NicW has just blogged about Te Ara, The Online Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

I personally think the $12 million would have been better spent encouraging/hiring content authors to work on the NZ entries in Wikipedia.

I'm not normally an Open Source kinda guy... but this is an obvious example of where aligning some national $$$ with an *open sourcish* kinda project would have been a good idea.

Peter Jones of sometimes Dot Net User Group has launched a new more politically oriented Blog site.

Vent

“Vent is here to help.  Use it to have a random rant.  Blow off some steam and get it out of your system.  Send a warning to others.  Enlist an army to take on the ‘system’.  Let people know where you have had bad service, seen a crappy over-hyped movie, witnessed some road rage… whatever you like.   Things may not change but you’ll feel a lot better for it.”

Looks like it's gonna be a hoot.

It's tax time again... *joy*.... which means I get to log into internet banking and send exorbitant sums to the revenue. Sums for which I, personally, actually receive little to no direct benefit from.

Most people get their tax whisked out of their pay packet (in a process called PAYE which is basically funded/subsidised by employers) silently each pay round. This means they never really get to face the true horror of having to send the government their hard earned cash.

I think this should be changed- I think that everybody should get the chance to feel the pain of pressing that button and watching their money siphon off into the Government coffers.

The one where the family are shacked up in he plush house txting each other n their mobiles because they're too busy listening to their iPods and too fat and lazy to walk across the room?

Well... the house is a $700k+ plus in Epsom and that lovely stainless fridge in the background is worth over $4000. Yes, we have truely entered the age of 'Welfare for Everyone'.

http://www.rodneyhide.com/index.php/weblog/welfare_comes_to_the_leafy_suburbs/

If Labour get elected I'm going to try and become a student again, take out a loan and get as much of the loan money as possible into my mortgage account..... I mean interest free money... HOW GOOD IS THAT!

DPF has some more comments here.

I mean Labour is all about income redistribution.... but this policy is nothing but taking from the poor (hard working blue collar families)... and giving to the rich (like me...)... it is completely insane.

It certainly makes the tax cuts (threshold changes) in the Chewing Gum Budget look like peanuts.....

”Around 95% of those eligible for this stage of working for families got their entitlement automatically as they are on a benefit. So the $15 million advertising campaign is to reach only 14,000 families - this is a cost of over $1,000 per target audience member - probably the most expensive advertising splurge in history. “

From McCully

I laughed my ASS off over this one.

DPF has found out that our Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) has decided the best way to prevent drink driving is by sponsoring a racehorse and calling it Dontdrinkanddrive.

He notes some other future names: “Dontscrewwithoutrubba, Gamblingisstupid, Saveforoldage, donotbeatyourpregnantwife, drugsaredumb and sexisfunbutdonotcatchaids”

Anyone else got any?

Casey, Bill, Tim H?

http://bhatnagar.blogspot.com/2005/02/paul-owusu-chief-accountant-of-trust.html

Paul Owusu, Chief Accountant of Trust Security Bank, Nigeria
ATTN;MR. XXXXXX XXXXXXXXX,

Please find attached the picture, of MR. PAUL OWUSU, who is the Chief
Accountant to our firm. He is holding, the caption, that you send to
us., according to your wishes.

Thanks in advance for your co-operation.

Awaiting your early reply.

MISS MIRIAM KWAME
TRUST SECURITY BANK
LAGOS, NIGERIA

DPF notes the amazing increase in funding for TWOA.

$8 million to $239 million over 5 years. Now my maths is a bit average... but I reckon that's about a compound  'revenue' growth rate of 234% per annum. That would be enough to put TWOA into the Deloitte Fast 50 every year since it started....

2001 - Rank 12=
2002 - Rank 12
2003 - Rank 30
2004 - Rank 24

I wonder if they'll be entering next year?

[via DPF]

A well-known and inspirational speaker, Mike Tamaki, has unwittingly been caught up in the latest tertiary education funding scam says Nationals Education spokesman, Bill English.

I have been advised that people who attended a business lunch in Timaru earlier this year were told that they could stay and hear Mr Tamaki speak if they filled out a form enrolling them at this course at Aoraki Polytechnic.

This form made their attendance at the lunch an official community education enrollment, says Mr English.

This stuff drives me insane! Half of these provincial Politechs couldn't educate a cow in a bloody milking shed. As an employer and taxpayer it makes my blood boil seeing this sort of crap masquerading as education.

P.S. New category added - Taxpayer Ripoffs