Your 'big smart TV is watching you!'

Stop right there! Put some cloths on and stop swearing at the dog, or a loved one. You may be had up for ‘unseemly’ behaviour or cruelty to your pet. You may also be giving away secrets to God knows who. It seems that smart TV’s made by Samsung have the capability to garner information about you, if you divulge anything of importance whilst parading in front of the said device. Gone are days where a person’s home is their castle, uniquely safe from intrusion or being spied upon in any manner. Of course that was a load of rubbish as we all know that various surveillance techniques have been with us for ‘yonks.’ Put aside the hype and the clarion calls from indignant libertarians and their ilk (maybe me, but not the L word!) and get to the facts. Oops, we don’t really have any because the response from Samsung has been rather limp re the real issues of ‘privacy in our homes.’ One thing we can be sure of, the methods used by lots of technology manufacturers are more than likely way above what we think of as ‘safe’ from our point of view. We have all known for ages that every call we make to a business is ‘reordered and may be used for training purposes’ Maybe we should just assume that everything we do has ‘Big Brother’ watching in one or another format. Do we accept this or is has the horse bolted? Just food for thought as you wander around the house naked or gossip in an outrageous manner to your BFFE. Take a moment—and just get on with it. I hate to think what is just around the corner re the possibilities for ‘intrusion’ into our most private place---our home!

The 'Cloud, Net and online--everything,especially the 'crooks!'

It seems that nearly every day we hear about yet another scam, ripping off the elderly, gullible, desperate, naive, young---well, anyone! The latest (which will probably be superseded before I have finished this blog) is once again from Nigeria, whereby desperate ‘would be renters,’ have become the target of unscrupulous criminals. Such examples are not limited to Nigeria of course; we have lots of nasty rip-off artists here in NZ. With a majority of NZers using the net for many of their business transactions, shopping and seeking services, then the likelihood of being ‘watched, measured, set-up and eventually sucked into a scheme, or paying over money, increases. The more you go online and now even smart TVs are capable of finding out things about you, then the pitfalls increase. What is the solution? I am certainly not the person to suggest answers. Whilst I have not been a victim, that I know of, I am increasingly wondering if the old fashioned, ‘in your presence’, real person, in an office or on a telephone line, connected to a person you can guarantee is ‘real’ in every sense, is the way to go. How can one achieve such ‘connections’ in this day and age, when opportunities to engage in this manner are so limited? I really feel for those amongst us who simply refuse to join the ‘computer age, or use a smart phone and god knows what else that is about to ‘pounce on us’ from the Jetsons, as seen on TV so many years ago. If you can’t ‘hook-on,’ then your chances of partaking in the ‘good side’ of modernity are indeed limited. I see a huge need for community groups to seek out those who need help and mitigate against them being used, abused, ripped off or having their identities stolen. Food for thought---politicians? In the meantime---be careful people and don’t forget that age old piece of advice about ‘if it seems hard to believe then it probably isn’t!’

50 shades of grey---well it was, in my books!

While I was driving home from work today, I recalled a conversation at work about the upcoming movie, '50 Shades of Grey.' I giggled a bit and anyone passing me on the SW Motorway, probably assumed there was a self-talking nutter in the car---me. It's not a movie that I particularly want to see; not because I am a prude and don't like a bit of 'risqueness,' but because I would more than likely laugh so much in the wrong places, that I could be escorted from the theatre. As I headed towards the Mangere Bridge, I was suddenly struck by the huge sky---the total 'greyness' of the vista, the incredible variation on a grey theme. The almost white-kissed clouds at the base of the panoramic pile, that gradually 'transmorphed' into a more 'middling grey,' only to be outdone by the next layer, one which claimed a true coloration, then totally outdone by an angry dark grey, almost black 'big-top,' certainly not one from the circus. There were no clowns in this ring. I fully expected the sky to open up----not too dissimilar to the day I witnessed two water spouts over the Manukau, a few years ago. I shuddered at the thought of passing beneath that behemoth of nature. I need not have worried. The big grey sky seemed to melt away and before I knew it, I was heading up the hill, just minutes away from picking up Perdy, who would be welcoming me home, demanding that she too could run beneath the clouds, down at the Bay. www.authorneilcoleman.com

Bullying is rampant in our schools.

Without a doubt, bullying is rampant in our schools. We cannot get away from that unpleasant fact, but we can out the issue on the table for debate and better still, do something about it. Yes, that has been the focus of many staff/parent and student meetings. Yes, it has been swept under the carpet in many schools as they attempt to protect their image. There are programmes in schools, from early childhood right through to secondary. Even in the workplace, such programmes exist, but the problem and its affects do not go away. We know that children’s’ education and social development suffer when bullying is not addressed. The flow on affects are huge, yet we still hear the old adages of ‘toughen up, be more resilient and that’s life.’ Such utterances do not help; they merely perpetuate bullying as normal. I agree that there will always be bullying, but we do not lay down and accept it. It must be challenged, managed and addressed on a school wide stage; better still in a nationwide manner, because we also know of its ramifications in the workplace and on family life. There is the crux---all facets of our lives can be affected by bullying. Schools must introduce programs and have systems whereby bullying is reported and worked though. The victims and the perpetrators must receive help. That means an allocation of resources to bring about this support, but that at a time when resources are ‘limited,’ can be a huge problem in itself. There are so many ‘calls’ on school budgets, so much else going on, re professional development, along the lines of assessment, management; the list goes on. Ask any teacher, who is already snowed under by the requirements, ‘beyond actual teaching.’ There is the added reality that schools ‘compete against one another, as parents try to avoid certain schools and ‘real estate’ issues that drive the decisions as to where to send ones child. Schools tend to downplay bullying, to avoid public scrutiny, therefor leaving a simmering fact that ‘should not be talked about—publicly. Get rid of that and maybe there is hope for a united approach, so that our kids can thrive. The best way of addressing bullying is to talk about it and act. Talk to YOUR school if you have concerns re your child. Use the list below and encourage tour children to seek help themselves. Talk to their teachers, get the kids to talk to counsellors, youth workers, social workers, where those people exists in schools. Above all---do not ignore the issue. Where to get help Suicide Crisis Helpline 0508 828 865 (24 hours) Lifeline 0800 543 354 (available 24/7) Youthline 0800 376 633 Kidsline 0800 543 754 (4pm to 6pm weekdays) Depression helpline 0800 111 757 (available 24/7) - NZ Herald

What does one do when ROSKILL gets a bad review?

Today I read a review, written by Mark Weston, in the PPTA NEWS (VOLUME 35. Number 10 November/December 2014), a school guidance counsellor from a secondary school in the South Island of New Zealand. His review was damming to say the least. I agree with him about the editing issues, around spelling and grammar; issues that should have been ‘fixed’ during the production phase. To a degree, I also agree that the story is maybe too fast in the constant barrage of scenarios that the young people in the novel seem to face. He (Mark) believes that young readers would fail to engage because of this and other ‘qualities.’ It is at this point that I believe we differ. I have seen another review that is closely aligned to this one and it can be found online. Whilst I can ‘fix’ some of the S and G issues, via more work from proof-readers, I would not change the style of the book. Many young people in Mt Roskill and other parts of Auckland have read the book, along with a fair number of adults. Of course there must have been those who did not enjoy, engage or agree with some of the ‘outcomes,’ that the characters faced. I suspect that they simply stopped reading Roskill and consigned it to the same place I use, for books that don’t meet with my expectations. There were many others who did engage and reported their ‘enjoyment’ to me. I take any positive feedback from people who know me well in a light that ‘understands that they may not wish to offend me.’ It is the random comments and reviews from people who just want a good read that have propelled me to keep pushing Roskill, however I take aboard the critique that Mark offers and have come to the conclusion that, Roskill does not measure up to the standards and expectations of those in positions to decide what our young people should read, or enjoy reading. Writing Roskill was a ‘journey;’ that I needed to pursue; that it hasn’t quite worked out from the perspective of some, leads me to try something new. I am not so sure that it is ‘writing’ at this stage. To those who have supported me through this process, I thank. If Roskill made a young person think about the world of drugs and other ‘temptations,’ then that is good. To other aspiring writers I say---give it a go; make sure you have excellent support re editing, proofreading, design and publicity. Be prepared to pay a great deal if you wish to cover the necessary bases and if you are lucky—you may even avoid those costs by convincing a ‘publishing house’ to do all of the above, except the actual writing of the book, for you. Now---where to from here?

Front deck 'lightens' up the neighbourhood!

Call me 'happy, slightly obsessed or any other 'endearing term,' but you can't take away my delight at sitting under my solar lights. Must be the 'fairy' in me!

Who says tofu is boring--take a look!

Many people say that tofu is boring; the realm of hippies or health freaks. I don't give a stuff about those labels: all I know is that it is a healthy, tasty dish and hey---it's so damn cheap--that's got to be a plus. So---how does one cook it so that it is -----appealing?' OK---slice it into slabs as pictured and marinade it for an hour or so in your favourite sauces. I used, Sweet chilly, black bean and some extra oil. Now, while that is marinading, chop up some veggies. It so happens In had some mushroom, red pepper and some yellow courgette from my garden. Add some slat, pepper, sesame oil and herbs from the garden (OK--sue some dried herb mix). Now---light the BBQ and stick the veggies in a little tray and let them cook. Cook the marinaded tofu in the marinade on the BBQ--I used one of those Teflon strips. Look at the pictures---words are not needed!