I'm glad that the 12 won't be charged under the Terrorism Suppression Act. I'm glad that Howard Broad has indicated some process of conciliation with the people of Ruatoki is underway. I'm glad I live in a country where the senior non-political law official can call a law anointed by almost the whole Parliament "incoherent". And I'm glad my tip on the Solicitor General's announcement yesterday morning panned out.
I'm not so glad that the police may well have contrived to render a great deal of evidence on matters that appear of legitimate public concern unusable, to the extent that most of us will never be able to decide for ourselves what actually happened. And not so and that people whose real connection to those matters may be tenuous have had their lives irrevocably changed.
Apart from that, I'm tapped out and in dander of repeating myself. But we have plenty of discussion going on here.
Meanwhile, over on Humans, Hilary Stace has a thoughtful and well-informed post about the was-Janet-Frame-on the-spectrum story.
I saw The Veils play last night at a very, very full King's Arms. They're a passionate band with passionate fans. Earlier in the day, I interviewed Finn Andrews, and that will be on Public Address radio at 5pm tomorrow on Radio Live.
As will Henry Chellow of the Pt Chevalier Ignite Charitable Trust, which was formed by a group of locals who are mad as hell about their Telecom broadband and aren't going to take it any more. They're now discussing service for our neighbourhood via a variety of technologies with a number of potential providers. They're hopeful what they do will serve as a model for other communities. If you live in the Chev, you may wish to complete their online internet service survey.
Congratulations to Phillippa Stevenson and Rural Network for making the Online Journalism Review. And thanks for the shout-out!
A teenaged Jim Morrison in a film that was not strange at the time but seems very strange now.
Power's Line's John Hinderaker is the runaway winner in the Washington Monthly's inaugural Golden Wingnut Award, with a post that began:
It must be very strange to be President Bush. A man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius, he can't get anyone to notice. He is like a great painter or musician who is ahead of his time, and who unveils one masterpiece after another to a reception that, when not bored, is hostile.
And no, he wasn't being ironic.
I'm delighted to see the announcement of the support act for John Cale next week: Jed-I, aka Jed Town. What a nicely left-field choice.
In the nearer gig-going future, I'm torn between Saturday night's competing offerings of Garageland (King's Arms) and the Phoenix Foundation, but the Phoenixes might just get me, because I am completely won over by the song 'The Bleaching Sun' on their new album, Happy Ending, which contains an iconic New Zealand in both verse …
Your heart is cold
Like a box of beer
And I just can't cope
With you my dear
And chorus:
Under the bleaching sun
Out on the washing line
Hanging from our thumbs
Until we get us dry
I love that, and Leo doesn't love me singing it. Speaking of the boy, he has compiled some Friday video goodness for you.