Open mike 24/12/2015

59 comments on “Open mike 24/12/2015 ”

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1. linda 1

   23 December 2015 at 9:55 pm

   the court recognized Hager as a journalist so your comment is worthless.
   but slater ,slander and defamation for hire was ruled a scum bag so is fucken john key worthless bog shit of human

   [lprent: Please learn to use the reply button. It is like when you learnt as a child to use the flush on the toilet after defecating.. Not essential, but makes life a whole lot easier for those who come afterwards. ]
2. Morrissey 2

   24 December 2015 at 7:40 am

   Great Moments in Broadcasting No. 1
   Larry “Lackwit” Williams: Paraguay will throw the NZ game
   NewstalkZB, Monday 21 June 2010
   https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/nz.general/j2Av7lSIlV8

   It’s always awe-inspiring to behold great minds when they start to cogitate. Especially when they start to cogitate on things about which they know nothing.

   Longtime sufferers of NewstalkZB will be well aware of the credulity and general dopiness of drivetime host Larry “Lackwit” Williams, a mouthy, bitter former traffic cop. Anyone who has cared enough to listen in to his dire show will be well aware of Williams’ almost complete ignorance of everything and anything he discusses.

   Today, however, Williams managed to plumb even greater depths of abysmal stupidity. In his daily two-minute sports chat with Murray Deaker, at 5:45 p.m., Williams proffered a carefully considered prediction for Friday morning’s World Cup game between NZ and Paraguay.

   The Paraguay team, he told Deaker, “will probably throw this game, so that they and New Zealand qualify, at the expense of Italy.”

   BRILLIANT! Not one other soccer commentator in the entire world had thought it through with such clarity.

   Deaker, of course, agreed with Williams. The fact that Paraguay would not progress to the next round if they threw the game and Italy beat Slovakia just did not occur to Deaker, as it obviously never did to Williams.

   Happily, as Deaker revealed on his sports show an hour or so later, dozens of astonished listeners rang in to point out the slight mistake in Williams’ otherwise brilliant calculations.

   I’ve said it many, many times and I’ve said it again: with broadcasters of the calibre of Larry “Lackwit” Williams and Murray Deaker on board, why on earth would anyone suggest that NewstalkZB is a factory of drivel and idiocy?

   NewstalkZB. Tune Your Mind.

   “Paraguay will throw the NZ game.” You KNOW it makes sense.
3. Chooky 3

   24 December 2015 at 9:51 am

   ‘Syrian conundrum’

   https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/326846-syrian-civil-war-washington/

   “Belatedly it would seem even Washington thinks it is time to end the Syrian Civil War. But does it have the power to do so? After years of miscalculation and misguided policies Washington appears powerless to influence its allies and friends in the region.
   CrossTalking with Bradley Blakeman, Scott Rickard, and James Jatras.”
   • aerobubble 3.1

     24 December 2015 at 12:27 pm

     Russia made a very good argument that it was on the front line, having also a large Muslim pop. And so it could be argued that the failure of the EU resulting in the mass migration of Syrians could have be averted. Just imagine, the eu including Russia.

     So no surprise that the EU is reestablishing Turkey entry to the EU, moving the EU border to a more sustainable and operational position. Since Putin does not want to be European Turkey should be.
4. AsleepWhileWalking 4

   24 December 2015 at 10:06 am

   http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.co.nz/2015/12/the-most-profitable-work-will-be.html

   A discussion of how profitable work will be automated (and therefore make companies involved wealthier), while workers will either take less profitable tasks or be unemployed.
   • Kevin 4.1

     24 December 2015 at 10:12 am

     When automation is replacing jobs at supermarkets and fast food outlets, then you know the rest of us are fucked. It’s just a case of when, not if.
     • Draco T Bastard 4.1.1

       24 December 2015 at 11:00 am

       That’s one of the reasons why we need to change the system.
       • Stuart Munro 4.1.1.1

         24 December 2015 at 11:41 pm

         Fastest way to change the system is to cut out the supermarkets. When they were new, they used to compete on price, but having eliminated the local grocers they no longer do that. Local food coops & more distributed local production would create viable jobs within communities – and not deskilled jobs like checkout packers either.
     • One Anonymous Bloke 4.1.2

       24 December 2015 at 11:18 am

       Only if it results in long term structural unemployment in a way no invention ever has.
       • Naturesong 4.1.2.1

         24 December 2015 at 12:31 pm

         We currently have long term structural unemployment.

         It’s what we have chosen to do as a society in response to changing technologies that have vastly increased our productivity in recent decades.

         There are alternatives.
         But I suspect that we’ll have to wait for the generations who believe that poverty and unemployment are the result of moral deficiency to die off first.
         • Macro 4.1.2.1.1

           24 December 2015 at 1:10 pm

           But I suspect that we’ll have to wait for the generations who believe that poverty and unemployment are the result of moral deficiency to die off first.

           I fear you may be right…
           But an even worse fear is that their offspring will inherit the same misconceptions. I fear for the generations of NZers who have grown up under the “mean and lean” economic system of Douglas, Richardson, et al. They have no understanding of what NZ used to be like with almost full employment, a standard of living unequaled, free health, free education even at tertiary level, living wages for even the most menial task, and where every worker was as good as his boss.
           • Naturesong 4.1.2.1.1.1

             24 December 2015 at 1:50 pm

             The “poverty as a moral failing” is an idea that seemed more explicit when I was growing up. I thought it was a legacy from the parsimonious Anglicanism that was prevalent when NZ was colonised.

             These days I see the argument most commonly dressed up as “Smokes, iPhones and Sky”.
         • Incognito 4.1.2.1.2

           24 December 2015 at 11:04 pm

           Employment and unemployment (both classical and structural) are two sides of the same coin; the one cannot exist without the other. This ‘coin’ [no pun] forms the central pillar of our culture as well as our society. Everything is centred on employment or “work”. Money must be earned (or borrowed) to pay the bills, to afford a roof over your head (whether owning or renting), to pay for schooling, holidays, gadgets, etc. However, a job also provides social status (low or high, regardless) and respect, a place and opportunity for social interactions. In short: laboro ergo sum. Think Maslow’s pyramid symbolising the hierarchy of needs.

           We are indoctrinated from a young age that we have to provide (for our family and for our society, through taxes) and become economically-productive law-abiding citizens. To give us all a good/better start on the “career ladder” we are encouraged to send our children to ECE, good/the best (?) schools, and preferably attain a tertiary qualification or two (with a nice grand student debt!). In fact, by law our children must attend a school/schooling for 10 years.

           For some it is work to live and for others the motto is more live to work but for both the so-called work-life balance is crucial it seems. It is clear that work and life are pretty much inextricably linked together.

           With the globalisation of the workforce and rapid technological changes it has become harder and harder to find secure employment, a meaningful job, or enough hours/pay to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ or just to make ends meet. We used to be able to look forward to a semi-comfortable retirement, the “golden years”, but no more. We now have to work longer and harder to build a “nest egg” and we are not even assured of decent provisions for when the inevitable age-related health issues occur; with a lot of luck we might get to enjoy a few twilight years in reasonable health and then leave this plane for ‘a brighter future’ or the shadowy path of oblivion.

           Given all this, and much, much more, it is hard to imagine a society that does not evolve around employment as the major part of people’s lives, as their raison d’être. Surely, there is more to The Human Condition than can be summed up by laboro ergo sum? It is hard to see an alternative that allows maintaining and evolving a complex and (technologically) advanced society with the seemingly inevitable division of labour. But I think we are dire need of an alternative given the issues with (structural) unemployment, poverty, inequality, raping & pillaging of the environment, and many other negative outcomes of the current model.

           Apologies for the long comment; I wish you all a safe and joyful Christmas filled with whatever tickles your fancy.
           • Draco T Bastard 4.1.2.1.2.1

             25 December 2015 at 9:16 am

             +1
           • Anne 4.1.2.1.2.2

             25 December 2015 at 9:48 am

             Thank-you for your words of wisdom Incognito. Your comment is worthy of a guest post!

             I wish you all a safe and joyful Christmas filled with whatever tickles your fancy.

             And the same to you.
           • veutoviper 4.1.2.1.2.3

             25 December 2015 at 10:04 am

             Excellent comment, Incognito.

             In fact it would make a wonderful post here for discussion.

             Calling Bill or any other moderator on duty ……

             EDIT – I see Anne also thinks it is worthy of a guest post.
             • Ian …

               25 December 2015 at 10:22 am

               When I was a little kid, I saw this person put their finger through a flame, I was amazed that this person didn’t get burnt. This person told me to try it, I knew ‘I was’ going to get burnt, but I did it anyway, and my finger went right through that flame, and I didn’t feel a thing. I didn’t get burnt, at all.
   • DH 4.2

     24 December 2015 at 1:23 pm

     This is where Labour long ago lost the plot as far as the worker is concerned. We should all be working 30-35 hour weeks now, for the same income as 40hrs used to pay.

     We only need to think about that for a while to see where it’s all gone wrong. Work isn’t a constant, there’s no particular reason why we must work an 8 hr day or 40hr week etc. Automation has reduced the time we need to spend at work and we’re not taking advantage of it.

     Cut the working week from 40 to 30hrs and you’d effectively increase the number of jobs by 25%.
5. repateet 5

   24 December 2015 at 10:25 am

   Today David Farrar in the year’s big non-surprise sets out why he is such an even- handed unbiased commentator.

   Analogy

   Timmy kills the family cat, guts it and throws the entrails all over the lounge and paints the walls with blood.

   David says, “Timmy, go to your room and don’t come out for fifteen minutes. Fifteen long, long minutes.”

   Albert comes home and leaves his schoolbag in the kitchen.

   David says, “Albert, you’re a dirty, disgusting, filthy, lowdown thick boy. I am grounding you for five months and I want back that skateboard I gave you for your birthday. You are also not getting any Christmas presents this year.”

   David says “See, I treat my kids the same. If anything I’m a bit harsh on Timmy. He did something a little bit wrong and got fifteen punishments, Albert did something terrible and only got seven punishments.”
6. Lucy 6

   24 December 2015 at 11:02 am

   Has anyone been to the Victoria Crone website http://vic4mayor.nz/ – she was CE of an internet based accounting company and presumably was given a hand from her employees to set up her site – I don’t think they liked her much – the site has 9 warnings and 7 errors when using the W3C validation. Within the blog at least half of the links are broken or point to the wrong page. I didn’t have much faith in Xero before but seeing the quality of work being produced for their mayoral candidate makes me wonder about their base product.
   • One Anonymous Bloke 6.1

     24 December 2015 at 11:29 am

     In the latest 2015 Annual Report, council staff costs are now up to $792m per annum. This is hundreds of millions above where it was supposed to be.

     You have to laugh at the cognitive dissonance. By whom was it “supposed”, exactly…? Reality’s Liberal bias strikes again.
   • Magisterium 6.2

     24 December 2015 at 4:06 pm

     Has anyone been to the Victoria Crone website http://vic4mayor.nz/ – she was CE of an internet based accounting company and presumably was given a hand from her employees to set up her site – I don’t think they liked her much – the site has 9 warnings and 7 errors when using the W3C validation. Within the blog at least half of the links are broken or point to the wrong page. I didn’t have much faith in Xero before but seeing the quality of work being produced for their mayoral candidate makes me wonder about their base product.

     you need help
   • lprent 6.3

     24 December 2015 at 5:38 pm

     Probably not xero or even xero employees.

     Much of the site is obviously hand written HTML, and the blog has all of the appearance of being someone’s simple CMS done by a non-programmer who has done a minimal semi-static system. Just as a point about style and why I say that, the site has human readable HTML/CSS/JS. It is imperfect enough to know that it wasn’t generated as being human readable through a beautify.

     Xero generate their sites dynamically, they don’t build them as semi-static. They certainly aren’t meant to be human readable, athough they do tend to pump them through beautifiers when they have static pages. They either look more like what our site does when you look at their generated code (except either less human readable) or they look inhumanly beautify scripted. Depending where you look.

     Plus there are no generation signatures in the pages.

     I’d say that it is either simple generation or hand written adaptation from a web designer to get the look and feel right. Most likely either an amateur or a graphic designer. Very unlikely in my opinion to be anyone from xero.
   • Sacha 6.4

     24 December 2015 at 5:54 pm

     “presumably was given a hand from her employees to set up her site”

     Very much doubt it.
7. acrophobic 7

   24 December 2015 at 11:07 am

   No, name suppression has been around for decades. Your paranoia is showing.

   [lprent: The Reply button has been available on this site for a long time as well. Please try not to be a dickhead, if you can’t use the reply button, then at least attempt to indicate who you are talking to.

   Makes me feel like I’m lecturing a small child about potty training. ]
8. Draco T Bastard 8

   24 December 2015 at 11:25 am

   U.S. Senate bill bans microbeads that accumulate in Lake Erie, threatening people, fish

   ASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate on Friday passed a bill sponsored by Sen. Rob Portman and co-sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown that would ban the sale of cosmetics that contain tiny plastic particles known as microbeads.

   The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill earlier this month. It now heads to the desk of President Obama, whose signature is required for passage as law.

   Microbeads are found in more than 100 varieties of soaps, facial scrubs and toothpastes, as well as other common personal-care and beauty products.

   Does anyone know what our government is doing about this pollution?
   • weka 8.1

     24 December 2015 at 11:45 am

     Market rules until something gets ruined and enough people make a fuss about it.
     • weka 8.1.1

       24 December 2015 at 11:48 am

       and, no, haven’t heard what’s happening in NZ (seen a few reports of overseas bans).
   • Macro 8.2

     24 December 2015 at 12:57 pm

     No Nothing!
     Green MP Denise Roche has been active with regards this and the banning of plastic bags which when left to rot in the environment have much the same effect.
     http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/281168/call-to-ban-single-use-plastic-bags
     There has been a petition and Amy Adams who was the Minister concerned at the time (not sure now if she still is following the reshuffle) made some noises about it – but basically did nothing.
     Forest and Bird have also made representation with regard to the degradation of the Tasman Sea from plastics.
     http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ourchangingworld/audio/201768760/junk-food-plastic-pollution-is-a-growing-threat-to-seabirds
     But as usual for National – zip, nada, nothing until its far too late. You wonder if they ever remember being a conservative party. Now-a-days they would wonder what that term meant.
     • weka 8.2.1

       24 December 2015 at 4:17 pm

       “You wonder if they ever remember being a conservative party. Now-a-days they would wonder what that term meant.”

       +1
9. johnm 9

   24 December 2015 at 12:09 pm

   NZ Labour leader calls for “troops on the ground” to fight ISIS

   ” During an official visit to Washington last week, New Zealand Labour Party leader Andrew Little said Labour would support sending elite Special Air Services (SAS) troops to the Middle East to fight ISIS “if the right conditions were met.”

   Little was in Washington on a formal visit as parliamentary opposition leader, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He met officials from the Pentagon and State Department, as well as representatives on Capitol Hill. The main subjects of discussion were listed as international security and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, reached in October among 12 countries, including the US and New Zealand. ”

   http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/12/23/nzwa-d23.html

   ” ISIS is the progeny of those in Washington, London and Paris who, in conspiring to destroy Iraq, Syria and Libya committed an epic crime against humanity. Like Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, ISIS is the mutation of a western state terror dispensed by a venal imperial elite undeterred by the consequences of actions taken at great remove in distance and culture. Their culpability is unmentionable in “our” societies, making accomplices of those who suppress this critical truth. ” John Pilger

   The U$ created ISIS, now they want NZ to help them kill off this Frankenstein Monster of theirs!
   • Naturesong 9.1

     24 December 2015 at 12:34 pm

     FIFY

     The U$ created ISIS, now they want NZ to help them feed kill off this Frankenstein Monster of theirs!
10. weka 10

    24 December 2015 at 12:49 pm

    Anyone else still getting very slow load times on ts?
    • mary_a 10.1

      24 December 2015 at 12:59 pm

      @ weka – Quite regularly the load times for TS are slow and ploddy here.
    • Kevin 10.2

      24 December 2015 at 2:40 pm

      Always. I just make use of the down-time now.
    • Draco T Bastard 10.3

      24 December 2015 at 3:14 pm

      It’s been taking a TS page about 30 seconds to load here. Been like it for weeks.
      • lprent 10.3.1

        24 December 2015 at 3:33 pm

        Not sure why. But tell me if it is mobile or desktop.

        It seems to be periodic, as in when I’m testing I don’t see it. But I see it occasionally when I’m running around and can’t track it down because I don’t have time.

        There was a distinct slowdown when I put the tabs back on, and I do have a probable fix for that.

        I think that there is something in the caching (ie not caching) of the mobile version. I certainly saw it this morning.

        But by the look of the logs of failed hack attempts, I think that a lot of it is just the usual pre-xmas rush of bots towards any system that could carry spam. I have 348 failed login lockouts since yesterday, and the automatically discarded comments is rising pretty fast as well.
        • weka 10.3.1.1

          24 December 2015 at 3:52 pm

          It’s pretty consistent for me. I’m on a laptop mostly but I notice it on the mobile as well although I think the mobile is more intermittent.

          btw, the issue of the comments loading a new page instead of dropping to the comment on the same page happens on the mobile as well as the laptop.
          • weka 10.3.1.1.1

            24 December 2015 at 3:57 pm

            I first noticed it on the 12th Dec. Was that the day after the last upgrade?

            Others were getting it too,

            http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-12122015/#comment-1107718
            • ianmac 10.3.1.1.1.1

              24 December 2015 at 5:34 pm

              Very slow on my Mac desktop. Don’t mind. Check other things while I wait.
        • Draco T Bastard 10.3.1.2

          25 December 2015 at 9:08 am

          Desktop and it happens most of the time. It’s only occasionally that I get a fast page load.

          I’m using Firefox on Win10.
          • lprent 10.3.1.2.1

            25 December 2015 at 10:56 am

            Not doing much today. But cold finished. I will work off today on it tomorrow
        • mary_a 10.3.1.3

          26 December 2015 at 5:16 pm

          @ lprent – it’s slow on my laptop. But downright pathetic on my iPad, when sometimes I give up! Frustrating!
11. BlueSky 11

    24 December 2015 at 1:50 pm

    Hi all. Interesting article. I read more than I comment but have been informed this year by the comments.

    http://inequality.org/inequality-corrupts-success/

    Best point.

    ‘as everyone’s duty to contribute their fair share to the provision of public goods, it’s more fair to tax passive ownership than productive labor.

    – See more at: http://inequality.org/inequality-corrupts-success/#sthash.py5h5zvG.dpuf

    Be great to see a party with policies that support capital tax over income tax as a means of revenue.
12. Gangnam Style 12

    24 December 2015 at 3:01 pm

    “Martin Luther King Jr. was right when he said ‘this country has socialism for the rich & rugged individualism for the poor'” – Bernie Sanders, could apply here too
13. Rosemary McDonald 13

    24 December 2015 at 4:44 pm

    Jim Mora and his cackle of gormless joygerms are hohohoing on the afternoon giggle session on Natrad at the moment.

    One would think that this person….

    “[I was here] at 5am last year. I came here at 3am today and I’ve been waiting ever since. I’m number 121 and I’m still waiting. I think everyone waits.
    Paula Edwards”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11565492

    is a figment if our imagination.

    Smug, self congratulatory, soulless prats.
    • Paul 13.1

      24 December 2015 at 5:20 pm

      Started listening.
      Switched off.

      Mora’s show epitomises what is wrong with this country.
      • Reddelusion 13.1.1

        24 December 2015 at 5:33 pm

        Then leave, a win win
    • repateet 13.2

      24 December 2015 at 5:31 pm

      Did I hear they were on the roof of some building? That being the case did the wind pick up some air-head and blow them off? e.g. Michelle Boag?

      (Asked in the spirit of joking and the fun of Christmas of course. Michelle would understand, them being the party of great senses of humour and all.)
      • Wensleydale 13.2.1

        24 December 2015 at 11:21 pm

        Sadly, Boag wouldn’t plummet to her doom. She’d simply fly off on her broomstick, cackling like the malevolent crone she is.
    • Rosemary McDonald 13.3

      24 December 2015 at 5:42 pm

      I am told that after I left the room in tears, and just before I returned with an axe to permanently remove the temptation to EVER punish myself with the Mora moron hour again, there was one of the guests did a brilliant ranty thing about utu.

      Bugger. Missed it.

      Perhaps a dedicated media type could edit the shows and put together a recording of just the listenable bits?
14. philj 14

    24 December 2015 at 9:14 pm

    Heard Mora of the program than I could bare. A couple of guests did take issue with the state of our country, and the government. JM tactfully made light of any serious criticism. Hohoho. A lot of fluff and light hearted. Just what RNZ has largely become. Starved of funds the standard of a quality state broadcaster is heading the way of TVNZ…. Tragic.
15. freedom 15

    24 December 2015 at 9:44 pm

    been a tough year for many
    too swift a profit for too few

    a stranglehold reality
    each choice a point of view

    democracy diminishing
    must’ve missed the memo

    a flag a folly a trial a cup
    no joke too far or shallow

    a subtle incremental loss
    of what this country was

    for gain and grandeur rivers die
    and children live for what

    for now the yuletide rises
    and people share the love

    forget the wrongs
    enjoy the songs
    your best will be enough
16. repateet 16

    24 December 2015 at 10:42 pm

    Cameron Slater sneers at the Labour Party asking for money and the way they’re going about it. Well now, does he have personal experience at seeking funding and exploring all methods great and small?
17. Anonymous NZ 17

    25 December 2015 at 5:08 am

    This is what you’ll get when you mess with us.
18. the weatherman 18

    25 December 2015 at 5:16 am

    Love your work, Thom.
19. richard 19

    26 December 2015 at 8:24 pm

    Hi lprent;

    just wondering if you’re still claiming to run this Amazon hosted site off your kitchen computer?

    Happy new year.
    • lprent 19.1

      27 December 2015 at 11:30 am

      You are probably looking at the CDN. That runs off cloudfront service at Amazon web services.

      Or the route 53 DNS from AWS

      This is the net. It is connected… dimwit.

      I also use S3 for encrypted backups plus several other services.

      I spread the system where I get the best value for a limited budget. As a cost of the EC2 and RDS are too high, those are on a local server.
20. Richard 20

    7 January 2016 at 9:56 pm

    No I was purely looking at the source code. Of course there is an Amazon address for this site too, you don’t have to come to it by the web address standard.org.nz. As I said it is Amazon hosted not kitchen hosted. I suspect that it also has paid content as well but that’s just a suspicion (or maybe not).

    It’s about time that a rethink was done, allowing a rude host to insult all and sundry is not a great look. Just because National does it with the godawful Slater doesn’t mean that it should be copied by .

    Cheers.

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