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Showing posts from May, 2009

Cycleways

More information is emerging about the much vaunted cycleways. I have to say I am keen to see more. I love cycling, but it can be really dodgy on our roads. I get sworn at regularly for being on the road. Drivers are an angry and impatient lot. I was really surprised by the negative reaction of some people to this. Lazy people, unfit people, wedded to their cars. I am looking forward to seeing this emerge, and am looking forward to persuading Bonnie to have a go at some of these for a holiday!! Key told the Hotel Industry Conference in Auckland this morning that $50m would be allocated to the project over the next three years. "I see the national cycleway developing from a series of "Great Rides" through some of New Zealand's most beautiful scenery. Our long-term goal is to create a network that links these "Great Rides" into a uniquely New Zealand set of cycling experiences that connects and passes through our cities." I was worried it would get water

Christine Rankin

O please. How am I supposed to take this government seriously. Christine looks out for one person, Christine. She loves being in the lime light. But her track record is not good. He appaling dress sense shows that she really can't make appropriate decisions for the situation. To say "no one can tell me what to wear!" while clearly telling all her staff what to wear. and saying it to men who have no choice but to wear a suit and tie is just silly. That same lack of judgement was shown in how she led her Department. Better yet we have an advocate for beating children with hose pipes and 4x2 (extreme I know, but that is what let to that peice of law) on the Families Commission. An advocate for violence working for a group which is working hard to erradicate violence from the home. Even that great liberal (not) Peter Dunne is upset, and this is his baby. National have shown their trur colours. Thanks to all those who voted for them for their $10/wk.

It is time to call a spade a spade

Should I even write this? I am not sure. Anyway. It seems that the General Secretary of our church is quite determined to shut TORU: The Anglican Centre for Youth Ministry Studies because we have overspent our budget for the last two years and as far as she is concerned is it not working. Instead this advocate for our three Tikanga Structure would like to see the money redistributed among the three Tikanga. This of course is being done with no consultation with the Youth Networks. Surprisingly (not) I am somewhat annoyed. But it has helped me come to realise that we will never be one church expressed in three Tikanga. And that is because no one really wants that. So why keep working for it! And this makes me think. General Synod last year cost over $170,000, a beautiful hand holding exercise that achieved nothing really. The meal at Parliament was nice though. Our General Synod Office struggles to contain its expenditure (not it’s fault I hasten to add), so that this year the money we

Bye bye Boston Legal

Last night I watched a “Best of Boston Legal” It was great, and yet poignant. Poignant because my favourite TV show has finished. I wonder what it was about Boston Legal that tickled my fancy. Well, for a start it was funny. Really funny. The characters were so different and quirky. And over the years they took themselves less and less seriously. In the last season they made references to themselves as a TV programme all the time. But it also offered serous social commentary. The character of Alan Shaw is central here. His court room rants were full of social commentary, usually from the left. You could not ignore what it was saying. And Denny Crane offered a conservative opposing standpoint to keep things in balance. Within the office, issues around sexual ethics were raised, Denny’s Alzheimer’s, Gerry’s autism, even Chinas human rights (which always intrigues me that Americans worry about that given their domestic and international track record) Finally, I will miss the final scene o