Friday, April 15, 2005
Election '05 Leader Profiles
Couldn't resist seeing what NZ's political leaders would look like in South Park:
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Southpark makeover
There's a great Flash site at The Planearium where you can create your very own South Park character (Hat tip DPF). If you haven't heard, the Greens have got a good blog site at Frogblog worth checking out. It's looking good!
Chairman Jim vs Google
As seen on Stuff's site:
14 April 2005
By KIM THOMAS
One of New Zealand's biggest nitrous oxide importers will stop the flow of hundreds of thousands of canisters a month after the ruling it is illegal to buy or sell the substance to inhale.
...
Anderton said he had heard that several nos retailers would try to flout the ruling by erecting signs urging buyers to use the substance only for whipping cream.
"We all know they are not going to be rushing home to make cream sponges. If people try to play hard and fast against this they will end up explaining themselves in court," Anderton said.
Ads by Google
Importer to pull plug on flow of nos
14 April 2005
By KIM THOMAS
One of New Zealand's biggest nitrous oxide importers will stop the flow of hundreds of thousands of canisters a month after the ruling it is illegal to buy or sell the substance to inhale.
...
Anderton said he had heard that several nos retailers would try to flout the ruling by erecting signs urging buyers to use the substance only for whipping cream.
"We all know they are not going to be rushing home to make cream sponges. If people try to play hard and fast against this they will end up explaining themselves in court," Anderton said.
Ads by Google
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
No cricket tour of Zimbabwe petition
A petition has started calling for the Black Caps not to tour Zimbabwe. Please sign and spread the word.
No laughing matter
Chairman Jim has moved to ban the inhalation of nitrous oxide. In typical knee-jerk fashion, Chairman Jim has ignored the under-funded and under-resourced EACD, and run out of patience with his Supplementary Order Paper before the Health select committee.
As an example of how rushed and unco-ordinated this new ban is, only medical grade nos is affected. Soda Stream and whipped cream cannisters are still legal, so expect lots more pollution from empty cylinders everywhere.
I suppose Chairman Jim prefers young people sniffing glue instead of having a laugh.
As an example of how rushed and unco-ordinated this new ban is, only medical grade nos is affected. Soda Stream and whipped cream cannisters are still legal, so expect lots more pollution from empty cylinders everywhere.
I suppose Chairman Jim prefers young people sniffing glue instead of having a laugh.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Who do you trust?
Mr Franks says people simply do not trust the police. He says that is terrible.
No, they don't. Yes, it is.
No, they don't. Yes, it is.
Kissing babies
What would you do to win an election?
And who was she thinking of when she closed her eyes?
And who was she thinking of when she closed her eyes?
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Smokefree sucks
A Hospitality Association survey reckons the smoking ban has dropped revenue for around 40 percent of bar owners. It has led Health select committee Chairwoman Steve Chadwick to raise an eyebrow. "It's slightly higher than I would have expected, but we did expect a downturn."
One of the ironies of the Centre-Left bloc that voted in the Smokefree legislation (Labour, Progs and Greens) is that the compliance hurdles favoured Big Business.
Katipo Cafe sits on the first floor in Willis St. It is a small owner-operator business with neither the capital nor the architectural licence to build outdoor seating. Before the Smokefree legislation, they had a regular morning crowd that sat at the windows reading the paper with coffee and cigarettes. Most of them now go to Starbucks and Katipo Cafe doesn't open til later.
Wait til winter. People will retreat to the only half-arsed refuge left; their homes. The Centre-Left; taking the "social" out of socialism, putting the "cult" in culture.
No more soul-warming nights amongst friends and strangers, sheltering from the elements in smoky pool halls or jazz gigs (goodbye Bodega!). No more dancing in the womb of a rave, sharing a cigarette with a really awesomely amaaaazingly beautiful chick (goodbye Studio Nine!). No more writing short stories and letters, throwing tobacco butt sacrifices on the open fire in a pub in Taupo, pausing to stare out into the darkness (goodbye Red Barrel!).
One of the ironies of the Centre-Left bloc that voted in the Smokefree legislation (Labour, Progs and Greens) is that the compliance hurdles favoured Big Business.
Katipo Cafe sits on the first floor in Willis St. It is a small owner-operator business with neither the capital nor the architectural licence to build outdoor seating. Before the Smokefree legislation, they had a regular morning crowd that sat at the windows reading the paper with coffee and cigarettes. Most of them now go to Starbucks and Katipo Cafe doesn't open til later.
Wait til winter. People will retreat to the only half-arsed refuge left; their homes. The Centre-Left; taking the "social" out of socialism, putting the "cult" in culture.
No more soul-warming nights amongst friends and strangers, sheltering from the elements in smoky pool halls or jazz gigs (goodbye Bodega!). No more dancing in the womb of a rave, sharing a cigarette with a really awesomely amaaaazingly beautiful chick (goodbye Studio Nine!). No more writing short stories and letters, throwing tobacco butt sacrifices on the open fire in a pub in Taupo, pausing to stare out into the darkness (goodbye Red Barrel!).
Suspicion breeds confidence
We live in strange days, where loyalty is a marketing term, honour is something you do with cheques, and trust is a tax dodge. There is certainly little real old-fashioned trust at Birkdale Intermediate where principal Richard Coote has warned parents and pupils of impending random drug searches.
Old Coote admits that "There have certainly been no incidents. We just want to reassure ourselves, the community and parents."In spite of no evidence of a drug problem with even one pupil, this man is going to have his 600 pupils subjected to a drug raid. The Bill of Rights only applies to adults, I presume. When are the strip searches beginning?
Owen Goodwin, chairman of Birkdale's board of trustees, said the spot-check would also have educational benefits. "If there was the remote chance of a swarm of bees descending on the school, we would bring an apiarist to speak to the children."I agree with Mr Goodwin. Children should learn to fear the worst. That's the Kiwi way! Check the Stuff Poll for proof.
While Mr Goodwin is advising his charges of remote risks, perhaps he should consider some other educational visits:
Old Coote admits that "There have certainly been no incidents. We just want to reassure ourselves, the community and parents."In spite of no evidence of a drug problem with even one pupil, this man is going to have his 600 pupils subjected to a drug raid. The Bill of Rights only applies to adults, I presume. When are the strip searches beginning?
Owen Goodwin, chairman of Birkdale's board of trustees, said the spot-check would also have educational benefits. "If there was the remote chance of a swarm of bees descending on the school, we would bring an apiarist to speak to the children."I agree with Mr Goodwin. Children should learn to fear the worst. That's the Kiwi way! Check the Stuff Poll for proof.
While Mr Goodwin is advising his charges of remote risks, perhaps he should consider some other educational visits:
- Geologist; to tell pupils that they grow up surrounded by volcanos which at any time might blow and consume everything they love.
- Astonomer; to say that a comet/cosmic rays/ solar flare could hit the earth at short notice, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
- Climatologist; to warn that global warming might kill them all.
- Epidemiologist; to show that an influenza pandemic is long overdue. NZ will be one of the first to get hit by a SARS-type virus originating from Asia.
- Political Scientist; to advise that the break-up of the Soviet Union has littered the planet with rogue nukes. Osama Bin Laden might have one of the nukes timed to go off in the North Shore at any moment.
Birkdale Intermediate, preparing children for Level One NCEA nihilism.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Got milk?
You can't fault Elizabeth Weatherly for trying to leverage the Human Rights Act into defending the right to breastfeed. Armed with good intentions, the Human Rights Act means anything to all people including lactating mothers.
Mrs Weatherly began her campaign after staff at a childcare centre objected to her breastfeeding in the cloakroom. Now she wants a law should protect women's right to breastfeed and a child's right to be fed. While I sympathise with her plight, making a law about it is over the top.
If any childcare centre wants to play fuddy-duddy over breastfeeding, that's their loss. Go elsewhere. Word-of-mouth, ringing the local rag, writing a Letter to the Editor thereof, ringing talkback, blogging, hell there's a hundred ways to take the piss or ridicule them. If it's bad enough for business, they might change their policy.
In the many restaurants I've worked, there have been many occasions when Mums have discreetly popped their tops for the sprog. Big deal.
If anything, I take more objection to the three-wheel drive strollers that clutter the pathways between the tables. For an example of this phenomenon, I recommend going to brunch at Andiamo in Herne Bay, Orkland one weekend. They need a frickin' valet parking service for them or something.
There were I times when I wished I was allowed to use Kiddy-strength mace on some of the diners' progeny. When you're running around with scalding hot plates or teetering trays of glassware, the last thing you want his some uncontrolled rugrat to get under your feet.
Breastfeeding is nothing like letting kids run free and express themselves. While the former is unobtrusive, the latter needs a goddamn health warning. Context is everything.
Mrs Weatherly began her campaign after staff at a childcare centre objected to her breastfeeding in the cloakroom. Now she wants a law should protect women's right to breastfeed and a child's right to be fed. While I sympathise with her plight, making a law about it is over the top.
If any childcare centre wants to play fuddy-duddy over breastfeeding, that's their loss. Go elsewhere. Word-of-mouth, ringing the local rag, writing a Letter to the Editor thereof, ringing talkback, blogging, hell there's a hundred ways to take the piss or ridicule them. If it's bad enough for business, they might change their policy.
In the many restaurants I've worked, there have been many occasions when Mums have discreetly popped their tops for the sprog. Big deal.
If anything, I take more objection to the three-wheel drive strollers that clutter the pathways between the tables. For an example of this phenomenon, I recommend going to brunch at Andiamo in Herne Bay, Orkland one weekend. They need a frickin' valet parking service for them or something.
There were I times when I wished I was allowed to use Kiddy-strength mace on some of the diners' progeny. When you're running around with scalding hot plates or teetering trays of glassware, the last thing you want his some uncontrolled rugrat to get under your feet.
Breastfeeding is nothing like letting kids run free and express themselves. While the former is unobtrusive, the latter needs a goddamn health warning. Context is everything.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Better than the Cullen Fund
The big problem I've had with the Cullen Fund, and with the Super in general, is the lack of personal ownership. In all likelihood, I'll be dead before I reach retirement age. That's assuming there's a public pension by the time I get that old, which most of my generation highly doubt.
It will be interesting to see how far Michael Cullen goes to support the New Zealand Institute's suggestion of compulsory saving scheme. The idea has some merit. Unlike the Cullen Fund, these savings accounts would be matched to actual Kiwis. A real, live asset!
The only quibble I have with the idea so far, is the 2 percent compulsory savings from taxable income. It should be matched with a corresponding tax cut.
It will be interesting to see how far Michael Cullen goes to support the New Zealand Institute's suggestion of compulsory saving scheme. The idea has some merit. Unlike the Cullen Fund, these savings accounts would be matched to actual Kiwis. A real, live asset!
The only quibble I have with the idea so far, is the 2 percent compulsory savings from taxable income. It should be matched with a corresponding tax cut.
Omen alert
Early-morning risers will be rewarded on Saturday with a solar eclipse at dawn. The best place to see this good omen will be Invercargill, where the weather and lattitude will be perfect to observe the total ecplise. For places like Wellington, 80% of the sun will be obscurred.
Warn others! No-one deserves to go on a bender Friday night only to have physics fuck with their heads with a dark sunrise.
Warn others! No-one deserves to go on a bender Friday night only to have physics fuck with their heads with a dark sunrise.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Big queue
The queue for seats in the Public Gallery for Question Time today was one of the longest I've seen. At least 50 people waited to be let in to see the entertainments.
Finally got in around 2:45, just in time to catch the end of Rodney's question. It's the first time I've seen Margaret Wilson as Speaker and was surprised at how badly the House was run. And that voice! Like nails on a blackboard.
A bloody funny Question Time all round. It really is a shame that the government has put off the installation of parliamentary TV. Oh well, maybe when they can find the money for it...
Finally got in around 2:45, just in time to catch the end of Rodney's question. It's the first time I've seen Margaret Wilson as Speaker and was surprised at how badly the House was run. And that voice! Like nails on a blackboard.
A bloody funny Question Time all round. It really is a shame that the government has put off the installation of parliamentary TV. Oh well, maybe when they can find the money for it...
Monday, April 04, 2005
A bitter end?
Investigate magazine does a NZ version of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, courtesy of John Tamihere. The once-promising career of the man who could have been PM now lies in tatters after the most vicious public hissy-fit in NZ political history. Swinging away at TV3 on a Labour blog was bad enough. Hurling abuse at his colleagues on paper was political suicide. Scoop has links to the Tamihere interview in MP3 format.
Will this be the impetus for an early election? Probably not. Even if John Tamihere crossed the floor, it would take every party bar United Future to vote against on no-confidence; ie. very unlikely. Also, unlike last time, Helen Clark cannot blame it on external damage. This is internal bleeding and the polls will reflect that if it goes early.
Will this be the impetus for an early election? Probably not. Even if John Tamihere crossed the floor, it would take every party bar United Future to vote against on no-confidence; ie. very unlikely. Also, unlike last time, Helen Clark cannot blame it on external damage. This is internal bleeding and the polls will reflect that if it goes early.
A game of Polo
In just under a week, NZ's coolest economist Gareth Morgan is taking part in a motorcycle journey retracing Marco Polo's epic journey. Travelling from Venice to Xanadu in three months (as opposed to the three years Polo took), Dr Morgan promises email updates to people who donate to UNICEF at the Silkriders site.
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