Open mike 27/12/2013

Written By: - Date published: 7:32 am, December 27th, 2013 - 60 comments
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openmikeOpen mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Step right up to the mike …

60 comments on “Open mike 27/12/2013 ”

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  1. millsy 1
    27 December 2013 at 7:45 am

    I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Boxing Day. While I havent had much time to post on here in the past year, I have been still able to read some of insightful posts on this blog.

    And of course..I hope this Christmas just gone is the last with John Key in power/office.

    Its going to be one hell of an election campaign next year.

    And David Cunliffe needs to set the agenda from the outset. I suggest an “Orewa” style speech, but without the Maori-bashing. It is coming up to 10 year since Don Brash delivered his speech, and it enabled National to set the political agenda from there on in (right up to the present day). He could have quite easily won in 2005

    • Morrissey 1.1
      27 December 2013 at 8:23 am

      I suggest an “Orewa” style speech, but without the Maori-bashing.

      And also without the glib, cruel, simplistic economic “theory”.

  2. phillip ure 2
    27 December 2013 at 8:02 am

    (just in case some are struggling to find policy-solutions..

    ..i offer this aid..)

    http://www.alternet.org/economy/how-fix-economy-13-easy-charts

    “..Policies that ensure broadly shared prosperity –

    – should be policymakers’ foremost priorities in 2014..”

    ..(are there any problems with that dictum/imperative –

    – for labour party apparatchik readers here..?..)

    phillip ure..

  3. Morrissey 3
    27 December 2013 at 8:12 am

    BBC hack has a go at Japan’s “passive reporters”
    Humbug Corner No. 23: Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
    Radio NZ National News, Friday 27 December 2013, 6 a.m.

    At this time of year, Japanese prime ministers have traditionally visited the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo—an act of homage which, because the shrine holds the remains of twelve notorious war criminals, outrages people in China, Korea and many other countries.

    Some of the loudest protests, however, have come from people who themselves are incorrigible apologists for state aggression. Noam Chomsky has written trenchantly about the hypocrisy of U.S. ideologues selectively condemning the gall of JAPANESE leaders…..
    http://www.chomsky.info/articles/199508–.htm

    Yesterday, Shinzo Abe became the first Japanese prime minister for seven years to visit the Yasukuni shrine. This of course provided the perfect opportunity for critiquing not only the brazenness of Japanese politicians but also the uselessness of the Japanese media.

    This is how the BBC’s Tokyo correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes began his piece about the latest provocation:

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    “Confronted by passive reporters at the gates of the Yasukuni Shrine….”

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Some of Rupert Wingfield-Hayes’s listeners no doubt have a more well developed sense of irony than he does, and will have shaken their heads in wonderment at the gall of a BBC reporter condemning Japanese reporters—-or indeed any reporters—for being passive.

    More classic examples of humbug….
    http://thestandard.org.nz/hypocrisy-watch/#comment-740695

    • Te Reo Putake 3.1
      27 December 2013 at 1:38 pm

      Oh dear, more breening from Moz:

      “Confronted by passive reporters at the gates of the Yasukuni Shrine….”

      Actual words of the journalist:

      “Confronted by a pack of reporters …”

      http://www.radionz.co.nz/radionz/programmes/news-bulletin/audio/2581194/radio-new-zealand-news

      • Morrissey 3.1.1
        27 December 2013 at 2:07 pm

        Quelle mortification! This is what happens when one listens to the radio while half-asleep. I thought at the time that the formulation “confronted by passive reporters” didn’t quite make sense—but I went ahead and published anyway! And now comes the well deserved bollocking.

        My apologies to Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, and to my loyal readers at the Standard. As they used to say in Greece: even Homer nods. Or as they still say in Japan: even monkeys fall from trees.

        And, most of all, a special round of applause for, and heartfelt thanks to, my punctilious pal Te Reo Putake. Take a bow, buddy….
        http://casaofgila.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/butler.jpg

        • Tim 3.1.1.1
          27 December 2013 at 4:29 pm

          @ Moz…
          RNZ is in holiday mode.
          That means its a bit more like weekend mode.
          The perfectly ‘work-life balanced’ lady with isssssssyous (that ‘incisive’, well-respected, hugely-experienced ex-parly arment gallery reporter – still down with, and in touch with the new breed – able to ‘get across’ all newz stories, unaffected by cronyism and nepotism with collegial appointments – INDEED, the perfect specimen any sort of public service radio host should try and model themselves on) ….. AND the nicest man on Earth are having their well-deserved break. Why the nicest man on Earth might even keep in touch with the people by serving in some fast food outlet somewhere, or perhaps repainting a Marae he once daubed with an horrific, and disliked colour scheme as atonement for participating in Public Service TV reality programming.

          What it means though is its relatively safe to listen to Natrad ’24/7′

          I wonder if the nicest man on Earth ever worries about whether Matinee Idle would be preferable to the stale, trite, hackneyed, mashed potato slop that gets dished up daily – equipped as it is with all its pre-programmed talking heads and audio pus.

          • Morrissey 3.1.1.1.1
            27 December 2013 at 8:02 pm

            I share your positive views about Matinee Idle, Tim. And I’m happy about most of the morning programme—except for one thing, and it’s a bit of a major obstacle, I’m afraid: I find Noelle McCarthy utterly insufferable. The fact that she was outed as a plagiarist a few years ago is the least of her sins.

          • veutoviper 3.1.1.1.2
            27 December 2013 at 8:15 pm

            I really enjoy and look forward to Matinee Idle – but heard (I think) today that their allotment of programmes has been cut back this year. Was only half listening at the time.

            Going back to the vacuous Mora, I still have clearly stuck in my mind a remark he made about three years ago prior to Christmas. A remark to the effect that “But everyone has a ham at Christmas!”.

            Sure, Mora, beneficiaries can really afford a ham at Christmas – only about the cost of two or more weeks’ total food bill for one ham?

            • Will@Welly 3.1.1.1.2.1
              27 December 2013 at 8:33 pm

              Hate to be really prickish, but as a kid growing up, what most of us kids grew up with was mutton-hams. I think it would have been the early 70’s before hams as such became affordable to alot of kiwis. But with the price of lamb/mutton today, even that is probably unrealistic.
              Why is it that New Zealand producers expect New Zealand consumers to pay a premium for goods produced here in New Zealand, while overseas customers get the benefit of all the tax advantages that the New Zealand Government can throw their way. It seems National takes great delight in screwing the New Zealand consumer regardless.

            • lprent 3.1.1.1.2.2
              28 December 2013 at 2:20 am

              I really enjoy and look forward to Matinee Idle – but heard (I think) today that their allotment of programmes has been cut back this year. Was only half listening at the time.

              As do I. I did think that the complete works of the Topp twins was a trivial over the top today. There is only so much nasal spray that I can stand whilst driving. The rest of the show was pretty damn hilarious.

  4. phillip ure 4
    27 December 2013 at 8:17 am

    and this is the preferred-destination for new zealand for the randite-neo-libs (from both national and labour) who have been systematically shredding the social net/contract..

    ..for the past 30 yrs..

    http://www.alternet.org/what-america-would-look-if-libertarians-got-their-way

    ..and why are we still staring at the same faces in labour who fucken did this to us..to nz..?

    ..why haven’t they fucken slunk away..?

    ..apologising/begging our forgiveness as they crawl out the door..eh..?

    ..and what do we get..?

    ..we get parker promising to shred that social net/contract even further..

    ..with the hobson’-choice of either a higher pension age..or a raise in gst..

    ..both options a further kick in the guts for those most in need..

    ..and a labour party that refuses to speak of the real poor/poverty..

    ..you watch ardern..

    ..media ask her about poverty/labour policies/ideas..

    ..and she is out of that room like a scalded cat..

    ..all the labour party will ever speak of..

    ..is ‘the working-poor’..

    ..now..do i find all this totally dismaying..?

    ..yes..yes i do..

    ..phillip ure..

    • marty mars 4.1
      27 December 2013 at 10:04 am

      Very true Phil – personally if i never hear ‘fair deal’ again it will be too soon…

      • Will@Welly 4.1.1
        27 December 2013 at 3:53 pm

        Labour had the opportunity to have a good clean out in it’s 9 years in power, but they couldn’t achieve that. If Labour do win, there are some who will want to hang on for another 3 – 6 or 9 years, just because they think they can.
        The problem facing Labour today, is Labour is full of too many middle class people, and too many academics. Poverty to them is an “exercise”, not something they actually relate too.

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1
          27 December 2013 at 4:18 pm

          Parliamentarians are by definition, the 1%. If you want to keep them working for you, you have to apply constant pressure and demands on them.

          After all, that’s what the corporate lobbyists do.

          • marty mars 4.1.1.1.1
            27 December 2013 at 5:16 pm

            I’m not sure if all of them are the 1% – aren’t you trying to get in there? It seems to me that perhaps a small percentage of them are the 1%, like maybe 10% of them 🙂

            • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.1.1.1
              27 December 2013 at 5:23 pm

              🙂

              By Parliamentarians I meant MPs…and $150K p.a. base MP pay is in the top 1% to 1.5% of NZ income brackets.

    • joe90 4.2
      27 December 2013 at 10:41 am

      When a libertarian goes Randian.

      Stoked by his Wall Street success, Lampert plunged headlong into the retail world. Undaunted by his lack of industry experience and hailed a genius, Lampert boldly pushed to merge Kmart and Sears with a layoff and cost-cutting strategy that would, he promised, send profits into the stratosphere. Meanwhile the hotshot threw cash around like an oil sheikh, buying a $40 million pad in Florida’s Biscayne Bay, a record even for that star-studded county.

      Fast-forward to 2013: The fairy tale has become a nightmare.

      Lampert is now known as one of the worst CEOs in America — the man who flushed Sears down the toilet with his demented management style and harebrained approach to retail. Sears stock is tanking. His hedge fun is down 40 percent, and the business press has turned from praising Lampert’s genius to watching gleefully as his ship sinks. Investors are running from “Crazy Eddie” like the plague.

      http://www.alternet.org/economy/eddie-lampert-and-ayn-rand?paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark

      • aerobubble 4.2.1
        27 December 2013 at 11:44 am

        Rand talks about success as if the successful were superhuman, but capitalism will find those necessary to meet market needs and if you not it, someone else will be, and its therefore backwards to talk about winners making them the essential initiators of wealth. Hitler did something similar with evolution. Religion also makes the same mistake, putting humanity on top. It requires merging ignorance and distortion of origins and then apply a intellectual argument that otherwise would hold.

        She of course doesn’t represent all libertarians. In fact surely we are all libertarians when we believe in liberty, which I hope we all do. The civil libertarians defend, even for example, nazi’s right to free-speech, go figure. I’m wary of anyone who say libertarianism is wrong, just as wary as anyone who say every libertarian is right.

        Its certainly true now, that having proponents of free market theory on your board is going to hurt shareholder value.

        • Murray Olsen 4.2.1.1
          27 December 2013 at 7:33 pm

          During the Spanish Revolution, the POUM referred to themselves as libertarian communists. Reading Homage to Catalonia was my first experience of the concept of libertarianism and it did my head in a bit later when I saw it hijacked by people like Brash, Hide, and Perigo. While the POUM believed in liberation of the human spirit through collective endeavour, and a few puffs on the electric puha if that turned you on, modern libertarians believe in liberation of their bank balances by way of a militarised police force and private prisons. I think of myself as reasonably libertarian, but I have nothing in common with any of the selfish wankers who have hijacked the term these days.

        • Draco T Bastard 4.2.2.1
          27 December 2013 at 10:29 pm

          Libertarians believe in their liberty but when the solo slips show it reveals their disdain for our liberty.

          Or as I put it:

          Libertarians: Dictators hiding behind liberal values.

          And that is exactly what we see from both National and Act and probably UF although they’re more hiding behind sensible centrism.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.3
      27 December 2013 at 10:22 pm

      If that seems melodramatic, ask a libertarian/conservative this question: When will you know that your theory is wrong?

      hah, love it because they’ll never accept that their “theory” is wrong. Unfortunately, the same can be said of most economists.

      Lambert wanted Sears to teach the nation a lesson, and it did. Selfishness is one of the roads to dystopia.

      The nation needs to be reminded of that as well from every left leaning political party. The RWNJs just don’t believe it though and so will keep rolling out the dystopia that their policies bring about.

      Instead, the one consistent finding across all studies appears to be this: zones typically made money for one or more corporations, but the promised social benefit in jobs and income never materialized.

      And that inevitably applies to deregulation across the board, The rich and the corporations do well but society is worse off.

      The unaided needy. Selfishness run riot. A North America dotted with Third World colonies. And a blighted landscape where Others are subjugated to Owners.

      Came to that conclusion about property rights years ago. Greater property rights will, inevitably, result in more oppression of the poor by the rich.

  5. karol 5
    27 December 2013 at 8:56 am

    Just been reading through yesterday’s open mike discussion on education – very thought provoking discussion.

    I put a lot of value on the importance of education in its broadest sense: formal and/or informal, in education institutions or community based; abstract or practical. I’ve experienced all of them. I learned a lot in unis, but most of my political education was begun in the women’s movement in London and was community and volunteer-based.

    The latter were initiatives from a group of women who set up some workshops in low rent and basic community halls – seminars on things like Marxism and feminism, through which I first came into contact with the writings of Marx and the kinds of writing that followed, as well as learning about the long legacy of feminist politics.

    I’ve also learned a lot form discussions in online forums such as on TS.

    I’m all for following one’s own interests in reading (or listening or viewing) widely. However that requires access to written texts, either from public libraries or accessible digital technologies and internet connections (these days libraries also provide some of the latter).

    Also in depth learning requires more than reading, listening, or viewing selected texts – it requires debate and discussion and having your learnings challenged. Saw quite a bit of that on yesterday’s open mike.

    • phillip ure 5.1
      27 December 2013 at 9:39 am

      @karol..

      i found this one yesterday..

      “..The 24 Pieces That Should Be Required Reading For Women From 2013..”

      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/23/required-reading-2013-women_n_4473740.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

      “..for the second year in a row we’ve curated a list of pieces we felt reflected some of the most insightful female voices of the year..”

      phillip ure..

      • karol 5.1.1
        27 December 2013 at 10:14 am

        Thanks, phillip.
        Interesting list. Each article looks worthy in it’s own right, showing some crucial, but limited aspects of feminism. But overall, the articles tend to talk back to celebrity culture, and promote a feminism that accepts a lot of the wider “neoliberal”/capitalist structure.

        The only I article that stands out for me, going by the summary of each article, is the one by bell hooks: This is a must read for anyone wanting to understand what a left wing fminism is about.

        hooks critiques a very opular book that she labels “faux feminism” – I would characterise that book as a kind of “liberal feminsm” that doesn’t want to change the status quo, but just seeks an equal place for (largely) middle to upper income women within that structure/culture.

        An extract from hook’s piece:

        In her book, she offers a simplistic description of the feminist movement based on women gaining equal rights with men. This construction of simple categories (women and men) was long ago challenged by visionary feminist thinkers, particularly individual black women/women of color. These thinkers insisted that everyone acknowledge and understand the myriad ways race, class, sexuality, and many other aspects of identity and difference made explicit that there was never and is no simple homogenous gendered identity that we could call “women” struggling to be equal with men. In fact, the reality was and is that privileged white women often experience a greater sense of solidarity with men of their same class than with poor white women or women of color.

        Sandberg’s definition of feminism begins and ends with the notion that it’s all about gender equality within the existing social system. From this perspective, the structures of imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy need not be challenged. And she makes it seem that privileged white men will eagerly choose to extend the benefits of corporate capitalism to white women who have the courage to ‘lean in.’ It almost seems as if Sandberg sees women’s lack of perseverance as more the problem than systemic inequality. Sandberg effectively uses her race and class power and privilege to promote a narrow definition of feminism that obscures and undermines visionary feminist concerns.

      • RedLogix 5.1.2
        27 December 2013 at 3:06 pm

        Yah . thanks philip.

        There’s a lot of reading there, but a quick speed scan shows some of it rather beautiful and confronting at the same time.

        If nothing else it’s proof that feminism remains a vital and broad movement that defies neat pigeonholing.

    • Paul 5.2
      27 December 2013 at 10:46 am

      Agreed Karol.
      The only thing that spoils the Standard is the white noise created by all the right wingers, who only come here to disrupt intelligent debate and discussion.

      • phillip ure 5.2.1
        27 December 2013 at 11:24 am

        yeah paul..but they have their place in the grand scheme of things..

        ..not the least being the honing of arguments to rubbish/demolish their randite/neo-lib fallacies..

        ..they are the foils..

        ..and ‘free speech’ is far more important than mere ‘annoyance’..eh..?

        ..just consider/dismiss them as necessary-clutter..eh..?

        phillip ure..

  7. Tracey 7
    27 December 2013 at 9:50 am

    Yup paul. The barkers bought a “do up” for 2.1 m. Poor things. The writer makes it sound like they will do it all themselves. Its the journalism of envy… to keep us all on the treadmill for the vain belief that if we keep working hard we can get that too… interesting how many of the owners dont have what we might call ordinary jobs.

  8. Tracey 8
    27 December 2013 at 9:51 am

    Lets not forget the annual parade of the wealthy and entertaining over the volunteers in the new years honours list

    • Paul 8.1
      27 December 2013 at 10:00 am

      Have continued this conversation on Shop till you drop.

    • The Pink Postman 8.2
      28 December 2013 at 3:46 pm

      Now that will be very interesting Tracey,Because there may not be too much tine left for those National rich dicks to get their snob gong. Two more chances and with luck the Nat’s will be out./So who do you think will become Sir or Dame ?
      I would not be surprised if Phil. O’Grady is top of the list . Do you think Key will get his this year ?Don’t be surprised if he does , What is certain is that the majority will be very rich and most will be from the political right and far right. What a farce .
      My wise old grand mother always said only one title maters Gentleman and Lady in the true sense of course ,

  9. aerobubble 9
    27 December 2013 at 11:09 am

    Why does power switch not work for Waikato?

  10. jaymam 10
    27 December 2013 at 11:50 am

    Look at Google Images for “unidentified guest”. You’d never guess who the top images are about!

  11. Morrissey 11
    27 December 2013 at 2:30 pm

    An urgent ticker-tape from Hell
    Pete George needs assistance

    I have just received an email, ostensibly from Pete George, the well-known politico and ex- Standardista. I wonder if I should help out the poor fellow, who seems to be having rather a hard time of it….

    NEED YOUR HELP

    Good Morning,

    Just hoping this email reaches you well, I’m sorry for this emergency and for not informing you about my urgent trip to lugansk (ukraine) but I just have to let you know my present predicament. Everything was fine until I was attacked on my way back to the hotel, I wasn’t hurt but I lost my money, bank cards, mobile phone and my bag in the course of this attack. I immediately contacted my bank in other to block my cards and also made a report at the nearest police station. I’m physically OK and fine but I’m urgently in need of some money to pay for my hotel bills and my flight ticket home, will pay back as soon as i get back home.Kindly let me know if you would be able to help me out

    This disturbing letter was accompanied by a warning from the Gmail people: “Be careful with this message. It contains content that’s typically used to steal personal information.”

    How much money should I send Pete George? A grand? Five grand? Any ideas?

    • RedLogix 11.1
      27 December 2013 at 2:51 pm

      Scam unless absolutely proven otherwise.

      Besides the real PG would have included a turgid page and half of whinging on the latest perfidy at The Standard…

    • marty mars 11.2
      27 December 2013 at 5:21 pm

      smells scammy especially as I’ve seen that wording, word for word, before.

    • lprent 11.3
      27 December 2013 at 5:28 pm

      Got one of those this morning. Looks like PG’s email has been hacked. Virtually identical to several others over the years.

    • mickysavage 11.4
      27 December 2013 at 8:09 pm

      I received this email as well. I had a similarly worded email from Bob Harvey not that long ago. He was apparently in Mumbai and someone had stolen his wallet and yadeyadeyada …

      Happens all the time.

      Make sure your passwords are secure …

  12. Rodel 12
    27 December 2013 at 5:40 pm

    Don’t believe it….send PG an IOU…. but For emails like this, reply and ask a personal question that only the authentic person could answer.(Not birthday or grandma’s name)- say ‘what was the name of your second best friend..your 2nd pet? your teddy bear?’

    • veutoviper 12.1
      27 December 2013 at 7:50 pm

      BUT, but, but ….. would you know the name of PG’s second best friend , his 2nd pet, his teddy bear?

      Personally, I am very sceptical – I even had an email from God on Boxing day. What to do, what to do?

      I deleted it and cleared my Deleted box, so will never know what God had to say to me ……

      • Rodel 12.1.1
        27 December 2013 at 8:24 pm

        Don’t think PG had two friends.
        God has i think.

        • veutoviper 12.1.1.1
          27 December 2013 at 8:41 pm

          LOL!
          And I did not make the God email up – actually got it, despite very good spam block etc ….

          But, seriously now, had a look at PG’s websiteYyourNZ and he can’t be overseas anyway as he had a post up yesterday, suggesting that Clare Curran’s postion as Labour rep for Dunedin South may be in doubt. Supposedly according to an article (unlinked) in the ODT.

          That seems to be at odds with an email I got a few days ago from the Labour Party with a status report on selection of candidates for the 2014 election. This reported that both the Dunedin North and Dunedin South electorate candidate selections were currently uncontested with nominations closing on Feb 28.

          Hello, there CV – and anyone else down Dunedin way. What is your understanding of the current position?

          • Colonial Viper 12.1.1.1.1
            27 December 2013 at 10:47 pm

            VV. No one, including myself, has put in a selection nomination against Clare Curran that I know of. More I cannot say at this stage 😈

          • McFlock 12.1.1.1.2
            27 December 2013 at 11:11 pm

            only online odt hits are for half-sentence speculations in articles about Colin King, from Audrey Young pieces in the Herald.

            Upon which PG has apparently expanded into full posts? Big surprise. Interviewing his own eyelids, most likely

      • weka 12.1.2
        28 December 2013 at 12:11 am

        PG’s teddy bear is called Lynn 😈

        • lprent 12.1.2.1
          28 December 2013 at 1:54 am

          I’m aware that Pete has an unnatural fetish with me (as witnessed by his rants about almost anything that I have time to write). And on the odd occasion I have been known to see exactly how far I can twist him into a complete nutter state. However associating me with Theodore Roosevelt is a bit much…

          Of course because of the work over the last few months, the shaving has become its usual irregular thing. But my young great-nieces and great-nephews appear to think that makes me santa claus rather the bushy dark thing that Theodore used..

          (you do realise that the cadaver has no idea what I look like right?)

        • Rodel 12.1.2.2
          3 January 2014 at 11:08 am

          And God’s teddy bear……? is it DC?
          Then whose teddy bear is Cameron?

  13. lprent 13
    28 December 2013 at 4:01 am

    Test message. Testing updated server config.

    There is still a problem using public and private subnets… A mildly expensive problem when the spam attacks happen.

    • lprent 13.1
      28 December 2013 at 4:10 am

      Testing failure and fallback.

      Works fine – about 35 seconds from failure to access a web server to dropping to the backup web server. Main constraint is that I don’t want to do it too fast as we do normally get some spiky load.

      Next, see what I can do with the database server