Norml statement regarding Customs seizure of Hemp

Norml statement regarding Customs seizure of Hemp

Top Stories from NZCity

Top Stories from NZCity

Boy arrested

A Wangarei boy was arrested for threatening his mother with a firearm. The police have captured him and recovered a firearm. Nobody was harmed.

Top Stories from NZCity

Top Stories from NZCity

Is this legal?

A gang of like minded youths suddenly appear to carry out agreed upon orders by arranging it on the internet. Yeah, so what? Is this a story or a social observation? What did they do? Not sure, but anyway, it would seem to be a threat to the use of the phone to organise strictly hierachial gatherings such as Hells Angels, for the postmodern gathering where the guy on the Kawasaki is boss, rather than the evil guy on the HD.

Law and Order News from NZCity

Law and Order News from NZCity

ATM Scam

The "Lebonese" ATM scam has not been seen in NZ, but this article details how it works. By using a plastic sleeve apparently some ATMs fool a frustrated customer into a belief that the machine has confiscated their card, allowing onlooking thieves to steal both their PIN number entered frantically.

Perhaps the Banks should reassure customers that this is not possible on their model of ATM or do not enter your PIN number when someone is standing behind you.

It is notable that the ANZ bank in Queen Street use a ticket system with seats that enhances customer comfort and privacy.

If this was an ISP leaking email addresses there would be concern about it in the media. Banks sound to me like they are in denial rather than informing customers if there is a danger such a scam would work in a NZ environment. Somehow one may suspect that someone will get caught doing it after the banks say nothing.

Techweb > News > Teen Admits Creating MSBlaster, > Accused MSBlaster Creator Placed Under House Detention > August 29, 2003

Accused MSBlaster Creator Placed Under House Detention > August 29, 2003

Guilty Programmer

A programmer who modified the MSBlast worm and "released it" was "caught".

Hackers seem to have evolved a culture and ethos on the internet, spreading destruction in glass palaces that house the corporate enemy. It is an attack on the fragility of the info-wealth as bestowed by the space-shuttle-reliability of operating system software.

It is a roading system where accidents are infectious and routes of connection allow infections to become giant maurading beasts that consume man years in accelerating propensity.

A programmer may have received the virus and then saved a copy of it, slightly modified, in his shared drive so his buddy can look at it, and comment if it is a good way to spread his religious message about hacking culture and the danger of software megaliths. This culture sees Microsoft as the Enemy. This culture is largely comprised of 15 year olds and has dimimished responsibility after years of playing Counter Strike and accumulated frustration with flakey operating systems, and the requisite knowhow to fix them also gives them the means to cause a little mayhem.

Except the destruction is more like derailing a train than getting the peer support of a few buddies for a score. A score that represents billions of dollars of damage to a company.

Next the Feds are knocking down his door. His virus is all over the internet and he realises the cost of fame, being in court, then prison. By the time he gets out all operating systems will no longer have bugs.

New Zealand News - NZ - Cannabis fuelling rural economies

Cannabis and rural economies

Is the criminalisation of cannabis, in effect, an augmentation of the social welfare system? Would changes in its legal status have unforseen social effects?

Great segments of the rural economy rely upon cannabis cultivation, its illegality probably makes it a choice for some farmers or growers to consider as a financial buffer to keep food on the table.

When laws are not followed by a large number of people, enforcement costs are raised. But what effect does this have on other matters of law, for example Farmer John keeping a cannabis crop may be reluctant to call in police if he spotted poachers on the land. He may feel more inclined to persue them himself, and for this reason Farmer John will carry a gun.

Justice

Justice

Justice is the wedge that seeks to determine if guilt is genuine and implaccable, or if, indeed, there is a way to help the person.

Not many eyes have seen into the eyes of genuine evil, and when it is apparent, the TV documentaries seek to convince us that we should see it that way. And the man falsely accused of causing the death of his kids when trying to save their life in a fire, we want the "system" to see, that in the balance, he is not as guilty because his eyes tell the story.

Justice gives us our sleep at night knowing the system puts those with the evil eyes behind bars and allow the well intentioned masses freedom to work in society. The function of the law is to bring before judgement those that it has sufficient evidence to remove any reasonable doubt that the accused has caused damage to others, or are constantly acting in a way harmful to others.

Mere stupidity, coincidence or misfortune, like like the man probably chasing fire engines who managed to be videoed in 7 of the 14 recent arsons in Central Auckland. The man brought in for questioning, was not charged. He was not a suspect. There is a very limited police presence in the small hours, when more successful criminals are likely active.

New Zealand News - NZ - Pressure for undercover cops review

Undercover cops under pressure

When the police do their job properly, real criminals who leave trails of evidence are apprehended and taken out of society. That is a good thing insofar as the rest of us are concerned.

But when the Police fail to do their job we are jepordised by the results. Innocent people emerge from long jail sentences with something to prove and sometimes show how they were locked up on bad evidence.

It is disturbing and ugly for most citizens to learn that the police are not immune to expeditious behaviour, those wanting the glamour of a big arrest, or fearful under cover agents may lose track of the truth in order to get major league criminals behind bars giving defence council the perfect ammo to invalidate the months of work detecting evidence of criminal activity.

Lying gives the cops a bad name. Undercover workers are not immune to corruption. Defence lawyers are there to find the chinks in the armour. That they exist is logical enough. Those that work undercover are necessarily exposed to forces that corrupt. But when intelligence is wrong, and an undercover is installed with no possibility of genuine result injustice may be promoted as pressure to finalise the costs of such operations and lay charges builds.

the pot smoking argument

The Pot Smoke Argument

We posted a question on a community board "is smoking pot bad for you?". Here are some of the posts (fair use quotes, or our contributions only. For the full thread, join SmileCity - its still free).

" Moderate pot smoking never hurt anyone, I smoke it regularly, once a day or more sometimes. And it's never done me any harm. "

" (of uni students who smoke pot) ... they're honour students at uni getting almost perfect scores... so hey "

" anybody who argues that drugs are good for you is stupid and naieve (sic). NO drugs are good for you, get real! "

" ...passive smoking of it (friends used to be heavy users), use[d] to stop me breathing, and on two occasions rendered me totally unconscious... "

"...in reality a majority of them are just fulfilling their role in society and ask nothing of you, so ask nothing of them..."

" SMOKING POT IS NOT BAD FOR YOU "

" Those who enjoy drugs will defend then no matter what the destructive effects are. This is the way they perpetuate them selves and their plants. Wheat and corn in the the plant world have almost enslaved all the human race as well as many other animals. "

" Some people use plant magic to their advantage. Some people use other people to their advantage. I wonder if something as wide spread and popular as pot smoking should be controlled by those who seek to use others to their advantage (ie the criminal world) or if it should be taken out of their hands entirely? "

" Regulation is worse for those who go out of control or who react badly to pot or other drugs. What leads pot smokers to other drugs is the fact that their pot dealer is also deals crack or P. "