Open mike 14/05/2011

67 comments on “Open mike 14/05/2011 ”

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1. travellerev 1

   14 May 2011 at 7:13 am

   Just to keep you posted: TESCO, which owns the Fukushima plant has finally admitted that reactor no1 is in total meltdown and that they have been lying about the true state of affairs for a while.

   Added to that reactor 4 is leaning precariously and reactor 2 is leaking. But don’t worry because they are going to build huge tents around the reactors to stop the radioactive gasses from spreading.
   • Carol 1.1

     14 May 2011 at 7:22 am

     TESCO, which owns the Fukushima plant

     I thought you were esposing the REAL owner of the plant, then realised it’s a typo. TESCO is the UK supermarket chain, where I often shopped in my time in the UK. Fukushima is owned by TEPCO
     • travellerev 1.1.1

       14 May 2011 at 7:31 am

       Oh oops. my bad Of course it is TEPCO. duh. LOL
        
   • Lanthanide 1.2

     14 May 2011 at 10:39 am

     Um, they didn’t “admit” it had melted down. They confirmed, with more 1st hand evidence, that it definitely has, and the extent to which it had melted down.
     • Morrissey 1.2.1

       14 May 2011 at 12:06 pm

       Lanthanide, you have a credibility issue, with your seeming readiness to believe official pronouncements after this catastrophe.

       Only your good self, a few sad fools from the looney right blogosphere, and the utterly corrupt and disgusting CEO of Air New Zealand continue to express confidence in the integrity of the Japanese government and TEPCO.
       • Lanthanide 1.2.1.1

         14 May 2011 at 4:03 pm

         Where have I expressed confidence in the integrity of the Japanese government and Tepco?
2. Robert Atack 2

   14 May 2011 at 7:46 am

   http://www.fairewinds.com/

   VIDEO UPDATE: May 13th, 2011
   Fukushima – One Step Forward and Four Steps Back as Each Unit Challenged by New Problems. Gundersen says Fukushima’s gaseous and liquid releases continue unabated. With a meltdown at Unit 1, Unit 4 leaning and facing possible collapse, several units contaminating ground water, and area school children outside the exclusion zone receiving adult occupational radiation doses, the situation continues to worsen. TEPCO needs a cohesive plan and international support to protect against world-wide contamination.

   http://www.fairewinds.com/
   • logie97 2.1

     14 May 2011 at 8:04 am

     This is not a time or place to say “Told you so…” but it would be an excellent opportunity for Jim (RNZ voice of I’m-ever-so-humble-reasonable-boy-next-door-apologist-for-the-National-Party) Mora to get all his pundits who made their pro-nuclear comments at the time of the quake to now give us their opinions and he could start with the Penguin from the Kiwiblog. Just another instance of how wrong and uninformed Farrar can be. Perhaps it’s time he was dropped from the show completely

     (Sorry but cannot find link to the Afternoons panel – but it was within a couple of days of the tsunami)
     • travellerev 2.1.1

       14 May 2011 at 8:27 am

       Yes, and for Rob Fife to retract his statements about how bloggers and irresponsible newspaper journalists make the Fukushima disaster worse than it really is.
       • Lanthanide 2.1.1.1

         14 May 2011 at 10:50 am

         With respect to aircraft flying in to Japan, Rob Fyfe was completely correct.
         • Morrissey 2.1.1.1.1

           14 May 2011 at 12:08 pm

           No, he was not.
     • prism 2.1.2

       14 May 2011 at 9:07 am

       logie97 – Funny – your description of Jim Mora. Him to a ‘t’.
     • Morrissey 2.1.3

       14 May 2011 at 12:34 pm

       Here ya go, logie97….

       Open mike 31/03/2011
   • Robert Atack 2.2

     15 May 2011 at 12:31 pm

     TEPCO learned about the water level of the pressure vessel after workers who entered the reactor building beginning Tuesday adjusted a water-level gauge. Previously, the reading of the water level had remained almost unchanged at about 1.6 meters below the top of fuel rods since immediately after the outbreak of the crisis at the plant following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

     After adjusting the gauge, workers found the actual water level was more than 5 meters below the top of the fuel rods. As the fuel rods are about 4 meters long, they are considered to have been fully exposed above the cooling water, TEPCO said. …

     At the bottom of the steel pressure vessel, which is 16 centimeters thick, the water level is believed to stand at a maximum of only about 4 meters, TEPCO said. The company believes that most of the 190 tons of water injected every day is leaking from the pressure vessel, which is likely to be damaged more seriously than previously thought.

     http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/13/975709/-Confirmed:-Fuel-rods-at-Fukushima-reactor-have-mostly-melted-Taxpayer-funded-bailout-announced
3. Herodotus 3

   14 May 2011 at 8:33 am

   Our most successful export !!!!
   Poor wages, decreasing living standards and we export our money !!
   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10725469
4. joe90 4

   14 May 2011 at 8:42 am

   The Atlantic: How perpetual war became U.S ideology.
   • Draco T Bastard 4.1

     14 May 2011 at 1:17 pm

     Seems to be missing the first 100 years or so. The US has effectively been in a state of perpetual war ever since it’s founding. There hasn’t been any sudden or radical change in their policy in the last two decades. What has changed is that more people know about the US military interventions at the time that they’re happening than before due to the networking (local and global) that the internet and other modern communications methods have allowed.
   • joe90 4.2

     14 May 2011 at 3:23 pm

     Dirty Fucking Hippies WERE RIGHT!
5. Terry 5

   14 May 2011 at 9:06 am

   The leading candidate for the Maori Party now seems to be Pita Tipene Chairperson of the Ngati Hine Forestry Trust, he is from Ngati Hine.
    
   At best any Maori Party candidate would end up at around10%. Kelvin from Labour at most would sit around 30%, while Hone and Mana would at least be around the 60% mark in the June 25 By Election.
    
   The Maori Party is politically mortally wounded in the North, and shall become of no electoral relevance in the North.
    
   When you stand Hone against Kelvin, Hone and Mana win hands down with the Maori Party candidate performing extremely badly.
    
   The Northern Advocate Newspaper ran an online poll yesterday, it had120 votes.
    
   Hone Mana Party 77%
   Kelvin Labour Party 18%
   Maori Party Candadiate 5%
    
   The newspaper also under took a street poll through Northland. Mr Brown said “he had not voted in the 2008 general election, but had since grown to admire Mr Harawira”, Ms Mare 63 said she voted for the Maori Party in 2008 “because of Hone.”, “What he says he does,” pledging a switch to Mana. Grace Takimoana said “…I voted for Labour last time, but they haven’t got much hope with their new leader.”
    
   In the last General Election Hone had a resounding 32% majority over Kelvin, Hone’s electorate vote grew about 10% in 2008, while the Maori Party vote decreased by 1.3%. Combine that with the Advocate poll result the trend is clear Hone has grown support while the Maori Party has lost support.
    
   I heard there may have been around 16 at the Maori Party Waitangi hui, that should have been the story of the day. Further the president Pam Bird of the Maori Party dismisses Maori youth our future leaders. In a poll during the last election 70% of the voters in the electorate wanted the Maori Party to work with Labour, not National. Do not forget the New Zealand First backlash for going into government with National, the seats were basically wiped out.
    
   Polling prior to the 2008 election from Maori Television poll had some interesting numbers;
    
   Only 20.6% surveyed said Kelvin Davis could be trusted, 21.2% to deliver on his promises. When you move on to he knows the needs of local people Kevin performs badly again at 16.2%.When it comes to leadership Kevin only manages 19.2%. The survey about who has personality Kelvin scores 11.2%, while Hone scores 71.4%.
    
6. Alan 6

   14 May 2011 at 9:21 am

   The murkiness continues – http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pike-river-mine-disaster/5004587/Victims-families-tell-authorities-to-go-into-Pike-River-mine

   Police say it’s still too dangerous to enter the mine – after 5 months? Who do they think they’re kidding? And, ‘two or three months to enhance the latest images’?

   Conspiracy theories aside, it’s looking very much like someone’s hiding something.
   • prism 6.1

     14 May 2011 at 9:45 am

     I think it’s money that is the major problem now for advancing Pike River surveys and recovery. Nothing will be done if the family doesn’t keep it current, the authorities just want to let it fade till it ends with a shrug and a sad face with nothing more attempted.

     There has been first tight control by authorities and a dependence on machinery to try and allow perfect safety, but they have also excluded affected families from entering themselves to look. Iif there was a window of opportunity to penetrate and survey the mine with a large percentage likelihood of safety they might have chosen to put themselves in danger.

     The same style of rigid control in Christchurch with total exclusion of people involved with the area.
     • Treetop 6.1.1

       14 May 2011 at 10:14 am

       As blunt as this sounds, I have to question the coroners finding into the time and cause of death of the very brave 29 who were killed in the Pike River mine. It is clear how important it is to have the scene examined due to the latest footage or two possible bodies being intact.

       If my loved one was in there, I would not stop until the mine was entered regardless on how long my patience was being tried, I would also not allow the cost to deter me either.
       • Swampy 6.1.1.1

         24 May 2011 at 8:36 pm

         So you or the families would be prepared to stump up all the cost? Suppose that worked out to $1 million each. Still necessary?

         As great as my sympathy is for the Pike River families for the loss of their 29 men the fact has to be faced that current technology makes it extremely difficult, dangerous and expensive to recover these bodies. Situations in which bodies are not recovered occur fairly regularly in NZ. As such the demands being made by the families spokesman and the mayor border on the unreasonable and in fact the irrational.

         After today’s announcement
         “A Mines Rescue service team would enter the mine on Monday with the sole purpose of resealing the entryway to stabilise the main tunnel, not recover the bodies, Hollis said.

         He said a feasibility plan for the recovery process was discussed in the meeting and could have lead to the confusion.”

         There is no confusion. There is just a track record of Kokshoorn and Monk fabricating information to suit their egos.
         • Colonial Viper 6.1.1.1.1

           24 May 2011 at 8:50 pm

           So you or the families would be prepared to stump up all the cost? Suppose that worked out to $1 million each. Still necessary?

           No probs, John Key has long said that the Government would cover it.
   • Swampy 6.2

     24 May 2011 at 8:28 pm

     Like I said before
     They might as well be at the bottom of the sea, it’s just as dangerous.
     Or inside the Chernobyl reactor.

     The mine is full of methane gas, which is explosive when mixed with air at a certain percentage. once you have dug out some of the mine – which it was when operating – there is a lot more methane being released than there was when they first dug their way in through the original tunnel. The whole of the mine will be full of it, so there is a lot more danger than when the mine was first built.

     The only realistic way of making it safe is to get the ventilation operating – however obviously they think there is a risk of it bursting into flame again – which happens quite often in mines, spontaneous combustion and underground fires are common situations in underground coal mines and they often burn for decades or centuries in some cases. If it does catch fire again then it could explode and they would have to go through all the rigamarole with the Gag machine again. I think everyone who is pushing for it to be reopened has conveniently forgotten the explosions and the fire 6 months ago because that was seriously dangerous and there was no less risk to life and limb then.

     As it is the Families spokesman and the mayor of Greymouth look like motor mouths more and more, every time they are calling up the papers to say this and that they get shot down in flames. Brutal as it may sound the families have to move on and just live with the fact they may never get the bodies back.
7. prism 7

   14 May 2011 at 9:26 am

   Good stats and info on Mana Party Terry. Those stats confirm what someone else said – that it is wasting a good pollie such as Kelvin Davis throwing him against Hone and the Maori Party when he is unlikely to win.
8. Treetop 8

   14 May 2011 at 9:57 am

   IRD ditching a soft ware programme which has already cost $21 million.
   http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5003418/IRD-shelves-project-after-spending-21-million

   Where have I seen this before? The INCIS police computer.
   http://www.xent.com/FoRK-archive/july99/0707.html
9. todd 9

   14 May 2011 at 10:02 am

   The week that was 7 – 13 May

   http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/week-that-was-7-13-may.html

   In this weeks review; the protest flotilla, Operation 8 update, Typhoid Fever in NZ, His Royal Highness, Child poverty leads to skin conditions, Bees being decimated, Refugees, Oil drilling in the Arctic, People interfering with explosives in the Naki, US Floods, ACC, Kiwisaver and WFF gutted, Protest in Gisborne and Julian Assange gets an award.
10. prism 10

    14 May 2011 at 10:07 am

    Kiim Hill on Radionz first off this morning interviewed climate change scientist.-
    8:15 James Hansen

    Dr James Hansen is the Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, and one of the best-known climate scientists in the world. He is visiting New Zealand to give a public lecture, Climate Change: a Scientific, Moral and Legal Issue, in Auckland, Palmerston North, Wellington, Dunedin, Gore and Christchurch, from 12 to 21 May. He will also participate in the Symposium on the Future of Coal (17 May, Wellington), and the Festival for the Planet (21 May, Auckland).

    He responded to Kim’s questioning well without impatience and explained all his points clearly and
    was very informative. Now I really must make some changes myself. By the way he doesn’t see nuclear as an evil thing. It needs to be run well, but more people die from cancers from other causes than from nuclear problems. And there is the point that climate change will be likely to do more damage. If we want energy we have to decide what loss of our present environment we will accept. Wind turbines affecting country vistas, dams for hydropower etc.
    No getting round it. And we must not rely on coal, huge producer of CO2. And we should have a carbon tax so we all get the proper signals of how expensive it is to our environment which will grow affecting more our children’s future than our present.
    • weka 10.1

      14 May 2011 at 10:18 am

      Has anyone done a cost vs benefit analysis that shows how many bad nuclear disasters would tip the argument the other way?

      The main argument I hear is that more people die from coal than nuclear. Well duh, stop using both.
      • prism 10.1.1

        14 May 2011 at 10:52 am

        weka – Yeah but there is the situation of needing energy and choosing the best from a group of alternatives that each have downsides. Wishful thinking would lead us to hope for cheap ways of harnessing the sun but we can’t get enough for all our needs that way.

        One here at present with a downside being protested is the Kaipara Harbour turbines. Changing the environment and depleting food species has to be considered with this one – apparently major spawning area for snapper. Would nuclear at this location run carefully be less hurtful to the environment? Hansen referred to Three Mile Island, as a notable failure for the USA which sounded really bad but actually was not so bad.
        • weka 10.1.1.1

          14 May 2011 at 11:10 am

          Hi prism, there are enough good reasons for reducing energy consumption/need without even having to consider nuclear – if increasing energy allows us to keep living beyond our environmental means then the obvious solution is to stop using so much.

          As someone posted yesterday, we could be building houses that need very little power to heat. This idea that we have to have perpetual energy growth is wrong, we don’t need it for a good life. Increasing demands for power are about wants not needs.

          I don’t know anything about the Kaipara situation, but have seen some of the protest in the South Island. We could be moving away from the big, very wasteful power schemes towards local power generation. Let individual communities decide what they want and how much energy they want to use. Most of the big power schemes get protested by locals.
          • prism 10.1.1.1.1

            14 May 2011 at 11:55 am

            hi weka – We have to think nationally as well as locally. Cities, big manufacturers need to draw on outside their areas and people away from the city need to think beyond ‘mine’ and ‘local’ to share some of their assets for other’s benefit. There has to be protection and control so that is done the least permanently destructive way, ie wind turbine with bird lanes? preferred to drowning all our valleys and natural fast rivers for hydro.

            There will be an increase in need for power merely because of natural population growth, plus immigration. We can limit this to a more sustainable level by giving people information and help so they can limit family size below say four, most would choose less I think. This would be sure to be controversial but is what an intelligent societies should be doing at this state of human over-development.

            I agree energy saving is a must. One thought I had was that during the winter nights there could be a community message about 8pm on tv requesting a turn off of unnecessary lighting, even one. This would have both a symbolic and actual savings effect. Double glazing, retro glazing, doing sensible things in an efficient way is a positive provided we regulate and control this so that there isn’t a bunch of cowboys ripping off individuals and the country as I believe happened in Oz with household energy improvements.
            • Colonial Viper 10.1.1.1.1.1

              14 May 2011 at 11:59 am

              Yep. And turning electronics and chargers off at the wall instead of leaving them on standby could save twenty to thirty watts per household. With a million households and offices…30 MW saved with no loss of lifestyle. Sweet.

              Solar hot water heating and hot water cylinder insulation – both musts IMO. That’ll save a lot more than 30 MW.
              • prism …

                14 May 2011 at 12:25 pm

                CV I tried to be a bit clever and bought a charger for my rechargeables for camera etc which is a rapid one that turns itself off when done. I think this must be an energy saver plus the advantage of not having to watch for over-charging of battery.
                • Colonial Viper …

                  14 May 2011 at 2:29 pm

                  Noice.
            • weka 10.1.1.1.1.2

              14 May 2011 at 12:20 pm

              “We have to think nationally as well as locally. Cities, big manufacturers need to draw on outside their areas and people away from the city need to think beyond ‘mine’ and ‘local’ to share some of their assets for other’s benefit. ”

              You’re teaching your grandmother how to suck eggs there prism, given you are talking to a Mainlander 😉

              The South Island rivers and windy hills aren’t ‘assets’. They’re the land that gives us our life. I don’t mind sharing some of the wealth of this land with our cousins up North, but I do object to building more dams on the Clutha and transporting that power to the NI, or even Chch, when so much power gets lost in the transfer.

              I also object to having more dams and windfarms here so that Aucklanders can wear tshirts in the winter. Or people can have heated towel rails. If Aucklanders really believe that being able to wear tshirts in the winter is a necessity of life (as opposed to putting on a jersey) then they can make their own local decisions about power generation by putting the generation in *their* backyard (as long as it’s not nuclear – I agree with you there, some decisions need to be made nationally).

              Turning off lights isn’t going to make much of a saving. We have to think about our whole relationship with energy and our lifes (including industry and the economy). Solutions like CV is talking about most likely need to be legislated – why build electronics that need to be reset everytime you turn them off at the wall? And the insulation one is a no-brainer. But we could also be legislating so that every new house in NZ has to have solar hot water (dual systems for those with less sunshine) and passive solar heating. These aren’t difficult things to do, and there are many many things we could do around energy efficiency.
              • prism …

                14 May 2011 at 1:00 pm

                Yes weka all true. But our ‘land that gives us our life’ is our asset, though not one as a simple listing on a financial document. And we Mainlanders are part of the NZ mix and have to watch our power usage as well as Aucklanders. Turning off lights isn’t a great saving no but I did mention the symbolic effect which means that people are reminded of the need to keep monitoring energy use and not procrastinate or think it’s SEP – someone elses problem. While we voters put it off we give pollies who want to be in charge of everything, the OK to proceed to do sweet FA. If something is done by one gang then when the other gets in they wipe it, deballs it, or extend the time plan into the never-never. Despairing sort of stuff and neither political persuasion gives confidence, which is why the Greens are so important.

                Your ideas sound really good, but the pollies and their financial mates who like to gamble on the casino of life, and manage to win most of the time, allow conditions in financial markets to wipe all our monetary assets and give taxes back to the people who already have an excess of excess, and then they announce a financial crisis and prudent people couldn’t agree to any state expenditure and they haven’t time to pass legislation on energy saving measures etc.

                Unfortunately electric power has been the cleanest and easiest form to prevent pollution and taking out fireplaces and free-standers and replacing them with heat pumps is going to use up quite a lot. Auckland will need them too in the summer if the temps continue to rise as the climate change effect continues. Auckland should be looking at providing more of its energy for sure – they could use solar, and heat retention house designs. But Kaipara turbines might be less satisfactory than hydro from a sustainable level, eg not decimating food supplies and fertility – hard decisions to make. Having nuclear might seem better if its between the destruction of our rivers, or great technology that upsets a major food source.

                I said that hydro is a problem. I think they are planning new one/s on the Clutha aren’t they?
                • weka …

                  14 May 2011 at 2:12 pm

                  The heatpump one is interesting, and I agree that it’s a big consumer of electricity. Wood for fuel is one of the few carbon neutral active energy sources we have, and it has multiple flow on effect for humans and the environment if done properly. I’d rather see R and D go into burning wood fuel efficiently than building more dams/windfarms (or developing NZ based nuclear power that will always carry too high a risk).

                  There are always plans afoot for new Clutha dams. Labour said no way the last time they were in power. It’s just taken the industry a while to get back to it under National.

                  I still don’t accept your argument re nuke power. If we reduce consumption and improve efficiency we don’t even need to consider it, so it’s a red herring to compare nuclear with alternatives that damage the environment.
                  • Draco T Bastard …

                    14 May 2011 at 3:37 pm

                    The heatpump one is interesting, and I agree that it’s a big consumer of electricity.

                    Installed and run correctly it’s the most efficient form of heating available – that includes wood burning.

                    I’d rather see R and D go into burning wood fuel efficiently than building more dams/windfarms.

                    I’d rather see more wind farms and better insulated, longer lasting houses. It’s more efficient and allows our forests to progress to old growth which would help increase bio-diversity.

                    Or, even better, people encouraged to use less electricity so we don’t need any more wind farms of dams.
                    • weka …

                      14 May 2011 at 4:33 pm

                      Agreed on the last point. Problem with the other points is that that kind of power generation isn’t sustainable in practical terms with peak oil, or environmental terms with climate change.

                      “Installed and run correctly it’s the most efficient form of heating available – that includes wood burning.”

                      I doubt it, but we’re probably comparing different things. What about a thermal mass stove in a house with passive solar?
                    • Draco T Bastard …

                      14 May 2011 at 5:26 pm

                      How much extra energy are you using to cut and transport the wood? Is it more or less than what’s needed to get the electricity to the heat pump? (Hint: It’s more, much more). Please note, the efficiency of a heat pump comes from the point that it’s not actually making heat – it’s transferring it from one place (outside) to another (inside).

                      I’d go for a passive solar heat store (yeah, you don’t actually have to burn things to heat up those rocks) backed by a heat pump.
                  • Colonial Viper …

                    14 May 2011 at 5:29 pm

                    Problem with heat pumps is that some people buy into the sales story that they are just sooooo efficient. And end up running them at 21 deg C all day and all night.

                    So net, it consumes way more power than if they had used standard heating.

                    This is an example of Jevon’s Paradox.
                    • Draco T Bastard …

                      14 May 2011 at 8:14 pm

                      See, I keep hearing those stories and wonder WTF went wrong. The heat pump should be turned on all the time and left to run as determined by the thermostat and pre-programmed timing plans as then it will operate at it’s most efficient.

                      What you describe can only be put down to either of two things:
                      1.) Bad installation that was reading the temperature wrong or
                      2.) The people operating the heat pump overrode the devices internal logic forcing it to run all the time.

                      Generally speaking, and with my experience as a CSR, I’d say it was most likely the latter. PEBKAC, the most common fault with computers.
              • Carol …

                14 May 2011 at 8:31 pm

                I also object to having more dams and windfarms here so that Aucklanders can wear tshirts in the winter.

                It would make more sense for more energy to be generated near Auckland. But, really, some of us Aucklanders don’t wear tshirts (at least not without some other layers on top) in winter indoors. But even with a few layers on in the coldest weather, I would find it really difficult inside in Auckland during the winter without heating. It especially effects my hands & feet – they get cold very easily & it’s hard to do anything much when they are very cold.

                Mind you, I haven’t switched on a heater at my place yet this year. Remarkably warm autumn so far. There has been a couple of cold snaps, but some extra layers of clothes in the evening worked fine.
    • Morrissey 10.2

      14 May 2011 at 1:05 pm

      He tried to minimize the catastrophe at Three Mile Island. That was as dishonest as anything we are seeing right now from TEPCO or the Japanese government’s “communications” people.

      I wonder if Hansen would have had the gall to go to Fukushima or Chernobyl to say how safe nuclear power is.
      • prism 10.2.1

        14 May 2011 at 3:11 pm

        morrissey I think Hansen puts a nuclear failure causing some deaths beside other factors causing death or injury, ie the onset of general cancers and road deaths and looks to see which one is greater.
        • weka 10.2.1.1

          14 May 2011 at 4:38 pm

          That doesn’t make sense though. If we had a cause of cancer that was preventable why wouldn’t we try and prevent it?
11. prism 11

    14 May 2011 at 10:09 am

    Last post tah tah. See dimpost for Brash’s secret letter – reveals his concern about the decline in effort by the National Party bowling club to improve their system for winning at ten pin bowling.
    • r0b 11.1

      14 May 2011 at 10:54 pm

      Eh? You leaving us prism?
12. todd 12

    14 May 2011 at 10:14 am

    Friday the 13th Fun with Photos

    http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/friday-13th-fun-with-photos.html

    …This has resulted in the White House making a press release stating that it is illegal to alter photos in this way. So in light of this ridiculous request, we at the Jackal have searched far and wide for the best photo-shopped image of the Obama national security team watching Osama bin Laden being killed… and the winner is:
13. Colonial Viper 13

    14 May 2011 at 10:23 am

    A good National Radio interview here, broadcast on Wed night. Globalisation versus Americanisation.

    Essentially, American powers influenced the rest of the world to take up their model of financial management and governance (I mean, look what good its done for the people of the US so far).

    [audio src="http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ngts/ngts-20110511-1915-Globalisation_vs_Americanisation-048.mp3" /]
14. Lanthanide 14

    14 May 2011 at 10:54 am

    Excellent high-resolution photo tour of the Red Zone in Christchurch. If you haven’t looked at any other photos, you should look at this collection.

    https://picasaweb.google.com/RossBeckerNZ/2011April27IntoTheChristchurchRedZone#slideshow/5602376597050171794
    • Pascal's bookie 14.1

      14 May 2011 at 12:03 pm

      Thanks Lanth.
15. travellerev 15

    14 May 2011 at 12:15 pm

    Hi Rare earth man,
    TEPCO admits, conceded, admits, admits (and that is just a small selection of the 940,000 hits I got when I googled; TEPCO admits) they are lying scum destroying our planet.

    Any nuclear reactor not cooled for 90 minutes goes into meltdown, period….. It took them way more than that to even get some cooling back online.
    They found plutonium 1 miles away from the reactors according to Arnie Gunderson this meant the initial speed with which that piece of plutonium must have started was some 1000 miles per hour. That is one hell of an explosion.

    11 million litres of water have disappeared from reactor no1. Were is it gone? My guess is back into the ocean being spread around the planet via the beltway stream contaminating the entire planet with radioactive crap.

    Rare earth man, I don’t know were you’re coming from but your shite is sounding more and more inane to me.
     
     
     
     
16. ZeeBop 16

    14 May 2011 at 1:25 pm

    I love NZ, you think its bad then something really stupid happens to make it worse. The NZ economy is at the whim of the global market, and commodities are booming, yet NZ is going backwards. Its astonishing how badly run this country is, and then we elected John Key. LOL.
    But then would I have like the pressure of London or Sydney, the pollution, the social climbing being brought here to NZ.
    So my question is how to keep NZ a rural backwater but without looking like the rural idiot.
    • Adele 16.1

      14 May 2011 at 2:46 pm

      Teenaa koe, ZeeBop

      I would much prefer that we went backward to pre-colony days – although I can still see internet being used.

      We need to breathe deeply the 100% pure brand – the country should go organic and be green environmentally, socially, and economically.

      That act alone puts our thinking at a greater level, and only the truly stupid would think us idiots.
    • prism 16.2

      14 May 2011 at 3:14 pm

      Ooh aah shucks. Gimme a beer.
    • weka 16.3

      14 May 2011 at 4:37 pm

      What’s wrong with looking like a rural idiot?
17. ianmac 17

    14 May 2011 at 2:48 pm

    David Cunliffe excelled last night on Willie Jackson’s Newsbite. Passionate crystal clear definition of where Labour sis going in spite of the negative commentary from some.
    I can’t find a way into their site or if they have replay. Anyone?
    Site is : http://www.maoritelevision.com/Default.aspx?tabid=605
    • Draco T Bastard 17.1

      14 May 2011 at 3:41 pm

      Yeah, the Maori TV website sux. It’s pretty close to impossible to find what you’re looking for.

      Hell, they don’t even list by date. Either that or they’re listing using a difference dating system that I’ve never seen before.
18. the pink postman 18

    14 May 2011 at 4:17 pm

    Now I’m aware that we have some very smart and clever contributers to the Standard, so please would someone tell me just where all the money that has been raised and due for Christchurch is going. Now is not the largest bill not covered by insurance ? . What about Earth Quake Commission money? Are not the injured covered by ACC.
    However what does concern me is the money being raised around the country and in fact world wide.Every town,village and city in NZ have had fund raisers ,it must amount to millions of dollars. So why is this government telling us ad,nausem .that we must sell assets to pay for the Christchurch disaster? Why does English tell us that the country is in a mess because of Christchurch. To be honest if I was a Christchurch resident I would be a bit a pissed of at being blames for the mess this government has put us.
19. Draco T Bastard 19

    14 May 2011 at 4:30 pm

    I don’t normally point people to stuff like this as I’m anti-capitalist but it’s well worth reading.

    It’s funny that when people reach a certain age, such as after graduating college, they assume it’s time to go out and get a job. But like many things the masses do, just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. In fact, if you’re reasonably intelligent, getting a job is one of the worst things you can do to support yourself. There are far better ways to make a living than selling yourself into indentured servitude.

    Here are some reasons you should do everything in your power to avoid getting a job:

    As I say, I’m anti-capitalist and consider that the socio-political system we labour under a failed system but this article highlights some of the real meanings behind getting a job are and points out that getting a job is the worst thing you can do. It also points out the parasites at the top of our present system and how they benefit from your work.
20. Penny Bright 20

    14 May 2011 at 5:52 pm

    IF NZ IS THE ‘LEAST CORRUPT COUNTRY IN THE WORLD – THEN SHOULDN’T WE BE THE MOST ‘TRANSPARENT’?

    Seen this latest CRAP in the NZ Herald?

    “Editorial: NZ’s culture of honesty one to be cherished”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10725551

    “Editorial: NZ’s culture of honesty one to be cherished

    Corruption is foreign to New Zealand’s government, we believe.

    The belief is so deeply ingrained in this country that we instinctively doubt an accusation such as that levelled against the Government this week over the ministerial vehicle fleet replacement.

    …….

    In any other country there would be that perception, but here? We are blessedly confident in the probity of our public service. The country rates close to zero on international measures of corruption and local industry representatives who deal abroad say we do not realise how lucky we are.
    ………….

    No country can be too vigilant against corruption. If this is one of the world’s least corrupt places, it is at risk of assuming too much. Corruption, after all, is not completely unknown here.
    ………………..
    Exceptions are sufficiently rare to prove the rule: we retain a culture of honesty in public life that we ought never to take for granted. ”

    ________________________________________________________________________________

    THE NZ ‘CORRUPTION REALITY CHECKLIST’!

    If New Zealand is supposed to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ (along with Singapore and Denmark, according to the 2010 Transparency International ‘Corruption Perception Index’ – then arguably we should be the most ‘transparent’?

    http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results

    Here are some quite specific points which clearly identify where NZ lacks genuine transparency.

    If these were turned into ‘demands’ and achieved – in my view – there would be quite a transformation which is long-overdue.
    ________________________________________________________________________________

    CORRUPTION REALITY CHECKLIST – NEW ZEALAND

    1. Has NZ ratified the UN Convention Against Corruption? ……… NO

    2. Does NZ have an independent anti-corruption body tasked with educating the public and PREVENTING corruption? ……. NO

    3. Do NZ’s laws ensure transparency in the funding of candidates for elected public office and political parties at central government level? …………………. NO

    4. Do NZ Members of Parliament have a ‘Code of Conduct’? NO

    5. Do NZ Local Govt elected reps have a ‘Code of Conduct’? ……. YES

    6. Is it an offence for NZ Local Govt elected reps to breach the ‘Code of Conduct’? ..NO

    7. Is there a lawful requirement for a publicly-available ‘Register of Interests’ for NZ Local Govt elected reps? …………………NO

    8. Is there a lawful requirement for a publicly-available ‘Register of Interests’ for NZ Central Govt staff responsible for procurement? ……………… NO

    9. Is there a lawful requirement for a publicly-available ‘Register of Interests’ for NZ Local Govt staff responsible for procurement? ………. NO

    10. Is there a lawful requirement for details of ‘contracts issued’ – including the name of the contractor; scope, term and value of the contract to be published in NZ Central Govt Public Sector, and Local Govt (Council) Annual Reports so that they are available for public scrutiny?……. NO

    11. Is it a lawful requirement that a ‘cost-benefit analysis’ of NZ Central Govt public finances be undertaken to substantiate that private procurement of public services previously provided ‘in-house’ is cost-effective for the public majority? ………NO

    12. Is it a lawful requirement that a ‘cost-benefit analysis’ of NZ Local Govt public finances be undertaken to substantiate that private procurement of public services previously provided ‘in-house’ is cost-effective for the public majority? ………NO

    13. Does NZ have a legally-enforcable ‘Code of Conduct’ for members of the NZ Judiciary? ……NO

    14. Are all NZ Court procedings recorded, and audio records made available to parties who request them?……………NO

    15. Is there a lawful requirement for a publicly-available NZ Judicial ‘Register of Interests’? …. NO

    16. Is there a lawful requirement for a publicly-available NZ ‘Register of Lobbyists’ at Central Govt Ministerial level? ………… NO

    17. Is there a legal requirement at NZ Central and Local Govt level for a ‘post-separation employment quarantine ‘ period’ from the time officials leave the public service to take up a similar role in the private sector?………………NO

    18. Is it a lawful requirement that it is only a binding vote of the public majority that can determine whether public assets held at NZ Central Govt or Local Govt level are sold; or long-term leased via Public-Private –Partnerships? …………………. NO

    19. Is it unlawful in NZ for politicians to knowingly misrepresent their policies prior to election at central or local government level? …………………………. NO

    20. Do NZ laws promote and protect individuals, NGOs and community-based organisations who are ‘whistleblowing’ against ‘conflicts of interest’ and corrupt practices at central and local govt level and within the judiciary? ……………………………. NO

    Prepared by Penny Bright – for Transparency International 14th Conference 7/11/2010
    IACC ID D – 1198 http://waterpressure.wordpress.com [email deleted]
21. todd 21

    14 May 2011 at 6:25 pm

    Creating the Climate for Change

    http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/creating-climate-for-change.html

    Did you realise that sea ice is melting and temperatures are warming even faster than climatologists predicted? There is no doubt that it’s happening because of Human-made climate change. An increasing body of scientific observations gives a collective picture of a warming world and other changes in the climate system, with new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities.
22. Jim Nald 22

    14 May 2011 at 10:38 pm

    CERA’s nice-to-have??

    http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/home-squeeze-home-life-in-3x3x3m-20110512-1ekcg.html

    Apologies if this has already been pointed out on The Standard.
    • ianmac 22.1

      14 May 2011 at 11:12 pm

      That would work too Jim. And housework would only take a minute. Wonder what the NZ equivalent will be?

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