Field to stay

Well I guess he is following the rest of his Labour colleagues down the path of just denying everything and hoping it blows over as it has for the rest...I am starting to take bets on when H1 will be making him a cabinet minister again.

On another note, what about that Bob Clarkson he gets up and speaks his mind...H1 is Stupid, Margaret Wilson is Biased and Labour has too many gay MP's and doesn't have an equal employment rights program classic...This shows how their pushing of PC can just come back to bite them...if he could prove it they could be done for it rofl classic.

"Central to this commitment is having a criminal justice system which protects our communities by more effectively punishing offenders and making better use of our prisoners," Clark said.

Efectively punishing = Harsher Sentences...Right?
Better Use = Breaking Rocks...Right?

I think Helen just agreed to Manual Labour for prisoners, I don't often agree with her, but I will on this one, story is here for anyone who wants to see it.

Ok this has got to be a joke right, this is a marketing tool on behalf of the government. Stuff has published this today. the article states that the government was making parole laws tougher, I thought OH MY GOD they finally got a clue, but no it turns out all Labour is doing is overturning previous law reform they made in 2002 changing it back from Parole allegability after 1/3 to 2/3 which is the way it used to be. For my Opinion on Sentencing see Less Jail? These thoughts I am sure are shared by alot of people, but what I don't understand is when a punishment is given via sentencing the judge believes it is appropriate for the crime committed (whether you think they should be tougher or not) yet after this time the sentence can be slashed by a Parole board this makes little or no sense to me.

Labour doesn't get tougher, just has a good marketing department.

Currently the Government is looking at introducing Tasers into our police force, what does everyone think of this? Well I thought Breakfast this morning had some great feedback, and seemed to have captured both sides quite well.

Arguements For

Justified usage, only offenders have to be worried, law abiders will be fine, so long as use restriceted.

Arguements Against

Cops a bit Macho and too willing to use them, Protestors and Freedom of Speech could be inhibited, Are Protestors breaking the law??? other liberties being broken.

The general idea here seems to be those who believe the cops will use them fairly vs those who think that the cops will jump at any chance to use them. I know from personal experience that police are more than willing to push protestors and pull out their batons and threaten with them, if they have Tasers chances are they will be used more than they should be, but I suppose rather a Taser than a pistol.

In the United Kingdom last week 21 men were arrested on suspicion of 'terrorism' these men have now been condemned by the entire western world, yet for me it is hard to look at this and feel the opposite. But in a western democracy are we not supposed to believe someone is innocent until proven guilty? This seems almost to be a reversal of this and people are just accepting this.

Are our civil liberties being infringed?? By terrorism?? By Tasers?? (see above)

Are we willing to sit back and allow our freedom to be attacked??

I first heard about this on Fox News Last night, but it turns out the press release was posted by Science Daily on August 11th, it begins discussing child obesity in general, but then moves onto the extension that children are now developing diseases previously only seen in fully grown adults. These diseases include Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, heart disease, strokes...the teasing from being overweight leads to putting them at being risk of depression and other psychiatric conditions.

All of this is blamed on the "western Food Enviroment" an enviroment where cheap food is low in fibre and high in sugar increasing obesity in our children, currently in the states 1 in 5 children are obese.

Lustig also notes that children cannot be blamed or expected to take personal responsibility for their dietary behavior in an environment when the foods they are offered -- especially cheaply prepared "fast foods" that are full of sugar and devoid of fiber -- are toxic.

"The concept of personal responsibility is not tenable in children. No child chooses to be obese," he says. "Furthermore, young children are not responsible for food choices at home or at school, and it can hardly be said that preschool children, in whom obesity is rampant, are in a position to accept personal responsibility."

While Lustig is right in saying we can't accept putting personal responsibility onto children what about the parents, are they not at least partially responsible for their kids diets?? In fact without a doubt they are. The Victoria University ad on TV currently where it asks who is responsible for what we eat? They say it makes you think...I say it wouldn't make you think for long...Obviously you are responsible for what you eat and you alone!!!!!

People need to accept responsibility and stop pushing it off on everyone else.

I have been watching with great interest a documentary series on Prime that has screened at 8:40pm on a sunday night, it is a look into the minds of Savants and comparisons to other 'Normal' people. "Beautiful Minds" is a very interesting show and has brought several things to the forefront of my conscious thought lately...The first being how everything in our society these days seems to have a label, secondly how in the past we wouldn't have even been likely to notice these people as they would've stayed in their homes and studied their chosen subjects. And then the ultimate questions that I have goit from it that I would like to investigate further...How many of the Geniuses of our past were Savants? And is it Possible to make a Savant? These thoughts have all been playing round in my head lately and as such I have a massive mind block on trying to study for university courses themselves, Oh Well this subject is much more interesting.

Oh and as a by-product of this is PC just achieving the opposite of what it set out to do?? Wasn't the orginal idea to remove offensive labels, but we have ended up with even more labels than before and everything must have a label...It makes you think.

A new study has put New Zealand 6th best at making the world a better place...

And yes I know that any figures like this are quite dodgy and as such need real looking into so here is my opinion on the way they have used the stats.

"The Washington-based Centre for Global Development's annual Commitment to Development Index (CDI) rated aid, trade, investment, migration, the environment, security and technology. "

Well these are a lot of areas to look into but the question then comes what makes the world a better place...Enviromentally we were only 12th (Not Suprised) We were number 1 for Trade (also not suprising)

In General New Zealand seems to be good in the catergories that make the world a better place for NEW ZEALAND and New Zealanders ie Trade, Immigration, etc, but weak in areas that help the poorer countries Aid for example we ranked 18th out of 21.

So really I don't know that all these catergories are really making the world a better place, keep an eye on the reporting and statistics.

Update: While on this topic I would like to ask your opinions on the updated scheme of my blog and if you think I am making it a better place with the new layout, also looking for any new and exciting links anyone might have.

What follows is a direct excerpt from the Stuff Article

"More controversial are plans expected to include greater use of home detention and community sentences – including curfews and electronic tagging – signalled by the Government earlier this year.

Those measures are aimed at keeping minor offenders out of jail – where they can be lured into a cycle of crime – and easing pressure on prison resources."

How they can say that this will prevent reoffending is ludicrous there is no proof that someone who spends a sentence in prison is more likely to reoffend. And I really don't think punishment should be about this...First and Foremost a sentence should be a punishment for a crime!!!! Therefore first thought should always be on a fair punishment for a crime and the sentences served nowadays are lax and extremely unequal when compared to crimes...There are as well some people out there with hundreds of convictions who continue to roam the streets this is not right. The second part of a punishment fitting the crime is that it should be a deterent to someone else committing the crime, what is the point of a sentence that doesn't fit the crime if all it causes is someone to realise that they will be better off committing the crime even if they get caught???

Less Jail Time? Softer Sentences? Community Punishments?

All of this coming at a time when the general public are crying out for harsher sentences???

Labour needs to get a clue...Lets make the sentences harsher lets make them tougher and lets get them breaking rocks to help build our new roads....?? That'll save Transit money won't it???

This is the way it seems at the moment to me although The West have got themselves a great ally right in the middle of the East side...I have to say I don't think there is any chance in hell of this ceasefire being truly accepted, yes both Prime ministers have said ok to it, but as already proven Lebanon has no control over Hezbollah and as such will not be able to stop them...Also Hezbollah has said that they will only abide by it if Israel removes all their troops from Lebanon, while Israel has said their troops will not be coming out until an International Force is in place another words the fight continues.

And now if we are flying to the US or UK we have to have our carry on in a clear plastic bag with no liquids cause they might contain explosives then on Campbell live and Breakfast they proceded to show us how to put a powder inside a bottle so it stays dry and noone can see it as we carry it onto the plane BRILLIANT.

Ok off to my lecture now back for more ranting later..

My God, they survived through all the shit til recess and now are hoping to prevent having to kick PTF by having the country forget about it over the next two weeks.

Peters bitten by Bug...now why did the media plant that bug??

Peters returns in time for recess...Nothing dodgy there.

Helen Clark - "Peters is in the best place for him" - Talking about peters being in the hospital in brisbane (known as a great place for treating tropical diseases) We think she meant him being out of the country.

Israel blames Hezbollah for killings in Qana, Hezbollah blame Israel, George gets confused, Tony sticks his foot in it and the UN is too busy fucking around to get anything done....meanwhile more 'innocents' die on both sides...

Rates rise AGAIN!!! Renters rejoice then realise it'll get them in the end.

Mark delivers the finger...2 Nats get kicked out...WTF so its ok to pull the fingers in the house but if you complain bye bye...??

There was a lot more action but this is the gist of it and I have to say a stunning run it is better than a kindergarten.