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notices and features - Date published:
6:00 am, July 8th, 2010 - 15 comments
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The current rise of populism challenges the way we think about people’s relationship to the economy.We seem to be entering an era of populism, in which leadership in a democracy is based on preferences of the population which do not seem entirely rational nor serving their longer interests. ...
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Yesterday Gezza Brownlie told Youth Parliamentarians that if they didn’t like mining they should give up their walkmans. Those of us who were actually ALIVE when Sony introduced its revolution in personal entertainment chuckled. The kids just looked blankly at him. Classic.
In fairness to Brownlee (am I really saying that?) he corrected himself almost immediately.
Did anyone bother to point out to him that the issue with mining isn’t so much the act of digging but where we dig?
Saw a few comments about Brown and banks, and various Auckland buildings yesterday…..a thought occured. The new Mt Eden Prison looks just like a corporate office block. Draw your own conclusions with regard to function, form and occupancy.
And the suit is the voluntary uniform of all those other “inmates”?
Salary serf uniform perhaps, Italian shoes for the top end feudal henchmen? Just think at the end of 8 or more hours if you are good you get day leave.
Ahh… the gaping discrepancy between individualist ideology & conformist reality. Keep on rocking in the free world, eh?
As I’ve pointed out previously, the prison is halfway between Auckland Grammar and the Employers and Manufacturers Association. It’s always struck me that there is some weird synchronicity in that fact.
Physical and spiritual lay lines?
Watched the Minister of WINZ on Close-up the other night over an issue of an allowance that should probably not have been awarded. Those fixed steely looks she gave to questions by Sainsbury were accompanied by an assurance that an investigation would be held and there would be consequences within her department. The impression given was that her staff was at fault. The story didn’t appear to investigate thoroughly why WINZ was involved. One assumes that WINZ’s decisions were made on information provided by the client.
I would suggest all staff working in government departments work strictly to rule and even double check their decisions because their minister is going to dump on them if they get something wrong – she doesn’t appear to be the sort who would bat for them.
Government staffing is being pared back all the time yet, in the case of WINZ, the client base, through circumstances, is growing as the recession kicks in. Staff will be under more pressure to move people through the system. Mistakes will be made.
The responsibility for management of beneficiary numbers is the minister’s problem to solve.
So, East Timor has pretty much rejected Gillard’s proposal regarding the ‘Pacific Solution’ in East Timor:
http://www.theage.com.au/national/gillards-dili-solution-runs-into-regional-strife-20100707-100nx.html
And, Key has ‘expressed regret’ (again) for Russel Norman’s protest to Xi Jinping:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10657379
Katrina Shanks is a moron. She thinks people clubbing at 4am are drinking too much.
For a start, no they’re not. And also what the fuck does she expect people to do at 4am? There’s nothing happening at home.
The Gulf Oil heartbreaking mega-mega-Disaster is being downplayed and media are being excluded on pain of a felony offence which can lead to Prison.This link shows not for those easily upset-warning- the terrible sorrow for all the World’s living beings,but especially the Innocent wildlife of the Gulf This is not news as entertainment or pretty announcers-The Simon and Wendy show it is not.Only real news will enable us to act really in the World.
http://www.theamericansheeple.com/specialpublication.html
A real report on the mega Gulf Oil Disaster which potentially may affect the whole World eventually
http://rense.gsradio.net:8080/rense/special/rense_L_Williams_070110.mp3
This may be the biggest environmental disaster in human history.