Concept ships by Nick Constantine

Check Nick's port for higher res images... Amazing. Now over at ILM it looks like. Nick's back in the day header.












Keywords: painterly concept ships concept spaceship art by nick constantine concept artist at ilm industrial light and magic san francisco california

More about → Concept ships by Nick Constantine

Sandra Bullock Has Filed for Divorce From Her Husband, Jesse James!

Sandra Bullock has filed for divorce from her husband, Jesse James!


The divorce petition, which was filed Friday, said the couple has no child under 18 years of age who is entitled to support. The Oscar-winning actress revealed Wednesday on People magazine's website that she is adopting a 3 1/2-month-old boy, Louis Bardo Bullock, who was born in New Orleans.
A rep for Bullock confirms the star filed legal papers seeking to end her marriage, but declines to specify in what jurisdiction they are filed. Says Bullock of her decision to divorce: "I'm sad and I am scared."
Bullock and James, 41, began the adoption process four years ago, the People article said, and brought Louis Bardo Bullock home in January but decided to keep the news to themselves until after the Academy Awards.

More about → Sandra Bullock Has Filed for Divorce From Her Husband, Jesse James!

Top 6 Results Show :American Idol Season 9

Last night the Top 6 on American Idol sang their latest hit, "Unstoppable". That's followed up with perhaps the cheesiest Ford commercial by the Idols of all time, in which they're vampires scared away by a pizza with extra garlic.


Then the group got to go do some voice overs for the new Shrek movie, then watch it and meet the stars! Fun! I was loving Big Mike in the 3D glasses.
We got a quick visit from Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas. Love those two. Then it was onto the results. Ryan formed three groups of two. The first group was Siobhan and Lee. The second group was Big Mike and Casey. Third group was Aaron and Crystal. It ended up being Big Mike, Siobhan, and Casey as the bottom three. It was exactly what I expected once again .


If you were ever to be in the audience of an American Idol taping, this could be the one. First Cameron and Antonio, now Carrie Underwood makes an appearance to introduce a band she took on tour with her this year, Sons of Sylvia, who sang their song "Love Left To Lose". Sons of Sylvia won the show The Great American Band and have been tight with Carrie since she won Idol five years ago.
The performances aren't over yet. Shakira is joined by Rascal Flatts for her new song, "Gypsy". All I can say is: What the hell was that?
The person leaving American Idol is Siobhan. Surprised?
Best of luck to you, Siobhan! You have so much talent and have such a bright future ahead of you!

More about → Top 6 Results Show :American Idol Season 9

Extraordinary urgency

As I write the House has almost gone through the speeches for the Excise and Excise-Equivalent Duties Tables (Tobacco Products) Amendment Bill, which will be passed under extraordinary urgency tonight to stop people rushing off and buying smokes in the morning after reading the newspapers. As David Farrar notes, this type of urgency is so rare, it needs the permission of the Speaker under Standing Order 56(3) . He must be convinced “that the business to be taken justifies it”.

Tax on cigarettes will go up 10 percent at midnight tonight with a further 10% increase next January and a third increase of 10% in January 2012. All but four Act MP support this bill. Well done to Tariana Turia for putting the bill before the House and to Hone Harawira for pushing the issue. Well done to Tau Henare for giving up smoking. And I thought Hekia Parata gave a good speech. You can see that here.

More about →

Irritable Bowel Syndrome - IBS - London on Vimeo

IBS , Irritable Bowel Syndrome , Digestive disorders - London Nutritionist on Vimeo

Tyrant 0 Sore Arse? - IBS - London from foodsforlife on Vimeo.

More at London Nutritionist

More about → Irritable Bowel Syndrome - IBS - London on Vimeo

Vinicius Menezes' concept ships

bloodtaster on deviantart.







Keywords: concept spaceship art illustrations by vinicius menezes bloodtaster on deviantart south american concept artist brazil concept art

More about → Vinicius Menezes' concept ships

Concept spaceship art by Mariusz Szulc

masz-rum on deviantart.











Keywords: concept spaceship art from by mariusz szulc masz-rum airbrushing traditional illustration digital art from poland

More about → Concept spaceship art by Mariusz Szulc

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Interesting week so far this week. I was elected to the Board of Trustees of the local school that the kids are at. I also started a new job today.

Anyway, I may continue blogging, but certainly not during the day. However I may do some time delay posts, meaning you may get some posts pop up during the day, but written the night before.

Expect to see a drop in the frequency of posts - or I may even just stop.

More about →

Concept ships gets dirty

How are some of these sites getting so much traffic? Thanks dirty! Twenty thousand page views in two days. Dang.




Keywords: mad visitor internet traffic from dirty.ru website to conceptships.blogspot.com 20,000 pages in two days

More about → Concept ships gets dirty

What’s so scary about self determination for indigenous peoples?

Perhaps there is a good reason for a declaration on indigenous rights if indigenous peoples are not getting human rights as per other similar human rights instruments. Perhaps an indigenous emphasis is needed.

The International Bill of Rights comprises of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as well as civil and political rights (freedom and democracy) and economic, social and cultural rights (social justice).

New Zealand ratified both the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights( ICCPR) and the international Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights. With the UDHR, ratifed in 1948, together these three documents are known as the International Bill of Rights.

Article 1 of both covenants state:

All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

Now I didn’t hear any complaints when we ratified these covenants. But people are complaining about this, describing it as separatism.

Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.

The above is from article 3 of the UN Declaration of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). It’s a declaration, not a covenant, but because it has that nasty word “indigenous” in it, rednecks like Michael Laws assume it will further a separatist agenda for Māori because they can “freely determine their political status”. This is despite the article being pretty much word for word as the International Bill of Rights which people had no initial problem with - which also states that states shall promote the realisation of the right of self-determination, and shall respect that right.. subject to its jurisdiction.

Laws in mentioning the ICCPR, must have conveniently glossed over Article 26, which notes that “All persons are equal before the law”. The ACT party should also like this. It’s a pity they don’t mention this clause much - it's party policy. It would also be nice if Laws and Rodney Hide acknowledged Article 46 of UNDRIP, which states that nothing in the declaration may be interpreted as authorizing or encouraging any action which would dismember or impair the political unity of sovereign and independent States.

More about →

Former foetus fights for foetuses against former foetus killer

Pro life activist and former foetus Andy Moore has recently come out the other end of a scrap with the Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand. It is headed by Margaret Sparrow, herself a former foetus killer. Moore obtained the domain www.alranz.org.nz. Sparrow's site is www.alranz.org and so she objected to Moore's site, through her lawyer. In addition she purchased similar domain names, and spent more than $2000 to have an independent expert hired by the Domain Name Commission to decide on the case.This commission is appointed by Internet NZ to manage and administer the .nz domain space on its behalf.

Moore walked away from the dispute, and although he will no longer have the site due to the decision of the Domain Name Commission, he now has ExposingALRANZ.org.nz.

Which, as you can see here has exactly the same content as the offending site, claiming to expose the ALRANZ, which, I guess, was the whole point of the initial exercise.But if you click through the link on Moore's site that says "ALRANZ supports late-term abortions for disabled babies" you get this page which is an Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand Newsletter that mentions "foetal abnormalities".

update And a little bird told me (no it wasn't a sparrow, neither was it Moore) that Sparrow is using the letters of the editor columns to attack pro-lifers, claiming that prolifers have abused her. She claimed that Andy Moore repeated comments of another blogger that "Margaret Sparrow should be hung, drawn, and quartered for what she has done.” Although that statement did appear on Moore's blog, it was a comment by someone - probably not a blogger- who had an abortion, and who added the comment herself.

More about →

Where's my free ticket to Phoenix games?

Terry Serepisos has paid quite a bit of money into the Phoenix soccer team, and if he pays all his debts the soccer team may be in trouble. Whoop-de-do. Serepisios has paid $5m into the Phoenix but the Wellington City Council is owed $2m in rates and ground rents.

If Serepisos can't pay his rates and ground rents because he's putting too much money into the Phoenix, that means someone else is actually sponsoring the Phoenix and one of them is me, a rate payer.

So where's my tickets to Phoenix games, Serepisos? The least you can do is give me, as a sponsoring ratepayer, a family pass to home games, rather than hiring someone and paying them $200,000 with a free Merc off the back of a TV show.

More about →

Twin turret tank

I took one of Ben Wootten's drawings and elaborated on it a little bit.
This is a TWIN TURRET TANK. It is remotely operated and has two independently moving turrets for twice the punch. There is more storage for ammo since the vehicle carries no people/soldiers:)



Keywords: collaboration elaboration on ben woottens tank twin turret remotely controlled armored tank vehicle animated flash loop concept ships

More about → Twin turret tank

All UN Nations could support UN Declaration

A day after we agreed to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the US - the only UN country yet to agree in principle to the declaration - has come out and said it is "pleased to announce that the United States has decided to review our position".

More about →

Ben Wootten on Concept ships

Ben Wootten's deviantart gallery.









Keywords: concept spaceship illustration scenes ships futuristic space port in hangars by ben wooten concept military land tank vehicles

More about → Ben Wootten on Concept ships

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

New Zealand finally formally agreed to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) early yesterday, more than a year after indicating it may do so, and a year after Australia voiced its support .

Last month, Canada indicated it would support the declaration, meaning the US will soon be the only UN member not to support it.(Update well, maybe not). And from the outset, may I remind everyone that that this declaration was not “signed” - it is not a treaty, it is not legislation, in fact it is not even a convention like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - and it is not legally binding. Any influence it has on law is open to interpretation by states - meaning it could have influence on legal matters, but it doesn't have to.

This support should have happened ages ago, but unfortunately Labour refused to support it based on Article 26, which gives indigenous peoples the right to lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired and that states should give legal recognition and protection to these lands, territories and resources.

The Government has that covered by stating that approval of the declaration is conditional on a proviso attached saying that progressing Māori rights occurs within New Zealand’s “current legal and constitutional frameworks”. Canada, no doubt, will do something similar. Article 27 of the Declaration urges governments to establish a ‘fair, independent, impartial, open and transparent process... to recognize and adjudicate the rights of indigenous peoples pertaining to their lands, territories and resources, including those which were traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used’. Arguably, National’s current process with regard to the Foreshore and Seabed is doing this.

But that hasn’t stopped ACT saying that the declaration is divisive, is about “separating New Zealand into two”, and about providing special rights to Māori, but ACT has never shown any willingness to understand indigeneity. Clearly Article 46 of the declaration notes that nothing in the declaration may be interpreted as authorizing or encouraging any action which would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent States.

Phil Goff could see no point in "signing up" to the declaration, claiming that the Government did not intend to fulfil it after John Key said that the agreement has no practical effect. If that is the rationale behind support or opposition, perhaps Goff should ask himself why he supports our position on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [PDF]. Perhaps he could ask himself why he supported the anti-smacking legislation, which, unlike a declaration, is legally binding.

Like other UN declarations and conventions agreed to by New Zealand (including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by NZ in 1948), rights recognised in UNDRIP have been supported in New Zealand for years, and there's no harm in officially reminding the UN community of it.

More about →

Council tried to seize ‘veggie’ child

Council tried to seize ‘veggie’ child - Times Online

It's bizarre that that in this day and age with healthy vegan heroes such as Leona Lewis proving a vegan diet is not just viable but superior to the average diet, truly bizarre that a family was criticised for avoiding meat and dairy.

Even the MRSA ridden, pill popping, Burger King hosting, constipation afflicted, dehydrated NHS admit "children can be brought up healthily on a vegan diet"

What on earth was going on in Lewisham where a family was threatened by social services and health professionals with having a child taken into care and denied legal aid for deciding not to feed their children Meat and Dairy.

The family weren't even vegetarian let alone vegan, they eat fish, to attack them for avoiding two groups of food that are consistently negatively implicated in studies about diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and some cancers is bordering on professional incompetance.

Meat and dairy is the staple diet in Croydon, we even have a Burger King selling Beef Burgers and Milkshakes in the foyer of Croydon's Mayday hospital, yet Croydon is labelled as the unhealthiest borough in London.

The children in Croydon are not getting more and more obese on too many fruit and vegetables - it's too much sugar, too much fried chicken and burgers, too many milkshakes and not enough vegetables that are making them sick coupled with not enough activities outside in the sunshine.

Annabel Karmel was on LBC radio this morning with Nick Farrari saying our children need nutrient dense food - she's right they do need nutrient dense foods NOT calorie dense food lacking vitamins and minerals.

Meat and dairy come free with lots of saturated animal fat - it's essential fats from plant foods our children need more of not saturated animal fat.

No prizes for guessing Annabel Karmel is not a qualified nutritionist or dietician - worrying that vegetables have too much fibre in them. No wonder so many kids grow up to be constipated and overweight when people like Ms Karmel are held up as children's food gurus.

There are laws against recommending fresh cows milk for babies - it doesn't have the right balance of nutrients and fats for humans. Take a look on the ingredient panel of baby formula and see the things that have to be added to make it a little more like human breast milk.

Annabel and Nick had succumbed to the myth that milk is the best source of calcium despite mounting evidence that a plant based diet is a better source of calcium

More about → Council tried to seize ‘veggie’ child

Concept ships by Gergely Buttinger

skylow on deviantart.









Keywords: concept spaceship art design illustration concepts by skylow deviant art gallery gergely buttinger from hungary

More about → Concept ships by Gergely Buttinger

Mayor Anderton

So, Jim Anderton wants to morph himself from mere Anderton to Mayor Anderton in Christchurch. Maybe.

More about →

My Open Source Game of the Year...

... is most probably OpenTTD. It's the same old Transport Tycoon kind of game - you think! Until you realize that the users have created tons of beautiful content including fully open source Grafics, Musics and Sound effects, but also new vehicles like the transrapid and tons of maps from all over the world! :)

This is one of these old style games created with lots of love and care, but
WARNING: it's highly addictive!

If you're under linux, you need to download the graphics package and unpack it into ~/.openttd. I wish the software would do that for you as well in the same way it downloads sounds, maps, extensions and everything else completely automatically!

More about → My Open Source Game of the Year...

Six years to complete a degree or student loans stop

Post has been updated - see comment below
Steven Joyce wants students to finish their degrees quicker. If they don’t finish them in six or seven years, well, they can fund the degree themselves as they won’t be able to get a student loan. And fair enough too, for full time students. He appears to be blaming students for dragging the chain because student loans are interest free.

It’s unclear whether “student loan” means for course costs ( I assume so) as well as living costs, and if so, that has the potential to cause problems, particularly for extramural students who work while studying – and may, for example, do a few papers a year and finish the last year off full time. If a student takes two or three papers a year, completing 16 papers in say six years, and decides to do the last eight papers as a full time student, will they be able to get a student loan if the limit is six years; will they be able to get a student loan for course costs in the last year if they complete the final eight papers over two years? And that's for a three year degree. Some degrees - for example Social Work - are four year degrees.Medical degrees are abut six years in length.

What happens if a student - particularly an extramural student - wants to have a break in studying for a year because their job is going well or they want to have a year off to concentrate on, say, raising a newborn child? Additionally, each extramural student costs less money and time than internal students, as they don’t go to lecturers or tutorials, and use campus facilities a lot less, yet their fees are also set to increase.

It took me six years to do my degree (including honours) but that was only because I did the last three years full time, passed all my papers, worked part time and in the last year survived on about five hour's sleep a night, on average. Neither did I have any years in between where I took no papers at all. Hardly any extramural students (of which I was one) study full time for three years running. Sure, students who work full time may not take up loans for living costs, but they have to pay for course costs and books (and in my case airfares, transport and accommodation costs to contact and block courses) somehow.

If I was a lifetime student, I’d just do another degree and do it within six years. Then do another one. If I studied at my current rate, I'd have three honours degrees in the time that Steven Joyce took to do his degree in zoology, a degree he has said he has never used. And that's with a three year gap in between.

UPDATE Just had a chat to the Minister's office - apparently the proposal is for effective full time students (EFTS). An EFTS is eligible for a student allowance, and does at least six papers a year. Meaning that this part of the policy will not affect extramural students who gradually complete their degrees, unless they are an EFTS for at least six years, and the policy won't affect post graduate study at all. Good.

More about →

Wellington City Council to close down suburban libraries?

The Wellington City Council has a draft community facilities policy [PDF].The Council’s website summary mentions ‘strategic priorities'. These strategic priorities have the potential for the Wadestown, Brooklyn, Island Bay, Ngaio, and Khandallah libraries to close. Public meetings are being held regarding this draft policy next week at the Johnsonville, Central and Kilbirnie libraries - ironically, libraries that are going to be upgraded.

"Neighbourhood centres" that have a population of fewer than 6,000 people may not have a library service, let alone a library. Wadestown has fewer than 6000 people and has a library. But the draft plan ( in table 2 page 7) is silent about any library services for neighbourhood centres.

Other areas - called "district centres" may lose their library as well, and be downgraded to having "library services" within community spaces", such as recreation centres and community halls. This could mean that the Khandallah library could close and be reduced to a "library service" in a space like the Khandallah Town Hall or a local church. Other areas will not even have a "library service" if they are within 3 kilometres of another town that has a library service tucked away in a community hall - so the Ngaio library may close and be without a library service as it is near to the hall used for the library service in Khandallah.

Our kids often visit the local library with their school class. So much for all the kids who go to school in places like Khandallah and Island Bay, they may miss out.

Now of course the Draft Annual Plan doesn't mention closing libraries - if it did, too many people will be sending submissions to the council opposing the policy. "Strategic priorites" sounds so much nicer. Submissions to this plan close close 10 May.

More about →

Raising the driving age

Cabinet has approved the increase of the driving age to 16. No doubt a government bill will be forthcoming. I wonder how different it will be to the Land Transport ( Driver Licensing) Amendment Bill [PDF], another government bill that that aims to raise the driving age to 16 and extend the learner licensing period to 12 months. This bill is currently before the select committee and the report is due on 30 June.

More about →

A Cardinal Sin

Many psychologists, many psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relationship between celibacy and pedophilia but many others have demonstrated, I was told recently, that there is a relationship between homosexuality and pedophilia. It is true. That is the problem.

This, unbelievably, is the recent declaration of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s Secretary of State — in other words, the Catholic church’s top diplomat with regards to the sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church. Yet less diplomatic, more self-serving, less righteous words have rarely been spoken.

This is the same man who, in 2002, said new internal church norms he completed to help bishops deal with abusers would not compel them to hand over molesters to the police.

I wonder what he "was told recently" about heterosexual pedophiles - by far the majority of priestly pedophilia.
hat tip Daily Kos

More about →

NVArt 5: Accelerate

Super cool new contest from NVIDIA and CGSociety. Syd mead was/is a huge inspiration and one of those NVIDIA Quadro FX 5800 with 4GB and the 240 CUDA Processors graphics cards would make my system complete yo! I say we all get in on this one. $10,000.00 first prize!



Keywords: nvart5 5 competition accelerate images of future transport in the style of syd mead nvidia graphics cards cg society challenge contest concept art ships

More about → NVArt 5: Accelerate

On equality: A Good Idea

Why do Americans have higher rates of teenage pregnancy than the French? What makes the Swedish thinner than the Greeks? The answer: inequality.

The fill screen version of these slides can be accessed by clicking "view on slideshare" above, or by clicking here.

More about →

Voting for MPs who speak for Māori

The Māori Party does not speak for all Māori any more than any other political party -apart from ACT, perhaps - speaks for non-Māori. Much is made of their polling of around 3% - yet those in the Māori electorate who support the Māori Party acknowledge that the electorate vote is the vote that counts in terms of getting Māori Party MPs in the House.

Unlike Lindsay Mitchell, I don’t consider that the Māori Party is pushing a separatist line, and should its vote drop, that NZ First will pick up the support. There may well be just as much extra support for the Greens as NZ First. Even if the Māori Party support does drop to 1% and most of the electorate vote holds, all it would mean that support of the Māori Party, in terms of getting seats in the house, holds. List votes will go to other parties, not necessarily to NZ First. In fact NZ First would probably get no more than 1000 extra votes per Māori electorate. In some Māori electorates, more voted Green than NZ First in the past three elections. The Māori Party normally gets at least three times as many votes as NZ First does in the Māori electorates, so more lists votes will go to other parties – probably Labour.

The Māori Party does speak for Māori. However that does not preclude the notion that its policies are for all New Zealanders – including Whanau Ora. Furthermore, the Greens (perhaps National even, without ACT influence) are more likely to speak for Maori than NZ First. It appears that most have forgotten that NZ First was the party that put forward a bill to delete the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi from all legislation - including the Treaty of Waitangi Act.

More about →

Atkins still Atkins says London Nutritionist

Atkins-EMEA - New Atkins New You

Atkins has been rebranded with a get out of Jail free card

The 'new' Atkins diet includes the new line advising

* A daily requirement for at least five servings of high-fiber “foundation vegetables”

This is the line that will make it acceptable to scientists who were previously warning the Atkins diet was dangerous and could cause kidney problems.

But despite the new logo seemingly claiming that the sun shines out of the Atkins International backside it's still a pro meat, anti carbohydrate, high saturated fat, low antioxident, low essential fat diet fad diet says London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston.

"The marketing people have just squashed Atkins into a slightly different shaped box - it's still the same beast, it still has unpleasant side effects and it's still going to perpetuate the myth that meat is more important than a rainbow of vegetables on your plate"

"What's wrong with the Atkins diet? It's more fresh vegetables that we need in our diet not more meat. More essential fats and anti-oxidents not more factory farmed saturated animal fat" says the London Nutritionist.

Author Tony Bishop-Weston says "It's true, highly processed nutrient stripped carbohydrates are the root of all nutritional evil but we need to replace them with colourful fresh vegetables and anti-oxident rich berries not saturated fat rich dead meat"

More about → Atkins still Atkins says London Nutritionist

Free Nutrition in London by Nutritionist

London Nutritionist on Nutrition

It seems the competition for nutrition therapy is becoming fiercly fought in London after many more students have decided to study Nutrition courses to become a nutritionist and change career for a life in complementary health. As patient how do you choose which of the many Nutritionists in London to trust your health condition with?

Free Nutrition Consulations?

On price? How much will they charge? How much does a nutritionist earn? Some nutritionists now offer an initial consultation for free! Yes believe it or not, free nutrition consultations even in London. There are even free nutrition programs on line that claim to diagnose from your symptoms.

Leading UK nutritionist in London and former tutor at The Institute of Optimum Nutritionist in Richmond Yvonne Bishop-Weston says "I find people don't value free information as much as when they pay for it and are likely to be less motivated and then less likely to be compliant and thus benefit from the advice and get well"

"My most appreciative clients, apart from the people diagnosed with infertility and who've been helped to have healthy babies, are the wealthiest clients who can afford the most expensive tests. Often they've previously spent a fortune around the world and despite their wealth they are still suffering, they get referred to me, they get the answers they are looking for and become well in only 2 - 3 visits. They are by far our best ambassadors"

The most expensive tests aren't essential they just help the nutritionists to get the root cause of a problem and help to solve it far more quickly. If time is precious to you then time off work even saving one extra visit to the nutritionist can save far more than the cost of even the most expensive test.

"Sometimes what's not going wrong in a nutrition test is as important a clue as what is" says the nutritionist.

Yvonne also reveals that no matter how much you learn at University you can't beat experience. "It's hardly ever as simple as it is in the textbooks. People are often suffering from a unique individual mix of causes and experience helps you to unravel the ball of ill health and put the pieces of the jigsaw together far faster as time goes on. After many years of experience you can avoid all the trial and error and cliched mistaken identity that you have to battle with when you are newly qualified." she says.

However the London nutritionist admits you can never rest on your laurels. These days technology and understanding on health matters moves forward at an alarming rate. Registered professional Nutritional therapists are obligated by their governing body to commit to a minimum level of CPD (continued professional development) each year.

Luckily so too are dieticians now obligated to review their knowledge. Now much of the superstitious food industry sponsored fables they used to be criticised for are fading away. Old habits die hard however and some old school dieticians still seems to get locked into defense of sugar rich food, saturated fat rich dairy food and calorie counting but is massively reduced. We are now seeing dieticians begin to embrace and use nutritional therapy tools such as probiotics that nutritionists have been using for decades.

More about → Free Nutrition in London by Nutritionist

Darren Quach concept ships

DQ's online sketchbook and killer robots!






















Keywords: concept spaceship art vehicle design digital illustration paintings by professional concept artist darren quach los angeles insomniac games ratchet and clank future a crack in time resistance fall of man propeller plane

More about → Darren Quach concept ships

Concept ships by Robert Simons

Robert's portfolio and concept robots. Check out Robert's Weekly header.














Keywords: concept spaceship illustrated entertainment design by robert simons summer break at art center looking for freelance internship or job robertdraws.com

More about → Concept ships by Robert Simons

Will Whanau Ora lead to job losses?

John Armstrong comments:

The problem is that nursemaiding dysfunctional families is prohibitively expensive. How much money Turia, wearing the new title of Whanau Ora Minister, has actually extracted from the Finance Minister will not be known until closer to the Budget.

The other question is how much of that will be swallowed up in the administration of what will be a complex scheme which, in parts of the country lacking iwi-based social service organisations, could see a new tier of frontline welfare workers. That begs the question of what happens to the ones already supposedly doing the job.

English has brushed that no small matter aside, saying the fate of existing staff in social service agencies is tied up with the ongoing restructuring of the state sector.

So does that mean that the fight for Whanau Ora contracts is part of this restructuring, and those that are already doing the job will no longer do so? I’ve read the Report of the Taskforce on Whanau-centred Initiatives, 71-page vision statement, and I’ve read some of it before, in Mason Durie’s books. While the report is helpful to a Māori audience, this report was for the Government and comments like “ Whanau Ora is anything we want it to be, anything we can dream it to be, so that whanau are empowered to be the best they can be”, and “Kia whai taangata e mohio ana ki nga taha Māori me te taha Kawana”, and Whanau Ora is going to take us there and it has been since the beginning of time” are too idealistic - even trite. Where’s the analysis?

While it could be true that results of Whanau Ora may well not be worse than current outcomes, that does not necessarily mean it will be any better either. It appears we won’t know for a long time yet, way after the next election.

More about →

Retro concept ships

A few articles from Dark roasted blend with tons of retro transportation illustrations.



































Keywords: retro science fiction sci-fi traditional illustration airbrush acrylics on board from popular science modern mechanics machanix and inventions russian futuristic airplanes aircraft various transportation vehicle design assorted artists syd mead

More about → Retro concept ships