What’s Up
Two good men pass
Not a great start to the new year. First the news of Pete Postlethwaite, then the news today of the passing of Gerry Rafferty earlier today.
+3415 Years Young
Fifteen years ago today, I headed out to the sunny climes of Malta in the late summer, with three new friends. It was a trip that marked the beginning of an incredible bond of friendship, which is celebrated throughout the Bandanna Club website.
For me, it was a life-changing time.
It had been a tough year. My younger brother had recently passed away and his birthday which had occurred a few days earlier, was still a sharp and painful memory.
+45A Book is just a Book
Book burning is something that sticks in our craw a bit.
Most of us are taught that the burning of books is a bad thing. Ditto for flags. And world history during the last century has been littered with ominous events of hatred and intolerance, in which the burning of books or flags has played a central symbolic role.
+34The day the south was rocked
I am immensely relieved that no-one was killed in the recent earthquake in Canterbury.
With a magnitude of 7.1 on the Richter scale, the quake struck the South Island of New Zealand at 4:35 am local time on the 4th of September and is believed to be the worst earthquake to hit Godzone since 1931.
Friends of mine who live in an apartment block in the CBD of Christchurch provided a harrowing account of the experience:-
+17
Rawdons Online!
Rawdons new website is now online.
It contains pretty much everything that a new recruit would want to know, so if you have ever thought it might be fun to give the whole reenactment thing a go, check it out. It’s well worth it.
And well done Su for doing such an excellent job! 
+29Redefining Indigenous
I’ve only been back in New Zealand for a few weeks and already I’m sick of hearing about “the principles of the treaty“.
A typical example is today’s visit by a UN representative on indigenous peoples James Anaya, who said from what he has observed during his visit to New Zealand, treaty principles are too vulnerable to political discretion. Mr Anaya used the example of Te Reo Māori being made an official language, yet not made compulsory in schools.
What the…?
+52