Cricket at the Basin Reserve

Yesterday Sara and I went to the Basin to watch the second Test against South Africa.

It was hardly classic cricket conditions with minimal sunshine, somewhat chilly and a nice chilly southerly.

It was not a great performance on the part of the Black Caps. In the end they had lost by 8 wickets by the end of the day, Day 3. We had already left but were mostly present to see the tumble of wickets and slow scoring.

Not really a great advert for cricket or New Zealanders at times with the number of people who were pretty pissed by early afternoon.

All part of the plan

Donald Trump bars New York Times, CNN, Los Angeles Times and Politico from White House press briefingSeveral major American news organisations were on Friday afternoon barred from a White House press briefing in a an unprecedented move by the Trump administration.

Source: Donald Trump bars New York Times, CNN, Los Angeles Times and Politico from White House press briefing

All so consistent. When you are a despot you want to make sure that news information is contrloled which includes portraying the media as the enemy and the problem. Next stage is to exclude the ones who are more of an problem and split any semblance of group protection.

This latest action was predictable. How does the US deal with its President now?

How can anyone overseas treat him with anything but caution and contempt rather than acquiescence and promotion?

Round the Bays active family

Last weekend was the annual fun run and serious run in Wellington. In total about 10,000 people participated; about 2,000 each for the 10km and the half-marathon. Eleanor and Joe each did the ‘half’ while Shaz did the 10k.

All did well with Joe and EQ running in less than 2 hours and Sara beating last year’s time by a bit. Joe was possibly more comfortable at the finish than Eleanor. Good stuff by all concerned though.

Sven was in the crowd cheering on heartedly though maybe too American-like for me. Isaac was watching too as he apparently does not like running. I had planned to run but again the body showed its vulnerability and injuries to the achilles and calves proved to be limiting.

Maybe in June I can have a go if the body improves? Maybe the old man needs to fins something more suited to later years of life?

Smell the desperation

An eventful week for world politics. Following his inauguration on the 20th Donald Trump has made many executive orders to try to make an impact and harassed parts of the government to have information presented in a manner that reflects well on him. In particular when his ego was hit with the lower number of attendees that for Obama’s first. A worrying week 1.

He managed to fit in a visit from Theresa May who did her best to suck up and it would appear fight for a trade deal.

She did her best to avoid any comment on his support for torture and came out with the usual trite comments about ‘the special relationship’. Any trade deal with leave the UK screwed as the UK is in a position of weakness and that is well known. As described below:

He will have seen May as that most desperate of creatures: the housebuyer who rashly sold her old house before she had found a new one. Having tossed away Britain’s keys to the European single market, she will soon be homeless – and Trump knows it. For all the niceties – May’s shrewd deployment of a royal invitation for a state visit and her compliment to the president on his “stunning election victory”, flattery which saw Trump glow a brighter shade of orange – he will have seen May as a sucker who needs to make a deal. And he will look forward to naming his price.

What would such a deal look like? Tariffs between the US and the UK are already low, so it is the dropping of a different kind of barrier that Trump would be after. That could be a softening of the food standards that have kept out hormone-injected US beef. Or granting access to the NHS to overcharging US drug companies. Or a relaxation in environmental or labour rules that, set with our onetime EU partners, proved too onerous for US firms until now.

An to add to the air of weakness and lack to principals May is not cozying up to Erdogan in Turkey– another despot in the making.

All because of cutting off ties with natural allies, being out in cold in a worse place than at present with Brexit and the necessary drive to fill in the gaps at any cost. But the proponents tell us it will be all so easy and positive. The place really is going to the dogs. Let’s hope there is some traction of changing that apparent reality.

No dream upset this time around

Branislav Ivanovic proves the unlikely star as Chelsea rout Brentford

Chelsea 4 – 0 Brentford

FA Cup

Stamford Bridge

Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic celebrates scoring their third goal. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

Saturday 28 January 2017 17.14 GMT Last modified on Saturday 28 January 2017 22.01 GMT

Antonio Conte can do no wrong. The Chelsea manager watched his team ease into the fifth round of the FA Cup at the expense of Brentford, who did not turn up until the second half, and the icing on the cake was provided by Branislav Ivanovic – a player he had dropped from the starting line-up.

It would appear that Brentford played in keeping with a lot of this season- inadequately. Surprising that it would take them to the second half to get into the game- one that was so anticipated. I suppose all will have continue to save their dreams for another year.