Posts by Alfie
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Speaker: The elephant in Room 903, in reply to Angela Hart,
It could be quite embarrassing given the oddly sudden (or so it seemed at the time) appointment of Sir Jerry Mateparae as Governor General.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Mateparae initially appointed head of the security services soon after the raid, then replaced by one of John Key's schoolfriends a short time later?
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Bill English has just stated that there is "no basis for an inquiry." Was this because some top Nats were likely to be implicated? Or is this just the predetermination of a closed mind?
English said Keating was independent, as he was not involved in the operation.
Uh huh. Sure, Bill.
There's not any real contest over the facts other than the book...which has got them wrong.
Given that English has chosen to permanently sully his reputation for no obvious gain, are the lawyers who are working for the victims able to take this case directly to the International Criminal Court? Maybe a lawyer could tell us.
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Today's LA Times editorial entitled "Our Dishonest President" doesn't hold back. This is the first of four editorials they're publishing this week collectively called The Problem with Trump.
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It's interesting that the link in my post above to Soaper's "EXCLUSIVE" no longer works. The story still exists here albeit in a modified form with the word exclusive missing from the title and the addition of a brief response from Nicky Hager.
In terms of jurisdiction, I see the Metropolitan Police in the UK have launched a scoping inquiry into allegations of potential Saudi war crimes in Yemen.
The Saudi-led coalition has been accused of killing thousands of civilians and triggering a humanitarian catastrophe in one of the region’s poorest countries.
With US backing, of course. Of particular interest is the fact that the Met already have a "war crimes unit".
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Hard News: E-cigarettes and the path of…, in reply to mark taslov,
I was wondering if you or anyone else might have any recommendations for buying an e-cigarette
If you'll allow me to be pedantic for a moment, I associate the term "e-cigs" with those things the tobacco companies are selling, as opposed to vapes which is a more generic term and can be nicotine-free. I'd like to see the word cigarette disappear from our vocab before too long. Along with tobacco and lung cancer.
There is a bewildering choice available these days. The little pen-type vapes are alright if you want to test the waters, but they have poor battery life and the plastic tanks need replacing quite often.
While I haven't tried many serious vapes, I settled on an Innokin Coolfire IV which suits me perfectly. The battery is grunty enough to work all day, both wattage and temperature are controllable and it produces a huge amount of vapour. It's a neat toy.
also any tips for use/ care etc?
That part is pretty straightforward. Apart from charging the battery every now and then via USB, you'll need to change the coil (around $3) every month or two. I'm guessing the rechargable batteries may need replacing at some point but mine are still going strong after nine months. And that's about it.
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Hard News: E-cigarettes and the path of…, in reply to Joe Wylie,
Both smoking and vaping feed the same addiction.
That's true, Joe. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that for me, a large part of the appeal of the smoking experience (as stupid as that may sound) wasn't purely the nicotine addiction, but the enjoyment of playing with and manipulating the smoke. Think smoke rings and the like. My vape gives me that same reward without any of the downsides.
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Here's my experience.
I've been a smoker since my late teens. It was a thing back then. Both of my parents smoked, tobacco advertising was highly misleading -- "Nine out of ten doctors smoke Lucky Strike" -- and the majority of my peers were smokers. It was normal to smoke.
Over the years I've tried to give up a number of times. I almost succeeded in going cold turkey when I left the UK in 1992 by giving away my Zippo and Marlboros at Heathrow and flying through Singapore where public smoking was banned. That lasted for nine months until I returned to London for a few months work and fell back into the old habit.
In recent years I tried gum, I tried Champix... nothing worked. Then for my birthday last year my wife gave me a small vape. That was the day I quit tobbaco for good.
My first e-juice came from Cosmic Corner who offer a range of flavours, with those containing nicotine coming from under the counter, no questions asked. The flavour was called Marlboro (some IP problems there, surely?) and the label has no reference to nicotine or any information about the strength. It all seemed a bit tacky.
Then I discovered Dunedin's Vapourium which is a superb little shop. Not only are identical vapes much cheaper, but their staff are well-informed and they make their own juices. Once you become a member of their nicotine import club, you can choose the strength of nicotine you require. I started with 12mg and over a few weeks cut down to 6 and then 3mgs. Nowadays I vape a mix of 3 and 0 = 1.5mg. I aim to lose the nicotine altogether this year.
Hone Harawira would have it that I've just swapped one addiction for another. That may be true, but I know that I've swapped an addiction that was destroying my health and would eventually kill me for another that's at least 95% less harmful, tastes a damned sight better, costs less than a quarter of the price and is a lot more fun. It's a no-brainer.
It's sad to see big tobacco trying to gain a hold on the vaping market. These are the same people who lied to us for decades and caused the deaths of millions of people.
If you're a smoker I urge you to give vaping a try. If it works for you, stop putting money into the pockets of Phillip Morris and BAT -- they're evil corporations. Support your local vape shop or buy online from credible places like the Vapourium. Your older self will thank you one day.
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Barry Soper thinks he has a scoop in today's Herald. Under the headline, Exclusive: Another shadow cast over accuracy of Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson book he calls into question the authenticity of a photograph used in Hit and Run.
The photo shows spent weapon cartridges, and suggests they were found at the scene and infers that's where NZ Special Air Service (SAS) snipers were located during the raid.
But a weapons expert, asked by NZME to identify the cartridges, said they couldn't possibly have been fired by SAS troops as they are issued with weapons that fire bullets half the size of the cartridge cases.
"I would say they're from a large-calibre cannon, from an Apache helicopter," Richard Munt from Serious Shooters in Auckland said.
Soper claims this supports the government's reluctance to call an enquiry.
But in reality Soper's EXCLUSIVE information is complete and utter bullshit as The Standard points out. The book clearly states that the rounds shown in the photo come from an Apache helicopter.
Soper also incorrectly makes reference to “Tirgiran Village” which Toby Manhire says is like referring to "Otago Village".
Whether by design or accident, The Standard spells his name as "Soaper" -- how appropriate.
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Wayne Mapp has posted on Pundit revealing that he was one of the sources for the book.
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Hard News: The next four years, in reply to linger,
Meanwhile, Rich Hall is back on BBC Radio 4...
Yay! Rich Hall. That episode is worth listening to, if only for the colourful descriptions of Bannon.
And may I mention a great little site that's become a daily must for me since Trump took power. What the fuck just happened today gives a brief daily summary of goings on in the Trump world, including a few juicy little snippets not usually found in the MSM. It's a handy resource.