OnPoint by Keith Ng

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OnPoint: Did you know we're in a recession?

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  • Sacha,

    where people repeat the same arguments I've already addressed

    Danyl, I asked about a concrete example. Explain away.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Eade,

    Quoted to illustrate a final point that people with a strong political bias are really bad judges of things like objective truth and the impartiality of sources

    The front pages and lead stories should always be checked for political bullshit like irrelevant or out of context figures .

    If i was a sports reporter i'd check figures.

    auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 1112 posts Report Reply

  • Lyndon Hood,

    To paraphrase Key in question time: "Duh. Of course it ignores unemployed people."

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report Reply

  • David Hood,

    If i was a sports reporter i'd check figures.

    The time New Zealand batsmen spent at the crease in Bangladesh in 2010 was a dramatic improvement on the average time per year in the 2001-2009 period. This dramatic improvement in New Zealand's statistics shows the team is moving in the right direction.

    Dunedin • Since May 2007 • 1445 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Hood points to cricketing success

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Eade,

    This dramatic improvement in New Zealand's statistics shows the team is moving in the right direction.

    I wouldn't put that in my report unless as a joke. I wouldn't compare a nine year trend with a one year trend and I wouldn't read too much into the ritual big wins opponents get against Bangladesh.

    auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 1112 posts Report Reply

  • David Hood,

    I wouldn't compare a nine year trend with a one year trend and I wouldn't read too much into the ritual big wins opponents get against Bangladesh.

    Let alone using a non-standard metric of "time at the crease in Bangladesh" as a comparison.

    Dunedin • Since May 2007 • 1445 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Eade,

    Although to go into a bit of cricketwank for a moment, no or little time at the crease usually is a bad thing.

    auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 1112 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Something wicket this way comes...

    Let alone using a non-standard metric of "time at the crease" as a comparison.

    El Nino or La Nina year?
    Sunspot activity?
    Approaching rare Galactic alignment?
    ... too many variables,
    let alone non-Imperial units!

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    no or little time at the crease usually is a bad thing

    but you'd need to be some kind of advanced cricketing expert to know that

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • BlairMacca,

    NZ Cricket: using more batsmen than ever before....

    Wellington • Since Apr 2007 • 208 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Eade,

    the crease of course being the place where you stand to hit the ball,
    it's an awfully fun game ,with breaks for tea and buns and pads for your shins.

    auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 1112 posts Report Reply

  • uroskin,

    And boxes for your todger (but not as comfy as the vadzjy ones, I hear).
    Love it when treads collide.

    Waiheke Island • Since Feb 2007 • 178 posts Report Reply

  • ScottY,

    If you apply the right statistical filtering to the Bangladesh series (i.e. eliminate the losses) then we were unbeaten. Our boys are heroes.

    West • Since Feb 2009 • 794 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    A manufacturer of pads tells me that their new design is responsible for all the success we're hearing about. I guess I'd better pass that on.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Nice summary by one of Danyl's commenters, Sammy:

    Minister talks crap. Blogs tear apart the crap. Media faithfully report the crap. Crap wins.

    Key/English are smart enough to know their target audience isn’t.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Oh and some light relief from another as a rejoinder to "If all the economists were laid end to end they would never reach a conclusion":

    “If all the economists were laid…”

    A bit improbable, perhaps, but I suspect that the world would be a much better place.

    more convergence..

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Eade,

    Is it Cricket season again? Is Hadlee available? I've been away from the game for a while.

    auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 1112 posts Report Reply

  • Neil Morrison,

    The swinging voter decides elections and they swing off soundbites and smiles.

    The swinging voter kept Clark in power for 3 terms which was I think an appropriate judgement on her qualities - an explanation for her sucess more accurate than the media being more intelligent back then.

    Also, facts play a part in politics but a lot of issues are about value judgements and self-interest and people tend to be good at rationalising decisions they've already made.

    Since Nov 2006 • 932 posts Report Reply

  • Jeremy Eade,

    The swinging voter kept Clark in power for 3 terms which was I think an appropriate judgement on her qualities

    That swinging voter never quite swang labours way, let's be honest,
    41% tops at the poll. The swinging voter fell in love with peter dunne one year in 30 minutes.

    Labours governments could have done without united future and new zealand first.

    auckland • Since Mar 2008 • 1112 posts Report Reply

  • Lyndon Hood,

    a lot of issues are about value judgements and self-interest

    It's partly the self-interest thing that confuses me about this: surely people aren't going to suddenly think themselves better off because of what Bill English says?

    Unless he starts sing Fred Dagg songs.

    (Actually I can almost see it...)

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1115 posts Report Reply

  • mic weevil,

    "It's partly the self-interest thing that confuses me about this: surely people aren't going to suddenly think themselves better off because of what Bill English says?"

    The value judgement is : I voted national because they make teh economy work better. Bill just announced something that sounds like the economy is getting better. the economy must be better:

    National make the economy work better... etc.

    auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 52 posts Report Reply

  • John Fouhy,

    NZ Cricket: using more batsmen than ever before...

    Maybe we should simply decline to field numbers 10 and 11 -- that way, our average batting ability will improve..

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 87 posts Report Reply

  • Yamis,

    On the topic of teachers' pay, I do wonder if they'd settle for the extra manglement units and hard caps on class sizes along with a minor pay increase. The impression I'm getting is that most of their gripe relates to class sizes and NCEA workload rather than rates of pay.

    You're not wrong there. In terms of the financial offer it's pretty damn close to what most of us would accept. Keep us up with inflation and we'll worry about anything further down the track. It's the conditions that are what most of us are bitching and moaning about at my work.

    More management units so that people who run year levels and courses and sports and co-curricular activities that are a big time and often expertise committment are one thing that's DEFINATELY needed.

    The others are class sizes getting to manageable levels so we can like, y'know, get round the room and check out who's doing what and who needs help, lets call it the personal touch to a lesson factor.

    and a lot more help in dealing with troubled youths that march through our door in what seems like increasing numbers year after year. It's often a case of build a file of shit big enough on them so that when they go to the board they'll be on their bike, and then field questions from the MoE about why you're suspending and excluding so many fine youths.

    Those are the three on my list. They'd be the big three for most but others have some of the other 30 odd issues in our claim high on their list.

    But as long as it keeps getting referred to as a "pay dispute" I'll keep throwing shit at the TV, radio and newspapers.

    Since Nov 2006 • 903 posts Report Reply

  • Yamis,

    If journalists don't have any subject knowledge, or have the time and aptitude to learn about it, then I don't see what value they actually provide.

    That's what's been infuriating me and my teaching colleagues in recent times. Surely there are a couple of journalists who could study up on what teachers actually want and comment on a SINGLE THING other than pay and maybe get Tolley to comment on those conditions. As yet, months into it all I can't recall a single time I have heard anything other than pay, pay and pay come from Tolley or Key's mouths.

    Some of the articles I've read online are written by two or three journalists and yet contain nothing more than a few quotes from Tolley followed by a few quotes from Gainsford. Surely one could call them both on the telephone or cut and paste from a press release and the other couple COULD DO SOME F*CK$NG SWAT!!!!! Maybe then people would feel like they are learning something new rather than reading the same shit over and over again!!

    Smoke coming out of ears.

    Since Nov 2006 • 903 posts Report Reply

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