Obama is Infectious.

Rosa sat so Martin could march. Martin marched so Obama could run. Obama runs so our children can fly.

author unknown

Wild Dreams

Dreams are free, so go ahead and dream! I have cut out this picture and pinned it on the wall. Anyone can relate to this idea. Letting your mind wander.... just a little.... as you meander about doing the necessary daily chores like shopping, driving to work, vacuum cleaning... Perhaps, one day..... maybe in another lifetime.... maybe then you would be a rock star, like Madonna, and wear your underwear on stage!!

The Smart Money

I have dibs on Jesus!

Browns Bay

The beautiful sunshine today drew us into Browns Bay. This beachside town is located in the East Coast Bays on Auckland's North Shore. There are numerous seats and picnic tables for your convenience. A large children's playground with the most exciting looking skateboard/bmx ramp that I have seen was being used exceptionally well on this sunny Labour Day weekend. Families and couples were out and about occupying the beach and cafes in the township. We walked and shopped and had coffee and cake with Casey, once again, seated at the table with us.

Election Race

Today's headlines read that Peter Dunne (from United Future) would be a minister under a National led government. Dunne has said that he felt that he had gone as far as he could under Labour and that his policies were more closely aligned with National's.

National is still ahead in the polls but for the first time in a year, it could not govern on its own. The gap has narrowed to 12% and National would need a partner.

United Future

United Future has been in the happy position of being sought by both of the major political parties. A minnow in political terms, they have been a favourite choice as a coalition partner and they have supplied the Government with confidence and supply for the past two terms.

A centre right party, they are led by the Hon Peter Dunne, member for Ohariu Belmont, and one member elected from the party list.

The party message is that United Future seeks innovative solutions to issues based on common sense, not ideology. United Future is based on the premise that every political issue is ultimately a family issue. When the family is working well, the community and the country is working well.’

United Future was formed in 2000 following a merger between the Future New Zealand (formerly the Christian Democrats) and the United Party. They provided support for a minority Government led by Labour and the Progressive Coalition party (Jim Anderton's party) in an early election in 2002.

St Heliers Bay

We are having some stunning spring days, of late. Sunday was just gorgeous so we went to St Heliers, one of my favourite places, to bask in the sunshine, have a walk and get some lunch.

St Heliers is an inner city beachside town that offers a large range of speciality and boutique stores, restaurants, bars and cafes. The streets are lined with Pohutakwa trees (see earlier blog) that bloom with gorgeous big, red flowers in the summer time. The recent addition of wide wooden pathways along the waterfront, not dissimilar to the boardwalks found in the US, are ideal for strolling and taking full advantage of idyllic views. The distinctive cone shape of Rangitoto lies just across the water.

There was an art and craft fair on that day and I ended up getting quite a few gifts along with some homemade jam and a couple of truffles - naughty but nice!

Lots of people were out taking walks, sailing, roller blading, playing ball on the beach and having picnics. We bought some food and coffee and watched the world go by and the glistening ocean. It really was a perfect day.

Wordle!

I saw one of these on a friend's blog and I wanted one!!

Click here to see a larger image, or to go to the website and make your own! Is that cool, or what???

ACT

ACT is a likely coalition partner if National win the election this year. The Party has a rocky road ahead. They haven't polled above the 1% threshhold for most of this term.

Known for exposing extravagant ministerial salaries and expenses and bringing down corrupt ministers (he laid the complaint with police about Winstone Peters), Party leader Rodney Hide has known the way to ensure survival was to lobby in his savy Epsom electorate on the need for Act to retain their seats in order for National to be successful.

Hide has known that he needed to manufacture himself as something more than just the rabel rouser and so over the last couple of years we have seen him as the dancing star, harbour swimmer and diet king.

The Act pledge card consists of 20 key policies. The three main areas include:

• The economy - to get Government spending under control and lower and flatten taxes through a Taxpayer Rights Bill. Not to cut spending but to hold spending to the rate of inflation and population growth.


• Zero tolerance to crime - three strikes and you're out.


• Dump the emissions trading scheme. This will wreck the economy with no benefit for New Zealand or the world. Act will pull out of Kyoto. ACT will remove the thermal energy ban, cancel the proposed tax on forestry cutting and conversions, dump the arbitrary ad hoc targets for renewables, and can the wasteful 'energy efficiency' subsidies.

The Act Party was formed by Roger Douglas. He split from the Labour Government and set up Act to prevent Labour from regaining power in1996. They were successful and took eight seats in that election.

As Minister of Finance with the Labour Party since they took power in 1984, Roger Douglas was responsible for the most far reaching changes the NZ economy had seen since the social welfare system was set up in the 1930s. "Rogernomics" altered the structure of both public and private sectors.

Now Roger Douglas has re-joined the Party to re-inject some much needed populist vote as number 3 on the list.

Fantasy Stock Market

I have always been both interested and terrified of stock market trading. To be fair I have very little knowledge of the stock market and its intricacies so fear is something of a blessing. Anyway, it didn't take too much persuasion for a friend to lure me to bullbearings.co.uk and join her league.

Bullbearings is a virtual stock market site that is based on the actual stock market. There are guides and tutorials on the website, as well as up-to-date news and reports. Company trading histories, market overviews, portfolios and stock charts are also at your fingertips.

Whilst overwhelming at first, it is quite easy to trade. Actually, it is very easy! It is also quite exhilerating to watch your portfolio increase rapidly as trading gets underway. The frenzied buying of "hot stock" is palpable. The reason that some people can become addicted is rather obvious to me from the small taste that I have experienced so far!

It is not, perhaps, the best time to enter the stock market treadmill. Last Friday was dubbed "Black Friday." Markets around the world fell by up to 10%. This has been the biggest one-day loss since the 1987 stock market crash.

Take a look at the site and if you would like to join the league and compete against friends, send me an email and I will provide you with the details to join.

Maori Party

The Maori Party have been described as the "King makers" of this election. Winstone Peters has assumed this mantle in the past.

If the polls stack up it would see the National Party having the largest share of the votes. However, with John Key ruling out Winstone as a coalition partner, Labour, the Greens and NZ First could get the numbers equivalent to National and Act.

Also, another dimension of the equation is National's reluctance to take Act onboard given its extreme right-wing views. All of these factors combined may place the Maori Party in the decisive role of holding the balance of power in their hands.

Currently, the Maori Party hold four seats and it seems likely that they will gain two more and possibly get a clean sweep of all seven.

Co-Leader Pita Sharples has said that it does not want ministerial roles through a formal coalition, because it would end up being "drowned" by either National or Labour. The most likely scenario for the Maori Party would be a confidence and supply role such as the one at present between the Government, United Future and NZ First.

The Maori Party was formed in 2004 when Tariana Turia split from Labour over the foreshore and seabed row.

The Greens!

I will continue my look at parties competing for your vote this election with the minor parties' campaign platform starting with the Greens.

The Green Party has been supplying support and confidence for the Labour Party since they took office in 1999. They missed out in 2002 but were back as coalition partners in 2005.

This year the Greens are campaigning on the principles of "living a better life while protecting our beautiful planet." Well, no arguments there! They say that a vote of the Greens will be voting for:

• Tackling the cause of ill health - poverty, pollution, poor diet and housing.


• Investing in Education.


• Honouring the Treaty of Waitangi.


• Shifting tax from work to pollution enabling NZ business to lead the world in environmental sustainability.


• Investing in buses, trains and ferries.


• Producing GE-free organic food.


• Make energy efficient, clean and affordable.


• Clean up water, air and land.
  
  

Free Trade Agreement

A proposed Free Trade Deal with the United States will have huge benefits to New Zealand. The deal is estimated to be worth around a billion dollars a year to the economy.

The US has agreed to join Singapore, New Zealand, Chile and Brunei in the "Comprehensive Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement". Commonly known as the "P4", the group had the broad objective to break down barriers to trade among the Pacific Rim nations.

A much sought bi-lateral agreement with the United States has eluded NZ for years due to our anti-nuclear policy and our refusal to join the US in military action in Iraq.

Our five biggest export markets are: Australia, the US, Japan, China, and the UK. We will now have trade agreements with three of our five biggest markets: Australia, the USA and China.

The agreement is expected to take between 12 to 24 months to settle, with talks starting as early as next year.

Random Thoughts 2

Supermarkets throw out appalling quantities of food every single day in the name of profit margins. Like there are no better options rather than this waste? People should boycott them!

I once read this definition of hell: "proximity without intimacy." Think about it.

Why do hot chips taste really good for lunch and really lousy when they're dinner?

I really like the way splashing cold water on my face feels.

I have now succumbed to Sky digital TV and I have access to over 40 channels. How come there is never anything good on when you want to watch something?

I hate watching a good friend hurt so much. I hate not knowing how to make things better for them.

Facebook is a mystery to me: poking/tagging/giving an award/drinks/ hugs/ having a blond moment/get out of trouble by smiling/taking tests/quizzes/movie compatibility/fish for the aquarium/flowers for your garden/give beer/hatching eggs.......Why? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!!!

Oh My Spring

The wonderfulness that is Spring in Auckland is undenieable. I love it! Warm air, bright sun, and late evening sunsets make evenings, weekends and holidays so much more accessible to enjoy.

Today I took a walk and lunch with my friend, Xanthe and one of her daughters, Sophia. We had a lovely day that included lots of laughter and shopping.

Signs of Spring were unmistakeable. Fresh growth on lawns, flowers opening, birds out and about and a few drops of rain only serving to freshen up everything.

Very soon the fabulous hot days of summer will roll in but for now, I will enjoy Spring.

Earth - The Movie

From the opening scenes of the Arctic the scene is set. Beautiful images of an environment so stark and pristine that it is difficult to imagine any living creature thriving. A snow leopard brilliantly camouflaged by its spots slinks through the forest; a mother polar bear pops her head out of a hole deep in the snow where it has hibernated all winter long, soon followed by her two cubs.

As the seasons change, so the animals must travel across harsh terrain in search of food and water in their struggle for survival. We are taken on a journey from the north to the south pole over the course of a year.




We follow a herd of elephants on their search for water. A mother elephant struggling to keep her calf in tow loses the rest of the herd. They are now in danger from predators. Thankfully we are spared any blood-thirsty scenes from the hunt.

In the tropics we are treated to a courtship show from Birds of Paradise. See footage of the courtship dance from the movie below.

Dramatic footage of Great White Sharks leaping out of the water to snare it's prey - fur seals.

Our journey continues following a humpback whale with a 5 month calf. As soon as her calf is strong enough, a humpback whale, weakened by lack of food travels thousands of miles form the equator to the polar waters to feed. A calf drinks 600 litres of milk a day. By this stage the mother is surviving on her blubber.

This movie is a festival of sights and sounds much of what is captured is rare footage. A salutary message about climate change is provided. In my opinion this is an absolute must see.

If Politicians Were Cars

The sturdy 'Helen' model is not for the fainthearted. Performing best in hard terrain it is liable to run over other smaller cars in it's path.

The flashy John Key is a high powered sports model. Possessing very comfortable seating for corporate passenger the John Key is capable of extremely high-speeds but does tend to over-heat if subjected to frustrating waiting periods.

The wheels are now falling off the once shiny and highly polished Winstone Peter's model. Now something of a relic the fuel gauges and other indicators are prone to giving inaccurate information.

Petite and fuel-efficient, the Jeanette Fitzsimons is available only in green.

The Rodney Hide makes a great deal of noise, but rarely seems to make much progress.

Designed to carry the entire whanau, the Pita Sharples is comfortable especially for the front occupants. It lacks modern navigation systems and occupants often appear to have little idea - or concern - about the ultimate destination of the vehicle; they're just enjoying the journey. The ultimate success of this vehicle will depend on who it shares the road with after the election.

National Party Bid

In a "KeyNote" speech in Rotorua this week, John Key spoke about National's economic and infrastructure plans. "National is conscious of the challenging economic conditions facing the world right now.

These challenges will have serious implications for New Zealand, and we shouldn't underestimate them. The reality is that the New Zealand economy is currently in recession, and the US economy, in particular, is looking shaky."

Keys outlines a plan to back businesses and grow infrastructure as his Party's main objective. He talks about growing the economy to build economic growth. He outlines traffic jams; slow internet connections; inadequate public transport networks and calls to cut back on electricity use as issues that constrain productivity growth and putting a huge pressure on inflation. The way forward, in his view, is to reduce debt for the average New Zealander and to invest in a prosperous future.

Key also speaks of family life as a core value and pledges a commitment to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of core social services.

Labour's Love Lost

When she revealed the election date, Helen Clark said, "This election is about trust. It is about which leader and which major party we New Zealanders trust our families' and our country's future with."

The Labour Party is building a campaign based on the ideals of Building a National Identity; Families Young and Old; Transforming the Economy and Sustainable New Zealand.

There is a long road ahead for Labour trailing in the polls by 18 per cent. Helen Clark also trails in the preferred Prime Minister stakes, well behind John Key.

However, under MMP Clark ain't dead yet. She is campaigning hard for the Maori vote; the Greens are a pretty steady option and no-one can ever say for sure that Winstone is dead. There are 45 days to go until 'E' Day and this campaign is going to get plenty dirty!