31 July 2020
28 July 2020
27 July 2020
25 July 2020
23 July 2020
21 July 2020
20 July 2020
18 July 2020
What a stupid question to ask
15 July 2020
14 July 2020
13 July 2020
12 July 2020
11 July 2020
10 July 2020
9 July 2020
Breakout, Corona Style
Social media users have lambasted a man who left his managed isolation facility and later tested positive for COVID-19. The offender, who is in his 30s, broke isolation protocol by leaving Auckland's Stamford Plaza to visit Countdown Victoria St in the CBD on Tuesday night. His virus test came back positive yesterday morning. The man escaped through a fenced area at the hotel that was being replaced while he was outside for a smoke, head of managed isolation and quarantine Air Commodore Darryn Webb said. As a result, all fencing at managed isolation facilities will be replaced with six-feet-high fences. A review is also being undertaken of the arrangements for smokers and the security in smoking areas. The offender will be charged under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act and could face six months in jail and/or a $4000 fine. This was an utterly selfish and reckless thing to do. It sets back the hard work of all Kiwis over the last few months. If you are going to come home, you should be prepared to abide by the rules that keep us all safe.
8 July 2020
7 July 2020
6 July 2020
5 July 2020
4 July 2020
3 July 2020
2 July 2020
1 July 2020
30 June 2020
Real estate agent gets desperate
The end of the month is upon us again, so it’s time to induct another into the Sick Phoque Club. This month, it’s David Hilliam, an Auckland real estate agent who visited a fortune teller for help selling a client's home and has now been stripped of his licence. Hilliam was found guilty of serious misconduct and lost his licence for six months after he admitted consulting a traditional Hindu "jyotishee", or fortune teller, to predict the market. Hilliam was an agent with Zest for Realty Ltd, trading as RE/MAX Zest, when he was contracted by Christa Herbst and Clinton Holmes to sell their 2.5-hectare Waiuku property in 2016, according to the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal. "Mr Hilliam follows certain Asian religious beliefs and practices and incorporates aspects of these, in particular numerology, into his real estate work," the tribunal's decision said. Not everyone does. And for anyone tempted to do this shit in 2020 during a pandemic, I have this to say to you: DON’T TAKE THE PISS. This behaviour is at best a lawsuit waiting to happen. The fortune teller won’t always get it right.
29 June 2020
28 June 2020
27 June 2020
26 June 2020
25 June 2020
24 June 2020
23 June 2020
22 June 2020
21 June 2020
20 June 2020
19 June 2020
18 June 2020
17 June 2020
Rona’s Return
After just eight days, New Zealand has lost its COVID-free status after it was revealed two women who arrived from the UK have the disease.
They were allowed to drive from Auckland to Wellington under a special exemption on compassionate grounds.
Now the Government is cancelling all exemptions that have been granted and will require a negative test result before any new ones will be approved.
Masks and gloves are now a must for security, hotel staff, and police entering the Novotel Ellerslie - PPE that's even more crucial than ever, as the hotel is the quarantine facility linked to our latest COVID-19 scare.
This is an opportunity to look back, and learn and fine-tune, so that we are even better prepared. We are going to be facing travellers coming to New Zealand every few weeks or months who are infected, because there is so much infection around the world. And I know what’s really to blame for all this - 5G.
16 June 2020
15 June 2020
14 June 2020
13 June 2020
12 June 2020
11 June 2020
10 June 2020
9 June 2020
So what has protesting accomplished?
8 June 2020
I can’t breathe
"It's my face man
I didn't do nothing serious man
please
please
please I can't breathe
please man
please somebody
please man
I can't breathe
I can't breathe
please
(inaudible)
man can't breathe, my face
just get up
I can't breathe
please, a knee on my neck
I can't breathe
shit
I will
I can't move
mama
mama
I can't
my knee
my neck
I'm through
I'm through
I'm claustrophobic
my stomach hurt
my neck hurts
everything hurts
some water or something
please
please
I can't breathe officer
don't kill me
they're gonna kill me, man
come on man
I cannot breathe
I cannot breathe
they're gonna kill me
they're gonna kill me
I can't breathe
I can't breathe
please sir
please
please
please I can't breathe"
Then his eyes shut and the pleas stop. George Floyd was pronounced dead shortly after.
As people of the world, we grieve the senseless loss of another life at the hands of US police, and right now, we have a choice. This can just be one more tragic death at the hands of US police -- or the moment for change.
We stand in community with everyone who is hurting.
These brutal killings must end. Each is a wound to the heart of our humanity and a shameful, indelible mark on that great flag of the United States of America.
Racism thrives in the company of silence -- so we will not stay quiet. Racism is a problem that belongs to us all. It is our fight.
But we cannot allow that fight to become hatred, for then we are no wiser than those whose hearts we seek to change. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
It is in this spirit that we call on all those in power to act NOW, and hold President Trump and US state and local governments accountable to:
- Ensure all officers involved in the killing of George Floyd face legal due process,
- Expel and prosecute officers for even one instance of excessive force or the failure to intervene when excessive force is used,
- Ensure every police killing is independently and transparently investigated. We pledge to do our part, meeting the fear, anger, and ignorance of racism with all the hope, love, and strength of our humanity.
Rest in Power, George Floyd. It will not be in vain.