Musical Monday (2022/08/29) – Margaret Urlich

For the third Musical Monday in a row, I’m featuring an artist who has recently died. I hope it’s not going to become a trend, although at my age, many singers whose songs I have become fond of are now well into their seventies and eighties. So perhaps it’s inevitable.

Margaret Urlich was considerably younger than I am, and on 22 August lost a two year battle with cancer at the tender age of 57. She was well known in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand and will be fondly remembered. I’m not sure how well she was known outside of these two countries. She started her musical career in Aotearoa before moving to Australia – unfortunately an all too common occurrence for NZ performers as the Australian market, being many times larger than ours, offers more opportunities.

In the late 1990s Urlich dropped out of the limelight, preferring family and being a high school music teacher. As reported in the NZ newspaper The Star, “I quite like being normal. I only ever started singing because I just love it. The whole fame side of it, I didn’t think about it that much and it always felt a little bit uncomfortable to me. I don’t need to have a high profile to be happy – in fact, I think the opposite is true for me.”

Margaret Urlich is one of those singers who, for me, flew somewhat under the radar, and it’s only now that she is gone do I realise that what is good about her music, and what was good about the person herself. Although she’s gone, her music will continue to live on. I’ve included five YouTube tracks – three solo performances and two from groups she was a member of in the 1980s.

I hope I never

This song was originally performed by the group Split Enz and was written by band members Tim Finn and Eddie Rayner. Released as a single in August 1980 it peaked for Split Enz at number 33 in the NZ charts. The Margaret Urlich cover was included in her 1999 album Second Nature.

I Hope I Never – Margaret Urlich

I Hope I Never

I fall apart when you're around
When you're here, I'm nowhere
I can't pretend that I'm not down
I show it, I know it
I've been a fool, more than once, more than twice
I'm gonna move to a new town where the people are nice

I hope I never, I hope I never have to sigh again
I hope I never, I hope I never have to cry again
I still want to beam and smile
Happiness is back in style yeah
I hope I never, I hope I never have to see you again
Again, oh oh oh oh

It should be possible I know
To see you without stress
But I can see I'll have to go
I'm changing my address
My urge to cry I have failed to conceal
Life - it's no fun when you're hunted by the things that you feel

I hope I never, I hope I never have to sigh again
I hope I never, I hope I never have to cry again
I'm for living while you can
I'm an optimistic man
I hope I never, I hope I never have to see you again
Again, oh oh oh oh...

I hope I never
I hope I never
I hope I never, never, never...
I hope I never, I hope I never have to see you again
Again.

Escaping

Escaping is a song written by Dina Carroll and was included in Margaret Urlich’s album Safety In Numbers released in 1989. It reached number one in the NZ singles chart. and has re-appeared on the Hot 20 NZ Singles (The 20 fastest-moving New Zealand tracks by sales, streams and airplay) at number 5, The Hot 40 Singles (The 40 fastest-moving tracks by sales, streams and airplay) at number 10, and at number 16 on the Official Top 20 NZ Singles chart (The 20 best-selling and most-streamed New Zealand tracks).

Escaping

Kid at heart playing games
In the shadows
Fall asleep make a wish
And the bad goes
I can dream can't I?
When I close my eyes
Kiss the world goodbye
You'll see me escaping

To a land faraway
In the night time
There's a secret place
Where no-one can hurt you
Desert you, no-one hurts you
That's why I'm escaping

Oh starry eyes am I
Knowing that when I try
To forget you
Love brings me out of my shell
I put my heart upon the shelf
Hiding inside myself
What am I doing?
No use in faking, fool for the taking
There's no more escaping you

Let me loose, set me free undercover
'Cos the night all around is my lover
And you're running into you
Where you wanna be
All you have to do
No shame in escaping

Oh starry eyes am I
Knowing that when I try
To forget you
Love brings me out of my shell
I put my heart upon the shelf
Hiding inside myself
What am I doing?
No use in faking, fool for the taking
There's no more escaping you

I can dream can't i?
When I close my eyes
Kiss the world goodbye
This time I"m escaping

Oh starry eyes am I
Knowing that when I try
To forget you
Love brings me out of my shell
I put my heart upon the shelf
Hiding inside myself
What am I doing?
No use in faking, fool for the taking
There's no more escaping you

Starry eyed am I
knowing that when I try
To forget you
Love brings me out of my shell
I put my heart up on the shelf
Hiding inside myself
What am I doing?
Rules meant for breaking
Feelings awaken, there's no more escaping you

There's no more escaping you

Number One (Remember When We Danced All Night)

Number One (Remember When We Danced All Night) was released in early 1990 as the second single from her debut studio album, Safety in Numbers and peaked at number 10 on the NZ charts at that time. It has re-appeared on the the Hot 40 Singles chart at number 39, and on the Hot 20 NZ Singles at number 10.

Number One (Remember When We Danced All Night) – Margaret Urlich

Number One (Remember When We Danced All Night)

Last night I took a cab to the south side
I took a walk over the old neighbourhood
Just by chance we ran into each other
After so long we spent apart

Years ago you were my first love
I'm not to blame, it took my little heart
We were so close
Time went by, we drifted apart

But remember when we danced all night
Danced till we cried, we were so in love
No matter how much the time goes by
You'll always be my number one
My own number one

I maybe a fool, I know I'm sentimental
Easy to get lost in a moment from the past
The love we knew, it still lingers
Those memories will always last

There's somethin' special 'bout a love for the first time
Can't be forgotten, can't be replaced
It was yesterday, we were young again
The moment that I saw your face

But, remember when we danced all night
Danced till we cried, we were so in love
And no matter how much the times goes by
You'll always be my number one

Things were so simple then, we were so innocent
I know we can't go back
But I'm thankful for the time we shared
Our worlds are so different now

We were so close
Time went by, we drifted apart, baby

But remember when we danced all night
Danced till we cried, we were so in love
No matter how much the time goes by
You'll always be my number one
Still every time I think of you
I get misty eyed but I won't come undone
No matter how much the time goes by
You'll always be my number one

When the Cat’s Away

Urlich was also a member of When the Cat’s away. This was a five member all female group formed in the 1980s. At the end of that decade it was one of the biggest live acts in the country, performing to audiences of up to 80,000. They are perhaps best known for their cover version of Melting Pot, which reached number one on the NZ charts and achieved gold in 1998. They disbanded in 1990 but reformed in 2001 and their live album Live in Paradise achieved platinum. The band was inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall Of Fame in 2021.

Asian Paradise – When The Cat’s Away

Asian Paradise

There's a strange white moon at my open window
There's a heat on the breeze tonight
I see the lights of the hotel burn in the trees
And I feel love is burning in me

I am caught in the change of a tropical rainstorm
Out there between green and blue
And it's telling me that you're so hard to forget
I'm a traveller just passin' through

Asian paradise you still haunt me
And it's so damn nice, I can tell you
I feel your burnin' in me
Asian paradise you still haunt me
I just close my eyes
I can tell you I feel your burnin' in me

Now the moon lies herself out on top of the water
She's as naked as we were born
And the satay and beer paralyses me here
And I'm feeling I'm already home

I am caught in the change of a tropical rainstorm
Out there between green and blue
And it's telling me that you're so hard to forget
I'm a traveller just passin' through

Asian paradise you still haunt me
I just close my eyes, I can tell you
I feel your burnin' in me
Asian paradise you still haunt me
I just close my eyes, I can tell you
I feel your burnin' in me

Asian paradise you still haunt me
And it's so damn nice, I can tell you
I feel your burnin' in me

Peking Man

Margaret Urlich was also a member of the band Peking Man. The band’s single Room That Echoes, where Urlich is the lead singer reached number one on the NZ charts in 1985. In the following year Peking Man won six categories at the New Zealand Music Awards: Album of the Year; Single of the Year; Engineer of the Year; Producer of the Year; Best Group; Best Album Cover.

Room That Echoes – Peking Man

Room That Echoes

You hear all the words that I tell you
You touch upon the things that I feel
Every movement I make tells a secret
I had promised I will never reveal
It's not that I'm trying to mislead you
It's just that I'm misleading myself
Now that the wall is completed
I'm taking time to build a house

I'm gonna build a room that echoes
Around and around and around with its own sound
'Round and around, I won't need to be there
'Round and around and around with its own sound
A sound that no-one has to hear

I'm painting my face with numbers
A message that you won't understand
I look at myself in the mirror
I give myself a helping hand
I will listen to the sound that surrounds me
Even though I won't be there at all
So, next time you need some stairs to fall down
Give my room of sound a very loud call

Around and around and around with its own sound
Round and around, I won't need to be there
Around and around and around with its own sound
A sound that no one has to hear

A sound
A sound that
A sound that tells
A sound that tells you
A sound that tells you what you've got
A sound that tells you what you're not
A sound that tells you what you need
A sound that tells you
Around and around and around with its own sound

Round and around I won't need to be there
Around and around and around with its own sound
A sound that no one has to hear
Around and around and around with its own sound
Round and around I won't need to be there
Around and around and around with its own sound
Round and around I won't need to be there
Around and around and around with its own sound
Round and around I won't need to be there
Around and around and around with its own sound
Round and around I won't need to be there
Around and around and around with its own sound

MTG’s trans genocide plan — transponderings

The USA is fast becoming fundamentalist Christian right nation, and that includes laws passed at local, state and federal level. My limited understanding of the US constitution is that it prevents the establishment of religion, but doesn’t prevent the passing of laws that support and/or enforce values of one specific religious viewpoint over other viewpoints. And that specific religious viewpoint is without doubt that of the fundamentalist Christian nationalist right. That is no more evident that the proposed “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” introduced by none other than Marjorie Taylor Greene, that does exactly the opposite of it’s title suggests and will cause considerable harm to the minority that this bill is directed against.

The opening section of MTG’s despicable bill On Saturday, I published a blog post containing the text of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bill for a ‘Protect Children’s Innocence Act’, whose chief stated purpose is ‘ 2,802 more words

MTG’s trans genocide plan — transponderings

Most autists…

Most autists (people who are autistic) face a range of difficulties in social situations. But almost every social situation that autists face is with allists (non-autistic people). In social situations where the ratio of autists and allists is reversed, it’s the allists , not autists who face a similar range of difficulties.

Most autism “experts” (allists who study autists from an allistic perspective) have concluded that autists lack empathy. Autists are more likely to hyper empathetic or hypo empathetic than allists, but what sets autists apart is how we express our empathy.

Most autists avoid eye contact. Most autism “experts” will tell you it’s because autists lack an understanding of the importance of eye contact in social interactions. In other words, autists lack theory of mind. Most autists who avoid eye contact will tell you they do so because making eye contact presents a sensation ranging from “icky” to having the “soul exposed” to being physically painful. In my own case, I can, with some effort, consciously make eye contact even though I find it very unpleasant, or I can listen to what you are saying. I can’t do both.

Most autists don’t have prosopagnosia (face blindness), but it’s more common amongst autists than amongst allists. However most people with prosopagnosia are allists. I have prosopagnosia.

Most autists don’t have alexithymia (emotional blindness), but it’s more common amongst autists than amongst allists. However most people with alexithymia are allists. I have alexithymia

Most autists can communicate by speaking, but non-speakers are more common amongst autists than amongst allists. However most non-speakers are allists.

Most autists are straight, but autists are more likely to be homosexual, or bisexual than are allists. However most gays, lesbians and bi’s are allists.

Most autists have a sex drive, but autists are more likely to be asexual than are allists. However most asexual people allists.

Most autists are cis gendered but autists are more likely to be trans than are allists. However most transgender people are allists.

Most autists identify with a specific gender, but autists are more likely to be gender diverse or not identify with any gender than are allists. However, most gender diverse and agender/nongender people are allists. I view myself as agendered, but for reasons of safety (learnt the hard way in the 1950s – 1970s) present male.

Most autists do not suffer from migraines, but autists are more likely to be migraineurs than are allists. However most migraineurs are allists. I suffer from chronic migraines.

Most autists do not suffer from epilepsy, but autists are more likely to have epilepsy than are allists. However most epileptics are allists.

Most autists are employable, but it’s also true that most autists are unemployed or under employed. The cause is how allists perceive autists and/or refusing to accommodate the needs of autists. I was forced into early retirement, at the age of 50, due to burnout, although it would take another 10 years before I discovered it was caused through being an undiagnosed autist.

[TW: self harm, suicide] Most autists do not commit suicide but autists are nine times more likely to commit suicide than are allists. In America, autistic females are 37 times more likely than allistic females to attempt suicide.

Most autists experience meltdowns, shutdowns and/or burnout at some stage of their lives. Most allists perceive these to be wilful acts by autists in order get their own way or to gain attention. They are not. They are caused by emotional and/or sensory overload, over which the autist has little or no control. In the case of meltdowns or shutdowns, the best an autist can do is learn to avoid situations that might cause an overload (easier said than done) or learn how to be out of view of others when it occurs (also easier said than done). While burnout ( as a result of long term stress) is quite common for autists, it is especially common when they are unaware that they are autistic. In fact burnout can often lead to the discovery of being autistic as it eventually was in my case.

Most autists who undergo ABA therapy (known as conversion therapy when applied to other conditions) develop PTSD. Most allists are convinced ABA helps autists become more like their allist peers. Most autists view ABA as a form of torture that teaches autistic children that their needs and wants are less important than those around them, that compliance is more important than autonomy, and that they must pretend to be allists, otherwise known as masking. ABA does not make an autist less autistic.

So what’s my point? Autists are not the sum of our deficits. Yet we are collectively still perceived as somewhat less than fully human – inferior to allists. No, we are not. We are different, true. But that difference is primarily in how we experience the world around us, and as a consequence, how we respond to it. Current allistic understanding of autism and how allists respond to that understanding dehumanises us to such an extent that when an Autist is a victim of a “mercy killing”, the public and the media often empathise with the perpetrator rather than the victim, whereas if the victim had been born blind, or without legs , public and media empathy will be strongly in the victim’s favour with zero shown to the perpetrator.

Over the next few weeks, or months (you all know how irregular my posts can be) I intend to write a series of articles on how current medical and social understanding of Autism from an allist perspective causes Autists more harm than good and perpetuates the myth we are defective humans desperately in need of a cure, or failing that being eliminated from the human gene pool.

Watch this space (but don’t hold your breath).

Autism quote

Never a more true sentence has been written!

Autism is a disability but only because we are trying to function in a world that is not built for us and refuses to accommodate our different needs.

Autism – Given up but I’m trying – 2022/08/24

Musical Monday (2022/08/22) John Hore Grenell

If I were to compile a list of my favourite top 100 songs, I had thought that there would be few, if any, country songs included. However with the recent death of a Kiwi country music icon, I am beginning to realise that there would indeed be more than a handful. I am referring to the John Grenell, who died on July 27 at the age of 78.

I will probably always remember him as John Hore as that was his stage name in the first part of his music career, which was the family name of his step father. He grew up in rural South Island New Zealand and was always a shy country lad at heart. According to those who knew him, he was a humble man, who had no ego or pretensions. He made his first recording in 1963, and by the time he was nineteen, he had sold over 100,000 records, which in those days was quite an achievement for a NZ singer of any age or genre.

John made frequent television appearances during the 60s and early 70s, and I was a fan of his “velvet” voice. He became biggest-selling New Zealand act of the decade, and his second album, Encore John Hore, which was released in May 1965, became the best-selling album by a New Zealand artist at that time. He recorded a number of singles and made 11 albums before bowing out of the music scene to concentrate on family, farming, and rural tourism. Then in the late 80s he resurfaced under his birth name of John Grenell. For a while he went by his father’s name of John Denver Grenell, which as you might imagine, was rather confusing.

Perhaps his best known song is his cover of Welcome To My World that featured on a two minute Toyota television commercial that first aired in 1990 (with slightly altered lyrics to suit the purpose of the commercial). Below are just a few of John’s songs I found on YouTube.

Past Like A Mask

I value this first clip as the lyrics are critical of what many men (and unfortunately many women) perceive what it is to be a “real man”. The stereotype is seen all to often in this country, and one only needs to look at our statistics on family violence to see that. This song has also taken on another meaning since I discovered I was autistic in 2010, but that’s another story for another time.

Past Like A Mask – John Hore Grenell

Past Like A Mask

I was told to be a man was building fences strong
Keep your woman in her place and she'll keep hangin' on
Now I've grown to realise my life's been filled with lies
The thread that I've been hangin' on has broken in her eyes
If I could let my heart be known despite of walls so high
I might taste those bitter tears that I've never learned to cry

But I've got a past like a mask
And I can see it in her face, the many years I can't erase
A broken heart I can't replace in spite of how I try
And I've got a past like a mask
And I sure took my time to understand

When I was young, not long ago, I hid my feelings well
Sometimes I let my heartaches show but I could never tell
And now I find I've been blind, insensitive and vain
Cause someone told me long ago "ignore a woman's pain"
If I could change the fool I've been, I know just what'd do
I'd give her everything I can and make all her dreams come true

But I've got a past like a mask
And I can see it in her eyes, the lonely nights, the endless lies
The countless time I made her cry when she was by my side
And I've got a past like a mask
And I sure took my time to understand

Welcome To Our World

Toyota has made several memorable television commercials in this country, with perhaps the “Bugger” commercial being the best known for those of my generation. There’s nothing particularly memorable about this Welcome To Our World 1990 Toyota Commercial, apart perhaps for it being two minutes long and for featuring the beautiful velvet baritone voice of John Grenell. It’s a slightly modified version of Welcome To My World, of which the Jim Reeves version is perhaps recognised the world over.

Welcome To Our World – John Hore Grenell

Take Me Back to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

It’s a real place! Taumata­whakatangihanga­kōauau­o­tamatea­pōkai­whenua­ki­tāna­tahu is the name of a hill in southern Hawkes Bay, approximately 130 Km (80 miles) from where I live. A rough translation goes something like “The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his kōauau (flute) to his loved one“

Take Me Back to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu – John Hore Grenell

Take Me Back to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

Done a lot of travellin', this great country round
Seen a lot of people, covered lots of ground
But there's only one place I'd like to call my own
So I am headin' back there, so I am goin' home

Take me back to where it's wild and free
Take me back where I long to be
Take me back, take me back won't you
Take Me Back to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

Up and down this country, all those sights I've seen
North Cape to the Bluff and everywhere between
But you can keep your cities, they're not the place for me
Home is where the heart is that's where I've gotta be

Take me back to where it's wild and free
Take me back where I long to be
Take me back, take me back won't you
Take Me Back to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

I've walked the length of Queen Street, Karangahape to the sea
And I've fought the wind of Seatoun, the sights of Lambton Quay
Christchurch and Dunedin, and Invercargill too
You name a place, I've been there, and now I'm a shootin' through

Take me back to where it's wild and free
Take me back where I long to be
Take me back, take me back won't you
Take Me Back to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

Take me back to where it's wild and free
Take me back where I long to be
Take me back, take me back won't you
Take Me Back to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

Take me back to where it's wild and free
Take me back where I long to be
Take me back, take me back won't you
Take Me Back to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu

I’ve been Everywhere

This song was written by an Australian by the name of Geoff Mack, and the original used Australian place names. Hank Snow and Johny Cash made versions with American place names, and John Hore Grenell made a NZ version:

I’ve Been Everywhere – John Hore Grenell

I've Been Everywhere

Well I was hitching a ride on a winding Hokitika road
When along came a lorry with a high and canvas-covered load
"If you're going to Hokitika, mate, with me you can ride"
So I jumped into the cabin and settled down inside
He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand
And I said, "Look, listen mate, I've been everywhere in this here land ...

Cos, I've been everywhere man, 
I've been everywhere man
I've crossed the desert bare man,
I've breathed the mountain air man
Of travel I've had my share man
I've been every-where

I've been to
Kaparoa, Whangaroa, Akaroa, Motueka,
Taramoa, Benmore, Pongaroa, Horoeka,
Rimutaka, Te Karaka, Whangarei,
Nuhaka, Waimahaka, Motuhura, Waikaka,
Motonui, Hokonui, Papanui, Wainui,
Matawai, Rongotai, Pikowai, I'm a guy. 

I've been everywhere man, 
I've been everywhere man
I've crossed the desert bare man,
I've breathed the mountain air man
Of travel I've had my share man
I've been every-where

Woodville, Dargaville, Lumsden, Katikati,
Naseby, Cambridge, Porirua, Mararoa,
Hastings, Tikitiki, Tauranga, Auckland,
Naenae, Waitaha, Hamilton, Poroporo,
Taupo, Timaru, Oamaru, Tihoi,
Awanui, Wanganui, Pauanui, lot o' hooey. 

I've been everywhere man, 
I've been everywhere man
I've crossed the desert bare man,
I've breathed the mountain air man
Of travel I've had my share man
I've been every-where

Featherston, Palmerston, Woolston, Te Awamutu,
Riverton, Queenstown, Picton, Ohinemutu,
Morere, Korere, Rotorua, Kaikoura,
Matamata, Ruakura, Ikamatua, Papakura,
Waitaki, Pukaki, Taranaki, Te Kauwhata,
Ropata, Ikowai, Waitemata, what's the matter. 

I've been everywhere man, 
I've been everywhere man
I've crossed the desert bare man,
I've breathed the mountain air man
Of travel I've had my share man
I've been every-where

Ruatoki, Matahura, Taupiri, Maketu,
Kyeburn, Sowburn, Wedderburn, Mossburn,
Washdyke, Arawhata, Paparoa, Kaponga,
Teraha, Thames, Kerikeri, Kokoma,
Tapanui, Porinui, Tawanui, Otahuhu,
Ruatapu, Mosgiel, Whareroa, that's for sure. 

I've been everywhere man, 
I've been everywhere man
I've crossed the desert bare man,
I've breathed the mountain air man
Of travel I've had my share man
I've been every-where

Kapiti, Ngawaka, Onepu, Reporoa,
Tongariro, Tomoana, Renwick, Papamoa,
Karitane, Oxford, Parihaka, Karetu,
Coalgate, Whitecliffs, Urenui, Mamaku,
Waimea, Waharoa, Dannevirke, Ngahere,
Gordonton, Oban, Kingston, how ya been. 

I've been everywhere man, 
I've been everywhere man
I've crossed the desert bare man,
I've breathed the mountain air man
Of travel I've had my share man
I've been every-where

I've been here, there, everywhere
I've been everywhere

Lovers And Losers

A beautiful song that that is made for John’s voice. The song is the creation of singer songwriter William Russell Staines from Rollinsford, New Hampshire, USA. Bill Staines was a country singer, unknown to me until I looked up the writer of this sing. From my very brief acquaintance with him, his music seems similar to that of Grenell.

Lovers And Losers – John Hore Grenell

Lovers And Losers

The singer he stands in the warmth of the doorway;
The song that he sings brings a tear to an eye,
And his smile brings a nod, and the toss of a coin there;
Another cup of coffee, or a homeward bound bus ride.

The dancer she sways 'neath the light on the corner,
Her partner is the shadow now that glides at her feet.
Slowly she moves to her sweet silent music;
The people pass her by and hurry down along the street.

Lovers and losers, Dreamers and boozers,
Pickers, singers and poets in the rain.
I love to hear them, I guess that's why I linger near them,
For I have seen their faces, yes, and I have known their names.

The sun plays a game with the tops of the mountains,
The colours and the shadows change and fade with the day.
The cowboy he sings in the cool of the evening
Some old-fashioned love song in an old and simple way.

Lovers and losers, Dreamers and boozers,
Pickers, singers and poets in the rain.
I love to hear them, I guess that's why I linger near them,
For I have seen their faces, yes, and I have known their names.

A lover she stares at the one of her loving,
As warm and as pretty as the colours in the wine.
She listens while he tells her of the joys in his keeping;
Offers him a rose to touch and hold forever fine.

Lovers and losers, Dreamers and boozers,
Pickers, singers and poets in the rain.
I love to hear them, I guess that's why I linger near them,
For I have seen their faces, yes and I have known their names.

How racism improves sales in Aotearoa

Every nation has some who for want of a better word are haters, and Aotearoa New Zealand in no exception. Cameron Slater is a notorious right-winger blogger and tweeter. According to Slater, he’s not a racist, he claims instead “I am simply stating that I will not buy from woke companies“. I beg to differ.

Recently Whittaker’s, a large NZ owned and operated confectionery and chocolate manufacturer, announced it intended to rename blocks of its Creamy Milk chocolate as Miraka Kirīmi to celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week), an annual event that this year will occur from September 13th through 19th.

Slater, not surprisingly, does not approve and tweeted with the comment “Go woke, go broke… see ya @WhittakersNZ”. And he should know all about broke, having been declared bankrupt by the courts for failing to pay out on defamation judgements made against him. While I like to believe there’s “that of God in every person”, in Slater’s case it is exceptionally well hidden.

The response to the tweet has been overwhelming and almost unanimous. It should provide Whittaker’s with sales beyond their expectation if comments on Twitter and elsewhere are any indication. An article on Newshub is typical of the public and the media’s response to Slater’s tweet. I too will be purchasing extra Whittaker’s chocolates because (a) they make the best chocolate, (b) I support woke (in it’s true meaning of being alert to injustice and discrimination in society,), and (c) most importantly, to piss off Slater.

Personally, I’d be more than happy if Whittaker’s made all their labelling and packaging bilingual on a permanent basis, after all re reo Māori (the Māori language) is an official language of this nation, and if it’s to survive, it needs to be nurtured, not just by Māori themselves, but by all Kiwis. Three out of five New Zealanders now believe re reo Māori should be a compulsory subject at school. Only 23 years ago the singing of out national anthem in Māori caused an outrage amongst some Kiwi, now the convention is that the first verse of the anthem is always sung in Māori. How things have changed (but not for some people such as Slater).

Some comments on Twitter tickled my fancy. Here’s a few:

Suck on this, while we eat real chocolate @WhittakersNZ pic.twitter.com/ka3yCv8UNQ

— Ranfurly Nore (@RanfurlyNore) August 15, 2022

https://twitter.com/Scotty_Enzed/status/1559629846665658369

If you say you won't eat @WhittakersNZ because it's not in English, I guess that rules out Toblerone, Ferrero Rocher, Lindt, Kinder Surprise, anything owned by Mondelez and Nestlé.
OR, you could support a privately owned NZ company that embraces us and lifts us up.

— Whaea Fi 🦄 (but no 🐴🐣) (@AuntyFeeble) August 16, 2022

https://twitter.com/happyfishmedia/status/1559275140617121792

Well, if we're going to extend it to non-english named foods, the list is infinitely long.
Pizza, pasta, Pad Thai, Tikka Masala, Tacos, French Fries even.

— Whaea Fi 🦄 (but no 🐴🐣) (@AuntyFeeble) August 17, 2022

Musical Monday (2022/08/15) The Carnival Is Over

Recently two great female singers have died. Olivia Newton-John is perhaps the better know singer world wide. The name of Judith Durham less so although the name of the group she was lead singer in may be more familiar – The Seekers. For myself, I have always had a soft spot for Judith’s voice and in the 60s and 70s there was always at least one track featuring her voice on every audio cassette compilation I made. And I compiled many.

I wonder if some of my younger readers even know what an audio cassette is? Out of curiosity, does anyone still have a working cassette player? I still have one that’s usable but its mono only, so playback isn’t quite the same. I’m not looking for a replacement – I’m just curious if anyone still uses that old technology.

At one time I had several Seekers albums. If I’m being absolutely honest, I bought them solely because of Judith Durham’s voice, and before meeting my future wife, I was rather smitten by Judith’s beauty and fashion sense (hey don’t knock it – it was the 1960s and I was still a teen). During migraine attacks I found her voice soothing and uplifting at the same time. If I recall correctly, one album was on vinyl and two were on cassettes, but that was a long time ago, several house moves , one flood and one burst water pipe away. Somewhere along the line, much of my loved music has disappeared, including all The Seekers albums.

There are many tributes to Judith on social media platforms, wishing sentiments such as “rest in peace“, but I’m firmly of the belief that when a person dies, they are gone – they cannot rest whether in peace or otherwise. Their memory may linger as may any influence they may have had. In the case of Judith Durham, her memory will live on in my mind for the rest of my life, and I’m very grateful for the comfort she has given me over the years, and will no doubt continue to do so.

Breaking from my usual custom, I not including lyrics with this Musical Monday, firstly because I’m including several clips, secondly because Judith’s voice is so clear, and finally because It’s the music in its entirety and not the lyrics that I value.

Georgie Girl – The seekers

I’ll Never Find Another You – The Seekers

The Carnival Is Over – The Seekers

Someday, One Day – The seekers

And finally, for those who would like a little more, watch a 1968 TV special – The World of The Seekers. Sorry the video owner has disabled playback on other websites, so you’ll need to click the link and view it on the YouTube website: https://youtu.be/40LuQVZYepE

Adopted – a follow up

A few weeks ago we decided we take The Cat, aka Puss, to the vet for a health check. Although she seemed to be in good health, there was the question of whether or not she had been spayed, and whether she needed vaccinations and flea and worm treatment. So we hired a cat transport cage and took a very indignant cat off to the vets.

We came back with Frankie, and he is a desexed three year old purebred Chinchilla born in the Wairarapa, several hours drive from Feilding. No we didn’t swap felines. It turns out that Puss, is Frankie, micro-chipped and he lives lived at the opposite end of our street. He was on the vet’s books and was last seen only three months previously for flea and worm treatment. So the vet contacted the guardians of Frankie (they don’t use the term “owner” for companion animals, and besides, does anyone really own a cat?).

Within ten minutes, Frankie’s official guardian was in the veterinary consulting rooms. She was a very nice woman and she and her family had been quite concerned for Frankie’s wellbeing. Since they obtained him as a kitten he has been spending more and more away from home, and over the last year or so he’d return perhaps once or twice a week to sample his food and then disappear again. Once she learnt that Frankie spent most of his time at our place, she agreed that it was probably in Frankie’s best interest if we took over guardianship,

We’ve noticed that Frankie likes quiet (a trait quite common with the chinchilla breed), and after learning what his previous domestic life was like, it’s hardly surprising he sought out an alternative home. His previous home consisted of two adults, three pre-teenage children, two dogs, and another cat who thoroughly disliked Frankie and make that very clear at every available moment, plus an assortment of poultry and goats.

So we became the official guardian of Frankie, and after he received his annual vaccination and quarterly flea and worm treatment, we brought Frankie home with us. And here he remains. Occasionally he might disappear for an hour or so, so perhaps he might visit his old home on some of those occasions, but now he’s well and truly settled in having laid claim three spots as his own: the deck chair on the main front balcony where he can observe the street below, an armchair in the lounge, when the weather makes the desk chair less than ideal, and on top of a pile of duvets and quilts on a spare bed in an upstairs bedroom, the dormer windows from which he can purvey his kingdom and watch birds cavorting on the roof outside.

The bedroom is one I frequently use so as not to disturb the Wife – I’m a restless sleeper at the best of times but restless leg syndrome (Willis-Ekbom Disease – a condition I inherited from my mother and which has progressively intensified over the last fifty years) keeps not only me awake, but also the Wife. On such occasions I move to the other bedroom and Frankie moves from his pile of duvets and snuggles up against my chest and/or neck keeping well away from my constantly moving legs.

Frankie may have a pedigree, but his fur has “cosmetic faults” that make him “pet quality” rather than “show quality” or “breeder quality”. He has a long and luxurious coat, which he manages to keep well groomed all by himself apart his chest area between his front legs, and his lower neck, which I discovered is prone to matting and tangles, big time. Now that most of the matting has been removed, Frankie has learnt to guide my hand to that area with his paws as I brush him. We now spend ten to fifteen minutes, several times every day carefully grooming his chest and throat, even though it obviously hurts at times.

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Stupid people

How many stupid people do you know of? Some of my blogging friends seem to be able to make stupid people lists many pages long. So I thought I’d try making a list of my own. Here it is:

My stupid people list

As you might possibly observe, it’s a decidedly short list. I can’t think of a single stupid person.

I can think of plenty of stupid things that have been said by a great many people (including some by yours truly).

I can think of plenty of stupid ideas that have been held by a great many people (including some by yours truly).

I can think of plenty of stupid actions that have been performed by a great many people (including some by yours truly).

I only see the words, ideas or actions as stupid, never the speaker, thinker or actor. Am I the only person with this perspective?

So the sixty-four thousand dollar question is: Is this (a) a stupid perspective, (b) the perspective of a stupid person, or (c) something else?

Religion and superstition

Are they the same thing? Many of my regular readers will will be unequivocal about their answer – it will be Yes!

I’m not persuaded. And my reason for holding such a position is that it depends on what one means by religion and superstition. Obviously these two terms will have slightly (or significantly) different meanings depending on the society and culture in which one resides. I live in Aotearoa, and there is absolutely no doubt that what these two words mean here is very different from what they mean in the Bible Belt of the USA. I’ll leave it to others to define these terms for other parts of the globe, but whenever I refer to religion or superstition, I can do no better than to yield to the view of this country’s most celebrated theologian – Sir Lloyd Geering.

Sir Lloyd defines religion as:

A total mode of the interpreting and living of life.

He goes on to explain:

Everybody who takes life seriously, in my view, is taking the first steps in religion. And this definition of religion, fortunately, covers all the types of religions we’ve had or will have in the future, because it recognises that religion is a human product. Religion is what we humans have evolved in our culture to enable us to make meaning of life, and to live together in the most harmonious way.

He defines superstition as:

a belief or practice for which there is no longer any rational basis, because it has survived from the cultural context where it could be deemed reasonable

Sir Lloyd suggests that the creation myths (yes, myths – there’s two versions in Genesis) were an attempt at explaining how the world came into being and humanity’s relationship to it, and given their understanding of the world around them at the time and information available to them, it was reasonable to hold such a belief. If you like, the two myths represent two theories of creation.

But to continue to believe the creation myths as being true given our current understanding of the universe, is to believe in superstition. Similar arguments can be made about a physical resurrection of Jesus, the existence of heaven and hell, the Immaculate Conception, the miracles described in Old an New Testaments, gender roles, human rights, to name just a few.

To insist that to be a Christian, one must believe such superstitions, as some Christians and some atheists do, is to fail to understand the true nature of religion.