Open mike 08/08/2010
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6:00 am, August 8th, 2010 - 14 comments
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John Key states that the Household Labour Force Survey which recorded a sharp rise in unemployment to 6.8 per cent yesterday is “notoriously volatile”.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10664100
Yeah, right. That is just what a financial nerd would say.
Consulting wikipedia ..
“In finance, volatility most frequently refers to the standard deviation of the continuously compounded returns of a financial instrument within a specific time horizon. It is used to quantify the risk of the financial instrument over the specified time period. Volatility is normally expressed in annualized terms, and it may either be an absolute number ($5) or a fraction of the mean (5%).”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatility_(finance)
Is he referring to the standard deviation of the continuously compounded rate of unemployment ? Probably, but where is the data ?
If he just means that it is moving about all over the place .. but the Elysian fields of constant Cornucopia are just around the (next) corner .. why does he not say so ?
Plain English lessons should be compulsory for politicians.
I think what he is referring to is that the HLFS is a poll. Much like a political one come election time it is not accurate merely the best estimate of where unemployment is at. It has a margin of error of + or – .5%.
Relevant to last months I Owe My Soul .to the Company Store post, some images.
Bledisloe Cup
I appreciate that Sport has its own media outlets but I am sure that a few passing this site follow the national game.
Two games this year involving the All Blacks were influenced by the sending off of players.
In the Irish game a player was despatched for attempted use of a knee in a ruck. The fact that he failed in his endeavour was irrelevant – he was rightly sent off for foul play.
The Australian game in Melbourne, last week, saw a player red carded for a time wasting move – knocking the ball from a player’s hand to prevent a possible quick throw in.
Last night we saw a deliberate “off the ball” act of cowardice and thuggery by an All Black – with the potential to have broken an opponent’s back – and he just got a telling off.
Perhaps the South African coach’s assertions recently of officialdom’s bias towards New Zealand teams has some merit.
I heard Pine Tree legs and another rugby biggie in a discussion on rugby on RADNZ . Someone had been yellow carded I think and there was criticism that the game was being over-reffed – the term ‘a bit of bash and biff’ was mentioned. Also a mention of playing rugby like girls was made by someone, and a bit of backtrack was made admitting that girls do play rugby now.
Anyone else think that the country would dive over the line with the ball if we gave our allegiance to a less bruising and more tactical game?
Yes well perhaps the luck of the whistle has swung in NZ’s favour a little lately. Nothing more nothing less.
And anyway, who cares about the south africans complaining and making accusations of cheating and corruption? They deserve everything they suffer for their own cheating and carrying on for decades. Anyone remember the state of refereeing in 1976? Or the food poisoning in the world cup final? South Africans have outstripped everyone else in the cheating stakes. Its perhaps called karma.
vto –
Kaplan is a South African referee so I don’t get your point. More importantly you seem to be countenancing Woodcock’s thuggery.
Thank goodness it wasn’t a Northern Hemisphere referee though – Woodcock would have been history – and then the Kiwi public would have been bleating, just like they tried to blame Barnes for spotting McAllister’s poorly disguised thuggery in the 2007.
Hopefully the methods of the likes of Woodcock and co are being noted and will be exposed and punished in the tournament that means most to New Zealand…
At long last Labour is starting to look like an opposition party. Congratulations.
The sad state of the MSM continues unabated with Stuff and Granny leading with “ooooo, naughty Phil said the s-word”. Puerile.
Still, kudos to Goff, he’s in the media spotlight looking like a leader, which is what Labour needs. Now he needs to keep his profile up through to the election. Compared to John Key, who continues the clown routine with his look at me in a silly shirt routine. Very prime-ministerial, John. Not.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/cartoons/
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. A cartoonist’s sharp pen highlights the truth so very well sometimes. Of course it will go straight over the heads of Hone’s apologists such is the distance they have their heads up their arses.
Imagine if Act MP Garrett had said what Hone said……………
pathetic
Wasn’t he at Orewa when he said that?
Phil Goff going up in preferred PM listing. That’s good. It is a low percentage but then the incumbent always shows up better unless there is some great foul-up.
Can’t remember if Colmarbrunton or TV has the more reliable count.
The most astounding video I’ve seen in a while.
The first minute is the warm-up so to speak.