New Zealand Plumbing Industry in Confusion

That's right. With same sex 'marriage' now OK in NZ, plumbers are totally confused about ordering male and female fittings to complete their work.

Some suppliers have been asking if they want two male or two female couplings instead.

Plumbers have reported being thunderstruck when they've arrived on site only to find all male fittings or all female fittings to connect outlets to water pipes.

Of course, there have been leaks everywhere: same 'sex' plumbing just doesn't work.

No lesser people!

Letter a friend sent to the Prime Minister of Australia recently:

Dear  Prime Minister,
I applaud your moves to make educational funding more reflect need than privilege.

I notice in the press coverage of this policy a disturbing reference to people of 'low socio-economic...'. I am deeply concerned that a Labor government would countenance the labeling of people with smaller incomes as being of a lower 'social' group. There are no lower social groups; all people have equal dignity and are equally participants in democracy.

I hope that the use of this terminology which looks as though it ranks people (she's of a 'higher' group than him) is the press interpretation of your government's policy. I would expect that a labor government would only refer to what is objectively measurable: that is, people's income levels. Just because I have a smaller income than someone else, doesn't mean that I'm their social inferior. Such usage should be anathema to a labor government and I urge  you to ensure that your ministers and staff are careful to reflect a core labor value that all are equal socially; its only our incomes that differ. That can be measured and can attract a relevant policy response.

What on earth would the policy response be to people of a 'lower social group'? Perhaps labeling them serfs or peasants would be the way?

Why should I trust a frikken paint vandal?

Hitting children?!

Central Queensland Christian College has the gall to advertise that corporal punishment is part of its 'discipline' policy.

Well, this is not discipline, this is simple-minded de-humanising savagery.

I wrote to the Queensland Premier:

Dear Sir,

I was appalled to discover that Central Queensland Christian College advertises on its website that its discipline code includes the barbaric and humiliating use of corporal punishment. This must be stopped. Adults assaulting children, causing them to live in fear and teaching that violence by the powerful over the weak has any place in a modern democracy of free people is abhorrent.

And I don't care how 'carefully', or absurdly 'loving' they are in doing it; corporal punishment has no place in our society and is never an option for helping children grow into responsible and happy adults. In fact, the record is that children who are hit by authorities end up maladjusted, unhappy, and often violent individuals.

Your government must legislate to outlaw this primitive thuggery, whatever the excuse the school has for its use.

My experience of being hit by the authorities, typically with no explanation and for no discernible good reason (and therefore, no 'correction' occurred) is that I have for decades despised the teachers who behaved with such unthinking idiocy and look back on those days with disgust. I certainly don't talk about them, and my memories are not fond, but of empowered gorillas wrecking young boy's happiness. If I met them in the street I would have to restrain myself from returning their violence on them.

Another dumb teacher act

My niece's class was recently asked by their teacher who liked maths; a few, including Mavis put up their hands. The teacher, trying to be...who knows...witty? said they were 'brainiacs'. So, labelled, singled out and given a daggy name. Real smart. My niece was reduced to tears, and had to talk it out for hours that night that she was teased by friends for being a 'brainiac' and the birthmark on her forehead must have been her 'brainiac badge'. Class one stupid thing to do, teacher! Making children look and feel different, leads to being singled out; young children hate being different in any way from their peers. It was also psychologically offensive to 'name' or 'label' someone, giving ammunition to detractors that could follow them for years! Sure, acknowledge their love of a subject, but don't turn it into a 'name' by which they could be (will be) lampooned and made to feel bad by their peers. A real richard-head act.

Friends of Science in Medicine

Great! Some others who want to lift the lid on chiropractic and other forms of witchcraft. The Friends of Science in Medicine have recently gone public.

It was picked up in the UK too, where it got the usual comments from alternative boosters proclaiming the excellence of 'treatments' based on water (homeopathy) or changing the 'energy flows' in the nerves (chiropracty, based on the Eastern occult notion of chi).

Witch Doctors

A mad bloke, so mad he killed someone said:

to police, as reported: ''I believe in chiropractors … I think they're witch doctors.''

Now he's dead right, of course, chiropractors ARE witch doctors...and just as effective!