Friday, May 20, 2005

Star Wars Episode III

I'll be going to see this new movie this weekend, so I'll tell you all about it after I have seen it!!

Friday, April 22, 2005

Police porn

So, what did I tell you about the police???

If you're in New Zealand then you've probably heard the news about police viewing pornography at work. Apparently 330 staff around the country are viewing this material on their work computers. First of all, when do they get the time to view porn at work, and second, how can they get away with it at work? I know where I work if it was discovered that we were viewing porn at work then we would be dismissed immediately! This should happen with the police too! I know axing 330 staff sounds like a big thing, but it would serve as a deterant to other businesses and organisations.

If you want to view this type of thing on the Internet then do it at home - not at work!

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

What are the Police doing?

Thought it was about time I wrote down my thoughts about this. I can't believe how annoyed I get at the police. Just this morning in the town I live in I saw a cop car just driving around the streets, and I thought to myself "why isn't he out fighting crime?"

I have had some stupid experiences with the police. When I was learning to drive I was driving home from church one night. I had my father with me and because it was one of the first times I had driven in the dark I hit the curb. A cop pulled us over and wanted to know if I had been drinking? Huh? I had just come from church. And one time I went to a church dance in Wellington. There was a cop just around the corner from the chapel checking people for drunk driving - we thought "he's not going to get many tonight!"

When I lived in Sydney the flat I was living in got broken into. Although not much was stolen the flat was trashed and I was pretty shook up. We called the local police, and they took about an hour to arrive. When they did arrive they said, "We think we know who did it but we can't do anything about it." Good grief!

One time I was driving around Lake Taupo and I had to stop quickly at some roadworks. Obviously the guy behind me was travelling too close as he crashed right into the back of me. When I got out to see the damage he took off! So I called the cops and they eventually came. I said what had happened and they went looking for the guy. They caught up with him and then when they came back to my they said that the other guy had said it was my fault! Good grief! Don't you think a hit and run is his fault?? Duh!

And another time I got a speeding ticket for doing 62km/h in a 50km/h zone - man, I must have been hoofing it that day!

Recent cases here in New Zealand include a taxi instead of a police car being sent out to that girl in West Auckland, and she ended up dead; and reports in the news of all the unassigned rape cases. Where are the police - they're gathering revenue by waiting for drivers to go 2km over the speed limit!!

Friday, April 01, 2005

Petrol price hike

Petrol has gone up yet again here in New Zealand. It's now 129.5 cents per litre!

It went up 5 cents a litre today with a new petrol tax by the government. Apparently this tax is for roading. We'll just have to wait and see how much actually goes on roading.

I thought the 5 cents price hike today was an April Fools Day joke - obviously not.
US Air Force base on Stewart Island

I have a feeling that the item on Campbell Live on TV3 tonight about the US Air Force opening a base on Stewart Island is an April Fool's joke.
What do you think?

Thursday, March 31, 2005

Quality of water in New Zealand

On "Campbell Live" on TV3 tonight about bottled water versus tap water, and how most people couldn't tell the difference.
Obviously they haven't tried tap water in the King Country towns of Otorohanga, Te Kuiti, and Taumarunui - the water around here tastes and smells like dirt!

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Star Trek: Enterprise cancelled

I can't believe that Paramount (the UPN network and Viacom) have cancelled the great TV show Star Trek: Enterprise. How could it be cancelled after just 4 seasons??

Star Trek would be the number one sci-fi franchise in the world. Star Trek has lasted for 39 years - with 10 movies and 5 television series - I don't know of any other sci-fi as popular as that! There are Star Trek conventions all over the world all the time - I've even attended 3 of them here in New Zealand.

Unfortunately Enterprise has been quite low in the ratings in the States. I cannot understand why as it is an excellent television series. I'm not sure how it rates here in New Zealand. It started off on a free-to-air (terrestrial) channel, but now it is on a pay (satellite) channel. But then, New Zealand television has never been kind to Star Trek.

The 3rd season has just started on TV here in NZ, so we still have a few episodes to watch. I just hope Star Trek carries on in some form. Something this great just cannot die!

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Should the Wananga be called a university?

You may have seen this article in the NZ Herald:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?ObjectID=10007702

Or you may have seen something on TV about it.

Apparently, New Zealand's largest tertiary institution, Te Wananga o Aotearoa is to be getting a telling off for calling itself a university, and the universities around the country aren't happy with this.

The translation of "Te Wananga o Aotearoa" into English is "The University of New Zealand" - so what's the problem of translating the name of the institution into English so that most of the country can understand what it means?

By the way, universities use the term "wananga" in their names - for example "The University of Waikato - Te Whare Wananga o Waikato". If universitys can use "wananga" then The Wananga can use "university"!!!