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I haven't seen the full interview of Brownlee on the Nation. If the clips on the news were anything to go by, it was more of the same. No info for Christchurch residents. No empathy for them either. More haughty bullshit. More vague excuses for…
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Stuff, 17 June: Consumer confidence 'back to normal' ... Nationally, consumer confidence is bouncing back strongly, after being badly dented by the Canterbury earthquake in February, according to a bank survey. ... In the June quarter, the Westpac McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence Index jumped 14.1…
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While climate change deniers still try to dishonestly pick holes in the science, and spread long disproved lies, the visible effects of climate change are becoming more and more obvious: Warning: extreme weather ahead Tornados, wildfires, droughts and floods were once seen as freak conditions.…
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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...
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Hat tip to Penny Bright in comments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyePCRkq620
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Last week Lynn posted a list of authors and I was horrified to see that I have done 600 posts as r0b for The Standard. How time flies when you're having fun! It seemed like a good time to stop and review why I'm doing…
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Dear Colleagues, A brochure on the 22 June Global Day of Action in support of the Financial Transactions Tax (FTT) is available in English and three other languages (French, Portugese and Spanish). This is the link for the English version: Global Day of Action, June…
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It seems that every day recently there are new stories of job losses in the news. Living in National's Brighter Future we have 304 job losses in Waipukurau and 171 full-time-equivalent jobs lost in Christchurch yesterday. The day before we had 55 staff at Pumpkin…
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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...
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From Canterbury TV (good to see they are still serving Canterbury) the first news report is better than most of the other stuff I see in the TV news about Christchurch. This is what people are telling us (one sent this clip through) in e-mails…
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One of my favorite bands and one of my favourite of their tracks. Barenaked Ladies playing "When I fall". Great lyrics for the ongoing GFC. You have to love satirical songs.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTn2WfzPVGw Songwriters: PAGE, STEVEN / ROBERTSON, ED I look straight in the window, try…
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Weekend social is for non political chat. What's on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no aggro, why can't we all just get along?
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The Global Commission on Drug Policy have just released their latest report on the global war on drugs. Its message is quite simple; the war has failed, and it is time to begin new dialogue on what has become the greatest social failure of the…
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When the government sold Telecom twenty years ago, they reassured us that free local calling would be protected under a "Kiwishare". Now National is repealing it, with an SOP to the Telecommunications (TSO, Broadband, and Other Matters) Amendment Bill removing the relevant provisions "reflect that…
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So, the statement of intent from the Ministry of Health has just been released. This document outlines how our health service will operate during the next three years; so what does it actually say? Is health truly safe under National? Let me first start by…
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What is Christchurch supposed to make of Gerry Brownlee? Residents of trashed suburbs want to know what is happening. They want to know which areas are going to be written off, and which can be rebuilt. Their lives, their emotions, in many cases their finances,…
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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...
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Patrick Gower has revealed the Nats are poised to announce a policy to reintroduce the youth minimum wage at a rate of about $10 an hour, and potentially make it apply to people in their 20s. Outrageous and a breach of human rights. You should…
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Fluff and a Jab Written by The Jackal Green Party MP Metiria Turei asked some very important questions of John Key in Parliament today. Once again, the Prime Minister wasn't there so Bill English tried to answer for the absentee leader. In one particular answer…
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National's election strategy is pretty much fully-laid out. It shows that National is very much dependent on Brand Key. The Budget is their economic vision, or rather lack of vision. The rapid-fire release of major policies following the Budget laid out the rest of the…
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So, it was a typical Wednesday in our house; the wife parked on the couch watching Packed to the rafters, me messing on the interweb.... Anyway, after a bit of 'The Standard', a little 'Trade me' and a short 'Red Alert', I thought it would…
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Cameron Slater is still spreading disinformation about the data taken from Labour's web site. Specifically he is claiming that people's credit card details are at risk: The problem however was much worse than that. Way worse. Remember that Chris Flatt the Labour General Secretary sent…
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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...
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Fascinating programme on TV One Sunday this week; see it here and here - contrasting the Australian approach to mining with the disaster at Pike River. Outside the question of whether there were any survivors, the key difference was the existence of union safety check…
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The Nacts just love the idea of selling off the Government/Council monopolies. To sell the public, they push the free market "monopolies are bad" nemesis. Monopolies and Duopolies have their place in our society, but they should be controlled and owed by Councils or Government.…
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Randian superhero David Henderson has withdrawn his genius from New Zealand in protest at the collectivist government that has persecuted him and attempted to distribute the fruits of his talent to parasites. In a short statement after leaving the country, Henderson said other Atlases would…
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Lack of certainty is killing the spirit and economy of Christchurch. Before the latest quakes there were already threats of protests because Brownlee has failed to announce which areas can't be rebuilt on. That information is even more needed now. Brownlee says it's 'blindingly obvious'…
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National's first dirty tricks operation of the 2011 election campaign has ended in an embarrassing own goal. Cameron Slater claimed to have all sorts of "top secret political information" that he was going to "release". In the end all that appeared was a boring set…
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My jaw dropped when I heard this listening to Question Time yesterday: Hon Trevor Mallard: Does he understand that real average wages go up when high-income earners get massive tax cuts-$1,000 a week, in his case, and low-income workers lose their jobs? Hon Bill English:…
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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...