Majority of Canterbury Women Not Counselled Before Abortion

Troubling news from Right to Life. Over 70% of women considering abortion in Canterbury have not received counselling prior to the abortion taking place. Two questions I have to raise before I continue with an excerpt from the press release. Firstly, if there is nothing wrong with abortion, then why is it restricted at all, and secondly, if it is simply a matter of surgical removal of worthless tissue, then why is counselling so important.

"More than two thirds of the women who had an abortion at Lyndhurst and Christchurch Women’s Hospitals in 2006/2007 did not receive counselling at the hospitals before having an abortion.

The Canterbury District Health Board recently provided Right to Life with statistics under the Official Information Act, 1982. The Board advised that 2504 women had an abortion at their licensed facilities in the year ending 30 June 2007. Of this total, only 705 women considering an abortion received counselling at their facilities. This is deplorable; these statistics reveal a human tragedy for vulnerable women and their unborn children. Women are the second victims of abortion; they are entitled to be fully informed of alternatives to abortion, the development of their unborn child and the potential physical and psychiatric complications that might result from having an abortion...

...Right to Life believes that the Code of Health Rights may have been breached by the consultants or by other responsible health care personnel involved in the process of providing an abortion at Lyndhurst and Christchurch Hospitals." - RTLNZ

First it's the Abortion Supervisory Committee who are entrusted to overseeing the application of New Zealand's abortion laws. They came under fire when the High Court found that “There is reason to doubt the lawfulness of many abortions authorised by certifying consultants.” (read more here). And now it's the CDHB (Canterbury District Health Board) letting down Canterbury women and babies by allowing so many women (70% plus) to bypass the crucial pre-abortion counselling.

Largest Protest Sign in History

Congratulations to the American Right to Life action group who have unfurled the largest protest sign in history (Guiness Book of World Records confirmation pending). This is a fantastic example of a group of people putting in a lot of time and working together to raise awareness of a social injustice, in this case, abortion. Below is a time-lapse video of the construction of the sign.

The sign was 530-feet tall and 666-feet wide, weighed more than 2,700 pounds and was sewn together with more than 4 miles of seams connecting 2,400 twin sheets.

This photo was taken 2 miles away from the sign. "To give you an idea how big those letters are, one letter takes up the space of a junior high school gym" - Jill Stanek

"The tiniest boys and girls should be loved and protected," said American RTL Action president Steve Curtis, "but as nominating Barack Obama emphasizes, the DNC [Democratic National Convention] even supports killing kids in the womb old enough to know their mother's voice, sleep and dream, suck their thumbs, and play with their toes." - ARTL

Homosexual Brainwashing of Public School Children

Here is a podcast from the Chalcedon Foundation, entitled "Interview with Investigative Journalist Lee Duigon on the Homosexual Brainwashing of Public School Children". It is well worth a listen. One really good point that was raised was that people have the right to be homosexuals, but they do not have the right to force their homosexual agenda on others.

Why are traditional relationships and families coming under increasing attack from Western governments, while at the same time, countless millions of tax-payers dollars are being poured into programs designed to normalise homosexuality and so-called "families" with same-sex "parents". Sex-education has as much a right to be a part of state school curriculum as does creationism for instance (that is, none).

This issue of public schools teaching children to embrace and experiment with homosexuality is yet another example of how the US Government and our own government are using state-schools as their chief means of social engineering. (And that's why they hate home-education)

Let me just say as a disclaimer, I do not hate homosexuals.

Click here for related posts.

Bleak? House

Tonight our family finished the final episode of Andrew Davies' 2005 adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House. Andrew Davies will be better known to many as the writer of the widely acclaimed 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Wow, just as an aside, I think it's really exciting that Andrew Davies is also inolved in a TV series of Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, and featuring an impressive cast. I don't think it will be coming out until mid-late 2009 though.

Anyway, back to Bleak House. I was put off watching the film mainly due to it's dreary sounding name. At 15 episodes and 8 hours long, it took us a couple of weeks. Pretty much from about the second episode I was hooked. New plots and characters were continually introduced, and the suspense was never abated. Here's a page at BBC's website, listing the main characters.

If you enjoyed North and South or Our Mutual Friend, you will love this film. Centering around a drawn-out court case refered to as Jandcye and Jandyce, the story focusses in on three young people; Esther Summerson, Ada Clare and Richard Carstone. Mr. Jandyce takes them into his care when they come and stay at his home, Bleak House, so that they can be close to the courthouse. I'm not going to go into much more detail. As is Charles Dickens' unique style, the plot is a seemingly inextricable web of characters and sub-plots involving romance, secrets, bribery and spontaneous combustion. David Round, a law lecturer at Canterbury University said that the case covered in Bleak House is a very realistic picture of exactly what did go on in Victorian England.

This is a great film, thoroughly recommended!

"I think Bleak House may not be so bleak after all"

Pro-Life Chosen for Republican Vice President

Wonderful news in from John McCain's office. The word is that he has chosen the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin to run with him for the White House. This is ridiculously good news, and here's why...

Palin's strong pro-life views were highlighted earlier this year when she and her husband Todd were informed she was carrying a Down syndrome child but chose to carry through with the pregnancy. "We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Palin told the Associated Press. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."
The day after the birth, the Palins said in a statement: "We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed." - WND

Sarah, a self-described hockey mom is 44 years old, a former beauty queen, and has five children - her last born in May, and with Down syndrome. The Democrats camp will be gnashing their teeth.

"McCain, who turns 72 today, decided on his choice for vice president early Thursday. Palin's selection was confirmed by campaign sources. Palin would become the first woman on a Republican presidential/vice presidential ticket, and could be attractive to disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters who haven't jumped onto the Obama bandwagon." - Detroit News

And in the UK, the Guardian reports,

"At 44, she is a youthful addition to the Republican ticket. Palin is an avid fisher and hunter, a member of the politically powerful National Rifle Association, and her husband has native-American roots." - The Guardian

A good deal more attractive than her Democrats counterpart if I may say so...

Update (2pm, 30 August): Doug Phillips discusses Sarah Palin's selection as Vice President

Update (3pm, 31 August): Voddie Baucham, "Did McCain Make a Pro-Family Pick? (great article)

333

I wrote my 333rd post on Thursday.  I think that deserves a mention, seeing as the number 333 is of some significance to me.  The number 333 features in two of the oldest and best computer games I know and have played.  (Hey just so you know, I think that is the first, and almost certainly the last time I ever make use of coloured text in a blog post).  You'll know why if you play one of the games I'm going to mention.  The first is Hugo's Horrific Adventure (which you can download here).  It is a great old game, I have no trouble recommending it to children of all ages ;) It is a text-based game with graphics and a totally retro soundtrack.  The aim of the game is to help Hugo rescue his sweetheart Penelope from the haunted house.  Here are the Hugo sequels: Hugo 2: Whodunit? and Hugo 3: Jungle of Doom.  The Hugo games are so cool because you get really good at typing, and also they're so darn tricky to figure out.  It's fun for the whole family with the second game called Nitemare (and you can download it here).  Nitemare is like a first-person version of Hugo's Horrific Adventure.  The spine-chilling sythetic organ music is the perfect backdrop to this action-packed re-make of the classic Hugo game.  Nitemare isn't quite as enigmatic as it's predecessor, however it almost makes up for that with a nice range of villans, guns and levels.  I have spent many hours playing these games on my old Pentium 1 (75mhz, 32mb, 1gb) when I should have been tidying my room or doing my school-work.  Kids, don't try this at home.  Hey anyway, have a go at these cool games, but don't let them get in the way of real-life.  Computer games are so overrated.

Jane Roe: "Why I changed to Pro-life"

"The poster child for abortion just jumped off
the poster and into the arms of Jesus Christ."

In 1973, the Roe vs. Wade case made US history when it was ruled that abortion should be legal. Norma McCorvey who went under the legal pseudonym of Jane Roe was the pregnant mother at the center of this case. Below I have some excerpts from her story about how she turned 180 degrees to become pro-life.

As my mind was challenged to consider the truth of the Gospel, God began working on my heart through a 7-year-old girl named Emily, the daughter of O.R. [Operation Rescue] volunteer Ronda Mackey.

Quite understandably, I had difficulty relating to children. I had given birth to three, all of whom had been placed for adoption (one of them against my will). And because I worked in an abortion clinic, I was fearful of bonding with anyone so young. It was part of my denial. When you know what is happening to the children behind closed doors, it's difficult to become attached to them outside.

Emily's blatant affection, frequent hugs, and direct pursuit disarmed me. The little girl's interest was all the more surprising considering Emily made it very clear that her acceptance of me wasn't an acceptance of my lifestyle. Early on in our relationship, I explained to Emily, "I like kids and wouldn't let anyone hurt little kids," to which Emily responded, "Then why do you let them kill the babies at the clinic?"

On another occasion, I invited Emily into my office. As I made appointments, Emily kept herself occupied. During one phone call, I lost my temper and said to a caller, "I'd just as soon see you in hell as see you in here," and Emily responded, "You don't have to go to hell, Miss Norma. You can pray right now and Jesus will forgive you."

This childlike faith cut open my heart, making me receptive to the truth being shared by the adult volunteers at Rescue. I wasn't won over by compelling apologetics. I had a ninth grade education and a very soft heart. While the O.R. adults targeted my mind, Emily went straight for the heart. And over time, Emily began to personify the issue of abortion--especially when Ronda broke down and told me that Emily had almost been aborted.

Ronda was engaged when Emily was conceived, and nobody was very happy about it. Ronda's future in-laws, her mother, and her fiancee all pressured her to get an abortion during the first trimester. Ronda admits that she gave abortion serious consideration, at one point even giving her verbal assent to pursue it; but her memories of a high school friend's emotional devastation following an abortion strengthened Ronda's resolve to let Emily live.

Shortly after Ronda told me the long form of this story, I was walking outside a furniture store, shopping with Ronda and the girls. I have a decidedly mystical bent to my nature, and I was stunned when I saw Ronda's bumper sticker, "Abortion Stops a Beating Heart," which has a vividly red heart on the side.

All the sudden, I saw Emily's heart in that sticker, and it just about destroyed me when I realized that "my law" (as I once fondly referred to Roe v. Wade) had almost snuffed out young Emily's life. I asked to be taken home immediately, but later that afternoon, I spent over an hour on the phone with Ronda and a deep friendship was solidified.

I was forever changed by this experience. Abortion was no longer an "abstract right." It had a face now, in a little girl named Emily.

When my conversion became public knowledge, I spoke openly to reporters about still supporting legalized abortion in the first trimester. The media was quick to use this to downplay the seriousness of my conversion, saying I typified the "general ambivalence" of our culture over abortion. But a few weeks after my conversion, I was sitting in O.R.'s offices when I noticed a fetal development poster. The progression was so obvious, the eyes were so sweet. It hurt my heart, just looking at them.

I ran outside and finally, it dawned on me. "Norma," I said to myself, "They're right." I had worked with pregnant women for years. I had been through three pregnancies and deliveries myself. I should have known. Yet something in that poster made me lose my breath. I kept seeing the picture of that tiny, 10-week-old embryo, and I said to myself, that's a baby! It's as if blinders just fell off my eyes and I suddenly understood the truth--that's a baby!

I felt "crushed" under the truth of this realization. I had to face up to the awful reality. Abortion wasn't about 'products of conception.' It wasn't about 'missed periods.' It was about children being killed in their mother's wombs. All those years I was wrong. Signing that affidavit, I was wrong. Working in an abortion clinic, I was wrong. No more of this first trimester, second trimester, third trimester stuff. Abortion--at any point--was wrong. It was so clear. Painfully clear.

You can read her full story here at her website. Her book Won by Love looks like a good read.

Arkansas: Homosexual Adoption on the Way Out

The Family Council Action Committee of Arkansas have been very busy, collecting signatures on a petition proposing the following amendment to the laws of the State,

An Act Providing That An Individual Who Is Cohabiting Outside Of A Valid Marriage May Not Adopt Or Be A Foster Parent Of A Child Less Than Eighteen Years Old

They've only had to collect 61,974 valid signatures, however the rules governing the collection of signatures on a petition are much more stringent than they are here in New Zealand. World Net Daily reports,

"A ban against unmarried couples becoming foster or adoptive parents is scheduled to appear on Arkansas ballots this fall – and some say the measure is geared at denying homosexuals the chance to raise children. The Arkansas Family Council Action Committee submitted 85,389 of the required 61,974 voter's signatures to place the proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot, according to Associated Press reports. Family Council President Jerry Cox said getting the proposed act on the ballot is a significant step for families.
"Arkansas needs to affirm the importance of married mothers and fathers," he said. "We need to publicly affirm the gold standard of rearing children whenever we can. The state standard should be as close to that gold standard of married mom and dad homes as possible."
In 2006, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled against a state policy preventing "gays" from becoming foster parents. The Family Council reacted by acquiring enough signatures to place the initiative on the Arkansas ballot...."
Click here for the rest of the article

This is a fabulous improvement on Arkansas law.  The last thing a foster child needs is to be brought up in a home where he has two dads or two mums.  The Family Council Action Committee lists three reasons why they believe that foster care children should not be placed in homes with individuals who cohabit with a sexual partner.  The two key points are in bold.

1. Children in the Arkansas foster care system and children in need of adoption are among the most vulnerable in our society. They desperately need to live in a home with a mother and a father who are married to one another. Five thousand years of human history, common sense, every major world religion, and scores of scientific studies agree that the best place for a child is in a home with a married mother and father. If the State of Arkansas is going to create families through adoption or foster care, we owe it to the children to create the best ones possible.
2. The Arkansas Adoption Act will increase the number of homes for adoptive and foster care children. Adoptive and foster care children need good homes and the best way to find those homes is to make people aware of the need. Any shortage of foster homes or any shortage of families willing to adopt can be attributed to the fact that married couples are not meeting this need. As the Arkansas Adoption Act is discussed and debated it will highlight the need for more homes and result in an increase in the number of good homes for Arkansas’ most vulnerable children.
3. This act seeks to blunt a homosexual agenda that has used the shortage of adoptive or foster care homes in other states as a means of advancing their social agenda. Laws have been passed in eight states that support the homosexual agenda when it comes to the adoption or foster care of children. Arkansas has no law to prevent homosexual adoption. Homosexuals are adopting children and this will continue until a law is passed. A lawsuit filed by the ACLU and supported by homosexuals resulted in an Arkansas judge overturning state regulations banning homosexuals from serving as foster parents. The Arkansas Adoption Act addresses this issue as well.

Congratulations to the hard-working canvassers from Arkansas who have put so much time and effort into getting this proposed piece of law onto the ballot for November this year.  Another point of interest, "in 2004 the Family Council successfully passed an Arkansas constitutional amendment banning gay marriage". (WND)

Bush: Personal Belief to Come Before Abortion

"Protections Set for Anti-abortion Health Workers", reports The Washington Post (22 August 08). An excerpt from the article is below.

The Bush administration yesterday announced plans to implement a controversial regulation designed to protect doctors, nurses and other health-care workers who object to abortion from being forced to deliver services that violate their personal beliefs.

The rule empowers federal health officials to pull funding from more than 584,000 hospitals, clinics, health plans, doctors' offices and other entities if they do not accommodate employees who refuse to participate in care they find objectionable on personal, moral or religious grounds.

"People should not be forced to say or do things they believe are morally wrong," Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "Health-care workers should not be forced to provide services that violate their own conscience."

The proposed regulation, which could go into effect after a 30-day comment period, was welcomed by conservative groups, abortion opponents and others as necessary to safeguard workers from being fired, disciplined or penalized in other ways. Women's health advocates, family planning advocates, abortion rights activists and others, however, condemned the regulation, saying it could create sweeping obstacles to a variety of health services, including abortion, family planning, end-of-life care and possibly a wide range of scientific research.

"It's breathtaking," said Robyn S. Shapiro, a bioethicist and lawyer at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "The impact could be enormous."

This is an excellent ammendment. Employees of medical organisations most certainly should not be forced to perform actions which conflict with their worldview. This is a long-respected principle, and it is high time that it is applied to those working in the medical profession.

Predictably, the feminists are outraged that such a suggestion could be made. Planned Parenthood is trying to raise funds to oppose the regulation change, saying

"We must defeat this new rule in order to ensure access to accurate, comprehensive health care, including birth control and abortion services, for every person who wants and needs it."

However Mike Leavitt stressed that there was nothing in the regulation that would prevent any organization from providing any type of care. "There is nothing in this rule that would in any way change a patient's right to a legal procedure," he said.- Washington Post

Greens Breach Electoral Finance Act... Again

They had the power to stop the Electoral Finance Act from being passed into law.  But the Green Party continued their support for the Government's bill whose intent was to drastically restrict the freedom of individuals and organisations from campaigning for or against a political party in election year.

Sure enough, they broke the law soon after it came into force, with an illegal billboard.

Section 5 of the Act clearly states that an election advertisment is any form of words or graphics or both, that can be regarded as either encouraging voters to vote or not vote for a specific party.

And section 65 of the Act states that an election advertisment must be (a) authorised in writing by the financial agent of the party and (b) contain a statement that sets out the name and address of the promoter of the advertisement.

And now they have broken the law that they made yet again, this time with a campaign website that encourages people to vote for the Green Party.  Strangely enough, the website carries no authorisation statement - a requirement brought in with the bill.  Below is a screenshot of the website www.votegreen.org.nz as at 11:30pm, 25 August 08.

This is absolutely hypocritical and disgusting.  When I launched the Don't Vote Labour website, the Electoral Commission said I had to put my home-address on my website - or else.  But the Green Party have no problem with blithely ignoring the very same piece of legislation that they forced upon me, and which I so vehemently opposed.

---

Update (2pm 26 Aug 08): Vote Green website gets authorisation statement. Just over 12 hours since I exposed the Green's latest breach of their Electoral Finance Act, they now have the following authorisation statement on their website: "Authorised by: Jon Field, 73 Eden Street, Wellington ". Here's Google's cache of the website, showing no authorisation statement.

Is Pain the Definition of Personhood?

Lydia over at most-tranquil.blogspot.com launches into the pro-life blogosphere, critiquing an article (Jan 2008) at the Daily Mail.  An excerpt of the article follows,

"The upper time limit for abortion should be reduced from 24 weeks because foetuses can feel pain before that time, a scientist told MPs last night. Professor Sunny Anand from the University of Arkansas was invited to the Commons to present evidence that the part of the brain which can feel pain develops at around 20 weeks. He said it was very likely that foetuses aborted beyond that stage of pregnancy could feel 'excruciating pain'." - www.dailymail.co.uk

Lydia responds with a heaped spoon-full of reality,

It's amazing that they're even considering changing the law on this, but this article still left me cold. Their argument was that because foetuses feel "excruciating pain" before 24 weeks, the time limit should be dropped to below 20 weeks. They seem to think that once a foetus begins to feel pain, it is human. What a stupid way to define a human being. So now I know that because I feel pain, I am a person. Take away my sense of pain, and I become less than a person, without any right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is their point. They are quite willing to allow abortions to take place, to kill innocent babies, so long as those babies can not feel the murder. - "Can I Live", Most Tranquil blog

I couldn't have said it any better.  Head over to Lydia's blog for the full post.

Abortion Supervisory Committee's Stance Predictable

News that the Abortion Supervisory Committee is not complying with the High Court's judgment comes as no surprise.

"The Abortion Supervisory Committee is blatantly ignoring a High Court judgment that put the Committee on notice for failing to fulfil its statutory duties." - Press Release, Right to Life NZ

When we recall that the Abortion Supervisory Committee members itself are strong believers in abortion.

"The ease with which women can obtain an abortion in New Zealand can be compared to the ease of a mass murderer (eg. an Al Qaeda terrorist) crossing a US border control with only one out of 100 border control operators awake on the job at their individual check points. In fact its easier because all three of the Abortion Supervisory Committee members, who have a statutory duty to oversee 'the border control' (ensure that certifying consultants are complying with the law etc.) are strongly in favour, like Fitzpatrick, of making the mas murder of babies more accessible. One is even a practising baby killer (abortionist) - herself." - Press Release, Society For Promotion of Community Standards

Huh.  A practicing abortionist on the Abortion Supervisory Committee.  That's not right.  What I'd like to see, is the unborn babies represented in the committee.

Bella

I watched Bella last night.  Now I can't understand why I didn't watch it sooner.  It is a beautiful film.

It truly is a love story that goes beyond romance.  It left me speechless and heartened.

It is a film that we all need to see.  It is the story of one day in the life of a young waitress who has discovered that she is pregnant, and her workmate, the caring, quiet and thoughtful chef who spends the day with her.  The acting is superb, the film captivating and the score riveting. I won't tell you anymore - I knew little enough when I began watching, save that it was a "pro-life" film. But I'll leave it up to you to determine what sort of film it is.

Bella trailer

You Didn't Tell Me You Were Married

...my sister Lydia said reproachfully as she handed me the envelope.

This is New Zealand!

Watch the All Blacks perform the Haka.

Timeless Cinematic Moments 12

(at 1:39:11)

Detective Spooner (played by Will Smith) and Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk who you would remember as Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball) shake hands at the end of I, Robot.  This is a must-see film which asks some serious, genuine and relevant questions.  The film deals with Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or the Second Law.

If you haven't seen it yet, I can thoroughly recommend it. A smattering of swearing and blasphemy is a downside, but there are no other negative elemements - here is a trailer for you.

;)

Nice Comeback!

George Bernard Shaw telegrammed Winston Churchill just prior to the opening of Major Barbara: "Have reserved two tickets for first night. Come and bring a friend if you have one."

Churchill wired back, "Impossible to come to first night. Will come to second night, if you have one."

---

I know I've seen this quote before, but I read it again today, on a slide in Steve Hickson's Economics Lecture.

I Don't Die Easy: Abortion Survivor Tells Her Story

Gianna Jessen survived a horrific abortion attempt when she was just seven and a half months old. She has what she refers to as "the gift of cerebal palsy", thanks to the oxygen being cut off from her brain during the abortion process. She is making the most of life as a popular speaker and recording artist. Below is her testimony before the Constitution Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee on April 22, 1996, from the Right to Life NZ website.

My name is Gianna Jessen. I am 19 years of age. I am originally from California, but now reside in Franklin, Tennessee. I am adopted. I have cerebral palsy. My biological mother was 17 years old and seven and one-half months pregnant when she made the decision to have a saline abortion. I am the person she aborted. I lived instead of died.
Fortunately for me the abortionist was not in the clinic when I arrived alive, instead of dead, at 6:00 a.m. on the morning of April 6, 1977. I was early, my death was not expected to be seen until about 9 a.m., when he would probably be arriving for his office hours. I am sure I would not be here today if the abortionist would have been in the clinic as his job is to take life, not sustain it. Some have said I am a "botched abortion", a result of a job not well done.

There were many witnesses to my entry into this world. My biological mother and other young girls in the clinic, who also awaited the death of their babies, were the first to greet me. I am told this was a hysterical moment. Next was a staff nurse who apparently called emergency medical services and had me transferred to a hospital.

I remained in the hospital for almost three months. There was not much hope for me in the beginning. I weighed only two pounds. Today, babies smaller than I was have survived.

A doctor once said I had a great will to live and that I fought for my life. I eventually was able to leave the hospital and be placed in foster care. I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a result of the abortion.

My foster mother was told that it was doubtful that I would ever crawl or walk. I could not sit up independently. Through the prayers and dedication of my foster mother, and later many other people, I eventually learned to sit up, crawl, then stand. I walked with leg braces and a walker shortly before I turned age four. I was legally adopted by my foster mother's daughter, Diana De Paul, a few months after I began to walk. The Department of Social Services would not release me any earlier for adoption.

I have continued in physical therapy for my disability, and after a total of four surgeries, I can now walk without assistance. It is not always easy. Sometimes I fall, but I have learned how to fall gracefully after falling 19 years.

I am happy to be alive. I almost died. Every day I thank God for life. I do not consider myself a by-product of conception, a clump of tissue, or any other of the titles given to a child in the womb. I do not consider any person conceived to be any of those things.

surviver
"As I always say, if abortion is merely about women's rights, then what were mine?" - Gianna Jessen

Obama's Violently Pro-Abortion Stance

Barrack Obama supports partial-birth abortion (the baby is delivered feet-first, and so long as the head is still inside the mother, it is ok to kill the baby). However he is blatantly denying this to the media.

My friend who has done extensive research into Obama mentioned to me that one of the very first things Obama will do if he becomes president is to make abortion in the US completely on demand. Lifesitenews.com reports,

"The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act," Obama said in his July speech to abortion advocates worried about the increase of pro-life legislation at the state level... Besides making abortion on demand a "fundamental right" throughout the United States, FOCA would effectively nullify informed consent laws, waiting periods, health safety regulations for abortion clinics, etc."

Obama is an extremely dangerous man and a hard, hard core communist.
He must be defeated.

I Just Wanna Live

Aborted Baby Fighting for her Life

The Jerusalem Post reports...

"A couple from Kafr Yasif in the Galilee received the shock of their lives Monday when the wife's miscarried 610-gram fetus, which had been declared dead five hours earlier, was found to be breathing.

The baby girl, born during the 23rd week of gestation, still has an uncertain future. Hospital spokesman Ziv Farber said that any premature infant of that weight and age had only a 10 percent chance for survival. But five years ago, he added, "we had a baby weighing only 580 grams, and she survived."

The 26-year-old mother and her husband have a five-year-old son at home. When she gave birth after going into premature labor at the hospital, the doctor on the scene pronounced it dead and it was taken to the morgue. The father, Ali Majdub, told Channel 2 that his wife realized the child was alive after asking to see her dead daughter one last time. "When we unwrapped the baby to see her, she realized it was moving. I began screaming and ran with it toward the doctors," he said. She was then rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit, where doctors are fighting for her life"

And still the pro-abortion camp whines "but it wasn't viable, it had no right to live!". Well, who are you to determine who lives and who dies? Click here for a video showing the growth of an unborn baby.

---

Update (20 Aug 08, 11am): Baby who 'came back to life' dies - after six hours in the hospital cooler!  Video here.

20 Gigs of Youtube

Heheheh, I thought I'd check out how much of Youtube's bandwidth had been used up by people watching my videos.  Turns out it was close to 21 gigabytes.  I know, some users on Youtube must have terabytes of bandwidth to their name, but even so...  my first PC had a 1 gigabyte hard drive which gave me a great sense of pride.  A few more statistics: I've watched 773 videos (could be double this, as I'm not always logged in) and had a total of 3,671 views on all my videos.  Youtube is really great, and this is the best video ever.

YouTube downloader is a great program for downloading videos.  (It's a two-step process, first you download the .flv (flash video) file, and second, you use the program to convert the .flv to a format such as .wmv (Windows Media Video).  Also, just a link to the best little video player in the World, VLC Player.  It will play DVDs, most video, mp3s, .flvs, etc.  Both programs are free of course.

Weekly Joke

There's some brainless people around...

While looking at a house, my brother asked the estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, 'Does the sun rise in the north?' When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, 'Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff.'

"They Walk Among us!"

My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the beach. She drove down in a convertible, but 'didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving'.

"They Walk Among us!"

I told the girl at the steakhouse register that I wanted the half kilogram sirloin. She informed me they only had an 500g sirloin. Not wanting to make a scene, I told her I would take the 500g steak instead of the half kilogram.

"They Walk Among us!"

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it's designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped She keeps it in the boot...

"They Walk Among us!"

My friends and I were on a Lager run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount....

"They Walk Among us!"

Kitten

Came across this friendly little kitten on the way home from the shops on Saturday.  He was a bit aloof, but very cute.  Showed the pictures to my sis and she immediately started discussing the possibility of getting a kitten.

Speaking of kittens, I was checking out what the animal-rights people had to say about the trade in cat and dog meat.  I don't have any problem with people eating cats and dogs, but I was really disgusted by some of the pictures of the conditions that the poor creatures live in.  Or the way they are treated.  In some cases, a dog will be beaten to death with a metal pole, so that the meat is fresh and supposedly, more tasty.  That is utterly repulsive and wrong.

Inconvenient

Congratulations Caroline and Georgina!!!

New Zealand Twin sisters Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell take the gold medal for the Women's double scull in an amazing victory at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

Go Team New Zealand!

Romeo and Juliet

I went to see the New Zealand Royal Ballet's performance of Romeo and Juliet today.  Originally written, as you all know, as a play by that stalwart of the English language, William Shakespeare, the story was written as a ballet which was first performed in 1930.

The world’s most famous love story returns to the stage. Christopher Hampson’s exquisite ballet version of Romeo and Juliet was first performed by the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2003 and, following a hugely successful UK tour, was nominated for a Laurence Oliver Award for Best Production in 2005. - Royal NZ Ballet website

I was surprised to find that the role of Juliet was played by Yu Takayama who was originally from Japan. She really portrayed the iconic Juliet very well.  Looking at the casting arrangements on the RNZB website, I found that as the ballet toured throughout New Zealand, the parts of Romeo and Juliet were performed by a host of different ballerinas and danseurs.

The dance scene at the beginning of the movie was truly breath-taking.

The Ballet was staged at the magnificent Isaac Theatre Royal in the center of town.  We had seats in the top gallery; a fair way from the stage, but a good vantage point.  It was not until after the ballet had got underway that I realised that "they don't talk or sing in ballet".  I think it would have been better if they had have done.  It would have added to the atmosphere and helped explain the story.  However, it does leave it open to the audience to try and feel what the character is thinking or saying.  The costumes were really nice and the ingenious way that the set was changed from scene to scene was an eye-opener.  I sucked in my breath and let out an almost inaudible "YES" from between my lips, as Romeo slits the throat of Juliet's evil brother.  The fight scenes were captivating, all beatifully choreographed, and acted out perfectly.

A 30 second preview of the Ballet.

As the ballet wound up to it's horrific climax, I was close to tears.  Gimme a break... "for never was a tale of so much woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

Just What NZ Didn't Need

...Yet another Christian/family values party. In February 2007, Taito Phillip Fields was expelled from the Labour Party after allegations of fraud. He re-entered Parliament as an independent MP. And now, tonight, in Auckland and with 37 criminal charges to his name, he has launched his long-promised party "The Pacific Party".

I'm sorry, but Taito is a fool. I have heard from a friend of Tatio's that he is squeeky clean, and that the charges are groundless. I'm not so sure. Leaving aside the possibility that Mr. Phillip Field is a criminal, he is acting in a way which many would view as immature. Another Christian/Family values party, The Family Party, has been campaigning very hard in the Mangare electorate. It is one thing for two Christian/Family values parties to essentially compete against each other in a general election. However, it is another thing entirely for them to compete for the same electorate!

We already have The Kiwi Party, formed seemingly on the spur of the moment, on the back of the Anti-Smacking bill, and with an MP leaving another political party, turning independent, and then being declared co-leader of this new party. This party claims to hold to Judeo/Christian values, however one of it's core policies is raising the minimum wage to $15. They reckon that they can take Tauranga, but this is highly unlikely, and I will write about this soon. Three Christian/Family values parties, all campaigning for what is essentially the same vote. Tragic.

Taito, we don't want your party. Get on a boat and go back to Samoa.

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Related reading: TVNZ, Field Launching 'Pacific Party'

Weekly Joke

A little guy is sitting at the bar just staring at his drink for half an hour when this big trouble-making biker steps next to him, grabs his drink and gulps it down in one swig. The poor little guy starts crying.
"Come on man. I was just giving you a hard time," the biker says. "I can't stand to see a man crying."
"This is the worst day of my life," says the little guy between sobs. "I can't do anything right. I overslept and was late to an important meeting, so my boss fired me. When I went to the parking lot, I found my car was stolen and I don't have any insurance. I grabbed a cab home but, after the cab left, I discovered my wallet was still in the cab. At home, my dog bit me. So I came to this bar trying to work up the courage to put an end to my life, and then you show up and drink the poison!"

Pro-Life is Cool

Pro-life is cool, because it is about standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves.  Oskar Schindler was pro-life.  In the film Schindler's List (1993), we see a man standing against the tide of hatred and murder of the Jews in Germany.  "Oh, but that was back then... that doesn't happen now".  Wrong.  Approximately 46,000,000 babies die from abortion every year around the World.  Any natural disaster or war pales into petty insignificance when we consider that statistic.  (cough), and what are we doing about it?  Let's be Oskar Schindlers, and get the word out there that babies are to be loved, not to be killed because they're inconvenient.

Click below to hear the heartbeat of a baby six and a half weeks after conception...


A selection of pro-life quotes...

"Today the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion." - Mother Theresa

"The belief that autonomy is such a high value that it trumps the sanctity of human life is one of the foundational lies that is destroying our culture our country and our world." - Right to Life New Zealand

"We acknowledge, therefore, that life begins with conception,because we contend that the soul begins at conception. Life begins when the soul begins." - Tertullian (3rd century)

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
- William Blake

More quotes here

Below is a music video by Nick Cannon, entitled Can I Live. It is amazing.

This post is dedicated to the 50 unborn New Zealanders who were murdered today. :(

China Cheating?

China is currently leading the world with 22 gold medals and a total of 35 medal. But are they cheating?...

First it was the fireworks. One billion people around the world sat back in their armchairs, oohing and ahhing at the pretty impressive fireworks display. It wasn't until about a week later that we found out that part of the display had been computer generated.

And then it was the little girl singing the Chinese Olympic Games anthem, a patriotic song entitled v "Hymn to the Motherland" - it wasn't actually her singing it, as The Telegraph sums up,

"Chinese officials have admitted deceiving the public over another highlight of the Olympic opening ceremony: the picture-perfect schoolgirl who sang as the Chinese flag entered the stadium was performing to another girl's voice."

Apparently, the show's musical director Mr. Chen decided that Yang Peiyi was too ugly, with her "buck-teeth" being one reason given for why, at the last minute Lin Miaoke (the girl in the red dress) was chosen to lip-sync the pre-recorded song. "She was not cute enough" said Mr. Chen. Rick draws an interesting parallel here.

And now, speculation is growing over allegations that some of China's athletes are underage. The age-restriction for competiting in the Olympic games has been set at 16yrs in an attempt to cut back on the high numbers of children who had been suffering from extreme training schedules that would eventuate in them being crippled or disabled. However trainers recognise that the younger gymnasts are more flexible, and have a higher strength:body-weight ratio. Check out this video which seems to present some strong evidence that several of China's gymnastic team are indeed underage. A forensic scientist who is interviewed in the video suggests that some of the athletes may even be as young as 10 years old.

Are these girls really 16?

Gateway Pundit has some screenshots on his blog, evidence that China has been removing references to it's athletes ages, and changing them to 16yrs.

These few examples just seem to exemplify China's culture of deceit.

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Hat tip: Half Done
Update (15/08/08 11pm): Children dressed in traditional Chinese costumes representing the 56 ethnic groups in China exposed as fakes: they were all of the Han Chinese ethnicity.
Related post: Chinese Govt. closes down churches for duration of Olympic Games.

The Squirrel and the Grasshopper

Found a copy of the Squirrel and the Grasshopper fable updated for today's political scene over at www.yobbo.co.nz.  I've improved on it, and here it is below...

Rest of the world version:

The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building and improving his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the Summer away. Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed. The shivering grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

---

The New Zealand version:

The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. He works long hours in his small business, paying 39% tax on top of increasing costs from pointless red-tape introduced to increase Government spending.  Even after all this, he manages to donate regularly to the charity of his choice.  The grasshopper thinks he's a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the squirrel is warm and well fed. A social worker finds the shivering grasshopper, calls a press conference and demands to know why the squirrel should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others less fortunate, like the grasshopper, are cold and starving. Then One News shows up to provide live coverage of the shivering grasshopper; with cuts to a video of the squirrel in his comfortable warm home with a table laden with food. The New Zealand papers inform people that they should be ashamed that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so while others have plenty.

The Labour Party, Green Party, P.E.T.A. and The Grasshopper Council of New Zealand demonstrate in front of the squirrel's house. One News, interrupting a cultural festival special from Ponsonby with breaking news, broadcasts a multi-cultural choir singing "We Shall Overcome". Michael Cullen rants in an interview with Mark Sainsbury that the squirrel has gotten rich off the backs of grasshoppers, and calls for an immediate increase of the top tax bracket, taking it up to 45% so that citizens such as the squirrel will have to pay their "fair share" and also increases the charge for squirrels to enter Auckland city centre. In response to pressure from the media, the Government drafts the Economic Equity and Grasshopper Anti Discrimination Act, retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The squirrel's taxes are reassessed. He is taken to court and fined for failing to hire grasshoppers as builders, for the work he was doing on his home and an additional fine for contempt when he told the court the grasshopper did not want to work.

The grasshopper is provided with a council house, financial aid to furnish it and an account with a local taxi firm to ensure he can be socially mobile. The squirrel's food is seized and re distributed to the more needy members of society, in this case the grasshopper. Without enough money to buy more food, to pay the fine and his newly imposed retroactive taxes, the squirrel has to downsize and start building a new home. The local authority takes over his old home and utilises it as a temporary home for asylum seeking cats who had hijacked a plane to get to New Zealand as they had to share their country of origin with mice. On arrival they tried to blow up the airport because of New Zealands apparent love of dogs. The cats had been arrested for the international offence of hijacking and attempted bombing but were immediately released because the judge deemed that it was unacceptable that the cats had been exposed to advert featuring a puppy on the wall of the interrogation office.

Initial moves to then return them to their own country were abandoned because it was feared they would face death by the mice. The cats devise and start a scam to obtain money from peoples credit cards. A 60 Minutes special shows the grasshopper finishing up the last of the squirrel's food, though Spring is still months away, while the council house he is in, crumbles around him because he hasn't bothered to maintain the house. He is shown to be taking drugs. Inadequate government funding is blamed for the grasshopper's drug "Illness".

The Government immediately launches an Nationwide anti-drugs campaign, "cool grasshoppers don't do drugs", which consists of a website, adverts on thousands of bus-stops throughout New Zealand, as well as a countless number of little pamphlets.  The campaign is budgeted at $40,000,000 and is dropped shortly afterwards, due to a perceived lack of value.  The Government introduces a steep increase on road-user-charges for Diesel vehicles to try and raise funds, but claim that the increase is necessary to maintain roads throughout the country.  Grasshopper truck-drivers are granted an exemption from the tax due to their unique relationship with Mother Earth.

The cats seek recompense in the New Zealand courts for their treatment since arrival in New Zealand. The grasshopper gets arrested for stabbing an old dog during a resthome-burglary to get money for his drugs habit. He is imprisoned but released immediately because he has been in custody for a few weeks. He is placed in the care of the probation service to monitor and supervise him. Within a few weeks he has killed a guinea pig in a botched robbery. A commission of enquiry, that will eventually cost $10,000,000 and state the obvious, is set up. Additional money is put into funding a drug rehabilitation scheme for grasshoppers and legal aid for lawyers representing asylum seekers is increased. The asylum seeking cats are praised by the government for enriching New Zealand's multicultural diversity and dogs are criticised by the government for failing to befriend the cats.

The grasshopper dies of a drug overdose. The usual sections of the press blame it on the obvious failure of government to address the root causes of despair arising from social inequity and his traumatic experience of prison. The Government reacts by imposing a ban on party-pills, claiming that they were the cause for the Grasshopper getting into harder drugs.  They call for the resignation of a minister. The cats are paid a million dollars each because their rights were infringed when the government failed to inform them there were mice in New Zealand.

The squirrel, the dogs and the victims of the hijacking, the bombing, the burglaries and robberies have to pay an additional percentage on their credit cards to cover losses, their taxes are increased to pay for law and order and they are told that they will have to work beyond 65 because of a shortfall in government funds.

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And Whaleoil has done another variation here.

Yeah Right

The Christian Union at the University of Canterbury is running a daily newspaper entitled "The Daily Prophet" for one week. I picked up today's edition and was amused (perhaps disproportionately) by the Weather Forecast down the bottom of the front page, so I have reproduced it here for your enjoyment...

click to enlarge

Clark Involved in Mountaineering Accident

"The Prime Minister and her husband have been involved in a mountaineering incident." - 3 News

"The deceased man is Gott-lieb Braun-Elwert, a well known mountaineer in the Southern Alps area. He was with Clark, who has been tramping in the area since Wednesday. It's thought he died of a heart attack." - TV One

"Clark herself took part in resuscitation efforts it seems. Good on her." - Kiwiblog

"Reports have it that Clark herself tried to resucitate the victim. ********! If she tried to resusitate me I’d want to die." - Whaleoil

Gottlieb was a former nuclear physicist, and a qualified mountain and ski guide, with 46 years of mountaineering and 36 years of professional guiding experience.- www.alpinerecreation.com

I am very sad to hear of Gottlieb's death, however I find it strange that Helen Clark should attempt to resuscitate this man - and yet have no problem with the fact that 50 young New Zealanders died from abortion today.

Chinese Govt. Bans Churches for Three Months

To the left is a copy of the letter delivered to Beijing Churches by the Chinese Government. Click here for a translation of the letter into English. The letter essentially demands that all churches in China be shut down for three months (July 15 - October 15). The letter further goes on to state that Chinese churches are prohibited from accepting help from visiting Christians such as donations or preaching. The China Aid Association has reported on this traversty of freedom in this article, and below is an excerpt,

"Beijing- CAA has discovered that a number of Chinese House Church Pastors were forced to sign a written agreement that they would not participate in religious services while the Olympic Games are taking place in China. The document, drafted by Chinese Govnerment Officials, specifies that the House Churches in China

“…refrain from organizing and joining illegal gatherings and refrain from receiving donations, sermons and preaching from overseas religious organizations and groups that have a purpose.”

The document also prohibits the churches from gathering in their communities for more than 3 months while the Olympics are taking place. Should church members violate these rules they will be subject to the disciplinary actions of the Chinese Government."
Click here for full article

Hah! So much for the "Chinese Dream" which we were presented with at the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, broadcast to 1 billion (15% of the World's population) on TV a week ago. This is the true China.

Hat tip: Doug's blog

Looks Like They've Found the Bigfoot

Hunters Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton have called a press conference for Friday 15 August at 12 noon at a Palo Alto hotel, California. (Saturday 16 August 7:00am NZ Time).  At this press conference, the DNA results of what is being claimed as a probable new species of primate will be released.  A few hours ago, Fox News did an interview with Bigfoot Hunter Tom Biscardi, and the Youtube video is here.

Bigfoot (or Sasquatch) in a freezer?

There is a lot of speculation, with some saying that this is nothing more than an ape costume with some deer-guts thrown in.  One of the many commentors at the article on www.cryptomundo.com said,

"This would be my first ever post to this site. I’m a long time fan of Loren, have donated to the museum, and have been a believer of the “idea” of Bigfoot since talking with my uncle that lives in the Pacific NW and has spoken of encounters with people that have seen things in the mountains out there. I’ve got a BS in Wildlife Biology and work in a field that gives me some background in investigations. I’ve seen lots of dead “critters” in my profession, and I must say, this looks like a fake. To me, it looks like a bison (buffalo) robe with a manufactured “monkey” mask. I hope I’m wrong, but my guts (not like those dumped on the robe) tells me this will leave us flat."

But Bigfoot expert Loren Coleman says,

"The body doesn’t look exactly like people thought it would, because the Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot has been the model in our minds. However, this looks as if it is an actual apelike primate. Indeed, the gorilla-like facial features, the robust lack of canines, and the grinding surfaces shown in the teeth suggest a bulky vegetarian with a mixture of higher primate characteristics...

...Every alternative must be explored, including comparing it to known costumes. Could it be an elaborate hoax? More physical examinations of the body must take place."

"Currently, Tom Biscardi and his Searching for Bigfoot Team, in conjunction with Bigfoot Global LLC., are preparing to capture another of these creatures alive. That expedition will start very soon. The dates and the locations are being kept confidential." - www.searchingforbigfoot.com

I really hope that this latest bigfoot claim is not a hoax.

Californian Home-Educators Take the Day

Early this year, home-educators in California came under serious attack from the state. However an appeals court in California has ruled that state law does permit homeschooling "as a species of private school education".

In a 3-0 decision the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District reversed its earlier ruling which would have required homeschoolers to be certified teachers in order to homeschool in California.
- HSLDA

Below is an excerpt from the ruling of the three-judge panel,

We will conclude that: (1) California statutes permit home schooling as a species of private school education; and (2) the statutory permission to home school may constitutionally be overridden in order to protect the safety of a child who has been declared dependent. [FN1: We use the terms “home school” and “home schooling” to refer to full-time education in the home by a parent or guardian who does not necessarily possess a teaching credential.]
- HSLDA

One of the attorneys who had argued the case, Chairman of the (US) Home School Legal Defense Association, Michael Farris commented,

"This is a great victory for homeschool freedom. I have never seen such an impressive array of people and organizations coming to the defense of homeschooling. Tens of thousands of California parents teaching over 166,000 homeschooled children are now breathing easier."
- WND

Congratulations to the good families of California who stood shoulder to shoulder against the tide of government oppression. Thanks to the HSLDA for their continued defence of the rights of home-educators in the US.

The Old Timer

Hammered this short story into the laptop back on the evening of the 11th of April I think, after a flight to Auckland.  Mum and I had flown up for Uncle Robbie's 70th, and we were staying at my mate's family's place.  This isn't much of a story, but I think it's fairly interesting.  Better by far (if you ask me), is the story I wrote about a young family in the departure lounge in Christchurch who were waiting for the same flight we were.  Anyway, here's the story - forgive me, I never finished it.

---

8B, there it was, my seat, in between two non-diminutive elderly ladies. Equally non-diminutive and ageing were two men sitting either side of seat 9B, the seat allocated on Mum's ticket. By instinct as it were, diverse and complicated calculations in my head, I pointed out to Mum her new seat, 8B. The gentleman in the aisle seat of row nine on the left side of the plane looked like a good keen man. I made eye-contact and gestured towards the middle seat. Almost disbelievingly, he asked “are you sitting here?”. Yeah, might be good. For some unknown reason my fellow-traveler couldn't quite comprehend the situation. I handed him the laptop with the biography of Lord Nelson sitting on it, and asked him to put it on the seat.

I turned and made use of the empty over-head baggage rack on the other side of the plane. Surprisingly, I had no trouble fitting the two oversized pieces of hand-luggage into the compartment, and momentarily raised my hand to close the compartment door but remembering that, no, the guys do that.

“How's it going?” I turned to the man sitting beside me, in the aisle seat. Heavily built and about 5'8”, the top two buttons of his red Swandri shirt were undone, “Big day... we hit the turps pretty hard last night”...

Poor Students

Bike stands outside the Arts Lecture block, University of Canterbury. It looks as if some hard-up student has parked their trolley and headed in for a lecture. I mean heck, it would be ok... but it might be a pretty bumpy ride.

Cooking with Andy 2

Apple and Honey Sandwiches

Today on Cooking with Andy, we are honoured to have the assistance of Lydia, world-famous in New Zealand for her creations from the kitchen. Bringing with her a contraband recipie from war-torn Scandinavia, Lydia is going to show us the correct way to make an apple and honey sandwich.

Ingredients
A pat of butter
4 slices of bread
1 apple (Braeburn's a good move)
honey

Instructions
Cut up your butter into small pieces, pop it in a breakfast bowl, and then pour on some water which is just about lukewarm. You'll probably get it right after a few goes. Too warm and the butter melts and mixes with the water; too cold, and the butter doesn't soften.

While the butter softens, cut your apple into slices.

Lay the slices of apple on two of your pieces of bread, and butter the other two with your nicely softened butter. Spread some honey on the bread - but only if your younger sister insists.

Then you can cut them up, and she's all good to go!

Perfect for a midnight snack for when you're up late watching some Olympic Games. Yawn, like I did on Sunday morning, stayed up til about 2am, watching an awfully boring game of women's football between New Zealand and Norway. We lost, one nil. Those of you who know me will not be too surprised when I say that I am not a huge follower of any sports, let alone women's football. Neither of the teams played very well, but in all honesty, New Zealand did not deserve to win the game, we played so poorly, letting so many beautiful opportunities whiz over our heads... literally.

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Update (12 August 08):
- A couple of people mentioned to me that I'd forgotten to mention how the honey should be used. Have sorted this out.
- And, just for the record, those are not my hands.

Polygamy Next up on Labour's Agenda

The maiden issue of Ian Wishart's compelling new weekly newspaper, TGIF (Thank God it's Friday) launches with a killer of a expose on the deceit, and the dark agenda of the Labour Party.  Family First has the article on their website (click here to read it).  Seriously, read it.

I'm not surprised in the least by revelations of Labour's agenda to legalise polygamy and "so on" as Ruth Dyson so vaguely puts it.  If adultery is all ok, if homosexual relationships are to be officially recognised under the law, why should it come as any surprise to us that now they want to legalise polygamy?  Bob McCoskrie of Family First responded “I don’t think it’s surprising, the argument for civil unions was all about taking down boundaries."

Dyson made the comments in a speech given to Victoria University students back in May, but at the time the media did not pick up on her dangerous and revelutionary propositions.  Laughable, is the despicable response of Ruth Dyson's spokesman Rob McCann who denied the existence of her speech after hurriedly deleting it from off the Beehive website.  "Unfortunately for your story", he responded to Ian's request for more information on the speech, "that was not the speech the minister delivered".  Of course, Rob was not reckoning for Google's amazing Cache.  You can view the cached page by clicking here.

It just sickens me to think of the pack of low down, lying beurocrats up in Wellington.  For the most part, they are nothing more than a parasite on the wallets of hard-working Kiwis.  They are using our money for their dark and immoral agenda.

Click here to download a complimentary copy of the first issue of TGIF.

Black Sticks Defeat Korea

Watched my first game of Hockey tonight, the Kiwi men's team (the Black Sticks) vs. the Korean team. It was nail-biting stuff during the first half of the game, with Korea leading 1-0, courtesy of a penalty corner early in the game. Thankfully a friend told me a few things about the game in general, and some rules, so I wasn't completely ignorant to what was happening.

In the second half, 28 year old Hayden Shaw pulled off a hatrick, leaving the Koreans mourning after a 3-1 defeat dealt to them by the team from down under. As far as I know, this game was heat 4, a qualifying match for the semi-finals. Go the Blacksticks!

Huh, check this out, they were playing a game pretty similar to hockey 4,000 odd years ago in Egypt. Click here for some more ancient pictures of (naked) guys playing versions of games that we still play today.

Straight Lines

Walking through Cashel Mall the other day, when I saw that some creative person had been busy...

Makes me think of a favourite song, "Straight Lines" by Silver chair.

Chef of the Month Relaunches

It's been far too long, but Lydie and I have finally relaunched the GBC Chef of the Month website as a blog. The last update was April 2006, so it's more than two years since we've run the fun competition. Lydie will take over the role of editor... so it should be great!  Add the blog to your blog reader and watch out for the first week of each month when we have our shared lunch at Church.

Bon Appétit!

Canterbury Countryside

The Buckland family has a cool blog which I check out from time to time.  Today when I had a look, I was blown away by some exhilarating photos of the Waikari countryside.  Here's one photo...

"The theory of evolution has suddenly became more theoretical"

Click here to view the rest of the photos, which are just as amazing, or better!

Timeless Cinematic Moments 11

"Dodge this."
(at 1:41:08)

Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) comes to the aid of Neo (Keanu Reeves) in the Matrix (1999).  This cult film also enlists the acting talent of Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving who you'll remember as Elrond from Lord of the Rings.  I think each time you watch this movie you notice something new, or understand a concept that you didn't quite grasp the last time you watched it.  I recommend this film, the first in the trilogy - but don't bother with the Matrix Reloaded or Matrix Revolutions.  Click here for the infamous Lobby Scene on Youtube.

Snow 2

Took some photos when it snowed back in early July, put them here.

As I wrote earlier, I bunked down at Rick's place last night.  Woke up this morning and he told me to look out the window.

We walked down the road to Hagley Park to get some photos. Rick's blogged a few of them here. He reckons I was cold... huh, whatever ;)

Opening Ceremony

Crashed Rick's headquarters last night for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Bejing Olympic Games. I brought a couple of packs of Grainwaves (the best), and plenty of Coke to keep us awake.

We were watching the proceedings on Rick's Commodore Amiga monitor which did the job.

The displays put on by the Olympic hosts were bizzare to say the least, yet still astounding in their execution. You find yourself staring at the screen wondering what 4 colourfully attired puppets have to do with the huge square pattern of a thousand or so dancers. The dancers with paint-brushes attached to their hands were incredibly agile and managed to draw a fairly decent picture on the huge scroll which appeared to be center stage for most of the preliminary events of the ceremony.

TV One Olympics commentator Keith Quinn entertained us with a number of amusing reflections on the ceremony. Refering to a parade of traditionally-dressed Chinese marchers he commented "They are representing the provinces which they represent". And a bit later on, "The silk-road was instrumental in allowing China to trade with... other countries". Give the guy a break though, I suppose he's not really into this stuff, his specialty is sport, and he had a few interesting statistics and comments to make about the teams as they came out into the Birds Nest Stadium.

We were treated to some pretty fantastic fireworks, and many other displays of China's power. I can only wonder at how they pulled off some of the spectacles. The girls flying about over the stage, suspended by wires. The guys running around the large globe which rose out of the floor of the stage, with Sarah Brightman and Liu Huan singing "You and Me", standing on top. Actually the synchronised boxes which rose up and down was pretty impressive too. As I commented to Rick, "The Chinese seem to like a lot of people doing the same thing at the same time." The Chinese National Anthem definitely had that Communist ring to it, and brought to mind the National Anthem of the USSR (a favourite - even if it's translation into English does send a shiver up your spine).

204 Countries! We turned the box off at about number 90, and had half an hour of sleep. 2:30am we woke up again and blimey, if they weren't still churning them out. We watched for a bit longer and then fell asleep again. We are die-hard Olympics fans... New Zealand apparently walked out onto the track immediately before China's team - which was last up, as is the tradition at the Olympic Games. I will steer clear of the political/ethical aspect of the Bejing Olympic Games for now, apart from quoting a Chinese person who said to me the other day "I will kill you if you disagree with the Bejing Olympics". Anyway, hope to blog on this interesting subject shortly. Till then,

Go New Zealand!