Nanny state in the Village of the Damned

"A police officer was injured and a youth was stabbed at Christchurch's Christmas in the Park concert yesterday...

...Mr Erasmus said the majority of people at the free outdoor Christmas concert, held at Hagley Park, behaved responsibly, but alcohol later ruined the event.

He said the trouble started an hour before it ended with an influx of drunk youths, who kept police busy breaking fights and tipping out alcohol.

"Preliminary discussions have been held with the (Christchurch City) council to see if this event and other future events in Hagley Park should be alcohol-free," Mr Erasmus said...."

Right- you have a crowd of many thousands, many of whom are having a drink or six and behaving themselves. A few morons- who probably shouldn't have had drink anyway play up- so it's a blanket ban for EVERYBODY.

That makes sense (In somebody's world!) . The criminal classes would never dare come pissed or smuggle in booze if it were banned.

Moving ever closer to prohibition...

This is how I prefer to rough it

Lots of bearers are needed to ensure the gin ration is maintained- malaria is dangerous!

SNAFU

Liarbore and pal's train set is busted- AGAIN.

What will it take?

"A Whanganui man, who kicked a two-year-old boy to death, has been found guilty of the toddler's murder.

It took a jury of three men and nine women three hours to find Rikki Ngatai-Check, 23, guilty of murder rather than manslaughter in the High Court at Whanganui today..."

Exactly what will it take to bring back the death penalty?

If not that, a special prison for hopeless cases who will NEVER be allowed out ever again.

As these pieces of excrement don't have the decency to commit suicide, they need to be removed from all other life- by whatever means...

Not something you see every day

Not out in the bush, anyway.

This hut also had a shower and a wetback off the fire.

Any damned fool can rough it...

Gone bush

Idiot political appointee

"Police Commissioner Howard Broad has issued a surprise plea to cut prison numbers to stem an "absolute wave" of criminals through the justice system..."

This PC legacy from the last sad administration needs to just friggin' do what the voters demanded.

Catch criminals and lock them up out of harm's way.

So there are too many.

1- Tent prisons (Go ask Sheriff Joe if you are too stupid to figure this out)

2- Make prison harder (make the pricks WORK very hard)

3- Bring in the 'short(ish) hard shock' for newbie crims (quarrying volcanic rock by hand used to work well)

To those who died on the job

Health and safety in NZ

In my experience, it is little more than window-dressing. The grandiose policy statements seldom translate out into the reality of the workplace. When they do, they focus on trivia while ignoring elephants in the room.

One great example is workplace drug-testing. One does not have to be on the good side of the bell-shaped curve to realize that operating heavy plant & machinery whilst under the influence is a bad thing.

But then one day after two employees are fired for being totally pissed on the job, there is the big drug test for all. The senior manager who turned up for this stated that if anyone was found positive, this would mean company-wide testing- and it is a big company.

So 60% of the staff failed.

The reality was that if this was the trend nationwide and if they were all fired- as SHOULD have happened- that would be a near death-blow to the company.

Two years later there have been no more drug tests, even after serious incidents and 'accidents'

H&S is back to safety boots and orange overalls.

The hard stuff is just too hard.

Ever wonder why so many die in forestry?

A minority group

I have been down a working coal mine on the West Coast.

I have been down a coal mine when explosives were used.

I am qualified to use breathing apparatus.

I work with toxic gases.

I have taken part in a caving rescue exercise.

I have considerable experience in light rescue and advanced first aid.

I have used a remote control robot.

Still not an expert in mining rescue operations though.

Unlike half of New Zealand...

A media whore

"Frustration is growing in Greymouth as police continue to refuse to release the names of those stuck down the mine.

Superintendent Gary Knowles told a media briefing this morning they are not disclosing the 29 names, so affected families have more time to digest what has happened.

However Mayor Tony Kokshoorn wants the names released as speculation and Chinese rumors are starting to spread.

"I'm all for disclosure of the names to avoid speculation. Everyone knows locally - it's not a secret and anyone could find out if they wanted to," he said..."

Sod off big nose!

As you say- all those concerned locally know- and that's all that need to know.

Following the facebook page, the locals are of the opinion the mayor big-nose is more concerned about getting in front of the cameras. I hear he has been kicked off the mine site as he was getting in the way and generally being a pain in the arse.

As do so many of these petty-officials,who are full of their own self-importance and generally suffering from delusions of adequacy.

Releasing names is a matter for the families and NOBODY ELSE. If they want to, fine. If they do not- then in the words of the woman on the video clip- 'Fuck off you pack of vultures!'

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That there is ALWAYS a worse job

...is something I constantly remind myself- although coal mining is far from the bottom of the list- and yes, I HAVE been inside a coal mine while blasting was going on!

Trouble with underground mining, is that when things go wrong, they REALLY go wrong. Unlike, say, forestry where they get knocked off one by one.

I certainly don't envy the chaps who will go in to search the mine- who knows what state the mine is in after a large explosion. But they will go in and are do doubt incredibly frustrated in being held back. It's not just the flammable gas, but now there may (probably) be concentrations of highly lethal carbon monoxide. A fireman's BA is only good for about half an hour- a specialized mining rebreather more than that, but they will not be traveling fast.

I took part in a cave rescue exercise some years ago and that was a real headache getting a stretcher case out about 400 meters. In good air and a stable cave.

I think next time I'm outside working in the hot sun, I will remind myself of the lot of the miner...

Cowboys and Aliens!

Village of the Damned to get an IQ boost

"New Zealand will soon have its first gorillas when the head of Sydney's Taronga Zoo gorilla pack, a 210-kg father of 14, will move to Christchurch in a few years to enjoy his retirement..."

I wonder if this is to fill a void left by the removal of that bloody awful 'Outrageous Fortune' soap?

The public's insatiable desire to watch primate threat displays and simian behavior...

And it came to pass

...that the unbelievers did not heed the word of the prophet that the sins of past neglect would come back to bite the unbelievers on the bum.

And they did switch on the infernal machine and a wave of pestilence did spread throughout and all was woe.

A great wailing and gnashing of teeth was heard throughout the land and I did say "told you so!" and "THAT will teach you to spill your seed on the ground", as the people of the village cried out in their anguish.

And their tear were for naught, as the parts now have to come from the Land of the Sodomites. Or it could have been Auckland- I had crap cellphone reception.

Here endth the lesson.

Bugger off is also a good answer

"Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson says Maori protesters wanting to meet him over a Far North coastal area they claim belongs to local Maori can "go to hell"..."

GOOD- now just keep repeating that- every time the moochers come looking for a handout.

Say it loud, say it often!

Thought as much

"Evidence has emerged that 72% of all alcohol-related deaths on the roads are caused by drivers who are either blind-drunk or repeat offenders...

...The Transport Ministry research shows that in 2009 88 deaths – 72% of all alcohol-related deaths – were caused by 73 drivers who were either at least 50% over the current limit, or who already had a previous conviction.

Of those 88 deaths, 34 people were killed in crashes where the driver at fault had a previous conviction and 57% – or 50 out of 88 deaths – were caused by drivers with twice the legal alcohol limit.

In 2008, 108 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes and 28 of those – 26% were caused by drivers with a previous drink-driving conviction, while 77 deaths – 62% – were caused by drivers who had consumed more than twice the legal alcohol limit..."

So perhaps diddling with a lower allowable alcohol level is NOT going to be the answer. Bet the facts won't stop that happening, mind.

Man's domain

Book Five- kiss your sand-scoured arses goodby

Commander Jamieson's Engineering battalion fixes a large gravatic drive to a ten kilometer iron-nickel asteroid and drives it into....