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Sunday, February 28, 2010
Has ACT really thrived?
They have certainly survived but as for thriving, this can really only be measured in poll results.
We won't really know if either Hide or Douglas are right until the next election.
And that election is going to be a tough one, especially as the voters are also going to be also considering the fate of the minor party lifeline - MMP.
The ACT brand is hog-tied to the Hide brand and whilst that has been their greatest strength it is also their greatest weakness.
No matter who is right, any party which continues with the wishy washy "Liberal" byline is a party that is still campaigning with a last century mindset.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sublimely Stupid Headline
Did they use forceps?
Friday, February 26, 2010
ACC and Competition
The only surprise is that this fortunate state of affairs has not been publicised widely.
Take this example of a thirty eight year old non smoking 50/50 share milker earning $200k per year. (Many earn more than this when one takes into account drawings plus loan principal repayment and family accommodation.)
He is a top class Maori farmer and his name is Kau Koki
Kau has negotiated an 'agreed value' position with ACC using their Cover Plus Extra facility whereby he has the maximum allowable benefit of $88,015 per annum paid out in the event of an accidental disablility claim. There is a one week stand down.
His ACC levy for this cover in the year ending March 31st 2011 will be $6,094.
Kau can negotiate with ACC to reduce his level of cover (and levies) to just $20,800 and go elsewhere (private insurers) to replace the balance of his cover.
In doing so he can obtain a longer stand down period which slashes his premium cost. It is far more efficient to fund short term claims himself than it is to pay huge premiums to ACC or an alternative insurer. So he takes a thirteen week stand down along with a $20k trauma benefit which pays out immediately upon diagnosis of forty or so major medical issues, thus mitigating some of the thirteen week risk. The rest he carries himself. Kau now is fully covered for illness related disability as well as accident.
How much does he pay?
- Insurer ...................$2,080
- Total ........................................$4,002
People need to take care to ask all the right questions. Adolf understands not all private insurers currently will enter into this arrangement. Some apparently have tricky policy wordings which mean they will only pay the difference between the maximum ACC 'entitlement' and the sum insured.
Adolf knows which insurers these are.
Al Gore attends Winter Olympics
Missing Me Yet?
Just when you think it can't get worse...........
ETS Public Meeting
John Boscawen, ACT's spokesman on Climate Change invites you to a Public Meeting to discuss the implications of the amended Emissions Trading Scheme.
New Zealanders will all be poorer. Power, petrol and food will all go up in price.
Come and find out;
• Why the ETS will see many low and middle income families struggle
• Why many freel the 'scientific consensus' is crumbling and dispute that the science is settled
• Why it will be more difficult for our export businesses and farmers to compete
• Why ACT's offer to support National in delaying Labour's ETS was ignored
Where: Godzone Church building,
82 Grey St, Gisborne
When: Tuesday 2 March, 7:30pm
For more information: email email@example.com or call 09 531 5531
Join John on Facebook to keep up to date with his campaigns!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Bold, decisive leadership
Now I'm just waiting for the decisive, bold and courageous action on:
- Flattening taxes
- Introducing a Taxpayer Rights Act
- Scrapping Working for Families
- Selling Kiwibank, Air New Zealand and Kiwirail
- Bringing back the Privy Council
- Allowing Maori their day in Court for the Foreshore and Seabed
- Scrapping interest free student loans
- Re-introducing the original section 59
- Scrapping the ETS
Heatley fired?
A Tale of Two Failures
Today features ABC News in the United States and TVNZ in (of course) New Zealand.
Could it be that they both have the same problem?
The company said, however, that lower prime-time ratings and advertising rates at the ABC Television Network offset results.
Too many people (like Adolf) turned off by their poor quality and slanted news presentation?
If people don't watch your evening news they generally don't watch much else at your place so it's damned hard to increase the price of your adverts as your ratings decline.
They join the ranks of the NYT in the race for the gurglar.
Amazing guy
"The son of one of Hamas's founding members was a spy in the service of Israel for more than a decade, helping prevent dozens of Islamist suicide bombers from finding their targets, it emerged today."
You can see video of his conversion to Christianity here. He was at one point president of the Hamas Youth movement. The turning point was seeing a phrase in the bible to "Love your enemy".
Needless to say he has a death sentence.
He is now living in California.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Close shaves
The first one I was cycling, alone, in the middle of the day, wearing a white top, straight along a road where cars were waiting to turn right from the opposite direction. The car immediately in front of me (remember this post where I said I can easily cruise along at 40 km/h with a small tailwind) was given way to, but the impatient asshole of a motorist waiting to turn right never saw me/looked for me/gave a shit about me and turned right in front of me. I had to swerve violently to the left, apply the brakes forcefully and got close enough to the car to feel the wind on my shorts. The driver just drove off laughing.
Idiot #2 was tonight at about 6pm in perfect daylight.
I was following the centreline around the bend, a car was waiting to turn left out of a Give Way sign and he just, well, never gave way. Fortunately I was close to the centreline so could swerve across it to the opposing side of the road, and fortunately again, there were no cars coming. Did he stop or offer an apology for nearly killing me? Not a chance.
So to the driver of white hatchback, registration DUN295, I hope you sleep well tonight knowing you almost killed me.
I apologise for not accepting that motorists, of which I am one too, have a mortgage over the road. I should be grateful they are letting me use it.
Sanity Prevails in Taranaki
Bit what about the evidence given by the little prick who had been terrorizing these people's livestock for a whole year? He told the court his car had been fired on and he produced the bullet holes and the remains of the bullets to prove it. (Conveniently omitted from this NZPA piece.)
Trouble is, the bullets didn't come from the accused's air rifle. Clearly, they were fired into the car by the little prick, after the event, to sex up the evidence. Pity he didn't check to find out if the accused owned a .22 rifle.
How could the cops be so dumb as to not properly investigate?
When will the little prick be charged, convicted and jailed for perjury?
Will He Cast His Net On The Other Side?
He has put himself off side with the military, the economy is refusing to recover fast enough and unemployment remains at unacceptable levels. He has demeaned Americans by kow-towing to a number of overseas leaders and insulting those who should be America's friends. He has nationalized the auto industry, placed the trade unions into a position of privilege and failed to take one step to honour his pre-election bally-hoo about 'cleaning up Washington.' The public is overwhelmingly against his proposed nationalization of the private health insurance industry with it's inherent increase in taxes, albeit disguised as something other than tax. Worst of all, his own party is deserting him in droves since the Massachusetts massacre.
No wonder Sarah Palin was able to deliver her priceless one liner:-
"And how's all that hopey-changey thing working out for you?"
Obama needs a game changer and Adolf thinks he can guess what it will be.
He will pull the ultimate surprise by supporting Israel in a series of raids on Iran's nuclear facilities. Such a move will see his poll ratings at home go sky high.
The signs are all there.
Imadinnerjacket has given Obama just the excuse he needs by rejecting his cloying attempts at appeasement. Now the news is out that Iran pretty much has it's nukes and the wherewithal to deliver them. Obama can blame it ALL on Iran and paint the mullahs as crass, obdurate, deceitful, dangerous and untrustworthy people. How dare they reject the friendly overtures of Obama, the Messiah, the world's Saviour.
Just a couple of days ago, Israel put on show for the world (Iran) to see, it's fleet of unmanned aircraft.
These are not just little old drones with a couple of .303 rifles attached. They are large aircraft able to fly at high altitude carrying substantial payloads (nukes) and most remarkably, able to remain aloft for 24 hours without refueling.
Suddenly the dynamics have changed. Israel can send these planes into Iran and allow them to crash or be shot down after they have hit their targets. No human crews to be captured and used as pawns.
My guess is Mr Netanyahu already is on the phone to Big Ears, telling him how Israel can save his presidency. Of course the deal will be that Israel will forgo use of nukes if the US will provide it with the (a) conventional bombs necessary to take out Iran's clandestine nukes and (b) diversionary military activity and radar jamming services.
Pretty simple really. Everybody wins.
Obama and the Democrats regain their standing in the opinion polls, Israel preserves itself for the foreseeable future and Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE heave a great sigh of relief as does the whole western world.
BTW, if you're wondering why there is no picture of Obama?
I can't stand the sight of the smarmy lying bastard.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Believe It Or Not
Boo Hoo
Advertisements with identical wording ran in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Spain. Similar campaigns also ran successfully in Croatia, Finland, Holland, Italy, America and across the Tasman in Australia.
Funny, ain't it? How those who would mock Christianity seek to do so only in countries whose very freedoms are based on the tenets of Christianity.
Skeletons in closet
A major row has broken out between Air New Zealand and the police after claims of drink-driving staff and a drinking culture...Six incidents in two years.
Internal police documents released to TV3 showed there were at least six incidents of drink-driving involving a total of four Air NZ staff between 2007 and last year.
What about the drink-driving culture of the police themselves?
Half of all police officers caught drink-driving in the past three years have beaten the charge, raising allegations of one law for police and another for the public.
Figures given to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act show that just five out of 16 officers on drink-driving charges have been convicted since the beginning of 2006. The 16 include the three whose cases are still before the courts.
Sixteen from the beginning of 2006 until October 2009.
Pro rata, pretty much the same as Air New Zealand.
'Old Labour' Never Learns
Forget it.
The clients are well protected already. All they have to do is move over to Vodafone or the other outfit.
Labour has absolutely no idea how to run a business but they want to meddle where the market is well able to sort out the sheep from the goats.
Telecom looks more like a goat every day. Thank God I haven't got shares in the wretched outfit.
Nothng Better To Do?
Straight from the Mike Williams school of investigative reporting, they found a $70 bill for a couple of pretty ordinary bottles of wine and a lousy hundred and fifty buck staff lunch.
It's time they were packed off back to the police rounds to relearn their trade.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Respect is a two way street.
I would be more than happy to see traffic split out from proper coppers. A great leap backwards? Or a way to restore public confidence and respect?
Yet another council junket
Manukau Mayor Len Brown has come under fire for spending thousands of dollars of ratepayer cash to take his wife on a sister-city trip to Japan.
Supermayor candidate Brown was also criticised for opting to fly premium economy on the junket while other members of the delegation flew economy.
Flights for the mayor and his wife Shan cost $7900, and a further $8700 was spent flying three council staff to Utsunomiya, 120km north of Tokyo.
Council chief executive Leigh Auton also brought his wife, Jenny, on the trip but paid for her costs personally.
Getting the ratepayer to pay for his wife was a bit off. If Rodney Hide ought to pay for his partner's travel out of a shared sympathy for taxpayers during a recession, so should any other politician. A sister city relationship is not enough of a diplomatic event for wives to get lovely air tickets to exotic climes. Len should write a cheque back to the people of Manukau for this.
Perhaps this poor judgment and unwise spending is why Len Brown has now dropped back into second place behind John Banks in the latest poll for the Auckland Mayoralty, as reported on Kiwiblog.
Monday moan
Then, after the freak occurrences, comes knee-jerk political responses. "We're gonna do something about it", they say.
Is it just me, or is it simply that weird shit happens occasionally and all we should do is shrug our shoulders and say "weird shit happens occasionally".
Or do we get our politicians to pass laws to stop it from happening again? I mean, assault on police is illegal now. Should it be made more illegal than what it is now?
So Good I Stole It.......
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Recent comments...
Click, Click, Click
There was a discernable noise. Click click click, as one foot shot forward and the other foot stayed back.
Torn hamstring. Agony. Right about where that line in the diagram is pointing.
That'll slow the silly old bugger down a bit. No more long walks, rowing machine or skating up and down an extension ladder for a while.
Simple reason why we have "unaffordable" housing
"Scandalous" red-tape charges are preventing much-needed affordable housing from being built around New Zealand, real estate experts say.This was me in August last year:
Figures released by one developer reveal almost 40 per cent of the $250,000 cost of building a pair of two-bedroom units in Auckland went on a staggering array of bureaucratic fees, consents and permits.
The anonymous developer, who builds in Auckland suburbs with housing shortages, said the fees were blocking new low-cost housing projects.
Of the $93,750 in fees he was charged, $46,000 went to the Auckland City Council as a financial contribution. The resource consent cost $23,000 and an ACC consent, $8500. Water connection was $8300 and an electricity connection fee $5500. Other fees were paid for a right of way consent charge and vehicle crossing permit.
"This is why affordable medium density housing is a myth in Auckland city," the developer said. "It really is a ... scandal."
In one of the most disgraceful and unaffordable policies ever inflicted on ratepayers, the North Shore City Council has increased their development contributions by 150%.
Mr Blincoe expected a $13,000 development contribution bill from North Shore City Council when he built on a Torbay property.
He got a nasty shock when that figure leapt to $32,500 after his house plans were lodged late last month.
The charges have been steadily increasing as the policy has been changed to more accurately reflect the cost of growth, he says.
For example earlier wastewater charges of $800-$900 are now about $14,000, says Mr Cleaver.
Nothing else needs saying. Except this from said Granny article.
But Local Government New Zealand environment and regulation manager Irene Clark defended the charges, saying that they were an "actual and reasonable" cost.
She said they went towards processing applications, inspections and administration costs.
The cost of processing, inspections and administration is the wages paid to council staff to, um, er, process, inspect and administer. Wages are paid through rates.
As an aside, I read the other day that North Shore City Council has removed user pays on Takapuna business parking. The impact on rates was .3%. That's quite significant. Somehow if someone from Manurewa wants to come to Takapuna to shop I, as a North Shore ratepayer, have to pay his parking.
Roll on November.
Predictions and other stuff
What the fuck are you doing having a holiday when your utterly shite UN dept is trying to cope with the biggest catastrophe it has ever faced?
How can you keep a straight face accepting an honorary doctorate in LAW when you had little regard for it when you were breaking it?
The headlines in both papers over the last day or so are proof that Cam Slaters crusade against name suppression is working. What other conclusion can you reach when they are both breathlesly trumpeting the name of the poor stupid soul who murdered a young girl in Kerikeri in 2008.
I am supporting his campaign but felt no need to name the young man in question because he has been held since arrest and posed no threat to anybody. But when doctors and prison managers and scum accused of murder and shite comedians are out and about in society hiding behind name suppression I am disgusted with our judicial system.
Rant over.
Tinted Glasses
How much nicer might have been:
After Power's announcement, I think now MMP in some form will survive.
Adolf agrees with the thrust of his analysis however.
I can't help laughing though, at the deeply ingrained hatred of the right which seeps through in everything this redder than red unionist says. McCarten seems surprised that a National politician can act evenhandedly. He's been around the Left too long. Have a look at this:
"However, Power has gone out of his way to consult all the Parliamentary parties and, amazingly, did not include many things Labour and the Greens objected to, even though he had the votes to get his way."and this:
".........rammed through Parliament the present laws to advantage itself.McCarten has not yet realised that Labour was tossed out because they were and are a gang of corrupt self centred crooks, masquerading as a political party. By contrast, NACTationalMP are governing for the good of the nation. Simon Power's actions here are a prime example.
To his credit, Power did not use the same tactic."
Then he just can't bring himself to face the current reality, so indulges in some IPCC like juxtaposition of truth with hope.
"After the next election it is likely the only third parties left will be the Greens, the Maori Party and possibly Act."He got the words right but the positioning wrong. After the next election it is likely the only third parties left will be Act, the Maori Party and possibly the Greens.
Like most commentators, McCarten has never truly understood MMP. (Mind you, neither has Adolf.)
"MMP can actually be fixed easily. Possibly maintain 120 MPs but increase the number of electorate seats, which consequently reduces the number of list MPs."He should consult HomePaddock who could have told him that the number of electorate MPs has increased considerably and continues to increase as the population grows - with consequent reduction in the number and ratio of list MPs. No changes are needed.
"Don't allow list MPs to contest by-elections."How silly! McCarten wants to restrict democracy and disenfranchise those who would seek a mandate from the voters rather than the party? That sounds like something from Brezhnev's politburo.
"It's hard to get around party list rankings but we could allow voters to rearrange a party's list. If the parties had to let all their members vote to rank their list, as the Green Party does, it would make list MPs accountable to more than just a few party hacks in a back room."
Not surprisingly, McCarten considers political parties to be evil or he would not have made such a condescending and foolish suggestion. There is nothing bad about a party selecting a few of its best and brightest who might not possess the gift of the gab. (Steven Joyce is a stand out example, as was Dr Brash.) Look what a disaster McCarten's pet system has been for the Greens.
Friday, February 19, 2010
What a win!!
Cricket: NZ beats Bangladesh by 120 wickets
Friday funny
10 rules for men
1. It's important to have a woman who helps at home.
2. It's important to have a woman who cooks from time to time.
3. It's important to have a woman who keeps the house clean.
4. It's important to have a woman who has a job.
5. It's important to have a woman who likes you.
6. It's important to have a woman who can be your very best friend.
7. It's important to have a woman who can make you laugh.
8. It's important to have a woman who you can trust, who doesn't lie to you.
9. It's important to have a woman who is good in bed.
10. It's very, very important that these nine women do not know each other.
Tiger Woods
Helen Clark saving the world.
She stated that one of the main jobs of the UNDP was to raise people out of poverty.
She then admitted that they had had zero success in Africa but millions of people had been raised from poverty in China.
I guess all those hard working Chinese must be thankful that Helen is out there batting for them and the Africans will just have to wait for the next innings.
Another Disciple Martyred
Today another of the disciples threw in the towel.
His assertiveness sometimes led to accusations that he was overstepping the bounds of a neutral U.N. facilitator.Poor Berend must cringe every time this head tilting cretin opens his mouth. (Why are greenies all head tilters?)
"They are absolutely right. I did that because I felt the process needed that extra push," he told the AP.
It remains for the loud mouth of the group Pachauri to be brought before the courts for his many verbal assaults on the ears of the sane and for the self anointed messiah Gore to be stripped of his criminally acquired wealth and prestige.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tortoise and the Hare
David, and most of the commenters on the post, agree with an incremental approach to turning this country around. That's because there is risk of electoral defeat if "bold" changes are pushed through too quickly, and a follow up risk of the reforms being overturned very quickly.
Questions arise.
How many of the following major reforms, during the "Klarkistan" era, were implemended incrementally? And, how many have been overturned?
I believe the answers are none and none.
- Raising top tax rate to 39%
- Working for Families
- Employment Relations Act (consequential repeal of Employment Contracts Act)
- Purchase of Kiwibank
- Purchase of Air New Zealand
- Reformation of District Health Boards
- Removal of Privy Council
- Decriminalising prostitution
- Civil Unions
- Foreshore and Seabed law
- Interest free student loans
- Kiwirail purchase
- Kiwisaver
- Repeal of section 59
- Emissions Trading Scheme
- Scrapping of air defence wing
- Electoral Finance Act
Helen Clark's haiti heartbreak.
Putting aside the fact that this woman tried to destroy democracy in this country, oversaw the end of Kiwi's being able to get help from the Privy Council and arguably broke quite a few laws in her shameless quest to hang onto power, this emperor troughpig is getting a nice gong and sash from Auckland university.... In..... Wait for it..... LAW. FFS.
The other gong is pretty much worthless to most of us as she will be alongside such luminaries as the fattest gay man to ever be an MP. A man who ate and drank and taxi'd his way around the globe for over 30 years on the taxpayers dime.
But.... Don't talk up all the suffering in Haiti when arguably as the head of the UNDP you might be feeling a bit embarassed at skiving off on a south pacific jolly when the agency you head is trying to help sort out the largest catastrophe in the UNDP's shamefull history.
Bring back Pat Jennings.
Pi**ed off.
Israel pisses on their Western backers (again)
Now they're at it again, this time pissing on the UK and other Western backers of Israel. Their response says it all:
...the Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, broke his government's
silence saying there was no proof that the Mossad was behind the killing.
In other words: "You got no proof it was me, assholes!"
The Brits are co-operating with the Dubai authorities to try and uncover that proof. Here's hoping they find it.
Getting rid of North Korea's dictator
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Manchester in a nut shell.
Not much more than a Beatles tribute band at their best. Stupid chav mancunian tosspots at their worst.
I defy anybody to disagree that manchester is populated by barely human Morlocks
Down The Gurglar......
Why? The bills proposed will be damaging to their businesses and to their nation.
It must be only a matter of time before New Zealand pulls back from implementation of its ETS.
Adolf's pick is that the gummint will wait until the last minute, allowing the head of steam to build further against the climate change conspiracy, before moving to repeal the obnoxious and damaging legislation. The trick is to do so in such a way that minimises a politically driven back lash against our exports to those countries where any old excuse is good enough for a phony trade barrier.
From the NZ Emmissions Unit Register:
31 May 2011
Deadline for meeting surrender
obligations either through the
surrender of units and/or paying
$25 for each unit that is required to
be surrendered.
The first money for carbon credits appear to be due on the table in May 2011 so it seems as though there is a bit of time up our sleeves.
Huljich funds and stock pumping
Adolf has drawn my attention to the Huljich fund. As of this morning I had never heard of it but he maintains they have done markedly better than their opposition in offering Kiwisaver returns. That would appear to be on the basis of misrepresentation. When they started their funds they pumped the returns so that their investment statements would be able to show an excellent return in comparison to other funds. Evidence this extract from the Huljich investment statement dated 9 September 2009. If you cant see the small print Huljich have super high returns whilst their competitors are in the red. If you believe that is real I have a bridge to sell you.
"Huljich has been a standout performer showing positive returns over the last year in all funds – conservative, balanced and growth – in a time when most of the market has been going backwards." "The secret to his success – including a 16.07 per cent return for the company's conservative fund – was an early move, 'a no-brainer', to cash and fixed interest as opposed to shares. As an active fund manager, Huljich says the company has more discretion than many about how it handles its funds' asset allocations.".
UK sink schools and National standards testing
She tested the 11-year-olds and found that the highest reading age was that of an average nine-year-old. Less than a fifth of them were leaving with five GCSEs at grades A-C."We worked our socks off," says Myers, who puts in a regular 16-hour day. Sure enough, now nearly 90 per cent of girls obtain five GCSEs at grades A-C, and Bishop Challoner is in the top 2 per cent of state secondaries even though more than half the pupils receive free school meals, 27 per cent have special needs, and they speak a total of 73 mother tongues
To those educationists who disapprove of testing, let Myers be a lesson to you, and to me, as I sit down in her new office (passing five girls waiting nervously outside the door). She gives all new pupils a cognitive ability test (CAT) and retests them every year. The CAT is also used to help in choosing subjects and careers. Each student is given an ambitious performance target.
Although this approach is now catching on, 18 years ago Myers was the pioneer. She can produce for me spreadsheets of each child's progress; if pupils fall behind, she and the teachers ask them why.
"We ask children, how do you like to learn? Aside from the core subjects, there is no reason why they can't like to learn and learn what they like."
Catherine Myers's formula for educating teenagers successfully:
1. Educate girls and boys separately. It's not just girls that do better in single-sex schools. "That's an assumption that is generally made, but if boys have teaching geared towards them, they will achieve."
2. Let them do it their own way, as long as they do it.Encourage pupils to analyse and develop their own style of learning (eg, last-minute, in groups). "Children should learn what they like and like what they learn," says Myers.
3. Don't see vocational subjects as second best — they are not. Think beyond the British school tradition, to the more vocational Scandinavian model. "As a mother I know that if you spend half your life making them do what they don't want to do, you only make your life difficult. Everyone should leave school qualified for something."
4. Set targets. Try not to compare your child to others — but set individual targets that will stretch his or her particular abilities. Respond quickly and collaboratively if the targets are not being met.
5. Get respect by giving it. "You have to like children and believe that they can achieve".
New Zealand gap versus Australian wages
Reading Gooners post about Aust NZ wage gap and the emigration trend referencing a table from an article by Brian Gaynor, I got to thinking about the relative growth in wages and what is required to catch up by 2025.
- Corporate tax down to Ireland levels (12%)
- Allowing 100% depreciation on capital investment in productive plant and equipment in first year
- Raise GST to 17-20% to fund the Corporate tax reduction
- Raise minimum wages over time to encourage business investment in training and equipment rather than lowest cost manufacture.
- Promote New Zealand based shared services
- Investing in education.
- Investing a portion of Cullen Fund and Kiwisaver in small New Zealand businesses needing capital to grow.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
School choice - success the only option
It's a great pleasure for me and my National, ACT and Maori Party colleagues to welcome you here today for the launch of 'Step Change: Success the Only Option' - the report of the Inter-Party Working Group for School Choice.
The greatest legacy that parents can leave their children is to prepare them to succeed in the world that they will inherit. This world is characterised by rapid, continuous change and increasing complexity and ambiguity. The successful citizen not only needs a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience but also well refined tools for continuous self-learning.
Indeed. The Inter-Party working Group is a cornerstone of the Coalition Agreement. It's mission was to:...
...report on policy options for funding and regulation of schools in order to increase parental choice and school autonomy. For the past year we have reviewed current practice in New Zealand, and best practice overseas. We complemented our research with visits to schools around the country.
Great. And what of the relationship between the Gnats/ACT & Maori Party?
I have thoroughly enjoyed the interesting, productive and rewarding experience of working across the three Parties. Each MP brought different priorities and concerns to the table. Despite these differences, we have worked effectively towards a common goal and arrived at a point of agreement that we believe will raise the level of student achievement at both ends of the spectrum.
What did Hekia Parata of National say?
We strongly commend this report and its recommendations to the Minister of Education.
And Te Ururoa Flavell?
The Maori Party is pleased to support this report along with National and ACT Parties.
The working group has devoted considerable time to fully debating the issues and has been aware just how significant the issue of school choice is.
The crisis in addressing Maori under-achievement in particular in general stream schools is an issue that the nation cannot walk away from. The "same old, same old", "been there done that" approach cannot continue. The report provides some levers for future work to address that crisis.
Our focus throughout this review has been to ensure that the disadvantaged are not used to advantage those already blessed with privilege.
Definitely. It's about incentives to get to the top, rather than dumbing down from the top.
Has the current system helped Maori?
And I want to make it quite clear that the urgent need to address the way in which institutions of the state have failed our Maori children is a challenge that all educational institutions must address.
We support teaching environments which promote a holistic view of education and where teacher expectations and pedagogies focus on fulfilling the potential of every child.
I can live with that.
We support ongoing performance improvement and the capacity for teachers to be self-reflective and self-analytical about the difference they are making.
Where we would be concerned is where competition drives the educational environment; where institutions minimise treaty obligations and neutralise the push towards cultural competency, and the best interests of each child and their community are sacrificed to cater to market demand.
Hmmm. Not sure about some of that, but the 80/20 principle applies.
Finally, the policy platform of choice must not enable schools any opportunity to continue to fail Maori students. Failure is not a viable option.Never. Ever.
So far, so good?
What does the Minister think of this great work?
Education Minister Anne Tolley took a cautious approach to the suggested policy.
Cautious over excellence, success and the end of failure in schools? How can anyone be cautious about those!!
I will be considering the report, and have asked the Ministry to provide advice on it," Mrs Tolley said.
In other words, "don't hold your breathe". I truly hope Anne Tolley takes her rose tinted glasses off.
The Unions hate it. Therefore by default this is a roaring success.
Primary education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa President Frances Nelson said the Government should ignore the ideologically-driven report which was a "convoluted mish-mash of ideas"."This would simply be a voucher system in disguise, driven by political ideology rather than what is best for children's learning," Ms Nelson
Yap Yap, Yappity Yap, Yap Yap
Adolf has spent a couple of hours wandering around a few websites to see what really has been going on with Kiwisaver. Who is ripping off clients and who is providing decent results?
Well, here's the go for a selected number of balanced funds. Morgan's fund is listed as GMK.
|Fund Manager
|Fund Size
|1 Yr to Jan 10
|since inception
|ASB Tracker
|Nat Bank
| n/a
It's quite easy to see Mr Morgan is catering for the dumbarse, whinging, green with envy, lower decile, gullible demographic whose inhabitants are quite happy to forgo profits just so long as they are paying low fees.
His website boasts some 45,000 members with an average account size of $6,500.
The poor bastards.
Update: Here's the flash graph from the yapper's website, showing the momentary flutter of profitability, a very long time ago - just six weeks out of 28 months.
Further Update: The link from Gomango's comment provides some perspective.
Some $60k cash was injected by the fund manager to enhance returns when the fund was small. The fund now stands at $16.7 mil and has delivered an annualised return of 12.3%.
12.3% of $16.7mil is a cool $2.05mil.
Fellers, you need to learn something about wood and trees.
All Class
Having delivered to his own Kiwisaver clients some of the most consistently poor returns since inception, now this disgraceful little big mouth uses a Herald opinion column to denigrate one of his most successful competitors.
Take these lapses with Huljich Wealth Management (New Zealand) Limited, a relatively new entrant to the financial service industry that has its heritage in a sausage and salami company. It got the former National Party leader Don Brash to chair it, and has Auckland Mayor John Banks as its other independent director.
There seems to be an awful sense of deja vu here - like former All Black Colin Meads with Provincial Finance or former TV presenter Richard Long with Hanover. Neither of those celebrity endorsements helped the public, in fact they were instruments of abuse of the public's trust. With Brash and Banks we're at a totally different level, yet the company they're part of is gaining a questionable track record.First we had Huljich paying salespeople to sell its KiwiSaver at street corners and door to door in South Auckland - totally against the rules.........
........Then Huljich's salespeople were found selling it to the mentally impaired in institutions.
Notice Morgan conveniently glosses over the fact that Meads and Long have no financial services or senior management experience. Accordingly, his comparison with Banks and Brash is outrageous. He proceeds to stretch some indiscretions by salespeople, likely self employed contractors, into a broad denigration of the company. When you see the relative performance of the two competitors in terms of returns for client's, you can see why.
Morgan's performance has been appalling. If he were a bus driver he would have his license revoked on the grounds he is a hazard to his passengers - and certainly his clients appear to be passengers - way down in the back seat.
Here's the relative performance of both providers' balanced funds, along with that of a third industry player.
Morgan... negative -3.7%
That means in real English, a loss after he has skimmed his non performance fees.
Fidelity Life...positive +3.2%.
That means a profit folks, so who cares what the fees might be?
Huljich...positive +21.59%.
Now you know why the yapper has a burr up his butt. Pathetic little fellow.
It is not coincidence that the particular competitor he denigrates unfairly has delivered to IT'S clients some of the most consistently high returns since inception. They are unlikely to be running off with complaints to the Securities Commission.
(Notwithstanding the deplorable conduct of the sales people described in the article, I'm surprised the Herald allowed this piece to go to print carrying the names of the competitor and two of it's directors. I guess that's the price we pay for out-sourcing sub-editing to another country where these commercial relationships are not known.)
A year or so ago Morgan was writing the same sort of defamatory tripe about his competitors in the life insurance industry. There was just enough substance for it all to sound good but the stories were very selective and falsely insinuated present day malfeasance which was simply not happening.
Today he continues, this time providing the financial equivalent of Colonel Qaddafi lecturing John Key on human rights.


text:
With the federal government already running annual deficits in excess of $1 trillion, a liberal think tank is calling on Uncle Sam to spend hundreds of billions more on "universal preschool" and child care — a proposal that could well make its way into President Barack Obama's impending State of the Union address.
The Center for American Progress (CAP), which the Associated Press describes as "an influential partner for the White House in fleshing out its policies," released its proposal on February 7. The plan calls for Washington to spend almost $200 billion over the next 10 years, followed by nearly $25 billion each year thereafter, to "make high-quality preschool universally accessible to all 3- and 4-year-old children" and to "enable more lower-income families to afford child care for children ages 0-3 years old."
The first part of the CAP's proposal:
All children ages 3 and 4 should be able to voluntarily attend a full-day public preschool program. Preschool should be free for children from families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line ($46,100 for a family of four). Children from families above 200 percent of the poverty line should be charged a sliding tuition co-pay, ranging from about 30 percent of the cost to 95 percent of the cost (for families above 400 percent of the poverty line).
Besides the cost to taxpayers, estimated at $98.4 billion over the first 10 years and $12.3 billion in each subsequent year, there are a number of troubling things in this part of the plan.
First, note the emphasis on public preschool. The objective clearly is to get as many children into the clutches of the state educational system as early as possible. As the CAP observed elsewhere in its proposal, "Years of research demonstrate that the first five years of a child's cognitive and emotional development establish the foundation for learning and achievement throughout life." The sooner the government can begin molding the minds of children, the more likely they are to grow up to be compliant, subservient cogs in the state's machinery rather than free-thinking, self-reliant individuals.
Second, the notion that preschool should be "free" or even partially subsidized implies that parents of preschoolers have a prior claim on the earnings of others.
Third, the fact that even families making over four times the poverty line qualify for subsidies means that all parents who choose to send their children to preschool — a number that will surely increase when it is subsidized — will become beholden to Washington. That, too, ensures a compliant populace.
The money doled out by the federal government under this proposal is intended to match state spending on preschool, which means taxpayers will be soaked for preschool subsidies twice. It also means that Washington will impose more dictates on states, and the CAP is not lacking for suggestions in that department, either. Among other things, it recommends requiring states to "offer full-day kindergarten" (more time for kids to be shaped by the state), to bring down teacher-child ratios and class sizes (more public employees and buildings), and to "develop early learning guidelines for literacy, numeracy, and social and emotional development" (more opportunities for the government to intrude on parental prerogatives).
Those providers eligible to receive the money "should include local education agencies (school districts, charter schools), Head Start programs, child care agencies, and community-based providers of prekindergarten programs in partnership with local education agencies," according to the CAP. This, the AP suggests, is "a concession that could win over Republicans who want more options for parents."
The second part of the CAP's proposal is to expand child-care subsidies and Early Head Start, a program for pregnant women and families with low incomes.
"Specifically," writes the think tank, "the federal government would offer states substantially higher grant amounts through the Child Care and Development Fund, or CCDF, on the condition that they spend $1 for every $3 the federal government spends." This is expected to double the number of families on the child-care dole at a 10-year cost of $84.2 billion with a maintenance cost of $10.5 billion in each subsequent year. And taxpayers would again take a hit — to the tune of a third of these prices — at the state level.
This, too, would enable more federal control over state functions. The CAP would have Washington impose child-care standards on states and "implement a Quality Rating and Improvement System ... for their federally funded child care programs."
The CAP also wants to "double enrollment in Early Head Start," which would cost $11.5 billion over 10 years and $1.44 billion each year thereafter. Since the program begins working with families before a child is even born, it essentially gives the government an early head start on turning out compliant citizens. The program's website states that Early Head Start even includes home visits by government employees, "especially for families with newborns" — a golden opportunity either to force parents to do as the state says or to take their child from them. Then there are "parent education" and "comprehensive health and mental health services," which are also fraught with dangers.
All told, the CAP proposals would cost taxpayers at the federal level alone nearly $200 billion in their first decade, with billions more in the decades to come; and as with most estimates of government programs, they will probably end up costing far more.
Clearly, all of this spending is unconstitutional. But even if it were constitutional, would it be wise at a time when the U.S. Treasury is running astronomical deficits?
According to the "progressives" at the CAP, the answer is yes. "This concern [over deficits] is understandable but misplaced. Studies show that investing money in high-quality preschool will actually improve our country's fiscal health by strengthening human capital, enhancing economic growth, increasing revenues, and decreasing future spending obligations." Why, even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke agrees with them on this, they point out. And Bernanke, of course, has never been wrong about anything.
Then again, even CAP president and CEO Neera Tanden admitted in remarks to the AP that the alleged payoff won't occur for "10 or 20 years." Can the federal government really afford to pile on more debt for another couple of decades in hopes of reaping some ephemeral future savings?
Will the CAP's proposal wind up in Obama's State of the Union speech? Certainly the administration seems to be thinking along these lines already. According to the AP, "Education Department officials, including Secretary Arne Duncan, have signaled that pre-kindergarten programs would be a priority during Obama's second term." Tanden herself is a former high-level adviser in the Obama administration (as well as in Obama's 2008 presidential campaign), which suggests that she has a good feel for what the president wants and the connections to get the CAP's proposal before his eyes. The AP observes that "seldom does the organization move too far or too quickly ahead of White House priorities."
If Obama does propose these costly, worrisome, and unconstitutional initiatives, Congress should hold its applause. A poor reception just might convince him not to bother sending any such bills to Capitol Hill.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
LINCOLN - Like artists who work with paint or marble, Lesley Dill and Ian Hamilton Finlay use words, signs and poetry to fashion intriguing art that explores the nature and meaning of language itself.
Sharing little but a willingness to provoke, they are exhibiting challenging bodies of work fashioned from wildly varied material at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum.
Together these two exhibits, "Lesley Dill�� and "Ian Hamilton Finlay: Arcadian Revolutionary and Avant-Gardener,�� bust the boundaries between generally separate disciplines such as printmaking and poetry, photography and sculpture, performance and provocation.
Conjoined rather than separated by a diagonal wall cutting through the Linde and Foster galleries, Dill�s and Finlay�s work complements each other�s in unexpected ways.
She�s tactile; he�s cerebral. He�s hermetic almost to the point of solipsism; compared to him, she�s the life of the party.
Dill is an American who once conceived and directed an opera based on Emily Dickinson�s poems. A crotchety Scotsman born in the Bahamas, Finlay spent years cultivating his 5-acre sculpture garden and temple in his native land.
Together, Dill and Finlay become one of the deCordova�s oddest artistic couples yet and deserve to be viewed as a must-see yin and yang of innovative creativity.
Often combining language with the human form in varied media, Dill is showing oil pastel drawings, bronze and paper sculptures and an imposing metal wall drawing.
This 20-year retrospective features 16 works made between 1993 and 2012 that reveal her longtime interest in language and images through works that incorporate both.
In this show, she uses words, especially poems by Dickinson, Franz Kafka, Salvador Espriu who wrote in Catalan and, more recently, Tom Sleigh, like pastel sticks or found objects to build her sculpted installations.
Dill is a bit like a one-woman collective who fashions unlikely materials into strangely beautiful objects that inspire contradictory responses.
Works like "Dreamer�� from 1998 and "Girl with Wild Word Hair�� from 2006, use bronze to depict hands and someone having a strange hair day reveal Dill�s tactility. You really want to touch them but you can�t � as long as a docent is looking.
They also suggest the sensory aspect of Dill as an artist who wants viewers to respond viscerally to work that�s both beautiful and a bit icky.
After all, "Innocent,�� looks pretty much like a desiccated hand decorated with thread that might have been found in a headhunter�s hut in New Guinea.
Like a seamstress who uses poetry for thread, Dill has made several dresses that incorporate scraps of verse that imbue the sculpture with personal meaning.
An early work, "Hair Poem Dress�� from 1993, features text from Dickinson sewn with horsehair into tea-stained, handmade paper. It looks crinkly like something Miss Havisham might have worn when tormenting Pip.
Dill�s largest, and, perhaps, most striking work, "Rush,�� uses metal foil and wire to depict a seated man with a 60-foot long Kafkaesque cloudburst of text erupting�from his back.
Viewers will disagree on whether the black text � "The tremendous world I have inside my head�� � suggests creativity, bile and, maybe, the repressive conflicts that transformed Gregor Samsa into a cockroach in "Metamorphosis.��
While incorporating highfaluting quotes into her work, Dill�s viewers might legitimately ask whether she�s making genuine use of Dickinson�s or Kafka�s words in their original spirit or they just happen to be the trendy artiste-du-jour.
After all, how many artists get exhibits or sales by transmuting Erich Segal�s "Love Story�� into a museum show?
In his first exhibit in the U.S. since 1992, Finlay, who died in 2006,�emerges as a fascinating artist who examined the structure and meaning of language in original work in several mediums.
Featuring more than 200 works including sculptures, prints, books, posters and poems, this is a sprawling and ambitious show that deserves a concerted look.
And while there�s more text than in most shows, the singular nature of Finlay�s art can be best grasped by understanding the cultural context from which it originated.
The exhibit includes several artist books he published after founding Wild Hathorn Press in 1961 which attempted to fuse language to sculptural form through works described as "concrete poems.��
Believing consumerist culture had drained formerly vital symbols of their meaning, Finlay employed broadly recognizable signs of violence and authority, such as guns, tanks and guillotines to promote his own believe society must restore civic and aesthetic values.
Museum-goers have come to expect American artists whose careers are nurtured by curators, gallery owners and critics who communicate in an exclusive "art-speak�� of shared class and background.
Not Finlay. An autodidact who served in World War II and a shepherd who became a poet, he was a crank and a genius who made genuinely original work aimed at reconciling nature and human society.
Though sometimes dense and demanding, "Ian Hamilton Finlay�� offers numerous examples of profound and orginal work that reveals the breadth of a truly original thinker.
Chris Bergeron is a Daily News staff writer. Contact him at email@example.com or 508-626-4448. Follow us on Twitter @WickedLocalArts and on Facebook.
"Lesley Dill��
"Ian Hamilton Finlay: Arcadian Revolutionary and Avant-Gardener��
WHEN: Through Oct. 13
WHERE: DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum,�51 Sandy Pond Road, Lincoln
INFO: 781-259-3616; www.decordova.org
An artistic odd couple at the deCordova
LINCOLN - Like artists who work with paint or marble, Lesley Dill and Ian Hamilton Finlay use words, signs and poetry to fashion intriguing art that explores the nature and meaning of language itself.


text:
Native Tennessean and major league pitching star John Andrew Beazley Jr. did not consider playing professional baseball until his late teens. Unlike many young boys who dreamed of one day playing in the major leagues, Johnny had an ambition to become a boxer. The tragic death of Johnny's younger brother, however, was to change the course of his life.
It is believed that the game of baseball was first introduced to Nashville by Union troops who brought their northern game south in the early years of the Civil War. Much separated North and South during the great War Between the States, but baseball grew in popularity, and by the time the fighting was over, the sport was being declared America's "national pastime." It was a game to be played and enjoyed by all.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game sheet music, New York, New York, 1908
Kenneth D. Rose Sheet Music Collection
Baseball in Tennessee, and in the nation at large, was not without its challenges. The United States' involvement in World War I and World War II resulted in the loss of many elite players, including Johnny Beazley, who sacrificed their careers in order to serve in the armed forces. Despite this, the major leagues continued to play for the duration of the wars. The lack of male players during World War II also brought about the creation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954).
Beazley was a major player during a time of growing pains and change within the sport. The Negro Leagues included some of the best players in the country, yet African-Americans were excluded from participating in exclusively white professional baseball. Attempts to integrate these players and the eventual crossing of the color line caused much division within the major leagues.
The John Andrew Beazley Papers are housed at the Tennessee State Library and Archives. They offer baseball researchers and fans alike a rare opportunity to follow the brief career of a major league player, local business owner, and civic leader.


text:
Dairy producers are staying in business amid this spring's delayed corn planting, higher cow numbers and strong milk prices.
Dairy markets have not been overly exciting over the past few weeks. Closer months have virtually been sideways while later months have slowly increased. Class III contracts in 2012 have made new contract highs recently.
A fair amount of underlying strength can be attributed to grain prices. Delayed planting is having an impact on prices. There is concern that all projected corn acres may not be planted or some of what is planted may have reduced yields. Of course, this is still too early to tell as the whole growing season makes the crop, not just planting date. Last year, planting was early, with over half the crop in by now. As of last week, corn planting progress was only 9%. One thing to keep in mind is that history has shown that between 30-40% of the crop can be planted in a week if weather conditions are good.
Theoretically, slow corn planting or not enough time to plant all intended acres can and will result in more soybean acres. This would potentially increase supply and thereby decrease prices. So, even though corn prices could be high, soybean prices could be lower, keeping the lid on some feed purchases.
So far, higher feed prices have not had much impact on milk production. The March Milk Production report indicated production was up 2.2% in all 50 states, putting first-quarter production up 2.2%. This compares to first-quarter production in 2010, which was down 0.1%. The first three months of 2010 showed production down 0.8% in January, down 0.1% in February, and up 0.6% in March from 2009. This year showed January production up 2.3%, February production up 2.1%, and March up 2.2% compared to 2010.
Further comparison for the same months shows another interesting scenario. Comparing cow numbers for January 2009 to 2010 showed a decline of 226,000 for January, 199,000 fewer for February, and 193,000 for March. However, comparing January 2010 to January 2011 shows an increase of 68,000 head. February climbed by 66,000 head, and March was up 76,000 head. All of this despite significantly higher grain prices.
Of course, one big difference is milk prices. Class III price for January 2010 was $13.85 per cwt., February was $12.90 and March was $12.92. Class III price for January 2011 was $13.48, February was $17.00, and March was $19.40. It seems higher milk prices spur a greater desire to hold and add more cows, even though feed prices escalate.
High cull cow prices were still not enough to retract the cow herd. Plenty of replacements are available. The March slaughter report showed the largest amount of dairy cattle culled during a month since January 2009. For the same month, cow numbers increased 17,000 head from the previous year. All in all, it appears what is happening is trading dollars for dollars. But farmers are staying in business.
My recommendation is to continue to look at establishing fence positions for the second half of this year. Purchase puts and sell calls for a $2.00 price spread for about 40-45 cents. This would put a ceiling price at $19.50-$20.00 for Class III. Add your basis on top of that, and an increasing price would put you in a good position. If prices were to decline, a good floor is established. Resist the tendency to do nothing because it looks like prices will remain high or go higher. We have all heard that before.
Upcoming reports:
- Fonterra auction on May 3
- California Class I on May 10
- World Agricultural Supply and Demand report on May 11
- Fluid milk sales on May 13
- Fonterra auction on May 17
- April Milk Production on May 18
Robin Schmahl is a commodity broker and owner of AgDairy LLC, a full-service commodity brokerage firm located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He can be reached at 877-256-3253 or through their website at www.agdairy.com.
The thoughts expressed and the data from which they are drawn are believed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed. Any opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. There is risk of loss in trading and my not be suitable for everyone. Those acting on this information are responsible for their own actions.


text:
Hot Boards
Posted by Chic Aeon in freebies on Tuesday, August 30, 2011
One of the hot new boards on the grid contains this sophisticated dolly outfit. Super cute and bare breasted in its natural form, this is not for the under 18 crowd *wink*. The Checkmate outfit is your for free. A little time and some luck may come into play. Find it on one of the lucky boards at Violent Seduction. I was surrounded by "C"s this morning but I did manage to get in touch with lucky X, Xia who happily TPed over to garner her prize.
Xia, not being big on topless or nearly so garb, added an undershirt layer. You could of course add a shrug top too if your viewer handles stacked clothing layers. The second lucky board holds a mesh fawn outfit. There is also a group gift in the entryway. You really will need a "hands above the waist" AO for this should you wear it out and about. No real surprise there.
Thanks to wise Sandalwood for posting on this fun find! Check out her very cute photo to see the front of the outfit.
Poses by LAP.
The Advent of Mesh in SL
Posted by Chic Aeon in comment
Did you know that "tubbed" is not a word? How could that be! I am sure it must be in some more relaxed language. As I was tubbing (also not a real word I see), I was thinking about mesh coming to the grid -- what it could mean, what direction it might take. So after completing my tub (a real word), I decided to put down some thoughts. These are mostly for myself, to look back on at a later date. I have no real seer powers (well, perhaps a few), still it will be fun to read this in a year or so.
But first on my agenda of the morn was to add the word "tubbing" to my email dictionary. Blogger of course isn't smart enough to learn important new verbs *wink*.
Mesh came into world about a week ago with the introduction of the new server codes to all regions. With it came Viewer 3. Kirsten's viewer has already incorporated new codes and the ability to upload mesh on the main grid. Word on the street is that Firestorm will have a mesh viewer ready in a couple of weeks. Currently the number of folks actually using the new viewer is bound to be small. Some folks simply can't use the official Viewer 3 and others, like me, are waiting for their viewer of choice to incorporate the code.
There will be a fairly long period (just a guess here) of people moving towards the future and the ability to see mesh. Some of us, even with the new viewer, will most likely take it slowly. Mesh clothes work well for photos, but going out into the world in what others will see as a giant round blob covering your body with perhaps some of those body areas invisible because of alpha layers is not my idea of beauty :D.
I was going to take some photos of what the new mesh objects look like on older viewers (even the current V2 Firestorm) but I don't have to. Here is a great page from the Phoenix folks that shows you the differences. No clothes photos, but you can get the idea. Also from the Phoenix website: " There are also one or two Third Party Viewers who are trying to backport mesh capability into the V1 code base and if they succeed that's great!" What a wonderful thing for people who cannot use the newer viewers.
So the future looks bright, perhaps brighter than we expected a couple of months ago. Most of the luminance is courtesy of the hard working programmers intent on giving us a choice of viewers. Lots of kudos there from me. Content creators fit into the equation of course; without their creativity and energy there would be no mesh products to see.
As I was tubbing *wink*, I was also pondering. With so many possibilities for mesh, what will be the most well received. Since this is a fashion blog for the most part, let's think about clothing. Again, I have not tried any of my new mesh items, gifts or review copies; but I have paid attention to the opinions of others and of course looked at the photos of the new designs using mesh.
The good news of course is that long mesh skirts and such move WITH avatars. The bad news is that mesh garments are static shape and size wise. Every time I read a "some shape tweaking will be needed by most" comment I twinge. Aside from adding a few pounds more than a year ago and changing my hand size to an even 20 so I could wear prim nails occasionally, I am in the same shape I made when I came into world. Now and then I venture into another shape entirely for theme or effect, but CHANGE myself?
I can't say for sure, but in many cases this will be a deal breaker for me. Then again, the very clever people out there may find a way to add resizers to mesh. So out of my area. Current vanguard designs seem to be coming in one or two sizes with demos available so you can see how the dress or pants or shirt will work for you. I have seen some designs that looked fantastic on folks and others that looked like they were wearing their big sister's garb; the style lost in translation. I think we need to remember that this is just the beginning, that growing pains are part of new invention and that the creativity and imagination of our populous seems endless.
So aside from all the great cars and furniture and such that can make their way onto the grid, what are the best possibilities for mesh in our wardrobes? Here are a few thoughts. Note that they are just thoughts; I am not a mesh person by any means.
"Barbies" - Mod shapes included in with the clothes so that folks can change their faces. Outfit lines made to fit those shapes so that buyers always know things will fit. So "Sultry Sally", "Slim Selina" -- you get the idea.
Complete avatars - Not a new concept by any means, but one that might be better embraced with the advent of mesh. All mesh avatars complete with costumes, you could change your look all at once much like characters in adventure games.
Fantasy figures - This is really my personal favorite for what mesh might bring to the grid. Imagine newly designed centaurs, merfolk, dragons and characters no one has yet dreamed of roaming the world!
Those are my morning musing. May the future of mesh be bright.
Shark Warning
Posted by Chic Aeon in new releases on Monday, August 29, 2011
A brief but brilliant post to show off a new tank from a new store, Ariel. The NIX tank is special because A. the straps are wide and work even for us big shouldered gals and B the tank bottom on the undies layer is as long as you can possibly make it. You know what that means? It means you can tuck it into really, really low cut pants like these satine pants from Paradisis. How cool is that!
Pose by: LAP
Swing Time
Posted by Chic Aeon in hunts, new releases, poses, props
In a quandary about genre of my styling of last eve, I decided it was a retro look -- the theme being a trip to a vintage store if you were living in the 1960s *wink*. My jumpsuit is actually a dress from the American Bazaar Birthday Hunt courtesy of artMEfashion. I added some wild hair from Beautiful Dirty Rich (Chelle is the style name) and love the unexpected look.
Wondering where to shoot my eclectic outfit, I remembered that (*chanimations had a new prop out, the BurlesqueSwing. With a vast color change menu and lots of sassy poses, I was set. The prop set comes with many sizes of swings as well as variations on stands for setting out your swing. For these photos, I used just the swing for an outdoor look. You can set the swing to -- ah "swing" -- or stop that action for easier to take still photos. Lots of fun; many possibilities. A multipose ball and stand alone poses are included as always.
To accessorize my neutral outfit, I chose some new earrings from Addiction. These Good Fortune earrings have a bit of a gypsy flavor, but could work just as easily with Victorian or Boho outfits.
Poses by: (*chanimations and Vista Animations
Posted by Chic Aeon in design on Saturday, August 27, 2011
Just a quick post to let you know that LISP has expanded it $10 and under garden to include all sorts of comfy furnishings. I already had many items from the old garden but added a very fun photographer's lamp -- a great prop that I couldn't resist. Those of you who do not need to stick to an early 1900s Louisiana poor folk theme will find LOTS of decor items and furniture to choose from. It is a little tricky finding the new garden so here is the direct SLURL.
My outfit isn't new, just one of my favorite of all time Fall to Winter get ups. Even though the summer seems to have sped by, I have to admit that Fall is in the air. I believe this great jacket, once a hunt prize, is still available at a very low price at Runo Runo. Yep, I just checked and it is!
That's my evening news!
Poses by: Vista Animations
Metamorphosis - The Journey
Posted by Chic Aeon in new releases, places on Friday, August 26, 2011
I have been over at Metamorphosis the last couple of days working on a film. It is an impressive place, not new but an area I had never visited and was very happy to explore. The film won't be viewable for a few days, but you can always see what's happen at my channel here.
Happily, I had some appropriate new duds to wear for this shoot, something arty (artists in my experience almost always wear black so not to clash with their paintings *wink*) and futuristic which fits right in with the theme of the installation by Igor Ballyhoo. Blue Blood is the maker and Sigyn is the name attached to this bodysuit. It comes in this covered version as well as one with much more skin showing for you braver gals. You can opt for styles with single colors accents or a rainbow mix So many choices!
Edit: video is now up at YouTube here.
Poses by: Vista Animations
I really had to smile this evening when I looked at the stats for my current popular pages and found that a post about the first STEAM HUNT was in the weekly mix. This isn't that photo, but this IS a photo from my all time most popular blog post (since Blogger started keeping track a year or so ago anyway). I am guessing people found that entry over the years while looking up info on a current or upcoming STEAM hunt.
That "You've come a long way baby" saying is definitely meant for my photography skills. A little over two years CAN make a difference. We learn everyday.
The fifth hunt starts September 1, 2011. As usual there is little info to be found. Join the hunt group to get a list of all the SLURLs in notecard form. And where pray tell can you find the group to join? Search for "STEAM Hunt Punks" under groups. Three top store picks on my list that I will surely be visiting are Noctis, The Julia Collection, and Builders Brewery. Head to one of those shops if you are looking for a good starting spot.
I am going to make an effort to do most of the hunt this season. I was a retailer last hunt and I was so very depressed by the nastiness of some of the vendors that I quit hunting AND quit the group. This year I am just a hunter so I will miss the drama. If I find anything wonderful, I will be sure and share! Historically it is much less stressful to wait until day 3 when everyone (hopefully) has their goodies out. This is traditionally one of the most creative hunts on the grid, so if you like steampunk, don't miss it.
It was fun to take a look back.
Light to Dark
Posted by Chic Aeon in color challenge, new releases on Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Poses by: Vista Animations
Location: NN City
Working My Way Back
Posted by Chic Aeon in color challenge, new releases on Monday, August 22, 2011
I have really enjoyed my time away from the blog-o-sphere, more than I expected actually. Reflection brings a few changes to this blog, but ones I am guessing you as readers can live with :D. That is my hope anyway.
I am no longer going to try and keep a schedule. The daily post before tub and breakfast is no more -- at least that is my intention. Old habits die hard as we all know. I have given up fancy borders for the moment so that designers wishing to use my photos for promo pics can do that easier. And, insert fanfare here -- I am no longer going to list every item I am wearing at the bottom of the post.
Now, I know that is "tradition" but I also know that most of you want to know what is new and what is free. Older items, some that may no longer be available really aren't the point of the post. So I am going to save myself time and energy, and you confusion by letting you know about the good new stuff and leaving out the other. If you see something you think you really must have that isn't mentioned, just IM me and I will do my best to let you know if the items is available and who made it.
Believe it or not, this is my chartreuse post. A quick search of my inventory brought up NO items with that color name. Are we surprised? Not so much *wink*. I like chartreuse well enough, in fact when I was about 12 years of age I wanted to redo my room in chartreuse, yellow and purple. Definitely ahead of my time in the color scheme area - LOL.
The greenish part in my chartreuse outfit is made up of mostly new releases. My bra tankini is from ~famless~ (SummerShirt green). The canvas belt with lots of eyelets is from E d e n. (studded belt (green)) and my Espadrilles (Lime Green Straw Espadrille Flat ) hale from Duh!.
And the cute bucket of icy cold treats? You can find them at the Miss and Miss Project. They come with a matching Popsicle mouthy.
PS. For anyone interested in how that hurricane turned out in New Toulouse, you can see the video here. It is VERY good to get out of those same clothes *wink*.
New Outfit? Not!
Posted by Chic Aeon in freebies on Sunday, August 21, 2011
Summer Festival at minaHeavens Island. While my attire does not match the mood, I still had a great time. There are lots of inventive Japanese items here, things you don't see all that often.
The carnival theme is evident and color abounds. There are lucky boards and gatchas as well as a magic goldfish pond "dip" where you can get five prizes and then need to wait five minutes to try five more times.
Some items are copy, some transfer and some come in both versions. So you can share with friends.
Definitely a breath of fresh air after all the lightening and watery turmoil of the last couple of days, it reminded me how much I miss Beanie Canning's Beanie Loves Japan posts :D.
I have a small collection of prizes in my inventory along with a large collection of new release designer items that will be making it onto these pages in the not too distant future.
I am enjoying my time away from regular posting and as often comes with a bit of retrospection, have decided to make a change or two in my posts. Nothing very major; don't worry. The photos as always will be the stars.
See you soon.
Hurricane Bernadette
Posted by Chic Aeon in places on Thursday, August 18, 2011
I am not really "back". Actually I am enjoying my time off more than I expected to *wink*. BUT, there is big, big news for those of you who are more adventurers than shoppers and I wanted to let you know.
Tomorrow a hurricane (yes, you read that correctly) will hit the New Toulouse sims. I will be there participating and filming. My biggest worry is getting my new sheep (free on a lucky board at Stray Pig) to safety. I have both black and white faced sheep now. Animated, they do not require special food and are happy to drink from the nearby waters of the bayou. We have bonded.
You can read all about the hurricane here. http://gabrielleriel.blogspot.com/2011/08/captains-warning.html
Venture over if you are in need of some excitement.
Swansong For One
Posted by Chic Aeon in new releases on Saturday, August 13, 2011
With life moving slowly in our virtual world and so many folks on hiatus, it seems a good time to take a break.
Honestly there is little reason to be posting when there are so few folks reading :D. So I will be taking some time off. You can be sure I will return; rejuvenation is a good thing.
To finish up my current responsibilities -- cause I am traditionally someone who finishes projects -- I wanted to show you two new releases from Les Petits Details -- a fun tee with bold and arty patten mixed with fringed sleeves and some extremely creative sandals. Both are perfect for our lingering summer days!
Hair: Dura Group Gift (04/2011)(Dark Brown)
Skin: Ramya*DOLL* DARK TAN /SMOKED
Clothing: *LpD* - *Eagle* T-Shirt Pink; MALT Scooter Jeans Scarf - Medium; =^^= MIAO Pink Ribbed Tights
Shoes: *LpD* - *Lilly* Shoes Green Right
Poses by: LAP and the cello
Very Berry
Posted by Chic Aeon in color challenge, hair, new releases, props on Friday, August 12, 2011
My backdrop is the When Roses Turn Black garden from Panther3D Textures and Sculpts which happily missed my unplanned inventory purge a few months back.
Hair: ...:::Beautiful Dirty Rich:::... Rinoa Hair Midnight I (new release)
Skin: Ramya*DOLL* DARK TAN /SMOKED
Clothing: *RD* RED FROU-FROU
Poses by: Vista Animations
Exotic Dancer
Posted by Chic Aeon in new releases, props
Two new releases meet in this photo spread.
The 1001 Nights Photostage from *(chanimations fits on a 1024 lot and comes in this detailed version as well as a lower prim model. Both curtains and wall colors can be changed via menu.
The fountain is separate.
The door can be open or closed; permissions set to let others make changes. I especially like the scaling of the textures; much closer to actual people size than you often see.
Click small photos for a hight rez version.
I traveled in Morroco a decade ago, something that is rare for those of us in the States. My visit was life changing in many ways and so it was especially rewarding and reminiscent to return in an sense.
SEE THE YOU TUBE VIDEO of 1001 Arabian Nights HERE.
The video shows off these gorgeous silks to best advantage. The Arcane Dancer Silks from Deviance come in a rainbow of colors. The detailing is superb! Chandra is wearing one of her own shapes. I am wearing the shape that comes with the silks.
This is an all prim outfit so super shy gals need not apply. The pieces are manual mod; the shape is mod also. Between the two and with some tweaking (in my case it would be bigger breasts), most avatars should be able to find a good fit.
We can all use a little fantasy in our lives. This was mine.
Chandra took photos during our somewhat group shoot (my facelight, needed for this dark skin washed out her pale version so shots together were out of the question).
I especially like the composition of this one.
Hair: Amacci Hair Carletta ~ Ebony
Skin: Adam n Eve Skins - Tanisha Dark Special - Natural (PBShave) B
Clothing: Deviance - Arcane Dancer Silks - Arcane Waters
Poses and dance by: Vista Animations
Staying Power
Posted by Chic Aeon in comment on Thursday, August 11, 2011
It's old home week in my neck of the woods, and that ain't bad. Yesterday I chronicled Charlie and his new look compliments of Make Him Over 6 (as least I think that is the current number). Today Sami came into world happy to put on some old and familiar duds. I was so impressed with her look from long ago that I felt a post was in order.
Now and then we have designers who are ahead of their time, whose skill level is beyond the norm and whose work transcends the years. The outfit she is wearing is one from Last Call. For those of you new to the grid, this was a brand of a well respected and very early designer who died. There was a giant sale of his (her) goods; most everything was $100 linden including this signature outfit.
I managed to fight my way into that venue. I was very young and didn't exactly know "why" I wanted to be there, but it took days to get in so I figured that I really did want to expend the effort. I purchased a very cute outfit, but sculpties were new then and the prim parts were no mod. That didn't work for larger than average me and so I donated my outfit to a Relay For Life auction. Hopefully it moved into better hands.
The point I guess that I am trying to make is that sometimes we get caught up in Quantity and not Quality. Quality lasts for a very long time. I asked Sami to look up the date on her outfit and she acquired it January 13 2008. Just think how long ago that was ------
Her hair is also old, a flavor of the month from times past (acquired Mar 2009) and amazingly still available at Shop Seu. I have a hair from there that I still wear now and then :D.
Those are just my thoughts of the eve.
I have a fair number of oldtimer friends, ones that I know in the corporeal world, that used to have "lives" in SL and that seldom log in any longer. I have noted that like many of the older folks in that place we call real life, these elders often get in a rut. They no longer shop or update their looks and who can blame them really if they don't venture in often? Still, for those of you out there still wearing your favorites from 2009? It might be time to do a little shopping.
My old friend Charlie came into world this afternoon -- primarily because I let him know that a new Belleza gift skin was out and that he should check that out :D. Charles is a sweetie, a now retired artist who at one time was fairly famous and now lives in obscurity, most likely by choice. Still, even for those who only venture into our fantasyland every week or so, it is good to look sharp. So he did a little "shopping" on the current Make Him Over hunt, hitting his favorite well-remembered retailers for the most part.
I have to say he did well! I haven't seen him look this good in awhile *wink*. The new Belleza skin fits him much better than it does my male counterpart, Chav. It is appropriate for his scholarly, artistic type.
The MHOH SLURS are here:
FREEBIE: I don't have much of a shop any longer. I mostly sell on the Marketplace, but now and then I like to share. Yesterday I played around with the webpage on a prim feature. Nothing new, but for many of us formerly in old style viewers, not too useful. Now, most of us it seem to be moving onto viewers that support mesh -- just in case it actually takes off *smile*.
Happily by the end of my building period, I ended up with a nice You Tube interface for my personal channel. It works well and is sized to eliminate all that advertising *wink*. So for any of you who would like your own, drop by my studio and pick up a copy for free.
Believe it or not, I am not egotistical enough to think you would want one to watch "MY" channel. I left it mod so you could change it to any You Tube channel you like -- even your own. I suspect it would work fine for a Flickr channel also. Some adjustments might be necessary.
You can pick it up here.
Hair: Uw.St Reed-Hair size-L brown (old)
Skin: -Belleza- Jacob SK Group Gift
Clothing: Roughnecks - Jeans - Unzipped Black (MHOH); n-creation shirt mhoh (MHOH)
Accessories: Kumaki Glasses Style K_gs Stomp/MHOH6 version (MHOH); *Muism* Chronotech G5_Navy (MHOH)
Poses by: LAP
Let's Hear It For the Boys
New gifts abound for the fellows this month. Lots of hunts as well as some presents. Just out from Belleza is this Jacob skin, check in the group archives if you missed your delivery. The skin pack comes in all tones.
And if you are getting in that back to school mood, this month's gift from sf designs is a handsome baseball jacket in blue. Find it in the center of the store as usual. Both manual mod and resize scripted prim parts are in the set.
Hair: Amacci Hair Jack ~ Onyx
Skin: -Belleza- Jacob Tan Group Gift Hair
Clothing: sf design baseball jacket; funkstar - one group; INDI - Jeans blue
Poses by: Vain
High Seas Morning
Posted by Chic Aeon in design, hunts, new releases on Tuesday, August 9, 2011
New robes are out at Dutchies! What a surprise:D. And these just aren't any robes, they are sculpted and WITH AN AO which works extremely well! Black, white, salmon and red (shown here) versions come with or without resize scripts. The collar comes for small breasted gals like me and those of you more ample.
My Summer Adventure Camping Drinks Cooler is a prize from Aphrodite Shop on The Wild One, a Grid-Wide Biker Hunt from August 1 - 15th, 2011.
Click the Drinks to pick your choice of beverage.
Click the coolers body to get a colorchange menue for 4 color-options.
The Colorchange can usually be initiated by the owner (level 2) but the owner can allow others (level 0)
Well my standby sandbox was offline and the other Linden Lab ones under siege, so I ventured over to a school sandbox which had apparently just given back its sim and moved to a small mainland plot (sad).
As I was unpacking my new Arabian photo stage (more on that soon), I noticed this VERY large yacht floating at about 50 meters. Not to let a good photo op go to waste -- well that's the story. The yacht is made by Chandon Dollinger. Picks have been missing often the last couple of days, but I assume he has a store that you can find if you are in the market. It is an impressive (and BIG) yacht.
Hair: Magika Hair // Roots Edition // Luna
Skin: Ramya*DOLL* DARK TAN /SMOKED
Clothing: Dutchie red bathrobe
Poses by: the bathrobe's AO
Exploring On Cue From A Stranger
Posted by Chic Aeon in new releases, places on Monday, August 8, 2011
A simple but pretty post for the day taken at the landing point at HuManOiD, Gilmore where giant dandelions meet with poetry in a magical spot. Walk through the door to find more picture perfect, inspiring vistas. Visiting again? You know I will.
Hair: -dDx- Ariadne
Skin: Ramya*DOLL* DARK TAN /SMOKED
Clothing: *BOOM* Aruba Top (teal) (new release); PARADISIS Satine : pants black
Shoes: sf design ramses sandal with toes womens
Accessories: *ByKay* ~ Kalya ~ *Dark Blue* (Set) (new limited release until 8-14)
Poses by: EverGlow
Padded Rooms
Posted by Chic Aeon in hunt, new releases, poses, props, sneak peak on Sunday, August 7, 2011
aDORKable Poses has a new prop out for Platinum Hunt 2, appropriately called My Padded Room. It comes with a collection of poses -- this being one. The poses are all named and the interface let's you know which pose you are currently using (TY!). To my mind though, the real star of the release is the prop itself. Along with being a clever idea and one I can pretty much guarantee will end up in a video sometimes soon (I have a great straight jacket ya know), it is FANTASTIC with Windlight. This top shot is raw with no filters or retouching as I wanted you to see the natural shadows (without shadows on).
You can easily use the prop with other poses. My glazed state above seemed very fitting; it is from the new Stance II set from Long Awkward Pose. The collection features simple stands in a variety of degrees of "straightness", perfect for those prim skirts that are lovely but don't always wear easily. This shot is enhanced with some extra lighting filters.
And while I really can't do shadows well with my ATI card, I turned them on anyway to show you the effects that can be had. My fittingly dramatic heels with hot pink soles are a new release from NX-Nardcotix. Boom get's the credit for the striking one-piece, and my hair is an oldie from Garage (now Koketka).
Posted by Chic Aeon in color challenge, new releases on Friday, August 5, 2011
Becoming seduced by a new graphics program can lead you astray. That is what happened to my APRICOT post for week forty of our year long color wheel. Hence, many a detail has been lost as I played with filters. But never fear, I was so entranced with my look and the lovely sim that my imagination went to work. You can watch the short machinima film unfold and catch all the details in high definition (full screen is best if your connection will manage that).
See the video, Waiting for Prince Charming at You Tube !
And for those of you who just want a fashion shot, here it is. I think I spent way too much time this week looking at my backside and this cute bow *wink*.
Hair: Calico Ingmann Creations Mimi - Chestnut
Skin: Ramya*DOLL* DARK TAN /SMOKED
Clothing: *LpD* - *Susan* Skirt Gold (new); :[Plastik]:-Carnival Dress-J-Daisy (top only)
Shoes: [PixelMode] Fae Wedge [B] - LF - Khaki
Accessories: *Elemental Earth Designs* Shizen Black~ Jade Vines Bracelet and Earrings (new); ROMEO watch by Donna Flora (old hunt prize)
Poses by: Vista Animations AO
Hire Me
Posted by Chic Aeon in new releases on Thursday, August 4, 2011
A quick post to let you know that if you are very lucky, you can pick up this cute Executive Decision costume in the Reasonable Desires gatcha machine. It is marked as rare so you may need to try a few times *wink*. I do love the costumes at Reasonable Desires, my all time favorite being the Cabaret set which I showed off in my footer and profile for many months. There is other newness at the shop which I will be showing you later.
I want you to know that the greeter fellow who you can barely see in the background did a very nice job of keeping a straight face (well you know what I mean) when confronted with a scantily clad gal in the lobby. I wasn't there long. This was good :D.
Hair: >TRUTH< Melinda - auburn
Skin: Ramya*DOLL* DARK TAN /SMOKED
Clothing: *RD* Executive Decision *
Shoes: BAX Prestige Boots Black Leather
Poses by: Vista Animations and the breifcase


text:
Petition of the day
The petition of the day is:
Oneida Nation of New York v. County of Oneida, New York
Docket: 10-1420
Issue(s): (1) Whether the court of appeals contravened this Court's decisions in Oneida Indian Nation of New York v. County of Oneida and City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation by ruling that "equitable considerations†rendered petitioners' claims for money damages for the dispossession of their tribal lands in violation of federal law void ab initio; and (2) whether the court of appeals impermissibly encroached on the legislative power of Congress by relying on "equitable considerations†to bar petitioners' claims as untimely, even though they were brought within the statute of limitations fixed by Congress for the precise tribal land claims at issue.
Certiorari stage documents:
Recommended Citation: Marissa Miller, Petition of the day, SCOTUSblog (Jul. 7, 2011, 7:30 AM), https://www.scotusblog.com/2011/07/petition-of-the-day-139/