Posts by Rich of Observationz
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Speaker: Are we seeing the end of MSM,…, in reply to Alfie,
Journalism used to be an honest profession
Maybe at some times in some places. Not others:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_of_the_Spanish%E2%80%93American_War#Hearst_and_Pulitzer
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There are two groups who will vote against any of the government's new flags: lefties who don't like Key, and conservatives who like the current flag. These two groups don't overlap much, and so it's fairly likely they'll form a plurality and reject change.
If Key had been a bit smarter, he'd have shut up about his preferred choices, so that it isn't such a big defeat when the referendum votes for the status quo.
What he should do, and I'm slightly loath to provide this good advice, is to scrap the current process and do this:
- have an online STV vote for a fairly wide choice of flags, like the original longlist plus a few others
- make the winner of that an alternate official flag with the current one, just like God of Nations is our alternate anthem.
- which avoids the need for a second referendum -
Legal Beagle: Into the River/Interim Restrictions, in reply to BenWilson,
Around that time, someone surveyed a group of 13 year olds as to what video nasties they'd seen. They dropped an imaginary title into the possible options, which if not at the top, was certainly well up the list.
Also: who remembers I Spit on Your Gravy
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Most other developed countries don't even have a classification system for books.
Children generally have a parent or guardian who might be expected to supervise their reading choices, don't they?
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“realistic war violence” as R15
Presumably to uphold the state’s monopoly of violence, on which the government's authority (including its right to stop us reading books) ultimately rests.
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And maybe the next step will be that the Censor bans all the alternative flags on the grounds that their dissemination promotes dissent and disorder (that could maybe amount to a criminal act).
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Speaker: Refugee fear-mongering must stop, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
I can't believe that we have a law in place that allows text (and music, games, plays and works of art) to be censored - and on the say-so of one person. IMHO, unless a work involved (as opposed to depicts) a non-consensual act, then it isn't a valid subject for censorship.
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Hard News: Not yet standing upright, in reply to David Hood,
Which is kind of cool, especially as they're actual stars in a proportionate position and magnitude.
The US added a star for each new state, the EU/Council of Europe does not - it's always been 12.
I like these Canadian suggestions, especially the Beatles one.
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Brazil seems to do ok even though their flag breaks all the rules - tiny writing, etc.
I don't really have a problem with any design of flag, it's the process and goal, which seems to be all around the idea that NZ needs better "corporate branding" so people will holiday here and buy our exports. I don't think people really care that much - otherwise Aussie companies would take the "proudly Australian made" logos off the product they ship to NZ