General Debate 11 April 2010

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fruitshop

I read the Tories are proposing cutting mandarins’ salaries as part of rationalising the public sector.

Over the last few years, Ireland cut public servants’ pay 5-15% saving 4 billion Euros in 2008 financial year.
This was radical, but the trade unions agreed to this negotiating collective job security instead of massive lay-offs.

I know this would be impossible in NZ, but a hypothetical debate would be interesting.
Like- does public sector pay rates reflect the state of the economy like the private sector?
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April 10, 2010 8:24am
Inventory2

An outstanding piece in the Herald this morning from John Roughan

http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2010/04/roughan-on-pete-alleged-pirate.html

It’s refreshing that someone in the MSM can see past all the bleeding-heart press releases from Sea Shepherd, Carter et al and say what they actually think!
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April 10, 2010 8:30am
Pete George

This will keep happening until it is properly addressed.

Pope Benedict hit by new Church child abuse allegations

…new revelations over over a letter he is said to have signed in 1985
…resisting the defrocking of an offending priest.

Cardinal Ratzinger said the “good of the universal Church” needed to be considered in defrocking,

AP says the 1985 correspondence, written in Latin, shows Cardinal Ratzinger saying that Kiesle’s removal would have “grave significance” and would need careful review.

Cardinal Ratzinger urged “as much paternal care as possible” for Kiesle.

Kiesle was sentenced to six years in prison in 2004 after admitting molesting a young girl in 1995.

Those sort of decisions often did have grave significance – for subsequent victims. The church seemed more worried about the image of their artificial environment.
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April 10, 2010 8:36am
Say Goodbye to Hollywood

I’m currently sitting in the hotel lobby in Orlando using the hotels free WiFi to watch The Masters. When can I have internet speeds like this in NZ?
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April 10, 2010 8:39am
LeftRightOut

Pete, your last sentence needs to read “The church seems more worried …” as nothing has changed.

This, from Mary Kenny in the Guardian Those who are committed to the faith feel that now, more than ever, is when the church needs support. Now we are down to the hard core of believers who are genuinely committed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/07/catholic-ireland-child-abuse

For them, it is still about the church, not the victims.

We also see the disgusting spectre in the UK of a potential Prime Minister pandering to the myths of the charlatans and liars of the catholic church by pledging ” to review Britain’s abortion laws and stop assisted suicide in moves designed to place religious issues at the forefront of the Conservative election campaign.” This in an interview with a catholic newspaper.

Wasn’t one Tany Blair bad enough for the UK?
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April 10, 2010 8:43am
LeftRightOut

On a good news note, today’s Press reports on bogus chiropractic treatments. It is well past time that these wallet manipulators were all put out of business and jailed.

Chiropractors are making baseless claims about treating conditions such as asthma, ear infections and colic, new research reveals.

The research, which appears in the latest New Zealand Medical Journal, reviewed the websites of 200 chiropractors and nine chiropractic associations in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Britain and the United States.

Ninety-five per cent of websites made unsubstantiated claims of being able to treat at least one condition including asthma, migraine, infant colic, ear infections and whiplash.

Researchers sent an email to 13 New Zealand chiropractors – purportedly from a concerned parent about their child’s asthma and recurrent ear infection – and all but one encouraged a consultation.

Nine suggested they could treat asthma and eight that they could treat ear infections.

The paper said there were no controlled, randomised or peer-reviewed studies suggesting these conditions could be treated by a chiropractor.

Unsupported claims were made about other conditions, including allergies, arthritis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cancer, epilepsy and infertility.

Only claims about lower back pain were supported by evidence.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/3568159/Chiropractors-treatments-questioned

And if you are in any doubt about the lengths these thieves will go to in order to proetct their access to your wallet, simply google “simon singh chiropractors libel sued” and follow the whole sorry tale.
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April 10, 2010 8:47am
Luc Hansen

SGTH

But think about this, the US has now slowed to 20th in the world for broadband uptake. And the FCC has ensured it will slow even more.

Only in the land of the free.
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April 10, 2010 8:48am
LeftRightOut

Say Goodbye to Hollywood (341) Says:

April 10th, 2010 at 8:39 am
I’m currently sitting in the hotel lobby in Orlando using the hotels free WiFi to watch The Masters. When can I have internet speeds like this in NZ?

NZ turned its telecoms, like most of its infrastructure, over to the invisible hand of the market. The invisible hand is now providing invisible internet speeds.

The market has decided that you don’t need fast internet, in fact, remind yourself, that if it was up to the market, there would be NO internet.
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April 10, 2010 8:53am
Say Goodbye to Hollywood

Luc, it is a shit load better than what we have. I’m streaming The Masters with no pausing, glitches etc.
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April 10, 2010 8:55am
jcuknz

The chiropractor in Nelson who fixed my back pain a couple of decades ago was well worth the small charge … he was wonderful. Not so impressed with the one in Dunedin though later … I guess I went to him with greater expectations.
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April 10, 2010 8:55am
Pete George

I2 – yes, an excellent piece by John Roughan. He usually gets a hard time from many on kiwiblog (“he’s a leftie so must be blah blah blah”) – I wonder if he will get due credit on this.
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April 10, 2010 8:57am
Luc Hansen

SGTH

Yes I know, that’s not the point. Corporate interests are acting against the public and will restrict access to the new technology, just like Telecom has done to us, if the administration allows it. Sign are it will. That’s good news for the rest of the world because the US will get left behind.
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April 10, 2010 9:00am
krazykiwi

@LRO – Economics not your long suit? Back to the play dough.

@Luc – Dreaming up new ways to critisise the US. Ah, so many nits to pick, so little time (and requiring so little objectivity). As the first country with widespread broadband, if the US has remained top of the speeds list you’d be protesting their caviler domination of an important technology which is thereby keeping [insert US hating country] and others in the dark ages.
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April 10, 2010 9:02am
Inventory2

Indeed Pete – he’s certainly got a big thumbs-up from Keeping Stock this morning, and deservedly so.
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April 10, 2010 9:04am
Luc Hansen

Does anyone know our total external debt to GDP ratio?

To put things in perspective, Ireland is 1352% (from where JK’s ideas come), Switzerland 422%, Aussies 108%, and the average of the west (Europe and North America) is over 90%.

So just what is Bill English going to use to justify the ritual flagellation he has been hankering to afflict on us all these years?
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April 10, 2010 9:05am
Pete George

I’ve noticed my broadband is getting slower, Skype struggles more than it used to. I don’t know if it is general poor performance or they try to hobble competition.
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April 10, 2010 9:05am
Luc Hansen

Poor ol’ Krazykiwi living up to his own billing again. Do you actually have any idea of what I am talking about?

I feel sorry for the average US John and Jane Doe who will be the ones to suffer as the US broadband network is increasingly restricted on the grounds of ability to pay.

In Sweden, access to the internet and broadband is now considered a human right.

Think about the contrast.
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April 10, 2010 9:09am
LeftRightOut

jcuknz, as long as chiropractors stick to what chiropractic can treat, like back pain, I have no objection to them. It is when they branch out in to the world of woo that they need hauling back in – and far too many are woo merchants.
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April 10, 2010 9:09am
LeftRightOut

KK, I obviously know far more about economics, and history, than you. Or did you actually HAVE a point you wanted to make, but struggled to put in to words? Go ask mummy for help.
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April 10, 2010 9:12am
krazykiwi

Obama: Sure, I’ll meet with Castro, Chavez, Ahmadinejad .. and Key:

But in a sign of the relationship coming full circle, it was New Zealand’s anti-nuclear credentials which led to US President Barack Obama extending a personal invitation to Mr Key to next week’s summit.
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April 10, 2010 9:13am
krazykiwi

LRO you said: The market has decided that you don’t need fast internet, in fact, remind yourself, that if it was up to the market, there would be NO internet.. That is of course complete and utter rubbish. It looks like you have a one-dimensional view of the market, presumably on that basis that media owners wouldn’t want the internet because it destroys their last-millennia business models. They need to wake up, and you need a ‘blinkerendectomy’.
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April 10, 2010 9:18am
LeftRightOut

Thank you KK, for pointing out how shallow you are (or is it your mum?)

If the market is as wonderful as so many of you think, why are internet speeds not increasing? Because the market sees no advantage?

If the market is as wonderful as so many of you think, why didn’t it invent the internet? Because it didn’t see the need?
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April 10, 2010 9:23am
Luc Hansen

The US army saw the need, that’s why the internet happened.

Now they can kill more people faster and more efficiently.

That’s the free market for you!
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April 10, 2010 9:27am
krazykiwi

LRO – You clearly have an odd interpretation of this mystical thing called ‘the market’ (ie The Market = Bad). Not worth debating with you on that basis.

Edit: Ditto Luc… who has managed to turn an observation about watching golf on fast internet in the US, into a conversation suggesting the internet was invented by the US to kill people.
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April 10, 2010 9:31am
ben

Luc, broadband is so cheap in the US what has ability to pay got to do with anything? The main argument over neutrality there is about privacy, not equity. Internet transport has finite bandwidth so introducing prioritisation via price signals has strong economic justification. It will allow people willing to deal with lower speeds at peak times to pay less.

Now they can kill more people faster and more efficiently.

That’s the free market for you!

Actually that is GOVERNMENT for you. Governments raise armies and pay for them, and then send them off to war.
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April 10, 2010 9:35am
ben

Ditto Luc… who has managed to turn an observation about watching golf on fast internet in the US, into a conversation suggesting the internet was invented by the US to kill people.

LOL
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April 10, 2010 9:36am
Kris K

Inventory2 8:30 am,

An outstanding piece in the Herald this morning from John Roughan

http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2010/04/roughan-on-pete-alleged-pirate.html

I agree, IV2.
Agree, also, with your comments on ‘keepingstock’.

[And just for the record; I do not support Japanese whaling]
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April 10, 2010 10:05am
reid

“…conversation suggesting the internet was invented by the US to kill people.”

kk, html was developed by scientists at CERN who wanted to share information and they didn’t care about formatting and that’s why it’s so weak in that area.

DARPA also did some groundwork and the military encouraged it to spread because it serves as an unbreakable coms network in the event of a global meltdown like a nuclear exchange.

I might be wrong but that’s what I’ve always understood was the history.
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April 10, 2010 10:47am
side show bob

Luc “Now they can kill more people faster and more efficiently” and “In Sweden access to the Internet and broadband is now considered a human right”. So what’s your problem Luc, the yanks are enjoying their “human rights”. You lefty’s never cease to amaze me, you really live in a fucked up world if you believe broadband is a human right.
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April 10, 2010 11:12am
Brian Harmer

Pete George (4512) Says:
April 10th, 2010 at 9:05 am
I’ve noticed my broadband is getting slower, Skype struggles more than it used to. I don’t know if it is general poor performance or they try to hobble competition.

Hm. I have noticed the opposite. These numbers are not bad for ADSL
Download Speed: 6116 kbps (764.5 KB/sec transfer rate)
Upload Speed: 788 kbps (98.5 KB/sec transfer rate)
Latency: 57 ms

Upload speed is often higher, nearer 1600kbps
On campus, I get speeds in the region of 64000kpbs which is almost adequate 🙂
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April 10, 2010 11:28am
LeftRightOut

Well, if we’re showing off, I’m getting 5390 download / 1300 upload at the mo’, not bad for rural Canterbury on copper. Not telecom. Even had 3500 download over and above a background software update was occurring.

But KK, still doesn’t change that fact that neither of your gods invented the interweb. Not god in the sky. Not the god of the market. But good old fashioned taxpayer money spent on R&D.
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April 10, 2010 12:19pm
Kris K

Did anyone realise that today is the 42nd anniversary of the sinking of the Waihine? – 10th of April, 1968.

As a Wellingtonian I remember this day well – even though only 6 years old.
Still remember seeing a sheet of corrugated iron (and they were much heavier gauge then) flying through the sky about a kilometre up.
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April 10, 2010 12:35pm
grumpyoldhori

Brian Harmer may the fleas from a million camels invest your armpits 🙂
Hmm, wonder if we hories can put a claim in for higher speeds, hey, I’ll share it with you Pakeha for a touch of koha in the form of single malt.
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April 10, 2010 12:39pm
grumpyoldhori

That should have been infest 🙂
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April 10, 2010 12:43pm
reid

“Those who are committed to the faith feel that now, more than ever, is when the church needs support. Now we are down to the hard core of believers who are genuinely committed.”

LRO your take on that quote was that she was still caring more about the church than the victims and I’m not sure that’s true. For christians, their church is a physical expression of their faith. I don’t and neither do most Christians I know, read as gospel anything and everything the organisation says. There seems to be a perception amongst non-Christians that a person’s church is like a James Jones cult where the naive hypnotized followers pray on every word. That’s never been true, ever, in any way, no matter what denomination. Yes there are some fringe churches that certainly look peculiar but don’t forget that global Christianity is a vast mass of people and if you take every single fringe church out of the mix you’re still left with a vast mass.

The current Catholic situation boasts numerous appalling and well-documented examples where the hierarchy covered up, denied and failed to lead. I watched one DVD over Christmas that explained one case in America where the accused was transferred to Ireland and only arrested decades later. The victims even went to the Vatican with a supportive priest (yes, they do exist) and were refused an audience.

Nevertheless the Catholic Church is vast in itself and it really depends whether you look at the whole or only at the part and of course, people in it know of and always look at the whole, and put it into perspective. The whole consists of 99% good people with integrity and Christian values and that’s what she was referring to when she made that comment, IMO.
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April 10, 2010 1:46pm
OECD rank 22 kiwi

Breaking New:

Polish President dead in Plane Crash in Russia.

You heard it here first.
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April 10, 2010 8:24pm
expat

Plane “crash” huh, not a bomb or rocket…
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April 10, 2010 8:39pm
OECD rank 22 kiwi

The Government is going to need to send a representive to the Polish President’s funeral. After all, New Zealand owes a debt of gratitude for all those brave Polish Fighters that fought and died to keep New Zealand British.

I suppose Chris Carter will make an appearance as well on behalf of Labour as he is already over this side of the world on the New Zealand taxpayers expense. Or is that too much like hard work for Chris Carter who will be too busy seeing how another Labour Government loses an Election here in the UK?
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April 10, 2010 10:18pm
Hurf Durf

In Sweden, access to the internet and broadband is now considered a human right.

Sweden: the ultimate “I’m entitled” country.

But in a sign of the relationship coming full circle, it was New Zealand’s anti-nuclear credentials which led to US President Barack Obama extending a personal invitation to Mr Key to next week’s summit.

Hahhaha, a useless socialist Pwezzydent falling in love with a useless socialist political class. Now the left-wing beltway will be even more arrogant and luddite with this.
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April 10, 2010 11:31pm

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