Taranaki weather has been stunning this weekend

Thebuffone wrote: Taranaki weather has been stunning this weekend

Same here, first decent day and decent surf too. Pity I have to work!

yup, I've just finished planting strawberries for summer - yum!

Jim Hopkins argues that credit has been a proxy for actual people

Quote: Yes, we can map the stark raving gibbering loony decisions, political and financial, that got us into this pickle. But something more fundamental has also played its part, something that money - especially credit - has helped to mitigate. or the first time in human history, our population pyramid is upside down. The thick bit's at the top, the pointy bit's at the bottom. Don't tell the feminists this, they'll garrotte you, but we're running out of babies. That's what "an ageing population" really means - too many old geezers, not enough rug rats. Enter money, our saviour, hurrah! For years, no, decades, easy credit has been a proxy for extra people. It's bridged the gap, taken up slack, primed the pump, fuelled the furnace, revved the economic engine. To keep factories going and economies growing, you need customers. If you've got three customers, they can each buy one widget. If you've got one customer, they have to buy three.

sounds like a lot of shite to me.

whilst its true that the birth rate is in decline
the actual number of births is increasing, and the total population is growing.

"extra people" we have plenty of.

the problem with credit was that greedy people werent happy with a natural increase in profits
but wanted profit at ever increasing rates.

(the world's population is growing at around 2%, but businesses want to see their profits rise by multiples of this)

I'd say it's partly right. Expansion of credit has helped mask realities of a changing population. Dangerous game IMO.

bradc wrote: I'd say it's partly right.

i think its overcomplicating it.

credit is not a proxy for extra people, but for greater consumption(spending).

instead of saying "credit has been a proxy for extra people"
he might as well be arguing "credit has been a proxy for extra pets" or whatever.

consumer spending rises for a number of reasons...not just a growing young population.(or lack of)

^ Not sure that's right. Credit isn't a proxy for extra consumption, it's the mechanism for that extra consumption. The credit masks the fact that we've either got less people or less money than the short term health of the economy indicates.

Really interesting article here about Key, and NZ..

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-...e-attitude.html

really not happy about taking marados's (?) advice and changing my posts per page away from default.

Why's that?

Quote: Act MP Peter Tashkoff has announced he will contest party leader Rodney Hide for the seat of Epsom. Newstalk ZB reported that Mr Tashkoff - number seven on Act's party list - had been scathing of Mr Hide's performance as leader and the handling of the Heather Roy affair. It quoted Mr Tashkoff as saying Mr Hide was a failure as a leader, a liability to the party and had to go.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...jectid=10668677

Clever, jeopardize the one chance your party has of staying in parliament by challenging an MP who's probably a lot more chance of winning Epsom.

bradc wrote: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...jectid=10668677 Clever, jeopardize the one chance your party has of staying in parliament by challenging an MP who's probably a lot more chance of winning Epsom.

Makes Nationals decision easier, stand a strong candidate.

I'm surprised that Act hasn't disintegrated completely, a la Alliance.

WoW, John Campbell really has a hard on for lowering the driving blood alcohol. I don't watch his program because I think it's garbage, but tonight's got to be at least 3 or 4 articles strongly against it in a couple of weeks.

Well it does need lowered, don't you agree?

falco wrote: really not happy about taking marados's (?) advice and changing my posts per page away from default.

I wish GP could do 50 ppp, that'd be great. Can't understand how 35 could be enough for anyone.

Murakami wrote: I'm surprised that Act hasn't disintegrated completely, a la Alliance.

Give it time. Give it time, and remember hope springs eternal! That glorious day will occur within our lifetimes, of this I am sure.

Marados. wrote: I wish GP could do 50 ppp, that'd be great. Can't understand how 35 could be enough for anyone.

This can be achieved with a simple work around, by modifying the option box in your Options page to allow you to set your own value.

MX wrote: Well it does need lowered, don't you agree?

No. I outlined why in the thread about it.

But even if I did, John Campbell's shit program is just a vehicle for his political campaigning, masquerading as journalism.

Quasi ELVIS wrote: But even if I did, John Campbell's shit program is just a vehicle for his political campaigning, masquerading as journalism.

This thread devolved into a discussion of weather. Surely that involves some sort of end-point or implosion for a CEPP discussion thread...

MX wrote: Well it does need lowered, don't you agree?

Out of curiosity, is this a typo? I have met people from southland who say stuff like "this dress needs washed". Is there a linguistic shift brewing in the rugged south?

Doofer wrote: This can be achieved with a simple work around, by modifying the option box in your Options page to allow you to set your own value.

Thats simple?

I'm getting worried about what Power / Collins are doing to the Justice & Police. As an always theoretically potential defendant, I like the idea of defendants having some rights - it seems that Powers has presumed that the Police only ever charge guilty people.

BeefyBurgers wrote: Out of curiosity, is this a typo? I have met people from southland who say stuff like "this dress needs washed". Is there a linguistic shift brewing in the rugged south?

I'm not too sure, I just came to mind first =\