" I'd be really pleased to meet you if I could remember your name
But I got problems of the memory ever since I got a winner in the fame game
I'm a citizen of Legoland travellin' incommunicado
And I don't give a damn for the Fleet Street aficionados
But I don't want to be the back-page interview
I don't want launderette anonymity
I want my hand prints in the concrete on Sunset Boulevard
A dummy in Tussauds you'll see
Incommunicado, incommunicado
I'm a Marquee veteran, a multimedia bonafide celebrity
I've got an allergy to Perrier, daylight and responsibility
I'm a rootin'-tootin' cowboy, the Peter Pan, the street credibility
Always taking the point with the dawn patrol fraternity
Sometimes it seems like I've been here before
When I hear opportunity kicking in my door
Call it synchronicity call it deja vu
I just put my faith in destiny - it's the way that I choose
But I don't want to be a tin can tied
To the bumper of a wedding limousine
Or currently residing in the where are they now file
A toupee on the cabaret scene
I want to do adverts for American Express cards
Talk shows on prime time TV
A villa in France, my own cocktail bar
And that's where you're gonna find me
Incommunicado, incommunicado
Sometimes it seems like I've been here before
When I hear opportunity kicking in my door
Call it synchronicity call it deja vu
I just put my faith in destiny - it's the way that I choose
Incommunicado, incommunicado
It's the only way"
Fish Marillion
Yes reader or maybe there is more than one of you I am leaving I am gone tomorrow I will be incommunicado or rather in a negotiating battle with various family factions requiring use of the computer that my faction is me and a senile old Labrador / golden retriever vs. parent faction they pay the bill have a golden retriever and my mut will defect to this faction. Oldest sister faction, two Adults 3 kids and two dogs very powerful faction. Next sister faction two adults 3 kids might well offer bribes to my mut, but are currently domiciled in the UK giving a scarcity factor. That is like being gold against iron ore.
Shit it is like trying to be an opposition Labour Party power player without having the name David. Hell I think they have 4 David's at the moment not to mention there unofficial advisor David Farrar who also advises the government on a more official basis that they have a couple of David's as well .
And woman planning to procreate with me ( fat chance ) should be aware that I have having listened to
Jim Mora's programme today come to the conclusion any offspring will be named Goliath or Golifisa.
I long gave up on that pointless piece of prose called the bible but I love Christmas and I hope you all have a great Christmas
Cheers
Hamish
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
I hate shaving
I do it, my face is me but I do not do genitals and I have no intention to start. Please tell me why you would shave. I shave my face and get rid of stuff I do not need. When you shave you take someting I want. The in's and out's.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Congratulations Paula Bennett
I want to congratulate Paula Bennett ( National right ) on winning Waitakere. Had I been voting I would not have voted for her I would have voted for Carmel Sepuloni ( Labour left ). Waitakere was a safe Labour seat and now can be regarded as a marginal National seat or maybe even a swing seat that is likely to go to the government of the day, that is a fantastic achievement by Paula.
My heart goes out Carmel Sepuloni losing by 12 votes was a heart breaking result and my anger at the fools who ranked the Labour list and cost the Left this excellent MP is is is.... adjectives fail me.
They do not fail me how ever when I read Nick K's post at No Minister the blog is short and sweet.
The picture is despicable but cretins is not a word I would use to describe them adjectives do not fail me this time, they are mean spirited pricks and I have not used the C word because it is possible Paula or Sepuloni might read this and I would hate to offend either of them in a post that discusses them.
Paula, Carmel and for that matter I suspect Nick K and I all want the same thing, we want to see people working and contributing to our society. That some people who I have to assume are on my side of the political divide would do this to you Paula disgusts me. We not only lost the contest of ideas by not having any until it was to late to work but we lost the contest on decency and fairness. Paula I agree on the destination not the road.
As an advocate on the left I apologise to you Paula and when The Standard and Red Alert say that this is totally unacceptable and apologise, please accept my apology. To accept it before lets them of the hook that Nick baited and I was so appalled felt happy to cast.
Nick didn't give a link to the facebook page rather to the group but I trust the guys at No Minister to tell the truth. When they get something wrong they always admit it.
My heart goes out Carmel Sepuloni losing by 12 votes was a heart breaking result and my anger at the fools who ranked the Labour list and cost the Left this excellent MP is is is.... adjectives fail me.
They do not fail me how ever when I read Nick K's post at No Minister the blog is short and sweet.
" Ugly stuff
These people have put this photo up of Paula Bennett on their Facebook page. The comments that follow by some people are just as ugly.
What despicable cretins."
What despicable cretins."
The picture is despicable but cretins is not a word I would use to describe them adjectives do not fail me this time, they are mean spirited pricks and I have not used the C word because it is possible Paula or Sepuloni might read this and I would hate to offend either of them in a post that discusses them.
Paula, Carmel and for that matter I suspect Nick K and I all want the same thing, we want to see people working and contributing to our society. That some people who I have to assume are on my side of the political divide would do this to you Paula disgusts me. We not only lost the contest of ideas by not having any until it was to late to work but we lost the contest on decency and fairness. Paula I agree on the destination not the road.
As an advocate on the left I apologise to you Paula and when The Standard and Red Alert say that this is totally unacceptable and apologise, please accept my apology. To accept it before lets them of the hook that Nick baited and I was so appalled felt happy to cast.
Nick didn't give a link to the facebook page rather to the group but I trust the guys at No Minister to tell the truth. When they get something wrong they always admit it.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Republican insanity continues.
It was my intention to have a laugh at the Republican contenders but as can often happen with google I stumbled on something more heartless than a Republican contender and that is HR 3630. anyway Siddhartha Mahanta blogs.
" On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed HR 3630, a bill extending President Barack Obama's 2 percent payroll tax cut. But the tax cut, which was set to expire on January 1 and will save the average American family an estimated $1,000 next year, is just about the only candy cane in this holiday stocking. The rest of HR 3630 is bursting at the seams with conservative goodies, including—get this—drastic changes to the unemployment insurance system that could force unemployed Americans to undergo drug tests, require them to get GEDs, ( General Educational Development test ) and greatly reduce the time they're able to receive benefits. "
Now that is just plain nasty. On December 5 a reader on Kiwiblog talked about his experience of being on the dole in NZ and on stuff today former MP Georgina Beyer describes her life on the unemployment benefit both are a sobering read. Mahanta continues.
" Under current law, unemployed workers are eligible for up to 99 weeks of federal and state unemployment benefits. States pay for the first 26 weeks of those benefits, and the federal government foots the bill for between 34 and 73 more—the exact number varies from state to state based on each state's unemployment rate. If the Republicans get their way, workers who use up their 26 weeks would only be able to receive benefits through week 59—reducing their benefits by up to 40 weeks. The GOP bill also reduces the monetary value of the benefits it does provide."
A slash and burn approach that will see UI ( Unemployment Insurance ) liabilities to the Federal Government drop by over 50% on those figures. Now this is interesting.
"...Mark Zandi, an economic adviser for Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign, has estimated that each dollar spent on extending unemployment benefits generates $1.61 in economic growth. Meanwhile, according to an analysis from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), the Republicans' bill would result in $22 billion in lost economic growth and cost at least 140,000 jobs next year. With unemployment still hovering around 8.6 percent, those numbers are pretty catastrophic."
So ultimately the cuts will do more damage than good.
" Not content with simply slashing benefits, Republicans also want to impose new requirements on unemployment benefit seekers. Their bill would mandate that all UI recipients hold high school diplomas or GEDs and would allow states to drug-test applicants. But the bill doesn't provide any money to pay for those new hurdles, putting that burden on already cash-strapped state governments."
Effectively accusing the American unemployed of being drug users and shifting the cost to the State governments doesn't strike me as very clever but the Republicans don't strike me as very clever either.
Stating the obvious is in the end a fairly pointless game in both America and New Zealand if there are no jobs there are no jobs and if the Euro zone falls apart it will get a whole lot worse Cameron Slater spotted this in The Telegraph
I wonder if the Republicans have spotted it. At the start of this mess we were shown images on TV of people who had lost the house and job in the US in trailer parks they were philosophical about it America would recover, they were flying American flags. I don't see images like that on the news now I see Occupy Wall Street like the Tea Party they are incoherent and unlike the Tea Party they are leaderless but Pedro Nuno Santos will be somewhere in the Occupy movement.
Danyl at the Dim-Post on a tangentially related issue made this comment today about the passing of Christopher Hitchens
" He was wrong on the great issue of the day: the invasion of Iraq – and he was so stridently, sneeringly, viciously wrong that his vanity never allowed him to walk it back. He spent a huge amount of time, energy and words railing against the existential threat of ‘Islamofascism’ when it turned out the great threat to the hegemony of the west was our own financial system."
Perceptive guy Danyl, the Republicans might want to think about the ultimate cost of shifting the blame for the recession onto the poor and unemployed. As the Americandream myth implodes the Republican response is to kick the most vulnerable in the teeth. Poor, unemployed and uneducated doesn't mean stupid.
" On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed HR 3630, a bill extending President Barack Obama's 2 percent payroll tax cut. But the tax cut, which was set to expire on January 1 and will save the average American family an estimated $1,000 next year, is just about the only candy cane in this holiday stocking. The rest of HR 3630 is bursting at the seams with conservative goodies, including—get this—drastic changes to the unemployment insurance system that could force unemployed Americans to undergo drug tests, require them to get GEDs, ( General Educational Development test ) and greatly reduce the time they're able to receive benefits. "
Now that is just plain nasty. On December 5 a reader on Kiwiblog talked about his experience of being on the dole in NZ and on stuff today former MP Georgina Beyer describes her life on the unemployment benefit both are a sobering read. Mahanta continues.
" Under current law, unemployed workers are eligible for up to 99 weeks of federal and state unemployment benefits. States pay for the first 26 weeks of those benefits, and the federal government foots the bill for between 34 and 73 more—the exact number varies from state to state based on each state's unemployment rate. If the Republicans get their way, workers who use up their 26 weeks would only be able to receive benefits through week 59—reducing their benefits by up to 40 weeks. The GOP bill also reduces the monetary value of the benefits it does provide."
A slash and burn approach that will see UI ( Unemployment Insurance ) liabilities to the Federal Government drop by over 50% on those figures. Now this is interesting.
"...Mark Zandi, an economic adviser for Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign, has estimated that each dollar spent on extending unemployment benefits generates $1.61 in economic growth. Meanwhile, according to an analysis from the National Employment Law Project (NELP), the Republicans' bill would result in $22 billion in lost economic growth and cost at least 140,000 jobs next year. With unemployment still hovering around 8.6 percent, those numbers are pretty catastrophic."
So ultimately the cuts will do more damage than good.
" Not content with simply slashing benefits, Republicans also want to impose new requirements on unemployment benefit seekers. Their bill would mandate that all UI recipients hold high school diplomas or GEDs and would allow states to drug-test applicants. But the bill doesn't provide any money to pay for those new hurdles, putting that burden on already cash-strapped state governments."
Effectively accusing the American unemployed of being drug users and shifting the cost to the State governments doesn't strike me as very clever but the Republicans don't strike me as very clever either.
" HR 3630 seems to pin the blame for being unemployed on the jobless, says Maurice Emsellem, a policy codirector with the NELP. "They're figuring that the record number of people who are out of a job today are out a job because it's their fault," Emsellem says.
But Jesse Rothstein, an economist at the University of California-Berkeley who has studied unemployment insurance, says there's little evidence that lack of education or drug addiction is the main problem for most unemployed people. "Most of the problem right now is that there aren't enough jobs," he says. The most recent data from the Bureau on Labor Statistics backs him up, showing 6.9 million people receiving unemployment insurance (out of a total 14 million without work) versus 3.4 million job openings in September. The BLS data "implies that measures aimed at getting people to look harder for jobs aren't likely to be very useful," Rothstein adds."
Stating the obvious is in the end a fairly pointless game in both America and New Zealand if there are no jobs there are no jobs and if the Euro zone falls apart it will get a whole lot worse Cameron Slater spotted this in The Telegraph
"We have an atomic bomb that we can use in the face of the Germans and the French: this atomic bomb is simply that we won't pay," said Pedro Nuno Santos, vice-president of the Socialist Party in the parliament.
"Debt is our only weapon and we must use it to impose better conditions, because recession itself is what is stopping us complying with the (EU-IMF Troika) accord. We should make the legs of the German bankers tremble," he said"
I wonder if the Republicans have spotted it. At the start of this mess we were shown images on TV of people who had lost the house and job in the US in trailer parks they were philosophical about it America would recover, they were flying American flags. I don't see images like that on the news now I see Occupy Wall Street like the Tea Party they are incoherent and unlike the Tea Party they are leaderless but Pedro Nuno Santos will be somewhere in the Occupy movement.
Danyl at the Dim-Post on a tangentially related issue made this comment today about the passing of Christopher Hitchens
" He was wrong on the great issue of the day: the invasion of Iraq – and he was so stridently, sneeringly, viciously wrong that his vanity never allowed him to walk it back. He spent a huge amount of time, energy and words railing against the existential threat of ‘Islamofascism’ when it turned out the great threat to the hegemony of the west was our own financial system."
Perceptive guy Danyl, the Republicans might want to think about the ultimate cost of shifting the blame for the recession onto the poor and unemployed. As the American
The Antarctic. What a surprise
As we watch MV Rena and the destruction that vessel is causing, have a think about Foreign Charter Vessels fishing our off shore limits and those fishing in our area of rescue. Today we have the report of the Sparta that has hit problems in Antarctica and in all probability is lost.
I would like to be wrong but let' have a look at Sparta
Well that does not inspire confidence.
It just gets worse. There is a review of Foreign Charter Vessels operating in New Zealand waters and the slavery that it encompasses but don't expect anything to happen, National and the Maori Party have too many ties to commercial fishing to take it seriously.
Good luck to them, I hope they can save the ship because it has 32 crew and about 700 tones of oil on board that will not enhance Antarctica. What the fuck was such a rust bucket doing fishing Tooth fish in the Ross Sea in the first place ?
If commercial vessels are operating in Rescue Coordination Centre NZ responsibility waters then at the very least they must meet our safe ship management rules. The foreign flag is a joke.
I am not a Sanford fan but it would appear that San Aspiring is a NZ flagged ship and not a charter vessel and is fit for purpose.
What a mess. This is a direct consequence of wholesale deregulation the sort of bullshit the right wing in NZ loves. The result is FCV fishing our fish with slave labour, National and The Maori Party will scream that is the only way to make a profitable return, well fuck you both go look at Tallys.
" Crew on board a Russian-flagged fishing boat which hit an iceberg in Antarctica's Ross Sea, are frantically trying to remove water from the vessel and repair a hole in its hull.
It could take several days before other boats reach the 708 deadweight-tonne Sparta, which is in distress after hitting an underwater iceberg.
The 23-year-old Sparta issued a distress call around 3am, the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said.
A Hercules aircraft flew over Sparta today to assess ice conditions in the area. The ice was around 1.5 metres thick, RCCNZ said.
"Things are improving, but things are in a very serious situation," Andrey Kulish of San Diego's Sedna Industries Inc said.
Three vessels were heading toward the 23-year-old Sparta, but were having difficulty reaching it as there was heavy sea ice in the area, RCCNZ said.
Kulish believed the collision split a weld in the hull about 1.5 metres below the waterline. It had created a hole which flooded Sparta's biggest hold.
"We are using every pump we have and the water is starting to go down."
I would like to be wrong but let' have a look at Sparta
Well that does not inspire confidence.
It just gets worse. There is a review of Foreign Charter Vessels operating in New Zealand waters and the slavery that it encompasses but don't expect anything to happen, National and the Maori Party have too many ties to commercial fishing to take it seriously.
" Kulish believed the collision split a weld in the hull about 1.5 metres below the waterline. It had created a hole which flooded Sparta's biggest hold.
"We are using every pump we have and the water is starting to go down."
The crew was working to redistribute the vessel load and to repair a hole in the hull, RCCNZ said.
The 48m vessel, with 32 crew on board, had a 30cm hole in the side, 1.5 metres below the water line, RCCNZ search and rescue mission coordinator Ramon Davis said.
The vessel was on a 13 degree lean and was still taking on water.
"So far, the crew has managed to keep up with the ingress of water. They have also attached a tarpaulin on the outside of the hull which is helping slow the rate of water into the hold." Davis said.
"If they can get all the water out of the hold that might lighten the ship enough for the hole to be above the water line, and allow the crew to repair the damage."
Good luck to them, I hope they can save the ship because it has 32 crew and about 700 tones of oil on board that will not enhance Antarctica. What the fuck was such a rust bucket doing fishing Tooth fish in the Ross Sea in the first place ?
If commercial vessels are operating in Rescue Coordination Centre NZ responsibility waters then at the very least they must meet our safe ship management rules. The foreign flag is a joke.
" A New Zealand boat, Sanford's partly ice-strengthened San Aspiring was heading toward Sparta.
Another Russian boat run by Sedna, the 24-year-old Chiyo Maru no. 3, was moving toward Sparta, but it could not go through ice.
Another Russian boat run by Sedna, the 24-year-old Chiyo Maru no. 3, was moving toward Sparta, but it could not go through ice.
RCCNZ search and rescue mission coordinator Ramon Davis said San Aspiring was 870 kilometres from Sparta but would take four to five days to reach her.
A third vessel was 35 kilometres away, but was hemmed in by heavy ice and was unable to proceed.
A US Air Force C130 Hercules from McMurdo Sound was due over the scene this afternoon."
A US Air Force C130 Hercules from McMurdo Sound was due over the scene this afternoon."
I am not a Sanford fan but it would appear that San Aspiring is a NZ flagged ship and not a charter vessel and is fit for purpose.
What a mess. This is a direct consequence of wholesale deregulation the sort of bullshit the right wing in NZ loves. The result is FCV fishing our fish with slave labour, National and The Maori Party will scream that is the only way to make a profitable return, well fuck you both go look at Tallys.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Christmas just about sorted
I am a bit of a fan off Christmas bar getting family members Christmas presents, I never know what to get people. I asked for suggestions for the niece's and nephew's from their parents and the got an email from a 6 year old nephew asking for a combination padlock. His mother ( my sister ) then emailed with instructions for me to pick up some stuff she had bought and an phone call later I agreed to pay for the bought stuff and that resolved both sisters and my mother's present issues.
That left two nephew's and three niece's, further consultation resolved nephew's they would get combination locks as well. The niece's I should be able to sort out tomorrow with some felt pens and colouring books, my English and English based brother in law I have sorted.
Yes I am a total bastard, he gets the Silver Fern flag. I can think of nothing more appropriate for a supporter of the English Rugby Team who disgraced our shores both on and off the field. Actually the reality is that he was the easiest of all to sort and I had him sorted out well before the World Cup so I will use the flag to wrap the present.
I couldn't help myself and have blogged it before but the kid's are also going to get these but I will probably leave it to New Year to give them. I am a Hogmanay child and have some never used baby stuff from who ever was the Mayor of Edinburgh on the 1/1/67 unless Mum got maternal and gave it to one of my sister's.
I am not allowed to to buymyself the boys a remote control helicopter something I have wanted and could blame a nephew's for, I never put the idea in my nephew's heads,
I didn't honest. But I will.
That left two nephew's and three niece's, further consultation resolved nephew's they would get combination locks as well. The niece's I should be able to sort out tomorrow with some felt pens and colouring books, my English and English based brother in law I have sorted.
Yes I am a total bastard, he gets the Silver Fern flag. I can think of nothing more appropriate for a supporter of the English Rugby Team who disgraced our shores both on and off the field. Actually the reality is that he was the easiest of all to sort and I had him sorted out well before the World Cup so I will use the flag to wrap the present.
I couldn't help myself and have blogged it before but the kid's are also going to get these but I will probably leave it to New Year to give them. I am a Hogmanay child and have some never used baby stuff from who ever was the Mayor of Edinburgh on the 1/1/67 unless Mum got maternal and gave it to one of my sister's.
I am not allowed to to buy
I didn't honest. But I will.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Time person of the year.
Time is an interesting magazine and one I buy when it has an Editor who understands that there is life outside of America. I bought a copy last year and it was Ameracentric I will probably buy one again soon and if it is of a reasonable standard buy another. On that note I will give Time a huge tick for Project Detroit a blog initiative that involved Time correspondents moving to Detroit and reporting on line on the ongoing demise ( and recovery ) of Detroit. It could be heart breaking but it could also be inspirational but reading it and commenting on it I became a de-facto citisen of Detroit.
Today Time gave us its person of the Year.
The Protester as the cover says" From the Arab spring to Athens, from Occupy Wall Street to Moscow " somewhat surprisingly Occupy Auckland and Occupy the Octagon don't rate a mention on the cover but they may be in the article, I am not holding my breath. I haven't read the article but from MSM.
I have a favourite protest group, it isn't occupy anything though, but more on that later, this is funny, potentially my future Queen ( although not Head of State ) was in the mix at number 5
" And coming in No. 5: Duchess Kate. Having captured the attention and affection of millions, the magazine says, the former Kate Middleton is now “poised to reinvent celebrity with restraint.” "
That is hard to believe. However I remember the Black Adder Goes Back and Forth programme and am reminded of the line in the closing music " At last a Queen who looks good naked." which in turn reminded me of Princes Di and Marillion's Fish and A Script For A Jesters Tear but don't blame me if it happens.
" The fool escaped from paradise
Will look over his ( her ) shoulder and cry
Sit and chew on daffodils and struggle to answer "Why?"
As you grow up and leave the playground
Where you kissed your prince and found your frog
Remember the jester that showed you tears, the script for tears "
Back to my favourite protesters and a group cruelly ignored by Time Magazine.
The Femen These women are opposed to sex tourism in the Ukraine.
" FEMEN (Ukrainian: Фемен) is a Ukrainian protest group based in Kiev, founded in 2008. The organisation became internationally known for organizing topless protests against sex tourists,international marriage agencies, sexism and other social, national and international ills.[1][4][5][6][7][8][9] Some of the goals of the organisation are: "To develop leadership, intellectual and moral qualities of the young women in Ukraine" and "To build up the image of Ukraine, the country with great opportunities for women".[3] "
Now I love irony and I almost suspect Time Magazine of it except that they really don't get it. The Femen get my vote for protesters of the year.
Today Time gave us its person of the Year.
The Protester as the cover says" From the Arab spring to Athens, from Occupy Wall Street to Moscow " somewhat surprisingly Occupy Auckland and Occupy the Octagon don't rate a mention on the cover but they may be in the article, I am not holding my breath. I haven't read the article but from MSM.
" Time magazine revealed the 2011 choice for its iconic Person of the Year cover live on TODAY Wednesday. The Protester is this year’s choice, managing editor Rick Stengel told Matt Lauer and Ann Curry.
“There was a lot of consensus among our people,” Stengel told the TODAY anchors as he revealed the magazine’s cover. “It felt right.” "
I have a favourite protest group, it isn't occupy anything though, but more on that later, this is funny, potentially my future Queen ( although not Head of State ) was in the mix at number 5
" And coming in No. 5: Duchess Kate. Having captured the attention and affection of millions, the magazine says, the former Kate Middleton is now “poised to reinvent celebrity with restraint.” "
That is hard to believe. However I remember the Black Adder Goes Back and Forth programme and am reminded of the line in the closing music " At last a Queen who looks good naked." which in turn reminded me of Princes Di and Marillion's Fish and A Script For A Jesters Tear but don't blame me if it happens.
" The fool escaped from paradise
Will look over his ( her ) shoulder and cry
Sit and chew on daffodils and struggle to answer "Why?"
As you grow up and leave the playground
Where you kissed your prince and found your frog
Remember the jester that showed you tears, the script for tears "
Back to my favourite protesters and a group cruelly ignored by Time Magazine.
The Femen These women are opposed to sex tourism in the Ukraine.
" FEMEN (Ukrainian: Фемен) is a Ukrainian protest group based in Kiev, founded in 2008. The organisation became internationally known for organizing topless protests against sex tourists,international marriage agencies, sexism and other social, national and international ills.[1][4][5][6][7][8][9] Some of the goals of the organisation are: "To develop leadership, intellectual and moral qualities of the young women in Ukraine" and "To build up the image of Ukraine, the country with great opportunities for women".[3] "
Now I love irony and I almost suspect Time Magazine of it except that they really don't get it. The Femen get my vote for protesters of the year.
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