I liked the way he got Pat and Joanne to talk about the Rita Angus self portrait which is on the cover of Jill's book - the famous "Smoking Rita" (which incidentally copped a bit of letter writing flack when it was used in a huge banner on the side of Te Papa and to publicise the current exhibition of Rita's work). They both came up with quite different interpretations of what the portrait said about the artist - but both were convincing. There was a lively discussion about why women in biographies were referred to by their first name and men by their last name. Through questions from Philip and the audience we learnt more about how these biographers approached their subjects, whether they still liked them and much more.

Each biographer was asked about their favourite examples of their subjects work. Jill liked the Goddess portraits, the mystical watercolours and the self portraits of Rita Angus, Joanne favoured Colour Scheme, Died in the Wool and Light Thickens and Pat liked Bill Sutton's Threshhold series, Landscape Synthesis series and Plantation series.

I love visiting writers' and artists' lairs - they seem to create very civilised digs around themselves, even when they have been museumized. So it was a treat to climb the hill to Ngaio Marsh's Cashmere home for a look around. I was fortunate to have a few minutes on my own before the crowds came in so I snapped off some pictures which I hope will give a flavour of the place. Hidden under the more recent additions that Ngaio Marsh made is a Samuel Hurst Seagar cottage and you can get a flavour of that style in the dining room. The Cashmere setting is very peaceful - on Saturday's visit the loudest sound was the pock, pock of tennis balls from the courts down in the valley.

I encourage you to take the time to visit - make an appointment, pay your $10 and have a look. You can see her writing room - at once cosy and filled with light and the dining room and long room where she entertained a who's who of the local and international theatre world. Viewing is by appointment only (call 03 337 9248), groups of 2 - 10 pay $10 per person, individual tours $15.

The house is cared for by the Ngaio Marsh Trust which really needs our support. Apart from visiting, if anyone has copies of Ngaio Marsh books lurking about that they would care to donate, the trust sells these to visitors. Just ring the number above and leave a message - someone will be able to collect them.

Former broadcaster Tony Veitch was last night recovering after being airlifted to hospital following a suicide bid.

Sunday News can exclusively reveal the ex-TV and radio star was rushed by helicopter from a remote Northland farm to Auckland Hospital on Friday afternoon after he tried to gas himself in a car.

Sources close to Veitch said two hours earlier his wife Zoe Halford received a telephone call from him saying he planned to leave Auckland and take his life.

"He had had enough ... that was his message to her," one well-placed source said.

I'm not about to lambast those who feel so low they wish to remove themselves from this earth. I personally think it's a mostly selfish act, but I do have sympathy for anyone who feels that desperately unhappy they see no other alternative but to end their life.

I have never been in Veitch's position.  I am not a recognised name from television and radio, I have never experienced the stress of a legal case progressing against me for repeated domestic violence against my ex-partner, and it all being played out in public.

I can, however, make some observations in question form and then bullet point them in a pretty, easy to read manner:

• Isn't it Suicide 101, if you really want to go through with it, to ensure noone can get to you until the deed is done?  Isn't this why leaving a letter with final messages to loved ones is more common than a traceable mobile phone call?
• With the Ministry of Health recommendations advising New Zealand media to "take particular care" when reporting celebrity suicide attempts, isn't it just a little strange that Veitch's attempt made our Sunday papers?  It only happened 36 hours ago!**  I don't want our media to withold stories from us, but on the other hand, I sort of expect some things to not make the papers, or to be released at a later date.  I guess I would've expected that Tony's suicide attempt be covered up, for as long as possible, by those closest to him.  I wouldn't have predicted they would release press statements about it. 
• Am I alone in thinking it's poor taste, regardless of Tony's apparent troubles, when sources close to him tell the Sunday News: "I hope ... the people who have put Tony in this position are happy" ?  Who the hell are they talking about?  Is this a dig at Veitch's ex-partner, or a stab at the media and the public for our supposed part in his downfall?  Who did put Tony in this position?  Who left him alone in deepest, darkest Mangawhai anyway?  Jeesh, I hope it's not a dig at Tony's Dad who is rushing home to Tony's bedside, um, as soon as he finishes his holiday in Fiji.
• Is this a cry for help from a man filled with deep remorse for his past actions, or a calculated manipulation of the media to play on the public's sympathy?  Here's what Kiwi forum-stalkers think.
• Have I become so cynical and mistrusting of our media that I question every aspect of their articles? The questions above are just a snippet of discussions this morning with the cat over Veitch's suicide attempt. The cat was tres impolite about it all. I, meanwhile, feel so sorry for newlywed Zoe Veitch.

I hope Tony gets help, and I still maintain that he needs to lose his PR peops.  Maybe he should call up his support team, get some fresh advice.  What would Paul Holmes do?

* I actually had forseen this unfortunate event, but didn't want to be the one who said "suicide watch" aloud.  And, no - I'm not psychic.  I predicted a drug overdose, who the hell goes to the trouble of gassing themselves, these days?  Ahem.

** NZ Herald story published at 4am Sunday, 7th Sept.

What a talent Steve Braunias is - suffering from a heavy cold, he trooped through this session and delivered the goods to a very receptive audience. Extra seating was needed in the conference room, such was the interest in his keen wit.

He spent considerable time explaining the intense process of interviewing people for his book. Meeting people for two or three hours and then writing about it.

Strange encounters with Ross Meurant, who he described as "one of the most loathsome" figures in NZ history in the 80s, for instance. From meeting in a dark corner of a Remuera garden shop, talking through the plants. Chasing Meurant through Auckland to try to get of a photograph of Meurant's young Russian partner. When the article was published Meurant called incessantly. Braunias ignored the phone as long as he could - eventually, about twelve hours later, they talked. Meurant said: "It could have been worse. Cheers!".

Braunias also mentioned some intriguing correspondence from Bob Parker, which he described as 'fulsome'. I was left wanting a little more of this, but the audience was swept along by hilarious retellings of people who fell for the made-up characters in his columns - and a fair number of Christchurch people were among them, appearing in court, been had up for slander and the inside word of where he got the names for some of his characters - a cartoon soccer team, George Best's girlfriend in 1974, that kind of thing.

I also enjoyed the insights into Braunias's life - watching Parliament TV with his daughter, whose favourite word is 'Order!' and how he has had enough of interviewing for the time being - he wants to leave people alone for a bit.

It was a great session and fantastic to see a full house. Intense fun, thanks Steve.

Philip Norman won a Montana for his biography of Douglas Lilburn so knows a bit about the art of biography. He also knows a lot about the art of chairing a session at a writers festival, demonstrated  by his graceful, knowledgeable and witty performance with these three biographers.  

Philip Norman (I will be using both his names because he is a composer and it is a convention when writing about composers to use both names if the subject is living and only the surname if they are dead - what's the use of learning a fascinating fact like that if you can't immediately show it off) began by stating that he was going to be an easy chair, in fact a la-z-boy.  This set the tone for a model session with a relaxed panel who seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Perceptive questions elicted  interesting answers - I particularly liked the "which work would you recommend?" question. Joanne Drayton thought Artists in crime, Colour scheme and Died in the wool of Ngaio Marsh's 32 titles and yes she has read all 32, some two or three times.

Pat Unger subverted the impossibility of choosing just one of Bill Sutton's works by choosing three series; the Threshold, Landscape Synthesis and Plantation series.

Forced to it, Jill Treveleyan recommended one of Rita Angus' Goddess portraits and one of the watercolours (when the Angus show comes to Christchurch pay close attention to the watercolours - they are miraculous). Anyone who has been to Wellington lately can't have missed the image on the cover of the biography - Rita's the size of Te Papa on the side of Te Papa but Trevelyan didn't exactly chose this image for the cover, it was chosen by marketing because ...

"it's the Rita everyone recognises".

A question about the use of the Christian versus surname for their subjects elicted the fascinating snippet about composer's names that I have already put to use. Philip Norman used Lilburn's surname in accordance with the convention  but all three writers on the panel used Christian names.

Was that a boy/girl thing? Treveleyan began by using Angus, but her first two readers said call her Rita and then there was the cow problem.  Marsh was also much less attractive than Ngaio and Drayton wanted to establish an intimacy with the person. Sutton said himself "you may as well call me Bill, everybody else does" so that was good enough for Unger. Or should they be Joanne, Jill and Pat?

The last question ,from a scientist in the audience, was dear to my heart as a reader of biographies. How much did the writers empathise with their subjects? The questioner used the example of Newton, whose biographer spent a lifetime coming to loathe him.

The general consensus seemed to be that a biographer has to respect their subject, a biography in which the biographer seems to have fallen out with their subject is not enjoyable for the reader. It was obvious that this had not happened with these biographers who were still able to talk about their subjects with affection while still seeing the flaws and peccadillos that made them human.

Felicity Price led, with a couple of excerpts from her latest book A Sandwich Short of a Picnic. I really like the way she writes, as it is very down-to-earth, and the passage with all the women sitting round and chatting, in particular, reminded me of any number of conversations I've had with my friends.

Next was Kon Kuiper, with a selection of poetry from Bounty. I was surprised to find myself loving the physics-related poems (not my best subject), and was also moved by the sequence about the Japanese grandmother, sleeping on the kitchen floor, and the images of white camellias.

Sam Mahon was up next, reading from his biography In My Father's Shadow. Not having had time to get my hands on a copy of this book, I was assuming it might be much like other biographical writing, and was almost startled when he started reading. His writing is very poetic, alliterative and illustrative, and you can really see how his talent and experience as artist and sculptor has shaped his style, with his ability to give a real sense of 'place' in his descriptions. This is definitely another new addition to "Bronny's List of books I have to go find and read - right now!".

He commented right at the start that as a child, you pull down little bits of story from the floating conversations of the adults above you, and that this is what forms and shapes your memories. I get the sense that this book is really a recording of many of those pulled-down stories.

Next up was Karlo Mila. I'm reading my notebook, and I've written ...

the word Gorgeous!! and underlined it, and put two exclamation marks, too. Guess I really enjoyed her reading! She talked about themes of dislocation and identity crisis, and the difficulty of being questioned by others about who you are, when there really is no language or category that you can be 'fitted into' easily. The beautiful paintings she showed us matched the poetry she read aloud, and like Mr Mahon above, she's now on The List.

We ended the session with Mary McCallum, reading from The Blue, her award-winning book about a small whaling community in the 1930s. It's always unfortunate that the last person in the list gets 'squeezed' for time, and for a moment there, I was scared that we'd not get to hear the 'end' of the passage she'd chosen, and whether or not Micky is going to be okay, and how Lillian is going to cope, and ...

I still don't know, and it made me think about how author readings are a little like being shown a big block of chocolate and being allowed to sniff it, and maybe allowed to nibble a corner, but then having the whole rest of the block whipped away. But then I suppose that's the point, isn't it?

I assure you, it is all worthwhile when you see how awesome the paper is when it comes out on Friday!

Second issue of Te Waha Nui for the semester has hit the stands. I think we have definitely topped our last one. Quality of stories was a lot better and the paper looks a lot tighter. Again we owe a lot to those who took some great images. Lead story was on the depositions hearing for the "terror raids" accused, a story which was really written to accompany some brilliant photos. Turned out to be a good story in its own right in the end. The centre spread on political polls looks fantastic. Again students have pitched in with brilliant opinion pieces and feature articles. One of the highlights in the paper for me is the sports stories, especially Natasha Burling's back page profile (which isn't yet online) on Olympian George Bridgewater, who makes a remarkable admission. Again I encourage people to check out our paper on the stands at AUT, in coffee shops and libraries around town, or online, as it I believe the hard work we have all put in is reflected in the quality of the finished product. Cheers!

... right on his shoulder, locking strides with him, almost breathing in his ear – for the trick of shadowing an opponent within sight and hearing is one of the more maddening and distracting forms of tactics that one can use in any race.
Jack Lovelock

Bronwyn and I had the race of our lives just to get to this session on time. To the cruel external eye we probably looked rather less like two golden youths at the peak of physical perfection and rather more like wind-up racing Grannies. Fine, whatever, I still felt like I was trotting on air.

I managed to entirely ignore the existence of the Beijing Olympics and can hardly claim to be a sports fan so an hour on The Sporting life of Jack Lovelock held unknown quantities. The audience was older and blokier than any of the other sessions and markedly more enthusiastic. Lots of questions and a real sense of the questioner's own knowledge but without them needing to parade their credentials.

David Colquhoun spoke about the need to separate the Jack Lovelock facts from fiction, myth from reality. Ideas of Jack Lovelock as a fascist sympathiser, drug cheat, depressive or master strategist were false and Colquhoun also debunked the sub-four minute mile myth which tenaciously persists.

We saw lots of highly evocative photos from Lovelock's time as a Rhodes Scholar and felt some of that "Brideshead Revisited" magic. Jolly times on the Isis during Eights week and lots of inter-university meets. Culminating of course in the 1936 Berlin Olympics and Lovelock's win. Colquhoun showed through the training diaries that Lovelock had no certainty of winning and was even in two minds as to which event to compete in.

The footage from the games, grainy and b&w was enthralling. Inexplicably gripping, everyone knew the outcome and many must have seen it multiple times. An audible "there he goes" from the audience was heard as Lovelock kicked off for "the whoosh", the fast finish he specialised in. Like twitching old dogs dreaming of chasing rabbits, many a weary, old limb in the conference room was reliving their own glory days as we watched Lovelock pass the finish line.

A very satisfying session.

What does writing a memoir really mean and how does it differ from an autobiography? I can't say I am any more the wiser after this session, but I certainly enjoyed the discussion none the less.

I think that Fiona Kidman, Hamish Keith, Penelope Todd, and Chair Barbara Larson from Longacre Press had a rather good time discussing this topic. They all had plenty to say, and I enjoyed the fact that there was an emotional componant to what they were discussing. Memoirs and Autobiographies are after all about people, including family and friends who have shared the good times and the bad. There were moments when a tear was nearly shed, and I found it moving to hear them all discuss what drove them to write such personal works.

Fiona Kidman, who described herself as a reserved person, went to great lengths to make sure that people she wrote about in her book End of Darwin Road were comfortable with being named. She did change names of some friends to make this process easier. Being a novelist she talked of feeling like she was writing a novel about a group of people, of which she just happened to be one.

Hamish Keith did not consult with anyone in this way for his autobiography Native Wit but feels comfortable with his decision. He started the process of his autobiography as a way of telling his wife of 15 years about his earlier life and experiences, and acknowledged that a biography is not a place to settle old scores!

Penelope Todd wrote in Digging for Spain of a very intense time of growth and midlife experience for herself over a seven year period, and hoped that some of her experiences would maybe help others going through a similar time. There was a strong sense that this book was very much a process of relection and understanding for the author, as well as a good read.

Fiona Kidman made a plea for us all to put some record of our lives down in print, and Hamish Keith expressed his anxiety about the fact that so little is written down now, how many of us keep the emails we receive? Where will the information and memories to write the memoirs or autobiographies of the future be written if we don't keep written material? An interesting question at the end of a stimulating and at times emotional session.

Ideal gift for any annoyingly good player. (As if golf isn't frustrating enough.)

'Pacific nations in which consensual sex between adult males is still a criminal offence include the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu. In some of those countries penalties as severe as fourteen years' imprisonment are still on the statutes.'

But enough about the weather. At the rate I go on about it, you'd think I was Irish or something.

The sunshine was that saucy (last mention, honest), it tempted Husband and I out on our mountain bikes. Again, I've written essays on cycling, so I'll almost leave it there. Except to say this was the first time in over a week we've been out biking, since we were visiting the Outlaws in South Island. If that comes as a surprise, well, I'm canny like that.

It's calving season on the farm, which means there was a disturbing amount of mucous. According to local legend (Craig), one of their pregnant heifers suffered such a build-up of gas that she fired her newborn right across the field. I suppose you might call it an explosive delivery. If the calf wasn't dead at blast-off, it certainly was by the time it hit the neighbouring paddock.

Since I am chronically afflicted with Pteromerhanoboviphobia (fear of airborne cows) I spent the entire week cowering in the living room. Husband's family pretty much treat me as one of the livestock, albeit a pedigree. It suits everyone: I get fed and watered, and have even trained the Outlaws to the extent that everyone is horrified when I fix myself a drink.

Mother In Law: Niamhie, did you make that?

Me: *martyred sigh!* Yes.

Mother In Law: CRAIG! Poor Niamhie had to get her own drink.

Craig: Ker-rist.

Don't ask me how I arranged that; I only wish I knew. [Note: this phenomenon applies only to Andrew's immediate family, not Andrew himself.]

It wasn't an entirely one-sided arrangement. Every now and then I did the dishes, in order to feel useful and moan about how dishwashing fluid dries out my hands. Also, I exercised the farm dogs, albeit inadvertently when they came to round me up at the end of the day. And I am great entertainment value in the evening.

At least the surfeit of sloth gave me time to catch up on some quality TV.

On Oprah, I discovered that apparently, someone has stolen my bold. The pyschologist was regrettably vague about who or when, although it was probably a man (cue earnest shot to earnest woman in audience nodding earnestly). She also failed to specify whether I could retrieve the Bold if I staged a daring counter-raid, or whether it would be a waste of time because shortly after the theft my Bold was traded on the Black Market. Then again, it was difficult to make her out with all the hair patting and gesticulating.

I can't say I'm happy about the situation because, despite not being entirely sure what it is, my Bold sounds like a useful asset. I'm considering robbing someone else's Bold. Maybe Andrew's, because he appears to have double or even triple rations of Bold. Even though he heatedly denies it, chances are he was the one who stole my Bold in the first place.

Once you get over how profoundly disturbing shows like The Swan and Wife Swap are, they make compelling telly. On Swan, women who are mentally compromised and/or have deep-rooted issues apply for a makeover, because they believe their earlobes or abnormally large ankles are what is holding them back in life. In a fairly typical overview, Kelly explains how she has always hated her teeth: "Kids made fun of me in school. They called me- they- <sob!> called me 'Rabbit Teeth'. I kind of nibbled my food. I just know <pause to wipe eyes> if I didn't have these teeth, everything would be better."

When I say 'makeover', two participants are whisked off to a hotel where they have cosmetic and/or reconstructive surgery, followed by an extreme diet and exercise for three months. Neither woman is allowed see themselves until the grand unveiling in front of a full-length mirror.

"Are you ready?" asks the presenter, gripping Kelly's hands fiercely. "Are you ready to meet the brand new you?"

The curtains over the mirror swish back, and Kelly's all:-

"Oh my God! Oh my Gaw-haw-hawd! Is that- I can't believe it's really ME! I'm SO BEAUTIFUL! Waah! Waah! Waah!" <fluttering hands>

"You're a new person!"

"I am! A new person!"

In this case, Kelly was fitted with a full set of glow-in-the-dark veneers. Despite the fake choppers being freakishly large and causing a significant overbite, Kelly appeared to be ecstatic. She proceeded to the Swan Pageant because her competitor was disqualified for smuggling a mirror into the hotel in her anus.

Wife Swap features two families where the matriarchs abandon their families to be temporarily installed with another. Wiccan chicken-worshippers are placed with born-again Christian families, and composting yoghurt-weavers with families who mainline MacDonald's. That sort of stuff.

I don't know what the duration of stay is, but the whole exercise is staggeringly irresponsible. I've only seen the show a couple of times, but it has never featured anyone I would trust to water my plants. No family members have been killed in the production of this show, but it can only be a matter of time.

In 'Don't Forget The Lyrics!', contestants have to guess the lyrics of a given song. In a nail-biting buttock-clencher, Nicole had to guess the next ten words to Michael Jackson's 'Rock With You'.

Girl close your eyes
Let that rhythm get into you
Don't try to fight it
There ain't nothing that you can do
Relax your mind
Lay back and groove with mine
You got to feel that beat
And we can ride the boogie-
____ ____ ____ ____ ____
____ ____ ____ ____ ____

There you go folks, what are the last 10 words?

$600,000 at stake, and Nicole tanked.

The Outlaws have viewed me with a new respect since I leaped to my feet, gripped my crotch, and nailed the lines in a dazzling performance:-

Share that beat of looove!
I wanna rock with you-OW!

Of course, they were not to know that I have stored in my memory banks a library of seventies and eighties lyrics, including the entirety of Boney M's canon. Couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast this morning, but

Caribbean Queen!
Now we're sharin the same dreeam!
And our hearts they beat as one
No more love on the run

These are my two new possessions, from a cool and super-friendly, not to mention very talented, NZ designer Misty (didn't catch her last name unfortunately...).

There are so many talented and cool designers in NZ, and I wish I could afford to make my wardrobe consist of manly items made by them (as well as a healty and constantly updated selection of stuff from H&M of course...)

Link to stuff that's cool: Felt

Please feel free to post a comment and join us in conversation about writers, writing and reading - the more the merrier!

[audio http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Guides/GoodReads/WritersandReaders/2008/Christchurch/Audio/SaturdayFestivalWrap.mp3]

Glenn Colquhoun was definitely the hero of this session for me - partly because he was the only one I could really hear. James Norcliffe was the chair, and alongside Norman Doidge had such a quiet tone of voice that I struggled to keep listening to what they were saying. Glenn however, had a great big New Zealand voice that made me sit up and pay attention.

Seeing as Norman Doidge has got another hour in the sun tomorrow from 3-4, I think I will concentrate mainly on Glenn Colquhoun. Also Norman Doidge didn't want to talk about his poetry. Considering the the session was listed as "two doctor/poets talk about the solace and perspective that writing brings to their work," I found this rather strange and disconcerting. He was happy however to talk about his dislike of metaphors - for quite a while actually.

Glenn Colquhoun however was delightfully happy to talk about poetry. He described it as a "love story" , and that poetry was his childhood sweetheart that he didn't think he was worthy of. This love affair has devoloped and ebbed and flowed over the years, but is still going strong. He talked about poetry and science being similar, that there is the same sense of joy in science and a feeling of standing on the edge that you get when writing a poem.

He has no problem with being both a doctor and and poet, and that both keep him grounded. His life as a doctor obviously gives him plenty of topics to write about, but there is a very strong sense that he finds the life he leads as a doctor to be a great privilege and has a huge respect for this patients.

He read two of his poems and they were funny, but also very very true. I loved the one about the woman who asked him, if she was taking pills for her heart, and pills for her blood, how did they know where to go? He gives her a very detailed scientific explanation which she calls "bullshit", tries another tack which gets a similar treatment, and in the end just says "it's magic" . The response? Why didn't you say this is the first place!

When you visit NZ you will be pleasantly surprised at its cafe culture, which may only be less than 20 years old, but has become very much a part of the NZ lifestyle. And I mean cafes that make really good coffee, homestyle cooking and atmosphere. For a good number of New Zealanders (kiwis), life revolves around cafes be it work meetings, networking, weekend brunches, family outings, the list goes on.

It doesn't matter where you go in the cities or towns, you will always come upon a cafe, locally owned and operated selling good coffee, tea and food. That's just how it is in this country. You won't often find a Starbucks or MacCafe (Amen!), except for inner city locations.

In July this year I was travelling through the western coast of the South Island with a friend. It was winter and winter in this part of the country means freezing cold and annoyingly windy. I found a small cafe in the town of Greymouth, where I had stayed overnight, and gravitated towards it unknowingly. It was zero degrees celsius outside, and cosy degrees inside. Naturally the cafe was popular. I sank into an old sofa, no untrue let me rephrase, the sofa's springs were so far gone, it had no choice but to let me sink into it. I was cast into the sofa but that was ok because there was jazz playing softly in the background and warming my hands was a cup of my favourite coffee: flat white.

Most Kiwis and Aussies know what I'm talking about when I refer to a flat white. I have not been able to explain it properly to non Australasians but here goes. Take a doubleshot of espresso and add hot steamed milk, just a little, not too much or you will end up with a latte. It all goes in a cup smaller than a cappuccino size and bigger than a double shot espresso size.  

This is a great drink for people who like their coffee strong without having to drink it black. If you end up with a drink thats milky and weak, you have either a lousy barista or the wrong drink.

To find out more about the history of cafes in Australasia you can read about it on this website I recently discovered http://coffeegeek.com/opinions/georgesabados/06-12-2007

It's an informative website dedicated to coffee lovers and coffee professionals. A great read if you have some spare time.

So, to all you expat Kiwis and Ozzies who are, at this moment, pining for a good flat white, I dedicate this post to you.

Caffeinated Traveller

The idea of reading and discussing the first poem you felt really happy with, leading to discussions of how each became a poet and when in their lives they first felt they could - or wanted to - call themselves a poet or writer, was perfect for a panel of such confident New Zealand writers. It did something else wonderful too: For me, at least, it created an almost interactive, at least very inclusive, situation, in which I was also lead to remember the first poem that I had felt proud of, my current feelings about writing and where I place myself in the strange and slowly unfolding process of becoming-a-true-poet. It is quite a skill to make an audience feel so included without any actual participation.

There isn't enough space here to record all the beautiful "bright moments" that the poets shared from their lives ...

only to offer thanks for the sharing and the gift of empowerment and encouragement that came with these accomplished poets discussing their beginnings (Turner and Hall were in their 30s and 40s respectively before they started considering themselves even novice poets).

Although I'm not a huge fan of Brian Turner's work overall I have to say that something magical happened when he read us the draft of a poem, "Hereafter," which he started writing only yesterday. The freshness of new ideas that still have the shine of spontaneity about them is something with its own value so different from the value of a well-worked and minutely thunk poem and again you could feel a tremor pass through the audience at being part of something ... secret.

Scoopit!

Adam had thought about several topics for his rant this week. Aspects of media coverage of issues, stupidity of regulations yet a post at Homepaddock caused Adam to think about a completely different topic, or aspects of a topic. The post in question is entitled 'You can't eat lifestyle', which referenced an article on Stuff. An extract from the article is later in the post.

Ever since Adam arrived in late 1989 he has heard people talk about the quality of lifestyle as being one of the main reasons New Zealanders return home and others wish to come here. He was not convinced of this in 1989 and is definitely not convinced of it today.

Quite frankly he is at times inclined to find the comment vomit inducing, because it usually prefaces or follows remarks which are effectively an apology for a marked deficiency in some benefit, service or good of New Zealand origin.

In 1989 Adam came here because he was offered an excellent job, not because of so called lifestyle.

Part of the Stuff article contained these comments:-

The much-vaunted quality of life in New Zealand may no longer be enough to keep Kiwis at home, with high wages and family ties drawing growing numbers across the Tasman.

In the year to July, 32,600 New Zealanders made a long-term move to Australia, with 500 going to both Britain and the United Arab Emirates and 400 to Canada.

Net migration last crested 30,000 in 2001, and in seven of the past 10 years more than 20,000 New Zealanders have crossed the Tasman.

Statistics New Zealand figures show people from all walks of life have made the move, led by sales workers, professionals and trades workers (each 2100), along with 13,200 people without an occupation, most of whom were children or students.

News this week that the average Australian wage of $NZ1398 a week dwarfs New Zealand's $886 is expected to make the Lucky Country seem more alluring to potential migrants.

Council of Trade Unions economist Peter Conway said that while money was an important factor for workers, migration to Australia was becoming generational and ingrained behaviour for New Zealanders.

"The really concerning thing about the numbers we have now is that it's starting to look like a long-run trend," he said.

Well Adam would suggest that it has been a long term trend for a long while. The CTU is rather late in waking up to the realities of this issue.

First

Quality of life

Adam would take issue with the comment about quality of life. Whilst there is much to enjoy about New Zealand that of itself does not make it better than other countries. You can have an excellent quality of life in other countries, indeed in many the provision of many services is better than it is here.

The statement 'much vaunted quality of life' is terribly complacent and Adam would suggest does not stack up when assessed.

A country where many of the best and the brightest leave as soon as they can, many either never to return or only many years later is clearly lacking. It suggests that many find aspects of life here unattractive.

Quality of life is used as an excuse for things being worse than they need to be, for lack of economic growth and poor productivity and wages.

Might it not be that quality of life is hindered by the significantly anti-business, anti-success, ant-progress attitudes so prevalent today in our society.

Quality of life is unlikely to be present in a society which over doses on political correctness and social engineering.

Second

Health Services

The health system in this country is getting worse. This is despite the huge sums of money thrown at it by governments of all political persuasions.

Health care is an essential element in quality of life, yet for many it is hard to obtain, and/or effectively rationed.

The latest example is that of Capital and Coast flying patients to Australia.

The current system is ridiculous. 21 or 22 DHBs for a country of just over 4 million people. Only idiots would devise a system such as this. It needs root and branch reform. At the present time the system fails patients, doctor and nurses, but grows more and more bureaucrats.

In regard to quality of life our health system fails us.

Third

Education

Whether or not people wish to realise it, business underpins the society we live in. To generate the income from which comes the taxes to finance the public services we need, requires that New Zealand makes or provides goods eg primary produce or services eg tourism that people wish to purchase. Unless we can do this effectively then collectively we all go down the pan.

To do this we need amongst a number of other matters to improve our education system dramatically.

The education system needs to produce people who can contribute to our society in a number of ways. We need people who can be entrepreneurs, trades people, scientists, doctors, teachers, nurses academics etc etc.

Critical to all this is that graduates of the education system need certain basic skills such as reasoning; plus the ability to read, write coherently and perform at least basic arithmetic. Judging from various comments, including some by the Prime Minister earlier this year, the system is not doing this. Yet we pour billions into education.

We need to understand why this is happening. When we do, we must rectify the situation else we will fall further and further behind.

Adam suspects that there is a culture of mediocrity, political correctness and a bias against merit infecting the education system.

Conclusion

Rather than go on and on, Adam is ending here, but may return to aspects of this rant in future posts.

In my humble opinion, all Labour MPs are criminals because they are accesories to the crimes committed by their leader and their colleagues.

♦ the tertiary institutions provide quotas and extra assistance for Maori and Pacific Islanders, but no quotas or extra assistance targeted at Pakeha

♦ the government funds Maori TV, but not Pakeha TV

♦ the police have a National Strategic Adviser (Maori Pacific Ethnic Services), but no National Strategic Adviser (Pakeha Ethnic Services)

♦ there are Maori Mental Health Services but no Pakeha Mental Health Services

♦ there is a Maori Electoral Roll and Maori seats in parliament, but no Pakeha Electoral Roll or Pakeha seats

♦ there is a rugby team called New Zealand Maori but not a team called New Zealand Pakeha

♦ State occasions are opened with a language that I don't understand

♦ there are various Urban Maori Authorities but no Urban Pakeha Authorities

♦ Housing NZ has a Maori Strategic Plan but no Pakeha Strategic Plan

♦ there is a Minister of Maori Affairs but no Minister of Pakeha Affairs

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This is a satirical way of illustrating reverse racism in NZ and anyone who posts abusive comments will be banned, but there is also a serious point to be made.

Socialism/Marxism creates two groups in society: the victims, who are "oppressed", and the "oppressors". The Socialists then set about righting these (usually imaginary) wrongs by oppressing the "oppressors", thereby doing just what they accused the "oppressors" of doing.

Laws prohibiting sexual and racial discrimination, as well as other types of discrimination, are nonsensical because everyone discriminates. No one objects if a black American man is a looking for a black wife, but he is discriminating against white women*. He wants a female partner, so he is discriminating against men. He wants a good looking wife, so he is discriminating against people who aren't good looking. He wants a young woman, so he is discriminating against older people. He wants a wife who can bear children, so he is discriminating against infertile women: the list goes on and on.

Homosexual men discriminate against women by wanting only male sexual partners. Lesbians discriminate against men by only wanting female sexual partners. All heterosexuals discriminate against half of the population, the half that shares their gender.

Section 21 of the Human Rights Act forbids discrimination against sexual orientation, and if this is taken to its logical conclusion homosexuality and heterosexuality are illegal; only bisexual people are in compliance with the law, so bisexuality should be made compulsory. Either that or we can get rid of ridiculous laws which deny the reality of the fact that everyone discriminates.

If you take away the politically correct terminology, "discrimination" is in fact "choice". There is a Marxist agenda behind political correctness, and the perpetuators of that agenda are using anti-discrimination laws to take away our choices and impose their beliefs upon us. Will you accept it when you are treated like a dumb sheep or will you leave the flock and join the free?

**********

* calling a black American an "Afro-American" is absurd: if a white person from South Africa goes to America no ones calls him an Afro-American. Africa is a continent, not a skin colour

♦ For an excellent example of reverse discrimination, go to http://www.democrats.org/ and click on People: you'll see a list of just about every type of American, except white, middle class, urban Americans. Mr Barack "All-inclusive" Obama is discriminating against them

♦ Credit is due to Walter Block of the Mises Institute for his assistance with part of this article

The second Champions Twenty20 League will take place next year between September 25 and October 11, and will feature 12 teams, four more than the first edition to be held between December 3-10, 2008.

Next year's league has been scheduled in the same month the ICC proposes to hold its Champions Trophy, which was postponed from September 2008 after five of the eight participating nations said they would not send their teams for the event given security concerns in Pakistan.

The dates were announced in a release issued by the three founding members - the BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa.

The 2008 Champions Twenty20 League was initially due to begin on September 29, the reserve day of the Champions Trophy final, but the ICC expressed its unhappiness over the scheduling. It asked the Champions League organisers to rethink the programme after which the tournament was shifted to December.

The 2009 Champions League will involve 12 teams and 23 matches, while this year's competition has eight teams - the winners and runners-up from domestic Twenty20 competitions in India, Australia and South Africa plus the winner of 2008 Twenty20 championships from Pakistan and the reigning Twenty20 Cup champion from England, Middlesex.

According to the Future Tours Programme, Australia are scheduled to play seven one-day internationals in October 2009.

One of the great things about test matches played in NZ is they put microphones on the field for the hakas. You can't tell from watching this one, taken in New Plymouth on Wednesday night, that the hastily assembled Samoan side is about to become a historical footnote. The boys in blue look good!

Watch it now before some lawyer yanks it from YouTube.