Open Mike 25/12/2018

53 comments on “Open Mike 25/12/2018 ”

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1. Morrissey 1

   25 December 2018 at 7:46 am

   Merry Xmas to all!
   And let’s keep it positive!

   At least, more positive than our cantankerous chums across at Kiwiblog, where this writer (i.e., moi) has already been told to stick his head up a dead bear’s arse—by a former member of parliament, no less—and to “fuck off.”

   https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2018/12/merry_christmas_2018.html/comment-page-1#comment-2390333
   • lprent 1.1

     25 December 2018 at 9:09 am

     David Garrotte has always been a paragon of virtue. He was also the fool who pushed the statistically ineffective and potentially bloody expensive 3 strikes legislation.

     I wouldn’t get too worried about his opinion.
     • Morrissey 1.1.1

       25 December 2018 at 9:21 am

       He was relatively benevolent this morning.

       https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/11/garrett-clashes-with-breen-again-nov-1.html
   • JanM 1.2

     25 December 2018 at 9:15 am

     Well what did you think was going to happen, crawling around in that swamp! lol
   • Andre 1.3

     25 December 2018 at 10:19 am

     Sticking your head up a dead bear’s arse seems an apt metaphor for time spent rummaging around on kiwiblog.
     • Sacha 1.3.1

       25 December 2018 at 10:38 am

       Indeed. And spreading the experience here is a metaphor for usefulness.
       • Morrissey 1.3.1.1

         25 December 2018 at 11:47 am

         Sacha, did you mean to say “a metaphor for uselessness”? Or was that a COMPLIMENT?

         If so, I’ll take it gratefully! Merry Xmas!!!
   • Chris T 1.4

     25 December 2018 at 2:27 pm

     It is pretty funny reading that link tbf
     • Morrissey 1.4.1

       25 December 2018 at 4:24 pm

       True enough, Mr T. They’re harsh over at Kiwiblog, but fair.
   • SHG 1.5

     26 December 2018 at 4:58 pm

     Garrett gonna Garrett.
2. Muttonbird 2

   25 December 2018 at 8:24 am

   Merry Christmas all.

   Keep fighting entrenched injustice. Keep fighting increasing inequality. Keep fighting them when they are deliberate, and when they are casual. Wherever you see it.

   And think of those less fortunate than yourself.
3. James 3

   25 December 2018 at 9:25 am

   Happy Christmas one and all. Hope you all have an enjoyable day with your families and wishing everyone a happy and prosperous 2019.
   • Robert Guyton 3.1

     25 December 2018 at 4:22 pm

     Thanks, James; it’s been the best Christmas weather, ever, here in Southland and our family Christmas get-together was a charmer; great gran, gran and parents relaxed and smiling, great gran, gran and children happy and content – we need days like this, for our mental and physical health. The year ahead will be fraught, confusing and unsettling, perhaps, but for today, I’m grateful for the chance to enjoy and be thankful for family and friends.
   • mary_a 3.2

     25 December 2018 at 5:40 pm

     Cheers James (3). All the best to you and yours for Xmas and 2019.
   • mauī 3.3

     25 December 2018 at 7:01 pm

     Merry Christmas… troll!
4. Morrissey 4

   25 December 2018 at 9:42 am

   Even worse than Trump’s smarmy and condescending treatment of this woman
   is the craven attitude of the other “reporters”, who meekly fall into line with Trump’s mistreatment of her.

   His braindead son in law is to his left, and the infamous Steve Mnuchin is the thug grinning in the dark glasses.
   • millsy 4.1

     25 December 2018 at 10:09 am

     In series two of Handmaid’s Tale, the main character Offered/June hides out in the old building of a major newspaper. There she find that the faction that has taken over the USA had stormed the offices, dragged the reporters down the basement, lined them up against the wall and shot them all. It will probably end up happening for real if this current carry on keeps going.

     I have been kicking around the idea that the US military may have to step in and remove Trump if things start getting too bad. Highly unlikely but not impossible.
     • Morrissey 4.1.1

       25 December 2018 at 12:04 pm

       Trouble with that, millsy, is that once you start supporting the army against democratically elected representatives, you have a military dictatorship. Ask a Brazilian, Indonesian, Ethiopian, Egyptian or Iraqi how pleasant that is.

       And let’s not forget that, obnoxious and horrible as Trump is, he is not the one that started separating Central American children from their families, or attacking journalists, or supporting Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt, or spouting American exceptionalism bullshit. He is merely following the precedent set by Clinton, Bush and Obama.
     • Bruce 4.1.2

       25 December 2018 at 3:49 pm

       Military governments and people start disappearing for xmas.

       thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/2018/12/25/another-red-shirt-disappeared/
     • KJT 4.1.3

       25 December 2018 at 4:07 pm

       The US military leaders are even nuttier than Trump.

       The ones that opposed the never ending wars, were purged, long ago.
   • Mark 4.2

     26 December 2018 at 2:59 am

     Really don’t know what Trump did wrong here. So he got a bit cheeky to some female reporter…..she should just suck it up and people should stop reading too much into this. Its hardly as if he does not get heaps of bs from the media. Nothing to do with her being a woman.
     • Morrissey 4.2.1

       26 December 2018 at 7:50 am

       ?????

       Moronic comment. Go back to watching Fox News.
5. Kay 5

   25 December 2018 at 9:44 am

   It’s not a Merry Christmas for everyone of course, and would never be complete without Stuff setting off a bit of bashing against those having a hard time:
   https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/property/109442097/housing-new-zealand-clients-fought-to-get-out-of-dangerous-property

   Naturally they had to open the comments and the trolls are doing their thing. Whether they truly believe what they’re saying or not, I’ve said it before and will keep saying it- I believe Stuff are inciting hate speech.
   • millsy 5.1

     25 December 2018 at 10:03 am

     Stuff commenters lie awake at night seething in anger that someone is getting a cheap house provided by the state.
     • Kay 5.1.1

       25 December 2018 at 10:16 am

       And everything they’ve been brainwashed into thinking their “hard earned taxes” are personally paying for that of course they or someone close to them will never need to part take of coz I have to feel superior to someone to feel secure in my existence don’t I.

       Stuff are still promoting hate speech. Can they be had up for this?
       • James 5.1.1.1

         25 December 2018 at 11:29 am

         No they aren’t and no the can’t be because it isn’t.
       • KJT 5.1.1.2

         25 December 2018 at 2:58 pm

         Stuff also put this on their page. A nice gesture of tolerance and inclusion.

         Many of the comments, however, are shameful.

         The 80 plus likes on a comment opposing the manifest racism and intolerance displayed, is hopeful, though.

         https://www.facebook.com/21253884267/posts/10157094377169268/
6. joe90 6

   25 December 2018 at 9:45 am

   Merry Christmas peoples and best wishes from the 90 household for a safe and happy day.

   Now, let me at it….
7. OnceWasTim 7

   25 December 2018 at 10:39 am

   Merry Xmas and all that, and drive carefully and consciously. Remember those ‘other’ folks’ spatial awareness and multi-tasking capabilities have lessened over time.
   And @ lprent – Otaki and Kapiti can be a real trial.
8. Ankerrawshark 8

   25 December 2018 at 11:56 am

   A very merry Christmas everyone.
   Aware of what a fortunate life I have and hoping that all who are struggling and suffering have a better 2019.

   Also incredibly grateful for the standard and the community/commentary.

   Have a lovely day everyone
9. WeTheBleeple 9

   25 December 2018 at 12:44 pm

   Have a great day folks. Y’all make the internet a better place and I’m grateful I found you.
10. Molly 10

    25 December 2018 at 1:00 pm

    Meri Kirihimete, Standardistas.

    Enjoy the day however you celebrate!
11. The Chairman 11

    25 December 2018 at 1:28 pm

    Merry Christmas everyone.
12. The Chairman 12

    25 December 2018 at 1:38 pm

    Following up on our discussion on tourism the other week (https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/q-and-a/clips/tourism-the-price-of-popularity) comes this report in the following link below. https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/378933/lack-of-tourism-data-it-s-impossible-to-plan.

    We spend millions trying to attract visitors here, yet now that millions are arriving, it seems that is about as far as the strategy went.
    • Janet 12.1

      25 December 2018 at 1:52 pm

      Enjoying Xmas on board in Langkawi , Malaysia, islands that have been totally overtaken by tourism. The Islanders are, in contrast to other parts of Malaysia, quite “unfriendly” and so will NZers become soon. Its already happening. We do not want to be the servants of the idle /rich. Nor do we want them crushing up our homes and playgrounds and wilderness.

      “Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” — Benjamin Franklin

      Onwards to the New Year …………… when I hope commonsence and wisdom return.
      • RedLogix 12.1.1

        25 December 2018 at 2:02 pm

        I can understand that sentiment.

        Most people place a very high value on the freedom of movement; yet when masses of people all travel to the same places it detracts very much from the right of the people who already there to determine their own destiny.

        It’s one of those paradoxes of human existence that can only be resolved in a balance. It’s not dissimilar to cruising; a few thousand people might seriously sail the oceans, but not millions.

        But otherwise Christmas greetings to you all as well. Fairwinds ,,,,,,,,/),,,,,,,,
        • Mark 12.1.1.1

          26 December 2018 at 2:53 am

          yet when masses of people all travel to the same places it detracts very much from the right of the people who already there to determine their own destiny.

          That will stop or at least slow down when the resources of the world are more evenly and justly distributed.
      • The Chairman 12.1.2

        25 December 2018 at 2:29 pm

        Yes, I also agree, Janet. Moreover, poor management/planning (i.e. lack of infrastructure,etc) compounds the growing resentment.
        • KJT 12.1.2.1

          25 December 2018 at 2:48 pm

          Same as with immigration.

          Those profiting from it, expect the rest of us to foot the bill for the downsides.
13. eco maori 13

    26 December 2018 at 10:31 am

    While Im watching How the Universe works I find this sad story on Stuff website
    Hundreds of Māori students missing out on STEMS higher education programme why because goverments think Maori & Pacific are not caperable of graduation in a higher Education enviroment YEAH RIGHT. I think combining maori & pacific storys and teaching science to our students is a great IDEA and our coaliion goverment owes our tamariki and should put in place/back all the programs for our tamariki to achive the highest education they can achieve . There are many ways to solve a problem and looking at problem through the square glasses of this system is FAILING our tamariki so I say to correct this wrong we need more money invested in Maori & Pacific higher education
    Should New Zealand make it easier for Māori students to take maths and science subjects Yes
    An academic course for Māori high school students is proving so popular there’s a waiting list to join. But there is little hope they’ll be able to sign up next year because the Ministry of Education won’t fund the programme.
    “There is bias within the secondary system that pathways Māori students into non-academic futures,” says Pūhoro STEM Academy director Naomi Manu.
    “But they’re more than capable of being on an academic trajectory.”
    Manu says her STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) programme is doing what the government hasn’t been able to achieve. Ka kite ano P.S my youtube ap is not working on this computer

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/109334319/hundreds-of-mori-students-missing-out-on-education-programme
    Manu says students from 46 schools are on standby to join Pūhoro but she can’t help them because she doesn’t have the cash to expand the programme.
    Pūhoro is based on Māori principles. Its ambassador is NASA engineer Mana Vautier and it’s being backed by Massey University academics. The course has operated in 21 schools in the Manawatū, Bay of Plenty, Horowhenua and South Auckland since 2016.
    Its mission is to get Māori teenagers and their whanau to love STEM subjects and develop a career pathway few Māori tread. When the student signs up, the whānau is expected to join in as well says Manu.
    “I haven’t found a similar programme in the world. After three years, we’re the largest indigenous STEM programme in the world,” says Manu.NCEA level 1 or higher in maths, compared to 80.6 percent for non-Māori.
    Less than a quarter of Māori left school with level 2 maths. Just 13.7 percent had attained level 3 compared to a third of non-Māori.
    The rates were even lower in technology and science but the STEM numbers have steadily improved every year for Māori since 2009.
    “I think about all of those students that are on a non-academic pathway that don’t need to be. I think that’s a travesty,” says Manu.
    She claims of the 439 Year 11, 12 and 13 students currently on the Pūhoro course, they have an overall 92 percent completion rate of NCEA levels 1, 2 and 3 in the STEM subjects.
    “It’s incredibly frustrating because this is unprecedented,” says Manu.
    “We’re getting results for Māori either on par or exceeding the pass rates of non-Māori nationally, typically not in an area Māori students participate in.
    “Yet we’re still going cap in hand trying to find enough money to get us throught.
14. Eco Maori 14

    26 December 2018 at 10:48 am

    A video for my post above.
    
15. Eco Maori 15

    26 December 2018 at 10:53 am

    A video for my above post.
    
16. Eco Maori 16

    26 December 2018 at 12:23 pm

    In trumps world its all about thee I its all about him he does not care who he harms with his word’s action’s and dumb self serving laws he is all about trying to con the people who voted for him to beleve he has there well being first and formost in his actions {NOT} . He is all about sucking as much support he can get out of Amercian voters while lining his wallet . I say he will lose his voter base as he is going to cause a lot of harm to middle class lower class Amercians with his goverment shut down all because he wants his TOY the boarder wall.
    The US is on the edge of the economic precipice – Trump may push it over
    Robert Reich
    Government shutdowns hurt millions. Great depressions hurt even more. History suggests real pain is round the corner . The shutdown is indubitably his. Congress offered him a way to continue funding the government without the money to build his nonsensical wall along the Mexican border, but Trump caved in to the rabid rightwing media and refused.Trump’s shutdown also adds to growing worries about the economy. The stock market is on track for the worst December since the Great Depression. World markets have lost nearly $7tn in 2018, making it the worst year since the 2008 financial crisis.It’s important to understand that the root cause of those former collapses wasn’t a banking crisis. It was the growing imbalance between consumer spending and total output – brought on by stagnant wages and widening inequality.
    That imbalance is back. Trump is making it worse.America’s wealthy, meanwhile, have been taking home a growing portion of the nation’s total income. But the rich spend a small fraction of what they earn. The economy depends on the spending of middle-, working-class and poor families.
    The only way these Americans have continued to spend is by going deeper into debt. By the third quarter of this year, household debt had reached a record $13.5tn. Almost 80% of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck. ka kite ano links below

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/23/us-economic-precipice-donald-trump-government-shutdown.
17. eco maori 17

    26 December 2018 at 1:47 pm

    So if the carbon companys can see the writings on the wall about green energy WHAT’s blinding the POLLIES is it the migthy $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ kick backs they are getting that puts there views through a prism of money that distorts there reality
    Shell says it wants to double green energy investment
    Company already committed to spend $1bn-$2bn annually in the next two years on low carbon energy
    Solar will be the world’s biggest future source of low carbon power, he said, because of the number of regions it was viable in.
    He acknowledged Shell had failed to make serious inroads on wind power yet, admitting it had lost out on as many as nine windfarm projects when competing in auctions for government subsidies. Until the two it won in the US this month, it had only won in the Netherlands.
    But he said the firm was committed to the technology. “From a Shell perspective, we are very, very keen to win more in this game. In the North Sea but also offshore North America. And we’re even looking at China, India, Taiwan, Japan maybe.”
    Buying up clean energy firms would be essential if Shell’s power business was to be on a par with its oil and gas business in the 2020s, he said. But he vowed to avoid acquiring traditional utilities that might become irrelevant in a world of decentralised energy.
    “What I don’t want to buy is a huge old utility with outdated IT systems and a huge workforce that is still in the old ways of working.” Ka kite ano links below

    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/dec/26/shell-says-it-wants-to-double-green-energy-investment
    • KJT 17.1

      26 December 2018 at 1:52 pm

      Good spotting.
18. Eco Maori 18

    26 December 2018 at 2:12 pm

    Video for above post.
19. Eco Maori 19

    26 December 2018 at 2:48 pm

    Hundreds of sexual harassment claims against male police officers
    Guardian investigation shows fraction of complaints over past six years led to dismissal
    What do you know I bet that is just the tip of the iceburg in Aotearoa being exposed the police have a lot more suppresion powers on there bad behavour facts here in Aotearoa ana to kai
    More than half of British police forces received almost 450 complaints from staff and members of the public about sexual harassment. Photograph: Max Nash/PA
    Hundreds of people have claimed they were sexually harassed by male police officers in the past six years, prompting calls from senior officers for outdated and unacceptable behaviour to be “rooted out”.
    A Guardian investigation using freedom of information laws has revealed that more than half of British police forces received almost 450 complaints from staff and members of the public about sexual harassment. They included accusations against senior detectives and inspectors.
    Yet a fraction of the cases led to dismissal, with a number of cases simply resulting in an officer resigning or retiring.
    The true number of harassment grievances was likely to be even higher as only 28 out of 43 police forces provided data, with many – including the Metropolitan police – claiming they were unable to supply information or had failed to respond within the time limit. Ka kite ano links below

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/dec/25/revealed-hundreds-of-sexual-harassment-claims-against-male-police-officers-england-scotland-wales
20. Eco Maori 20

    26 December 2018 at 3:31 pm

    2018 is the year the Papatuanuku learn to respect wahine ka pai

    How 2018 became the year of #MeToo
    From the fall of Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer and Al Franken, to ‘Time’s Up’ and the Kavanaugh hearing, 2018 was marked by the power of the #MeToo movement.Source: CNN Ana to kai ka kite ano links below

    https://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2018/12/23/me-too-2018-wrap-lc-me-cs-orig.cnn
21. Eco Maori 21

    26 December 2018 at 4:10 pm

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute
    
22. Eco Maori 22

    26 December 2018 at 6:42 pm

    Kia ora Newshub It was cool that the kitekite track that they close to protect Tanemahuta has been reopened I hope that anyrisk has been minermized for the spread of the kauri died back desease .
    That was hard case the Origian man who I say wants grandchildren who advertsie his 3 single son for kiwi wahine hope his wishes are meet sound like it with 500 responces to his ad lol.
    The Royal family of Great Britain look quite happy ka pai
    Newshub showing EV owners were the charging stations are around Aotearoa is a good Idea
    Happy New year to the Newshub Team P.S Eco Maori wishes all the wealthy nations give more to the poor nations to help them mitigate and servive green house warming sea level rise climate change ka kite ano
23. SHG 23

    26 December 2018 at 7:20 pm

    well that’s this page dead
    • Robert Guyton 23.1

      26 December 2018 at 7:25 pm

      Ya have t’read between the lines…
24. eco maori 24

    27 December 2018 at 9:21 am

    Some Eco Maori Music for the minute.
    

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