I have to say that I will be glad when this year is over. For me its highs do not match its lows. Although it has still got a few more months to run, and who knows what they may hold? Good things,?

Thanks. Amended.

Of course. That'll be the one.

Anyway, lots more happened in 1945. Or 1963.

Who won?

Did it? It could still spend money, and was taking in far more money than needed to service its debts. Why would it have defaulted even if the debt ceiling wasn't raised?

the year of impatience

Is he? The best summary I've seen so far (from @ChasLicc) is "BREAKING: Gaddafi captured for ninth time today, after being killed six times."

The idea of Taupo erupting makes a global financial meltdown seem like a pleasant distraction.

2011 has a long way to play out yet.

That's sort?

Including a massive La Nina event that swamped Queensland and brought Auckland its warmest February and May on record. And that's just in this neck of the woods.

It's mostly the Christchurch earthquake, and also my age, but I've never had a year before where it was quite so obvious that the future was not going to be quite like anyone had predicted. And, more bluntly, that the future?

2011: the year we all had to get our coats.

Is this amateur speculation or is there something actually worth being worried about here? I.e., citation required.

A GNZ vulcanologist said in 2009 that small earthquakes around Taupo the previous year were an indication the volcano is ?slumbering, not dormant?.

Earthquakes would be a part of the build-up to an?

Which is an etymologically confusing distinction.

However:

GNS volcanologist Brad Scott said today's earthquake was fairly typical movement:

"We would typically have maybe two or three events around maybe 5.5 and 6 (magnitude) at about 150-200km depth a year under the North Island. It's slightly larger than average but?

Quite. But you sorta got what she meant ...

But reassuring all the same. Depending on which way the wind blows, a Taupo eruption is pretty much game over for New Zealand.

Boom. Well, that's today's mood well and truly darkened, thanks!

Or more precisely, the prospect of a new Auckland cone — the existing ones won't re-erupt. Which would be disastrous but not actually the end of Auckland.

And sometimes there are no preceding earthquakes ...

And sometimes there are earthquakes typical of an eruption without any actual eruption ...

We are somewhat on a learning curve here :).

you forgot the weasel word

But reassuring all the same. Depending on which way the wind blows, a Taupo eruption is pretty much game over for New Zealand.

Just got to this 2006 article in the google stats:

Rotorua, Taupo and?

Indeed. Especially given that there were major earthquakes in
1848 (Marlborough, destroyed nearly every brick or stone building in Wellington), 1855 (Wairarapa, 8.2 mag, tsunami in Wellington Harbour)?

On the positive side, adversity can breed great leaders.

So thats the get out clause?
Oh shit!

They have souls? Thought it was absence of, that caused this in the first place.

To be followed, three months later, by only the second confirmed instance of snow in suburban Auckland in the last 75 years and the lowest daily high on record.

Can't be having that sort of behaviour now, can we?

Of course they have souls, but they are taught to ignore them in the first year of their BCom.

Actually that isn't being facetious, they've done studies comparing BCom. students with other degrees and shown?

I'm more of a dyspeptian, generally.

Given that first-year economics (BCom graduate here)?

Oh, and that's Vic, where first-year economics is even more heavily tilted towards microeconomics and the theories of perfect markets and perfectly-informed consumers. Auckland's first-year economics papers are split in two and the second one introduces macroeconomics in?

Ah, I knew there was a reason I bolted at the beginning of the year I was supposed to sign up. My?

It was a summary I read of the research in an issue of The Atlantic, several years ago maybe 02 or 03, could even be older? Sadly I?

And yeah Matthew I agree it probably is very much a case of a little knowledge is much worse than?

Dr Robert Hare puts the incidence in the general population at 1%.

Apparently, this can rise to 4-5% in upper management, although I don't have a handy reference for that.

Still, this is an interesting article.

This is my personal minor earthquake – that a columnist I admire could sympathise with a book written by Ian Wishart and which is pretty obviously biased. Maybe it's a Christian thing.

Yes, I was rather astounded by this too. She wrote that she did not 'know' Wishart; surely she?

?!?! Given my randomness, even when I'm not completely missing the point (as highlighted by recordari), how could I possibly think you rude?

For me what makes Tapu Misa so admirable as a columnist is that she is a very thoughtful person. I don't find it at all odd that she decided to *shock* read the book first before coming to a conclusion. I think she's a free?

Maybe the ?thing? is that the right to silence, due process and a fair trial in court of?

Sorry, given my own continuity incontinence, I'm hardly one to talk.

Give the desk a rest.

I lost quite a lot of faith in Tapu Misa when she enthused about Dinesh D?Souza?s writing.

D?Souza is the unpleasant nutbar who wrote __The?

I wonder if part of his thing is a natural contrarianism. Not useful when you're?

Each to their own. I find all of this, apart from Christchurch exciting. My own personal 2011 fallout, being unemployed for the first time?

I thought Celia Lashlie's take on Wishart's book was more measured.

I was shocked by the d'Souza column too. That's why I thought it might be a Christian thing, an affinity between fundamental or born again Christians, Misa and Wishart.

I've always felt sorry for the Kahui parents. It?

Must be nice as an economist to be able to break the neoliberal consensus and actually think about problems for oneself. Good on him.

And no-one's mentioned yet the other environemtal monstrosity that is worrying us sick down here,?

My sympathy was greatly reduced by the whanau's stonewalling of the investigation.

Certainly sums up our experience down here.

You rogue.

I think it's superb. She finds out Wishart and still offers what we might learn from the book. I hope it's no insult to say it has the feel of very good Listener subbing.

Judging by the seeming inability of some Labour MPs to keep their feet out of their mouths I'd say you're dreeaming
(said in my best 'The Castle' voice).

The crisp sweet crunch of a real election, but a nasty all black maggot in the middle?

and then there is this headline

Charges dropped against autistic looter

on stuff.co.nz this evening. From The Press apparently.

which has all the hall marks of very bad subbing,because by the use of the word "looter" it manages to completely miss?

And with my sanctimonious hat on my personal challenge this year is to try – not to like as that is asking a bit much – to see the humanity in those whose ideas or actions I otherwise despise (spiritual people suggest?

Fairfax has embraced the subbing sausage factory model along with APN now. Style, accuracy and institutional knowledge are a bit old-fashioned.

Addressed on the Arie thread.

If one were going to trouble oneself to read a book this would not be what one would select. I have no sympathy for Macina King?

Jeebus Crust, and I always thought Curran was relatively sane. I guess we're seeing the first hints of a Green class traitors/"stab in the back" meme if the election?

You'd expect a coordinated and disciplined political communications strategy would firmly park individual egos at the door. The left and its constituents deserve so?

It takes one – Bernard Hickey – to know one.

Zhou Qin

Arie Smith-Voorkamp

the exhumed train

[[http://world.globaltimes.cn/europe/2011-06/664456.html|the global slut?

+1

When they blocked police access they declared they cared not at all for the truth, no matter how ugly that truth might be.

And no, effete 2-shandy screamers are not gay. Merely straight blokes releasing their feminine side.

1. weak, ineffectual, or decadent as a result of overrefinement
2. exhausted of vitality or strength; worn out; spent.

Merely straight blokes releasing their feminine side.

I like shandy. Make mine a radl....oh, wait, I can't say that any more.

That's the spirit. There will be a few of these soon, as the RWC comes on.

Indeed. Or a dozen of them. Mind you, I can hardly think of any part of Auckland you could do that, which wouldn't end up with the police arriving to bust up any unlicensed fun that was being?

With some vint... cheese?

One small point of order: We might all want to be careful to keep a clear distinction between people exercising their right to silence and potentially defamatory?

And for all the nastiness of child abuse, does it really justify coerced confessions, like the kind of stuff seen?

It is scheduled to be before the first possible NZ/FR encounter in the knock-out stages, however.

Has this been adequately rebutted? Anyway, here's mine. ABs to win comfortably, and that party which most of you loathe gets a clear majority to govern alone, but does deals with?

An ACT majority? I'll take your money.

So you mean you don't loathe National? I'm getting this all wrong, as usual.

You'll note my wish for Act to disappear. As loose as I can be, I try not to contradict myself in the same post, if possible.

But hey, picked?

Norman told me a couple of months ago that the two very best gigs he's ever played outside the carnival are both in?

It was 2003, I think? First year we were in NZ. We woz there.

Popular with kids in the UK, when I was one. Not sure if you can get it here – one sip of that for a 19 year old driver and you could lose your?

I'm thinking of it as a nonny state now...

One? Even for the UK, that's a young age to be drinking.

And I think the definition of 'popular' is well beyond stretched, now. Unless by 'popular with kids', you actually mean ''Granny bought this as a treat for you,?

I actually reported them to the Advertising Council but was turned down – apparently advertising a Radler/Shandy with 5% alcohol content is not a problem

Yep – you're right. I've about an hour of video footage of the gig somewhere, filmed from the stage. Must find.

If it was meant for Washington, God's aim is, once again, terrible.

I've mellowed considerably in my old age. Like a vint...aged cheese.

Satan will be riding a yellow dog to work through the snow before I vote for them, but no visceral loathing any more. Besides which, the National Party here are a different?

Confidence and supply.Anything under urgency gets through pretty quickly, and if National get through again it will be worse with Brash and the other National Acts. Last?

Ask the 'opposition'

Sure, they're lame. But that doesn't force Kiwis to vote National. That's the worst part about all of this, that polls are suggesting these guys are going to improve their majority, despite not one single thing having improved on their watch. I can't understand it, and I?

For the record, I agree. When 51.5% of your own voters favour an opposition policy over your own, it's pretty clear there's a problem.

Given the other?

Yeah, I'm not convinced the problem isn't stupid NZers, TBH.

I don?t know anyone who says that, and you lay a finger on me I?ll break all yours. Individually. Slowly.?

[Redacted] I just remembered I don't do this anymore.

Why the disconnect? Labour people will no doubt be tempted to fall back on their usual excuses of voter ignorance and media bias – "the peasants are too stupid to know what's good for them, and its all a conspiracy?

Perhaps if folks like Sacha could stop campaigning for Nact dear old Phil will have a chance.
On the asset sale bollocks I call bluff. They did it with the strip mining of our National parks... "Oooo,?

I was a die-hard National supporter from ages nine through, oooh, sixteen. Trufax.

Tribalism may be touching, but it doesn't seem to be working very well for the left, does it? I've said clearly many times before that the problem is not with one person. And?

The govt are quietly planning further mining. Fortunately the environmental movement are somewhat more effective than Labour right now so you may get to see some opposing of those plans after the?

There you go, bagging Labour again.
The only reason they can be "quietly planning further mining" is because they scared the horses with the mind numbing idea that we could do?

For reference, I primarily won't vote Labour because of their policies:
– I don't support locking innocent people up without trial
– I want the right to choose what I put in my body
– I don't want NZ entering into undemocratic 'free trade' agreements
– I don't want?

Goff's Labour has rightly latched onto privatisation as a hot-button issue, but the problem is, it takes?

Serious question: which policy are you referring to?

- I want the right to choose what I put in my body
– I don?t want NZ entering into undemocratic?

Voters were asked which they prefer; partial asset sales or Labour?s capital gains tax.

53 percent of respondents said they?

I want Labour to win. So I refuse to coddle and baby them and pat them on the head and say ?there, there? and blame everyone else when they suck.?

... Goff has publicly opposed the redeployment of the SAS to Afganistan since 2009
Which is good. But Labour in power has shown itself to fall quickly under the thrall of the securocracy and the free-trade advocates.?

Labour's OwnOurFuture campaign was pretty well done. Will be interesting to see if they can pull off the focus and discipline required to convert that into votes across the country.

The policy constraints on any major party are greater than for smaller ones who can?

Where would that support come from?

As a minimum, that if a refugee is believed to be a terrorist or other danger to NZ, that they be charged, indicted and tried in open court, with a jury, for a real offence.

(That is no more or less than the?

But the Authority is an open court. All its judgements are published in a database?

Could it also have been the fear of looking "soft on terrorism"? Mind you, 9/11 was still fresh on Westerners' minds.

Where was the evidence? Witnesses?

If a New Zealander was suspected of terrorism, that would be rightly required in order to convict them.

For a foreigner, a collection of scuttlebutt is enough. Sure, it was documented scuttlebutt, but they didn't have anything?

For the purposes of discussion, I would suggest an answer as:

1) Traditional* Labour supporters who'll be staying at home this time around.

2) Traditional* Labour supporters who'll vote Green this time around.

*whatever this may actually mean. Please don't make me sleep with?

If one believes in managed capitalism, a firm but fair approach to keeping the Bad Guys inline and that such measures can ensure a continued supply of exciting new consumer goods, then Labour is a good party to back. Or National, if your parents were farmers rather?

But that?s not the test, and I?m not aware that it?s the test in any country in the world. Not?

I think you misread the average New Zealand voter, they don't want radical they want justice, exactly how that justice manifests itself to individuals varies. Is?

It was a bit more than scuttlebutt. Zaoui was tried and convicted of terrorism offences in Algeria, Belgium and France?

I disagree. Regardless of how stupid it might be, the public likes to vote for the "winning team". That way they feel like winners. By splitting the leftish vote both Green and Labour are?

Liberal thinking also (pretends to) subscribe to the idea that one man is as good as another, and we shouldn't?

Because Article 32 doesn't require that?

But that's not what the Convention?

Oh, and also because a person?

.. which has not however deterred Don Brash.

Further, I note that the atliens have landed and are confused by our local customs.

FTW. I, for one, welcome his enormous bald pate onto the pool table of politics, and hope he is potted off the break.

methinks vandals
stole yer handles...
the king of jingles,
is Mr John Jandals
while his brother,
Mr. Bo, jangles...

PS: I noticed that TV
News caption writers
(Prime I think)
have?

If ya want his body and ya think he's sexy, then come on, sugar, let him know.

Johny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drx8cwG-aKE

I think you'll find Linger was playing off the word "miniser" which Ian raised (fascinated by language as many of?

Pretty sure it was in reference to his performance on the catwalk which, rather than being an example of leet modeling skillz, demonstrated that he should stay behind the desk and resist all urges to compete?

I thought he just looked comfortable and relaxed, in a smiley, hand wavy kind of way.
A gorgeous, cute, little prime minister.
Nice puppy...

I hope thats a joke (that thats the news of the year)

Not at all.

ETA: Snap! It's certainly going to be the news of the year for *some* people, I think.

No the point is Jobs doesn't appeal to techies, he appeals to users.

His contribution is best measured by the difference in apple before and after he left the first time. One man should not have that much?

You call that an experiment? No replication, no control? I'm having second thoughts about your GE work...

Microsoft? Bill Gates?

What you want more than n=1?? Whadarya some kind of referee or something!

It seems to me that this is exactly the?