Posts by George Darroch
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I'm surprised to hear that it's so pronounced in the other changing rooms. I shouldn't be, I suppose, but I thought it was only men who went to such lengths to hide their bodies from each other.
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I have a high tolerance for being seen disrobed, having been a swimmer for years, but other people can get quite distressed by this. Togs turn to undies pretty quick, it seems.
Swim regularly, and pretty soon you've seen thousands of bodies in the changing room. I find it hard to understand how people are hung up on things.
One of my proudest moments was when I appeared naked on TV1, TV3, and in the Dominion Post. For an environmental protest outside Parliament, of course. How was I not going to say yes to that?
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A clearly Maori word - albeit misspelt - is not an English word.
Almost the entire English language consists of missspelt foreign words.
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You missed the "I've voted" sticker on my shirt. I gave mine to the Ruru, with it's haunting call and inquiring eyes.
And a congratulations is in order for the engagement. Lovely.
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I want to agree (again) with Giovanni.
New Zealand is often conservative and reactionary. But the solution to this isn't to retreat into reactionary bashing of the people who hold those positions. This plays into their hands, and it is this kind of cultural politics that has kept power in the hands of extremists in the United States for decades. Without conceding to Phil Goff's declaration on the weekend that non-economic battles is a "distraction", I think there is a lot to be said for Scott's argument at Reading the Maps that there is legitimate grievance, and that such a vein of politics taps it deeply. To throw epithets at the residents of W(h)anganui is to deepen this.
Interestingly, and on this subject, think about the portrayal of the"yokels" on The Simpsons, and how if any other cultural group was portrayed in this way it would almost certainly be condemned. Prejudice against the rural poor is legitimate in our society, and it's not something I think we should be proud of.
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Can't say I'm excessively impressed with the level of baiting by his correspondent either. "Redneck capital of New Zealand"? And why don't you also kindly fuck off?
This kind of 'them and us' type reaction to uncomfortable behaviour is pretty standard among a certain groups, and comes to the fore when things intensify. It's something I'm also uncomfortable with, not least because it serves those who can use it for wedge politics.
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Paul Henry is tipped to host Close Up. Can you imagine how bad Henry interviewing Mr Laws would be?
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Sigh.
How blocks of cheese will we be paying for? One, every week. Turns out the analogy wasn't so far off after all.
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Okay, I just realised that things could get even worse than I thought.
Not only does the ETS subisidise 90% of costs of emissions that farmers cause the country, it is increasingly subsidising a dairy industry that is increasingly using palm kernel. It currently makes up one percent of the feed of cattle, but it is very rapidly increasing. If things continue as normal (and the Prime Minister has said that he's comfortable with it and will not stop it), it could make up a significant part within a decade. There is no reason to think that the dairy industry will remain a grass fed one.
This kernel comes from the deforestation of Asia's last remaining large rainforests. The scale of deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia is huge. It is beyond belief. We will be subsidising not only emissions, making them vastly cheaper for farmers than they would otherwise be, but also subsidising the destruction of the forests the world so desperately needs. You and I and every other person in New Zealand will be paying hundreds of dollars a year in tax to this industry.
Somehow, I hope this madness can be stopped.
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Good point. This morning's Dom Post story is considerably more equivocal. It's hard to know quite what's going on with this deal.
That'll show me for taking a Herald article at face value.