Open mike 05/11/2020

39 comments on “Open mike 05/11/2020 ”

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1. PsyclingLeft.Always 1

   5 November 2020 at 7:16 am

   "Climate change: US formally withdraws from Paris agreement"

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/429881/climate-change-us-formally-withdraws-from-paris-agreement

   Bad news. For Our Earth…. NZ step up !
   • Ad 1.1

     5 November 2020 at 7:27 am

     Any other country than NZ have a climate act anywhere near as comprehensive as ours?

     We are well stepped up.
     • PsyclingLeft.Always 1.1.1

       5 November 2020 at 6:17 pm

       Oh really…doesnt matter how "comprehensive"…the Climate Act needs ACTION.

       So Step Up NZ Govt. Show the World. You mean it.
2. Andre 2

   5 November 2020 at 7:48 am

   Getting people to force a cough might turn out to be a better screening tool for covid than temperature checking. (That's a low bar, temperature testing is just about useless for covid screening)

   https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/artificial-intelligence/medical-ai/ai-recognizes-covid-19-in-the-sound-of-a-cough
   • greywarshark 2.1

     5 November 2020 at 9:37 am

     That's run under an advertisement notice.

     In June, a team at the University of Oklahoma showed it was possible to distinguish a COVID-19 cough from coughs due to other infections, and now a paper out of MIT, using the largest cough dataset yet, identifies asymptomatic people with a remarkable 100 percent detection rate.

     I remember an old joke, 'It's not the cough that carries you off, It's the coffin they carry you off in.' Macabre and tasteless eh. Laughing in the face of death and mayhem is the only way to live these days, especially after the USA election and its aaaftermath.
     • mac1 2.1.1

       5 November 2020 at 12:30 pm

       Ahem! The advertisement refers to summat else.

       The article also confirmed my thought that covid-19 is no longer capable of having asymptomatic sufferers if there is a signature covid cough. They become symptomatic automatically………
       • greywarshark 2.1.1.1

         5 November 2020 at 12:47 pm

         Its certainly an interesting concept. Even in NZ where we have 0 cases in the community, we still can't be sure as the situation might have changed in a short time. So when I cough I wonder if I'm okay, is it a 'pollen' cough or what. If it can be tested then good.

         People in the UK must be at their wit's end. They might like to have something life this from the USA. Is the Uni of Oklahoma a good one? I see in the paper that our mental stress went up and the helping agency was much busier than usual. How much worse in the UK and they have Boris to put up with and the changes that Brexit will bring, and who will suffer most under them. I saw the other day that Farage is agitating to not have lockdowns. They are like lambs to the slaughter over there.
         • mac1 2.1.1.1.1

           5 November 2020 at 12:52 pm

           Certainly the shepherds are useless. A relative likened their leadership to the Fuhrer bunkered in Berlin waiting to be saved by the wonder weapons of vaccines and non-existent armies……
           • greywarshark 2.1.1.1.1.1

             5 November 2020 at 12:57 pm

             Yes you get drawn to examples like that as the times get more extreme.
   • Draco T Bastard 2.2

     5 November 2020 at 1:09 pm

     And could be done through a smart phone app.
3. Marcus Morris 3

   5 November 2020 at 8:19 am

   Headline in today's Herald;

   Mike Hosking: Two weeks in and new Govt is missing in action.

   Three more years, and hopefully more, of this twerps ravings.

   Good grief, Cabinet hasn't even been sworn in yet.

   Perhaps we should club together and offer him a one way ticket to Trump's America.
   • Peter 3.1

     5 November 2020 at 8:28 am

     A headline has it:

     "So where is the evidence of urgency from this new Government?

     Earlier on there was line on there about sitting around having teas and biscuits.

     I like how regularly that in the shallows of any intellectual and rationality paddle pool Hosking continually shows he is out of his depth.
     • greywarshark 3.1.1

       5 November 2020 at 9:40 am

       Wouldn't it be good if when the new govt is sworn in, Hoskings would be sworn out. We could help with that process for the good of the mental health of the country.
       • Marcus Morris 3.1.1.1

         5 November 2020 at 9:52 am

         Amen to that.
     • logie97 3.1.2

       5 November 2020 at 5:33 pm

       If you don't read The Herald or listen to Newstalk ZB, or TV3 in the morning, Hoskins, Garner, Richardson, Soper et al don't exist.

       Simple remedy really.

       (Stopped reading the Herald when it went behind the paywall.) In fact the list goes on, O'Sullivan, Young…) Haven't missed them at all.
       • woodart 3.1.2.1

         5 November 2020 at 7:08 pm

         totally agree logie97. morning tv, dorktalk radio and grainy harold dont feature in my world. the first two rely on shockjocks for clicks i.e. lowest form of life. harold wants to sell you biased bullshit, not a good business plan, would like to know how few are sucked into paying, harold wont say, so it must be embarrassing.
   • Draco T Bastard 3.2

     5 November 2020 at 1:10 pm

     As I say, outright lying such as this needs to come with an at least $1 million dollar fine for the publisher.
   • Tricledrown 3.3

     6 November 2020 at 2:37 pm

     The More Hoskings opens his narcissistic mouth the more right wingers turn to Labour .Trump like tactics have the opposite effect in NZ.

     Hooton has found out he is now up their with Boag constrictor despised even within the National Party.

     I say let him keep his job he is sabotaging the right with out realizing it,sycophantic narcissism does not go well in NZ.
4. Phillip ure 4

   5 November 2020 at 8:28 am

   Hysterical Trump supporter being interviewed on rnz..madder than a sack of ferrets..!…heh..!
   • RosieLee 4.1

     5 November 2020 at 9:19 am

     I am pretty cranky about RNZ being totally taken over by this farce. It's been all the same speculation and hot air repeated over and over. More heat than light. For goodness sake – can we just have the result and some rational, intelligent analysis when it happens.

     And we all know what repeated bursts of hot air are called.
     • greywarshark 4.1.1

       5 November 2020 at 9:48 am

       edit
       RadioNZ is focussed on the USA, been so for ages. All the new residents that have come to this country, they hardly hear anything about their areas, from our national radio. If it’s outside the 5 eyes and English speaking, then its Too Hard.

       And the USA has such lovely dramatic news about shootings, mass shootings, school shootings, street drug bust shootings, and protest shootings. Also a panorama of the winding back of modern societal culture to that similar to the late medieval period to the 1800’s.

       Also the USA is trying to buy us up, they've tied us up with egregious trade agreements that have resulted in a decimated local enterprise economy, and replaced some with funds for rocket launchings, and a planned robotic airplane etc. We can moan but the evil empire is siphoning money in and we have opened our gates and invited in anybody with money at top gate, and anyone who is trying to escape poverty or depredations from fighting of some sort through the bottom gate.
       • halfcrown 4.1.1.1

         5 November 2020 at 10:48 am

         Agree 200%
     • Forget now 4.1.2

       5 November 2020 at 11:50 am

       RNZ are still doing good work RosieLee (though I am more likely to listen to Concert, and even that is rare):

       “It lists more than a dozen investigative tech tools, including drones that can send live footage to patrols, a superfast system to spot suspects in CCTV feeds and a cellphone scourer with facial recognition capability.

       “The stocktake has been released under the Official Information Act. Police tried and failed at the last minute to have it deleted… The police released the stocktake to former RNZ reporter Mackenzie Smith, who had lodged the OIA.

       “They then asked him two days ago to delete it. He refused.”

       https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/429896/audit-reveals-new-tech-tools-in-police-s-digital-armoury
       • McFlock 4.1.2.1

         5 November 2020 at 1:59 pm

         Also love the way the cops were exploring everything and anything, except for deciding to stop looking into body cameras…
   • Treetop 4.2

     5 November 2020 at 1:22 pm

     Will be nothing compared to the epic meltdown from Trump.
   • aom 4.3

     5 November 2020 at 5:04 pm

     Love the description Phillip. Having heard the representative of Women for Trump in full cry, it is very apt.
5. halfcrown 5

   5 November 2020 at 10:27 am

   To me, this is the best day and night of the year. Guy Fawkes night

   Really looking forward to our lovely animals being petrified AGAIN. Fortunately, we have safe hiding places for them

   After tonight, we can look forward to weeks of every little creep letting fireworks off in the evening until they get bored and go and do some wheelies somewhere.

   Why are we are celebrating this medieval religious shit down here in NZ? I suspect very few people know the significance of Guy Fawkes and as Ardern is all for embracing all cultures, what about a bit of thought for our Catholic friends who despise this so-called celebration

   BAN THE BLOODY. SHIT. Hang on can't do that there's a dollar to be made.
   • greywarshark 5.1

     5 November 2020 at 11:04 am

     The fact that government can't bring themselves to ban private fireworks and private sales is an indication of how gutless they have become. Let them prove me wrong and I'll eat my chocolate fish. I'd love that. We would still have fireworks quite often every year at special venues.

     They are a health and safety obvious target. Do you know that you can't dry dishes in a public venue, with even a fresh and clean teatowel for fear of spreading bugs. They must be left to air-dry, the air being sterile of course! Hah. Yet you can burn, injure,hurt someone, some animal with fireworks – yet they are a weapon. They can start fires in vegetation, burn houses, cause fire crew call outs. Time to act Labour, you're the man (or woman) here – ACT will never ban loutish behaviour.

     I've wondered how poor refugees from war-torn countries feel about the very loud bangs that erupt throughout the year when the young males like to indulge themselves. Loud bangs are such fun, you never grow out of enjoying loud bangs! In fireworks place I suggest the old D-i-y method of blowing into a brown bag, twisting the top hard and bashing it. Very satisfactory.
     • tc 5.1.1

       5 November 2020 at 12:45 pm

       Agreed. Been banned in Oz for decades, grow a pair govt.

       The whining goes away, people move on. Leadership required.
       • greywarshark 5.1.1.1

         5 November 2020 at 12:49 pm

         What Oz banned it? That's one in the eye for us, a great big mud pie.
   • Gabby 5.2

     5 November 2020 at 12:03 pm

     Catholics tend to think, better luck next time.
6. greywarshark 6

   5 November 2020 at 12:38 pm

   I agree that there has to be some control over speech when broadcast in a public forum. How can anyone expect their opinion to be respected when such negative slang language is used as here. When thinking about how to deal with OTT speech that is on its way to hate speech, it would be helpful to have some examples of how flexible rules should be while still imposing strictures.

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/429901/veteran-nurse-who-complained-of-racism-it-exists-it-s-rampant
   The woman who blew the whistle on a New Plymouth nurse for making comments online about her Māori colleagues, including that they 'sit on their fat asses all day', were thieves, and lazy is urging others to be brave and speak out….

   After a two-day hearing in Taranaki, the case was closed, and the nurse received a penalty of suspension for two years and set conditions, including undertaking training in cultural competency, if she ever wants to work in the sector again.

   That person has denied that they are racist and that they were just telling it like it is considering the words were giving a factual account and I suppose claimed that it was fair comment. Learning restraint and consideration for others when speaking should be things that schools teach as part of anti-bullying programs. If parents are so rough in their ways that they can't pass on important human values to their children, schools will have to step up, as they have with breakfasts and lunches. There needs to be good food for the mind as well as the body.

   Further about the above case, an important point to note, is that such behaviours and attitudes are entrenched. How can this sort of bitchy put-down from females or males come to be definitely seen as mean behaviour by the perpetrator? This had happened before with this nurse, who was able to continue working when ordered to be suspended!

   ...The New Plymouth nurse was stood down for similar offences in 2018, but continued working against the rules of her suspension…
7. greywarshark 7

   5 November 2020 at 1:00 pm

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/429896/audit-reveals-new-tech-tools-in-police-s-digital-armoury
8. greywarshark 8

   5 November 2020 at 1:05 pm

   https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/429877/wall-street-frets-as-us-election-too-close-to-call

   The item says that US sharemarkets are fretting as they are wondering whether Trump will throw a spanner in the works.

   I was wondering if some business people there will consider the election being held for the people's choice of pollie as a nuisance and a restraint to trade as housing rentiers here blame people wanting a first house as a nuisance and a barrier to them conducting their regular business.
   • tc 8.1

     5 November 2020 at 2:19 pm

     Ahh no, markets priced in a biden win and months of gridlock till a stimulus in 2021.

     Rnz copy paste should dig deeper. Volatility is expected as normal as the dow isn’t the economy just a selected group of companies.
9. greywarshark 9

   5 November 2020 at 5:59 pm

   Eucalypts – this article seems to be extolling them. Yet what about fire resistant trees for the future? Eucs don't seem to fill the bill. I just noticed this and thought I'd put it here for possible future discussion when Trump is not dominating the scene.

   https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/eucalypts-trees-of-the-future/
   • RedLogix 9.1

     6 November 2020 at 7:16 am

     Eucalypts have an interesting history. Prior to humans arriving in Australia they were relatively uncommon, with a fairly limited range. However once people started using fire to clear the landscape, the eucalypt had a distinct evolutionary advantage and now totally dominants the continent.

     Indeed once they reach a certain density they completely suppress all competitors because they literally burn them out on a regular basis.
10. greywarshark 10

    5 November 2020 at 8:44 pm

    Here is an example of how the Brits did it Mr Biden – addressing the peeps. Perhaps you could use it and the anglo-lovers would be so bowled over that they would regard you as the best thing since sliced bacon and eggs.

    Peter Sellers with 'the' parliamentary speech:
11. swordfish 11

    6 November 2020 at 5:14 am

    .

    Final Vote Prediction (New Zealand … not the Failed State south of Canada):

    I'll almost certainly regret this … but my prediction (which is a little more Lab-friendly than most):

    –Lab: …… 50.4%

    –Nat: …… 25.2%

    –Green: … 8.0%

    –ACT: ……. 7.9%

    –NZF: ……. 2.5%

    –Other: …. 6.0%

    –

    Meanwhile, my Cannabis Referendum prediction is a little more conservative than most … I suspect the swing towards Yes from the Specials will be milder than many are predicting … but could well fall flat on my face (as with the Party-Vote prediction above … still, nil desperandum … in for a penny in for a pound … damn those freaking torpedoes):

    Cannabis Referendum

    (excluding Informals)

    NO: 52.6%

    YES: 47.4%

    (including Informals)

    NO: 52.2%

    YES: 47.0%

    Informal: 0.8%
    .

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