MMP: It's about fairness

Two politics posts in a week, sorry. I better be careful, anyone would think I am actually interested in the stuff or something!

Anyway, my issue today comes from the right wing Kiwiblog. In this post he goes through the scenarios if New Zealand had been operating under Supplementary Member instead of MMP since 1996. Basically the conclusions are: Bigger parties would have been bigger, Smaller parties would have been smaller. What he doesn't point out however is that this is unfair - the percentage of seats parties received wouldn't have been as close to the percentage of votes that they got as it would have been under MMP. That's basically my point, so I'm just going to leave you with the numbers - have a look at them if you have trouble getting to sleep tonight.

The Music Box [Girls' Generation]

At Dinosaurs and Dandelions, one of our main goals is to expand your tiny, tiny worlds, so each week or so here in The Music Box, I will post a different music video of a band or artist you probably haven't heard before. These will consist of bands or artists of various genres and from all over the world so stop by regularly, and you may find something that you like, or at least something that will entertain you for two or three minutes. Or maybe not... but you won't know if you don't try it, right?

To get you started, a South Korean, all girl group called 소녀시대 [Girls' Generation], with their song 오 [Oh!]. Enjoy.

Cooking with Matthew

Hello there, and welcome back to the award winning show Cooking with Matthew. Feedback from you over our last recipe was overwhelming, it seems that many of you are now having a go in the kitchen. Excellent!

After a week of toast, we thought you might be ready to try something new. So today we are going to try a classic 1950's Asian dish, Noodles.

On the merits of FPP and MMP: A full analysis and in depth discussion.

Well, I was going to explain FPP and MMP using pasta, but this post will instead have to do.

First of all I just wanted to show you a very cool video from a group in the United Kingdom that shows why there First Past the Post system is flawed:

Top10 with Pez [TV Shows Of The 90's]

As the chief compiler of Top10 lists here at Dinosaurs and Dandelions, it is my duty to compile lists of the 10 top examples, which best represent their chosen category. This week we will start off with a topic everyone will be familiar with.... Except maybe people who don't have televisions. Oh, and people who are to young to remember the 1990's. And communists. Please note: This list is not based on how many times the show has been rerun. Ok, here goes:

Feedback, Comments and more! Oh My!

Since D&D started a week and a half ago the volume of feedback we've received has been overwhelming. So, today being Sunday and all, I decided to dedicate a post to you, the sad little person that actually reads the crap we put out.

Kick-Ass: surprizingly Kick-Ass.

For those unfamiliar with its comic book source material, Kick-Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski, an average, kinda nerdy, [and apparently a little nuts] teenager, who sets out to become a superhero... of sorts.

Dave Lizewski is, as he puts it, the kinda guy who doesn't even stand out among his own, unspectacular friends. The averagest, of average. But that all changes after he and a friend are mugged, while an onlooker does nothing. With his favourite comic book heroes swirling around his head, he dons a mask and a... well, a wetsuit, and goes about kicking some ass... eventually anyway. Along the way he meets a couple of more serious masked vigilantes and gets mixed up in some heavy shit.
Do not be fooled by what sounds like a cheesy plot, this is serious stuff! Okay, a bit cheesy too, but in a good way! And with an R18 rating, it's no Spider-Man. The movie mixes epic superhero action with teen comedy angst in a surprisingly successful manner. Think Superbad meets Watchmen... if your brain can comprehend such a pairing...

There's obviously no deep and meaningful storyline or anything, but the plot is solid enough and it manages to genuinly keep you guessing. The young leads all put on a good show, especially the two main kids! Aaron Johnson, as Dave Lizewski [aka Kick-Ass] is awesome and Chloe Moretz will blow your fucking mind, as Hit-Girl. [Seriously! I can't say much more without ruining it, but what the fuck!] Some good showings from the supporting cast as well, including Christopher 'McLovin' Mintz-Plasse as Red Mist and even Nicolas 'why did they cast me' Cage seems to fit his role as Big Daddy.
In conclusion, go see this movie! I mean you know, if you're into that kinda thing... or even if you ain't! Would highly recommend as a first date. Epic as fuck. Oh, and did I mention it has cool tunes?

Rated: R18 [unless you're Canadian, then you can take your kids to see it] Contains strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and drug use.