Harry---on TV3---hits the spot!

To say I enjoyed the first offering from TV3 of the new series, Harry, just doesn't seem to fit how I felt as I watched this gritty 'in your face,' programme. For those who know the area it was filmed, Counties/Manukau, it will bring a strange possibly uncomfortable feeling, but make no mistake---I think this is how it really is out there in the world of gangs and especially re the drug 'P' or methamphetamine (Chrystal Meth). life for those sucked into this dark world is never the same again. For those who control this underworld, life is a constant battle between looking over your back, eluding the police and competition from other 'suppliers.' For those hooked on 'P' life becomes a permanent 'treadmill' of seeking the next hit and finding the means to feed the habit. Violence is a companion and loved ones slip sway or are hurt in ways that are difficult for most of us to imagine. I have written a book, 'ROSKILL,' which describes what happens to a family when the father is ensnared by 'P.' he risks losing his family, his job and heads towards a lifestyle that could end in disaster. Roskill is a book all parents should read and then encourage their teenagers to follow suit. Roskill is at times funny, but the message is deeply serious. Above all, Roskill is a story of hope! Get your copy, either in hard copy format or as an EBook. Go to my website and click on the picture of Roskill. www.authorneilcoleman.com

Onehunga Bay---rumours of a 'monster abound---is it climate change? (Part one)

Yes, we have all heard about the loch Ness Monster and Yetis form regions well north on New Zealand and even from New Zealand too---we know about Taniwhas. For the most part, such stories relating to the 'beyond NZ' apparitions are more for dragging in the tourist dollars. Lately, on my regular walks with Perdy, my energetic (that's a nice way of saying 'over-the-top,' crazy, yet very intelligent)Jack Russell, we have seen some rather strange movements in the water, especially just a few hours either side of high tide. Then in the shallow pools, way out in the middle of the Bay, we have observed unusual behaviour from the birds that visit the bay in what seems to be increasing numbers. Yes, there is a great deal of work going on, over on the other side of the motorway and to a lesser extent on 'our' side---yes a massive amount of money is being spent to restore the Onehunga Foreshore to a state that will be far in excess of what it ever was in the glorious past. So far I have not seen close up what is occurring 'over there.' Without a doubt, the reworking of the foreshore, with the huge amount of earth from places far off, has had quite an influence on the make-up of the area. If seen form above, I am sure we would all get quite a surprise at the changes. I get tis 'tingly feeling,' that 'something primeval' has been disturbed; something is not quite right! Those ripples are not like anything else I have come to know---like a diving shag, seeking food and reappearing often many metres away from the dive point, with its prise glistening in its mouth. Every so often a catch a fleeting glance of 'something else--a flick of a dark tail,' not a fin as observed and described in a previ0ous blog. Then the birds take wing as if they are trying to escape a threat from below. Perdy for her part, stops and twists her head in the quizzical and endearing way that dogs exhibit. She looks to me for an explanation, but I put it all from my mind---until today. I grab my phone from my pocket, but I know that by the time I stumble through the set-up, I will have missed the moment. Damn--I'm sure I saw a 'head,' not of a fish this time! I need a plan. I need to be prepared, to ensnare the moment in time, to prove that I am not totally deluded and that my eyes are playing tricks. Aging is not only about alternate ways of perceiving the world. Later today, or maybe tomorrow, Perdy and I shall take our time---we will prove that something is amiss down at the Bay. Wait, be patient and watch out for the 'evidence! Now, I have to face my friends down at the Bay, hoping that they don't have a 'straight-jacket ready for me, along with a white car! www.authorneilcoleman.com

Another 'ceasfire' that wasn't.

It seems that the word ceasefire has different meanings , depending on your 'stance.' Somehow Israel was given the go ahead to continue operations re the tunnels impinging on 'their' territory. Like the previous attempts, the 'peace' lasted a mere few hours before death and destruction occurred. It appears that Hamas and its allies took umbrage at Israel's seeking to find the tunnels and destroy them and a suicide bomber managed to 'self-destruct' taking his own life and some Israelis, plus allowing for an Israeli soldier to be captured. Nothing gets the Israelis going more than he prospect of one of their soldiers being captured, as it leads to all sorts of possibilities re Hamas's ability to gain from the action. In the past it has led to the release of many prisoners held by the Sate of Israel. Now the world's biggest prison is once again being subjected to total destruction. Bombs directed by drones fill the sky and whole neighbourhoods are pounded into uninhabitable spaces. Is this the actual plan from the Israeli perspective---to make Gaza uninhabitable and hope to force a mass migration across the border into Egypt; something that the Egyptian Government no doubt fears, given its own precarious existence? Is the life of one Israeli soldier held to be above the life of a Palestinian? That is what it appears to the world! To me---life is life, no mater where from whence the person lives. That children and helpless people who have no say or control over what is happening to their lives and homes is an abhorrent fact. There are sinister plans operating in Gaza and Israel/Palestine. Some have been played out for many years, as the two people claim the same land. Others are becoming apparent through the actions of both the Hamas grouping and the State of Israel. As in all such altercations the only groups who gain from this are those where nationality doesn't count for much. Those people are the parasites who maunufature and sell the weapons of destruction. That fact always has and always will be the underlying rationale. It all comes down to money. Religion and politicaln dogma are merely 'players.' The UN is nothing more than a pulpit for those bit players to stage their lies! www.authorneilcoleman.com