SITTING

 

I mentioned in the previous post what a lovely day we have here. Warm sunshine, cloudless blue sky. Lovely. It should be a nice evening to see the rare super blue moon tonight.

This afternoon I went for a walk to the end of the bay. This was the first walk I've done since the Glacier walks in July when I hurt my hip.

I took it easy and, at the end of the bay track where steps lead up to the top I felt a bit of discomfort so sat on the rocks by the beach for an hour or so. 

It was very quiet and there were no ships coming in but I watched the gannets fishing instead. There was obviously a run of fish in the tide and the gannets and the odd seagull wheeled and dived and splashed looking for fish.

It's a magnificent sight seeing the beautiful and streamlined gannet diving down and folding it's wings before plunging deep into the water with an almighty whoomp-splash sound.

I was pleased to see that the council have recently erected a dog prohibition sign at the start of the track.

This is a kiwi sanctuary area and no dogs are permitted whether on a leash or not. Entitled arseholes have in the past removed the signs so I guess this one will also be defaced or broken but at least it's drawing the regulations to their attention. It also backs me up when I remonstrate with the arseholes. There were no dog-walkers today though.

SO WHAT'S HAPPENING UP NORTH?

Yesterday I bought a new TV for the end lounge. It's a larger one (55") and The Old Girl will be able to watch her films and TV series in style.

Actually, why I bought a new TV is because the one in the lounge, the so-called 'smart' LG TV that we bought in 2017 (and, to me still seems brand new) won't load Sky Sport and TVNZ apps anymore. Bastards! I reckon it's a planned obsolescence rort where the TV manufacturers and the media platforms are in collusion. Maybe I should have posted this on The Aluminium Foil Curmudgeon blog. With the Rugby World Cup starting in a few days time desperate measures were called for.

Fortunately this coincided with Father's Day, that bogus retail rort devised in 1907 by - who else? The Americans. Anyway, lucky for me We were able to buy a Samsung 55" TV at a greatly reduced price. This 'smart' TV will get all of the apps we need and hopefully will stay smart for a few years.

I replaced the LG 48" TV in the lounge with the Samsung 48" at the end of the house. The Samsung has proven to be a much better machine than the Samsung and, even though it's a 2020 model is still 'smart'.

The problem was though that the 'feet' on the old Samsung are too widely spaced for the coffee table we use in the lounge. I had to  cobble together some old tiles to support it. This was functional but a bit unsightly.

It would only be a matter of time until The Old Girl would demand it being replaced.

Another problem was that the 'feet' on the  new Samsung TV (even though I measured it - really) were wider spaced than the 'feet' on the old Samsung TV and wouldn't straddle the TV stand at the end of the house. I cobbled together some old boards that like the lounge 'cobbling' was functional but also unsightly and a bit precarious.

There wasn't much clearance and I could imagine a disaster in the near future.

I had to go into town again today to buy some wood and have it cut to suit. I measured the requirements (carefully this time) and was on the way to Mitre 10, Placemakers or Bunnings when I remembered the boardwalk boards I bought for the attic. I bought these from Arthur's Emporium which is a wonderful treasure trove place in Whangarei that has bin-ends of everything - clothing, tools, electronics, sportswear, decoration products - most things all in a big overstocked warehouse.

As luck would have it they stocked some quality boards (with a carry gip at one end) that were exactly the measurement I wanted. These are smart-looking (to satisfy The Old Girl), sturdy (to satisfy me) and cheap - $5 each!

They fit on top of each of the TV stands and safely support each TV

Job done and - it gets The Old Girl's approval.

Talking of The Old Girl. when in town I called in to Countdown to replace the Johnson's Face Wipes I bought yesterday which, of course were the wrong ones. God I hate buying 'women's stuff'.

It's a great day here and I'll potter around outside this afternoon.

I've made a loaf of bread and have the provisions to make a chicken stir-fry for dinner later.

How's your day going?

I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN.

THE SILLY LABOUR ELECTION SLOGAN WAS JUST BEGGING TO BE PARODIED FROM THIS:

.

TO THIS:

"LISTEN TO ME, DON'T LISTEN TO ME ..."

 ..."Talk to me, don't talk to me ..."

It's cold up here this morning. We're getting that winter vortex that Wellington sent north.

It's a clear and sunny day though so I'm going to venture out to do some weeding and maybe mow the lawn. Meanwhile, inside, instead of putting the heat pumps on I've dressed for the cold having now 3 layers on.

The top layer is one that I've been remiss in not telling you about before. It's a strange woollen cardigan/jacket cross thingy:

It has pockets galore like a battledress jacket and is very warm.

I bought this from an Op shop in York when we lived in England in 2015. It's just the thing for cold days but best worn indoors though as I'm sure the fashion police would arrest me if I went down to the shops wearing it.

TAKING THE BAIT

I mentioned in an earlier post that we are thinking of buying another car. We live about a half hour from town in an area that has no public transport so a reliable vehicle is a necessity. Initially I was thinking of a replacement vehicle but having one car between the two of us can pose problems. The Old Girl is driving to Auckland next week and will stay there for a week leaving me with no vehicle - stranded. Now, while this isn't often the case it does create inconvenience hence the thought that a second car might be a good idea.

The other consideration leading me tho think this is that the resale or trade in value of our current very reliable car is likely to be quite low given that it has a few dents and scratches. It's a 2016 Toyota Corolla hatchback with low mileage and is likely to run well for years with proper servicing so it'd be a shame to sell it off cheap.

We are looking to buy a hybrid vehicle as we don't want to go the full plug in electric way and have been checking out Toyota options with a view to buy maybe at the end of the year. The Toyota Corolla Cross appeals to us.

Last week I saw an advertisement for another car brand advertising ex-demonstrator cars including a couple of hybrid models. The advertisement had local contact details so I applied for information on-line. I was interested because back in 2007 we bought an ex-demonstrator car, a sporty Peugeot, that was virtually brand new having only just over a thousand kms on the clock and was thousands of dollars cheaper than the 'off the showroom floor' ones. The next day I received a phone call from a salesman for the local dealer. In conversation he told me that they did not have any ex-demonstrator cars but was keen to show me the new ones and to discuss my requirements. No mention of any deals was made. I said I'd think about it and maybe get back to him.

After I concluded the call I wished that I'd told him that I wasn't happy with the 'bait' advertising that they'd done - advertising product they didn't have to draw interested people in. Today I received another call from the same guy. I flat out told him that we weren't interested and were going to stay with Toyota. When he asked why I told him that the bait advertising they used pissed me off and was misleading. The guy made lots of excuses saying that the advertising was national and that the company was clearing out ex demonstrator stock to make way for the new year models but that there were none in Whangarei. I in turn reminded him that the advertisement I responded to was in the local press and had Whangarei contact details. He then had the cheek to say that he had tried to get me interested in a new model with the intention of then discounting it back to the price of an ex-demonstrator. I was flabbergasted and asked him why the hell he didn't say that at the time. It was obvious that he was full of bullshit so I ended the call.

I'm annoyed by this and, while Hyundai is a trusted brand and I had a Hyundai Santa Fe as a company vehicle in 2008 I will not consider this brand in future.

RESSURECTION

 Not this:

I've been a bit slow getting around to resurrecting some posts series that I promised. Mea Culpa but, I guess, Jesus promised to return and that's now more than 2000 years ago.

I identified a few dormant post series in this post which has been lying dormant itself: HERE

Now, as I'm doing bugger all else I thought that I'd make a start.

THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW WERE TRUE

You remember the first two in this series don't you?

You don't? Never mind, here are the links: PART ONE.    PART TWO

I trust that you enjoyed that recap. Here's Part three:

THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW WERE TRUE - PART THREE

The Titanic did not hit an iceberg - it was sunk by  torpedoes from a U-Boat.

In 1912 Germany was positioning itself for major conflict in Europe. While on the surface (see what I did there) much of this was political through strengthening existing and forging new alliances, behind the scenes the armed forces including the Imperial German Navy were building up and experimenting with new weaponry and exploring new strategies and tactics. 

Germany knew that it was behind in the naval arms race even with the support of the Austro-Hungary resources. 

Britain, along with France and Russia dominated by a factor of nearly 3 to one. Something smarter had to be done.

The 'smart' thing was to go underground or, in this case, underwater. Submarine technology was still in its infancy even though Germany had been experimenting since 1851. The first fully functioning German submarine didn't sink with out sinking until 1903 and then the manufacturers foolishly sold the designs and prototypes to Russia in 1904. Russia likely on-sold these to Britain since, at the time it was too cold in Russian waters to operate boats beneath the surface.

In 1906 the Imperial German Navy high command started to see the possibilities with submarines and developed the designs further,  initially  using double hulls and a single torpedo tube and then, in 1908 created a much larger submarine with multiple torpedo tubes. With the winds of war blowing it was time to do some training and experimentation.

The Titanic, launched in 1912 was being hailed as a triumph of engineering for peacetime civilian travel but was really a trumpeting of Britain's (and its allies) dominant maritime position. It was flag waving if you will and, to Germany which was a poor second in the naval arms race like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

The Imperial German Navy, in 1912 had a number of powerful and long-ranging submarines, code named U-boats that were undergoing trials in the North Atlantic. Apart from torpedoing the odd whale or machine-gunning some walrus, most of the trials were to do with depth, range, speed and communications. The High Command were keen to get their teeth into something more substantial.

When the Titanic was launched amidst a flurry of both government and civil public relations and marketing, several notable German dignitaries were booked to travel from UK to America. These included the German Ambassador to USA Ludvig Von Kuppenschurffer. It wasn't noticed until much later when lists of survivors and casualties were investigated that Von Kuppenschurffer and his entourage and other prominent German industrialists, politicians and civilians had cancelled their travel at a late stage. This went unnoticed at the time of travel because there was such excitement at the launch and tickets were oversubscribed.

Subsequently the Titanic was badly holed and sunk quickly and an iceberg was blamed however ....

A number of Titanic survivors reported to have noticed "an unidentified vessel approximately five to six miles away" from the sinking ship, which reportedly lingered until 2 a.m., according to Dr. Franklin Ruehl's piece in The Huffington Post. Ruehl speculated that the craft was possibly "a submarine that had surfaced to assess the damage it had caused, after which time it skulked off," and also cited survivor testimony about a number of explosions that seemed to go off deep with the ship.

 "The sub may have deliberately targeted the luxury liner or possibly accidentally collided with it," Ruehl wrote.

Yes, you've guessed it, The German High Command under instruction from the Kaiser instructed its U-Boats in the North Atlantic to 'have a go' at the Titanic. This was more than just target practice though as, although Germany joined in the witch hunt against icebergs, it knew that in the corridors of power on both sides of the Atlantic USA and Great Britain would strongly suspect German complicity. It was in effect sending a message, particularly to USA to keep out of any future conflict.

Later, Germany was more overtly connected to the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, when a U-boat torpedoed the British ocean liner off the coast of Ireland, killing 1,198 people. This was no doubt another warning but in fact backfired on Germany since it had the effect of accelerating USA involvement in WW1.

Remember - you heard it here. Keep posted for further THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW WERE TRUE.

NEW SERIES - *CONSIDERATE, DIPLOMATIC, GENDER-FREE, INCLUSIVE AND INOFFENSIVE* BEHAVIOUR* PART ONE - THE 'N' WORD.

I don't like the term 'political correctness' or 'PC'. It's pejorative and is used to demean people trying to show consideration to others.

First coined in 1917 as part of Marxist-Leninist vocabulary, political correctness has evolved into a term  used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. When you say something is 'PC' today it's interpreted as a put-down.

There are many things in life that require consideration, diplomacy, gender-free judgement, inclusiveness and inoffensive behaviour - probably too many to list and discuss here given the short attention span of our readers so I thought that we (The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ) could run a series on an important few of them.

Part one will be a look at the 'N' word.

This was chosen, and indeed the series has been chosen following a reference in Robert's latest (since deleted) post to negroes. I, and I hope most of you had thought that the word or term 'negro' as it refers to black people was officially disused.

According to the Jim Crow Museum website the word Negro become socially unacceptable in the second half of last century.

"It started its decline in 1966 and was totally uncouth by the mid-1980s. The turning point came when Stokely Carmichael coined the phrase black power at a 1966 rally in Mississippi. Until then, Negro was how most black Americans described themselves. But in Carmichael's speeches and in his landmark 1967 book, Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America, he persuasively argued that the term implied black inferiority. Among black activists, Negro soon became shorthand for a member of the establishment. Prominent black publications like Ebony switched from Negro to black at the end of the decade, and the masses soon followed. According to a 1968 Newsweek poll, more than two-thirds of black Americans still preferred Negro, but black had become the majority preference by 1974. Both the Associated Press and the New York Times abandoned Negro in the 1970s, and by the mid-1980s, even the most hidebound institutions, like the U.S. Supreme Court, had largely stopped using Negro.

Had Sen. Reid chosen to defend his word choice, he could have cited some formidable authorities. Colored was the preferred term for black Americans until W.E.B. Du Bois, following the lead of Booker T. Washington, advocated for a switch to Negro in the 1920s. (Du Bois also used black in his writings, but it wasn't his term of choice.) Despite claims that Negro was a white-coined word intended to marginalize black people, Du Bois argued that the term was "etymologically and phonetically" preferable to colored or "various hyphenated circumlocutions." Most importantly, the new terminology -- chosen by black leaders themselves-symbolized a rising tide of black intellectual, artistic, and political assertiveness. (After achieving the shift in vocabulary, Du Bois spearheaded a letter-writing campaign to capitalize his preferred term. In 1930 -- nine years before Harry Reid was born -- the New York Times Style Book made the change.) Black supplanted Negro when the energy of this movement waned.

In 1988, after the black power movement had itself faded, many leaders decided another semantic change was required. Jesse Jackson led the push toward African-American. But, so far, the change does not seem to have the same momentum that Negro and black once did. In recent polls, most black interviewees express no preference between black and African-American, and most publications don't recommend the use of one over the other.

It can be challenging for institutions and older people, who have seen racial terms come and go during their lifetimes, to adapt. The NAACP, founded in 1909, declined to change its name during the DuBois revolution but did stop using colored in all other contexts. Negro History Week, begun in 1926, changed to Black History Month in 1976. The United Negro College Fund is now trying to emphasize its initials rather than its full name. The last time the Supreme Court used the word Negro outside quotation marks or citations to other scholarship was in 1985. The writer was Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court justice, who came of age during the time of DuBois. Despite public outcry, the U.S. Census still includes the word Negro, because many older people still use it."

I'm not sure where Robert's been since 1966 and know that he was about eleven years old then so should have been aware of this if he hadn't had his head buried under a rock or in a Catechism or a bible. Like older right-wing American Republicans and white supremacy activists anywhere Robert holds on to this now discredited term. I guess that it's in keeping with lots of his out of date beliefs which we might discuss in future episodes on gender equality, misogyny, liberalism, democracy and religious freedom.

I wonder if he still owns a golliwog?

STARTING AT THE TOP

I was discussing with my sister  the hip tendinosis issue I have. She reaffirmed that even if I feel that it is getting better, it will take quite some time and that regular strenuous exercise (long walks, tennis, golf etc) should be curtailed.

I said that using the exercise machines is likely out as well - the rower, bike and stepper - and she said yes.

She added that using weights for upper body strength is a good idea though and that obviously this won't exacerbate the hip problem I'll get back into using these as we have a full set of them. It might mean that I'll be a bit out of balance for a while though.

NEW POST - THE MUNDANE CURMUDGEON

 

WALLPAPER

EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS

Richard thought that my previous post (posted on the Religious Curmudgeon's blog (don't ask) was a bit pessimistic and brought the mood down. 

I don't think that he understands the meaning of 'curmudgeon' but, to cheer him up I'll do just that - cheer up.

 Is that better?

Instead of Oxycontin maybe I should talk about another 'wonder' drug - Prozac.

Now what's wrong with Prozac mmm?

Mind you, maybe this song better connects to it:

NEW POST - THE RELIGIOUS CURMUDGEON

 I get confused sometimes which isn't helped by having so many Curmudgeons to look after in The Curmudgeons Inc.ⓒ.

I wrote a new post thinking that it was on this site and, after pressing the 'publish' button couldn't find the damned thing. I'd published under The Religious Curmudgeon banner.

Never mind eh since there is some passing reference to religion, churches and Robert's god in it.

Here it is:

DOCTOR DOCTOR ...

NEW POST - THE RELIGIOUS CURMUDGEON

 

STRANGER THAN FICTION

NEW POST - THE MUSIC CURMUDGEON

 You know what to do.  'TELEVISION' AT 'HOME'

ON YOUR WAY DOWN

 

Did you listen to that? I hope so because it's another outstanding Little Feat song, well written by Allen Toussaint and performed by great musicians.

It matches the theme of this post as well. I know that I have referenced it before but it is succinct.

Sunrise, sunset
Since the beginning, it hasn't changed yet
People fly high, begin to loose sight
But you can't see very clearly, when you're in flight
Well it's high time 
That you find
The same people that you must use on your way up
You might meet up  - on your way down

I worked with a lot of people during my career - working for some and having a lot working for, or at least reporting to me. I've met good ones and bad ones. Some are still friends and some I'd never want to meet again. Most of course have just drifted away - this is natural. I don't think that I ever 'used' anyone on my way up though and, having done my best to assist and encourage employees have been pleasantly surprised to meet up with some of them years later and seen them in good senior positions. I was never in any position to meet any 'on the way down'.

I was thinking this today when my sister told me that she'd met someone who worked for me years ago and, although in a totally different career now was keen to catch up with The Old Girl and me. Nice that.

I remember mentoring her and encouraging her into higher positions which she excelled at. I can think of a few who have done similar and am very pleased for them. To me, that's the way the system should work, not dog eat dog but one where everything flows in the same direction (hopefully forward) and where institutional knowledge is passed on without fear or favour.

ENTROPY ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE

Sitting inside looking out isn't all it's cracked up to be either.*

I feel like Johnny No Mates with no-one to talk to since The Old Girl is locked away in her office (once my study) working on some big project.

JOHNNY NO MATES

"Where is everyone?"

Maybe I should take up a hobby or learn to play a musical instrument.

Then again Richard very rarely gets to 1024MB and he's been practising for years.

I could take up making bizarre Christian videos like the one Robert posted on his latest post that no-one reads.

I tried to copy and paste his video but couldn't so found this on YouTube which is pretty much the same only longer. Enjoy!

* I don't know if it ever was but I needed an opening statement to catch readers' attention.

FACING THE FUTURE

I'm missing playing tennis and haven't been for a couple of months now.

The tendinosis (current diagnosis) is painful and limits movement. I'm waiting on an orthopaedic surgeon visit to find out of tendon surgery is required otherwise it'll be a long period of physio. 

Not going to tennis means that I don't get a chance to argue with the old codgers about politics, local issues, COVID etc. I have to resort to making myself a nuisance on Neighbourly (Facebook)* or writing more blog posts and commenting on the others' blogs.

It's frustrating being inside and looking out at the rapidly growing lawn, the weeds and other jobs that need doing but I know that my hip needs rest.

Talking of Facebook - I was - keep up - I find that making comments or posting something brings out hordes of rabid trolls with mostly reactionary opinions and beliefs on racism, democracy, religion (supporters), women (anti), LGQBT (opposed) and COVID (anti vax).

"We know it all and, by the way, fuck you!"

If you've got some time read this:

ORIGINS AND CONSEQUENCES OF RACIALISED HATE SPEECH ON FACEBOOK OF RADICALISED

Although it is long and I doubt that you will. Richard has to pick up his neighbours' dog shit and Robert - well, it's too long for Robert to read, hasn't got any pictures in it, doesn't mention him and there are very few references to the Holy Trinity and His Lady.

Never mind, here are some outtakes from the conclusion (the conclusion itself is too long for you to read):

CONCLUSION 

• Innovation has always intended to ease and improve our lives, but its purpose now seems almost soteriological; we need invention to soothe our imperfect world.

•  Yet in recent years, it has become clear that while Facebook may serve as a tool for humanity to fight its inner demons, it also actively exploits those demons for profit. 

• Zuckerberg and other company executives introduced a product that preyed upon human tendencies towards negativity, divisiveness, and radicalism. Worse, they did so in volatile sociopolitical environments with little knowledge nor care for local contexts of power and oppression. 

• Facebook posits that it simply provides a neutral platform for individuals to freely express themselves, but such claims disingenuously mask the way that the platform’s algorithm intentionally amplifies sensational, even inflammatory content. It does not create social tensions out of nothing, but it can exacerbate those that already exist. This process was tragically exemplified by the Burmese military’s Facebook hate speech campaign and the resulting Rohingya genocide. 

- From Breaking Things: Origins and Consequences of Racialized Hate Speech on Facebook Katherine Herrick Macalester College, katie.ann.herrick@gmail.com

You get the gist. This is only one of many studies on this and similar topics. Facebook and the other social media has empowered people to publicly, by a safe and private platform, express views that once  were kept to themselves or their close associates. Ill-informed opinion and 'fake news' take precedence over legitimate news and research, largely by the sheer volume of it, but also because the readers, advocates and promulgators of radical ideas, conspiracy beliefs, religion, racism, white supremacy and other hare-based beliefs don't look to centrist and established media but gravitate to that which supports and fuels their prejudices.

It's a shame but then, it's human nature I guess just like the wonderful tool of the internet has been misappropriated by cheats, hackers, pornographers, charlatans and liars. It's a minefield that has to be carefully navigated to find the gold among the dross.

* I have two Facebook accounts. One in my name in order to access and communicate with people in important local groups I'm involved with and another, in another name to comment on posts that I find to be vile and dangerous.

NEW POST - THE RELIGIOUS CURMUDGEON

 

MORE SHIT

PLAYBOYS OF WELLINGTON

I made some disparaging remarks in  a recent post about Richard and his early lack of success with picking up women.

I might as well have been talking about myself as well as I was pretty slow on the uptake back in the day - not due to lack of opportunities but more to do with shyness and a particular obtuseness.

Peter wondering if he should have talked to her after all.

Both Richard and I had successes and failures over the years but, for over half of our lives now have been living with beautiful wonderful women and wouldn't change a thing.

GUTLESS BASTARDS

 Sometimes you have to take a stand on issues that are important - something that the organisers of the Kaimai Settler's Committee's Quiz night failed to do.

KAIMAI QUIZ KKK

How could anyone there think that this is OK?

It really bugs me when people stand back and do or say nothing when a response is obviously needed.

I wish I'd been there.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR DARCY

 Colin Firth turned 71 today ....

.... and doesn't look a day over 56. He said when .... sorry? What's that? Oh .....

.... sorry, I meant that Richard turned 71 today. I get those two mixed up and the photographs above show why.

Richard is now officially old. Every time that I tried to telephone him today he was in the toilet. I guess it now goes with the territory.

Happy birthday guys.

ROBERT EVOKED* MEMORIES

 * Maybe 'evoker' could be added to his list of descriptors.

In mid 1977 Robert, me and our friend Noel who Robert called Noll for some reason, drove from Wellington to Christchurch to attend Tony's wedding. 

That's Tony on the right turned prematurely grey from the shock of actually getting sex.

We went across to Picton on the ferry and drove across to the West Coast, down past the glaciers and then across the Alps to Canterbury.

The more observant reader will notice that I didn't mention Richard as being with us.

Well, he wasn't there. He was already living in Christchurch with Tony and Jan the woman that Tony married. Perhaps that needs clarification. Richard wasn't actually living with Tony and Jan and certainly wasn't getting married with them. This was 1977 and Richard hadn't discovered women then. He was in Christchurch to attend Teachers Training College with Tony and Jan.

"I'll discover women about 7 years later."

This trip went pretty well with the three travellers seeing spectacular parts of the country like the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers (which recently munted my hip), the Nelson lakes, Mount Cook and Lake Tekapo amongst others. We drove in my trusty 1963 Hillman Super Minx which gave us no trouble at all and fairly raced along only slowing on the Mount Hercules road when we came across a car that had flipped on ice and was upside down in a creek bed. 

I slowed down a bit after seeing that, much to Robert's relief. 'Noll' didn't mind either way as he probably couldn't see over the dashboard being a bit of a short arse and all. I used to drive fast years ago and only recently have become more circumspect - not yet an old lady driver like Richard - but a bit more careful and slower.

Robert the navigator in the back seat reading the Catechism or the Bible for directions

Peter: "Look Noll - I know that Richard will be there but you must come to Tony's wedding. Stop sulking, there'll be plenty of women for you to chase after. Richard won't discover them for years yet."

This post might be followed up with another if the official photographer posts some more photographs.

With special thanks to Robert the official photographer on the trip. Hopefully he has more.

SHIT JACKED UP

I mentioned billboards in a comment on Richard's latest post - the one where he was trying to justify his slow driving and blaming some guy named Jack Shit for it. "Who's Jack Shit?" you might ask. I'm not sure - maybe he's related to this guy:

"Who, me?"

When driving into town this morning The Old Girlⓒ (the original) and I noticed and commented on the new election billboards and how meaningless the campaign slogans are. 

From this weekend, election billboards will be going up all over the country for the lead-up to the General Election on October 14. I haven't seen all of them yet but the few I did see are a joke.

Labour's new slogan "IN IT FOR YOU" ....

.... is a joke and the party leads with its chin, inviting responses like "In what? The shit?" and not all of those will come from Richard of RBB since he actually (like me) votes Labour.

What moron thought this up? Oh yes, some dickhead ad-agency people. What moron in the Labour Party condoned this is a better question. I shudder to think how much was spent on it - hundreds of thousands minimum I guess.

ACT's new slogan is just about as silly. "REAL CHANGE".

What the fuck? 'Real' change - as opposed to bogus or unreal change I suppose. This just begs for a negative response. Once again and inordinate amount of money was spent to come up with this mumbo jumbo ....

...... and, talking of mumbo jumbo look at what that silly old fool Winston Peters has  signed off on - "LET'S TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY".

Take it back from who? Foreign nationals? Maoris? Immigrants? This is the sort of crap the Republicans and Donald Trump use in USA with underlying right wing and racist messages. Sheesh!

If this is what National is going to use then Robert's God help them:

That simp Luxon is just asking to get rolled by Nicola Willis and not in a nice way.

Willis: "Shove over you dick."

The best and most honest billboard I've seen in recent times was this*.

* Yes, I know it was doctored.