Posts by WH

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  • Hard News: Farce About,

    Edit feature, why hath thou forsaken me. Wikipedia says it was Dubya that used Right Now, which is a truly sick mistake to make.

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • Hard News: Farce About,

    its probably hard to find a catchy yet inspirational song about being meanspirited and looking out mostly for yourself.

    Clinton's "Right Now" (Van Halen) was a good choice - perhaps a rare example of a campaign song hitting the right note (so to speak).

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • Word of the Year 2007,

    "Wayne Barnes" would be my nomination. Not to be confused with John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, or anyone with more than one eye.

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • Word of the Year 2007,

    I didn't understand the "re" in "reconditioning", why not just call it something masculine and deceptively simple like "training". "Reconditioning"
    is an ugly word to look at, is needlessly hard to say and would seem to be an injury-prone-making sort of process when applied to top athletes.

    I also think it is weird that "Yoplait" is not French for yoghurt.

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • Hard News: Ambition,

    As we all know, NZ - particularly Auckland - is in massive infrastructure deficit. It seems apparent - thankfully- that the argument has moved well beyond the 'we won't work with the private sector' to 'how best can we work with the private sector or capital markets to deliver the best outcome'. It sounds promising.

    If a PPP is the least expensive and most efficient solution to a particular policy problem, so be it. Opposition to PPP's should not be grounded in ideology. That said, the contractual and commercial risks that particular PPP's generate need to be well understood, if only to ensure that the public's money is being well spent.

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • Hard News: Ambition,

    There's a lot of ideological resistance to PPPs in the current govt, simply because they fear that once they're allowed for broadband and roads, the next step will be schools, hospitals and prisons.

    I think the core concern is that the PPP structure may not be an optimal form of procurement. Generally the private sector partner wants to be paid, and won't participate if it won't be. British experience suggests that when things go wrong with PPP's, they can go badly wrong.

    Regulating monopolistic industries is a tricky business. I can't comment on the technical or technological aspects of telecommunications, but it's axiomatic that monopolistic companies need incentives and disincentives if they are to deliver socially optimal results. Cunliffe is surely an improvement on Williamson in this regard.

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • Hard News: The Bottom is a Magic Place,

    Good column by Vernon.

    No amount of Timaru Lady is going to convince me that the guy from Face the Music is a menace to society, although I must admit that his hair did not set a good example for others. You are trying to create a stereotype.

    Word is bond.

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • Hard News: Because that's how I roll,

    You know, I used the phrase "that's how I roll" just yesterday

    Ditto that. My mother didn't know what the flip I was talking about. I ain't frontin', holmes. Word.

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • Speaker: Family First, Blowjob Later,

    Bob's Bible-fearing troops had their first field-day with Sue Bradford's 'Child Discipline Bill' earlier this year. Bob was up in arms. What would this country come to if parents were stopped from exercising their God-given physical powers on their children's bottoms?

    By "Bob's Bible-fearing troops" I'm sure you mean to say "the 80% of the population who had their opinions ignored". I imagine it would be frustrating for you to see loud, self-righteous minorities get their way.

    From Stuff's "Hands off our lives, say voters":
    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4278853a10.html

    Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro said there had been a campaign run by Christian fundamentalist groups which ordinary parents had become caught up in.

    "Their [aim] is to run a bigger political agenda and I think they need to be honest about that. I think they used this as a tactic to position a bigger political debate."

    Clearly "ordinary parents" are innocent victims of Family First's web of deceit.

    If your case is that Family First is trying to tell every one how to live their lives, this is a truly shit example.

    (Bob may very well be an idiot, but I have never read anything he has written and could not say.)

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

  • "The Terrorism Files",

    Yeah. My old flatmate's exgirlfriend taught me about the pros and cons of "negative attention". Acting out doesn't really help you get what you want, unless all you really want is negative attention, which is kinda a cry for help IMO.

    Since Nov 2006 • 797 posts Report

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