Taonga

Julian and Jose Robertson, Americans from North Carolina, have bequeathed $115 million worth of art to the Auckland Art Gallery (including works by Cezanne, Picasso and Matisse). I would like to thank them. Sign in to see full entry.

To my regular readers I have to say - I’m sorry, Over two weeks without a word from me. It’s not that I haven’t been writing. It’s just that I’ve not been writing a blog. So here’s the story. On July 11 I and my push bike set off for Paris via Hong Kong. I will then take the bike from Paris to... Sign in to see full entry.

The trial of Taito Philip Fields has finally begun. The trial could only start if Fields ceased to be an MP (Member of Parliament - this has happened) or the Labour Party ceased to be the government (which has also happened). He has 12 charges of bribery and corruption as an MP to face along with a... Sign in to see full entry.

New Zealand seems to have an excess of screwballs visiting these shores. It all began with Seeka Lee Veevee Parsons, a 21 yr old visitor from Canada. She is an Inuit from Nunavut Territory. She was shocked to find Eskimo marshmellows on sale here and says they are an insult to her people. She... Sign in to see full entry.

From the USA, New York’s Leitner Centre has investigated domestic violence in New Zealand and has made a number of dumb suggestions. Please note: the suggestions are dumb regardless of who is making them and I would like to link them to suggestions that - (a) (from the Maori Party) that Maori should... Sign in to see full entry.

I come from a family noted for its individuals who display autistic behaviours. I have an interest in studies on this condition. I have nothing but contempt for studies, such as that published in the journal “Nuerotoxicity”, which claim autism is the result of environmental factors (my contempt is... Sign in to see full entry.

Charles Zentai lost his case against extradition from Perth, Australia to Hungary. He killed a Jewish teenager in 1944. His argument was that the murder wasn’t a war crime at that time. I suppose I should be grateful that he didn’t argue that the murder wasn’t a crime at the time he committed it. Sign in to see full entry.

Susan St John, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Auckland Business School wrote an opinion piece for the NZ Herald. She could have kept her opinions to herself. Background to the piece: John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, suggested at a meeting of a philanthropic group that... Sign in to see full entry.

On the same day that state funded French terrorist, Xavier Mariguet, died (not before time) the French government has announced they have set up a 10 million euro fund to compensate civil and military personnel suffering from radiation exposure from French nuclear testing in the Pacific. There is no... Sign in to see full entry.

Financial Systems workers in London are being encouraged to dress mufti during the G20 Summit meeting. This is because protesters are campaigning with a “Burn A Banker” slogan and have threatened to disrupt the financial district in London. I remember a quote: “First they came for the Jews and I did... Sign in to see full entry.