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.