Now There's A Thought.

A big increase in the number of primary school children suspended for violent acts is being blamed on the removal of corporal punishment in schools.
Figures from the Ministry of Education show a 88 per cent increase in suspensions of eight-year-olds from 2000 to 2008 for assaults on classmates, a 73 per cent rise for seven-year-olds, a 70 per cent increase for six–year-olds while the suspensions over the same period had increased by 33 per cent for five-year-olds.
"It is significant that as schools have removed corporal punishment, schools have become more violent," Family First national director Bob McCoskrie said today.

Now there may just be something to that ... it was certainly a more time-limited approach than reasoning them in to good behaviour and almost always was effective ... not so reason or reasoning which requires a reasonable and reasonably skilled person for it to work - not many adults can achieve this let alone an indisciplined out of control kid.

more police may not solve problems

A report into policing in South Auckland says a promised 300 new frontline police may not solve the district's problems long-term.

.... but if the increased number of frontline police are visible, increase the probability of consequences for offending and the immediacy of those consequences, they will have a dramatic and immediate effect on crime.

Threat of major blackout due to degraded cable

A third of the power supply to the North Island is under threat after Transpower shut down an important section of the Cook Strait cable because it was so degraded it could not be insured against "catastrophic failure".

Nine out of 15 major pieces of equipment used to transfer power across one of two sections of the Cook Strait cable have serious faults which could lead to catastrophic disaster.

Now one would have thought this situation could have been averted by implementing a realistic R & M programme and programming for replacement ... sort of basic really.

Top Scientists?

Top scientists (More than 200 experts) jumped into the political battle over global warming at a climate conference, urging mankind to make deep cuts in carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases, but the United States refused to back away from its opposition to mandatory cuts.

I think these doomsdayers should post their names, photos, credentials, research experience and statistical qualifications for all to see.

One can only assume that these people are so dependent on political funding that they are prepared to compromise basic scientific standards to achieve this, alternatively they simply do not have sufficient research/statistical knowledge to fully appreciate what they are supporting.
Intuition in this matter is simply not good enough. Perseverative thinking is contaminating their view of the world.
(contaminated = http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=145245).

Henry stands by his World Cup strategies, or The All Blacks do a Jerry Collins.

"I don't think it's for me to tell people how they should judge me," Henry said ... "I feel comfortable that I've done everything I can to try to ensure that we have done the best we can as an All Blacks side, so that's for other people to judge really."

The All Blacks have been regularly beaten in important matches simply by close marking of their backs and covering little pushes from the side of the scrum, ruck or maul - the french have done it before, they have just done it again ... does this signify the intellectual depth, the lack of skills of these well-paid, full-time professional players, or the coaches? ... obviously Henry blames the players, but then personal survival would demand this.

That this deficit has not been addressed, and it has become a traditional occurrence, a 'once were warriors' thingamy ... the Jerry Collins phenomenon of wetting himself publicly on the field ... and anyone who has ever worked in a psychogeriatric setting will be aware how infectious this is ... puts the responsibility squarely on the coaching staff ($50 million dollars I believe they had to correct this phenomenon).

The inability to move the ball immediately it became available, the consequent time permitted for the opposition to set their defence, the inability to breach the advantage line with close marking - where were the chip kicks, the grubber kicks to push them back, to create that ambivalence, that hesitation, that close support on the half break? - no what we`saw was a game plan that showed quite emphatically that 'planned moves' (and how many Graham Henry? 60+ ?) simply do not compensate for spontaneous play with what is in front of you at a given point in time.

Now, Henry, I believe, largely got what he wanted in his quest to 'bring home the bacon' ... reduced playing time (that 'reconditioning period' & less returns due to less interest in the super 12/14 as a consequence plus a $50 million investment) ... would you place your life savings with this man and his investment team??

The NZ World Cup ... The spitoon.

Buuuttt ... it's only a game.