Don't be too surprised that the rather trivial show "The GC" is returning. A rather small, select group of people fervently watch the show with unwavering passion and enthusaism. They envision themselves as those characters living there. Characters because reality television has an entire assembly of writers.
Most people wouldn't actually know half of what goes on when the camera is not rolling. Supposing 50% of it is actual drama, 50% has been prepared for or premeditated. Too much emphasis seems to be placed on a rather ostentacious diaply of wealth and frivolity. There is more character development in a season of the American sitcom "Friends" than in season one of "The GC."
Watch out for it though. Just in case this season is worse than the last one, maybe it could be enough to see the show scrapped for good.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
There is no "lesser of two evils" party
With each passing day, more people are dreading election day next year when it comes around. A worrying trend is that more and more eligible voters are not going in to cast their vote.
If anyone is curious as to why that is, they need only look and see how heavily Winston Peter's call for a referendum was silenced by sly conniving politicians, who prefer placing their own self interests ahead of their voters, whom many secretly despise.
The funny story I get from those who did go and vote is this suspect talk about National or Labour being "the lesser of two evils." Whilst you could make a case for or against both, voting for either does little to resolve something which is present. Many people do not believe either party is better or worse than the other.
Both parties are eager to increase government control, each one prefers having New Zealand in a politically correct mindset, both do nothing more than talk tough about punishing criminals-Labour's sentencing was weak and National introduced a warning for first time petty crime offenders-, each party supported the war in Afghanistan and will continue to do so, both parties cannot prepare a sensible budget.
Whilst my party of choice is not in parliament yet, I'd rather hold hope for it to get in than vote National or Labour.
If anyone is curious as to why that is, they need only look and see how heavily Winston Peter's call for a referendum was silenced by sly conniving politicians, who prefer placing their own self interests ahead of their voters, whom many secretly despise.
The funny story I get from those who did go and vote is this suspect talk about National or Labour being "the lesser of two evils." Whilst you could make a case for or against both, voting for either does little to resolve something which is present. Many people do not believe either party is better or worse than the other.
Both parties are eager to increase government control, each one prefers having New Zealand in a politically correct mindset, both do nothing more than talk tough about punishing criminals-Labour's sentencing was weak and National introduced a warning for first time petty crime offenders-, each party supported the war in Afghanistan and will continue to do so, both parties cannot prepare a sensible budget.
Whilst my party of choice is not in parliament yet, I'd rather hold hope for it to get in than vote National or Labour.
A response to IDIOT
Some of you may know that I'm a contributor to Getfrank, an online mens lifestyle magazine. Some of you may know that occasionally I write about political issues. One opponent of mine actually happens to be a contributor who calls himself IDIOT/Savant. A self professed liberal, he spouts out tirades of scorn towards anyone who does not agree with him. Even on his blog, he says he's irreversibly liberal. In other words, closed minded. Something which was rather unsettling to see was how much he claims to enjoy liberty but is completely in favour of forceful totalitarian measures.
"Speaking of amendments, in addition to the expected referendum clauses (two versions each from Winston Peters and Brendon Horan),Louisa WallSu'a William Sio is also trying to expand the scope of her bigot amendment to give religious institutions the right to discriminate in the provision of services. That is unacceptable, and MPs should vote it down. The whole purpose of human rights law is to remove bigotry from the public sphere. If religious organisations don't want their buildings "polluted" by same-sex marriages, they have a solution: don't offer them to the public, and keep them solely for the use of their members"
As some may now see, newswithmorenews has ceased using the word "human rights" unless its in quote marks. This is borne out of a disgust in the measures it places on the liberty of free speech. Governments already have impeded our private lives enough. Nobody needs more of it. If a religious institution does not want to conduct a homosexual marriage, they must have the liberty to make the choice, rather than be bullied by the state into conducting it against their will. Sound familiar to East Germany, the Soviet Union and North Korea?
A little bait and switch here. Does IDIOT want to be told what clothes he can wear? If he says no and persists with this "human rights" view, why does he continue to buy clothes which are made in China? Isn't that bigotry against New Zealand clothes producers?
"Speaking of amendments, in addition to the expected referendum clauses (two versions each from Winston Peters and Brendon Horan),
As some may now see, newswithmorenews has ceased using the word "human rights" unless its in quote marks. This is borne out of a disgust in the measures it places on the liberty of free speech. Governments already have impeded our private lives enough. Nobody needs more of it. If a religious institution does not want to conduct a homosexual marriage, they must have the liberty to make the choice, rather than be bullied by the state into conducting it against their will. Sound familiar to East Germany, the Soviet Union and North Korea?
A little bait and switch here. Does IDIOT want to be told what clothes he can wear? If he says no and persists with this "human rights" view, why does he continue to buy clothes which are made in China? Isn't that bigotry against New Zealand clothes producers?
Poor old Jesse Ryder. Just one among many
With the recent news of Jesse Ryder going into a coma, one cannot help but wander if alcohol was a potential contributor to the lead up to these events. Why was Ryder out in a bar to begin with? If he'd had problems with alcohol before, would the self control to simply say "no" and move on not be enough? If so, then there's a small chance he may pay for this decision with his life. What about the thugs who decided to assault Ryder without cause? No doubt when this case is eventually processed these men will appear in court. The sentence will not be harsh and a "sorry" will win them a reduced sentence. Yet they may have avoided such date with justice if they had carried their drink more sensibly, instead of marching around in slobbering drunk fashion.
Once again, I'd like to refer any readers interested to my post about alcohol last year
http://newswithmorenews.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/a-generation-that-is-stupid-enough-to.html
This post debunks the myth that alcohol abuse has always been a problem in New Zealand youth culture. Perhaps they'd like to look back to as recently as the 1970's. Was endless intoxication, massive bar spillovers and brain dead decisions to abuse alcohol dominating news headlines. No.
Raising the drinking age will not make a huge difference in our attitude towards alcohol. But it will make access to such beverages just that little bit more difficult, particularly towards that 13-19 year old age bracket, where many bad drinking habits are formed.
Once again, I'd like to refer any readers interested to my post about alcohol last year
http://newswithmorenews.blogspot.co.nz/2012/08/a-generation-that-is-stupid-enough-to.html
This post debunks the myth that alcohol abuse has always been a problem in New Zealand youth culture. Perhaps they'd like to look back to as recently as the 1970's. Was endless intoxication, massive bar spillovers and brain dead decisions to abuse alcohol dominating news headlines. No.
Raising the drinking age will not make a huge difference in our attitude towards alcohol. But it will make access to such beverages just that little bit more difficult, particularly towards that 13-19 year old age bracket, where many bad drinking habits are formed.
Thursday, 21 March 2013
The Te Houtaewa Challenge and personal change
Some of you may know I enjoy running. Yes there has been a long lost relationship between me and running.
The Te Houtaewa challenge is based on the legend of Te Houtaewa, who stole kumura from a local tribe and outran any opposition who tried to catch him. From a legend a race was born. Athletes come from around the world to live up to the legend of the man.
Tomorrow I will become one of those people. What has been memorable throughout the last sixteen months of preparation hasn't been the immense fatigue, mental pain or any other such challenge. None of those ever really last. Right through each training session, various people have volunteered their time to train alongside me.
Seeing some people develop extra willpower, finesse and toughness has been the most inspiring. Something which stands out among these people is courage. It's a really admirable quality of pushing through difficulty, even if it results in extraordinary pain.
One friend could barely run a kilometre when he first started. Now he's comfortably putting in 6km a week. Another had never set foot in a gym; they are now a regular attendee. They chose to transform themselves and have done a great job.
Pushing the envelope is difficult because today we often expect convenience to the easiest route toward happiness. Since beginning these races, I've found its the contrary. Pain and sacrifice are a necessary requirement in achieving long term goals. What is your goal and how badly do you want to achieve it? If you aren't willing to dedicate yourself completely to the goal, start thinking about ways in which you can be. Whether you want to run a marathon, climb a mountain, write a book, get a university degree or release a music album. As infamous cyclist Lance Armstrong says "pain is temporary. If quit though, that lasts forever."
To everyone who has trained with, helped and supported me in the last 16 months, thank you very much. This race has been difficult to prepare for but I feel ready and hopefully you too are ready to take on great challenges. Ultramarathons are about overcoming challenges. You go through pain which is truly horrific but come out the other side a new person. Ttfn and see you at the finish line.
The Te Houtaewa challenge is based on the legend of Te Houtaewa, who stole kumura from a local tribe and outran any opposition who tried to catch him. From a legend a race was born. Athletes come from around the world to live up to the legend of the man.
Tomorrow I will become one of those people. What has been memorable throughout the last sixteen months of preparation hasn't been the immense fatigue, mental pain or any other such challenge. None of those ever really last. Right through each training session, various people have volunteered their time to train alongside me.
Seeing some people develop extra willpower, finesse and toughness has been the most inspiring. Something which stands out among these people is courage. It's a really admirable quality of pushing through difficulty, even if it results in extraordinary pain.
One friend could barely run a kilometre when he first started. Now he's comfortably putting in 6km a week. Another had never set foot in a gym; they are now a regular attendee. They chose to transform themselves and have done a great job.
Pushing the envelope is difficult because today we often expect convenience to the easiest route toward happiness. Since beginning these races, I've found its the contrary. Pain and sacrifice are a necessary requirement in achieving long term goals. What is your goal and how badly do you want to achieve it? If you aren't willing to dedicate yourself completely to the goal, start thinking about ways in which you can be. Whether you want to run a marathon, climb a mountain, write a book, get a university degree or release a music album. As infamous cyclist Lance Armstrong says "pain is temporary. If quit though, that lasts forever."
To everyone who has trained with, helped and supported me in the last 16 months, thank you very much. This race has been difficult to prepare for but I feel ready and hopefully you too are ready to take on great challenges. Ultramarathons are about overcoming challenges. You go through pain which is truly horrific but come out the other side a new person. Ttfn and see you at the finish line.
Monday, 18 March 2013
Almost a year on
After one year, 8,000 page views, 122 comments, and readers from 50 different countries, its amazing how many people have taken to discussing issues which have been posted. These often contentious topics ranged from tattoos to man made climate change to Richie McCaw's memoir "The Open Side." As readers, you've helped me learn a lot and I hope I've done the same for you. Arguing with you has been enjoyable and civilized (99% of the time) and hopefully in real life these can continue.
Since November when I started working for Getfrank, it has been a challenge to contribute effectively to both them and on here, without a compromise in quality of the articles has been challenging. Now that University has gone back into full swing though, I can no longer split my time between both of them. I've decided that at the end of the this month, newswithmorenews will no longer be operational.
I will continue to write for Getfrank for as long as possible and am happy to be a guest blogger in anyone else's blog. But giving 100% in two different writing spheres has drained me.
That said, there's still 12 days left in the month. I will upload anybody who wants to guest posts in this time and discuss any topic which you the readers want me to talk about. I'll even debate something I've argued in favor of from the opposing side if you wish to hear it.
So send me your posts if you want them uploaded, topics you want discussed, and any posts you want me to change my mind and argue against.
Thanks for reading.
Stuart
Since November when I started working for Getfrank, it has been a challenge to contribute effectively to both them and on here, without a compromise in quality of the articles has been challenging. Now that University has gone back into full swing though, I can no longer split my time between both of them. I've decided that at the end of the this month, newswithmorenews will no longer be operational.
I will continue to write for Getfrank for as long as possible and am happy to be a guest blogger in anyone else's blog. But giving 100% in two different writing spheres has drained me.
That said, there's still 12 days left in the month. I will upload anybody who wants to guest posts in this time and discuss any topic which you the readers want me to talk about. I'll even debate something I've argued in favor of from the opposing side if you wish to hear it.
So send me your posts if you want them uploaded, topics you want discussed, and any posts you want me to change my mind and argue against.
Thanks for reading.
Stuart
Can a Green MP really not know who these people are?
In a short series of Facebook message exchanges, Kevin Hague proved himself to be somebody who lacked understanding about where the views of his party came from. I asked him
Who do you politically align yourself with more: Maurice Strong or Anthony Blair?
Who do you politically align yourself with more: Maurice Strong or Anthony Blair?
Mr Hague originally replied
"I don't know either of them sorry!"
After a brief explanation about who the two of them were, he responded.
"Certainly don't align myself with Tony Blair, but Maurice Strong sounds promising!"
It's still surprising that a member of parliament knows next to nothing about the history of their parties. Understanding where your party came from and why they stand for certain values is a good indicator of why you would want to align yourself with that party to begin with. If Mr Hague eventually does research up about Mr Strong, perhaps the answer would have been a lot more interesting.
Road taxes, Youth rates and PhD's
Who can give one example where road upgrades have made any difference to the well being of Aucklanders? Not building new ones altogether, as was the case with the expressway which goes out towards Hobsonville and beyond. No, general road upgrades. Have Auckland's motorway developments done the remotest bit of good for any commuter into the city? How about out of the city? The answer quite plainly is no. Instead of looking at viable options to encourage public transport in some shape or form, Gerry Brownlee is more than content to increase petrol taxes significantly to achieve a rather wicked purpose. Not only will current roads be butchered even more, new roads shall be constructed after much of the beautiful countryside is mutilated.
No apologies have been made either by Mr Brownlee to struggling families who can barely afford to drive. With 3c increases next year and the following year, these motorists can only hope petrol prices fall internationally to compensate for this rise. Otherwise, expect to see more cars by those who can afford it.
How can a party which repeatedly promises a brighter future claim that having more cars on the road is more beneficial for anyone? The reason public transport remains so bad is because no National party leader with power can acknowledge that cycle ways and a national railroad may actually be a better, more efficient form of transport than more cars.
As youth rates are set to be debated, it seems almost ironic that the woman who campaigned against them was one Sue Bradford. While Ms. Bradford was full or propaganda about many issues, I applaud her for setting out a simple argument about youth and adults being entitled to the same pay for doing the same job. If Mr. Key would like to inform us about whether he received a youth wage, perhaps that could shed some light on a rather sneering opinion he holds that teenagers should be underpaid.
The other day, whilst surfing Youtube I saw a woman continuously listing off a multitude of so called "climate scientists," professing that their books had to be right because they had the word "Dr" in front of their name. Would someone care to explain what suddenly makes someone with a PhD an absolute genius? The Bradford creature (mentioned above) nearly has a PhD and she is anything but intelligent. Paul McKenna (author of "Hypnotic Gastric Band") has two PhD's, yet he cannot see that book is only a short term solution to a long term problem. No, a PhD simply shows someone can, with an extreme amount of discipline and hard work, conduct high amounts of research in a very specific area and draw conclusions which add to human knowledge. If that's intelligent, then so is writing a book such as Tim Noake's The Lore or Running (1,000 pages of running know how) or Michael King's A History of New Zealand. Each man undertook an astronomical volume of reading and research to compile these two books. There are many other examples. Phillip Pulman (The Golden Compass), Stephen King (with his book 11/22/63) and countless others (which I'm happy to list if you want).
***I've expanded on some areas in the PhD section on the back of one posters comment.***
No apologies have been made either by Mr Brownlee to struggling families who can barely afford to drive. With 3c increases next year and the following year, these motorists can only hope petrol prices fall internationally to compensate for this rise. Otherwise, expect to see more cars by those who can afford it.
How can a party which repeatedly promises a brighter future claim that having more cars on the road is more beneficial for anyone? The reason public transport remains so bad is because no National party leader with power can acknowledge that cycle ways and a national railroad may actually be a better, more efficient form of transport than more cars.
As youth rates are set to be debated, it seems almost ironic that the woman who campaigned against them was one Sue Bradford. While Ms. Bradford was full or propaganda about many issues, I applaud her for setting out a simple argument about youth and adults being entitled to the same pay for doing the same job. If Mr. Key would like to inform us about whether he received a youth wage, perhaps that could shed some light on a rather sneering opinion he holds that teenagers should be underpaid.
The other day, whilst surfing Youtube I saw a woman continuously listing off a multitude of so called "climate scientists," professing that their books had to be right because they had the word "Dr" in front of their name. Would someone care to explain what suddenly makes someone with a PhD an absolute genius? The Bradford creature (mentioned above) nearly has a PhD and she is anything but intelligent. Paul McKenna (author of "Hypnotic Gastric Band") has two PhD's, yet he cannot see that book is only a short term solution to a long term problem. No, a PhD simply shows someone can, with an extreme amount of discipline and hard work, conduct high amounts of research in a very specific area and draw conclusions which add to human knowledge. If that's intelligent, then so is writing a book such as Tim Noake's The Lore or Running (1,000 pages of running know how) or Michael King's A History of New Zealand. Each man undertook an astronomical volume of reading and research to compile these two books. There are many other examples. Phillip Pulman (The Golden Compass), Stephen King (with his book 11/22/63) and countless others (which I'm happy to list if you want).
***I've expanded on some areas in the PhD section on the back of one posters comment.***
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Idiot/Savant and James Robins the same person? Almost seems possible
I'd like to draw attention to two rather hysterical left wing columnists. One is Yahoo blogger James Robins, whose generalisations and continuous attempts to smear his opponents (or enemies as he takes all criticism personally). The other happens to be a fellow commentator with me on Getfrank. A blogger living in exile known as Idiot/Savant. He has his own blogs pace and claims to be irredeemably liberal.
Mr. Robins embodies a lot of mainstream opinions, constantly finding a way to bash conservatives. He calls people like me truth benders and seeks to justify it with clumsy rhetoric. This hush talk from him that the child discipline bill was never intended to eliminate smacking as a form of discipline falls flat. Ms. Bradford's intentions were clear from day one. Redefining the bill was done in an effort to condemn any parents who used force of any kind to discipline their child. I posted a response to Mr. Robins about Ms. Bradford's recent comments. Surprisingly no response came. Even a brain surgeon has time to send a text.
Idiot/Savant meanwhile happens to suffer from the same closed mind liberal attitudes Mr Robins has. In a small post on his blog "no right turn," Wellington's drought is brought up. After talking about reducing water usage to 30L a day, he states golf courses will be exempt, before snidely saying droughts "couldn't possibly be allowed to interfere with rich wankers playing golf."
Whilst I may indeed be wrong, there is no doubt both bloggers have striking similarities in their writing. Both often resort to conventional wisdom (which is almost always wrong). Both men are quite bloodthirsty creatures. Mr. Robins says in one blog "I’m all for killing vile Islamofacists" and "gunning them down is good thing (however somber)." Idiot/Savant takes to calling anyone who disagreed with the "gay" marriage bill some rather rude names. "Meanwhile, Labour's Damien O'Connor, Ross Robertson, and Su'a William Sio still voted against the bill. Time to de-select these pricks already. Labour wouldn't accept those spouting racism or sexism, and it shouldn't accept bigots either."
Something disturbs me about these strange creatures. As there are so many similar undertones in their writing, I can't help but think they are two blogs by the same person. One requires a bit of civility but my feeling is that anyone who talks with James Robins in real life hears a lot of rude words coming from his mouth.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/opinion/post-list/-/blog/jamesrobins/
Mr. Robins embodies a lot of mainstream opinions, constantly finding a way to bash conservatives. He calls people like me truth benders and seeks to justify it with clumsy rhetoric. This hush talk from him that the child discipline bill was never intended to eliminate smacking as a form of discipline falls flat. Ms. Bradford's intentions were clear from day one. Redefining the bill was done in an effort to condemn any parents who used force of any kind to discipline their child. I posted a response to Mr. Robins about Ms. Bradford's recent comments. Surprisingly no response came. Even a brain surgeon has time to send a text.
Idiot/Savant meanwhile happens to suffer from the same closed mind liberal attitudes Mr Robins has. In a small post on his blog "no right turn," Wellington's drought is brought up. After talking about reducing water usage to 30L a day, he states golf courses will be exempt, before snidely saying droughts "couldn't possibly be allowed to interfere with rich wankers playing golf."
Whilst I may indeed be wrong, there is no doubt both bloggers have striking similarities in their writing. Both often resort to conventional wisdom (which is almost always wrong). Both men are quite bloodthirsty creatures. Mr. Robins says in one blog "I’m all for killing vile Islamofacists" and "gunning them down is good thing (however somber)." Idiot/Savant takes to calling anyone who disagreed with the "gay" marriage bill some rather rude names. "Meanwhile, Labour's Damien O'Connor, Ross Robertson, and Su'a William Sio still voted against the bill. Time to de-select these pricks already. Labour wouldn't accept those spouting racism or sexism, and it shouldn't accept bigots either."
Something disturbs me about these strange creatures. As there are so many similar undertones in their writing, I can't help but think they are two blogs by the same person. One requires a bit of civility but my feeling is that anyone who talks with James Robins in real life hears a lot of rude words coming from his mouth.
http://norightturn.blogspot.co.nz/
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/opinion/post-list/-/blog/jamesrobins/
Thursday, 14 March 2013
Is "gay" marriage losing momentum, or are some polls not reflective of the New Zealand population?
For anyone who is interested in the NZ Herald digital poll about same sex marriage, you can find it at the bottom of http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ 's page. At the time of writing 52% of people do not support the bill. A select committee was established to hear submissions from both sides of the argument. Here is a breakdown of the submission.
Submissions
21,533 Total
10,487 For
8148 Against
2898 Unique submissions
220 Heard by committee
Two things stand out. For people in favor of allowing homosexuals to marry, support in most polls appears to still favor them. More submissions to legalise the bill were put forth than those against it. However, what also stands out is the decline as a proportion of people who appear to be against the bill. Last year, Colmar Brunton allegedly did a poll for TVNZ, with the results showing about two thirds in favour and one third opposed to it. Within the small space of 8 months, people may be changing their minds.
The New Zealand herald poll is not the first to show people voting in favor of keeping marriage between a man and a woman. Yahoo also had a similar poll. 62% of people voted "no" to change the definition of marriage, 34% voted yes, 4% were undecided.
Those two polls aside, there is still a relatively strong backing from politicians, who passed the bill in its second reading. Polls on stuff.co.nz and TVNZ show that it's visitors are quite happy the beehive voted in favor of it.
I'm not sure whether these inconsistent poll results spurred the select committee to rush the bill through in a mere seven months. I'd also be interested to know what the enutre homosexual community in New Zealand think of this bill? (not just noise makers like Ms Wall and Kevin Hague) Will a majority of them make use of it? Is there a requirement to change the law? Do they want to get married rather than enter a civil union? These are serious questions which only homosexuals themselves can answer.
If anyone, (whether in support of "gay" marriage or against it)tries to drag me into this discussion, they will be left in the rain; I'm raising an issue of people changing their minds on the bill, not the positives and/or negative of introducing marriage "equality."
But, in case they try, here is my answer. Same sex marriage is an immensely trivial issue in the wider scope of things. It amazes me that anyone can argue this issue is as important as rebuilding Christchurch, helping hardworking parents provide for their children or working towards fixing New Zealand's horrendous drinking problem. Apart from a few tree hoppers in the each political Party and those sneering youth wing leaders (who I have not seen making speeches outside parliament on any of the issues mentioned above) you won't see many people disagreeing there.
Submissions
21,533 Total
10,487 For
8148 Against
2898 Unique submissions
220 Heard by committee
Two things stand out. For people in favor of allowing homosexuals to marry, support in most polls appears to still favor them. More submissions to legalise the bill were put forth than those against it. However, what also stands out is the decline as a proportion of people who appear to be against the bill. Last year, Colmar Brunton allegedly did a poll for TVNZ, with the results showing about two thirds in favour and one third opposed to it. Within the small space of 8 months, people may be changing their minds.
The New Zealand herald poll is not the first to show people voting in favor of keeping marriage between a man and a woman. Yahoo also had a similar poll. 62% of people voted "no" to change the definition of marriage, 34% voted yes, 4% were undecided.
Those two polls aside, there is still a relatively strong backing from politicians, who passed the bill in its second reading. Polls on stuff.co.nz and TVNZ show that it's visitors are quite happy the beehive voted in favor of it.
I'm not sure whether these inconsistent poll results spurred the select committee to rush the bill through in a mere seven months. I'd also be interested to know what the enutre homosexual community in New Zealand think of this bill? (not just noise makers like Ms Wall and Kevin Hague) Will a majority of them make use of it? Is there a requirement to change the law? Do they want to get married rather than enter a civil union? These are serious questions which only homosexuals themselves can answer.
If anyone, (whether in support of "gay" marriage or against it)tries to drag me into this discussion, they will be left in the rain; I'm raising an issue of people changing their minds on the bill, not the positives and/or negative of introducing marriage "equality."
But, in case they try, here is my answer. Same sex marriage is an immensely trivial issue in the wider scope of things. It amazes me that anyone can argue this issue is as important as rebuilding Christchurch, helping hardworking parents provide for their children or working towards fixing New Zealand's horrendous drinking problem. Apart from a few tree hoppers in the each political Party and those sneering youth wing leaders (who I have not seen making speeches outside parliament on any of the issues mentioned above) you won't see many people disagreeing there.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Super Rugby vs Cricket
It has been quite unusual that just as super rugby is kicking into gear, the Blackcaps are finally gaining a small surge of momentum as they take on England in the test series.
Hopefully this form can continue. And hopefully people are able to support them, rather than flocking to super rugby, which, while exciting, still has plenty of time to show its face, long after the summer of cricket creeps to an end.
Hopefully this form can continue. And hopefully people are able to support them, rather than flocking to super rugby, which, while exciting, still has plenty of time to show its face, long after the summer of cricket creeps to an end.
Join the "climate change" gravy train? Not a chance.
So another famous figure has been suaded into making a stand for supposed man made climate change. Rugby World Cup winning assistant coach Wayne Smith has jumped aboard the "climate change" (formerly global warming) bandwagon. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10870243
Leading the charge to indoctrinate countless other people is ecologist Sir Allan Mark. Mr. Mark, who's publications and discussions are always interesting- even if you disagree with him- says a "degrading quality of our land, air and water" has hurt New Zealand. Apparently "a sea level rise of up to 1m by the year 2100" will also take place.
I'm not a huge fan of cars or driving. Nothing is more hideous than traffic jams or the thick smog pumped out. As a runner, I strategically avoid any area with dense traffic as often as possible.More often than not, I now walk to university because cars do an enormous amount of damage. When enough money has been saved up, bicycling shall also be used to get around. In saying that, my decision to walk to University was not done out of a desire to please the outrageous "Generation Zero" group or Al Gore, it was for conservative reasons.
The main problem advocates of Maurice Strong's "climate change" idea is acceptance. People will not all agree on this issue. Warmists often are not content with that. Those who happen to believe man made activity isn't responsible for sea levels which will supposedly ruin us are universally shunned. Climatologist William Grey had his funding taken away for voicing skepticism. The late Augie Auer got panned many years ago for expressing similar opinions. Apparently society should just accept it without question and dismiss anyone who disagrees without question. Observing what supposed climate science goes towards measuring sea level rises would be interesting, as would recent statistics of Islands which have been completely submerged. Are there actually any which have gone off the map?
Whatever Mr Allan is imploring the government to address is rather vague. Is it innovation in farming to stop wastage? Must New Zealand reduce its levels of Dairy farming? Is the sin of just existing a just reason to impose a festival of regulation and taxation on New Zealanders? What difference will lobbying the big players make? Introducing an Emissions Trading Scheme has done next to nothing in an effort to reduce pollution. Petrol is just more expensive, companies are taxed more and many honest farmers are vilified, despite the majority of them working to minimise economic damage. All tax money generated goes into Government hands, ready to be squandered on benefits.
Question these people who are taking "a moral stand" with a skeptical eye. Do you really want to give these people so much power. Right now its just just lobbying power. Soon it will be the power to control what cars you can drive, how much you can drive, how often you're allowed to fly, what light bulbs you can use, as well as what types of buildings and bridges can be erected.
I used to believe "climate change" or "Global Warming" was real, until coming across the name Maurice Strong on a "save the planet" website. Within an hour, any lingering belief in "climate change" being man made was gone.
The crackpot paparazzi out to boost their low self esteem
Justin Bieber has never been a spectacular singer. A lot of his lyrics are reworded versions of songs from Michael Jackson, Elton John and Lionel Richie. Having poster poster boy looks and a rather odd hairstyle seem to be his trademark.
With that said, I sympathise with the Canadian pop star, who fell victim to a rather rude photographer, who probably works for some degenerate gossip magazine. Bieber, who was leaving his apartment pushed aside a sloppy, overweight photographer vouching for a photo to slap alongside a rather half rate gossip article.
Not impressed by being pushed around, the photographer offered his rather foul mouthed opinion to the singer, who was forcefully held back. A further display of bad manners from the paparazzo given, things simmered down.
For anyone interested, celebrities and the media used to get on quite well with each other. It was only when the media began aggressively hunting celebrities and abandoning respect for privacy that celebrities started thinking less of them. At least Bieber has shown us that he's only human. That ego is still quite high nonetheless.
Going low cost on fitness fails
Is there anyone who goes to Jetts gym who competes in serious bodybuilding competitions? Is there anyone who goes to Jetts who can outrun the best ultra runners in New Zealand? Can anyone at Burn24 hour fitness come forth and proclaim themselves as a National or International representative in any athletic pursuit or discipline? The answer to all of these questions is "probably not."
A single visit to Jetts gym was all it took to make it clear what they are running is a pure money spinner, not a " an environment where no-one feels shy about turning up." Fit 4 Life in Glenfield is only $71 more than Jetts but the value you get for it is far greater than any other low cost gym. There is always a staff member or volunteer on the desk, the prices you see are the prices you pay, there are group classes, there are free seminars (on fitness, friendship faith and finance) for members, people feel welcome and the facilities and equipment are better than what any Jetts gym or any other low cost gym offer.
For those who are crying foul about the criticism of Macklemore's ridiculous songs ought to ask yourself this. Would you want young children swearing like he does in Thriftshop? Would you be happy to let young teenagers fool themselves into thinking they cannot change a predisposition which they hold?
I am not, as one person absurdly states "hating on Macklemore." No, there is just a general worrying trend in a fair amount of his songs which is reason to be worried. Also, for some of his song with "powerful lyrics" (whatever that means), the way he sings them seems incongruous. "My oh my" would have been much better if he'd dropped the loud, gangster talk for a simpler rendition.
Leading the charge to indoctrinate countless other people is ecologist Sir Allan Mark. Mr. Mark, who's publications and discussions are always interesting- even if you disagree with him- says a "degrading quality of our land, air and water" has hurt New Zealand. Apparently "a sea level rise of up to 1m by the year 2100" will also take place.
I'm not a huge fan of cars or driving. Nothing is more hideous than traffic jams or the thick smog pumped out. As a runner, I strategically avoid any area with dense traffic as often as possible.More often than not, I now walk to university because cars do an enormous amount of damage. When enough money has been saved up, bicycling shall also be used to get around. In saying that, my decision to walk to University was not done out of a desire to please the outrageous "Generation Zero" group or Al Gore, it was for conservative reasons.
The main problem advocates of Maurice Strong's "climate change" idea is acceptance. People will not all agree on this issue. Warmists often are not content with that. Those who happen to believe man made activity isn't responsible for sea levels which will supposedly ruin us are universally shunned. Climatologist William Grey had his funding taken away for voicing skepticism. The late Augie Auer got panned many years ago for expressing similar opinions. Apparently society should just accept it without question and dismiss anyone who disagrees without question. Observing what supposed climate science goes towards measuring sea level rises would be interesting, as would recent statistics of Islands which have been completely submerged. Are there actually any which have gone off the map?
Whatever Mr Allan is imploring the government to address is rather vague. Is it innovation in farming to stop wastage? Must New Zealand reduce its levels of Dairy farming? Is the sin of just existing a just reason to impose a festival of regulation and taxation on New Zealanders? What difference will lobbying the big players make? Introducing an Emissions Trading Scheme has done next to nothing in an effort to reduce pollution. Petrol is just more expensive, companies are taxed more and many honest farmers are vilified, despite the majority of them working to minimise economic damage. All tax money generated goes into Government hands, ready to be squandered on benefits.
Question these people who are taking "a moral stand" with a skeptical eye. Do you really want to give these people so much power. Right now its just just lobbying power. Soon it will be the power to control what cars you can drive, how much you can drive, how often you're allowed to fly, what light bulbs you can use, as well as what types of buildings and bridges can be erected.
I used to believe "climate change" or "Global Warming" was real, until coming across the name Maurice Strong on a "save the planet" website. Within an hour, any lingering belief in "climate change" being man made was gone.
The crackpot paparazzi out to boost their low self esteem
Justin Bieber has never been a spectacular singer. A lot of his lyrics are reworded versions of songs from Michael Jackson, Elton John and Lionel Richie. Having poster poster boy looks and a rather odd hairstyle seem to be his trademark.
With that said, I sympathise with the Canadian pop star, who fell victim to a rather rude photographer, who probably works for some degenerate gossip magazine. Bieber, who was leaving his apartment pushed aside a sloppy, overweight photographer vouching for a photo to slap alongside a rather half rate gossip article.
Not impressed by being pushed around, the photographer offered his rather foul mouthed opinion to the singer, who was forcefully held back. A further display of bad manners from the paparazzo given, things simmered down.
For anyone interested, celebrities and the media used to get on quite well with each other. It was only when the media began aggressively hunting celebrities and abandoning respect for privacy that celebrities started thinking less of them. At least Bieber has shown us that he's only human. That ego is still quite high nonetheless.
Going low cost on fitness fails
Is there anyone who goes to Jetts gym who competes in serious bodybuilding competitions? Is there anyone who goes to Jetts who can outrun the best ultra runners in New Zealand? Can anyone at Burn24 hour fitness come forth and proclaim themselves as a National or International representative in any athletic pursuit or discipline? The answer to all of these questions is "probably not."
A single visit to Jetts gym was all it took to make it clear what they are running is a pure money spinner, not a " an environment where no-one feels shy about turning up." Fit 4 Life in Glenfield is only $71 more than Jetts but the value you get for it is far greater than any other low cost gym. There is always a staff member or volunteer on the desk, the prices you see are the prices you pay, there are group classes, there are free seminars (on fitness, friendship faith and finance) for members, people feel welcome and the facilities and equipment are better than what any Jetts gym or any other low cost gym offer.
For those who are crying foul about the criticism of Macklemore's ridiculous songs ought to ask yourself this. Would you want young children swearing like he does in Thriftshop? Would you be happy to let young teenagers fool themselves into thinking they cannot change a predisposition which they hold?
I am not, as one person absurdly states "hating on Macklemore." No, there is just a general worrying trend in a fair amount of his songs which is reason to be worried. Also, for some of his song with "powerful lyrics" (whatever that means), the way he sings them seems incongruous. "My oh my" would have been much better if he'd dropped the loud, gangster talk for a simpler rendition.
Friday, 8 March 2013
The Macklemore myth
When people flocked to go and see "Macklemore," I declined a request to interview him for a good reason. Like any modern singer who suddenly seems to spring up rather unannounced, something had to give. After a careful inspection of Thriftshop, Same Love and a few others, some common themes stood out.
To begin with, his song "Same Love" is full of basic errors. Whilst the jury is out on homosexual marriage (an issue I will not be dragged into), people certainly have the ability to change. Saying "I can't change, even if I try" is rather odd. Does this apply to all aspects of life or just our sexuality? How does he know that? Many people have been able to change their hostile attitudes towards homosexuals after befriending some (as I have in recent years). "Even if I wanted to." Again, is it orientation specific or is nobody ever able to change anything about their lives. If he is adopting this "I can't change because I can't" then an elementary error in observation is there. People who accuse me of cherry picking from his lyrics are right; "Same Love's" main message is Haggerty's opinion but the hook's start is simply not true philosophically, morally or empirically. Of course people can change. Mr Haggerty wrote "Same love." Regardless of who is singing the chorus, the message of not being able to change an attitude towards a position is supported by him. Of course, some will say "you've misinterpreted his message. He just means sexuality." Perhaps. To make it clear such was the case, why couldn't he have included at the end of his verses instead of independently as a chorus? This closed mindedness transitions into his other works.
Mr Haggerty has said in interviews the track "Thriftshop" focuses on buying as many cheap clothes as possible, whilst putting some money away. For a hip hop artist, this goes against the grain. Nonetheless, this song finds a spot in my list of top 10 most loathsome songs. Partnered by some jibber jabber from Wanz , Haggerty presents a destructive message about how amazing cheap materialism is. He has failed to see that materialism and cheap shopping cannot be given credit for happiness. Francis Scott Fitzgerald single handedly destroyed the myth of materialism in his powerful novel "The Great Gatsby." Yet here is a rather hysterical singer promoting temporary happiness through buying cheap rubbish.Credit can be given to the song for being stupid, deceptive, poisonous and ghastly, just like the lyrics. For anyone willing to actually listen to the hidden swearing, Haggerty uses the word "bitch" twice, "shit" four times and "fuck" seven times. Several other rude words are also in there.
From his other well known other songs "Wing$," "The Town" and "The Heist" something seemed off. I just couldn't bring myself to liking the songs. Nor was I able to relate to his constant messages about how one specific thing defines him. Saying something so focused puts people in a dangerous situation, where, if their passion for that area crumbles, they feel as if their worth is diminished greatly. Nobody should ever believe this to be true.
Perhaps "Macklemore" could answer me this question. Does he want his younger fans to go about swearing like he does? And is music the only thing which truly defines who he is as a person? I'll readily listen to his songs which address to these two questions.
To begin with, his song "Same Love" is full of basic errors. Whilst the jury is out on homosexual marriage (an issue I will not be dragged into), people certainly have the ability to change. Saying "I can't change, even if I try" is rather odd. Does this apply to all aspects of life or just our sexuality? How does he know that? Many people have been able to change their hostile attitudes towards homosexuals after befriending some (as I have in recent years). "Even if I wanted to." Again, is it orientation specific or is nobody ever able to change anything about their lives. If he is adopting this "I can't change because I can't" then an elementary error in observation is there. People who accuse me of cherry picking from his lyrics are right; "Same Love's" main message is Haggerty's opinion but the hook's start is simply not true philosophically, morally or empirically. Of course people can change. Mr Haggerty wrote "Same love." Regardless of who is singing the chorus, the message of not being able to change an attitude towards a position is supported by him. Of course, some will say "you've misinterpreted his message. He just means sexuality." Perhaps. To make it clear such was the case, why couldn't he have included at the end of his verses instead of independently as a chorus? This closed mindedness transitions into his other works.
Mr Haggerty has said in interviews the track "Thriftshop" focuses on buying as many cheap clothes as possible, whilst putting some money away. For a hip hop artist, this goes against the grain. Nonetheless, this song finds a spot in my list of top 10 most loathsome songs. Partnered by some jibber jabber from Wanz , Haggerty presents a destructive message about how amazing cheap materialism is. He has failed to see that materialism and cheap shopping cannot be given credit for happiness. Francis Scott Fitzgerald single handedly destroyed the myth of materialism in his powerful novel "The Great Gatsby." Yet here is a rather hysterical singer promoting temporary happiness through buying cheap rubbish.Credit can be given to the song for being stupid, deceptive, poisonous and ghastly, just like the lyrics. For anyone willing to actually listen to the hidden swearing, Haggerty uses the word "bitch" twice, "shit" four times and "fuck" seven times. Several other rude words are also in there.
From his other well known other songs "Wing$," "The Town" and "The Heist" something seemed off. I just couldn't bring myself to liking the songs. Nor was I able to relate to his constant messages about how one specific thing defines him. Saying something so focused puts people in a dangerous situation, where, if their passion for that area crumbles, they feel as if their worth is diminished greatly. Nobody should ever believe this to be true.
Perhaps "Macklemore" could answer me this question. Does he want his younger fans to go about swearing like he does? And is music the only thing which truly defines who he is as a person? I'll readily listen to his songs which address to these two questions.
Monday, 4 March 2013
Pulling one bad apple out cannot save the Navy
One of the biggest warning's which I received when applying for the Navy had nothing to do with expectations. No talks about high physical demands and little sleep. Surely then it had to be mental fatigue. No. My biggest warning came from the Navy doctor who warned me over and over again at the medical not to sleep around with Navy girls. I asked him why.
"Well, Navy girls and boys like to have sex. And they like to perv too."
Trying to suppress the laughter was hard. He'd been through the process of seeing so many people flocking to him with all sorts of STD's, so none of this was even remotely humorous.
So when Electronic Technician David Timothy Simpson pleaded guilty to filming women in bathrooms, nothing seemed amiss. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869306. If anything, secretly trying to fulfill some strange desires, Mr Simpson was embracing the sexual openness the Royal New Zealand Navy openly encourages.
One commissioned officer (who is now a commanding officer of a RNZN ship) happily spoke about all his sexual escapades as a midshipman. According to him, "Navy girls are as easy as they come."
While the officer and many other young men may not have gone as far as Mr Simpson and made videos, very little is done to hide the sleaziness present within the Navy. Trying to fix it overnight because one man got caught would be impossible. Promoting a more professional, self restrained attitude towards a government funded unit is a starting point.
Suppressing information from the press is a sensible move. Most women who fell victim to the perverted creature will work hard to suppress it. The misery is that somebody will take the helm and begin working towards following their officers example. A mass exodus of serving men and women has more to do with personal well being than ridiculous budget cuts.
A future with less cats...still a long off dream
Standing behind Gareth Morgan, who wants to eradicate New Zealand's cat population, a recent survey seems to have more people supporting.
I have never been a big supporter of cats. They have always presented themselves as rather arrogant creatures, full of self pride, unwilling to ever try be friendly. For over half the day, they sleep away, often in remote quarters, only reappearing every now and again to eat dinner. Training them to do anything is a mission, as they are already convinced of their own smartness, which has yet to be regularly displayed.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869395
While his proposal to supposedly rid the country of cats has found favor with some, others disagree. SPCA say it's "a slap in the face" that a voluntary organisation loaded with volunteers is slammed. Many stray cats are rescued by them and made available for ownership.
My respect for the SPCA is immense, but I wish they'd work towards helping more dogs. Friendlier, more intelligent, faster, humble, protective and energetic. For the most part, many dogs meet many or all of these criterion. Even if they aren't over friendly to others, they're always happy to see you. Unlike cats, who are often not there to see you.
Something rather amusing came up on the very biased stuff.co.nz. Which band do you prefer. The two options were Coldplay and Radiohead. At the time of writing 55% chose Radiohead. For a band which has senseless, depression fueled lyrics, this seems rather odd. One such song "Creep," goes
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong hereUnless a sudden tirade of Radiohead fans stumbled upon Stuff, it's an indication of who the audience is largely comprised of.
For those people who are crying out day and night for New Zealand to become a Republic, think to yourself. Do you really want to have somebody like John Key, David Shearer or Meteria Turei as the all powerful dictator, who can influence any change in the snap of a finger? Somebody whom you have to, out of their position, respect them. If so, then that's fine. Like a chessboard though, the respect we offer to the monarchy allows us to ridicule politicians and prime ministers for the meager contributions they make.
"Well, Navy girls and boys like to have sex. And they like to perv too."
Trying to suppress the laughter was hard. He'd been through the process of seeing so many people flocking to him with all sorts of STD's, so none of this was even remotely humorous.
So when Electronic Technician David Timothy Simpson pleaded guilty to filming women in bathrooms, nothing seemed amiss. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869306. If anything, secretly trying to fulfill some strange desires, Mr Simpson was embracing the sexual openness the Royal New Zealand Navy openly encourages.
One commissioned officer (who is now a commanding officer of a RNZN ship) happily spoke about all his sexual escapades as a midshipman. According to him, "Navy girls are as easy as they come."
While the officer and many other young men may not have gone as far as Mr Simpson and made videos, very little is done to hide the sleaziness present within the Navy. Trying to fix it overnight because one man got caught would be impossible. Promoting a more professional, self restrained attitude towards a government funded unit is a starting point.
Suppressing information from the press is a sensible move. Most women who fell victim to the perverted creature will work hard to suppress it. The misery is that somebody will take the helm and begin working towards following their officers example. A mass exodus of serving men and women has more to do with personal well being than ridiculous budget cuts.
A future with less cats...still a long off dream
I have never been a big supporter of cats. They have always presented themselves as rather arrogant creatures, full of self pride, unwilling to ever try be friendly. For over half the day, they sleep away, often in remote quarters, only reappearing every now and again to eat dinner. Training them to do anything is a mission, as they are already convinced of their own smartness, which has yet to be regularly displayed.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10869395
While his proposal to supposedly rid the country of cats has found favor with some, others disagree. SPCA say it's "a slap in the face" that a voluntary organisation loaded with volunteers is slammed. Many stray cats are rescued by them and made available for ownership.
My respect for the SPCA is immense, but I wish they'd work towards helping more dogs. Friendlier, more intelligent, faster, humble, protective and energetic. For the most part, many dogs meet many or all of these criterion. Even if they aren't over friendly to others, they're always happy to see you. Unlike cats, who are often not there to see you.
Something rather amusing came up on the very biased stuff.co.nz. Which band do you prefer. The two options were Coldplay and Radiohead. At the time of writing 55% chose Radiohead. For a band which has senseless, depression fueled lyrics, this seems rather odd. One such song "Creep," goes
But I'm a creep
I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong hereUnless a sudden tirade of Radiohead fans stumbled upon Stuff, it's an indication of who the audience is largely comprised of.
For those people who are crying out day and night for New Zealand to become a Republic, think to yourself. Do you really want to have somebody like John Key, David Shearer or Meteria Turei as the all powerful dictator, who can influence any change in the snap of a finger? Somebody whom you have to, out of their position, respect them. If so, then that's fine. Like a chessboard though, the respect we offer to the monarchy allows us to ridicule politicians and prime ministers for the meager contributions they make.
Sunday, 3 March 2013
The best job candidate will often be a bit bruised, beaten and a tad incomplete
As usual, anyone who is trying to harp on about National clamping down on people opting for welfare payments must yet again face reality. More and more people are joining the gravy train of handouts and state assisted housing for not working.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10868816
In this New Zealand herald article, a solo mother says she has applied for a 20 jobs, without any luck. I'm not going to try understand what Steph Grey's circumstances are. Knowing many New Zealand companies, a major problem seems to be image. People don't often want to hire people who are a bit incomplete from that amazing dream worker which the executives and headhunters envision.
Some advice I could offer Steph Grey is to just apply to every job which has her profile. It almost seems ironic companies are constantly harping about hiring new staff, yet seem so reluctant to take on those willing to work hard. Ms. Grey may or may not be a hard worker but she is certainly concerned about her son's well being which is commendable. Going hungry for so your son can eat is a lesson to all the pathetic politicians who want to let bad parents off by offering meals in school, paid for with money our country does not have.
Hopefully soon, some companies will learn to become a bit more realistic in their pursuit of a new candidate. Idealism may work well in some loose button companies like Apple and Microsoft. But in a country of 4.5 million, where many companies employ fewer than 20 people, are stingy bosses really expecting perfection in each potential applicant? This mythical recession ended some time ago. Jobs are available but companies seem reluctant to fill vacant positions with anyone. Some hopefuls even have to take personality tests. What good that does is unclear. Even a argumentative, rude, bullish perfectionist can do well. Just look at Steve Jobs return from the dead to steer Apple back to green figures.
People lining up to go on the dole wouldn't be anywhere near as bad as current figures if only Government encouraged companies to make the hiring process simpler.
A holiday to remember...and forget, FAST!
The non-existent police force continued to display their inability to protect us from crime. Rather than patrol areas alone on foot to stop crimes as they happen, they've defaulted to sitting roadside sipping coffee and writing tickets or doing paperwork at various stations.
Rather than patrol areas of popular tourist areas, all trust has been put in the tourists. Isn't it irritating being lectured by police about us being the reason we got burgled? So when Ben Horner and Claire Barham lost absolutely everything except their swimming costumes, something seemed off. Of course, by the time police responded and took accounts from the unfortunate couple, a thief had already steamed off.
Excuses have run out. There is one policeman to every 400 citizens. With many more people looking to join, surely Anne Tolley can learn from disasters like this and promote individual foot patrol.
National vs Conservatives. Who's more liberal?
For anyone to hold David Cameron in mighty praise now would get a public flogging. Congratulating himself on making it so far without caring much about anything he's said, Mr. Cameron now believes his party can win the 2015 election. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/international-politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503226&objectid=10868701
They won't. After reading the brilliant columns by Mail on Sunday journalist Peter Hitchens, it seems that Mr. Cameron has made his party even more liberal now than a few years ago. Going on current observations, New Zealand's own prime minister and his cronies have worked hard to achieve a similar image. Political correctness is drilled in, disastrous tax systems are upheld, pathetic interventionism is constantly encouraged, not overturning the ridiculous anti-smacking bill. The Conservative party enjoys being in the European Union, doesn't like punishing criminals, endorses comprehensive schooling and is doing nothing to stop mass immigration.
None of these parties should have the word "right wing" anywhere near the party titles. Who's more liberal? You be the judge.
Simon Bridges has precious little to celebrate. The minimum wage increased by a meager 25 cents. Petrol prices increased by that amount in the space of 28 days in February. If National wonders why it cannot keep workers in New Zealand, from Doctors to Laborers, maybe pushing for a slightly higher increase wouldn't have been so bad. It cannot be possible companies will be in dire straights by paying their cleaners, packers, manufacturers an extra $0.50 an hour more than last year.