Now for some good news

Key said there was "not necessarily a high level of understanding" about the sales programme among the public

The Government has exercised its mandate and passed the asset sales legislation.

Excellent news!

It must suck to be greenies seen to be wasting taxpayer monies on a referendum that didn't even get to see the light of day. As for the other time wasters on the left looking for traction. On anything...

Deny, Deny, Deny.

The New Zealand Rugby Union said it was unaware that an U20 player was being investigated by Cape Town police after the alleged rape of a woman.

Whilst the cock crows, the usual stance is adopted. Deny everything. If that's to be believed, then it's been a bloody long weekend, since the SA Police have already done the forensics.

Next will be the whitewash - "He was showing such promise as a team player". Situation normal with our Thugs on Tour.

suggesting women raped by sports stars may be partly to blame - Andy Haden

With all the recent news of routing questionable cultures at the ACC, if ever there was a need for a change of culture, the NZRFU displayed it in spades yesterday.

Send them a bill ASAP

Greenpeace and an East Coast iwi could face a hefty legal bill after their application for a judicial review into the awarding of major oil exploration permits was rejected

A humungous bill would show the nutters their place in the Realm of New Zealand. And while you're at it, send one to that lawless Lawless, on top of locking her up.

Drill it, mine it, sell it!

Dannevirke to get funding for Viking statue?

All the permissions are in place, but funding I believe is still an issue. And the project seems to have lost momentum for funding.

Now that Tauranga gets $150K for a 'monster' dog statue courtesy of the taxpayer, I think it only fair that a rampant Viking is similarly funded, putting Dannevegas firmly on the tourist map. A precedent has been set and the thought of Prince Billy doing the big reveal with Kate would give sense of occasion.

As long has been the case, detractors of the 'pagan' statue, fundy god-botherers and descendants of stone-age pagans alike, will no doubt have their vitriolic input.

How about making the funding happen Minister of Economic Development? After all it is a community project.

Overstating the case: "Teachers know best"

do not want the funding provided by the decile system to be abandoned.

But they say the "stigma" created by publishing decile rankings should be eliminated.

The first is the instinct to keep information out of the public eye.

Typical of entrenched public servants. Justify the need for extra dosh by hiding results.

the unflattering light in which they often cast parents.

Parents are deemed unable to distinguish between schools that provide an education that will give their children the opportunity to gain the best-possible qualification and those that are not providing the best for their pupils.

Teachers talking up their case protecting their entrenched jobs for life for under performers. Unfortunately as we parents and grandparents know, the actual results show otherwise, as we daily see the results of illiteracy.

The sooner the raw data on National Standards is made available and league tables are privately published without Ministry or teacher spin, then parents will be able to distinguish between the real performers and non-performers.

Herald editorial

Taking the initiative

if he wants to keep having a bad relationship with the education sector he's going the right way about it

At last, Key is leading from the front. Attack is the best form of defence. Particularly with recalcitrant unions. Four years late.

the government's picking another fight with the education sector when it comes to having league tables outlining schools' performance on national standards

Although teacher unions are always fair game for winding up, league tables are long overdue and a mere sideshow to the main course. Decile ratings go part of the way, but do not expose the below par teachers that infest the low rated schools.

Remind me when the first asset for partial sale goes on the auctioneers block?

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn"

driving me into the arms of Winston, like Gone with the Wind

Implied meaning of the day. In the 'Never say never' world of the beltway, words that will surely come back to bite.

Stuff uses American spell checker

'glamorised'

Racing to the bottom in the sub-editor stakes, obviously missing in at least one of the 3-R's, Stuff confirms usage of an American spell checker.

Newspapers used to set literary standards in the Queen's English, but sadly not these days.

Winston Peters has interests of New Zealanders at heart

"An immigrant can arrive here at the age of 55, pay no direct tax for 10 years and receive full New Zealand super at 65", Mr Peters said.

"A young couple from China, where there is a limit on family size can bring in four elderly parents who don't have to work here in the 10 years before they turn 65, yet they will all receive full New Zealand super."

"New Zealand First is looking very closely at the situation. We believe the welfare of New Zealanders comes first."

Desperate for media attention via a xenophobic dog whistle, Winston is after all a nice man at heart. He says 'the welfare of New Zealanders come first' and that his party is looking closely at the entrails. Nice!

Winnie, would that be the same elderly ex-immigrants who do indeed subsequently gain New Zealand citizenship and thus are entitled to super? And your bribe Gold Card?

Political wildlife caught in flagrante delicto

Carefully concealed, placed well away from areas frequented by people and packing motion sensors the camera was designed to record the wildlife of the forest

You couldn't write stuff like this...

Ranginui Walker message: Maori are dumb

you don't have to be very smart to be a doctor.

"It only takes an IQ of 100 to succeed in medicine. It's not rocket science."

Straight from the horses mouth, the message is 'our people' are of a lower IQ than others. Well I never! Did he just say that? As expected the slobbering radio hosts lapped it up.

too few Maori doctors could be fixed easily.

The university dropped the bar to a B-bursary for Maori.

Everyone else needed an A-bursary or better

He expects ivory towers to accommodate such failings with a two tier entry system. One based on merit, the other based on skin colour.

... aim was simple:

"To get a more representative sample of the population into the profession of medicine."

Representative sample? No mention that some of that sample was not up to standard.

If I look closely enough, there'll be a clause for apartheid in that bloody treaty.

And they want workplace equality?

had seen tears and tantrums ... is so dramatic and it happens a lot

very, very angry ... are like bridezillas ... so quick to turn on each other

what they feature is the bitchiness, the backstabbing, and they highlight that as normalised behaviour

This week, the would be belle of the school ball. In your face next week, knowing it all along with 'their rights', no doubt demanding equality in the workplace.

Your future 'normalised' co-workers. One wonders why would anyone wish to employ those burdened with that extra X chromosome.

Baa to the Euro

Moody's downgraded Spain's sovereign debt three notches from A3 to Baa3 ... just one grade above "junk status"

If the Titanic sinks, it takes everyone with it, even those travelling in first class

Spain appears about to follow Greece down the gurgler. Greece is arguing over the musical accompaniment, whilst Spain is furiously rearranging deckchairs. Other PIIGS watch on in awe.

Both have hit icebergs, it's now just a race to the bottom. Betcha Key's sphincter is puckering!

Petty little plans of councils

Bill of Rights:
A woman baring her breasts in public is not legally offensive

Tauranga Wowsers Councillors:
City councillors’ determination to prevent another Boobs on Bikes parade through the city is enshrined in clauses in the new draft Street Uses and Public Places Bylaw 2012 approved on Monday

Steve Crow:
There is still a Bill of Rights in New Zealand, and as far as I’m concerned it supersedes any petty little plans of councils to feather their own nests with whatever they want to do.

Boobs on Bikes is on hold this but Crow may 'I might do it just to thumb my nose at them'.

And in commentary:

all the TCC staff lined up at the window toe to toe, nose to glass ... for hours ever day awaiting the return of!

Note to self: Get popcorn in.

Impartiality of the elected?

I was there all of yesterday and I'll be there all of today; on my chuff in the Council boardroom, listening to dairy farmers argue that the cost of protecting the environment from their activities should be borne by all Southlanders, not them alone

... tempers fray and vision blurs.
Internecine battles break out. Names are called.

Reading between the lines, you've gotta wonder about the impartiality of elected officials.

Len Brown bends over for homosexuals

I am already a big fan of Big Gay Out

I look forward to being a part of the Pride Festival

The rorting of ratepayers over 'diversity' just never stops. Unelected Maori permanently have their hand in the rates till, now it is another minority with its hand in my wallet.

Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development, will contribute to the parade ... requested $339,000

Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender community has received financial support from the council for a parade

We're living in a new Auckland and this is a new festival

The Hero Parade and Festival ... 2001 ... creditors $142,398 in debt

You'd think the council would have learnt the last time they were shafted by the homosexual parade.

A lesson from Grandma

How old is Grandma?

Stay with this -- the answer is at the end. It will blow you away.

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events.
The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

Grandma replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:

• television
• penicillin
• polio shots
• frozen foods
• Xerox
• contact lenses
• Frisbees and
• the pill

There were no:

• credit cards
• laser beams or
• ball-point pens

Man had not yet invented:

• pantyhose
• air conditioners
• dishwashers
• clothes dryers
• and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
• man hadn't yet walked on the moon

Your Grandfather and I got married first, then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother.

Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir.". And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir."

We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centres, and group therapy. Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our own actions.

Serving your country was a privilege, living in this country was a bigger privilege.

We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins and time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends - not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CD's, electric typewriters, yoghurt or guys wearing earrings. We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny and the Queens speeches on our radios. And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Bill Haley.

If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk.

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.

Pizza Hut, McDonald's and instant coffee were unheard of. Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a bus and a Coke were all 5 old pennies. And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your 5p on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

You could buy a new Ford Anglia for £600, but who could afford one? Too bad, because petrol was 11p a gallon.

In my day:

• "grass" was mowed,
• "coke" was a cold drink,
• "pot" was something your mother cooked in and
• "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.

• "Aides" were helpers in the Principal's office,
• "chip" meant a piece of wood,
• "hardware" was found in a hardware store and
• "software" wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap.

So - How old do you think I am?


I bet you have this real old lady in mind. You are in for a shock!

Read on to see - pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.

Are you ready???














I am only 59 years old, born in 1952.

Hopefully this gives you young ones something to think about.

Fresh off the wire and flogged without apology...

Insidious green creep

towns simply have to meet goals including ... demonstrable support from a local council resolution

aspires to convince other areas in Southland, and Invercargill city, to take part

The insidious creep of gaining 'the big green benediction' never ceases.

One does wonder why an organisation supposedly fairly trading its products requires access to the ratepayers wallet? Next up, ratepayers will be cornered with paying over the odds for imported products vs local ones.

From today's editorial in SL Times

[Updated] Crime does pay: "There can be only one winner"

it does little to encourage ordinary people at home to cook

One winner? It is neither of the two in tonight's final. But the message loud and clear to New Zealanders from Masterchef is that cheating is OK.

IMHO, the winner of Masterchef 2012 is Tony who was principled enough to nark on the two cheats, both of whom should have been sent home from Singapore.

[Update]
As long expected, the bottle blonde won. If you could call it that.

ps Amazing to think the show was filmed last October (last time Rick Stein in NZ) and they've been sitting on the result since.

One union down, just a few more to go...

Taranaki's largest student union has lost more than 3000 members in eight months and will fold at the end of the month

Top news. Maybe students will concentrate on their studies, not stirring.

The hoax of Fair Trade

On the face of it, it looks possible that such trading just might be good for the producer.

But when Southern Luddites try to turn a whole town over to such a regime, you start looking for the scam.

I looked at the pros and cons and it seems nothing but a con.

• Is an extension of anti-globalisation. Who needs more Occupy nutters?
  
• Places imported goods before locally produced goods. How to kill local industry with carbon miles.
  
• Enables do-gooders to feel good about themselves. Same as those that have buy a village goat each year, or pay for someone else's third world rugrat monthly to salve their capitalist conscience.
• Is it really fair? It's the real world and someone will being shafted!
• Most of consumer prices charged never make it back to the producer. Supposed Fair Traders are highly unlikely to forward any of their excess profits above expenses back to the producer.
• That Fair Trade T-shirt made with Fair Trade cotton you've paid over the odds for was still made in a sweatshop.

Indeed, just another con to relieve one of money. Like climate change, global warming, carbon trading and Earth Hour.

Someone at ACC is telling porkies

After watching the Sunday night drivel on the box last night, the TV3 Pullar interview left me with only one conclusion.

ACC has real internal problems that require urgent fixing and someone is in full scale whitewash mode.

I don't normally watch the Sunday night 1930 tear jerkers on either channel as a rule, but saw this one coming up and this Pullar woman looked sane enough to watch for 5 mins. Sure, TV3 will have done highly selective editing for maximum effect, with tears and the usual "won't someone think of the children" style, but she certainly appears to be openly stating the case. Also, no wonder Crusher Collins is after the two dickhead Labour MPs for defamation.

The case has gone on for years and exposes a thoroughly unpleasant culture at ACC. I also wonder why the ACC quack that has a personal interest in her case continues to be employed. The Police, WINZ and IRD have much more rigorous standards.

If that was a private company delivering that service, if you could call it that, it is one I would not recommend. Unfortunately for the New Zealand taxpayer, we are saddled with these pricks with their feet under the desk in jobs for life.

LabourLite - Report card: F for FAIL

U-turn on mining in national parks

becoming concerned at the Government's sensitivity to popularity

had also failed to make any bold cost-cutting moves,
such as ... adjusting ... Working for Families or KiwiSaver

next issue on the horizon was cuts to police pay, but the police union would look at the education experience and know if it "acted with firmness and resolve" it could also achieve a backdown

the backdown would haunt the Government

bowing to public pressure was a sign of weakness

National proves it is unfit to govern. But then that's what you get with fence sitting Mr Popularity at the helm, being everyone's friend. A definite FAIL.

LabourLite, you've blown your only chance three and a half years in, the rest of your tenure will be awaiting confirmation at the ballot box.

One despairs for real government in New Zealand.

While you were distracted...

One Tree Hill, Mt Eden, Mt Wellington and Mt Albert are among 14 volcanic cones set to be returned to an Auckland iwi collective following the most significant Treaty of Waitangi settlement in the city to date

Hoping you wouldn't notice, whilst the Education Minister was being pilloried, the Attorney General gives away more of your country to the native elite to assuage your guilt as the evil coloniser. Another shady backroom deal is completed. As a ratepayer I note I will continue to be stiffed for upkeep of their asset. Funny that.

Labour-Lite needs to grow a pair

In a major u-turn, Education Minister Hekia Parata says staff pupil ratios will not change

Who is actually running this country? Once again Labour-Lite proves it is unfit for office and gives into bloody unions.

Grow a pair National!

Could have?

Abusers could have children taken away at birth

One of these days I live in hope of real government that says "... will have ...".

Not some useless pricks kicking the can down the road.

Multicultural Howick shows its best

• a ''prep school for Mt Eden jail''
• If I wanted to be surrounded by these cultures, I'd have bought a house in South Auckland
• a ''fair reflection" of community views
• fear and loathing in Howick

Nice. Multiculturism is alive and well in eastern suburbia. Must be time for the head racist at the Race Relations Office to spout forth and say something ridiculous.

Howick shows its best side.

Stuff shows poll bias

Ok, so you've listed all the Left leaning parties and others proven to be on the doomed path of socialism.

What about the only currently Right leaning party, the Conservatives?

(no link - Stuff Poll of the day)

Courageous greenie visions?

The Green vision involved several forms of taxation

• a capital gains tax
• a price for carbon
• an earthquake levy

introduction of these measures would be "courageous"

Visionary they say? More like, have been eating too much watermelon and drinking too much fermented liquor of rotting fruit. Typical Communists - all can be fixed with them redistributing your hard earnt.

But certainly courageous to propose so early in the game. At least, as always suspected, they will attempt to prise the last of the moths from my wallet.

As is the oft repeated mantra of those on the left, Tax, Tax and yet more Tax.

Hypocrisy of the highest order

"for services to the state"

Unbelievable! Services??? Remind me who was #2 in the government that ditched the honours system and ruined New Zealand's economy?

Feral breeds and fresh meat

The proper response should be compulsory sterilisation

Our long favoured columnist suggests CYFS should be in the delivery suite. Bound to cause comment from the usual anti-eugenics brigade.

The problem is there are those self-appointed arbiters of what the public should and shouldn't see or read. They are the ones who'll be upset at this portrayal.

Meanwhile an academic gets all exercised over the possibly raw, but nicely garnished, fresh meat.

Keeping the hordes at bay

The Pentagon will shift more navy ships to the Asia-Pacific region and 60 per cent of the fleet will be assigned there by 2020, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says

I guess that will get up the nose of some. A few Yanks in the Pacific hopefully will slow the ongoing buy out of small nations by certain parties. Unfortunately New Zealand ended up in the wilderness during our anti-nuke sojourn and we sold our soul for a free trade agreement for yards of red shed crap.

That'll teach them

It's pretty shocking

Nothing but peace from us and nothing but contempt from them

officers had made multiple arrests for offences committed during the protest

Some students will have plenty of time this long weekend to contemplate the fairness of their education on the taxpayer dime. Nothing but contempt? Mr Plod upholding the rule of law more likely.

Congrats to Mr Plod for promptly defusing the protest. No doubt the usual suspects will bleat long and hard over the weekend. And will have to explain to Mummy Dearest why they were locked up. No doubt some will engage QC's paid with more of my wedge to prolong the agony.

More popcorn required as Mr Plod demonstrates how to deal with unruly large classes. That'll teach them!