Let's have a party

This weekend past was the wedding of my friends Kate and Chris. It was over a year in the making and thanks to these star struck lovers Telecom, Vodafone and Air NZ did very well.

But all good things come to an end or in this case a new beginning. The weather tried its hardest to spoil the party. It poured down the previous night and many arrived just in time to try and set up a tent in the deluge.

I, though, missed the fun of setting up a tent in the rain, arriving early enough to be all set up before the sky opened. Indeed I was all set up and took the opportunity to head of down the road for a bit of food in "sunny" Napier. I found a nice pub which was playing Irish music, and offered inexpensive food so I settled for a relaxing evening before returning to the campsite.

The next day the sun smiled oh so briefly. And just in time for the wedding the clouds covered the sky. But though it threatened the rain held off. And in a paddock in the Hawke’s Bay countryside K & C committed to a life together before more than 340 family and friends. It was a wonderfully relaxed occasion and a fitting start. The groom was as handsome as can be, and the bride beautiful beyond description (as all brides should be on their wedding day).

Then that night we had a celeih. It was fun to watch and fun to be a part of, even if I kept on getting lost. Alas no photos for I only have an old style camera.

To Kate, you are a blessing beyond measure. I treasure our friendship and thank God that he has shown you His favour by bringing Chris into your life.

To Chris, you bring an infectious joy wherever you go. My world is a better place by getting to know you.

To both of you I pray the richest blessing upon your life

Many years from now
When you are old and grey
When the strength of youth
Has long since passed away
May the love that you shared that day
Be but an ember compared
To the love that will burn in your hearts

The peace movement: an oxymoron

Today John Howard visited Wellington. He supports a war that I oppose and there was to be a "peaceful protest". Now I've marched before for causes I've believed in. Peaceful protest is, I believe, our democratic right with the emphasis on peaceful.

My inspiration is the civil rights movement of the 1960s in which thousands of unknown heroes risked life and health, and never returned evil for evil. However there are many in the peace movement who do not believe in peaceful protest.

Up to this point none of the protests I've been on have failed to be anything other than peaceful. But tonight things where different, a whole group of protesters started kicking a car with an elderly driver inside.

Fortunately no one got hurt. But it left me disillusioned; which I shouldn't be but there is still a bit of an idealist in me who believes that you don't have to resort to violence, even low level violence against property to prove your point. To do that undermines your moral authority.

So I have severed ties with that group. I must find another way to give voice to what I see and feel. The search goes on.

The face of war

In a little over a month's time the war in Iraq will click over into its fourth year. I remember four years ago marching on the streets with hundreds, or even thousands of my country men in the vain hope that somehow the calamity could be avoided, but to no avail, for the bombs fell anyway. I remember hoping, even as the bombs fell that somehow, Iraq would not fall into the abyss of anarchy and violence that it has become. Now four years on the toll continues to grow. The toll so far for the US alone is more than that which died in the Twin towers, and then there are the innocent local Iraqis and jihadis drawn by the false hope of a martyrs death and eternity in paradise.


US AND COALITION CASUALTIES

US Troop Causalities - 3,103 US troops; 98% male. 90% non-officers; 78% active duty, 13% National Guard; 74% Caucasian, 10% African-American, 11% Latino. 19% killed by non-hostile causes. 54% of US casualties were under 25 years old. 68% were from the US Army

Non-US Troop Deaths - Total 254, with 131 from the UK

US Troops Wounded - 23,279, 20% of which are serious brain or spinal injuries (total excludes psychological injuries)

US Troops with Serious Mental Health Problems 30% of US troops develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home
US Military Helicopters Downed in Iraq - 57 total, at least 28 by enemy fire


IRAQI TROOPS, CIVILIANS AND OTHER CASUALTIES

Journalists killed - 93, 57 by murder and 36 by acts of war

Journalists killed by US Forces - 14

Iraqi Military and Police Casualties - 6,027

Iraqi Civilians Killed, Estimated - A UN issued report dated Sept 20, 2006 stating that Iraqi civilian causalities have been significantly under-reported. Casualties are reported at 50,000 to over 100,000, but may be much higher. Some informed estimates place Iraqi civilian causalities at over 600,000.

Iraqi Insurgents Killed, Roughly Estimated - 55,000

Non-Iraqi Contractors and Civilian Workers Killed - 459

Non-Iraqi Kidnapped - 300, including 54 killed, 147 released, 4 escaped, 6 rescued and 89 status unknown.

And behind each bland statistic lies a story of personal suffering and loss. The story is grotesque. There are many ways to die; none pretty or heroic. With modern weapons the disfigurement is often beyond description. This is the true face of war.

One small step

For the last two weeks I've been on a course. It is part of the new grad programme I'm on. The best part about it was meeting up with some of the other new grads who are starting out with me; some I knew from the last three years, while others are from other parts of the country - Nelson, Palmerston North, Masterton and Wanganui.

Last Friday I caught up with a friend who is heading over to Melbourne after failing to get a job in NZ. Strange how there all this talk about the shortage of nurses yet she was not offered a position in the new grad programme. I suspect that it all comes down to funding and having the right balance of experience in each of the teams where new grads are employed. Still I hope she finds things better in Oz.

Another of my classmates also turned up. She picked up a job at Southern Cross and had just come off duty. It was good to catch up and share some stories.

Tomorrow I move into the next phase of my new job as I start my first rotation in the Team for Assertive Community Treatment. I am not too sure how this team differs from the other community teams but it should be good experience. I am looking forward to it. But I am also aware that there is so much I need to get up to speed with as well.

But I don't surf!

I heard about the book. I've visited the 8tribes website. And I’ve taken the test. And apparently I belong to Raglan. Why Raglan? After all the only time I’ve been surfing was way back in the days when acne was my only source of angst and alarm.

My current preoccupation with Raglan is all due to couple of social researchers who have been doing a lot of thinking about the makeup of NZ recently. As a result of their intense circumlocutions they have concluded that we all belong to one of eight tribes. As if the usual epithets as to which group I belong to wasn’t enough. After all I thought I knew where I came from. Wasn’t my tribe Ngati Liquorice All Sorts. But its appears that I am mistaken; it is Ngati Raglan. How this is possible without ever visiting Raglan is beyond me, but then I am not a social researcher.



Along with my fellow tribesmen I am suppose to be an independent spirit who values the ability to live a life according to my own priorities. Now I consider myself to be reasonably well educated, but I am at a loss to know what this all means and what it has got to do with Raglan. Maybe there is some profound piece of insight beckoning. But it appears to be one of those bland cliches which one would expect from a Saatchi and Saatchi account manager to justify a multimillion dollar campaign that no one takes any notice of.

What next – will it be our own tartan or flag. I wonder what the Raglan flag will look like. Maybe I could approach Transit NZ about flying it on the Auckland Harbour Bridge on Waitangi Day.