Open mike 04/01/2011

37 comments on “Open mike 04/01/2011 ”

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1. joe90 1

   4 January 2011 at 7:48 am

   This from the PBS shows the differences between 2000 and 2010 Arctic ice with the 2010 version overlaid on the 2000 version.
   • Lanthanide 1.1

     4 January 2011 at 9:28 am

     In the overlay, the 2010 ice is yellow, the 2000 ice is green.
     • Zorr 1.1.1

       4 January 2011 at 2:06 pm

       That is a LOT of missing ice… >_<
     • Colonial Viper 1.1.2

       4 January 2011 at 2:40 pm

       the 2010 ice is yellow

       In that case, the most likely scenario is that someone has just pissed on the ice and melted some of it away.
   • Michael 1.2

     4 January 2011 at 9:23 pm

     Is there an overlay from 1900? or 1910? Or 1700? Comparing short term changes is fraught with difficulty. A cyclical cold winter (like the current northern one) could see more ice than 10 years ago.

     The problem with Climate Change is not that it will melt Artic ice packs, but that the intensity and frequency of climate events will increase slowly over time. Using short term data like this proves nothing. Using long term data (like over several thousand years) and comparing to the last 100 years will give us the answers to climate change.

     No, I’m not a skeptic (or denier), just someone who pays attention – Remember a 1 in 40 year event has to happen every 40 years. With the predicted Climate Change models, they will become 1 in 39 or 38 year events, with the outliers of events happening regularly.
2. jcuknz 2

   4 January 2011 at 9:11 am

   That is an interesting couple of pictures Joe90 …with a photo editing programme I am able to use layers to superimpose the 2000 picture on top of the 2010 version and the decline in ice cover becomes dramatic when one toggles the 2000 picture off. Also interesting to see where it is declining, my suprise is the lack of decline close to where I assume the Gulf Stream flows [ hope that is the right title for the current which keeps western europe warm flowing across the Atlantic] compared to the lost north of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Siberia..
   • joe90 2.1

     4 January 2011 at 12:48 pm

     More on Arctic sea ice, the effects of ocean acidification and the possible causes (re-posted below) of melting Antarctic sea ice.

     Disturbing news that deep sea up-wellings may be the cause of melting Antarctic ice.

     THE GIST

     * Oceans have been hiding a lot of Earth’s warming by burying it in the deep sea.
     * The deep waters are now surfacing and melting ice on the Western Antarctic Peninsula.
     * The trend means that we’re already locked into long term melting and sea level rise.
3. Draco T Bastard 3

   4 January 2011 at 9:21 am

   Crunch year for Labour leader
   So, in the interview Goff said My [unscientific] analysis of the Herald shows 520 pictures of John Key and 2 of Phil Goff. and the Granny actually addressed that with Herald records show that Mr Goff’s photograph appeared in the newspaper 27 times last year to 110 times for Prime Minister John Key.

   😆
   • Tigger 3.1

     4 January 2011 at 9:47 am

     Context matters here. How many times was Goff’s picture used to bash him or Labour?
     • Draco T Bastard 3.1.1

       4 January 2011 at 11:38 am

       Oh, the context would be very educating
       • Colonial Viper 3.1.1.1

         4 January 2011 at 1:50 pm

         Actually in the newspaper business, its all about columns and centimetre space. Would be fascinating to know how many cm^2 of photographs John Key had versus Phil Goff.

         I bet my bottom dollar that the average photo of Jonkey was two to three times as big as Phil, in terms of square centimetres.

         Therefore that photo ratio is not so much 4:1 in favour of Jonkey, but more likely towards 8:1 or 12:1.
         • Herodotus 3.1.1.1.1

           4 January 2011 at 2:27 pm

           To place balance on this would yo also have to do this investigation with Clark/English, Brash/Clark and Clark/Key?
           Then I imagine you would find that there is a consistency with the PM comming out on top.
           But the out and out winner would be Winny- exposure well above his standing.
           • Tigger 3.1.1.1.1.1

             4 January 2011 at 4:07 pm

             Precisely, which is why here I don’t believe number or size matter as much as the text that accompanied the picture.
           • Lanthanide 3.1.1.1.1.2

             4 January 2011 at 5:16 pm

             And, as Tigger notes, you’d have to check the context.

             How many stories with Key’s photos are stories about That Nice Man Mr Key, whereas stories with Helen’s photos were probably more about the government and what it was trying to achieve, rather than her personal life/image.
4. john 4

   4 January 2011 at 10:06 am

   More news from the U$ NeoLiberal disaster zone so admired and copied by our Privatizing (Read wealth solely in Private hands not Public!) masters ACTnat
   Healthcare Holocaust – The Final Solution?
   50.000,000 Americans without any healthcare
   Refer link:
   http://maxkeiser.com/2011/01/03/healthcare-holocaust-the-final-solution/#comments

   Scroll up to play video clip of Max’s commentary
   • Colonial Viper 4.1

     4 January 2011 at 11:02 am

     And that’s what happens when you build a system where healthcare comes from a job’s insurance benefits. You lose the job you lose your healthcare.

     And unemployment in the US is ~10%, and those others who are in part time work or low wage work generally have useless/non-existant healthcare insurance.

     A human disaster.

     In the world’s richest capitalist country.
     • jcuknz 4.1.1

       4 January 2011 at 12:47 pm

       Following the reversal of fortunes for the Democrats who introduced a sort of healthcare option we find the Republicans arriving in Washington hell bent on reversing the introduction. It is very sad for us watching from afar and really tragic for those Americans needing care.
       There is the point that, like here in New Zealand, if you are close to a hospital you will get free emergency care in the States. But that ignores a person’s need for elective surgery, doctors visits along with the cost of prescriptions if you can afford a doctor or find one to treat you for free. Another fly in the ointment is that an employer can get coverage for less than the individual with quite likely pre-conditions … a point which the Obama scheme was going to remedy I believe … so when you loose your job it is an uphill battle or impossible to get affordable coverage.
       On this subject I truely believe that the Republicans are barbarians.
       • joe90 4.1.1.1

         4 January 2011 at 1:00 pm

         Docs trying to avoid amputation for Zsa Zsa Gabor sums up whats wrong with the US health system. Now, if every immigrant found fame and fortune…
       • Logie97 4.1.1.2

         4 January 2011 at 1:02 pm

         Happy New Year to all.

         Just wanted to comment that the anti-spam is

         “HOSPITALS”

         @ DTB – Funny how the Herald gets tetchy when someone comments on accuracy.
         Fancy trawling through its pages for a year to tally respective photographs…
         particularly as it comes up with a figure that confirms imbalance.
         Perhaps if Phil was to start saying something radical he might get a few more photo-ops. Some would say that bad news can be good news.
         • Colonial Viper 4.1.1.2.1

           4 January 2011 at 1:15 pm

           Could do what Key does. Get a lieutenant to put some hard messages out there. If it doesn’t work well in the public arena – back off it, no probs.
       • Rosy 4.1.1.3

         5 January 2011 at 1:32 am

         I was talking with some American medical specialists a couple of months ago and some were very worried about how they would deal with poor/ethnic/less educated people eligible for care when the health care reforms were implemented. Some of the specialists really wanted to do the right thing but were unfamiliar with dealing with these issues, others didn’t want to know anything that might have made them rethink their prejudices. They should have been ashamed of themselves (but weren’t). I’m not sure that with revised insurance these poor people will get anywhere, some other barrier, like closed patient lists, will be created to prevent them getting care
     • M 4.1.2

       4 January 2011 at 1:14 pm

       CV, unemployment is way more than 10%, more like in the early 20s.

       I correspond regularly with a woman in Massachusetts and even though the New England states generally have better welfare etc she tells mde that in a lot of the government statistics people that are underemployed or have given up seeking work are merely dropped from the official numbers so as to make things seem not so dire.

       I reckon the same goes on here.

       Anti-spam: suspect
       • Lanthanide 4.1.2.1

         4 January 2011 at 1:19 pm

         Yes, the official US Government figures distort reality by a large amount.

         Unemployment in the US is at about 17% or 23%, depending on what flavour of unofficial stat you want to believe.

         http://www.shadowstats.com/
       • Colonial Viper 4.1.2.2

         4 January 2011 at 1:26 pm

         Yeah correct, you have to add in the underemployment and “discouraged worker” statistics it is dire nationally, and in certain states it is catastrophic. The numbers are officially tracked however (to some extent), just often not reported in the US MSM.

         Here you can see that the most complete underemployment rate (U-6) for Oregon, Michigan, California, Nevada are all at or over 20%.

         http://www.bls.gov/lau/stalt.htm

         On the upside, the US has over 400 billionaires, I think we should be happy for them and bask in their reflected brilliance. There is no doubt that they are much smarter and harder working than the rest of us and deserve their rewards. Even if it is made on the back of their fellow citizens losing their houses and other assets to wage suppression, financial speculation and banking foreclosure rorts.

         Face it, if we each took responsibility for our lives and got on with things, we too would each be billionaires. A bit of hard work and perserverance is all it takes, people.

         And certainly we would not want to engage in any politics of envy, greed or class. No siree, that would just be disrespectful of the ruling class.

         captcha: FED

         [I want to see a vigorous round of forelock tugging to round that one out CV, otherwise we might get accused of ‘hating’ some real important toffs …RL]
         • M 4.1.2.2.1

           4 January 2011 at 9:13 pm

           ‘On the upside….’

           Exquisite sarcasm CV, ten points – good link too.
         • Armchair Critic 4.1.2.2.2

           4 January 2011 at 9:27 pm

           Face it, if we each took responsibility for our lives and got on with things, we too would each be billionaires
           or, alternatively, with a bit more quantitative easing…..
     • Vicky32 4.1.3

       4 January 2011 at 4:12 pm

       I have been reading a thread about healthcare costs on the self-proclaimed ‘tin-foil hat site’ (ATS.com) and it’s well scary…
       $95,000.00 for an aortic stent procedure such as my son who works as a cardiothoracic nurse in Welly, described to me the other night. A procedure so traumatising that I would probably refuse to have it, as it’s awake surgery… Then to have to pay phone numbers for the privilege!
       Deb
       • jcuknz 4.1.3.1

         4 January 2011 at 6:29 pm

         What is the difference between and “aortic stent procedure” and what I had?
         I have e-mailed my medical friends for an answer, but they are so busy looking after the sick I may not get an answer for some time.
         But my memory of receiving a double stent a few years back, one of the later models with a sleeve to avoid the heart growing back into it and blocking it again, I had to wait three weeks in hospital for it to arrive from the States, is that compared to open heart surgery it is a piece of cake, which I also had had around 18 years previously. Yes I was awake throughout it and the worse part was when I had to hold a heavy weight on my groin for at least fifteen minutes after the ‘tube’ [whatever] had been removed back in the ward. This is to stop the possible bleeding from a major artery needed for access to the heart. As they did the procedure I was able to watch on a monitor and things wiggled around inside my heart .. it was most interesting and compared to open-heart surgery really nothing to worry unduely about. Obviously we are always concerned when in hospital to some degree but a stent isn’t a thing to worry about and a valuable economic way of solving heart problems.
         The other angle is that eight years later I am still alive and moderately active thanks to the stents with the hospital not checking up on me :-).
         • Vicky32 4.1.3.1.1

           4 January 2011 at 6:50 pm

           From what you say, jcuknz, it’s the same thing… and maybe my comments reveal my horror at the idea of having a catheter inserted via the femoral artery, and then having to be awake while it happens.
           Obviously, as you’ve experienced it, you have better knowledge than I do… I have heard from a man who had a quadruple bypass that open heart surgery makes you feel as if you’ve been run over by a B-double!
           My son was talking about it the other night, when he had a double career first – the patient was back on the ward, and started to bleed – all over my son! As he put pressure on her wound, he pressed the vagus nerve, and she followed up the blood with projectile vomiting…
           Being vomited and bled on was a first for him in his two and a half years of nursing – yes, he has been jolly lucky! 🙂 Not half as lucky as I am hearing these horror stories – at least he phoned at 23.30, so I was long finished eating!
           Deb
           • Vicky32 4.1.3.1.1.1

             4 January 2011 at 6:57 pm

             However, jcuknz, I am sure you will agree with me that our health system is infinitely preferable to one where you would have been presented with a bill for $95,000.00 afterwards!
             Deb
             • jcuknz …

               5 January 2011 at 9:32 am

               I definitely do agree with you there Deb. Though the point is that if you are having the procedure you have insurance to pay … if you didn’t have insurance you would be outside struggling to stay alive, at least here we simply have to wait our turn. Though unfortunately this means that the worst cases get treated first and the whole concept of preventive medicine has flown out the window.
               .
               Since being aneasthetised is a part way step to death, and while I have confidence in the skill of the aneasthetists, there is an element of risk, so I think staying awake with pain killers is preferable. Though I must admit I was rather nervous when I had an eye cateract done and watched it happening, or at least a blurred impression of what was going on around me. I was ‘seeing’ with the eye they were working on because the other was covered. Here again it was not as bad as I had imagined 🙂
             • jcuknz …

               5 January 2011 at 9:41 am

               I think he is a little horror and he should have more consideration for the feelings of his dear mum than relate such things to you. They are for the nurse’s rest room not in the outer world.
   • john 4.2

     5 January 2011 at 3:20 am

     Healthcare Holocaust in Wonderful America, the country our ACTnat so called government looks up to for tips!The leader of the Capitalist World my God! Is Obama a Nazi in terms of the deaths resulting from 50,000,000 not covered by health support!?

     Marc Authier:

     “Hey. It’s only me has the right to say the N word. I bought the rights for the N word. No it’s not the N word you think it is. Quite ironic indeed. And of those 50 million without health insurance under Lord Obanana, 43 million are ALSO on food stamps. Yeap Freakin Naz indeed.

     Socialize the pain and the loss (of home, of life, of job, of assets, of pension fund) and privatize the profits. It’s part of the game plan. Finally 10 years from now USA will indeed be quite similar to China. It’s quite an adequate definition of fascism.
     Only the nasty things and negative things are shared with the people. The gravy train is for the chosen people at Goldman Sachs.”

     http://maxkeiser.com/2011/01/03/healthcare-holocaust-the-final-solution/#comments
5. Colonial Viper 5

   5 January 2011 at 12:45 am

   Dairy Industry Contributes $3.6b to Economy

   So be grateful, dammit.

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/4508171/Dairys-3-6b-contribution-to-NZ-economy

   Haven’t read the report, but I’ll assume for now that it didn’t take into account the cost of externalities. Usage of fresh water, pollution generated, greenhouse gas emissions etc.

   Nevertheless, a good report for Fonterra to do some political lobbying with (which is why it was commissioned).

   So let’s break with the New Zealand tradition of cutting down our tall poppies. Let’s celebrate our dairy industry’s success on the global stage, and appreciate Fonterra and the dairy industry as an achiever that makes a difference to our everyday lives.

   Andrew Ferrier is Fonterra’s chief executive.

   Hmmmm, who is the tall poppy being referred to here.
6. Colonial Viper 6

   5 January 2011 at 2:07 am

   Guess where the Head of the Free World Has Been Holidaying Over New Year

   For two weeks.

   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/01/AR2011010102741.html

   HONOLULU — President Barack Obama spent the first day of 2011 with his family, enjoying the sunny, warm Hawaiian weather.

   FFS
   • felix 6.1

     5 January 2011 at 9:26 am

     It’s ok, he has plenty of security to keep fawning groupies like Key away.

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1. The Standard: posted on 3 January 2011 at 5:03 pm

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