Oh Pat, is Ken Ham so much worse than you?

This week Bill Nye and Ken Ham debated "Is creationism a viable model in an age of science?"

The consensus seems to be that Bill Nye won that debate, though one critic, surprise many with what seemed to some an uncharacteristic moment of clarity.

Pat Robertson publicly implored Ken Ham to stop making Christianity a laughing stock by publicly pushing creationism.

He said in the same week that he also said that hypnosis leads to demonic possession...


It seems like every week Pat Robertson says something remarkably "out-there". Even without creationism Pat is doing more damage to Christianity than an anti-theist like myself could hope to achieve.

So thanks Pat, your a real gem.

P.S. How are those slave worked diamond mines going?

See also,
   Pat Robertson: "Let's not make a joke of ourselves."
   $8m investment in Liberian Slave mining.

Battle of the Brains: the verdict.

Eight hours after the debate between Bill Nye the science guy and Ken Ham the Young Earth Creationist "bloke", Christian magazine Christian Today is running a poll, and with over 12000 respondents, it appears Bill Nye is in the lead at better than 11 to 1.

Ken, who won the toss and opted to go first, started off with talk about Secularists hijacking the word Science, and accusing them of using bait and switch as he launched with notion "observational science" versus "historical science". Now any Phd or half alert fan of science can tell that there no such distinction. Science is accumulation of evidence, reasoned analysis, and independent verification of methods process and findings.

Nothing Ham offered had the predictive power that comes es with science, for example prior to the discovery of Tiktalik, the scientific method had already predicted that such an amphibous reptile like animal should have existed. While their was no guarantee any would have been preserved by fossilisation many individuals were found in Northern Canada.

It seems even Christians agree, Ken Han did not equip himself for a Battle of Brains.

This whole event is fund-raising exercise for Ham's organization. The creation Museum needs to raise a substantial amount of cash or it will have forfeit bonds to the tune of $29 million unless they can sell them for a total of $55 million, or $26.5 in industrial development bonds they have sold already, will become redeemable.

Ham is perhaps hoping this debate will spark interest among potential investors in buying the remaing bonds, or at least encouraging patients among existing investors. As well as making a tidy profit by charging US $25 for the DVD and HD dowload.

See also
    Jerry Coyne on why this debate is a bid for a hale Mary
    Christian Today Poll

Does John Campbell's coverage of Noble Bob Douglas's "some success" mean an about face?

Still green Mr Campbell?

Tonight a story presented by John Campbell has caught the ire of some hardworking folks fighting to keep our local environment a fit place for New Zealander's to prosper, calling into question the direction John Campbell may be taking his coverage of the issues.

This story is introduced as a quick update, and at about 3 minutes 4 seconds, it is likely a story that was squeezed in last minute, these things happen in news cycles. Early in this story on tonight's programme John Campbell's item points to the impressive piece of technology that is the exploration ship (Ig)Nobel Bob Douglas , so impressive it costs $1m/day to run. Impressive, yes, it is. Virtuous, hardly, but that was not mentioned in the clip.

The piece mainly focuses on opinions in Raglan while the introduction does mention that Raglan gets the bulk of the risks, and few of the benefits. Lines like "And not always sitting the newly lawful distance away." allude to the dodgy Mining and Resources Act clause introduced last year. "In short Raglan gets the environmental risk, although it would have to be a catastrophic spill to reach here, without the direct economic benefit Taranaki would enjoy."

One person interviewed, talked about how as consumers people like himself are part of the "problem". He seemed ambivalent about the value of Anadarko's exploration in New Zealand. Odd logic really, even an addict committed to recovery can understand and say rehab is good and understand that their supplier should be kept at some distance. And their are viable alternatives, it is just a matter of developing the scale. Ethanol+vegetable oil -> esters (aka bio diesel), runs nicely in a diesel motor with a little tuning. To be fair, it is easy to find people who haven't quite thought things through, or are not fully acquainted with the available options. Jo Averge with a mic shoved in his face rarely the thoughtful creature they are in more pensive moments.

Another person, was enthusiastically in favour  of exploration. Which is still a position held by more than one third of the public, though that number is falling. Clearly the position of the unrepentant addict, like the boozer that says "It's only few. I'm just being social. I'm not hurting anyone."

And the last person, essentially noted that the oil company staff wont have anything to do with Raglan and that "it would do Raglan no good at all." This makes a very good point that Raglan and much of the country will see little benefit from exploration. Our royalties are among the cheapest in the OECD, the government's role in this deal is like a dip-sh*t dad that opens to two men who "We're burglars, we've come to do your house." To this, the dad says "Sure fellas, will it take long? The wife will be home in thirty minutes."

One person noted how the jobs were highly specialized and that he did not know anyone in the industry.  Which does bring forth the issue, that while the industry will create jobs, they will not be filled from our local work force, but from imported expertise.

The (ig)Noble Bob douglas is reported to have had "some success". Which suggests oil or gas were found. While a full report is expected on Wednesday, the signal can for now represent at least three possibilities.

Worst case: They found oil or gas at commercially viable pressure,  which means the carbon addicts will be back to get their fix, putting our local environment at risk and putting the global climate deeper into chaos, destabilization and extreme weather.

Best case: They found oil or or gas at very low pressure making extraction non viable. In which case, Anadarko so nice to see you leave.

In the middle - but still very bad, the pressure is low, but high enough that pumping water into to the reserve will mean that they still make a profit from extraction even though  it will cost them. Extraction may even involve fracking.

This analysis was not offered during the coverage of the story. Perhaps as a breaking story there wasn't enough time to prepare an analysis or time in the show to present it.

I note that John Campbell is a journalist, an item like this is news. And so he reported it. While he seemed a little too excited in reporting the story, the question remains is that because he's reporting a big news item on a big issue(a journo's wet dream) or because he now thinks the find is a good thing, is faking it under instruction, or is just rushing to get through it in 3 minutes. He also pointed to some risks of the exploration. To some extent it could be considered he said/she said fake balance coverage, if you miss his somewhat non specific pointing to the risks that Raglan faces. Risks that John Campbell's audience should by now be quite familiar with.

If there is an about turn in Campbell Live's coverage of the issue, I don't see it. It would be an important shift, that I would hope not to see. But if someone can show me evidence of such a shift I'd like to see it. Such things are not unheard of and now that they've found what they are looking for, it is possible that they just dropped a big advertising contract on MediaWork's sales desk. But I need more evidence in order to accept that a U-turn has taken place.

Can we  see Simon Bridges loosing his cool on the show again - now that is what I call full disclosure.

See also
    Campbell Live reports Anadarko's  "some success" drilling off Taranaki.

ADDENDUM 4-FEB-2014
It appears that while a possible imbargo may have been in place last last as Campbell Live reported "some success" in a story titled "Has Anadarko found oil of the coast of Taranki?" Any gleeful body language might be attributable to knowing that Anadarko came up empty-handed. Apparently "some success" means "We drilled and it didn't blow up in our faces." And that is oil industry success I can live with.

But they are still exploring, and heading to a site off the Otago coast. I''m hoping for similar results. After that there is the Pegasus Basin site off the Kaikoura coast where MV Duke is engaged in seismic testing, deafening whales dolphin etc. But surely who would question a large multinational trying to make a buck  while #$%@ing the wildlife that drives existing local industry. Anyone with a thought in their head I would say, but I'm crazy like that.

Why the right wing is shocked by "class warfare".

It is not really class warfare that is shocking the delicate sensibility of wealthy avaricious elite, it is the fact that 30 years after Reagan all opposition has not yet be crushed and even though unions are arguably in the worst state that they have been in within the last fifty years, victory is not yet complete, and worse still as they would say, opposition is grown.

If we argue for higher taxes, for public works and employment that can reinvigorate a sagging economy such as America's WPA or for universal health care, right will shreik with horror "that's Socialism". Many of the millennial generation respond the such hysteria with, "if so, I'm cool with that."

The right wing perception of socialism comes from the cold war era Soviet Union, something to which Millennials have not been exposed, nor the reds-under-bed and Mcarthy-esque paranoiac propaganda. Or at least that propaganda which survives sales the oceans of public discourse like the Marie-Celeste. Flouridated water horror story are being promoted by a small vocal group and having disturbing influence that at least goes beyond the science, and even contradicts it.But that is another story for another time.

Meanwhile income inequality continues to crush to potential our children, the 1% in America captures 95% of income gains over the 5 years, while banksters make more money than they ever have and fix LIBOR rates for day old sushi rolls.

The fact is class warfare has been around for millennia. Sometimes the 1% wins, until the 99% are forced to rebel in self defence, but mostly everybody looses. Except when unions bring balance to the conflict, then labour wins some, capital wins some, ultimately everybody wins. Higher paid workers spend more increasing demand for for manufactured goods and services, increasing hiring, the tax base, profits, public services, leisure.

But there is another side, this week the 1% were likened to the Jews of Nazi Germany by one of their own. Attempting to point out how they are now being persecuted like in the 1930's. Here's the thing, 1930's Germany was a very different environment, anti-Semitism was official Catholic doctrine until Vatican II. No one today is talking about loading rail way cattle cars with 1%ers to work camps, these days the 1% run the work-camps  now called for-profit-prisons. Jews had little influence in government, otherwise much of what happened 80 years ago would not have happened. Today the 1%'s money runs government, thanks to Citizen's United and ALEC write the legislation for vaginal probes, ending sick leave(enjoy the bird flu in your clam chowder), taxing private solar installations, "right to work" laws gutting wages.

All of this is why Americans should support movetoamend.org and wolf-pac.com which both seek to put an end to Citizen's United and replace the "money is speech" nonsense with "money is property" and perhaps recriminalize graft at the federal level.

See also
   Rich/Jewish comparison
   day old sushi rolls for rate fixes

Spaghetti Defend New Zealand

This week New Zealand's Prime-minister John Key announced his desire to see a referendum to get input on updating the New Zealand ensign after he described a recent referendum on partial privatization as a "political stunt". At a time when the economy is flat, unemployment is high with official figures hiding about 100,000, and 1 in 4 kids living in poverty, the question arises is this really a good use of the public's attention?

None the less the anthem, is definitely a tired vestige of a by-gone era and it needs updating too.

Pasta of nations in thy sauce,
With the bowls of noodles we meet,
Hear our voices, we entreat,
Spaghetti defend our free land.

Guard Pacific's triple cheese sauce,
From the shafts of Tag Oil and Anadarko,
Make her praises heard afar,
Spaghetti defend New Zealand.

A retarded argument for no minimum wage.

There are many arguments for abandoning minimum wage laws, not that any I've seen have merit, still some have less merit than others while they are offered with varying degrees of eloquence by variously articulate prognosticators.

But few have been so spectaculary poorly conveyed, revealing just how hideously exploitative and supericilous such argument often are as that price moment when CEO Peter Schiff was asked by Samantha Bee "Give me a picture of a person who's work is worth  $2/hour?"

“You know someone that might be? Maybe someone who is – what’s the politically correct word, you know, for mentally retarded,” Schiff said. “I believe in the principles this country was founded on.”

“I’m not going to say that we’re all created equal,” he said. “You’re worth what you’re worth.”

Given the number of minimum wage jobs in an economy, and the high productivity  in advanced economies a living wage of US$10.10 or even US$15/hour, is unlikely to be a huge burden on a well run business, if it is, it shouldn't be a business.

In fact, it is not controversial in economics to say that raising minimum wages up to the poverty line creates more jobs, by increasing demand, because poor people and the almost poor people spend almost all of their income. Something, Mr Schiff ignored in his analysis.

Consider also that prices are not dependant on the intelligence of the buyer. And perhaps the argument appeals those hoping to hire those believed to be too slow to know when they are getting the short end of the stick or have the resources to get redress if they do figure it out.




Additionally, the inarticulate manner in which he conveyed his position perhaps indicates that he is by his own argument doing work that is worth $2/hour.

Simply put, the end-minimum-wage narrative is retarded in that it is regression, pushing economic regression. If they get it, look out for the maximum wage movement. Think that's ridiculous? It gets worse in the 19th century such laws did exist, on the hypothesis that if working-classes were paid too much they would demand changes that would challenge the ruling elite.  To some minds, the 1960s demonstrated that hypothesis, and neoconservativism is this architecture of their solution, and then we got Reagan and it started to turn to cr8p from there.

See also
    Raw Story

Why we don't need buried carbon.

Some say we could not build our society without coal oil and gas for energy sources, construction materials, chemicals for agriculture and industry. Others say maybe we could but it would be difficult and it would lead to an "inevitable" reduction in the quality of life or that it would be a difficult and morally dangerous experiment.

Well, that "experiment" has been done. And despite themselves the United States of America played a big part in setting up this experiment.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, much of the economic support Cuba received from the USSR, including oil imports, stopped coming. In the years following USA's government doubled down and tripled down on it's embargo's, at one point barring ship's that had entered Cuban ports in the prior six months from entering US ports.

This led to huge shortages of fuel needed to run electricity generation, run farm equipment, public transport, parts for machinery, agricultural chemicals and food.

Through community effort fostering innovation, education, and the use of low tech solutions Cuba now meets 90% of its energy needs from local production through biofuels and renewable energy. Urban farming supplies most of the food Cuban's need. and farmers are now among Cuba's affluent upper middle class. In short, Cuba thrives if not despite US embargo's but perhaps because of them, having forced Cuba to make the most of the resources they have while developing methods that respect the complex natural systems they were presented with after being forced to abandon industrial farming techniques.

This is a story fit for that "the opposite of what America does" punchline.

This could be easily one of those satires I write but here is the doco...

My guess is US Republicans  will continue to punish Cuba for this success, because in their minds if the American public understood this, it would demonstrate the counter factual nature of their rhetoric not only concerning Cuba specifically, but of the Republican narrative concerning jobs, economics, clean energy, even Socialism.

Actually the millennial generation are already looking more favourably on socialism, Republicans spent so much time bad mouthing socialism, the savvy bunch went and looked it and found it was nothing like what they were hearing from the GOP. Seattle just elected its first Socialist council woman and at less than only half the running cost of a regular council officer.

Hey Hey ho ho, Anadarko's got to go.

It has been an event filled week in Wellington. First the MV Duke slipped quietly into port at 12 noon on Friday and 30 minutes later a rally marched from Midland Park to the Todd building where Anadarko's offices are located. The Rally had been scheduled for over a wee, so let's not have right wing conspiracy nuts making fools of themselves claiming the harbour was being watched and the whole thing was organized in ten minutes. Cool as it would to be able to plan an action involving an estimated 800 people like that, it just did not happen that way. On second thoughts, I enjoy watching buffoon's be idiots, I get the biggest laughs from Pat Robertson, Bryan Fischer (2013 Dim bulb of the year), Colin Craig and Simon Bridges.

Various protests designed to send the message. The message that Anadarko's "legitimate" business is not welcome in the Wellington are expected. For ethical reasons we can't use DGSE frogmen. But, oh - the irony. Anyway street theatre, and promoting public debate are more effective. Polls are saying that "don't knows" are migrating to the "too risky" camp pretty fast. There is good reason for that.

At a rally on Friday, Regional Councillor Paul Bruce spoke of the regional Councils letter to the government that any disaster from the Pegasus Basin exploration would surely have consequences in areas for which they were responsible creating a situation they are distinctly ill equipped and under-resourced to handle, asking that no such exploration put the region at such risk.

Gareth Hughes of the Green party spoke of how Anadarko's own executives admit that it would be at least 80 days before capping operations could begin after a gusher. Citing how Maritime New Zealand were so useless in the wake of the Rena grounding that kids with buckets and spades were more effective.

Exploratory drilling is the most dangerous phase of the extraction process, oil and gas under pressures of the order of 2000 atmospheres can be encountered. These cause blow outs like that seen at Deepwater Horizon.

We rely rather more heavily on fishing than the US spill will devastate our fishing industry. Kaikoura Whale Watch would also be hard it, perhaps even destroyed. Look out for more whale strandings. Seismic testing can damage the sonar of Whales and dolphins for quite some distance as sonic energy from the explosions remains dangerously loud over distance because water is 800 times denser than air.

Vapours from a West coast spill may affect agriculture, as is reported to have happened in Florida as off gassing dissolves into water vapour at sea and later falls as acid-rain.

There is no safe deep-sea drilling there is already too much carbon in the extractive industries' plans, 5 times too much.

So yeah, Hey hey ho ho Anadarko's got to go.

Money can't buy Academic integrity

Money can't buy academic integrity, but Charles G. Koch can buy veto rights to hiring academic staff at Florida State University.

It could hardly be more fascist a corporation having so much control in a state institution. Except perhaps if CGK were to become president of FSU, but he won't do that it is too much of a time commitment, so instead he has minions do hiring and firing at FSU economics department.

This is an obvious and blatant attempt to buy credibility for views favourable to Koch Industries and Corporations in general thus giving fascist friendly propaganda the appearance of Independent support.

See Also:
    Raw Story

Fox's "war on Christmas" is bogus?

While Americans Atheists just want Christmas to keep a minimum safe distance from government, nd over the years Fox has made outrgeous statements concerning attempts to religous observances out of government sphere, including Bill O'Reilly's "Christianity is not a religion" and this year Megyn Kelly's "Jesus and Santa are just white", ignoring that Jesus would have been an olive skinned Semite, and Santa a Turk.
It turns out there really are people who would enjoin people from saying Merry Christmas and here is one of them.




Since Muslims also believe in the Christ figure as a prophet they qualify as Christian in a loose sense. so like Fox the only people fighting the war on Christmas are Christians or at the least the religious.

Spaghetti Bolognas is a beautiful Pastafarian sacrament, Ice cream is a nice desert, if you mix them, you ruin both.

Please help save Pastamas from the professors of satirical religion at Fox news.
May you be touched by his noodley appendage. Ramen!
Merry Pastamas!

Big Russian Bear just playing?

OK, so earlier this year 30 peaceful Greenpeace activists were arrested by shot firing, knife wielding security forces, charged with piracy, and were locked up for months while the court determined that the piracy charges were bogus, and new charges were laid for hooliganism, which lacking any element of hate would also be determined to be bogus, as the Russian Supreme Court has already ruled in the case of Pussy Riot.

There is only one hitch, the court may not get to make that determination, because the Arctic 30 have been included in an amnesty bill along with Pussy Riot. Pussy Riot may be home for Pastamas. Arctic 30 given the limitations of travel arrangements made be home for New Year.

So this is good news His Noodliness has tugged on the Russians to remind them of his complex carbohydrate goodness and that he values being nice to people who disagree with them.

It's not like the arctic 30 or pussy riot need amnesty, they did not break any laws. The Amnesty gambit is like an excise in saving face, after all it is one to be a fool before the Flying Spaghetti Monster (sauce be upon him), quite another to be misanthropic for the FSM really doesn't like that, it hurts his beer buzz. None the less, they have earned a place at the beer volcano, today.

Australia coal: an insecure investment

A new study from Oxford University, indicates that much of Australia's coal reserves will become stranded assets.
On the back of environmental concerns China is set to eventually move away from coal, leaving perhaps 2/3 of Australia's coal reserves untouched by 2050.
This comes after New Zealand's Solid Energy a state owned coal producer went belly up on the back of weak international coal prices and unrealistic dividend demands from the New Zealand government.
The new Oxford report calls in to question the wisdom of new mining expansions and coal port projects.
One project of particular environmental concern is a coal port expansion project off Abbott Point, Queensland set to make the port the largest in the world. Located near great Barrier Reef, this project has raised concerns that it will add even more pressure to an already under stress natural treasure.

Perhaps what we are seeing here is a desperate and delusional industry driving a credulous government ready to believe any business is good business. Well, Rio Tinto are not fooled. they're divesting over AU$3b from coal production.
The carbon bubble is coming, China is moving away from coal on the back of localised environmental concerns already. Coal fired energy production is causing acid rain in China and Japan while Shanghai plants turn the colour of the Tokyo sky. These are the most innocuous effects compared to the destabilization of the climate.
The carbon bubble offers perhaps the best business reason for divestment, a close second is perhaps the rapidly growing divestment movement of 350.org. Universities, churches and cities around the world are making the choice to divest from extractive carbon industries. So to add to weak demand for coal and other extracted carbon, the extractive industry is going to find financing a tougher market in which to raise capital investment funds.

See also
   Sydney Morning Herald
   Carbon Tracker
   The Gardian GBR under threat from coal port expansion

Fox News' War on Pastamass rides again, with casualties

This week Megyn Kelly made the preposterous claim the gift giver of the annual solstice is an elderly obese Caucasian male who flies a magical sleigh towed by magical reindeer capable of overcoming mythical gravity.

Her comments were so embarrassing she was asked to give the following night a miss on her own show. Clearly mainstream Pastafarians should not have to put up with such ignorant comments, even from a comedian, like Ms Kelly. She returned after her one day sabatical, apollogetic, barely.

What Ms Kelly clearly does not understand is that gravity is just a theory and no magic reindeer are required to overcome it.  All you need is the cooperation of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

She also fails to understand that an elderly some centuries old could not possibly be fit enough to visit every country in 24 days , let alone 24 hours. And the guy she picked hasn't done a lick of track-work in a century, and clearly pigs out at every stop.

These new Christians are deluding themselves they will use any excuse they can to deny the Flying Spaghetti Monster a place in their emotionless hearts. They arrogantly profess to know the truth and yet the deny the Flying Spaghetti Monster and all his complex carbohydrates goodness. You would think should be more greatful to he who boiled for their din-dins.

The Truth(tm) as we Pastafarians  have always known it for centuries is that the Flying Spaghetti Monster delivers toys to good little cabin boys and bar wenches, and he doesn't need gimmicks to do it, he flies and has noodley appendages, everything a FSM needs deliver toys to three billion trainee crew.

Thankfully we don't have to rely on artistic impressions of our noodley saviour, being a bit of a whore for the camera's attention he generously provides us with many opportunities to see his noddliness on a regular basis. And Clearly not Caucasian.

Here he is in New Zealand Summer 2011, checking to see if John Key had followed his advice and not run in the election earlier that year. His Noodliness is reported to have  been "most disappointed".

In 2012, visiting Rome, he suggest Pope Benedict should get some rest. His Noodliness is reportedly "very pleased" that they accepted his advice.

In 2010, he visited mecca to ask if the would "Please stop beheading people who don't believe in me, it's not nice. I don't require them to believe in me, It is just nice if they do and beheading them kinda ruins my beer buzz. So please, will you stop?" Shortly after a mob came at him with machetes. He later commented "It's a good thing am the Flying Spaghetti Monster. They seem to have lost the whole point of what I'm trying to do with this world, ... and that's party. I don't know Cthulhu had anything to do with their behaviour, but it looks suspicious."

See Also
    Media Matters

NZ Census:Religion declining faster, Christianity deposed

According to the 2013 census taken in March, New Zealanders are losing their religion even faster. With the non-religious now numbering 41%.

Christianity is no longer the "majority view". That claim was once made by lobbying groups and political parties, laughable as was give the diversity of opinion on social and political issues among New Zealand Christians from liberal Presbyterians and Anglicans to conservative billboard-slashing Catholics and cultist Exclusive Brethren and Jehovah's Witnesses.

The news is being celebrated by Humanist, atheist and secular groups. The news is of special concern to the Secular Education Network an association of parents concerned about the attempts to indoctrinate of their children against their wishes through an opt out system and inadequate notification, and neglectful handling of children who have been excluded from religious instruction. An example of this treatment is of a 7 year old made to sit in the timeout corner, normally used for children who are disrupting class.

See also
    The NZ Herald

The Brick

A friend described my blog as "almost poetic" in it's criticism of right wing politics. I figure why almost, lets go full on poetic.

So, this morning enchanted with the idea of  how we are all connected through economy, and how too many of us struggle for basic needs while a few sit in arrogant judgement of "poor choices" "free loaders" and "welfare queens". I found something that clearly shows another way of thinking. Thomas Paine observed that Native Americans did not know poverty until the Europeans turned up. But more importantly economics does not judge, nor does the brick.

The brick was made to build a civilization.

It lays by it's fellows and together they hold strong,

supporting each other for the defence of what lies within,

bravely standing against wind and the rain,

having no concern for profit or how much money it will have at the end of the day.

They do not look down on each other.

They don't libel unemployed bricks as drug addicts or lazy.

A brick does not scheme to exploit lower bricks.

High bricks only reach their giddy heights by the support of lower bricks

High brick do not judge low bricks.

Can we build our society like bricks, we we do not judge each other,

where we raise each other up instead of tearing each other down.

Can we learn to share our wealth?

can we understand that giving away riches allow them to return multiplied?

People were made to build a society. Just as the brick was made to build a civilisation.

Shall we come together like bricks and build a structure to weather the elements?

Discarded bricks make break, they may build a new piled structure,
and again they will support each other.
They may move, and give each other room,
and they may smash down an old order and create a new.
The more discarded bricks there are, the greater the peril and the need to change.

No popular movement has ever failed once 3.5% of the population support it. Get informed, get out there, get active. Save capitalism and democracy from the fascists.
While I am a progressive, I'm mainly a pragmatist, capitalism is a useful tool in economics, but pure capitalism is a nightmarish  horror show that make Resident Evil pale in comparison, and we can the failures of more ideologically driven capitalism in many advanced economies. If governments do not account for the social well being of it citizens, they doom themselves to replacement by revolution at the polling booth or other means.

See also
    movetoamend.org
    wolf-pac.com

Dear Westpac

Today I'm writing to Westpac Zealand Limited, to let them know they Things they are doing are losing them business, my business.
I'm not he only one hundreds of Wespac NZ customer wrote them this week. to seend a clear that their investment int the Coal mining company that is about mine a world heritage site with unique species is unacceptable to its customers.
In my case is is not the only issue that makes them less than ideal to deal with, so as soon as I don't have to, I wont.

6 December 2013

Attn: Peter Clare - Chief Executive Officer

Westpac New Zealand Limited
Level 1, 16 Takutai Square
Britomart
Auckland

Dear Peter,

    having banked with Westpac New Zealand Ltd for over 20years, and enjoyed low fees Elect account. And a consistent and reliable service, Over time I have myself being increasingly troubled by features of the bank are somewhat less attractive.

1. Funding of catastrophic climate change investment invest in old-carbon extractive industry projects. Including but not limited to proposed Denniston Plateau which appears to me be a worthy natural world heritage site.
2. The extraction of Billions dollars of New Zealand's money supply expatriated to offshore parent companies.
3. Not allowing customers like myself to choose a higher minimum payment rate on our credit cards and not allowing me to shift to a cheaper credit card product without first changing banks.
4. I also share the concerns of many that certain large banks exploit derivatives markets, to the cost of the productive economy on which the vast majority depend for their livelihood and any hope of a descent life in which people can meet basic needs of food and accommodation, educate themselves and their children, enjoy leisure time, save for retirement and contribute to their communities.

At this, point I no longer feel that I want to continue doing business with Westpac any longer than I have to. At this point that period appears to be at most year, after that you may not see my account for dust.

Yours sincerely,

A Concerned Customer

UPDATE 7 Dec 2013

It appears Westpac may be missing the message here. I found this at the Newtown branch office in Wellington. Seriously Westpac, what I many others have been saying over the last week is don't be evil. At least Google knows "don't be evil" is a good idea enough to at least say it, even if they ignore it by joining the American Legislative Exchange Counsel (speed dating for corporations who want to game the system and legislators who want to let them).

How scroogenomics is destroying capitalism.

The modern Scrooge character is very different to the Scrooge of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Not only is the 21st century Scrooge a grudging employer paying only what is required by law (if that), but also holds clients and customers in smug contempt for not realizing he's conning them he may well also be a clinical psychopath or sociopath.

His definition of a successful economy is fairly narrow by many standards, to him it is one that makes him even more obscenely wealthy than he already is. When asked about others his response is "I want my fair share, and that's all of it."

We should all be familiar with how Dickens' Scrooge was a grudging employer to Bob Cratchet. Today we have the Wall Mart Heirs, who instead of spending US$7billion dollars to raise their workforce out of poverty bought stocks in their own company to boost the share price. They didn't even use revenues to do it. the made US$17b in revenues last year, and could easily have raised all associates wages by over US$5/hr. Saving the US tax payer US$1.2b in public assistance.  Walmart did arrange a sort of swap meet, so that associates who were struggling for thanksgiving could get a little extra. Which might sound good to some, but letting other people be generous on your behalf is no more than an abdication of your own responsibility to act as a decent human being or ethical employer. If corporations are people according to the Supreme Court judgement, then some corporations can be cheapskate assholes of dubious lineage and infect with the pox. As I write SCOTUS is considering whether corporations can have a religion. If so, does this mean pagan corporations get to sacrifice virgins to their volcano Gods?

The race the to bottom for wages and prices is a loosing game for everyone. Like a room full of people where everyone has a gun and an unlimited supply of ammunition. Any can shoot in any direction if you get shot, you must shoot twice, since every one is blind folded, the game only ends when the last person standing has no one to play with.

As wages are driven down, for example by big box retailers, they starve competition and other community enterprises of custom and of business. But they also starve manufacturers of demand because of the suppress wages in the retail sector and fewer retail workers can to buy manufactured goods as often. Primary producers are also affected as wage become so low worker struggle to put food on the table. Manufacturers and producers are forced to raise price or reduce their employment costs either by paying less or laying off staff, sometimes they sell of plant and equipment, and in some cases shut down all together. This can become a positive feed back loop. Fewer goods at lower prices in a market with reduced liquidity, further reduces liquidity as manufacturing and production workers join the ranks of the un(der)employed, further reducing liquidity, and suppressing retail activity until the bankster has no one to play with. To how these low wage employers hurt non-competition. A big box hardware will hurt cinema business, because none of it's staff can afford a night at the movies or a restaurant meal if disposable income is $2.74/week. Smaller competitor retailers are forced to lower prices, and pay for that in reduction of and or wages. Or they close up shop and get work out of town or in a big box retailer.

The economics of big box retailers, are sensitive to factors that are different to small retailer models, because the operate on smaller margins, market shifts make them more fragile. As consumers we can take advantage of that, and push them to do the right thing, and we may even get a better bargin in the process. Costco for example pays a living wage, and offers most of its workers a quality health plan, while many of the remainder get a $500 cheque for buying their own health plan. Support these guys and other ethical employeers sends a message, that the market will not accept starvation offered by a greedy few. CostCo is also cheaper than Walmart. You may find bulk purchasing difficult, so get together with friends or form a community to shop and swap. Shop at the big box, and divide and swap portions purchase among yourselves, you may be to on sell some items on ebay.

Another Black Friday has just rolled by leaving 4 dead and 67 injuries. perhaps this indicates a desperation born of thirty of race-to-bottom corporate strategy, or hyper consumerism. Either way there has to be a better way than for corporations to act like douces and blame the victims when it all goes belly up.

It was once a requirement that corporate charters included the responsibility to offer a public good. Bring back that requirement would almost see and end to corporate psychopathy(see The Corporation - a documentary that uses the DSM IV to diagnose corporate behaviour). That required was removed in the first half of the the 20th century. Since then corporate ethics in the US have been on a downward slide, which lately appears to be very well greased with a mixture of crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico and "produced" water from the Pennsylvanian Fracking fields. But that is a another story

More money for fat assed public sector bosses?

New Zealand: Public sector bosses earning NZ$600k have been tipped to dig even deeper into the public purse.

I'm sorry guys you are working for a government that more than doubled government debt in just 5years, thus allowing banksters to main line off the the tax payer, and now you tell me you want your cut too?! Um yeah, get back to me after you have lost 17kg because you can't afford enough food to eat.

While you are asking for more, ask for some on behalf of those who struggle to put food on the table.

USA had a brilliant scheme, until the unchristian God bothering GOP killed it in Congress, which put food on tables and money in the hands of primary producers.  Called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Programme, it put about NZ$7 worth of food per day with in reach of qualified beneficiaries, - working poor, unemployed, the elderly on low incomes.

It is a market idea not even our right wing can argue against, Except maybe Act or the conservatives - the closest things we have to a tea party. Those freaks would amputate their legs at the knees if they thought they could make a profit out of it.

As an example of what I mean here, to avoid discriminating against same sex couples in spousal benefits for National Guard Service a Oklahoma's Governor has cut all spousal benefits for National Guard Service in her state.

Nuts in our political greenhouse

Politicians can be the best argument for increased spending on mental health beds. Only partly on their insistence that such spending should be reduced. Recently the US has seen another tragedy, after a  man who was clearly unwell, was sent way from a mental health facility only because they did not have a bed for him days later he kills his family. New Zealand did have a similar incident.

Locally the push for old carbon energy is a loser. History is against it, the science is against an yet Gerry Brownlee considers anthropogenic climate change to be and "interesting proposition". That despite the science drawing a unanimous agreement from the IPCC - a political institutional that historically has struggled to get all of its members to acknowledge that climate change was even happening as factions influence by money and large commercial special interests lobbied them into making farcical claims of denial.

Colin Craig, our clown political pimp of buffoonary, Blames cosmic rays and sun spots, and can't rule out chem trails, seems to be happy to surround himself with those who've fallen for this barking mad hypothesis. Craig also seems to want Auckland's kids to start vege gardens in their high rise apartments, after suggesting that all children be taught how to grow their own vegetables.

That Craig surrounds himself with credulous idiots, is really nothing new. It's how America's Republican party works, they go to special interest groups like the pro-lifers and say "If you defend rights of microscopic goo, you might be a Republican" and to anti-gay group they say "If hate when gay people get the same right to marry and be as happy or miserable as you, then you might be a Republican." To fiscal conservative "If you hate paying to feed people in a low wage economy - you're definitely a Republican." And so we have the same behaviour here. Ultimately they don't really care about these issues, they only care for the votes pretending to care gets them, because the only thing they really care about is cutting a better deal for big top heavy business. Nature has a way of dealing with top heavy organism, remember the dinosaurs. They fell to climate change, economic environments change too, and there is an economic ice age coming. This is because the fundamentals have not changed since 2008. The Dodd-Frank act, the replacement for Glass-Steagall, has been passed but no appropriations bills have been passed to fund regulating the Banking industry. So the banksters, are ripping the system same as ever, and a new crash is coming, the only upside is reduced economic activity will hurt CO2 pollution. 2008 will be a cake walk by comparison.

See Also
Stuff -pay them more
Scoop - Hot air in beehive driving climate change.
Slate - OK Gov: if queers get paid, nobody gets paid.
RadioLive - Coiln Craig: "I don't know" on chemtrails
Stuff - Conservatives: crazy or credible, Grow yer own

Russian Court ruling: Release the Arctic 30 and the Arctic Sunrise

Its official! The Russian government is to release 29 of the 30 protesters who stood against oil drilling in environmentally sensitive Arctic waters. That is the ruling of the Kalininsky District Court in St. Petersburg, which ruled that they must be release on bail. Releases started Monday.

Unfortunately, Colin Russell, remains in custody, as his pretrial detention has been extended to Feb 24th. His lawyers will appeal.

Ultimately, it seems like there is little legal basis hold any of the protesters for their act of civil disobedience.

Certainly the Russian forces use of fire arms was over the top. Shooting at activists attempting the board the drilling platform for talks.

The message is clear free the Arctic 30, and lock up carbon. Life on Earth depends on it.

See
 RT
 Independant

Ken Cuccinelli's new War

Undeterred after Virginia's Supreme court struck down his anti sodomy law Ken Cuccinelli is stepping up his gubernatorial campaign with new "family values" plans. While speaking to a donor's meeting "there is genocide being practised in our universities!" He continued "It goes by various euphemisms, but perhaps the most prosaic is 'whackng off' because it tells of the dismissive attitude to the victims. College students are killing billions every night in the the dorm rooms of our state and across America. I propose to put an end to it."  This is not just idle rhetoric of a man hoping to been in charge of a Southern state, Cuccinelli has a plan. " I propose that that once I'm elected governor of this great state I will build a task force drawing expertese from S.W.A.T, Specials forces and Navy Seals. They will storm dorm rooms fully equipped with the latest in army surplus equipment."

When a reported asked about the plan "Is this plan just more big government?". Cuccinelli responded "This is genocide in our community it must be stopped the bible says so, if we have to delay our anarchist Utopia, a few months it will be worth it."  An MSNBC reporter queried civil liberties  aspects of the plan. Cuccenelli's response was dismissive "I'm sick of ACLU types interfering in the implementation of biblical law in this country. My team is gathering a rock pile and we  shall be able to address that problem too. Where are also looking for people with good throwing arms."

See also
    NBC - WI, pregnant woman shackled