Posts by Yamis
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From the bastion of truth stuff.co.nz
"Fire Service chief executive national commander Mike Hall said the actual number of fires started by fireworks would not be known for a few days, but it was expected to top last year's record of 700 over the 10-day sale period.
Total fires over the sale period had increased every year for the past five years, from 702 in 2001 to this year's new record high, he said."
- This record high from this year was ..... 1729. That's quite the wee jump there and suggests something pretty chronic, and not the type Snoop Dogg is into.
Seems fairly likely that the experience of letting a few off in the backyard will be but a distant memory soon enough.
On the point earlier about how it may be the novelty factor that makes people go crazy for the week on sale... In Korea where I lived for 4 years they can be purchased anytime and you hardly ever see them apart from maybe at the local park now and then with a few crackers or Roman candles let off or at trhe beach in the middle of nowhere with some relatively tame behaviour.
BUT, the difference between behaviour of your average Korean youngin and your Kiwi equivalent is similar to the difference between Mike Tyson and a small bunny rabbit.
Sticking with my earlier idea I say they trial a 48 hour sale period for one year and see how they go. If it's just as bad then we'll all be off to the local fireworks display for the rest of our days.
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If I say that white people can't dance is that now an opinion held by all white people like myself or is it an already known and agreed upon fact across all races?
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Was it a TV3 poll???? 52% in favour of a ban and 45% against a ban.
I'm wondering how many kids were asked? ;)
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From my experience of all other 'forums' over the years they always chuck you back to the front page if you log in from someplace else.
The best solution is to either stay permanently logged in on the computer(s) you most often use or else log in when you come to the site and then start foraging for things to nibble on.
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Last year there were fireworks being let off every weekend for a good two months after guy fawkes round my neighbourhood so the sale period isn't much of a hindrance. People just stock up. I don't think they are making multiple trips to buy them. They just get so many that they have enough to last for a long period of time.
I went on a school camp this year down to the Tongariro National Park with 45 sixth form students and we had a great time without much paperwork or hassle. Also been on 3 individual, day long fieldtrips in the last 12 months with no problems whatsoever.
Our school also runs a successful seventh form camp at the start of each year along with 4th form wider living week involving hundreds of students (we have over 600 4th formers at my school) to parts all over New Zealand each year.
As long as each teacher who is going is responsible for one or two things and the workload gets shared then it doesn't have to be too big a deal. They all need a safety plan which is clearly a necessary thing to prepare, but once its done then you only need to change the dates on it for the same camp the next year.
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I do not like all this legislating to 'protect' people and children from themselves. I see some schools in america are banning tag in the playground incase someone gets hurt. Children need to play and risk getting scrapped knees etc, and the odd broken bone. It helps them work out in their heads what limits there are. they need to stretch, they need to run around, they need to experiment with finding out what they cannot handle and what they can.
Raising the drinking age has the same affect, there will be no chance for teenagers to find out what they can't and can handle, and do they magically become responsible when they are 20?I have watched the increase in the nanny state for a while now. Too much legislation. Whatever happened to taking responsiblity for your own actions or stupidity? You got it wrong you learnt. Now we are increasingly taking those life lessons away from teenagers until we 'deem them old enough'. and when they are chronologically old enough what then? They are let loose with few life lessons.
Just trying to take over a thread here as I'm prone to do. Or is that prostate in this month? dunno.
I remember that bullrush was banned at my primary school. Every term on the first day back we would play bullrush and there would be an announcement at assembly that it was banned.
Skateboarding was a popular playtime activity as well until it too was banned apart from one organised day each term.
"Kiwi cricket" was started at my primary school so kids could all have a turn with the ball being hit off a peg for the less gifted.
And "touch rugby" was started where you couldn't kick the ball and HAD TO pass the ball after receiving the first pass.
So here we have a couple of popular NZ sports tamed down in the mid 1980s and two other popular activities which could cause harm banned in the same time period.
OVER TWENTY YEARS AGO.
And guess what? Our cricket team is still very competitive, our rugby team is ranked number one, we kick butt at sport and we still skateboard and play contact sport if we want.
None of this so called "nanny state" is new like people seem to bitch about.
Re the drinking age: I'm with RB (and Mapp?) on their option for 20 from the grog shops and 18 from the booze houses. Or failing that we could discover this amazing age called 19 and get over everything having to be on an even number.
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On the fireworks banning. It will suck for the fun of your average joe family to disappear but wasn't one of the main reasons that they were looking at banning them the ENORMOUS number of fire engine callouts last year? Wasn't it 1,200 over the fireworks 'period' and wasn't it a significant increase on the year before?
I fully expect this year to top last year and for it to keep on cranking up every year (if they last any longer).
One of my third formers had a pringles container at school which he proudly informed me he was taking home to use to make a bomb with. We wrestled with the container briefly but I had to make do with getting the top off and cutting it in half with my snips. It was my token effort to save his life and I wished him well and looked forward to seeing him in class on Monday with no arms.
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Not just the Labour party, but yes there does seem to be a disproportionately high number of them there. I'd be more inclined to think that was due to the highly unionised nature of that particular workforce and the close links between the union movement socialism and the Labour party. As far as collective punishment goes its not something I'm into, my charges know that if they mess up they will be held responsible, not their peers as well. That's just a sure fire recipe for bullying.
Or it could be that us teachers are both intelligent and bossy. Good qualities for politicians. [winky smilie] Everybody here, drop and give me 20 NOW!
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I think I'll stick to "Yamis" for reasons I went over quite some time ago in me blogsite when it came up in public address I think. Namely, I'm a secondary school teacher and I couldn't possibly spill the beans on the yoof of today if I did.
You know what though. In all my years of hoovering through forums I've never come across anybody I know. Maybe it's not such a small world after all.
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"I want to die in summer so my friends can cannabilise me on the BBQ over a few beers.They can play whatever music they like.
You've Got A Friend In Me by Randy Newman?
Don't Touch My Hair by The Riptones?
Great Balls of Fire?"or maybe
Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def LeppardThough I imagine they would prefer salt and possibly a touch of pepper.
Being a teacher there may not be any hair left to touch soon. Speaking of which, is anybody participating in "Movember"? I was going to be a girls blouse and not join in but due to peer pressure from work colleagues combined with the fact that I know I can produce more of a mo' than a couple of them I'm in baby!!