It's The Big SleepOut on Thursday - sounds like a jolly-jape, doesn't it?

The truth is I hate doing it. I don't like being cold and I don't like asking for money. Self reliance has always been my 'thing' - not in an ideological way, it's neither 'right' nor 'left' - it's more an Emersonian tenet.

But, as I am oft want to say: "I have principles - but if you don't like those one, I have others.".

On Thursday I will forsake my warm bed and sleep on the hard cobbles of the AUT quad - I know I will be cold. Possibly wet - and that delightful combination - cold and wet. But I am not doing it out of the goodness of my heart. I am doing it plumb the goodness of your heart.

In return for my meagre sacrifice, I'm asking you to donate some money to the LifeWise Trust to help them help people who don't want to be homeless - but are. (Not the lifestylers though, because they're rubbish, right? - glad we got that one out of the way.)

Whatever you can afford will be lovely. You are helping make Auckland a more liveable and loveable city.
Thank you.

If I Could Reach Up An Pick One Star For Every Time You've Made Me Smile, The Whole Evening Sky Would Be In The Palm Of My Hand.

METRO VANCOUVER -- A 25-year-old man is facing charges in Coquitlam after a suspect dressed in a BMX bike helmet, skiing goggles and a furry werewolf costume glove allegedly tried to steal items from a truck.

RCMP said Thursday the Prolific Target Team (PTT) was targeting a prolific offender in the Burquitlam area when an unusually dressed bike rider strolled through the area.

Despite the disguise, investigators said they knew who the rider was.

Police said he got off his bike and started rummaging through a parked truck on the street, allegedly stealing surveying tools worth more than $30,000 and hiding them behind a tree. Then he tried to ride away with the tools.

"If it wasn't for the keen observation skill and the swift action of the PTT investigators, the suspect would have gotten away," said Corp. Jamie Chung in a statement. "Needless to say, the suspect was arrested red handed and we were able to recover all the tools."

Jackie Gleason was an American comedian that was extremely famous during the 1950’s and 1960’s. One of Gleason’s most famous projects was the sitcom The Honeymooners, which debuted in 1955. Although it became extremely famous, it suffered initially and was canceled after only 39 episodes. 

What does this have to do with The Flintstones? In 1960, the animated sitcom The Flintstones debuted. While extremely successful, many people recognized that the two shows were extremely similar, with almost identical characters and premise.

There was longstanding controversy over the matter, but an official statement was never given until 1993 when the co-creator of The Flintstones admitted that it was based on The Honeymooners. Before the admission, Jackie Gleason contemplated suing but decided against it saying he didn’t want to be remembered as “the guy who yanked Fred Flintstone off the air.”

Tomasz 

Kobialka

No Parking, Oil paint, dry pastel and spray on linen, 120 x 70cm - 2011