Archive for September, 2008

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  Debating the wrong issue

  
  
  
  One of the many pieces of false logic in Clark’s assumption that we only need Helen Clark and John Key at the televised leaders debates is the assumption that all undecided voters are simply choosing between a Labour-led government and a National-led government. In fact there are also large numbers of voters who are deciding between [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 8:38 pm - 8 Comments
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  Labour and National vote down consumers’ right to know

  
  
  
  The Southland Times has a powerful editorial on Labour and National’s collaboration to reject the 39,000-signature petition supported by the Green Party calling for country of origin labelling on food. It notes Labour and National’s contention that we have lots of choice is all fair and true if the you are looking for the sort of [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 8:26 pm - No Comments
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  Peak oil, subprime loans and poor oversight

  
  
  
  At the slimmest edge of his reasoning, I find myself agreeing with that great Kiwi free market apologist, Roger Kerr. Poor oversight has pumped billions of dollars into useless paper assets, primarily property. However, It is entirely disingenuous to blame the government for that. An oil price spike, one of the early symptoms of the [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 3:44 pm - 10 Comments
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  Letters to the editor

  
  
  
  These two letters in The Press caught my eye today: Heh heh. And on a more serious note: Incidentally the preferential trade agreement with China comes into force tomorrow (1 October).  From that point on provisions that make it easier and faster for China to get its goods through our our customs and biosecurity take effect.  This [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 1:49 pm - 10 Comments
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  Tatua Dairy also hit by melamine

  
  
  
  The melamine scandal has wiggled its way out of China and into New Zealand with news that product from Tatua Cooperative Dairy Company has also been contaminated.  Although I had to ask has an issue shot right past mainstream into the realm of the bizarre when Whale Oil says: The more important story however, which has [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 12:00 pm - 5 Comments
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  The bailout

  
  
  
  Given the just failed US$700 billion financial bailout was about preventing widespread poverty and economic turmoil I’ve been wondering whether the money couldn’t be better spent in other ways.  Now that the bailout is dead maybe USA can afford to be inventive. For that kind of money you are talking about a fairly comprehensive free [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 10:43 am - 39 Comments
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  The carbon report – we’re certainly not running out

  
  
  
  Last Thursday, the Global Carbon Project released its annual report on the state of the carbon cycle, Carbon Budget 2007 [pdf]. And the news is that carbon dioxide emissions are up 3 percent for 2007 Dot Earth commented: More than half of global emissions, which totalled more than 34 billion tons of CO2 in 2007, are now [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 8:19 am - 2 Comments
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  Kermit admits that it’s easy being Green

  
  
  
  I just found this on US website, Red Green and Blue: Mr. Kermit Frog revealed on Tuesday to the Associated Press that he has been lying to the American public since his initial appearance in Sesame Street on November 10, 1969. “I tried keeping it a secret because of the industry,” says Kermit. “The last thing [...] read more
  September 30, 2008 8:15 am - 6 Comments
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  An immigrant woman’s paradise

  
  
  
  There was an odd story from the Herald today on an immigration debate in Auckland. Keith was at the debate and was one of the most vocal speakers there, outlining the Green’s strong human rights stance on immigration. Yet he got no mention at all in the article that found space to note [...] read more
  September 29, 2008 9:52 pm - 57 Comments
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  Nuclear free, give or take $42 million

  
  
  
  Some good research by Russel and his team into the New Zealand Super Fund shows that it is making some ethically dubious choices about where to put our money: [I]n response to my written question the NZ Super Fund revealed that, as of August 31, it still holds $41.9m holdings in a series of companies that [...] read more
  September 29, 2008 3:13 pm - 7 Comments