The news gets weirder this week and we have some strange examples of double standards.

This story comes direct from the Gratuitous Sexual Exploitation Department:
Taupo's A1 GP motor racing organisers are looking for '23 new Kiwi beauties” to unashamedly flaunt their bods around the track.
The search is on for 'grid girls” aged between 18 and 27 with 'bubbly personality” prepared to 'put in a bit of work in return for an absolutely mega weekend.”
No doubt they'll be required to wobble their large hooters too, although this isn't specified in the press release.
Now call me a new age sensitive guy, but I thought society was over this.
I appreciate a high-performance chassis just as much as the next red-blooded Kiwi bloke.
We've learned, however, to keep those grubby thoughts to our disgusting, middle-aged, follicle-thinning selves.
I thought we were now a PC, civilised society which shunned the exploitation and denigration of young women? Or have I got it wrong?
Is it then alright to ogle a scantily clad, pre-cellulite, voluptuous young thing parading with hot pants perched on an open-top Ferrari?
Or is motor racing somehow exempt from the crass behaviour that has supposedly been drummed out of us over the decades?
Has society reverted to the sexist, perverted years that spawned the culture of denigration to women that has wracked the police force in recent years?
We can expect to see re-runs of the Benny Hill Show any day now.
If that's all young women are good for, we might as well take the vote back off them.
Age 27 seems to be the point at which women aren't worth looking at, according to Taupo's motor racing audience. After that, apparently you're just a sad, old biddy that no man wants to see.
Events such as this are sending mixed messages to the males of the country, who have only just learnt to NOT leer and wolf whistle, but are now encouraged to start all over again.
The press release goes on to say 'Fun combined with professionalism are the key parts of the weekend, and it will certainly appeal to girls out there who fancy a slice of the limelight on one of New Zealand's biggest sporting weekends.”
Excuse me for failing to see where 'professionalism” involves a bunch of skanky little trollops poncing around with their fun bags hanging out, for the benefit of a bunch of sadly deluded males.

Practice what you preach
Another case of double standards this week: Nicole Kidman is grandstanding at the United Nations on her continuing 'Say no to violence against women” campaign. Admirable, but perhaps she should have thought about that before making so many films that depict pretty much that, such as Dead Calm and Eyes Wide Shut; containing nasty violence scenes and some pretty peculiar behaviour towards women.
It's two-faced to make millions of dollars from acting such scenes; then turn around and attempt to lecture the rest of the world that it's not nice.
There are a lot of people who can't tell the difference between reality and fantasy; some of them even get into government.
The world is indeed, a sad and twisted place.

Personal responsibility: Gone to pot
There's a suggestion that all tractors should be fitted with seatbelts; from a coroner at the inquest of a Poverty Bay guy who was thrown from a tractor and crushed as it rolled.
The coroner also found the driver was affected by cannabis and was driving down a steep slope.
The farming sector isn't backing the seatbelt idea. Here at RR we can just imagine the Tractor Seatbelt Enforcement Squad launching dawn raids on unsuspecting farms, to police it. An excellent revenue-gathering source, to supplement that already collected on the roads. It could also be extended to farm dogs on quad bikes. Rex and Jip could be forced to wear harnesses while they're riding on the feedout trailer. Cows, too, should be strapped onto the rotary milking platforms, to ensure they're not flung off, in the event of a platform malfunction, or in case they've been grazing on cannabis.
Maybe bulldoze every hill in New Zealand to make it safe and flat. For that matter, make the supply of cannabis free to every tractor driver, so they're so stoned they never leave the sofa. Wouldn't that be safer!
Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Is this the last gasp idiotic utterance of Nanny State? I hope so.

Swing low, sweet chariot
Finally, since John Key has been meeting the queen, here are some questions and conversation topics we'd like aired with the royalty:
1. Please don't abdicate, we don't want Wingnut and Horseface to be king and queen.
2. How do you stop Corgis from leg humping? Did Camilla put them off?
3. After Prince William had to relieve himself at polo (told his horse: wait here, I'll be back in two shakes) and was then photographed by the paparazzi with his mallet hanging out, does this give new meaning to the phrase 'The Royal Wee?”