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Sunday 3 March 2024

2003 - an Apocalyptic Year

 On the 28th of February 2003 I played my last ever cricket game.  A switch was flicked.  On 3rd March 2003 I lost my mind for the 3rd time since November 23rd 2000.  My epiphany started. 


I was beset with voices, ghosts, visual and auditory hallucinations and errant spirits. At the time I didn't know why?  That would become apparent in 2005 and 2015. Not sure of the date, maybe 3rd to 5th March I drove out of Foxton in my waka.  As I passed the Foxton Cemetary my mind and memory went blank. 30 minutes later I "came to" entering Woodville, some 40 odd kilometres from Foxton. 

In Woodville I took State Highway 2 towards Pahiatua.  I was still not totally cognisant of my surroundings and found myself on a country road heading back to Foxton.  Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst. I came around a tight left-hand turn, lost control and crashed into a barrier protecting a deep culvert. Thanks to my course whilst in our Navy being the Skid Control Course, I managed to stop before going in and certain death.  I was still in my mind slip.  But survival stepped in. The voices etc were not evident, so I had my sleeping bag in the car and went to sleep in  the deep grass on the side of the road.

Next morning I walked down the road and found a farmhouse, and a farmer, but I got freaked and walked back to the car, throwing my car and house keys into a paddock. Soon after, the Pahiatua policeman arrived and I asked him to take me to Ward 21 Palmerston North Hospital, the Mental Health ward. For some reason, I was in the passenger seat, not the rear seats.  Anyway, we headed back to Palmy, in silence.  Arriving in Palmy we were headed down Summerhill Drive and at the bottom of the hill the road had a bridge that had the Massey Turitea road under it. As we hit the bridge, I quickly undid my seatbelt at the same time opening the door, did a barrel roll on the road, leapt up, and jumped off the bridge, 9 metres to the road below.  I knew it wasn't a suicide attempt as I landed on my feet, not my head.

Now this is where things become totally insane. Whilst I was "flying" through the air, I had a vision to my right side.  Remember the Green Waterfall displays on the computers featured in The Matrix?  I saw a red wall, only briefly. At the same time, a Red Mazda 626 on the lane where I was headed, suddenly swerved to the left affording me a safe landing. Well not safe.  According to a voice, I had fractured my right Tibia, right Fibular, smashed most of the bones in my right foot (again) and smashed both ankles. I was in and out of consciousness but remember no pain, no blood et al. And my "friendly" cop was parked 30 metres away stopping traffic.

I was also cognisant when the ambo's turned up and immediately put me on Oxygen.  I would have no memory for most of the next 2 months.  What I do remember is sketchy at best.  Thats my human side.  My spirit-self remembered, everything which would become apparent in 2018.  I do remember being moved around regularly from wards 24, 25 and 27.  Don't ask me why?  I also remember my left foot throbbing a lot and causing me vomiting black bile, later discerned as rejection of limbs (not mine)

I had regular visits from my "surgeon", Doctor Love (yeah right lol) and Doctor Starr (Yeah right lol) my psychiatrist.  One time Doctor Love showed me my Xray's of both feet/legs.  As soon as he did, I  knew something was amiss.  According to the Xrays, both feet/ankles had several screws in them.  The right Fibular had a titanium plate halfway up my shin, and still a clean break on the Tibia, which is still broken. I have no idea why Doctor Starr was visiting as I was mostly non complis mentis.

Later, maybe early April, I was moved back to Ward 25 and had caregivers taking turns sitting with me.  These folks worked for Lavendar Blue, a health care provider here in Palmy.  My voices came back, but this time I was in control with them. Basically, this is when my fightback commenced. Undercover as you were.

This entered the phase on my return home.  Precipitated by having two casts on my lower legs.  I was wheeled down (in my bed) to the place casts were fitted.  In my mind I thought "Hell's Kitchen".  The lady who fits them put a calf length cast on my left leg, Fluorescent Orange, and on my right leg, Fluorescent Green.  A fucking Traffic Light. I spent two weeks "walking" from  my flat to the Street Phone around the corner.

Oh yeah those keys??  They were never found. When my car was delivered (by my brother) there was no sign  of a break in as I had locked the car.  And my sisters ransacked my flat which was odd as the house key was on my car's keyring. Ok - maybe they were found and my siblings did things for my greater good.



Sunday 28 January 2024

Consequences of a Loveless World 2024




 Consequences of a Loveless World.


The Sniper sits patiently in his hiding place, his backside itchy from hours of waiting. He shifts his position noiselessly. The target, 250 metres away, stands with his back to him, puffing on his Russian cigarette, oblivious to his plight.

With his eyes on the target, the sniper reaches into his pocket and pulls out the smooth warm 7.62 mm round, thumbs it into the open breach of his high powered sniper rifle and quietly pushes the breach closed, forcing the round into it's chamber, ready for discharge.

The target turns suddenly, his hands dropping to the child standing in front of him. He nervously looks in the direction of the tree, which holds his death sentence, but pans past it, missing the dark green shape sitting high in its position. He bends down to the child and whispers in her ear, then points towards the barrier arm. He stands tall, takes one last look over his shoulder, and prompts the child to move. His Serbian features are taut, stretched from long hours of sleeplessness and the pain of the loss of his wife and older son and daughter. But his urgency still shows through the weathered features. He starts to run, pushing the child in front of him.

The sniper, ready for the dash, raises his rifle to his shoulder, carefully so as not to contact the surrounding limbs and branches, giving away his hiding place. His Croatian uniform, once stiff, now clings to his sweat stained body in easy comfort. The forefinger of his right hand closes round the trigger guard, looping over the trigger. He commences his breathing routine to steady his nerves. One bullet, one shot, one victim. He closes his eyes briefly to calm the light shimmer, and opens them again. The man has stopped, but the child runs on. The Serb removes his jacket, stretching his arms high to clear it off his massive shoulders, exposing a broad muscular back as his T-shirt rides up with the jacket.

The sniper thinks gleefully, a naked shot! The target is clear and unimpeded. His finger closes gently on the trigger, careful not to jerk the shot. The round sits patiently in the barrel, awaiting its moment of glory. But the action is stopped. The sniper stares in disbelief at the target. In the motion of removing his jacket, two medals are loosed from his T-shirt, golden in texture and as big as large biscuits. They dangle from two cloth strips and dance an invitation to a memory the sniper holds dear. They are Olympic medals! The same as the two he carries round his neck, under his tunic. His target is an athlete! Then the dawn of realisation hits him. He knows that man. Of course, the shoulders. His mind slips back to days less complicated.

***************************************************************************

Los Angeles, 1984. The middleweight weightlifting competition. Georg Vacelich, Yugoslav Croatian, and Ivan Serepov, Romanian Serb, are waiting in the preparation area behind the stage. The competition had been tense, with just the two of them left to fight out the gold metal lifts. They have been competitors and friends for years, brought together through college and university in competition between their two countries. Now they faced each other in the heat of international glory, yet still remained firm friends.

After Ivan wins his two golds, and Georg his two silvers, they escape the confines of their respective compounds, their political commissars, and their mentors, and disappear into the hubbub of L.A.'s many bars and cafes, celebrating their respective triumphs as if both of them had won the gold together, as two true friends would. Six months after the games, Ivan and his family emigrate to the Bosnian province in Yugoslavia, so he can be closer to his friend, for work, and to settle in his ancestral homeland with the descendants of his forebears.


***************************************************************************

Georg brushes the memory aside. His finger, still delicately poised on the trigger, relaxes a little. His friend, Ivan, pulls the T-shirt down and tucks it into his torn pants, his movement indicating a hastening of pace as he heads off after his girl-child. Georg decides that his friend is of no concern to his cause. He is beaten in spirit and body and will probably die soon anyway, as he, Georg, was dying. The performance enhancing cocktails fed to them as children had taken their toll. However, he thinks to himself, I am a Croatian warrior still and the future must be assured for my descendants. He swings the rifle gently around to the right, tracking the sight ahead of the now running man, and brings the cross hairs of the laser scope to bear on the child's back, pulling the trigger gently, as if making love to it, and forcing the firing pin mechanism forward to impact on the waiting round.

***************************************************************************

The bullet, glorifying in its freedom, streaks through the air. At terminal velocity it punctures the air, destroying nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide particles with the heat of the friction generated as it spins clockwise about itself. The hardened tip begins to heat up with the friction, burning micro-organisms floating about in the cool afternoon air. On its determined flight to the target, it is killing a little of the planets careful balance, tilting the scales of nature relentlessly towards destruction. No amount of love or hope can repair the damage caused. It is a calamitous certainty of death. After it has travelled a full two miles, and destroyed countless millions of life cells on it's journey, the velocity diminishes to a complete stop and the bullet arcs gracefully to the ground, it's death trip expended, it's mission completed.
***************************************************************************

The child stands still, the whistle of air as the round passes her right ear sending a terrifying fear through her body. As she turns in the direction of her father, she senses then sees him diving headlong at her, and is caught off-balance as he tackles her to the ground and forces all his body over her diminutive frame. She manages, in her terrifying fear to glance under his armpit and see a man fall from a tree back at the edge of the forest. He hits the ground with a thump and lays motionless. The scream starts to build in her throat, but the years of terror have taught her to stifle her fear. A scream would mean certain death for her and her father. She then hears a mighty thud, as does her father, forcing both to flinch from the next moment of death. However, there is no accompanying whistle of bullet or thwack of target attained, just the sound coming from the tree the man fell from. The thud again, and as she and her father look in the direction of the man, a dark gleaming object and a wooden stock fall to the ground, separately. Realising their fate had been altered, the father raised himself off the ground and in one athletic motion, grabbed his daughter up in his arms, and raced with all the strength he had towards the border post. The UN guards stationed there were waiting in absolute awe of the situation which had unfolded before their eyes.


***************************************************************************

Georg could feel the fall, the light nothingness of his descent indicating the sensation. But how? He had been sitting on the branch a micro millisecond ago. The sharp pain in both his shoulders suggesting some great force had inflicted his precipitation from the tree. Before he could think anymore on his demise, the ground appeared in his vision, breaking his lovely nose, parts of his arms, and seven ribs. The sensation was electric. The silver medals hanging round his neck were forced into his collarbone by the rock under him, breaking the collarbone and rupturing flesh and blood vessels in the impact area. Jesus he hurt.

The pain, forcing his eyelids shut, abated for a second, allowing him to open his eyes in bewilderment. His vision fixed firmly on the two objects raising themselves from the ground in front of him and dashing towards the border. He knew he had got the round off, dead centre of the girls back. Why wasn't she dead? How could he have not hit the future of Serbia at that range? The pain forced its way back requiring his senses immediate attention. Just then he heard the encroaching sound of air being forced apart as if an object were passing through it, and the soft thud of a great object landing adjacent his head. He forced the pain from his conscience, opened his eyes, and managed to swivel his broken neck a little towards the shadowy beast standing over him. What on earth was a monkey doing here, he thought?

Wednesday 3 January 2024

My 2024 New Year Wish List.




2023 was a tough year but we made it to 2024.  My 10 Wish List items for 2024 and on.

1. No media coverage of conflicts and wars on Mainstream TV.

2. No mentions of violence acts in Aotearoa on Mainstream media.

3. All social drugs will dissolve into thin air..

4 We shall turn Wine into Water and revisit 3 Waters.

5. All Gun Metal pieces (firearms, tanks, ships) will dissolve into Thin Air.

6. No need for any more medical institutions.

7. The Justice system will disappear.

8. Couples will marry for life (giving children hope)

9. I shall be selfless and selfish. My prerogative.

10. I, like many, will try and eradicate Pandemics.


Happy New Year. 


Thursday 28 December 2023

The World Wide Refugee Conundrum.

 Going to expose a few home truths here.  Three myths.

1.  North African Refugee influx to Europe.



A large number of refugees from Africa have travelled thousands of miles to reach Tunisia and Libya to get into boats and make the dash across the Mediterranean Sea to land at southern Europe and become a nuisance.  Two little known facts.  To get to both Libya and Tunisia they would have walked across the Sahara Desert. Secondly, where are these very large rubber rafts coming from?  See synopsis below.

2.  Mexican and US Border.



A majority of those folks reaching the border from central and south America have had to tackle severe jungle and very dry plateaus. 

3.  New Zealand Border Threat. In the past 10 years the sudden influx of many folks from the Indian Sub-continent has become evident.  I have a trick. I ask these folks I come into contact with where they are from.  There is always a marked display of hesitancy. Same happened when I questioned Fijian Indians - hesitancy.



In all above, the term "Illegal Aliens" is the catchcry.  They (Chinese/Indian) just "appear" and some with great forged documents once on arrival. As for the Med issue, return them to North Africa. 

1. Mediterranean issue.  Cementing facts.  The rubber boats do NOT resemble normal rubber boats produced in this world. The people in them are largely wearing western clothing.

2.  Mexico/USA. Almost all folks pictured by the Media on the Mexico side are plumpish and well dressed.  They do not resemble folks who have marched thousands of miles to seek a life in the USA.  Long may the Wall live.

3.  New Zealand.  Get tougher with immigration.  Find the Portal??


Thursday 14 December 2023

Lake Manawatu, a dam.

 

 The catch cry of the days is renewable energy throughout the land.  With the closing of the Manawatu Gorge (road not rail) it would be opportune to build a dam at the western end of The Gorge with a hydro plant in it's belly.


I propose that the dam be 30 metres high.  Power would be directed into the National Grid for the Whanganui, Manawatu, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa and Horowhenua areas.

What is not known, how far back into the Woodville areas would the resultant lake reach? 


Thoughts?? 


Sunday 26 November 2023

Stanley Kubricks Filmography.

 Famous film maker Stanley Kubrick was born in 1928 and passed away in 1999.  Unlike many other directors he was not prolific but what is known, all his 13 movies from 1952 to 1999 were all very good movies.


Which is your favourite?  You can pick as many as you like.

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
952Fear and DesireYesNoYesAlso editor and cinematographer[7][40]
1955Killer's KissYesStoryYesAlso editor and cinematographer[41]
1956The KillingYesYesNoCo-written with Jim Thompson[10]
1957Paths of GloryYesYesYesCo-written with Calder Willingham and Jim Thompson[42][43]
1960SpartacusYesNoNo[44]
1962LolitaYesUncreditedNo[45][46]
1964Dr. StrangeloveYesYesYesCo-written with Terry Southern and Peter George[47]
19682001: A Space OdysseyYesYesYesCo-written with Arthur C. Clarke
Also director and designer of special photographic effects
[19][48]
[49][50]
1971A Clockwork OrangeYesYesYes[21][51]
1975Barry LyndonYesYesYes[52][53]
1977The Spy Who Loved MeNoNoNoUncredited lighting design[54]
1980The ShiningYesYesYesCo-written with Diane Johnson[55]
1987Full Metal JacketYesYesYesCo-written with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford[30]
1999Eyes Wide ShutYesYesYesCo-written with Frederic Raphael
Released posthumously

Sunday 5 November 2023

For Queen and Country

 Below is a list of wars fought under the reign of Queens of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (and the Commonwealth of Nations)


Queen Anne

1701 - 1714  Spanish War of Succession.




Queen Victoria

1853 - 1856  Crimean War

1862 - 1865  New Zealand Wars

1880 - 1881  1st Boer War

1899 - 1901 Boxer Rebellion

1899 - 1902  2nd Boer War




Queen Elizabeth II

1950 - 1953  Korean War

1963 - 1966  Indonesian/Malaysia Conflict

1982   Falklands War

1998 - 1999  Kosovo War

1998  Desert Fox

2001 - 2021  Afghanistan War

2003 - 2009  Iraq War

2014 - Now  Operation Shader

Saturday 28 October 2023

Cook Strait Survey 1983-1984

 

Cook Strait Survey 1983-1984 a Drogs Perspective.

 

This is a resume of the survey from my perspective, as an LHA onboard HMNZS Monowai.

 

I was involved from the earliest part of the survey, January 1983, with CPOAHS Terry Ashdown, MW’s Chief H.  At the time I was Coxn Astrolabe. We were tasked to drive (Monowai’s LWB Landcruiser) down to Wellington and start the process of the reconnaissance.  On the way we took the Western Access and halfway down the steep approaches to Lake Waipawa we saw a car stopped on the other side of the road and stopped.  They want to be towed up to the top of the hill which we did. We got on our way and a Germen couple waved us down by the Lake Waipawa ablutions block.  Their car had been stolen. Sigh.

Anyway, when we got to Wellies, the next day, Terry boarded an Air Force Sioux and flew over the Rimutaka’s to Wairarapa and identified a suitable Hi Fix 6 Site near Lake Ferry.  Regrettably the wind climbed to Gale Force from the Norwest and the Sioux couldn’t fly into the wind back over the Rimutaka’s and was forced to fly up the Wairarapa to the Manawatu Gorge, and onto Ohakea Air Force base to fuel.

Next day found us heading out to Makara (northwest of Wellington) for the second Hi Fix 6y site. With both secured we took the Ferry to Picton and based for phase two of the Recce at Air Force Base Woodbourne.  I should say it was as per for January, very hot, very dry, and hard ground, which was great for driving in Marlborough.

The next 3 days found us at Cape Campbell (Lighthouse), White Bluffs (near Blenheim) and Fighting Bay (near Cook Strait Cable Bay), establishing the last three Hi Fix 6 sites.  A fair amount of 4-wheel driving, especially Fighting Bay, which we needed to drive up a long Fire Break.  A little story to come.

So what was a Hi Fix 6 (aka Slave) site? By and large there were up to 6 sites erected by Monowai on large scale surveys.  Northern 3 sites were two unmanned (portable generators to power site) sites and one manned site and same for southern sites.  A manned site had two large caravans, one a large generator caravan and one accommodation caravan (3 pax). For Cook Strait survey there were five, Makara (Manned) Lake Ferry (unmanned), Cape Campbell (Unmanned), White Bluffs (near Blenheim and Manned) and Fighting Bay (unmanned).

Soon after, me and Terry rejoined Monowai and presented our data.  Monowai sailed forthwith (February) for the Strait and on arrival teams were set to task to erect all five sites.  All caravans had been delivered by road and were ready to be tasked to their Hi Fix 6 Sites.  I wasn’t personally involved with the Wellington sites but had a hand in the Cape Campbell and Fighting Bay site erections.

Cape Campbell site was close to the Lighthouse and for probably the first time ever, a large power cable was buried in the ground from that Lighthouse to the nearby Hi Fix 6 position.  A straightforward erection.  This site never needed any follow up maintenance.

Fighting Bay was different.  The site we had chosen had a small stand of Manuka on it.  We had chainsaws and slashers, but some bright spark suggested we place the Landcruiser’s winch cable around the stand, bend the hook back onto the wire and heave in.  Worked a treat.  However, during the erection of the site, someone miscued a shackle supposedly meant to land at the side of that vehicle and it went clean through the windscreen.  The drive back to Woodbourne was bitterly cold.

As I stated earlier, I was an LHA and Coxn of Astrolabe and soon after Monowai’s Bulk Survey Storeman (BSS). The first Boats Survey was the coastal areas of Palliser Bay.  With the weather in the strait being very changeable we had to be very careful about the wind as we would invariably be hoisted in a choppy sea. The other issue was all the craypots in the whole Palliser Bay area.  There were several instances of SMB’s (Survey Motor Boats) fouling the props with buoy lines.  The water was always bloody cold (the Sub-Antarctic Current flowed into the bay.)

On the other side of the Strait (Cloudy Bay) the SMBs always had Bull Kelp to contend with as well as rising winds.

As stated, I was BSS, and most of my job was to construct our Current Meters for deployment and recovery.  My CO (Commander Ken Robertson) asked me how long I would need to construct and deploy a current meter in toto?  Confidently I said 30 minutes.  I oversaw the evolutions and deployed 7 in total throughout the Strait.  All had a timer release mechanism which allowed us to deploy many heavy weights and chains which were left on the bottom.  Of the 7, one never surfaced.  The hard hats (buoyancy) were located near Port Underwood, and it was found one of the key bolts had cross-threaded.  Just an aside, NSD had very little stock of 1/34 Hundred Weight sinkers, so we sourced a large stock of railway bogeys. They arrive don Queens Wharf, Wellington just as I was crossing the brow in civvies.  Wrong, lol.  Next few hours had me and duty watch loading them onboard and securing them outside the BSS.

Another cool duty as BSS was a strange one.  When the SMB’s started surveying from Sinclair Head around towards the Cook Strait Cable site shore marks had to be placed so those SMBs could sextant survey. Typically Whitewash paint.  I was tasked to drop bombs (plastic Bags with Whitewash paint) on prominent spots, from a hovering WASP.  Fun time.

Part of mine and Terry’s recce job was to establish tidal stations. One site we identified was at Port Underwood.  The spot was ideal as it had a fence going into the sea from the land.  When we approached the landowner (farmer) a Mr Strang (without an e) denied us access.  Terry got his copy of the Lands Act out and let him know we had rights to occupy.  Later, when a few of us landed from Monowai to erect the pole and Guage we had to spend 25 hours on site to complete erection.  The farm had a woolshed nearby and we went to settle down for the night.  Nope.  Evicted.  We had to sleep on the beach with just a sleeping bag each.

Anyway, back to HI Fix 6 sites.  As stated, two were manned.  Usually an LME/LMM, an LRF, and a spare bod (driver/cook) Sometimes that spare would be of any branch with a 4X4 ticket.  You could find anyone from a writer to a seaman to an SA.  Usually an AB, but on occasions a Leading Hand.  It was deemed a perk.  In late 1983 I was deemed lucky enough to be posted to White Bluffs site.  Every day we would check all three sites (234km round trip) We were also on hand if Monowai had issues with their beacons.

A little aside, HI Fix related.  After SOPAC 1983, Monowai redeployed to Cook Strait and teams were deployed to resurrect all the manned sites (located at Woodbourne and Trentham).  My team was deployed to Trentham.  We had the short wheelbase for living caravan and long wheelbase for Genny.  I had the Genny and had done all my checks and preparations to commence the journey.  We got onto the Hutt Motorway and missed the Makara turnoff.  My load I was thinking was very heavy.  I was lead caravan and we turned off at The Terrace.  As I turned into the street the guys in the rear radioed to tell me our four wheels were on fire.  Got the fire extinguisher and dealt to the flames.  Turns out the brakes were locked on.  I checked the brake mechanism and someone had put it on. I never trusted young Subby’s again.



Every fortnight The Ghost would go to Wellington, Napier or Nelson for R&R and we also had R&R.  LME Sedge Sedgewick and I would go into Blenheim (the No 9 Bar) or Baggies Bar at Base Woodbourne (our LRF was teetotal). The No 9 Bar was also the Police Bar, and we all had a great time.  Due to this liaison, we’d have the cops out to White Bluffs for some beach fishing and a few beers. On one occasion, the cops picked me up in a van (10 folks) and we headed south to Christchurch to watch the French play AB’s at Lancaster Park.  We had front row seats. There was no shortage of booze as they had a duty driver.

We ate like kings.  It was 11km from SH1 to the site on farm tracks. There were heaps of Turkeys on the road and the cocky said help yourself.  We did and fair to say we got sick of Turkey.  We never got sick of Koura though.  One of the cops said pop into the factory not far from us, as they don’t keep the cray bodies.

 

That is basically it.  Apart from seeing firsthand the major Faultline that spread from Te Ika o Maui to Te Waipounamu, massive.

 

Ka kite ano, nga mihi

 

Zaps

1976 – 2000 Survey Rating

Monowai, ML Takapu, ML Tarapunga, ISC Tarapunga, Resolution, Tui

 

 

Monday 23 October 2023

The State of the World to date (24/10/2023)

 Just some thoughts or observations, since early 2018 here in Palmy. I spend a lot of time outside (hourly smoke) and I observe things.  Below are my observations.

2018, sometime in autumn.  I noticed the Southern Cross had disappeared from the Southern western skies. It is still gone.

About the same time, I checked my compass and found that magnetic North had moved from 20 degrees East to 35 degrees East from the original.  To date it has moved another 12 degrees towards East.

The Moon has had haphazard paths in the sky.  By and large it rises from near east and sets on old West.

Saturn and Venus are geostationary in the Eastern skies.


Last year I was driving from somewhere at night and noticed the Milky Way had moved towards the west.


Thoughts:-

1.  The big issue I have is the call for Climate Change being a man-made event.  Any celestial movement is guided by nature, not manmade issues, although manmade emissions and deforestation are not helping. With the shifting of the magnetic poles the climate reacts accordingly. By my calculation the Magnetic North Pole was originally in Northwestern Canada and now sits around central southern Canada, hence wild weather in Canada and USA (and other climate anomalies).

2.  Although the previous text could be seen as a Dooms Day entry, the opposite is true.  As long as Man looks after the planet there is nothing to fear.  Nature has always been behaving as it does.

3   There are many who think they know Nature and can adjust it to suit their needs, but that is untrue. 


Monday 16 October 2023

A trio of poems -Palestine/Neighbour

 


Metal Mickey

 

Hey, little Palestinian kid,

I am the Yiddish Tank sent to kill

your mum and dad and older brothers.

Get off the road; I will squash you now

if not later when a weapon you yield.

Yes, I am the tank, from great uncle Yank.

My guns are no match for your game of throw and catch,

so, stand aside, before you are the bride

at another Palestinian burial, Yasser might cry.

I rumble on into your town and drown

in a hail of bullets, the hope that you all hold.

Behold, I am the Mighty Israel, slaughterer of you,

so, lay down your stones and step aside

as I roll on in and do my duty for Judaism.

No, you can’t kill me, boy.

I am bigger than you ever will be.

 

Young Lust

 

Hey, Israel, blood lust murderers of hope.

I am eight, and since my inception.

I have been trained to hate your very existence,

not because you are existing here,

but you rub out ours. I am against you

all the way, and to my dying day, no matter how soon,

I will throw you back with whatever it takes.

I will defend my freedoms, no matter how trivial.

I will defend my lands, no matter how barren.

I will defend my people, no matter how impoverished.

Yes, you made them all that way,

trivial, barren, and impoverished,

but I live with hope, even at eight years old,

the hope you will go away and leave us alone,

and when that happens, we will leave you alone,

and we will have no need to fight,

for we will have what we have,

and you will have yours,

So, Israel, I say begone! Or shoot me, too.

If I fight now, or later, I will always fight,

until you have no choice but to kill me

or live beside me.

 

 

Telegram - Bush to Sharon

 

Ariel STOP

Bush STOP

Money on its way COMMA

Missiles too COMMA

Get the bastards EXCLAMATION MARK

 

Reply

Bush STOP

ARAFAT STOP

Wrong address COMMA

BRACKETS Laughter CLOSED BRACKETS

You idiot STOP!



Wednesday 4 October 2023

How would you handle this scenario??

 


In December 1988 my Mom passed away after a short illness of cancer aged 53.  She was interred at her family's cemetery (Urapa) at Mangatera, Dannevirke. Dad took care of the ceremonies and burial details.

The day before ANZAC (24th April 1998) my Dad had a massive Heart Attack and he did not survive.  It was the day before our little sister's wedding here in Palmy.  Sadly, us kids hardly saw him leading up to his passing.  My brother and I spent about 20 hours going through his papers.  He was a meticulous man and we felt he had saved any details regarding his burial.  Nothing was found. With nothing to go by, we petitioned his sister and brother, and they knew that there was an empty plot adjacent his father's plot in Masterton, but his sister had arranged (with Dad) for her to be with her father.

Armed with that information we, as a family, decided Dad should be buried with Mum.  We well knew things weren't hunky dory with especially Dad but in all their years as parents they gave us all a good start in life.  Dad was buried with Mum.  Soon after, Mum's baby sister took me aside and asked if I knew they had to dig Mum up to dig the hole to accommodate both caskets. To this day I am haunted by her words.  Should I be??

Friday 22 September 2023

Moehau Man (no woman)


On or around the 21st May 1821, a whaling ship (possibly the Active) pulled into anchor at Mercury Bay, aka Whitianga.  On that ship was a very tall black former slave by the name of Webster, or Big Buck.  He was nearly 7 feet tall and highly muscled. He had joined the whaler ship from Jamaica a few years before.


Whilst at anchor and while replenishing, Webster jumped ship and went bush.  That was to be the last confirmed sighting of him.  There are tales of Moehau Man from around that era and area (Cape Jackson north Coromandel to southeast Kaimai Ranges near Matamata). Like all supposed myths, there is an element of truth. 

On occasions in the last 200 years, many Captain Cooker pig carcasses have been found mutilated and littering the Coromandel and Kaimai Ranges. There have also been humans who inexplicably disappeared. I have been blessed to walk in Moehau Man's realm on two occasions, one in May 1986 tramping from Thames Hospital, over the top and down to Coroglen on the other side. And also in 1989, from Fantail Bay, on west Firth Of Thames, around Port Jackson on the north and down to Stony Bay on the east coast.  We tramped over the tops (Moehau Maunga) back to Fantail Bay.  On both occasions I sensed we were being watched.

So when and where did Moehau make a mark?  Is it possible David Tamihere was not guilty after all?  When I served at Paremoremo in August 1996, he was serving a life sentence for the double murders of Urban Hoglin and Heidi Parkkonen? Whenever I saw him, he was calm, and I didn't sense any guilt in him. Was it Moehau Man, aka Webster??

If one was to search the internet for similar sightings there are several anecdotes where people have disappeared.   Some may be related to happenstance sightings of Marijuana plantations, but I don't think so.

Friday 8 September 2023

Changes I would love to see in (NZ) Rugby

 Changes I would love to see in Rugby.

1.  If a penalty to an attacking team is awarded in the opposition's 22, penalty to be taken on spot. No taking the ball back to 22 area for place kick.

2.  Get rid of the rule that says players knocking on attempting an intercept to be no longer a yellow card and penalty. Knock on awarded. Too many contentious calls.

3.  One thing that really peeves me, the Advantage call from the Referee. The length of advantage for penalties varies with the ref.   Make it a standard 10 seconds and/or 3 phases. Many times, advantage is called and 5+ phases are set before Ref calls the team back for a scrum or penalty.  That is a time waster, and we need to eliminate time wasting.

4.  Remove the Mark call inside own 22. The ball remains in play. 

5.  Solving the Collapsed Scrum.  After the call of Set the Halfback has to immediately place the ball in the channel. No longer hesitation and scrum doesn't have to be reset or a penalty/free kick given.  Saves time wasting.

6.  Also time wasting, the habit for attacking lineout team to have a chat behind the place for the Lineout and slowly walking to that lineout (with the clock ticking) Ref to stop clock when Flag goes up and restart when lineout formed.

7.  Remove Super Rugby and spend player/coach payments on NPC/FPC. It is with sadness I am watching NPC (Men's rugby) and in two live games on one week there have been few spectators. (read none).

8.  International Tours.  Let's go back to the 90's and before, 3 tests, and 5 provincial games. 2 Home Tours a season.  NPC/FPC split into 2 competitions, April to June qualifying round, and September to October, Competition round. July to August Club Rugby and International tours.

9.  The player causing an HIA gets an immediate Red Card and banned for 2 matches. Contact, unless obvious, is to be reviewed by TMO.

10.  All TMO calls the clock is stopped and reset with the referee's whistle.

All these changes to be made internationally.  No more NH Rugby dominating/governing the making of Rules of Rugby.



Wednesday 6 September 2023

RWC WWE Predictions

 Round 1.  

9th September 2023

Group A

New Zealand vs France  AB's 23 France 22 (Le Blue 27-13)

Italy vs Namibia Namibia 18 Italy 15   ( Italy 52-8)


10th September 2023

Group B

Ireland vs Romania  Ireland 67 Romania 5  (Ireland 82-8)


Group C

Australia vs Georgia  Australia 88 Georgia 0  (Australia 35-15)


Group D

England vs Argentina  Argentina 22 England 8  (England 27-10)

Japan vs Chile  Japan 46 Chile 0  (Japan 42-12)


11th September 2023

Group B

South Africa vs Scotland  Scotland 18 South Africa 17  (Springboks 18-3)

Group C  

Wales vs Fiji  Fiji 29  Wales 12  (Wales 32-26)


15th September 2023


Group A  

France vs Uruguay  France 38 Uruguay 7 (France 27-12)


16th September 2023  

Group A

New Zealand vs Namibia  AB's 89 Namibia 5  (AB's 71-3)


17th September 2023

Group D

Samoa vs Chile  Manu Samoa 56 Chile 6  (Sam 43-10)


Group C  

Wales vs Portugal  Wales 45 Portugal 12  (Wales 28-8)

Group B  

Ireland vs Tonga  Ireland 43 Tonga 12  (Ireland 59-16)


18th September 2023

Group B

South Africa vs Romania  South Africa 88 - Romania 5  (SA 76-0)

Group C

Australia vs Fiji  Fiji 28 Australia 20  (Fiji 22-15)

Group D 

England vs Japan  England 19 Japan 19 (England 34-12)


21st September 2023

Group A

Italy vs Uruguay  Italy 18   Uruguay 16  (Italy 38-17)

 

22nd September 2023

Group A

France vs Nimibia  France 58 Namibia 12  (96-0)


23rd September 2023

Group D

Argentina vs Samoa  Argentina 24 Samoa 23  (Argentina 19-10)


24th September 2023

Group C

Georgia vs Portugal  Georgia 29 Portugal 0  (18-18)

Group D

England vs Chile  England 45 Chile 0  (England 71-0)

Group B

South Africa vs Ireland  Ireland 26 South Africa 23  (Ireland 13 - 8)


25th September 2023

Group B

Scotland vs Tonga  Scotland 19  Tonga 7  (Scotland 45-17) 

Group C

Australia vs Wales  Australia 33 Wales 29  (Wales 40-6)


28th September 2023

Group A

Uruguay vs Namibia Namibia 22 Uruguay 7  (Namibia 36-26)


29th September 2023

Group D

Japan vs Samoa  Samoa 23 Japan 23  (Japan 28-22)


30th September 2023

Group A

New Zealand vs Italy ABS 49  Italy 7  (ABs 96-17)


1st October 2023

Group D

Argentina vs Chile  Argentina 57 Chile 5

Group C

Fiji vs Georgia  Fiji 66 Georgia 0

Group B

Scotland vs Romania  Scotland 24  Romania 14


2nd October 2023

Group C

Australia vs Portugal  Australia 73 Portugal 0

Group B

South Africa vs Tonga  South Africa 38 Tonga 19


6th October 2023

Group A

New Zealand vs Uruguay  ABS 65  Uruguay 0


7th October 2023

Group A

France vs Italy  France 39 Italy 7


8th October 2023

Group C

Wales vs Georgia  Wales 21  Georgia 14

Group D

England vs Samoa  Samoa 29 England 14

Group B

Ireland vs Scotland  Ireland 19 Scotland 19


9th October 2023

Group D

Japan vs Argentina  Argentina 34 Japan 31

Group B

Tonga vs Romania  Tonga 17 Romania 5

Group C

Fiji vs Portugal  Fiji 44 Portugal 0


15th October 2023

1/4 finals - to be posted.

Saturday 2 September 2023

Saving rugby in New Zealand.

 Fact - there is too much rugby in New Zealand and it's sucking the available funds from income.

Fact - The rise of Womens Rugby is sucking a huge amount from the current coffers.  And for good reasons.

Fact - Attendances in most competitions since COVID have dwindled so that possible income not on the cards anymore.


Question??  Something has to give.  Super Rugby, NPC or club rugby as far as expenditure goes for the NZRFU.

So what is the priority.  Franchise rugby or NPC?? Club rugby is valid to grass roots. My personal thinking is Super Rugby goes.  Ideally, for me, the NZRU needs to redress the $$$ going to players in Super Rugby and boost provincial rugby. In the current worldwide financial realms sponsorship $$$ are also dwindling and there will be nothing going into Franchise Rugby in the coming years.  Keep that money for the All Blacks and Black Ferns, and put the money saved from Super Rugby and give good financial backing for provincial rugby (Bunnings NPC and Ranfurly Shield, Farrah Palmer Cup, and Heartland Rugby.)

My priorities as far as rugby goes??

1.  NPC

2.  Club/Heartland/Schools Rugby

3.  I have not followed Super Rugby for over 3 years now.





Just had a thought.  Run the NPC from April to September.  Two rounds - first round all 14 teams play home and away.  All 14 teams play each other in one competition, and after that round the top 7 teams go to Championship Playoff and bottom seven plays for kudos, both also home and away. Same goes for Farrah Palmer Cup. 

All Blacks/Black Ferns international Window still in June/July and Bledisloe in July/August.


Sunday 27 August 2023

The wrought that is One.nz (formerly Vodafone.NZ)

 Short history.


Since getting my Cellphone and Plan from Vodafone I have generally had no major issues with them.  I was on a Plan that had me paying $56.00 a month (from around 2017) which I paid. Then in the middle of last year I started getting emails from Vodafone accounts team saying I was overdue on my account, despite still diligently paying my monthly $56.00. The last amount was over $350.00.

In or about January 25th 2023 I stopped paying my account as my TXT, Phone and Data were stopped.  I also went without Cell services for 7 months.


Today I received a phone call from a non-English speaking "Team Member" of One.nz (formerly known as Vodafone NZ) saying I have money to pay.  Luckily, I saved all my emails I have had with them. I informed the phone guy that I will not speak on money matters over the phone and will only entertain contact over mail. This email arrived about 5 minutes before the phone call.


Kia ora Thane,

 

This email address is not monitored - please do not reply.

 

We’re sorry but we’re unable to process your disconnection request at this time.

Reason for rejection:

 

We were unable to verify your identity based on the details provided. As we can only accept disconnection requests from the account holder, and we unfortunately could not identify you as the account holder for this account.

 

If you’d like us to continue with your disconnection request, please chat to one of our friendly team online – it’s the quickest and easiest way for us to help you out. Just be sure to use your reference number: 01808276.

 

Otherwise, you’ll need to jump online to find the next best way to get in touch with us for the service you’re disconnecting.

 

Please note: you'll continue to be charged for your service, until your disconnection request is accepted. It's important you get in touch with us as soon as possible.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Your team at One New Zealand


Red Flags??

1.  They say they cannot accept emails, yet they transact via email?

2.  I have emailed them more than a few times about their service or lack thereof

3.  It has taken them over 5 months to verbally contact me. And the conversation was less than satisfactory. 

4.  They are aware I am a beneficiary.