Ben Affleck 'loves New Zealand.' Yeah right

Some New Zealanders took umbrage at the portrayal of New Zealand’s involvement in the Iran crisis way back in the late 70’s in the film Argo. The historical reality of the event was distorted badly if not dishonestly. To many young film goers of the present such a presentation would paint New Zealand in a bad light, particularly from an American point of view. That New Zealand stood by, as the movie portrays and did nothing to help in the crisis is an unfortunate but typically Hollywood way of ‘rewriting history.’

Oh yes, Ben sort of wiggled his way out of what could have been a delicate situation, but in the end some damage has been done to NZ’s reputation. The facts of the matter are of course very different. Why did Hollywood choose to go down the path it took? Why----it does so regularly and if generations of film-goers have been misled, then I guess it is their own fault in that they rely on their world vision being informed by a ‘fantasyland’ industry that has influenced every nation on earth with its story-telling.’

Therein encompasses the position we should all take before we overreact. Films are generally just that; a form of storytelling where the facts are often substituted in the name of entertainment. New Zealand should just move on, as our ‘esteemed’ Prime Minister, John Key stated in the New Zealand Herald. Hell, if we take Argo too seriously we will have the world believing that New Zealand really does have a population of Hobbits living in cave-like dwellings, surrounded by enchanted forests and fairies. Oops, that’s true, isn’t it?

Optifast---be gentle!

I met with the dietician yesterday. This was a very rushed process as I had to travel to Whangarie for a family funeral (we said goodbye to a wonderful old Aunt of 92 years of incredible living).

I learnt about the process re Optifast. It seems that the first 3 days of this VLCD (very low calorie diet) are going to be the worst. After that the body goes into a state whereby the fat is burnt quite quickly. This is all to shrink the liver to allow for easier access to the bits they want to ‘transform.’ Given that the whole process is laparoscopic, I shall do my best to assist by ‘doing the right thing.’  

I will be on this regime for 4 weeks prior to my date with my surgeon. I see him next week and he will give me my operation date. I can order Optifast online, but I propose to visit the chemist I know and get deal form him. I also want him to make up a mixture of the available products so that I don’t get too bored. I can add two cups of veggies a day and one small piece of fruit. How I eat them may be made more interesting by adding the veggies to a thin miso broth. I also propose to make an ice cream out of the ‘shakes,’ using my ice-cream maker. That sounds a bit decadent but it is all within the rules. Hell I am not about to waste $19,000 that I am going to spend on the whole procedure!

Am I looking forward to this next phase? Well, it’s more like, I just want to get it all over and done with and discover a new healthier me. Once again I say to anyone who is thinking---‘just go on a diet,’ I am no different to someone who has a problem with smoking, gambling or alcohol.’ I won’t be rude because most comments I receive (but not on here for some reason---maybe it’s a bit too public) that are negative are based on misinformed thinking. By entering this new  phase of my life I am also saving myself and the Taxpayer money, by not further complicating my health and becoming a drain on the afore mentioned. We need our taxes for other things, don’t we?

Mm---what’s for dinner tonight, as I can still have 5 more days of relative freedom? Hell, I lost 3 KGs in the last 3 weeks and I don’t know how.

Onehunga's time has come---just have to wait a few years

Take a look at the picture. If the end result of the development is even half as good then we can say with pride, that Onehunga has been restored to its rightful place in Auckland; as a premium suburb with great features.

The Manukau in general has faced an onslaught of human activity. It has been used a waste dump for our toilets and our industrial waste. It was once a place where people enjoyed the foreshore and finally, we are about to see revival.

The trucks and earthmoving machinery are attacking the foreshore and using material from the Waterview Tunnel project to claim new land, which in turn will be the framework for at least five beautiful beaches. If we can be sure that the water quality is safe, then Onehunga will become a place to relax and enjoy life at the seaside. Wouldn’t it be great if those two wonderful old buildings along Orpheus Drive could open up and provide café-like settings? Sunday afternoon will feel like a ‘blast from the past.’ I can’t wait to see the end result. In the meantime we can happily put up with the dust and noise.

Onehunga Foreshore in the future..It has started!

John Banks has absolute faith in Charter Schools, so so should we!

If John Banks believes so ardently in the efficacy of Charter Schools, then so should we---- right? I mean, let’s face it, such schools will allow the ‘less fortunate’ to have access to all that these wonderful new schools bring to the ‘new education scene.’ Those ‘lucky’ students from decile one schools will be able to hook in to a vast new network of privilege and ‘connection.’ Isn’t this what John’s new model promises? So, why are we so denigrating of his efforts to bring good schooling to the masses?

Therein lays the main (and there are so many) week point and downright dishonesty of the proposed new schools. Just how many of the students of South Auckland will be invited to take part in this experiment? What happens when behaviours and deficits in cultural capital (go look it up to save time here) get in the way of the ‘direction’ in which these schools wish to travel? What happens if absences and poor grades start to reflect on the ‘reputation’ of the new schools? Just watch them (if they get off the ground) slowly transform into elitist institutions, where poor kids are gradually discarded as ‘cannon fodder’ for the distorted political agenda of those like John Banks.

Listening to him on the radio this morning was like hearing something akin to Alice lost in Wonderland. He places his political livelihood on the success or otherwise of his Charter School experiment. The trouble with that is that a whole lot of resources will get sucked into yet another bad dream, one that has shown itself to be of dubious quality in many overseas situations. Must we go down the same path, all in the name of thinly disguised political survivalism on the part of the National Party and the Act Party?

Don't push just any old button on your computer!

Today I committed a cardinal sin; well as far as the world of computers is concerned, that is. My nephew who is a bit of a computer whiz; he makes his living at it so I guess that qualifies him. He had stayed with me for two days and before he left he sorted out some issues re Malware---I hope I have correctly described what he did.

I waved goodbye and immediately signed in to check my blog page and emails. Having done that, I decided to give things a rest for a while. That is when my horror of horrors began.

My eyes rested (well I was in that mode after all) on a Samsung ‘Restore’ icon. My mind went back to the work my nephew had done. Hey—he had done me quite a favour so why not carry on as he had set me up? I should make sure that everything was right.

I quickly became enmeshed in a world of questions and decisions and before I knew it, I had lost everything on my computer. I could sign back in using a new password, but that was it. I could not connect to anything, including the internet. I panicked and considered throwing it out the window, until I remembered that my beautiful computer was only 2 years old. How embarrassing. Should I ring my sister? What would I tell my partner? I tried to forget about it and ‘own up’ when my partner came home---after a very long hard day at work.

I waited and thought up what I might say. There was only one pathway---complete honestly. I was asked----‘What the hell did you do?’ How much lower could I go? I admitted my foolery and after about 2 hours of reinstalling and seeking out my favourites, I am up and running again. Wow, I am sure a ‘dinner at a nice restaurant’ is in order----OH no---not for me. I only have two days of food freedom before I go on a month of Optifast, before I have my Bariatric surgery. OH well, maybe my fingers will slim down too and I shall make less mistakes. Yeah right!

School zoning---here we go again!

Every year we hear about parents trying to enrol their kids into a school they perceive as being ‘better’ for their children than the one a few hundred metres down the road. Some schools have gone to the extreme by setting private detectives on suspicious families to ensure that the system of ‘out of zone’ enrolment is not abused. Other schools have actively encouraged or at least turned a blind eye to the practise.

There are many reasons why parents go to such lengths. There is the misinformed judgment that their children will not achieve at the neighbourhood school and that their kids will not be safe, because ‘certain kids’ attend the local school in high numbers.

Let’s cut to the point. Some of these decisions to ‘cheat’ the system are based on a white flight theory. This is not limited to ‘white families alone; many parents of other ethnic groups also hit he roads every morning to ‘escape’ what they perceive to be a school that does not meet their needs. One only has to observe the bus stops in South and West Auckland or the train stations to see a myriad of school uniforms, lining up to travel to schools in the city or other areas of Auckland.

Without debating such moves and motives further, perhaps I should look at the ramifications for such decisions. We have the transport system heavily loaded in the morning and afternoons and parents making trips beyond their home suburbs, further increasing traffic on the road. This doesn’t make sense from a transport planning perspective.

Such student movement across Auckland also brings into focus another important factor. Surely the local school should be of an adequate standard and offer a stimulating learning environment and one that is safe and nurturing. If it is a question of resourcing, then that should be addressed.

Yes, there is a question of balance re ‘the right’ of parents being able to choose the school for their children, but allowing this massive movement across the city, not only feeds into the chaos of morning and afternoon traffic, but also creates potential ‘ghetto schools’ in the suburbs. This is a delicate question and one that politicians and schools and parents would rather avoid, but we must ask the questions---‘what sort of society so we want?’ Do we allow open slather and create and exacerbate problems that no one wants to talk about, or do we face them head on and have the discussion?’

I suspect that the ‘head in the sand, bums up’ option may well prevail as many head for the hills and so-called better schools; leaving those schools they have fled to face uncertain futures. It is not just Mother Nature and her earthquakes that cause social dysfunction! It is us and our own beliefs and mistaken perceptions about what is right and wrong. We must address the fears of those  who choose to turn their backs on their local schools and come up with a ‘community’ solution. We can start by being honest.

Don't worry--you are not eating horse in New Zealand, but you could be getting more than you bargained for!

It seems that Europe is awash with stories about horse meat being consumed by ‘unknowing’ customers. To make matters worse for those who abhor the eating of horse meat, the quality of the said product leaves much to be desired. Whether it comes as a result of a law change that has taken horses off the roads in Romania or another source is a moot point, but the result is a large number of unhappy customers.

In New Zealand, it seems that we don’t have the same issue. No, we are not a horse eating nation, but we do have some rather interesting ingredients in the processed foods we eat. If you were thinking that your sausages in a tin were pure beef, then you better think again. You could be eating a combination of pork, beef, chicken and God knows what other ‘meat’ products.

To those of you who rely on ‘processed foods’ and take them at face value, then---think again. If you really want to be n control of what you eat, then you are going to need to ‘dig deep’ and forget that you are tired. The message is that if you want full control of what goes onto your gob, then GO BACK TO BASICS!

Yes, buy your meat form the butcher, where you can be sure you are getting exactly what you pay for. If that means having the good old fashioned meat and three veggies, then do it. You can ‘tart’ it up with spices and herbs. Come-on---anyone can learn to do basic cooking. It’s not rocket science. Sorry---bad analogy.

Invest in a slow cooker---get one online or from Trade Me. They are cheap. There is nothing like coming home from work to the smell of a stew or casserole. Prepare them before you go to bed at night and out the container in the fridge. Then, all you have to do is take it out and switch on the slow cooker.

Get away from processed foods----they are killing us. If you have read my blogs, you know where it has landed me----in ‘deeeeeeeeep dodoland.’ Processed foods are out and natural ‘me in control’ foods will be the order of the day soon, albeit it on rather small amounts.

Come-on Kiwis---we produce some damned good product; fresh, clean and healthy. Let’s eat it in moderate amounts and send those processed foods and the outlets that shove it onto us packing.

Cheers
 A ‘reforming processed food addict.’

www.authorneilcoleman.com