Don't

1. Volunteer to run the staff kids christmas party.
2. Talk to your co-workers semi-suicidal husband (I won't bore you with why), at the christmas do, about vibrators while wifey's looking serious and muttering "I'll kill her".
3. Knock the fact rescuer was OK with rescuee giving yours truely a lap dance (she tripped).
4. Expect 3star Hotels to have views and soap holders or painting finished a week after they open.
5. Mistake Chardon for Chandon.
6. Ogle the hottee. "Sure she's a size 6 but she's not what you'd call pretty". "Don't be so rude". Understanding but not fooled.
7. Dance for more than 3 hours wearing brand new high heels. Test drive those suckers!

I'd prefer a Dino

Dog and Lemon Guide editor Clive Matthew-Wilson says "The very best of European (quality) is about equal to the very worst of Japanese"and goes on to claim BMWs have a 'poor track record for reliability' and "A Toyota Crown could have been purchased at a fraction of the price and would have given four times the reliability".

Not to mention American cars. No wonder GM and Ford banned the competition from Bathurst.

Kiwi's understand and aspire to the 'big and flash is good' mentality which explains why we go along with our politicians doing likewise.

I wouldn't say no to a Crown or a Beamer but would prefer to cruise in the much cooler Dino.

If I don't shake your hand, it doesn't mean I don't like you

Where I sit on the birdflu preparedness continuum I don't know but the pandemic supplies we were urged to think about have just about gone in my house. Running out of rice when you've bought a 10kg bag doesn't seem possible but it happened last weekend.

Scanning granny today I came across the other two health bogeys one article above the other on superbugs in Afganistan/Iraq and the US and ebola (in Uganda).
If you think thats humorous try looking at our MOH website for birdflu. Last updated in November 07 with the report into Exercise Cruickshank, "a whole-of-government influenza pandemic exercise led by the Ministry of Health. The exercise was held over 5 days in May 2007". Gems from the report:

• "...consideration must be given to the different characteristics of a pandemic compared with other types of emergency. For example, onset may be slower, but the pandemic will expand across many months, and come in waves..."


• "...with a projected 50 percent staff absence for two weeks at the peak of the pandemic wave..."

Confidence builders....

• "Participants need to be knowledgeable about the issues. Some people attending the exercise were not well briefed, did not know the plan and were not cognisant of the issues and previous policy decisions taken. This led to more lengthy discussions than would otherwise have been the case."


• "A ‘public gathering’ needs to be clearly defined; for example, whether it includes religious meetings." (My favourite quote. Stunning! I just wish I'd been there to watch my colleagues give their best stare)


• "Trigger points for release of powers should be considered. Instead of discussing the release of powers, perhaps trigger points could be identified, so if A happens then B occurs automatically."

And you guessed right ! The inevitable conclusion ..."Exercise Cruickshank successfully achieved its objectives..."

Meanwhile:

3.12.07 A man in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu has died of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus

16.12.07 Pakistan has recorded its first human death from bird flu and five other people have been infected with the deadly H5N1 virus

No point holding back on hitting the last of the panadol we're @#$%'ed. May as well just get to the beach.

Eva and Gerard

Yes, hot. No doubt about that.

But in the top 10 of 'Sexiest Movie Stars Ever' ?

I really ought to be on the interview panel next time. Assessing competency criteria wouldn't take too long and I'll consider reducing my hourly rate as long as I don't have to drink that Golden Gate lolly water.

Oh ! Not Golden Gate huh? Nice abs G.

The bad and the ugly

Judge says 10yo "probably agreed" to have sex ..with nine men and teenage boys.
Maybe I've taken this out of context, but the Queensland Government's announcement it will review all criminal sentences in Cape York communities from the past two years is sensible if this thinking is the norm.
Closer than Pitcairn.

Sentenced in Dunedin to 12 months' supervision, 130 hours' community work, and ordered to undertake a psychiatric assessment and counselling for infanticide : killing a baby where the woman is so disturbed by childbirth that she cannot be held fully responsible for her actions.
Not so disturbed she couldn't return alone to the bathroom later to clean up and place the apparently dead baby and her placenta into a plastic bag, and throw them out a window into the garden below, before collapsing.

What do I know? We're lucky to have competent people make such decisions for us.

Take a pin and ...

Bursting bubbles aren't new.

A couple of friends of ours will be squirming that the IRD is taking an interest in their income over the last few years.
"100k pre tax" sounds slightly less appealing than "100k tax free" especially so if you've been using it to live on and pay for those trips to everywhere.

Assuming Kate meant IRD's 'soon' rather than her own, she, as always, got it right back on Saturday, June 23, 2007 saying "Expect an audit anytime soon. The IRD do read the papers."

The IRD I suspect will take Kate's "the law here is not open really to much interpretation " line as opposed to Rodney's "It would be very helpful if parliament would provide clearer rules so that people knew where they stood."

I'll be interested to see how much the IRD allows for value added by hard work and initiative. Chippies labourers/project managers are paid very well I hear.

Psychologist said she wasn't surprised

"by figures which showed men having sex they didn't necessarily want. She saw men in her practice who felt unnerved by the predatory women they met socially and who preferred the more traditional approach to relationships." (Sunday Star Times)
"In that case keep reading your book and tell me if you mind me doing this......... awww baby are you really really sure you mean 'No' ?"

"I'm feeling stressed and pressured, leave me alone. Anyway my robes need ironing."

Unnerved briefly.

4x100m WBOP relay Porritt Stadium 2.12.07

Cambridge in blue and red win by about 10m, missed the WBOP record by .5 sec. Three of the four are in same football team.

Buck playing on with ripped nads just doesn't do it for many parents even though I'm still impressed.

Hell @ Waterworld Hamilton

There must have been 500 people in that pool in the picture on Sunday, I was one of them !

No need to go to the Dr for a shot when you can get innoculated for everything at once.

Still I'm greatful I arrived early to drop off #2 with a birthday group who wanted to use the hydroslide and luckily for him his timeslot was 30 min before his group and due to the que he had two rides to their one!

I touched base with birthday boy's dad, who has less patience than me, at 4pm after having had enough after 15 minutes in the water before deciding I needed to make tracks.

His greeting "@#$%en diabolical !" was spot on.

Back home next morning I asked #2 for a review.

"The slide was two metres then dropped straight down.

Boring.

The outside and big pool were freezing."

"What time did you leave?"

"About 6 o'clock"

Mental note chiseled.

6' and a Secretary

The thin arm vacant look has a certain appeal. I'm not so sure I want to see the leg shots with those ops they show on 60 minutes next to the gender ratio stats.

Great to see the hackers getting busy, and that she likes Chihuahuas. With that hair colour I bet yap yap would get doggy swim coaching before going to the beach. Her favourite movie's destined to be a classic if only my browser would down load it. :(

Politics Russian Style

You've got to hand it to those russians, they sure know how to make vodka and win an election. I wouldn't rate Ramzan's chances of holding on for three terms, not with opposition like his dads.



The campaign meetings must have been a load of laughs chaired by Vladimir. Nothing like having the entire population shipped out a couple of times in consecutive generations to help with decision making and focus the felt pen.
A world away.
Here's to appropriate ends for mass murdering @#$%heads.

28 Degrees on Sunday 25 Nov 07

Not a bad day. 5 snapper and 3 gurnard went the way I suspect Cricket did. Washed down with sweet and sour or chilli sauce, Sauv B, Becks and tasting great.

While I was out searching I came across these Tui (spot #2?).

Like Nicky, gorgeous, .....

Thirsty Merc, or are these the new Morry 1000?

Parked on the verge in Kihikihi atop the long grass, this stunning ad must have Toyota execs laughing.

Would I sell to this guy?

Damn right I would if he offered me the right price.

What is the right price?

Deb Leask had a fair idea it wasn't half what she was asking.

Bayleys must be greatful for the 750 maximum and Crown Law wondering why the REALB appointees let him off, but I doubt it.
My first thought was "Those jerks must be elected by the likes of GS". But it turns out no. The shrill and agast Ms Leask and pinko journos who wrote the story must have missed something the Board, GS and I'll bet Crown Law didn't. That you can't be nailed if you play by the rules, and playing by the rules doesn't necessarily give you the moral high ground which Bayleys recognised they'd lost. Still, the moral high ground packs a wallop.

.......take a deep breath and wait for balanced reporting. Maybe I can persuade Susan to come back.