Aotearoa Allstars - Think Twice *update - video*

*Update. P-money upped the vid, got it embedded below. The track is released, go buy it!*

Head on over to P-Money's myspace to check out the track.

It almost seems like it was a long time ago that 15-year-old Pihema Cameron was murdered by Bruce Emery, just a day after 22-year-old Saishwar Krishna Naidu was murdered by a 16-year-old. There was nearly a third murder that weekend as well, when a 36-year-old woman was stabbed by a 25-year-old. All in South Auckland, where I live, in the space of a few days.

All this death and violence, well, I guess it got to some people. DJ Sirvere got a whole bunch of people together and decided to do a little something to spread awareness about all this. What resulted is Think Twice by Aotearoa Allstars.

Scribe, Delani, Flowz, Awa, Che-Fu, Cyphanetik, Tek (of R.E.S.), Chong-Nee, PNC, Mareko and Savage all appear on the track and lend their vocal and lyrical abilities to help highlight this increasing problem in today's youth. P-Money and Evan Short (of Concord Dawn fame) lend their talents as producers.

There's a video on the way, and the single will apparently be available to buy March 10th. All proceeds are going to Youthline. For now, as I said, you can check the track out on P-Money's myspace.

Valentine's Day

Ah, Valentine's Day. A day where lovers (or, sometimes, friends) exchange gifts to express their love for each other. Just like Christmas. And if you're married with kids, Mothers Day and Fathers Day. And Birthdays. And Easter (kind of). Don't you just love consumerism?

I'm just poking your rib, I'm not really all that cynical about it. There's so much hate in the world, why not celebrate love more often? And you don't HAVE to buy gifts, you can make them. I remember one year I had a valentine, I recorded a CD of myself playing some romantic acoustic songs and made a collage-heart CD cover from different shades of paper of her favourite colour (green). Ah the things we do for love. What are some of the things you've given a valentine? (Without being too graphic/explicit).

But Valentine's Day doesn't have quite such a romantic history. I'm sure we're all at least partially aware of the saint for whom this day is named, and his demise (beheading). And in recent history there is the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in which Al Capone's gang lined up guys from a rival gang (and an innocent bystander) against a wall and gunned them down.

So, if you don't get beheaded or shot, have a happy Valentine's Day, even if you don't have a valentine. If you're cynical about it all, then why not make a donation to a charity?

Peace.

Waitangi Day

Otherwise known as "The Day it's Okay to be Racist."

I'm not going to go into the whole politics of the situation because that's really not my point. I am just completely appalled and frustrated at the amount of racism still in this country. And if I'm being honest, it's not just racism, it's just a general hate that seems to divide this country.

Last night before I went to bed I was listening to Newstalk ZB. It was Bruce Russell's show, and there was a caller on. You could tell from the caller's voice, and what he said, that he was an elderly white man. I'd just turned it on when I heard him talk about the controversy over Maori carrying the Tino Rangatiratanga flag over the Harbour Bridge, but he didn't describe the people as Maori. He didn't even describe them as people. No, what he did was degrade the entire Maori population by calling them "apes". That's right, bloody apes.

Now, I know there is always going to be racism, and racists, so while I was offended by the comment it rolled off the back pretty easily. What really offended me was the fact that an employee of a high-profile, New Zealand radio station wouldn't correct this ignorant man. No, all he had to say was "If you call people apes, you might get compared to a Cricketer." What the hell is that supposed to mean? Yes there's the controversy over racism in Cricket, but that doesn't tell this man that he's wrong to compare Maori to apes. And to top it off, the caller just laughed, and Bruce joined in.

And then on top of all that, I read this over at D.J. Sir-Vere's blog:

Introducing Mr Barry Corbett, a Christchurch councillor who when questioned about the prosecution of Bruce Emery, the 50 year old who stabbed to death 15 year old Pihema Cameron, he said 'If I was on the jury, I'd let him get away with it, but thats me.' It was reported here in the Herald.

I mean what the f***?

So, I just want to send a big

F*** YOU!

to Bruce Russell, his caller, Mr Barry Corbett and Bruce Emery.

I know it won't do anything, but I don't care.