Kiwiblog

1. Fiscally Conservative Kiwi at Gotcha fisks The Standard for their response to my linking the rise in youth unemployment to the abolishment of youth rates.
2. Chris Hipkins discovers www.data.govt.nz. I agree it is an excellent resource – Nathan Guy launched it around a week ago. I am already a frequent user.
3. Rob Salmond and Lord Monckton exchange climate change barbs.
4. Carmel Sepuloni blogs at Red Alert over the cutting of funding to the Manukau Family Literacy Programme. I think this is a much more worthwhile cause to champion that ACE type silk scarf dying courses.
5. Paul at the Fundy Post lambasts Auckland University Arts Faculty for taking no action over the plagiarism of Professor Witi Ihimaera. Paul says their actions make him ashamed to be a member of the University – he is a PhD candidate.
6. Rochelle Rees at The Standard has a very good post on the Foreshroe and Seabed Act.
7. Crusader Rabbit points out that there were around eight times as many anti-Jewish incidents recorded by the FBI in 2007, as there were anti-Islamic incidents – 969 to 115.

This is unusual – Gallup has the Republicans in the lead in their generic congressional ballot. For the first time, more people say Republican 48% to Democrat 44%.

Why? The Independents. They are now splitting 52% Republican to 30% Democrat. This is what happens when you veer towards your base, and not the centre.

This graph shows the movement amongst Independents in the last five months.

Now it is a year to go until the elections, and lots can happen. But this poll is unusual, as Gallup explains:

Since Gallup regularly began using the generic ballot to measure registered voters’ preferences for the House of Representatives in 1950, it has been rare for Republicans to have an advantage over Democrats. This is likely because more Americans usually identify as Democrats than as Republicans, but Republicans can offset this typical Democratic advantage in preferences with greater turnout on Election Day. Most of the prior Republican registered-voter leads on the generic ballot in Gallup polling occurred in 1994 and 2002, two strong years for the GOP.

Significantly more people do identify as Democrats. So again this makes a lead in the generic congressional ballot quite significant.

Of course too early to start saying how many seats may be lost, as it will depend on regional trends.

On Monday did a cruise on the Bosphorous. It is often called a river, but in fact is a strait connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. More significantly it is the boundary between Europe and Asia, and the strait is of such strategic importance, it is why Constantine I founded Constantinople there. Many a war has been fought over it.

This is the Bosphorus Bridge, constructed in 1973 to link Asia and Europe. It is 1.5 km long. Being a suspension bridge, it sags when vehicles go over it. The sag is 90 cm when fully laden.

That coast guard boat was there for a reason. Meeting in that hotel (the most expensive in Istanbul) were the Presidents of Iran, Syria and Turkey along with many other local heads of governments.

Now that is what I call a waterside view.  I’d love to be able to dive into the water from your balcony, let alone having a boat instead of a car out front!

Also did a bus tour around the city. This is Taksim Square, and is the Times Square equivalent. The monument is the Cumhuriyet Aniti to mark the formation of the republic in 1923.

It features the founder of the republic – Kemal Ataturk. On Tuesday it was the 71st anniversary of his death and at 9.05 am the entire city comes to a stop as a sign of respect. Every car stops driving. Every pedestrian stops walking. It was awesome to see, and also well deserved. I am a huge fan of his legacy.

A view of the city from above.

I just love the blend of architecture.

All around the city (literally) are remains of the Walls of Constantinople. The walls, first constructed 1500 years ago, stretched for 21 kms. The wall was five metres thick and 12 metres high.

The Bosporus is packed full of ships. At anyone time I could normally see a couple of score.

Near the Spice Bazaar, it is pigeon city.

This is the covered area of the Spice Bazaar. The smells here are just divine, and enough Turkish Delight that Edmund Pevensie would never have to be nice to Jadis again!

An external part of the Bazaar.

I think the cat thinks it must be Christmas!

A good editorial from the Dom Post:

The Social Development Ministry appears to believe that the increases, which mirror international trends, are beyond its control. An investigation by the auditor-general found the ministry paid little more than lip service to changes made by the last government to improve the vetting of beneficiary claims and better prepare sickness and invalid beneficiaries for a return to full or part-time employment.

Extra staff had been hired and the wording of medical certificates changed to provide more information about claimants’ health, but the ministry had not established contact with many long-term beneficiaries, was not actively managing the cases of many of those who might be able to return to work, was not applying sanctions to beneficiaries who refused to co-operate, and was not monitoring the effectiveness of the changes.

And people wonder why so many are sceptical of the increase in numbers.

Perhaps the most damning of the auditor-general’s findings was that 24,000 people had been continuously on the sickness benefit for more than a year, despite it being intended for those with a “short-term medical condition”.

I suspect many of those 24,000 cite drug addiction as their sickness. I’d rather we fund them into treatment, rather than keep paying them the sickness benefit.

The majority of those on both benefits deserve public sympathy. But there is sufficient evidence of people slipping through the cracks in the system to suggest that numbers can be significantly reduced by more active case management. The department’s southern region office reduced the number of beneficiaries on its books by 134 in six weeks when it established a team to interview sickness beneficiaries aged between 25 and 49.

Superb.

For that reason, the recent indications that National ministers are preparing to implement their pre-election promise to make it tougher to sign up for and stay on both the sickness and invalid’s benefit are welcome. Those who are permanently incapacitated deserve all the help the state can offer. So do those taking their first tentative steps back into the workforce. Government plans to increase the amount long-term beneficiaries can earn from part-time work make sense.

However, a short-term medical condition, no matter how debilitating, is not a reason for a life of dependency.

Neither is being a solo parent.

Brian Rudman says:

As a Pakeha New Zealander, I have long disliked the way Mr Harawira labels us as white mother molesters, but I’m bemused why Hone has suddenly become a pariah.

The latest Marae-DigiPoll survey ranked him as Maoridom’s most popular politician.

Love him or loathe him, Pakeha New Zealand will continue to have to live with him and the views that obviously make him so popular among Maori-roll voters.

Hone is obviously popular in his electorate, having won it twice. But Rudman is wrong saying the Marae0DIgipoll ranked him Maoridom’s most popular politician.

The poll results say:

Currently, there are 16 MPs in Parliament with Maori ancestry. Of those MPs, which one do you favour most?”

Pita Sharples   31.9%
Tariana Turia   16.7%
Hone Harawira  8.2%
Te Ururoa Flavell  3.3%
Parekura Horomia  3.2%

So Hone is not the most popular by a long shot. He is at one quarter that of Sharples and one half Turia.

This morning the Human Rights Commission kindly posted what action was taken following Paul Holmes’ “racial slur” of then Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Anan – back in 2003.  To put it neatly, Joris “informally mediated” (his words) the following to occur:

1. Paul Holmes and the station would write a personal letter of apology to Kofi Annan

2. Paul Holmes would offer to meet with the Ghanaian Association of New Zealand

3. The Race Relations Commissioner would be invited to address a seminar for radio hosts and production staff on race relations and broadcasting standards

4. Newstalk ZB would in general uphold the complaints it had received rather than contest them before the Broadcasting Standards Authority

5. Newstalk ZB would continue to look at ways to promote positive race relations in New Zealand through its programme of community support

6. Newstalk ZB would adopt a new policy for its staff, who were in a position to lead and shape opinion, that judgments based solely on race, colour or creed were offensive and would not be tolerated.

Given that the Commission and de Bres have said they have received a large number of complaints (250) about Harawira’s comments what action will the Commission seek from Hone Harawira and the Maori Party?

At the moment Joris has said the Maori Party need to distance itself from Hone.  Joris says he will “aid and continue to monitor the situation”.  Joris also says that Hone’s comment aren’t actually illegal under the Act -

Hmmm… is this what Joris said when Holmes was the culprit of a similar racial slur?

“It is a free country but people who have positions of responsibility.. should also exercise their responsibility appropriately.”

So, Joris, given that Hone is in a position of responsibility did he exercise that responsibility appropriately?

I’m looking forward to the following deal “informally mediated” by Joris:

1. [Hone Harawira and the Maori Party] would write a personal letter of apology to [Pakeha New Zealanders]

2. [Hone Harawira] would offer to meet with the [Leaders of the Pakeha community]

3. The Race Relations Commissioner would be invited to address a seminar for [Hone Harawira and the Maori Party (and any other MP)] on race relations

4. [The NZ Parliament and the Maori Party] would in general uphold the complaints it had received rather than contest them before [the NZ public]

5. [The Maori Party and Hone Harawira] would continue to look at ways to promote positive race relations in New Zealand

6. [The Maori Party] would adopt a new policy for its [MPs] who were in a position to lead and shape opinion, that judgments based solely on race, colour or creed were offensive and would not be tolerated.

While it is true that the Holmes case referred specifically to a broadcast, Hone Harawira effectively allowed for his words to be published when he told Buddy Mikaere to go to the media with them.

Is this a double standard?  Not yet.  I’m sure Joris is working hard behind the scenes… somewhere.

The report into section 7(2) of the Crimes Amendment Act, what many like to call the anti-smacking legislation, has just been released.

Hughes has found that he has:

“not been able to find evidence to show parents are subject to unnecessary state intervention for occasionally lightly smacking their children or of any other unintentional consequences of the Act; and

“Data collated by the Police does not provide evidence of unwarranted investigation or prosecution for the light smacking of children.”

OK then, back to it normal life.  It’s all sorted.  Is anyone still concerned that the state is creeping into their private lives?  There is no need to be as Peter Hughes has investigated it for you and all is well.

The bigger report by Howard Broad, Nigel Latta and Peter Hughes won’t be released until the end of the year.  I am guessing the results will be much the same.

I guarantee that DPF will have his own post from the other side of the world on this one.  I’ll let him do the stats analysis.

This is almost too bizarre to be true:

Visitors to Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World were stunned to see one shark give another shark an impromptu caesarean section.

Staff were initially dubious when visitors came running to tell them there were baby sharks spilling from a wound in a female school shark’s stomach – courtesy of a large bite by another shark.

But they found a female with a large gaping stomach wound and four babies swimming in the tank.

A shark as a surgeon – no need for all those years at medical school.

This is from South Korea but could happen here:

A woman in South Korea who tried to pass the written exam for a driver’s licence with near-daily attempts since April 2005, has finally succeeded on her 950th try.

The aspiring driver spent more than 5 million won (NZ$5836) in application fees, but until now had failed to score the minimum 60 out of a possible 100 points needed to get behind the wheel for a driving test.

Cha Sa-soon, 68, finally passed the written exam with a score of 60 last week, said Choi Young-chul, a police official at the drivers’ licence agency in Jeonju, 210km south of Seoul.

Police said Cha took the test hundreds of times, but had no specific total. Local media said she took the test 950 times.

Now she must pass a driving test before getting her licence, Choi said.

I’ve always wondered why we have a system that says you are a fit driver for life, if say 30 years ago you managed to pass an exam on your tenth go.

If the Government really wanted to make a difference to road safety, they should force motorists to resit their driving licence every five to ten years.

And maybe have a limit on how often you can sit a test and fail, before you can retry.

Topkapi Palace has been the highlight of the sights in Istanbul – not so much the Palace itself, but also the collection of relics and treasures.

The Sultans of the Ottoman Empire lived here for around 400 years. Istanbul is unique in having been home to three empires – the (eastern) Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman.

The palace was built for Sultan Mehmed II, who conquered Constantinople at the age of 21.

This is the main entrance into Guilhane Park, leading into the Palace.

A view from the cafe at the Palace. Worth eating there just for the view, but be warned the prices are outraegous.

The highlight was the relics and treasures. You can’t take photos of them but you can slobber as you gaze on the Spoonmaker’s Diamond – an 86 carat diamond, surrounded by 49 smaller diamonds. In terms of relics, they don’t get much more holy (for Muslims) than the sword and cloak of Muhammed. For Christians there is the (claimed) forearm and hand of John the Baptist.

They also have a general arms collection, with around 400 weapons. The total amount of wealth in the treasures is probably incalculable. There are also two golden candleholders. Each weighs 48 kgs and has 6,666 cut diamonds. They’d look good in my apartment I concluded – definitely impress the girls

This is from inside the Circumcision Room. This is where the Princes had it happen!

Photo from Wikimedia showing part of the Palace.

You can easily spend half a day looking around. I did.

At times Phil Twyford reminds me of Chicken Little. He runs about a lot claiming the sky is falling in over the Auckland Super City. Absolutely everything is to do with privatisation. I think he’d call more money for Libraries as privatisation, as Libraries buy books from the private sector!

Anyway Brian Rudman has an interesting column today, which waters down some of the hysteria from Twyford. Rudman is from the left also, but isn’t a politician. Rudman writes:

Also dumped was a proposal to amend the Local Government Act to permit “divestment of council [water and wastewater] supplies to the private sector”. The Cabinet decided instead on a minor change, extending the time limit on any contract a council made with a private water supplier or operator, from the present maximum of 15 years to 35 years.

Mr Hide received another bloodied nose over his proposals on the expansion of Watercare Services into the sole provider of all drinking and wastewater services to the new Auckland Super City.

He wanted to scrap legislative requirements that Watercare pay no dividend and that it “manage its business efficiently with a view to maintaining prices for water and wastewater services at the minimum levels.”

He argued to the Cabinet that “the Auckland Council, as the sole shareholder, will be best placed to direct Watercare, through its constitution and statement of intent, in how water and wastewater services are to be priced to achieve its broader objectives.”

His “sleepy” Cabinet colleagues managed to stay awake long enough to vote both of these proposals down.

Now some of you, like me, might actually have wished Rodney got more of his proposals through.

The point of the post though is to highlight the gay between Twyford’s hysteria and the reality. Rudman continues:

The Government’s attempt to keep the money we pay in our water bills going on water services is commendable.

People more savvy on these matters than me also say the prohibition on dividends and profit-taking will be a dampener on any foreigner contemplating a bid on this $5 billion asset. That’s if it ever gets to that, and only extremists on the edges of the Act Party and water campaigners who enjoy scaring themselves to sleep each night, seem to think this is a possibility.

Scaring themselves to sleep and boring everyone else to sleep I think.

Sure, the Cabinet has endorsed Mr Hides’ proposal that come 2015, the Auckland Council should be allowed “to determine … the governance arrangements and asset ownership for the delivery of water services.” I’m relaxed about this. While I see no reason to even bring the issue up in 2015, if the UMR poll, Labour’s Auckland issues spokesman, Phil Twyford is waving about is accurate, it’s a non-issue. The poll shows 85 per cent of Aucklander oppose privatisation of their water assets.

Mr Hide’s argument is that once the new Auckland council is bedded in, it should be allowed to decide on issues such as the governance of asset holdings in Watercare.

At least Wellington is letting us have a say for once. We should treat that as a breakthrough and a precedent, not a threat.

Phil constantly advocates that Wellington should be running Auckland more.

My daughter and I were out and about this morning.  We had to stop to watch a huge tree being chopped down by a pair of arborists.  The arborist abseiling around the top of the tree was… a woman.

After watching for a few minutes we continued on to walk by a fire engine being driven by… a woman.

We then walked by a construction site.  The digger driver was… a woman.

My question is simple.  Are we there yet?  Has feminism done a major part of what it intended to do – ensure women can have access to once male dominated areas?  Or has the agenda of feminism (good and bad) evolved into something else?

I still wonder if some who call themselves feminists are stuck on the idea of equality of destination over equality of opportunity.

I know that the likes of The Hand-mirror and The Standard will roar on about how women earn less than men in the same position however how much of that is because of each individual woman’s negotiation skills and own expectations of income vs big bad paternalistic society imposing lesser salaries on women.  And, yes, I know there are some pricks for employers  (male and female alike)!

As a child I remember getting my first “Girls can do anything” sticker.  Before I got that sticker I hadn’t even considered women or girls couldn’t do anything.  My parents instilled in me that I could do and be anything I put my mind to.  Where there is a will there is a way.  They (and my step parents) still believe that to this day.

I accept that real discrimination takes place – but how much of the gender discrimination espoused by so many on the Left is the “eye of the beholder” or an individual woman’s own expectations or lack of self esteem and awareness?

Frankly, women get a harder time from other women than they do from men.  That is another post altogether!

Law Commission Deputy President Warren Young has responded in the Herald to some of the criticisms of the Search and Surveillance Bill. He talks about how computer searches are already an existing power, and also surveillance powers which I focus on:

The second set of criticisms relate to the fact that surveillance powers are extended to a greater range of agencies and types of offences. These extended powers need to be seen in context.

The commission took the view that surveillance is not necessarily more intrusive than a search of private premises; whether it is depends entirely on the circumstances. We regarded surveillance as an alternative form of evidence-gathering which should generally be available to law enforcement agencies that have a search power. That is the approach taken in Part 3 of the bill.

I respectfully disagree with the assertion that covert surveillance is not necessarily more intrusive than a search. I regard having the state break into my house, planting bugs and concealing what they have done as hugely more intrusive than someone turning up at my front door with a search warrant.

Views may differ about whether it is appropriate to provide a surveillance power to agencies that already have the power to search private premises. Certainly agencies should only have the powers that they need. They must also have the appropriate expertise and training to use those powers. No doubt the select committee will wish to consider closely whether more limits or safeguards are needed.

I believe it is best that the powers be limited to existing agencies such as the Police. I don’t think New Zealanders want local Councils, the Pork Board and the Commerce Commission with the ability to bug them – no matter how remote the possibility.

The emphasis in the bill has been on achieving a balance between the needs of law enforcement and human rights. There is good reason for this. Search powers that encroach too far on human rights are unlikely to gain community support. But search powers that are too tightly controlled and prevent law enforcement officers from doing their job effectively jeopardise community protection and bring human rights values into disrepute.

I think the balance has swung too far in the Bill, and it should not proceed if it is not amended. However like the Law Commission I am optimistic that the Select Committee will make some changes that will achieve a better balance.

Blunt has a topical cartoon.

The Herald reports:

“Hone doesn’t hate Pakeha, Hone is part-Pakeha,” Mr Harawira said.

He said he apologised for the use of words that he used in the email when he asked Buddy Mikaere if he was buying into “that white man bulls****” and added that “white motherf***ers have been raping our lands and ripping us off for centuries”.

But Mr Harawira said he was talking about “European settlers” who have been responsible for 63 million acres of Maori land being lost in the past 150 years. …

Mr Harawira expressed anger at Labour leader Phil Goff, who has said Mr Harawira should be suspended for his use of language.

“The cheek of the bastard,” Mr Harawira said.

He said Mr Goff and his party had passed the Foreshore and Seabed Act.

“If I should be suspended for my language, he and his mates should be lined up against the wall and shot,” Mr Harawira said.

I think Hone doesn’t realise the impact his statements can have on people.  An MP using violent language, even metaphorically, can be alarming. Especially combined with his earlier e-mails.

Mr Harawira said his wife questioned him about his choice of language.

“The mofo word is demeaning to women and I apologise unconditionally for that word,” Mr Harawira said.

His statement is here. An extract:

I note also that my comments have been misunderstood as an attack against all Pakeha and that’s caused a lot of damage to my own credibility throughout the Te Tai Tokerau and throughout Aotearoa as well.

I need to say a few words just on that score. Over the past 25 years in particular I’ve put a lot of effort into what I call phase two of Maori activism. Phase one is protest action and I return often to that philosophy, it helped guide my thinking.

Phase two is building alternatives and since returning to Kaitaia I’ve put a lot of energy into helping Maori believe that we can do anything. (He listed local organisations and trusts)

Much of that work has meant building close working relationships with many Pakeha businesses in the Far North and throughout Te Tai Tokerau and many Pakeha people that I have worked alongside on a wide range of issues in the public arena right throughout the country.

I know that those relationships have been strained by my comments, I know that I have work to do to repair those relationships, and I intend to do so.

Claire Browning at Pundit has what appears to be an exclusive scoop:

Last month, here on Pundit, I speculated that all was not well between the Greens and the government. Former co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons did not wish to comment then, but now she’s speaking out. The Greens have concluded that the energy efficiency and conservation part of the relationship is unsustainable, she and Gerry Brownlee cannot work together, and energy efficiency and conservation should, therefore, be deleted from the National-Greens memorandum of understanding (MOU).

I’m not sure who to blame (Browning points strongly to process failures within National but yet to hear if they have a different view on it) but regard it as unfortunate that the formalised co-operation won’t continue in this area. I thought the MOU was a well intentioned initiative, saying we disagree on most things but will work together on some areas we do agree.

As far as I can tell Claire’s exclusive has yet to be reported in the traditional media, so people are seeing it online first.

Mr Farrar posted earlier today with some of his thoughts on the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago.  I certainly recall my Legal and Political Studies teacher at school showing a slide of the Wall and intoning solemnly “you won’t see that down in your life time.”  Twenty months later and it was a pile of rubble.  When it happened, it all happened so quickly and with remarkably little bloodshed.  It was a watershed geo-political event.

The role of President Ronald Reagan in the reunification of Germany and indeed the end of the Cold War is still a matter of intense debate.  Russell Brown summed up one school of thought with his comment on David’s original post:

Trade unionists, dissidents, intellectuals and ordinary people drove the events that led to the wall opening.  Only months before it happened, Georgian protesters were shot in the street by their own security forces.  I think it’s much more important to remember them than Reagan, who merely read a catchy line.

Let’s look first at the role of Reagan in the end of the Cold War.  Though heavily criticised by media, experts and even some in his Administration at the time, Reagan consistently took a hard line on Soviet expansion and arms negotiations.  This hard line was predicated on Reagan’s belief that “the Soviet Union was economically weak and its vulnerability would not permit a matching acceleration of arms and technology thus forcing them to negotiate arms limitations.”  This unshakeable belief underpinned Reagan’s unorthodox and often criticised decisions. 

For example, in 1984, the Soviets walked out of the Geneva arms negotiations.  In a 1997 Presidential Studies Quarterly, Douglas Hoekstra argued “rather than Reagan shifting bargaining positions to elicit Soviet response, as might be expected, Reagan blithely continued to insist that the Soviets would return to negotiations.”

Reagan was right.  The Russians did return and, incredibly, within five years were on the brink of a (relatively) peaceful collapse.  Soviet attempts to match the West had caused the system to collapse from within.  While some (including Hoekstra) are reluctant to give Reagan much credit for his strategy, one of the foremost Cold War scholars, John Lewis Gaddis, has changed his tune.  Once a scathing critic, he is now praising Reagan for his foreign policy.  In a 1989 piece called “Hanging tough paid off”, Gaddis wrote “it would be uncharitable – and historically irresponsible – to begrudge the strategic vision of an administration once thought by many of us to have had none at all.”  

Paul Kengor, in “Reagan Among the Professors – His Surprising Reputation”, categorises the emerging academic view is that Ronald Reagan will be widely accepted by historians as a “near-great chief executive” who “revived a sick economy, established a policy course that won the Cold War” and “uplifted a depressed national spirit with his rhetoric.”  The rehabilitation of Reagan’s reputation is reflected in several surveys of academics and commentators which have Reagan consistently placed in the ‘near great’ President category.  In less than a decade, Reagan moved in one major poll of academics from being the 25^th ranked President to the 8^th.

The final point relates to Russell’s last comment that Reagan “merely read a catchy line.”  Again, that accurately reflects the initial academic and media animus towards Reagan.  It has always been a paradox that Reagan was considered by many to be simultaneously a dangerous ideologue and an empty suit.

An analysis of the files at the Reagan Library reveals a quite different story.  Jones and Rowland, writing in the Communication Studies journal, reviewed the Handwriting Files there and concluded they showed that “Reagan was an involved principal in the creation of the radio speeches and skilful speechwriter himself…  Reagan was an active participant in the creation and revision of his discourse rather than simply a performer who repeated the words and ideas of others.”  Their analysis demonstrates that Reagan was concerned with both the style and ideological substance of his speeches.  In fact, at the 1984 Geneva conference mentioned earlier Reagan extensively revised the State Department draft speech which signalled concessions to the Russians which the President did not agree with.

Russell is right to say on this day we need to remember the everyday people who stood up to tyranny as well as the political and religious leaders on the world stage.  However, it seems unfair to belittle the contribution of the 40^th President of the United States to these historic events.

This is the Hagia Sophia shot from outside the Blue Mosque. It is a magnificent building.  It is also 1500 years old, originally constructed as a cathedral, serving as the centre of the Eastern Orthodox Church for 1000 years. In 1453 it was converted into a Mosque, and was the principal mosque of Istanbul.

A shot of the interior.

There are cats everywhere in Istanbul, including this one which has made the Sophia his home. He’s found a nice perch and just sits there happily. I suspect he is the most patted cat of all time – almost every visitor gives him a rub.

One of the images in the upstairs gallery.

I grew up with the Berlin Wall and the cold war with Soviet Empire as a fact of life. No one really thought that the Berlin Wall would ever come down. In fact most people thought there was a greater than even chance of a global nuclear war ending life on the planet.

Even a year before the wall came down, you would have been thought mad if you had predicted its peaceful demise.

The fall of the wall (and eventual collapse of the Soviet Empire) remain the most significant global events of my lifetime.

But it was also the end of a tragic era for many families. Some parents gave away their children to friends West Berlin, so they could grow up free. Siblings were not able to see each other for almost 30 years. An entire country was locked up behind the wall – the only way the communist state could keep its citizens from fleeing the so called workers paradise.

A few years ago I was fortunate to meet Ronald Reagan’s speech writer, who penned the immortal line:

Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

We often refer to the Holocaust, saying “We must never forget”. For me the same maxim applies to Eastern Europe – we must never forget. Hundreds of millions in effective state slavery. No rights to vote. No rights to leave. Basically no rights at all.

I personally have special reason to celebrate the fall of the wall. One of the most special people in my life was born in East Germany, and I would have never met her if Germany had remained divided.

The UN has days for everything – World Children’s Day, World Agriculture Day etc. I propose that the 9th of November should be World Freedom Day. That would be a day worth celebrating.

This was a must see for me. Not the beauty of the palaces or the mosques, but a real link to the past.

The Basilica Cistern was constructed in the time of Emperor Justinian I, around 1500 years ago. It is quite huge – over 100,000 square feet, and has 336 marble columns. It is dimly lit and very very slippery. So tread carefully. Photo from Wikipedia.

The highlight are the two columns with a Medusa head at their base. One is upside down, and one is on its side. They were only discovered in 1987 when a metre of mud was cleared out. As a long time fan of Greek mythology, I loved seeing an ancient carving. Photo from Wikipedia.

There is also a cafe in the cistern for those who want to dine underground and watch the fish swim about.

The first place to see was the Blue Mosque, or more formally the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. Now sadly the photos are crappy one from the Blackberry as I left my camera in the taxi. Doh. I got a new camera on Day 2, so the photos will be better.

A photo from across the park.

This photo (from Wikimedia Commons) far better captures its majesty.

A local insisted on showing me how to enter the Mosque (it is around the back) and he was quite helpful. He could tell I was suspicious though, as he kept saying he did not have a gun. As I suspected he met me when I came out and insisted I visit his shop one minute away. They sell carpets and had a nice silk carpet for just 1600 Euros for me.

Luckily I used my (not feigned) distress over my missing camera to escape sans purchase.

A very bad photo of inside, from the Blackberry.

And again a far better photo from Wikimedia Commons.

There isn’t a huge amount to see in the Mosque, compared to other attractions. You tend to be in and out in well under an hour. It was an impressive sight to see, but not as spectacular as some of the others.

Sometimes when you read something, your brain automatically converts it to what you think it should read, not what it said. So when I saw the headline about sex with women he killed, I read it as he was a rapist and a murderer.

But then the article makes clear, it is far more yucky than that. Im not sure if one can say if rape is worse or better than necrophilia – both are evil and disgusting – but in somewhat different ways.

The Press reports:

‘House of horrors’ murderer Jason Somerville strangled his wife Rebecca Somerville and Tisha Lowry to death before having sex with them.

That’s the word I missed.

The statement said Somerville strangled Lowry until she was no longer breathing. He then stuffed a pair of his wife’s underpants in her mouth and had sex with her.

Somerville was due at a meeting early that afternoon so had no time to dispose of Lowry’s body, leaving her lying on the floor of a cupboard.

The following day, Somerville waited until his wife had gone out before again having sex with Lowry’s body, now hidden under the house.

I think I can speak for everyone when I say I hope Mr Somerville is not let out of jail in my lifetime.

The statement of facts raises real questions about how the Police did not catch him after the first murder.

Nine months into his term, I thought I’d take another look at Obama’s ratings compared to other US Presidents. Gallup has polling data back to WWII. At Day 270 the approval ratings were:

1. George W Bush 89% (post 9/11)
2. John Kennedy 77%
3. Lyndon Johnson 74%
4. George H W Bush 68%
5. Dwight Eisenhower 65%
6. Harry Truman 63%
7. Ronald Reagan 56%
8. Richard Nixon 56%
9. Jimmy Carter 54%
10. Barack Obama 50%
11. Bill Clinton 47%
12. Gerald Ford 40%

Clinton of course won a second term, but Carter did not. Clinton abandoned healthcare reform and moved to the centre. Will Obama?

In a fit of good timing, the review night for Collapsing Creation at Downstage was the night before I flew out, so went along at 6.30 pm. They started early so people could make the fireworks afterwards at 9 pm.

Collapsing Creation is about Charles Darwin, and has a cast of five. Darwin himself, his wife (who incidentally was also his cousin) Emma, Alfred Thomas (an all too zealous supporter based on Alfred Wallace), John Roberts (his former agent who turns on Darwin as the consequences of his theories become clear) and the comic servant, Joseph Gardiner who brings much light relief.

The Roberts character is based primarily on Robert FitzRoy who served as the second Governor of New Zealand, after Hobson. FitzRoy captained the HMS Beagle, which with Darwin on board, visited New Zealand in December 1835.

The play is more a drama, than a comedy (but there are many light moments). The star for me Catherine Downes as Emma Darwin. She played so well this devout religious wife, whom nevertheless supported the work of her husband despite the revelations of his theories of evolution, and his eventual agnosticism.

It is hard to imagine today, when not even the Pope literally preaches creationism, what it was like in 1859 when Darwin’s publication of On the Origin of Species was published. He was a latter day Galileo in some regards.

This cartoon (credit Wikipedia) from 1871 is typical of much of the reaction to Darwin.

But the play is not so much about the larger battle over the book and is theories, but more about the relationships between the five cast members. Not just Charles and Emma, but his friend turned opponent, and his supporter turned outcast.

The play last two hours, and could be a bit shorter. The first half hour was relatively slow moving, but overall it was a very enjoyable play.