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Today’s Daily Blog Watch Round-Up of matters that have attracted the attention, assessments, and articulations of this country’s leading bloggers…
NZ Left Blogosphere
On The Daily Blog
There’s a pictogram doing the rounds on Facebook, and as well as being very clever and funny, is incredibly well put together. Called GERRY IN LEGOLAND, Steve Cowan has published it on Against the Current. Check it out for yourself – it’s funny as!
The pictogram is actually from Porcupinefarm – there’s much more funny stuff there to be viewed!
The Pundit has interesting stories on current issues,
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New Zealand’s story: our shared story? – Claire Browning writes,
“Steven Joyce’s Budget 2013 announcement says that his ‘New Zealand Story’ project will be all about innovation and resourcefulness, our Maori heritage, and a ‘welcoming, friendly’ approach. I think the Emperor has no clothes, and it’s about time somebody said so”.
Claire takes Joyce and National’s promises to task and – unsurprisingly – finds them wanting.
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Ed Snowden could come to NZ, suggests Josie Pagani, but would he be any safer here than in Hong Kong? Surprisingly, Josie comes to a not-so-flattering conclusion about Mr Snowden. She even quotes this curious piece from the New York Times,
“Big Brother is not the only danger facing the country. Another is the rising tide of distrust, the corrosive spread of cynicism, the fraying of the social fabric and the rise of people who are so individualistic in their outlook that they have no real understanding of how to knit others together and look after the common good.”
What?? “Common good”?? “Social fabric”?? And condemning “the rise of people who are so individualistic in their outlook that they have no real understanding of how to knit others together”??
From the country that practically worships Rugged Individualism as a religion??
A nation where the “common good” is practically synonymous with Soviet-style communism??
Oh fucking spare me, please. A country that can’t even get it’s shit together about comprehensive health care without invoking charges of “socialist-Federal Death Camps” is hardly a nation that cares much about “Common good” and the “Social fabric”.
- Also by Josie, there are Solid Lessons to be learned about the collapse of Solid Energy,
“Right through the nineties the National government was demanding the sale of the business. They were never demanding better management of it. The failings in government were not an accident. They were ideology. They were the indirect but predictable result of focusing on the wrong objective. For all National’s claims to be pro business, all they have demonstrated is that they don’t know how to run one.”
Josie leaves out one salient point though; the looting of Solid Energy by National, which was demanding higher and higher dividends. Much of which was funded by massive borrowings by management, and on-paid to the government. This was a government that was desperate for cash as well as incompetant.
Speaking of incompetant, Chris Trotter on Bowalley Road blogs about four MPs – Phil Goff, Annette King, Clayton Cosgrove and Kris Faafoi – who recently accepted a social invitation to watch a game of rugby. The event was free of charge – but they’re paying for it in other ways. Manufacturing Consent – In A Corporate Box? is a sharp insight into why those four MPs felt they could get away with it.
Interesting correlations. As always, well worth a read to put things into context.
On Frogblog, Holly Walker reveals Who gets the access to parliament – and the list includes those with connections to Ministers. There is a certain bad smell to all these cosy dealings…
Denise Roche expresses her feelings and views as the Gambling bill disappoints as SkyCity deal’s flaws are scrutinised. Denise is not very happy at the way the Te Ururoa Flavell’s Bill has been neutered, so as to serve vested interests,
“Personally I’m deeply disappointed that the gambling bill has taken the form it has. Originally in the name of Te Ururoa Flavell it was well intentioned and promised to give councils and communities more say over pokies in their communities and where the money would be distributed. It was also meant to clean up the industry and include in legislation measures to reduce harm to gamblers through player tracking and per-commit cards. What is being reported back though cuts across council’s ability to use their gambling policies to reduce the number of pokies in venues if they chose to allow them to relocate.”
And Family First gets it wrong on sexuality education also, writes Kevin Hague. He reveals that the author of the report is a Family First fellow-neo-conservative from the United States; Dr Miriam Grossman. He rips into Grossman’s distortions and misinformation,
“Dr Grossman’s use of data is highly selective and misleading. For example, on the effectiveness of condoms she selects individual studies (out of literally thousands) that support her perjorative conclusions (a study from rural Uganda, anyone?) In some cases (e.g. discussion of anal intercourse) her values are even more exposed. I’m not saying it’s wrong for her to have a values-based opinion about these subjects. But I am saying it’s wrong for this to be presented as a scientific analysis.”
It’s rather telling that Family First (a misnomer if I ever heard one) has to seek out American neo-con fanatics to support their wacky-doodle ideological bents.
A point also made on Frankly Speaking, in a three-issue blogpost; The Vote, Electricity, and Sex! (That’ll grab your attention!) Frank also discredits Grossman and points out her irrational, neo-conconservative bias on these issues.
In the same blogpost, he also refers to Electricity Authority chair, Brent Layton, who has derided the Labour-Green proposal for NZ Power. Frank points out that Layton is a National Party stooge, and is doing Dear Leader’s bidding by trashing the Labour-Green proposal. Layton’s downfall is where he makes the baldfaced lie that power prices have not risen very much since 2000.
WTF??? Layton should stop smoking those synthetic cannabinoids. He’s tripping the light fantastic like some hippie from the 1960s…
Also on that blogpost, Frank alerts us to TV3’s The Vote, coming up tomorrow. He (and QoT yesterday) encourage us all to Vote Poverty. Read and get the full story.
In another blogpost, Frank questions whether attempting to strangle your partner is just A playful “tiff”?!
On the issue of TV3’s The Vote tomorrow, QoT blogs on Ideologically Impure – and I repost it here in it’s entirety,
Don’t forget – #voteWTF tomorrow at 8:30pm, TV3
A few of my closest pseudonymous Twitter pals and I will be live-tweeting TV3′s The Vote, asking hard questions like “can’t we just keep bashing parents and ignoring the shitty situations they’re living in due to ongoing neoliberal economic fuckups?”
Tune it to #voteWTF tomorrow night for good wholesome rage. Warning: contains Bob McCoskrie.
Tim Selwyn is pissed off on Tumeke, about The Fix,
“The grand rort that is the pokies industry looks to have little to fear from what has become of the Maori Party’s attempt to curtail the excesses of the inherently corrupt gambling regime.”
And who is the former National MP who is now a lobbyist for the gambling industry?
A former MP who is now a fucking political-prostitute. (No offence to real sex workers, but.)
On No Right Turn, Idiot Savant also calls Te Ururoa’s gutted Bill on gambing as further indication of the Maori Party Sell-outs. It’s a tough condemnation, but how else to explain the neutering of the Bill to such a degree that the Greens and Labour have walked away from it? Shame on the Maori Party – don’t let those 30 pieces of silver weigh down in your pockets too much.
On the issue of Tracking the tax-cheats, Savant writes,
“Back in April, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists began their series on offshore secrets, investigating the global tax-cheating industry. The series was based on an enormous leak, a database covering a decade of operations of tax-cheating companies in the British Virgin islands, Cook Islands, and other tax havens. And now the ICIJ have stuck the ownership details extracted from that database online...”
As he sez, the IRD will be knocking on a few doors here in New Zealand. Let’s hope that tax cheats in this country are nailed; roasted; and spend a few years at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.
Another excellent issue that Savant touches on; making a Submission! on the Employment Relations Amendment Bill. The deadline is Thursday, 25 July 2013 – read Savant’s blogpost what you can do to add your voice to stop National’s attacks on workers’ rights. You only get one chance, peeps! (Two, if you include the next election – but there’s no guarantee we’ll win that, the way Labour MPs are stuffing up.)
Gordon Campbell on Syria, RNZ and Michael Shannon – Gordon gives a run down on issues and crises in the Middle East.
He makes an interesting observation about the new CEO of Radio NZ, Paul Thompson. It’s a short piece but worth a read.
Continuing Gareth Morgan’s jihad against feral cats (all cats?), Mandy on Forest And Bird writes about The secret lives of our cats unveiled. Mandy gives a shocking run-down as to what little Tibby has been slaughtering when we’re not around.
Gareth may have a point, after all.
Matt L on the Auckland Transport Blog advises on the Tamaki Transformation Strategic Framework Released,
“The Tamaki area is one with so much potential yet so far has failed to live up to that. There have long been talks about redeveloping the area and it seems that something might finally be about to happen. Almost a year ago the government and the Auckland Council formed an urban redevelopment company to oversee the transformation of the area. Today the company is released a draft strategic framework for how they plan to do this.”
This should be especially pertinent, as the National Party Politburo tries a Czechoslovakian-style annexation of Greater Auckland. (Today Auckland – tomorrow The Cook Islands!)
“Nein! Nein! I waz never a member of the National Party! I waz just following orders!!”
In case you missed it yesterday, check out Open Parachute. They have an informative piece on Getting a grip on the science behind claims about fluoridation. There’s plenty of real data behind flouridation – not the “junk science” variety from anti-flouro activists.
The Jackal sez that Family First is wrong, and sticks it to the neo-con nutcases,
“It would help the debate immensely if those concerned with the welfare of children got their facts straight. With approximately 15 per cent of children in New Zealand at risk of abuse, and over 80,000 children witnessing family violence each year, this is something we simply cannot get wrong.”
Ah, Jackal, me ole mate, but that’s the beauty about being a Right Wing Nut Job; why waste your time seeking facts when you can just parrot old prejudices…? Nil thinking required.
With his usual ascebic wit and uncommon perception, The Civilian reports,
“We might have disagreements about how to get there, but one thing we can all agree on is that we want to see death on an unprecedented scale. We talked. He told me he’d like to see the death of Assad and his loyalists. I said I’d like to see the death of traitors and their children. These are but minor details. We’d both like things to die”
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‘Winter is coming,’ warns Jim Hickey – Bugger.
And on to The Standard, that cyber bulwark against the rabid right wing,
- Don’t veto me! asks
“Have you done this yet?
Send a message to John Key & Bill English that kids are important. We’ve done many posts on the important improved long-term financial and social outcomes of paid parental leave. It’s investing in our country’s future.
So send them a message.”
Send them a message. Support the Bill!
Then share it on Social Media. Gowan, you know you want to!
- Qot’s post on Ideologically Impure is republished; #voteWTF – Wednesday 19 June, 8:30pm, TV3
Don’t forget to Vote Poverty – knock back those neo-con nutters!
- The Strike breaking Bill in trouble, writes Anthony Robins, and it seems that one of the Nat’s coalition buddies believes it a step too far. Even employers groups are starting to get cold feet.
This Bill cannot pass into law. It will usher in a period of violence that will rival the anti-Tour street battles in 1981. And once it gets into the international news media – will tourists want to come here to holiday? (Unless you’re a tourist from Syria. Blood on the street – no problem. It’s the corpses that ruin your day.)
- Congratulations Kim Hill – the Standard congratulates Kim Hill Gold Medal at the 2013 New York Festival Radio Awards.
Bravo! She is truly a taonga!
- All is not well in the VFX industry, Squires, writes Karol, covering an issue and related problems in a recent Radio NZ interview.
Karol writes about the problems of government subsidies and foreign workers pouring into the country,
“ VFX workers are in a unique position within the film industry. They are not directly employed by the movie companies but by independent VFX companies, who are granted contracts by the movie studios. There are only about 6 major corporates making the major Hollywood films, and in recent times, the numbers of trained VFX workers and companies have expanded: all following the carrot of a Hollywood dream. This makes the competition for VFX contracts pretty intense. The result is a lot of the less sophisticated “easy” work is contracted to low wage coountries, leaving US-based VFX companies fighting for the remaining “harder” work.
The result of subsidies being offered by non-US governments, mean that the large cohort of US VFX workers need to be prepared to move to countries like NZ for work. Squires and Marino seem to be oblivious to the impact on the NZ workforce of this influx of skilled US workers. Their concern was that the US ex-pats need to be able to use their expertise for a wider range of digital work, once they have relocated to NZ with their families. Marino justified this by saying that the NZ government subsidies are an investment in “getting these very talented people here”: nothing about such subsidies being the basis for training Kiwis to do the work in the future.”
Read more, to find out why the “free market” may end up devouring the VFX industry.
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On The Daily Blog
Our digital strip-search – Burnt Out Teacher writes,
“If you have nothing to hide, from now on I’d like you to leave your bedroom curtains open when you get changed, please.
If you have nothing to hide, I look forward to seeing the footage from the 24/7 webcam you are apparently about to install in your bathroom and toilet.
Thanks in advance!!If you have nothing to hide, then I can barely contain my excitement – you are quite obviously about to self-publish the entirety of your bank account and credit card details, your emails and texts, your pornographic predilections (including what sites you go to, what you watch, and for how long), your browser history, everything you’ve bought online, your address and phone number, all the photos and videos on your hard drive, your – oh, wait, what? You’re not? That makes no sense. I thought you had nothing to hide.”
More brilliant writing from one of the top bloggers in this country. She makes a compelling case for why we shoulds resist the encroachment of the State into our private lives.
TRAINSPOTTING – Julie Anne Genter writes about Light rail for Wellington?
“ The Green Party supports a high quality public transport solution for Wellington that will reduce carbon emissions and deliver a people-friendly urban environment. Light rail may or may not be the most cost-effective way to deliver that outcome. It’s up to Wellingtonians to decide which option they prefer.”
Read what the Greens have in their minds about public transport solutions for Wellingtion.
I often hold people by the throat when attempting to emphasize my point writes Martyn Bradbury,
“ Is it a delusion of power? Domestic violence is never pretty and the self-justifications the abusive use to explain their violence away even less so.”
Update: the UK Police have “cautioned’ that moneyed prick, Charles Saatchi.
“Cautioned”???
So WTF – if I try to strangle someone, just to “emphasise a point”, that’s ok???
It sure as fuckery can’t be because Saatchi is a rich prick, with deep pockets and an appreciation of “fine arts”, surely? Hell no, some poor bugger from Muswell Hill, would also just be “cautioned”? Hell no, because that would be, you know double fucking standards.
Nigella – next time that prick pulls that stunt again, feed him something Real Special.
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Action of the Week
Homelessness – The Big Sleepout 2013 Appeal – Martyn Bradbury writes,
On the 4th July I will be going homeless. For one cold night in the dead of winter I will be stripped of my creature comforts, exposed to the elements and given insight into what it means to sleep rough.I live in the central city and I have for almost two decades. The homeless problem in central Auckland, has to my eyes steadily increased.If we don’t bring attention to the poverty that is driving this homelessness, we won’t ever generate the solutions necessary to solve homelessness.EVERY dollar I fundraise will be directly applied to Lifewise’s unique “no band aids” approach to homelessness. The Lifewise response continues to be Auckland’s most successful answer to the issue of homelessness. So before I bed down on a slab of concrete I’d love to ask if you might sponsor me. Please back me and please back this worthy cause by digging deep today.Thank you.
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Thought for the Day
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~ Joe Blogger
“The Daily Blog Watch” Editor, Imbiber of Fine Sugary Drinks, & Cat Herder
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