Luke and I are in Stratford, with the rest of the family, where we spent a wonderful Christmas Day. Tomorrow we leave for Waiheke Island for a six day holiday. After that Luke and I will stay somewhere in Auckland for 2 nights before spending 5 days camping at a private beach near Opotiki, with […]

Personal, New Zealand | 1 Comment »

This painting is a gift for my parents, who spent some time in Tonga in the 1980s. FIrst panel: Pangaimotu Island (somewhat stylized), the a map of Tongatapu, part of a tapa cloth and some Tongan seashells. The photo of it is my gift to my readers - I hope you like it!
I was pretty […]

Personal, Art, Pacific | 2 Comments »

Misandry is perhaps a word you haven’t heard before. Here is a perfect example of misandry:

Yes. It’s a knife block, in the shape of a man. It’s called All Men Are Bastards. It’s not even a controversial art installation. It’s an Italian-designed knife block, a real product that you can […]

Misandry, Sexism, Art | 8 Comments »

France conducts unilateral air raids in Central Africa - not that I oppose this, but it France’s “principled” support for multilateral institutions seems rather hollow.
Britain has awarded the second Victoria Cross since the Falklands War, and the 13th since the end of WWII. The late Corporal Bryan Budd was recognised for valour in the face […]

Linkage, World | No Comments »

The petty fascism of elected officials in New Zealand knows no limits. Even worse, the majority of NZ voters show no understanding of the importance of individual choice. Forget “liberalism”. A typical attitude is that what you approve of should be made compulsory, and what you disapprove of should be banned. […]

Politics, Libertarianz, Labour, New Zealand | 7 Comments »

Sydney Morning Herald, “Be alarmed: Army’s lost weapons fiasco”

A STOLEN weapons scandal has embarrassed the Australian Defence Force, which is refusing to disclose whether rocket launchers obtained by criminals are from its stockpile - or even confirm that any are missing. . .
But a day after the Herald revealed NSW police were searching for eight […]

Black globalization, Terrorism, Pacific | No Comments »

Just a sidenote. Due to compulsory student unionism at Victoria University, I was forced to support terrorism. Let me explain:

All students have $99 taken from them in addition to their fees. This funds the Student Association, VUWSA for short;
This years President, Nick Kelly, was also the leader of the “Worker’s Party,” a […]

Wellington, New Zealand, Terrorism | No Comments »

NZ Herald, “NZ mammal fossil find could rewrite textbooks.”

Just three small bones, but what an amazing find. New Zealand, before humans arrived less than 1000 years ago, had no land mammals. Birds had adapted to fill every niche which otherwise would have been occupied by mammals: the giant moa which browsed in the […]

Science, New Zealand | No Comments »

Stuff: “Warriors threaten to kill Bainimarama.” You read it here first…
Fijian warriors have threatened to kill ruling military head Voreqe Bainimarama, and burn the homes of soldiers loyal to the self-appointed President.
Traditional warriors from the 14 provinces of Fiji said Commodore Bainimarama would face the wrath of his people if he did not […]

Failed states, Pacific, Non-state actors | 2 Comments »

Outsourced Surgery
When Americans lack health insurance and don’t qualify for Medicare, what can they do? They could get a loan … or they could become medical tourists.
Kathleen Schneiderwind was desperate to get rid of the lightning bolts of pain shooting through her spinal cord. But hip-resurfacing surgery would cost $30,000 in the United […]

Linkage, Science, Technology, World | 1 Comment »