Gavin

Morning Diceman, I have no issue with you disagreeing with my perspective. I also commend you for being respectful with that. I've been disappointed at the level of vitriol on blogs directed at anyone who has the audacity to support Ardern. They are invariably described as intellectually challenged cult members...and then some. My background is best described as colourful. University educated,business owner who's just as comfortable having a single malt with CEO's as I am having a jar with the boys. I am curious how you could disagree on nearly every point I made. Please elaborate? I remember well the time of Robert Muldoon and Roger Douglas. The lines were clearly defined between them and us but what's occurring now is up several levels on that due in no small part to the internet. The deliberate divisiveness being created against Ardern and the Government is unprecedented to my eye. It seems there is delight at business confidence dropping as that contributes to the water on a stone campaign that has been turned into a firehose on a stone campaign regardless if that hurts our country. As long as it achieves the goal of undermining the Government, that's all that matters. I'm confident you agree that the level of personal abuse and ridicule directed at Ardern and even her partner has been relentless. When the Police have to step in and clarify the partner is not and has not been the subject of a criminal investigation, you know something is rotten in Denmark. Since when has that been the kiwi way of getting the job done? Four days prior to the election, Ardern was described as "the kind of low life who will exploit the death of her grandmother to get votes". Really? That's not the NZ I grew up in and want to leave behind for my kids and grandkids. What happened to the NZ that ran Telethons to show they care for other kiwis doing it hard? When someone loses a family pet, we sympathize and empathize. Not with Ardern. Her critics were scathing with their abuse when her cat was run over and killed outside her home. Whats that about? I think she's an attractive lady. I accept her teeth are prominent but that is absolutely no justification for the incessant equine references directed at her. I personally couldn't give a rats arse if she's married to her partner or not. It's none of my far king business. The commitment we make to our partner is very personal. We have evolved as a society to a point where same sex marriage is now acceptable. One of my life heroes is Alan Turing. This man helped save the lives of between 14 to 21 million people. Didn't prevent him being charged with gross indecency for being a "Gaylord" https://paidpost.nytimes.com/the-weinstein-company/world-war-iis-greatest-hero-the-true-story-of-alan-turing.html I'm incredulous toward the targeting of Ardern for scathing ridicule due to her having a baby in 2018 outside of wedlock and the subsequent bastardisation of her baby daughter. Perplexing to me how any decent person regardless of political persuasion, could condone the vile directed at Ardern. Ok, she's a politician, but she's also our PM, a human being and a woman. We live in PC times where much to my frustration at times, you can't say this or that, but somehow subjecting our female PM to a very personal unprecedented contemptuous campaign is now deemed acceptable / reasonable. Disagree with her politics by all means, but do so with decency.

I rate her highly. Can't recall a NZ PM that has been subjected to so much ridicule, misrepresentations and very deliberate divisive undermining as Ardern has been. Much of it from those who feel shafted by the election outcome. If it's not her appearance people are having a crack at, it's her part time job she had as a teenage girl. Both out of order and irrelevant in my book as are the ongoing references to her having a child out of wedlock. Big flashy deal. It's 2018. Why does being married matter? You don't need a piece of paper or a church to make a commitment to your partner. I sincerely believe punters who attack her leadership skills, have no real understanding about leadership. Her first major achievement was the election campaign. 7 weeks out from election day, Labour were at 100-1 and drifting. The National Party were desperate for a fourth term but in the luxurious position of being able to sleepwalk back into Government. What Ardern achieved was unprecedented in NZ Politics. Anyone capable of doing what Ardern did in 7 weeks, is well capable of being PM. What's more, she even had the death of her grandmother four days from the election to add even more challenge to an almost impossible task. I compare it to doing a dozen post graduate exams at the same time. Very few could ever do that. I don't know how she was able to function. Remarkable. For the last 9 months she's led a three party coalition full of interesting characters. The potential for major meltdowns is huge, yet she's created a stable Government and done so while being attacked,misrepresented and ridiculed every step of the way since day 1. They have set themselves some very lofty goals and from my seat, they appear to be ticking them off the list nicely. Will reserve my final judgment for mid 2020, when they will have had long enough to implement their vision and see the results. Their July 1st package was big and helped many New Zealanders. Most of whom had been forgotten about for the previous decade. I don't agree that the first year free at Uni is about helping rich kids become lawyers as Bill English asserted. It's about investing in NZ's future and giving a leg up to all those who want to be achievers but often find the first year at Uni a deal breaker. The thing I like most about Ardern has nothing to do with policy. It's her passionate and caring personality. She very obviously cares deeply about all New Zealanders, not just the ones who vote for her party. That has largely been awol for the last decade. I have never witnessed a decade in my 50+ year life where I've noticed so many young people growing up feeling they are living in a country that couldn't possibly care less about them. That is an accident waiting to happen. I see this and many other indicators of what happens when you incessantly put dollars before people. That balance is now being redressed and not a moment too soon in my opinion.

Is how the barking cartoon character describes this site. Really? That place is toxic. The oxidation pond pretty much sums it up. If TV1 viewers get fed up and go to TV3, has TV3 stolen those viewers? Call me old fashioned but I thought competition was healthy? This site is getting bigger and better with no small man syndrome and hypocrisy on display. Not so elsewhere, which is why BOAY will be the only game in town within a year. All that's left elsewhere will be threads started by the guy who farts too much where the only other contributor will be the barking cartoon character. Nice. Karma From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Karma (/ˈkɑːrmə/; Sanskrit: कर्म, translit. karma, IPA: [ˈkərmə] ( listen); Pali: kamma) means action, work or deed;[1] it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect).[2] Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and future suffering.[3][4]Karma is closely associated with the idea of rebirth in many schools of Indian religions.[5] In these schools, karma in the present affects one's future in the current life, as well as the nature and quality of future lives - one's saṃsāra.[6]

Opposition are always going to oppose but Simyun Bwidges is incredibly negative. If a Children's hospital burnt down but all the Government MP's managed to get every child out safely, Bwidges would be on TV bitching and moaning that they didn't save five wheelchairs. Lost any credibility he ever had when he blamed his thumb for liking bitter ramblings from whaleslug.

As long as you're consistent with a policy, it's all good regardless of what the policy is. I'm a reasonably intelligent adult man with a radar up for BS. Having someone talk down to me like I'm a naughty child with an intelligence quotient under 40 will never be well received. That is especially so if the person doing the chastising puts up a messages routinely that appear to have been typed by a teenager after raiding his parents liquor cabinet. I recall him talking about Australian hoop Craig Williams. It was really scathing and spiteful. He described Williams as one of the worst riders in Australia who routinely butchers certain winners etc etc and was the king of incompetence etc. I honestly wondered if Williams had married a woman the cartoon character had his eye on to justify such spite. Two days later someone questioned a ride on a favourite in a NZ race. Fred and Daphne's close friend was extremely hostile toward that person and threatened to ban him. Said he wouldn't tolerate people bagging rides / drives on his site. Left you scratching your head. Does he not think people notice his raging hypocrisy? If I had to use one word to describe that place, it would be "toxic". My interest in racing dropped off as did the number of times I dropped in for a read. I knew something was brewing when the contributors I enjoyed reading were no longer there. Then I noticed people there commenting contemptuously toward another site. I knew I would enjoy that site when I found it. Then I read a farcical "Thank You" thread. He was now thanking people for their support etc etc. The very same people he had been scathing toward for years. Gotta laugh. If only he could see what everyone else sees

Have to comment about a thread I read elsewhere. A guy who farts to much was not happy about a drive at Ashburton recently. Haven't seen the race so can't comment on the drive but I thought critiquing rides / drives was off limits there. Have seen what looked like reasonable complaints in recent years be subjected to scathing ridicule by Fred and Daphne's friend. He'd say how much he hated reading experts in the stands commenting about rides and drives when they wouldn't know one end of a horse from the other. Fair enough. It's not an easy job and we all can make mistakes. The last person who didn't was nailed to a cross but I felt the idea of a horse racing forum was to offer opinions and occasionally that may include perspectives on a drive. Whatever the case may be, he drew a clear line in the sand on what he wouldn't tolerate. Fair enough, as long as you're not a hypocrite about it. As farts to much is one of the few putting up threads and brown noses the current owner, bagging drives is now apparently ok. Someone asked farty a perfectly reasonable question. Has he driven a few winners? The cartoon character comes to farts defence. "so what if he hasn't driven a winner, is he not allowed an opinion???" This must go down as the most hypercritical message I've ever read on the site since Dave ran the site from day 1 all those years ago. If your site is in quicksand, the only people left are the "in club" and those who haven't found this far better site yet, bagging drives is now fair game. RIP that outfit.

Sterling effort from a driver that would excel anywhere.

Another that will long live in the memory. I didn't know a mare could even do that. Remarkable.

I can't put up a NZ Cup link without my favourite

A pleasure to read your input again Ashoka. I wondered where you went to some time ago. I recognized that you are not the sort of person who will enjoy being on a site where abuse and ridicule were the status quo. Robalan was a beauty. The 1974 Cup had some big names but it was his year. ROBALAN (1966g Lumber Dream/Elsinore, N28 Boudrie), leading exponent of free legged pacing in New Zealand harness racing history, a phenomenon as something of a rarity on NZ shores. Bred by Eugene McDermott (former NZMTC President, son of Eugene McDermott Snr who collapsed and fell from sulky and died when driving Colonel Grattan in 1939 NZ Cup), sold as foal at foot when dam in foal to Bachelor Hanover for 475 guineas at 1967 National Sales to Ernie (ES) Broad of Southland. Robalan was the son of a free legged pacer in Axworthy line stallion Lumber Dream (p3, 1:58 2/5US unhoppled).

My dad was a keen but very ordinary punter. Rather than sit outside the TAB for an hour , I decided to help him pick a few winners. My first bet was a half double that my dad put on for me when I was very young. Around 1976 sounds about right. It won and I was hooked. Master Dean and Palestine from memory. Reading the racing page from the Press while in class was a normal school day A few years later a horse came along that became my favourite horse and it still is now, 21 years after he died. His name, Lord Module. Where ever he went, I followed him. I was there on course at Addington in 1981 when he won the Allan Matson FFA. It sent chills up my spine that I still feel now 37 years later when I watch the replay. Part of what attracted me to him was his nature. He decided when he was going to show you something extraordinary at either end of the spectrum. I have a soft spot for trotters and three of the big bangers that rocked for me around the same time were Scotch Tar, Sir Castleton and Basil Dean. They get in your blood and never leave.

I miss seeing horses like The Bru Czar and Franco Ice etc. War horses that always showed up on raceday and were invariably driven accordingly regardless of what tactics were adopted to soften them up. I admire what the All Stars are achieving but do wonder if it's good for harness racing that one stable routinely takes all the cream on the cake. Perhaps that's why I always had a soft spot for war horses such as the two quoted.

Cheers Globederby. I appreciate your kind words. This site seems to have a very positive and respectful feel about it which will no doubt increase the enjoyment factor.

Gotta love it.

Great story. Always enjoyed watching the mare stamp her class. We've had some great trotters over the years.

Is it just me or does that Cup field not excite in the same way it did in years gone by when your saw names like Lord Module, Hands Down, Bonnie's Chance, Armalite, Blossom Lady, Chokin, Yulestar, Terror To Love etc etc? The good old days where the race was not just a benefit for one stable.

A masterpiece.

Wasn't my intention to give them any oxygen but it does seem they did a wonderful job...of putting you in the naughty corner if you were not associated with the "right" people. Hypocrisy up in lights was routine. Usual scenario was open season on anyone not connected to them. The level of vitriol at their target was considerable. If anyone attempted to defend said target, they were immediately ridiculed as being intellectually challenged etc . Having an open adult discussion was actively discouraged which I believed was the purpose of a forum? If you had the audacity to point that out, you are a "shit stirrer". Some of it appeared a lot like online bullying to my eye. If however, a person they knew had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar, it was a taboo subject that invariably resulted in any input on the topic being immediately removed in a manner Joseph Stalin would have strongly approved of. It sets a dangerous precedent. Being prudent around defamation laws makes perfect sense but those same laws can be used by some as a justification to dictate and exercise obvious bias / favoritism. A situation I felt was poor form regards the using of the F word. I use it often myself as many of us do but I don't believe it reflects well to use it while discussing topics online. It risks making the forum look like a gathering of cave dwelling grunting neanderthals. I recall the guy that runs the site ridiculing writers who used words equivalent to bas tard and Richard Cranium etc. Along comes the polarizing figure throwing in the F word whenever he feels like it and all of a sudden, obscenities are acceptable and nothing is said. Not a good look but the sort of thing that can occur when certain people appear to have the testes of other certain people tucked away in their pocket.

Very good motto CS. Just thought I'd declare my hand prior to going onwards and upwards

Favourite scene from my favourite movie Happy.

Hey Brodie, Glad to be reading your input again. The whole ganging up on a contributor by those with a vested interest resulted in me dropping in there less and less. I may not have always agreed with every perspective you put forward myself, but I always knew it was motivated by your love of the game and the importance of a level playing field. We are on the same page.

Hi Kakama, I must admit my friend, I wondered where you'd got to some time ago. Always enjoyed your input. I signed up when Dave ran the site and was a daily visitor. Some things went forward while others went the other way.

Hey Happy. Good to be seeing your input again. The guy who farts too much must be great for business here. Thank you to him I was offshore for a few months when the Jewels were on but look forward to catching up with what's happening here harness wise now.