Posts by Rich of Observationz

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  • Island Life: I can see clearly now,

    60,000 sailors, 130,000 boats, but more than a million people? Minority pursuit at best

    Also, how many of those boats have sails and ever get taken out? I'm sure a lot of them are kayaks, tinnies (the boat sort), cabin cruisers, etc.

    I think City of Rainbows would be a nice designation, I've seen more rainbows in Auckland than any other place I've been.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Island Life: Sundays Are For Activists,

    A flash structure isn't needed. They just need to shut one of the clipons to cars and split it for half buses and half bikes and walkers.

    Then put enough of a toll on to keep congestion under some control.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The TVNZ 7 Internet Debate,

    all my packets to/from PA appear to go Dunedin->Auckland->Los Angeles->San Francisco->Auckland

    PA hosts in NZ? Are you made of money Russell?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The TVNZ 7 Internet Debate,

    I think that they wanted to ask whether Asian crime was a problem in New Zealand

    If they'd started out from an angle that East Asians were *less* inclined to criminality than other groups, and went on to consider whether the police were adequately addressing what crime there was, then that might have been reasonable.

    But that would have distracted from the whole Peters-style xenophobic bandwagon.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Crash and Contempt,

    You know, it's easy to get smug about Lehman's and the like.

    What happened back here, if people hadn't noticed, was that highly risky lending also went on. However, instead of investment professionals pricing the loans and stuffing up, they sold them to "little old ladies" who promptly lost all their money.

    Is ours a better system?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Crash and Contempt,

    I don't want to relitigate the culture war on this, so I won't comment on the charges.

    But surely, in any case, there's a public interest in the jury hearing a reasonably fresh version of events that isn't just a layer over a media haze of allegation and rumour. Which is why we have contempt laws.
    (You could argue otherwise I suppose and say that freedom of speech is an absolute and wrongful convictions/acquittals are the price we pay for this).

    If a newspaper gets given stuff that's obviously contempt, shouldn't their lawyer (I wouldn't expect a journalist to do this) see that and warn them that there's a huge fine involved if they go any further.

    Consequently, I'd say that if the court finds it *is* contempt (which I guess it might not be), a token punishment isn't going to cut it - the firm needs to be fined a significant amount that will make the CEO in Aussie leave the editors/lawyers in no doubt of the way to behave in future. (Note I suggest fining the company - it's their responsibility here, not the individual journalists).

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: Mmmmmm, MMP,

    Huge? Not compared to the Australian Federal electorate of Kalgoorlie, which is basically all of WA except Perth. A requirement to be the MP there is a pilots license.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: Mmmmmm, MMP,

    What's it supposed to do? Apart from stop independents standing for electorate seats and give people's votes to parties they don't support?

    It's a bias in favour of a one-person-party that has support in a concentrated area (Dunne, Anderton) over a genuine national party like the Greens. Ok, this would go away if there was no threshold - but I quite like not having Brian Tamaki or Kyle Chapman as MPs.

    (ok, I know they got nowhere near 0.8%, but that may be because people knew they had no chance and didn't waste their votes).

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Up Front: Mmmmmm, MMP,

    Marc Alexander

    OMG. What is *wrong* with the place. Is SW Christchurch some kind of wierd fundamentalist NZ version of Kabul? Emma, do you have to wear a full chador when outside, or does a headscarf suffice?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Crash and Contempt,

    Fidel's does nice scones, but they're Marxist ones and you can't invest in them.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

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