TICK TICK TICK ...

 

The grift goes on, the grift goes on

The news keeps pounding
A warning to the brain
La de da de de, la de da de da

Democracy was once the rage, uh huh
History has turned the page, uh huh
MEGA's the current thing, uh huh
Manbaby is our newborn king, uh huh

The grift goes on, the grift goes on

The grocery store's for the super rich, uh huh
Fascists still break our hearts, uh huh
And men still keep on marching off to war
Only now they don't know what for

The grift goes on, the grift goes on

Boomers sit in chairs and reminisce
About the good times that they miss
The grift gets stronger all the time
But now it's billionaires, not bums who cry, "Hey buddy,
have you got a dime?"

... and the grift goes on - below the radar of MAGA voters apparently.

Usually you'd have to have been living under a rock to not notice the criminality and grifting that Donald Trump undertakes daily but his loyal (and stupid) supporters just cannot see any bad in the boy.

Here are just a few of his grifts, scams and money-making ventures while using the presidency as influence:

•  Trump Crypto Coins.

The Trump family’s crypto meme coins— $TRUMP and $MELANIA—have added billions to their net worth. 
Investors have admitted that their goal is to curry favor with Trump and purchase policy outcomes and favorable treatment

•  World Liberty Financial.

In September 2024, Donald Trump and his sons launched a cryptocurrency venture called World Liberty Financial; the venture is structured to function as a new type of internet bank, allowing users to borrow and lend money digitally
The Trump family and affiliates received 22.5 billion units of the World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency, worth at least $1.1 billion on paper; the Trump family owns a 60% stake in World Liberty Financial and receives 75% of the net income from token sales and operations.
More recently, an Abu Dhabi-backed investment firm announced it was making a $2 billion investment in Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges. This transaction is being facilitated using a stablecoin issued by World Liberty Financial. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. were present at the announcement. Estimated value to Trump: $2B+

•  Foreign Real Estate Deals

Trump-branded real estate projects have landed billions in new deals, with new hotels, towers, a golf club, and licensing arrangements coming amid diplomatic visits and policy shifts.
Middle East business ties (in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar and other countries) have more than tripled since Trump’s first term
Trump ventures have recently expanded to other nations, such as India, Turkey, Vietnam, Serbia, and the Philippines.
Estimated Value to Trump: Billions

•  Trump Media & Technology Group (Truth Social)

Even though its parent company (Trump Media & Technology Group) reported $400 million in losses in 2024 alone, Truth Social is now valued in the billions; investment in Truth Social is similar to investment in his “meme coin”—think of it is as a “meme stock” as opposed to relating to any underlying value.
Estimated Value to Trump: Billions.

•  Direct Foreign Gifts and State-Supported Assets

Qatar will provide a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet worth approximately $400 million. It is being labeled as a “temporary Air Force One” and future museum piece for Trump’s library.
Estimated Value to Trump: $400M

•  The Executive Branch — (Private Club)

Donald Trump Jr. founded an exclusive new club DC, where membership fees are $500,000. It’s clearly about access. The plan is to invite 200 members. That’s $100 million in potential revenue off the bat.

Estimated Value to Trump: $100M+

•  Inauguration and Political Contributions

2025 inauguration donations hit a record-breaking $239 million.
In 2017, Trump's inaugural committee spent much of the money on event planning, with nearly $26 million paid to a firm run by a close friend of the Trump family, and only about $5 million donated to charity.

•  Payments at Trump Properties (Hotels, Golf Clubs, Social Clubs)

Millions continue to flow into Trump-owned hotels, golf courses, and clubs from political groups, foreign delegations, and special interests.
Estimate Value to Trump: in his first term, Trump properties, golf clubs and resorts generated between $1 billion and $2 billion. This included activity that clearly involved foreign governments currying favor.

•  Lawsuit Settlements

Trump has directly benefited from lawsuit settlements that took place after he became president: Meta (Facebook’s parent); ABC News (Disney); X.
Paramount and Trump are currently in discussions to try to settle his suit against CBS News (for its 60 Minutes interview of Kamala Harris), with Trump demanding $25 million; this is happening as Paramount seeks regulatory approval for its $8 billion sale to Skydance Media.
Estimated Value to Trump: close to $50 million and counting


Can you see a trend here?

Is he slowing down? No way. If anything his grifting is becoming more overt and includes his broader family. You know about Ivanka and Jared's grifts of course where they are said to have made over 600 million whole being associated with the White House. Now we're hearing of his granddaughter getting in on the act. see: KAI TRUMP

As if using the White House as a launch platform wasn't bad enough it seems that she 'borrowed' the logo from elsewhere! See: HERE

I just wonder how much money Trump is making out of the TikTok deal.

CRONY CAPITALISM

 

PRAYBOY

The other bloggers have been writing about the Mass in Latin for some reason.

Well, Robert started it by mentioning that his new squeeze is in Melbourne and attended a Mass in Latin. I didn't know that they still had those and would be a starter to go (3P influence) as the only thing I liked about Catholicism was the big and beautiful churches, the smell of the incense at Benediction and the Mass in Latin especially if it was accompanied by Gregorian singing. Any way all this is moot (Robert would say 'mute') as he deleted his post soon after writing it.

Richard followed up in his latest post with some recollections of being an altar boy and learning Latin responses for Masses. It was a welcome relief from some stuff he wrote - in some kind of esoteric code - about music practice.

So, I can hear you ask, what is all this about Mass in Latin?

AI Overview in Google Search tells us that:

The Latin Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Tridentine Mass, is a form of Catholic liturgy celebrated in Latin, the universal language of the Roman Rite, before the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. It is characterized by its ancient prayers, Gregorian chants, and symbolic gestures, fostering a contemplative atmosphere centered on the Eucharist. While originally the standard for centuries, its use has been restricted by Pope Francis, though it continues to be practiced by many who see it as a vital link to Church tradition and a profound way to worship.


Key Characteristics
Language:
The Mass is almost entirely in Latin, fostering a sense of universal prayer and tradition.

Focus on Tradition:
Adherents see it as the "Mass of the Ages," connecting them to a continuous line of Catholic history and the prayers of countless saints.

Reverence and Silence:
It features moments of silence, especially during the Eucharistic prayer, which encourages contemplation of the faith's mysteries.

Sacred Artistry:
The liturgy includes ancient Gregorian chants, specific gestures, and vestments that together create a profound sense of the sacred.

Theological Significance:
The Mass emphasizes the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist, with the priest acting as a mediator between the community and God.

Historical Context
Pre-Vatican II:
For centuries, this was the standard form of Mass celebrated worldwide, codified after the Council of Trent in 1570.

Second Vatican Council:
The Council of 1962-1965 allowed for the Mass to be celebrated in vernacular (local) languages, leading to the development of the Novus Ordo Mass.

Pope Benedict XVI's Decree:
In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI declared the 1962 Missal as the "Extraordinary Form" of the Roman Rite, affirming its place alongside the "Ordinary Form" (the Mass in the vernacular).

Recent Restrictions:
In recent years, Pope Francis has further restricted the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, requiring bishops' permission for its use.

Why It Matters to Its Adherents
Connection to the Past:
It provides a powerful link to the Church's pre-Vatican II past and a connection to the faith as experienced by past generations.

Spiritual Depth:
Many find its ancient rites and contemplative nature a deeper and more reverent way to experience the Mass and the presence of God.

Beauty and Order:
The structured liturgy, with its specific gestures and prayers, is seen by its supporters as fostering a prayer

Got that? 

It's actually interesting and I find that, while I'm suspicious of AI information, I find AI Overview quite helpful as a snapshot of what's going on (cue the Marvin Gaye song if you like). I like the fact that the Vatican disapproves of it and wonder why, given the 'smoke and mirrors' approach of the Vatican to things like the truth, reality and good common sense that they would suppress a form of Mass that basically disguises all the silly mumbo jumbo. Go figure!

I too was an altar boy at St Anne's church in Newtown. See: HERE

KEEPING INFORM (YOU INFORMED)

You might want to know that I've got a sore arse.

I stepped up (see what I did there?) my exercise regimen and increased the time I spend on the stepping machine in addition to rowing. All good and I feel better for it but (see what I did there?) my arse is sore today.

The primary buttock muscles are the three gluteal muscles: the large gluteus maximus, the medium gluteus medius, and the small gluteus minimus. These muscles are crucial for stabilizing and balancing the lower body, supporting body weight, and controlling movements like hip extension, abduction (moving the leg away from the body), and rotation.

I just thought that you might want to know. 

SHAGGER JOE or ...

  ... THE REAL STORY OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

I had to laugh at that. It's a down to earth look at the silly story. If my mum was alive I'd love to show that to her. She would whack me on the arm and tell me that I was a heathen and would go to hell.

I wonder how Richard's fence mending is going? I don't mean him apologizing for being rude to robert over their musical theory and practice differences - I mean how he's helping build a fence for his neighbour. I hope that there aren't any cows near that fence. Richard is afraid of cows.

Meanwhile Robert is wishing that he could start up an op shop franchise like St Vincent did. His church shop empire hasn't really taken off. Maybe he should ask his sister in law Sue for some advice.

I AM SERIOUS ... AND DON'T CALL ME SHIRLEY

 

I played tennis this morning even though it was threatening rain and high winds were starting to blow.

After lunch I dozed off in front of the television watching news programmes and was woken by Rod arriving. I'm giving him our dining table and chairs for his son. He's going to help me with taking rubbish to the tip and no doubt a lot of things that I'll be throwing out he will take for himself. Oh well, he has a double garage and a workshop so can smuggle things in without his wife seeing.

I need to get some packing done this afternoon. While, if the house sale goes through the settlement day is not until 13 November, I know that time will pass pretty quickly:

“Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable."

      T.S Eliot 

I think that I will pack away clothing today in suitcases and boxes and store ready for the moving company people later.

Are you sorry you asked now Richard?

HERE WE GO AGAIN

I received this email this morning from Apple tv+:

I fired back a response asking what justification there is for the whopping 20% increase but I'm not expecting an answer. I would cancel immediately but I've only subscribed to watch the new series of Slow Horses which begins tonight (series 5). I'll cancel after watching that.

Aunty Google AI Overview told me this:

Read into that that they can do whatever they bloody well like because they think that they have us by the balls. It's no coincidence that Apple is increasing the subscription right when the most popular series they have had - Slow Horses - has the new series starting. Bastards!

Slow Horses is a British spy television series based on the Slough House series of novels by Mick Herron. Herron's books are so popular that I've been in the on-line library queue for the books for several months and won't get to read them for another few months. The series is about an MI5 unit where disgraced or failed agents are consigned, under the supervision of Jackson Lamb played by Gary Oldham. The TV series, exclusive to Apple streaming is phenomenally popular and well recommended.

When we get settled in Wellington I'll review the streaming series we subscribe to and get rid of the greedier bastards.

AND SHE'S STILL DOING IT

Wow!

Jacinda Ardern still impresses me and it's a joy to see her 'perform'. 

I watched her being interviewed by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show and was proud to see such a great ambassador of our country being showcased. Her intelligence and humanity is so at odds with leaders like Donald Trump. In many ways she is our Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) of whom I spoke of in my previous post.

As a follow up to that post I've included the Jacinda Interview and, as I did when comparing AOC's speech to US Congress with the blithering rambling of Trump, included the embarrassing performance by John Key when he appeared on the David Letterman show some years ago.

Impressive.

Compare that with this idiot ...

Thanks Jacinda/

KEEPING IT IN BALANCE

 Yesterday I posted about Charlie Kirk and how the Right is using his murder as a means of taking more power and repressing more freedoms and dissent. They are even suggesting that the 'influencer' is a martyr and deserving of sainthood.

Give me a break.

Here Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) puts some reality into it in her Congress speech.

And yes, to balance it out here's an outtake from what the deranged yet manipulating Donald Trump said in his long, rambling and largely incoherent 'eulogy' at Kirk's funeral. 

You make your mind up about which version will stand the test of time.

TIME - AS IN TOO MUCH ON MY HANDS AT PRESENT

I had the prospective house buyers' building inspectors around this morning to do an appraisal as one of the conditions in the conditional sale. This is the one that concerns me the most, not because there are any major problems with our house but, being old there are lots of small things that can give buyers with cold feet a way out.

The other conditions I'm less concerned about are the geotechnical report, insurance assessment and finance confirmation which I'm expecting to be rubber-stamping more than anything.

The inspectors this morning gave away nothing but I know that, as they were thorough, they will make some negative comments about the plumbing, window frames, floorboards and guttering. I decided not to worry about this but instead to offer back some money for any repairs or alterations - hopefully not more than a few thousand. I don't expect anything major and structural but ...

Meanwhile The Old Girl and I have done what we said we would never do - look at prospective places to buy before we have the money in the bank. Here are three of them:

Frederick Street, a very large apartment on two levels with 2 garages and great views. We could afford this but the body corporate is a whopping $38k a year and, with over $8k rates on top of that the weekly outgoing would be over $800. Hey! We could rent something for that and keep the capital in the bank.

This Hill Street townhouse is very attractive but time has been against us. It was on a deadline sale that ended a few days ago. The real estate agent told me that it has a conditional offer on it but if that goes nowhere he will contact me. I don't have my hopes up but we would really like to buy this.

This Buller Street (just off Vivian Street) old villa is magnificent.  I think we could afford it but, like the Hill Street townhouse timing is against us. This is a sale by tender that ends on 6th October. Our house sale might go unconditional on 3 October. "Time is Tight" as Booker T and the MGs said.

Hey Ho.

IF THE RIGHT WING REPUBLICANS IN USA GET THEIR WAY ...

 ... the far right 'influencer' who was shot dead recently will be canonised and be the next and most likely leading American saint putting devout old Liz Seton out on her ear.

American religious idiots including a bloody Cardinal would you believe are getting hysterical about wanting to canonise Charlie Kirk and are rewriting his history already.

For those of you who've been living under a rock Charlie Kirk was a radical right wing activist who founded Turning Point USA, a political organization designed to rally young conservatives.

Here's a snapshot of some of the things that he was known for:

• He was critical of gay and transgender rights and the separation of church and state.
• He encouraged students and parents to report professors whom they suspected of embracing gender ideology.
• He founded TPUSA Faith to "unite the church around primary doctrine and to eliminate wokeism from the American pulpit.” 
• He was a strong supporter of gun rights.
• He believed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a destructive force in American politics, calling its passage a “mistake” that he said has been turned into “an anti-white weapon” and called Martin Luther King an awful person.
• He was repeatedly accused of antisemitism, including by fellow conservatives and was a proponent of “replacement theory,” positing that Jews are trying to replace white Americans with non white immigrants. That ideology motivated the gunman who killed 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018.
• Conversely he called Islam a danger to the United States, railing against what he saw as the religion’s “conquest values" that “seek to take over land and territory.”
• He was a self-declared supporter of free speech yet critics have argued that his promotion of free speech was tinged with hypocrisy, pointing to Turning Point USA’s “Professor Watchlist,” in which students were asked to list professors with leftist positions. and Turning Point USA was known for its free speech advocacy.
• He frequently dismissed concerns about climate change, saying  incorrectly that there was no scientific consensus on global warming.

It's no wonder that Trump identified with him, that the far right made him their hero and that he was planning to become a Catholic hence that canonisation endorsement from the right wing cardinal. Sheesh!

The big danger now that he's been murdered is that he hasn't been silenced - even worse he'll become a martyr to many and as mentioned the religious idiots will call him a saint. His legacy will be to further create division in USA and to foment fascist ideology worldwide.

Already Trump and the American Right are cracking down on the media and free speech and it's quite telling that Google and mainstream media and internet sites are deleting and burying any criticism of Kirk's grandstanding. As I said, they will be attempting to rewrite history.

I guess that Charlie Kirk would have a different idea on mass shootings and gun control now.

I wrote this earlier in the year which has relevance: HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

NERDY BOY

If New Zealand ever becomes crazy enough to impose ridiculous tariffs on other countries the way that the Orange Idiot has done in the USA (and I don't rule this out with Seymour and Peters leading Luxon by the nose) then we might have to start up computer production here.

Fortunately I'm experienced in the minutiae of computer and electronic assembly having spent an hour or so on it this morning.

I've been sorting out items to give away or take to the tip and our old Apple Mac desktop machine that won't start up has to go. The Old Girl was concerned that a recycler might access the stored files on it so I decided to remove the hard drive and the memory before taking it to the E-Waste section of the tip.

I removed the screen and the frame to access the innards.

I then removed the hard drive and disabled the memory.

Then I reassembled it ready for the E-Waste place.

Easy-peasy!

Admittedly there were a few bits and pieces left over...

... but the recyclers I guess are only interested in the precious metals installed. Too bad if they want to get the thing going again.

I wonder if I should send my CV in to Apple just in case?

HEY HO!

I've been busy around the house today (with my clothes on - take note Richard) doing a bit of a check on things in advance of the building inspector coming on Monday morning.

Murphy's Law of course dictates that anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

The first thing I noticed was that the HRV control panel had a flashing warning that one of the filters in the two units in the attic area needed changing. I swear that I hadn't seen this before and it has just happened. I contacted HRV maintenance people and have scheduled for then to visit.

After doing some tidying up around the outside of the house - stacking away bricks, cleaning guttering, wiping window ledges and cleaning a couple of windows I decided to look at the basin tap in the spare bathroom. The Old Girl who uses this bathroom primarily and not the main one which I use as she says "you treat it as if you were living in a student flat Matey!" alerted me to the leak before she went back to Wellington a few days ago.

Student flat bathroom. I think that she was over-exaggerating.

The leak was very minor but as I didn't want any issues with the building inspection I got out the tool kit and decided to fix it. Just in case though I looked up Youtube and found an instruction video of how to fix a leaking bathroom tap mixer. Armed with this knowledge I pulled the tap system apart which was really quite finicky. After removing the mixing tap and the casing to expose and to remove the mixing cartridge I discovered that I didn't have the right tool to unscrew the large flange and thus couldn't remove the cartridge which I'd planned to take with me to Placemakers and hopefully get a suitable replacement. The tools I had (grips) weren't making much impression on the flange and I was worried about stripping the thread or worse. Meanwhile, on removing the tap and the cover a tiny screw, locking nut and tiny plastic hinge went flying. Luckily they did not go down the plughole which I'd forgotten to plug. "Thank Robert's god for that I thought" and then, looking around at the strewn tools and the bits and pieces of tap lying around I thought how even luckier it was that The Old Girl had gone back to Wellington.

I then made the sensible decision to reassemble the tap mechanism and leave it. If the building inspector is to comment on it I'll say that I have a plumber booked in to replace it. This was easier said than done as the little pieces that fell out - I didn't know the exact positioning to put them back in. The online video was very unhelpful on this score. After much trial and error, mostly error, I managed to get everything sorted and reassembled. I cleaned everything up and then went down the drive to turn the water back on. Whenever I do this I half expect to see fountains of water inside the house but fortunately the tap was holding. I experimented with it on hot and cold and noticed, after turning it off again that the slight leakage had become even slighter. I decided to leave it and made a mental note to not touch the damned thing or even go near it until after the inspection is done.

Sheesh!

I'm now not going to fiddle about with anything else before Monday and, if after that Murphy comes visiting again I'll take The Old Girl's advice and "get a man in".

HERE'S HOPING ...

Today I was a bit trepidatious (sorry Robert) re a visit from the prospective buyers of our house.

The sale and purchase agreement has been signed with a two week period during which conditions have to be met:

• Builder's report
• Geotech report
• Insurance confirmation
• Finance agreement

The builder's and geotech reports are necessary to assuage the fears that the insurers have about coastal properties and the insurer's confirmation is necessary for their bank to agree to whatever loan arrangement they are asking for.

Sheesh! It's like one of Robert's babble stories.

The buyers are well off though. They own a farm which they are going to sell but also have pretty high paying jobs (barrister and energy consultant) so finance isn't an issue. The inspectors' reports are the critical ones. Here's hoping ...

As I said, I wasn't sure what they wanted to see on their visit and discuss but my trepidation (sorry Robert) wasn't called for. They brought with them a chilled bottle of a very good NZ Methode Champenoise which we shared while chatting. Apart from wandering through the house to look at artwork we stayed in the kitchen. I hadn't needed to tidy up the attic, the basement and the shed after all (which I did this morning instead of writing interesting posts to keep Richard happy). They are very nice (like me) so, as I said "Here's hoping ..."

They said that they were very flexible on settlement but I opted to go for the 6 week after unconditional option which takes it to mid November. This still gives me some breathing time to get all the packing and clearance done, organising removal people, arranging storage at the other end and to say some 'goodbyes' to people I know up here.

It also means that I might be able to gatecrash one of Richard's Christmas season luncheons whatever theme he's going for this year. Roasted guinea-pig anyone?

RAMBLE ON

 

OK, that was fun. No doubt YouTube will remove it soon.

It reminds me of this old idiot's rambling:

Which in turn reminds me of this:

That's it. Maybe a longer post later.

"YOU LAZY BINT" *

* I said to a young woman in the supermarket carpark today.

I arrived just before lunchtime and the undercover carpark was fairly chocka. After driving around once I spied a carpark a few spaces away from the trolley station.

I moved into the park but had to stop as there was a supermarket trolley taking up a third of it and I got out to move the trolley to the trolley station - where it belonged. 

As I was doing this two young women (I don't know how old they were as nowadays all women look like 'young women' to me) came along and plonked their trolley next to the one that was blocking my parking space which was ... only bloody less than 50 meters away! 

I said:

 "Hoy! why don't you put the trolley away properly?"

They just looked at me, said nothing (probably thinking, as they were born in Waiunuiomata, that there girls are smarter) and walked to their car.

It was then that I shouted out after them, in particular to the one who had been wheeling the trolley:

"you lazy bint!"

This nonplussed them as I doubt that they had heard that expression before or, rather, the word 'bint'. No doubt on their way home they talked about the silly old fart who was talking incomprehensibly.

'Bint' is a word that my dad used often, saying things like "that silly bint" or that old bint up the road". Obviously it was derogatory. He picked this up from his days as a soldier in WW2 in his time spent in Egypt.

It's amazing what memory does sometimes.

Anyway, I feel like I did my job.

 

"IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?"

This stupid government is talking about spending $50 million on attracting major music acts to Auckland. See:

$70 million dollar funding boost

Out of the $70 million investment $50 million will go to secure large-scale international events from 2026 and $10 million to support existing events and attract international opportunities. The rest goes to incentivise international visitors and more cycle trails.


All this just so that New Zealand can compete with Queensland to attract noisy rubbish like Taylor Swift concerts. WTF?

It will be a drop in the bucket with all profits going to the performers and the promoters and will do bugger all for tourism and any increase in consumer spending in Auckland and New Zealand.

That $50 to $70 million though would be a hell of a boost to the health, education and social welfare services that actually need it. What the hell are these twonks thinking?

Luxon has his head up his arse

OK HERE WE GO*

 * Yes, I know, that title should have been given to my post about Robert's religion that I titled:

'IT'S TIME TO PUT THIS SILLY SHIT TO BED'.

Never mind eh. I certainly hope that Robert doesn't mind and I guess that being a Christian and, even worse, a Catholic, he's quite used to people poking fun at his 'beliefs'.

Moving on.

I guess the readers (many of them I'm sure and there are at least three that I know about) want to know what I've been up to today apart from mocking the Catholic Church's latest silliness about Nain*. Is that where the word 'naivety' comes from? If so it makes sense. Anyway ...

... today I played tennis in the morning which I had to cut short as I had to get back home to take The Old Girl to the airport for her return trip to Wellington. As I arrived home she called me to join her in a phone call from our real estate agent who had news that the people who viewed our house a couple of weeks ago were planning to make an offer but wanted another viewing on Friday of this week. Their proposed offer is attractive so we agreed to this and I cancelled my (almost) planned trip to Wellington next month. I have a couple of days to get the house 'view worthy' again aided by The Old Girl's list of my failings, transgressions, laziness, dirtiness and inattention to detail (it's a long list) and includes statements like "that toilet is disgusting Matey". Well, at least it's good to have instructions to follow.

I got The Old Girl safely to the airport and tha ... away back to Wellington and returned home to start on 'the list'.

Tonight I'm cooking a pepperoni pizza made with Hellers chicken pepperoni and accompanying that with a couple of glasses of wine:

Villa Maria Black Label Reserve Chardonnay 2022

Villa Maria Black Label Reserve Cabernet Merlot 2019

One glass of each .

Both of these wines are outstanding in quality and drinkability and I'm going to see if they are still available at the bargain prices I bought them at from on-line sellers.

 

 

* Nain was a small, inhabited village during the time of Jesus, a detail supported by archaeological findings. The village is situated in Lower Galilee, an area known for its historical significance and connection to key biblical sites. It is strategically located between Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee, and its proximity to Mount Tabor and the Jezreel Valley provides a distinct geographical backdrop. 

The site of the miracle is believed to be near the gate of the ancient town, which is now associated with the modern village of Nein in Israel. Scholars from Whangarei however suggest that the village was actually named Naive.

IT'S TIME TO PUT THIS SILLY SHIT TO BED

We're not talking about Richard here - he manages to take himself off to bed every night at 7.30 - no, we're talking about the escalating silly shit coming from Robert's blog.

This morning Robert posted some more regurgitation from the Catholic Church:

In today's Gospel at Holy Mass Jesus raises a young man from the dead because his mother has no one else to look after her.

'When he was near the gate of the town (Nain) it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow."

Jesus says ""Young man I tell you to get up" and the dead man sat up and began to talk...everyone was filled with awe and praised

Nain is a real town. It's now called Nein. (Maybe everybody kept misspelling the name like Feilding). I bet if you go to Nein there wont be a sign beside the road saying "Nobody was raised from the dead here. Nope, didn't happen here". Indeed, you can probably buy little figurines of a man sitting up in a coffin. Luke says there were a considerable number of people with her (the mother).

So really there is no reason to disbelieve this account. You are forced to either believe Jesus is God and give him the respect and honour he deserves, or choose to walk apart from God. You can not just say 'it was made up'. That would indicate you are mentally unstable.

We get this shit a lot on Robert's blog but as I said the nonsense is escalating and the conclusions becoming even more illogical.

Firstly, if there had been someone going about  Palestine over 2000 years ago who had the power to raise people from the dead then the military-industrial complexes of Judea and Rome would have co opted him to help out in their war efforts. There's no way that such a skill would go unnoticed or not capitalised on.

Secondly, if there was a god who created all things and a god's son who carried out this god's wishes why bother with all this resurrection palaver? It would be simpler for the chosen people not to die in the first place.

Thirdly, and the one that I take most objection to is the illogical conclusion that the story is true because the geographical location is correct. That would be like saying "all people who live in Wainuiomata are good golf players". Add to this the bullying statements "You are forced to either believe Jesus is God and give him the respect and honour he deserves, or choose to walk apart from God. You can not just say 'it was made up'. That would indicate you are mentally unstable" and you have Christianity via Catholicism in a nutshell (and 'nut' is appropriate).

Sheesh!

MOON DAY*

 

* The names of the day of the week were coined in the Roman era, in Greek and Latin, in the case of Monday as ἡμέρᾱ Σελήνης, diēs Lūnae "day of the Moon"

It's been a bit of a grey day here.

We went into town and gave blood (but not our bodies as it wasn't Communion) and are just generally lounging around.

My playmate goes back to Wellington tomorrow so I'll have the house - and the study - to myself again. I'll make some flight bookings for a visit for a couple of weeks in October.

I wonder what those old boogers bloggers will be up to? Hopefully I  can pay them a visit.

I note that Robert is keeping fit with lifting weights:

That's impressive. It just goes to show how healthy eating, church attendance and keeping away from sin can give the body tone.

Talking of tone, Richard seems to get his exercise wrestling with big things like this:

I guess that experience he had in the 1970s has come in useful.

The Old Girl's using the exercise machines at present. I'll wait until she's finished and then go and do some rowing, cycling and stepping. I hope that we can get a place in Wellington to accommodate these when we finally buy a place there.

SAD BAG

 

Yes it's a sad bag alright but not as sad as this one: RICHARD'S (SHAKY) BASS BAG

"Sorry about the quality of this selfie - I'm a bit shaky"

Being short of ideas for a post he decided to 'bag' your favourite and mine - The Curmudgeon's latest post!

"Here's the price you pay for one mistake
So get off the streets it's Shakey Jake".

 

Those poor old bloggers are just lucky that I'm here to help them to lift their game.

If you're wondering about the whereabouts of the other old blogger Robert, well, he's on holiday. See here:

Shaky and not stirred

Those guys know how to have fun alright.

THINGS THAT PISS ME OFF* NUMBER ONE

 * Yes, I know, this might be quite a long series. 

The trouble is though, that I forget what things piss me off. I mean, there are a  lot of them and when one comes around again or a new one arises I think "I should write a blog about that" but because I don't carry a little notebook around to jot things into like that old and pedantic ex-schoolteacher who lives down in Wainowwherearemymyslippers, the blog-post thought disappears.

Anyway, 'THINGS THAT PISS ME OFF'. I'm in the study at present (The Old Girl is still in bed) so can access things on the 'big' computer. I was strolling through Youtube music clips and once again came across one of these stupid fucking American ones where some twonks 'discover' and listens to a piece of music for the first time and just has to share their fatuous impressions of it. Sheesh!

Look at these idiots:

Talk about oversharing. It's like Richard describing his toilet habits or Robert his romantic liaisons.

HALF BLUE

Those other bloggers professed that they were half Irish yesterday. They didn't say which half so I'll leave that up to your own imagination. Now they are saying that they are half blue.

To explain: Richard is performing music he refers to as 'almost blues' whatever that means.

I once had an Elvis Costello album titled Almost Blue and which had the title track on it:

This Chet Baker version (click "watch on Youtube") is beautiful and matches the wintry day we are having up here. It's soulful and nostalgic.

Maybe Richard was thinking of that and it's a wintry day in Wellington.

Robert said that he's off to Taupo today to sit by the lake which he romantically describes as a giant caldera that's due to explode once more. Maybe, if he doesn't dress according to the likely very cold weather there, he'll be almost blue as well.

That would go well with the half Irish thing as the Irish and the Scottish are fair skinned people living in a very cold climate and have to sunbathe just to turn white. Here's what Billy Connolly said about it:

"SO I HEAR THAT YOU'RE HALF IRISH NOW LADS"

 

Robert and Richard seem to have discovered that they're half Irish. Good for them. It explains a lot.

THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT

I gave my neighbour Rod a ride to tennis. He has a shangeye and doesn't drive while using it. When you're in a confined space with Rod, you have to talk to try and stop him talking. He doesn't listen though because Rod is only interested in shangeyes and what you can kill with them. "My grandson is a brilliant shot with his shangeye. Really accurate. He shot a bush rat yesterday that was in the garden. He thinks it was a bush rat but his neighbour is complaining that her cat is missing. Never mind. My grandson is a really good shot." While it's not worth responding to Rod you can make up answers in your head like "who gives a fuck about your grandson?" or "hey! Watch where you're firing that thing" or "what colour cat was it?". You know, stuff like that. It makes the drive to tennis more bearable.

As you know, last week I didn't drive Rod to tennis. If I had I would have mentioned it in my blog seeing as you readers find what I write to be so riveting. The people at tennis didn't know nor care whether I'd given Rod a ride to tennis but I think that they were secretly pleased because he rode his bike to tennis. When Rod rides his bike he can't fire off shots with his shangeye and so is safer to have around. Quite a few of them gave me a nod and a wink and I think that it was due to me not giving Rod a ride to tennis. Or, that's what I think it was about. I checked to see that my flies weren't open though just to be sure as a couple of the old dames at tennis are a bit frisky. They tell me that I play very well, almost as well as their nephews, cousins, children and grandchildren but I don't really believe them. I think that they are just sucking up so that I don't give Rod a ride in my car to tennis. They admire my tennis racket as well and say things like "Wow! That's a big one" or "you can serve me anytime you want you know". You know, stuff like that.

On the local Facebook pages (formerly known as Neighbourly) that I check for local news there's a tennis coach who advertises lessons. He posts videos of him playing and teaching kids to play. He says that you don't need to have your eyes open to play as by using Zen techniques a good player can just sense where the ball will be. He also advocates taking the strings out of your racket to make the stroke more fluid and unaffected by wind resistance.

Personally I think that he's full of shit (or marijuana) so will not be following his silly advice.

Quite a few people up here don't really like Facebook and Zen tennis teachers and their ilk because quite frankly they prefer to live in their own alternative life-styles living in the bushes. They listen to odd voices in their heads and some even profess to believing in some god who created the world. Many of them also believe that Donald Trump is a saintly person and deserves to go to heaven so there you go. I don't have much truck with them because they are even worse than Rod and don't just have shangeyes - they have guns and like to call the shots. They are not unlike those rednecks and anti-establishment people in and around Otorohanga and Waitomo in that regard.

So, what if people don't like my particular style of tennis playing, the one where I basically hold my position and use cunning spin shots to devastating effect without the use of Zen, god or any religion? "Tough cookies!" I say.

FOR ROBERT

This will make Robert's day. A US politician who he admires for his anti-abortion (and probably anti-women) beliefs has told the world of his greatest wish:

He can join all the other crooks liars and charlatans who have disguised their transgressions with religious puffery - assuming (and I don't) that there is such a thing as a god, heaven, angels and virgin mothers.

Trump, should he get to heaven would no doubt want to rearrange things and redecorate because he believes that he's a great builder:

Just think how Robert's heaven would look once 'the Master Builder gets his tacky little paws on it:

"You can't have too much gold"

**BREAKING NEWS**

Wainuiomata might be without a bugler at the Remembrance ceremonies this November:

Yes, you heard it here (since no one reads Richard's blog posts) - Richard is spitting the dummy rather than spitting in his green trumpet and may not turn up on the day.

I guess that the 'Nui' organisers will have to make other arrangements.

MISSED IT*

* No doubt the 'wit' from Wainuiomata would have written that as 'Miss Tit'.

Oh well, he's getting there - halfway now.

The moon eclipse was yesterday and I missed it as I was unaware of the event. It's a pity as I was awake watching world cup rugby highlights on my iPad but hadn't yet opened the bedroom curtains.

Someone else from McLeod Bay where I live was up and about though and took and posted this photo on Facebook:

The next blood moon, visible from New Zealand, will be late in the evening on March 3, 2026. I guess I'll be in Wellington to see that. Maybe Richard will have fully qualified as a wit by then.

BENEDICT ARNOLD ...

 ... sorry, I meant Stuart Nash...

... not this guy:

Benedict Arnold was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defecting to the British in 1780. General George Washington had given him his fullest trust and had placed him in command of West Point in New York. Arnold was planning to surrender the fort to British forces, but the plot was discovered in September 1780, whereupon he fled to the British lines. In the later part of the war, Arnold was commissioned as a brigadier general in the British Army and placed in command of the American Legion. He led British forces in battle against the army which he had once commanded, and his name became synonymous with treason and betrayal in the United States.

Stuart Nash is a New Zealand politician (great-grandson of Sir Walter Nash, 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960). He was a member of the House of Representatives for Labour from 2008 to 2011, and was re-elected in the 2014 election. In October 2017 Nash entered the Labour Cabinet with portfolios of Police, Revenue, Small Business and Fisheries. In the second term of government Nash was handed the Economic Development, Tourism, Forestry, and Small Business portfolios. In 2023 he was sacked from Cabinet for breaching confidentiality by emailing donors about policy discussions and Nash confirmed that he would not be contesting the 2023 election. Nash has now declared his allegiance to NZ First, telling the party’s members Labour has “abandoned” working people. On Saturday he was a guest speaker at NZ First’s annual convention, rejecting the Labour party and declaring his support for Peters’ economic nationalist party, which is in coalition Government with the National Party.

Yes, I can see why I confused these two people.