tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72702678244862431862024-02-20T19:48:20.252+13:00Average JoePathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-12703922953373515052012-01-03T12:43:00.000+13:002012-01-03T12:43:50.781+13:00A New Place to BlogFrom 2012 onwards I am moving blog addresses, I will leave this up for a good while, but for any new writings you'll need to go to www.patbrittenden.com
Thanks for being part of Average Joe for so long...see you on the other side
PatPathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-87038735838226505162011-10-20T21:51:00.003+13:002011-10-20T21:52:28.389+13:00How does Labour hope to get back in? Easy vote for National!Here’s the thing, this election may already be over…but, if Labour is to have any chance I think two things need to happen.Winston Peters needs to be back
ACT needs to disappear
There is not much that Labour can do to get Winston Peters back, but for the other necessary action to happen, maybe Labour can help that along a little bit.
ACT seems to be somewhat imploding with not too many people Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-91242111361539444732011-10-20T16:02:00.000+13:002011-10-20T16:02:38.355+13:00Little Paul Sheehan throws his toys over the Wallabies exitSo Paul Sheehan from the Sydney Morning Herald thinks we should see the back of the haka, especially looking at the ‘throat slitting action.
Well let’s look at the technical side of things first. In Maori culture that action means to draw of the breath of life into the heart and lungs…but to be honest I don’t care about that. I could care less if it meant, “I’m going into battle against you and Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-14374087013936960972011-10-10T14:00:00.000+13:002011-10-10T14:00:18.785+13:00Don Brash withdraws from Treaty debate...why?Dr. Don Brash has pulled out of a debate on Treaty issues to be held on TV3's 'The Nation'. The ACT Party and Dr. Brash have been asking TV3 for logistical and editorial details about the debate. It would appear they have not received what they wanted so Dr. Brash was pulled.
I interviewed Dr. Brash for 40 minutes on Saturday along with Jeremy Elwood my co-host on The Slightly Correct Political Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-59554015758402773032011-09-11T14:37:00.006+12:002011-09-13T13:17:40.266+12:00Do we all have a little ‘Mutu’ in us?Do we all have a little ‘Mutu’ in us?
A week ago Professor Margaret Mutu responded to a Department of Labour report that found Maori are more likely to express anti-immigration sentiment than any other ethnic group by saying that white immigration should be restricted because they pose a threat to race relations due to their “white supremacist” attitudes. Over the following few days there has Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-8848196743628211222011-09-10T15:27:00.004+12:002011-09-10T15:38:26.153+12:009/11 InterviewLast year, on the 9th anniversary of 9/11 I spoke with Dr Gene Corely and Mike Berger about the collapse of the twin towers.
Dr Corley is basically the world expert in why buildings fall down and headed the FEMA report into what happened with the twin towers and Mr Berger is the media spokesman for 911truth.org and a documentary maker.
An interesting conversation then occurred...
Part One
Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-47555207634300728172011-09-07T17:51:00.000+12:002011-09-07T17:51:20.864+12:00The Urewera 18 deserve an apologySo the Minister of Police has issued a statement saying there would be no apology to the Urewera 18 since charges have been dropped against most of them.
The Crown and the Police should absolutely apologise.
The Police have said there wasn't enough evidence to proceed against all but four of the accused, quick question...why did that take four years to figure out?
The 'news' we heard all those Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-10015544908877256422011-08-25T11:58:00.001+12:002011-08-25T12:00:54.306+12:00Do our minor parties have the membership to be eligible for the 2011 election?I wonder if any of our minor parties are ineligible for the 2011 election.
A fact that I just found out from the Electoral Office is that not only does a group need to attain 500 members to become a party, it also needs to keep 500 on its books to remain a legal entity.
The Electoral Finance Act (1993) states in Section 67, Clause 3 that“It shall be the duty of the secretary of any political Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-39107381126728652652011-07-23T13:52:00.003+12:002011-07-23T13:56:39.980+12:00Why the '81 Springbok Tour needed to happenAn article from the Dominion Post came out today with that famous pantyhose wearing rugby player, Alan Hewson, saying that the 1981 Springbok Tour should not have happened. I disagree.
Alan Hewson says he now is thirty years older that "maybe the Government shouldn't have allowed the tour to take place." I disagree.
I understand the sentiment that comes with the idea that we should not have Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-35493631767001728112011-07-22T12:29:00.000+12:002011-07-22T12:29:28.857+12:00Awful Quiet on HereSo yes, I've had emails and FB messages asking me if this site still is actually in motion...and the answer is 'Yes!'
Forgive me if you are regular here, but in the last two months we have moved house, started another new business, and have spent the last 5 weeks fixing up the house we moved into.
As from next week it's all really behind us so I look forward to getting back into updating the Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-88156543888446644342011-05-19T20:45:00.000+12:002011-05-19T20:45:57.731+12:00Election PredictionsSo Michael emailed me today and challenged all of us to predict the results for the election. Okay lets do it here...
So this is the idea. You will have a chance to list your guesses now, then come 30 August you will have a chance to revise your picks. I will organise two prizes, one for who is closest from the first pick, then one who is closest from the revised picks. We will say Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-28996990044481139462011-05-06T03:30:00.000+12:002011-05-06T03:30:22.637+12:00Debunking the 2012 Conspiracy
The Truth about 2012 from NASA Lunar Science Institute on Vimeo.Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-35875448276491656422011-04-28T20:34:00.001+12:002011-04-28T20:37:54.098+12:00Don Brash, defender of the poor and downtroddenIt is fantastic to see that Don Brash is trying to get back into politics with today’s coup of the ACT Party leadership.
Don Brash said in his brief press conference his objectives were to “raise the income levels of all New Zealanders” while making sure that “all New Zealanders are treated equally under the law”. Finally a man in politics who is going to fight for the lower class, to stand up Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-84283339329569361602011-03-24T18:29:00.002+13:002011-03-24T18:30:41.005+13:00Some Accuracy on the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) BillSome are for this bill, some are against it, but I think what I am seeing is inaccuracy, xenophobia and hysteria around the bill in general by a few loud voices who are being listened to and believed as if they were Jesus Christ himself spelling out the Gospels.
For me, I don’t have a huge issue with this bill, I never have, and I don’t buy into the conspiracy theories that all of a sudden NZ Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-27676328937506265932011-03-18T20:08:00.001+13:002011-03-18T20:09:39.096+13:00According to MSNBC...American's are liberalPathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-6911337967529948242011-02-06T01:06:00.001+13:002011-02-06T01:06:39.564+13:00Happy Waitangi Day everybody!!!!I hope you're all doing something fun today.
I just wanted to be the first to say to you..."Happy Waitangi Day!"
PatPathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-73903975095301313432011-02-05T23:27:00.005+13:002011-02-06T01:05:10.917+13:00TVNZ Stitch up Hone HarawiraI read about the ‘lone’ protestor at Waitangi today on stuff.co.nz this afternoon. He is Wikitana Popata, nephew of MP Hone Harawira. I read that he took to a megaphone and claimed that John Key is the author of all that is wrong in Maoridom, here is what he said of John Key in a post protest interview…
“Many of my people still live off our rivers in Aotearoa, he is the one responsible for Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-6091293127406204802011-01-25T21:23:00.002+13:002011-01-25T21:26:58.617+13:00Waitangi Day BBQ ChallengeOn Jan 8th I emailed the leaders of all seven of the political parties currently in government, and also Winston Peters for good measure, and asked them if they would care to support the drive for Kiwi's to own their national holiday, to get over the bickering and fighting and laid down the challenge that Waitangi Day "is for people to own the day, and celebrate it!"
Over the past week I Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-73128020925127535982011-01-25T12:01:00.003+13:002011-01-26T00:03:05.782+13:00Speaking about waitangiday.org.nzFlava Friday 21st January
Classic Hits Gisborne Monday 24th January
Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-28552009170215901852011-01-18T17:09:00.003+13:002011-01-18T21:38:59.699+13:002011 a year for new perspectivesAlbert Einstein said the definition if insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
I think we as a nation have begun doing this habitually and in 2011 we need a new perspective.
We hear today about another horrific death of a baby at the hands of family members, according to stuff.co.nz "Mikara Ranui Jarius Reti died shortly after Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-87465706954728197272011-01-17T16:54:00.001+13:002011-01-17T16:55:43.605+13:00Do we really want a Center governement?I wonder sometimes if what we say we want...is actually what we want in politics.
It seems that what we hear over and over again is the viable third party...a party for all New Zealand, a party that represents the majority of us, a Centrist Party!
John Key is a very centrist politician...in some areas he is more left that Labour and in other areas he is very right. I interviewed him last&Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-121716697133193612010-12-09T15:53:00.004+13:002010-12-09T16:36:07.501+13:00Winston Peters is NZs 'Virgin Mary'If you have a critical word to say about Winston Peters some people lose their mind. This morning the topic of conversation was around Winston, and my opinion that he says lots of words but no substance ever really comes out. A perfect example of this is Close Up last night where the debate was about the retirement age (I have no idea why Winston was on anyway, he isn't in Government and he isn'tPathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-55869466689421766332010-11-20T21:25:00.006+13:002010-11-22T02:52:50.644+13:00It’s more important to be accurate and truthful, than to win every battleAs a talkback host I am often in a position to spar with people over topics, it’s probably a weakness that I enjoy it a little too much as on occasions I may lose the context of a conversation, or the importance of an issue, to 'win' the argument.I am growing as a person and a talkback host and think this is an area that I can, and have worked on. I am a bit of a stickler for facts and accuracy; Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-8610274456405142482010-10-29T20:11:00.001+13:002010-10-29T20:13:51.801+13:00Barack Obama on 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'Part One
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cBarack Obama Pt. 1www.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorRally to Restore Sanity
Part Two
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cBarack Obama Pt. 2www.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorRally to Restore Sanity
Part Three
The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cBarack Pathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7270267824486243186.post-42659380444247526082010-10-08T17:40:00.003+13:002010-10-08T17:43:12.448+13:00Fat men and skinny women to rule the worldPathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05832185566037335382noreply@blogger.com0