Testing Teeenager Times

Daughter is 17. And she's growing up into the world. So much that socialising is becoming more and more prevalent. Mostly we're ok with it, we think we have a handle on here friends and what they are like, know of their parents etc. Not smotheringly, but just in passing. "We know of"

So she comes home and gives us this tale. Her friend MS.X. has asked her if 3 of her friends, who are boys, are all 19 and working, and are from a different part of town, can crash at our place after the party as they can't get home. MS.X. says that here mother won't allow them to stay at her place.

So we said no. This didn't seem appropriate and that it was a bit odd that MS.X. would ask, and had asked because my daughter is a friend who would help.

Daughter is a bit miffed and feels like she's letting her friend down "she'll be so upset with me", to which we pointed out that if that was the case then MS.X. wasn't so much of a friend.

I think we've won this time but it is going to get harder to keep saying no. There is a line between prevention and obstruction.

 

It's Electioneering time.....

That time every 3 years in New Zealand when we get to cast our collective say on what bunch of hypocrites governs us for 3 years, which is more like 2 years when all is said and done.

NZ National Party , having acquired a set of books from the outgoing NZ Labour Party of 9 years they've managed to walk into a couple of unexpected items, such as the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and an Earthquake, and a bit of a boat wreck. They've dropped the tax rate for the higher income earners - much to the disgust of the socialist left and greens, and raised the GST rate, again much to the disgust of the Labour and Green party. That's about all they've done though it's not really been a time of forward thinking but one of introspection.

The Labour Party have campaigned hard on how badly the National Party are doing, that's their whole mantra. Look what National did isn't it bad. Dropping the tax rate - bad - because it's only "rich pricks" who benefit - bad bad bad, and raising GST, that's bad because it only punished the lower-income earners, double plus bad. The only policy shambles they've come up with is a Capital Gains Tax system, A tax on the rich, and at the end of a property bubble, which makes no sense. it might be an income generator in a few years, but it isn't a fix for anything.

The Green Party are content to bag everyone about everything and clearly only want to target "rich pricks" with various incremental taxes, you earn more you pay more - for a Christchurch recovery fund- that makes no sense at all- it isn't "fair" as they'd like you to belive, it's targeted at the rich - who allegedly can afford more, somehow.

I don't have any time for the Māori party - a separatist movement  - along with the Mana party, they're not really sure what they are for or against, as long as it bags whitey and "the crown"

Couple of other things come to mind, the Labour party want to have a raise in the minimum wage, and an even more complex comparative wage standard in certain industries - yet they don't want minimum standards of education for our children. That seems like madness.

So with only a few weeks ago it'll be sling some mud time, see what sticks, then credit the voters with enough sense to pick and choose.

RWC entertains me today - the entertainment.

[gallery order="DESC" orderby="rand"]

This is all a bit new, taking pictures of people, except for the statue. It's a bit like this blog, a good idea unless someone knows .

Calm and Centered

[gallery orderby="rand"]

A Commercial venture and the public purse. #4 Bridge sentries cost $80,000

Sentries guarding the Auckland Harbour Bridge on match days of the Rugby World Cup have cost taxpayers more than $80,000.

On watch on the bridge. Photo / Jason Dorday

They are there to foil any attempts at pranks, protests or even terrorism.

Transport Authority spokesman Tommy Parker described the bridge as an iconic structure and said the security was a precautionary measure to ensure no one tried to gain access.

Six security guards have complemented the closed-circuit television on the motorway network and have cost $81,000 for more than 300 hours on duty.

So that's $45 per hour per person for 300 hours to sit and do nothing "just in case". and it's cost the taxpayer $81,000 for the privilege.

This is just a vile use of mitigate and safety planning in a grand  cover-your-arse gesture for some jobsworth in an office. We didn't have this when we had the America's cup in town for instance, and that really was a global event.

And it's already illegal to climb the bridge without authorisation, no corporate in their right mind is going to buy into a guerilla marketing act unless they really do want two reactions (1) legal and (2) loss of market - who's going to think that Corporate X changing the flag for theirs is nothing but a cheap publicity stunt, and the fallout would be horrible for them, and expensive.

The farce that is our bending over and taking one for the #IRB and the #RWC will unfold over the next months, when some of the out-of-pocket expenses that we the country have had to find, without recompense and without any fear of breaking even become apparent. We all know we're in the hole for millions, but it's a lot more millions than they said it would be - wasn't it something like $32millions, give or take.

There is no way that there have been millions of tourista dollars into the economy, most of the attendance is local people using local money that they now won't spend on local things for local people, we've given it all the to the IRB in our wisdom.

At least we're left with not the white elephant Eden Park stadium that will be partially dismantled and under used for the next couple of decades.

via Bridge sentries cost $80,000 - National - NZ Herald News.