Open mike 18/11/2012

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, November 18th, 2012 - 42 comments
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42 comments on “Open mike 18/11/2012 ”

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  1. LynW 1
    18 November 2012 at 6:47 am

    Here it is in black and white, stark evidence of NZ’s hypocritcal injustice.

    “They have the same victim – the government and society – yet one is punished much more harshly than the other,” said tax lecturer Dr Lisa Marriott of Victoria University. “The study does indicate there is a fairly serious problem there.”

    “The sentences are intended to reflect society’s views. And it seems we take a dimmer view of people on welfare – even the language is more punitive,” she said.

    Marriott found that attitudes towards tax evasion were indulgent, even occasionally admiring, while beneficiaries were considered “scroungers or cheats”.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/7965045/Courts-softer-on-criminals-wearing-suits

    • Chalupa Batman 1.1
      18 November 2012 at 8:29 am

      I agree this is very wrong. The law should apply equally and it doesn’t. Maybe judges shouldn’t have tenure (or whatever they have)

    • muzza 1.2
      18 November 2012 at 9:14 am

      Remember that the theatre is all about creating propaganda and perpetuating memes, while hiding the true crimes which is what “the establishment” actually is, a crime syndicate!

      The Judiciary is simply the entity created to entrench the propaganda by ensuring the trends continue in the sentencing, further embedding the memes in the minds of “comfortably lazy”!.

      When the Police make their regular cock ups trying to fit people up, or blatantly trying to protect their own (look at how dirty that both these aspects are) it gets exposed for a while, then people go back to sleep again, knowing that their “protectors”, are actually the worst criminals, backing eachother up!

      Politics, Police, Lawyers, Judiciary – Making up the law, bending it, and selectively enforcing it, is fraud and lies. When there is fraud and lies, its only reason is to provide cover….The questions people should be asking, is covering for who, covering for what, and how long has this been going on!

      Notice NZ’s slide down the rankings, well it really got going about that time, but was already going on before that began.

      Fraudulant, corrupted, hollowed out NZ – All the while told how special and unique we are!

      Blind stupidity is far from unique sadly, which is why the country in in the hole it is, and sinking fast!

  2. Chalupa Batman 2
    18 November 2012 at 8:25 am

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20364595

    The maker of Twinkies, the cream-filled sponge cakes well-loved in the US, has said it will close down the company, leading to the loss of 18,500 jobs.

    “We deeply regret the necessity of today’s decision, but we do not have the financial resources to weather an extended nationwide strike,” said chief executive Gregory Rayburn.

    Well played union, that’ll teach them a lesson.

    • freedom 2.1
      18 November 2012 at 9:22 am

      but yet Hostess Brands recently gave their CEO a 300% raise and are set to sell off the rights to make the sugar-laden treats in various other countries at a fraction of the slave wages and ever decreasing benefits being offered the long serving US workers.

      But ok Chalupa, you carry on seeing half the story

      • KJT 2.1.1
        18 November 2012 at 9:29 am

        Sounds like another Mearsk are withdrawing from Auckland story to me.

        Took the Mearsk branded ships away briefly and replaced them with charters.

        Now have ships twice the size using Auckland.

        A class to J class. 1000 TEU to over 2000.

      • Descendant Of Smith 2.1.2
        18 November 2012 at 9:35 am

        You also forgot to mention the bit at the bottom where the employer appears to have used and stolen the workers pension funds to the tune of $944 million dollars.

        Also the bit of common knowledge that Twinkies taste like over processed shit.

        The world will be much better without them.

        http://lifetwo.com/production/node/20070227-twinkie-ingredients-facts

        Out of the thirty-nine ingredients in a Twinkie there are a few recognizable ones: flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, water and a trace of egg.

        As for the rest, be prepared for incomprehensible and barely pronounceable ingredients that resemble industrial materials more than foodstuffs. Here is a sampling:

        The cake:

        * Lecithin is an emulsifier made from soy. It’s also used in paint to keep pigments evenly dispersed.
        * Diacetyl mimics the taste of butter, since the real stuff would go rancid on a store shelf.
        * Cornstarch is a common thickener. But it’s more often used to make cardboard and packing peanuts.
        * Yellow No. 5 & Red No. 40 give the cake the golden look of eggs.
        * Sorbic acid, the only actual preservative in Twinkies, comes from petroleum.

        The filling

        * Shortening (in the form of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and/or beef fat) is the main ingredient.
        * Polysorbate 60 is a gooey substance that helps replace cream and eggs at a fraction of the cost. It’s derived from corn, palm oil and petroleum.
        * Cellulose gum gives the crème filling a smooth, slippery feel.
        * Artificial vanillin is synthesized in petrochemical plants. The real thing comes from finicky tropical orchids that are pollinated by hand on the one day they bloom.

    • Draco T Bastard 2.2
      18 November 2012 at 9:28 am

      It has long been in trouble – emerging from bankruptcy protection in 2009 only to file again in January 2012.

      All indications are that it’s the result of poor management and not the union. In other words, the management is blaming the union for their own poor performance. Typical of the well off not taking responsibility for their own actions and blaming others.

      • KJT 2.2.1
        18 November 2012 at 9:31 am

        In my experience, if a company cannot afford decent wages, no concessions by the workers are going to keep it in business.

    • Chalupa Batman 3.1
      18 November 2012 at 9:34 am

      But but but piracy is killing the movie business as well (just don’t check Skyfalls box office take…)

      • David H 3.1.1
        18 November 2012 at 9:44 am

        And supposedly the Music biz too. Just don’t forget the $25 buck cd price.

      • AsleepWhileWalking 3.1.2
        18 November 2012 at 12:11 pm

        A business that operates in such a manner that technology has now negated, but blames consumers for their increasing use of the technology instead of adapting DESERVES to go under.

    • felix 3.2
      18 November 2012 at 11:33 am

      Lolz.

      They used to say that about music too. The common refrain was “If they made it easy to buy, I wouldn’t have to pirate it”.

      iTunes made it all pretty easy, so the refrain changed to include the issue of file quality: “If they offered decent file quality AND make it easy to pay for, I wouldn’t have to pirate it”.

      Which was fair enough, the original iTunes files were 128k, and it took a couple of years but sure enough the files got much better.

      Then argument changed to “but artists don’t get a big enough cut and I don’t want to give money to greedy exploitative companies” (which oddly didn’t seem stop people buying the devices to play all this music on from greedy exploitative companies btw).

      Anyway it didn’t really matter because by this time services like Bandcamp were offering recording artists a way to sell their music at any quality, for any price, to people with or without a credit card, and keep most of the proceeds.

      It seems people just pirate stuff because the technology allows it. Which would’ve been a far more honest position to have taken all along.

      • Chalupa Batman 3.2.1
        18 November 2012 at 12:02 pm

        For myself I’d be quite happy to pay for a service like isohunt if only the companies could get together and realise they’d make more money embracing downloading rather than trying to put the genie back in the bottle

        • Draco T Bastard 3.2.1.1
          18 November 2012 at 12:26 pm

          For myself, I’d be more inclined to pay to download a movie/song if I got asked for money after I’ve watched/listened to it. It then becomes a vote saying that I liked it and want the creators to make more or, if I didn’t pay, that I thought it was crap and that the creators need to try harder or find something else to do (you’ll note my support of a Universal Income which would allow the creators to do either).

        • felix 3.2.1.2
          18 November 2012 at 1:09 pm

          Chalupa, no argument from me there – the majors really screwed themselves from the start and wasted the best part of a decade doing it. The most convenient technology was always going to win the argument, one way or another, free or not.

          Draco that’s a nice sentiment but it just doesn’t happen. You’d be doing it now.

          Mind you the whole thing is becoming less relevant as better connections and plans make streaming more convenient than saving files for a lot of people.

          • Draco T Bastard 3.2.1.2.1
            18 November 2012 at 1:36 pm

            Draco that’s a nice sentiment but it just doesn’t happen. You’d be doing it now.

            Um, no, because I can’t do it now.

            • felix 3.2.1.2.1.1
              18 November 2012 at 2:19 pm

              Of course you can. There are a million ways to listen to songs without paying anything and nothing to stop you buying them afterwards.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                18 November 2012 at 3:05 pm

                Songs I watch on Youtube – prefer official channels thus they get the advertising $$$ but there isn’t always one and sometimes the official channels actually has the worst version of the song (I really have NFI WTF they do that). Not that I listen to songs much – I figure I’ve bought less than 10 albums in my entire life and I’ve got three left.

              • Descendant Of Smith …
                18 November 2012 at 10:21 pm

                I’ve got plenty of mates who all watch TV series before they are here and buy the DVD if liked. Some torrent, some stream via Hulu, etc with a US account and a fake IP address.

                Fringe, Chuck, Big Bang Theory, Homeland, Dr Who and so on and so on.

                The DVD then gets ripped at the quality wanted to suit your TV and hard-drive space and replaces the downloaded TV episode with the overseas TV logo on it.

                Plenty of sales happening for programs people like.

                Would be much more useful if you could buy the episodes for $1-20 or so like you can via iTunes or Amazon in the states.

                There’s no good consumer based reason why we don’t have the same ability to do so here.

                What is consistent is that most people prefer to watch TV episodes without ads and would like world-wide release dates.

                Kudos to TV3 for doing the latter with Homeland.

  4. North 4
    18 November 2012 at 9:30 am

    Palestine……..yet again. Zionists slaughtering Palestinians. Oppressed turned oppressor.

    Only the ignorant/stupid will invoke the sham moral equivalency expressed in the response – “Well, they [Palestinians] shouldn’t be firing those rockets into Israel”, as though that’s the long and short of it.

    History records that there never was a moral equivalency. The state of Israel is essentially an amoral, illegal construct. It remains so today, with illegality piled upon exponential illegality. Repeatedly unleashed on apartheid-afflicted Palestinians. For “illegality” read “injustice”. Oppressed turned oppressor.

    To the ignorant, amongst whom there will be millions who admiringly laud Nelson Mandela as the scion of justice and equality – this post is not addressed to the lunatic fringe who don’t – they are in racist stupour – drop the facile moral equivalency mouthing and Google “Mandela Palestine”. You won’t persist with your ignorant mouthing.

    There’s that line – “Justice the Seed Peace the Flower”.

  5. freedom 5
    18 November 2012 at 9:35 am

    One of the long standing and rarely mentioned issues within Israel is how they treat non-white jews. Especially the hundreds of thousands who took Israel at its word and ‘came home’ from Africa. In general they got one hell of a shock when reaching the Homeland. They sadly discovered the leaders of Israel are no different to any other separatist cabal.
    They only want the right sort of jews.

    I call Israel what it is, an Apartheid State run by bigots and driven by hate. I stand with the Refusniks, I stand with those who work for Peace.

    http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/converted_islam/35446474/13326/13326_original.jpg

    • Foreign Waka 5.1
      18 November 2012 at 10:30 am

      You do realize that most settled people today in Israel came originally from Russia. Secondly, this is about a population growth that cannot be contained on that small strip of land that was “allocated” after WWII. So there is an ever more aggressive expanding going on. There is also the fact that about half of the drink water wells on Palestinian land has been bored and taken by the Israelis. This means that Palestinians are being condemned to suffer as without water there is no life. Now, I am not sure whether this is about religion but I do see bully tactics. One has to understand that the Israelis from today have hardly anything to do with the people before the war and as such “sell” family memories that just simply do not exist just to play the political ball. Of cause the other side is in their approach is not much different, especially with such aggressive and divisive religious stand. As for both to claim that they look for peace, well who is going to belief this? But one thing that stands out is the selective reporting of facts about it all.

      • freedom 5.1.1
        18 November 2012 at 5:18 pm

        Foreign Waka

        “You do realize that most settled people today in Israel came originally from Russia.”
        During the day i have found myself looping back to your above comment and cannot for the life of me figure what the hell it has to do with the price of eggs or indeed with any aspect of my truthful statement about apartheid in Israel. ” You do realize…” is used when inferring the person you are responding to has erred or otherwise been shown to be incorrect in their assertion. I am wondering what your attitude was meant to achieve?

  6. Chalupa Batman 6
    18 November 2012 at 9:53 am

    http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/11/caption_contest-45.html

    If anyone wants to join in (my favorite is “hes behind you” in pantomime voice)

    • mike e 6.1
      18 November 2012 at 12:47 pm

      Sloppy Batshit I can see why the right has no humour.
      The best comment was keep your freiends close but your enemies closer!
      Original whatever!
      Other wise the rest of the comments were boring as Batshit!

  7. North 7
    18 November 2012 at 9:58 am

    Google “Jews for Justice in Palestine” also.

    I’m insufficiently computer savvy to provide the links – any help out there folks ?

    And once you’ve checked the sites which’ll come up let the humanity which has you lauding Mandela take you to human empathy.

  8. Rogue Trooper 8
    18 November 2012 at 10:00 am

    hmmmm
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10848200

    Oh dear, how sad, Nevermind:
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10848218
    (“luvly boys, luvly boys….We will not have gossip in this jungle!”)

  10. ianmac 10
    18 November 2012 at 12:13 pm

    Wonder where this will end up. From the Herald:

    Kim Dotcom says he has proof that Prime Minister John Key has lied about not knowing who the Megaupload millionaire was until just before the raid on his mansion.

    But Dotcom says he will not reveal his evidence until he is in court.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10848267

  11. PlanetOrphan 11
    18 November 2012 at 3:56 pm

    Sounds too me that Labours’ Soul is in much better shape than it was being given credit for.

  12. kea 12
    18 November 2012 at 6:40 pm

    http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2012/11/lynton-crosby.html

    ” .. it appears to almost be a done deal that Mr Crosby’s firm – Crosby Textor Fullbrook – will start advising the party from early in the new year. The role will be part-time at first but may become full-time closer to the election.

    Lord Ashcroft had worried that Cameron already had a strong enough team and that Crosby joining would be a “recipe for the kind of conflict and confusion that dogged the 2010 campaign”. Number 10 sources have made it clear to ConHome that Stephen Gilbert, the PM’s Political Secretary, and Andrew Cooper, his polling and strategy adviser, continue to enjoy David Cameron’s full confidence and will continue to be central members of his team. Mr Gilbert ran the party’s marginal seats operation at the last election – where the party consisently won a bigger swing than the national average. Andrew Cooper is credited with developing the grittier “Cameron 7.0″ message delivered at the Tory Conference – and widely welcomed by most commentators (and not just Bruce Anderson).
    I wouldn’t be at all surprised, however, if one of Cooper or Gilbert leave before the next election. As Lord Ashcroft has argued, Cameron is in danger of spoiling the broth because of too many cooks.”

  13. weka 13
    18 November 2012 at 7:37 pm

    Anyone else having trouble getting the Standard to load tonight? Very slow at my end.

  14. muzza 14
    18 November 2012 at 9:39 pm

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7965049/Chinese-company-wants-easy-visas

    Are we witnessing the removal of NZ’s sovereign ability to protect its own boarders borders?

    [lprent: fixed the amusing typo ]

    • McFlock 14.1
      18 November 2012 at 10:01 pm

      what about the day students?

    • muzza 14.2
      19 November 2012 at 7:35 am

      LOL, just send the chinese to the kazzy via Tibbs house or some other school hostel, let the boarders show them around town, that will certainly help protect our (borders)…