Stuff reports:

Nearly 800 newborn babies were taken from their mothers and put into government care in the past five years, with one Waikato baby taken within hours of its birth.

The 773 babies – all less than a month old – were taken due to “serious concerns” about their parents’ ability to care for them.

Child, Youth and Family midlands regional director Sue Critchley described the removals as “absolutely the last resort”.

“The last thing any social worker wants to do is take a newborn baby off their mother. So it has to be an absolute serious situation.

It’s a sad number, but to be honest the number should probably be even higher. There are a number of adults who have shown they are incapable of being safe parents, and if they understood they will automatically lose their babies at borth – they might stop having so many.

The Herald reports:

New York City mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner forged ahead with his political comeback attempt, shrugging off calls for him to quit the race over revelations that he began a new raunchy online relationship well after similar behaviour destroyed his congressional career.

As rivals and newspapers pressed the Democrat to bow out a day after he acknowledged he kept sexting even after he resigned from Congress two years ago, Weiner prepared to testify at a public housing hearing and participate in a candidate forum in the evening.

He told supporters in an email that he regrets “not saying explicitly” how long the exchanges extended, but emphasized that his indiscretions have stopped.

 I’d say they stopped around 48 hours ago!

Today, two of the city’s major newspapers, The New York Times and the Daily News, said the 48-year-old Democrat had exhausted his opportunities for forgiveness with his latest indiscretions, which went on well after he resigned from the House of Representatives.

“The serially evasive Mr. Weiner should take his marital troubles and personal compulsions out of the public eye” and the mayoral race, the Times wrote.

The Daily News declared Weiner to be “lacking the dignity and discipline that New York deserves in a mayor,” and said “his demons have no place in City Hall.”

It will be interesting to see the next polls as he was leading the Democrat field, and NYC is a very Democrat heavy city.

Which long-serving Labour MP was seen at dinner at Buenos Aires restaurant in Auckland with a former Labour Chief of Staff, and the serious discussion was heard to mention David Shearer?

The Dallas Arboretum is around 10 minutes from the city centre and are the top ranked attraction on Trip Advisor. 66 hectares of them, and they even have a trolley cart service to get you around.

She wasn’t a real bride, as you can tell by the boots. But most days they have one or more weddings there.

They had an Alice in Wonderland exhibit, which was cool.

The kids loved the tea party.

Afterwards we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and frozen margaritas. Perfect.

A typical Dallas tower.

A fountain kids can play in.

The hotel we stayed at. RV parks were too far out of town. Mary Kay (a company I can say I had never heard of before) was holding their national convention there, when we were there. I understand they sell makeup, so the hotel was around 95% women. I did not complain!

Getting around the old fashioned way.

Dallas is a great city. Two days wasn’t enough. Will definitely return.

A very good video that provides some balance to the reporting of this case.

Note I think that Zimmerman acted unwisely in following Martin, rather than waiting for the Police. I also think President Obama made a very pertinent point that almost every black kid in America, including himself, has experienced someone following them because they look like they are in an area where they didn’t belong.

However the reality is Martin attacked Zimmerman, and if he had not done that, he may be alive.

Sunrise at Moeraki boulders, North Otago New Zealand. Landscape photography by Todd Sisson.

The cover shot for our new photography guide Living Landscapes, which went on sale today – check it out if you are interested in learning all of our nifty tricks and secrets 😉

This image is one of a series of interesting shots that I managed to capture one very productive morning at Moeraki – I wish all of my 5AM starts worked out this well….  The wave motion is not photoshop jiggery-pokery, it  is a 2 second long exposure made while the waves were receding (wet and frozen feet are a must for seascape photography).

See you next week!

Cheers – Todd

Free Wallpaper Download

You may download the large version of today’s image from this link:   Password = wwp

Thanks for your support!

Cheers – Todd [www.sisson.co.nz] 

Paul Matthew of IITP has five proposals for making Govt IT more secure.

1. Establish a Chief Information Security Officer for All of Government
2. Create a one-stop central “hotline” where breaches can be reported
3. Develop and publish guidelines on how to handle a notification
4. Establish Ethical Disclosure Guidelines
5. Establish a Bug Bounty programme

All look pretty good ideas to me. Anyone got some others they would add to the list?

A local web series designed to tell younger people a few useful things, in a light hearted way.

In this episode they cover why you should not put tomatoes in your fridge, cleaning your jeans by freezing them, how to lift the barrier arm to get out of parking buildings, and don’t use petrol station toilets.

This is where JFK was assassinated. Lee Harvey Oswald killed him from the second to top corner window on the sixth floor of this building. The entire sixth floor has been turned into a museum and is a must see for those interested in JFK. Takes around 90 minutes to see and hear everything, from his early days to his presidency, the assassination, the arrest and then killing of Oswald and the various investigations afterwards.

A close up of the window.

The famous grassy knoll, where the alleged additional gunman was.

The memorial plaza to JFK.

Photos were not allowed inside the museum, but again a must see if you are in Dallas.

Stuff reports:

Coca-Cola plans to start displaying the calories in its products on vending machines as a way of fighting obesity.

The beverage giant announced tonight it was was “joining the front line” in the fight against obesity with a campaign set to launch tomorrow.

As part of the campaign, it will place transparent nutritional information in more places, including vending machines, and increase the availability of small bottles like its 300ml soft drink range.

It will also offer a wider selection of low-calorie products and help get people moving by supporting physical activity programmes.

I hate nanny state anti-obesity measures around banning certain foods from tuck-shops, advertising restrictions etc. But something I am passionate on is food and drinks showing the number of calories they have. This allows us adults to make informed choices.

I think alcohol should have calorie labels, and also retail food outlets should have available calorie counts for their food, should people request it.

People would be amazed at how much weight you can lose by simply being more knowledgeable about how many calories are in what you drink or eat.

I blogged on 14 June:

Have heard from two separate sources that two very senior staff in David Shearer’s office are departing.

Have been wrong once before on this issue so not naming staff, but as I said have heard from two different people. No doubt will be confirmed one way or another this afternoon.

Labour denied that any of their staff were departing. However I had heard from (by the end of the day) three sources that Chief of Staff Alastair Cameron had agreed to depart, and Labour were searching for a successor. They denied that also.

Yesterday we learnt:

There are further changes in Labour leader David Shearer’s office after his chief of staff Alastair Cameron resigned to be replaced by his former chief press secretary Francesca Mold.

The change is effective immediately, Labour confirmed.

So it was correct.

What is interesting is that David Shearer has been leader for just 18 months and he is onto his third chief of staff. As a contrast John Key has been Leader of National for six and a half years and has had the same Chief of Staff throughout. In fact many of his office have been with him the whole time.

The Herald reported:

Labour is accusing the National-led Government of cronyism after Social Development Minister Paula Bennett hired her former adviser – a Cabinet minister’s sister – as Chief Families Commissioner.

Mrs Bennett defended the appointment of Belinda Milnes, saying she was the right person for the job. As minister, she had been careful in the hiring process because of the candidate’s ties to the National Party.

Ms Milnes was previously a senior adviser to Mrs Bennett and is Cabinet minister Amy Adams’ sister.

I know Belinda well. She is a star, and will do a great job. I would also point out she has been involved in the welfare area for at least 10 years before Amy became an MP. I think few would claim she should not be considered for a role, because of her sister.

Now Belinda can be considered a political appointment as she has worked for Roger Sowry and Paula Bennett. However here’s what I blogged in July 2008 on political appointments:

1. Never have those with political connections forming a majority or even close to a majority on a board.
2. Unless someone was already a professional company director (or widely seen as possessing similar skills), they should not be appointed to more than a couple of boards.
3. Appointees must bring genuine value to a board – their appointments must be based on merit, even if they have political connections.
4. The more important a board, the more critical it is that the appointees be top class.

So what I have consistently said is that of course Governments will appoint people who are fairly like-minded to boards. But the key thing is that they should not be close to a majority on a board, they should not get multiple boards unless highly qualified, and they must bring value and make it there on merit.

I have no doubt Belinda will be of great value to the Families Commission.

Labour was also accused of political appointments while in Government, but its MPs felt National was especially guilty of this.

This is so outrageous that I can’t let it pass. Let me say that many in National actually complain that so few of its supporters have ended up with board positions, and the contrast with Labour is enormous. Here’s just a few political appointments made by Labour when they were in office.

• Geoffrey Palmer invited to conduct review of Law Commission, appointed to the International Whaling Commission, made Chair of the Legislation Advisory Committee, appointed as President of the Law Commission in November 2005
• Lesley Soper (Labour candidate and later MP) appointed to the Southern Hospital and Health Services Board (HHS)
• Simon Mitchell appointed to the LTSA

• Louisa Wall appointed to LTSA
• Shane Jones appointed to the Industry New Zealand board, appointed to the Poutama Trust, appointed to the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission, appointed him to the RMA Reference Group
• Jill White appointed to the board of the Environmental Risk Management Authority, later appointed chair of Bioethics Council. 
• Graham Hill appointed to the MetService. 
• Rosslyn Noonan appointed Human Rights Commissioner
• Warren Lindberg appointed to Human Rights Commission
• Ella Henry appointed to Human Rights Commission
• Maryan Street appointed to the board of the Housing New Zealand corporation and also appointed to the board of the Centre for Housing Research in August 2003
• Alison Timmsappointed to the Radio New Zealand Board, appointed to the New Zealand Parole Board, a member of the Casino Control Authority 
• Stan Roger appointed to chair Pay Parity Working Group for Kindergarten Teachers, also appointed to a new panel providing independent advice to the government on injury-related information, also appointed as a Commssioner of the Electricity Commission 
• Kathie Irwin was appointed head of the Teacher’s Council
• Judy Callingham appointed to the board of NZ on Air and to the Film and Literature Review Board: 
• Ken Douglas appointed to Industry and Trade agency, appointed Chair of Whanganui DHB
• Ray Potroz appointed to Biology Taskforce and appointed the ACC Board
• Andrew Little  appointed as member of the Transition Tertiary Education Commission and also appointed to the Manufacturing Advisory Group.
• Gregory Fortuin appointed to Accident Compensation Corporation, Families Commission, NZ Post, Kiwibank, the Crown Forestry Rental Trust, and Transpower
• Dave Morgan, appointed to the MSA board
• John Wright appointed to the Transit Board
• Sandra Lee, is appointed as High Commissioner to Niue.
• Eamon Daly is appointed to the Bioethics Council, to the Human Rights Review Panel
• Helen Kelly appointed to Fee Maxima reference group
• Graham Kelly appointed New Zealand High Commissioner to Canada.
• Sam Huggard appointed the Lottery youth committee
• Dame Anne Hercus appointed to TVNZ Board.
• Philida Bunkle, appointed to the Alcohol Advisory Council
• Charles Chauvel appointed to the Lotteries Commission
• Angela Foulkes to the board of the NZQA
• Alick Shaw to Creative New Zealand and ALAC.
• Dr Rajen Prasad appointed as Chief Commissioner of the Families Commission
• Polly Schaverien appointed to the Correspondence School’s board and a director of Meridian Energy and the MetService.
• Bryan Gould appointed to TVNZ Board and to chair of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology
• Carol Beaumont appointed to the Food and Beverage Taskforce, appointed to the Government’s Small Business Advisory Group, appointed to the Workplace Health and Safety Council
• Russell Marshall made chair of the Tertiary Education Commission 
• Ross Wilson appointed to Tertiary Education Commission
• Sue Piper, appointed to the Local Government Commission, appointed to the board of Te Papa, appointed to the board of Quotable Value, the New Zealand Law Practitioner’s Disciplinary Tribunal.
• Greg Presland appointed to the NZ Film and Literature Review board and LTSA
• July 2006 – Associate Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Judith Tizard today announced new appointments to the Board of Te Papa Tongarewa.
• Bob Harvey is appointed to the NZ Film Commission, Te Papa Board
• Jenny Agnew appointed to the Government’s Small Business Advisory Group
• Robyn Northey to the Alcohol Advisory Council.
• Peter Conway appointed to NZTE Board
• Garry Moore have both been appointed to the board of Transit New Zealand.
• Andrew Casidyappointed to the Workplace Health and Safety Council
• Paul Jarvie appointed to the Workplace Health and Safety Council
• Ross Wilson appointed ACC Chair
• Sandra Lee appointed to Te Papa Board
• David Shand appointed TEC Chair:, chair of  a Local Government rates inquiry, chair of the Tertiary Education Capital Investment Fund, board of Meridian Energy
• David Caygill, appointed Chair of the Electricity Commission
• Phil Harington appointed to Lottery Grants Board
• Mike Williams to board of Genesis Energy and Ontrack and ARTA and Transit NZ and GNS.
• Alick Shaw to NZTA Board
• Garry Moore to NZTA Board
• Christine Caughey to NZTA Board
• Dianne Yates appointed to FSANZ Board, board of Learning Media, Trust Waikato and Waikato Institute of Technology.
• Helen Kelly appointed as director of the Growth and Innovation Advisory Board.
• Chris Eichbaum was appointed to the board of the Reserve Bank.
• Penny Hulse appointed to the EECA board
• Richard Northey appointed to an Arms Control Advisory Group
• Andrew Campbell appointed to the Fee Maxima reference group [UPDATE: Andrew was there as President of NZUSA, not a Govt appointee]
• Richard Pole to Doctors in Training Workforce Roundtable
• Kevin Hague to Quality Improvement Committee 

I’ve probably missed heaps. but that gives you an idea of how rampant these appointments were under Labour. Now as I said previously the fact they had political connections does not make them all bad appointments. But if Labour ever again try and suggest they did not do political appointments when in office, I’ll republish this list. Feel free to add on in the comments any I have missed!

Stuff reports:

A Black Power member says he wants to change his ways after hearing he will become a grandfather.

“I don’t blame nobody but myself,” William Herangi Wanakore, 34, told Judge Allan Roberts prior to sentencing after admitting to his latest raft of offending.

Wanakore, who has 97 convictions, was about to be sentenced to his 51st prison term after pleading guilty to assault with intent, two burglaries and twice breaching protection orders in May.

Not sure what is worst – 97 convictions, 51 prison terms or being a grand dad at 34.

So the next Sovereign of the United Kingdom (and for now New Zealand) after William will be a King, which will make it three Kings in a row.

As members of the Royal Family get the best health care and probably will all live to 100, the baby boy will probably become King in around 2080!

I predict New Zealand will be a Republic long before then – but we will continue to have fond regard for the British Monarch.

Just noticed a blog by Russell Brown where he basically compares the convention centre deal to the Electoral Finance Bill. This is over a clause in the agreement which says:

In considering the acceptance of bookings for Events to be held at the NZICC, SKYCITY must use good judgement in considering first the type and style of Events that are best suited to the NZICC and secondly Events that would not reasonably be expected to be materially prejudicial to international relations or to national security interests of New Zealand and would not reasonably be expected to materially affect the reputation or brand of the NZICC.

I think people forget how draconian the original Electoral Finance Bill, approved by the Labour Cabinet, was. It would have made it illegal for me to e-mail someone and talk about a policy issue, unless I put an authorisation statement on my e-mail. Any comparison of the Sky City deal to it, is hysterical nonsense.

While I probably should not dignify the nonsense with a response, I will point out three rather pertinent points. They are:

• National announced the convention centre deal prior to the 2011 election. Labour never mentioned the Electoral Finance Bill prior to the 2005 election and had no mandate for it.
• National gains no personal benefit from the Sky City deal. The only benefit is jobs. While Labour’s Electoral Finance Bill was designed to stop people attacking them, and help Labour get re-elected.
• The convention centre is unlikely to be completed and operating while National is in Government, so the hysterical suggestions that the clause above (which is probably pretty standard in most contracts with a Government) is so National can stop Greenpeace having a conference there is ridiculous.

I don’t care whether or not such a clause is there. Any Govt of the future that used the clause to block a legitimate convention would suffer a political backlash.

Stuff reports:

British Prime Minister David Cameron challenged the Internet search engine providers Google, Yahoo and Bing on Sunday to block images of child abuse, calling for more action against online pornography.

In a television interview, Cameron said search engines must block results for searches using blacklisted keywords to stop Internet users accessing illegal images.

Cameron’s demands should be resisted. Search engines should not blacklist keywords. Where does that stop?

If people deliberately access child abuse images on the Internet, then they are breaking the law and can be charged – as they should be.

But having a blacklist of search terms (as China does) will end up also blocking searches for educational resources that fight child abuse.

The hard core traders in child abuse images tend to not use the web much anyway. They do file sharing in chat rooms etc.

John Key has announced the following changes to the GCSB Bill after negotiations with John Banks and Peter Dunne:

• A set of guiding principles will be added, in line with requests from Mr Banks and Mr Dunne.
• The Inspector General will be supported by a two-person advisory panel.
• The removal of the proposed Order in Council mechanism which would have allowed other agencies to be added to the list of agencies able to request assistance from the GCSB. Any additions beyond the Police, NZSIS and NZ Defence Force will now be required to be made by a specific amendment to the legislation.
• To ensure effective oversight in the issuing of a warrant, the Bill will be amended so the Inspector General is informed when a warrant is put on the register relating to a New Zealander.
• The GCSB will be required to report annually on the total number of instances where it has provided assistance to the Police, NZSIS or NZ Defence Force.
• The GCSB will also be required to report annually on the number of warrants and authorisations issued.
• The Intelligence and Security Committee will hold public hearings annually to discuss the financial reviews of the performance of the GCSB and the NZSIS.
• There will be an independent review of the operations and performance of the GCSB and NZSIS and their governing legislation in 2015, and thereafter every 5-7 years.
• Mr Dunne will have a role in the Government’s upcoming work to address the Law Commission’s 2010 report Invasion of Privacy: Penalties and Remedies. This work will include a review of the definition of ‘private communication’, which was highlighted as an issue by submitters on the GCSB legislation.

These are good changes. I had talked on TV about one area of concern being the proposed ability for the Govt to add other agencies onto the list of agencies the GCSB can assist with interceptions. Having Parliament, not the Government, make any changes is desirable.

Despite these significant changes, Labour appears to still be voting with the Greens against the bill. Ironic as it was a Labour Government that caused this problem with their 2003 law change.

Dunne and Banks have shown how you can have a constructive role in improving legislation.

Also the Herald reports:

Mr Key said today that he did not believe that the GCSB had engaged in the mass collection of metadata and he confirmed that it should be treated the same as communication and any collection of it would require a warrant. He planned to make a clear statement about it in the bill’s second reading.

Also welcome.

THIS WEEK ON PRIME TV’s “BACK BENCHES”—AUCKLAND CENTRAL SPECIAL: Watch Wallace Chapman, Damian Christie, the Back Benches Panel and special guests discuss the week’s hottest topics!

THE FUTURE OF AUCKLAND: Over the next 30 years, our largest city is set to become even larger, will another million people moving to Auckland. What to do with all of them? Auckland needs to grow and change, but how? What will the future of Auckland look like? What should it look like? The decisions made will have ramifications on the rest of New Zealand. What kind of lessons can we learn from other fast growing large cities around the world? And why Auckland—should we be encouraging people to move to other New Zealand cities instead?

A PLACE TO CALL HOME: Is the supercity set to become the high-rise capitol of NZ? Is the dream of a house on a quarter acre disappear for most Aucklanders? Instead, will the increased intensification mean more and more of us are living in high-rises? And will these tall buildings be popping up next to your little villa? Is it time to take a page from New Yorkers—getting used to living in smaller places in closer quarters? Affordability is an issue right now—so, what can we do to make it easier to get into the housing market? Who will be able to afford to live in Auckland? Will people have to move further and further out? Will young people every be able to afford a house? More houses are needed? But how do we build affordable housing? Labour says they have a solution—but will it work?

GETTING AROUND: More people means more cars & passengers. The Inner City Rail, the loop, roads, harbour crossing, tunnels, busses—the ways to get around Auckland are numerous but not necessarily convenient or quick. So, how to fix it? The Government has pledged several billion dollars to improve some of Auckland’s transportation woes, but is it just a drop in the bucket? Where should we be placing most of our transportation dollars—roads or rails? Or is it really roads AND rails? Who should be paying for the majority of upgrades to Auckland’s transport system? Aucklanders? Government? Or should all of us be chipping in? What’s the best way to pay? Gas tax? Congestion tax? Toll booths?

There are two ways to get in on the political pub action:
First, you can join the live audience from the Britomart Country Club (31 Galway Street, Auckland) on Wednesday, 24th of July at 6pm. Filming begins around 6:15pm.

Or watch us that night on PRIME TV at 10:30pm!
http://www.primetv.co.nz/

Plus, Follow us on Facebook (BackBenchesTV) or on Twitter @BackBenchesTV.

Our Panel: Labour Leader & MP for Mt Albert David Shearer, National MP for Botany & Party Whip Jami-Lee Ross, and Green Party Co-Leader Russel Norman.
Plus—we are joined by several fantastic guests in the audience, including Auckland Mayor Len Brown!

http://www.primetv.co.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=352
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Back-Benches/148104478699579?fref=ts

Now in Dallas for a couple of days and nights. After leaving Mesa Verde National Park, we headed from Colorado to New Mexico and had lunch at Albuquerque. Then we travelled along the famous Route 66 to Tucumcari where we spent the night. Tucumcari appears to be little more than a giant pit stop for trucks and RVs!

The next day we drove more along Route 66 into Texas and Amarillo, and then headed South to Dallas. They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do, so when in Dallas we went to a Kid Rock concert of course!

The concert was at the Gexa Energy Pavilion, and it was a great location for it. Much nicer to be sprawled out on the lawn, than cramped into a seat. Also much more social, as could mix with others there.

The warm up act.

This was just behind us.The viewing platform doesn’t just rotate around, but also goes ups and down. So you board it at the bottom, and it rotates up.

For those who can’t see all the words, they say “Fuck Y’All, I’m From Texas”.  Very apt. Texans love, well being Texans.

Getting ready for the main act.

And Kid Rock in action.

Was a great concert, and tickets very reasonably priced. Definitely a highlight to go to a rock concert in Texas. Based on my limited experience I’d say there was even more cannabis being smoked at this concert, than at NZ ones!

Also enjoyed how they got around the law saying you can only buy two drinks at a time. Even seen almost one litre cans of Budweiser? They were nice!

Stuff reports:

Controversial Labour Party bigwig Shane Jones has moved to position the party well clear of the Greens and their “anti-development” message.

In Taranaki for a two-day visit with party justice spokesman list MP Andrew Little, the regional development spokesman spent much of the first day pow-wowing with oil and gas industry players.

“I am keen to defang these misapprehensions that are abounding that somehow industry has disappeared from our purview.

“Nothing could be further from the truth and if my visit provides the opportunity to reinforce the centrality of jobs, the importance of industry and the need for a future Labour-led government to assuage whatever anxieties might be there in the minds of employers or future investors then I am up for the task,” he said.

Offshore oil and gas drilling was an essential feature of domestic and export growth, Mr Jones said, and businesses and enterprises enabling it would get full government support.

Shane may say this, and believe this, bus his caucus doesn’t. They’ve voted with the Greens on pretty much every law around drilling and off-shore oil.

They send Shane into Taranaki to say Labour supports off-shore drilling, and Moana Mackey into Gisborne to say they’re against it.

UPDATE: Further proof of Labour saying one thing in Taranaki and another thing elsewhere. Last year Grant Robertson was campaigning against oil prospecting.

Simon Collins reports:

The Government should stop giving contracts – and knighthoods – to companies that pay their bosses more than three times their lowest-paid workers, an economist has suggested.

Dr Geoff Bertram, a retired Victoria University economist who inspired a Labour Party plan to force down electricity prices, made the proposal at a conference on inequality in Wellington yesterday.

It is useful that Dr Bertram has said what he really thinks. His vision for New Zealand is essentially that of the Soviet Union. They spent 40 years where no one was allowed to earn too much more than anyone else. Doctors would be paid only slightly more than rubbish collectors. Everyone was equal – equal in their misery.

However Dr Bertram’s views would be even more devastating for NZ, than they were for the USSR. Citizens are far more mobile than several decades ago. Imagine how many people would be left in NZ if no one could earn more than $75,000 a year?

Of course a company could pay their CEO more than $75,000 a year, but then they would be ineligible for any Government contracts at all.

What is scary isn’t that Dr Bertram has such views. NZ has a range of extreme views from the far right to the far left. People are at liberty to propose communist economic policies. What is scary is that Labour is basing its electricity policy on Dr Bertram’s work. Their policy is based on the work of someone who thinks no-one should be able to earn more than $75,000 a year.

Now we know this, it explains a lot. It also explains why Labour should not be allowed anywhere near office at the moment.