Open mike 26/10/2019

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, October 26th, 2019 - 102 comments
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102 comments on “Open mike 26/10/2019 ”

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  1. Peter 1
    26 October 2019 at 8:17 am

    Free speech? Apparently we have to be very careful about what we say.

    "… hyperbole and irony and a certain moral ambiguity to make a comment about free speech…"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f19JaYA1Qf4

    • Anne 1.1
      26 October 2019 at 9:42 am

      Jonathon Pie is a breath of fresh air. He’s on the button about this ridiculous over-reaction to hyperbole and humorous if slightly risque utterances. A personal example:

      back in 1991 just before the first Iraq invasion started, I had a conversation with a former friend about the over-reaction of the American Embassy when they warned Americans living in NZ to beware of terrorists. [28 years ago we didn't have any terrorists.] I quipped to the friend… if you come across any terrorists let me know because I know a Yank who could do with being bumped off . (a bully boy I worked with)

      That person reported my quip and I found myself under inexplicable siege for some six weeks. Funny to look back on now but it sure wasn't funny at the time. And no apologies from the authorities involved were forthcoming.

      The person who made the complaint turned out to be a full blown narcissist.

    • David Mac 1.2
      26 October 2019 at 9:52 am

      Yes, satisfying the offended is an infinite task.

      I'm offended by comb overs, boy bands, blank switch plugs in top of the range cars and the high number of offended people. I demand my concerns are addressed immediately.

      • greywarshark 1.2.1
        26 October 2019 at 12:28 pm

        Infinite – who understands it? I am reminded of clever Jonathan Cainer.

        “Our brains are not capable of comprehending the infinite so, instead, we ignore it and eat cheese on toast.”
        ― Jonathan Cainer

        and –

        “Why do we love the idea that people might be secretly working together to control and organise the world? Because we don't like to face the fact that our world runs on a combination of chaos, incompetence and confusion.”
        ― Jonathan Cainer

        https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/391103.Jonathan_Cainer

  2. Anker 2
    26 October 2019 at 8:35 am

    He does have a point..

    always appreciate your contributions on the standard Peter

  3. Stuart Munro. 3
    26 October 2019 at 10:12 am

    Chile seems to be having problems.

    • Drowsy M. Kram 4.1
      26 October 2019 at 12:20 pm

      A lengthy and entertaining opinion piece on how Brexit will end, in The New Yorker.
      https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/04/how-brexit-will-end

      Excerpts:

      "A man in a clown outfit stood outside the gates of Parliament shouting, “Save our bendy bananas!”"

      "But Johnson’s political career has been marked by lies and evasions. “He is genuinely a bad person. Not an unlikable person but a bad person, as in he has no morals, no principles and beliefs,” a former close colleague told me. “He would be whatever Prime Minister was necessary to maximize the chances of gaining and then maintaining power.” Between 2008 and 2016, Johnson was a liberal mayor of London. During his campaign, earlier this year, to become the leader of the Conservative Party, he veered between promises to leave the E.U. on October 31st, “do or die,” and strange, chummy disquisitions on his hobby of making model buses and painting the passengers inside."

      "Roland Rudd, the chairman of the People’s Vote campaign, which advocates for a new referendum, told me. “I don’t pretend that reversing this madness is going to bring us together. Honestly, it won’t.”"

      "One of the riddles of English nationalism, as personified by Rees-Mogg and Johnson, is how seriously to take it. (Rees-Mogg has six children; the sixth is called Sixtus.) “A lot of this stuff sounds like it is sort of pantomime, this right-wing stuff in Britain,” Stewart told me. “Because the tone in which they do it is all a bit Gilbert and Sullivan.” Like other unlikely populist figures, Rees-Mogg operates within an ironic shimmer, knowing what people have come to hear. His descriptions of the perfidy of the British élite have the ring of an insider. “We found ourselves up against the British establishment at its least attractive,” he said. “People who pretend to do one thing and do another.”"

      "In the space of a few weeks this fall—in “the compression,” as Baker, of the E.R.G., called it—Johnson made startling political progress. The glue loosened. People diverged. Britain’s constitutional fabric suffered, too, in ways it is too early to understand. But, in the process, Johnson clarified to a great extent what Brexit is going to look like and feel like. The shape of the future is now visible. The uncertainty has receded. The worst is most likely yet to come."

  5. Poission 5
    26 October 2019 at 11:51 am

    The Rohe, of the river people and the march to stop violence against the senseless murders of maori woman.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/401793/maori-whanganui-community-rally-together-after-spate-of-deaths

  6. greywarshark 6
    26 October 2019 at 12:19 pm

    On Brexit – I have paid some money to The Telegraph and am getting Brexist updates these days. Which seem pretty accurate from them.

    The latest is under the heading The Nightmare Before Christmas.

    I'm James Crisp, The Telegraph's Brussels Correspondent, and Westminster is on an election footing. But there are two problems – Emmanuel Macron and Jeremy Corbyn.

    Mr Corbyn said he wanted to wait until the EU27 granted an extension before agreeing to the election suggested by Boris Johnson, but his stance has jeopardised the agreement on the delay to the Oct 31 Brexit deadline.

    Mr Macron has been a lone voice in arguing for a shorter Brexit extension than the three-month flextension to Jan 31 2020 supported by the majority of EU27 leaders.

    The EU could still grant the extension to the end of January but, unless Mr Macron caves, the bloc could be forced to call an emergency summit on Monday. Any decision on extension must be unanimous…..

    and

    Fraser Nelson argues that the working class is so strongly behind Boris Johnson that he is willing to risk a December vote.

    In the run-up to Oct 31, you will be able to read a wide variety of articles on the Brexit saga. Please see the links below for a selection of some of today's best articles.

    If you want to become a subscriber and read the hundreds of articles we publish every day, try a free 30-day subscription.

    The working class behind Boris? Is it a case that the workers feel that people who rush around looking important, throwing criticisms and statements about and hubris (though they don't know what it means and don't care), are people like themselves. Is it that they like to be able to blame others, especially foreigners, for anything that isn't right and imply that the celebrity leader will change all that and 'Make ..(insert country here) .. Great Again? Is it that these talking heads imply that there will be affordable beer and good food, affordable sport-spectating and someone always ready and willing to ease their ailments. Is it that our education has not been the right sort to enable democratic decisions to be analysed and made in a thoughtful way?

    I think something is rotten in the state of D…….. or wherever English-speaking democracy reigns. Time for me to clean out the smelly frig I think, that is something useful that I can do, and then perhaps join others getting together to look at the state of our democracies which haven't been great for a while and may never be again at this rate.

  7. marty mars 7
    26 October 2019 at 1:18 pm

    racist mary and racist nicky – so common – so fucken racist

    Newstalk ZB host Marcus Lush was shocked to receive two calls during his show on Thursday night from New Zealand-born women who insisted on mispronouncing the Māori names of the places where they'd been born.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12279927

    • WILD KATIPO 7.1
      26 October 2019 at 2:03 pm

      Could you expect a Highland Scot to accurately pronounce Maori place names…?

      Have you even heard how the Americans pronounce anything Maori???

      Did you know our linguistic vocal cords are formed by the age of around 6 which gives rise to accents?

      And that some Maori dont pronounce Anglo place names properly but people dont bat an eyelid?

      I think,… its time we celebrated our differences so we dont become clones or cringe worthy tryhards trying too hard to identify with cultures we dont belong to.. its like putting on a fake Japanese accent just to fit in and sound hip. Except its all in reverse.

      Anyways… maybe Im too middle of the road.

      Heres some Scotties for ya.

      https://youtu.be/-EpWOzIzhf8?

      • WILD KATIPO 7.1.1
        26 October 2019 at 2:08 pm

        Face it, whether we like it or not, language is a living , evolving thing… we butcher each others language everyday. Sadly.

        But unless we live in total isolation,.. language, and its pronunciation… is going to change over time.

        But, thats how dialects and accents arise, along with all it colloquialisms… Look at England… a Geordie sounds totally different from an East Ender…

        • marty mars 7.1.1.1
          26 October 2019 at 4:38 pm

          But, thats how dialects and accents arise, along with all it colloquialisms… Look at England… a Geordie sounds totally different from an East Ender…

          ffs it is not about accents or dialects – did you even listen to the original comment I put up – pretty basic stuff and totally doable with the will to do it – without the will we get deliberate offence designed to hurt and belittle

      • marty mars 7.1.2
        26 October 2019 at 2:42 pm

        they DELIBERATELY mispronounce even after being corrected – if you think that's okay then bully for you

        • WILD KATIPO 7.1.2.1
          26 October 2019 at 3:33 pm

          Okey dokeys… but can you imagine going around 'correcting' someone in England from another locality when they 'mispronounced' a local twang or drawl?

          I think you might end up with an ale all over your face and called a nitpicker. As they are all English and accept the differences. Black or white these days as well.

          Basically, your making people feel unnecessarily bad for being born in a different time , family , culture and / or locality.

          There was a gang of Iranian painters I got chatting to,.. I asked where they were from… I heard ' irin'…. was puzzled at that and asked again ..again they replied… ' irin'… and then I learnt… instead of the usual Kiwi drawl ' eye – ran'… they were from Iran and pronounced it' irin'….

          I said '' Ohhhhh… 'Eye – ran'…. OK '' ,… they were too busy to even care about the mispronunciation… to my relief…

          Yet … I do not pronounce Iran as ' Irin'….

          Why ? … because I am not an Iranian and I would actually like other Kiwis to know what Im saying rather than looking at me strangely … this is how language changes over time. This country , was formed of many Scots, Irish , Welsh and English as well as Maori… yet,… you would be hard pressed to find anyone with an original Welsh or Irish accent now unless they were of recent immigrant arrival.

          Well , the same can be said for those brought up over generations of familys pronouncing a word in a certain way… it takes time to change that… and many times… it makes people feel forced and uncomfortable. So they would rather be honest and pronounce things as theyve always done. Local parlance, in other words.

          You cannot force these things, and in Gisbourne and Northland, the Maoris there speak with their own accent on the English language themselves.

          Live and let live.

          • WILD KATIPO 7.1.2.1.1
            26 October 2019 at 3:39 pm

            NB.

            I do pronounce Iran as ' eye – rharn… for some reason… but still it is not a shadow on the correct pronunciation.

          • marty mars 7.1.2.1.2
            26 October 2019 at 4:33 pm

            you are just talking shit buddy – this is Aotearoa and we have TWO treaty partners and THREE official languages

            I don't care what the racists do apart from using their example of how utterly very fucking far we have to go to get anywhere near equality in this land

            • WILD KATIPO 7.1.2.1.2.1
              26 October 2019 at 5:38 pm

              Dont be a joke.

              Your real problem is white New Zealanders.

              Do you really expect Indian, Chinese and every other immigrant to bow the knee to the sacred cow of correct pronunciation of the Maori language ?

              Get off the grass racist.

              Climb down off that high horse your on and go outside and sniff the roses for a change.

              …. '' I don't care what the racists do apart from using their example of how utterly very fucking far we have to go to get anywhere near equality in this land '' …

              How old are you ? … 12 ?

              Or do you only consort with your select inhouse fellow delusionists?

              Get a grip , man.

              Do you realize how stupid you sound , – when if the only thing you have to offer is the mispronunciation of a language that constitutes major racial problems and inequality in this country , – while overseas people die in race riots and shootings… well buddy… perhaps it is YOU that has a long way to go.

              Get off the computer and go outside.

      • Macro 7.1.3
        26 October 2019 at 8:15 pm

        Thanks for that WK

        Here is a recent one from the the Western Isles fa ya.

        Peat and Diesel are a new group who have taken the Western Isles by storm.

      • weka 7.1.4
        26 October 2019 at 8:42 pm

        "Could you expect a Highland Scot to accurately pronounce Maori place names…?"

        Maybe not, but neither of the people in this example were Highland Scots, or even from overseas. Both have lived long lives here so it's not like they're *that far away from good pronunciation. This really had nothing to do with ability.

        In my experience, Māori are generally patient and kind with people attempting to get pronunciation right. There's not really an expectation of perfection with the general public.

        As an aside, it wouldn't surprise me if Scots learn te reo more easily, because of the whole R thing. I would expect this to be true of people born and bred in the south of NZ as well.

        "Did you know our linguistic vocal cords are formed by the age of around 6 which gives rise to accents?"

        Not sure how that's relevant tbh, plenty of Pākehā learn to pronounce te reo well later in life.

    • Anne 7.2
      26 October 2019 at 2:58 pm

      I’ve just been listening to that exchange online.

      I think the first woman and Lush were talking a bit past one another. I understand where the elderly lady was coming from. She grew up at a time when all Maori names were incorrectly pronounced but that was the way they were taught to say them. Given her age, it would be hard for her to even remember the correct pronunciations let alone use them. She tried to argue her point of view in a friendly, non-nasty way and Lush acknowledged as much.

      But the 49 year old… she was a racist git and he was way too polite to her imo.

      • marty mars 7.2.1
        26 October 2019 at 3:08 pm

        I don't see her age being an issue – anyone can make an effort to improve if they want. And if they can't be bothered they out themselves.

        The 2nd woman was an idiot. I grew up in mosgiel too and know exactly how racist and uncompromising that place can be and it is NOT as backward as she makes out. She does represent some but not all by any measure imo – just look at me lol

        • David Mac 7.2.1.1
          26 October 2019 at 4:07 pm

          I think we are slowly emerging ourselves in Te Reo. Adult classes are chocka. I think you're right Marty, Nicky thinks she's being staunch. When I got home after an extended period in Oz everyone was saying Kowhai and Whangarei different. I learned to change, not out of a deep seated respect for Te Reo, I didn't want to sound like an ignorant pillock.

          In a few minutes, I think 'How to Dad' does a great job of sharing the Te Reo building blocks.



          • marty mars 7.2.1.1.1
            26 October 2019 at 4:43 pm

            I'm as shit as the next person at some te reo Māori pronunciation – and that is sincere – my cousin corrected me the other day – what did I do? Learned and tried to get it right – this is what living in a community, a country means – giving it a fair attempt and being open to trying again if it is a stuff up. I'm not asking these people to go to te reo Māori classes or become fluent or do anything other than trying to be part of our society – and that is the rub – they don't see Māori as part of their society – they couldn't care less about Māori let alone the language – so fair enough I call that racism and note it.

            • David Mac 7.2.1.1.1.1
              26 October 2019 at 4:58 pm

              I don't see racism so much, I see lazy and stubborn. "It was Wonger Ray the day I was born and it'll be bloody Wonger Ray till the day I die."

              It's an attitude that is dying out, it's rare in someone younger than 50. At 49 Marcus' caller was an entertaining cringe of an exception.

              • weka …
                26 October 2019 at 8:28 pm

                The first woman was probably casual racism in her yeah, nah, I'm too old, not going to change now. I didn't have too much of a problem with it in the sense of I wouldn't call her racist if I was in the conversation and like Marcus I could probably find some common ground upon which to talk.

                The second woman was out and out racist. She's not just saying hey I like how I say things, she's actively holding a cultural position of preventing te reo taking hold and the subtext is that no-one in the South supports Māori. I'd say she's a white supremacy apologist.

                • David Mac …
                  26 October 2019 at 8:53 pm

                  That first woman was the sort of gnarly ol trout, her hubby could stick his head round the door and be Nga Puhi as.

                  The second woman, all those reasons to burn her. She's just a dummy weka, they're everywhere.

                  • weka …
                    26 October 2019 at 11:04 pm

                    I really wanted to hear the start of the conversation with the first woman, how they got onto pronunciation.

                    Dummy? Not sure about that, I think she was smart enough to know exactly what she was doing. Doesn't hurt to name that kind of racism when it's there, although I doubt I'd bother talking it through with her in real life.

            • WILD KATIPO 7.2.1.1.1.2
              26 October 2019 at 6:37 pm

              Marty , your statement :

              … '' they don't see Māori as part of their society – they couldn't care less about Māori let alone the language '' …

              Thats identity politics.

              1/ You dont speak for all white New Zealanders – all youve done is make a gross generalisation.

              2 / Your assumption can equally be applied to the very people group you choose to champion. Except it is reversed. Many Maori ( and people from other cultures ) dont particularly care about white New Zealand culture as well.

              3 / You belittle those who have taken the time to learn Te Reo who are not of Maori ancestry.

              4 / If your generalization is true, – then that makes other cultures , – not just white New Zealanders , – participants culpable in the charge of ' not caring about Maori let alone the language' .

              Therefore I would charge you with being an inverted racist yourself.

              We all have seen the evidence of Maori oppression through colonialism, we all have read the history and the Bellich books, we are aware of the statistics in under achievement and incarceration – and for the most part , many non Maori have agreed, – yet for the last 3-4 decades weve had it rammed down our throats actually…to the point where its become overload. Yet if the plight of Maori is so dire, then the correct pronunciation of the Maori language is the least of their concerns.

              It is all too easy to look at the extremes.

              That said, it is nice to preserve languages.

              However,… English in particular has many accents and dialects- from the Public School accent of the BBC to the Creole to Pidgin…

              Thats language. It lives with each and every new generation, it develops with each and every new permutation as there is people.

              And not you , not the identity politics crowd or any other force will ever stop that process. Try reading or speaking 12th century English. You'd be lost. You would struggle with even the simplest of pronunciations. You would probably have to learn Frisian or even German to get a handle on it.

              THATS how much languages change, marty.

              • marty mars …
                26 October 2019 at 6:46 pm

                mate I LOVE identity politics – and I'm very proud to follow that approach.

                Anyway thanks for the compliments – I'm really not too worried in this land of equality we live in – and I'm sorry to be insulting to you – I can't really be bothered keeping up the hostility so peace and love

        • McFlock 7.2.1.2
          26 October 2019 at 5:00 pm

          I'm ambivalent on this one. When pronunciation evolves into mispronunciation, crapping on people for saying it the way everyone around them has said it for 80 years is a bit much.

          And I note he used "camembert" not "croissant" – almost nobody says that word correctly lol

          But then it's one of them power dynamics: attitudes to English language and pronunciation instructions are descriptive rather than prescriptive, these days. Māori instruction is more prescriptive in order to encourage expansion and consistency and recover usage. Because colonialism.

          And then there's the entire meta discussion about when a word in one language becomes a word in another language.

          • weka 7.2.1.2.1
            26 October 2019 at 8:35 pm

            It's one thing to have a lifetime habit that one doesn't want to change (eg how one pronounces where one grew up), but it's another entirely to go on the radio and make the case vehemently that society shouldn't move towards better te reo pronunciation (the second woman).

            The other issue about te reo is that pronunciation affects meaning, and is part of literacy. It's not just about 'rightness' and not offending. How words are said in te reo Māori also affects whether one comes to a better understanding of what is being said, including concepts that are hard to say in English, which then leads to better understanding of Te Ao Māori. The words often go layers deep in ways that don't happen so much in English. I heard the second woman not just resisting changing an old habit, but actively working to suppress Te Ao Māori. Racist af.

            • McFlock 7.2.1.2.1.1
              26 October 2019 at 11:05 pm

              Yeah, talkback radio callers for the win right there. Salt of the earth lol.

              But I don't think it's down to berating individuals for not making an effort, when everyone else would look at them like freaks if they asked after the "Ōpoho" bus rather than "Opoho".

              I think that sort of change comes from the local bodies – putting macrons on the bus signs, changing the literature and maps, etc. Like Whanganui DHB did back in the day.

              And the schools, of course.

              • weka …
                26 October 2019 at 11:17 pm

                Is it a thing at the moment, the pronunciation of Ōpoho? I didn't even know it had a macron. Would have better if Newstalk had made the whole audio public so we can hear the start, I feel like I'm missing an important part of the conversation.

                I don't think the issue is a couple of people mispronouncing a Māori placename, it's the *way it was defended. I wouldn't berate them for how they say the word, but obviously I will berate someone for being a dick about it.

                • McFlock …
                  26 October 2019 at 11:47 pm

                  I thought that was the pronunciation Lush was going for? Always just been "Opoho" to me.

                  But holy shit it just occurred to me that this has been the first time in years talkback has caused a kerfuffle and the bigot/dickhead wasn't the announcer! The last time I can think of that happening was the "Hone" Carter phone calls. Normally it's Lhaws or Tamihere or whomever going for the controversy.

        • Anne 7.2.1.3
          26 October 2019 at 5:21 pm

          I don't see her age being an issue – anyone can make an effort to improve if they want.

          Agreed. But I'd still cut the elderly lady a bit of slack. I would call her problem more ignorance than racism.

          One way to bring it home to them is for all Maori to start mispronouncing English place-names especially when on radio or television where they are going to be heard.

          Examples:

          Wellington… we – ling – ton (as in con).

          Onehunga… one – hunga (as in hunger)

          St Kilda… st – kil – da (as in dat)

          You could have a lot of fun in the process as well as causing an upsurge in pakeha related strokes. 😉

          • Anne 7.2.1.3.1
            26 October 2019 at 5:41 pm

            Bugger… that should have been sti – kil – da (as in dat). That'd stump em.

            • WILD KATIPO 7.2.1.3.1.1
              26 October 2019 at 6:08 pm

              Why?- whats the point?

              We already have people of all races mispronouncing names, places and the like. What are we all going to do? – draw and quarter them all for a simple error or guillotine them for being brought up in a certain way ?

              Geez.

              Maybe a simpler way would be to recognize that we all come from different backgrounds and cultures… and to stop trying to squeeze us all into the cookie cutter homogenous mould some would like to see…

              Seems I recall the call went out for us all to be tolerant and celebrate our diversity… or is that no longer applicable when it comes to to the pronunciation of either the English or Maori language….

              Seems just a little too ‘ convenient when it suits’ to me… but you know the old saying… '' you cant have your cake and eat it too''…

              So which one is it?

              Celebrating diversity and being tolerant or the cookie cutter?

              Anyways,… had enough of this puerile conversation.

              • Anne …
                26 October 2019 at 6:36 pm

                Good grief. Have you not got a sense of humour? It's a joke mate.

                J…O…K…E

                A bit of light hearted banter at the expense of pakeha.

          • marty mars 7.2.1.3.2
            26 October 2019 at 6:18 pm

            Yes it is fun smiley

            • David Mac 7.2.1.3.2.1
              26 October 2019 at 6:46 pm

              Ha! Touche Marty.

              The Swedish people warmed to me as I gained a handle on their kooky language. My pal Tedde shared why. 'There are few greater genuine compliments that can be made to a group of people than learning their language.'

              As the world grows smaller and sameness infiltrates everywhere, Te Reo is ours and only ours.

          • mikesh 7.2.1.3.3
            26 October 2019 at 8:52 pm

            I heard Sir Peter Jackson was trying to get Andy Foster to change Wellington's name to Wellywood. Just a rumour. I can't guarantee that it's true.

    • David Mac 8.1
      26 October 2019 at 4:31 pm

      That rigid sail system would overcome most of the reasons not to put conventional sails on a tanker. No extra crew, the captain could control them from the bridge. Low maint. They're not 300m high. The wind direction doesn't matter. A 9.2% fuel saving is substantial. I wonder if fuel savings improve beyond that as more of the units are added to a deck.

      These points may well be in the article grey, you're a Telegraph subscriber.

      • Dukeofurl 8.1.1
        26 October 2019 at 5:00 pm

        This story on same ship says 8.2%

        "The Finnish developer of the technology explained that this was equivalent to approximately 1,400 tonnes of CO2."

        Doesnt tell how much oil the tanker carried in the 12 month period , could it be over 750,000 tons?

        DWT is 110,000 tonnes

        Currently off west coast of Africa at 10 kts

      • greywarshark 8.1.2
        26 October 2019 at 6:19 pm

        I'm a neophyte Telegraph subscriber. Can't get all their stuff at present and have to review what I paid and should pay. So can't give you any more about the sails at present, but even putting up the headlines I find is very bracing, knowing that something is going on in the intelligent side of the world.

        I have to decide whether I want to pay monthly or drop in a donation FTTT – whatever options are being offered and for the other UK ones, I would like to get Scottish one too. I may be able to keep up on Bella Caledonia. (Just looking at their page and they are fulminating about David Cameron

        ' reportedly earning £120,000 per hour to provide audiences with “lessons in leadership” in global affairs. Similarly, Gordon Brown was paid around £75,000 for one speech that claims to give a “comprehensive view of complex issues”.' https://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2019/10/24/a-prosperous-future/

        At least it won't cost me that much to be informed, and with a spread of media I am likely to be as well grounded in general, as many paying big money to hear the mega-stars, famous in their own galaxy.

        I'm going to be donating to the Guardian, want to subscribe to local Scoop, and also The Standard. And I get local paper at a reduced rate. It all adds up. The Guardian, The Telegraph and aljazeera have been my main ones on Brexit with the BBC and Channel 4 FTTT.

      • David Mac 8.1.3
        26 October 2019 at 6:29 pm

        Another advantage over conventional sails, unlike most mono hull sailing vessels, it wouldn't lean over.

    • Stuart Munro. 8.2
      26 October 2019 at 8:40 pm

      It would be history repeating itself – the rise of steam turned all the sailing ships into colliers – time being less critical for that cargo.

  9. SPC 9
    26 October 2019 at 5:39 pm

    Once upon a time I favoured enabling vaping – as a means to wean people off tobacco.

    I still do. But, given

    1. the harm that can result from allowing an addictive substance – nicotine – to be on-sale

    2. those over 18 are supplying it to younger teens and children

    3. growing evidence that there is damage to lungs from vaping

    I now only favour it by prescription to existing tobacco addicts, where the doctor felt the risk from vaping was worth it for the patient – as part of a process to getting people off tobacco.

  10. David Mac 10
    26 October 2019 at 5:50 pm

    Duke, that article also notes

    “On certain routes during the trial the vessel achieved fuel savings way beyond the average of 8.2% even with average wind conditions,” Hylands said.

    “There is a clear potential to achieve higher fuel savings, and hence CO2 savings, on routes with more favourable wind conditions, which further improves the commercial viability of the technology.”

    Targeting windy routes is way more efficient than adding more windmills.

    That shipping site is amazing. GPS position, headings, speed. Pelican looks very tired in the Maersk file pics. Was probably due to be slipped when the round sails went on.

  11. WILD KATIPO 11
    26 October 2019 at 6:00 pm

    One for marty.

    Hope you can understand the point…

    And get off the demanding , petulant one way rail road track.

    Live and let live.

    https://youtu.be/QrLjsCCGnuo?t=1https://youtu.be/QrLjsCCGnuo?

    • David Mac 12.1
      26 October 2019 at 7:11 pm

      Weka stuck Harvey's public shaming up the other night but like Harvey, we had so much fun lets do it again.

      Phone + Facebook/Twitter account are like the village stocks of old and Harvey is copping rotten fruit for a second day on The Standard. Seems fitting, creep.

  13. cleangreen 13
    26 October 2019 at 7:15 pm

    Some Sky City workers are refusing to go to work now after the fire.

    Some are feeling sick in the complex from acrid smoke smells apparently.

    https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/skycity-workers-could-strike-over-work-conditions-after-convention-centre-fire

    TV3 news said today 26th October news tonight.

    • David Mac 13.1
      26 October 2019 at 7:26 pm

      There would be a massive air-cond system at Sky City. All of the air in the building can be exchanged rapidly. Change filters, clean towers etc.

      I don't mean to belittle concerns, I've had a cough and had to take paid time off. Caught a 20lber

      Seriously, of course the air purity should be checked. A 3 hour job when being closed costs $1000 a minute.

      • David Mac 13.1.1
        26 October 2019 at 7:54 pm

        If I was the boss at Sky City I would invite the dominant union executive body to select the lab to do the air purity analysis. (I would run my own tests on the quiet.)

        • David Mac 13.1.1.1
          26 October 2019 at 8:30 pm

          If there was a marked difference between data sets, I'd ring the head of the union body and suggest reps from each lab come together for one more comprehensive test. Agree on methodology and deliver a collective report.

  14. joe90 14
    26 October 2019 at 8:28 pm

    Because giant interference arrays are so yesterday.

    /

    Russia will test its internal RuNet network to see whether the country can function without the global internet, the Russian government announced Monday. The tests will begin after Nov. 1, recur at least annually, and possibly more frequently. It’s the latest move in a series of technical and policy steps intended to allow the Russian government to cut its citizens off from the rest of the world.

    “On Monday, the government approved the provision on conducting exercises to ensure the stable, safe and holistic functioning of the Internet and public communications networks in the Russian Federation,” notes an article in D-Russia. (The original article is in Russian. We verified a translation with the help of a native Russian speaker.) “The exercises are held at the federal (in the territory of the Russian Federation) and regional (in the territory of one or more constituent entities of the Russian Federation) levels.”

    The word “holistic” shows that the exercises follow April’s passage of the sovereign internet law that will require all internet traffic in Russia to pass through official chokepoints, allowing the government to shut down outside access, block websites that they don’t like, and monitor traffic.

    https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2019/10/russia-will-test-its-ability-disconnect-internet/160861/?

    • greywarshark 14.1
      26 October 2019 at 8:57 pm

      'to cut its [Russian] citizens off from the rest of the world'. / sarc

      This step to try and be self-sufficient comes after western provocation and Ukraine meddling and all sorts of attacks and provocations from both sides in retaliation to the ones before. It is quite reasonable to try and withdraw from such resource wasting interaction. And of course there are the sanctions that the USA plaster round the place, elephants are more dainty.

      • joe90 14.1.1
        26 October 2019 at 10:14 pm

        Putin and his Chekists are losing the propaganda battle. Their response is to do what their forebears did.

        Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the government to monitor the online behavior of young Russians and to produce “moral and spiritual education” content for them.

        Young Russians have been targeted by several government initiatives in recent years, including a ban on minors attending protests and efforts to provide them with a military and patriotic education. This year, Russia launched a new channel targeting young viewers with 24/7 World War II programming and announced military-patriotic reeducation camps for delinquent youngsters.

        https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/10/17/putin-orders-monitoring-youth-behavior-online-a67776

        • greywarshark 14.1.1.1
          26 October 2019 at 10:27 pm

          Perhaps that is the appropriate thing to do at this point in time? I am so disillusioned with world politics that I no longer can produce the moth-eaten banner left over from last century with words of hope and glory where if everyone is treated properly and allowed to say what they will, the tooth fairy will give us beautiful teeth and we won;t even have to paint them every night.

  15. greywarshark 15
    26 October 2019 at 8:51 pm

    I am amazed that the government cannot find funding for the Chathams and their airport. These outlying regions need some investment to build further business on. Everything can't be about trees. I hope that there is another agency that would find a place in its budget for them.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/401845/chatham-islands-airport-misses-out-on-government-funding

  16. David Mac 16
    26 October 2019 at 8:59 pm

    I'm going to sand the last one and lay another coat of lacquer over the Simca. I love spray-painting while the All Blacks play their big games. So far we have mirrored results.

  17. David Mac 17
    26 October 2019 at 9:06 pm

    Damn I want to blame the gun, but it was me, I hovered too long on the B pillar and I've got 3 runs.

  18. David Mac 18
    26 October 2019 at 9:16 pm

    Geeez, I so want to get this right. I know how to do this, I'm good at it, I need to relax. I need to be seventeen and painting my tutor's car again. I was brilliant without trying.

  19. David Mac 19
    26 October 2019 at 9:33 pm

    I've wiped it back to where it was with prepsol and invited a woman I know that usually has a smoke over for a curry.

    I hope she gets here soon because I long for the day that the All Blacks play stoned.

  20. David Mac 20
    26 October 2019 at 9:36 pm

    ding dong, brb

  21. David Mac 21
    26 October 2019 at 9:45 pm

    Hey, everyone gets their own pattern, I've got a purple quilt sort of thing going on. Cynthia says "Hi"

  22. David Mac 22
    26 October 2019 at 10:08 pm

    I didn't have the overhead booth fans on. I should of asked myself "Why can I hear Miles so clearly while in here?"

    I'm expecting the enhanced booth vacuum to have a favourable effect over my spray fan.

    The lads and I need to dust on some coats of glass and get up to Cynthia's party cones.

  23. David Mac 23
    26 October 2019 at 10:19 pm

    Geez I was going well, all the top surfaces glistening, cat walked over it. Who visits with a cat? Tyler, cat, yeah I know.

  24. joe90 24
    26 October 2019 at 10:34 pm

    Trudeau may have his issues, but Canadians had the wit to give the racist, climate denier fossil fuel loving anti-immigrant nazi the arse.

    Bernier spent the campaign promoting a divisive and exclusionary message that could have easily come from far-right parties such as Germany’s AfD or France’s National Front. He vowed to build a border fence to keep out asylum seekers, stoked fears of “radical Islam” in the country and told a rally earlier this year that he wanted to “make Canada great again.”

    Bernier founded the party in 2018, after losing a Conservative Party leadership contest to Andrew Scheer, and quickly settled on an anti-immigration message. Despite the party polling around 3% throughout the campaign, Bernier was a highly visible figure during the race and participated in the federal leaders debate. His presence in the election, a sharp contrast with Canada’s progressive multicultural image, drew international media attention, including a profile in The New York Times that described him as a “lanky provocateur.”

    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/canada-peoples-party-bernier-far-right_n_5daf6efce4b0f34e3a7e29af?

  25. Anne 25
    26 October 2019 at 11:05 pm

    The ABs lose.

    It'll be Jacinda's fault. It's her what done it you wait and see. 😉

  26. Exkiwiforces 26
    27 October 2019 at 12:18 am

    Yes Anne, I had the same feeling after the match that it would be Jandal’s fault that the AB’s loss to English. You can’t fault that wiry old fox Jonesy who a masterful game plain to beat the AB’s tonight.

  27. sumsuch 27
    27 October 2019 at 12:31 am

    Wall of putative claims not based on reality. Meeting the wall of reality.

    Does anyone know how to get to the subjectivists? Cult disentanglers are central to a future. I have 2 siblings I can't do shit with.

    • sumsuch 27.1
      27 October 2019 at 12:49 am

      Easy foot-notery above when our predeccessors spent their lives, destroyed their families, for reality. And all I am is the angriest of the footnoters. Massive cream before a massive fall.

      I think we're fighting against reality. That is, our mental nature.

      • sumsuch 27.1.1
        27 October 2019 at 1:05 am

        Though beyond that, all species come bam against the wall of natural selection. We're just locomotive powered. Severe dip-off.

        I have to say, being a social animal, I more enjoy subjectivists being fucked in the face than my early demise. .