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notices and features - Date published:
6:00 am, May 16th, 2012 - 66 comments
Categories: open mike -
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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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Oh, dear. Jonkey won’t be happy with that ‘tabloid” journal the NZ Herald this morning. Another blow to the tabloid PM. Dotcom will just not lie down:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10806194
And this time it is not just about Banksies mayoral campaign, but about his asking Dotcom for funds for hisAct Epsom electorate campaign, allegedly in return for favours from him and the Shonkey one:
But team Dotcom is alleging that Banksie was asking for money in return for political favours once he was in government.
I worked with Mr Tempero at Waimanu in 95′ and found him to be a loyal dedicated worker but would not describe him as possessing the skills to act on behalf of an international figure.
Mr Tempero is a straight up and down regular guy with a great sense of humour and was a real pleasure to work with. He did however slip up on the Dotcom job and may find it difficult to beat the charges he is facing.
Good to see dot com keeping the flame on banksy and shonkey being so foolish as to have a go at one of their biggest allies in keeping the sheeple dumbed down being granny herald.
Shonkey wouldn’t know what hit him if we had a decent MSM let alone the shills that make up granny. There are worrying signs for the hollowmen, their frontman can’t keep to the smile and wave routine whilst the majority hangs by a thread.
Wtf has happened over bashers privacy breach also ?
Good also to see the steady drip, drip, drip of leaks from camp Dotcom. I do not expect them to dry up for a while. I wonder if there will be one about Key meeting Kim? Key has been asked this question a few times.
Any reason why The Standard feeds are no longer showing up in my Google Reader? Started happening yesterday.
The Renegade Economist at http://www.renegadeeconomist.com/
No doubt many out there are familiar with this site but it is new to me.
The best I’ve seem in explaining relatively simply the banking rip-off and what is wrong with Keys obsolete austerity approach.
Ross Ashcroft was interviewed on Kathryn Ryan (?) last week plugging his film. He came across to me as being really confused with a whole lot of concerns and not many answers apart from things are really bad and unfair, and bring back the gold standard but different.
$112 Billion of off balance sheet exposures
Raised yesterday, but needs another round to sink in I would say!
“Delegation to transact is subject to controls and managed by skilled professionals, Treasury said.
These professionals act within transparent risk policies and parameters and are accountable for their efforts and must meet detailed reporting guidelines and frameworks.”
— Who are these professionals, and what exactly is their level of accountability?
For those of you with an apetite, find Dr Susan Newberry’s thesis
Sorry – double post – delete button not working.
There is an interesting article from about a week ago in the Guardian about how the Occupy movement hasn’t died, as the MSM would have you believe, but it has shed any links with liberalism in the US, a link that was part of a pact between the left and the more centrist liberals in the US:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/may/07/occupy-liberation-from-liberalism
I’m not expecting the NZ MSM to pick up on such a revolutionary movement any time soon.
Class sizes. It appears that National have got hold of the nub of an idea about class sizes on which they can build a policy that suits them. I believe that Ministers are strongly influenced by their own success from a poor background, generalising from the particular, taking the view ‘the mass could achieve this too if they weren’t so lazy’ – Parata and Paula Bennett are two, and Key with his state house background too.
The class sizes policy is based on comments and findings from a meta-analysis study by Professor Hattie the findings of which are debated by other leading academics. PPTA views
The important point of social conditions conveniently ignored by National in all its policies is quoted below.
The Greens Catherine Delahunty introduced to parliament an academic paper from the University of London website titled Do low attaining and younger students benefit most from small classes?by Blatchford, Bassett, and Brown.
It looks like they are taking out about 1000 teachers.
well, Lady Gardiner does provide an inkling that it may be worse…
“About 90 per cent of schools would either gain or have a net loss of less than one full time equivalent teachers as a result of the combined effect of the changes”
Quick check shows there are 2558 state schools, lets be conservative and say only 75% will have job losses…only another 1900 odd off to a brighter future…I’m sure Australia will gladly take these gifts..
oh wait I see, saving 43mil is about 1000 teacher salaries..righto
So instead of following an education world leader like Finland, where teaching is a treasured, respected position in society and education is reverred, because their country requires human knowledge at its core (lack of resources etc as one reason), NZ is instructed to follow the failures of the UK/US styled systems!
Nothing to see here…
In addition to the links above on this class size controversy scoop reported – class sizes
Considering that Treasury knows nothing about education then them giving incoherent advice about it is to be expected. This government listening to them is also to be expected as they follow the same ideology as Treasury.
People who know more about economics than me say that Adam Smith is often misquoted by today’s economists which would include Treasury officials. Misinterpreting research of one professional and then that one publication as the basis for changing important welfare provisions must be normal.
A class of 24 ten year-olds can draw in underachievers and teachers can give much better critical feedback to those who need help, thus reducing the much publicised tail of underachievers.
Parata is quoted in the Herald as being in classes of 42 pupils in her Primary years. Yeah right! Wonder if that can be verified but even if she was in such classes, how would that inform her of the 10 or 15 who would have “failed” in her class? Going right off that woman.
Overcrowded classrooms to keep the top tax rate down.
That’s all it is really.
prism. lady G clearly influenced by her ‘memory’ of how things were in the good (or bad?) old days
Ms Parata said that when she was at primary school her class size was around one teacher to 42 students.
Of course that’s total BS (check class sizes from similar years for her school, mostly around late 20’s early 30’s)
http://www.oldfriends.co.nz/InstitutionPhotoView.aspx?id=26474
s y d Thanks for that. I remembered hearing that but couldn’t find it.
syd should have read your piece first. Agree. Sounds very fishy. A small point but points to dodgy Minister. My point 8.2.2
irritant update: The Stuff comments on this article are being blatantly ignored yet again but flick the pages and there is an article on cancelled US tv shows where the comments are alive and kicking. Or you can comment on the Avengers movie, US baby names or the latest masterchef mash up. Stuff is a pathetic bloody excuse for a news service. Perhaps they will follow the method used on the Wilkinson story and publish the comments tomorrow, after burying the story of course.
To those who would be interested – when I was looking at a Scoop page for Feb 2012 there was an advert for the Wellington Palestinian Group planning to put on a presentation called the Palestinian Monologues at 6.30pm in Wellington I guess 19 Tory Street cost $10 or gold coin for unwaged. It’s to support – “Scoop correspondent Julie Webb-Pullman has been in Gaza for most of the past 12 months”
Last info April 2012. Palestine correspondent
Once again, I wish I was in Welly! 🙂
Funniest thing coming out of Johnnygrad today is the appointment of a”business” consultant to deliver welfare reform. These failed ideologues could not deliver business effectively enough for us to avoid the need for to pay welfare (i.e decent wages and sufficient jobs). Now rather bizarrely these same failures are going to be entrusted to deliver welfare to ameliorate their failure.
I/S has a write up about it: Basically, it seems that the Welfare Working Group has just got another job overseeing WINZ.
However Ms Bennett rejected suggestions it was a “business group”.
“It’s not business having a greater role, it’s people with a range of skills getting involved,” Ms Bennett told Radio New Zealand.
“She brushed off claims the board lacked experience in the welfare sector.”
–Just like her boss eh..these people are very dangerous!
“What was needed was different thinkers and that is what we have put on the board.”
Rebstock was ceo? Of the commerce comission.
Didnt she oversee the fianance companies. That was sucessful!
No. Wrong foreign female regulator chief. Jane Diplock at Securities Commission did that role.
Thanks
Diplock Did that role.
That is agenerous interpretation of what did with the finance cos
Rebshocker = eliminated competition in freight, supermarkets, TV (prime going to sky), building supply and other industry acquisitions rubber stamped by the wisconsin wonder and her commission of ineffectual troughers.
Diplock was equally ineffective with a range of wet bus tickets being handed out to badly behaved corporates likes PPCS, Feltex etc
Going to have to admit that I didn’t think this in this particular way:
Evidently, Paula Bennett just outsourced her own job but didn’t to the moral thing and quit at the same time.
And in football news, Fortuna Dusseldorf have won promotion to the Bundesliga. Not normally an item for the Standard, I know, but FD95 have a solidly left wing fan base and were once sponsored by punk band Die Toten Hosen and wore the bands logo for two seasons. As far as I know, they are the only professional football team ever to wear a skull on their shirts!
The Tampa Bay Buccanners have a skull and crossbones as their logo too. I would assume a few other teams with pirate related names would also do this
Cheers, Chris, hadn’t thought of the Bucs, but you are dead right (well, leaving aside that they are two different sporting codes). It’s a shame the Pirate Bay is closing down, they would have been ideal sponsors!
TB are owned by the Glazer family, fact fans, and they are also owners of the second best football team in Manchester, England.
True I didn’t notice you said Football or I wouldn’t have brought them up to be honest.
Is the Pirate Bay closing down? I did not know that. Also didn’t know the Glazers owned TB as well – most I’ve learnt in one post ever
Cheers, Chris!
The Pirate Bay is under severe threat, with court orders in many European countries stopping ISP’s from allowing access to the site. The founder is fighting back, citing a breach of human rights. However, I think the days of the open fencing of stolen materials on the ‘net is coming to an end, though greed and human ingenuity will find ways to hide it.
“Football is freedom!” – Bob Marley (seen here playing the beautiful game in an Auckland Park).
Yes watching that space with interest as their internal draining of funds combined with the debt loaded onto the club is now kicking in to make manyoo nowhere near flush enough to compete with citeh, chelski etc.
The one off ronaldo sale money has gone now along with the league title, hope freg sticks around to take a 20th title.
I had never heard of them, but just want to say (off-topic) that the Pyramid team owned by Daniel Graystone in the awesome science fiction series Caprica, is called the Buccaneers… 🙂
Also St. Pauli have a skull and crossbones logo, they are based in Hamburg and are the left wing/ punk alternative to the right wing F.C.Hamburg.
Indeed they are a very cool club, Willie and I imagine matches between them and Fortuna would have been a party from start to finish. I’m pretty sure the Beatles used to go to games when they were playing in the redlight district down the road in the early sixties. However, unlike Fortuna, I’m pretty sure the team never officially wore the skull and crossbones, and that its just a fan thing.
Unlike most clubs whose main driver is extracting ever increasing amounts of dosh from long suffering supporters, St Pauli are fan based in every way and have the following democratic principles enshrined in their constitution:
“In its totality, consisting of members, staff, fans and honorary officers, St. Pauli FC is a part of the society by which it is surrounded and so is affected both directly and indirectly by social changes in the political, cultural and social spheres.”
– “St. Pauli FC is conscious of the social responsibility this implies, and represents the interests of its members, staff, fans and honorary officers in matters not just restricted to the sphere of sport.”
– “St. Pauli FC is the club of a particular city district, and it is to this that it owes its identity. This gives it a social and political responsibility in relation to the district and the people who live there.”
– “St. Pauli FC aims to put across a certain feeling for life and symbolises sporting authenticity. This makes it possible for people to identify with the club independently of any sporting successes it may achieve. Essential features of the club that encourage this sense of identification are to be honoured, promoted and preserved.”
– “Tolerance and respect in mutual human relations are important pillars of the St. Pauli philosophy.“
Pretty cool, huh?
just found this…I think someone at Suff must’ve got hold of the code and is running some kind of NZ version judging by the comments…
http://ifyoulikeitsomuchwhydontyougolivethere.com/the-twat-o-tron/
haha that made my so-far, day. Especially with the commenters with names like, Molesto the Ape.
“TWO WORDS: SAMSH THE SYSTEM”
More like three words! “SAMSH THE SYSTEM”
Similar to “Dyslexics of the world Untie!”
Remember when we were told that tax cuts to the rich would be fiscally neutral? Well hekia Parata is claiming that increasing class sizes will be educationally neutral…
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/paratas-education-plans-worrying.html
Here’s a good article by Catherine Woulfe about the fallout from Colin Craig’s comments on promiscuity. Even if the unscientific Durex survey (PDF) is right, the days of thinking sex is inherently bad should be long gone.
I don’t think that anyone thinks that sex is inherently bad! They think that there’s (a) too much emphasis on sex in our present society and that (b) it’s rather mis-used.
a) As we’re social beings there’s always been an emphasis on sex throughout human history it’s just that the emphasis has changed from being positive to negative and now it’s going back to positive. You seem to dislike that positive shift.
b) Define misused.
Tonight, Wednesday 16 May 2012, at Auckland University Library basement, during my presentation from 6 – 7pm, I will be giving fellow Public Watchdog Vince Siemer, an opportunity to explain why, for the FOURTH time, he is facing imprisonment although he has not broken any law.
Vince Siemer breached an unlawful order of Judge Winkelmann, that not only denied the Urewera defendants the right to trial by jury, but suppressed the public’s right to know this.
Under NZ law – there is no lawful basis for a Judge to suppress a judgment or the reasons for it.
As a ‘whistle-blower’ exposing NZ judicial corruption, Vince Siemer has been persecuted in a way that defies belief – especially in a country ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt in the world’.
http://www.kiwisfirst.co.nz – Vince Siemer’s website, is, in my opinion – the leading website exposing the lack of judicial transparency and accountability and judicial corruption based upon ‘conflicts of interest’.
Come and hear for yourself this DISGRACEFUL story, which confirms why NZ URGENTLY needs an enforceable Code of Conduct for NZ Judges.
A petition will be available for people to sign on this matter.
http://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/from/decisions/judgments
SIEMER V THE SOLICITOR-GENERAL COA CA607/2011 [11 May 2012]
IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF NEW ZEALAND
CA607/2011
[2012] NZCA 188
BETWEEN VINCENT ROSS SIEMER
Appellant
AND THE SOLICITOR-GENERAL
Respondent
Hearing: 1 February 2012
Court: O’Regan P, Harrison and Wild JJ
Counsel: T Ellis and G K Edgeler for Appellant
M F Laracy and G J Robins for Respondent
Judgment: 11 May 2012 at 10 am
JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
A The appeal is dismissed.
B The appellant is to present himself at Auckland Remand Prison at 9 am on 25 May 2012 to commence serving his term of six weeks
imprisonment.
C There will be no order as to costs.
_________________________________________________________________
Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption campaigner’
http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com
” … he is facing imprisonment although he has not broken any law.”
Um, isn’t he going to prison because he broke the law? Specifically by breaching a suppression order? Just because he doesn’t think the suppression order is valid doesn’t put him above the law, Penny. It just makes him marginally less lucky that Cameron Slater, who managed to avoid jail for the same conceit.
Good luck to him though. I appreciate he is fighting on the side of the angels, but to say he didn’t break the law when he clearly did seems rather blinkered to me. Perhaps it might be better stated as ‘broke a law that shouldn’t be a law’?
Which LAW allows NZ Judges to suppress a judgment or the reasons for it?
If a Judge makes an order which is not itself based upon the RULE OF LAW – then how is that order LAWFUL?
Haven’t we historically been down that track before?
Judges in Nazi Germany making court orders requiring Jewish people to wear stars of David – sort of thing?
I for one, do NOT accept that Judges are ‘above the law’ and can just ‘make it up’, as happens in NZ with seemingly monotonous regularity when it come to Vince Siemer.
http://www.kiwisfirst.co.nz
How, without an ENFORCEABLE ‘CODE OF CONDUCT’ for NZ Judges are they ever going to be held accountable to the law which they are supposed to uphold and enforce?
Penny Bright
It happens all the time when people are facing multiple charges and trials. Think the police rape trials where two were already in prison after convictions and some recent drug importation and distribution trials.
You really need to think a bit harder before launching another silly protest. Is your theme song ‘Hey Jude’?
Well if the are consistent then the 6 weeks will be down to about 10 days to 2 weeks if he’s a good boy.
I’ve always thought those who became born again devil dodgers later in life were slightly looned but apparently they’re not. They’re more likely to be suffering from brain atrophy.
The RWNJ’s poster child for the upcoming race war could be charged with a hate crime. Coniptions ahoy!.
Steven Joyce has come up with a stunner, will be interesting to see how many pick up on his disingenuous use of the abacus.
“Cashing in on overseas students”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10806103
As a businessman he’d know what a ledger is and that it has two sides yet he’s only showing one side of it. It costs the University money to educate these overseas students, income is only half the picture. With total annual budget of $950mil and 40,000 students the average cost per student at Auckland Uni would be around $24,000. Using the $68m and 4800 figures he quoted the average fee for overseas students at Auckland Uni is $14,000.
Now while gross averages don’t paint the full picture it’s still pretty obvious his argument doesn’t stack up very well.
Anyone remember:
http://thestandard.org.nz/tag/friday-puzzle/
and still has not cracked it?
Can someone tell us what they are puhleazzze.
Jim: Not my right to explain but if you asked Bart Simpson nicely he would give you a clue on the first one at least.
The only one I’m not sure on is the last one, got the others.
And Mr D Duck could give you a clue in the 7th one
Think cartoons. After that it should be easy.
Awful clip on You Tube – Why cops hate SHTF. Video from Stark County, Ohio of two shaven headed police and a blonde police officer who were supposed to be responding to a request for help by a woman who was attacked, yet they stripped all her clothes off her while she screamed protest and I think she was held in a cell naked. She was charged with resisting arrest yet they had no reason to arrest her. The video wasn’t shown in entirety in court. What a corrupt vicious gang pretending to be upholders of the law and protecting citizens.
In another clip a police officer gave calm details about another outrage. A man who had been in a car crash, burned and bleeding didn’t want to lie on his stomach on police instructions, so the policeman tazered him.
Another shining example of respectful treatment of citizens by their government bodies in the USA.
so what about the forcd removal of tenants from the gordon wilson flats in wellington.
want to bet the university owns the same building in less than a year?