Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 27th, 2011 - 73 comments
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…
Written By: - Date published: 8:38 pm, April 26th, 2011 - 66 comments
Hide’s gone if Calvert or Boscawen jump ship. But so is the one that doesn’t jump. I’m picking Calvert will be the key.
Update: As of noon today 3 News reports that Rodney may be about to go…
Written By: - Date published: 4:54 pm, April 26th, 2011 - 22 comments
Rodney Hide’s only chance of staying as the leader of ACT is to keep Hilary Calvert and John “Lamington” Boscawen on side.
Like other commentors, I’m calling time on Hide.
Written By: - Date published: 3:11 pm, April 26th, 2011 - 1 comment
“Reconstructing Christchurch” with Peter Harris and Hon Lianne Dalziel. Venue: St John’s Church Hall, 176 Willis St, Wellington When: April 27th, 5:30 PM
Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, April 26th, 2011 - 9 comments
Canada will go to the polls on May 2. That election has just got a whole lot more interesting. The latest poll has the New Democrat Party at 28% and rising, while the Conservatives, Liberal and Greens are falling. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper has led a minority government since 2008. The election was brought […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, April 26th, 2011 - 12 comments
It seems to me that as the years roll on and there are fewer and fewer veterans of the World Wars left, our involvement in those wars is becoming glorified into the basis of a national myth: ‘our heroes’ noble sacrifice for us’, which is some distance from the reality . So I was pleasantly surprised by the documentary on TV1 on Friday night.
Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, April 26th, 2011 - 28 comments
Over at Red Alert, Chris Hipkins asks what other photo-ops John Key has been flying to using Air Force helicopters. As well as the V8/Golf club dinner photo ops, Key has used the choppers three times in the past three weeks. Maybe he buzzed into his important photo-op at a Timaru skateboard park or the ‘cameo’ at the NZ Shearing Champs.
Written By: - Date published: 7:03 am, April 26th, 2011 - 46 comments
I recently finished “Eaarth” by Bill McKibben (of 350.org), a book about the effect of climate change on the planet and how we should be preparing for the future. Comprehensively researched and brutally honest, Eaarth is a smack in the emotional solar plexus. Everyone should read it.
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 26th, 2011 - 57 comments
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…
Written By: - Date published: 8:15 pm, April 25th, 2011 - 17 comments
Shifting the site to a GeoDNS with fallback capabilities this evening*. This involves changing the domain name server addresses again. Now like last time this is meant to be a seamless shift. However that may or may not be the case. Last time there were some quite ISP’s with interesting ways of interpreting what a […]
Written By: - Date published: 7:54 pm, April 25th, 2011 - 24 comments
Lianne Dalziel has left her political future to the people of Christchurch that she represents.
If it’s good enough for her to seek such a mandate, then why shouldn’t King Gerry do the same?
Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, April 25th, 2011 - 48 comments
Hone Harawira is set to launch his Mana Party next weekend, possibly triggering a by-election in Te Tai Tokerau at the same time. At the other end of the spectrum, Don Brash’s haphazard to take over ACT may actually just be casus belli for him to establish a New Right Party.
Written By: - Date published: 6:05 am, April 25th, 2011 - 43 comments
Today is the day that we remember our old soldiers. But perhaps it should also be a day when we consider our current soldiers, and how they are being used.
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 25th, 2011 - 30 comments
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…
Written By: - Date published: 5:30 am, April 25th, 2011 - 2 comments
They called it the “flying coffin”. The Vickers Vildebeest, top speed 95 miles and hour. They joked that its only defence was that when the Japanese pilots saw it they would die laughing. In Singapore in 1941 it was restricted to night flying as it was so vulnerable. My uncle Andy Fleming was a pilot […]
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 pm, April 24th, 2011 - 30 comments
I got involved in marketing through my business and was a firm believer. I spent tens of thousands of dollars on marketing, advertising and training as most companies do; but in the end it felt like I was selling my soul and I quit the system. So much effort is expended trying to sell something to people that they either couldn’t afford or didn’t need.
Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, April 24th, 2011 - 79 comments
Tweedledum and Tweedledee were a bit slow off the mark responding to the news that Don Brash is looking to take over ACT. Took the Nats a while to get their lines together but have decided, on balance, they want ACT dead. And that will be a lot easier to achieve if Brash isn’t in charge.
Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, April 24th, 2011 - 34 comments
How much of the “news” that we consume and the “research” that it is based on is bought, paid for, and subservient to, corporate masters? Recently, for example, Greenpeace has uncovered an attempt by BP to direct research relating to the gulf oil spill…
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 24th, 2011 - 52 comments
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…
Written By: - Date published: 7:35 pm, April 23rd, 2011 - 7 comments
“Fallen soldier records free to access over Easter” is the headline in a Herald story today promoting a special free access to a website. I went to look at it because three of my four uncles were shot down in combat during World War 2. Both of Mum’s brothers, Andy and Jack, were killed and […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:58 pm, April 23rd, 2011 - 36 comments
The cult of management holds that individual shareholders, managers or directors are the main contributors to the success of a corporation, and thence the economy. And deserve the greatest share of the rewards. The jobs and income of all other employees and State servants is a generous charitable gift from these people. It’s a bunch of crap.
Written By: - Date published: 8:29 am, April 23rd, 2011 - 100 comments
Brash has thrown his hat in the ring for ACT’s leadership.
If the best the far right can do is a failed National MP warmed over then things are looking up.
Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, April 23rd, 2011 - 52 comments
DPF reckons “that issues of policy are less important to voters than issues of competence”. What an impoverished view of democracy! Perhaps he should look a little deeper than last week’s poll…
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, April 23rd, 2011 - 37 comments
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…
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, April 22nd, 2011 - 14 comments
Buckingham Palace cleaners aren’t even paid the London living wage while the British taxpayer will have to pay for the royal wedding cleanup. That’s one reason why I’m a republican. The Globe and Mail reports: “The cost of cleaning the streets of Westminster the day before the wedding is estimated by the council at $83,000.”
Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, April 22nd, 2011 - 113 comments
The Herald has summarised a report in the new Metro on the New Zealand SAS’s role in arresting Afghanis and handing them over for torture. Delivering prisoners for torture is as culpable an act as torture itself. It is a war crime. Everyone who wants our defence forces to be respected must demand it is purged of people who have committed these acts.
Written By: - Date published: 1:05 pm, April 22nd, 2011 - 46 comments
Here’s some images of emergency housing from Japan and from Christchurch. I wonder if you can spot the difference.
Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, April 22nd, 2011 - 26 comments
The Herald asks: “Is Kate Middleton the best looking UK royal ever?“. I say: what about Mary of Orange? Phwoooar! Get a load of that! Seriously, who gives a fuck that some dickhead who might some day be the nominal boss of our figurehead vice-regent is marrying someone? Why are we meant to swoon like morons over this?
Written By: - Date published: 9:32 am, April 22nd, 2011 - 64 comments
In 2008 John Key attacked the Labour government on high prices and low wages.
In 2011 he’s telling us the government can’t help.
So what’s changed?
Written By: - Date published: 8:20 am, April 22nd, 2011 - 69 comments
Turns out the teachers have been right all along. Family wealth is the overwhelming predictor of educational outcome. That means there are no quick fixes. The best way to improve educational outcomes is to improve the incomes of the poor.
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