Posts by Kyle Matthews
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I don't particularly mind parties making deals with each other.
I just don't think the result of this election is significant enough to matter.
Greens in/out of parliament at an election, 5 MPs on the coattails of an electorate win, that's significant. Sure, Labour pushing their candidate to the back for the good of a coalition winning the election, no problem.
A bi-election where if National win what's been a safe labour seat for umpteen years, they get one more to add to their coalition majority which is already very solid... not particularly important except for the people involved. The parties should go at it in a vaguely civilised manner, it'll be interesting to see how the Greens go and if National can get close to/topple Labour.
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What? Discrimination! I made my own scorecard and everything!
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Egypt orders cull of pig herds:
Egypt, hit hard by bird flu, has ordered the slaughter of every pig herd in the country as a precaution against swine flu, a step the United Nations said was a mistake.
The H1N1 swine flu virus is spread by people and is not present in Egyptian animals but culling pigs, largely viewed as unclean in Muslim Egypt, could help quell any panic.
Twenty six people have died in Egypt from the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus and experts fear any flu pandemic could have a devastating impact in a country where most of the roughly 80 million people live in the densely packed Nile Valley, many in crowded slums in and around Cairo.
But the United Nations said the mass cull of up to 400,000 pigs was "a real mistake".
"There is no reason to do that. It's not a swine influenza, it's a human influenza," said Joseph Domenech, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's chief veterinary officer, said
and:
some countries, led by Russia and China, have banned US pork imports.
To crossthread to Emma's recent posting, names clearly do have meaning. Lucky it wasn't called "Mexican flu"? There might be a lot of angry mobs trying to lynch Mexicans.
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And so 1982! We've moved on, you know. Ipods are the new toaster oven. :)
A couple of my ex-girlfriends "converted" after our relationships ended. I'll take the ipod please, no rush on delivery.
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You obviously don't hang around socialists enough.
I'm having mid-1990s Socialist-Workers-invading-my-until-then-sensible-protest-meetings flashbacks.
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I loved the bit in the Dom Post that said they had removed the previously used "Pakeha" because some people didn't like it, but were searching for a term that captured the meaning of (basically) a white person whose family has living in New Zealand for a long time.
Man that annoys me. This is useful information that we collect for, among other things, our country's health system. The fact that it's a Maori word doesn't actually change what it means!
I think we should add "honky" and see who ticks that.
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I'll have one but not the other ;-)
"Russell Brown declares desire for Sue Kedgley." PAS Shocking News!
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The other potential risk for the Greens is that Norman runs and doesn't do well at all. Which may have some impacts upon his perception in the general public, and in a minor way, on future Green election campaigns.
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Obama got one hell of a 100th day anniversary present
Heh. Like this paragraph:
The move was the latest blow to an already staggering GOP. Senate Republican leaders appeared ashen at a press conference this afternoon. "Obviously, we are not happy that Senator Specter has decided to become a Democrat," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Bet that's not what he was saying inside his head. Had way more swear words and things being thrown around the room.
The vindictive side of me is happy to see the flow-on effects of the past 8 years. Be interesting to see if it has an affect on the GOP's direction.
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Of course it will be very very difficult for Labour to harp on about privatisation when one if their new MPs has advocated the use of the private sector in the most core of government functions - the military.
I think taking any argument for private military in a civil war hell hole, and saying that it's an argument for private military (or private anything) in New Zealand is... well silly.
I'm in favour of fully funded by the taxpayer tertiary education for all in New Zealand. Should you take that as what I'd do if I became King of some civil war ravaged African country? Nope.