David Farrar on John Campbell

"This is the funniest episode ever. Please please watch it, so you can laugh."

I did.

I didn't.

The respectable Gonzales Brother.

Here's Ross Gonzales, my brother in sport. Ross did the family proud today, pumping up a win for all Mexico on his bicycle, flashing through the finish-line tape with the pep he's so famous for. Asked about his state-of-the-art lycra leggings, Ross quipped, "They're my second skin - and like a cheetah's sleek pelt, add nano-seconds to my time." Councillor Marion Miller, in the crowd to witness Ross's triumphant victory for all that is good said, "I couldn't take my eyes off them. I was mesmerized."
It's that hypnotic advantage that served Ross well as he powered home after double-lapping the challenging Waihopai circuit. I knew the baton change (I was Ross's support-runner, tasked with finishing the duathalon by scampering around the track - a formality really, Ross's ride had assured us of victory.) would be dicey, as I'm maladroit, but despite one sharp crack to the head with the heavy baton (that was an accident, Ross?) and a staggering, weaving start to my run, I was off. Caught and redirected by a race official, I set out again around the track. Despite my wobbly gait and distractability, I made it round and fell, completely deflated, across the tape. We'd won, thanks to the powerhouse that is Ross.
Kia kaha, Ross, or as they say in your native land, ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!

Slamming the sicklers

The Waihopai Spy Base is at the other end of the island and the actions of the farmer, teacher and friar who deflated the balloon that masked one of the spy dishes a distant event, however, the opinions held by people throughout the country about the situation created by their actions is to me, very revealing.
I/S at NoRightTurn has best described the Government's move to sue the three men, despite a jury having found them not guilty at their earlier trial.
His comments are here,  with some 'sample' comments below.

The vengeful crown


"Earlier in the year, the government was humiliated when three men who had entered the Waihopai spy base and deflated one of its protective domes were acquitted by a jury. So now, in a clear attempt to bypass the BORA rule on double jeopardy, they're suing them for damages."

"This is a pointless act of revenge."

"The government has already tried to punish these men. It failed. It should accept that and move on. This suit is simply an exercise in persecution. And that is not the act of a just government, but of a vengeful crown."