Snippets

Juha has blogged the top “tech moment” of 2006. It has been a big year.

The Ashburton Guardian has an amusing boxing day article featuring fictious novels such as:

* Don Brash’s The DonKey Years and The DonKey Years with All My Emails
* Helen Clark’s A Million Bucks! How the Hell Do We Pay That?
* Brian Connell’s Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow?

“I threw myself, sobbing, at Gerry Brownlee’s feet, clawing his ankle socks in despair. Callously, Brownlee, WHO HAD ONCE BEEN MY FRIEND, signalled to his rottweilers, Smith and Williamson. Seizing me by my flowing locks they hauled me from the room, my fingernails gouging deep tracks in the shag pile, and hurled me into the cold night. As the door slammed I heard cheers and, above all, a single voice (English’s?) crowing ‘who wants Rakaia? It’s up for grabs.’”

And Hawke’s Bay Today has advice for the PM on combating extremism:

Miss Clark says the government is planning “a statement on religious diversity”. Apart from being a noble intent capable of being ignored, what will it achieve? And will it recognise that the very existence of a liberal democracy is enough to incite some within it to try to destroy it? The cure for violent extremism is intolerance: Intolerance of incitement, intolerance of violence, of religion-driven prejudice … intolerance of intolerance.

Those who use a religious imperative for violence are no more deserving of understanding or toleration than swastika-covered meat-heads who smash grave stones by night in Jewish cemeteries.