Posts by Michael Hogan

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  • Hard News: Inauspicious,

    The other side (that would be the side Americans don't want to know about) of the "Sadam story" is told is bold detail by Robert Fisk here :

    http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1231-23.htm

    If they are intent on taking out dictators and tyrants around the world that threaten peace and security, perhaps they would do well looking a bit closer to home.

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

  • OnPoint: Good-bye,

    I am not sure whether I am more surprised it has taken so long, or that they put him there in the first place. A brown-suit-brigade bureaucrat if ever there was one, it has been one gaffe after another for years.

    Hardly a recipe for success in politics.

    He may well have been put out of his misery, but the Nats have some real selling to do now, if anyone will take the party seriously.

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Only rock 'n' roll,

    Wowsa! Yes, many thanks, JP. Those Fillmore and Winterland concerts were monumental.

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: Only rock 'n' roll,

    Saw The Checks at one of the BfM Summer Series gigs in Albert Park a couple of years ago, and they blew the place away. I imagine they have only gotten better.
    That is the real shit, and coming from someone who first saw the Stones in early 70's...

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

  • TVNZ's Freeview: how's it look?,

    Ask The Doctor if he really believes the current Documentary Channel offerings are up to scratch.Maybe I'm not getting it, but with at least 4 full time channels screening docos, plus the Beeb and Rialto screening at least one or two a week, I have not seen any added value to a genre I am very focused on. Are they commissioning more local content? What gives?

    As for TVNZ, I gave up years ago, and it will take a complete turn around in culture and business model for them to change my attitude and/or patronage.I don't think government should be directly involved in television. Having said that, I hope they can make it work, and increase the quality and diversity of content. Would be a win-win for the industry.

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The God Thing,

    Is morality all that complicated? Or do we just make it that way? Our limited frameworks of right/wrong, good /bad are often where the dialogue moves, and where the whole religion v science argument ends up. Like a cerebral 5-Day Test draw. We play our hardest for days(or years),and in the end, we are no further along the road to enlightenment (or victory, as the case may be).

    Consciousness is one of the great mysteries in this life, and isn't it a Grand Mystery? Or are we a society that is pretentious enough to think we must/will/do know everything?

    Neuroscientists have recently labeled humans as inforvores; our opioid receptors are stimulated by accessing information. What do we do with it all?

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

  • Hard News: The God Thing,

    I appreciate Dawkins' stated ability to accept that there are certain aspects of life he and his colleagues are unable to explain with the scientific method. He will NOT accept glib answers to those questions under an umbrella god, simply because it has not been "figured out" yet. Fair enough.

    I am concerned with his own zealotry in combating what has been described as the "threat of religion". Feeling threatened by what others believe, rational or not, is the first step on a very slippery slope of intolerance and division in our societies and cultures. What is he afraid of? Someone might come up with an answer he hasn't? It isn't about answers, it is about understanding.

    Personally, I don't believe religion has much value in social cohesion Russell, actually, quite the opposite. Faith perhaps, or belief systems, but religion has a lot of baggage with those doctrines, and one only has to look at the history of warfare to figure out it has been instrumental in dividing peoples since the beginning of time.

    I believe there is a difference between knowledge and understanding. It is called direct experience. There is also a difference between the essence of spirituality (our oneness with the universe) and religion (the business of selling stories as truths).

    Science is fascinating. And limited. Like everything else within the current scope of understanding, we are subject to the confines of our own minds.

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

  • So what happens this time?,

    This is "down and dirty" politics at its best in the US right now. Not the usual personality fest that accompanies Presidential crownings, but hard nosed politicians desperately trying to keep their job and doing what the party wants of them. Can be a bit tricky when you are a Republican trying to keep your job, and the President and his policies are seen as a liability.

    Interestingly enough, on the NPR podcast today they interviewed past president Jimmy Carter who is in Nicaragua with his organisation that monitors elections worldwide. He said that the US wouldn't even qualify for monitoring because the variations in voting systems state to state and even county to county deem it too open to abuse. This from an ex- President. Nicaragua seems to be going OK...

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

  • If the Straitjacket Fits ...,

    As much as I appreciate the efficiency in which the current Labour Gov't runs, as well as Helen's leadership skills, I do feel we could be doing so much more with our "surplus" and inherent innovative nature than haggling over the ongoing raft of social legislation we see every few months. Prostitution, smoking, civil unions,teen alcohol, fireworks...I mean really, WTF? Are we all so immature that we NEED someone to legislate every aspect of our lives?

    Maybe it's because I am an ex-pat American, and used to everyone fending for themselves..I dunno. I do know we are a small island nation, and the impact we can make on the world stage will be about the cutting edge designs, creative arts and value added commerce, not whether our society is better because a few less hoons are spewing up their vodka every Fri nite and throwing crackers around, or who does what to whom in their own bedroom.These will always be there in any society. Lets look at the bigger picture, and create some more incentives for new business ventures and a more inviting entrepreneurial environment.

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

  • Climate change day of action,

    Climate Change Action Day needs to be Every Day. Whilst AL Gore et al jet around the globe depositing tons more carbon in the process and convincing Ministers with Power Point presentations, we all go about our "business as usual". I am glad he has the profile to get this message out to others, but what he does NOT address is so much larger than what he does, simply by virtue of the fact that he has long championed and supported the economic system that created this crisis. The Carbon Trading Market, whilst part of an overall programme, is essentially another tax that the wealthy can pay to continue to justify their lifestyle, just like they will pay $5 or $10/litre for petrol. Changing our lifestyles in addition to funding alternative energy sources is essential with this challenge. It is not just about supply. It is really about demand as well.

    Take a walk. Take the bus. Slow down. Slow down my demand, my consumption, and my desires. That is my action.

    Waiheke Island • Since Nov 2006 • 31 posts Report Reply

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