John Key would have us believe that his jaunts on military planes and helicopters aren’t among the ‘nice to haves’ that Bill English says we’ll all have to learn to live without, but are essential to his ability to carry out his duties as Prime…
At the start of the year I reviewed "Here on Earth: An Argument for Hope", by Tim Flannery. While it was an interesting book, full of information and ideas, warmly and well written, in the end it left me unsatisfied. I felt that as an…
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Shifting the site to a GeoDNS with fallback capabilities this evening*. This involves changing the domain name server addresses again. Now like last time this is meant to be a seamless shift. However that may or may not be the case. Last time there were…
A few weeks ago Lianne Dalziel announced she wouldn't stand for the list stating: I came to the conclusion that if I wasn't re-elected by the people of Christchurch East I wouldn't want to be a member of Parliament. I wouldn't want to be anything…
Hone Harawira is set to launch his Mana Party next weekend, possibly triggering a by-election in Te Tai Tokerau at the same time. As when Tariana Turia left Labour and set up the Maori Party, resigning and triggering a by-election establishes legitimacy for the new…
Today is the day that we remember our old soldiers. You don't need me to add to the mountains of respectful words that get written about Anzac day every year. I too am grateful to those who fought and died, in whatever war, to defend…
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They called it the "flying coffin". The Vickers Vildebeest, top speed 95 miles and hour. They joked that its only defence was that when the Japanese pilots saw it they would die laughing. In Singapore in 1941 it was restricted to night flying as it…
"The happiness-consumption myth is interestingly analysed in relation to neurological mechanisms. The myth is co-created by the marketers and us." Brian Walker, Hot Topic. These couple of lines are very important to my mind. I got involved in marketing through my business and was a…
Tweedledum and Tweedledee were a bit slow off the mark responding to the news that Don Brash is looking to take over ACT. Took the Nats a while to get their lines together but have decided, on balance, they want ACT dead. And that will…
How much of the "news" that we consume and the "research" that it is based on is bought, paid for, and subservient to, corporate masters? Historically tobacco and drug companies are well known cases where corporations have poured huge amounts of money and energy into…
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"Fallen soldier records free to access over Easter" is the headline in a Herald story today promoting a special free access to a website. I went to look at it because three of my four uncles were shot down in combat during World War 2.…
One of the corollaries or supporting ideologies behind Neo-Liberalism is the cult of Management. The idea that individual shareholders, managers or directors are the main contributors to the success of a corporation, and thence the economy. And deserve the greatest share of the rewards. The…
Don Brash has thrown his hat in the ring for leadership of the ACT party according to the dominon post and, with an ACT council meeting next Saturday, I'd say the challenge is a serious one. It's understandable that ACT would want rid of Hide…
What is important to voters? Good policy that gets results? Competent, well managed execution of government? A leader who is perceived as friendly and accessible? Some vague overall general impression? I'm moved to ask because of a bizarre comment in one of DPF's posts at…
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Buckingham Palace cleaners aren't even paid the London living wage while the British taxpayer will have to pay for the royal wedding cleanup. That's one reason why I'm a republican. The Globe and Mail reports: The cost of cleaning the streets of Westminster the day…
The Herald has summarised a report in the new Metro on the New Zealand SAS's role in arresting Afghanis and handing them over for torture. Delivering prisoners for torture is as culpable an act as torture itself. It is a war crime. Everyone who wants…
Here's a photo of the emergency housing that families in Japan were moving in to about a month after their quake: Here's a computer generated graphic of housing that families in Christchurch might get to move in to at some point in the future (currently…
The Herald asks: "Is Kate Middleton the best looking UK royal ever?". I say: what about Mary of Orange? Phwoooar! Get a load of that! Seriously, who gives a fuck that some dickhead who might some day be the nominal boss of our figurehead vice-regent…
Leader of the opposition John Key in 2008: Tomorrow, Helen Clark will tell us what she thinks about the state of our nation. In all likelihood, she'll remind us how good she thinks we've got it, how grateful she thinks we should be to Labour,…
An anonymous editorial in The Herald earlier this week was remarkable for two things. First for clear and succinct way it summarised some interesting data relating to educational outcomes, and second for the way that it absolutely failed to understand the meaning of that data.…
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I've long held to the principle of owning your mistakes and as such I've gotta say I was wrong about one aspect of the "stop asset sales" campaign - the signs are authorised. That said they still risk running across transport laws. Which means, to…
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?
I heard David Cunliffe on Morning Report on Tuesday, and he was superb. But as soon as he finished I knew the Right would try to deflect from the substance by writing it off as leadership ambitions. And sure enough we have Audrey Young, making…
The Nats' attack on early childhood education (ECE) is starting to bite. As surely as night follows day, the cuts in funding for childcare centres are showing up as increased costs for parents. This graph is based on CPI data from Statistics NZ. The y-axis…
Key's helicopter rides. Huge waste of money for what? A V8 photo-op then a golf club dinner. Why are we paying this guy $7750 a week to do nothing but photo ops? Where's the recovery package for the West Coast? Where's the Chch plan? Where's…