I'm getting a mixed message here

"An Invercargill High Court judge has ruled in favour of a Maniototo drunk driver seeking to escape jail time for his fifth offence.

Justice Christian Whata has overturned a sentence of seven months jail for farmer Allan James Carran from Otago rural township Ranfurly, reducing the sentence to four months home detention.

Police caught Carran, 47,  with a breath alcohol reading of more than three times the legal limit, 1266 micrograms per litre of breath while he was driving to Otautau to pick up his wife around lunchtime on Sunday, March 19 this year.

Carran had previously been caught drunk driving on 1985, 1988, 1993, and 2003..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/8901902/Three-times-over-by-lunchtime

One moment I'm being told that DIC is a very serious offense. Based on the enormous amounts of taxpayers money spent enforcing it, you could almost believe this to be true.

Almost.

But then you look at the sentences handed down.

The only real punishment is when the driver loses his job over the loss of a license- that is the only time there are any real consequences...

Yet another example

"Thousands of parking tickets issued by Hutt City Council may be invalid, and the money raked in by fines may have to be refunded.

The council has acknowledged there may be a problem, and its chief executive Tony Stallinger said "it's going to be a major inconvenience if that's the case".

A loophole in the council's bylaws has been uncovered by Al O'Connor, a legal researcher and master's student at Victoria University, who stumbled on the matter after he was ticketed for parking longer than two hours near his Seaview office.

"It's a newly created time-restricted area, and I took it on myself to check the lawfulness of it - and uncovered a massive problem."

Land transport regulations state that local authorities must pass a bylaw authorising the penalties for parking infringements.

Hutt City Council's bylaw provided for parking meters, coupon parking, resident parking and no-stopping areas, but it made no provision for time-restricted parking, he said..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hutt-valley/8889237/Parking-tickets-may-not-be-legal

Yet ANOTHER example of petty 'officials' thinking they are a law unto themselves.

Part of what is wrong here

"...During the 20 years to 2000 the number of students enrolled in the country's universities more than tripled to 139,000.

But a university education is not the only path to success, a point graphically made by Education Minister Hekia Parata last weekend when she pointed out that New Zealand was in danger of experiencing a shortage of skilled tradespeople because so much focus was being put on channelling students into university and academic pathways.

"The backbone of New Zealand has been built on tradespeople, who then go into business and become our middle-class citizens," she said after delivering a speech to an Independent Schools of New Zealand conference.

In the rush to acquire academic qualifications New Zealanders have forgotten the value of other occupations. But for some, wiring and plumbing buildings not only provides greater satisfaction than shuffling paper, it also proves more rewarding..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/editorials/8884400/Editorial-Uni-not-only-path-to-success

Indeed.

We are approaching a day when the BA, MA and PhD types will be calling for a plumber or a sparkie- and waiting for them to come from the workshop- in Australia.

LOONIE TUNES

"...Labour's Wimmin's Division is proposing that the party introduce quotas in some of its keenly contested electorates so that only women can be selected as candidates. 

It's proposing a target of 45 per cent women in caucus in 2014 and 50 per cent in 2017 - despite the fact that already 41 per cent of its caucus are female. 

The plan is stupid on so many levels it's difficult to know where to start. But here goes: ..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/blogs/bull-dust/8882889/Labours-barmy-man-ban

I think this is a great move! Just the thing to push liarbour into total obscurity.

Then we only have one other mainstream fuckwit socialist party to contend with.

National.

It's a freakin' kids toy- usually.

"In her 54 years, the leggy blonde that is Barbie has inspired love,controversy and even imitation (from the slightly odd this to the just plain disturbing this).

But an artist from Pittsburgh, Pennyslvania suggests that we should be focusing on a revision of the classic Mattel doll.

Nickolay Lamm has recreated a typical blonde Barbie, but at the average proportions of a 19-year-old American woman (he took the measurements from the Centre for Disease Control)..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/beauty/beauty-news/8873195/Barbie-gets-a-real-woman-makeover

She was probably designed to use less plastic in the mold.

Now you are going to get people from San Francisco suing because the new revised barbie gets lodged internally!

'Come on Barbie- let's go party...'

Too busy to post stuff

Better off in a Victorian orphanage

"The Lower Hutt parents who seriously neglected their young children want to get them back.

A 25-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were today sentenced in the Wellington District Court on four counts each of neglect.

They had pleaded guilty to not providing medical care, food and nutrition for the children, aged 4, 3, 2 years, and 7 months, who were found dirty and malnourished with head lice infestations and open scabies wounds in January.

The man was sentenced to six months community detention, 18 months intensive supervision and 80 hours of community work.

The woman was sentenced to 18 months intensive supervision and 160 hours of community work.

Permanent name suppression was granted to both parents to protect the identity of their children, who are still in state care..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/8862988/Neglectful-parents-want-children-back

Not only should they never see their children again, but they should both be permanently and irreversibly sterilized. AFTER serving a lengthy prison term at hard labour.

But no, after that slap on the wrist with a wet bus ticket, they will no doubt get their kids back. To continue the irreversible damage...

Village of the Damned exports welfare cases

"Hundreds of people on Christchurch's state house waiting list are being offered incentives such as free rent and fuel vouchers to move town.

Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) is contacting its nearly 360 priority Christchurch applicants waiting for a home to see if they would shift to towns where houses were vacant..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8859468/Housing-NZ-offers-freebies-to-flee-Chch

As one of the commenters stated: '...new town, same benefit, same life...'

I Imagine some of them would have jumped at the chance- a relocation to a small town with no likelihood of a job ever- and they can point the finger at HNZ when WINZ takes them to task.

Others, I'm sure are cases the HNZ Christchurch want to see the back of.

There are probably quite a few that Christchurch in general want to be rid of, also.

Pity the folk in the small towns who get an influx of new riff-raff. The last small town I lived in had nothing but problems from the denizens of our 'Social Housing'...

Wanker Cyclist!

"Swedish police are on the hunt for a man who likes bicycles a little too much.

Fed up that someone was slashing his tyres, cyclist Per Edstrom set up a camera outside his home and caught the bike molester red-handed.

Footage from Mr Edstrom's camera shows a hooded man cutting open a tyre and then pleasuring himself as the tyre deflates..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/8855168/Man-caught-having-sex-with-bike

I suppose the odds were higher in a hard-core socialist country...

Be a media whore...

"Nelson Mandela's eldest daughter lambasted foreign media "vultures" for violating her father's privacy as he lay critically ill in hospital, and said the former South African president was still clinging to life today..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/africa/8852919/Media-labelled-vultures-Mandela-still-critical

Pretty rich, considering the prick did all he could to keep in the media's eye for the greater part of his soon to end life.

Didn't think there was a shortage

"Concerns have been raised over the ability of the Government's new workplace safety body to enforce health and safety legislation.

Five days before the launch of the Health and Safety Inspectorate, only 74 of the promised 158 inspectors have been hired, Labour health and safety spokeswoman Darien Fenton says..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8850559/Concerns-over-new-workplace-safety-body

Odd- I never thought there was a shortage of useless, neutered, puffed-up, dick-licking, officious busybodies in this country!

It's not the story that is intersting

"The Advertising Standards Authority has chucked out a claim of racism, saying the mispronunciation of Maori words in a supermarket ad was not racist enough to cause ''widespread offence''.

The ASA received a number of complaints relating to a Pak'nSave advertisement aired on television in May promoting Kiwi Kai Week..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8840946/Pak-nSave-racism-claim-thrown-out

The comments in the linked article are what is really interesting. It would appear that folks are getting pretty damn sick of this PC 'I'm offended by everything' attitude.

Sod off you self-serving wankers

"New Zealand roads are becoming increasingly perilous as sentimental owners refuse to let go of their ageing and unsafe cars.

People needed to scrap their older cars so the average age of the New Zealand car fleet could be reduced from 13.8 years, Motor Trade Association marketing and communications general manager Ian Stronach said.

Older cars posed a risk because of their lack of safety features and often high levels of exhaust emissions, which can be compounded by a lack of regular servicing, Stronach said.

"New Zealanders are renowned for their ingenuity and ability to make do with equipment and facilities that in other countries would be regarded as being well past its use-by date.

"We seem to have an enduring relationship with older vehicles and as long as it is still going, it doesn't need to be scrapped..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/8839835/Old-cars-making-roads-a-danger-zone

Yes, play the ' safety' card. It's all about the MT frickin' A trying to sell more cars. I have older cars because I see no need to spend money buying newer ones when the ones I have run perfectly well. The MTA can kiss my arse. The only real safety feature is the person behind the wheel.

Damned right it doesn't need to be scrapped if it is running well. It is also a matter of what we can afford. If you want to be fucking green, keep what you have working well. the energy to make a new one far exceeds the minuscule gains in fuel economy.

Beyond burning rubber

"...The Veyron's quad-turbo W16 engine currently pushes out 1184 horses but its potential is said to be closer to 1500hp.

That combined with a more extensive use of carbon fibre, which could cut up to 200 kilograms from its kerb weight, could see a 1500hp Veyron with a top speed in the 450kmh range.

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport currently holds the world record for the fastest production car at 431.072kmh.

Any shot that the 450kmh mark, however, would only be possible if an improvement in tyre technology - to stop them melting at such high speeds - is available..." (Bold Mine)

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/8834140/Bugatti-Veyron-tipped-for-1500hp-farewell-fling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btwKj2I0_wE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRngQXZRUKQ

Hot Damn!

Can you spell Apartheid ?

"Mana Party leader Hone Harawira wants to offer Maori first-time homebuyers no-deposit, low-interest loans but admits he doesn't know how much the programme would cost.

Mana yesterday unveiled its policy of building 10,000 state houses a year and offering the loans.

The scheme would be similar to the former Maori Affairs Housing Scheme, which was dropped in 1989. Only Maori first-time homeowners would be eligible..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8822731/Mana-unveils-housing-policy

Try two billion dollars a year.

Even labor isn't mental enough to go with this, but when you are only trying to appeal to the 'gimmee' voters, you may pull it off.

Stupid drivers get the annual reminder of what snow is

"Dozens of cars have been stranded or have slid off the road as the south's big chill begins to hit.

Snow has begun to fall in the deep south with reports it's settling in many parts of Southland.

Snow showers have been reported this afternoon in Te Anau and Five Rivers, in the Hokonui hills near Gore, and at Wairio near Nightcaps. Bluff residents have also reported "teeny snow showers".

Twenty vehicles are stranded on Southland's Jollies Pass tonight with six cars sliding off the road..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8812113/Big-chill-brings-new-flooding-risk

You could hope it was all tourists, but from past experience, I'm picking that the shallow end of the gene pool will be getting their annual reminder that snow and ice is not a good thing to drive on...

Missing the main reason

"...Helping out during public emergencies was "more complicated'' than it seemed, lecturer at Auckland University school of psychology Danny Osborne told Fairfax Media.

Studies showed there were five stages to negotiate before people were moved to step in, Osborne said.

The first stage was noticing. Then came interpreting the problem, accepting responsibility for providing help, deciding what to do, and then doing it.

"This was an instance in which people either failed to take responsibility or perhaps they felt responsible but decided not to help," he said.

The larger the audience to a domestic assault, the less likely someone would feel responsible, Osborne said.

In deciding whether to help, people internally evaluated "the pros and cons of interfering".

"Cons might include embarrassing yourself if you find out that the woman didn't require assistance," he said..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/8807299/Saatchi-admits-assaulting-Nigella

Actually, the main reason for not sticking your nose in is the high probability of a smack in the head. Ask a cop about how many interventions in a domestic end up with both parties attacking you,

Par for the course

"Wellington City Council's executive have had to ditch their rose-tinted glasses after a new survey found staff morale was nowhere near as high as expected.

Council has come up with a plan to address poor workplace culture in the wake of the survey, in which 81 per cent of staff participated.

The workplace survey found that staff were unclear what was expected of them, and many did not enjoy their work and planned to leave council within two years.

Staff complained that the council environment did not support innovative ideas, and that the organisation should do more to improve customer service..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/8806228/Wellington-City-Council-Morale-Drops

I think you would find ANY council morale slightly lower than a snake's arsehole. Certainly once you get below senior management level.

On a lighter note

 I happened across a new book at the library:

http://spacecaptainsmith.com

If you enjoyed 'Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy', you will love Toby Frost's work.

if you didn't, don't bother as you simply won't 'get it'.

Ministerial briefing

Of all our rivals neighbours only the Ghasts could equal us in terms ofdreadnought numbers fleet strength.

Under orders from its capital, the hive-planet of Selenia, the Ghast Empire has recently tripled its production of tanks, warships and long leather coats.

The Colonial Intelligence Service has been keeping a close eye on these filthy ant-people Formica Redarsa, and especially Number One, their pint-sized generalissimo queen.

We are not convinced by their recent claim that "The Ghast Empire wants only friendship with the British and their numerous, tasty children".

After careful study of Number One's biographic work My Ceaseless Quest to Conquer Earth and Destroy its Puny Inhabitants, we have come to the conclusion that the Ghast Empire may well be up to something rum. This, coupled with the colossal military might of the ant-men Formicas, means that in the event of general galactic war we would need to mobilise every resource available to us to counter the Ghast menace and do it a bit of no good.

So do something real about it

"Ten children were found living at houses during police raids across the Wellington region that uncovered hidden weapons, buried drugs, a P lab and a heavily fortified base...

...The children - particularly a 3-year-old found in an Upper Hutt methamphetamine laboratory - were the most alarming discovery for police, Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch said.

"The child shouldn't be in the meth lab; that's one of the real high-risk places..."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/8799060/Ten-children-found-living-in-drug-dens

But will they get permanently removed from these dirtbags?

Nah- 'with their own family is the best place for them" will be the answer.

The kids would be better off in an orphanage than with these shit-heads. Even the sort of orphanages we used to have and that's saying something...