Open mike 09/09/2011

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, September 9th, 2011 - 83 comments
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Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to Policy in the banner).

Step right up to the mike…

83 comments on “Open mike 09/09/2011 ”

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  1. freedom 1
    9 September 2011 at 6:18 am

    http://www.ustream.tv/channel/thetorontohearings

    Todays remaining sessions at the Toronto Hearings in NZ time

    05:00-06:30 David Ray Griffin: Inadequacies of the 9/11 Commission’s Report

    06:30-08:30 Kevin Ryan: Inadequacies of the Reports by the National
    Institute of Standards and Technology

    08:15-09:00 Audience Question and Answer

  2. freedom 2
    9 September 2011 at 6:48 am

    Ferdinando Imposimato calling for an International Tribunal to investigate 9/11 was astounding

    • travellerev 2.1
      9 September 2011 at 7:10 am

      The Italian judge?

      • freedom 2.1.1
        9 September 2011 at 9:24 am

        yeah, He is quietly sitting there with his translator, whom he hardly uses, busy explaining the framework required to build a case to take a lot of very powerful people to International Court, and then continues to lay out the best way to make it happen.

        It was an incredible first day. The quality of the speakers is well balanced with the considered time they each get to present. The long Q&A sessions from the panel and the audience, including on line contributions, are already showing their worth.

        Day two starts 1am tomorrow nzt

      • MrSmith 2.1.2
        9 September 2011 at 5:40 pm

        “The Italian judge?”

        Yes and the honest one know-doubt!

  3. freedom 3
    9 September 2011 at 6:57 am

    Kevin Ryan discussing NIST report ‘innaccuracies’ till 8:30am NZT

  4. Bored 4
    9 September 2011 at 7:14 am

    Standard, please get the Weekend column up earlier, we want to discuss gardening and such like with my RWNJ annd LWNJ horticultural mates. Plus the rugger head stuff.

    • travellerev 4.1
      9 September 2011 at 7:29 am

      LOL,That sounds soo cute!

    • prism 4.2
      9 September 2011 at 10:33 am

      I want to ask that someone who has a lead into what sounds like an awesome firework display for tonight in Auckland to post it, in the Weekend fun column.

    • Ianupnorth 4.3
      9 September 2011 at 10:51 am

      I will be playing on my cycle in the countryside from this evening and have no desire to participate in watching a minority sport developed at a public (toff’s) school, by people who couldn’t play proper football, played by colonial nations and appealing to farmers and red necks.
       
      There, got that off my chest!

      • Vicky32 4.3.2
        9 September 2011 at 6:24 pm

        I will be playing on my cycle in the countryside from this evening and have no desire to participate in watching a minority sport developed at a public (toff’s) school, by people who couldn’t play proper football, played by colonial nations and appealing to farmers and red necks.

        I shall be doing my level best to avoid it, but man it’s difficult! Some person has decided that Mt Albert (where I have the misfortune to live) has “adopted” the USA as “our team” and the suburb is festooned with the flag I least like to see… There are a million questions – not least, who decided that “we” care?

      • Morrissey 4.3.3
        9 September 2011 at 9:24 pm

        Our good friend Ianupnorth clambered up high on his high horse, looked down on the plebs (he sneeringly dismisses them as “red necks”) and disdainfully opined that rugby football is “played by colonial nations and appealing to farmers and red necks.”

        It’s really just too silly and pathetic to merit much comment, but one thing in Ian’s Olympian dismissal of the game demands clarification: in what way is France a colonial nation?

  5. mickysavage 5
    9 September 2011 at 7:37 am

    I am interested in the treatment of “Taugate” by the left and the right.

    On the left a few comments, no posts in any of the major left blogs that I know of and a couple of tweets.

    On the right an attack by the slithery one on the complainant backed up by one of those echo posts by Farrar, you know the ones where Slater does the disgusting stuff and Farrar “only” reports that Slater has reported it.

    Is this that different to the speeding cop car that Helen was not actually driving but which provided RWNJs with years of abuse and conspiracy theories on here?

    Does the left actually weigh up the seriousness of an incident before commenting whereas the right just relish the opportunity to attack?

    • Pete George 5.1
      9 September 2011 at 8:53 am

      You must ne kidding.

      There’s been a mixture of attacks and support for Henare on KB.

      And if you think “the left actually weigh up the seriousness of an incident before commenting” then you mustn’t actually read anything in posts or comments here, or you must suffer from severe blinkeritis..

      In my own narrow experience here I’ve been attacked by numerous people sometimes based only on the presumption I must be bad because I’ve been active on “bad” blogs, or as someone admitted recently, based on attacks on me they’ve seen by people like you.

      Did you weigh up anything before accusing me of working for CT or the Beehive?

  6. Hilary 6
    9 September 2011 at 7:59 am

    Snippet in Business news on RNZ this morning about building consents at their lowest since World War 2. This is doing a time of major housing crisis and a year after of major earthquakes. Of course not picked up as a story to investigate (let alone asking the minister for some accountability).

    • mickysavage 6.1
      9 September 2011 at 8:26 am

      I must of missed it in between all the news about RWC.  This is going to drive me to distraction …

      • AAMC 6.1.1
        9 September 2011 at 9:26 am

        +1

        A month of BBC and Al J me thinks. NZ media now inhabits a parralell universe where nothing but a bunch of gladiators running round a paddock after a ball exists.

        Ahhhhhhh!!!!

    • vto 6.2
      9 September 2011 at 8:31 am

      Yep, noticed that. In fact a closer inspection would reveal that there is less building going on than any time since the 1970s. Down 24% on last year – that is a colossal drop.

      That is really something major. It tells a big story about what the people of NZ are doing at the moment.

      It is also worth noting another example in tourism. On the west coast this year numbers are down well below 50% of last years. And last years were dismally down on the previous too.

      It is like we have run off a cliff like a road runner cartoon and are currently suspended in mid-air in realisation of the drop about to occur …..

      • ianmac 6.2.1
        9 September 2011 at 9:16 am

        Never fear. A Mighty Minister Of Tourism is here!

        • aerobubble 6.2.1.1
          9 September 2011 at 9:44 am

          National are not a business party with the interests of NZ business at heart.
          They are second hand salesman, they talk up and then sell cheap.
          They reflect the NZ economy and culture. If you can do it now for
          next to nothing then best get it done because there’s no come back,
          and everyone is doing it so where would they start with anyway.

          If you want a world class economy we need a world class parliament.
          Limiting our nation to 100 MPs and no upper chamber, is the bottle
          neck. If you want better policy you need to pay for more people to
          produce better policy.

  7. thejackal 7
    9 September 2011 at 8:14 am

    Addressing the Imbalance

    A month ago there was a little bit of media coverage concerning the wage difference between males and females in New Zealand. The impetus for that reporting was to highlight the defunct thought process of Alasdair Thompson who was dismissed from the EMA for his sexist remarks. Although slowly declining, wage inequality is still a problem that disproportionately attributes wealth based on a male dominated hierarchical system…

  8. vto 8
    9 September 2011 at 8:34 am

    It may pay for Goff to refrain from commenting on what should be happenning in Christchurch until such time as he and Labour have worked out what they think should be happenning in Christchurch.

    Labour has completely failed in not coming up with a Christchurch policy. Speaking about it merely highlights that lack of policy. Is this not simple politics?

    • Lanthanide 8.1
      9 September 2011 at 9:18 am

      I think they’re in a position where they don’t want to make any promises, especially anything that National could rake them over the coals with (which they surely would).

      • Pete George 8.1.1
        9 September 2011 at 9:21 am

        Afraid to mention policies?

        If they had confidence in their policies they would put them out there.

        • The Voice of Reason 8.1.1.1
          9 September 2011 at 9:32 am

          Pete, it’s pretty obvious that Labour will win this election on policies, not personality. So the timing of policy releases is pretty important and I would say there is very little point releasing anything till the thugby finishes, because it’ll be swamped by the RWC coverage. In short, expect a short, sharp campaign from Labour starting immediately after the final, with actual policies and plans for the future.
           
          And, anyway, isn’t a policy free zone like United Future a strange place to be complaining from? The last 4 elections, UF’s only go has been to grovel for a job from whoever is best placed to form a Government.

          • Pete George 8.1.1.1.1
            9 September 2011 at 9:48 am

            Pete, it’s pretty obvious that Labour will win this election on policies, not personality.

            Labour stalwarts seem to be convinced of that, but few give them a show.

            UnitedFuture have openly published a wide range of policies so people have a chance to check them out in plenty of time rather than trying a risky last minute last hope onslaught.

            VoR, you won’t look because you’e just trying to spread lies, but there’s plenty here: http://www.unitedfuture.org.nz/our-policies/

            • The Voice of Reason 8.1.1.1.1.1
              9 September 2011 at 10:38 am

              Gee, sorry if I wasn’t clear, Pete. Despite being in various parties and Governments for what feels like forever, Dunne has failed to implement anything other than his vision of himself sitting in the back seat of a ministerial limo. Is that better?
               
              You are dead right that UF have a website with ‘policy’ on it. So did that party you were a member of a month ago, as I recall. It’s the ability to translate that policy into action that counts and Dunne has failed miserably to achieve anything other than personal enrichment and regular hair, scalp and ego massaging.
               
               

              • McFlock …
                9 September 2011 at 12:34 pm

                Also, UF “policy” seemed to me to be more a collection of banal platitudes that could bend any way in any weather.
                Hardly a declaration of goals.

            • Lazy Susan 8.1.1.1.1.2
              9 September 2011 at 12:53 pm

              Also on the United Future website is the Successes section. The only “success” (sic) listed over the last three years appears to be signing a confidence and supply agreement with National. Whoopee!

            • Deadly_NZ 8.1.1.1.1.3
              9 September 2011 at 11:04 pm

              And which one has he even pushed in the years of sucking on the public teat??? Oh yes the so called Kronic law. What else??? big hair day?

          • sweetd 8.1.1.1.2
            9 September 2011 at 1:21 pm

            So, TVOR, if Labour lose the election, it will be because the Nats personality won, not a rejection of Labours policies? And as soon as the public stops falling for ther JK smile and wave act all will be right (well, left) because the current polling has absolutly nothing to do with Labours policies and all with JK!?!?!?!?

            • The Voice of Reason 8.1.1.1.2.1
              9 September 2011 at 1:47 pm

              Know where you’re coming from Sweetd, but it would be fair to say that Labour cannot win a personality contest, so it has to be superior policies that get them over the line. And I don’t think the public has rejected Labour’s previous policies, anyway. National simply adopted them and put up a fresh face to spruik for them.
               
              This time around though, there will be a more substantial difference between the left and right and I hope that the debate will be about which direction NZ goes in, not who’d be more fun at a BBQ.

              • sweetd …
                9 September 2011 at 2:12 pm

                Agreed, its MMP applied; that is the main parties fight for the middle ground, and whoever holds the middle ground becomes govt, therefore the main parties end up looking very similar in terms of policies.

        • kriswgtn 8.1.1.2
          9 September 2011 at 9:35 am

          So which way is Dunne the wig gonna jump this election Pete?

        • Ed 8.1.1.3
          9 September 2011 at 10:32 am

          So just what are the National / ACT policies, Pete George?
          Further up there is talk about building consents being at a record low – is that consistent with getting Christchurch going again? Or have all the builders left to help out Queensland after their floods?
          What is National / ACT doing about the building sector?

  9. pollywog 9
    9 September 2011 at 9:16 am

    If i was a super rich saffa who wanted to win the rubber wool cup. I’d pay a dodgy Tongan hit man to hobble Carter and McCaw…

    …wouldn’t put it past those dodgy muthafuckas. Tongans and Saffas 🙂

    • vto 9.1
      9 September 2011 at 9:28 am

      yep, in fact if we get through this tournament without at least one controversial cheating incident then I will eat my chocolate hat.

      saffa’s for sure. think ’76 referees in their pockets. think food poisoning in ’95.

      there aint no rules.

      • millsy 9.1.1
        9 September 2011 at 11:05 pm

        I think I might jump in and mention that the South African Rugby Board offered to have neutral referees in the 1976 series but the NZ Rugby Union declined. Apparently ‘Pole’ Whiting retired on the spot when he was told that.

    • Bored 9.2
      9 September 2011 at 10:01 am

      Chroist Porly, stop givin them oidears…finis and klaar.

  10. Campbell Larsen 10
    9 September 2011 at 9:25 am

    Anything has to be an improvement on the Nats policy- demolish the CBD and two suburbs, bleed the EQC dry, blame everything on the earthquake….
    There is plenty to criticize in this shameful display of disaster politics and no reason to be quiet about it.

  11. ianmac 11
    9 September 2011 at 9:32 am

    Just read over on Red Alert on the question of unemployment, “They told us there was to be absolutely no discussion of anything to the media. If anyone spoke to the media it could be a code of conduct issue,” an employee told the Taranaki Daily News on condition of anonymity. Penalties for breaching the code of conduct could include being sacked, they said.
    Could this be true? Ominous. Reminds me of the news blackout during the wharfies strike in the 50s.

  12. Campbell Larsen 12
    9 September 2011 at 9:33 am

    I wish that Owen Glenn would just piss off – nakedly partisan PR bullshit puffery and the dirty money that he is trying to bribe the country with has no place in NZ Politics

    • kriswgtn 12.1
      9 September 2011 at 9:41 am

      +1

      but then political parties be broke as us lol

      where would national be? and labour and the whole lot of them
      its the richest who decide elections cos they harp on and on and on re their spin until people believe it and they have the $ to back em up

      The elections of old are long gone
      this election like the last one esp in nationals case is that clown key is the only thing they have apart from brash hahahahha

      this is about image rather than substance or policies

      wot an eyesore the rwc is and then election following behind it full of smile and mince

      pass

      • mickysavage 12.1.1
        9 September 2011 at 9:56 am

        Owen had a couple of things that drove him.  He wanted respect, ergo the desire to have a diplomatic passport and be a mover and shaker, and he just wanted to be loved.
         
        In some respects he is a very simple man.  Give someone like this a few billion dollars and this is what you get.

        • kriswgtn 12.1.1.1
          9 September 2011 at 3:17 pm

          yeah pity people like him didnt actually stay in the country and invest those few billion and create a few jobs BUT NO………………………
          but nah
          frakers like him, seem to think we owe them something cos they’re rich??

    • prism 12.2
      9 September 2011 at 10:28 am

      C L – On Owen Glenn – Might have been better to give him the consul’s job that he so wanted – get him out of our hair. He might have used up his money at European casinos instead of playing roulette wheel with us.

  13. Tigger 13
    9 September 2011 at 9:39 am

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/5592034/Graham-Capill-out-on-parole

    Capill was released weeks ago. I saw him walking through the underpass between the Beehive and Bowen House. Question is, who in government was he visiting?

    • Anne 14.1
      9 September 2011 at 10:34 am

      Tuis are known to get drunk on fermenting fruit. Saw a photo once of four tuis hanging in a row upside down on the branch of a tree.

      • Vicky32 14.1.1
        9 September 2011 at 6:39 pm

        . Saw a photo once of four tuis hanging in a row upside down on the branch of a tree.

        Oh glorious! That really made me smile… 😀

    • The Voice of Reason 14.2
      9 September 2011 at 11:32 am

      “Johansson said the moose appeared to be sick, drunk or half-stupid.”
       
      I wonder if the moose is available to stand in for John Key in question time?

  15. Anne 15
    9 September 2011 at 11:01 am

    On the Stuff news web site yesterday there was an intriguing story headed “NZDF may have covered up abuse allegations- Ferguson.” It was from an interveiw with former head of the NZDF, Bruce Ferguson screened on Media 7 last night. Ferguson had admitted that whistleblowing by Kiwi soldiers about the prisoner abuse in Afghanistan could have been covered up by their superiors on his watch.

    In the light of Hagar’s revelations, I made a point of watching the interview. I heard no such admission. In case I missed it, I also watched it online a short time later. Now, one of two things must have happened:
    a) my cognitive abilities were not the best at the time (?) or
    b) the segment containing that admission was removed before it went on air.

    If it was the latter, then it has to be concluded that an instruction was sent to TVNZ (probably from the PM’s Office) to remove the segment from the interview. Surely politicians – or an official on their behalf – are not allowed to interfere with day to day programming like that?

    The Stuff item was still online an hour or so ago.

  16. Adrian 16
    9 September 2011 at 11:27 am

    It’s bullshit that the CHch rebuild will give a boost to the building industry. Even if as many as 30,000 houses are to be rebuilt at say 6000 a year ( conservative ) it will still not take the number a houses built in the country to anywhere near the average starts per annum for the last 20 years. We don’t need imported labour from Ireland or anywhere else for that matter. Why was this fuckwit idea floated, because indentured labour is strike proof and can be easily ripped and if you complain about anything you’re on the next plane out of here. Wasn’t the Irish building boom built by Poles and Czechs ?

  17. Ianupnorth 17
    9 September 2011 at 11:29 am

    More rich listers ripping off the less fortunate
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10750402

    One of New Zealand’s richest families have denied they are profiting from the elderly in a move which could net them more than $5 million.
    A group of pensioners at Perrinpark near Hamilton are fighting the Perry Foundation, a charitable trust and owner of Te Kowhai retirement village, over freeholding of land.
     

    and

    If the Perrys collected an average $75,000 for each section, the trust would be $5.4 million richer, she said. “I wonder where they are taking all the money they’re getting from the village?”

  18. Olwyn 18
    9 September 2011 at 1:10 pm

    35,000 are out on strike and marching in Sydney, due to NSW State Public Service cuts:

    http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/this-is-just-the-start-strikers-warn-ofarrell-20110908-1jzz1.html

  19. uke 19
    9 September 2011 at 2:03 pm

    An idea. May have been proposed before on The Standard, I don’t know.
     
    Among the various resources we squander in New Zealand is “waste”.
     
    In most cities, shit not only undergoes an expensive treatment process to render it benign but is discarded by pumping the filtered sewage into the sea. (A few places try to recycle: I believe they do or did create biogas for council vehicles at the Chch sewage works.) This is a crazy waste of money and of a valuable resource. People in China, Africa, and other places, would simply shake their heads and wonder why we do all this.
     
    The alternative system would be for each home – where practical – to have a small biogas plant. Essentially a biogas digestor would be similar to the old-school septic tank, but have several side-benefits: producing gas for heating and cooking, and compost for the garden.
     
    In this way, we would (a) save society sewage treatment costs; (b) save households on energy costs; (c) make households more food self-sufficient; (d) avoid the need for industrial gas extraction like “fracking” (banned in the EU, but coming to a NZ town near you, real soon!).

    • Ianupnorth 19.1
      9 September 2011 at 2:13 pm

      There is work being done on this in Rotorua; they already make compost form poo and they are looking at some form of oil (http://www.rdc.govt.nz/YourCouncil/LatestNews/Innovative-technology-piloted-at-Rotorua.aspx)

      • uke 19.1.1
        9 September 2011 at 3:08 pm

        Thanks Ianupnorth. Sounds like an excellent scheme, although it still involves expensive centralised infrastructure. Here are some pull quotes from the link:
         

        “If successful, a full-scale plant in Rotorua could initially remove thousands of tonnes of biosolid waste going to landfill each year, and ultimately achieve cost reduction and value creation of around $4 million per year for the council and community,” says Rotorua District Council chief executive Peter Guerin.

        …
        The technology has applications beyond sewage biosolids… “The growing waste streams from expanding industries such as pulp and paper, agriculture, dairy, meat and fruit processing represent a tremendous potential resource for New Zealand that can be tapped into by environmental technologies like those developed through the Waste 2 Gold biosolids research programme.

        “Also, greenhouse gas emissions and the risk of contaminating leachates arising from organic wastes will be substantially reduced,” says Dr Parker.

  20. Ianupnorth 20
    9 September 2011 at 2:11 pm

    So, you lose 44% of the companies value and get the biggest pay cheque ever ($5.2 million per annum, or $100K per week) because you have met short term and long term objectives? Go figure
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10750548
    Can I get a job like that?

  21. freedom 21
    9 September 2011 at 5:48 pm

    It has been noted on this site recently that as you scan Fairfax’s media offerings the widespread use of comments is always more interesting for what articles qualify for the opportunity of public response and which fall short. No prizes this weekend if guessing which topics are muted. There are over a dozen well aligned 9/11 articles on Stuff this weekend but only the riveting Gwenyth Paltrow piece has comments switched on, and that single article has not been updated since Thursday.
    Just saying is all

    torontohearings.org
    live stream Day Two/ videos of Day One here
    http://www.ustream.tv/channel/thetorontohearings

    NZ times for Toronto Hearings Day2 (note: schedule was accurate on Day One)
    10/09/11 nzt
    01:00 – 01:15 Moderators: Overview of the Day’s Testimony
    01:15 – 02:30 Jay Kolar: The Alleged 9/11 Hijackers
    02:45 – 04:00 Paul Zarembka: Evidence of Insider Trading Before 9/11
    04:00 – 04:35 Barbara Honegger:
    Eyewitnesses and Evidence of Explosions at the Pentagon
    4:35 – 6:10 Richard Gage: Evidence of the Demolition of WTC:
    An Overview
    06:30 – 07:45 Michel Chossudovsky: Global Consequences of 9/11
    07:45 – 08:25 Cynthia McKinney: Attempts to Raise Questions about 9/11
    08:45 – 9:30 Audience Question and Answer

  22. Vicky32 22
    9 September 2011 at 7:33 pm

    Then there’s this
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10750653
    Good on her for being brave enough to stick up for herself against a dodgy employer.

  23. randal 23
    9 September 2011 at 7:38 pm

    And thanks to Helen Clark for jacking up the world cup.
    Onya mate.

  24. Reality Bytes 24
    9 September 2011 at 10:47 pm

    Auckland’s large scale event management plans fail:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/fan-central/5598538/Police-tell-rugby-fans-to-stay-out-of-CBD

    Good luck if we’re in the finals 😀 This symbolically is like the practice run just as it was for the ABs tonight, the more serious stuff has yet to come.

    It’s a big exciting event so going beyond capacity of public services is too be expected for the latecomers etc, but it’s pretty shitty how they are getting all draconian now and advising people not to join the party in whatever area. I remember being in London and no matter how busy public transport got ‘from people excited about some sporting/whatever thing’ but the public servants never really tried to put the dampners on it in real time like this, we’d simply get neutral reports and updates on the delays to expect using whatever forms of public transport, and let people make decisions for themselves, like adults do.

  25. Jum 25
    9 September 2011 at 11:39 pm

    Is subliminal advertising illegal or legal in New Zealand?

    I nearly choked on my tea the other day. The leery face of John Key popped out at me, taking up most of the television screen. He added nothing to the item I was watching and therefore fulfilled the criteria of subliminal advertising. It happened again tonight. A split second.

    Everyone is commenting that whenever they turn on the tv all they get is John Key. Is this the new criminal activity that NAct is indulging in without using campaign monies.

    John Key may find that this sort of behaviour may achieve the opposite result.