Posts by Rickai
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Hard News: Judging the judges, in reply to Grant McDougall,
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When Tony Molloy said judges were self-important he was spot on. Maybe it's a result of the massive pay cut most take when they join the bench. This also from the man who had these words to say about the profession as he closed his attack on Russell McVeagh in his book "Thirty Pieces of Silver" (love the title!!!):
“The proper province of the lawyer is not power or self-aggrandizement. It is not to abuse process and grind people down. It is not to deprive them of the full disclosure and the complete justice to which they have every claim. It is not sharp practice. It is not half truths. It is not covert deals. It is not the amassing of great art collections.”
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Hard News: A storm in any port,
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There is almost certainly some glide time happening at the port. I remember chatting to several workers at a POAL Americas Cup function a few years ago who laughed at how "we get paid for sitting around with our thumbs up our arses half the time". I'm not doubting the skills and experience needed to operate the machinery at the port, I just think that getting paid for, say, 40 hours a week, should involve actually working something near 40 hours. Also, IMHO, true casualisation to me means be called by your employer the night before and offered x number of hours for the next day. Or not, as the case may be. Being guaranteed 40 hours and having weeks, if not months, notice of shifts is not ideal, but hardly equates to the lot of your average KFC worker. Not that I was going to argue this when I ran past the picket line early Saturday morning!
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Hard News: And we may never meet again ...,
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As good as it gets.
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Be sure to allude to Southland's Ranfurly Shield loss when you talk to Mr Paris.
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Does anyone feel a little sad looking at Roger Douglas...? Like watching a once vibrant disliked relative start losing the plot?
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Wilson was too respectful to finish Douglas off on natrad tonight. Did he talk about the failed 1996 Labour leadership coup and twice refer to 1966? Too weird.
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Cracker: Hands in the Middle....,
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I regularly run at 6.00 am Sat or Sun mornings. Park at the fishmarket and head with a couple of mates out through the viaduct and towards the eastern beaches. Every time I pass Providor it makes me cringe. Bad, bad music and really hammered people just hanging on to the last vestiges of an ordinary night. People asleep in the little concrete box gardens outside the ferry building. Blokes yelling at us, trying to shoulder us, just awful. Go home you clowns.
Interestingly, the crowd outside Spy Bar is different. Often generally engaging. "Where are you going?" "Keep it up." "Not far now." Although Tony Veitch needs to talk to his supplier because I couldn't understand a word he was saying.
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Hard News: Misadventure and Muppetry,
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Apologies - Physically, obviously.
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Hard News: Misadventure and Muppetry,
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Sickness beneficiaries up 26,000 in the ten years to Dec 09. Invalids up 33,000. Unemployment down 95,000. Sickness benficiaries increased 20% in 09 during the recession.
There's definitely a story there. I do sometime feel that there are a lot of sick people who need to harden up a bit.
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I saw 6 orcas in Kawau Bay. Good times.
Long line. Wall of death for pan-sized snapper.