000 for the last 10 years. (Go to www.childwelfare.gov to view the statistics yourself). How legalized abortion relates to these numbers is hard to say. Researchers are all over the map on how to analyze the data, since a great number of variables can explain increases and decreases in child abuse rates.

At any rate, as I was doing my research, I came across an article published in 1979 in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry called "Relationship Between Abortion and Child Abuse," by Dr. Philip Ney. He argued that not only has legalized abortion not reduced child abuse but potentially may do the opposite."

Click here to read the rest of his article, including the 8 points which he outlines, that indicate a link between abortion and child abuse.

Of course, we both acknowledge that abortion is infact, currently the most prevalent form of child abuse in our society.

2 Months of Photos

That's it folks. I have taken a picture everyday for two months. It's been what some might call an amazing journey into self-realisation. Others would see it as an opportunity of expressing one's inner-psyche through unique moments captured on film. I wouldn't. ;)

Marketing Bill Passed into Law (satire)

The Unthinkable has happened. Parliament has passed the Marketing Bill into Law.  The Marketing Bill, as most of you will be aware, exists to create what the bill's sponsor Labour MP Annette King terms "an even playing field".  What she means by this is that the amount of money that a business can spend on marketing per year should be restricted.  Further, any individual wishing to promote a company which they have found useful, must first register with the Marketing Commission to be allowed to do this.  And even then, the amount of time that they may spend promoting a company to friends and family will be restricted to 120 minutes per year.  Below I have the transcript of Annette King's introduction in the third reading of the bill.

Annette King - 18 December, 2007

Third Reading of the Marketing Finance Bill

"I move that the Marketing Finance Bill be now read a third time.

This Bill has been a contentious one, its passage marked by acrimonious debate and a campaign of misinformation. A major newspaper, the New Zealand Herald, devoted almost a month to attacking the Bill and the Government in a campaign the like of which has not been seen since a Labour Government legislated to stop tobacco advertising. One can’t help but wonder if the motives for the current campaign are not very similar to the last one.

Much has been said and written about the Bill. In yesterday’s Dom Post a letter to the editor summed it up for many people: Business is not “one dollar, one sale”.
An article in last week’s Otago Daily Times made some relevant points. I quote: “As much as we like to imagine that freedom of advertising is an absolute, it isn’t. There are several laws that proscribe it.” The article went on to say that a leading opponent of the Bill believed an ideal business environment would let money be free to talk whenever, and however loud, it likes. The truth was, the article said, that this man “has bags of money and no hesitation in using any amount of it to try to influence the purchasing decisions of the consumer.”

This Bill demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensure that wealthy business-owners do not have more advertising power than small-players. The Commerce Select Committee, the Government, and Parliament during committee stages have listened to concerns about the Marketing Finance Bill, and have not made any changes that improve the Bill.

Madam Speaker, this Bill is about creating a fair, transparent business environment that puts all businesses on a level playing field with clearly defined rules and safeguards to protect the small-players from being drowned out due to the higher marketing budgets of larger companies. We do not want to see the Americanisation of our market.

This Bill does not restrict freedom of marketing. It simply restricts rights to ‘purchase’ sales through advertising. This is being done to safeguard our market by keeping to a minimum the undue influence of money in marketing. That’s what a level playing field means, and the Government believes most New Zealanders understand and support this principle.

The Bill makes changes that will help to bring New Zealand into line with other comparable democracies, such as Russia under the rule of Stalin, and Zimbabwe under the rule of Mugabe. These reforms are important, as fair and transparent advertising-campaigns are fundamental to our market...

...Madam Speaker, this Bill does not restrict freedom of advertising. It simply restricts rights to ‘purchase’ sales through advertising. This is being done to safeguard our market by keeping to a minimum the undue influence of money in advertising.

If we want to protect the ability of all New Zealanders to participate in, and grow the economy, we must ensure that businesses with limited resources can realistically compete with those with deep pockets, by restricting how much individual businesses may spend on advertising their goods or services.
I commend this Bill to the House."

To read the full speech, please click here.

The bill passed, with
Ayes 63 New Zealand Labour 49; New Zealand First 7; Green Party 6; Progressive 1.
Noes 57 New Zealand National 48; Māori Party 4; United Future 2; ACT New Zealand 2; Independent: Field (Gordon Copeland absent).

Sign of the Kiwi

Cycled up to Sign of the Kiwi today. Took 35 minutes from the round-about at the bottom of Dyer's Pass, the end of Colombo St. Quite an improvement on my first shot at this hill. Passed quite a few cyclists on their way down, as well as one die-hard, older man who was making his way up the pass on his mountain-bike. I took a few photos on the way up...

At the top, I decided to get a photo of the bike. A couple came up behind me and the man offered to take my photo as well, which you see below. I handed him my phone and he said "how do you know that I won't run off with it?" I turned to him and said "you look like a pretty decent sort of bloke. You wouldn't do that." His wife gave a kind of sarcastic laugh... still, my trust was well-placed and he gave me my phone back after he'd taken the shot.

Now... next time, I need to drag John, Jono and Chris up with me!

Abortion Shellshock

Thousands upon thousands of brave young men from England, Australia, New New Zealand and other Allied Countries left their lives and went to fight the tyranny in the trenches of France. They were unaware as they marched onto the ships for the trip across the ocean that there could be a whole lot more that would be worse than the possibility of actually being killed in action. No one told them about shell shock, and the horrors of the sights that they would see that would continue to haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Today, in England, Australia, New Zealand and in fact, in pretty much all of the countries around the World, there is a new, a terrifying shellshock which is leaving countless thousands of women devestated and depressed. World Net Daily reports...

Kay Painter now speaks at retreats, churches, conferences and other events about her abortion, telling a real-life no-holds-barred story of pain and guilt.

"The instant I heard my baby's helpless body hit the garbage can, I KNEW! I had just killed my own flesh and blood, an innocent life. I was panic-stricken, the nurse callously told me to 'calm down, in a few days all would be back to normal,'" she says.

"Normal? No one forewarned me of the repercussions of an abortion. It was a simple procedure of removing 'tissue,' so why the pain, the sudden emptiness? I awoke night after night to the sound of screams, they were mine!"

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Below is an excerpt from a booklet produced by the Texas Department of Health, entitled "A Woman's Right to Know"...

"You should know that women experience different emotions after an abortion. Some women may feel guilty, sad, or empty, while others may feel relief that the
procedure is over. Some women have reported serious psychological effects after their abortion, including depression, grief, anxiety, lowered self-esteem, regret, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sexual dysfunction, avoidance of emotional attachment, flashbacks, and substance abuse. These emotions may appear immediately after an abortion, or gradually over a longer period of time. These feelings may recur or be felt stronger at the time of another abortion, or a normal birth, or on the anniversary of the abortion."

- an excerpt from Page 16, A Woman's Right to Know, produced by Texas Department of Health

Which just leaves me looking up at the ceiling and screaming, why is it that there is such a prevalence of post-abortion grief and depression, if infact, there is nothing at all immoral with the procedure?.

For more information on this subject, visit www.operationoutcry.org which is dedicated to helping bring about the end of legal abortion by exposing the truth about its devastating impact on women, men and families.

Weekly Joke

And now, for the second funniest joke in the World...

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson were going camping. They pitched their tent under the stars and went to sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night Holmes woke Watson up and said: “Watson, look up at the stars, and tell me what you see.”

Watson replied: “I see millions and millions of stars.”

Holmes said: “and what do you deduce from that?”

Watson ponders for a minute.

"Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe. What does it tell you, Holmes?"

And Holmes said: “Watson, you idiot, it means that somebody stole our tent.”

Timeless Cinematic Moments 8

"Look back... Look back at me."
(Part 4 at 32:00)

Richard Armitage plays Factory Owner John Thornton in a period drama set at the time of the Industrial Revolution, in BBC's adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.  In this scene, Daniela Denby-Ashe who plays Margaret Hale has just stepped into the carriage and is being driven home, much to John's despair.  Tim Pigott-Smith - among whose claims to fame lies his narration of several Biggles books onto audio tape, plays the part of Margaret's father - and that, very well.  Interesting to note that Pigott-Smith also plays the role of Fredrick Hale in BBC's 1975 TV series of North and South.  High quality acting along with political and ethical themes made the series utterly captivating, and as soon as the end credits began to roll, I was ready to start watching it all over again.

Wow, check out this cool fansite for North and South!

Jimmy Cowan Should be Fired

"...Cowan was arrested outside the One Blue Dog bar in Esk Street in Invercargill about 4am on Sunday and spent several hours in custody." - www.stuff.co.nz

www.stuff.co.nz reports on the verdict of the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU)...

"The New Zealand Rugby Union today demanded halfback Jimmy Cowan stop drinking as a condition of his ongoing employment. The All Black was also fined and ordered to seek alcohol counselling after three charges have been laid for disorderly behaviour in recent weeks."

Halfback Jimmy Cowan, The All Blacks

Family First responds to the situation, asking the question "who should we look to as role models?"...

“Our traditional approach to role models has been based on status, position or job – a sporting star, being on television, on radio, an actor/actress, a high public profile etc, but we should be defining role models to our young people based on the strength of character.”

The general consensus of those calling for Jimmy Cowan to be dropped from the All Blacks appears to be that since the halfback is a role model (particularly) for the young boys of New Zealand, we should set an example. Well, I agree; we should set an example. However, it is not Cowan's fault that the next generation of New Zealand's men look to him as one of their role models. He is just a man, and we all slip up now and then - some worse than others.

I remember the outrage when the news came out that Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe would be acting nude in a London stage play entitled Equus, which came out early 2007. Below is a quote from this article...

“The London Daily Mail quoted from letters written to Radcliffe's fan sites. "We as parents feel Daniel should not appear nude. Our nine-year-old son looks up to him as a role model. We are very disappointed and will avoid the future movies he makes," one parent wrote. ”

Parents should not be encouraging/allowing their children to treat these professionals as their role models - whether they be in the sports industry or hollywood. There is the occasional person that shines through the smoke of the often debauched and immoral group of celebrities who have surely evolved into a new Western aristocracy. However, wouldn't it be better if children were encouraged by their parents to look back at their family tree, and to read of the heroism for instance, of their great grandfather in World War Two.

Sadly, today there are too few heroes.

Back to Jimmy Cowan. The reason he should be fired is not that he happens to be looked upon as a role-model by some. It is because he is representing his country, New Zealand in a series of international rugby games. By letting him continue on with the All Blacks as they have, the NZRU is saying loud and clear...

"Yeah, this is New Zealand, we don't really care who we let represent us in international sport".

Two Favourite Songs

All Pretty for the TV by Poor Old Lu. 1995 :)

Flood by Jars of Clay (original video)

Kiwi Party Law and Order Policy

The Kiwi Party has just released their law and order policy, which I have copied below, with my comments in blue. Click here to download the policy. As you can see, we hardly see things the same, though there are areas where I can agree with their policy.

Law

• Return the minimum drinking age back to 20.
It has been a mistake to lower the legal drinking age while simultaneously increasing the availability of alcohol. It is time to reverse this social experiment and work on reducing the access young people have to alcohol while imposing tougher sentences on parents and others who supply alcohol illegally to minors.
Nope. There is nothing wrong with alcohol, it is when people misuse it that we have a problem. Harsher sentencing for drunkeness in public, or crime committed while under the influence would be a far better move than the far-too easy option of simply criminalising all young people.


• Those convicted for murder and the manufacture and sale of Class A drugs should be locked up for the course of their natural life.
No parole should be considered for a minimum of 20 years and then only if the public safety is not threatened by the prisoners release due to confirmed rehabilitation within the prison system or old age.
I'm not sure if selling drugs should necessarily be a criminal offence. But those convicted of murder - and where there is crystal clear evidence, including witnesses should be put to death. Parole is just a joke, and as for the public being safe from prisoners out on parole, well just take a look in your newspaper for evidence why this does not work.


• Criminalise the buying of the services of a prostitute on the street and re-criminalisation of ‘living off the proceeds of the prostitution of others’.
Studies prove that legalising prostitution has not solved the social issues it creates. Cities like Amsterdam famous for liberal sex trade laws are now reverting back to criminalizing the sex trade.
Since the Prostitution Reform Act was passed in 2003, the number of prostitutes does not appear to have increased in New Zealand. Individuals should be free to make agreements between each other, and the State probably does not need to interfere at this level. As for soliciting on the street, at the very least, prostitutes should have to aquire a license as do other street vendors. And even then, licenses should be granted only in certain situations and vicinities.


• Hold a binding referendum on New Zealand’s attitude to the sale of sexual services.
A nation’s law should reflect the will of the people. A referendum will reflect the values and will of the people, which government must respect.
A referendum probably wouldn't hurt. Legalising something such as prostitution may result in that thing becoming normalised. However there is a huge different between a potentially harmful activity being legalised, and that activity being actively endorsed as a viable career option. It's a real tough one.

Policing

• Change drug policy from harm minimisation to harm elimination.
A multi-pronged strategy is needed to overcome a problem that has its roots in social orientation but ends in crime. Research shows that faith based and community centered models run by those with experience and neighborhood connections deliver the best results. The Kiwi Party would promote successful community coalitions, drug testing within workplaces and schools, screening and intervening to interrupt the cycle of drug abuse, providing quality drug treatment services and establishing drug treatment courts.
We can't eliminate harm, we can only ever attempt to minimise it. Drug-use in public, in schools or in the workplace is obviously innapropriate. Government funding of community initiatives which encourage people to give up their drug-habit would definitely be a step in the right direction.


• Introduce separate identification of police and traffic safety officers.
While acknowledging two forces share some common concerns and so need to retain strong connections, with regards to public perception and police effectiveness, the Kiwi Party would initiate differing uniforms and patrol cars.
Sounds like a good plan. Seperate the two jobs and privatise the traffic policing for a start.


• Establish a special task force to address the rising level of gang related criminal activity.
The Police Association has been calling for this task force for several years. The Kiwi party fully supports this.
Sounds fine.


• Establish a uniformed voluntary policing force.
Establishing a uniformed voluntary policing force of retired persons similar to Maori wardens to help support police by attending to routine work and also assisting in being the “eyes and ears” in every community. We support communities who take initiative to care for themselves.
Sounds fine.

Corrections

• Increase the number of addiction recovery and detox facilities.
It is estimated that 27% of our youth over 15 years of age are using drugs. Many good parents are eager to place their children into programmes but cannot because of a lack of facilities. While it is difficult to rehabilitate a drug user who does not want to change, anyone convicted of a crime committed while on drugs should first be required to undergo treatment that completely eliminates drugs from their body and maintains them in a drug free environment for a period of time. Those then choosing further help on the road to recovery can be referred to appropriate services. Those refusing treatment may find themselves in prison as a consequence.

It is imperative that our prisons become drug free. If the Government run Department of Corrections cannot achieve this, the Kiwi Party supports establishing a task force to investigate how this can be attained through the transfer of our prisons management to private contractors as has happened in other nations with circumstances similar to ours.
Compulsory drug-rehab for prisoners sounds like a good plan.


• No home detention and no parole for those convicted of serious violent crimes.
Society should not risk the re-offending of those who have committed heinous crimes. A system of recognizing and rewarding a prisoner that is making progress in rehabilitation and overcoming their violence should be established within prison walls before release and not in the community.
Of course! Serious and violent or not - if you do the crime, you do the time.

Justice

• Establishment of night Courts.
There is a huge backlog of cases that could be heard and processed by night Courts. Criminals need to be confronted with efficient and rapid convictions for their behaviour rather than spending months and years going through the revolving door, being charged, then released on bail thus creating the possibility for re-offence before they are sentenced. Also the lives of the innocent are put on hold before they are acquitted of false charges. Night courts would also avoid the disruptions to work and other commitments of those involved.
That sounds like ACT policy, released about two months ago. Good policy.


• Ensure there are powers for Judges to pursue truth.
The goal of our justice system should be to reveal truth. A criminal should not be allowed to get away with a crime through hiring a lawyer with an ability to abuse a loop-hole or the short comings of a defence attorney with an overloaded schedule. If common sense deems it feasible to further investigate a situation, a Judge should have the means to do so.
That sounds a bit draconian, pragmatic. Common-sense is a dangerous term.

Judges should also have the power to award against the Crown, the costs of a person charged and found not guilty. Otherwise our justice system is creating victims of those being wrongly accused.
Absolutely.


• Victims rights before criminals rights.
All victims of property crime should be entitled to full restitution and the awarding of costs along with an appropriate apology. This is natural justice.
Not just full restitution, repayment should be made two-fold or three-fold. As for the apology, it's not up to the state to force people to apologise to each other.


• Imprisonment for property offending should be confined to a small number of the most serious cases.
Imprisonment costs the taxpayer around $90,000 per annum and removes the capacity of the offender to recompense the victim – and adds costs to the State if the offender’s family requires welfare.
That's why prisoners should pay their way through prison. Why should the taxpayer be hit with the bill?


• Compulsory DNA testing for all those convicted of crimes.
It has always been accepted that a convicted criminal be fingerprinted and records be kept for future identification. Advancement of technology has made DNA samples an improved alternative.
No problem with this.


• No bail for those being charged with serious violent offences.
Of course not.

Truth

In John's Gospel, Chapter eight and verse two, Jesus Christ says to his listeners, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free". King Solomon says - as to his son, in Proverbs 3:3,

"Let not mercy and truth forsake you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart"

In John 17:17, Jesus says - speaking of God the Father, "Your word is truth", and then in John 18:37, "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice". And again, in Deuteronomy 32:4, Moses writes that God is "a God of Truth". The word Truth is used in the Bible no less than 224 times.

In John Bunyan's all-time #2 best-seller, Pilgrim's Progress, Christian - the main character, and his companion Faithful are walking through Vanity Fair. As they pass through this ungodly mess, "One chanced mockingly, beholding the carriage of the men, to say unto them, "What will ye buy?" But they, looking gravely upon him, answered, "We buy the truth."." - quoting from Proverbs 23:23.

From this small selection of references, we see that the Bible holds truth in high esteem.

It should come to us as no surprise then, when we find that secular curriculums worldwide are striving to teach that there is no such thing as truth. The concept of truth is actively attacked and undermined. Students are informed that there is no ultimate truth, no right or wrong. There is only what they believe to be true and false - and what society believes to be right and wrong. No explanation is given for the obvious and inherent inconsistencies that result from this teaching. Some even say that "yes, there are right and wrong, true and false" - but that these are derived from Reason. All I can say to that is "what is Reason, and how do you know that it is necessarily true?".

Take the high-school students of today as a prime example of a generation without hope. I walk down the boulevards and can't do anything but feel an intense pity for the young people I see around me. They are sent to state-run schools, more often than not against their will. Here they are instructed in the religion of atheism. They are taught the gospel of evolution, whose logical conclusion is that it's students are merely advanced apes, evolved from slime an almost inconceivably long time ago. We are creating for ourselves a new generation of hopeless citizens. There is no ultimate purpose to their lives; there is only now and me.

We look around us and wonder why everything's falling to pieces. Why the child-abuse, the rapes, the murders, the suicides? Why do we have a binge-drinking problem? Well, without truth, can we even say that we have a problem?

Timeless Cinematic Moments 7

(at 1:54:08)

Bruce Willis plays the patriotic Col. William A. McNamara in the under-rated World War Two POW movie, Hart's War (2002). Also starring in this movie are Colin Farrel as Lieutenant Hart and Romanian actor, Marcel Lures who plays the Stalag Kommandant. In this scene, McNamara who has just overseen the escape of a large group of prisoners, returns to the prison camp, disguised in the uniform of a high-ranking German officer. While the prisoners blow up the nearby munitions factory - vital to the German war effort, McNamara sacrifices his opportunity to escape back behind the lines, and instead takes the place of Lt. Hart who is about to be executed.

Weekly Joke

A manufacturing plant was in full swing one day. The company's massive machine was humming along, taking in the raw materials at one end and churning out the finished product at the other. All of a sudden, the machine stopped and ground to a halt. Workers climbed all over it like ants
to get it started again. The plant's manager stormed out of his office to find out why his multi-million-dollar machine wasn't making him any money. He listened to his people saying they couldn't figure it out, and he told them to call a technician.

Soon a tech arrived, and the manager frantically explained to him that he needed his machine back as soon as possible. The technician listened patiently, took one look at the massive hulk of motionless metal, and immediately walked over to a small panel, opening a tiny door inside to see a screw. The technician took a screwdriver and turned the screw one-quarter turn to the right, and the machine suddenly came back to life as if nothing was wrong.

The manager hurried over to thank the technician, shook his hand, and asked what he owed him for saving his company. The technician answered, "$100,000.00." The manager looked at
him and said, "You were here less then two minutes and just turned one screw. How can you charge so much? Give me an itemized bill."

The technician calmly wrote out on a piece of paper:

Turning of one screw: $1.00.

Knowing which screw to turn: $99,9999.00.

from www.gcfl.net

iPhone Arrives in NZ

Walking down Cashel Street tonight after the ACT Dinner, and we spotted some hardcore Mac fans queueing up outside the Vodafone shop. The iPhone will be officially available for sale from 00:00am, Friday 11 July 2008. For months now, trend starters (such as my brother) have imported their own iPhone and jailbroken it. Of course, Trademe, in all it's infinite wisdom, has seen fit to ban the sale of imported iPhones until they are officially put on sale in New Zealand.

Consumers can either fork out $979 for their standard 8GB 3G iPhone, and run it on prepay, or they can sign up for one of the plans which is on offer. These range from $549 up front and $1,920 over two years, right up to $199 up front and $6,000 over two years. For people who need to use their phone a lot, it's not a bad deal. When you've actually seen what an iPhone can do, the digits after the dollar sign won't matter so much to you, as you are simply blown away by the break-through technology that you can hold in your hands.

The iPhone may be taking the world by storm, but big player RIM isn't taking this lying down, with the release of their new Blackberry Thunder just around the corner. Dubbed by some as "the Apple Killer", or A.K., the Thunder looks like it has a lot going for it, with it's expandable memory (MicroSD card slot), camera and hi-res touch-screen, as well as a few physical buttons which some of us actually appreciate.

A girl dressed in purple, and a cool gorilla offered us a bar of chocolate which we happily took. Helped us get into the spirit of the thing. A busker was busily setting up his keyboard, while a mobile-espresso van was getting set up at the side of the road.

Update: Scrubone blogs on the iPhone

Life's Good in the Slipstream

I wrote earlier about how I was considering investing in a road bike. My mate had come down in February for Le Race, - and this proved to be a turning point in my life. He flew down from the big smoke up in Auckland for a few days of cycling down here in the Garden City. Today we headed out Tai Tap way and clocked up 76km on the cycle computer. When I got home I ate a lot of food and had a cup of tea, and fell asleep in front of the night-store heater.