Richard Moore: Would you believe? Another Winnie

Recently, I treated myself to an ebook reader.

The logic behind the purchase was that when I am on my travels it is hard to take my reference library with me and so the new device would let me take up to 3000 electronic books in a form the size and weight of a ring-bound notebook.

As a history nut there are a lot of free books out there and so I started my new library with those.

I've got the three volumes of Livy's History of Rome, Napoleonic biographies, Julius Caesar's Gallic War, a history of the Dark Ages and the Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill.

While hunting out Churchillian tomes I saw a fabulous offer - the complete works of Winston Churchill for a miserly $2.99. Okay it was US bucks, but that only means about 25 per cent more.

I clicked on the link to check out the book before buying it and this came up.

"The complete works of Winston Churchill.

"Gutenberg Project.

"By Winston Churchill.

"[The author is the American Winston Churchill; not the British]."

I didn't even know there was an American author called Winnie, but there you go.

It seems he was very popular in the 1890s and his works, not much known nowadays, sold so many copies he became a very wealthy man.

Like our Winnie, he also painted, served in the military and became a politician.

Winnie (US) and Winnie (UK) did correspond and the hero of World War II suggested he would sign his own works Winston S Churchill, using his middle name Spencer to differentiate them. Winnie (US) thought this a fine suggestion and said he would do the same - if he had any middle names.

***

As the world seemingly waited with bated breath for the TV appearance of drugs cheat Lance Armstrong on Oprah Winfrey's show it was all I could do to stifle a yawn.

I'm very disappointed the guy cheated, but it really isn't news anymore.

I'm pleased he was caught, but I don't need to watch two full programmes on an interview about the matter.

And - please take note news directors on New Zealand television stations - most people would rather watch more important matters as lead items on our screens, thank you very much.

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Here's a little note to those parents who don't think they should vaccinate their children.

The parents of an Auckland boy, who almost died from tetanus before Christmas, have come out pleading for other adults to vaccinate their children.

Ian and Linda Williams thought they knew better than the medical community - and believed they made an informed decision - when deciding not to protect their kids because of worries over adverse reactions.

But when their son, Alijah, contracted the disease and was in absolute agony before being put into an induced coma on life support at Starship Hospital, they had a rethink.

They are urging all parents at their school to vaccinate.

Mr Williams said: "Parents like us make the decision to not vaccinate on very little factual information about the actual consequences of the diseases - massive pain, disability and death - and a lot of non-factual, emotive information from the internet stating inflated figures on the frequency and severity of adverse reactions and conspiracy theories about 'evil' doctors, governments and drug companies.

"Believing myths about vaccines is not the same as getting the facts. And that is the core problem."

Hallelujah!

It's not about your choice people - think about your kids.

***

And, dare one ask, how is it that idiot adults go out fishing in rough conditions, in a small boat, without putting lifejackets on everyone aboard?

We have had so many examples of tragedy in recent times because twerps think they know better and problems won't happen to them.

The latest incident was off Auckland where four people went out, the boat overturned, and they spent 20 hours in the water before finally being rescued.

Three of them that is.

The fourth, a 13-year-old, is still missing presumed drowned in the Hauraki Gulf.

Let's hope charges are laid.

richard@richardmoore.com