Open mike 30/07/2011

18 comments on “Open mike 30/07/2011 ”

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1. Herodotus 1

   30 July 2011 at 7:29 am

   Over a week with only BBC news and CNN gives a very different perspective of the world, 3 news stories dominate; The Sun and phone tapping,Norway and US and 14.3t debt. What I have got out of this is how shallow our reporting is & how self interest is not limited to NZ.
   Ps how great workable rail networks are 😉
2. Pete George 2

   30 July 2011 at 7:31 am

   The Norway mass murders were acts of extreme cowardice, the bombing and killing of innocent people, and particularly despicable was the methodical killing of unarmed, defenseless young people with no easy way of escaping their brutal execution. That’s about as despicable and gutless as you can get.

   One apparent aim was to become a hero of the extreme right and a catalyst for cataclysm.

   The Norwegian murderer has support on this side of the world. It’s not surprising, small groups have been posting online of the hope for something like this to happen – like minded people online may well have encouraged what happened in Norway – and the mass killing seems to meet with their approval. They are openly hopeful it is the beginning of the mass uprising they have been wishing for.

   The End is Nigh! (Nemesis):
   The time for talking and making friendly peace gestures is finished! Let the start of the ending begin!

   It won’t happen – but we need make our opposition clear by speaking up against it.

   Crusader cowards.
   • vto 2.1

     30 July 2011 at 12:18 pm

     Well Pete, I have been trying to do just that but nobody is interested. But that may be because of race.

     http://thestandard.org.nz/the-violent-right/#comment-358166 about 3/4 the way down at 26 july 11.19am and onwards.
   • mickysavage 2.2

     30 July 2011 at 4:19 pm

     Pete

     I did not think I would say this but I agree with you!
3. logie97 3

   30 July 2011 at 7:38 am

   This from The Guardian today quoting from a Professor Beetham

   http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2011/jul/29/phone-hacking-scandal-live-coverage

   Quote
   “…News International has been unique …
   … Yet it shares the same features that have compromised British democracy from across the corporate sector. These include the use of offshore tax havens, complex legal entities and transfer pricing to minimise the tax contribution of businesses to our public services. They have shared a common anti-public sector agenda which has shaped public opinion and government policy alike: privatisation and outsourcing of government functions and services; cutting the ‘burden’ of government regulation and promoting self-regulation; lowering taxes, especially on business and the wealthy; remedying the deficit in public finances in short order. This agenda has become embedded at the heart of government through a range of corporate stratagems – personal contact with politicians, lobbying power, financing political parties and think tanks, the ‘revolving door’ between business and government appointments, joint partnerships, corporate hospitality, and so on – which have brought governments of all parties under their sway…”
   unquote

   Does any of the above sound familiar?
4. Jenny 4

   30 July 2011 at 10:07 am

   There is so much happening this weekend, our Papakura community group is having a mass marmalade making morning. I had gathered two bags of grapefruit and was looking forward to it.

   Unfortunately I have had to cancel, because it clashes with the weekend HUI FOR ACTION AGAINST FOSSIL FUEL EXTRACTION, being held at the Nga Whare Watea Marae in Mangere.

   I went there last night to hear Jeanette Fitzsimmons speak.

   This was an unforgettable experience, her breadth of knowledge and commitment, was breath taking. I found the reciting of the the facts of global climate destruction by fossil fuels and the power of those committed to oil and coal extraction, depressing.

   But Jeanette was unbowed and vowed to spend the rest of her life to this cause. “There is no greater gift I can give my grandchildren” she said.

   Activists from Te Whanau a Apanui also spoke very movingly about their campaign to turn back Petrobras.

   I am going back there today, which is to be their planning and strategy day.

   Come along if you can.

   P.S. weeding the garden yesterday I found a lage full size half ripe strawberry growing amongst the wreckage of my neglected winter garden.

   Is this weird?

   Can anyone tell me?
   • Jenny 4.1

     30 July 2011 at 10:09 am

     NATIONAL HUI FOR ACTION AGAINST FOSSIL FUEL EXTRACTION

     Nga Whare Watea Marae in Mangere

     Friday 29 to Sunday 31 July.

     Facilitated by Greenpeace Aotearoa/New Zealand, and will bring together community groups, individuals, Iwi and NGO representatives to strategise and galvanise our diverse opposition to fossil fuel extraction in Aotearoa.

     “With the prospect of deep sea oil rigs dotted around the country and onshore fracking, drilling, open pit lignite and the old spectre of mining on conservation estate raising its head again there is an urgent need for coordinated nationwide action to ensure our priceless lands, seas, reputation and climate are not further degraded by short sighted government policy.”

     Follow the link below to register your attendence: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewformformkey=dG1hdnV6SGVvdTc2TWlXcTZiRzZPVnc6MQ

     Full agenda has been posted at Eco-Socialist Aotearoa Facebookpage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/183933556971?ap=1
5. uke 5

   30 July 2011 at 11:38 am

   A report on the real picture of what is happening in Western Australia:
    
   ‘Western Australia is held up around the world as the epicentre of a mining boom that is producing unprecedented wealth and prosperity. A recent Wall Street Journal article, for example, told its readers of the $109 billion worth of investment projects underway in the state. “Truck drivers can win annual salary packages of well over $150,000,” it claimed, while labour shortages sent companies as far as Britain and Ireland to recruit staff.
    
   On the surface, statistics seem to bear out the claims. The state is registering economic growth of 4.5 percent. Average weekly wages have risen by close to 8 percent over the past year and official unemployment is 4.5 percent and falling. The workforce participation rate has reached 80.5 percent, compared with a national average of 65.5 percent.
    
   However, as with any set of statistics that seem too good to be true, the official figures disguise the immense contradictions and regressive social impact of the mining boom.’
   • Colonial Viper 5.1

     30 July 2011 at 11:50 am

     Australia is turning into a 2 speed economy. The east coast is slowing down massively while mining areas are still having a boom.

     Let’s see what raw materials demand from China is like in a years time. That’s a very big variable and highly affected by what happens in the US and EU over the next month or three.
   • Draco T Bastard 5.2

     30 July 2011 at 12:28 pm

     Quoting article:

     A Perth small business owner told the Australian Financial Review last month: “Everybody believes WA is awash with money. It’s really just a small number of people earning a lot of money. All we see is the cost-of-living skyrocketing.”

     Typical capitalism – the few do really well and everyone else suffers because of them doing so.
     • uke 5.2.1

       30 July 2011 at 1:33 pm

       Yes, the media here never report on the flipside to this WA “gold rush”:
        
       “…the second worst level of homelessness in the country, with around 68 people per 10,000 sleeping rough… one of the highest teenage unemployment rates in Australia—17.8 percent of youth aged between 15 and 19 were not in full-time employment or studying.” [Etc. etc.]
        
       Prime rule of market capitalism: Keep the bottom of the labour force hungry and desperate and with no other option but wage slavery.
6. Colonial Viper 6

   30 July 2011 at 12:12 pm

   I just read that Microsoft, GE and Apple now have more cash reserves on hand than the US Government.

   And not the three of them totalled together either, but individually.
7. the pink postman 7

   30 July 2011 at 3:01 pm

   Did anyone have the misfortune to listen to Barry Coleman from the Business Review on Close Up last night. Bloody scary to say the least.What makes it worse is that according to the gallop polls these are the types that will be making government policy. All I can say is that if low and middle income earners put these people in power they will be lucky to survive ,
8. aj 8

   30 July 2011 at 4:09 pm

   Barry Coleman. Arrgh. I’d have mentioned this but I thought I’d dreamed it. Rather, nightmare’d it.
   Hosking tried to educate him and the guy from budgetting services (?) looked more stunned than anything else.

   Precis:

   *Lower income people should just be thankful they aren’t back in the 19th centruy
   *Ignore the rich list stats because ‘they don’t represent the reality of a lot the wealthy doing it tough’
   *The gap between rich and poor is a myth
   *Lower minimum wages to soak up the unemployed
9. higherstandard 9

   30 July 2011 at 4:36 pm

   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10740848

   “The current outbreak was brought to New Zealand from Britain by a west Auckland school student, who quickly infected six non-immunised people in his classroom of 30.”

   1 in 5 not immunised… seriously WTF, can the parents please report to the nearest General Practice where someone will punch them in the face.
10. logie97 10

    30 July 2011 at 5:29 pm

    Article in Auckland suburban paper confirms that Joyce’s much heralded roll out of ultra fast broadband is not going to go to the suburbs and in particular the “West” first.

    Don’t you love him and his cabinet mates.
    (All the time wanting to reduce taxation and the state, and here he is acting with largesse using the same-taxpayers’ money to benefit the rich suburbs).

    Just for once, they could begin to address inequality of opportunity in our society by installing this technology in the poorer areas first… nah, dream on!

    The cynic in me suggests that he must have been disappointed that the whole of Rodney was not made part this New Super City – that way he could have started the roll-out from Omaha.
11. tc 11

    30 July 2011 at 6:42 pm

    Yup and telecom have committed to doing stuff in the spectrum owned by Kordia and Woosh, such a sham process the UFB has been.

    He should be jailed for the fraud he’s committed on this alone, not allowing an SOE into the mix on rural services where Kordia have the reach and capability in wimax and 4g technologies. It’s a slap in rural NZ’s face to entrench tcom with 3G technology where 4g is the way.
12. prism 12

    30 July 2011 at 10:09 pm

    Dunedin NZ and Washington USA should pal up to be sister cities. They both have the same problem – politicians with spending agendas who don’t want to know that they can’t afford their latest peccadillo, blame someone else when the folly becomes apparent, and look for ways to raise the money from the people who didn’t receive any benefit from the expenditure. Suckers again!

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