Backscratching of the highest order

Sir Bob Charles?

Yes, one I do agree with. Well deserved. Always an understated ambassador for New Zealand.

Alison Holst and Michael Hill?

A well-earned result for their efforts.

As for the rest of the dross. One only has to look closely at this years list and see there has been a fair bit of backscratching going on.

for services to local body affairs
for services as a member of Parliament
for services as a judge
for services to business
for services to education
for services as chief executive

It reads like all the recently unelected Mayors have had their backs scratched (by Chief Executives looking for a nod next year?) . Along with Winnie Laban, deserting sinking ship MP, for doing her job. In fact all for doing their jobs. At least one can be thankfull this time it is not a list of the Liarbour damned.

What a mockery of the awards system. Should be only for actual services to New Zealand and community, not for timeservers doing their overpaid jobs. Or for party hacks.

And the one that takes the cake this year is...

for services as a funeral director

Exactly what does a stiff merchant do to get on the list?

More time needed for ink to dry on birth certificate?

President Barack Obama is extending his vacation in Hawaii by a day

Extra time required to look for that birth certificate?

Obama will leave Hawaii, where he grew up, late on Monday evening

Even the media gets a dig in, failing to mention he was born there...

Science proves leftards are thick

The anterior cingulate is a part of the brain that is on the middle surface of the brain at the front and we found that the thickness of the grey matter, where the nerve cells of neurons are, was thicker the more people described themselves as liberal or left wing and thinner the more they described themselves as conservative or right wing

Who'd have thought?

Science proves what those on the right have always known.

Fabled Atlantis found?

The network of criss-cross lines is 620 miles off the coast of north west Africa near the Canary Islands on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.

The perfect rectangle – which is around the size of Wales – was noticed on the search giant's underwater exploration tool by an aeronautical engineer who claims it looks like an "aerial map" of a city.

The underwater image can be found at the co-ordinates 31 15'15.53N 24 15'30.53W.

from Daily Telegraph

More power than a Bugatti Veyron

Update: removed auto-playing embedded movie. Click on link below to watch.

1600 Hp of Bentley hard-on!

Declining polar bear population?

WEATHER is not climate. Grasp that crucial distinction and you have the essence of the situation, a gnostic insight that will enable you to, er, weather the current cold snap while clinging faithfully to the revealed truth of anthropogenic global warming (AGW).

The latest Orwellian newspeak to lull you into a false consciousness.

These are challenging times for climate jihadists. Last week the Met Office was forced to issue a press release stating it "categorically denies forecasting a 'mild winter' ".

How to weather the true lies of global warming newspeak? It's all here.

And the polar bears?

Of the fragile construct of global warming mythology there is hardly a domino left standing. Declining polar bear population? Since 1970 the world population of polar bears has 'declined' from 5,000 to 25,000.

"This is not what Vodafone customers signed up for"

Vodafone is facing a potential class action following complaints from thousands of ... customers angry about the telco giant's network performance

"Vodafone, however, has continued to charge customers on its mobile plans, without providing the service it promised."

Exactly! Pity the class action is Oz. The lack of service here in NZ is just as bad. VF NZ could do with a rocket.

Rang up the other day to ask why the network had taken a dump connecting to the Net since early morning, complete with many dropouts only to be told "Congestion, bad at this time of the year, try again later...".

chief executive... issued an apology on the company's website to customers over its "recent intermittent network issues".

"Having customers who are happy with their service and their network experience is central to us, but unfortunately in recent weeks, some customers have had a disappointing and frustrating experience which I am very sorry for"

Bollocks! It's like that all the time. Your network in NZ continually has serious bandwidth issues as more become connected.

Rabid greenie stiffs taxpayer

Now there is a really innovative offer from the landowners that could see the beach and its hinterland brought into public ownership and permanently protected

through an extraordinarily generous act of philanthropy by the owners

Innovative? Generous? With EDS input? Not to mention these loons have been lobbying the owners for months, if not years and the owners are now unable to sell their property on the open market for a fair price. Indeed, who would purchase such a tainted offering?

The price would be fair market value and that would be determined by taking advice from a competent, independent valuer.

Then the owners have agreed to donate half of the purchase price to the trust. The balance would come from the Government, and perhaps, local government.

Once again, the taxpayer being stiffed for some rabid greenie's wankfest over a piece of unwanted land at the back of beyond.

It has independent trustees and ... would enter into a conditional agreement to buy the property.

now have the tax system aligned to support such activity with no limit on the deductibility of gifting

The said greenie is all excited, hot under the collar, is in an incestuous relationship as a trustee and looking for the taxpayer not only to complete the purchase, but to maintain the property ad infinitum.

The new owner could also enter into a partnership with the local Whangapoua community. There could be an active programme of volunteer work, planting and tending the property. A New Chums Landcare Trust could be established to work alongside the new owners and organise the volunteer effort properly.

On and on it goes. It never ends. The bloody greenie thieves are now in my wallet.

You want it EDS, you buy it yourselves and gift it fully funded, including maintenance. Do not expect me to pay for your loonie greenie ideas!

Insidious renaming of New Zealand

Not content with renaming one and half century old Wanganui, online denizens are attempting to rename our fair country to some mythical place.

I see on Facebook (and a number of other sites of late), when looking for our country in combo box drop downs NZ now features as New Zealand(Aotearoa).

At what point was the official name of our country changed? Where is the official name formally registered?

I firmly believe that the responsible ministry should take the ill-informed to task over this insidious online renaming of our country.

Game changer

7 hours in, the game has changed. With the lead yachts at under 550 miles to run to the finish line, the high speed downhill slalom run is over. It is now hard work with winds on the nose as they enter Batemans Bay and the wind is forecast to build.

From the armchair, I'd say they are in for a rough night.

More here.

Under-appreciated hero?

Not a hero in my book.

Remind me what is the current penalty for treason?

A short length of the finest hemp would be too good imnsho.

Mr Plod looking for low flying pigs...

Police wanted to speak to the occupants of a blue vehicle with a "big boar exhaust"

Obviously the sub-editor was into the Xmas spirit last night.

and 23 unfriended Joseph...

from your Social Network...

The best 'How to ...' I've ever seen.

Season's Greetings from your subsidised airline

Xmas Obscenity

MPs have just got an early Christmas present - a pay rise in the latest review in MPs' salaries

Obscenity in the extreme.

Makes me think how the families of the miners will cope with the first Christmas without their loved ones. The first of many that will bring back raw memories. Along with their stretched finances.

All whilst these troughers award themselves yet another increase. With a backdoor extra to cover the loss of a perk that the public made it super-clear that this perk was to be terminated. Immediately.

Thieving obscene bastards.