It’s a pity this will be such a distraction from the real issues half a world away here in Aotearoa / New Zealand, where we desperately need to address climate change, peak oil, social inequality, environmental pollution, and the inter-relationship between those issues

But, in the context of the ***** *******, I guess none of that is important, other than for the distraction it will inevitably provide.

I’m tempted to turn comments off on this thread. Unfortunately, they will inevitably continue for the next however many months elsewhere, so no point I guess. So try to get it over and done with here.

Update: Given the debate on the comments thread over the original White Wedding video or the piss-take, you now have both. Satisfied?

Do you think self regulation, which is the policy that Crown Minerals and Gerry Brownlee espouse, is the best way to manage our petroleum resources?

Do you think that a few more regs about how many battons need to be on the oil rig’s doors will be enough? Or do you think that we need a comprehensive environmental protection regime for our EEZ?

For more episodes, hit YouTube here.

The Southland Times today reports this one – see story here.

DOC, rightly, is a bit concerned that confused tourists might take them literally and get into trouble — more so with the one that says the toilet is up a cliff, than the tramping nappies one! — but DOC’s Richard Kennett said he could also see the funny side.

Southland tramping stalwart Robin McNeill reakons: “The signs were either an elaborate prank or a message to the tourism industry to not muscle in on the recreationists”.

Here’s another one a friend sent me!

One small slip of a Ministerial press secretary’s key-stoke has resulted in Indonesia having more than one President. The confusion is caused by an unfortunate and unforgivable missing apostrophe in the phrase “Indonesian Presidents inauguration”.

An anonymous Professor of Strategic Studies declared, “there is a risk that this error will severely strain diplomatic relations, and may even escalate into full scale civil-war”.

Someone wise once said that the word is more powerful than the sword, and today’s Government statement could be seen as a desperate and venal attempt by the New Zealand Government to provoke Indonesia.

One equally-anonymous blogger noted that a civil war could serve New Zealand in a number of ways:

it could distract Indonesia from noticing the mining potential of our National Parks

they’d want our milk for the soldiers

it could raise demand and price of oil and we could sell them ours

it could even wipe the smug grin off Obama’s face – that Nobel really should have gone to Murray McCully, until today at least.

The Green Party renewed it’s call for better grammatical standards in New Zealand, if only to keep world peace.

And frog has booked in for some therapy.

OK, it’s a bit tongue in cheek and it does exaggerate Canada’s liberal nature. However, when it comes to social services, many Americans would enjoy much greater peace of mind over the border in Canada. Or New Zealand. Anecdotally, I understand that we have had quite a wave of Bush refugees in the last few years, particularly in Auckland. If you are one of them, tell us your story!