Open mike 10/06/2014

Written By: - Date published: 6:35 am, June 10th, 2014 - 201 comments
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201 comments on “Open mike 10/06/2014 ”

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    • swordfish 1.1
      10 June 2014 at 7:23 am

      rik mayall has died

      Fuck, I can’t believe that !

      One of my favourite comedy actors of all time. I was just watching him on youtube yesterday (doco on the making of Blackadder). This is a real shocker.

      • swordfish 1.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 7:28 am

        I think that quad bike accident back in the late 90s fucked his career badly. And as a result of his much slower thinking / reactions, Ade Edmondson lost interest in working with him. Which is pretty bloody sad after all they’d been through.

        • swordfish 1.1.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 7:41 am

          One of my favourite Mayall / Edmondson scenes from the BBC’s Bottom.

          “Gas Man !, Gas Man !, Gas Man !”

          “Who is it Darling ?”

          “It’s the Gas Man !!!

          “Well, don’t leave him out in the cold, Dreamboat, show him in !”

      • McFlock 1.1.2
        10 June 2014 at 12:37 pm

        only 56, too

    • Te Reo Putake 1.2
      10 June 2014 at 7:29 am

      Rik channels Banksie!

    • Chooky 1.3
      10 June 2014 at 9:05 am

      very sad about rik mayall….always reminded me of a couple of young Trots i knew…lol

    • Tracey 1.4
      10 June 2014 at 9:13 am

      was at uni when young ones and five go made in dorset hit our screens. saw ade Edmonson on the dales the other day and realised we are all middle aged now.

      rip rik mayall for one of the funniest characters ( rick young ones) since life of bryan

      ps when banks are his ear wax I immediately thought of rik in that scene about ear wax tasting bad

      • Ennui 1.4.1
        10 June 2014 at 11:39 am

        I loved him in “Mr Jolly Works Next Door”, and also in Guesthouse Paradiso…absolutely anarchic. RIP. Tonight I will raise a glass, as he said to Eddy Hitler in Bottom, “Make it a large one Eddy!”

    • The Al1en 1.5
      10 June 2014 at 9:18 am

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27770266

      Ade Edmondson

      “There were times when Rik and I were writing together when we almost died laughing.
      They were some of the most carefree stupid days I ever had, and I feel privileged to have shared them with him.
      And now he’s died for real. Without me. Selfish bastard.”

      Rip Flash.

      • greywarbler 1.5.1
        10 June 2014 at 10:07 am

        Thanx for the link giving more links The Allen.

        • The Al1en 1.5.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 2:52 pm

          No worries, the bbc website is my home page and that’s what I awoke to when the cat meowed to tell me he didn’t need to go out in the rain as he’d sh!t in the bath instead.
          Not my best morning to be fair, but at least my arse doesn’t have a footprint on it like Jasper’s.

    • David H 1.6
      10 June 2014 at 6:42 pm

      Now that is a for crying shame. Rik Mayall has died.

  2. phillip ure 2
    10 June 2014 at 7:16 am

    (this is the best rik mayall coverage i have found..

    ..a clip-roundup of his best..)

    http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jun/09/rik-mayalls-funniest-tv-moments-young-ones-bottom

  4. phillip ure 4
    10 June 2014 at 8:03 am

    (this one is very interesting..)

    “..The French are right: tear up public debt – most of it is illegitimate anyway..

    ..Debt audits show that austerity is politically motivated to favour social elites.

    Is a new working-class internationalism in the air?..”

    (cont..)

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/09/french-public-debt-audit-illegitimate-working-class-internationalim

    (yes plse..!..eh..?..)

    • Tracey 4.1
      10 June 2014 at 9:17 am

      I call it financial cannabilsm cos the very wealthy just vacuum up the lower income lives

    • Draco T Bastard 4.2
      10 June 2014 at 12:53 pm

      Wonder if we can persuade the left-parties that a debt audit for NZ is called for.

      • phillip ure 4.2.1
        10 June 2014 at 1:59 pm

        i think it’s a meme to get rolling..

        .a bit of a debt-audit..and more than a soupcon of partial-nationalising..

        ..mix in financial transaction tax/capital gains tax..

        ..wd be quite aways down the road of ‘putting things right’..

        ..methinks..

      • Kiwiri 4.2.2
        10 June 2014 at 4:22 pm

        man is born free and everywhere he is now in the chains of debt?

        pls excuse not using gender neutral language

  5. veutoviper 5
    10 June 2014 at 8:19 am

    An interesting 2010 Herald article providing a ‘reminder’ of Banks’ stance on various issues and behaviour towards fellow Parliamentarians over the years.

    http://t.co/EaJCYcfsMb

    h/t Russell Brown Twitter

    • ianmac 5.1
      10 June 2014 at 9:32 am

      Not a nice man but more importantly he seems to have disregarded the rules when it suited him like buying the hotel and holding back a tender so that a friend could win etc.
      Maybe an even more just outcome now than I thought?

      • veutoviper 5.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 10:02 am

        Exactly, ianmac.

        It took reading that article to remind me what sort of person he has been over the years to get a better perspective. I used to have some admiration for Banks as someone who initially sought to overcome and rise above the deprivations of his childhood and youth – and did .-

        This article and similar ones have reminded me just how far Banks came over the years from this initial start to become a narrowminded, self-serving elitist who thought he was above the rest of us and could ‘engineer’ things and the law to suit his own ends, and that of his likeminded friends and colleagues. Indeed IMO he still thinks and acts in this way.

    • vto 5.2
      10 June 2014 at 9:39 am

      John Banks has always been a pig of a man.

      That list reminds us all why.

      He currently sits forlorn in the nest of his own making – full of his own stinking bird shit …

      • veutoviper 5.2.1
        10 June 2014 at 10:05 am

        LOL – on that note, vto, I am now off to do the daily (at least) task of cleaning my four parrot cages!

      • Anne 5.2.2
        10 June 2014 at 10:36 am

        He currently sits forlorn in the nest of his own making.

        Not entirely alone. He does seem to have quite a lot of supporters – ex pollies and Nat lackeys who, by and large, are no better than himself.

        Last evening I was at a local Labour function and the subject of David Seymour was discussed. We had seen the Nation interview and were flabbergasted that such a loud mouthed, pig ignorant sociopath will be in parliament after Sept.20. In contrast the other two candidates present – the charming Julie-Ann Genter and the calm, collected Richard Wood – were shining examples of the sorts of people we so desperately need on the government benches.

    • joe90 5.3
      10 June 2014 at 10:29 am

      stance on various issues and behaviour towards fellow Parliamentarians over the years.

      Alan B’Stard exposed.

    • Tracey 5.4
      10 June 2014 at 3:01 pm

      funny how he all of a sudden became a saint…

    • Tracey 5.5
      10 June 2014 at 3:06 pm

      dont forget speeding on his jetski with three kids on the back and lying about it…

      Fine for using his mobile during a flight

      Hujlich bullshit

      Add in the stuff from your link and how anyone could testify he was honest and decent is a joke…

      • vto 5.5.1
        10 June 2014 at 4:01 pm

        Read what Judge Wylie said about his testimony and its credibility, and the same about his wife.

        Damning. The Judge basically said John Banks is a bullshitter with no credibility, and the same about his wife.

  6. greywarbler 6
    10 June 2014 at 9:42 am

    On Radionz there will soon be an interview about the problem of getting plastic out of the sea where it does so much harm. It sounds a good idea.

    Could something be learned on making artificial floating environmentally safe floating ‘reefs’ over shellfish beds, coral reefs say, that need protecting from excessive sun and heat? Could we do something using similar technologies, ban plastic and use ocean-friendly packaging or something. I wonder?

  7. risildowgtn 7
    10 June 2014 at 10:13 am

    http://business.scoop.co.nz/2014/06/09/coat-tail-deals-a-few-weeks-away-says-key/

    Seems coat tailing is fine for the right but not for anyone else..

    BE real afraid of those whackjob Colin craig and his cast of idiots

  8. phillip ure 8
    10 June 2014 at 10:15 am

    john oliver unpacks fifa…

    ..it’s 13 mins long..and very funny..

    ..and will tell you all you need to know about how fifa is a stinking bag of pus..

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/09/john-oliver-fifa_n_5473346.html

  9. Gosman 9
    10 June 2014 at 11:22 am

    For all those on the left who think KFC has some sort of smoking gun revelation in relation to John Key and when he knew about the raid on him I have a question for you. Why is he offering 5 million dollars for information proving corruption? Seems like he would only be doing that because he doesn’t have any already.

    • vto 9.1
      10 June 2014 at 11:33 am

      such a simpleton again gosman

      no wonder you have such little idea on the complexities of society and the requirements for its healthy functioning and no wonder you think the only factor people consider in making life decisions is money.

      sheesh

    • Te Reo Putake 9.2
      10 June 2014 at 11:33 am

      Two different things, Gosman. One is the supposed evidence about John Key that KDC hints he has, the other is the offer to pay for evidence of Government corruption. One is personal to Key, the other relates to the Government in toto. Only the latter has any implications for the court case.

      However, I’m with you in doubting the ‘smoking gun’. I think we’d have seen the evidence already, if it exists.

      • Gosman 9.2.1
        10 June 2014 at 11:57 am

        Evidence that John Key knew about the raid in advance would be suggestive of corruption or at least political collusion against KDC. This would call in to question the motivation for his arrest and be grounds for denying his extradition. The fact he is fishing for additional information is highly suggestive he has nothing as you point out as well.

        • infused 9.2.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 12:15 pm

          Pretty much. But we all knew this.

          • Naki man 9.2.1.1.1
            10 June 2014 at 4:02 pm

            Just another lie from the desperate German, his sphincter is cutting washers as the trial date draws closer and the noose tightens around his neck.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 9.2.1.1.1.1
              10 June 2014 at 4:27 pm

              “Another lie…”

              Justice Wylie, who has no skin in the game, disagrees with your media-based assessment.

              I take everything every player in this matter says with a bucket of salt and Mr.com still hasn’t been caught in a lie.

              Pretty sure you were confidently declaring Crim.Banks’ innocence not that long ago.

              • yeshe …
                10 June 2014 at 5:35 pm

                with you OAB .. KDC has not been caught in any lie so far, unlike all the other motley cast of players. Also, I think he said it would be revealed in court, which is not due yet .. so much more fun in court than in msm media or the House …. and I think this is why the election was pulled forward, this and banks. but each was weighted in the decision imho.

                • One Anonymous Bloke …
                  10 June 2014 at 5:50 pm

                  KDC has promised that the evidence will come out in court. Some on the Left are hoping he will release it before the election instead.

                  I suspect they are dreaming. He has to play a straight bat with the judiciary.

                • john …
                  10 June 2014 at 10:14 pm

                  Dotcom hasn’t been caught for lying you say, but he has been in jail several times, after being caught for a long list of criminal convictions that have followed his travels around the world for the last 20 years.

                  He’s been done for data espionage, embeszzlement, computer fraud, insider trading. He’s made money by ripping off phone cards and selling them, ripping off software and selling it, pretending a company he has shares in is about to get massive investment, then selling off the shares to conned buyers, and most recently ripping off music producers on a massive scale.

                  Whereever he’s gone, he’s made his money by ripping off other people.

                  But no – of course he would never ever tell a lie.

                  • felix …
                    10 June 2014 at 10:27 pm

                    Now John Key, on the other hand, has never told a lie. And made his money helping the sick and poor.

                    🙄
                    🙄
                    🙄

                    • john …
                      10 June 2014 at 10:56 pm

                      What politician doesn’t lie.

                      Are you so naïve to believe Helen Clark’s claim that she didn’t really know she was travelling at 500km/h across the Canterbury plain?

                      Or that they painting she signed wasn’t really hers.

                      Or that David Shearer forgot about his overseas millions.

                      Or David Cunliffe that he wasn’t really trying to hide secret donors via a secret trust.

                      Or that Banks didn’t know about the Dotcom donations.

                      Or that David Cunliffe had no intention of rolling Phil Goff, or David Shearer.

                      There’s a high tolerance of lying, because they all do it, all the time.

                    • bad12 …
                      10 June 2014 at 11:06 pm

                      Your posterior is leaking again john, i know many seen Helen as a super-woman but really, you need get control of your propensity to lapse into fantasy…

                    • felix …
                      10 June 2014 at 11:59 pm

                      You’re very funny, John. Tell us the one about the feral inbreds next. 🙄

                    • felix …
                      11 June 2014 at 12:20 am

                      ps I heard it was a zillion kmph.

                      pps You went very, very quickly from ‘kdc is a cretin and everyone should care’ to ‘all politicians are cretins and who cares’

                    • john …
                      11 June 2014 at 12:36 am

                      I see a difference between a career criminal who makes his money from ripping people off, and a politician trying to save themselves by lying about speeding, paintings, foreign accounts, or even secret trusts.

                      I forgot about the feral inbreds comment, though it’s arguable whether that was actually a lie – just a very stupid thing to say publicly.

                      Even more stupid for a politician.

                      And even more stupid for a labour politician about a the founding region of the labour party.

                      Which probably proves my point. Helen Clark is generally thought of as a pretty good politician, and a good PM for most of her term, even by the right.

                      Showing the public are pretty tolerant of small slip-ups from politicians.

                      And smart enough to see that people who make big deals about small issues are just being anal.

                    • bad12 …
                      11 June 2014 at 12:43 am

                      Your first sentence in your latest comment john, must surely be a description of Slippery the current prime minister right???

                    • felix …
                      11 June 2014 at 7:28 am

                      “I forgot about the feral inbreds comment, though it’s arguable whether that was actually a lie – just a very stupid thing to say publicly.”

                      Funny thing, john, is that she never said it.

                      Which just reinforces what you’ve been demonstrating all along; that you’re a gullible dupe who is prepared to believe any old rubbish you’re told about people you disapprove of.

                      Meanwhile, John Key has lied his arse off for 6 years and you’re fine with it.

              • Lanthanide …
                10 June 2014 at 7:57 pm

                Well, KDM wasn’t caught in a lie, but the whole deal about a “sitting electorate MP” wanting to defect to the IP, which was subsequently withdrawn and is no longer spoken about, doesn’t do all that much for his credibility.

                • Naki man …
                  10 June 2014 at 9:44 pm

                  Yes the sitting MP was one of the fat Germans lies
                  He has also forgotten about vowing to fund team NZ.

                  • Colonial Viper …
                    10 June 2014 at 10:10 pm

                    Uh…Kim Dotcom IS funding “Team New Zealand” – IMP style that is, lol

        • framu 9.2.1.2
          10 June 2014 at 12:26 pm

          are you seriously saying that key didnt know?

          • yeshe 9.2.1.2.1
            10 June 2014 at 5:36 pm

            key said he didn’t know, and also that fletcher didn’t know. lolz

            • One Anonymous Bloke 9.2.1.2.1.1
              10 June 2014 at 5:53 pm

              If that is true they got played: bit part actors in the subversion of their country’s sovereignty and judicial system.

      • Bearded Git 9.2.2
        10 June 2014 at 12:03 pm

        I think the “smoking gun” would be best used on, say, 6th September.

    • dimebag russell 9.3
      10 June 2014 at 12:10 pm

      he doesn’t have anything anyway except bogey and hooton and joyce and his media machine. otherwise he just another rich idiot.

  10. Marius 10
    10 June 2014 at 11:34 am

    how high’s the water, momma?

  11. Marius 11
    10 June 2014 at 11:49 am

    ahoy there, putake. i’m wondering if there’s a hint of the ‘alcohol maketh the man moreso’ to your question. there’s no excuses for me, im afraid. i’ve not labored in his vineyard for quite some time.

    • freedom 11.1
      10 June 2014 at 12:09 pm

      Hi Marius, do you post via mobile?

      If not, would you please use the reply button.

  12. dimebag russell 12
    10 June 2014 at 11:56 am

    have to laugh at the blogger who says New Zealand is becoming a Deemocracy. i.e what we say goes.
    and everything else is sub rosa or behind closed doors. Anyway the thing is a Wairarapa man is being charged with letting off a pistol not at a firing range. The defense will be that Judith collins was shown firing a pistol somewhere so waiting to see if what is good for the goose is good for the gander

    • Tracey 12.1
      10 June 2014 at 3:09 pm

      did the blogger say when we can expect this new deemocracy to happen?

      • One Anonymous Bloke 12.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 4:34 pm

        It’s already here. I deem it so, and if you disagree I can show you some bloggers who’ll give you a counterview.

  13. dimebag russell 13
    10 June 2014 at 11:57 am

    hows that for a smoking gun?

  14. Lez Howard 14
    10 June 2014 at 12:06 pm

    Collins had the pistol facing the wrong way

  15. Marius 15
    10 June 2014 at 12:12 pm

    ah yes. but judith didnt know the gun was loaded, your honor

    • phillip ure 15.1
      10 June 2014 at 2:06 pm

      and she only dropped into the shooting-range ‘on her way to the airport’..eh..?

      ‘on her way to the airport’:..the judith collins story..(coming soon to a screen near you..)

  16. Draco T Bastard 16
    10 June 2014 at 12:12 pm

    Outbuilding of the Week: Shipping Container Greenhouse by

    There seems to be a craze going on in using shipping containers to build things lately.

    • Rosie 16.1
      10 June 2014 at 3:44 pm

      Although not my buzz, ex shipping containers are a great way to recycle materials and reduce the amount of new raw materials being used for accommodation.

      Watched a show about building in small spaces on tele awhile ago. One segment was about a container house accommodation and office space complex in a dis used industrial area in Britain. A lot of thought had gone into the storage spaces and layout of living areas in the containers, as well outdoor connection such as the use of large sliding glass doors going out to patios.

      Wellington has a well known container house. Here’s some interesting shots of the interior:

      http://www.treehugger.com/modular-design/shipping-container-house-by-ross-stevens.html

      • Draco T Bastard 16.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 5:17 pm

        Although not my buzz, ex shipping containers are a great way to recycle materials and reduce the amount of new raw materials being used for accommodation.

        I’d almost agree with that except that they’re metal which means that they’re going to bleed heat at an absolutely astonishing rate unless they have really thick insulation. Thing is, a number of the ones I’ve seen on the internet don’t have that required insulation.

        • Colonial Viper 16.1.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 5:26 pm

          By “really thick” insulation I take it you simply mean “really good” insulation.”

          And it’s not just the cold. 45 deg C on a sunny summers day would be no fun at all.

        • Rosie 16.1.1.2
          10 June 2014 at 5:55 pm

          I’ve always wondered about the metal aspect regarding heat loss in winter, heat retention in summer and condensation.

          Mr R did a cert in building ecology and design last year and although is interested in container housing, didn’t cover it as a project, mainly because it wasn’t construction from scratch per se. The “health” of the building and it impact on occupants would be an important consideration in sustainable housing I’d imagine – I might run that past him later, the insulation question.

          In the meantime on the topic of the small house movement, heres a transportable small house manufactured in CHCH (with insulation!)

          http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-property/10135430/Snug-living-space-part-of-global-trend

  17. Marius 17
    10 June 2014 at 12:20 pm

    oh well, at minimum it’s a nice change from the zincalume, wharf posts and tufted grasses.

  18. Puckish Rogue 18
    10 June 2014 at 12:22 pm

    Rik doing what he does best:

  19. Marius 19
    10 June 2014 at 12:57 pm

    hello to you, freedom. jacob applebaum told me some things about mobiles that made me wary of their use. the question arose yesterday as to the reply button and dimebag russell (bitchin handle btw) piped up and stated that he doesnt use it. i dont want to come off as an complete asshole but cant it be one of my protests against conformity/authority (like not mowing my berm). it seems altogether too intimate for me as i do struggle in that department.

    • weka 19.1
      10 June 2014 at 1:00 pm

      Great, just what we need.

      • swordfish 19.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 1:23 pm

        Yeah, it’s quite strange that the site’s suddenly inundated with newish people who seem incapable of using the reply button. A sudden outbreak of Reply-Button-Phobia. I’m wondering if it’s some sort of OCD thing ?

        • lprent 19.1.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 2:28 pm

          I was having fun rarking up the sewer yesterday when I was have a problem writing code. They appear to be a bit upset about that.

          Teaching them to use a reply button is probably a bit much. Priority should be given to teaching them to use the toilet rather than going directly to the sewer.

    • blue leopard 19.2
      10 June 2014 at 1:27 pm

      lol

    • The Al1en 19.3
      10 June 2014 at 2:53 pm

      “i dont want to come off as an complete asshole”

      Yeah, good luck with that.

      • Rosie 19.3.1
        10 June 2014 at 3:50 pm

        Jeez, go away for 4 days, miss all the craic about Banks’ resignation and all that that entails AND all the goss on the newbies!

        • The Al1en 19.3.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 3:58 pm

          Sometimes you just can’t take your eyes off the screen 😆

          • Rosie 19.3.1.1.1
            10 June 2014 at 4:54 pm

            Oh Hi AlIen. Hey, what was that I was reading above about Jasper the cat having a footprint on his bum because he shat in the bath?! Not true about the footprint I hope!!! Provide Jasper with a litter tray for rainy days and a cat door so he can come and go when he wants – no need for AlIen to get out of bed, and no need for Jasper to go to desperate lengths. Everyone’s happy.

            You know, just yesterday I had a run with a man who was treating a cat cruelly on the side of the road. I was driving past and had to pull over and have a word with him. But this guy was a jerk and you aren’t, so give Jasper a break and get his bathroom sorted. No more messy starts to the day for you if you do 😀

            • The Al1en 19.3.1.1.1.1
              10 June 2014 at 5:16 pm

              Te be honest, I’m just glad he didn’t do it in the laundry basket like last time.

              I would have kicked him, but the little sod is too quick for me, still, he’s got to stop running at some point, I’ll have another try later 🙂

              • Rosie …
                10 June 2014 at 5:38 pm

                Oooo you are wicked, winding me up like that…………….

                Cats toilet indoors for good reasons. Address the source of the problem (litter tray and cat door) and you’ll have no worries.

                If he still goes indoors and on your personal items, such as laundry and you have your cat toileting options sussed, then that means something else, he’s being territorial.

                • The Al1en …
                  10 June 2014 at 5:50 pm

                  No to a litter tray, the idea is not to have cat poo smells in the house at all, I’m certainly not encouraging it.
                  He was out all last evening and only came in after midnight. He just won’t go to next doors garden when it’s raining. I’m sure it’s not a territory thing, he knows his place. The only bonus is it makes my girl pick her clothes up of the bedroom floor when it’s pouring down. 😀

                  I’m leaving the bathroom window open tonight, so if there’s a cat heaven, he best have been a good kitty if he does it again.
                  I’m not one for anthropomorphisms, but waking me up after the fact and not before does get me thinking. 🙂

                  • Rosie …
                    10 June 2014 at 6:00 pm

                    “I’m sure it’s not a territory thing, he knows his place”. Yes cats always know THEIR place, they just like to make sure humans know theirs………they are clever like that and like to express their superiority.

                    No stinks from a litter tray if you keep it clean, and keep it in the garage, or somewhere not within the house

                    • The Al1en …
                      10 June 2014 at 6:08 pm

                      Well his place tonight certainly isn’t going to be under the blankie again, that’s for sure, so he’ll be expressing his superiority to the daddy long legs in the front room 🙂

                    • Anne …
                      10 June 2014 at 7:12 pm

                      I’m with Rosie on this one.

                      It’s a cat door Jaspar needs. And if you don’t like the sound of the cat door going bank-whack in the middle of the night, tape the door up with some very strong sticky tape.It’ll still go whackity-whack as he hurls himself through the opening, but it’ll save you a lot of nasty smells and cussing…

                    • bad12 …
                      10 June 2014 at 7:32 pm

                      Noooooo, i have been hoping that Cats didn’t get a mention, the next door one, known only to me as Cat, is one of my good friends,

                      She is totally the shit as far as an animal expressing itself goes and i have mentioned here befor Her love of the next door neighbors shed full of Pigeons, She sits on a fencepost in my backyard which the mentioned shed backs onto and falls asleep purring loud enough to be heard inside my house if there’s no radio blaring, and, drooling bucket-loads like a loon,

                      Should i have the temerity to interrupt this grand reverie by trying to use ‘my’ backyard, Her eyes will fly open and i get a Hiss and Meow that conveys to me in no uncertain terms ”F-off you bastard i was just getting to the bit where these feathered critters all fell at my feet screaming devour me master”,

                      We converse as often as the Cat deigns to lower Herself to engage and the Cat is an expert at using different tones and volumes of Meows, should i impart to the Cat that a certain level of Meow is insufficient to deserve as reward a Pat you can bet that the next Meow will be heart-rendingly plaintive until such time as my voice takes on a concilltory tone,

                      Anyway, to abbreviate, the other night Cat and i were going through this routine and when She had me in Her power, luring me into the gift of the inevitable Pat, i proceeded to lecture Her in the vein of ”i know your game Cat” following this with the lecture on Her only desiring Pats so as to ditch on one of the foolish humans at least one of Her many fleas, and,

                      As Pats provoke Her into fits of drooling this was in effect an attempt to pass onto the unsuspecting one of those Cat diseases they are said to carry,

                      Finishing this lecture with words of why don’t you make yourself useful, i haven’t seen a dead rat in months,

                      Next day on a trip into the backyard to feed the garden, WTF, at the bottom of the steps where the Cat normally leaves them, i assume for my inspection, 1 very dead Rat,

                      Which brings me to the question i have been meaning to ask, other than fast flying items of heavy matter, is there a way of keeping Cat’s from crapping in the garden, ala the drink bottle full of water on the lawn to deter the Dogs,???…

                    • bad12 …
                      10 June 2014 at 9:25 pm

                      Alien Lolz, such are inherent in fast flying items of heavy matter, i had the same problem with a dog from down below that had little respect for my garden and complete disdain for me,

                      Until that is the day He looked up and met an object from space falling at 30 feet per second per second, what could be called an inescapable conclusion,

                      Myself i call it the old plastic chair on my deck, the dog then changed that to ”ouch” in the form of a yelp,

                      Sticks to his own turf these days choosing instead of shitting in and then digging up my garden to sending subtle messages via small yelps in the wee small quiet hours…

                  • Draco T Bastard …
                    10 June 2014 at 7:41 pm

                    No to a litter tray, the idea is not to have cat poo smells in the house at all, I’m certainly not encouraging it.

                    Best house training of four kittens I ever did was a litter tray. Kept a litter tray until they proved that they were old enough to go outside (ie, they could jump out the window) and then dumped the litter tray in the garden. They followed the litter tray.

                    • The Al1en …
                      10 June 2014 at 8:02 pm

                      I’ve had him six years and he was in the family for a year or so before that and mostly he’s been good. Like I wrote, it’s only when it’s pouring down will I ever get left a present.
                      It’s only happened about four times in all, but I’d rather have triplets and be on permanent nappy duty than have to put up with that smell. It’s a unique aroma for sure, and one that lingers long in the nostrils.

                      Edit:

                      “is there a way of keeping Cat’s from crapping in the garden”

                      Concrete or paving stones.

  20. Marius 20
    10 June 2014 at 1:53 pm

    ‘Great, just what we need.’ – reminded me of Jan Brady looking out the window at imminent rain. lol

    • swordfish 20.1
      10 June 2014 at 2:16 pm

      Oh Christ, not The Brady Bunch. Next It’ll be 70s Disco and I’m afraid at that point I shall have to ring the local Constabulary.

  21. Marius 21
    10 June 2014 at 2:22 pm

    remember, if you do decide to call – there’s a high likelihood youll get one of the 99% who spoil it for the rest of the good ones. * cuts to a shot of mr o connor justifying yet another heavy handed beating*

  22. Penny Bright 22
    10 June 2014 at 2:58 pm

    An URGENT message to all NZ MPs who are opposed to corruption:

    WE NEED THE EPSOM BY-ELECTION TO HELP KEEP THE PUBLIC SPOTLIGHT ON CORRUPTION!

    (In my considered opinion, if the Epsom by-election goes ahead, National will NOT win this 2014 General Election, because they are SO vulnerable on the issue of ‘corrupt corporate cronyism’ and there is SO much more to come …… )

    MPS who are opposed to corruption, should NOT support the upcoming vote (which needs 75% of MPs – 91 MPs) to prevent this Epsom by-election going ahead!

    If Labour MPs commit to NOT supporting the upcoming vote to stop this Epsom by-election, it won’t happen, because there simply won’t be the numbers to make up the 75%.

    There will be all manner of SPIN as to why this Epsom by-election should NOT go ahead, but it’s high time for a massive public exposure proving how NZ’s ‘perceived’ status as the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ does NOT match the corruption ‘REALITY’ check.

    Please make your voices heard – ASAP!

    10 June 2014

    PRESS RELEASE FROM ANTI-CORRUPTION ‘PUBLIC WATCHDOG’ PENNY BRIGHT –

    “Why I support Graham McCready’s call for an Epsom by-election.”

    I, Penny Bright, ‘anti-corruption and anti-privatisation Public Watchdog’ support the call of private prosecutor Graham McCready, for MPs to support a by-election in Epsom, and NOT to provide this National Government with the numbers to make up the 91 MPs (75%) required to STOP this by-election.

    In my considered opinion, any public monies spent on this Epsom by-election, will NOT be a ‘waste of money’ – but an investment in the fight against corruption in New Zealand ‘perceived to be the least corrupt country in the world’.

    http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2013/results/

    The general election will focus on many issues, but a by-election in Epsom will help keep a huge public spotlight specifically on corrupt practices such as electoral fraud – which have apparently been ‘common practice’.

    https://nz.news.yahoo.com/election/a/-/24196184/prebble-told-to-back-up-allegations-of-electoral-fraud/

    How many other internationally-recognised corrupt practices are common practice in New Zealand?

    Here are a couple of examples of corrupt practice that most New Zealanders have never even heard of, but are endemic here, in my considered opinion:

    Ever heard of ‘State capture’?

    Where vested interests get their way at ‘policy’ level – before legislation is passed which serves their interests.

    http://www.answers.com/topic/state-capture

    ‘State capture’ obtains when a small number of firms (or such entities as the military) is able to shape the rules of the game to its advantage through massive illicit, and non-transparent provision of private benefits to officials and politicians. Examples of such behaviour include the ability to control legislative votes, to obtain favourable executive decrees and court decisions. A relatively new concept, the main proponents being World Bank researchers, it echoes that of ‘crony capitalism’ and covers cases where high-level corruption is pervasive. (See military-industrial complex; clientelism.)

    Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/state-capture#ixzz34BuEK4YI

    (That’s how the NZ Business Round Table (BRT) used to do it – by focusing on ‘policy’, pretending that their greedy self-interest was somehow in the ‘national interest’, and pushing for legislation from which they profited.
    The BRT mantra that ‘public was bad – private was good’ helped to frame the ‘Rogernomics’ legislation which allowed the commercialisation, corporatisation and privatisation of public assets, a number of which (or shares of which) ended up in the hands of BRT members.)
    Where can you check for ‘State capture?
    Read the ‘Regulatory Impact Statements / Regulatory Impact Reports and find out with whom the policy analysts have been ‘consulting’ and treating as ‘independent third-parties – when they actually have and are vested interests ….

    How about ‘post-separation employment?

    The ‘revolving door’ between public office and employment in the private sector.

    http://www.icac.nsw.gov.au/preventing-corruption/knowing-your-risks/post-separation-employment/4301
    Post-separation employment
    Post-separation employment is the situation where a public official leaves the public sector and obtains employment in the private sector.
    The principle underlying the management of post-separation employment is the need to ensure that public sector decisions are made only on their merits and not compromised by extraneous considerations or personal interests.
    The Department of Premier and Cabinet Personnel Handbook refers to this issue in Section 8-12:
    Employees should not use their position to obtain opportunities for future employment. They should not allow themselves or their work to be influenced by plans for, or offers of, employment outside the department.

    There should be a mandatory ‘quarantine period’ of 18 months to 2 years, between leaving Ministerial or senior public service positions and taking up a job in the private sector where you can be seen to be using your previous contacts and influence to ‘feather your own nest’.

    Want to get up to speed with a comparison of anti-corruption legislative frameworks between Australia, NZ, UK, Canada and USA and compare it with that of New Zealand?

    http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/Conduct

    Please be reminded that New Zealand has STILL yet to ratify the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

    Minister of Justice Judith Collins’ ‘Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Legislation’ Bill, the passage of which is required before NZ can ratify UNCAC has yet to surface on the Parliamentary Order Paper.

    http://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-nz/50DBSCH_SCR5462_1/e73e0f6412f2e249705a3fa50593fa18d79e2d80
    International treaty examination of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption
    Report of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee

    This 50th Parliament has 5 sitting weeks left …
    .
    New Zealand desperately needs a genuinely Independent Commission Against Corruption – like the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)

    http://www.icac.nsw.gov.au/about-the-icac/overview

    Overview

    The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) was established by the NSW Government in 1989 in response to growing community concern about the integrity of public administration in NSW.

    The ICAC’s principal functions are set out in the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988. In summary, they are:

    to investigate and expose corrupt conduct in the NSW public sector

    to actively prevent corruption through advice and assistance, and

    to educate the NSW community and public sector about corruption and its effects.

    The jurisdiction of the ICAC extends to all NSW public sector agencies (except the NSW Police Force) and employees, including government departments, local councils, members of Parliament, ministers, the judiciary and the governor. The ICAC’s jurisdiction also extends to those performing public official functions.

    Penny Bright
    …………………….

    PRESS RELEASE FROM GRAHAM McCREADY – WHY HE SUPPORTS AN EPSOM BY-ELECTION:

    10 June 2014

    Graham Edward Mc Cready, New Zealand Citizen, Kiwi Patriot and sucessfull prvate prosecutor of the one honorarable John Archbald Banks call for ALL Membres of Parkiament including our most able and ehically corect Prima Minsister John Key to vote to hold a bi-election in Epson following the exit from tghe halls of power of Mr Banks.

    ‘I am a -political when it comes to the law. I do not belong to any political party. I am by the way a long term Labour Party supporter who helped Trevor Mallard in his first campaign in Hutt South. But the whole Banks private prosecution continued to the point it did because Banks held the Epson seat propping up the Key Government.

    Had Banks adopted the wisdom of Trevor Mallard and offered as soon as he was summoned to plead guilty to a lessor non indictable charge that in December 2012 would have been accepted and amongst other things would have saved the Country a two year distraction and also my health.

    There are thousands of fellow Kiwis who do not vote. One of the reasons is their view that all politicians are a bunch of corrupt bastards not worthy of their support.

    The Epson mad hatters tea party and subsequent court proceedings are a stain on the political life of the Nation that needs expunging.

    Voting not to hold a bi-election on expediency just tells the average Joe citizen that it is business as usual.

    The electorate through a Bi -Election in Epson needs the opportunity to voice their anger at their elected leaders and elect a candidate in Epson free of all the ACT balderdash.

    It will focus and address all the issues that have come out of the Banks court case that will be lost forever in a General Election
    I call on all MPs to vote accordingly’

    Graham Edward Mc Cready
    Concerned New Zealand Citizen
    ………………………….

  23. Marius 23
    10 June 2014 at 3:02 pm

    Wow thats from a moderator. look, i had a little stouch a few days back with what i assume is a regular. I admit i said i dont vote and i know that upset some of you. I know i made a bit of an off colour remark about the Christchuch mayor and i know this is your labour stronghold and comments like that dont go down too well – but fucking hell, seriously, loosen the pigtails, you bunch of polyannas. If it is in the rules then sure maybe people will be happy to use the reply button. If not then being part of a democracy means all comers get to interact as they see fit within the confines of the rules which do apply. Today the only comment ive seen from what i assume is a moderator is something that indicates to me they probably shouldnt be one – which is more often than not the case. ‘…our mailed fist can crush any opposition, and if our furious assault has a heavy civilian toll, that’s all to the good—perhaps the remnants will be properly educated’. Thats a little snippet from the nice israeli’s regarding Gaza. Im not fazed by you lot getting huffy about things i say. This isnt Gaza. My understanding of teletyping facilities such as this is that they survive with the assistance of newbies. You might want to deny it and you might want to have a status quo. Surely you dont want to sit around yammering on to the same people year in year out – or do you.

    • Te Reo Putake 23.1
      10 June 2014 at 3:20 pm

      Interesting comment, Marius. Who were you replying to?

      • felix 23.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 6:26 pm

        😀

        • weka 23.1.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 7:13 pm

          Ok, so this is probably going to be fun for a few days.

          “Today the only comment ive seen from what i assume is a moderator is something that indicates to me they probably shouldnt be one”

          Lolz.

    • bad12 23.2
      10 June 2014 at 3:23 pm

      Well NO actually Marius, you are Wrong on so many levels in your little attempt at commenting suicide there my pinkies aint about to waste much energy pointing out Where,

      Here’s a hint tho, if there were a status quo here and those speaking too far out of that status quo got the kick, i would suggest that i would have been gone long ago,

      Another hint, Peeps have been pointing out to you the agreed to method of commenting via the reply button not because they are the fascist thought police, BUT, because they like to read Nembies stuff AND, when you continue to comment simply using the function of a new comment where you should have used reply, it to be blunt, fucks up the flow of the conversation,

      Taking the piss of the Mods i would suggest is an open invitation to have you exit stage left…

    • freedom 23.3
      10 June 2014 at 3:33 pm

      The thing is Marius, and I do not know why I am even bothering but….people are only trying to be helpful. If you continue to refuse to follow a simple and constructive protocol, ie: using a reply button, chances are that people will simply not bother to reply to what you say. On a busy site like The Standard it is not always easy to identify what comments isolated replies are responding to.
      (this comment being a self-explanatory exception to the above statement)

      It’s like going to a pub, having a conversation with folk, and you getting up to change tables every time you talk. Pretty soon the conversation will just move on without you.

    • swordfish 23.4
      10 June 2014 at 3:43 pm

      No, I agree with the critical comments you’ve made about Israel’s Occupation, Marius. It’s just hard to know who the fuck you’re replying / referring to with each comment.

      Then again, there is, I s’pose, a certain entertainment in trying to guess precisely who you’re on about. There’s an interesting randomness about it all, a whiff of the absurd, a hint of Waiting for Godot.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 23.5
      10 June 2014 at 5:56 pm

      Clever Marius. Well played.

  24. bad12 24
    10 June 2014 at 3:11 pm

    Bloody Aussies, spoil everyone’s fun, it appears that the chemical Ketamine used in some of the ”legal high’s” that got the kick off of the shelves here has been under study in a Uni over the ditch,

    The result so far, when other drugs have no effect Ketamine has shown to seriously curtail depression and unlike other anti-depressants is fast working,

    Didn’t hear of any adverse side effects so once the study is published the purveyors of ”legal highs” will happily get a freebie as an aid to get the products back on the shelf,

    Source: RadioNZ National news…

    • McFlock 24.1
      10 June 2014 at 3:21 pm

      Didn’t they make it a class C drug a few years back? Not a “legal high” then…

      • bad12 24.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 3:33 pm

        Dunno Mac, my first impression at the mention of Ketamine was ”isn’t that a horse tranqualizer” its the next item on my notes after ”do you cook Mango to make chutney” so there’s a contest now occurring between my lust for Mango chutney and my thirst for knowledge as to which question is put to Google first…

        • McFlock 24.1.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 3:53 pm

          lol

          Yeah it’s a horse tranq.

          In fact, I seem to recall doing venue security at a palliative care conference a few years back – one of the poster displays praised the virtue of ketamine as being comparable to (possibly better than) diamorphine (heroin). My thought was “so if you fill ’em full of horse tranquilizer, it eases their pain? There’s a revelation…”

          Mind you, amazing the stuff you pick up if you keep your eyes and ears open working at function centres 🙂

          • bad12 24.1.1.1.1
            10 June 2014 at 4:08 pm

            Nicely done Mac, and i can now inform everyone,(as if they didn’t know), that yes, to make Mango chutney it appears the common wisdom is to cook it along with all the other ingredients,

            i have modified that, and, the liberal dose of Lemon juice i have planned for mine will go in last as i do not want the heat to alter the chemical balance of the juice,(it being a preservative ingredient)…

          • bad12 24.1.1.1.2
            10 June 2014 at 4:17 pm

            PS, Shhh not until Phillip has gone to bed, re: Ketamine/Heroin

  25. marty mars 25
    10 June 2014 at 3:15 pm

    This article is very good

    For several years, I made my unofficial beat the stories, struggles, and politics of blacks in America. I wrote about other things, also, but never with the same frequency or interest. I was pretty good at it, and, more than that, I enjoyed it. Eventually, people began to assume that I’d comment when a particular kind of news story bubbled up—generally one about something bad happening to a black person—and I often times would. I wasn’t surprised when a website I liked asked me to write about the case of a white man of little note in New Hampshire calling a hugely powerful black man a “nigger.” But then I realized I didn’t have anything to say.

    Or maybe it wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to say. Maybe it was the realization that writing anything would be to listlessly participate in the carousel ride: an inciting incident, 1,000 angry thinkpieces, 1,000 tweeted links, and back to where we started, until next time. Perhaps it was a feeling that writing anything would finally be too redundant to bear, a pursuit of too many sad and obvious words to heap onto so many other nearly identical words written down before, by me, by thousands of others.

    https://medium.com/matter/the-racism-beat-6ff47f76cbb6

    This fatigue is one we all face when we talk/write about issues from a personal perspective. I’m not sure what the answer is to combat the hollowed out feeling when another injustice occurs that is similar to the last injustice and so on to infinity. For me and my small contribution to the issues that matter to me the main way to combat it is the knowledge that I am not alone. I thank all those who write and comment on this site and who align with my belief in equality above all else – you know who you are and without you, well, without you the bastards would run even more amok than they are now.

    • JK 25.1
      10 June 2014 at 10:06 pm

      ” For me and my small contribution to the issues that matter to me the main way to combat it is the knowledge that I am not alone.” and it is that which also keeps me going, Marty Mars. We’re all in this together in our different ways (fighting inequality) and while you might get fed up with some of those others at various times, none of us can do it alone.

  26. Marius 26
    10 June 2014 at 3:23 pm
    • waves a large penis at the impish putake *
  27. Marius 27
    10 June 2014 at 3:24 pm

    not now ‘the a11en’. im in the backstraight of my initiation rites.

    • framu 27.1
      10 June 2014 at 3:31 pm

      just use the damn reply button already

    • The Al1en 27.2
      10 June 2014 at 3:32 pm

      We all need a bit of luck Marius. If you don’t want your share, I’ll have it.

      Just for the record, we were all new here at some time, but choosing to ignore the reply button as a form of protest, especially since being told it’s a pita is a bit self defeating.
      You’ll get more out by putting a little effort in, even if it spoils your present game.

      Just saying 🙂

      Edit:
      “it comes as no surprise to me that dissent will be met with expulsion. im not in the least bothered by that.”

      Fair enough, see ya.

  29. Marius 29
    10 June 2014 at 3:33 pm

    look, bad. i havent purposely avoided the reply button. ive been settling into using this place in a nice sedate manner which suits me. im not being hurried along by the local cops. as i said, ive heard nothing from a moderator which says im obligated to use the reply button. ive typed in places where the screen scrolls by so fast if you blink you miss who youre interacting with – this place is a retirement home in comparison. yeah yeah i know ‘fuck off back there’. it comes as no surprise to me that dissent will be met with expulsion. im not in the least bothered by that. so be it or the chips are down as gide said.

    • freedom 29.1
      10 June 2014 at 3:39 pm

      so basically, you have decided to buy a house in the King Country and want to spend your time complaining about the lack of ocean views 🙄

      enjoy your martyrdom

    • Colonial Viper 29.2
      10 June 2014 at 3:39 pm

      Oh great, a self-martyrdom dickhead.

      How have you found it work out for you, turning up to others peoples places and deliberately pissing on their doorsteps just to make a point that you’re really so unique. Going well for you is it?

      EDIT I suggest a DNFTT policy for Marius.

      • Te Reo Putake 29.2.1
        10 June 2014 at 4:04 pm

        Yep. Or a burst of the rolly eyes. The sad thing is that the arrogance is taking the shine off the occasional glimmers of intelligence and education. I’ll bet Marius is the first poster here to name check Andre Gide, for example. But the contempt for the readers ruins that, (just as it usually does for Phil Ure’s contributions).

        • Colonial Viper 29.2.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 5:01 pm

          Very interesting. With a bit of potty training Marius could have what it takes to be an interesting commentator

        • phillip ure 29.2.1.2
          10 June 2014 at 10:30 pm

          “..the contempt for the readers..”

          what ‘contempt for the readers’..?

          ..what utter shite you spout..

          ..i laugh at idiots..

          ..i can’t help it if you act like one..

    • bad12 29.3
      10 June 2014 at 4:27 pm

      🙄 🙄 the Moderator is probably busy engaged in that strange human function called work Marius,

      By the time you have pissed Him off enough to have heard from Him, depending how stressful the day is, might be your first and last conversation, 🙄 🙄 …

  30. Marius 30
    10 June 2014 at 3:36 pm

    thanks for the advice framu and the a11en.

  31. Marius 31
    10 June 2014 at 3:43 pm

    just so long as the barmaid isnt ignoring me, eh, freedom. thanks for bothering, though

  32. Marius 32
    10 June 2014 at 3:44 pm

    i knew you’d get it, sword.

  33. Marius 33
    10 June 2014 at 3:46 pm

    lol. look at the viper go. hes so fucked up he cant get his words out proper. ‘KILL THE PIG! KILL THE PIG!’

  34. vto 34
    10 June 2014 at 3:59 pm

    marius is boring

  35. dimebag russell 35
    10 June 2014 at 4:07 pm

    yeah…someone should push the reject button. hur hur hur. take that you autodidactic peedogog.

  36. Marius 36
    10 June 2014 at 4:20 pm

    have i been zapped?

  37. Marius 37
    10 June 2014 at 4:20 pm

    am i still at least about the outskirts of the fold??

  38. Marius 38
    10 June 2014 at 4:23 pm

    youre next for the highjump, dimebag – unless you roll over. i only wish i was there to witness it.

  39. Marius 39
    10 June 2014 at 4:27 pm

    WIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

  40. Colonial Viper 40
    10 June 2014 at 5:14 pm

    Japan has enough plutonium on hand to make 80 nuclear warheads

    Well, that’s reassuring, given the tension rising in East Asia.

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-09/japan-has-inappropriately-omitted-80-bombs-worth-nuclear-fuel-iaea-report

    • Tracey 40.1
      10 June 2014 at 5:26 pm

      Dont you only need one?

      • Colonial Viper 40.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 5:49 pm

        You’d think so, but there are still thousands of the bloody things on active duty around the world and even more in storage ready to be put into a state of readiness.

    • Draco T Bastard 40.2
      10 June 2014 at 7:53 pm

      And, I suspect, the expertise make them but you don’t hear the US/UK demanding that their nuclear operations be shut down.

      • Lanthanide 40.2.1
        10 June 2014 at 8:04 pm

        That’s because their nuclear operations comply with international standards.

        Japan signed comprehensive de-militarisation pacts at the end of WW2. But, they could have a working bomb within 3 months or so if it was deemed ‘necessary’.

        • Colonial Viper 40.2.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 8:09 pm

          That’s because their nuclear operations comply with international standards.

          As if complying with all required international inspections helped Iraq and Iran.

          And how many international inspections has Israel permitted of its nuclear forces?

          Bottom line is – being friends with the US is very very helpful in these matters.

  41. vto 41
    10 June 2014 at 5:25 pm

    Hey Gosman, if you’re around…. You are always banging on about how useless Zimbabwe is/was. Well I get sent emails from an investor thingy called the Dail;y Reckoning. It’s an aussie thing worth a read on the occasional blue moon.

    Anyway, this one today caught my eye… especially when it said this ….

    “–Years ago a man named Gideon Gono first appeared in The Daily Reckoning. He quickly became a favourite character of readers. Best of all, we didn’t even have to make him up.

    –The charismatic Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe surged to fame in 2008. Not just because he destroyed the country’s economy by printing money. But because American and European central bankers embraced his policies after ridiculing them for years, which he promptly rubbed their faces in.

    –Quantitative Easing went on to become the key economic policy of the decade. It saved us all. Except, of course, the savers who got nothing. In fact, their interest payments dwindled to less than inflation in much of the developed world. ”

    I told you your claims about individual policies and supposed causation links through to various economy-wide results were simplistic.

    As simplistic as suggesting that Cuba’s positions are a result solely of its internal policies / rolly eyes.

    • Colonial Viper 41.1
      10 June 2014 at 5:33 pm

      –Quantitative Easing went on to become the key economic policy of the decade. It saved us all. Except, of course, the savers who got nothing. In fact, their interest payments dwindled to less than inflation in much of the developed world. ”

      It particularly saved the insolvent big banks and the 0.1% whose asset portfolios went up through the roof in value. Almost like those programmes were designed with that in mind.

      –The charismatic Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe surged to fame in 2008. Not just because he destroyed the country’s economy by printing money.

      This is the key thing – economies are not typically destroyed just by printing money. It usually has to be combined with the destruction of productive capacity as well as war/civil war which really does it.

      • bad12 41.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 5:52 pm

        In Zimbabwe’s case the inflation in the economy which began to occur well befor the Governor of the Reserve Bank began to Print ever bigger bank notes,

        Economic sanctions, imposed on Zimbabwe by the Western powers after Mugabe began repatriating the stolen land from the white farmers created the spiral of inflation that ensured the printing of ever bigger denominations of bank notes,

        The basic essentials of life not produced in the Zimbabwe economy had to, after the imposition of the sanctions, be smuggled in from other countries thus driving their price up in an ever increasing spiral,

        The US printing’s in particular have gone more to the big institutional banks and from their into the share-market or are simply sitting propping up the balance sheets of what is essentially a bankrupt system in terms of the means of counting the beans…

        • Draco T Bastard 41.1.1.1
          10 June 2014 at 6:16 pm

          The US printing’s in particular have gone more to the big institutional banks and from their into the share-market or are simply sitting propping up the balance sheets of what is essentially a bankrupt system in terms of the means of counting the beans…

          QFT

          And that is, of course, why the US didn’t see any inflation – all the money printed went to the already rich and banks rather than going into the economy and producing demand.

        • john 41.1.1.2
          10 June 2014 at 9:29 pm

          Zimbabwe already had massive inflation (1991 48% and 1992 40%) in the years before any sanctions were imposed.

          In addition, the sanctions were never general sanctions, but targeted just to certain individuals and companies.

          Huge amounts of productive land was taken by Mugabe and given to war veterans, who failed to keep producing. Hence food production in Zimbabwe halved.

          Similarly a large amount of capital invested in businesses (both Zimbabwean and foreign), fled the country, along with white and black Zimbabweans – a total of quarter of population fled. Manufactured goods plummeted, and unemployment skyrocketed.

          Mugabes tax base dissappeared so they started printing money. I have a hundred billion dollar bank note from a recent visit that wouldn’t buy a single jelly bean.

          • bad12 41.1.1.2.1
            10 June 2014 at 10:44 pm

            John old boy, so good to see you old chap, how are things going over their at the embassy, so sorry you had to be dragged away from after dinner cocktails on such a minor mission especially having to answer the likes of me,(knowing how the unwashed upset you so),

            A bit droll don’t you think John trotting out the old Zillion dollar bank note, oh sure it works as the grand party trick for those with their noses stuck so far up their arses that dinner is always delivered,via syphoning hose that is, but, i thought even you lot would have learned by now to save the bullshit for such idiots john,

            How was the trip tho,must be hard on the skin all this flip flopping between time zones and climates john old boy, i am surprised the Regime over their didn’t get a hold of you as soon as the plane hit Harare and string you up by your old school tie to the nearest lampost,

            The old Dip Pouch right old chap, Merlin of old could not have conjured up a shield so grand,you forgot a little something with the party trick zillion note john, the fact that that old rogue Mugabe changed to using the currency of the enemy so long ago i forgot what year it was,

            08 or 09 wasn’t it old boy???

            As for the ”other” information imparted, sorry, Disinformation, precious, ‘You’ can fool some of the people some of the time right old boy, you know the rest,

            Here let me give a little assistance to aid you in NOT talking out of your arsehole,

            Rate of inflation Zimbabwe 1992 40%, 1993 20%, 1994% 25%, 1995 28%, 1996 16%, 1997 20%,

            Does seem a little like the poor old Governor of the Zimbabwe Reserve Bank had never had a talk with Ruth Richardson or Doctor Dullard Don Brash doesn’t it john,

            However after the EU sanctions were imposed in 2001/2002 the story really changes doesn’t it john,

            2001 112%, 2003 598%, 2005 585%, 2007 66,212%, 2008 89,700,000+++%,

            You do get my point john???,

            At which point Zimabawe had a choice, change to the Rand, the South African currency having become the stable currency of trade in the surrounding nations, or

            Fuck totally your and the US’es little game big time by not switching to the Rand which would then also have become a target of your monetary terrorism john, simply by switching to the currency of the country that was imposing such monetary terrorism upon them, the US Dollar which they did right john,

            i would call that small piece of intelligent use of the US dollar john, Game Set and Fucking Match old boy, well played and oh wont you come again,

            Pfft, what would happen i have to ask to any small economy that had its ability to borrow kneecapped by sanctions, had its ability to buy and sell its goods knee capped by monetary terrorism in the form of the US banning its currency from being able to purchase the US dollar through any banking system,

            Exactly what did happen i would suggest…

            • john 41.1.1.2.1.1
              10 June 2014 at 11:24 pm

              You’re talking utter nonsense.

              In 2002 (before the US targeted sanctions started in 2003) trade between Zimbabwe and USA was a meagre $47m of exports and $103m of imports.

              Four years later in 2006, when inflation passed 1000%, trade between Zimbabwe and USA was virtually identical – 49m of exports and $102m of imports.

              In 2008, when inflation passed a billion %, trade between Zimbabwe and USA was even greater – $92m of exports and $112 of imports

              Mugabe chased quarter of his own population out of the country and had to print money to make up for lost taxes from the farms businesses, and tourist industry he destroyed.

              On a drive last year from Hwange to Bulawayo, farm after farm was destroyed and burnt out. In some parts only one in ten was left. Sanctions didn’t do that. Mugabes henchmen did.

              You’re assertion that the hyperinflation was because of sanctions is both ignorant and laughable.

              • bad12 …
                11 June 2014 at 12:28 am

                But john, and i know this may sour the next G and T forcing you to dribble it all over the shirt,(the expense account will be a hard one to justify this month won’t it, ”one of the unwashed i was educating on the web”, not being sufficient reason for the bean counters to loosen the purse strings right),but,

                Cannot you see the utter contradiction in your explanation, it is rather glaring don’t you think old boy,

                Henchman, i so love your propensity for the melodramatic john, ghastly tho would have to be a better level as a raiser of the tension in the narrative don’t you think old boy, in the vein of ghastly henchman, must make full use of the Queens at every opportunity what,

                Oh right, sorry you have me escaping into flights of fancy, ghastly henchmen and all that, have you gone into a sideline as a tin-foil salesman john, i thought the Embassy was quite clear about those earns on the side, But,

                To address this utter contradiction, damned ghastly henchmen burned the whole fucking farm to a crisp and exports to the good old home of international financial terrorism also known as the US of A went UP,

                i would suggest john the old scoundrel running the place better hire a far more efficient cadre of ghastly henchmen, wouldn’t you old boy,

                Oh what, is that what you were doing there risking your delicate pallor over john,can’t have the natives joining forces now can we, best to ferment a little mischief,

                While we are chatting john, were we by chance traveling with the use of a NZ passport, that would be a novel means of having not to have to face the hostility at the border brought aboutt by the production of Her Maj’s documents…

                • john …
                  11 June 2014 at 1:31 am

                  bad12 says “Oh right, sorry you have me escaping into flights of fancy,”

                  In other words, screeds of delusional gibberish.

                  While you joke about Mugabe’s henchmen, just over a week ago they gang raped and killed a farmers daughter, and killed the farmer.

                  http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=220124

                  They’ve evicted millions of people – 700,000 in 2005 alone according to amnesty international and UN.

                  If that’s just a big joke to you, then best seek some professional psychological help..

      • vto 41.1.2
        10 June 2014 at 6:00 pm

        Yes agreed CV, particularly your past paragraph and how economies and the like are the result of countless things such as war, embargoes, etc.

        That is what annoys me about gosman’s musings and their simplicity – they show nothing and prove nothing. Hence my point there about Cuba – it has been absolutely nailed by the US for 50+ years.

        • Colonial Viper 41.1.2.1
          10 June 2014 at 7:06 pm

          As bad12 detailed above, the US is expert at destabilising nations and turning populations against their rulers.

          Venezuela is in the firing line now (with the co-operation of the local 1%) and I’m not sure that Maduro is going to be able to hold out much longer – and this is a nation with hundreds of billions in oil wealth.

          • vto 41.1.2.1.1
            10 June 2014 at 7:10 pm

            But that can’t be right CV, gosman says it is all because of the communist policies blah blah blah …

            The US doesn’t do stuff like that, it just goes merrily about its business in accordance with the laws of every land including international law. The US is trustworthy and honest. It would never dream of anything other than acting as a good and honest international citizen.

            • Colonial Viper 41.1.2.1.1.1
              10 June 2014 at 8:19 pm

              But of course. However, maintaining exceptionalism occasionally requires…exceptional measures to be undertaken.

  42. Morrissey 42
    10 June 2014 at 5:52 pm

    Time to retire this graceless goon, this hectoring halfwit, this mindless moron.
    Another hapless performance from Graham Bell
    The Panel, Radio NZ National, Tuesday 10 June 2014
    Jim Mora, Graham Bell, Ali Jones

    After the four o’clock news, it’s time to have a chat with the guests. Host Jim Mora always tries to talk about something relevant to the particular guest. With the cantankerous old cop Graham Bell, it’s the vexed question of arming the police….

    JIM MORA: I was reading the American papers today, and we think WE’ve got problems, but over there I see the police are talking about arming themselves with grenade-launchers! Ha ha ha ha ha!

    GRAHAM BELL: Haw, haw, haw, haw! Well, I suppose they have crack dens there that they have to knock over….

    When Mora speaks to the indefatigable spokesperson for Christchurch’s earthquake victims, Ali Jones, there is only one possible subject: how the people of Christchurch are coping with insurance companies’ obstructiveness and the refusal of the Key government to do anything about it. It’s a really serious problem, and it demands serious and focused discussion. Unwisely, however, Bell decides that it’s time to say something sarcastic…..

    GRAHAM BELL: So is David Cundliffe going to gallop to your rescue?

    Perhaps he divined some of the irritation felt by Ali Jones, because the next words he spoke had none of the jocular tone of his dig at the Labour Party….

    GRAHAM BELL: [uncomfortable, suddenly forced to assume an air of gravitas] Because, and believe me I have a lot of experience of this, lawyers have no interest in resolving an issue, they only want to prolong it as long as possible so they can make money off it.

    Jones was having none of that nonsense. She launched into a stinging critique of the Insurance Council and the National-led government—and, by implication, of fools like Graham Bell who parrot their poisonous talking points…

    ALI JONES: I totally reject what the Insurance Council and Gerry Brownlee have said about this.

    Jones was really angry, and Bell showed a rare lick of common sense when he decided to lapse into silence. It was his most humiliating moment on this show since Gordon Campbell silenced him a few years ago after Bell had ignorantly attacked the then leader of the Greens, Jeanette Fitzsimons.

    Bell was back to his curmudgeonly self a little later, during the Soapbox segment. Over the years, his Soapbox contributions have consisted almost entirely of gripes about the minor irritations in his life, like the food quality in tearooms, or the standard of customer service at Telecom, or—my personal favorite—this one from three years ago: “There’s a number of things that RANKLE me and FRUSTRATE me….Some time, just once in a blue moon, I’d like to get TWO biscuits with my cup of coffee, not just one biscuit!”

    Today the tradition continued….

    MORA: Graham Bell, what’s been on your mind please?
    GRAHAM BELL: Well, I tried to get some tickets this morning for the Eagles concert next year in Auckland. What a BLOODY FIASCO!
    MORA: [perhaps misreading just how serious Bell is] Ha ha ha ha ha!
    GRAHAM BELL: [raving] I’ve MISSED OUT! I’ve been waiting for them to come for twenty years and I’ve missed out.
    MORA: Who’s your favorite Eagle?
    GRAHAM BELL: Joe Walsh. Arrrrrgghhh! I sat there for TWO HOURS, logging in and out of their site.
    MORA: [insensitively] Ha ha ha ha ha!
    GRAHAM BELL: It drove me NUTS! How do these scalpers get the tickets though?

    More snarling and grumbling for several minutes….

    POINT TO PONDER….
    According to Radio NZ National’s frequent station promos, The Panel features “leading opinion makers”, who discuss the news and “help to make sense of it all”.

    • vto 42.1
      10 June 2014 at 6:32 pm

      Totally agree about Bell. The clanger I recall from him was when the Greens announced a policy about putting $200million (I think) into cycleways and cycling improvements around the country….

      … of course something like this Bell would have had absolutely no idea about and of course he subsequently let his lack of nous on the subject pour forth ….
      …blah blah he dribbled … “what an absolute waste of money … blah blah … I can’t believe the Greens keep coming up with these barmy ideas … waffle rant”

      Then of course the cycling expert came on and cleaning dispatched the fool by outlining how the return for $1 spent on cycling improvements is $7 (think health, energy, etc etc) and the return for $1 spent on “roads of notional significance” is 60cents….

      Bell is a dork with nothing useful to say. I agree he is a waste of time.

    • Paul 42.2
      10 June 2014 at 7:35 pm

      Have missed your biting and witty critique or Mora’s dreadful show.

  43. dimebag russell 43
    10 June 2014 at 7:02 pm

    bell is another overgrown thicko who is so blinkered that he cant see his toes anymore. and that is not just because he has a fat head.

  44. Draco T Bastard 44
    10 June 2014 at 7:59 pm

    How Government “Contracting Out” Drives Up Costs, Pushes Down Workers

    According to the study by In The Public Interest called “Race to the Bottom: How Outsourcing Public Services Rewards Corporations and Punishes the Middle Class,” privatization of government services “contributes to the decline of the middle class and the rise in poverty-level jobs, thereby exacerbating growing economic inequality.”

    Since the 1980s and 1990s mass-scale privatization of government services has pushed millions of people into a “race to the bottom” cycle of poverty and added considerable stress to local, state and federal budgets.

    And we’ve seen exactly the same things happening here in New Zealand.

    • Colonial Viper 44.1
      10 June 2014 at 8:22 pm

      Of course, in this case “driving up costs to government” = “driving up private sector profits”

      This sectoral balance thinking really does wonders.

      • Draco T Bastard 44.1.1
        10 June 2014 at 11:12 pm

        Of course, in this case “driving up costs to government” = “driving up private sector profits”

        Which was always the purpose of privatisation.

  45. Colonial Viper 45
    10 June 2014 at 8:26 pm

    Edward Snowden may not have had access to the NSA’s independent top tier surveillance systems

    RUSSELL TICE: Think of it this way. Remember I told you about the NSA doing everything they could to make sure that the information from 40 years ago – from spying on Frank Church and Lord knows how many other Congressman that they were spying on – was hidden?

    Now do you think they’re going to put that information into Powerpoint slides that are easy to explain to everybody what they’re doing?

    They would not even put their own NSA designators on the reports [so that no one would know that] it came from the NSA. They made the reports look like they were Humint (human intelligence) reports. They did it to hide the fact that they were NSA and they were doing the collection. That’s 40 years ago. [The NSA and other agencies are still doing “parallel construction”, “laundering” information to hide the fact that the information is actually from mass NSA surveillance.]

    Now, what NSA is doing right now is that they’re taking the information and they’re putting it in a much higher security level. It’s called “ECI” – Exceptionally Controlled Information – and it’s called the black program … which I was a specialist in, by the way.

    I specialized in black world – DOD and IC (Intelligence Community) – programs, operations and missions … in “VRKs”, “ECIs”, and “SAPs”, “STOs”. SAP equals Special Access Program. It’s highly unlikely Mr. Snowden had any access to these. STO equals Special Technical Operations It’s highly unlikely Mr. Snowden had any access to these.

    Now in that world – the ECI/VRK world – everything in that system is classified at a higher level and it has its own computer systems that house it. It’s totally separate than the system which Mr. Snowden was privy to, which was called the “JWICS”: Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System. The JWICS system is what everybody at NSA has access to. Mr Snowden had Sys Admin [systems administrator] authority for the JWICS.

    And you still have to have TS/SCI clearance [i.e. Top Secret/ Sensitive Compartmented Information – also known as “code word” – clearance] to get on the JWICS. But the ECI/VRK systems are much higher [levels of special compartmentalized clearance] than the JWICS. And you have to be in the black world to get that [clearance].

    ECI = Exceptionally Controlled Information. I do not believe Mr. Snowden had any access to these ECI controlled networks). VRK = Very Restricted Knowledge. I do not believe Mr. Snowden had any access to these VRK controlled networks.

    http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/06/original-nsa-whistleblower-snowden-never-access-juicy-documents.html

  46. newsense 46
    10 June 2014 at 9:37 pm

    Fucking hell.

    http://tvnz.co.nz/q-and-a-news/panel-discuss-john-banks-video-5994867

    Why did this not come with a supporter statement: this was brought to you buy the National and ACT parties.

    Ngarimu Blair seems like a nice chap, but Fran talks over him and he shuts up and they conclude:

    1) Internet Mana isn’t a real party.

    See also: who the fuck is Phill Quinn on Pundit? Doesn’t seem to have a publishing history or profile but running the same lines.

    2) They are gaming the system and cheating.

    No mention made of ACT with an ex-National leader and cabinet minister in Epsom. No mention made of the fact that a review was held and the recommendation was to change it and they didn’t.

    3) In Europe where there is proportional representation all coalition deals are organised before the election in all details. Is this actually an indisputable fact? Do parties put out joint manifestos before the election and then go into co-oalition before the election? I have my doubts.

    Again no mention of the way National gamed the system to ‘compromise’ in its education policy because of John Banks’ tough cooalition negotiations with the guys who had set him up in Epsom by encouraging their supporters to vote for him.

    What happened to all the ‘Electoral Finance Act’ we wanna spend our money jingoism? Or is it that party’s representing poor people or people not already entrenched in the establishment shouldn’t have access to money at elections and so should have less of a voice?

  47. lprent 47
    10 June 2014 at 10:46 pm

    Ok, Lyn is off to Hawaii and then to rest of the US for 3 weeks. I still have another 4+ weeks of holiday pay. May the music be loud and the coding free and loose….

    Maybe that will help with the irritating coding block.

  48. redfred 48
    11 June 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Calling Naki Man -CHICKEN – come debate real economic indicators