Posts by Russell Brown
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So the same people don't attend both?
Given that National MPs turned out in force at the Music Awards the year after the Brash stupidity on the part of a couple of presenters (neither of whom worked in the music industry), your theory doesn't really make any sense.
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Maybe after the disgraceful show of manners after Don Brash's appearance at the NZ Music awards a couple of years ago they've decided they are better off out of it.
It was three years ago at a completely different event. Don't be silly.
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brilliant. that is the best description of Martin in top form I can think of
Martin used to say that a good Chills song should "breathe" in and out. And about a third of the way in, I thought "it's breathing". It could really not have come off, but it really did.
Again, mad props to Don McGlashan for that brilliant end to a wonderful evening of music.
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Did Helen Clark give The Speech again?
Or has a new one been written?
New script, same slightly irritating ra-ra tone. But there's no denying she goes down well with that crowd.
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Okay, maybe this will stick ...
From Newsweek:
Court documents show that Judge Suddock was disturbed by the alleged attacks by Palin and her family members on Wooten's behavior and character. "Disparaging will not be tolerated—it is a form of child abuse," the judge told a settlement hearing in October 2005, according to typed notes of the proceedings. The judge added: "Relatives cannot disparage either. If occurs [sic] the parent needs to set boundaries for their relatives."
Like I said on Day One: calling Jerry Springer.
The woman is a vindictive nutcase.
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I don't think this is true: if Winston won the Tauranga seat then Labour's nemesis - the Nats - would have lost a seat in Parliament.
Under MMP?
No. It would've been their next list candidate in, rather than Bob Clarkson.
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Latest talking point: in Wasilla, the town police charged rape victims for their own forensic examinations.
The police chief Palin hired after sacking the insufficiently-loyal one then opposed a law drafted by the Democratic Governor to end the practice, because "I just don't want to see any more burden put on the taxpayer."
Eeeew.
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If the rumour-mill was saying she tried to cut the funding through use of a veto, they'd confirm it. But the rumour was that she'd cut the funding, and the fact was that funding increased. So they called it.
It's actually weirder than that. She threatened to use her veto because she said one part of the scheme wasn't generous enough. But (I can't find the link right now, so I'm going on memory) it was a tiny issue: $100 vs $200 annually per head for one programme, in very large bill. That's why I thought it looked like a PR stunt.
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Technically, it's a Minister for Racing. The job is to be an advocate for racing.
WRT the comment upthread, I feel personally equipped to be an advocate for wine.
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* She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States.
No, but her husband was, and it was the AIP that claimed that she was, so it wasn't just a malign invention. And she also recorded a friendly message for the America-haters' convention.
Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska's schools. She has said that students should be allowed to "debate both sides" of the evolution question, but she also said creationism "doesn't have to be part of the curriculum."
This is a bit like her stance on sex education. She did say she supported the abstinence-only philosophy, but then several weeks later said she thought kids should be taught about condoms. She possibly tailors her message to her audience.
* She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a "What if?" question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin's first term.
This is very charitable. It seems well established that she asked how she'd go about banning books with offensive language in them, and the librarian demurred. The librarian was also hit with the "loyalty test" resignation demand/sacking twice in a year, although that may also have been because she was the girlfriend of the police chief Palin was warring with. That looks awfully mucky to me.
Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn’t cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years
The funding increase was part of a bill created by the legislature in response to a taskforce finding the previous year. Palin tried to veto the bill over a minor issue (a PR stunt?) but the legislature told her it would override her veto and she backed down. It seems absurd to award her much credit for this.
So, um, yeah.
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