Open mike 06/12/2009

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, December 6th, 2009 - 13 comments
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Topics of interest, announcements, general discussion. The usual rules apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

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13 comments on “Open mike 06/12/2009 ”

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  1. Jenny 1
    6 December 2009 at 7:42 am

    Is TVNZ using censorship to protect “laddish” star?

    From stuff.co.nz 06/12/2009

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3130289/Colleague-condemns-Paul-Henrys-retard-remark

    “At Thursday night’s Attitude Awards, which honoured New Zealanders with disabilities, Williams received a round of applause when he said: “I completely disassociate myself from Paul Henry. I only wish he could be at nights like tonight, to be inspired by people with amazing attitudes.”

    “TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said the comments would likely be cut from the televised version of the awards (on TV One at 8.30am today) because the four-hour event would be “hard edited” to fit the timeslot.

    By CATHERINE WOULF – Sunday Star Times

  2. Craig Glen Eden 2
    6 December 2009 at 8:15 am

    I thought it was interesting that it was the ACC Fund and the Superfund that saved the Governments Financial arse as reported in Fridays Granny Herald.

    Now why on earth would you want to give your savings fund earner (ACC workers account) to someone else?

  3. Craig Glen Eden 3
    6 December 2009 at 10:12 am

    Sure but, if you open up the workers account to privatisation then you reduce the viability of the overall ACC scheme. Also the fund will not continue to grow and it will make the Government books look even worse to the likes of Standard and Poors. Why would any Government do that? Who profits from this coarse of action, certainly not the NZ tax payer.

  4. prism 4
    6 December 2009 at 11:20 am

    Book recently out. Interesting and enlightening about plight and position of White Russians whose standing in the world damaged by Russian propaganda. About (my regular interest) political machinations of Bolsheviks. Interview with authors mentioned how Goebbel based his methods on Russian guy. Mention of a Dr Charles Williams schooled in Timaru and Christchurch I think. Could speak 58 languages and travelled in Russia and reported the unattractive truth of events there. Was Foreign Editor for the Times. Think I’ve remembered that right. Also learned that Arthur Ransome was apologist for Bolsheviks, married to Trotsky’s daughter then did a flip-flop and wrote idyllic childrens book Swallows and Amazons, once very acceptable reading for good children. Isn’t life amazing.

    Hearing about how people from that time managed to survive and managed to escape and have a life of some quality may be instructive for us as we enter this century of upheaval that probably will dwarf the last one.

    See info on Radio NZ National Sunday Morning programme notes. ‘Russian at Heart Sonechka’s Story’ by Olga and John Hawkes, is published by Wily Publications Ltd.

    • Tiger Mountain 4.1
      6 December 2009 at 4:12 pm

      It is not a pleasant task being an apologist for any tainted group, but the scabby white russians would surely be near the end of any decent left activists list.

  5. the pinkpostman 5
    6 December 2009 at 3:45 pm

    These people not only survived, prisim but achieved and contributed to the countries that accepted them . History unfortunatly repeats itself. Jewish , Indians , ad nauseum ,it goes on and on. The fact that most of these people succeed is the reason why we should accept the Sri Lankan refugees, refused entry by son of a refugee John Key ..

    • prism 5.1
      6 December 2009 at 8:07 pm

      pp – I agree that we need to consider helping more refugees and not mutter about waiting in line. Our politicians get as stressed now about being taken over as in the early 19th century expecting to be invaded from China or Russia etc. We even turned away one young Sri Lankan girl who was wheeled off in a wheelchair. We sent an Iranian I think, back to his country under police escort in the 1980’s.

      I think we will have to concentrate on making some room for the people from Pacific islets likely to be swept away by tempests rather than just from sea level rises lapping at their toes – they are getting really anxious, and we are probably making soothing noises but that”s all. Sri Lankans need to have some sort of aid offer to help settle their Tamils not just a nice clearance to suit themselves.

  6. the pinkpostman 6
    6 December 2009 at 3:48 pm

    CORSO, OXFAM ,and SAVE THE CHILDREN RUN SECURE
    Buy a Goat ect schemes ,

  7. prism 7
    6 December 2009 at 7:57 pm

    It was all quiet on the blogger front. Who was watching the cricket I wonder?

  8. prism 8
    7 December 2009 at 9:12 am

    TM – This white Russian author says that they weren’t scabby. It was all part of a propaganda campaign where they were made scapegoats for bolshevik excesses.

    Maybe it would be interesting for you to read this book. What did Harold Williams have to say about it? Have you read this eminent NZ linguist (58 languages) who was Russian expert, Foreign editor for The Times, died in 1928. I’ve only just heard about him. Perhaps he didn’t play rugby.

  9. randal 9
    7 December 2009 at 12:17 pm

    cut to the chase.
    namely the 2025 report.
    all I hear is productivity and cutting government spending.
    now I may be a bvit thick but where is the connection between cutting government spending and productivity and furthermore when is the good dr brash going to give us his definiton of productivity.
    what does he mean.
    more goods per man hour.
    more sheep to the acre.
    more money for him.
    it would be handy for us all if we are supposedly deficient in economic understanding to know just exactly what is productivity according to dr brash and how do we do something about it.
    come on dr brash.
    tell us what your prescription is.
    just mouthing the same old words over and over would make even a liberal neo-con suspicious.

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