Life is a sexually transmitted disease...

Boys with Phone Cams

2012-01-26T23:19:00.003+13:00

Happy Australia Day!

2012-01-26T22:41:00.001+13:00

FUCK THE 1%

Blue

2012-01-26T17:37:00.002+13:00

(Click to embiggen)

Fucktards

2012-01-26T17:33:00.000+13:00

A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians who might express sympathy for the protests, according to a memo obtained by the MSNBC program “Up w/ Chris Hayes.”

The proposal was written on the letterhead of the lobbying firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford and addressed to one of CLGC’s clients, the American Bankers Association.

CLGC’s memo proposes that the ABA pay CLGC $850,000 to conduct “opposition research” on Occupy Wall Street in order to construct “negative narratives” about the protests and allied politicians. The memo also asserts that Democratic victories in 2012 would be detrimental for Wall Street and targets specific races in which it says Wall Street would benefit by electing Republicans instead.

Read the whole disgusting story here.

Exactly

2012-01-26T17:26:00.002+13:00

Crazy

2012-01-26T17:19:00.002+13:00

Cracks

2012-01-26T10:44:00.001+13:00

Sparky

2012-01-25T11:50:00.000+13:00

Santa Making Xmas Cookies

2012-01-22T15:08:00.003+13:00

Worshipping at the Altar

2012-01-22T14:32:00.001+13:00

Soaking

2012-01-22T13:20:00.001+13:00

Freddie

2012-01-22T11:14:00.002+13:00

US Politics

2012-01-22T10:17:00.002+13:00

Fuck the US Govt and their fascist laws

2012-01-19T11:32:00.001+13:00

Caption this Picture

2012-01-16T22:03:00.001+13:00

No Cuddles

2012-01-16T21:59:00.002+13:00

Pinned

2012-01-16T21:53:00.002+13:00

Boots and Beer

2012-01-16T12:04:00.001+13:00

Surfin'

2012-01-16T11:57:00.002+13:00

Cyclist

2012-01-16T11:46:00.002+13:00

Black Sand Beach

2012-01-16T11:44:00.002+13:00

Towel

2012-01-16T11:28:00.002+13:00

Kitty Emotions

2012-01-16T11:21:00.003+13:00

Ban All Religion

2012-01-15T08:56:00.000+13:00

Just one more reason why religion should be banned.....

An official says a stampede during a religious ceremony in central India has left at least 10 people dead.

Senior police officer Rajesh Vyas says the stampede occurred early Saturday (late Saturday, NZ time) when a large number of people surged forward to gain entry into a Muslim shrine, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

Vyas says some pilgrims fell down and were crushed to death.

The shrine is near Ratlam, a town in Madhya Pradesh state nearly 760 kilometres southwest of New Delhi. Police in the region could not be immediately reached for details.

Deadly stampedes are relatively common at religious places in India, where large crowds gather in tiny areas with no safety measures or crowd control.

Top Image of 2011

2012-01-13T10:17:00.002+13:00

A satellite image of a Canterbury Plains river has been dubbed the picture of the year.

DigitalGlobe's cameras capture 270 million square miles of imagery per year and the company asked its fans to vote for their favourite picture of the year.

The Rakaia River is in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand’s South Island. It is one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand. The river has a mean flow of 203 cubic meters per second and a mean annual seven-day low flow of 87 cubic meters per second. It rises in the Southern Alps, travelling 150 kilometers in a generally easterly or southeasterly direction before entering the Pacific Ocean 50 kilometers south of Christchurch. For much of its journey, the river is a braided river, running through a wide shingle bed. Close to Mount Hutt, however, it is briefly confined to a narrow canyon known as the Rakaia Gorge.

In the 1850s, European settlers named it the Cholmondeley River, but this name lapsed into disuse. The Rakaia River is bridged in two places. The busiest crossing is at the small town of Rakaia, 20 kilometers from the river mouth, where State Highway 1 and the South Island Main Trunk Railway cross the river using separate bridges. These two bridges are New Zealand’s longest road and rail bridges respectively, approximately 1.75 km long. A second bridge, much shorter and less used, spans the Rakaia Gorge.The Rakaia River is a celebrated Chinook salmon fishery. Bird species known to be found in the Rakaia riverbed are Wrybill, Black fronted Tern and Banded Dotterel.

And speaking of dickheads...

2012-01-05T09:27:00.003+13:00

Sign the Online Petition

2012-01-05T09:12:00.000+13:00

Tony Marryatt should refuse his 14.4% pay rise

CHC Council CEO defends outrageous pay rise...

2012-01-05T08:45:00.004+13:00

... returns to to work in shorts and jandals after Gold Coast holiday.

"What? I made them an offer they couldn't refuse!"

The Christchurch City Council's controversial chief executive has defended his $68,000 pay rise, saying it is recognition of his performance during a year in which he has "never worked as hard in my life".

Tony Marryatt rejected calls to refuse the 14.4 per cent pay rise, saying it was a reflection of his performance and the market rate for his job.

"I am not refusing the pay offer and I am not giving it to charity. That is on the principle that I feel I should be paid the market remuneration for the job and what is appropriate for my level of performance. That is how I treat people in this organisation and that has been my philosophy in 30 years," he said.

Marryatt was speaking publicly for the first time since his pay rise was announced on December 18, taking his remuneration from $470,400 to $538,529 a year, effective from July 1, 2011. The increase has prompted public outrage, a barrage of critical letters to The Press and a protest at council headquarters.

Marryatt returned to work in jandals and shorts yesterday after two weeks leave. He defended criticism of his decision not to return from his Gold Coast holiday after the December 23 earthquakes.

-snip-

The council set his new pay after a consultant assessed the market rate for his position and his performance was reviewed against targets set every year.

"My view is the same with all staff, I pay staff market rate for the position and they get somewhere on that scale based on their performance.

*****

This is one of the biggest crocks of shit I've heard since I've lived in New Zealand. I used to work for the council and and I was paid approximately 25% of what I was paid for the same job in Canada. You can ask the other 99% of the employees who work there if they feel they are being fairly compensated for their positions and can guaran-fucking-tee you that they will give you a resounding "fuck no" in response. This guys' "pay rise" represents more than twice the yearly salary of the average Kiwi.

This is just another case of an overpaid arsehole being paid an outrageous salary simply because they have put the letters CEO in front of their name. Just another one percenter... nothing more and nothing less. It's no wonder that there have been protests outside the council building, but once again, nothing will change. The protesters forgot to bring their torches.

Another nut job bites the dust...

2012-01-05T08:39:00.001+13:00

Adios you batshit crazy bitch!

To my mates in the US...

2011-12-29T23:31:00.002+13:00

Just in case you've forgotten...

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-24T14:25:00.003+13:00

Happy Solstice

2011-12-22T12:14:00.002+13:00

Happy Mushroom Day

2011-12-17T22:29:00.002+13:00

Mmmm... Christmas mushrooms! Now that's tradition!

Bad Santa

2011-12-15T12:11:00.001+13:00

Image stolen from Bill in Exile

Santa's Helpers

2011-12-10T11:02:00.001+13:00

Homos

2011-12-10T10:55:00.001+13:00

Wealth Graphic

2011-12-10T10:48:00.002+13:00

Interesting graphic, but funny how the 90% get to own the shittiest parts.

Hewing

2011-12-10T10:40:00.002+13:00

Shadows

2011-12-10T10:39:00.002+13:00

Furry Bum

2011-12-10T09:57:00.002+13:00

Snowman

2011-12-10T09:52:00.002+13:00

Santa's Long Johns

2011-12-10T09:50:00.002+13:00

New Handyman

2011-12-10T09:44:00.002+13:00

Pit

2011-12-10T09:41:00.001+13:00

Occupy

2011-12-07T10:18:00.002+13:00

A sampling of artwork available at OccuPrint

Super Arsehole

2011-12-04T11:08:00.004+13:00

"I have my own army in the NYPD, which is the seventh biggest army in the world."

– Twat extraordinaire and self-appointed king of New York Michael Bloomberg

OMG

2011-12-03T22:50:00.002+13:00

Sleepy

2011-12-03T22:48:00.002+13:00

Yachtie

2011-12-03T18:12:00.001+13:00

Cartography

2011-12-03T17:14:00.002+13:00

Lucky Kitty

2011-12-03T16:54:00.002+13:00

Blue-eyed Babe

2011-12-03T16:47:00.002+13:00

Freeballin'

2011-12-03T14:52:00.001+13:00

Victor's Secret

2011-12-03T14:50:00.002+13:00

Yeti in Uniform

2011-12-03T14:49:00.001+13:00

Holiday

2011-12-03T14:47:00.001+13:00

Rugger

2011-12-03T14:40:00.002+13:00

Cooling it off

2011-12-03T14:34:00.002+13:00

Serious Crabs

2011-12-03T14:26:00.001+13:00

Icy Dip

2011-12-03T14:25:00.002+13:00

This one's for you...

2011-12-03T14:23:00.002+13:00

Directions

2011-12-02T23:40:00.002+13:00

A signpost at the End of the World:
Bluff, New Zealand

Kaka

2011-12-02T23:38:00.003+13:00

A kaka who paid us a visit on our first night at the bach on Stewart Island.
More Stewart Island photos to follow.

Call Me!!!

2011-11-23T22:44:00.001+13:00

Strappin'

2011-11-23T22:42:00.002+13:00

Kiss Me You Fool!

2011-11-23T22:40:00.002+13:00

Clockwork Orange [Pepper Spray Edition]

2011-11-23T22:35:00.003+13:00

What a perfect homage to a wee bit of the old ultraviolence, eh?

Liberty Leading the People

2011-11-22T09:49:00.001+13:00

TWATS

2011-11-20T22:31:00.002+13:00

This is a photograph of a University of California Davis police officer calmly pepper spraying students who were peacefully demonstrating against an order by the college president to destroy the #OWS site yesterday.

When asked why the police chose to physically assault these college kids who were doing nothing more than sitting down on a college sidewalk at a college that they paid to attend the response from a UC Davis police spokesperson was that the police feared for their safety.

(Image and text above via Bill in Exile.)

This is the face of the new fascist police state in the United States. Owned by the rich, for the rich. What a bunch of twats. Someone call CSN&Y. The shit is about to hit the fan.

This made my day...

2011-11-17T11:16:00.001+13:00

Kitty

2011-11-16T13:00:00.002+13:00

Zombie

2011-11-16T10:19:00.002+13:00

Follow the Money

2011-11-16T09:17:00.003+13:00

The face of the U.S.
POLICE
STATE

In the skyscrapers above the protests, anything goes. Nobody arrested the bankers for pushing fraudulent loans and subprime mortgage investments, or the ratings agencies and government regulators that neglected their duties and helped Wall Street crash the global economy. But putting tents in a public park? Time to bring out the batons and pepper spray.

Cat Bath

2011-11-12T14:52:00.002+13:00

Occupy Dunedin UPDATE

2011-11-10T09:16:00.004+13:00

"The police are not the council's private army."

A senior Dunedin police officer has spoken out about the police decision not to evict protesters from the Octagon, saying local police are "between a rock and a hard place", and it would be irresponsible of police to risk having to pay out thousands of dollars of public money to the protesters.

Dunedin-Clutha police area emergency response manager Inspector Alastair Dickie said he wanted to respond to "increasing amounts of criticism of the Dunedin police for failing to act in relation to the Octagon occupation".

He said police would not enforce a trespass notice issued on October 15 by the Dunedin City Council to Occupy Dunedin protesters camping in the Octagon, because it would leave them open to being sued for breaching the Bill of Rights Act.

Legal experts yesterday said they were not surprised by that decision, and commended the police for their decision.

Insp Dickie said, when police had previously moved protesters in similar situations in the North Island, they had ended up paying out up to $100,000 to the protesters, for breaching their rights under the Bill of Rights Act.

It would be "irresponsible" of the police to risk doing that again.

"The protesters have the right under the Bill of Rights Act to protest peacefully."

Case law indicated the Act superseded lesser legislation such as council bylaws against camping.

He said police had met council staff members more than once and the position had been explained to them.

If the council wanted to move the protesters, the most effective method was for it to apply to the court for an injunction. However, that was not straightforward either, he said.

An injunction could be sought without notifying the protesters - if police lodged an affidavit with the court supporting the council application.

"This would have been the ideal course as, if the protesters failed to act on the court order to leave, the DCC could return to the court and seek a warrant, which the police could execute to remove the protesters - end of story."

The process to file a non-notified application for an injunction had started last week. However, after internal legal advice from Police National Headquarters in Wellington, Dunedin police were instructed to withdraw the affidavit.

That left the council with the option of a notified version of the injunction application process, meaning the protesters would have to be given the chance to make submissions at the court hearing for the injunction.

That could have become a drawn-out process and led to a substantial cost to the council, so it had been fiscally responsible and chosen not to proceed down that road, Insp Dickie said.

The council decided to issue a trespass notice. However, the police would not act for reasons already explained to the council.

"So, as you can see, the local police are between a rock and a hard place. They are simply keeping the peace between the pro- and the anti-protesters and dealing with any breaches of the law where it is clear they can act without being prosecuted/sued themselves."

The public should be reassured police would continue to work hard to contribute towards making Dunedin a safe and attractive place to live, Insp Dickie said.

"None of this will change. However, in regard this current issue, our hands are tied due to the legalities of the situation..."

University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis commended the police's decision, and said just because a protest breached a bylaw it did not take it out from underneath the umbrella of the Bill of Rights Act.

It seemed police had taken on messages from both the courts and Parliament's justice and electoral committee concerning protests against then Chinese president Jiang Zemin, in 1999, where it was indicated to them that protest did need to be given a higher priority.

He also believed the trespass notice was a way to shift the problem to the police, and have them pay for the action.

"The police are not the council's private army."

In a blog post titled "Some quick legal advice for Dave Cull", which he posted yesterday, he said the council had not demonstrated it was "reasonable" for it to exercise its power to trespass people, given the trespass notices limited the protesters' rights to peacefully assemble and express themselves under the Act - meaning they probably would be of no legal effect and so enforcing them and evicting the protesters would be an unlawful action.

Chairman of the Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand, lawyer Tim McBride, also praised the police decision.

Police refuse to evict Dunedin Occupy protesters

2011-11-09T10:43:00.001+13:00

Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says he is "completely at a loss" after police yesterday ruled out enforcing trespass notices that would have forced Occupy Dunedin protesters to quit their Octagon encampment.

Dunedin-Clutha area commander Inspector Greg Sparrow issued a brief statement late yesterday, confirming police would not act on the trespass notices issued to the protesters by council staff last week.

Police had been considering their legal position for the past week, but Insp Sparrow yesterday concluded the trespass notices did not meet "the test of balancing the rights and freedoms of all parties".

Police were yet to see any action by the protesters "that would justify police intervention", but would continue to monitor the situation, he said.

Protesters greeted the news with a round of applause at last night's general assembly at the Octagon camp, but the decision has left Mr Cull vowing to consider other legal options today.

He told the Otago Daily Times he was "disappointed" at the time police had taken to reach their conclusion, and by their decision not to enforce "legitimate" council bylaws.

You can read the rest of the story here.

River

2011-11-07T18:30:00.002+13:00

Our beer is brewed using only water
from the most pristine mountain fed streams...

Ohhh... never mind!

Biking

2011-11-07T18:03:00.002+13:00

Locker Room Loves

2011-11-07T17:27:00.001+13:00

Choices, choices...

2011-11-07T17:22:00.001+13:00

Would you like a cold beer, or maybe something a wee bit warmer???

Caption this Picture

2011-11-07T17:19:00.002+13:00

Bears in the Woods

2011-11-07T17:16:00.002+13:00

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!!!

2011-11-05T20:53:00.004+13:00

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

TWAT (The War Against Terror)

2011-11-04T23:39:00.002+13:00

This lying fucking bitch has an autobiography out trying to rewrite the history of the warmongering fascist pigs of the Bushit administration. Don't bother yourself. You'd be better off with Alice in Wonderland or some other piece of total fiction. Just another cunt who should be behind bars. Enough said.

Occupy Dunedin

2011-11-04T08:56:00.002+13:00

A deal that could allow Occupy Dunedin protesters to remain in the Octagon indefinitely aims to avoid a costly court battle or a violent confrontation, Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says.

A letter from Mr Cull proposing a compromise was delivered to anti-greed protesters camping in the Octagon yesterday afternoon.

The deal would entail most of the encampment's tents being removed, but allow one symbolic tent and an information kiosk to remain in the Octagon - along with any protesters who wished to stay - on a "long-term" basis.

Protesters spoken to by the Otago Daily Times soon after the letter was received said nobody on site could speak for the group.

The offer was discussed at last night's "general assembly" at the camp, but protester Kieren Trass said afterwards more discussions would be needed over the next few nights before any decision could be made.

"There's a lot of people that aren't here tonight," he said.

Mr Cull said he remained confident the council's legal position was strong, but wanted to avoid spending time and money litigating the matter through the courts.

He also wanted to avoid the sort of violent clashes between police and protesters seen in Australia and the United States in recent days, as other occupations associated with the global movement were broken up.

"I don't know what it would come to, but I wouldn't like to be responsible for putting it there ... I want to take all measures possible to find a solution before going to that extent," he said.

The move came two days after council staff issued protesters with trespass notices, warning they were in breach of council bylaws and setting an 8pm deadline to quit their encampment.

The protesters ignored the demand and have refused to budge, while police are still considering their legal position before deciding whether to act.

Protesters argued the Bill of Rights allowed them to occupy the Octagon in a peaceful protest, while the council argued it provided only for "lawful" protests, not ones breaking council bylaws.

Please go to this web page and vote to allow the protesters to stay. Cheers!

The Beginning is Nigh

2011-11-04T08:52:00.002+13:00

Image borrowed from Bill in Exile

Police in riot gear clashed with protesters in Oakland overnight, firing tear gas to disperse demonstrators lingering in the streets after a day of mostly peaceful rallies against economic inequality and police brutality.

The confrontation, which erupted after midnight local time, appeared aimed at preventing the protesters from expanding their foothold in the streets around a public plaza that has become a hub for demonstrations in the northern California city.

More than 200 officers, some of them ferried in aboard buses, lined up shoulder to shoulder and donned gas masks, then declared the crowd to be an unlawful assembly and fired volleys of tear gas as protesters turned and ran.

"Unlawful assembly"?????
I don't fucking think so.

Don't Point that Thing at Me

2011-11-02T11:58:00.001+13:00

Midweek Menz

2011-11-02T11:56:00.002+13:00

Let's Stop Fucking Around...

2011-10-29T23:41:00.002+13:00

KILL THE
BANKSTERS!!!!!

Police tear gas Occupy Oakland protesters

2011-10-27T11:20:00.001+13:00

The war has begun.
The beginning is near.
Time for the torches and pitchforks.

My Athletic Career

2011-10-25T16:24:00.001+13:00

Occupy

2011-10-25T15:43:00.002+13:00

All Blacks Win Rugby World Cup 2011

2011-10-24T11:09:00.003+13:00

Pirates of Wall Street

2011-10-22T22:48:00.002+13:00

Take what you can,
Give nothing back!

Self Diagnosis

2011-10-22T21:39:00.002+13:00

99%

2011-10-19T11:00:00.002+13:00

Occupy Dunedin

2011-10-17T11:14:00.001+13:00

Occupy Dunedin protestors camp out
in the Octagon, Dunedin, New Zealand

True Love

2011-10-15T16:24:00.003+13:00

Kitty

2011-10-15T10:19:00.002+13:00

OCCUPY WALL STREET

2011-10-15T10:17:00.002+13:00