I fought the council and I won

A couple of months ago my new car was towed from where I’d left it, near work. The council said it was parked in a clearway, and wanted $120.

I disputed the ticket, arguing I was not parked in a clearway because there was no clearway sign. You could see where there used to be a clearway sign, but there wasn’t one any more - and I sent them photos to prove it (one of them is attached - note the gap above the 60 sign).

Cutting a long story short, the council have now backed down and waived the ticket - but somewhat stupidly have yet to replace the sign.

If I was of a more masochistic bent, I’d totally park there again tomorrow. But Tariqa would call that silly.

When do we start the Paula Bennett-bashing? How about now?

It hasn’t taken long for National to trot out the beneficiary-bashing - I really thought they’d leave it to the second term, but I suppose they’re riding high in the polls and feeling a bit cocky.

The irony is in this case that Paula Bennett, the minister for social development, is stripping away the exact kind of support that got herself off the benefit and into a career which has seen her go as far as well, being a minister in government.

But the most disturbing aspect of this current round of kicking people while they’re down, is that Bennett is basically saying if you disagree with the government, it’s okay for the government to release your personal details to the world and invite the ugly side of NZ society to publicly attack you.

These women are trying to get themselves off the benefit by going into training - and to be recieving benefits as large as they are, it’s obvious they have a number of children to look after, whose fathers aren’t in the picture. It’s hard enough bringing up kids when both parents are present, let alone doing it by yourself. And what would the privileged arsehole class suggest she do? Stay on the benefit, the one they’d strip from her if they had the chance? Kids don’t choose their parents, and it’s not the mothers you’d be punishing the most by taking it away.

When will people learn that punishing children for the choices of their parents’ only leads to more money being spent on social needs further down the track?

And when will they learn the key thing to getting people into paid employment and off govt support is education and opportunity?

No matter how much money John Key managed to siphon out of the economy as a money trader, his job will never, ever be as important as someone who brings up children alone.

Riderless horses, Chomsky’s Camelot…

Picked up the new Manics album on the weekend, and have been listening to it almost non-stop since. I’m not sure how much any of you care, but it’s good hearing James singing Richey’s words again, even knowing it’ll never happen again. It’s a grower of a record, only the first couple of songs (Peeled Apples and Jackie Collins Existential Question Time) really stand out on first listen, but the rest soon show themselves - I’d have to say apart from those two, This Joke Sport Severed, All Is Vanity and Marlon JD would be my favourites. Steve Albini’s production is nice and heavy, but it’s been given a proper shiny mix so it’s not unlistenable. Rating at 83/100 on Metacritic at the moment, which is impressive for any major label album there. Nice artwork too, and all the lyrics printed out, which made the first listen (on my big headphones after a couple of drinks) all the much more enjoyable and eye-opening.

Anyway… that morning I was trying to catch a bus to town so I could pick up the CD before work, but didn’t have enough credit on my card. I figured I might have time to get some money and race onto the next bus stop, so hoofed it to the ATM and began navigating the long-winded menu.

I then heard this woman yelling, and turned around to see she was yelling at and approaching yours truly. WTF? I thought maybe I was being robbed - checked she wasn’t holding a knife - then listened to what she was actually saying: “GET OUT OF MY BODY! I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF MY BODY!” Err, okay… she was shouting this whilst wearing a bum bag and rocking a boy’s haircut, waving her woollen-gloved hands in my face.

Then she attacked me - it wasn’t hard to block her blows, but it felt faintly ridiculous - I was being attacked by an insane lesbian. She then stormed off, much to the amusement of everyone standing around watching. The bus went past, and I thought shit, my bus to town, and ran off after it. I caught up, and for once the bus driver was accommodating, and pulled over for me.

All I wanted was to get my Manics album before work…

TOP TEN ALBUMS OF THE LAST… MONTH!

1. Sounds of the Universe - Depeche Mode
2. Journal for Plague Lovers - Manic Street Preachers
3. The Holy Bible - Manic Street Preachers
4. Doves - Kingdom of Rust
5. Screens - Mint Chicks
6. Day & Age - Killers
7. Years of Refusal - Morrissey
8. Modern Life Is Rubbish - Blur
9. Cardinology - Ryan Adams
10. Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future - The Bird and the Bee

Misleading, much?

I just heard an informercial that differentiated their product by saying it burnt off weight in ‘calories’…. I assume kilojoules are burnt off by their other product, the Scambuster 2000…

Where is Garth McVicar in all of this?

A guy kicks his girlfriend in the back, breaking it, and gets off with community work and a fine that he’ll barely notice.

And there’s no comment from Garth McFuckface and his Idiot Sentencing Trust? Why ever not?

Could it be ’cause Tony Veitch is wealthy and white?