by frog
Another one bites the dust, people. Have a great, safe New Year’s Eve and see you in election year!
Published in THE ISSUES by frog on Fri, December 31st, 2010
Tags: general debate
General debate, December 31, 2010
Published: December 31, 2010
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
Good riddance I say.
Not that I am looking forward to the next.
BJ
Like or Dislike:
2 
0 (+2)
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=carbon-nanotube-danger
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
this is the last time that we have to say goodbye to 2010. in the past yr, we have experienced many things. no matter good or bad, we should just let them be the past, and do a good ready for the coming new year, 2011. Happy New Year!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
One for BJ.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-baker/lessons-from-a-radical-so_b_799536.html
“”2. Okay, now another question: why do we have to have a debt-based economy at all?
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
The reason of course, is because the banks like it that way.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
Kerry,
Interesting link.
California has $271Billion invested in their Pooled Money Investment Account.
But if you plough through the reports here
http://www.treasurer.ca.gov/pmia-laif/index.asp
you are hard pressed to find where the money is invested. Its current rate of return is 0.641% per annum, down from a high of 12.07% in 1982.
You could almost place a bet that the money is invested in dodgy home loans and that the chances of cashing in (or raising a loan against) the assets are about zero.
Total smoke and mirrors for the Scott Bakers of this world to think that that states like California are asset rich but cashflow poor.
Assets are paper valuations, not real hard core saleable or borrowable against assets like power stations, water plants, ports, etc.
The best model for New Zealand is the North Dakota Bank, the only state owned bank in the USA.
http://www.banknd.nd.gov/
Worth a study in how to succesfully manage the peoples finances.
Mission for the bank is simple
Like or Dislike:
2 
0 (+2)
One wonders, if CA were to attempt to cash-in those investments, whether the banks would collapse?
I have to have a go at the policy level. We have someone somewhere who does that… system is set up to take anything at all up from the grass-roots, but not through the net.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
time for that news/information exercise again…
go to the herald website…
…and check out their roundup of local/global issues of import…
..then go to stuff…and do the same…
..then go to http://whoar.co.nz/ …
…and check out the 39 new/fresh stories/links…
(best of year from daily show..?…mmmm!..warm and toasty…!..)
…and then ask yrselves…
..which is best…?
..and then re-adjust yr information-intake options accordingly…
.. eh…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
2 (-1)
Gerrit. Totally agree about a State bank. I’ve been blogging about this for a while.
http://kjt-kt.blogspot.com/search/label/New%20Zealand.%20Economy
http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/How-we-can-take-stolen-pro-by-Richard-Clark-100923-628.html
“We need a grass-roots money-reform movement to take banking away from private interests and put it back in the hands of government — initially at the state level and eventually at the federal level too. Indeed, North Dakota has very profitably run a state-owned bank for nearly a century, and not coincidentally is the only state in the union that has survived the recent recession unscathed, with the lowest unemployment rate in the country. ”
Not the best morning to go into detailed explanations. Good new years eve party. But I believe we have to remove the fact that money has value in itself.
Bring it back to simply a token of Labour or Resources.
The time value of money and the idea that you can use money alone to make money both make a (more*) sustainable resource based economy unworkable.
Having the money supply under the democratic control of all of us rather than a financial industry whose only product is ever increasing debt is a necessary first step.
As North Dakota has shown, it makes sense even from a conservative viewpoint.
* So Tony is happy.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
Not just the banks BJ.
It works perfectly to concentrate wealth in the hands of those who already have it.
Removes money and resources from wealth creators to wealth takers.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
Kerry, perhaps there is another reason why North Dakota escaped the recent recession and that has to do with oil.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
if you are a bob dylan fan..you should tune into national radio around about now…
( a doco on his early career..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
2 
1 (+1)
“has to do with oil”.
Didn’t help California, Alaska, Texas, Louisiana much.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
(this one has more than a touch of humour…)
http://whoar.co.nz/2011/the-10-most-overrated-artists-of-the-decade/
“…Here are the ten artists who stole the headlines while they held art back this decade….
A cross between Elton John and Myra Hindley – Damien Hirst epitomized the decade that fetishized money as an indicator of artistic quality.
Like an intern at Prada, Hirst spots what rich people consider to be a good trophy to award themselves for having money. …
His September, 2008 auction allegedly raised $200 million . . .
— and yet with the disappearance of Lehman Brothers the very same day – you have to wonder how many of those sales were really ever completed.
Suffice to say, his sculptural output – clinical meditations on mortality at their most generous -
- never even rise to the sophistication of a Bernie Taupin chorus…”
(heh..!..eh..?
..you can almost smell the acid burning…
…he gives banksy a serious serve too…
..calling him a ‘harmless middle-aged pseudohooligan’…
heh..!…again…eh…?…)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
whoar…!
i had no idea john tamihere has decided to go vegan…
http://whoar.co.nz/2011/john-tamihere-has-promised-himself-to-go-vegan-in-the-new-yearhere-is-whywe-in-effect-slowly-start-to-kill-ourselves-and-children-by-the-diet-we-consume/
“…Heart disease is the number one killer in most countries around the world.
It is most starkly felt in so-called first world nations like the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Death with the cause traced back to heart-related matters is the biggest killer of NZ men and women, followed by cancer.
I had the opportunity this week to interview Dr Caldwell Esselstyn.
He is a highly acclaimed but hugely controversial American heart specialist.
As a 40-year-old cardiologist, he became frustrated with a number of interventions in heart health.
He was particularly upset with the amount of invasive open heart surgery – including implanting stents to unclog blocked arteries -
- which often leads to buying more time on this earth – rather then fixing the problem.
What is the problem?
He maintains that if it has a face and a mother – do not eat it.
In other words, he makes a remarkable case about stopping us from eating meat products, dairy products – anything that is processed and salted.
Put another way, his recipe for our health would destroy our economy overnight -
- and revolutionise what we eat – what we grow to eat – and how we prepare what we eat.
He makes a compelling case on the basis of a large number of long-term studies on how, through what we eat, smoke and drink -
- we in effect slowly start to kill ourselves and children – by the diet we consume.
He argues that this lifestyle slowly poisons us with cancer-causing properties -
- and our diet places growing and constant pressure on all of our main and essential organs.
The good doctor argues we are in effect knowingly poisoning ourselves -
- and that pharmaceutical companies, big hospital machines and the farming and processing industries know this to be true -
- but will argue against changing the way in which we continue to live and eat.
I put the proposition that moderation is the key to a balanced diet with exercise.
He argues that this is still a gamble – because a mild heart attack caused by a moderate lifestyle is still a heart attack.
I indicated to the doctor that we were moving from smothering everything with butter as well as cooking in it to using margarine -
- and now olive oil because apparently Mediterranean people have better heart conditions.
He advised that olive oil is over 90% saturated fat – has no roughage – and very little protein.
Further, olive oil is not a substitute for the way in which we use butter – (but) as a luxury item to be used sparingly.
Like all Kiwis, we have been bred on meat and dairy products.
But the doctor has made outstanding common sense and well-researched comments.
He changed his diet 26 years ago.
He looks 55 – but is actually 78.
My New Year’s resolution will be to change my diet…”
good on him…!
..eh…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
thought for the day:…
…”If there is no meat eater, there will be no animal killer”…
clarifying how that litany of pain/suffering/abuse/environmental-poisoning..
..can be sheeted home directly to the diners’ plate…
..as in/historical-reference….
..if there are no slave-owners…
..there are no slaves…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
The most likely reason why no definite probability of causation of cancers, by low level RFR has been identified, is that it does not cause cancer.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-you-hear-me-now
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
http://whoar.co.nz/2011/bill-clinton-is-named-the-animal-worlds-new-best-friendmr-clinton-added-that-he-researched-the-past-25-years-of-medical-evidence-about-the-benefits-of-turning-vegan-and-found-that-82-per-cent-of-those/
“…He was the president who famously couldn’t jog past McDonald’s without grabbing a snack -
- which makes Bill Clinton a most unlikely candidate for vegan hero.
But that is exactly what swapping burgers for beans has done for the former fast-food fanatic, according to a leading animal rights campaign group.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) has bestowed its Person of the Year award on Mr Clinton -
- in recognition of his rebirth as a paid-up member of the mung bean-munching fraternity.
Mr Clinton opted for the ultimate in new year cleanses – a largely vegan diet – to purge his body after realising it had taken one burger battering too many.
This is, after all, a man who ordered a double hamburger (and fries) – to fuel up for an anti-obesity speech.
Peta’s decision is not without controversy: Mr Clinton has admitted eating the odd piece of fish.
But the organisation said it was “pleased” to name him as its 2010 Person of the Year “because he uses his influence to promote the benefits of following a vegan diet”.
The former president recently revealed that he now lived on “beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit” – but absolutely “no dairy”.
He was scared into making the switch after doctors followed up quadruple bypass surgery by inserting two stents – tubes that keep the coronary arteries open – in his heart last February.
The prospect of waddling his vegan daughter, Chelsea, down the aisle last summer only hardened his resolve.
The upshot of his new vegan(ish) lifestyle has resulted in Mr Clinton losing 11 kilos (24lb) – returning him to his high-school weight.
“It changed my whole metabolism,” he said.
Mr Clinton added that he researched the past 25 years of medical evidence about the benefits of turning vegan -
- and found that 82 per cent of those who switched to a plant-based diet had unclogged their arteries naturally:…
… “I thought I’d become one of those who have a self-cleaning mechanism.”…”
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
(more on what i consider one of the most significant political stories of the year..
..the ‘proof’ that conservatives have different brains from conservatives…
..i mean..it just explains so much that was previously puzzling about rightwingers…
…especially how they all seem so riven with fear….
..but there is a rational/medical explanation..)
http://whoar.co.nz/2011/study-conservatives-have-larger-fear-centers-in-their-brains/
“…Political opinions are considered choices, and in Western democracies the right to choose one’s opinions — freedom of conscience — is considered sacrosanct.
But recent studies suggest that our brains and genes may be a major determining factor in the views we hold.
A study at University College London in the UK has found that conservatives’ brains have larger amygdalas than the brains of liberals.
Amygdalas are responsible for fear and other “primitive” emotions.
At the same time, conservatives’ brains were also found to have a smaller anterior cingulate —
– the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism.
If the study is confirmed, it could give us the first medical explanation for why conservatives tend to be more receptive to threats of terrorism, for example, than liberals.
And it may help to explain why conservatives like to plan based on the worst-case scenario – while liberals tend towards rosier outlooks.
“It is very significant because it does suggest there is something about political attitudes that are either encoded in our brain structure through our experience -
- or that our brain structure in some way determines or results in our political attitudes,”…
(fascinating..eh…?..
..i will now look at rightwingers in a different way..’
…and thru clearer eyes…
..and with..i have to admit..
..a degree of sympathy for them/their condition…
…and dread at the very thought of ‘being one’..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
Phil
There is a cause-effect issue to consider. The brain is an adaptive organ, could it be possible that the conservative ideas CAUSE the brain damage?
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
that is just one of the questions that these findings ask…
..and i am surprised at a swelling of my sympathy for the personal hells of the lives of those i politically loathe…
..(lives riddled/paraylized with fear..
..it reminds me of the miserable/dysfunctional-familied-millionaires i have met…
..you wouldn’t wanta be them…
…eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
No Phil, Wouldn’t want to be them. Not at all. – respectfully BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
btw..bomber bradbury is reporting on his blog that a new left-wing party will be formed…
with an initial ‘conference’ planned for february…
…discuss:…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
so..we have the very real prospect of norman/turei having to face in pre-election debate…
..sue bradford…
..and ya hafta say…that didn’t take long..eh..?…the bradford-comeback…?
..and you also hafta ask…
..why haven’t the greens been able to mop up that pool of voters that new party will garner..?
..is it a result of that long-term green practice of trying to be all things to all people…?
…and in attempting that…
…fuzzing your message out of any recognition..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
is it the third of january already..?
..the year is just flying by…eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
btw…
you do all know that health is the new wealth…
..eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Phil
After the election we’ll be better able to evaluate whether voters have been moved to consider Green politics as more reasonable than purely social activist politics. I would not predict much to come of this except potentially splitting the vote so that neither party has any seats at all and National forms government again.
That would be a good result for Bradford, and typical of leftist politics. The circular firing squad remains our favorite formation.
If Greens survive the next question has to be whether the new party can achieve electoral representation. It is clear that they will have to draw support away from somewhere if they do. Possibly that support might come at labours expense rather more than from the Green party. Labour was after all, supposed to deal in the social issues and has not done very well with that.
However, my impression of this is that we aren’t going to know much at all, until after the votes are counted, and certainly not until after the new party makes up its mind what and whether it is.
So we will wait… and see.
BJ
Like or Dislike:
2 
1 (+1)
“..That would be a good result for Bradford,..”
that is a tad uncharitable of you there bj…
i wd see this new party and the greens being coalition partners..
…(harawira has already said the greens are his favoured coalition partners…
…i don’t see that changing…)
“..and typical of leftist politics. The circular firing squad remains our favorite formation. ..”
i don’t agree…there is a vacuum on the left…
..we have a rightist/centreist(at best) labour party…
…and many not really believing the greens…
..and you have the poorest hurting more and more each day…
…and a relative silence on the part of labour..
..and of the greens..?..
(go on..!..point me at a press release..!..um..!..it ain’t enough…eh..?..)
“..next question has to be whether the new party can achieve electoral representation. It is clear that they will have to draw support away from somewhere if they do…”
well..they have the base of harawiras’ feifdom in the north…
…so they only need about 3% support on top of that to get/have a brace of mp’s…
..and i think they will take mainly from labour…
..there are many who for decades have been voting labour for years…but thru gritted teeth…
…’cos..t.i.n.a…
..this new clearly focussed left party will be like a new dawn for many of them…
…and of course labour will actually benefit from a new left party..
..much like the way nat have benefited from act…
..(sick puppy that it is..)
..”..However, my impression of this is that we aren’t going to know much at all, until after the votes are counted..”
not so…there will be bulk-polling this year…
..the picture will be relatively clear before polling day…
..and as i said…with that foundation stone of hones’ seat…
..why wouldn’t they…?
..and as one who has lived with no voice for decades now..
..it is way past time..
…and who knows..?..maybe this could free-up the green-message…?
..and in the long run enable them to broaden their base…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
1 (0)
i wonder if nandor will join up with them…?
(whoar..!..the ‘rough-crew’ hits parliament…)
..and hey..!..this is mmp..!…eh..?
we have just been pretending at mmp for a while…
..with the big/old parties just carrying on the same old way…
..and instead of nurturing…have been cannabilising their minor parties..
..(as any green … after nine long/bitter years under clark will know only too well..
..she was one of the worst at that…
..she has quite the litany of ‘sins’/failures that clark…eh..?
..and seeing her on television defending her reign…
…is both embarrasing and sad at the same time…
..everything got worse under ‘new labour’ clark…
..the country got dirtier…
..the poor just got screwed/nothing….year after year..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
1 (0)
that inattention to their key constituency…the worst off…
..is perhaps the smelliest of the dead/rotting albatrosses festooning the clark-regime…
i for one..watched in fucken disbelief…
…as the years unfolded…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
1 (0)
Wasn’t meant to be uncharitable Phil, it would be a validation of her positions, and something would appear in the vacuum created that would take the place of Greens. I’d be very annoyed with her, but it would still be good for HER.
I would certainly expect that we’d be natural coalition partners should either or both survive, and that’s true enough as well. Not holding against her any part of it.
The problem is that on the left there are Greens who are left of center but not left ENOUGH for many people, and nothing else. I think I understand that and can sympathize with it. Labour is to the right of where it has any business being. It needs votes from the center now…
…and there really is not any viable party to the left of Greens at present. I do agree there should be.
However, the circular firing squad goes back AT LEAST half a century, as I remember when the NY Liberal Party ran a 3rd candidate who split the vote and let in a conservative. Which was probably before you were born. I have no idea how old that characterization actually is, but it refers to a very distinct lack of pragmatism on the left. Greens ran Nader and got Bush… twice. Liberals ran Javits and got D’Amato. It seems a bad habit.
I may be hypersensitive to it, as I have seen it too many times in the US FPP environment where it is so much more damaging. .
Here it is a bit better. We only have to get 5% and that is subject to being changed in any MMP reconsiderations, so maybe things improve. We did not get double digits and a split that entails just Greens and this new party can leave neither in parliament. Might leave just one, but would do some damage barring adjustments like preferential party votes.
We’d have to wait 4 years to get that if it were considered… and it isn’t one of the things being considered AFAIK.
Strayed from topic I did. Sorry.
Things are such that I don’t really disagree with Bradford and Matt doing this. There isn’t a real leftist party. Not in the left-right spectrum where Greens don’t fit so well anyway. The hoped for result would be a percentage from the Greens and several percent from Labour, so that the 4 parties Labour, Green, New and Maori would combine to govern.
Best case could be that they draw off enough of the leftists from Greens and Labour to get representation without destroying either, and by doing so make Greens look more moderately left without changing a line of policy (which is good IMHO). What happens then is that the habitual labour voters (the “yellow dog” labour voters), would keep labour going, but support would drift to the two parties to the left of them over a couple of elections… maybe… ?
Like I said, we have to wait and see how they position themselves, name themselves, and then see how the voters take it.
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
just riffing on that rightwingers have brain ‘issues’ meme…
“..At the same time, conservatives’ brains were also found to have a smaller anterior cingulate —
– the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism…”
that wd mean that rightwingers aren’t ‘hollow men’…
…they are tin-men/women…
no heart/’courage’/optimism’…
..and scared of everything…
…to the point of paralysis …
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
1 (-1)
You’d never see me commenting here. Too scary.
Although, I feel sure that one great and glorious day, I will be able to speak up and hazard an opinion.
Perhaps I could borrow one from Sarah Palin or Ronald Reagan if I falter.
Like or Dislike:
0 
1 (-1)
ladies…!..bacon for breakfast…?
http://whoar.co.nz/2011/red-meat-ups-womens-stroke-risk42-per-cent-more-likely-to-suffer-a-stroke-due-to-blocked-blood-flow-in-the-brain/
“…Women who eat a lot of red meat may be putting themselves at increased risk of stroke, a new study of more than 30,000 Swedish women hints.
The study team found that those in the top tenth for red meat consumption, who ate at least 102 grams daily -
- were 42 per cent more likely to suffer a stroke due to blocked blood flow in the brain compared to women who ate less than 25 grams of red meat daily.
Diets heavy in red meat have been linked to a number of ill effects -
- including an increased risk of certain cancers, heart disease, and high blood pressure…” (cont..)
porridge instead..?…maybe…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
1 (-1)
Take the tiger by the tail Zen and do it!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
zen…(me old combatant..)..how are ya…!
now..i know..that despite being a rightwinger…
…you are not terminably dumb…
..are you not fascinated by this apparant rational/medical-explanation for our widely differing political-views…?
..dosen’t it make you go on-line to check the price for a second-hand brain-scanner…?
..and start testing…?
..i’m up for it..if you are..?
..you and i could be the opposite benchmarks…
..and we cd do b.j…as the confused in the middle..?
..whaddayareckon…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
1 (-1)
I am… happy to do it.
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Corruption is resilient. People band together for their common protection against danger, both natural and of human invention. The destruction of those bonds of commonality are always the objective of the predator class.
http://jessescrossroadscafe.blogspot.com/2011/01/taking-private-pensions.html
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
cool..!..b.j’s in..!
and zen..are you not puzzled by how the rightwing blogs have just studiously-ignored these revelations..?
why don’t you broach the subject on kiwiblog..?
..kick the tyres..as it were…
..and the first candidate you would want to test there wd be redbaiter…eh..?
..he gives every indication of having an amygdala the size of a basketball..
..and a pulsating one at that…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
1 (0)
real ‘political science’…
…eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
BJ,
Wonder how far the state entities will go to first take any private savings as in Hungary
followed up by nationalising (for that is what they are doing with private pension funds) privately owned property such as businesses (and yes including banks), housing, transport, etc.
A rabid left winger wet dream come true.
This is being repeated in places like Poland, Ireland, France, etc.
How long before democracy is nationalised as in Venezuela?
Your dream of owning your own house will be gone down the plughole, instead you will be issued a state house dependent upon your position within the state system and with rents set by a stonefaced unelected official.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Happy New Year to all. Queen – ah the memories.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
The closest thing we have to that here is from rightists advocating sale of public assets while the market value is low – so those with tax cut money can buy in cheap and sell into a rising future market for untaxed capital gain.
The same rightists advocate pooling the Cullen Fund into KiwiSaver accounts, and then stating that Super is then unafffordable and propose cutting the amount by indexing it to the CPI rather than the net average wage (so it falls in value – if we had continued that course Shipley embarked on Super would be falling to about 60% of the net average wage by now rather than the current 66%). This of course to enable more tax cuts for those on higher incomes etc …
Of course they claim it’s to reduce debt and reduce Super cost to government – but the net result is a nation with less public assets to cover remaining debt and less money for public services … And poverty emerging amongst those over 65/67 etc.
Like or Dislike:
2 
0 (+2)
Gerrit
Like SPC, I perceive the threat to be from the Right, not from the Left.
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
gerritt..as an education exercise..
..on how the left ‘works’…
why don’t you go and have a look at the just departed president of brazil…
..he left office after lifting millions of his people out of abject poverty…
…and he left with 90% approval rate….
…then you could look at the cuban medical programs…
…those ones where teams of cuban medics go to fucked countries…
…and just get on with it…
..the most recent example being haiti..post-earthquake..
…obama and others ran around waving their dicks about…
…but it has been the cubans…and medecin sans frontieres …
..who have been doing all the heavy lifting…
http://whoar.co.nz/2010/cuban-medics-in-haiti-put-the-world-to-shame/
..open yr eyes..eh..?
btw…how swollen is yr amygdala…
and…are you willing to be measured/scanned…?
..in the interests of ‘political science’…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
BJ,
Interesting that you see the treat from the right, the right being anti state control and ownership.
I must be missing something in my interpretations of left and right. Maybe you could explain why it is a right wing objective to nationalise private assets?
But then in New Zealand we dont have left or right wing parties, we have two centrist parties so the likelyhood of the state nationalising private assets is remote here.
The large centerist vote means swings between a red tinted National government and a blue tinged Labour government will be with us in the foreseeable future (especially under MMP) and any extreme left or right wing faction will not be able to influence the centrist position of either main political party very much at all.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
oh..btw..he did it by income/asset redistribution….
..and did you know that during a period of mega-wealth + growth in america…
..namely the post ww2 eisenhower period…
..that the top tax rate for rich americans was 90%…?
go figure..!..eh..?
dosen’t that blow yr rightwing trickle-down/piss-on ‘growth’-theories out the door..?
..eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Gerrit
SPC laid it out quite nicely thanks. I WANT to pay taxes and have services for everyone. I don’t differentiate between the companies that own a government and the government itself, and the illusion that the government is not wholly owned by those corporations rather than by the citizens is apparent to me. Some people are fooled. The trappings of democracy still exist and it may even be strong enough to push them back but THIS government? They wouldn’t dare to blow their noses without the approval of the Farmers and the Bankers.
So no, it isn’t about what the “obvious” players and their roles are. It is about what the “real” players are up to. Which is to put the currently public money in private hands. Not exactly the same as in eastern Europe…. more like what happens in the USA. Which makes it really obvious to me.
Not good.
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Phil, I would point out several aspects. In the first instance, the Bretton Woods system made it difficult for people to move their money from country to country, so capital was not all that mobile. Today, capital is mobile, so if you tax it that highly, it will simply move to a country where taxes are lower. In the second instance, those really high tax rates were virtually universal, so wealthy people didn’t have other countries to flee to. I wonder what would happen today if the United States went back to a 90% top tax rate? The wealthy people would hop on the next plane to a low tax country very quickly.
I would also point out that during the immediate post-war period, you had a world that was playing catch-up. You had households which had not been able to purchase large size household goods (things like washing machines, ovens, cars, &c.) for two decades. You also had a lot of children running around, and they not only require food, clothing and so on, but they tend to not earn money either.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
john-ston i pointed that out to illustrate how fatr the pendulum has swung since then…
…it needs to come back a bit…
plus that was a time of infrastructure building…
..and america now has that problem of crumbling/old infrastructure..
…not to mention the environmental degradation…
..those problems will all demand the rich pay their share…
..and that can only mean higher taxes on them…
..and if the rich survived/prospered during that 90% tax rate…
…there is a fair bit of room to move…
…should we just have more of the same..?
“..The wealthy people would hop on the next plane to a low tax country very quickly…”
no they wouldn’t…there is more to peoples’ lives than tax rates..
..that conclusion is both inaccurate/simplistic…
..face it..
..yr rightwing trickle-down/piss-on theories have been conclusively proven to be ‘the wrong way’…
..what comes next…?..is now the question…
..phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
John-ston
Phil has at least one point correct. It isn’t all about the money. Some people who are quite wealthy are giving money away. They know that the taxes are too low.
Would other countries be all that slow to follow suit? The shift that caused this problem over the 20 years from about 1968 to 1988, was echoed through most of the world. If the US moved back to forcing social responsibilities back on those who can afford it after their many years of evading them, it is likely that the wealthy might find a few havens to disappear into.
What they would be prohibited from doing forever, wherever else they went, would be extracting money from OUR economy… or from the US economy.
That would be sufficient. Then when we alter our currency so that it is something that has to be obtained by real work, their money becomes irrelevant.
I actually don’t care much what THEY do. I care what WE do.
The taxes we pay don’t have enough brackets. I should not be looking at the same tax rate from 70k (whatever it is) to infinity.
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
“The wealthy people would hop on the next plane to a low tax country very quickly”…
They did anyway as soon as they had taken us for what they could get. Hot finance burglars to Australia. F Rich to Ireland etc.
Restrictions and taxes on capital flows can nip that in the bud if necessary.
Many, including several US millionaires and a lot of wealthy Asians are here because they like the social wage inherent in living in NZ. The more equal society, high standard of public education and the relative lack of crime and poverty. As inequality increases they are less, not more, likely to regard NZ as a good place to bring their families.
Much more worrying is the exodus of young skilled competent people in the trades, and other useful jobs, overseas. Not because of tax rates, higher in most of their favoured destinations, but because of low wages.
These are the practical entrepreneurial people we will need in future, not those who skills involve cost cutting and money juggling.
Germany and Japan do not seem to have a problem with getting competent managers and executives even though their pay differential from the average wage is much lower than in the USA, UK and NZ.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
“right being anti state control and ownership”.
The right are all for State control when it involves cutting the rights of working people and helping to grab more. The only State control they are against is anything which restricts their burgling of their fellow citizens.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
looks like zen could only muster up the courage to run in and drop a comment…
..and then run away…
..that’s be ‘cos of his ‘smaller anterior cingulate —
– the part of the brain responsible for courage and optimism…’
eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
“…Maybe you could explain why it is a right wing objective to nationalise private assets?..”
actually gerrit..it is the other way around..
it is the rightwing objective to privatise national assets..
..(a bit of dyslexia from you there..eh..?
and don’t you ever forget that r/w-mantra..eh..?
..’privatise profit…socialise loss’…
eh..?
hey..!..guess what…?
i reckon yr rightwing days are numbered..eh..?
i reckon the jig is up/the con is blown..
..eh…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
republic-leaners cd be interested in this one..
http://whoar.co.nz/2011/charles-and-camilla-attack-footage-released/
(d’yareckon..?..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
new slang alert…!
..a ‘new’ word for erection…(not buildings)..
…is ‘chubby’…
..(as in…’i'm getting a…’)
…(heh…!..eh…?..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
1 (-1)
On banks and the need for more reform.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10697873
VAT to 20% in UK, but note the exemptions.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10697932
Like or Dislike:
2 
0 (+2)
wardrobe-fail-alert…!
that black dress metiria turei wears..with the exposed upper-arms…?
…and tied just above the elbow…?
..is just so wrong wrong wrong…
(i won’t go into the details why…they are obvious..to even the casual observor..)
..btw..were norman to have such a wardrobe issue/fail..
(i dunno..maybe a queenslander safari-suit..?
..then i wd point that out…)
that dress is tureis’ safari-suit…
..and she had better be careful…
..or she will take dysons’ title as parliaments’ most interesting dresser…
..btw..is she..turei..still wearing those big pointy/spikey-things around her kneck..?
..they make me nervous…i keep waiting/watching for a freak-accident headline…
(eat yr heart out…ryall..!..it ain’t you…you try-hard..
..don’t you get it..?..it has to be unconscious…
(…c.f..turei/dyson)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
here is a cautionary-tale for any greens who think it wd be a good idea to keep the door open to a coalition deal with a national govt that is in a full second-term privatisation/slashing the poor mode…
http://whoar.co.nz/2011/geethat-was-a-really-good-deal-the-lib-dems-gotmadetying-up-with-the-toriesehmaybe-our-greens-should-think-about-joining-up-with-keyour-toriesehwhaddayareckon/
“…A little more than six months since the British election, support for the Liberal Democrats has slumped to its lowest level since the party was formed in 1988, according to the Independent’s “poll of polls”.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is now the most unpopular third party leader since David Owen led the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1989.
The Liberal Democrats’ 11 per cent rating in the first poll of polls since May’s election highlights the dramatic slide in their fortunes since they entered the Coalition with the Conservatives.
The 57 Liberal Democrat MPs would be reduced to a rump of just 15 at the next election – if this level of support were to be repeated then…”
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Average stock ownership: 22 seconds
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/FindHotStocks/article.aspx?post=e9460aab-d393-48a1-9112-8d8e4ddee50e
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Bailing out the ….
http://www.credoaction.com/comics/2011/01/the-very-wealthy-man-an-innocent-parable/
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
b.j….i may have mentioned this to you before…
..but you mainly overloook the pulling power of the ‘teaser-paragraph…
from yr first link i wd use…
“..Wired has an excellent overview of how computerized trading has taken over Wall Street.
It’s so bad now, in fact, that computers now read news articles at lightning speed ..
… searching for key words that will help them buy stocks..”
see..that has a wow-factor…(computors scanning newspapers at speed)..that will drive more to click yr link..
..as it is..you are just relying on the strength of yr brand..(ahem..!..)
..not of the message-snippet..
for yr second story…?
crikey..!..you didn’t even mention it is a tom tomorrow cartoon-strip..!
..(always a good/astute take…)
..you need to sell yr snippets more..there..b.j…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
http://whoar.co.nz/2011/whitewash-the-book-that-demolishes-dairy-read-a-free-chapter/
“…Ever gotten into a discussion and wished you had access to the multitude of reasons why dairy is probably the worst food on the planet?
Well if so, you are in luck.
Joseph Keon PhD has just written one of the most important books documenting the massive problems associated with cow’s milk.
In the book, entitled Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth about Cow’s Milk and Your Health – Dr. Keon exposes the biggest nutritional myth of our time -
- and shows that our obsession with dairy is not only unnecessary – but highly dangerous…”
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Phil – I appreciate your assist. Mostly just laziness though. – thanks BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
the ‘boy’ has just told me about his (somewhat wealthier than us) friend…
..aged 16..and just returned from hawaii with his parents…
..and now he has to go away with them cruising on their yacht…
..and is not happy about that/how his holidays are panning out…..
..the ‘boy’ seemed in some sympathy with his friend…
..so i asked him ‘isn’t that an ideal holiday’..
..(mumbling an aside about sth ak kids who have never been to the beach..etc…)
..i received a slightly withering look/glance in return..
..and the comment..’well..it is his parents’ hobbies’…
..(heh…!..the bored-teenager….a universal maxim..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
It would be easier to drop a few more comments if they didn’t always go into moderation. It makes a conversation much slower, and my small brain size means I become easily distracted with more interactive blogs, where I’ve already discussed this earth shattering research.
With moderation on, comments I make here may not appear close to the original comment I was replying to. This could also confuse other readers, in spite of their huge brain bits and my basic humanity and empathy kicks in and I kindly refrain.
Do other people’s comments go through moderation here?
Does everyone here read much slower than me or something?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
that one wasn’t moderated..
…so..
..yr thoughts on ‘swollen amygdala’ …
…and ’smaller anterior cingulates’…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
“…more interactive blogs, where I’ve already discussed this earth shattering research. ..”
links…?
..don’t be coy…!..eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Links? If I can remember where I left the comments, I’ll certainly whack one up. Or the comment, it was a short debate. Nothing sensible really to discuss.
But I also came across this interesting study on the deficiencies of right wing thinkers that you posted a few years ago. Looks like there is a body of research you can machine gun us us who dare debate the settled science (just trying to tie one arm behind my back to make this a little fairer)
and have i got some ammunition for you greenies..!
a psychology journal has reported on the results of a fascinating study into the connections between adult political beliefs…
and childhood personality traits…
all of which confirm the belief held by many of us that the big bruvs etc of this world..the rabid righties (male)….
are really just scared little boys..!
and buttoned-down ‘whitebreads’..
in virtually all aspects of their lives..
read..!..recognise..!..go heh-heh..!
That comment from Phil way back in 2007: Killing the ANZ forests
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
ZenTiger –
a. Do you log in? Moderation is automatic if you don’t and unusual (you aren’t apt to use whatever the forbidden words are in the filters) if you do.
b. Your comments after moderation, appear in the thread where they were originally placed in terms of time of submission.
c. You aver that your brain size is small, but there is no supporting evidence for that, so I certainly won’t be believing it any time soon.
d. …and where do you stand in respect to the multihull vs monohull debate and the related question of whether the Maori navigated here on purpose or accidentally? We do have some significant topic drift. Navigation around here may be hazardous.
e. Especially if we should arrange to jam the GPS signals. Just to make it harder for the rest of the world to find us
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Zen – trusting soul that I am, I accepted your small-brain self-assessment but I’m interested in the name you have chosen – does a Zen Tiger pounce or has it already pounced?
Like or Dislike:
2 
0 (+2)
it’s a tiger that just thinks it’s a tiger…
…but can’t do anything about it….
..’cos of a ‘smaller anterior cingulate’..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
A Zen Tiger must always pounce – but when??????
Actually it’s rhetoric as their (Tigers) will reliably flick their tail three times, immediately before the bounce/pounce.
I attempt mostly humour on this site – and mostly walk off to the sound of my own gentle footsteps.
Then Mr Guyton turns his hand to levity so easily and well – I think I shall restrict posts to gestalt therapy – til I’m banned that is (a modest goal I know – but an acknowledgement I perhap need
Anyone want to put their money on Oz to win at the Cricket?
Bring them to me Frog – your poor, disaffected, follickly challenged etc.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Phil – I submit to you that the people who come here from “the far side” to post and subject themselves to differing viewpoints are likely to be a LOT smarter than the ones who don’t.
So it could be unwise to judge the ones who come here so quickly… and I am still concerned with causation.
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
it’s a tiger that dosen’t so much roar…as mewl…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
and of course..digging a bit deeper..
..two of the anagrams for zen tiger…
…are green zit….and genre zit…
so there ya go…!
..eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
bj..i have history with this one..
..a coupla years back he and i discussed doing an online poitical debate show..
…him right..me left…and guests/pollies…
..he ’smaller anterior cingulate’’d out of the first face to face meeting…
..(it may have been something i said..eh..?
…it often is…
..from memory..he is a god-botherer..
..so it may have been some slight i made against that belief/delusion-system…
..i wd also regularly eviscerate him at kiwiblog…
..but he is a bit brighter than the usual drooling-knuckledraggers who inhabit/lurk in that forum…
..which is why i want his opinion on ’smaller anterior cingulates’ and
swollen amygdala..
..eh..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
that 07 thread is funny/worth a read..
…and speaking of time-wasting…
..here are the 200 greatest movie insults..
..http://whoar.co.nz/2011/100-of-the-greatest-movie-insults-of-all-time-video/
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
@bj, thanks for the notes. Looks like option (a) tripped me up. Thought I was logged in, but alas not. Am now. I blame my small ford anglia (or whatever it is called) on that oversight.
Re (c) – Perhaps not my entire brain, just the east anglia centre (or whatever its called). Pperhaps that’s why I’m a little skeptical about the Anglians.
Re (d) – From a firm foundation of ignorance (not bragging, more wistful thinking) I’ll float an idea: Multi-hull for general cruising and speed. Mono-hull for living the dream onboard (a bit more space below decks). Haven’t been keeping up with the debate on how/why Maori came here. Seems to me its not entirely accidental to discover something, you generally need to be looking in the first place.
Re (e) Noted. As long as I know where I am, I’m not too fussed if no-one else knows where we are.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
nothing left to prove here about excessive genius phil
but what does bj mean by causation?
I’d like to guess, but better Mark’s mouth closed and eyes and ears wide open
Causation eh……..eh?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
@Robertguyton – This particular ZenTiger thinks pouncing equates to commitment, and if you are going to take any new idea seriously, you have to be prepared to jump right on it, none of this pussy-footing around waiting to see if its just playing dead. Life is too short to play dead.
Tigers also need large territories, and understand the world is bigger than the place you sleep. Zen suits a Tiger such as this, because small brain helps achieve empty mind. Before you can fill a glass with a refreshing drink, you must have an empty glass
But if you are asking how the handle came about – it was the name that popped into my head when I needed to register a blog name, and it stayed because I wanted to use a consistent handle.
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
@Phil – Back soon, now that the comments come thick and fast, I’ve got to head off for a while. Will respond to whatever it is I can figure out you are saying.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Causation:
In this case –
Does “conservatism” cause the difference in structure that is observed, or is it caused by it? Which comes first – the most vexed question in any scientific observation and theory.
As for keeping others from knowing where I am, I find it helpful if I am somewhere that is nice because there aren’t so many people there.
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Caused by it ie; conditioning, not hard-wired – though generational stuff can be damn near indistinguishable.
My Southern Gal still refers to people of Yankee origins as ‘rude crude and socially unacceptable’
But that war finished (supposedly)150 years ago – well the uninformed might not know that.
“Conservatism” has two opposite meanings and is not a word I afford any great meaning.
Traditionally it refers to the Right-Wing in Political life – and is used with a somewhat derisive vigour.
Today, it can and mostly does, refer to those who would like to keep their land according to nature(seen as a left-wing stance)ie; a no mines, tree felling, whale saving, tree hugger.
Thus(imo) the word is neutered by it’s ambivalence
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
ps; but please expound upon ‘causation’ – I have a bit to say on the motivation of trolls – but your word, your interpretation, will do fine
Incidentally – peace and joyous new years to all!
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
and of course..you will have noticed how the zen tiger cannot walk/talk straight…
…they usually just duck and weave…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Causation is a general problem in the sciences:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality
…and is not at all easy to discuss in a blog comment.
In this case I was merely reflecting on the fact that the brain is a highly adaptive organ, and that connections and activity are not simply related. It is not entirely a matter of genetics, as the most usual division made by the scientists who study the issue is about 60-70% genetics and the rest environmental.
Sapient was clearly of the opinion that a great deal of improvement might be available by training people how to think clearly but the question of how to impart this training was one I now wish I’d asked. It might have entailed teaching the use of logic vs emotion. Maybe he’ll return sometime and we can ask.
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
Yanks are usually rude, crude and socially unacceptable. I represent that remark and I don’t apologize for it. Brusque. Unsubtle and impatient to start with, it took me years to learn patience.
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
1 
1 (0)
re; Phil – Tigers are Definitely slinky which is a nice combination of the words ‘sly’ and ‘kinky’ – not that I have any issues with lying traitorous back-handed killing maniacs …. not ‘arf! (does rodney’s hide have stripes?)
Had a damn good dog called Rodney and that’s all I wan’t to say about creatures that try to trick you by walking on their hind legs
Well It’s time to refute all that ‘yankee’ garbaggio bj; my welcome in San Francisco, Chicago, New York etc put paid to that…..
I just noted that some southerners still carry some serious baggage over it – then again, some of them need three days to cross the road – so I threw the notion of ‘absolutes’ away – and feel better for it.
The Sap should be on holidays – but I reckon his return is imminent.
And you are correct in that ‘conservatism’ is not a notion that sits too easy with anyone….without a fair parlay….
Maybe we’ll just have a moratorium on the word for a bit.
Yankees must be a lot like Ozzies then……and after 20 years in the outback, I reckon I’m more offensive than any Yank I met – but only by NZ standards and, let’s be momentarily real – NZ could well do with a measure of straight up – no nonsense honesty from those we pay to serve us.
Thank God and little children for the Greens I say – and if whales could talk……
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Just the definition of a “Yank” is contentious, and is very much perspective based. Its only outside America that Yank = American.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
True DBuckley, I was referring to people from the Northeast of the USA and New Yorkers in particular. As would someone from South of the Mason-Dixon line.
Mark: They’re (we’re) unlikely to be unspeakably rude to someone who has any sort of British/Australian/NZ accent (and most won’t be able to tell one from the other), but there isn’t a lot we won’t say if we think it.
Not tactful.
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
i prefer seppo to yank….
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
ah tact is over-rated – we are trying to deal with serious internal structural problems with ‘tact’
Not that I advocate brass-balled bullying; but I have found a middle path – where the quiet truth matters to those who care
And those who don’t care?
I return a much loved quote
“I have promises to keep – and many miles to go before I sleep”
Thank you again, Robert Frost.
And no ‘Yank’ is no longer pc in the US – they have enough divisions to resolve without recourse to the utter tradgedy of the Civil War – can’t quite believe Abe Lincoln deserves all that praise.
The fact is that something like 80% of their economy declared for autonomy – be an interesting world if they got it too.
Now we are treated to the nightmare of the US fighting wars for people’s ‘self-determination’
The Kuwaiti’s, but not the ancient Kurds – I could quote endless bull, but the fact remains – these ‘modern’ wars are over money and resources….oil and smack!
Old Glory has sweet fa to do with it.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
The Vietnam War divided us and the split only worsened with time. The right wing festered and finally erupted with the Iran-Contra affair and Iranian interference in US politics. Reagan was elected. The deficit got pushed upwards and inequality with it. Limbaugh came with Clinton and then Fox news. Always pushing hate and blame. It is a popular style in much of America. Not practiced in the big cities… but directed with significant religious overtones, against foreigners (particularly Muslims and Mexicans) and blacks.
Can’t talk with them. They “know so much that just ain’t so”, and when confronted with truth they can become entirely irrational, and they are often enough heavily armed. Overrepresented in the police and the military.
…and I left.
That was 7 and a half years ago… no information has appeared to describe any improvement in the situation, and the financial system is collapsing. My expectations are low, but reality seems to be destined to undercut them.
respectfully
BJ
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
Once more, with a very American flavor, the banks vs the people –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv2oCXbW4r0
They’re getting more conspiracy-theory into it than before. Less attention to the reason the money supply HAS to increase. For the US audience this is probably wise, they don’t understand exponential growth and they LOVE conspiracy theories.
BJ
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Very sorry everyone – due to a technical issue some recent comments have been lost.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Right… I see someone has shifted it.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/american-dream/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TopDocumentaryFilms+%28Top+Documentary+Films+-+Watch+Free+Documentaries+Online%29
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
“…due to a technical issue some recent comments have been lost…”
from where/when…?
..and how many..?
..and from who..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
still doing the heavy lifting with the teaser-paragraphs there..eh bj..?
‘The American Dream is a 30 minute animated film that shows you how you’ve been scammed by the most basic elements of the government system’.
(sheesh…!..eh..?..cd try harder..eh..?
..i mean…how self-defeating…eh..?..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
test
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Well lordy-me, a post got through!!!
Merry christmas and happy new year to you all.
Frog….ALL my posts have been disappearing for a long time now. I’m currently in Canada and obviously using another computer. I PM’ed you, I emailed you, no reply. So what gives? Why was I blocked and why no communication when i tried to sort it out?
My what a big lillypond you have over on the west island!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Right, I’m back. Looks like Samian is too. Is that a kind of Ape? Maybe just jungle animal comments are being filtered?
I think I had a debate going with Phil, but on what I’m not sure. Something about getting the band back together years ago, but we never did, and not making it to Auckland. I’d still be keen Phil, but my job got in the way. We need some financial backing. I’m more creative when I’m not hungry and the rent is paid. Can we get Bill English to fund us? Will the talent be able to have meat and dairy products on the set? I’m willing to work with Vegans but the Hari Krishna chanting gets very distracting after a while.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
you’d be best to ask english..seeing as you are a tory…
…no…
..it’s hare krishna..(which means ‘praise god’…)
..(hey..!..that’s right…!..before muslims..hare krishnas were a favourite hate-target of the bigots…eh…?
..but the muslims have totally taken over that slot…
..and the hare krishnas seem positively conservative/harmless now..eh..?
…and hare krishnas are not vegans…
..they are vegetarians…
..which just adds to their conservatism-vibe…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
btw..can anyone else feel/smell the rise of radicalism..?
..if i lift my head and sniff-search…
…i can catch whiffs of it on the wind…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
those tories with more than half a brain can also smell it…
…and they are quietly ‘packing it’..
..contingency-planning all over the place…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
I thought that was the all-meat BBQ. I have to say, I fully support a little bit of seafood being cooked on the side, and roasting capsicums, onions, shallots and potatoes too.
But maybe you are just smelling the acrid smoke from TVNZ’s holiday programme?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Zen re Samiam – you can see from his avatar, he’s a brachiator from way back.
As for hitting up Dipton’s finest for a dime, good luck contacting him – he’s never home.
Hang on! Not Polynesian are you?
Perhaps you do have a chance!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
so zen…this is yr level of debate…?
..throwing up some food-porn…?
(..that’s about one step up from nyah..!…nyah..!..eh..?)
..meh…!
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
samiam, I expect it was our overly-aggressive spam filter again.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Sam filter? It went on for months though. if you can/can be bothered look up when I last posted.
Robert it’s a shame you can’t enlarge my avatar enough to see what it really is. Look carefully.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Sam – it is a shame indeed, though I tried to blow you up, I couldn’t see your true form, just pixels (are you a pixie? Was this your veiled clue?).
I’ve always admired your work and would love to see you revealed.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
whoar..!..i have just done 42 tweets on the trot…
it is a play-on-movie titles thread…as in #lessambitiousmovies
..i am vegandogs50
an example..?
rod zilla:…a porno-star talks…
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
1 
0 (+1)
Well I missed you Sam – didn’t abandon all hope though – eschew titles…..isn’t Phil funny?…if only said porn star would walk as well!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Hey Sap! the ante is up on your favourite dish!
“A single bluefin tuna just sold at auction for a new record price of 32.49 million yen in Tokyo. That’s nearly $400,000 for a single fish,” which means there is a pretty big monetary incentive for fishing them until they are wiped off the planet.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
by the way, what ever happened to Greenfly?
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
he was elected to public office…
(bought-off/silenced by the trappings of power…
..it happens to all of them…
..they start thinking ‘strategically’/of their re-election…
..ministerial roles/posts…
..’tis a slippery-slope…)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Some say his dear wee heart just stopped a’beatin’.
Others aren’t so kind.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Time-snap Phil!
That’s not easy to do!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
heh..!
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
I feel the Fly is sucking the sap outa heaven – alive and well, surprisingly prescient – I don’t know that this world was big enough to hold her!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Dobber: Mr Guyton has the latest buzz i feel
Phil says the Fly has slipped on the soap (slop) of power
This could well be true
But for a winged creature, the Fly had footwork
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
Darn! and I wasn’t gonna cry til the Royal Wedding!
Boo-hoo; ban those wicked sprays Phil
Minister for the Environment…..eh?
Powers like the SS
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
*vaguely irritating whirring sound
Heaven’s no place for a thap-thucker like me Mark.
(I’ve been miserable)
If there’s still room to spread my flimsy wings here on Frog’s good pond, I’d like to set a spell and recalibrate amongst friends (’cause there aint no place like home Dorothy.)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)
a new gd thread wd be timely…eh…?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Like or Dislike:
0 
0 (0)