fed Dave & Debbies cat (the elusive Sydney), pinched the NZ Herald out of their letterbox, then headed out to Browns Island to enjoy the magnificent morning.
Only in Auckland - later, Sabrina (my Harley) and I will ride to Kaiaua with buddies for fish & chips. Perfect!😜 The Greens were aghast at ACT MP David Seymour's Bill which would allow bars to open at odd hours during the Ruby World Cup.
Apparently the public of New Zealand were too irresponsible to be trusted to behave, and according to the Greens, would get drunk, run amuck, corrupt children and a raft of other anti social behaviour. Fortunately we have proven them wrong, with most bars reporting considerably higher coffee sales (and very little alcohol) at 5am in the morning. Do we really need these Wowsers telling us how to behave? Is someone who receives stolen property a thief?
Seems it depends on your politics. Blogger Cameron Slater (www.Whaleoil.co.nz ) identified weaknesses in the Labour Party's Web Site prior to the last elect and they dubbed him a thief. Nicky Hager, poster boy of the Hard Left, and author of gutter publication "Dirty Politics", used information and files he knew were stolen from Slater, (provided to him by self confessed hacker, Rawshark). The Supreme Court have subsequently ruled that this constitutes "Property", and the Police, who up until now have been reluctant to act have now taken an interest. Hager is now crying foul because Westpac released information Hager considers private to the Police without a Warrant. Whilst shrilling to all who will listen about this apparent injustice, Hager and his lawyers are fully aware that Westpac has not acted beyond the terms Hager agreed to in opening accounts with them - appears very duplicitous and hypocritical to me. "he who lives by the sword..." Small consolation that "Dirty Politics" is no longer even available in the clearance bin at The Warehouse... " A number of years ago, we had the misfortune to have someone killed at work. Because it was a work related accident, there is effectively no defence - the Inspectors from the Department of Labour proved that Justice Mahon's quotation "Orchestrated Litany of Lies" is equally applicable today as it was during the Erebus investigation.
As a consequence, we were found guilty and fined - as above, guilt is automatic with only degree of culpability to be established. At no point could any fault be attributed to the he deceased (who was acting outside company procedures) nor the other party involved. The cost (emotional cost as much as financial) was enormous, and I seriously considered closing this part of the business down, which would have cost 10-15 people their jobs. In this morning's media there is an article about a young woman, unlicensed, speeding and probably intoxicated after having consumed 'an unknown quantity" of RTD drinks. rolling the ute she was driving. Two people who were in the back of the ute (add that to the list) were flung from the vehicle onto rocks, and one subsequently tragically died. Police inexplicably did not breath test the offender, so charges on that offence could not be laid., but having plead guilty to most other charges, she has been sentenced as below: Careless Driving : 140 hours Community service & 6 Months supervision Driving without a license : 9 months disqualification, $200 fine, $130 costs Fined : $2000 for "Emotional Harm" Reparation for the Ute : $1000 of the $12,000 claimed by the owner We can take heart that the offender has expressed remorse. Want to do something practical for those less fortunate.... Saturday evening started well, a few beers to celebrate safe arrival in Taupo, then dinner – the ladies heading into Taupo for provisions for 20 plus, BBQ dinner and post-game breakfast in the morning. The Chelmswood has a great kitchen / dining area, and plenty of BBQ’s for those who inclined to express themselves on the grill, and that they did. Sausages and steak with all the bits and pieces, even ice cream to follow for those who wanted it. It is always great to get together with old friends and swap stories, and to torment those you can, knowing the favour will be returned in spades. The evening regressed as the empty bottles grew in the recycling bin, numbers dwindling as common sense kicked in, unfortunately there were a few who stayed a wee bit too long, Mal falling face first into the garden at one point, having to be fished out by equally incapacitated Nev. The very keen were up at 4am to watch the rugby (not long after the hard core had finally succumbed), the majority waiting for the later replay, and those slept a wee bit late (missing breakfast as a consequence), settled for a good result, a few nurafen (quite a few) and coffee before our planned departure at 10am on the days ride. Nev surfaced looking very jaded 5 minutes before departure, taking the pressure of me (phew). 16 bikes left the Chelmswood, all looking forward to another of Joe 90’s magical mystery tours. The day improved as we enjoyed the country roads, making full use of the lack of any traffic cops keen on bounties, quickly arriving at Turangi for coffee. A nice spot, the local kids enjoying their skate park – a feature being well used and obviously loved in the community with no tagging in evidence. Late lunch in Ohakune (Chicken and camembert pie, and just a wee slither of custard donut, a freebie from the café – hmmmm), then up to the Chateau for obligatory photos before the last leg back to Taupo, the only direct route of the day. Taupo was really at its best to great our arrival, hardly a ripple on the lake and brilliant sunshine – perfect for those needing a nana nap (spoilt only by those who didn’t…). as the afternoon waned, most gradually gathered outside at the outdoor tables enjoying the vista, with cold beers, bags of bluebird’s finest with my wee boom box providing the sounds. Doc and Dave O were despatched to the local Fish and Chippery for dinner, and for some of us the beers were forsaken by a nice bottle of Pinot kindly supplied by the late arriving Mickey. After last night’s shenanigan’s, an early night for most. Again the keen were up early to watch Australia despatch Argentina from the Rugby World Cup, so and NZ – AUL final to look forward to at Twickenham next week. Most had decided to depart at 8am, some stopping in Taupo for breakfast, but my small group decided to push through to Matamata – a good choice too. So, home safe, 1000kms of rain, road muck and bugs washed away and Sabrina again resplendent in the garage, ready for next time. Hours spent cleaning Sabrina, my blinged up CVO, were soon just a menory as the weather forecasts proved to be on the money - rain, and quite a bit of it, but thankfully not straight away. I do the bulk of my shopping on line, be it shoes, clothes or cars - I really do avoid stepping into any retail store where possible. Having said that, I sometimes (quite often actually) pay the price in ending up with something that needs returning.... Firstly, a disclaimer - I hold a gun licence, and own a few guns - a couple off 22's for possums, and a couple of shotguns for clays off the boat. I'd love the opportunity to buy guns or ammunition online (without any hassle) BUT I'd be very worried if anyone (everyone) else could. By and large, the present system, especially the "revised system, works well in keeping honest people honest. We're blessed with a general populace who are largely "gun free" although according to Greg O'Conner from the Police Association (a man I respect), this situation is worsening. His view is that criminals have no problem accessing firearms, so the law really provides no safeguard. The "Sting" carried out by TV3 has proven shortcomings in the system, and although Gun City are an extremely successful and reputable, family owned business who take their responsibilities very seriously, they have been made to play the villain. Perhaps Mr Tibble, owner of Gun City (a man worthy of great respect) should have sought counsel before threatening private prosecution of those from TV3. In his position I'd be more inclined to be looking at faults within my organisation, and how best to work within the Law, rather than pointing the finger at others... The people at TV3 broke a number of laws in making Gun City scapegoats, and this will almost certainly have consequences. The winners - perhaps sensationalist journalists leading to a spike in ratings and reputation, but nothing compared to what the lawyers will make from the fallout The Losers - everyone (except the lawyers In 1994 a man was found guilty of sexually molesting two sisters then aged 10 and 14. At the time the names of all parties were suppressed, supposedly to protect the identities of the girls. Now adults, the women involved have spent a lot of time and considerable money in the Christchurch High Court seeking the revocation of this suppression order so the identity of their abuser can be made public. Justice Mander, in his infinite wisdom, has ruled that since the man has not reoffended it would be unfair for his identity to enter the public domain, citing "disproportionately punitive consequences". .Quite the conundrum So read the headlines after 100 Test All Black Muliaina was lead off the pitch by Police after a European Challenge Cup quarter-final at Gloucester in April.
This absolutely unnecessary and outrageous "grandstanding" by Police should have a damages figure attached to it. Accused by a woman in a nightclub of touching her "bottom", Muliaina was charged by |Welsh Police of Sexual Assault. There was no evidence produced other than a vague description. After months of career and reputation destroying innuendo hanging over him, all charges have been dropped by embarrassed Police, citing lack of evidence. One hopes that all those involved, including the woman who remains anonymous, and the Police involved in this clusterphuk are taken to task and called to answer. Unfortunately Mil's reputation has been forever tarnished, and the personal financial cost to him is gauged to be in the many UKL10,000's |
Don MalcolmA perfect day involves being on my Harley with a long ride ahead.
|