Posts by InternationalObserver
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And I have doubts about Obama's endless rhetoric about 'a big table' and healing the rift with the republicans.
It's just Political BS, the equivalent of saying "I'm against clubbing baby seals". Who's in favour of clubbing baby seals? No-one. Who wishes the politicians on both sides could all work together? Everyone.
Bush went into the 2000 election saying "I'm a Uniter not a Divider" and promised to bring everyone together. And then as soon as he was elected he and his neo-con buddies did as they bloody well pleased. It's politics.
Obama is promising to bring people together because that's what the voters want to hear. It's politics.
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FYI: the doco was called Hacking Democracy. It was nominated for an Emmy ... from their website:
The documentary, broadcast on HBO throughout November & December 2006, exposes the dangers of voting machines used during America's mid term and presidential elections. Electronic voting machines count approximately 90% of America's votes in county, state and federal elections. The technology is also increasingly being used across the world, including in Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America. Filmed over three years this exposé follows the investigations of a team of citizen activists and hackers as they take on the electronic voting industry, targeting the Diebold corporation.
"Hacking Democracy" uncovers incendiary evidence from the trash cans of Texas to the ballot boxes of Ohio, exposing secrecy, votes in the trash, hackable software and election officials rigging the presidential recount.
Ultimately proving our votes can be stolen without a trace "Hacking Democracy" culminates in the famous 'Hursti Hack'; a duel between the Diebold voting machines and a computer hacker from Finland - with America's democracy at stake.
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A great result for Obama and Edwards!
But ...Having just watched (in Australia, no link, sorry) a documentary on the Diebold voting machines I have to say I'm very fearful of the future of any 'democracy' in the USA.
Obama may look like a winner now, but all that matters is the final vote tally in November. And the documentary I watched proved that Diebold voting machines can be manipulated. Which explains how Kerry (and Gore before him) can win the exit polls, but still not have enough actual votes (according to the tally).
NB: the doco featured these guys: www.blackboxvoting.org
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oh yeah, and while (if) I have RB's attention: any chance you can 'clean up' this Monitor section and remove some of my other dated contributions? Faux Radiation in particular hangs around like a turd in a toilet that can't be flushed ...
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My NY resolution was not to post on PAS this year. Seriously.
I will go to a movie starring Lindsay Lohan, Brittany Someone or one of the cast of Desperate Housewives.
__Hostel 2__ is out on DVD, starring not one but two cast members of Desperate Housewives. And lots of blood.
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I almost posted All Hail The Power of PAS the morning after the above post, because Vodaroaming resumed the following morning. But only for 20 minutes, and it was all over before I could get to a computer.
Roaming has resumed today, but I'm about to board a plane and fly home. Nice one Vodafone - despite the spin I still blame you.Anyway since Xmas is over maybe we could switch to NYE stories (by all means continue with Xmas stories if you have one). I have just experienced my first NYE is Sydney and might Ii just say Omigod!
These people know how to party! They have a mamoth fireworks display - not just on the Harbour bridge but at various bays surrounding it. And they're all synched ie they set off the same fireworks at the same time in the different bays, so it doesn't matter in which part of Sydney you are, you're experiencing the same thing (and presumably listening to the synchronised music on one of the radio stations).
And they have two displays. 8 minutes worth at 9pm for the kids who can't stay up; and 12 minutes worth at midnite for those that can. I didn't find out who was paying for it, but it highlights to me the need for Auckland to get their act together vis a vis one council to rule them all. And if it's not one 'Supercouncil' then maybe the role of the ARC needs to be expanded to cover citywide amenities.
BTW - the Boxing day and NY Day Sales in Sydney are over-rated (big discounts on out of fashion crap, no discount on the stuff you really want) but the Sydneysiders really lap them up. I now understand why my Auckland friends in retail are always so glum - kiwis are tight areses who don't know how to shop!! It seems likes Sydney has been shopping for 7 days straight so far! -
</grinch alert>
Since I couldn't think of where else to post this, let me vent here:
Arrived in Sydney on 24/12/07 for Xmas with Aussie rellies. Vodafone did not work. Ditto for wife. Stopped in at Vodafone shop on 27/12/07 to ask why. Sheepish assistant apologised, explained Global Roaming went down worldwide on Xmas day due to everyone foning home. Didn't know when service would resume.
Stopped in at another Vodafone shop on 28/12/07 to ask why again. Assistant said problem occured 'yesterday' and still didn't know when it would be fixed. By this time my wife had gotten 'lost' twice on successive days whilst shopping in David Jones, leaving me with fretful daughter for 3 hours.
Stopped in at another Vodafone shop on 30/12/07 to ask why again. Assistant said 'there is no known problem' and denied there had ever been a problem - he looked at his computer to prove it! Suggested I ring Vodafone NZ but did not have a number. I have just logged onto their website but contact email rejected because my password is incorrect. They will text me a new password but of course I'm not recieving calls!! NB - website confirms that as a prepay customer I need do nothing upon arriving in Oz to switch to Global roaming - it's 'automatic'.
No it's not. Clearly there's a problem but their website (and some of their staff) won't admit it.
I suspect in 2 days time the problem will be attributed to everyone ringing eachother worldwide to say "Happy New Year!"
<grumblemoanbitch>
Oh yes, BTW, I had a nice Xmas, very hot here. Looking forward to Sydney NYE fireworks. (first time)
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Since it's the "silly" season:
Let's not be too sharp with each other in the festive season. -
julie's story above reveals, IMO, the truthiness of this issue. As for WH's story:
A co-worker told me the following story.
My co-worker's grandfather died a few years back. Her grandfather called her a pet name that only he used for her (which I have forgotten), but let's assume that the pet name was "carebear" for the purposes of telling the story.
Anyway, shortly after her grandfather died, my co-worker had her cellphone taken in for repairs. While the phone was being repaired, her boyfriend received a text message from my coworker's phone telling him to look after carebear. The boyfriend, assuming my coworker was playing a not-particularly-funny joke on him, asked her what was up...
A few weeks later the cellphone repair place rang to say that the physical repairs on her phone had been completed and that they needed the phone's pin number to unlock it and thus check that the repairs were succesful.
There are only a couple of explanations for this: either my coworker is lying, or someone is playing a pretty interesting trick.
Never underestimate people's ability to make up stories or embelish them for effect.