Open mike 20/01/2010

14 comments on “Open mike 20/01/2010 ”

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1. 350ppm 1

   20 January 2010 at 8:07 am

   As simplistic and idiotic as it is, it’s still a shame the 3 strikes concept doesn’t apply to MP’s caught rorting the taxpayer.
2. Jenny 2

   20 January 2010 at 8:10 am

   How to manipulate a story and massage a message.

   The blazing headline read:

   Nine beneficiaries on dole for more than 20 years

   When the headline should have been:

   Unemployment doubles in one year

   http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3243349/Nine-beneficiaries-on-dole-for-more-than-20-years

   When you actually read the story most of these nine are elderly, in remote areas, and without any access to transport.

   Not only that, but one of them had been working for a long period of this time with only a partial benefit of as low as $4 a week!

   Talk about a media beat up.

   By creating an impression of ‘Benefit Abuse’ politicians will use such irresponsible headlines, as an excuse for putting the boot in.

   With more of this sort of media spin;

   We can expect to hear a proclamation from Basher Bennet, announcing a crackdown.

   Talk about the death of responsible journalism.
3. travellerev 3

   20 January 2010 at 8:37 am

   Sometimes you come across some music that hits a nerve and this morning I came across a rendition of the Credence Clearwater song called Fortunate son. I wish sometimes we could embed a video here because it would be nice to share it with y’all.

   This one I think is both pertinent to the three strikes you’re out law which we all know will inevitably hit Maori and the poor the hardest (as well as make some people rich with the privatised prisons coming up) and the horribly unjust situation in Haiti were people are starving and dying because of the colonial rape perpetrated on them and the earthquake which hasn’t seem to hit the rich as much as the poor once again.

   Ladies and gentlemen I give you Wyclef Jean.

   Captcha: distances. May we cross them to help our brothers and sisters in their hour of need.
4. prism 4

   20 January 2010 at 9:45 am

   Quote from article by Tariq Ali on Daniel Bensaid French political thinker on left (might have comments that left thinking questioners would find informing)
   See hyperlink courtesy of Blip Mike 18/1 10.54

   “We talked about social unrest in France and whether it would be enough to bring about serious change. He shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps not in our lifetimes, but we carry on fighting. What else is there to do?””

   I don’t see many posts that do more than criticise present policies and politician’s mistakes, ignorance and inanities. It would be good to read ideas for better, different policies, and further how they could most effectively be implemented and the expected outcomes mediated by an assessment of human and systems barriers to full success.
   It would be carrying on fighting for the best world we can make not just carping on the fringes.
5. Bill 5

   20 January 2010 at 10:45 am

   The Guardian has these two photo galleries on Haiti on their site.

   You might notice that the captions accompanying one treats people anonymously and denigrates by repeated use of the terms ‘looters’ and ‘scavengers’.

   The other, by contrast has names and brings a sense of humanity to the pictures.

   Funny how humanity is only restored by the arrival of aid innit?

   Meanwhile, a headline from the same source ‘informs’ us that 3 500 more troops are being sent in to deal with the surviving elements of the sub-human Haitian enemy…apparently escaped gang leaders if you choose to believe tosh.

   If you’d rather put aside the disgraceful examples of our liberal media in favour of informed comment, then you might prefer to read this thoughtful analysis that includes numerous external links and suggestions for further reading.
   • Andrei 5.1

     20 January 2010 at 11:01 am

     No -a whole lot of prisoners escaped from prison and are creating havoc Bill.

     And Haiti has never had good governance – it has always been a cruel and violent place. And that in itself is why the earthquake wrecked so much havoc and why the issues of assisting the survivors is so hard.

     You cannot project the culture of Wellington onto Haiti to make political points
     • Bill 5.1.1

       20 January 2010 at 11:36 am

       Beyond this, I’m not going to respond to you Andrei.

       If you are being sincere, then you are an individual with such a remarkable magnitude of stupidity that any thought I might have had of pursuing a meaningful engagement with you died at inception.
       • prism 5.1.1.1

         20 January 2010 at 12:03 pm

         Those are big words Bill – out of the 200 or so common language usage and possibly over Andrei’s level of understanding.
         • Bill 5.1.1.1.1

           20 January 2010 at 12:18 pm

           I’m sure his local library will have a copy of Mary Andrew’s ‘Reading and Spelling Made Simple’ that he could work his way through
           • Andrei 5.1.1.1.1.1

             20 January 2010 at 5:30 pm

             Is this what passes as debating skills on your side of the political spectrum.

             No wonder people with your belief systems are in the wilderness and thank God for that.
             • Pascal's bookie …

               20 January 2010 at 9:33 pm

               Irony much?

               Or are the cultural conservatives going to be getting some policy wins real soon?

               Nope, dope.

               Your mob get played like fucking fiddles Andrei. It’s quite funny to watch actually, all the tories going to meetings and talking the talk when in opposition. The Maxims etc all preaching and hinting that the modern right takes your backwards religion seriously as a source for policy. They’ve all gone quiet now haven’t they son?

               They wouldn’t even reverse the smacking bidness for youse.

               You’ll all just keep falling in line though. Saps.
             • the sprout …

               20 January 2010 at 9:41 pm

               Well said Pb. Smart they ain’t.
       • Bill 5.1.1.2

         21 January 2010 at 9:43 pm

         @ Andrei

         I know I said I wouldn’t.
         And I know I reckon you’ll not see this.
         And I know I reckon that if you do you wont read the link.
         And if you do all that, you won’t respond anyway.
         Nevertheless.

         Your whole lot of escaped prisoners creating havoc? Funny how people (as I’ve been maintaining all along) stick together in a crisis in spite of what our dominant orthodoxies would have us believe.

         http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/20/haiti-escaped-prisoners-cite-soleil
6. big bruv 6

   20 January 2010 at 3:05 pm

   Precincts Reporting: 1,234 of 2,168 (57%)

   Scott Brown (R) 653,782 (52.7%)
   Martha Coakley (D) 575,357 (46.3%)
   Joe Kennedy (I) 12,295 (1.0%)

   Source: National Election Pool (compiled by AP)

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