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In Ponsonby there is a bloody great big hole which is all that remains of the unlamented DYC Vinegar factory. It has been affording the locals some amusement between bouts in hearings. The site was to be a $250 million mall. The hole was dug…
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Climate change is racist. Not literally of course, but in the sense that how people are affected by climate change is going to be largely determined by race. Those who are going to suffer the most are not "white". From The Herald summary of a…
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An old favourite came around on the playlist. It sounded like the ostriches that occupy the sewer and appear here for our entertainment... So I tracked down a live performance by Leonard Cohen. The Man from Uncle version with the studio soundtrack is pretty funny…
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Back in the days of First Past the Post elections, we had what Geoffery Palmer termed 'the fastest law in the West' and the Prime Minister was effectively an elected dictator. The PM controlled Cabinet, the Cabinet controlled caucus of the majority party in what…
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Diffusion of responsibility means that the bigger the group the less chance that anyone in the group will take action. In a typical experiment people are left to wait in a room, which is rigged so that smoke starts coming in under a door. A…
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So, against my better judgement I'm now a card carrying Standardista. Finally managed to get through the initiation ceremony without fainting. I've been issued with a pass card and retina scanned for the Secret Standard Bunker buried deep beneath Parliament. I have access to the…
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Yesterday, National's Kate Wilkinson tried to use a dispute over how to apply the new rest breaks law for air traffic controllers as a pretext for taking away our right to rest and meal breaks. She tried to paint the dispute over breaks as being…
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I've been having a look at the OECD's report on child poverty. A lot of the data is quite of of date and so doesn't reflect the every important impact of Working for Families, rising minimum wage, falling unemployment, and bottom-end tax cuts have had on child…
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The Wanganui District Council (Prohibition of Gang Insignia) Act 2009, which prohibits the display of gang insignia in a public place, so clearly infringes of freedom of expression and association that it's almost as though it was made up as an exam question for law students in a Bill…
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The scientists say we need to reduce our greenhouse emissions by 40% by 2020 and 80% by 2050 if we want to even have a 50:50 chance of not starting runaway climate change (where temperature rises trigger the release of frozen methane and other effects…
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In 1908, the miners at Blackball took a famous strike over the right to take rest breaks at work. For most of the rest of the century this was enshrined in law and in our culture as a basic right of all working New Zealanders.…
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The Greens are leading a petition campaign, asking Parliament to: reject any move to mine our national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, marine reserves, protected islands, the Coromandel's beautiful land and waters, and all other treasured places protected by Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act 1991;…
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I know a dude who went to law school. In one of his lecture theatres was this 'old guy' who was always whining (especially about anything to do with Maori), couldn't keep up with the material, and always seemed intent on making himself the centre…
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There are an interesting couple of posts over at Red Alert about an editorial in the Dominion Post yesterday. Grant Robertson describes it as a bitter diatribe. Trevor Mallard thinks it is a bit over the top. I think that the editor who wrote it…
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This 2007 quote from John Key is doing the rounds among angry "No" voters: Labour shows contempt for New Zealanders The Labour Government has shown utter contempt for New Zealanders and the democratic process with its plan to railroad the anti-smacking bill through Parliament, says…
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Meet Robert Wadlow. When he died in 1940, he was the tallest ever recorded person, standing 8 feet, 11 and a half inches tall (2.72m) . That record still stands. The tallest living person, Bao Xishun, is a comparatively puny 7 feet, 9 inches (2.36m).…
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I find myself in the curious position of sympathising with a company reneging on an environmental promise. Foodstuffs announced yesterday that the charge on plastic bag was to be optional, and that they would not charge people for plastic bags if they object. Get Real,…
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The Herald editorial this morning calling for mining DoC land: "That resource represents wealth which this country is in little position to ignore. Such is especially the case when the value of gold is particularly high, as is usually so in recessionary times." Nick Smith…
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Question: 'Do you expect business conditions to improve in the next 12 months?' Answer: 'Well, we're in the worst recession in a life-time but everyone says it's coming to an end and our prospects are looking a bit better, obviously that's going to be better…
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The Economist has an article on the recent election in New Zealand's current region of conflict - Afghanistan. The title of the article says it all really, so that is the title of the post. But here are a selection of depressing quotes from the…
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Remember FART (Farmers Against Ridiculous Taxes)? Shane Arden driving Myrtle the Tractor up the steps of Parliament? Bill English with his poster carrying the sexist attack on Helen Clark: "the mad cow shouldn't have signed"? (actually, it was Jenny Shipley who signed us on to…
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Not surprised to see that the Government has confirmed the Drinking Water Subsidy Scheme is being put on hold and reviewed. The subsidy aims to improve drinking water supplies in small communities of under 5000 people, and improve life for the 9% of the population…
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I find the Right's assumption that the bosses are acting in some greater interest fascinating. There's this unwillingness to believe that the bosses would be acting in their own interests and that what's in their interests are often not in the interests of the rest…
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I've had a further read of the select committee report on the Emissions Trading Scheme, and found a huge problem - National, United Future, and ACT want to get rid of the cap on emissions. The normal emissions trading scheme is called cap and trade.…
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ACT as part of its coalition agreement, and probably as a result of their funders conditions, forced a review of the Emissions Trading Scheme last year. The review has concluded that the science is valid and chosen to go with the IPCC 4th report as…
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ACT Party Press Release 1/4/2010: ACT has now identified the number one threat to personal freedom, to unbounded economic growth and to vast wealth for all who deserve it. It is "science". "Science" creates nothing but trouble. "Science" causes climate change. The essence of the…
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Seeing as Zet's taken to writing serious posts these days, I thought I'd try my hand at a few wee gripes: - I see Larry Baldock's still crying about the stupid, leading question on the smacking referendum being ignored, while Family First continues to run…
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I was browsing through our image archives and came across this, which I think is from a protest before the election: Well, they got it wrong about Kiwirail but they got it the main bit right - under National, NZ is for sale to overseas…
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A good outcome from the Zeal320 dispute. The deal doesn't quite close the gap between Zeal320 workers and other AirNZ flight attendants but gets a long way there. It's scary going out on strike, not knowing when you'll be back to normal work and pay.…
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There's nothing like a Tory Government in power and a monopolistic corporate flexing its muscle to remind you that capitalism is all about serving the bosses and screwing the workers. This Telecom dispute. The engineers are being made redundant from their current roles already in…