What's a Human Life Worth?

Apparently it's about $168.40.

Taito

The only thing an MP should ever take from a constituent is their vote.

'Nuff said.

Hard Slog.

It's a rare weekend in Wellington that you are lucky enough to be blessed with two clear, calm, and sunny days. Luckily for me this has been one of those occasions. They're few and far between but they're bliss when they happen.

So as promised. Here's Deliverance.



This bit is at the top - note the gnarly tree rooty goodness. There's more of that all the way down. I would have taken more photos but I was too busy concentrating and staying on my bike. It's the sort of single trail that if you fall off it then you end up falling a very long way. Having a 40 metre tumble down a hill side was not high on my list of priorities.

Anyway after giving myself heart failure on Deliverance I decided it was time for some serious sifting. So after a little back trail negotiation I ended up at Hawkins Hill.



See what I mean about it being a glorious day!

Nutters I have Met. Part 1.

OK so I'm cheating a little bit. I posted the following tale on a discussion group that I'm a member of and have decided to copy and paste it here. It's just one of those weird things that happens to you from time to time when you are a journalist.

It dates back to the time (late 1999) when the then Chch City Council manager Mike Richardson had created a bit of a media firestorm over a few comments he'd made about the Second Coming, the millennium, and how all the sports facilities the Council had developed would make perfect landing spots for the Heavenly Host as well as great places for mass Baptisms

I'm sitting in the office one afternoon, busy trying to get my head around all this, when an elderly gent in rather impeccable 1970's formal attire wanders into the office and starts bending my ear about Mr Richardson and his relationship with God. Yours truly, thinking he was speaking to a member of the same religious group, asks the man if he was an acquaintance of Mr Richardson.
"Oh no, no, no" said the old fellow rather genially. "I just know Mr Richardson is wrong in his belief that God will come to Christchurch with the dawning of the millennium".
I couldn't help myself and asked him how he could be so sure of this.
He gave me a gentle smile and said;
"My son, I've been here since 1974"


It turned out he'd written his own Bible and everything. Definitely one of my more memorable moments in journalism.

Lead Me Not Into Temptation

Actually scrub that. You can grab me by the hand and lead me there, but just make sure there are mountainbikes involved.

I'll hope you'll excuse the rather oblique and inane references I'm making but I've just discovered another mountainbike trail up in Karori. And it happens to be called Temptation - hence the really bad pun.



It's a beaut' wee trail. Not difficult or technical but it flows really well and is possibly the easiest way to get up the dreaded Wrights Hill (word of advice - going up the road on a bike is a real drag).



And it has some surreal little glades, nooks, and crannies to take you by surprise as well.

In the next post (or thereabouts) I'll introduce you to Temptation's bigger, and slightly more intimidating, sister. Her name's Deliverance and she is aptly named.

If I Was a Super hero

Your results:

You are Apocalypse

Apocalypse 100%
Magneto 99%
Lex Luthor 83%
Dr. Doom 81%
The Joker 76%
Juggernaut 74%
Dark Phoenix 72%
Venom 71%
Mystique 70%
Mr. Freeze 64%
Catwoman 64%
Green Goblin 54%
Poison Ivy 50%
Kingpin 49%
Two-Face 46%
Riddler 40%


Click here to take the "Which Super Villain are you?" quiz...

Inquiring Minds Want to Know.

I'm sure Ian Wishart won't mind this as he appears to be great fan of maximum disclosure in all matters public and private.

The thing is I'm slightly curious about the John Dallison Flannery that is listed as a shareholder on HATM Magazines Limited - the firm responsible for publishing Investigate Magazine. Is he the same John Flannery that was formerly a director of John Flannery and Associates?

I only ask this because the firm in question is listed as a private investigations outfit based in the North Shore.

Just how many PI's (Wayne Idour aside) is Mr Wishart involved with?

On Top of the World

Occasionally, just every once in a while. Wellington will put on an absolute stunning day. Luckily today was one of those days and what better way to make the most of it than get lost on a mountainbike on the hills behind Maungaraki. This is the same place I was blathering about a few weeks ago .... however it really is a fantastic place to explore.

Seriously it's another world up there. No-one about but the occasional sheep and the odd (and I mean that literally as well as metaphorically) walker. Bliss, and all within 20 minutes of Wellington.

This is looking north-east towards the Rimutakas.



While this is the view to the north-west. Somewhere way up in the distance is Pauatahanui.

Any bets as to whther this is autumn's last gasp before the crap winter weather arrives.

The Ultimate Irony.

Without a word of a lie I swear this is among the wine selection at the post Budget drinks of Finance Minister Dr Michael Cullen tonight.

It was a pungent little number with a big nose and an bitter aftertaste of sour grapes.

For context go here or here.

I swear to God you just can't make this stuff up.

Mum's the Word

Given all the crap that's floating around about the NZ police at the moment let me share this little yarn which dates back 20 or so years in the small country town where I grew up.

The local police station had been subject to an arson attack (suspicion being it was lit by the cops who were sick of their ancient poky digs) meaning they were operating out of the old courthouse
building down the road.

However, following the annual cannabis plantation raids, they chose to store their confiscated pile of dope plants in the cell one weekend ahead of impending incineration on a Monday morning.

Lo and behold they turn up on Monday and the plants were gone.

Unfortunately for the enterprising thieves the planst had wilted and were prone to shedding their leaves. The jig was up largely to the early risers of the town who'd spotted a group of young men - young men not noted for their civic duty - industriously sweeping the footpaths at 5.30 in the morning.

The police caught our green fingered friends but charges were never laid.

Basically because the youths were quite happy to tell the local paper exactly what they'd done. Something the local Sergeant preferred to avoid.

So the police got their plants back, the lads got off scot-free and everyone was a winner on the day.

[NB I was not one of the young men]

Irony

I wonder if he lived? And if he did, what did he say when he met his doctor?

To Hit Or Not To Hit

To be honest I don't give a toss one way or another regarding the so-called "Anti-Smacking" Bill. I don't have any kids so it doesn't really affect me.

However the debate, which has been spirited, has thrown up some choice moments. My favourite was a conversation I heard at a rally outside Parliament yesterday between a Destiny Church member and a Bill supporter.

Bill Supporter: "So do you kick your dog?"
Church member: "Of course not."
Bill Supporter: "So why would you want to hit your child."

No come back whatsoever.

Oh and while I'm pinching pictures from Scaryduck I feel I should pass this one along. It's a salutary lesson in where not to stand.

Wrong On Many Levels.

Courtesy of Scaryduck.

He's a sick, sick man.