Archive for October, 2010

India: Ignorance at a distance

Written By: - Date published: 11:37 am, October 3rd, 2010 - 8 comments

It’s been pretty painful watching the media coverage of the Delhi games buildup over the last few weeks. What a lot of xenophobic nonsense we’ve been served up.

ECE cuts hurt kids & parents

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 am, October 3rd, 2010 - 25 comments

Early childhood education is great stuff. Those first few years shape a child’s future more than any other. Getting into learning and into socialising early on leads to huge rewards later in life. Parents can go back to work if they want or need too. For every dollar spent on ECE, society gets 13 back in benefits.

Extremist NZ Actors Equity demands outrageous fortune

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, October 3rd, 2010 - 17 comments

Wondering who Actors’ Equity are and what they do? Well here’s a video from AE explaining just that. Actors’ Equity also have a good website that lays out their position in Peter Jackson’s Das Hobbitski fiasco. It’s been funny watching the msm contort itself while struggling with its rarely conflicting predilections for both celebrities and […]

One of these things is not like the other XII

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, October 3rd, 2010 - 28 comments

One of these things is not like the other, One of these things is not quite the same. Can you guess which one is not like the other, Can you tell me before I finish the game?

Open mike 03/10/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 3rd, 2010 - 35 comments

Open mike is your post. It’s open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Banks and the South Auckland bashers

Written By: - Date published: 1:32 pm, October 2nd, 2010 - 27 comments

John Banks has made bashing South Auckland part of his campaign “strategy”.  That didn’t work out so well for Melissa Lee, and it won’t work out so well for others that are now trying the same tactic…

Some advice for Actors Equity

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, October 2nd, 2010 - 32 comments

The Hobbit dispute is being run to a very familiar playbook.

Let’s have a look at the employers’ tactics and what the union can do to counter them.

What will future generations condemn us for?

Written By: - Date published: 11:25 am, October 2nd, 2010 - 19 comments

This question is something that has been on my mind for some time. In this article, Kwame Anthony Appiah, a philosophy professor at Princeton, sets out four examples of current policy that he believes those in the future will look back and say “What were people thinking?”

Ryall: Our Only Plan Is Cuts

Written By: - Date published: 7:41 am, October 2nd, 2010 - 12 comments

Treasury in their first year under National tripled their expenditure on contractors whilst forcing all other departments into cuts.  Bill English decided against having any public accountability, and left Tony Ryall talking rubbish trying to explain it.

Open mike 02/10/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 2nd, 2010 - 27 comments

Open mike is your post. It’s open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…

Something odd in crime stats

Written By: - Date published: 12:02 am, October 2nd, 2010 - 51 comments

The crime stats are not good news. Homicides are up, violent offences are up, sex offences are up, harassment and related offences are up, drug offences are up, public order offences are up. Oddly, though, the total number of offences is down (by 0.1%). The decrease is all down to a  25.6% decrease in recorded fraud offences. What’s up with that?

Without a trace of irony

Written By: - Date published: 7:03 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 20 comments

Rodney Hide has taken a complaint to Parliamentary Services over Phil Twyford EA sending a message from his work email calling on people to vote for Len Brown. Wow, free emails. What a huge abuse of taxpayer cash. Not exactly on the scale of a trip to Disneyland. You’ve got to love Hide’s total lack of self-awareness.

From Hounds to Foxes

Written By: - Date published: 2:28 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 31 comments

As you sit there reading this, think about how industrial action is growing across the country – Secondary teachers, Junior Doctors, Radiographers, State Servants, Actors. There is a lot more to come as National and business try to force wages down. Do you want to wait for them to come for you?

GST is going up today

Written By: - Date published: 1:23 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 62 comments

Remember how John Key used to talk about GST? Here is a video reminding everyone of the past before he did his usual flip-flop to favour the rich while increasing costs on most people. The GST increase and the consequent inflation will make almost everyone worse off unless they are wealthy enough to bribe the NACT’s.

A brief point on union meetings

Written By: - Date published: 1:11 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 46 comments

Peter Jackson’s in the paper today whining about being denied entry to a union meeting.

There’s a really simple reason for that – union meetings are for union members, not for employers.

Digested Read – Spirit Level 5: Sustainability

Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, October 1st, 2010 - 16 comments

The fifth of 6 in a series summarising the argument of The Spirit Level. This post looks at how a more equal society may also be a more sustainable one.

Quick question

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, October 1st, 2010 - 41 comments

Why does our Minister of Tourism always take his holidays overseas?

Herald against Nats’ power grabs

Written By: - Date published: 10:34 am, October 1st, 2010 - 15 comments

The Herald’s editorial today is a strong rebuke of National’s anti-democratic power grabs. Close on the heels of CERRA is the World Cup Empowering Act, giving unfettered powers to ministers that they don’t need. The Herald’s opposition shows, again, how badly wrong Labour and the Greens got it when they voted for CERRA.

The tax cut fizzer

Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, October 1st, 2010 - 79 comments

For a long, time National and the Right have tried to convince us that all we need is tax cuts. You can understand why: their other policies are deeply unpopular, cutting taxes is a roundabout way of cutting public services, which they hate, and tax cuts deliver the most to their wealthy base. So will we see any actual benefits from the great tax swindle?

John Banks – another Melissa Lee

Written By: - Date published: 7:10 am, October 1st, 2010 - 74 comments

John Banks has been slagging off South Auckland.  Ooops.  That’s the same mistake that Melissa Lee made in the Mt Albert by election.  The same mistake deserves the same fate.  Banks cannot credibly operate as mayor of the SuperCity.

Open mike 01/10/2010

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, October 1st, 2010 - 44 comments

Open mike is your post. It’s open for discussing topics of interest, making announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. Comment on whatever takes your fancy. The usual good behaviour rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner). Step right up to the mike…