All Blacks dirt trackers to be let loose against the ' Barbarians' on Saturday

All Blacks's "dirt trackers" to be let loose on Saturday...


No lack of motivation for the All Blacks for their season finale against the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday

The All Blacks' "dirt trackers" are poised to be let loose on the Barbarians in their season finale at Twickenham on Sunday, with the team predicted to mirror the one that beat Italy in Milan.

Halfback Brendon Leonard says motivation will not be an issue for him, despite the end of the season being a mere six days away. He says the lure of the black jersey remains just as strong, irrespective of the time of year. Leonard is set to come up against arguably the world's best number nine in South Africa's Fourie du Preez, who is one of nine Springboks in the Barbarians 22 man squad.

Prop Wyatt Crockett is eyeing some on-field redemption on Sunday after being at the centre of the scrum fiasco in Milan, which led Paddy O'Brien to slam the referee and the Italian front row.

"It was a huge learning experience and if selected I'm looking forward to getting out there, putting those things I've learnt into action and combating any of that sort of scrummaging"

Crockett says this weekend is a chance for the players chosen to do their talking on the field.

It has been a fairly slow start to the week with the team holding its Monday recovery session at Hyde Park, which is currently the site of a carnival-like ?Winter Wonderland? including an ice skating rink. There has been no word at this stage on whether any of the All Blacks were game enough or permitted to slap on the skates.

Tony Woodcock?s eye gouging allegations appear consigned to history with the 48 hour period for any citing now passed.

These players are the second string development players within this year's All Black squad and should create some excitement in the AB's only non-test match on tour. There should be some great running rugby as displayed in the AB's demolition against France last Saturday.


Acknowledgements: NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Kiwi rocket launch delayed through technological problems...

Kiwi Rocket launch delayed...

Technological problems have caused a delay to the launch of the Kiwi rocket from Great Mercury Island off Coromandel Peninsula near Auckland.

Aerospace company Rocket Lab was due to send Atea-1 into space from Great Mercury Island just after 7am but a technological problem has been detected and the launch may be delayed for up to three hours.

Acknowledgements; NZCity, NewsTalkZB

Awful Aussie evades kiwi biosecurity in Queenstown...

Awful Aussie evades Kiwi biosecurity in Queenstown...

An awful and unwanted Aussie evaded Kiwi biosecurity at Queenstown Airport in Otago recently.

A poisonous cane toad had stowed away in a pair of woman's tramping boots. While she was in the Ultimate Hikes shop in Queenstown the cane toad hopped out of her bag.

Shop staff grabbed it, and then phoned Agriculture and Forestry Ministry officials who confirmed the identity of the Aussie.

The cane toad was stowed away in a freezer to die.

Native American and Red Indian humor...

Native American and Red Indian Humor ...

This joke emanated from before the climate of political correctness, and at least one reader at another site found it offensive. I accept his his criticisms, but as I told him we cannot change history.



Keeping to my desired intention to add a little humor once more and deciding to kick political correctness all the way to the toilet of your American White House, not the old white house around the corner down by the park with all those overgrown trees and bushes - lets have another joke dear friends!

There were three Indian squaws, probably related to the chief in last weeks story. One slept on a deerskin, one slept on an elk skin and the third slept on a hippopotamus skin. All became pregnant and the first two had a baby boy. The one who slept on the hippopotamus skin had twin boys.

This goes to prove that sons of the squaw on the hippopotamus are equal to the sons of the squaws on the other two hides.

As the chief said in my story of last week,the thong has long ended but the malady is still lingering on.

But later the chief rushed into the tent of the medicine man and shouted, "I'm shrinking!" The medicine man replied calmly, Now settle down. You'll just have to be a little patient."

In the morning the chief, the medicine man, the squaws and their sons all rode off to the Little Big Horn!



Native American comment:

User Comments
I find the use of the word "squaw" offensive and disturbing.

A thought for the day...

A thought for the day...

Copied this from the noticeboard at the Hutt Hospital MH Unit::

The past is history,

The future is a mystery,

Today is a gift,

That why they call it the present.

And somebody wrote on the bottom: Just Like Christmas?

Good morning Hutts Blogesphere...

Good morning Hutts Blogesphere...

I recently posted this on the new site, "SideTick" and had to re-circulate it to here:

Do you know I almost wrote, "Good morning Vietnam" here. Wonder why I wrote that? I remember the film well with Robin Williams acting the role of DJ on the forces radio in Vietnam. Good morning, Vietnam!

I had a brother and a brother -in-law in the conflict - the are both dead now. They were both still young when they died of heart failure - thats when your heart stops, you know? Funny that!

My bro was a military policeman and died of a massive heart attack at the age of 33 years. He died in camp at Burnham, just outside Christchurch, NZ. He had problems getting over what he experienced in Vietnam. He spent a lot of time in the city (Saigon) and out on patrol outside the city. Do you know the Vietcong never attacked his jeep because he was a Kiwi. Yes, thats true, they had a lot of respect for our troops and country. Thats not to say they wouldn' try to kill them in battle, though!

My bro in law came back to NZ after service as a rifleman. Some years later he developed nerve problems, had to have many operations, deterioated physically, wasted away and died. He was a big strapping young man when he went to Vietnam. Heard of Agent Orange? I have, but he didn't. But by Jesus I know what killed him!

Why do I write of Vietnam? I just thought about it, probably have Afghanistan on my mind, thinking just how dangerous this could be for our Kiwi troops, even if they are special forces, but we do have engineers and medics there too. I think of the wasted lives in Iraq! So many American boys, and girls too these days, who won't be walking back home!

Oh well, old morbid me. See you all later!

Peter

For sale one brain and some blood...interested?

For sale one brain and some blood...interested?

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's blood and brain went on sale for $31276 on online auction website eBay before the company pulled the advertisement.

eBay explained the removal of the auction on the grounds that the company did not authorise the sale of human body-parts.

A tsunami could have been responsible for Britains worst natural disaster...

A tsunami could have been responsible for Britains greatest natural disaster...

A tsunami in the Bristol Channel off the English coast could have caused 2000 deaths in Britain's greatest natural disaster. For centuries it was thought the great flood of Jan 1607 was caused by high tides and floods. Tsunami is now the politically correct word for tidal waves.

It was estimated that 200sq miles(520 sq km) of land in south Wales and sw England were covered in water.

Now two climate experts have come forward and argued in favour of the tsunami theory.

It is not only the pacific and asia where tsunamis are present.


Read story here

Boeing and Air NZ to airtest biofuel next month...

Boeing to test biofuel on Air New Zealand flightAviation company to test biofuel next month using oil from jatropha trees...

Boeing and Air New Zealand will fly a jumbo jet powered partly by biofuel next month, the two companies announced today.

An Air New Zealand jet will leave Auckland on December 3 with a 50-50 mix of jet fuel and oil from jatropha trees, in one of its four engines on a flight designed to show that jatropha biofuel is suitable for use in aviation as well as economical to produce .

"This flight strongly supports our efforts to be the world's most environmentally responsible airline," said Rob Fyfe, chief executive of Air New Zealand. "Introducing a new generation of sustainable fuels is the next logical step in our efforts to further save fuel and reduce aircraft emissions."

The jatropha nuts, which contain 40% oil, were harvested from trees in Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania.

Friends of the Earth's biofuels campaigner, Kenneth Richter, welcomed the move to get the aviation industry to reduce the environmental footprint of its planes, but he raised concerns about the impact of biofuels. "Even jatropha is being linked to food price rises and habitat destruction. Current rates of growth in air travel mean it is not enough to switch to biofuels."

Robin Oakley, head of Greenpeace UK's climate change campaign, said: "We need a dose of realism here, because this test flight does not mean an end to the use of kerosene in jet engines. The amount of jatropha that would be needed to power the world's entire aviation sector cannot be produced in anything like a sustainable way, and even if large volumes could be grown, planes are an incredibly wasteful way of using it."

Boeing said their trees were grown on marginal land not required for food in India and south-east Africa.

Billy Glover, Boeing's managing director of environmental strategy, said that to prepare for the test flight, his team had tried to source biofuel reliably and economically for commercial aviation.

"The processing technology exists today, and based on results we've seen, it's highly encouraging that this fuel not only met but exceeded three key criteria for the next generation of jet fuel: higher than expected jet fuel yields, very low freeze point and good energy density. That tells us we're on the right path to certification and commercial availability."

Air travel contributes up to 5.5% of UK carbon dioxide emissions and the search for a greener alternative to kerosene jet fuel has been fraught with difficulty. Airlines cannot use standard biofuels such as ethanol because this would freeze at high altitude. Testing for the Air New Zealand flight showed that the jatropha-based biofuel was more suitable for flying since it froze at -47C and burned at 38C.

Chris Lewis, a fuels specialist at Rolls-Royce, which tested the jatropha biofuel, said: "The blended fuel meets the essential requirement of being a drop-in fuel, meaning its properties will be virtually indistinguishable from conventional fuel which is used in commercial aviation today."

Last month, Darrin Morgan, an environmental expert at Boeing, said biofuel-powered aircraft could be carrying millions of passengers around the world within three years, much sooner than most experts thought.

The Air New Zeland plane is not the first to use biofuels. In February, Virgin Atlantic successfuly tried a mixture of 80% jet fuel and 20% biofuel (made from coconut oil and babassu palm oil) in one engine of a Boeing 747 on a flight between London and Amsterdam.

Oakley said that technological advances in jet engines could only make a difference if there was a limit to the "massive expansion of the airline industry around the world."

"If Boeing were really serious about reducing their impact on the environment they would end their vocal support for a third runway at Heathrow and put some of their billions into high-speed rail technology instead," he said

If the Aussies don't want us the Yanks do...

If the Aussies don't want us the Yanks do...

In light of the call by an Australian Government member of parliament to restrict New Zealanders automatic entry to Australia, the United States has a pilot scheme to fastrack the entry of my fellow Kiwis to that country.

Kiwis can fill out a form for entry online on the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation. Previously travellers were required to fill out forms both electronically before leaving, and on a hard copy on arrival.

The pilot scheme will run for thirty days and cover travellers on Air New Zealand flight NZ6. If successful it could be expanded. Yankee Doodle Dandy

The Stranger - a story for you all...

The Stranger - a story for you all...



Knowledge and wisdom

Just picked up a little story this morning, which I would like to share with you all:

"The Stranger ".

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished.

He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?.... .. .

We just call him 'TV.'

(Note: This should be required reading for every household)

He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.'

Their first child is "Cell Phone".

Chinese history - background to Tibetan uprising...

Chinese history - background To Tibetan Uprising ...

In the early years of the twentieth century, China was largely a backward country. The economy was largely agrarian, but the political structure was imperialistic in nature. There was widespread internal disenchantment. Tribal leaders asserted some levels of control, and government began to loose control.

Frustrated by the Qing court’s resistance to reform, young officials, military officers and students began to advocate the overthrow of the Qing dynasty-( a succession of related rulers), and creation of a republic.

On October 10, 1911, there was a revolutionary military uprising which led to the abdication of the last Qing monarch. This uprising was being inspired by the revolutionary ideas of Sun Yat-sen, who is frequently being referred to as the father of the Chinese nation, as a result of being instrumental to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty in October 1911, the last imperial dynasty of China.

In the mid 1920s, some Chinese patriots began moves at changing the backward state of China. It was at this stage that Sun Yat-sen established a new revolutionary base in South China, and set out to unite the fragmented Chinese nation. With the Soviets assistance, Sun Yat-sen organized the Kuomintang (KMT) or “Chinese Nationalist People’s Party” along Leninist lines, and extends into an alliance with the fledgling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Kuomintang had three cardinal principles namely; democracy, social welfare and progress.
After Sun’s death in 1925, one of his Protégés, Chiang Kai-Shek seized control of the Kuomintang, and succeeded in bringing most of south and central China under his rule.

Under Shek’s leadership, irreconcilable differences grew within the Kuomintang. Many members of the party followed the communist ideology led by Mao Tse-Tung. Civil war ensued between Chiang’s Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Chairman Mao.

Read more
Acknowledgements: infonaturale

Weird one this - involves a baby doll...

Weird one this - involves a baby doll...

A woman who faked a pregnancy prompted a police enquiry when she feigned the baby's death.

Officers exhumed a casket from the Mangere Lawn Cemetery in south Auckland, this week and found a doll!

The woman confessed to staging the funeral to avoid telling her partner she wasn't pregnant.

The Internal Affairs department raised the alarm after getting a request for a birth and death certificate for the dead 'baby'. They went to the police because there was no police record or doctor's certificate.

Kiwi ombudsman investigates mental health patient's restraint in solitary confinement...

Kiwi Ombudsman investigates mental health patient's restraint in solitary confinement...

A mentally ill patient held in restraints and kept in solitary confinement for almost six years is one of several disturbing cases of possibly inhumane treatment the country's Ombudsmen have uncovered in New Zealand detention facilities.

The public watchdogs found the patient in virtually constant "seclusion" - solitary confinement in a bare room - at the mental health unit of a district health board.

Chief Ombudsman Beverley Wakem would not name the board last night, but said it claimed the detention and use of restraints was required because the patient was likely to attack other patients and staff.

But Ms Wakem said that after her office became involved, the patient was moved to a more suitable facility.

"Why nobody thought to look at that and make that assessment before we arrived on the scene is a cause for concern," she told the Herald.

The patient was one example of "potential cruel and inhumane treatment" the Ombudsmen identified during the investigation.

The investigation also found a young intellectually disabled patient being kept in unwarranted and lengthy "seclusion", and another mental health patient who had been kept without any consent for years

Two kiwi men ordered to pay$150,000 for sending spam emails...

Two Christchurch, NZ, men have been ordered to pay $150,000 between them after sending two million spam emails

Two Christchurch men must pay substantial fines after admitting being part of a major international spamming operation.

A High Court judge has ordered Shane Atkinson pay $100,000 and Ronald Smits $50,000.

The men were part of a Christchurch business which sent over two million unsolicited emails over four months in 2007, to New Zealand addresses marketing Herbal King branded pharmaceuticals manufactured in India.

Internal Affairs says the New Zealanders were part of the largest pharmaceutical spamming operation in the history of the internet.

Atkinson's brother Lance, who lives in Queensland, has also had to pay $100,000 and is facing court action in the United States.