Open mike 05/03/2015

51 comments on “Open mike 05/03/2015 ”

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1. Paul 1

   5 March 2015 at 6:10 am

   John Key really has destroyed our independent foreign policy.
   We send our soldiers to fight for the US in Iraq to be part of their club.

   And we spy on our friends and neighbours and pass on all that information to Key’s US masters.
   Sneaky spying. That required guts, Mr Key.

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11411730
   • Paul 1.1

     5 March 2015 at 7:19 am

     The PM declined to be interviewed on RNZ.
     Gutless.
     • Paul 1.1.1

       5 March 2015 at 7:21 am

       For some bizarre reason, Espiner uses the opportunity to grill Little about this.
       Why not ask some hard questions about Key not fronting, Mr Espiner.
       Such a Tory and corporate lackey.
       No wonder RNZ is losing listeners.
       • ScottGN 1.1.1.1

         5 March 2015 at 8:17 am

         Little handles Espiner with increasing aplomb these days.
         It was interesting to hear Little say he was unaware of the breadth of the surveillance undertaken which seems to suggest that the government is only providing the Leader of the Opposition with the bare minimum of intelligence they can constitutionally get away with.
   • Molly 1.2

     5 March 2015 at 9:37 am

     Thanks Paul.

     TBH my response to John Key is that he living down to my expectations.

     But I get a positive burst of admiration for those involved: Glenn Greenwald, Edward Snowden and Nicky Hager and David Fisher.
     • Chooky 1.2.1

       5 March 2015 at 10:02 am

       +100 Molly
2. logie97 2

   5 March 2015 at 7:01 am

   Pythonesque really – Australia still dealing to Afghanistan.
   Sorry people it’s just cricket but it is another case of the Bournemouth gynaecologists versus the Long John Silvers eleven. So Australia made the biggest score of world cup cricket ever. And it’s headline news. Mmmmmm.
   • Paul 2.1

     5 March 2015 at 7:22 am

     Better for the capitalist media to talk about that than stuff that really matters.
     That might make people question what is going on…..
   • marty mars 2.2

     5 March 2015 at 8:25 am

     yeah had to laugh – I wonder what the money made around the world on these ‘games’ get used for – wouldn’t surprise me if it was a closed loop – weapons cost and so does ammunition and ‘intelligence’.
3. amirite 3

   5 March 2015 at 7:28 am

   Another day, another fawning, vomit-inducing article on Key. Also showing students as superficial, shallow, money-chasing monkeys. Gah!

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/66968082/selfies-in-vogue-as-pm-calls-on-oweek-crowd
   • Paul 3.1

     5 March 2015 at 7:34 am

     Narcissism.
     Key’s ally.
   • Clemgeopin 3.2

     5 March 2015 at 9:49 am

     From the link:

     * And he found plenty of fans when he stopped in to O-Week festivities at the University of Waikato.

     “Doing good, cuz. Good job running the country, John,” a student called.

     It wasn’t long before other students realised the prime minister had arrived, and flocked to him for a photo.

     National supporter Jamie Braithwaite, 18, was stoked to meet Key for the first time – and get the photo to prove it.

     “I support National so it was really cool meeting him,” she said. “I was like ‘Oh hi’ but then I got really nervous.”

     Rajbir Singh, 22, also managed to get herself a shot with Key.

     “It’s pretty exciting. He came to little old Hamilton . . . It’s a good way to interact with him.”
     Key told the students:

     —————–

     * The mass of smartphone selfies was a big difference from Key’s uni years at Canterbury.

     “We weren’t taking a lot of selfies because we didn’t have phones that were capable – in fact we didn’t have phones,” he said.

     —————

     * When Key made it to the mic at the centre of O-Week festivities for a brief speech,
     he told the students

     “you’ve got the best rugby team in the country” and assured them the Government was working to deliver a strong economy.

     —————
     • felix 3.2.1

       5 March 2015 at 12:03 pm

       “* The mass of smartphone selfies was a big difference from Key’s uni years at Canterbury.

       “We weren’t taking a lot of selfies because we didn’t have phones that were capable – in fact we didn’t have phones,” he said.”

       I’m amazed he can remember such detail from his uni days considering that he can’t remember the fricking SPRINGBOK TOUR.
4. gsays 4

   5 March 2015 at 7:42 am

   hi all its kinda crowd source time.
   i originally posted this last night but would like to do it here today.

   i wish to send a letter to the baywide crew asking a few questions re the payment of fines and accountability issues.

   a few questions:
   how to word it without it falling into ‘thats an employment issue and its none of yr business…’
   to whom to address it.

   here is a rough draft, i welcome input from y’all.
   (I will use capitals etc in the proper one)
   dear so and so,
   i wish to seek reassurance that the members/clients of the credit union will not be contributing to the recent fine imposed by the employment tribunal following the ms hammond affair.
   i also humbly request an broad indication from you what consequence the people involved can expect. (not intimate details, as i accept following this confidentiality is to be upheld.
   i look forward to your response.
   my name etc.
   • weka 4.1

     5 March 2015 at 10:15 am

     Credit Unions are owned by members so technically the members will be paying the fines. Unless the individuals involved are? Can’t remember the details of the decision. Maybe you could be more specific about what you mean by members not paying.
     • gsays 4.1.1

       6 March 2015 at 9:20 am

       hi weka, upon re reading my missive it is a little vague (i blame the scrumpy and a head of steam).
       by members i mean the depositors. i accept that ultimately we will pay as the executives salaries come from the depositors, however i feel the executives should be penalized financially if there is to be a punitive effect to this $168,000 finding.
       • weka 4.1.1.1

         6 March 2015 at 10:30 am

         Looking at TRP’s comments in this link, it seems that the CU is paying not the employees. So yes, members are paying.

         http://thestandard.org.nz/dim-post-on-that-168k-cake-story/#comment-979713

         The members own the credit union, and are the same as the depositors. You can’t have an account without being a member (at least that’s how Credit Union Otago works).

         Given that the CU is paying, I would probably phrase it more as an open question.

         Dear sir/madam,

         As a member of the Baywide CU, I have two questions about the recent HRC case.

         Can you please provide an explanation about how the CU is going to pay the fines, and how this will impact on the running of the CU and on the members?

         I also humbly request an broad indication from you what consequence the people involved can expect.

         yours etc.

         Thinking about TRP’s comment and how the CU is structured, it would be interesting to see what role the members have in determining employment policy. I agree attending the AGM is a good idea.
5. AsleepWhileWalking 5

   5 March 2015 at 8:42 am

   **BREAKING NEWS**
   The Chinese have billboards putting forward the RNB as the new world reserve currency. Back on point….perhaps it’s time NZ view the US as a nation who’s time has passed and get into position for the new world leader, China.

   http://www.sovereignman.com/trends/the-chinese-have-put-out-billboard-ads-announcing-the-renminbi-as-the-new-world-currency-16318/
6. Philip Ferguson 6

   5 March 2015 at 8:44 am

   Some good examples from across the ditch of the kind of workers’ resistance we need a lot more of here: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/05/workers-in-control-some-good-examples-from-across-the-ditch/

   Phil
7. Molly 7

   5 March 2015 at 9:34 am

   Carter Holt Harvey cladding – the disaster continues: today’s Herald article.
8. miravox 8

   5 March 2015 at 9:43 am

   Housing Corp redevelopment

   89 state homes were bowled and, in their place, a new subdivision named Riverside Gardens was started… Of the 150 new homes, Housing NZ would buy about 20 of them to use as state homes.

   It looks great, but I wonder where the other 69 families have gone and why the redevelopment couldn’t have be done for them?
   • millsy 8.1

     5 March 2015 at 12:44 pm

     Getting rid of low income Maori/Pasifika families and replacing them with young white middle class professional couples who got their deposit from mummy and daddy.

     Ethnic cleansing without the guns.
9. The Murphey 9

   5 March 2015 at 10:02 am

   https://theamericanscholar.org/flacking-for-big-pharma

   Drugmakers don’t just compromise doctors; they also undermine top medical journals and skew medical research

   But in 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association flipped the HRT script when it published the unspun results of a Women’s Health Initiative study of 16,000 U.S. women on HRT. The drugs in Premarin and Prempro elevated the risk of the diseases they were intended to prevent, resulting in a 41 percent increase in stroke risk, a 29 percent increase in heart attack risk, a 26 percent increase in the risk of breast cancer, and a 22 percent increase in cardiovascular disease risks. These revelations about the dangers of HRT prompted many doctors to withdraw most of their patients from its drug regimens. However, Wyeth persisted in “educational” efforts, such as seminars directed at defecting doctors—some scripted by the ghostwriters of DesignWrite.

   http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/31/business/31drug.html?_r=0

   No more ‘goodies’ for Doctors from drug makers
   • Chooky 9.1

     5 March 2015 at 10:04 am

     +100 The Murphey
10. The Murphey 10

    5 March 2015 at 10:11 am

    The Jonas Salk Polio Vaccine: A Medical Breakthrough or a Propaganda Campaign for Big Pharma?

    The release of the polio vaccine prompted criticism. In December 1960, a health news magazine called the ‘Herald of Health’ published a crucial report titled ‘The Great Salk Vaccine Fiasco: Misuse of statistics, blackout of vaccine cases, cited by eminent Chicago doctor’ By Ernest B. Zeisler, M.D. (which can be found at http://www.vaclib.org) who disagreed with Dr. Salk’s claims that the vaccine was safe or even useful against polio. Dr. Zeisler wrote a personal note to the publisher of the magazine M. S. Arnoni and told him that “No newspaper, periodical or medical journal will touch this. Many authorities in this field agree with me, and some have written me to say so and to congratulate me for what they call my ‘courage.’But no medical man will agree with me publicly”.

    The field trial itself had violated the cardinal principles of scientific procedure. As said by Brownlee in the Journal of the American Statistical Association:

    “. . . 59 per cent of the trial was worthless because of the lack of adequate controls. The remaining 41 per cent may be all right but contains internal evidence of bias in favor of the vaccinated. .. The reviewer . . . would point out that gamma globulin was triumphantly proclaimed effective by the National Foundation after a similar trial . .
    • Colonial Rawshark 10.1

      5 March 2015 at 11:02 am

      As an aside, polio vaccinations are far less effective in nations where children are distressed and malnourished. Even multiple doses will sometimes fail to provide any significant protection to those children.

      No surprise that the immune system can’t respond adequately if it is being starved.

      Or that research done on well off white kids in well off suburbs don’t pick things like this up. As I say – each vaccination has to be judged on its own merits, and within its own context. Any blanket up or down perspective is an unscientific perspective.
      • Northshoredoc 10.1.1

        5 March 2015 at 1:12 pm

        There is a poorly understood ‘intestinal barrier’ to successful immunization of people in less developed countries who receive oral vaccines.

        It is posited that diminished immune responses in these areas (particularly two northern states in India) are correlated with poor sanitation, a high prevalence of diarrheal illness at the time of vaccination, competing enteric viruses and competition of type 2 with types 1 and 3 vaccine viruses.

        The most accessible overview of polio vaccination and the possible elimination of polio and cessation of immunisation is covered in the article below.

        http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/368/1623/20120140
      • McFlock 10.1.2

        5 March 2015 at 1:14 pm

        must be why my polio’s acting up again /sarc
    • Northshoredoc 10.2

      5 March 2015 at 12:54 pm

      A medical breakthrough.
11. Clemgeopin 11

    5 March 2015 at 10:32 am

    A thought provoking poignant story.

    One-in-a-million-baby-girl

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/life/66965628/One-in-a-million-baby-girl
12. AUDNZD 12

    5 March 2015 at 10:33 am

    https://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/26522702/gareth-hughes-puts-hand-up-for-green-leadership/ Will he win?
    • Skinny 12.1

      5 March 2015 at 12:42 pm

      Yeah I predicted Molly Hughes would throw his feathers in the nest. He does anger Key and Joyce for some strange reason. He should have contested the By-Election since there already is cut throating.
13. weka 13

    5 March 2015 at 10:35 am

    Good article in the ODT by David Fisher on Snowden’s files showing NZ spying on its friendliest neighbours. GCSB going into full take collection, and article raises issues of NZers living in Pacific countries given GCSB isn’t supposed to spy on NZ citizens. The NZ PM and chief spy tell predictable lies at the end. Had to laugh at the spook saying they are subject to independent oversight.
    • Colonial Rawshark 13.1

      5 March 2015 at 10:59 am

      In the USA the FISA courts and Senate/House intelligence committees set up decades ago after the Church commission were supposed to provide “independent oversight.”

      They’ve been utterly compromised by the intelligence services and are now into the realms of “secret interpretations” of laws, which even law makers don’t know about and never intended.

      According to Bill Binney, Nancy Pelosi as a ranking member of one of those intelligence committees was briefed by the NSA on its mass collection programme sometime soon after 2001 and raised no substantial objections.

      Secret committees cannot provide democratic oversight.
14. Penny Bright 14

    5 March 2015 at 10:36 am

    I agree with my very good friend, State Housing tenant, and State Housing advocate Sue Henry – who says:

    “The key thing in life is to BE EFFECTIVE”

    Couldn’t agree more.

    Which is why I invested 4 hours last night – putting up anti-TPPA posters where THOUSANDS of people will see them.

    Penny Bright
    • greywarshark 14.1

      5 March 2015 at 12:43 pm

      Go for it Penny. Putting your Mahi where your mouth is.
15. Penny Bright 15

    5 March 2015 at 11:57 am

    I look forward to Labour candidate Willow-Jean Prime, building Labour’s profile and electorate base in the Northland by-election.

    More importantly, (for the best interests of the majority of New Zealanders, in my opinion) I look forward to Labour supporters exercising political maturity and understanding of ‘strategic’ voting under MMP, by ‘doing an Epsom’ and voting Winston Peters, in order to take Northland off National.

    Which will leave National with only 59 out of 121 MPs – and make it FAR more difficult to pass their pro-corporate / anti- worker / pro-WAR on the POOR legislation.

    I do hope Labour Party supporters in Northland are a lot more politically astute than some Labour Party supporters who ‘opine’ on this blog?

    Meant in a deadly serious, but caring way …..

    Penny Bright

    (Whom, arguably would have got FAR more ‘electorate’ votes when she stood against John Key in Helensville, had the ‘left’ understood ‘strategic’ voting under MMP?)
    • Chooky 15.1

      5 March 2015 at 1:23 pm

      +100 Penny …” voting Winston Peters, in order to take Northland off National.”
16. Northsider 16

    5 March 2015 at 12:02 pm

    For those interested in May 7th’s historic, and possibly last, UK of GB & NI General Election the pollster Ashcroft has published his latest findings.
    Labour and Tories neck and neck giving the SNP the balance of power.
    Scottish Labour will have the Last Rites read on election night.

    http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2015/03/campaign-state-play-plus-latest-marginals/
17. northshoreguynz 17

    5 March 2015 at 12:02 pm

    i’m beginning to agree with Chris Trotter more and more. Is this a good thing?
    http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2015/03/sorry-winston-why-labour-needs-to-stand.html
    • Murray Rawshark 17.1

      7 March 2015 at 4:22 pm

      No. It’s a bad thing to think that Trotter puts forward a coherent view. It changes week by week.
18. greywarshark 18

    5 March 2015 at 12:15 pm

    Radionz headline – NZ $ soars against …… Oh great. Just what we need. Slowly going down would be most efficacious and useful. Fat chance while the fat cats play amongst themselves.
    • greywarshark 18.1

      5 March 2015 at 12:28 pm

      Radionz this a.m.
      http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/20169683
      Are we heading towards a cashless society? ( 16′ 20″ )
      09:34 The head of the Australian National University’s School of Economics, Professor Rabee Tourkey believes physical cash will be phased out within a decade. He says it will likely be replaced by a government issued digital currency, similar to bitcoin, but fully centralised.
19. marty mars 19

    5 March 2015 at 12:18 pm

    just in case anyone wants/needs some culture

    http://www.maoritelevision.com/tv/shows/te-matatini-2015/S01E001/te-matatini-2015-live-web-stream-air
20. greywarshark 20

    5 March 2015 at 12:20 pm

    Some action is being taken by McDonalds to stop? injecting antibiotics into chickens as an automatic part of their rearing. The practice of using antibiotics as prophylactics started around 1958. Concern about antibiotic resistance has been around for a long time. It takes a long time to get a hearing about a necessary restraint or ban and then a dangerous lag before any reasonable, practical action is started.
    • Clemgeopin 20.1

      5 March 2015 at 1:17 pm

      Are you sure your are talking about McDonalds and not KFC?
      • greywarshark 20.1.1

        5 March 2015 at 1:25 pm

        @ Cklemgeopin
        I heard McDonalds and then I heard about chickens. So not sure whether I am right. But the takeaways all tend to have chicken wings etc now so could be McDonalds. For versimilitude? it would pay to check it oneself as I am trying to multi-taks and not being efficient at it!.
21. greywarshark 21

    5 March 2015 at 12:23 pm

    Interested in the plight of women who seem to receive les respect than cows?
    Tomorrow on Radionz there is an interesting interview.

    Coming Up on Nine To Noon
    10:05 am Friday 6 March: Sonia Faleiro
    In her latest book, 13 Men, award-winning Indian-born journalist and author, Sonia Faleiro investigates one of her country’s high profile rape cases, in which it was alleged a 20-year-old was gang raped under orders of the village council for falling in love with an outsider.
    Sonia Faleiro travelled to the isolated village in West Bengal and interviewed the victim as well as local villagers and the village council and found the media coverage of the story had been in many cases wrong, and the issues were far more complex than many realised.

    Sonia Faleiro has previously delved into the murky world of Bombay’s dance bars and has written for Vogue India, India Today and the New York Times. She a co-founder of Deca, a global journalists cooperative that creates long-form stories to read on mobile devices
22. Penny Bright 22

    5 March 2015 at 12:41 pm

    Quite frankly, in my considered opinion, neither you lprent nor Chris Trotter actually understand MMP and ‘strategic’ voting?

    I REALLY hope that Northland ‘ordinary left-leaning’ voters ‘get it’ and vote strategically for Winston Peters, whom, in my considered opinion, has the best chance of taking Northland off National.

    Because it seems, in my opinion, you folk are unable or unwilling to do the VERY basic maths?

    If National lose Northland – they will have only 59 out of 121 MPs – thus be ‘wing-clipped’ in the House, regarding the passage of legislation, for which they need 61 MPs?

    It’s not complicated.

    Why on earth would you not support giving this potential outcome – the best chance of success?

    By promoting voting Winston Peters for Northland?

    The Labour Party arguably can’t do / say that – but YOU could?

    So – why aren’t you – if you’re really opposed to this John Key led National Government?

    You are – aren’t you?

    Just asking ….

    Penny Bright
    • lprent 22.1

      5 March 2015 at 1:03 pm

      Quite frankly, in my considered opinion, neither you lprent nor Chris Trotter actually understand MMP and ‘strategic’ voting?

      The point that you don’t seem to understand is that strategic voting is a choice for voters. Parties shouldn’t be involved in subverting MMP for their party by reducing the choices offered to voters. That is a processs that is called “machine politics” and is basically a way of rorting voters.

      MMP is about providing choice to voters. That was what they voted for in 1993. What you and others fail to see is that you clearly don’t understand MMP from the voters perspective. You and others just seem to always want to screw the voters by removing their choices. It shows a singular ability to respect voters.

      If Winston and you clearly manage to explain those choices to the voters and convince them it is worthwhile, then they may vote that way. If they vote elsewhere as they did in the Te Tai Tokerau election, then the voters have made their choice and you and the other fantasy election fools should respect that.

      But I suspect that isn’t going to happen.
23. greywarshark 23

    5 March 2015 at 1:21 pm

    The Press Wednesday 25 February 2015 Section B1.
    Reports about refugees many from Syria, and their despair. in Greece and Italy. A quote from an Italian RW politician ‘Let them drown’. They are being deluged by desperate people. What assistance are such recipient governments being given by the world’s big war spenders which are causing much of the problem.

    The world can’t cope with the devastation, displacement and disruption of wars.

    Then there is the camel problem in Australia. They were imported then abandoned when cars took over. Instead of them being a source of revenue, manufactured goods and meat the various states seem to have done little intelligent resource planning and business development. Numbers estimated a decade ago were 500,000. They have attempted to control camel numbers, but haven’t succeeded and when camels started mobbing and damaging infrastructure in search of food and water a decade ago a mass cull killed 100,000.

    Now the camels are crazed by the increasingly hot weather and lack of water and ripping up irrigation, smashing Aboriginal people’s camps. They are in groups of 200, big and desperate, so scary. ‘They crashed through our troughs last week, buckled all the pipes, let the water out of the tanks, and ripped up fences.” That is on a 2.5 million hectare Mt Weld cattle station.

    The world can’t cope intelligently with the d..d…d.. above caused by climate change.

    Is it any wonder that some people are getting impatient even angry as others continue inaction, orate on lovely theories or sit around comparing each other’s belly fluff.

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