Reserve Bank stiffs increased user fees to rural users

direct charges will probably be significantly higher at ATMs in regional areas than metropolitan areas

The ultimate in tact and diplomacy. Whilst rural Australia is being razed, the RBA implements increased ATM fees for rural users.

(mis)Quote of the day

Frog has a post over at Tree Hugger Central with this PC gem.

There can be no doubt that the Treaty is the founding document of our nation and that the day of its signing should hold a special place on our calendars.

Sam Buchanan replies.

Come off it, Frog! How can a treaty that gurantees tino rangatiratanga and Maori possession of their lands be the founding document of a nation built on British systems and British law, and which operates in the English language? The New Zealand state ignored, wrote off and re-wrote the Treaty and never gave it any legal standing.

If you really want a statement to found “our nation” on, you might dig around the days after the invasion of the Waikato - I’m sure some colonist said “We’re in charge now and that’s that” or words to that effect.

Couldn't agree more or put it any better.

Australian Hell: 108 and likely to rise

Smoke visible from space

Bushfire smoke visible from a NASA shot. This fire appears to be in the Healesville-Marysville area.

Fantastic red sunset

Pics taken a few minutes ago looking south towards Woodville from 40S. Fantastic reds, not given justice by camera, caused by smoke from the fatal Australian bush-fires.

Complete with neighbour's nosy stock.

Our thoughts are with those families who have lost loved ones in these fires. We spent many a weekend whilst resident in Melbourne a decade or so ago in the very beautiful country and bush areas transiting through places like Healesville and Myrtleford. We used to drive to these areas on a Saturday, have a squiz at local attractions, stay overnight and then drive back to the rat race late on Sunday.

Corrections staff on the take

today's Sunday News reports Dixon lived the high life behind bars, with "unfettered" access to Class A drugs and other illegal contraband.

The newspaper also reports that Dixon had sex in prison with a female friend who posed as a registered psychologist to gain entry to his cell in 2003.

And how else would any sane person explain such unfettered access? High time Corrections was exposed to a detailed inquisition, starting with management.

Ms Epiphany Throbbe tumescent with promise

Nothing much in the papers this morning on this our supposed National Day. Very quiet so far. The movers and shakers must be getting long in the tooth or very happy they are directly hooked into the motherlode of funding as National sells what is left of its soul.

For the past 30 plus years it has been a day of protest where the multitudes have been held to ransom by a few activists with their hands out for a piece of the action. Always accompanied by much in your face action and waving of flagpoles.

Jim Hopkins has the only piece worth reading on the topic.

at least this year we don't seem quite so hellbent on turning Waitangi Day into an orgy of angst and anger

Except for a couple of stirrers whose message was unknown as they manhandled our John Boy. Lost in translation - had they actually delivered it in the main language of this country some more might have understood.

Thy Treaty bought a nation for
Three blankets and a shirt

Scattered outbreaks of harmony are things to celebrate, not undermine. The nation's new mood is too precious, and fragile, to threaten.

Ms Epiphany may be rightly so as hard as a rampant flagpole.

Corrections: 'Stuffed up'

So says the lawyer as his cash cow ended his tortured life this morning apparently from self-inflicted injuries hours away from sentencing.

I suspect many will be thinking this is the only bit of good news that ever came from Corrections of late.

Telecom extends monopoly on poor service

In other areas, where specific, technical knowledge was particularly important, offshore staff have delivered strong results for the New Zealand customers they dealt with.

Strong results? Would that be something like your customers voting with their feet after trying to understand an overseas technician from the sub-continent or the depths of a Manila slum?

One of these days companies might wake up and support New Zealand jobs.

Pssst! Wanna cheap laptop?

A hot laptop for $20 bucks? Probably runs on curry.

Dealing with adversity

The likelihood of you surviving, you know, decreases absolutely amazingly by factors exponentially if you panic

Stuff that for a lark. Why people jump out of airplanes, I will never understand.

Eco-dinosaur finally defeated: WAAG wins

Finally Liarbour's ex Pres Bob Harvey has admitted defeat on his grandiose social engineering scheme. The grand plan was to strip mine ratepayers wallets and build Orklund's newest slum on the possibly soon to vacated Whenuapai airport land. Defence will not be vacating so Mare Bob's socialism on a a grand scale will not now occur.

Dr Wayne Mapp MP stiffs it to the thieves at Waitakere Council.

I confirmed to them that the Government will be retaining Whenuapai as an RNZAF base. Cabinet will in the near future be considering measures needed to ensure efficient operations. After years of neglect, important remedial work particularly on the runway will be undertaken.

I wonder how much that useless exercise has cost me in rates over 10 years? WAAG must be really happy with this outcome.

Ordinary people

...dedicated to all people in the Armed Forces.


Ordinary people doing an extraordinary job.

Have just finished watching the excellent TVNZ programme Ross Kemp in Afghanistan.

Nice see a down to earth doco on the military in action that does not concentrate on the orificers.

Well done.

Intoxicated in public

While Mr Plod and CYFS in NZ fails to retain control of pissed pregnant 14 year old driver, Wyoming has problems of its own with a headless horseman on a white nag in whiteout conditions.

Vodafone ditches hated paper bill charge

"Our customers have told us they quite like the idea of online billing but they hate, hate, HATE the idea of being charged to receive a paper bill," wrote Vodafone external communications manager Paul Brislen in a statement.

How about removing the same $1.50 gouging charge for a paper invoice from your recently acquired subsidary ISlug that has been in effect for about 2 years?

It is still most definitely hated and the reason why ISlug now gets a manual cheque mailed each month from me rather than the previously longstanding credit-card arrangements. Two can play your silly game.