Samoan Slap Dance

Did you know that if you search for Samoan slap dance, you can get to my blog? How cool is that. That's how someone arrived at my blog on Saturday. It also can take you to Anna's now dead blog. The slap dance comes from this post.

Busy Busy Busy

Hmmm so much for the weekend. I left for work at just after 5, did my thing there, and came back. Had a shower and now I need to get ready for teaching at Music school from 8 - 12. After that I am looking at a house around 1. At 2:30, I'm helping out at the cafe fundraiser, which runs until 5:30 I believe. After that will be tidy up and set up for youth group. Youth group will start at 7, and will run until about 10. Sigh. I'm going to take a weekend away very soon. Just for me and God. I want to spend a whole weekend by myself, with my Bible, and silence to contemplate. I don't know if 'want' is the right word. 'Need' is probably more appropriate.

House Hunting

I've been back from looking at houses. Jono came for the ride. One house was in Weymouth Road. I quite liked this one. The area is good, in that it is close to church, shops, trains, buses, video store, Repco, and lots of takeaway shops. The house needs a bit of a tune up however. Like a clean for instance. The carpets are old, the wallpaper is old, the paintwork on the outside is ok, but with a few issues. Drawbacks of the house include the flats behind having a driveway that goes past the three bedrooms, a small dining room kitchen, the laundry out the back door, no fireplace, and aesthetic issues (which of course can easily be sorted).



The second house was really nice inside. Really. But unfortunately it was in a bad area. The house next door was appalling. And the dog which tried to kill us as we went up the drive was definately not welcoming. The area put me off looking at what would otherwise have been an excellent house. Much better than the first.

Family Petition

I have signed a petition. You may like to as well. Check it out.

House Hunt

I have been on and off house hunting lately. Everytime I get serious about it, dad tells me to wait a few more months. Anyway, tomorrow I am looking at a couple of houses. One is in Weymouth Road, right opposite the car wash place, and the other one is in Greenmeadows.

Manipulating Language - 'surplus' (from Maxim)

The word 'surplus' used to mean a genuine mistake by the Government in taking more tax than what it spent; 'what is not required for the purpose in hand'. Now it means a calculated scheme of money collection for redistribution in election year. Finance Minister Michael Cullen has been sitting on a $7.4 billion surplus, the biggest mountain of spare cash a New Zealand Government has seen (up from March last year when the figure was $3.4 billion). The Treasury said the record surplus arose because the accounts were running $1.5 billion ahead of forecasts in the first nine months of the financial year. Income from GST was up $225 million and investment income by Crown entities had swollen by $548 million.



The $7.4 billion surplus is a record both in dollars and as a proportion of GDP. For every $100 spent in the economy, $5.60 is spare cash for the Government to do with as it likes. Dr Cullen has boasted of his tight-fistedness in previous Budgets, but today he's delivered an old-fashioned spend-up, despite a refusal to lower tax rates.



What we're seeing is a Government creating all sorts of bureaucracies to distribute public monies, but it's only austere tax policies that enable it to create a 'surplus' and present its actions at budget time as 'compassionate'.

My Desk

I feel uninspired. Let's see if what is on my desk will help me feel inspired. Ok let me see now....some pens (including a nice red one with a rubber grip), a clock, a plastic model of a moa, a sofa for my cell, an inhaler, a watch, a mandarin, a floppy disk, a shop bell, some matches, a pottery church, a bible, a diary (which is a nice orange/mandarin colour), a newspaper clipping, an ASB brochure about home loans, a little wooden japanese doll type thing, a computer and lots of paper things in a paper thing stacker. Hmmm. I still fell uninspired, except for perhaps one item.....

Mandarins

What do they inject mandarins with to make them last so long?

Michael Moore is a Fraud

Check out this all you Moore lovers. How do you know when this guy is telling the truth? He is at best a sloppy journalist, and at worst a man with an agenda who will not stop short of lying to promote it.



One Moore Lie



Fred Barnes on Michael Moore:



A few years ago Michael Moore, who's now promoting an anti-President Bush movie entitled Fahrenheit 9/11, announced he'd gotten the goods on me, indeed hung me out to dry on my own words. It was in his first bestselling book, Stupid White Men. Moore wrote he'd once been "forced" to listen to my comments on a TV chat show, The McLaughlin Group. I had whined "on and on about the sorry state of American education," Moore said, and wound up by bellowing: "These kids don't even know what The Iliad and The Odyssey are!"



Moore's interest was piqued, so the next day he said he called me. "Fred," he quoted himself as saying, "tell me what The Iliad and The Odyssey are." I started "hemming and hawing," Moore wrote. And then I said, according to Moore: "Well, they're . . . uh . . . you know . . . uh . . . okay, fine, you got me--I don't know what they're about. Happy now?" He'd smoked me out as a fraud, or maybe worse.



The only problem is none of this is true. It never happened. Moore is a liar. He made it up.







Some Moore Stuff You Should Know

Check this. Why not have a browse of this?

Marriage Fish and Other Matters

Marriage

Why is it that so many young men and women see marriage as a sort of holy grail that will solve all the problems in their lives. Many seem to have the attitude that they will fix stuff when they get married, or even worse, that the problem will just disappear. I look at some people who are single, and they seem to do absolutely no preparation for marriage. If you got problems before you get married, those same problems will continue when you are married. I'm sure married people will tell you this. In short, don't wait around for the perfect person to turn up, they may never show up, and if they do, what makes you think it's going to be you they want. Work hard to be the sort of person you would like to marry.



Ok that sounds harsh, but it was as much for me as for anyone else who is single.



Fish

I bought some fishssssss today. And a breeding net, and some other gears and plant make biggerer stuff. So that was good. Trogdor has some more friends to terrorise.



Other Matters

Where did I put that millstone. Seems like Mr Goff is doing a bit of backtracking and knees bent retreating tactics now eh?! What an absolute shocker. My brother is 11 now, and I know that no 12 year old in our society has the emotional maturity to cope with having sex. What's more, it's wrong. And this is what we get, when we get away from the idea that sex is for inside marriage only. The secular humanists cannot complain about this idea for a law change. If kids want to do it, they should be able to. Why draw the line at 16? There is no reason that can be argued. And so, why the public outrage? Come on Christians, show the folly of this thinking. Maybe it can be a chance to witness to non-Christians.

Common Sense - From Herald Sideswipe

Obituary

On the Death of Common Sense. Today we mourn the passing of Common Sense who has been with us for many years. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools needed parental consent to administer aspirin to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realise that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents; Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son,

Reason. He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and I'm a Whiner.

My Last 24 Hours

I was kindly invited to Dan and Michelle's for dinner last night. Well in short I had a fabulous evening which involved good food, conversation, fire, and blog re-arranging. Lomo is cool.



This morning I went for a walk with Jono and Alisa. We walked around Totara Park. It's beautiful in the morning. I just love the smell of the bush. It's grand. Isn't it funny how that even with such beauty at my door, I have hardly walked the paths of Totara Park for years. A sad reflection on my laziness.



This evening Matthew T and I continued our weekly Wednesday night Bible studies. We had a smashing time. We had a look at ol' John 14:15-31. This is where Jesus promises the Counselor, and tells his disciples that the prince of the world is coming, but that he has no hold on him. Now we were wondering about this. Was Jesus preparing his disciples here for the fact that he was going to die, and that it might look like Satan was winning, but he was really doing what the Father wanted, and He was in control. Check it out for yourselves.

Serving

I'm struggling with a concept at the moment. I work shift work 5 days a week, and work half of Saturday. I spend most of my Saturday avo's (after work) preparing for C.I.A. and doing admin work for it. My evenings are taken up with meetings and working with people in youth. On Saturdays I often play piano for church. Now I realise it is important to serve. So when people ask me to do things, I generally say yes. Sometimes I am asked to organise the youth and help do cleaning up jobs or manual jobs. Other times I personally get asked to do things. I feel really drained and tired. I need to know what I should and shouldn't be doing. I'm almost at the point of wondering should I just generally say "no" to most things, and assume I'm busy with youth. But the difficulty with this is that I want to teach them to serve. I don't know. I'm confused. Should I say that my service is youth admin and relationships, and rule out most other stuff I get asked to do? What are the general principles that can help here?

How Some People Have Come To My Blog

Paul Litterick the humanist can get you from Google to my blog. Seriously!



Of course you ALL know what an expert I am on the Japanese public transport system. Just ask Jeeves.



Apparently I know all about achieving womanhood too. Really!



And wowsers! Type in pappadake into your google search, and I'm at the top.



Cool eh!?



By the by, This worries me. Check out the article on Maxim Institute.



Also. Please don't let this post stop you from reading this one, as I think it is very worthy.

Response to the draft document ‘Towards a Code of Ethics’ circulated by the NZ Teachers Council

That the NZ Teachers Council now deems a code of ethics necessary is symptomatic of our society today where trust and professionalism are lacking. In a climate of moral relativism where – ‘you have your values and I have mine’ codifying values is seen as a solution. Imposed codes of ethics, however, have the capacity to create an environment where more and more restrictions are required. Real freedom comes out of a voluntary acceptance of a shared and universally accepted ethic not imposed codes of ethics and conduct.



As a Christian school we would find it morally offensive, culturally insensitive, and professionally unacceptable to be in a position where Christian teachers in our school were required to sign such a code of ethics.



There are three main grounds for our strongly held objections: -



1. Commitment to Truth.



At the heart of any code of ethics is a concern with ‘what is right, fair, just or good.’ 1. The draft document correctly points out that ‘sets of values or principles…. may or may not be the same as those of each individual in the profession.’ 2 As Christians and as a Christian school we are committed to a Biblical worldview where God is Truth and He has laid down absolutes and precepts that are not negotiable. In teaching a Christian worldview we believe that any instruction that does not begin with the fear of the Lord, and the centrality of Jesus Christ as the basis for understanding all of life, cannot properly be said to impart truth, wisdom or true knowledge.



Secular schools (the vast majority of schools in NZ) by their very nature exclude God as the author of truth, instead place man at the centre where he becomes the meaning maker of truth and the arbiter of what is right and wrong. In other words a humanist worldview prevails in most of our schools where truth is viewed as evolving and ever changing according to what pleases man. In the draft code of ethics under the heading ‘The principle of truth’ it states that teachers are to be ‘committed to the quest for truth however elusive and provisional that might be..’ 3. For the Christian teacher this is religiously offensive and competes with our God’s claim that He is Truth. Man does not define or construct truth he only discovers what God has already declared as true.



A commitment to God’s truth as revealed in His Word is very much a part of what it means to be a Christian teacher in our school. To have to adhere to or sign any code of ethics that does not acknowledge this would be both culturally and religiously offensive to us.



Paul Rishworth, associate professor of law at Auckland University, correctly highlights some of the dangers by asking the question ‘where does the freedom of belief and expression for teachers intersect with legitimate interests of the school?’ 4. I would add another question – whose view of truth is being upheld?



Rishworth presents a number of possible scenarios; one in particular of topical interest, regarding a teacher who outside of class is a Moslem spokesman making statements in support of Al Qaeda. Applying a code of ethics becomes problematic. The dilemma of cultural pluralism is whose truth is being promoted and whose worldview is acceptable.



Each teacher in our school signs a Statement of Faith where they unreservedly accept and promise to uphold the precepts detailed in the document as a testimony of their belief, and a declaration of a personal faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour, Lord and God. Every teacher, is, if you like, bound by God’s Word (code) and His declaration that He is Truth.



2. Morally Offensive



Your attached abridged article by Hall and Bishop ‘Teacher Ethics, Professionalism and Cultural Diversity’ states that ‘effective teaching requires both technical skill and a moral purpose.’ 5.

Here is a statement that, I like most people, am readily able to endorse. Where the difficulty and offence lies is with the presumption that the ‘moral purpose’ of all schools is the same. To imply that our Christian School has the same moral purpose, as any state school, is to ignore the very reason why private schools like ours were set up in the first place. We do not teach the state school curriculum; rather we teach a curriculum based on a Christian biblical worldview. A common code of ethics seeks to suggest that we have the same moral and religious purpose as all other schools. This is incorrect as well as being both morally and religiously offensive to us.



3. Professionally Unacceptable



The draft code of ethics is professionally unacceptable to our Christian teachers on at least two counts. As alluded to above, our primary aim in Christian education is fundamentally different from that of secular schools. Under the heading ‘Learner Identity’ in the attached paper by Hall and Bishop, the primary goal of education is stated as ‘the achievement of rational autonomy and self determination’. 6. Our goals are very different. As a Christian school we aim to honour God as we help parents nurture and teach their children within a biblical framework. Our primary goal is to prepare a new generation of effective, strong, mature Christians able to give godly leadership influencing our culture and society for Christ.



Secondly for our Christian school to be bound by a code of ethics that sets out to ‘define the boundaries of professional obligation’ within a secular framework is again culturally and religiously offensive to us. I suggest that we have a totally different understanding as to the role and function of a Christian teacher in our school.



The Christian teacher is first and foremost to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. In his capacity as a teacher his service to God is paramount. The teacher is to serve the parents of pupils who under God have been entrusted to him. He is to love and serve the pupils being a Christ-like example to them in all his instruction and teaching.





4. Conclusion.



While acknowledging the sincerity of purpose of the NZ Teachers Council in wanting to produce a code of ethics that is an ‘aspirational and living document’ we have grave concerns and reservations regarding its impact on Christian teachers and our school. The failure to recognize that not all schools have the same moral purpose is a fundamental weakness that undermines any attempt to obtain consensus on a code of ethics.



As Christian teachers the document ‘Towards a Code of Ethics’ lacks credibility because it fails to address the dilemma of diversity. It is offensive to us both philosophically and religiously. The draft code is a concept at war with itself as it seeks to do the impossible – that is to declare a set of ethical principles as a ‘one size fits all.’ Clearly some schools and teachers operate on a philosophical and religious basis that is not supported or expressed in the draft document.





5. Recommendation



That if the NZ Teachers Council is committed to a Code of Ethics it becomes binding and applicable only to state schools. (as defined in the education act)



Thank you again for the opportunity to respond to this document and to be part of the consultation process.



Yours sincerely







Shane Kennedy 18 May 2004



Principal

St Andrews Christian School

Manurewa

Auckland



(Footnotes Attached)

Footnotes.



All footnotes relate to material issued by the NZ Teachers Council entitled ‘Towards a Code of Ethics’ – contents of a workshop kit.



1. (1) What is a Code of Ethics paragraph 3?



2. (2) Professional Values and Principles paragraph 2.



3. p1. ‘A Code of Ethics for NZ Registered Teachers’



4. (8) ‘The Code of Ethics as Shield, Sword, and Guide’

Paul Rishworth Associate Professor of Law Auckland University.



5. (9) ‘Teacher Ethics, Professionalism and Cultural Diversity p2 under the heading ‘ Cultural

Diversity and Moral Purpose’ paragraph 1. Alan Hall and Russell Bishop.



6. (9) ‘Teacher Ethics, Professionalism and Cultural Diversity’ Hall and Bishop

You Guys Rock

Thank you my wonderful readers for this. We got there! Well done.

House Keeping

Nato, how do I set up a permalink. When i want to refer to a particular blog post, how do I get the link for it? Do I have to go into archives and get it from there?

Motorway Thinking

When I was driving home from work tonight, I had this illumination. A semi-vision type experience. Well I'll bet that caught your attention. And you must read on. I was cruising along the motorway. It was dark, and I could see the lights on the hill east of Manurewa. I was listening to "Solid Gold FM", which I do when I am sick of the classical CD which I have in the car. And I was thinking about how these guys who were good singers are hardly thought of anymore. They were once 'idols' of their time. They would have run to and fro doing this and that. And it would have all seemed important to them. But now, they are hardly thought of, barely remembered. In but a few short years they have become ink in history books. So I thought of my life. Here I was driving down the motorway, with thoughts of work churning over in my brain, taking everything so seriously. And yet, all of this is going to be forgotten soon enough. My life and it's pettiness will pale into insignificance as time marches on.



Ecclesiastes 2:16 "For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!



Isaiah 40:7b-8 "Surely the people are grass. The grass whithers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.



But what really makes no sense is this:- God loves me. God loves me; finite and insignificant though I am. He loves me not for who I am or what I can or will do, but He loves me inspite of these. My mouth is open, but I cannot speak. Like Job I will put my hand over my mouth, because I cannot understand God.

Work Outing

I shouldn't have been such a grumpy bum about it. It was a really awesome day albeit a long one. Go-Karting is super great. You can really hoon around in them things. Although you need to be careful that you don't drive like that once you get back onto the real road. Yes.



Muffy and Adele's Engagement Party

Had a smashing time there. Lots of cool people, lots of food, nice venue. A good time.



Mandarins

Does anyone know how long the average Mandarin lasts before it goes off? If so let me know.

Check it out

Nato gives us his thoughts on the latest events to hit the news with respect to Iraq.



Jono tells parents to start taking responsibility.



Two very good posts. A good read. I recommend you take the time to read them!



Save Mart

Jono and I paid a visit to Save Mart today. I picked up a nice brown short sleeve shirt, and a styly woolen jumper. Total cost : $18.



Tomorrow

Tomorrow work is taking the technical services team to see where they make the Puhoi cheese, and after that to do Go-Kart racing. I suppose I should be grateful. It's just that I don't see it as fulfilling the stated aim of team building. Let's hope I'm wrong. It will be fun nevertheless.



Joel

I'm currently studying Joel at the moment. It's quite fascinating. I am struggling with it. Trying to put it altogether in my understanding. I have many questions. So far however, I have refrained from the commentaries. I may even preach on this on June 27. We'll see.

Job

I didn't get the job. They interviewed 3 people. They asked if I wanted to know why, which I did, so they said it was due to my lack of knowldge and experience in the instrumentation they were using. However they really enjoyed the interview, and thought I was really enthusiastic. Oh well. I asked God to make it obvious to me what I should do. Couldn't be more obvious than that.



Stay Tuned

In the next few days, there will be a post of great moment. Wait for it.



Immigration

As an introduction to what I am about to post. I do not apologise if this offends you, because I believe it, and I don't believe it is said in an offensive way.



I was listening to the radio the other day. An Iraqi man rang up. He asked the host what he would do if his family had been in the pictures of the Iraqi prisoners who had been humiliated. This was in support of the Al Qaeda man who had beheaded an innocent American (I understand)civilian working in Iraq, and posted a video of the beheading (with a knife) on the internet.



This makes me suggest that we need tighter rules as to who can come into New Zealand. We do not need or want people who cannot assimilate (and I mean assimilate) into the Western culture. We cannot have people who think like this man in our country. It will eventually destroy us.



The mindset, the worldview is so viciously different, that common ground for rational discussion is hard to find. This is evidenced by the fact that this man thought that it would be self-evident to Leighton that the killing was necessary if he asked him "What would you do if it were your family who had been humiliated by the American army?". (That last sentence was paraphrased.)



Be warned New Zealand. Clay and Iron feet will crumble.

Graduation

My sister Louise is graduating today with a BA in English. Well done! Give her a hand folks!