The internets save the world, again.

So reports of "looting" now means two thieving people in isolated incidents. With hyperbole like that, the MSM would probably define masturbation as an orgy.

Forget it, Zippy. It's The Herald.

Then we sat glued to the trendmap for hours, and to RNZ via web. What I'd?

Hmmm....I wonder how long it took the photographer to get her to squat there!!

A loaded picture if ever i saw one.

A loaded picture if ever i saw one.

Maybe, I haven't seen it but, I would portray any child not being phased because, if ya kids panic, the adults do and what's the point of that? So, show kids playing and encourage others to take it in their stride. Keep?

A loaded picture if ever i saw one.

I can see see what you mean, but I honestly didn't take it that way.

So it wouldn't have been "loaded" if they had chosen a white child instead? That seems a bit odd, really. Can they not just choose a good?

I think there's a danger of over-thinking what you think you see there ...

Mellopuffy got the gist of what I meant.

I know with this kind of event it's normal for media, and everyone, to focus on damage, and understandably. It can sometimes give a skewed picture of things though.

Maybe they'll cancel those tax cuts now...?

Using humour: now that's the spirit.

Was anything in Christchurch not damaged? I've heard rumours.

You can go for blocks through the city fringe areas of small factories etc. and never know there'd been a natural disaster. Anything reinforced concrete seems unaffected. Then you turn a corner and there's bricks (always bricks) all over the footpath,?

I heard an ad on the radio yesterday evening around 730 pm

"Alvarados – Real Mexican Food, Real Mexican Drama!"

I couldn't believe it, given that the interior of AlvaRados is one of the most shown photos of the quake – John Key was standing?

(and not a lot of brick buildings...let's acknowledge that an anciently inhabited country, also prone to earthquakes – we are acknowledging?

(And thanks Russell – you're welcome for the photos. Thanks for the tickets to the Quiz tonight, where I won a sub to Metro (yay, get to read David and Emma!) for being the person who had come the farthest to attend).

I was there too (although I didn't stay?

@robyn WTF? Why am I awake?
@clockradio it's 4.36 wake up!!!!
@bookcase ha ha ha I'm shaking!!!
@robyn Is it an earthquake?
@myteriousobject I'm just going to clatter for a bit...?

I guess it is good they are at least not wilfully falling over just for the lulz. Small mercies etc.

Was anything in Christchurch not damaged? I've heard rumours.

I know with this kind of event it's normal for media, and everyone, to focus on damage, and understandably. It can sometimes give a skewed picture of things though.

Most of my friends live in the student area of Sockburn/Upper Riccarton/Riccarton?

A long time since I've seen that.

I got on the tweets at a leisurely 8.25am, to find a couple of "we're okay" messages from Emma Hart and an anxious query from Nat Torkington as to the welfare of David Haywood and his family. As I was doing that, Jolisa published her post to Public Address.

Time?

@darfield SHAKE RATTLE ROLL
@chch omfg RT@Darfield SHAKE RATTLE ROLL
@darfield SHAKE
@chch RT @Darfield SHAKE #donotlike
@darfield RATTLE
@chch RT @Darfield RATTLE #dudewtf
@darfield ROLL
@chch Unfollow @Darfield dammit

"Emma or Russell will post something, any minute now."

No disrespect to Dr H, but I know him to be a) generally a night-owl and b) a sensitive plant who revises almost more obsessively than I do.

i.e. in the blog potato-sack race, if there is one, we are hobbling?

Time zones, the chronically-tardy-person's friend.

Which might be time to note for people not to pay any attention to the timestamps on the various tweets. Twitter doesn't do local time at all well.

Actually, I actually sat on that post for about an hour thinking "Emma or Russell will post?

Actually, I actually sat on that post for about an hour thinking "Emma or Russell will post something, any minute now. Russell will definitely post. I should hold off." When it got to 8.30 NZT and still no Radio Free Russell, I assumed Rangitoto had opportunistically taken out Auckland.

Can't?

Ian Daziel has just replied by text. They've lost a couple of chimneys, have books in disarray (I dread to think!) but are otherwise good.

Also, for those who know him, Blair Parkes from the L.E.D.s and his family are fine (they live in a low-lying street in New?

xkcd

Priceless

As special a place as you hold in my heart, Russell, that. my dear, was just TMI. Even in jest.

Hard News Indeed: The Bootknockin' Report

Ugh Paul Henry's reached new depths – I thought that it was bad enough that he was talking about the election so soon, but then to talking?

Up here in the Hutt, I was breathlessly informed of widespread flooding on my way to work. Actually, it's full, but nowhere near the stopbanks, which?

There are a few old brick?

Turns out, I've got a bit of a problem with their editorial too.

This:

Yesterday morning, within an hour of the quake, hundreds of people were loading their families?

I think people didn't need the Prime Minister to tell them to look out for their neighbours.

One thing we would have appreciated was more of a focus in the media on civil defence info. They had an opportunity to warn us to do things like boiling water, and such?

You know, I think people didn't need the Prime Minister to tell them to look out for their neighbours.

More to the point, I don't think Ministerial media calls were really a priority on Saturday morning.

Ian Daziel has just replied by text. They've lost a couple of chimneys, have?

The finer points of emergency sanitation may be embarassing or dull for those outside of the affected area, but getting these things right becomes terribly important if you might actually need to use it.

Yes, Ross Mason has been making the same point on t'other thread. It's one of the?

What Colin Espiner from the Press said: "Whole sections of the older parts of Christchurch had buildings with rubble all over the road." What the Sydney Morning Herald reported: "Whole parts of Christchurch were reduced to rubble."

Residents think it is because the land had been a swamp, sucked dry and filled with dirt for the subdivision. They say the?

only Radio NZ has been consistently doing it right

Public service ethos for you – while others just looked for the best newspron angle, including our ex-state TV company.

Sockburn

Named after an historic incident where someone once burned a sock?

The HoS coverage was farcical, but not surprising. Milne's Twitter response about 'unreported looting' seems as farcical, all the reports I have seen from police are that crime is lower than normal levels.

And if there was indeed "widespread" and "unreported" looting, it's a bit of a puzzle that the?

The HoS coverage was farcical, but not surprising. Milne's Twitter response about 'unreported looting' seems as farcical, all the reports I have seen from police are that crime is lower than normal levels.

Via Scoop:

__It has been reported by the Christchurch police that there was one incidence of?

And how on earth is the same afternoon "too late" for the PM to get to Christchurch on a military flight?

If he'd been properly prepared he would have been there early. Twelve hours late is just slack.

Turns out, I've got a bit of a problem with their editorial too.

As much as I hate the expression Nanny state, it seems that this is exactly what the editorial is crying out for.

Civil defence procedures are intended to work without ministers. Even if every single minister had?

About, 10am, police Inspector Al Stewart in response to a question from Rawdon Christie about looting reports:

"It wasn't extensive, it was a couple of isolated incidents and we dealt with them as they came up."

What worries me the most is what's going to happen when the Big One comes. The HoS has already burnt through "Doomsday", they might have to settle?

We have all been fielding worried calls, texts and emails from all over the world, which is lovely of course, but also slightly confusing! I keep wondering if I just haven't noticed how bad things are.

One of the great strengths of Twitter and Facebook is that you get to?

Civil defence procedures are intended to work without ministers. Even if every single minister had been on a week-long trip to Incommunicado, the emergency response would have been exactly the same.

Exactly. Heaven forbid, a disaster might actually even kill the relevant minister.

Give JK some slack, it was the weekend and Hawaii to Christchurch is a bit of trek even by private jet.

Yeah, there's been a lot of this sort of thing on The Standard as well, and Whaleoil is trying to blame the earthquake on Jim Anderton. I hope you're?

'Men in Council marked trucks were looting from wheelie bins all over Christchurch, or at least those suburbs with collection days on Monday', local Metro writer said.

ETA: CCC has link up now it?

Yeah, there's been a lot of this sort of thing on The Standard as well

I'd object about this stuff less if the jokes weren't so sad and unimaginative.

MediaWorks blames Firefox, IE, VodaFail, Norton, and Al Qaeda for video not running. I still can't get the sodding clip to run.

Would any PASer be inclined to transcribe Key's words re $6b?

ETA: CCC has link up now it seems.

That's about right for my experience of council information flow. It's information people need, useful, and up pretty quickly, but the time on that is still an hour after the trucks came round here this morning.

a disaster might actually even kill the relevant minister

In the unlikely event, as they say on the plane, collective responsibility means any other Minister can immediately act.

Re the damage – there's more than what most?

Problem is, they have no power in law to do that. And why do they need to? There already is EQC and the local Councils. Or do they fear the results of those elections too?

The actual quote, from 54 sec in to the CTV programme is:

"It would have taken a?

This is the video that Whaleoil has put up of Anderton. Slater has edited together two different sentences to make up a quote Anderton never uttered:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK_s5y4OnWo

It's not even funny. Slater is a fucking weirdo.

Re the damage – there's more than what most people would think. If a chimney or verandah falls off then that's easily noticeable. The main problem comes with the internal damage to structural walls, foundations. And of course, the pipes underground.

I think most Cantabrians are very well aware that?

I'd object about this stuff less if the jokes weren't so sad and unimaginative.

Arrrgghhh!

Yes, my bad, and having two colleagues down there at the time, and one who this morning told us her parents' home is a write-off, it is no time for being frivolous. Just that Milne?

Slater has edited together two different sentences to make up a quote Anderton never uttered:

FFS. Disingenuous in the extreme not to acknowledge that 'seismic shift' is, like, a figure of speech widely understood by everyone over the age of about 10.

Slater is a fucking weirdo

Stopped being funny a long time ago, if he ever was. Would media even bother reporting his demented ravings if daddy weren't so highly placed in blue circles?

So National is talking about appointing a reconstruction tsar. Problem is, they have no power in law to do that.

Urgency will fix that, just like it did for Ecan. Daddy knows best.

Civil defence procedures are intended to work without ministers.

Man I hope so. Because face it folks, our MPs and ministers are not all the sharpest knives and I really really don't want to be relying on them in an emergency.

By contrast, the civil defense teams are generally a?

Would any PASer be inclined to transcribe Key's words re $6b cash and $15b for me? Either from here or a recording of same?

Done (seemed only fair) and emailed to you, Phil. Now back to that work thing..

I might be really naive, but I can?t see where the political gain is in it anyway... Makes Anderton look like some kind of Oracle.

As for the PM flying in 12 hours late er planes need long flat pieces of land that haven't been undermined or disturbed by things like earthquakes

They managed to SBW up to Auckland in a Chopper for a Commercial shoot, he even had time for a fly over his?

They managed to SBW up to Auckland in a Chopper for a Commercial shoot, he even had time for a fly over his mum's house in Pt Chev apparently.

But I heard SBW was arrested for looting!

But I heard SBW was arrested for looting!

No, SBW apparently said on Friday it would take an earthquake for the All Blacks to win the Rugby World Cup in 2011. I think that's right.

Christchurch and its neighbouring centres face an unprecedented reconstruction effort in local terms. The reassurance so carefully spelled out by Prime Minister John Key of Earthquake Commission funding and?

Also, Lilith, you live quite close to us, I think.

Huh, and I thought you were a West Chch girl, Emma! Don't know why I thought that, must have made it up. That's nice to know you're nearby! I like Southeast Chch a lot, it's a good place to live.

CTV's "Picture of the Week" is a "reminder that spring is just around the corner" and shows the corner of a brick?

The reassurance so carefully spelled out by Prime Minister John Key of Earthquake Commission funding and of central government assistance will help to provide hope of resolution.

According to Bomber over at Tumeke, Key has categorically ruled out any government/EQC money for uninsured households in Christchurch.

Assuming he is correct,?

The story put about yesterday by the Herald that Jim Anderton declared on CTV on Friday that it would take "an earthquake" for Bob Parker to win the mayoral election is SIMPLY WRONG.

I am, and I don't quite understand why, absolutely fucking FURIOUS to hear that. We're still having?

absolutely fucking FURIOUS

So was I. Very angry tweet fired off within a minute of two of learning of the deception.

Normally I take things at a very measured pace.

We both probably reacted becuase, love Anderton or hate him, the fiction is one that will stay with public consciousness?

I am, and I don't quite understand why, absolutely fucking FURIOUS to hear that. We're still having significant aftershocks and the Herald is treating this like some kind of media point-scoring game.

It seems the story actually came from Newstalk ZB — the Herald often copies stuff from their newswire?

According to Bomber over at Tumeke, Key has categorically ruled out any government/EQC money for uninsured households in Christchurch.
Assuming he is correct, was that a "carefully spelled out" position from the PM or an off the cuff response to a media question?
Because 10,000 households appear to have been?

Decent, as in not buried away on page F85 under the Lost Cats ads.

On the question of telecomms, did Twitter overload at any point?

Not that I noticed, but Kanye was on a roll, so I'm guessing the pressure was probably more from that side.

It's not as if people have been thrown to the wolves – they had the option of buying insurance and chose to take the risk not to do so.

There are times, when money is tight, that insurance is seen as an option that can't be afforded.

It's not as if people have been thrown to the wolves – they had the option of buying insurance and chose to take the risk not to do so.

In my experience, when things are tight (like during a recession maybe?) insurance is one of the household expenses that gets?

Seems to be more than one incident, but it's clearly difficult to separate ordinary burglaries from actual looting.

The contrast in how uninsured homeowners and Allan Hubbard's investors are recompensed from the public purse will be interesting to watch as it unfolds this week.

Actually, I can see the dilemma here – the whole EQC system relies on people first having insurance. To pay out anyway would undermine?

And how on earth is the same afternoon "too late" for the PM to get to Christchurch on a military flight?

If he'd been properly prepared he would have been there early.

Yeah, like the night before.
;-)

It turned out that one of the "completely trashed" houses actually suffered two broken crockery bowls and the CD rack had fallen over.

You want to see completely trashed? This is completely trashed (pics on right side of page).

In my experience, when things are tight (like during a recession?

New Zealand troops take over security as southern city begins clean-up after major earthquake.

Was this;

WHAT'S ALL THE EXCITEMENT...NEW ZEALAND'S ON "THE RING OF FIRE" AND DOOMED TO DISAPPEAR UNDERWATER, SOONER OR LATER...WITH PACIFIC SEA LEVELS RISING AT ALARMING RATES, WHILE FRESH WATER?

This is the video that Whaleoil has put up of Anderton.. ... It's not even funny.

Well, I thought the story was funny. And so did Anderton.

In the unlikely event, as they say on the plane, collective responsibility means any other Minister can immediately act.

That's what collective responsibility?

the National party's rump squatocracy that had money in SCF

Many people apart from horrible Tories had money in SCF. Eg, my Dad was advised by professionals to put money in there several years ago, in securities that still haven't matured. At the time this seemed neither greedy nor rash,?

Rich, we were asking ourselves that a few minutes ago.

"I'm one of the few bloggers that's branded," Slater explained to the Sunday Star-Times. "I'm in the process of trademarking it; it's tattooed?

A real (good news) story.

Why isn't the EQC funded out of a rate surcharge instead of an insurance levy? That would ensure everyone was covered.

That's a very good idea. I've posed the question to Clare Curran on Twitter, might be worth sending emails to relevant Labour people and asking it more formally. (I?

I think however you may be bundling up a few things.

Certainly Councils have the data (land value plus improvedvalue) to be able to calculate an EQC levy to add on to rates. I was thinking that this?

Also answers our questions earlier about the Logie collection,?

(I can't see National deigning to upset their mates in the insurance industry, sadly. ACT would never allow it either).

On the other hand I'm sure Rodney Hide would have loved to have got his hands on that pile of local cash, or Rodney Council for that matter.
It may seem?

Also answers our questions earlier about the Logie collection, too :-(

On the plus side, it's actually bloody hard to break a book. Let's hope it looks worse than it is once all the shelves are back up.

On the plus side, it's actually bloody hard to break a book

And you can fix them. Granted they stop being as 'authentic', but barring flood or fire they are pretty much indestructable. Other, more temporal mediums much less so, as you've previously noted.

http://www.gaynz.com/blog/redqueen/archives/933

In fact, someone needs to ask ACT, the?

On the plus side, it's actually bloody hard to break a book.

Yes, but considerably easier to break ancient Classical pottery and artefacts. (The first scene of the novel I'm writing takes place among the glass display cases of the Logie Collection in the 5th floor Classics department. I'm kind?

On the other hand I'm sure Rodney Hide would have loved to have got his hands on that pile of local cash, or Rodney Council for that matter.

You have a point. I quite like for NZ's antiquities to be protected in indestructable cabinets. Given the procilivity of the new-right?

WHAT'S ALL THE EXCITEMENT...NEW ZEALAND'S ON "THE RING OF FIRE" AND DOOMED TO DISAPPEAR UNDERWATER, SOONER OR LATER...

Ah, it's that rare beast in the world of fail: the epic geology fail (as distinguished from its more common cousin, the epic geography fail.)

I am still wondering if that was?

(The first scene of the novel I'm writing takes place among the glass display cases of the Logie Collection in the 5th floor Classics department. I'm kind of weirded out about it.)

And such a beautiful collection it is.

What if Hurricane Katrina struck Mangere & Otara? I suspect the SAS would be sent in, instead of disaster relief workers. And not for relief efforts either.

What if Hurricane Katrina struck Mangere & Otara? I suspect the SAS would be sent in, instead of disaster relief workers.

Flying in to Hamilton. It doesn't bear thinking about.

Maybe we should re-write the Dewy Decimal system to classify books by weight so's the big ones go on the bottom shelves.
;-)

University libraries are Library of Congress, not Dewey Decimal.

Flying in to Hamilton. It doesn't bear thinking about.

Whatcha mean by that? Hamilton has a perfectly fine, international airport.

The discussions over the weekend has been fascinating and bring to mind places where I used to live in Chch--the old wooden mansion on the bend of Carlton Mill Road,?

Flying in to Hamilton. It doesn't bear thinking about.

Whenuapai

University libraries are Library of Congress

Once you learn it, you never forget it eg I know what I will find at PR1995.3. Still, I wonder if there has ever been a study of usage in respect of where books are situated on shelves ie whether books at eye level?

On the other hand I'm sure Rodney Hide would have loved to have got his hands on that pile of local cash, or Rodney Council for that matter.

Speaking of Wodknee. Anyone heard from him since the Big Bang? He must be spitting tacks that the Gummint is going to?

So everyone's insurance would get slightly cheaper, rates would be slightly more and every property would be covered.

University libraries are Library of Congress

No wonder I couldn't find anything in the Library, damned yanks.
:-)

So everyone's insurance would get slightly cheaper,

Ha Ha Ha.... Ha.. Ha.
You're such a card Rich.

So a few calls were made and they wound up playing what is said to have been a very rockin' party in Lyttelton that?

Hah! Half the SAS comes from Mangare or Otara.

The Government will give $5 million to the Mayoral Relief Fund for those affected by the 7.1 earthquake in Cantebury, Prime Minister John Key said today.

The Government estimated a $94m cost for infrastructure repair and replacement in the area, he said.

To be fair, he made it clear that the $5m is very much a first contribution to the Mayoral Fund, which will be for hardship. He makes a Ministerial Statement in Parliament at 2pm and?

Q about uninsured people. Key fudged the answer, talked about most people have to have insurance due to mortgage #eqnz

Matches the dodging on television when the matter is raised. I guess time will tell and they have a lot of other?

Wen(t) on to talk about an elderly person with no insurance being a hardship case Agreed it would be case by case #eqnz

Any help appreciated as to why my Tweets (via website) didn't show up in the eqnz stream. (signed) Noob.

Let's get this straight, $1.6 billion to bail out Mr Magoo was not a moral hazard even though once National included him in the guarantee scheme for political reasons, SCF went onto behave and lend in the exact manner people knowing they will?

Matches the dodging on television when the matter is raised

Matter raised? Or matter razed?

There are just over 160,000 homes in the Selwyn, Christchurch and Waimakariri areas, and there are estimates that 100,000 of them may be damaged, some beyond repair.

We?

Do we even have that many homes?

The region is Kaikoura south to Waitaki, with 2/3 of the population in Christchurch – say 135,000 homes.

I struggle to?

According to Bomber over at Tumeke, Key has categorically ruled out any government/EQC money for uninsured households in Christchurch.

Assuming he is correct, was that a "carefully spelled out" position from the PM or an off the cuff response to a media question?

Or, heavens forfend, perhaps the Prime Minister?

Slater is regarded as a rather sad embarrassment.

Known in National Party 'circles' as "the octopus", on account of his poisonous blue ring.

Whoever was responsible for that setup needs a bit of a talking to, those shelves should have been anchored but unfortunately they rarely are.

I'm not sure why the university library, by the look of the photos, only braced some of the shelving and not all of it? The shelves?

Sacha: With all due disrespect, I move in slightly more elevated "blue circles" than you do, and Slater is regarded as a rather sad embarrassment.

Slater is clearly not regarded as enough of an embarrassment by those who determine whose views get broadcast. And I'm talking the Ak establshment, not?

BoB PaRKeR ENGiNEeREd tHE CHRiStCHURCH QuAKES – THe TRUTH BeHIND THE CaNTERBURY EaRTHQuAKeS OF 4/9/10

Slater is clearly not regarded as enough of an embarrassment by those who determine whose views get broadcast.

Which is something you might want to take up with whoever is pretending to edit The Herald nowadays, but please leave the National Party out of that pathology.

Anyway, it's just gone?

This is how we judge our governments; not by how they perform in the good times, but by how they look after our communities and serve the?

Thanks, George. Extraordinary website.

Mind you, I loved the "Possible Connections of Significance" between a "Chimp with Down-Syndrome" and John Campbell. Have to admit, the photos of the two were pretty similar.

their conduct has been so squeaky clean you could eat off it

Agreed, all round – though some mentioned our friend Paul Henry striking a bum note. Maybe he and the entitled Ms Watkins have been to the same charm school.

I struggle to imagine that the 100,000 figure is likely.

And Lilith, I am too far away to know the true number either. Yes, tens of thousands will have had minor damage. The media focus, as is their job, on the media-worthy such as Bexley and Seabreeze Close.

There are?

Slater is clearly not regarded as enough of an embarrassment by those who determine whose views get broadcast.

Which is something you might want to take up with whoever is pretending to edit The Herald nowadays, but please leave the National Party out of that pathology.

sorry Craig, you and?

sorry Craig, you and teh Natz don't get off that easily. You've enjoyed the association too much. Some of us still remember that gorgeous (dahling) photo of the man with Melissa and John last year. You lie down with a dog, don't moan about fleas.

I'd like to have you?

One last thing: I know plenty of Labour Party folks.?

For a vicious smear, I've got to say it was piss-weak from the start?

Is it a coincidence that the name "Brownlee" rhymes with the word "flee"?
I think not.

Canterbury Earthquake is now mentioning how to make a bog. First mention was Monday 12-30pm.

Still nothing on the National CD Page searching for "Toilet".

Will contact CD today and see why.

My heart goes out to those people in Chch – first the EQ and now Gerry Brownlee.

And not a mine in sight!!!! He REALLY sounded keen on on the job on RNZ this morning.