There is a bizarre story in the Herald today about a woman who is apparently starving to death on her benefit because it is not enough? I say bizarre, because, unlike the “journalist” responsible for this article, I can do arithmetic. Firstly, the reason given for this lady to be in such dire straits is: [...]

◊Apparently Helen Kelly has announced that the CTU will no longer co-operate with government on trade issues. I assume this is union code for “business as usual”. ◊It’s been fun watching Chris Carter implode, but it seems the show is coming to an end. His latest bout of self-immolation appears to be his last. Still, [...]

I blame the feral response to National’s announcement – that they will not be dropping the legal blood alcohol limit to 0.05 g% – squarely on the media. I am certain that it is the media’s propensity always to give the maximum amount of airtime and newsprint to the most hysterical over-reaction that encourages people [...]

Spam Journalism: The spurious use of sensational headlines to add spice to an otherwise pointless article Ah, Bain spam. My favourite. David Bain calls 111 again David Bain has again called 111 – after coming across a woman who was badly injured in a car accident, says his supporter Joe Karam. But Karam was so confident the Good Samaritan [...]

I have been following the frenzying of Labour and their aligned blogs on the John Key “Blind Trust” saga with some amusement. I note that there does not seem to be a lot of traction with this in the print media, although the Tabloid on Sunday will surely have something tomorrow, as, undoubtably, will the [...]

The Youngest MacDaughter took part in the 48 hour film festival. You can watch her offering Here Her team was given a sex education film as their genre, of all things!. It did not win, but apparently if they can get the most people watching the film online on the V48 hr website, they stand [...]

Spam Journalism: The spurious use of sensational headlines to add spice to an otherwise pointless article. Now here is a nice manufactured controversy that does not exist. Fresh from my old stomping grounds in Southland. PM Key’s sketch causes a bit of a stink It’s not on the scale of Helen Clark’s “paintergate” scandal, but it has caused a [...]

David Farrar appears to have scooped the newspapers with a leaked version of The Law Commission proposals on alcohol. The Stuff version is here. David’s summary runs: A massive 50% increase in the excise tax on alcohol. This would result in an extra $500 million of revenue to the Crown at the expense of everyone who drinks. Banning [...]

I’m betting that the left (when they find the article) will have something derisive to say about Muriel Newman’s point that children are not protected from overt educationallly-driven political indoctrination in New Zealand. She cites Al Gore’s strangely acclaimed powerpoint presentation An Inconvenient Truth as an example. Personally, I think Gore’s movie is nowhere near [...]

For a perfect example of why film directors and movie stars should never make public statements, one need look no further than James Cameron, who seems to have confused Brazil with his mythical creation, Pandora. Director James Cameron says a real-life Avatar battle is playing out in Brazil’s Amazon rain forest, where indigenous groups are trying [...]