Chris Martenson has named this the Honey Badger Virus (because nothing can stop the spread of this thing). In another video Dr John Campbell (UK) says he believes he will get this virus at some time and is hoping it is the weaker strain.
Posting because some of the official information coming through is behind by several weeks and I’m hopeful that if more people get quality information it will get officials in charge of giving advice to check where their sources (WHO/CDC) are getting info before disseminating it.
This could have been avoided if WHO “let’s not call anything a pandemic” hadn’t prioritised the world economy over public health back in January 23rd.
I predict that as unbelievable as it is that if NZ doesn’t act more aggressively (more flight bans, better advice) we will see shutdowns/quarantines here.
I have been following Chris Martenson since the end of January and have been really impressed by his daily reporting of coronavirus.
His video on the 22nd February showed Italy to have 4 cases. They have nearly 4000 now. Their schools and universities are closed and the country looks like it is going into lockdown.
We have 300 cases of TB each year, and each year the disease kills 1.5 million people throughout the world. That might surprise you given the lack of media attention about TB. As the song says, don’t believe the hype.
“In 2018, an estimated 10 million people fell ill with tuberculosis(TB) worldwide. 5.7 million men, 3.2 million women and 1.1 million children. There were cases in all countries and age groups…TB is spread from person to person through the air.”
There’s been about 100,000 cases of coronavirus which represents 1% of cases of TB. Another way of looking at it is, since January 1, 2020, more people have become millionaires by winning Lotto than have been hit by the virus in NZ. It might help to put you at ease. 🙂
We thought we had reached an understanding with you but I cannot see any change or improvement in your commenting behaviour. If you continue down this track, you will be banned for at least this election year.
The other e-mail address is now in the Blacklist, permanently, which means that each time you’re using it your comment will not appear at all and go straight to Trash from which it cannot be retrieved.
Consider this your final warning and please don’t attempt to come back with excuses or what have you; just change your behaviour, thanks – Incognito]
I have no idea what you are talking about. You said to take my comments to OM which I’ve done. If there is something egregious about the facts I’ve mentioned, you are welcome to say so.
And I use the same email address and have only one that I use. If you don’t agree, you can email me privately.
[I don’t care if you use one e-mail address only but cannot type it correctly on a consistent basis; they come from the same IP address so unless there are more than one Ross in your household using the same IP address it is you in both cases. As I said, that mistyped e-mail address is now Blacklisted, forever.
I do care about you making work for Moderators. You ignore all warnings and plead ignorance (i.e. stupidity; follow the links in my previous Moderation note to you) despite all the work Moderators put into you so that you can keep your commenting privilege here. Again, you dig in and put the onus back on me to e-mail you, despite being warned. Weka and I have already explained to you previously that the onus is on you to change your behaviour.
Banned for a month for ignoring Moderation, digging in, and making more work for Moderators. Next ban will be take you out till well after the elections – Incognito]
It's not a matter of whether someone 'agrees' you have typed your email address wrong – the blog software reads them as different, so it gives them different icons that make it look like more than one of you is commenting. Computers are not very smart.
@ Incognito We (the RNZN) were looking at the option of operating a submarine fleet in the 1980's. I was involved in the working out the operational costs from the perspective of the training of officers and the manpower requirements. In some respects significantly cheaper than the operational expense of 3 new frigates.
TB is also preventable as well as curable. Also thousands of people won't get it all at once. Also the novel virus doesn't exist outside the human body so if we can stop it's spread we can stop it forever.
The cure rate is not 100% and resistance to treatment is a growing problem. Treatment is not straightforward. Please educate yourself before commenting on TB, thanks.
Also the novel virus doesn't exist outside the human body so if we can stop it's spread we can stop it forever.
This is misleading too. The virus can persist and survive outside the body and remain infectious (virulent) for quite some time, depending on environmental factors. However, contaminated surfaces cannot cough or sneeze, which is why hand hygiene is so important, critical, in fact. In addition, stop touching your face. These are simple cheap (!) easy-to-follow and highly effective measures that don’t involve Draconian measures by the State as suggested by a few other commenters here
Incognito – fair enough regarding TB (but at least there IS a treatment and a vaccine) and true regarding it can exist outside the body on surfaces (but probably no more than a few days at most according to what I have heard – sorry can't recall where – either a RNZ interview or Dr John Campbell probably).
It is true I don't know much about TB and I am grateful to live in a country and a time where it is rare (my dad had it as a young man and my mother's oldest sister was killed by it at age 18).
You are not understanding the exponential nature of this virus.
The system will be overwhelmed with frightening speed – heck, I just saw a news item saying NZ's hospital system is already at breaking point WE HAVE 5 CONFIRMED CASES!!!
To understand just how brutal this will be for our health system check out this thread that focuses on the US but exponential case explosion is the same anywhere. And pray(!)
I imagine a lot of people are talking about the virus today.
Next time I’ll look at another country’s data.
[Ed, please don’t revert to your old bad habits of spamming the site with the same stuff over and over again, thanks. Moderator patience and time are wearing thin in election year so we will be weeding out ‘noise’ and other time-wasters – Incognito]
[Ed, this is another of your bad habits: posting links without any description/commentary from you and any good reason why we should click/watch/read them. You’re taking up bandwidth and attracting Moderator attention, which are not smart actions. If you keep this up, you’ll be put back in the Blacklist without a moment’s hesitation – Incognito]
Ed, thanks for the link, will have a listen later.
Due to the massive ammount of scaremongering via social media, a friends daughter (in her early 20's), had a misinformation fuelled anxeity attack when her mum had to fly up north yesterday. I'm talking a don't fly or you may die misinformation melt down, her mum was only flying from one regional airport to another. The daughter isn't even a germaphobic, I felt so sorry for them both, ended up in a major argument.
That toxicity has real negative effects. It's why it appears unlikely Warren will endorse Sanders, quite apart from the pragmatic consideration that a President Sanders would very unlikely to actually achieve any progressive gains, whereas a President Biden might actually get through a few small stumbling baby steps of progress.
If any candidate was "toxic" I would have said it was Joe Biden. However it depends on what one means by that word. It is all too easy to apply labels like "toxic" which reflect only one's own particular bias.
Biden has been completely useless in the primary debates. His eloquence is diametrically opposed to Obama's. But then this is the nation that elected Reagan (twice) and Trump and…..
the publication of phone numbers and home addresses belonging to two women who worked for the Nevada Culinary Union after it produced a fact sheet critical of Sanders’s health care plan.
totes not objectively toxic /sarc
And there are other examples in the vox article that you failed to address when you simply took issue with a description while ignoring the basis behind it. But I guess you don't need to refer to source documents when you have so much faith in your cause. hmmm.
Fortunately it appears some leaders like AOC and Bernie himself have taken on board lessons from 2016 and are already talking up the importance of unity around whoever becomes the nominee.
Anybody who prioritises their hurt feelings about snake emojis on the internet above trying to prevent people dying from not having healthcare – what shall we say – has a 'problem'.
Contrast this (frankly) silly whining from Warren with the dignified and respectful words from Sanders when she announced she was pulling out.
Toxic behaviour on the internet is just a commonplace. Calling Sanders supporters a 'çult' as you just did, is also a minor example of it.
As well as sifting facts and trying to counter misinformation, Bloomfield will be negotiating with district health boards, who retain autonomy even in a crisis scenario. Bloomfield has himself said that people often tell him to send letters to DHBs demanding action. He has to explain that's not how the health system is set up.
"In an emergency situation the public health person's dream is to have complete command and control, because things are a lot easier," [former MoH boss during the SARS outbreak, Colin] Tukuitonga says. "But that's not how it is. So it's a process of negotiation."
After taking the job – and after attending a leadership programme at Oxford University – Bloomfield said he subscribed to a "convene and collaborate" and "ensuring direction not giving direction" model of leadership, rather than command and control.
Sounds like just the right man for the job. We're lucky to have him. But he's got an uphill task countering the scare-mongerers and those who are ideologically opposed simply because he holds a top government position within the Health portfolio.
the MOH stuffed up on measles, with the pacifica,and they failed to understand the risks with coronavirus when it was signaled early ( by experts on complex systems theory,and risk analysis).
I take it he/she is claiming that the MOH was responsible for the out-break of measles in Samoa. I thought it was the fault of the mad anti-vaxxers who convinced vulnerable people not to vaccinate their children.
It was a screw up from NZ in general, too. We should have realised the possibility of exporting cases to the Pacific.
But a NZ administrator fucked Western Samoa for the 1918/19 influenza pandemic, too. Fucked them badly, killing 20% of the population compared to American Samoa's zero fatality number from effective quarantine efforts. So we're complete shit at not infecting our smaller neighbours, and we really need to improve that.
The United States of America has a relatively very small population compared with such great nations as China, India, Europe or even Asia.
It almost boasts a devastating and Non Democratic Health system. And dabbles around with a confused torturous unveiling of endless ballots and delegates which manipulate Elections. 327 Millions of people.
I cannot see much point in worrying about Mr and Mrs Dysneyland. They are happy in their Fantasy World ooing and aarring over the great puffy mushroom known as Donald Trump.
They have just about the lowest wages of any decent OECD country on earth. And they have no intention of ripping the Money Money Money out of the putrid Wealthy Stinky Pot that is called America.
Do you realise you are comparing the popn of a country to regions of many countries. The USA vs Europe or Asia is not equivalent. Maybe the comparison of Nth / Sth America to Europe or Asia would be a better comparison.
An excellent article by Rob Urie in which he links the plague of neoliberalism with the plague of coronavirus. As he writes, this offers an opportunity to look at the way we treat each other.
40 years of neoliberalism has reorganised the political economy so that many are economically marginalised. This means workers will have little choice but to spread the virus, as they have no money and little paid time off.
The mortality rate and contagion factor recently reported for Coronavirus (links at top) place it above the modern benchmark of the Spanish Flu of 1918 in terms of potential lethality. What should make people angry is how the reconfiguration of political economy intended to make a few people really rich has put the rest of us at increased risk. These are real people’s lives and they matter.
I dislike Simon Bridges enormously and fear for our country if he becomes PM.
I have a very low opinion of him, but was utterly disgusted to see how low he would sink when he was criticising the govts response and mentioned hand washing. I fear there are many (possibly more likely men) who will pick up on this message and scoff at the idea of washing your hands properly. Bridges is despicable.
I have read today which I now cannot locate for love nor money – the best idea to come out for helping to combat this pesky virus.
A doctor in Wellington is going to suggest to the Ministry of Health that we set up at various regions around the country drive-in clinics specifically for people presenting with coughs, sniffles etc. To use small vacant car parks and set up pop up containers or similar and staff it with a doctor and nurse of a young age because they are less vulnerable to getting very sick. There they can be treated and advised what to do. That way these sick people have no need to get out of their car and can be advised to go straight home and isolate until they can determine if they are negative etc.
This way they are freeing up doctors' surgeries where there are lots of people usually in waiting rooms. Apparently after an infected person has left the surgery they then have to sanitize the waiting room etc which is time wasting and leaving healthy people at risk including the doctors, nurses and patients.
It seems a really sensible idea. Too many people are ignoring advice given frequently to stay away from the doctors and medical centres and presenting there at great concern for everybody. Apparently I read a couple of other countries have already set this kind of drive in clinic up and it has been successful. It remains to be seen if our authorities will follow and set up clinics like this in localities all over NZ so people can do their bit to keep this virus under some sort of control.
Check out page numbered 129 (on the page, note the pdf pagination) of the NZ Influenza Pandemic Plan: what you describe sounds like "Community-based assessment centres". Main difference is that they're using community halls and suchlike rather than drive-through (you can't Xray a driver for pneumonia even if you have a portable machine).
It is a consideration in the "stamp it out" phase (which we are mostly in at the moment), so we might start seeing them if we get a cluster outside of imported cases.
They'll really kick in if/when it becomes observably established in the community.
That inspires a lot of confidence that our services of state will be on to things and bring the country through this. It should be required reading for everyone.
Also interesting to see how the early phases of the process are rolling out now, and if my partner's doctor visit on Friday is any indication, we could be past the early stages already.
The situation at the doctor was probably more late summer colds and panic showing through.
While it's still at the "stamp it out" phase, the rest of the plan is about slowing the course of the disease and lessening its extent. It's like the difference between a tsunami and a high tide with associated flooding. One overwhelms everything at the same time, the other gives services time to respond to events on the ground a bit more effectively.
The situation at the doctor was probably more late summer colds and panic showing through.
It was a walkin clinic in Queenstown, triage nurse on reception, normally just reception, partner went in with suspected UTI (has history) and triage just pulled antibiotics out of the drawer, get out of here. Normally consultation and sample test.
Don't understand how we don't have it here after CNY and all the Americans around from most of the outbreak states. Pretty much all blissfully unaware of what's happening.
the advice I saw circulated early on was telling people if they suspected they had CV to go to a doctor. We're really not very good at this yet, but getting better.
'A stiff cross-breeze in winter never did me any harm and it ensured the walls were always mould-free when the guvnor came round to run the white glove along the mantel and inspect the nippers.'
if you want me to take your comments seriously I suggest don’t start them by having a go at me. I’m not going to read a really long comment from someone who engages like that.
As already mentioned, there’s a general rule here of not telling authors what to do.
Chuckle chuckle. I won't watch the clip. I don't want to see some religious leader saying something like, "And if you die or get very ill it must be God's will, God's great plan for you."
Days after a legislator in Assam claimed cow-dung could cure coronavirus, another in Uttarakhand has said that ancient Hindu rituals and cow urine can kill the virus in the “air and within the body”.
Sanjay Gupta, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Laksar area in Haridwar, made the comments on Friday while speaking to reporters in Gairsain of Chamoli district where the budget session is underway.
He was talking about the steps that should be taken to curb the spread of the deadly virus, which has killed thousands of people and infected more across the world.
Yeah, and you can imagine how he's going to respond to the big numbers when they come in:
It's good news folks. I can tell you that. It's good news. We have 330 million people and only 500,000 have caught this bug thing called coronary virus or whatever its called. We have some wonderful experts, perfect experts, who say it might go up to one million by the end of the week and 5 million after that but we're prepared. Nowhere else in the world is as well prepared as the United States. We're the best. 🙄
"DairyNZ grossly overstated the potential negative impacts of the reforms on the sector and on the wider New Zealand economy, when its own modelling shows the opposite. In our opinion DairyNZ is trying to avoid having to meet mandatory freshwater limits and is instead seeking to substitute what it euphemistically calls “good management practice” which is not going to cut the mustard."
All wrong the person who guided the World through the global financial crisis was Barack.
Wide ball.????.
Australia needs to invest more time and money into protecting their wildlife.
In Aotearoa we have to preserve our wildlife environment waste of time trying to kill the vermin next minute our wildlife is losing their whare to human developments.
The droughts will be hitting dry stock farms hard especially if they don't recirculation water and troughs system in place there stock will die of dehydration as they can not sell them because of the virus.
If all or half of the computer based mahi is based at home there carbon footprint will be lower drastically and the world’s carbon footprint will be lowered.
It has been great that new roads have been planted in native trees. But we need to plant more native trees were ever they can be planted to feed our native wildlife.
There you go our government is handling this situation quite well.
Some people like a Bull market more money to be made the big players that is.
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Three opinion polls have been released in the last two days, all showing that the new government is failing to hold their popular support. The usual honeymoon experienced during the first year of a first term government is entirely absent. The political mood is still gloomy and discontented, mainly due ...
National's Finance Minister once met a poor person.A scornful interview with National's finance guru who knows next to nothing about economics or people.There might have been something a bit familiar if that was the headline I’d gone with today. It would of course have been in tribute to the article ...
Rob MacCulloch writes – Throughout the pandemic, the new Vice-Chancellor-of-Otago-University-on-$629,000 per annum-Can-you-believe-it-and-Former-Finance-Minister Grant Robertson repeated the mantra over and over that he saved “lives and livelihoods”.As we update how this claim is faring over the course of time, the facts are increasingly speaking differently. NZ ...
Chris Trotter writes – IT’S A COMMONPLACE of political speeches, especially those delivered in acknowledgement of electoral victory: “We’ll govern for all New Zealanders.” On the face of it, the pledge is a strange one. Why would any political leader govern in ways that advantaged the huge ...
Bryce Edwards writes – The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 10:06am on Wednesday, May 1:The Lead: Business confidence fell across the board in April, falling in some areas to levels last seen during the lockdowns because of a collapse in ...
Over the past 36 hours, Christopher Luxon has been dong his best to portray the centre-right’s plummeting poll numbers as a mark of virtue. Allegedly, the negative verdicts are the result of hard economic times, and of a government bravely set out on a perilous rescue mission from which not ...
Auckland Transport have started rolling out new HOP card readers around the network and over the next three months, all of them on buses, at train stations and ferry wharves will be replaced. The change itself is not that remarkable, with the new readers looking similar to what is already ...
Completed reads for April: The Difference Engine, by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling Carnival of Saints, by George Herman The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo Emlyn’s Moon, by Jenny Nimmo The Chestnut Soldier, by Jenny Nimmo Death Comes As the End, by Agatha Christie Lord of the Flies, by ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Have a story to share about St Paul’s, but today just picturesPopular novels written at this desk by a young man who managed to bootstrap himself out of father’s imprisonment and his own young life in a workhouse Read more ...
The list of former National Party Ministers being given plum and important roles got longer this week with the appointment of former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as the chair of Pharmac. The Christopher Luxon-led Government has now made key appointments to Bill English, Simon Bridges, Steven Joyce, Roger Sowry, ...
Newsroom has a story today about National's (fortunately failed) effort to disestablish the newly-created Inspector-General of Defence. The creation of this agency was the key recommendation of the Inquiry into Operation Burnham, and a vital means of restoring credibility and social licence to an agency which had been caught lying ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
The new NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) App is a secure ‘one stop shop’ to provide the services drivers need, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins say. “The NZTA App will enable an easier way for Kiwis to pay for Vehicle Registration and Road User Charges (RUC). ...
Whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing starting this week, says Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. “Giving these whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing ...
Racing Minister Winston Peters has paid tribute to an icon of the industry with the recent passing of Dave O’Sullivan (OBE). “Our sympathies are with the O’Sullivan family with the sad news of Dave O’Sullivan’s recent passing,” Mr Peters says. “His contribution to racing, initially as a jockey and then ...
Assalaamu alaikum, greetings to you all. Eid Mubarak, everyone! I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and everyone celebrating this joyous occasion. It is a pleasure to be here. I have enjoyed Eid celebrations at Parliament before, but this is my first time joining you as the Minister ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced Pharmac’s largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, fixing a $1.774 billion fiscal cliff. “Access to medicines is a crucial part of many Kiwis’ lives. We’ve committed to a budget allocation of $1.774 billion over four years so Kiwis are ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, an 18-year-old who’s studying and working in hospo shares their approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here.Gender: Transmasc Age: 18 Ethnicity: Pākehā/Māori Role: Student, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yen Ying Lim, Associate Professor, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio Dementia is often described as “the long goodbye”. Although the person is still alive, dementia slowly and irreversibly chips away at their memories and the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Bush, Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne Adam Calaitzis/Shutterstock I met with a friend for a walk beside Merri Creek, in inner Melbourne. She had lived in the area for a few years, and as we walked ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Throsby, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Macquarie University Arts companies and individual artists in Australia are supported by government arts agencies, philanthropists, industry bodies, private donors and patrons. However, it is frequently overlooked that a major source of support for the arts ...
Harm Reduction Coalition Aotearoa, a new incorporated society dedicated to ending harmful drug policies, officially launched today, seeks a new fit-for-purpose drug law for Aotearoa New Zealand, rooted in science, experience and evidence. ...
The Corrections Minister admits he "muddied the water" after he and the Prime Minister repeatedly provided incorrect information about a $1.9 billion prison spend-up. ...
It took a post-post-cabinet statement to confirm that 810 new beds will be built at Waikeria, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...
Lili Tokaduadua was only 15 when she left her family in Fiji to pursue her netball dream in New Zealand. She’d been playing the sport for 10 years and was offered a netball scholarship at Auckland’s Howick College. Now, in her first year out of high school, the 19-year-old defender ...
The beloved local grocers lost a legal challenge to stop a new cycleway outside their store. Joel MacManus reports. In the annals of New Zealand legal history, there are a few brave people who have dared to stand up to the powers that be, no matter how bleak the odds ...
How what we produce and what we eat connects us to the world beyond our shores, visualised. Walking around a supermarket or vege shop, it might be obvious that everything on the shelves came from somewhere. But you might ...
Professor Jemma Geoghegan, of the University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka, co-leads a Te Niwha project aimed at understanding how and where avian influenza could affect Aotearoa New Zealand, as the highly infectious H5N1 virus spreads globally. The virus has now spread to all continents except Oceania and was recently ...
Thirty years on from Rwanda’s genocide, is guilt over the atrocities is blinding the world to the true nature of its current leadership? The post The repressive underside of Rwanda’s regime appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Opinion: Last week, important recommendations for our criminal justice system were made by the international community. Every five years, each member of the United Nations has its human rights practices reviewed. This rolling event – the Universal Periodic Review – is the culmination of a government reporting on its human ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza – H5N1, or bird flu – has been flying around the world since the late 1990s. New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands are so far free of it, but now it’s been discovered in mainland Antarctica and scientists say it’s only a matter of time ...
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The following interview with auto electrician and former caver Stu Berendt, 68, of Charleston on the West Coast, came about because he was part of the caving team that found the rare and amazing fossil remains of the giant Haast eagle, the subject of one of the year’s best books, ...
A $1.8b funding boost for Pharmac still won’t enable it to buy more drugs, raising questions about the Government’s approach to the agency The post Can Pharmac do more with the same pot of money? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eric Stokan, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore County If you live in one of the most economically deprived neighborhoods in your city, you might think the government is directing a smaller share of public funds to your community. ...
Wansolwara The news media’s crucial role in climate change and environment journalism was the focus of The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme 2024 World Press Freedom Day celebrations. The European Union Ambassador to the Pacific, Barbara Plinkert, and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna were the chief ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Adams, Professor of Corporate Law & Academic Director of UNE Sydney campus, University of New England Last August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) launched legal proceedings against Qantas. The consumer watchdog accused the airline of selling thousands of tickets ...
This episode of A View From Afar was recorded LIVE on May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, May 5, 2024 at 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Taylor, Assistant Professor, Bond University Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures At the crux of the critical response to Luca Guadagnino’s new movie Challengers is one word: “sexy”. The film charts a love triangle between three up-and-coming tennis players: Tashi (Zendaya), ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jenny Stewart, Professor of Public Policy, ADFA Canberra, UNSW Sydney For years, First Nations people have been telling governments they want to be listened to. In particular, they want more ownership of the programs and services that are supposed to help them. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Why do trees have bark? Julien, age 6, Melbourne. This is a great question, Julien. We are so familiar with bark on trees, that most of us ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Nasser, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee. It runs from the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia) and helps stabilise ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne I covered the May 2 United Kingdom local government elections for The Poll Bludger. The Blackpool South parliamentary byelection was also held, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deanna Grant-Smith, Professor of Management, University of the Sunshine Coast The federal government has announced a “Commonwealth Prac Payment” to support selected groups of students doing mandatory work placements. Those who are studying to be a teacher, nurse, midwife or social ...
We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+. If you love a dark comedy: Bodkin (Netflix, May 9)An English podcaster, an Irish podcaster and American podcaster walk into a pub and…make a TV show? ...
By Eleisha Foon, RNZ Pacific senior journalist A Pacific regionalism academic has called out New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters for withholding information from the public on AUKUS and says the security deal “raises serious questions for the Pacific region”. Auckland University of Technology academic Dr Marco de Jong ...
How worried should we be about the cloud? This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. I currently have a few thousand unread emails languishing in my inbox, mostly old marketing newsletters and piles of unread science journal press releases. I have a similar number ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nuurrianti Jalli, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies College of Arts and Sciences Department of Languages, Literature, and Communication Studies, Northern State University Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Southeast Asian governments not only have to deal with the virus but also with the false ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Murakami Wood, Professor of Critical Surveillance and Securities Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa The skyline of Riyadh, the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.(Shutterstock) There is a long history of planned city building by both governments ...
The LIVE Recording of A View from Afar podcast will begin today at 12:45pm May 6, 2024 (NZST) which is Sunday evening, 8:30pm (USEST). In an analytical essay titled ‘A moment of friction’ political scientist Dr Paul Buchanan wrote how we are living within a decisive moment of ...
The Boil Up’s Lucinda Bennett considers the oyster – from freshness to pearls to the joy of shucking your own. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. In Carmen Maria Machado’s short story ‘Eight Bites’, a woman begins her last supper before bariatric surgery with “a cavalcade ...
Asia Pacific Report A group of 65 Auckland University academics have written an open letter to vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater criticising the institution’s stance over students protesting in solidarity with Palestine. They have called on her administration to “support” the students who were denied permission to establish an “overnight encampment” by ...
The Student Volunteer Army is on the march, generating approximately 1.6 million hours of volunteering from roughly 35,000 secondary school students in just five years. For Rebekah Brown, the pathway to volunteering started with her singing coach. With a passion for the arts, the suggestion to volunteer at Acting Antics, ...
Keeping up with online communication can be exhausting, so Fran Barclay enlisted the help of Meta’s new ‘intelligent assistant’ to respond to all her messages. Could her mates tell the difference? For centuries, technology has ruled the ways in which we communicate. From the dawn of written language, to the ...
Jamie Arbuckle, a councillor who has become an member of parliament, says he has settled into having two roles so comfortably he's going to keep both pay cheques. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong Fifty years ago, Australian feminist Anne Summers denounced “the ideology of sexism” governing over so many women’s lives. Unfortunately, sexism is as lethal today as it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology Getty Images The COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid work patterns it fostered have changed the way we think about office space, and central business districts in general. While fears ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dale Boccabella, Associate Professor of Taxation Law, UNSW Sydney There’s a good reason your local volunteer-run netball club doesn’t pay tax. In Australia, various nonprofit organisations are exempt from paying income tax, including those that do charitable work, such as churches. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marina Deller, Casual Academic, Creative Writing and English Literature, Flinders University NetflixComedy is opening up spaces for silences to be broken and trauma stories to be told. In 2018, Hannah Gadsby started a revolution with Nanette, asking audiences to rethink ...
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Chris Martenson has named this the Honey Badger Virus (because nothing can stop the spread of this thing). In another video Dr John Campbell (UK) says he believes he will get this virus at some time and is hoping it is the weaker strain.
Posting because some of the official information coming through is behind by several weeks and I’m hopeful that if more people get quality information it will get officials in charge of giving advice to check where their sources (WHO/CDC) are getting info before disseminating it.
This could have been avoided if WHO “let’s not call anything a pandemic” hadn’t prioritised the world economy over public health back in January 23rd.
I predict that as unbelievable as it is that if NZ doesn’t act more aggressively (more flight bans, better advice) we will see shutdowns/quarantines here.
Thank you for sharing A.
I have been following Chris Martenson since the end of January and have been really impressed by his daily reporting of coronavirus.
His video on the 22nd February showed Italy to have 4 cases. They have nearly 4000 now. Their schools and universities are closed and the country looks like it is going into lockdown.
Yesterday we had 4 cases.
Will we be in lockdown in 2 weeks?
I wonder what the Ministry of Health is planning.
Ed
We have 300 cases of TB each year, and each year the disease kills 1.5 million people throughout the world. That might surprise you given the lack of media attention about TB. As the song says, don’t believe the hype.
Have you watched either Chris Martenson or Dr John Campbell ?
Have you read the WHO report on TB?
“In 2018, an estimated 10 million people fell ill with tuberculosis(TB) worldwide. 5.7 million men, 3.2 million women and 1.1 million children. There were cases in all countries and age groups…TB is spread from person to person through the air.”
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tuberculosis
No I have not read the WHO report on TB.
However, I came to this thread to discuss coronavirus, so for the time being I won't get waylaid by your desire to talk about TB.
There’s been about 100,000 cases of coronavirus which represents 1% of cases of TB. Another way of looking at it is, since January 1, 2020, more people have become millionaires by winning Lotto than have been hit by the virus in NZ. It might help to put you at ease. 🙂
[Ross, again you’re making more work for Moderators. To you, it may seem an innocent minor typo in the e-mail address. To the system and the readership of TS, you look like another user, which is unnecessarily confusing, hampers the flow, and decreases good faith here. This has been mentioned to you before (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-17-10-2019/#comment-1661862 and https://thestandard.org.nz/the-herald-creates-a-panic-and-trump-things-coronavirus-is-a-hoax/#comment-1688549).
You have also been warned before about derailing and you have used TB before to detract (https://thestandard.org.nz/the-herald-creates-a-panic-and-trump-things-coronavirus-is-a-hoax/#comment-1688553), which is another form of your idiosyncratic ‘nay-saying’, which you have also been warned about before (https://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-29-02-2020/#comment-1688282).
We thought we had reached an understanding with you but I cannot see any change or improvement in your commenting behaviour. If you continue down this track, you will be banned for at least this election year.
The other e-mail address is now in the Blacklist, permanently, which means that each time you’re using it your comment will not appear at all and go straight to Trash from which it cannot be retrieved.
Consider this your final warning and please don’t attempt to come back with excuses or what have you; just change your behaviour, thanks – Incognito]
(Ross, you have used that other email address spelling again – note different logo next to your name.)
See my Moderation note @ 8:35 AM.
We thought we had reached an understanding
I have no idea what you are talking about. You said to take my comments to OM which I’ve done. If there is something egregious about the facts I’ve mentioned, you are welcome to say so.
And I use the same email address and have only one that I use. If you don’t agree, you can email me privately.
[I don’t care if you use one e-mail address only but cannot type it correctly on a consistent basis; they come from the same IP address so unless there are more than one Ross in your household using the same IP address it is you in both cases. As I said, that mistyped e-mail address is now Blacklisted, forever.
I do care about you making work for Moderators. You ignore all warnings and plead ignorance (i.e. stupidity; follow the links in my previous Moderation note to you) despite all the work Moderators put into you so that you can keep your commenting privilege here. Again, you dig in and put the onus back on me to e-mail you, despite being warned. Weka and I have already explained to you previously that the onus is on you to change your behaviour.
Banned for a month for ignoring Moderation, digging in, and making more work for Moderators. Next ban will be take you out till well after the elections – Incognito]
It's not a matter of whether someone 'agrees' you have typed your email address wrong – the blog software reads them as different, so it gives them different icons that make it look like more than one of you is commenting. Computers are not very smart.
See my Moderation note @ 11:30 AM.
Thank you Ed. Likewise I do not want to hear from the odious neoliberal Who.
Great to hear from you maui. You point about WHO nailed it.
Have missed the opportunity to discuss world and local issues with such an informed an insightful person.
Right EO, don’t wash your hands then but call in the Army
Feel free to pack your parachute 5 mins before you go up Incognito. But I think I'll be safer in the RNZAF Hercules.
I’d prefer a yellow submarine of the RNZN.
@ Incognito We (the RNZN) were looking at the option of operating a submarine fleet in the 1980's. I was involved in the working out the operational costs from the perspective of the training of officers and the manpower requirements. In some respects significantly cheaper than the operational expense of 3 new frigates.
But no yellow submarines – they are all black.
I’m ok with black although I’d prefer yellow (once inside you can’t see the outside colour).
A KEY difference is that TB has a treatment.
TB is also preventable as well as curable. Also thousands of people won't get it all at once. Also the novel virus doesn't exist outside the human body so if we can stop it's spread we can stop it forever.
Yes.
The cure rate is not 100% and resistance to treatment is a growing problem. Treatment is not straightforward. Please educate yourself before commenting on TB, thanks.
This is misleading too. The virus can persist and survive outside the body and remain infectious (virulent) for quite some time, depending on environmental factors. However, contaminated surfaces cannot cough or sneeze, which is why hand hygiene is so important, critical, in fact. In addition, stop touching your face. These are simple cheap (!) easy-to-follow and highly effective measures that don’t involve Draconian measures by the State as suggested by a few other commenters here
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331305/WHO-2019-NcOV-IPC_WASH-2020.1-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y [Section 1.2]
Incognito – fair enough regarding TB (but at least there IS a treatment and a vaccine) and true regarding it can exist outside the body on surfaces (but probably no more than a few days at most according to what I have heard – sorry can't recall where – either a RNZ interview or Dr John Campbell probably).
It is true I don't know much about TB and I am grateful to live in a country and a time where it is rare (my dad had it as a young man and my mother's oldest sister was killed by it at age 18).
You are not understanding the exponential nature of this virus.
The system will be overwhelmed with frightening speed – heck, I just saw a news item saying NZ's hospital system is already at breaking point WE HAVE 5 CONFIRMED CASES!!!
To understand just how brutal this will be for our health system check out this thread that focuses on the US but exponential case explosion is the same anywhere. And pray(!)
https://mobile.twitter.com/LizSpecht/status/1236095180459003909
Ed, you said exactly the same yesterday. I hope you are not planning on daily repeats regardless of what anyone replies.
I was responding to A’s link.
I imagine a lot of people are talking about the virus today.
Next time I’ll look at another country’s data.
[Ed, please don’t revert to your old bad habits of spamming the site with the same stuff over and over again, thanks. Moderator patience and time are wearing thin in election year so we will be weeding out ‘noise’ and other time-wasters – Incognito]
See my Moderation note @ 9:14 AM.
Point taken.
Thank you.
Here is Dr John Campbell’s most recent report.
Friday 6th March
[Ed, this is another of your bad habits: posting links without any description/commentary from you and any good reason why we should click/watch/read them. You’re taking up bandwidth and attracting Moderator attention, which are not smart actions. If you keep this up, you’ll be put back in the Blacklist without a moment’s hesitation – Incognito]
Ed, thanks for the link, will have a listen later.
Due to the massive ammount of scaremongering via social media, a friends daughter (in her early 20's), had a misinformation fuelled anxeity attack when her mum had to fly up north yesterday. I'm talking a don't fly or you may die misinformation melt down, her mum was only flying from one regional airport to another. The daughter isn't even a germaphobic, I felt so sorry for them both, ended up in a major argument.
See my Moderation note @ 9:08 AM.
Thank you for the advice.
If I link to an article or video, I shall explain its content so people can make an informed decision about it.
Sanders, his toxic online supporters, and how they add up to alienate those not in his cult:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/6/21167830/elizabeth-warren-bernie-sanders-rachel-maddow-bernie-bros
That toxicity has real negative effects. It's why it appears unlikely Warren will endorse Sanders, quite apart from the pragmatic consideration that a President Sanders would very unlikely to actually achieve any progressive gains, whereas a President Biden might actually get through a few small stumbling baby steps of progress.
If any candidate was "toxic" I would have said it was Joe Biden. However it depends on what one means by that word. It is all too easy to apply labels like "toxic" which reflect only one's own particular bias.
The same considerations apply to the word “cult”.
Agreed Mikesh.
Biden has been completely useless in the primary debates. His eloquence is diametrically opposed to Obama's. But then this is the nation that elected Reagan (twice) and Trump and…..
The comment was about certain blocs of supporters, not the candidates themselves.
Calling his supporters "toxic" would seem to be an even worse faux pas. However, Andre has applied the word "cult" to both Sanders and his supporters.
totes not objectively toxic /sarc
And there are other examples in the vox article that you failed to address when you simply took issue with a description while ignoring the basis behind it. But I guess you don't need to refer to source documents when you have so much faith in your cause. hmmm.
Agent provocateur's maybe?
Some of them, probably.
But enough of them are for real to illustrate that it's a genuine phenomenon and it's a problem. I've come across a few in real life.
Fortunately it appears some leaders like AOC and Bernie himself have taken on board lessons from 2016 and are already talking up the importance of unity around whoever becomes the nominee.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-bernie-biden-trump_n_5e6229fec5b691b525f0f41b
And the she-devil herself, HRC, puts it in a nutshell: successful politics comes from addition and multiplication, not subtraction and division.
Some real charmers.
Anybody who prioritises their hurt feelings about snake emojis on the internet above trying to prevent people dying from not having healthcare – what shall we say – has a 'problem'.
Contrast this (frankly) silly whining from Warren with the dignified and respectful words from Sanders when she announced she was pulling out.
Toxic behaviour on the internet is just a commonplace. Calling Sanders supporters a 'çult' as you just did, is also a minor example of it.
Concise profile of Health Ministry boss Ashley Bloomfield, including his role in the current Covid-19 response: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/120071359/coronavirus-ashley-bloomfield-is-the-face-of-nzs-pandemic-response
Sounds like just the right man for the job. We're lucky to have him. But he's got an uphill task countering the scare-mongerers and those who are ideologically opposed simply because he holds a top government position within the Health portfolio.
Yes, he has the right expertise and temperament. However I can understand people being concerned about whether the whole public health part of our system has enough resources to do its job: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/120063889/coronavirus-ministry-working-to-bolster-workforce-to-contact-and-trace-cases
Hes a hedgehog.
the MOH stuffed up on measles, with the pacifica,and they failed to understand the risks with coronavirus when it was signaled early ( by experts on complex systems theory,and risk analysis).
https://twitter.com/normonics/status/1235937967035777025
26 Jan is not "early". And contact tracing gets overwhelmed when you have lots of cases, yes. We do not have lots of cases in NZ.
Not sure what exactly happened with measles. Are you talking about the Auckland region outbreak, or it getting to the Islands?
I take it he/she is claiming that the MOH was responsible for the out-break of measles in Samoa. I thought it was the fault of the mad anti-vaxxers who convinced vulnerable people not to vaccinate their children.
It was a screw up from NZ in general, too. We should have realised the possibility of exporting cases to the Pacific.
But a NZ administrator fucked Western Samoa for the 1918/19 influenza pandemic, too. Fucked them badly, killing 20% of the population compared to American Samoa's zero fatality number from effective quarantine efforts. So we're complete shit at not infecting our smaller neighbours, and we really need to improve that.
It was a stuff up (samoa) ,both by the ministry and ministers.The problem (almost obvious) was predictable.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/402251/samoa-measles-epidemic-immunologist-furious-at-nz
"…mad anti-vaxxers…"
Jesus Christ, Anne! Surely you recall the two babies who were killed by an incompetent nurse?
An army of anti-vaxxers couldn't have done a better job of dissuading the Samoan mothers from vaccinating their babies.
For goodness sakes…try looking a little deeper, perhaps check out the facts?
Google "Samoan nurse kills babies with vaccine error "
Sighs. Shakes head.
USA – not worth the Trouble !
The United States of America has a relatively very small population compared with such great nations as China, India, Europe or even Asia.
It almost boasts a devastating and Non Democratic Health system. And dabbles around with a confused torturous unveiling of endless ballots and delegates which manipulate Elections. 327 Millions of people.
I cannot see much point in worrying about Mr and Mrs Dysneyland. They are happy in their Fantasy World ooing and aarring over the great puffy mushroom known as Donald Trump.
They have just about the lowest wages of any decent OECD country on earth. And they have no intention of ripping the Money Money Money out of the putrid Wealthy Stinky Pot that is called America.
Over 320 million human beings written off with one fell swoop
Thanks Rob
Thanks Incognito
I could have mapped population to the furthest set of human toes – but I feel that the USA is in deep trouble.
I even doubt that Donald Trump has the Finance to match the Biden Team. Which means that Trump could end in a truly major mud hole.
Trump has played the Fool. Over and Over.
Much of the American valuable workers are being paid a pittance. They must be close to enforced hardship by the Trump merrygo round. Pretty Pathetic.
Ask yourself if you would prefer the American Way.
Regards BJH
Do you realise you are comparing the popn of a country to regions of many countries. The USA vs Europe or Asia is not equivalent. Maybe the comparison of Nth / Sth America to Europe or Asia would be a better comparison.
An excellent article by Rob Urie in which he links the plague of neoliberalism with the plague of coronavirus. As he writes, this offers an opportunity to look at the way we treat each other.
40 years of neoliberalism has reorganised the political economy so that many are economically marginalised. This means workers will have little choice but to spread the virus, as they have no money and little paid time off.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/03/06/the-neoliberal-plague/
One key quote
I dislike Simon Bridges enormously and fear for our country if he becomes PM.
I have a very low opinion of him, but was utterly disgusted to see how low he would sink when he was criticising the govts response and mentioned hand washing. I fear there are many (possibly more likely men) who will pick up on this message and scoff at the idea of washing your hands properly. Bridges is despicable.
Exploiting fear in an attempt to gain control….that's what the nat's do, it's not the first time.
Greetings Anker
You are very valuable. Your analysis exceeds many others on here by leaps and bounds.
I personally enjoyed your rebuttal of some silly person writing on here and claiming that the current Government has done Nothing.
How on earth can the Moderators here allow that crappy nonsense Anker ?
I do not think it can be bias. So it must be work overload.
Your earlier Article is spot on Anker. I hope you publish it on here again.
Bjh
You’ll flip your lid when you read this: https://thestandard.org.nz/the-politics-of-hand-washing/#comment-1689681
Thanks so much Observer.
I haven't done an article as such. But yes I did do a rebuttal of "the govt has done nothing"
We should do all we can to encourage those we know to wash their hands properly of Bridges and the National Party.
when you wake up in the morning and you realise you and your country are managed by people who don't give a flying fudge if you and yours live or die.
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1236053765503016960
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1236047190897934337
Dude's deeply stupid.
https://twitter.com/NYinLA2121/status/1236093108795764736
https://twitter.com/ddiamond/status/1236055907102011393
Good writing is flowing in …
To Ed
A Strong and Thoughtful piece.
Well done !
Bjh
I have read today which I now cannot locate for love nor money – the best idea to come out for helping to combat this pesky virus.
A doctor in Wellington is going to suggest to the Ministry of Health that we set up at various regions around the country drive-in clinics specifically for people presenting with coughs, sniffles etc. To use small vacant car parks and set up pop up containers or similar and staff it with a doctor and nurse of a young age because they are less vulnerable to getting very sick. There they can be treated and advised what to do. That way these sick people have no need to get out of their car and can be advised to go straight home and isolate until they can determine if they are negative etc.
This way they are freeing up doctors' surgeries where there are lots of people usually in waiting rooms. Apparently after an infected person has left the surgery they then have to sanitize the waiting room etc which is time wasting and leaving healthy people at risk including the doctors, nurses and patients.
It seems a really sensible idea. Too many people are ignoring advice given frequently to stay away from the doctors and medical centres and presenting there at great concern for everybody. Apparently I read a couple of other countries have already set this kind of drive in clinic up and it has been successful. It remains to be seen if our authorities will follow and set up clinics like this in localities all over NZ so people can do their bit to keep this virus under some sort of control.
Check out page numbered 129 (on the page, note the pdf pagination) of the NZ Influenza Pandemic Plan: what you describe sounds like "Community-based assessment centres". Main difference is that they're using community halls and suchlike rather than drive-through (you can't Xray a driver for pneumonia even if you have a portable machine).
It is a consideration in the "stamp it out" phase (which we are mostly in at the moment), so we might start seeing them if we get a cluster outside of imported cases.
They'll really kick in if/when it becomes observably established in the community.
Thanks for the link to the NZ Influenza Pandemic Plan.
That inspires a lot of confidence that our services of state will be on to things and bring the country through this. It should be required reading for everyone.
Also interesting to see how the early phases of the process are rolling out now, and if my partner's doctor visit on Friday is any indication, we could be past the early stages already.
The situation at the doctor was probably more late summer colds and panic showing through.
While it's still at the "stamp it out" phase, the rest of the plan is about slowing the course of the disease and lessening its extent. It's like the difference between a tsunami and a high tide with associated flooding. One overwhelms everything at the same time, the other gives services time to respond to events on the ground a bit more effectively.
It was a walkin clinic in Queenstown, triage nurse on reception, normally just reception, partner went in with suspected UTI (has history) and triage just pulled antibiotics out of the drawer, get out of here. Normally consultation and sample test.
Ah, fair call. I took it to mean the waiting room was full, my bad.
Probably fair enough in q’town, with its international population.
Don't understand how we don't have it here after CNY and all the Americans around from most of the outbreak states. Pretty much all blissfully unaware of what's happening.
the advice I saw circulated early on was telling people if they suspected they had CV to go to a doctor. We're really not very good at this yet, but getting better.
South Korea was the initiator (if memory serves me right).
What a complete turd sandwich of a diagnosis for Michael Cullen, hopefully the chemotherapy puts things in remission for a good while.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/120098115/sir-michael-cullen-may-only-have-months-to-live-after-cancer-diagnosis
bugger. Always had a lot of respect for him, even if almost never entirely in agreement lol.
Totally the wrong time to have lung problems and need chemo. He'll have to take advice on how to avoid coronavirus risk.
It never is the right time to be diagnosed with lung cancer.
A typically facile response.
Sit beach and read what you've written.
Your posts' own text mentions "landlords" 14 times and the quote mention "landlords a further 10 times.
Your text mentions the word "tenant" or "tenants" 6 times
It mentions the word "responsibility" zero times.
It also has zero factual evidence of a problem that will be fixed by the law.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
There are general rules here about not having a go at authors or telling them what to write.
The post was clearly about landlords. If you want a post about tenant responsibilities, perhaps you could write your own?
I'd like to see this post.
'A stiff cross-breeze in winter never did me any harm and it ensured the walls were always mould-free when the guvnor came round to run the white glove along the mantel and inspect the nippers.'
Weka, do yourself a favour and think.
You can start by chucking out the crappy "if you think …" nonsense and actually address the points raised, as I did.
[TheStandard: A moderator moved this comment to Open Mike as being off topic or irrelevant in the post it was made in. Be more careful in future.]
if you want me to take your comments seriously I suggest don’t start them by having a go at me. I’m not going to read a really long comment from someone who engages like that.
As already mentioned, there’s a general rule here of not telling authors what to do.
Global fuckwittery.
https://twitter.com/FocusNewsNow/status/1235518317344907266
https://twitter.com/jackiekcalmes/status/1236051435999109122
https://twitter.com/TassosMorfis/status/1235996336698396673
Chuckle chuckle. I won't watch the clip. I don't want to see some religious leader saying something like, "And if you die or get very ill it must be God's will, God's great plan for you."
Whatever their stripe, fundies are dangerous.
Days after a legislator in Assam claimed cow-dung could cure coronavirus, another in Uttarakhand has said that ancient Hindu rituals and cow urine can kill the virus in the “air and within the body”.
Sanjay Gupta, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Laksar area in Haridwar, made the comments on Friday while speaking to reporters in Gairsain of Chamoli district where the budget session is underway.
He was talking about the steps that should be taken to curb the spread of the deadly virus, which has killed thousands of people and infected more across the world.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/yagna-cow-urine-can-kill-coronavirus-uttarakhand-bjp-legislator/story-q8dsFDD1Qj6mIy1plytPuM.html
A bed time story to scare the beyehua out of everybody.
https://twitter.com/LizSpecht/status/1236095180459003909
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1236095180459003909.html
US is fucked. Was reading today NYNY has 2000 people in quarantine because of suspected covid-19, but they've only tested 100 people.
And something like half a dozen states announced their first cases in one day. And dolt45 is still in denial.
Yeah, and you can imagine how he's going to respond to the big numbers when they come in:
It's good news folks. I can tell you that. It's good news. We have 330 million people and only 500,000 have caught this bug thing called coronary virus or whatever its called. We have some wonderful experts, perfect experts, who say it might go up to one million by the end of the week and 5 million after that but we're prepared. Nowhere else in the world is as well prepared as the United States. We're the best. 🙄
"And dolt45 is still in denial."
If we're lucky. If we're not, it's deliberate.
Hail The Apocalypse
by Avatar (Music Video)
"DairyNZ grossly overstated the potential negative impacts of the reforms on the sector and on the wider New Zealand economy, when its own modelling shows the opposite. In our opinion DairyNZ is trying to avoid having to meet mandatory freshwater limits and is instead seeking to substitute what it euphemistically calls “good management practice” which is not going to cut the mustard."
https://m.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU1912/S00370/eds-report-shoots-down-dairynz-conclusions-re-freshwater.htm
Kia Ora The Am Show.
All wrong the person who guided the World through the global financial crisis was Barack.
Wide ball.????.
Australia needs to invest more time and money into protecting their wildlife.
In Aotearoa we have to preserve our wildlife environment waste of time trying to kill the vermin next minute our wildlife is losing their whare to human developments.
I'm not taking that bait.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Newshub.
The price of oil has been down a couple of weeks I have been waiting for the price of fuel in Aotearoa to come down to??????.
I think that it is low using the virus to get employment leverage.
Of course tamariki should be allowed to ride bikes on footpaths those changes sound good.
I still say a bounty should be paid for vermin that are praying on our natives.
Kia Kaha to all the Wahine protesting for their equality.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora Te Ao Maori News.
Iwi lost heaps of whenua in Aotearoa
The droughts will be hitting dry stock farms hard especially if they don't recirculation water and troughs system in place there stock will die of dehydration as they can not sell them because of the virus.
Ka kite Ano
Kia Ora The Am Show.
If all or half of the computer based mahi is based at home there carbon footprint will be lower drastically and the world’s carbon footprint will be lowered.
It has been great that new roads have been planted in native trees. But we need to plant more native trees were ever they can be planted to feed our native wildlife.
There you go our government is handling this situation quite well.
Some people like a Bull market more money to be made the big players that is.
Ka kite Ano