Open mike 06/07/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, July 6th, 2011 - 24 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:

Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

24 comments on “Open mike 06/07/2011 ”

  1. higherstandard 1

    Unless there is a sound medical reason not to please ensure your children are vaccinated.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/5240183/Measles-outbreak-increases-to-48

    • rosy 1.1

      Agreed, hopefully there are no life-long repercussions or deaths for the kids who have contracted it.

      Poor journalism , has a lot to answer for in the decreased MMR rates, at least among the worried well. Food for thought also at this page .

  2. joe90 2

    The Mitochondria(QT), an animation from Biovisions.

  3. Morrissey 3

    If cows could talk/If Yentas took crack

    Learn how, in spite of what every single one of its deluded residents contend, Gaza is in fact “filled with luxury hotels, office buildings, palatial villas, nightclubs, beach clubs, and well-stocked markets.”….

    http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/if-cows-could-talkif-yentas-took-crack/

    • The Voice of Reason 3.1

      Jeez, it’s so good it should be parody, right down to the author’s name, which sounds rather like something Woody Allen would have come up with (back when his movies were funny, ‘natch).
       
      I wonder if Israel has the cojones to slaughter American citizens this time? A few dead Turks did cause them a bit of diplomatic grief with Ankara, but it seems to have passed the rest of the world by. But if the IDF start executing Pulitzer prize winning authors, I think there may be a bit more fuss.

      • Morrissey 3.1.1

        …it’s so good it should be parody, right down to the author’s name, which sounds rather like something Woody Allen would have come up

        Believe it or not, Phyllis Chesler has written several books. I have struggled through one of them, a ridiculous, fraudulent farrago titled, grandly, The New Anti-Semitism. The Current Crisis and What We Must Do About It (2003).

        I recommend you read it some time as well, just to see the state of intellectual discourse on the extreme right of American public life.

  4. kriswgtn 4

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5241334/Govt-debt-higher

    NAct really dont have any idea but hey as long as they’re okay…………………..

    • jackal 4.1

      ”This is still extremely large and needs to be reduced,” Finance Minister Bill English said.

      Stop borrowing $100 million per week when you don’t need to, in an attempt to try and justify cuts and selling our SOE’s then Blinglish.

      • KJT 4.1.1

        16 billion down the hole since they got into power. And then they complain that Labour’s policies may cost 12 billion over 3 years.

  5. Lanthanide 5

    Final count for TTT in, Hone’s majority increased by a respectable 250 votes:

    “Harawira was named the winner on the night with a 867 majority but once the final results were released this morning, and all the special votes counted, that had risen to 1117.”
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5241676/Final-count-increases-Harawiras-majority

    Mana 49.15% vs Labour on 40.10%.

  6. randal 6

    Ihope somebody who reads this will have the gumption to act.
    its no good railing at the junkey government beczause they just steamroller on.
    if new zealand is to retain its elecictricty networks and generation in local hands then the government needs to be taken to task in the international press and media.
    there must be plent of supporters and not just labour party people all over the world who can text twitter and write letters and articles in the worlds press about how the national government is selling off the states assets to pay for its own wish listxs and enrich themselves after office.
    is this too much to ask.

  7. The Voice of Reason 7

    And on the 89th day, the EMA said ‘sorry, Alisdair, your trial period is over, as indeed is your employment.
     
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/5243023/Employers-group-sacks-Alasdair-Thompson

    • Deadly_NZ 7.1

      More like “here’s 6 months pay, a nice reference, and go and see so n so in 3 mths when this all quietens down, he’ll see you right”.

      • The Voice of Reason 7.1.1

        Nah, that’s what the EMA were discussing with Thompson’s lawyers last week. It looks like he got greedy and turned down the exit package and left the EMA with no option but to sack him. If it was an agreed departure, it would be along the lines of a lengthy gardening leave period, followed by retirement at Xmas. This is an actual sacking.
         
        Expect a personal grievance case to follow shortly. Ironic, eh?

  8. jackal 8

    Ignore Climate Change at Your Peril

    Republican Senator and leading climate denier Jim Inhofe had to cancel his keynote address yesterday at the Heartland climate denial conference because he felt “under the weather.” The ironic thing is his sickness was due to a toxic algal bloom in the Oklahoma Grand Lake where he has a home. Inhofe had swam in the lake last Monday morning, which resulted in a severe upper respiratory illness.

  9. ianmac 9

    Herald “The CEO of the Employers and Manufacturers Association Alasdair Thompson has been sacked by the board this afternoon. ”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10736695

  10. Herodotus 10

    Are there others out there experiencing wireless broadband dropping out at an increasing frequency? Both home and work run on the same type of telecom wireless systems are I am forever dropping off.

  11. The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 11

    I see that the Greens are complaining that EMA took too long to sack Thompson. Apparently, some employees are not entitled to a fair process.

    • logie97 11.1

      – Thompson has been at the forefront of removing the process for the masses – oh the irony.

  12. logie97 12

    Just heard Joky Hen opining on the capital gains tax on the National Radio’s Checkpoint.
    Apparently everyone who might be liable will simply re-organise their affairs,
    create paper companies and use all sorts of other ruses. What a disgraceful attitude to take.
    But then Mr and Mrs Aldgate-Whitechapel would know all about that wouldn’t they.

    Just say, for once, we had a government that would commit to closing all those loopholes.
    Sometimes Joky gives the impression of being too clever by half. Not a rich-prick as is often misquoted but a smart-arse. Thompson’s career appears to have come to an abrupt end with his “mouth” getting him into trouble – and possibly Joky Hen will slip up once too often.

  13. jackal 13

    Asshole of the Week Award – David Garrett

    Yesterday it was reported that an investigation into what David Garrett told the courts in 2005 when he appeared on a charge of stealing the identity of a dead baby to obtain a passport, found no criminal offending and Garrett would not be charged with perjury. What a farce! The Sensible Sentencing Trust member and former Act Party MP on law and order came under increasing pressure in Sept 2010 when it was revealed that he’d created a false identity.

  14. Hi folks!

    Those who believe in freedom of expression seen this?

    “The tide is turning……………

    Have been flat out like a lizard drinking (as my Aussie uncle used to say) defending Macsyna King, Ian Wishart and the public’s right to ‘freedom of expression’ with the controversial “Breaking Silence” ‘whistle-blowing’ mother’s story of the murder of the Kahui baby boys.

    Joined the ‘Boycott the Macsyna King Book’ facebook page to help promote some robust debate. Got ‘banned/blocked’ after cutting and pasting from the “About’ and ‘Description’ sections of the ‘Boycott the Macsyna King Book’ facebook page the information which proven that thousands of people had been LIED to a ‘sucked in’ to believing that Macsyna King would personally profit from her ‘atrocious deeds’ when that was never the case.

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-the-Macsyna-King-Book/140832719326817?sk=info

    Nearly 50,000 people were misled by deceptive and dishonest behaviour of the mysterious person ‘Chris’ who established this facebook page – and helped get so many people stirred up over a blatant LIE – which has still to be corrected.

    Presumably a number of them are starting to feel a bit ‘sheepish’ now?

    WHY are people still boycotting “BREAKING SILENCE” – if they are genuinely opposed to child abuse?

    I’ve asked a number of them this rather elementary, albeit provocative question, and have copped a lot of misdirected anger because a number of them simply can’t answer the question. They don’t know why exactly they’re doing what they’re doing – but HOW DARE I ask them?

    Check it out for yourself.

    There is NOTHING on the ‘Boycott the Macsyna King Book’ facebook page that says anything about opposing Ian Wishart making money out of “BREAKING SILENCE” (after having researched and written it – why shouldn’t he? It’s what he does for a living to feed his family?

    There is nothing on the ‘Boycott the Macsyna King Book’ face book page which says anything about being opposed to child abuse or child abusers. Just opposed to the mother who is trying to break the Kahui ‘Code of Silence’ behind which whoever murdered the Kahui baby boys is hiding.

    Ian Wishart set up a facebook page ‘Break the Kahui code of silence support the new book’ – where there has been some excellent and robust debate on a number of the pertinent issues.

    If you believe in freedom of expression – I strongly recommend you make a little bit of time to have look for yourselves, and if YOU support ‘freedom of expression’ – now is a VERY good time to ‘step up to the plate’.

    Without ‘freedom of expression’ – you have nothing.

    http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=118473574910713&id=184638478257810

    Cheers!
    Penny Bright
    http://waterpressure.wordpress.com

    • The Voice of Reason 14.1

      Except it’s not a lie to say Macsyna King intends to profit from the book, Penny. That’s exactly what she intends to do or why would she bother telling the story? The profit isn’t financial, it’s personal. She does not want to take responsibility for the deaths of her kids, in any way, so by releasing the book she aims to stay out of jail, which is to her obvious advantage. 
       
      In other words, both her and the odious Wishart seek to make gain from the book. But they profit in different ways.
       

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