Saturday, November 30, 2013

Lets use the power of Facebook and other social media to stop creeps like those who hijacked the car yesterday!

No one can justify the actions of the two young people who hijacked a man for his car yesterday. That a gun was involved just makes the mater even more series, possibly one with a 'silencer' on it. The very idea that if you want something, you can just go and get it, using whatever means available,' is not only repugnant, it is also a threat to all that is good in a decent society. Call my words old-fashioned, but if we do not fight against this trend, then the only way for us a nation is 'downward.' I am sure many of you reading this will say that we are well and truly quite a way along that pathway.
I say---fight back, using the power of social media. Expose these individuals for what they are; selfish  criminals who chose their way of life. I do not want to hear the usual cries of--'they are victims of their upbringing,' or 'they did not have good role models.' If that were true then all young people who had it tough would turn out as criminals. The fact is that THEY DON'T! It is about choice. Yes, we have to struggle at times and life is not always fair, but choosing to use either the threat of violence or actual acts is a choice---a bad one! Now we need to band together to make sure that these two do not get away with what they have chosen to enact; a mindless act of theft, using stealth and a weapon to get their way. Check out the picture in the New Zealand Herald and pass the information to the police so that the law can take its pathway. As to what punishment they get---well that is another matter!
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Terror as $65k car stolen at gunpoint

CCTV footage of the suspect in the carjacking.
CCTV footage of the suspect in the carjacking.
A carjack victim has described the terrifying moment a pistol was pointed at his back after a young woman at a McDonald's carpark duped him into giving her a ride.
Police are hunting a couple who stole Shaarn Crosswell's distinctive $65,000 Nissan car at gunpoint early yesterday, after his night out went badly wrong.
Police are alarmed about the incident, and warn the public not to approach the "armed and dangerous" culprits. They have released video footage of one of the alleged offenders in the hope someone will recognise him. "We don't have a lot of carjackings at gunpoint in New Zealand," said Detective Sergeant James Watson. "This guy was just getting a burger."
Watson said there had been a similar incident last Wednesday when another woman lured a man "on the promise of something more than just a cigarette" to a secluded spot on Auckland's North Shore. When they arrived, a male emerged and assaulted the man, allegedly stealing his keys and his laptop, said Watson. He has been charged with aggravated robbery.
In yesterday's carjacking, Crosswell, a 21-year-old Auckland student and self-confessed car nut, was heading home when he pulled into the drive-through at McDonald's in Albany, where other revellers were ending their nights with something to eat.
He had just parked up to eat his McFlurry when an "innocent enough looking" young brunette, aged in her 20s, tapped on his window and asked for ride to Orewa. Feeling sorry for her, he said he'd take her as far as the Albany bus depot.
"She's like 'sweet', so she jumped in and then just as I'm about to pull off she says, 'hold on, my mate's grabbing his bag'."
A man, who Crosswell thought to be her boyfriend, jumped into the back seat.
Crosswell said the couple seemed friendly so he agreed to take them both to the depot.
But suddenly, the man pleaded for Crosswell to stop the car. "He said 'Ah man, I've really got to take a leak bad'. I thought he might be a little bit tipsy and I didn't want him to pee in my car ... so I pulled over."
The man then told Crosswell to get out of the car.
"I went to turn around to punch him but then I noticed he had a black pistol to my back with a long silencer scope on it. He was just pointing it at me, about 3cm or 4cm from my back.
"I was thinking, I don't know if this guy's going to shoot me. I didn't know if he was on something or what. He had a silencer so he must have been pretty serious."
Crosswell got out of the car, his arms raised, while the thief struggled to work out how the car's gears worked. "Eventually he just nailed it and took off."
The $65,000 Nissan Skyline GTR.
The $65,000 Nissan Skyline GTR.
Crosswell was distraught. He estimated the car, a Nissan R34 GT-R V-spec Model, was worth about $65,000 after the extensive modifications he had made.
"I'm so gutted, it was my baby.
"It's quite a rare car here in New Zealand and it's one of the tidiest around as well. It's not just some Skyline that's just been thrashed." The white car has the number plate STIG.
Detective Sergeant Watson hoped releasing video of the man at McDonald's just before the incident would lead to his arrest.
He said if anyone came across the car, they should call police immediately, but not approach the vehicle or its occupants.
Anyone with information was urged to contact Watson at North Shore police on (09) 477 500 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
- APNZ

Computers don't bounce very well. Funny that!

Jack Russells and computers don't really make for good playmates; well not if you want your computer to survive. About five days after my computer took a king-hit from Perdy, my 'playful' JR, I have finally got back to regular use of the keyboard and I have reasserted my willingness to play with words and images, in the form of my blogs.
I have pasted new rules of operation in our lounge. There shall be no manic running abut in circles by hairy beasts, no mater what their size. Anyone disobeying my proclamations shall be banished through the cat-door, that has formerly been used by the resident Jack Russell. She fully knows about this new beginning but I have my doubts as to the efficacy of my announcement, given past attempts to institute sanity.
So, Perdy, try to maintain a sense of decorum as you go about your day and please don't take every arrival at the gate as an attempt on the life of anyone residing with the home you so love to 'protect.' and please leave my computer out of your dog-brained plans.
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Friday, November 29, 2013

Urban Soul, Manukau's wonderdul secret!

Yesterday I had lunch at Urban Soul accompanied by a friend. It was so good that I decided to bring back my sister to have breakfast on he way to Hamilton. You wouldn't know it was there as you fly past the Manukau City Centre on the Southern Motorway. Indeed many Aucklanders quite dismissively bypass anything associated with this southern part of Auckland; much to their own loss. Maybe Manukau City residents don't care as they get on with their lives, enjoying the many attributes of the 'South.' Urban Soul is one such jewel and if other Aucklanders find it, they may find themselves lining up behind satisfied locals.
Southern Soul is tucked in between the motorway and the Great South Road in an enclave that includes a bank and a mini-shopping centre with a large Countdown supermarket. I for one, didn't even know it was there until I was taken there.
When you walk into this café you are struck by the ambience of the place, ranging from quirky art through to very well displayed food. The service is friendly and efficient and the menu is eclectic with good gluten- free options. On the previous visit for lunch. I had chosen a liver and bacon hot-pot; a choice that I have mot seen for a number of years and one that I thought I wouldn't manage to finish given my recent bariatric surgery. I surprised myself and my companion by getting through the whole portion. It was tasty and I would go back for more, if only I could get more food in----but if you have kept up with my older blogs you would know why that is no longer part of my gastronomic journey.
Today, I left Perdy in the car (don't worry, it was cool at that early hour and by the way, Perdy is a Jack Russell and probably not welcome in the café!) and once again entered the café. I chose a French potato cake with two poached eggs and a Hollandaise sauce. Of course I couldn't eat it all but what I managed to get down was pure heaven. It was very well priced---$19.50 for the serving and the excellent coffee.
We left the café, satisfied and not at all worried that other Aucklanders haven't yet discovered this gem. Damn, they soon will and maybe we will have to 'reserve' a table, just like I observed yesterday for lunch. Obviously I will be back. What better start would one wish for when heading South. I am not a selfish guy, so feel free to pass on the knowledge of this delightful establishment.
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Just when you thought that my solar oven was going through an 'eclipse.'

I just can’t help it; thinking of new things to do with my solar oven. Yeah, I can hear where some of you will be telling me what to do with it and it isn’t exactly a ‘greenie,’ idea! You have read about cooking veggies, drying herbs and fruit and even drying my sports shoes in it. The best so far had been my very successful ‘cakes,’ masquerading as brownies. They were over-the-top yummy. What next, you say.
The other day I was picking my dewberries and I had rather too many of them. I made a jelly/jam and it was only after I had done that that I thought of using the solar oven. ‘Next time,’ I said, loud enough for the neighbours to hear.
OK, here’s my plan. I don’t have enough of the dewberries left, so I will keep them for desserts.  But what I do see very day as I drive home from work is the strawberry place selling 3 for $5; that’s pummets of course! Then I thought, why not try making the jam in the solar oven. To make things even more interesting, perhaps I should cut out the sugar and use Stevia and set the mix with agar, making a jelly more than a jam. Of course, that probably means that it won’t have such a long shelf life and should be kept in the fridge or in freezer. I could use freezer bags and bring the jam/jelly out when needed.
 I shall try this out on Sunday, if the weather is good. Now that I can get the oven up to and over 100C, there will not be any ‘safety issues.
Look out for my report, along with pictures and for my next weird book publicity idea. I shall combine my older versions of ‘COASTAL YARNS,’ ‘ROSKILL’ ‘AND TALK TO ME’ give them away as long as people pay the postage and buy a bottle of  jam. What a hoot.
I shall keep you posted. Don’t forget, my capacity to write blogs is limited to my smart phone and a few times during the day on another computer. Hopefully I shall pick up the brand new one tonight. I shall keep Perdy and that new device very much apart.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

$100 million windfall for the Auckland City Council from the airport---a message for the Government maybe?

The news today the Auckland City Council is going to receive a $100 million windfall from its share of the dividend paid from the airport profits is good news, for the airport and the Council. That money can go quite a way for infrastructure and to helping to keep the rates rise to a minimum for those who hold that as a holy grail.
It also sends a clear message to the Government, who have either sold or are about to sell (despite any strong message they get from the current referendum on the issue) Sate Assets. The airport has and will probably continue to be a convenient cash-cow for the Council, even when one takes into account the cyclic nature of such profits. Sure State Assets can be seen in the same light. In good times such assets pay strong dividends and when things are not so good, they can act as a cushion to the negative aspects of pricing when it tends to head upwards.
It is short sighted, merely a short term quick fix by a narrowly fiscally driven and social irresponsible Government, that listens only to its allies in big business. If we wish all NZers to benefit from our economy then we should spread ownership of strategic assets, not concentrate them in the hands of an ever shrinking pool of ‘sharks.’
If you live in New Zealand, you would have received your chance to say ‘NO!” in the form of the referendum papers.’ If you do not vote (or worse, vote in favour of the Governments plans to ‘corporatize’ NZ, then you are selling us all down the tubes. Get that paper out now and stick your tick in the NO box. It only takes a few seconds to make sure that future New Zealanders do not look back on this time in our history and condemn us for our lack of action and our allowing a Government to ride roughshod over us. Take a good hard look at those who favour selling off that which we have all paid for. Let’s keep ownership in New Zealand hands and believe nothing that the National Government tells us about ‘Mum and Dad investors. ‘
Let the Auckland Airport success story be a shining light and lest make sure that no more of that Asset is sold off---that too is just around the corner!

Hey 'oldies,'---let's go flatting!

So you are approaching the magic age (for now!) of 65 or maybe you are a great deal older. Perhaps you have recently lost a loved one and facing the prospect of living alone after all those years with a partner who you loved but sometimes drove you nuts. Albeit, you just don’t want to live on your own. There are plenty of options out there re ‘retirement villages,’ most of the ones you would consider to be ‘your style,’ are just out of your range, financially. The last thing you want or those kids who live overseas or way too far away to be of any constructive help to you in your twilight years, is to move into some of the residences within your price range, but just don’t stack up. You have read the Herald reports on some of them and you know that the ‘carers’ who work in them are underpaid and overworked. There’s got to be a better way.
You cast your mind back to your youth and remember your student days. If you were in your late teens or early twenties in the 1960’s ‘flatting’ became the thing to do. Are you smiling as you remember the parties and the terrible cooking and less than appropriate cleaning standards? Perhaps your flat was better organized and maybe you have conveniently forgotten the ‘down side’ of that precarious existence, but a twinkle has just appeared in your left eye; the right one trys to maintain a balance as to how it really was.
Today you read the article in the NZ Herald about flatting for ‘oldies,’ and you start to wonder. Is this for me? Could I possibly throw away that dammed tendency to ‘have things my way?’ Could I revisit those crazy halcyon days? Do I in fact need to?
 Well, no you don’t but in a sense you can. Sure the late nights may be driven more by insomnia than the need to ‘party up big time, and the ‘flatmates probably won’t be quite as ‘pert’ as they were in the old days and your taste in TV programmes reading and all the other aspects of your lifestyle will not be the same, but you still have an intense interest in life. Hey, we all change and now that you have seen much of life, perhaps you can make an accommodation and find a way of living with a group, in a semi-controlled fashion, with the back-up of a nice young man or woman who gets rent a bit cheaper and who is around at night when so many oldies worry about security. Such a person could also be quite handy at reaching for the light bulbs and a few other monotonous tasks that you don’t fancy anymore.
Is flatting for the oldies a viable solution to the growing need to look after our elderly? Why not. Get the formula right and have the appropriate support handy and it could well solve many issues for us oldies. Company is assured and flexible, depending on the level of contact one would like. IT would be good for the community as a whole, not to have vast numbers of older people locked away in huge retirement villages that for all purposes are ‘gated.’ The examples are out there and they are going to grow as people chose to live with others similar to them, but not isolated from one another; just choosing to have their own space if and when they need it. Financially, it is a good option; one that would cost the taxpayer less than some existing models.
I say---go for it and check it out. There will be many variations on the theme and life is too short (especially at the plus 65 level) to worry about paying exorbitant fees to some profit orientated business that may or not meet your real needs. Jeeze---have I just put myself in the category of those who are thinking about their more advanced   years?

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Jack Russells and computers don't mix!

The other day, Perdy decided to chase away a visitor at the gate. She’s really good at that and it has served me well when it comes to unwanted attention from those who wish to ‘sell, either ‘ideas,’ religion (they all want to save me!) and God knows what else. She sets up a bark that leads the ‘visitors’ think she is a Pitt Bull or at least a manic wolf!  That’s all good as far as I am concerned.
Of course on that crazy run through the cat door she can create quite a swath of damage as she heads towards the cat door. Yes, she uses the cat door to exit and enter the house, having chased away the original ‘user’ of the said door. Unfortunately whilst doing her duty on this occasion, Perdy managed to run across/through the cable that was charging my lovely computer (Laptop) and this caused it to crash to the floor. When I picked it up and turned it back on, all I saw on the screen was a mish-mash of something looking like modern art. I thought that the computer had slipped into some sort of new ‘wallpaper’ offering. It looked really nice. Fool that I was: I left it and it was only when I actually tried to sign in that the big nothing happened. Oh, I thought, maybe I just need to reboot it. Yeah right--- the only boot was one that should have been targeted at me for leaving the computer in the way of a Jack Russell, intent on protecting its master from nasty visitors. Don’t get me wrong---I like visitors----of my choosing. Let’s just say that rebooting was an exercise in frustrating futility.
I figured that my computer needed some help. Surely it couldn’t be much, I thought. I rang my insurance people the next day and they gave me a number to ring re ‘checking out my computer. I was lucky in that the firm favoured by my insurance company was just down the road, meaning that I would not have to courier the boxed computer to them: I merely had to drop it in. That would save me quite a few days in transit time. I still expected to pay my excess and have it fixed in about a week or so.
Low and behold; today I received an unexpected call; that is re the solution. It seems that Miss Perdy had done a real good job re her demolition of my computer. I shall be up and running by the end of Friday, as long as everything works out---with a nice new Samsung computer. This was not what I was expecting at all. I thought they would ‘stich it’ together and things would return to normal. I don’t like making claims on my insurance, because the premiums inevitably go up and I haven’t done so for many years. Oh well, I shall adjust to using my new computer when it arrives and I shall be able to work on it at home again. You all know what that means---more blogs! It’s bloody hard doing them on a smart phone when you are not so smart! A word of warning, Perdy, or is it to me! I think I shall get another power point put in; one that does not mean that the chord acts as an obstacle course for her to run through, over, or both.

Scots in Auckland feel that they are being most hard done by!

What can I say? I am horrified that Auckland quite large Scottish community is feeling most aggrieved today because their request for a measly (remember they are Scottish!) $13.000 was turned down by whatever body on the City Council that funds such requests. Imagine their horror when they received this letter. How must they feel; after all, are they not founding members of the Queen city? Let’s face it, most towns and cities in New Zealand have some sort of representation from Scotland in their make-up. What town does not have a ‘pipe-band’ regularly reminding us at various functions of their presence?
A spokesperson for the ‘Scott’s’ reminded us on talkback radio (Don’t forget to find out about my latest book (TALK TO ME) that should be on Kindle very soon, or is available in hard copy from my website) of the many ‘other groups’ who receive quite large amounts of money to celebrate the diversity of our fair city, including the Chinese New Year, Diwali, Polyfest, just to mention a few. Is it that the Scottish have been here so long that they don’t need to celebrate their wonderful contribution and culture? Is it that Billy Connelly has offended us with his ribald nature and thereby caused the city fathers (but not the mothers) to turn away from our Scottish friends and neighbours?
Surely this magnificent portion of our community should be honoured and if you all think about your background, there is a bloody good chance that you too carry Scottish genes. I know for fact that I do, given the name (Rankin) on my Mum’s birth certificate. So now, I too take offence and demand that this miscarriage of financial justice be corrected immediately!  If not, then stick up a website or number so that those if us with Scottish heritage and those who love them  and even those who wish to bribe those bands ‘not to play their bagpipes’ can contribute. If this does not happen, I strongly urge all the fore said bands to parade every morning in all the main shopping centres, playing ‘Scotland the Brave’ until their demands are met. Long live Scotland!

Monday, November 25, 2013

The drilling has begun on NZ's West Coast. Where to from here?

We can assume that the start of drilling on New Zealand’s West coast will be a divisive action. In the lead up to ‘spudding in,’ we saw all the usual players, ranging from Government support and its big business partners, who claim that any success will benefit NZ. Whilst there is no doubt that the Government (read, tax payer) will garner some royalty revenue, I wonder if it is all worth it. Even if the Sate reaped all the gains, there are still risks that need to be balanced against filling Government coffers.
On the other side of the ledger, we have Greenpeace and those who would like to see the ocean locked up for ever against ‘greedy capitalists’ who care only about profit. They managed to gather people to the shores of NZ, numbering in a few thousands, while the rest of the population went about their normal activities. That is not to say that there is little opposition out there; it’s just that it is not obvious. Are we fatigued by the continuing saga or are we too busy struggling to get on with other aspects of our lives? That we don’t all see the bigger pictures, is worrying to say the least.
Yes, I have heard those inane statements about protesters using the very product they are concerned about, to get themselves to the venues for showing their anger, but what choice do they have? There is little in the way of affordable alternate energy to utilize as a more eco-friendly option.
Just how dangerous is it to drill in the Tasman Sea? We have seen oil rigs off the Taranaki coast for many years and to the best of my knowledge there have been no ‘reported’ accidents. How different is the latest venture? Is it in deeper and more dangerous waters? The arguments will go backwards and forward and we the public will have to make up our own minds. One thing we can be sure if, even if there were to be a referendum on the subject, the Government would ignore it just like they will do the one on asset sales, so the public is going to have little say on the matter.
The ‘bigger picture’ is far more complex. It would be far better for NZ (and the world) to depend on safer, more eco-friendly options, like wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, (although there are concerns around the use of rivers) tidal and other forms of energy yet to be utilized, than to continue to exploit oil and coal based forms, but until they are affordable, that is not going to happen on a scale that will eliminate the need for those we depend on now (including nuclear). Until those who could financially back the ‘greener’ options, nothing much will change. The profit driven underlying bedrock beliefs behind energy production will continue to dominate, until such ‘forces’ are either directed to back new directions or they themselves see something to gain. That is a cynical statement, because most big business is not driven by unselfish motives. Unless there is a profit, why would they? Calls for the ‘State’ to bring about changes, does not take into account the actual weakness of many Governments when lined up against the huge energy conglomerates, nor the influence that such bodies have on Governments, some of it crossing the line between ‘influence and corruption.’
If for some reason a large energy company really invested into alternate energy forms to the pint that a ‘tip point’ is reached, I strongly suspect that we would see the same old power structures in place, just as we have them for oil now. Those who have the money are not about to give it away or the power that goes with it. They would merely transfer their focus to the new forms, retaining the same control they have now. This does not lead one to feeling that the ‘greening’ of the world will result in more open and shared options for the rest of us. Nothing has or will change under the present set-up! The vast majority have never had control of resources, even in so-called socialist or communist nations. Control of resources is just that---control by one elite or another.
So, drilling will go ahead, despite our protestations and the money will go offshore, possibly leaving behind a mess that will not be easily cleaned up—if ever!

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Blogs will be short and sweet for the next few weeks---Perdy broke my home computer!

Yes, I will be partly out of action for the next few weeks, while the insurance company fixes my laptop. Doing a blog on my cellphone is 'arse.' Perdy has been spoken to and I have rearanged how I use my computer---that is, ther will no lolnger be charging cords placed in the way of a manic Jack Russel. That was like saying---'Here girl, come play in the obstacle course and feel free to smash my laptop if you like!'
I WILL BE BACK IN FULL SOON. In the meantime, go and download ROSKILL on your Kindle or reading App by accessing them through my website.
www.authorneilcoleman.com
Bugger. My Dog just fecked my laptop http://neilcolemanauthor.blogspot.com/2013/11/bugger-my-dog-just-fecked-my-laptop.html

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Bugger. My Dog just fecked my laptop

This is so slow. I have so much to learn. Jezze I hope my laptop gets fixed soon or I get a new one. How did Perdy break it?. Why, she was just chasing away a visitor and took the direct route, via my computer. Now the screen looks like somthing a pissed Picasso would have painted. Hell, I,m already suffering withdrawal symptoms; aniety and an elivated sence of iscolation. See, I,m feeling the empathy and missing the spellcheck

Solar oven 'Brownies.'

I intimated that I would make this posting; my solar oven cooked brownies(I called them muffins in the pervious post). I had meant to cook some chocolate-dewberry muffins but I don't think that I can cook cakes as such, unless the product is more like a dessert, so I thought that the consistency of a brownie might be more to the capabilities of the oven. The problem is that it is hard to get a dry heat when moisture is given off in the oven. I know now that it will cook chicken well, given the right conditions and that it will dry (as long as I let the moisture out through a vent) tomatoes, and other fruits and herbs. But I do not think that it will cook a fluffy cake or sponge. The result is 'heavier,' hence my belief that it will cook brownies. Of course anyone knowing me well, knows that I read a recipe and tend to ignore it! I do my own thing, with quite varying results, some of which don't warrant 'telling.' My 'Brownie recipe worked well, if you believe that the outside should be sort of crunchy and the middle---well--- berry-melting delicious. If you want he recipe--just ask. Get a solar oven first though or buy mine for a million dollars! Once again. let the pictures speak for themselves! read ROSKILL to get some other ideas of my little idiosyncrasies, re cooking. Just download it on Kindle from my website.
www.authorneilcoleman.com

 Ready to go into the solar oven.


They really do have the consistency of Brownies.  Bloody yummy!

Try the Shoe Clinic in Sylvia Park for the best service---Thanks Tian!

Today I decided I needed some new shoes. I had almost worn my 'walkers' out since I increased my walking regime and decreased my weight. The soles were looking pretty sad and it felt like my feet were just about breaking through to solid concrete or gritty sand. So---off we went to the Mt Wellington Hub, where we hoped to explore some good options. I didn't want runners or outdoor tramping shoes/boots, just all purpose shoes good for walking. We thought we would try the cheaper stores first, including Hannah's and Rebel Sport. What a total let-down. Yes, the prices were OK, but the help we needed just wasn't apparent, OK, I don't like being bothered by pushy shop assistants but it would have been nice to actually see a friendly face at least offering some sort of help. We dipped out in both stores and decided that although it would cost more, we would go to one of the 'speciality' shops at Sylvia Park.
Walking along in my worn-out New balance Walkers, we came across the Shoe Clinic. First thing we noticed was that it wasn't overflowing with bargain hunters, making a mess of the shelves and taking up scarce seating to try on the shoes. We were approached by 'Tian,' who gently talked me through my options. He measured my feet, had me do some sort of stretching whereby he could judge where I was at from a shoe-fitting-science point of view. He stuck me on a treadmill (that I wanted to take home and then started to fit me with two pairs of New Balance walkers. With the correct inserts and a good pair of socks, I felt like I was walking on clouds. Sure, I paid more than I had intended, but I hate to arrive home only to regret a purchase because the shoes  'don't do the trick.' This time at the Shoe Clinic, I had no such feelings. I am completely satisfied with my purchases and I know that a cheaper option would be bad economics in the long run. Thanks Tian and the Shoe Clinic.
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Friday, November 22, 2013

Oh no---another bloody cooker and it's not solar!

What the hell is it with this guy you say. He's been berating us with his feking solar oven (Yes, there's another post coming about my chocolate dewberry muffins!) and now this whatever the hell it is. What is it? It's Sheffield Rotisserie cooker---and it uses electricity---shame on me. I got it from Off The Rack, an online company. It was half price. I think I know why. It is made in China---what isn't now? The instructions are not up to it for a start. We had a hell of a job getting the bloody thing to actually stay on. It kept clicking off. It was only after we worked out that you needed to keep the handle off it or the switch kept cutting out. There was nothing in the instructions (yes, I did read them) to help us with that. Anyway, that's why I have a partner who has a few more brains then me, techie wise. OK, it finally stayed on and the house began to fill with the most incredible cooking smell. Here's what I did. This thing can cook just about anything but I chose one of those recipes they use for Donnas Kebab--you know, a roll of meat  that cooks and you shave off the nice crunchy bits. I asked my butcher what type of meat I should use. My friendly Aussie Butcher in Mt Roskill helped me as usual. I used a Bolar roast that I sliced and marinade(d) overnight in spicy mixture that I will have to kill you if I give you my secret. (OK, ask me and I will tell you) I arranged the meat interspersed with bacon and built up a shape that looked a little like the real thing in a Turkish shop. Well, not quite, but it looked OK. I just know it is going to work, judging by the mouth watering waft of spicy wonderfulness, coming from the cooker. I think my sister will smell it as she walks down the long drive. Oohh, I think I saw the neighbours looking over at us! We shall serve it with rice, tomatoes and asparagus. MMM, I can just feel a nice Chardonnay opening itself and throwing itself into a glass, and---I won't be leaving it there!
www.authorneilcoleman.com
Yeah, another damned cooker!
 

Pure power and politics under the guise of religious fanatacism--and failed states.

For many years I have watched various countries, often but not exclusively in the Middle-East, slowly but surely falling into the chasm that we call 'failed states.' Throw into that sad picture the spectre of the USA trying to 'save' these nations from a terrible fate, but read in other more sinister motives, based around regional influence and good (or bad!) old fashioned jingoistic empire-building strategies. Pull in the USA's 'allies' or lackeys, depending on  your viewpoint, and we have a recipe for on-going warfare and the deaths of many young soldiers and the collateral damage we witness on TV night after night.
Has the USA and its followers been successful in purging these countries of the Taliban and their like. NO---it seems that you cut off the head of the 'hydra' and many more fanatics take its place. 'We' build up the infrastructure of the recipient nations and the religious/power brokers destroy it again because it goes against the 'book' as they see it.
Then the 'reasonable' forces within these nations call a great meeting of  'chiefs' and they make it clear that they wish the USA to leave; wanting the modern day 'Crusaders' to withdraw. Have we not learnt the lessons of history? Unless a nation is united in its wish to purge themselves of extremists, then  those 'invaders' are doomed to failure. They cannot win---ever. One only needs to look at the Algerian and Vietnam examples to see that no amount of military hardware will conquer a 'spirit,' once it has taken hold in a region.
The USA claims the high moral ground under the guise of the military industrial conglomerates, using the blood of less powerful underclasses to fight their battles. In the meantime, a region creeps towards an abyss that signals a whole range of failed states; from Somalia, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Pakistan and of course Afghanistan. Perhaps the pain will stop when the West pulls out and lets the region find its own solutions, painful as that would be. Of course our dependence on oil, trade and other factors will preclude that ever happening. Ask yourself---if it were not for our reliance on 'black gold,' would we even bother to 'help' these nations? Ask another question. Do the majority of the people  in the above countries want 'our' help and if they do--in what form? They need to make that very clear and we need to listen. Until some sort of stability returns to the region in question we will see a tide of 'people' seeking better futures in countries where they are sometimes not welcome. It is time for some hard talking and hard decision and the process is going to be arduous indeed. Maybe another sort of extremism will emerge, even worse than the present players. Time always tells! In the meantime, my own thoughts shrink ever further away from believing those who espouse extremism in all of its forms, religious or political. They have the capacity to destroy us all.
www.authorneilcoleman.com

 

Don't let the picture fool you.

Let sleeping dogs sleep and do not under any circumstances wake the beast. Look at this picture of Perdy. You have no idea what she is capable of, seconds later. If anyone comes down the drive, then WW111 ensues and the neighbourhood is aware that there is an intruder. That can work in my favour or bring about those looks from loving neighbours who want to say, 'Jeeze, that dog is a pain in the butt.' Of course when certain religious types or salespeople are prowling the hood, then she is flavour of the day. She not only frightens them from my driveway, but probably from the houses on either side of me. I shall put an extra in her food bowl tonight  as a measure of thanks.
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Come on Collins---is that all you can come up with?

Cunliffe to Collins: You're a trout. Collins to Cunliffe: You're sexist


In 2011, Mr Cunliffe said in an interview that the human species would be extinct if Ms Collins was the last woman on Earth. Photos / NZ Herald
In 2011, Mr Cunliffe said in an interview that the human species would be extinct if Ms Collins was the last woman on Earth. Photos / NZ Herald
Labour leader David Cunliffe says Justice Minister Judith Collins is a trout.
She responded by calling him a "recidivist sexist", as he previously said the human race would die out if she was the last woman on Earth.
Mr Cunliffe made his comment in a blog post on the website The Ruminator yesterday.
He said: "The original brief was to respond to a post by Judith Collins. My post was going to be about snapper, not trout. But considering that issue, along with Judith's leadership aspirations, has floundered, I'll try another hook."
Asked to respond on Twitter, Ms Collins tweeted: "Imagine the outcry from Labour if one of Nat male MPs called a Labour woman a trout."
When followers said she was too sensitive for a person who readily dished out personal insults, she said Mr Cunliffe was a "recidivist sexist" and added: "It's a sexist comment and you'd certainly know that if one of (National's) male MPs said it."
A member of Mr Cunliffe's staff said the comment was tongue-in-cheek and made in good spirit, and the Leader of the Opposition would not be responding to Mrs Collins' claims that it was sexist.
It followed an opinion piece by Ms Collins on the same website in September in which she suggested that the Labour leadership contenders were "prats".
It is not the first time Ms Collins has accused the Labour leader of sexism.
In 2011, Mr Cunliffe said during a RadioLive interview that the human species would be extinct if Mrs Collins was the last woman on Earth.
He later said the comment was "in bad taste" and apologised at the recommendation of Labour's then-leader, Phil Goff.
Ms Collins has caused a stir with her heckling of fellow MPs, in particular when she described Greens co-leader Metiria Turei's dress sense as "vile, ugly and wrong".

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Collins calls out sexist Cunliffe. he called her a trout!

For fecks sake, Judith---are you so desperate to get at David that you have to try to 'shock and horror' us because he David called you a trout? Is that so terrible? Are you so bereft of real issues that you play the 'sexist card' so easily? How I the hell is calling you a trout sexist? Where is the 'putdown' to women in using 'trout as a term? You, a fine example of a woman who has risen to political heights that attract 'role-model' as a description should even bother to respond at all to David's gentle jibe (he didn't want to call you a Snapper, perhaps because you would have said he was being a bit 'insalting' I guess) is not surprising. You must be short of issues that actually matter. Damn, next time David might call you a great Minister of the Crown and  you will believe him! You silly eel!
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Dewberries--delectable and just damned wonderful!

Let the pictures speak of the taste---the darker the colour, the sweeter and juicier. What more can I say?
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Kim Dotcom's loves and fears and his need for 'luxury.' Maybe he and Key are somewhat similar.

Kim Dotcom is an enigma and I am not sure if his book will make things all that clearer. Is he a lover of fine things with a fear of dying or is it his past coming back to haunt him, some of it not of his making. Without a doubt he is passionate about certain aspects of his life, including his wife. There is also little doubt that he has set the ‘cat amongst the pigeons’ re his exposure of some of the actions of the NZ’s ‘special services.’ I bet there are a few members of various organizations tasked with ‘protecting us’ who have had a few sleepless nights, not the least of them being John Key. We can be certain that given half a chance many politicians and other people in high places will not be unhappy if Kim Dotcom comes a cropper.
Kim Dotcom stands for something that many NZers believe is the NZ way; a sense of standing up for the little person, against tyrannical forces. Well that’s what he would have us believe, but we must throw in his love of money and power to temper the above statement. The bottom line is, and his confession/belief that New Zealand does not provide for the needs of those who desire super luxurious lifestyles, is one that I have less sympathy for on a number of levels.
New Zealand does not have some sort of obligation to pursue such goals not would we necessarily gain from achieving that. If you extrapolate the ramifications about kowtowing to the needs of the super-rich, then you could say that we would be selling ourselves to the highest bidder. Given the proposed and continuing direction of the National Government re asset sales and their probable dismissing of any referendum results on the subject then you can also see some looming confusion and incongruence re that issue. Perhaps they are one and the same, but Kim Dotcom’s involvement must be catching in the throat of Key and his cohorts.
Maybe, Kim Dotcom and Key cut from the same cloth, but with very different lifestyles and life journeys. Damn, if you are not confused as to whom the ‘real’ Kim Dotcom is now, then you should be. I shall watch events unravel for a longer period of time in the hope that all will be revealed.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

U.A.E (United Arab Emerates) So good to see you.

I love it when I see yet another country reading my blogs. This time it is the United Arab Emirates, an exotic country that I know little about, other than the huge gains it has made in the region, economically.  I know that New Zealand has few ties but no doubt they are growing as we start to trade and enter joint business relationships.  So, my one reader in the UAE, keep on reading and I hope you enjoy my musings. Better still, download my book, on Kindle or any other reading Ap. (ROSKILL) that you can access through my website.

Auckland will keep growing at the expense of the rest of NZ, unless we do somethng now.

I live in Auckland and I love the place; it’s beautiful harbours (yes there are two!) beaches, parks, exciting shopping precincts and its many other attractions. The problem is---getting to them. As the roads become more clogged, despite huge efforts to build motorways and improve public transport, our journeys become nightmarish in their scope and it will only get worse.
Now add the problem of affordable housing and you get a picture of an increasingly large group of ‘Aucklanders’ who have no hope of ever owning their own homes. Rentals are beyond many too, if they aspire to living the ‘better’ suburbs.’ This means that Auckland is becoming two cities; those who can afford to live in the inner suburbs and the ‘hidden jewels’ in outlying parts and those who are stuck with the sense that they are getting nowhere.
There is another New Zealand, beyond the Bombay Hills and the ‘Tourist’ road to the north of Auckland. Why are Aucklanders not heading up (or down) these pathways to a more affordable and possibly less stressful life? We have various Governments espousing ‘regional development’ initiatives, but they have come to nothing if the continuing growth of Auckland is the measure of success. What is worse some Government ‘reforms’ have killed off some of the infrastructure that would have perhaps helped with the growth of industry and trading opportunities n the provinces: I mean of course the continuing demise of the railways. Both major parties have played their part in selling off or cutting the railways services.
We need real regional development, not just platitudes at election times. There needs to be ‘real’ tax breaks to get companies to either start up or relocate to the towns and cities of provincial NZ. Our immigration services should play a part whereby new New Zealanders are given incentives to resist the temptation of joining the mad Auckland rush. We could give incentives re training allowances and ‘bonding’ new trainees in a range of ‘industries’ so that they commit to areas outside Auckland, making such moves more generous according to the need to ‘fill certain’ geographical’ zones. None of these policies will come to fore unless we have a brave Government, driving such moves.
The challenge is there for Government and regional bodies to take up the opportunity to make New Zealand a more ‘balanced’ country, where my dear Auckland is not the only focus’ for our future as a nation.

We want to 'search kids' phones for signs of bullying,' school principals say.

School principals (well, some of them) are asking for the right to search student cell phones for evidence re cyber-bullying. We all know that young people and others are using this medium for some pretty nasty activity, some of which has led to deaths after young people take that sad step. Whilst I applaud any effort and the discussions around trying to address this very real problem, I think the suggestion is a bit like trying to catch the horse once it has escaped from the barn.
Yes, we have a terrible problem, world-wide, but the very idea of seizing searching the phones of our youth has so many hooks in it that it is doomed to failure and will not address the underlying problem around bullying in general that besets society. If school think that teenagers cannot find a way around any moves that ‘adults’ impose on them around the use of such devises (and God knows what’s around the corner re cell phones and their like) the they are deluding themselves. There is also the question, the perennial one about the rights of schools to ‘search and seize.’ The lawyers are going to have a field day and they will be the only ones to gain from such ill-conceived actions.
Schools do need to be at the forefront in the battle against bullying but they need to be realistic about what it is they are trying to achieve and how they do it. They cannot operate in a vacuum re bullying and unless the parents, police and society on general are aboard re any moves to combat this problem, then they are doomed to failure.
It is pretty obvious that despite large amounts of money being poured into the problem of bullying in all of its forms, that we have made little progress. Many ‘new’ programmes have been introduced into schools, right though the levels, but the ‘beast remains’ to destroy the lives of so many young people, who the  go on to either work things out for themselves or take more sinister moves later in their lives.
There has been some success in many schools, ones that have come about because the schools have engaged with their young people, but the efforts need to be doubled and then increased yet more. Staying up with the play means that vast amounts of resources re employing counsellors, youth workers and other support staff, along with working on school-wide programmes that involve the community, are the way to go. Unless we are ‘all’ involved,’ any knee jerk reaction is just that---a futile attempt to play catch-up. Sorry, Principals and others who espouse such actions as seizing the phones of young people---too little, off the mark and not thought through!

Onehunga Bay---what's going on? Check this out---Thanks Phoebe.





If you have been driving along the South Western Motorway and wondered what is going on, re all the work, then read on. Thanks Phoebe. I can't wait to see it completed. I just hope it will be safe from polluiotn. Can you give us some facts on that?
www.authorneilcoleman.com

Ask Phoebe

Phoebe Falconer answers your questions about Auckland

Ask Phoebe: Making it safe to go back in the Manukau Harbour

Add a comment

Onehunga Bay Project.
Onehunga Bay Project.
Motorway tunnel spoil being used to restore Onehunga Bay.
An enormous amount of work is going on at the foreshore near Onehunga, and I have read little about it. Can you tell us what the project is, the cost, who is paying, and when it will be finished?
Pat Brownlie, Auckland.
The foreshore adjacent to Orpheus Drive is being restored to bring back a natural coast edge. The work was considered necessary to restore the natural character of Onehunga Bay, which was bisected when State Highway 20 was built in the 1970s. There will be new headlands, with nine beaches, three of them sandy ones suitable for swimming.
The project site extends across the coastal marine area from Seacliffe Rd to the west, across to the Manukau Cruising Club to the east, and includes works in Onehunga Bay Reserve and lagoon to the north of SH20.
Within the 6.8ha of new parkland will be open spaces, a boat ramp and picnic areas. A pedestrian and cycle bridge will connect the new land to Onehunga Lagoon.
The concrete bridge abutments can already be seen on either side of SH20.
The $28 million project, with input from iwi and the community, is being funded by the Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board via Auckland Council ($10 million) and the Transport Agency ($18 million).
Progress has been considerably advanced with fill from the $1.4 billion Waterview motorway project. About 80 per cent of the required fill for the headlands has already been delivered to the site at Onehunga. The availability of clean fill had been an issue, but this was alleviated by about 55,000cu m of material from the Alan Wood Reserve in Owairaka, where the southern approach trench for the Waterview tunnel has been excavated.
The final section of the sea bund at the Hillsborough Rd end is complete, so the project is now fully enclosed and divided from Manukau Harbour.
The foreshore development will end up with about 368,000cu m of fill behind the bunds of soft rock.
Over the next couple of months there will be further progress on the beaches and headlands, with more general fill placement and the bridge piers starting to rise.
The completion date for the project is April 2015.
Because of the work taking place and the volume of construction traffic, Orpheus Drive has been closed to private vehicles from October 14.
This safety measure will remain in place until bulk earthworks for the project are complete in November next year.
Orpheus Drive remains open to pedestrians and cyclists, with a shared-use path providing access between the Manukau Cruising Club and Seacliffe Rd.
Parents may continue to drop off and collect their children from school at the southern end of the motorway footbridge.
(Sources: Herald, www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz)

Ask Phoebe

Phoebe Falconer answers your questions about Auckland

Ask Phoebe: Making it safe to go back in the Manukau Harbour

Add a comment

Onehunga Bay Project.
Onehunga Bay Project.
Motorway tunnel spoil being used to restore Onehunga Bay.
An enormous amount of work is going on at the foreshore near Onehunga, and I have read little about it. Can you tell us what the project is, the cost, who is paying, and when it will be finished?
Pat Brownlie, Auckland.
The foreshore adjacent to Orpheus Drive is being restored to bring back a natural coast edge. The work was considered necessary to restore the natural character of Onehunga Bay, which was bisected when State Highway 20 was built in the 1970s. There will be new headlands, with nine beaches, three of them sandy ones suitable for swimming.
The project site extends across the coastal marine area from Seacliffe Rd to the west, across to the Manukau Cruising Club to the east, and includes works in Onehunga Bay Reserve and lagoon to the north of SH20.
Within the 6.8ha of new parkland will be open spaces, a boat ramp and picnic areas. A pedestrian and cycle bridge will connect the new land to Onehunga Lagoon.
The concrete bridge abutments can already be seen on either side of SH20.
The $28 million project, with input from iwi and the community, is being funded by the Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board via Auckland Council ($10 million) and the Transport Agency ($18 million).
Progress has been considerably advanced with fill from the $1.4 billion Waterview motorway project. About 80 per cent of the required fill for the headlands has already been delivered to the site at Onehunga. The availability of clean fill had been an issue, but this was alleviated by about 55,000cu m of material from the Alan Wood

Ask Phoebe

Phoebe Falconer answers your questions about Auckland

Ask Phoebe: Making it safe to go back in the Manukau Harbour

Add a comment

Onehunga Bay Project.
Onehunga Bay Project.
Motorway tunnel spoil being used to restore Onehunga Bay.
An enormous amount of work is going on at the foreshore near Onehunga, and I have read little about it. Can you tell us what the project is, the cost, who is paying, and when it will be finished?
Pat Brownlie, Auckland.
The foreshore adjacent to Orpheus Drive is being restored to bring back a natural coast edge. The work was considered necessary to restore the natural character of Onehunga Bay, which was bisected when State Highway 20 was built in the 1970s. There will be new headlands, with nine beaches, three of them sandy ones suitable for swimming.
The project site extends across the coastal marine area from Seacliffe Rd to the west, across to the Manukau Cruising Club to the east, and includes works in Onehunga Bay Reserve and lagoon to the north of SH20.
Within the 6.8ha of new parkland will be open spaces, a boat ramp and picnic areas. A pedestrian and cycle bridge will connect the new land to Onehunga Lagoon.
The concrete bridge abutments can already be seen on either side of SH20.
The $28 million project, with input from iwi and the community, is being funded by the Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board via Auckland Council ($10 million) and the Transport Agency ($18 million).
Progress has been considerably advanced with fill from the $1.4 billion Waterview motorway project. About 80 per cent of the required fill for the headlands has already been delivered to the site at Onehunga. The availability of clean fill had been an issue, but this was alleviated by about 55,000cu m of material from the Alan Wood Reserve in Owairaka, where the southern approach trench for the Waterview tunnel has been excavated.
The final section of the sea bund at the Hillsborough Rd end is complete, so the project is now fully enclosed and divided from Manukau Harbour.
The foreshore development will end up with about 368,000cu m of fill behind the bunds of soft rock.
Over the next couple of months there will be further progress on the beaches and headlands, with more general fill placement and the bridge piers starting to rise.
The completion date for the project is April 2015.
Because of the work taking place and the volume of construction traffic, Orpheus Drive has been closed to private vehicles from October 14.
This safety measure will remain in place until bulk earthworks for the project are complete in November next year.
Orpheus Drive remains open to pedestrians and cyclists, with a shared-use path providing access between the Manukau Cruising Club and Seacliffe Rd.
Parents may continue to drop off and collect their children from school at the southern end of the motorway footbridge.
(Sources: Herald, www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz)
Reserve in Owairaka, where the southern approach trench for the Waterview tunnel has been excavated. The final section of the sea bund at the Hillsborough Rd end is complete, so the project is now fully enclosed and divided from Manukau Harbour.
The foreshore development will end up with about 368,000cu m of fill behind the bunds of soft rock.
Over the next couple of months there will be further progress on the beaches and headlands, with more general fill placement and the bridge piers starting to rise.
The completion date for the project is April 2015.
Because of the work taking place and the volume of construction traffic, Orpheus Drive has been closed to private vehicles from October 14.
This safety measure will remain in place until bulk earthworks for the project are complete in November next year.
Orpheus Drive remains open to pedestrians and cyclists, with a shared-use path providing access between the Manukau Cruising Club and Seacliffe Rd.
Parents may continue to drop off and collect their children from school at the southern end of the motorway footbridge.
(Sources: Herald, www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz)

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Australia is spying on Indonesia. So what--- doens't everyone do that to oneanother?

The ‘news’ that Indonesia is a bit miffed at the idea of Australia possibly spying on their President amongst other matters, should come as no surprise. Many countries have been doing such things for many years. It is part of the world as it is and has always been, albeit it using rather different technology, ranging from good old fashioned ‘listening,’ pigeons flying off with messages, right through to the methods used today and I could not even begin to understand just how technical they have become.
Friends spy on friends in this modern world. Neighbours keep a watch on their counterparts. Allies keep up with the play. Any country that is not involved even at the most basic level simply does not exist. Even so-called failed nations, probably have some sort of espionage going on, even if it is just to line the pockets of the ‘despots’ who rule them.
The Australian PM is playing it pretty calmly as he deflects questions in Parliament. His opposition should be careful about what they ask, because they too were involved in clandestine operational matters. If the truth were to come out about the complete activities of ‘spying agencies,’ world-wide (and it is in a way---that’s why the embassy of a certain Central American country is home to a ‘wanted whistle-blower) then there would be a huge number of red faces.
I take a pragmatic view of these activities and one would be naïve to say the least if they propose that such activities be banned. An argument can be made about how many lives have been saved over the years, simply because a ‘spying agency’ has forewarned or prevented a disaster in terms of an enemy’s planned actions. Of course the flip side of this is that Governments use these same agencies to create ‘mischief and harm’ of the own, much of it on their own citizens. That is what gets to most people who line up on the side of ant-spying. Corrupt leaders don’t have this tendency alone either. It seems that spying on citizens and the affairs of other nations has been and always will be part of the world as it is.
The difference now is that we are heating about such activities even more. The reaction to this access to information has already begun and Governments and agencies find ways to block such access and close down the voices of ‘reason.’ If I sound confused, just imagine what it is like for the ‘people’ who think that they control such ‘agencies.’ Don’t you feel sorry for them? Yeah right!