Posts by Jackie Clark
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I'm an owner - in Mt Eden.I like owning my own home because I can let it fall down around my ears, or not, and no-one has a right to say anything about it.We're in a fairly unusual situation in that we have about 70% or so equity in this house. And it's a largeish property in an area that is in high demand. Our mortgage is such that we could afford to pay it on one income, and in fact, will have to in the coming weeks for a short while, while the husband is between jobs.
I've thought long and hard about this renting vs owning thing. And I feel sorry for people who dream of home ownership and can't afford it. It's all very well for people who prefer to rent, but what if you want to live in a big city? I mean, all the jobs are there. Chances are you are going to have to rent from now on, or buy outside your means and get one of those 50 year mortgages, or have a job earning shit loads and hope like hell that you retain that job. It's a bugger, alright. -
thanks for the answer, James - I do understand where you're coming from, I really do. I still, however, think it's about fear, and that's no way to live a life.
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The thought of being a sitting duck and not being able to protect my family struck me pretty deep down, I really do think that it is a fundamental right, and in fact a duty to defend, and be able to defend yourself and your family against an aggressor. If you can’t or won’t do that, what the hell is the point of you? I know my wife would tell me to go to hell in an instant if I told her I wouldn’t or couldn’t defend her and our son against an intruder or attacker.
That worries me. It really does. I don't know you James, nor can I judge your life and feelings. You were there for the consequences of Katrina. I wasn't. And I do not live in the States. I choose not to. Just as you, for whatever reason, chose to. But I do not agree with you. I can think of numerous reasons why not, most of which other posters have already covered. But there is one thing about your statement that scared the crap out of me. You have a son. What the hell could you be thinking having a gun in your house? Are you skilled enough, that if someone breaks into your house, you could reach for that gun quickly enough, and in such a manner for the weapon to be effective in defending your family? What if the person in your house didn't have a gun, and you shot them? Are you prepared to live with the consequences of that? What if they had a gun and shot your child and wife? And what are you really protecting? I have to say, if someone breaks in my house, and I'm there, and I hear them coming, I would be out of there with my family, not sticking around for a gunfight. Jesus, if my husband were to buy a gun to protect me, I would be very, very angry. I have defended myself in some very scary situations in my life. I find running away and yelling swearwords very loudly works quite well. Thinking, I believe they call it. Mind you, that was against people who wanted to rape me, not use a gun against me. On second thoughts, maybe the running away would still have been a good idea. I don't know the answers, James, but I can pretty safely say that I am very glad not to be living where you are. To live in fear is not to live at all.
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Thanks Allen (wherever you are) .....
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that would be dead
But seriously, aren't books wondrous things? That we can share in other's worlds. You have to love that. A lot. -
I, for one, really like the idea of a code of conduct, just as a little reminder to people that, just because you can't see a person's face, doesn't mean they don't exist. And that you cannot say whatever you like to people, regardless. If you don't like what someone's said, you can ignore it . Don't we all just need to grow up and be more assertive offline, rather than becoming more aggressive online?
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Dear god, as if they hadn't been through enough with the tsunamai. I can so vividly remember one of the Sri Lankan mother's of a child I taught. She was standing with me in the playground, just talking with me about her son, as parents do with their childrens' teachers - and then, a police helicopter came overhead. She ducked, and I said quietiy to her that it was okay, they weren't after her. She apologised, saying that it had been a wee while that they'd been in NZ, but she was still scared when the helicopters flew overhead. And this in an area where the police helicopters hover at least four times a day. Imagine what that's like. I've seen that alot in people from war torn countries. And every time my reaction is the same - bloody bastards, to take away, not only peoples' homes but their lives and their peace of mind. Good luck with getting the story out there.
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Oh I love this site. From this............
I'd rather do a map for areas of New Zealand. There'd be a lot of red on mine!
to this...............
All men are privileged over women by the actions of a few, whether men want to be or not, because of the fear of violence they can induce.
Gotta love it.
On point one - me too, Robyn! On point two, puhlease! Some men induce a fear of violence, yes they do. Most, however, do not. I marched for the night; I walked Ponsonby Rd at 3am in the morning, claiming my power. When I was in my 20's, and learning selfdefence, and walking through Victoria Park at night, I was afraid of men. Now I'm in my 40's, I am not. Because I know that I have a voice, and I know that voice is not afraid of saying the c-word and the f-word, and I also know that I am not a victim. Men have no implicit power over me, unless I allow them to have. I have been assaulted, and I lived to tell the story because I was loud, and not about to be a victim. If women are still implicitly afraid of men, I would implore them to grow, if not bollocks, at least a very loud voice for themselves, and for their fellow women. I accept that some men are violent to some women - I reject that any man I meet has implicit power over me. Not in this lifetime, fella. Sweet of you to care, though. -
At the time I was glad to see the end of Radio With Pictures, which had become Radio With Pictures For People Stuck In An Early-'80s Timewarp.
Oh, Robyn! Nothing wrong with the early 80's. Finest time in my life, really, I think. So many good bands. I was in London in the late 80's and early 90's, so I kind of missed the Clean, as well as Straitjacket Fits. I did go to a reunion show though - earlier this year, went to the St James to see Hello Sailor and Th'Dudes. Absolutely brilliant - apart from Brazier, the darling man, being overly off his face. Ah yes, they were both my favourite NZ bands, and remain ever so. You could put Dave Dobbyn in a toilet somewhere in the depths of Gore, and I'd walk over glass to see him. What a performer. What a Dude, indeed.
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I, too, was at the Springbok protests - in Auckland, to be more specific, and to be even more specific, down by the timber yards off Morningside Drive. Our job was to distract the police. I was 17 years old and had never been to a protest before - so it was a little scary. I was, however, there with my mother, and two of my sisters so it was less so than being by myself. The scariest thing of all? Being faced off with a line of very young police officers in complete riot gear. Unheard of. And that would have tainted my view of police - except that in my mind, I can still see the police officers who were walking along beside us (to make sure we stayed in formation, I guess) singing "Amandhla.........."
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You would have loved my house a year ago, Muriel. We were under siege from bush rats that decided our garden was a great place to build a nest (well, okay, the garden is less of a garden and more of a jungle, but still, they only came because the bastard developers across the road cut down all the bush where their little homes were.......). Not only did they do that, but they thought that coming inside would suit them too. So, the fact that we have an excellent ratting dog notwithstanding, they got in to the walls. They were coming from under the house, and consequently chewing holes in the laundry and the bathroom.It was a bit like the invasion of the body snatchers! Why I didn't use rat poison at that point, I have no idea. I think the logic at the time was that if they curled up and died inside, the smell would be overpowering. It wasn't until my dog broke her back (unrelated to the rats), and they had tried to chew the crap out of our laundry door, that I finally had had enough, and rat poison it was. I put out some lovely lunch plates of grainy poisoned goodness, and several nights of empty plates later, they were gone. ..