On a more serious note I came across this article, President Bush Plans a War of Aggression. It feels as though the whole world is waiting on the whim of one man who doesn't seem to have a very good handle on the world outside of Corporate America. Anyway the author coined a brilliant phrase that seems to fit quite a lot of their foreign policies… "The issue that motivates this planned aggression, is not weapons-of-mass-destruction: it is resources-of-mass-attraction." Perfectly put.

You don't have to dig very deep to see the guy doesn't have a great track record, and if they didn't like the father in the Oval Office why on earth did they think the son would be any better at the job?

Sorry if anyone finds this offensive, but spending 11th September 2001 stuck in Baltimore would be an eye-opener for anyone. I don't even have an urge to go back, and this is from the girl who loves going to new places.

Anyway to lighten things up a little listen to: The Evil Plans of George W Bush III, just make sure you turn it up loud.

If you prefer your humour in the gutter then check out: An Apology To Our US Readers, and if you decide to follow up with their archives beware. The humour is vicious in places, in others downright offensive.

Umm... sun. Don't you just love it. It's been blissfully warm sunshine, blue skies and token fluffy clouds all week.

I'm doing the Brit thing and talking about the weather again. But when you're accustomed to unpredictable summers, which have a habit of feeling suspiciously like late autumn, four beautiful sunny days in a row is a big deal.

If I can be out sunbathing in early spring (think March in the UK) then I can't wait for summer. OK it'll probably be unbearably hot, there'll be the constant application of sun block, but it'll be warm. We'll be able to plan our beach trips, for surfing and partying, weeks in advance with no worries about it pissing it down on that one day.

Umm… bliss.

It shows that we really are a bunch of sad puppies here when the first thing we all dive for and fight over, after the days' papers and post get delivered, is not the world news, not the cheesy gossip section of the local rag, but the weekly 'Warehouse' catalogue. It's the equivalent of going nuts over an Argos catalogue with all it's bargins, or being overwhelmed by the goodies in 'Rajani's' (Eastville Trading Estate). I think it's an expat thing - Helen has an eastern European friend who displays the same obsession. Most of their house is kitted out from the Warehouse so I think it also displays a little of the Ikea syndrom that most of us in the UK all know and love.

Kiwi Guide
Kibbled = coarsely ground, as in kibbled wheat.
Noticed this 'kibbled thing' on the back of bread packets. Strange the things you read when waiting for your toast to cook!

I like this - Don't Link to Us! - the public ridicule of companies who try to impose absurd rules about who can link to their sites and how. Guess they just don't get it eh. What makes me giggle is the money they probably spend on advertizing, and here they are quibbling about promotion that's free. Perhaps it because they're not always complimentary, like this site, but marketing agencies are always telling us that "any publicity is good publicity..."

It's been a busy week - sold my first piece of jewellery in a shop in Pukekohe, wrote an article for KnowledgeBoard, and Tmet Media got their first client.

Managed to spend an afternoon/evening in Auckland City [online photos] with Helen. It's a beautiful city, in a modern way and comparable to Bristol in that the actual centre is very small. Dominating everything is the Skytower. From a distance it resembles a huge whale-sized hypodermic needle, and from underneath it reminds me of the spaceship towers in the closing scenes of Men in Black. For a bit of sillyness check out 101 uses for the Skytower.

Last night we all trapsed round to Cathy's for a girly aromatherapy party. Turns out we all knew more than the lady trying to sell us stuff!

Kiwi Guide
Tight speedo swimming trucks = dick stickers
The men who wear them = undiemen

Don't ask how this snippet of Kiwi colloquialism cropped up in conversation. Get 7 or so girls in a room and eventually one or two of them get around to lowering the conversation...

Iain Banks is one of my favourite authors - his books make escapism sheer bliss. Anyway I found this thought-provoking article this evening while wandering around the net this evening, looking for articles on knowledge mangement, online communities and blogging. I always have been easily distracted!

Have a peek at 'Entrenched Technology, from The Culture. The reason I've mentioned it here was not so much for the article, though I found it interesting, more for the comments made by 'riptalon', e.g. "The greatest evils in society are caused by too many people unquestioningly following orders, rather than too many people who don't." There's a lot there to go away and think about!

I've got my first commission in today for a bracelet!