Indeed, Ms Neelie Kroes, the European Union’s Competition Commissioner could barely contain her cackle in a press conference to announce the decision when she crowed that 'Intel would now have to chan

SOLO-NZ Op-Ed: A One-eyed Demonic Bastard Thanks You for Your Donation

Philip Duck
March 5, 2009

Between one-third and one-half of Cambodians live in crushing poverty as they try to survive on a dollar or less a day.That poverty motivates many poor peasant families to sell their young daughters into brothels; one-third of Cambodia’s prostitutes are under the age of seventeen and sentenced to a life of being caged in a grubby shack to service grubby men, for nothing more than a bowl of rice each day.

SOLO-NZ Op-Ed: A Rongoa Rort

Philip Duck
January 21, 2009

Put 3 teaspoons of fresh Kumarahou leaf in a glass and fill with boiled water. Cover and allow infusing for 15-30 minutes. Drink. It’s a suggested treatment for cancer.

Yesterday, Mustafa Tekinkaya, the owner of an Invercargill café, refused service to two Israeli sisters in a personal demonstration against the injustices that he perceives are occurring in Gaza.

SOLO-NZ Op-Ed: 'Drunken Night Out on the Grog - No Harm Done'

Philip Duck
January 14, 2009

Recently it has been the newspapers leading the puritanical charge against alcohol.

Clearly the person who today wrote the New Zealand Herald's Business Editorial has taken dreary dietician Sarah Elliot's Christmas advice. They must be on the vegetable sticks, fruit, and topless mince pies, whilst avoiding alcohol, anything deep-fried, and chocolate cake.

In July 2007 a family whose house burnt down spent 10 nights at the Christchurch hotel, Towers on the Park. Their stay was paid for by Work and Income and cost the New Zealand taxpayer $2,300. Work and Income refused to say whether this amount would ever have to be re-paid by the family.

Jared Savage’s sad, envy-ridden and just plain stupid story in today’s New Zealand Herald, presents further evidence - should you require it - of the dire state of journalism in New Zealand. And the mind-set of many New Zealanders too, I guess; presumably they lap this sort of stuff up.

SOLO-NZ Press Release: Commerce Commission Crumbums

December 16, 2008

The hopeless bureaucrats of New Zealand’s Commerce Commission have again decided to sink their fangs where they do not belong, notes SOLO spokesman Philip Duck.

SOLO-NZ Press Release: Bolshevik Bollocks, Bollard!

December 12, 2008

Would it be too much to expect the Reserve Bank Governor to have some sort of understanding of basic economics? asks SOLO spokesman Philip Duck.

SOLO-NZ Op-Ed: The ARC—Where Nothing Glitters

Philip Duck
December 11, 2008

‘The Auckland Regional Council Group (ARC Group) manages the region's air and water quality, its growth and development, regional parks, public transport, the coastal and marine environment, and natural and cultural heritage sites .’

And that’s not all! The council also finances … umm … football  matches!

On Saturday morning Mike Perham cast off from Portsmouth, England, thus beginning his attempt to sail solo around the world.

UN News Centre, 27 September 2008 – "The world’s estimated 1.1 billion Muslims deserve specific representation on an expanded Security Council, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister said today, calling for any reform of the 15-member body United Nations body to consider the need for a variety of constituencies as well as greater geographic distribution."

SOLO-International Op-Ed: Milk Scandal Hypocrisy

September 27, 2008

HONG KONG (Reuters) – 'Up to five percent of infants in Shanghai could have kidney stones after drinking tainted milk formula, media reported on Friday, as publicity surrounding the scandal was muted by China’s manned space launch.'

That the response to the Chinese tainted milk scandal has been muted is true.

SOLO-International Op-Ed: In Defence of the Businessman

September 23, 2008

When looking back at the financial crisis of 2008 you can be sure that most people won’t be thinking about failures of the market or whether that market was truly free.

SOLO-NZ Press Release: NZDF—Can’t Fight, Float or Fly!

September 17, 2008

Recently, the Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae wrote, "Those who doubt the courage, commitment, comradeship or integrity of the men and women of New Zealand Defence Force are misinformed."

Most of you will be aware of the recent troubles in Thailand. Some of you may be interested in the depth and nature of the crisis. Here is my take.

SOLO-NZ Press Release: Love the Combo!

September 11, 2008

According to news reports, McDonald's Fuel-Up Combo offers 10 cents a litre off fuel at Mobil service stations when buying a Big Mac, medium fries, medium soft drink and a hot apple pie for $9.50.

'The Waitangi Tribunal received about 1000 new historic claims yesterday as applicants rushed to beat a midnight deadline. Tribunal director Darrin Sykes today said the last minute flood of claims pushed the total figure received since August 1 to about 2000.'

‘The pay gap between the rich and poor has shrunk for the first time in 20 years, according to a new report on the nation's social wellbeing.’ This, says a lazy, stupid, journalist, a dreary professor and an envy-ridden poverty activist is a good thing.

The Ministry of Social Development’s  - te fucking purongo oranga tangata - Social Report for 2008 is out.

And it's art.

SOLO-International Op-Ed: Quintana—Wimpy, Ineffectual, Pompous and Stupid

Philip Duck
August 19, 2008

Tomas Ojea Quintana has been appointed the new UN human rights rapporteur for Burma.

“Statistics New Zealand has published a paper acknowledging for the first time ‘emerging interest’ in sexual orientation and behaviour.” 

I guess, when I think about it, I am surprised it has taken them so long. However, it seems that after a long campaign by gay activists that the Statistics Department is to begin a push to have sexual orientation included in the 2016 census.

 Now that got your attention didn't it?

has received the report that she commissioned on N.Z petrol prices.

"Public servants earn more than private sector workers and have a "warm glow" from a belief that their work is useful to society."

Does anyone have a problem with vote buying or vote selling?

  Ernest Hemingway has long been my favourite writer. I love his short stories and his novels, especially "Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls."  And, "The Old Man and the Sea" is truly the most beautiful book I have read.