The Whitehouse must be getting desperate. In another application of standard US grievous hypocrisy, it has resorted to emotional blackmail in an effort to manufacture consent for the unliteral bombing of a sovereign state. Meanwhile, in an unusually honest manner, the “Villa in the jungle”, Israel’s actual position on the matter is made clear by former Israeli consul general in New York, Alon Pinkas:
. . . This is a playoff situation in which you need both teams to lose, but at least you don’t want one to win — we’ll settle for a tie. Let them both bleed, hemorrhage to death: that’s the strategic thinking here. As long as this lingers, there’s no real threat from Syria . . .
Couldn’t have worked out better for Israel than if the Knesset had planned it all along . . . oh, hang on.
I was reading recently about early Israel settlement idealist Jews. And the Yom Kippur war of 1973 involving attacks by Syria and Egypt. I guess, remembering that, Israelis won’t be too quick to make any move to aid them that will weaken themselves or use up their resources.
“She said: ‘I had just commenced speaking when I felt a hand between my legs on my lower buttocks. I was wearing jeans. I jumped back, turned around, and saw Tony Abbott laughing about two feet away. The people in the audience began laughing and jeering’, Miss Wilson said.”
.. that’s just what’s on the public record. In common parlance he’s known as a bit of a
‘rough diamond’. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Bob Hawke had a colourful
past and broad extra-curricular experience can be an asset for a man of the people ..
but Abbott is leading a party created by royalist Melbourne grandee Bob Menzies,
inhabited by people who often barely deigned to recognise a colourless Sydney suburban personality like John Howard. There was, however, no argument with success ..
It may yet come back to haunt him. With a contracting Australian economy and the end of the China boom, it promises to be an interesting few years .. on both sides of the Tasman.
The common parlance among people I know is “fucked in the head scumbag.” If he’d been born and bred in Paramatta, he would probably have spent time in prison. Instead, he was chosen by the Liberals as something special quite early on and every “indiscretion” had top rank lawyers defending the prick.
Murray O
It sounds a little like John Mortimer’s relentless climber up the political ladder Leslie Titmus – Paradise Postponed and ? Have you read the books Murray? He wrote good books – had a good head for character parts.
Better get a few Aussies over to help with the detent… oops refugee centre building then. They know how to do it, and because we sure don’t have enough houses (and they own a fair chunk of the rentals anyway).
They can also be reassured that if they’re need healthcare, are made redundant or need disaster relief etc that they’re not discriminated against.
Just a final thought on the TV3 poll on Firday putting Cunliffe in front. Fair enough on the general public figures, but TV3 say
“…– but looking at just Labour voters – Cunliffe is even stronger, sitting at 45.6 percent…”
Now, how many Labour party members could they have actually interviewed? The poll was of 500 people. Assuming Labour has, say, 20,000 members then on average TV3 would have only interviewed 4-5 Labour party members. Which leads to another question – how do they know the people on the phone who self-identified as Labour party members actually were NZLP members? Did they poll anyone who answered who was in a union as a NZLP member because their union is an affiliate?
I can’t see any other way around it, TV3’s poll figure for the Labour party membership is very, very fishy. I can’t help but wonder if the whole poll was just part of the TV3 campaign for Shane Jones, trumpeting dodgy figures to promote their man.
TV 3’s poll was done by a company that does online polling with panels of people. So presumably the panels are drawn from people registered with them, and for whom they have a lot of background information. I surmise they call on panels of people, selected for how much they represent the section of society they are researching.
I believe that they we looking at self-identified Labour supporters, ie who vote Labour in the general elections. Which as you say probably doesn’t reflect those members and hurriedly reactivated past members who will be voting in this election.
I’ve been watching these polls and wondering how they identify Labour Party members. It has to be self identified (Labour wouldn’t hand out their list) unless Labour is polling from eligible members?
“Caucus votes are worth more than other votes cast, with 34 MPs making up 40 per cent of the vote; the support of 17 MPs would give Mr Robertson almost 30 per cent of the total allowable vote.”
How did she get 30%, I make it 17 over 34 * 40% = 20%
Despite the popular support for Mr Cunliffe, Mr Robertson still has by far the greatest support in caucus, thought to be at least 17 votes out of 34; with 10 for Mr Cunliffe and five for Mr Jones.
Caucus votes are worth more than other votes cast, with 34 MPs making up 40 per cent of the vote; the support of 17 MPs would give Mr Robertson almost 30 per cent of the total allowable vote.
Her comment that the support of 17 MPs would give Mr Robertson almost 30 per cent of the total allowable vote is clearly wrong. It only gives him 20% of the vote and with distribution of preferences the caucus vote could be all tied up.
“The board said matters of religion were also outside the ERA’s jurisdiction. ” IF that turns out to be true then taxpayer funding should also be outside the jurisdiction of Tamaki College. Was having this discussion with someone yesterday. We both agreed that a school (reluctantly) can be free to be religious based but not a single dollar of taxpayer money should be put into that school. If people want an invisible friend to tell them how to live that is their prerogative but myself and selected taxpayers have no obligation to pay for it.
I find it particularly annoying when you see a Teaching job add, for a State funded school, FFS, which says, “must support the special character of the school”. I.E. Believe in implausable beings in the sky.
Yup. Any “argument” which is deemed by the arguer to be “won” because I can’t prove their invisible friend DOESNT exist actually has no place in education and I am worried that such thinkers are in charge of teaching our children.
National Party MP Alfred Ngaro allegedly punched an atheist teacher at his son’s school for not bowing his head during a prayer.
Ngaro, a list MP and former chairman of the Tamaki College Board of Trustees, was last week dragged into the Employment Relations Authority dispute between Tamaki College and former art teacher Christopher Scott Roy.
Roy claims he was constructively dismissed because he is an atheist and Tamaki College saw Christianity as “a core responsibility to which he was indifferent”.
Roy added a new allegation to his employment claim, telling ERA member Tania Tetitaha that in 2009 he was assaulted by Ngaro as he was leaving a First XV rugby after-match function at Kings College.
. . . Kings College officials had asked if anyone objected to a prayer or karakia being said before they ate.
Roy said he did not take part due to his atheism but rather looked around the room as everyone else bowed their head.
Ngaro, whose son was in the Tamaki First XV, came up to him and got “right in my face” after the prayer, Roy told the ERA hearing, eyeballing him just a few centimetres from his face.
Representatives from Kings College saw the behaviour and asked after his well-being, and if he wanted security guards present, Roy said. As he went to leave he was confronted outside by Ngaro, who lashed out at him, punching him on the back of his head.
One of the then-Tamaki First XV members, Unaloto Pita, confirmed to the Sunday Star-Times that a scuffle had taken place involving Roy as he left the Kings College function. Pita said he did not see who assaulted the teacher.
Ngaro, appearing in person at the ERA hearing, categorically denied the assault.
Roy said not going to the police was “the worst mistake of my life” but at the time he thought he would jeopardise any future employment opportunities.
he has an interesting background. Until your article I hadn’t heard of him
“Ngaro is of Cook Islands descent.[1] Ngaro’s father Daniel Ngaro from Aitutaki[2] and Pukapuka he was a union delegate, and the family has a long tradition of voting for the Labour Party.[1] His mother, Toko Kirianu, is from Mangaia.[2]
Ngaro trained as an electrician and was self-employed in the trade for five years.[3] As per his grandmother’s wish,[2] he then completed a theology degree and became a pastor at the Tamaki Community Church.[4] He later won a Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award for his work on the Tamaki Transformation Project.[5]
Ngaro served as the Auckland District Health Board’s Pacific committee chairman and as the Tamaki College board of trustees chairman.[1] He is a member of various advisory committees for the Ministry of Social Development
There has been a 60 per cent increase in the amount of ocean covered with ice compared to this time last year, they equivalent of almost a million square miles.
In a rebound from 2012’s record low an unbroken ice sheet more than half the size of Europe already stretches from the Canadian islands to Russia’s northern shores, days before the annual re-freeze is even set to begin.
This sounds like old news, I seem to recall it was predicted there would be an increase in cooling , some time back.
IPCC better get those wheels spinning to come up with something in its reports which stacks up, regarding these anomalies .
Ice surface areas is a completely daft measurement suitable for the simple and jonolists. A moments thought would tell you that there is a massive difference in cooling potential between thick sea ice and a thin coverage, most notably in how much energy is required to melt it. Anyone who has had to deice an old fridge is well aware of that. The ice cover referred to in the article is a very thin surface freeze liable to be broken up (and melted) in the next storm.
However idiots do rather like surface area as a measurement presumably because it is simple enough for them to grasp.. And I guess that defines you muzza.
The rest of the article is more interesting even though it highlights just a handful of climatologists (ie Curry) and refers to all of the others as being the IPCC – the sign of a jonolist’s “balance”.
Climate is multi-cyclic and there is an expectation of a leveling off and even a fall in average global temperatures because of the pacific oscillations and a number of other local climatic patterns. The nett effect is that more energy has been pushed into the oceans for later release than would happen on average. It makes absolutely no difference to the overall heat balances over a century – it is just a decadal shift. Furthermore the expectation was in the 2000’s that we’d see some falls in average work temperatures, but in fact we have seen peaks above 1997 several times.
That was despite the much higher than expected loss of cooling ice masses in the Arctic ice sheet, Greenland’s ice sheet, and in the West Antarctic. There were also increases in ice volumes in East Antarctica that are hard to explain unless more water vapour is getting in past the jetstream (paradoxically snowfall is a indicator of increased temperatures if you’re at the coldest and therefore driest place in the world).
Effectively heat going into melting ice masses keeps overall world temperatures down for a time, but gets less and less effective as those ice masses disappear. But if you’re focused on a single value of temperature over a decade or two to define changes in climate, then you’d have to be a fool…
“In a rebound from 2012′s record low”… “a 60 per cent increase in the amount of ocean covered with ice compared to this time last year”.
Surface area /= ice volume; the thickness of the ice-sheet will be minimal thus far – we’ll have to wait until later in the season to see how that results.
Sea ice extent for August 2013 averaged 6.09 million square kilometers (2.35 million square miles). This was 1.03 million square kilometers (398,000 square miles) below the 1981 to 2010 average for August, but well above the level recorded last year, which was the lowest September extent in the satellite record. Ice extent this August was similar to the years 2008 to 2010. These contrasts in ice extent from one year to the next highlight the year-to-year variability attending the overall, long-term decline in sea ice extent.
So much more accurate when you get it from the scientists rather than newspapers with an ideological bent.
Wow, Emirates Team New Zealand absolutely smoked Oracle in race 3 of the America’s Cup just now. Isn’t it great to see New Zealanders being recognised as fearless builders of advanced, world beating technology rather than constantly patronised Hobbits?
And I must say I am starting to look forward to all the parties that’ll be happening in Auckland’s downtown.
yup, see comment above, they are sailing better than us but we have the faster boat. In 3 of the 4 races so far we made BIG sailing blunders… only one of them resulted in a loss.
The predicted huge response from the public and a financial bonanza, has been a huge fizzer. So if NZ should win will it be a poisoned chalice for Auckland?
sporting public loves a winner. So if the team wins the public will be temporarily happy, imo.
given the lead of TNZ seems to be the result of the designers, then the spin-off tot he boat building industry should continue provided the designers are based in NZ.
I also understand if TNZ wins they might move to the 45s and dump the 75s. The other day I saw the youth Amercias cup or something in the 45s and there were far more countries and log jams at the marks. Looked exciting.
Raising the minimum wage leads to more unemployment???, only if your economic education stopped at 101,
Yet another in the series of links which whips those with an infants education into silence over their false claims on the effects of raising the minimum wage…
What is broken SSLands is your self made delusion of economic genius, of more import of course is that not inconsiderable fact that after November 2014 the Neoliberal consensus will have been finally smashed,
Now if you have been reading the many links that have been provided to you over the past week we here at the Standard might have moved your economic education past that of a simpleton’s 101 level,(tho i have my doubts about your ability to do so as you give every appearance of having a love of wallowing in a simpletons level of intellect,
For your further education i will kindly provide you with this:
”Out-put growth in the measured sector averaged 2.6% per annum from 1978 to 2007″,
The main driver of this out-put growth was LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY of +2% per annum”,
Seeing as you consider yourself to be the economic genius perhaps you could explain this little gem for us all,
”In Nevada USA where the minimum is $7.25 an hour the jobless rate is 10.2 percent”,
”In Vermont USA where the minimum is $8.60 an hour the unemployment rate is 5.1 percent’,
My explanation of that glaring difference in minimum wages and unemployment figures in 2 different states of the USA would simply say that those on the higher minimum are spending that money into their local economy thus creating the far better figures for unemployment than what the other State suffers,
Plan B for Syria:
5 or 6 prime targets identified. (A palace, a communication centre or two, barracks etc)
A date set.
The general area surrounding the targets swamped with leaflets/broadcasts warning civilians to leave the areas before target date.
Missiles fired as warned on date given.
Damage done with minimal collateral damage.
How about that as my plan?
From what’s being said, the list is growing. Once you decide to hit, you start looking for ways to get more bang for your buck. More birds to kill with the stone, as it were.
the talk now about changing the outcome of the war, in favour of moderate elements of the FSA suggests that Assad’s assets won’t be the only thing targeted. The FSA can’t compete with the extremist groups.
It’s looking more and more like Lebanon in the eighties, with w whole bunch of wars being faught in the sme place and between the same people.
eg, Iran + Hezb +Assad + US + FSA vs AQ.
Iran + Assad + Hezb vs FSA + AQ +US
AQ + Hezb + Assad Vs FSA + US
In Lebanon the different fights wern’t just in theory. Groups actively killing each other in one of the wars, were trading weapons and intelligence and co-operating on the battlefield in another.
With a sprinkling of The Shadow and dim lights for atmosphere indicating the forces of evil and smiling assassins with madness and megalomania in their eyes.
What’s in it for the USA apart from more armament sales to the government? Are they working their way along the Middle East? Is it a practice place to trial their latest weaponry? Is the Defence budget too big to fall over? Is it a proxy war for Israel, and what have Israel done for them as a quid pro quo? Where are the Saudis in this? Bush was supposed to be close to some Saudis who were close to Al Queda.
Now that is confusing. Don’t anybody try to provide me a rational answer, in fact anything at all. I don’t want to know acshually. It’s an idle thought and I already have my worrying time all allocated. Some mathematician could provide some interesting stats on the permutations of all the countries in the world who are involved in war at some level at any one time.
Here is a link to a page from the Daily Mail. No it is no longer on the official site (funny that) but on the waybackwhen site. (awesome archive of stuff we wouldn’t otherwise have access too anymore) the page is an article published on 29th of January 2013 and tells of a leaked email and gives us a view into the secret machinations leading up to the pending attack on Syria and whattayaknow… they were gagging for a false flag chemical attack on Syrian civilians to force an invasion into Syria!
No wonder that page has been removed from the official DM site and replaced with the most hideous war mongering propaganda.
But conspiring? No Sir never! Not our modern enlightened governments in our “really” Democratic countries! They would never do that to us!
Yeah, nah. An unproven email from people who may or may not exist sarcastically referring to Washington’s supposed support for a single CW bombing is hardly evidence of anything. Ev.
I think the clues that this reference is bullshit can be found in the names ‘Daily Mail’ and ‘Infowars’.
Infowars seems to bother you doesn’t it. You keep mentioning it in relation to links while I probably linked to well backed up and linked articles from that site about maybe 5 times over the last 8 years. Or do you mention INFOWARS in the hope to smear whatever I post?
And a well linked to other sources article it was too so no problem there for me but again it is a problem for you. Ok, maybe 6 times in the last 8 years? Dipshit.
Ha! I think you and I both know who the didpshit is here, Ev. Next time read the link before posting. Or, better, yet, save the right wing fantasies for your own site.
Funny how you do that right wing fantasy thing again. Just smearing and trolling. I think many would actually classify me as left wing as my preference for the MANA party is no secret. Not that it matters to me. I think that left and right are a paradigm pushed on us to keep us separated from each other and to stop us from fighting the 0.01% owning everything and you are a dumbass for complying. Have a nice day dipshit! 😈
Sorry, pal, having no class understanding is not a defence. You are right wing. You run a right wing website. You publish right wing comments here and get abusive when the narrow perspective you push gets highlighted. Like it or not, using rightwing sites such as the Daily Mail and Infowars to back your fantasies does not make you left wing. Funny that. Particularly so when you don’t even appear to have read the link you posted. Here’s a clue for ya; the headlines don’t always tell the full story.
For those of you not familiar with TRP smearing and trolling techniques here is what I believe in and stand for:
I believe in a just society where there is far more equality than there is now. I believe in workers rights and the need to protect them. I believe in fair taxes and that includes the rich. I believe that the weak and poor should be protected and that in a civilized country there should be free healthcare and a social support system. I believe in open and accountable government. I believe in the protection of our ecosystems and the protection of them. I believe in equality and marriage rights for all regardless of their gender. I believe that greed is serious disease and that people suffering from the obsessive need to have more than they could possibly need should be in hospitals for the criminally insane and expect that some day they will be.
In my ideal world there would be no war, no corruption and peace based on respect, love and compassion.
So tell me again why I am right wing? And to show I understand this should come from both sides I’ll refrain from calling you a dipshit again, how’s that?
Cheers about the restraint, Ev. I hope you stick to it.
My estimation of your politics is based entirely on what you write. That’s the only way I know you. The list above is all very well, but it’s not backed up by what you do online, which primarily is run a rightwing blog narrowly focussed on absurd conspiracy theories. You are a climate change denier, a supporter of the racist theory that Barack Obama is not an American and a fevered believer that 9/11 was an inside job. These last 3 are all righty obsessions and they define your digital presence.
When your blog starts regularly featuring articles about workers’ rights, healthcare etc., I might reassess my view of you. But for the moment your output is overwhelmingly right wing. And, btw, if you deny the need for class analysis (your right/left paradigm), then why are you upset as being identified as right wing anyway?
I am not. It says more about you and your need to classify me than about me. Absurd is the fact that you deny the science which tells us that buildings do not collapse in freefall speed into dust clouds after an office fire.
But other than that. What do you find so right wing about my writings?
Ok, I’ll bite. Can you cite any comment of mine that denies the science? I’m picking not, because it’s the science that proves 9/11 deniers wrong. That and the intervening 12 years without any actual evidence of a gummint/NWO/illuminati conspiracy 😉
So not a single one of my writings then? And I don’t think you ever gave good solid evidence to the contrary. You are a troll who smears and throws mud in the hopes that something will stick. You are what I would call a sad case
When NZ Labour get in they should speak to the Oz government in their regular confabs and stress that we want to be treated fairly when we are in Oz. Then they should ask when they will be changing those laws that discriminate against us, their friends and allies. And if they won’t do anything by a certain time, then we should withdraw social assistance for Oz people here.
Why should we be paying for the health treatment of Oz managers and their families, who come here to utilise our ‘sub-human’ resources (less developed beings than those in Oz). Education, would no doubt be a choice of free or private (which includes government funding) up to tertiary, and then they can study in Oz or if in NZ pay on the same basis that we do in Oz. They won’t even let NZ students have student transport travel concessions I understand. Also there are people that have NZ family (Mr Abbott!) who may be able to utilise health treatment if they can organise themselves around our regulations. I have heard of that being considered.
We can’t afford to carry these shiralees. (Oz Swag, burden, load. Etymology: From one of the Australian Aboriginal languages).
And we don’t want the same rotten treatment that Oz has meted out to their Aborigines in the past. They have made some attempt to respect, repair past wrongs and honour them lately. But then having all that racism and negativism loose and available, they have combined it, focussed it and fired it at us.
Do you really think the OZ Labor or Liberal government gives a f… about this especially as this is a significant budget item.
I am not supporting what the OZ labor and Liberal government are doing but I do understand the what is happening.
Sometime down the track the OZ government will say this is unfair (maybe via a court decision) and the solution will be Kiwis will be entitled to the same benefits and right as say a Brit moving to OZ by something along these lines:
Kiwi’s will need a work visa (i.e meet OZ immigration selection policy) if they want to stay beyond say 2 years. To uphold previous agreement with NZ kiwis will be allowed open travel to OZ BUT the open work visa will now have a time frame. It allows OZ to pick off the qualified and those with money in their pocket (especially Kiwis returning down under).
Yeah Watching wasn’t that what we had. You had to be in Oz for a while before you qualified, you had to be working. And do I think that Oz gives it time of day? Well I already commented on the possibility of them not doing so, as they apparently have when the matter has been raised with them. Or that’s what we are told, I haven’t got any spy info on that, no tapes over the teacups, no gps over the glasses, no leaks from the lagers. So who knows what has been said by our pollies apart from sqawk or sfa.
The point is that it is easy for the Aussies to find excuses for not reversing this discriminatory abuse of our political ally relationship. And for our own respect, and savings on expenditure on the undeserving, we should follow suit. And put the money instead into an insurance scheme that NZs there and/or family can pay into which will provide the wherewithal to get them back here when the dream of better opportunities crashes. The stories of destitution are building up.
Aye!
In Australians’ eyes, since Howard – we’ve become lesser beings than bloody Tasmanians! (unless of course we achieve some sort of fame and can be claimed as an Okker).
I remember as a kid growing up in Victoria, thinking that NZ was another state until I was put right. A journey to Sydney by road meant a mandatory stop at the border where one’s boot was searched for fruit and any contraband. Kiwis owned half of Bondi (now by South Africans, who are treated somewhat better than the Kiwis in the ‘ANZAC brotherhood’). The Kiwi dollar was on a par or worth more, and my primary school contemporaries were somewhat jealous.
(That was because the only “bloody Abbos” they encountered were those living rough in the park, or during school holidays when parents would send their kids to the big smoke for us t babysit, and they had to deal daily with greesers and bloody spiks daily)
Nah – fuk ’em. Let em rot in their bigotry and mine themselves to death. Thank God I no longer have an Australian passport (not that one ever required a passport to travel between Australia and NZ).
Agreed – and until they do, they should drop the NZ in “ANZAC”. Supposedly something that represents a fair suck of the save for Kiwi and Okker brothers and sisters alike. Instead, all it represents is a morning one day a year to acknowledge hard times during war, a statue or two, and a way of forgetting that only 40 or so years ago – the tables were turned and opposite (with NZ being a more attractive prospect)
It’s not all bad. There are possibly more Kiwi PhD students in Australia on Australian scholarships than there are in Aotearoa on Kiwi scholarships. Any Kiwi gets free hospital care in Oz, on the same basis that Aussies get it in Aotearoa. Although I couldn’t access any benefits if I had to stop working, I get free medical care under Medicare. This is probably better than what I’d get back home. Since I’ve got liver cancer and am now waiting for a transplant, this means something significant to me.
There is discrimination against us, but not really in the health area. Benefits, yeah, and lack of access to student loans, plus we can’t go and help them fight for Amerika unless Key sends us, but I think you’ve got some of the details a bit wrong, GW. Anyway, I agree that it stinks that we pay tax and don’t receive all the things paid for by that tax.
I am trying to find a speaker for my students on the Privacy Act. Specifically I am trying to find someone who can talk to them about why “nothing to fear so nothing to hide” is NOT a good reason to breach privacy?
Anyone have any ideas and contact details of
potential speakers. My students are first and foremost sport students, not law students.
Here is a link to a trailer for a 5 hour (English) documentary released by Luogocomune.net named The new Pearl Harbor. The makers of this film are keen for it to be shared far and wide and don’t hold on to copyrights so I’m happy to oblige.
At least I’m not the only one. Your’e on to it.
Cheers for bringing that to my attention.
But wait, there’s more.
SYRIA.
Don’t turn off your TV. Keep watching.
WW3 in real time.
An answer for CV. who asked me You say that “printing” money (in reality, electronically crediting it to a Treasury account) will cause the debt loading to go up. Why?
The reason CV this creates debt is because credit gets spent by real people for real goods and real services.
Credit does not exist in a vacuum, if it is generated to pay for existing interest on debt made possible by prior credit creation somewhere somebody has a claim against it. Credit is either for expenditure for something real, or more latterly something to enable debts to be propped up whilst current expenditure continues.
Its about that point when things get really strange….logically if you print dollars the total available against goods and services in exchange should by rights diminish the value of the dollar (inflation) but as we know recessions are deflationary….I could explain but Illargi at theautomaticearth.com does better.
Firstly the issuance of money can be done debt free and it is not the same as extending, or creating credit.
If the government prints 100 x $100 notes, it has created $10,000 in money, with no associated creation of debt.
That $10,000 in cash can then be used to destroy $10,000 worth of existing debt. Interestingly, the physical cash still exists at the end of this process, and can continue to circulate in the economy.
.logically if you print dollars the total available against goods and services in exchange should by rights diminish the value of the dollar (inflation) but as we know recessions are deflationary
A high level of monetary inflation is extraordinarily hard to achieve. It usually requires some or all of the following:
– Massive war.
– Currency collapse.
– Massive destruction of infrastructure and productive capavity.
– Failure of government tax and tax enforcement systems.
The bit you have missed is that money (once created) gets spent….whether you classify it as a debt or a credit is debatable. The goods it is spent on must be paid for somewhere some how with good / services / work etc….are you proposing to pay for everything with thin air?
He also doesn’t get that the money created increases the supply of money and therefore lowers its speculative value. So it will work when used with a deft touch, but increasing use exponentially increases the probability of a currency collapse.
Currently the government/RB simply use interest rates as a method of adjusting the money supply, but the shortcoming there is that it doesn’t really circulate the new money outside of the banking sector.
but increasing use exponentially increases the probability of a currency collapse.
Reference please. Relating to any one of the major central banks openly acknowledged to be printing money in the last few years eg. BoJ, BoE, Fed, ECB etc. will be fine.
Indeed.
My point is not that it shouldn’t be done, just that it’s not a consequence-free blank cheque for all our economic and inequality ills. It requires more skill and subtlety than your anti-intellectualism is capable of.
He also doesn’t get that the money created increases the supply of money and therefore lowers its speculative value.
Which happens every day/year as the private banks print huge amounts of money. Of course, most of that just goes back to the bankster sector making them richer and neither causing the currency collapse or inflation.
EDIT:
To be more precise, what you see is inflation in mortgages and share prices – areas where a few people (the rich) get access to the tools of high finance for speculative gambling but this is seen as a Good Thing.
Currently the government/RB simply use interest rates as a method of adjusting the money supply,
Which doesn’t work because the private banks then add extra interest on top of that. The real effect is that the private banks are incentivised to massively over produce money and they do so with little or no constraint.
Which doesn’t work because the private banks then add extra interest on top of that. The real effect is that the private banks are incentivised to massively over produce money and they do so with little or no constraint.
Doesn’t that contradict itself? If interest rates provide an incentive one way or another to banks to overproduce $$$, then they do affect the money supply, if indirectly.
“People and their visions, you’ll see them everywhere
Atomic people, they’ll all move away
It’s a mass Exodus day, today; Non Stop Sex (or, “What Lesbians think about penises”).
This site translates the key remarks this way: “The Syrian people have suffered much during the past two years. More than 100,000 were killed and seven to eight million have become displaced. Prisons are overflowing with people and they have turned stadiums into prisons. On the one hand the people have suffered a chemical attack by their own government. On the other, they have to await for US bombs today”
I already dealt with the crock of crap the other day. But really, linking to *the* home of really stupid jonolists (now that the News of the world is dead)..
Basically in classic Telegraph style, it adopts an attitude that thin ice extent similar to the average for the last decade (apart from the last two years) is astonishing and essentially repudiates a decades long thinning of the ice volume in in Arctic.. It poses a single person Curry as being of equal weight as the whole IPCC.
Basically written by a scientifically illiterate gormless fool, and now linked to by another one…
He had to fight his way through a lot from QoT duelling with a Ramsay and others at the beginning. Is that then trielling or quatelling or quarelling? Abortion etc. Very important but I wish that discussion about the Constitution could arouse as much heat, which could then be piped to my house and save a day’s electricity.
There were also some very long and detailed ones. It’s asking a bit much of these pollies rushing around NZ and trying to remember where and who they are each morning to pick out too many queries.
Ah, the bloggers. Shearer wants to dismiss it as background noise, saying that that is all it is worthy of.
“The influence of people sitting anonymously in front of computer screens behind darkened curtains is not something I think we should be taking as seriously as we do.”
He characterises it as “certainly a concerted effort to attack right before a Labour Party conference”.
Was discussing the national well-being later yesterday with a manager of a Youth Health centre; like Alice, the funders are ‘going the wrong way’. According to her, “they (Ministry, DHB’s) are not allowing them to do what needs to be done”: Integrated case-management.
I dislike Greg O’Connor. He is supposed to represent the Police trade union and has always seemed quite right wing and an apologist for all their new useful tools for hitting shooting people etc. But when the police do need some advocacy as now, he is all uncertain and equivocal.
It’s a yes for police to work in pairs especially when working from a car. It’s no time for police to be macho, or spout that crap you hear too often, ‘If the crims did what they were supposed to do, it (whatever) wouldn’t be needed’. That’s the very reason we have police.
The pollies have to either allow for this in the budget or stop this mass netting of the thousands of the public with road blocks and breath testing and looking into police records hoping to get 100 unpaid fines and people over the alcohol limit. And then there’s the causing damage and injury chasing the excitable ones to prevent them causing damage and injury.
Stop this (expensive) madness, this setting of unreasonable targets by pollies many of whom are themselves not meeting the expectations of the public because of their incompetency. It’s dumbarse right wing economics. The sort that wanted to penalise a funeral director in the 1980’s I think, for not calculating his likely future earnings right so he could pay tax in advance of such earnings. Which of course were mostly gathered from the estates of people who had just died. Which can only be guessed at in advance, unless you are the Syrian government.
There is also a possibility that a rogue unit of the Syrian government forces, or some mid level commanders were responsible – i.e. nothing to do with Assad or the senior levels of the Syrian govt.
So what is the US going to do? Strike at and degrade Syria’s command and control infrastructure, because there was chemical weapons use due to unsatisfactory command and control?
I was reading a Jane’s defence article today work that was updated over the weekend and all arrows/ evidence points to the Assad regime as the FSA does not have the capacity to mount a CW attack. But in saying that the report also stated there are Hard-core elements of the FSA that are openly seeking WMD’s (CW and BW argents) and if they did conduct that attack last week then its now gotten very untidy or heading that way very fast.
I’m starting to think this Civil war could the West’s Munich moment “dam with do and dam if we don’t”.
I thought there will be one deadline for all the votes and then they will be counted up so caucus does not, before voting, get advance information of the membership and affiliates votes.
If otherwise, then the rules would have explicitly stated that.
I think it’s correct that the two section of the party are represented.
Is it the position or symbol or just that its an ABC Hipkins doing the counting.
Actually look to tims barnetts background if one is concerned, not that I am.
The count will go in the second round to cunliffe then the real fight begins…can’t wait.
Who is overseeing the conuting process?
What are the checks and balances?
I don’t trust Hipkins to count my online vote, or to maintain confidentiality about the tally from the caucus.
If this become a stitch up job by the old hands welding the power of the old party behind the scenes then the new found democratic rights of the members have been tramples upon.
What are they so scared of…unsettling the staus quo and the trough perhaps.
Time to see off the old non reactionaries and then the Tory raiders…
I think Shane Jones name being announced as leader of the NZLP is a very realistic possibility. An SJ led party would have no real difference to the 5th Labour and 5th National governments, which some of the establishment wouldnt mind.
Six days to go and it’s all rumours, speculation, gossip, sniping. Time for nerves of steel, folks. Let’s not get caught up in all the crap that’s flying around. That’s just playing into the Nats’ hands, and the likes of Duncan Garner. No time for galloping paranoia
Also, I haven’t got my voting papers yet, or the email with a pin number. I desperately want to vote so it’s hard to be patient. Got to thinking about people in other countries where democracy is much more fragile. Asked myself how far would I walk to be able to cast my vote? How long would I stand in the rain? Answers: 25 miles; 4 hours. (I hope I don’t ever have to prove it.)
I would get on phone to head office and demand that they send you an email immediately. How hard can it be to ensure emails go out the day you contact them
Just caught up with an episode of Backbenches from a couple of weeks ago in which Trevor Mallard claimed that The Standard is an “anti-Labour” website.
Which is a bit like a borer claiming that the pesticides are anti-timber.
Images of US students (and others) protesting and setting up tent cities on US university campuses have been broadcast world wide and clearly demonstrate the growing rifts in US society caused by US policy toward Israel and Israel’s prosecution of … Continue reading → ...
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Ele Ludemann writes – New Zealanders had the OECD’s second highest tax increase last year: New Zealanders faced the second-biggest tax raises in the developed world last year, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says. The intergovernmental agency said the average change in personal income tax ...
We all know something’s not right with our elections. The spread of misinformation, people being targeted with soundbites and emotional triggers that ignore the facts, even the truth, and influence their votes.The use of technology to produce deep fakes. How can you tell if something is real or not? Can ...
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David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a ‘first strike’ (that is, a “stage-1 conviction” under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a ‘second strike’. In the five years prior to ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has surprised everyone with his ruthlessness in sacking two of his ministers from their crucial portfolios. Removing ministers for poor performance after only five months in the job just doesn’t normally happen in politics. That’s refreshing and will be extremely ...
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Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
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The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
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Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
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Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
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The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
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 The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
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Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
Nearly everyone has experienced the frustration of something you use breaking and being difficult or expensive to fix. Proposed legislation could change that. It’s been raining on and off all Sunday afternoon but people are lining up outside a building in a corner of Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham, Auckland. In ...
What does a forever relationship look like when you don’t believe in marriage? And how do you celebrate it? This essay is part of our Sunday Essay series, made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand.I’m going to do it, right now. I’m going to say ...
The Prime Minister has committed to resuming direct flights to Thailand. But it’s not a promise he will be able to deliver on anytime soon. The post Prime Minister jumps the gun in Thailand appeared first on Newsroom. ...
It’s not that long ago Eliza McCartney was seriously wondering if the Paris Olympics would be her pole vaulting swansong. After years of being hounded by injury after injury, the Rio Olympics bronze medallist was still confident she would compete at her second Olympics in Paris in July, unless something ...
FICTION 1 Take Two by Danielle Hawkins (Allen & Unwin, $36.99) There’s commercial fiction, like this book, and then there’s quality fiction, quality writers, quality literature; the forthcoming Auckland Writers Festival is full of quality, and ReadingRoom has two tickets to give away to the following events: Paul Lynch (Dublin ...
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You can’t have missed the Gallipoli story as the movies, documentaries, essays and books capture what it was like for New Zealand troops in their eight-month campaign on the Peninsula. But this Anzac Day the Auckland War Memorial Museum has published a book that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk this week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, has joined the Freedom Flotilla in istanbul as the ships prepare to sail for Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. Mandela is also the ambassador for the Global Campaign to Return to ...
‘
The Whitehouse must be getting desperate. In another application of standard US grievous hypocrisy, it has resorted to emotional blackmail in an effort to manufacture consent for the unliteral bombing of a sovereign state. Meanwhile, in an unusually honest manner, the “Villa in the jungle”, Israel’s actual position on the matter is made clear by former Israeli consul general in New York, Alon Pinkas:
Couldn’t have worked out better for Israel than if the Knesset had planned it all along . . . oh, hang on.
That’s quite a candid admission.
Unfortunately the average Israeli, is as much a sacrifice as the Americans, or Arab tribes have been, and are going to be.
I was reading recently about early Israel settlement idealist Jews. And the Yom Kippur war of 1973 involving attacks by Syria and Egypt. I guess, remembering that, Israelis won’t be too quick to make any move to aid them that will weaken themselves or use up their resources.
“We didn’t think that it would Blow up with such might…even the ghost came.
Get on with it guys. Abbott will soon be asking Key for pointers ..
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/9140853/Key-expects-strong-ties-with-Abbott
This country needs an effective opposition ..
Tony’s a real charmer.
“She said: ‘I had just commenced speaking when I felt a hand between my legs on my lower buttocks. I was wearing jeans. I jumped back, turned around, and saw Tony Abbott laughing about two feet away. The people in the audience began laughing and jeering’, Miss Wilson said.”
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/17/1089694611809.html
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/17/1089694611809.html
.. that’s just what’s on the public record. In common parlance he’s known as a bit of a
‘rough diamond’. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Bob Hawke had a colourful
past and broad extra-curricular experience can be an asset for a man of the people ..
but Abbott is leading a party created by royalist Melbourne grandee Bob Menzies,
inhabited by people who often barely deigned to recognise a colourless Sydney suburban personality like John Howard. There was, however, no argument with success ..
It may yet come back to haunt him. With a contracting Australian economy and the end of the China boom, it promises to be an interesting few years .. on both sides of the Tasman.
The common parlance among people I know is “fucked in the head scumbag.” If he’d been born and bred in Paramatta, he would probably have spent time in prison. Instead, he was chosen by the Liberals as something special quite early on and every “indiscretion” had top rank lawyers defending the prick.
Murray O
It sounds a little like John Mortimer’s relentless climber up the political ladder Leslie Titmus – Paradise Postponed and ? Have you read the books Murray? He wrote good books – had a good head for character parts.
Haven’t read those, sorry.
Prediction: Kiwis will be coming back home in their thousands. A Coalition gift to the Cunliffe Labour Government.
Better get a few Aussies over to help with the detent… oops refugee centre building then. They know how to do it, and because we sure don’t have enough houses (and they own a fair chunk of the rentals anyway).
They can also be reassured that if they’re need healthcare, are made redundant or need disaster relief etc that they’re not discriminated against.
Just a final thought on the TV3 poll on Firday putting Cunliffe in front. Fair enough on the general public figures, but TV3 say
“…– but looking at just Labour voters – Cunliffe is even stronger, sitting at 45.6 percent…”
Now, how many Labour party members could they have actually interviewed? The poll was of 500 people. Assuming Labour has, say, 20,000 members then on average TV3 would have only interviewed 4-5 Labour party members. Which leads to another question – how do they know the people on the phone who self-identified as Labour party members actually were NZLP members? Did they poll anyone who answered who was in a union as a NZLP member because their union is an affiliate?
I can’t see any other way around it, TV3’s poll figure for the Labour party membership is very, very fishy. I can’t help but wonder if the whole poll was just part of the TV3 campaign for Shane Jones, trumpeting dodgy figures to promote their man.
TV 3’s poll was done by a company that does online polling with panels of people. So presumably the panels are drawn from people registered with them, and for whom they have a lot of background information. I surmise they call on panels of people, selected for how much they represent the section of society they are researching.
I believe that they we looking at self-identified Labour supporters, ie who vote Labour in the general elections. Which as you say probably doesn’t reflect those members and hurriedly reactivated past members who will be voting in this election.
I’ve been watching these polls and wondering how they identify Labour Party members. It has to be self identified (Labour wouldn’t hand out their list) unless Labour is polling from eligible members?
Voted last week anyway so polls mean shit to me.
Audrey Young – from the mornings NZ Herald
“Caucus votes are worth more than other votes cast, with 34 MPs making up 40 per cent of the vote; the support of 17 MPs would give Mr Robertson almost 30 per cent of the total allowable vote.”
How did she get 30%, I make it 17 over 34 * 40% = 20%
Am I doing something wrong?
Audrey is better at the qualitative than the quantitative. Without even bothering to startup a calculator you are correct
Yes, you can BS the qualitative, but not the quantitative…but it didn’t stop Audrey from trying.
yeah but who reading it will check her numbers?
She’s massaging the numbers a bit. Young is estimating Robertson has the support of more than 17 MPs. She says:
Her comment that the support of 17 MPs would give Mr Robertson almost 30 per cent of the total allowable vote is clearly wrong. It only gives him 20% of the vote and with distribution of preferences the caucus vote could be all tied up.
Whatever the maths, Caucus… ignore your Labour voters at your peril.
What do you mean at your peril?
What peril will there be if Caucus votes differently to the Party?
Always knew there was something wrong with that little cryptofascist.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/8572418/National-MP-possibly-rabid-and-drooling
“The board said matters of religion were also outside the ERA’s jurisdiction. ” IF that turns out to be true then taxpayer funding should also be outside the jurisdiction of Tamaki College. Was having this discussion with someone yesterday. We both agreed that a school (reluctantly) can be free to be religious based but not a single dollar of taxpayer money should be put into that school. If people want an invisible friend to tell them how to live that is their prerogative but myself and selected taxpayers have no obligation to pay for it.
I find it particularly annoying when you see a Teaching job add, for a State funded school, FFS, which says, “must support the special character of the school”. I.E. Believe in implausable beings in the sky.
Yup. Any “argument” which is deemed by the arguer to be “won” because I can’t prove their invisible friend DOESNT exist actually has no place in education and I am worried that such thinkers are in charge of teaching our children.
This goes to this now.
A teacher claims he was forced to quit his job at Auckland’s Tamaki College because he was an atheist.
Dont know what happened.
They’ve massively altered the story to edit out all mention of Ngaro punching the teacher in the back of the head. Same for the Herald article.
I guess his lawyers have been busy this morning.
Original text of the article:
IF true, the PM will sack him immediately.
pause for laughter
he has an interesting background. Until your article I hadn’t heard of him
“Ngaro is of Cook Islands descent.[1] Ngaro’s father Daniel Ngaro from Aitutaki[2] and Pukapuka he was a union delegate, and the family has a long tradition of voting for the Labour Party.[1] His mother, Toko Kirianu, is from Mangaia.[2]
Ngaro trained as an electrician and was self-employed in the trade for five years.[3] As per his grandmother’s wish,[2] he then completed a theology degree and became a pastor at the Tamaki Community Church.[4] He later won a Sir Peter Blake Emerging Leader Award for his work on the Tamaki Transformation Project.[5]
Ngaro served as the Auckland District Health Board’s Pacific committee chairman and as the Tamaki College board of trustees chairman.[1] He is a member of various advisory committees for the Ministry of Social Development
Select Committees
Social Services
Justice & Electoral”
His maiden speech
http://www.national.org.nz/Article.aspx?ArticleID=37747
I thought Tamaki was a state school and therefore that no teacher or student had to be forced to kowtow to religious beliefs.
National MP possibly rabid and drooling?
Whose the wry humourist at stuff then?
* doh make that ‘who is the wry humourist at stuff then?’
lol, you can make stuff urls say anything you like. Everything after the last “/” is a playground.
e.g. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/8572418/John-Key-promises-higher-standards-Alfred-Ngaro-delivers
Aha. Well played, I may be able to have fun with that little bit of learning.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/10294082/Global-warming-No-actually-were-cooling-claim-scientists.html
This sounds like old news, I seem to recall it was predicted there would be an increase in cooling , some time back.
IPCC better get those wheels spinning to come up with something in its reports which stacks up, regarding these anomalies .
Ice surface areas is a completely daft measurement suitable for the simple and jonolists. A moments thought would tell you that there is a massive difference in cooling potential between thick sea ice and a thin coverage, most notably in how much energy is required to melt it. Anyone who has had to deice an old fridge is well aware of that. The ice cover referred to in the article is a very thin surface freeze liable to be broken up (and melted) in the next storm.
However idiots do rather like surface area as a measurement presumably because it is simple enough for them to grasp.. And I guess that defines you muzza.
The rest of the article is more interesting even though it highlights just a handful of climatologists (ie Curry) and refers to all of the others as being the IPCC – the sign of a jonolist’s “balance”.
Climate is multi-cyclic and there is an expectation of a leveling off and even a fall in average global temperatures because of the pacific oscillations and a number of other local climatic patterns. The nett effect is that more energy has been pushed into the oceans for later release than would happen on average. It makes absolutely no difference to the overall heat balances over a century – it is just a decadal shift. Furthermore the expectation was in the 2000’s that we’d see some falls in average work temperatures, but in fact we have seen peaks above 1997 several times.
That was despite the much higher than expected loss of cooling ice masses in the Arctic ice sheet, Greenland’s ice sheet, and in the West Antarctic. There were also increases in ice volumes in East Antarctica that are hard to explain unless more water vapour is getting in past the jetstream (paradoxically snowfall is a indicator of increased temperatures if you’re at the coldest and therefore driest place in the world).
Effectively heat going into melting ice masses keeps overall world temperatures down for a time, but gets less and less effective as those ice masses disappear. But if you’re focused on a single value of temperature over a decade or two to define changes in climate, then you’d have to be a fool…
Nice one LP, you’re about as predictable as a bowel movement.
Yep. I prefer that people know what I think – then they don’t have to waste time trying to guess.
“In a rebound from 2012′s record low”… “a 60 per cent increase in the amount of ocean covered with ice compared to this time last year”.
Surface area /= ice volume; the thickness of the ice-sheet will be minimal thus far – we’ll have to wait until later in the season to see how that results.
A Real Hole Near The Pole
So much more accurate when you get it from the scientists rather than newspapers with an ideological bent.
Wow, Emirates Team New Zealand absolutely smoked Oracle in race 3 of the America’s Cup just now. Isn’t it great to see New Zealanders being recognised as fearless builders of advanced, world beating technology rather than constantly patronised Hobbits?
And I must say I am starting to look forward to all the parties that’ll be happening in Auckland’s downtown.
Yup, it looks like unless our boat breaks Oracle are fucked.
Of course Barker will now have to get knighted even though it appears the designers are the ones who have made this for us by making a faster boat.
Oracle just won
yup, see comment above, they are sailing better than us but we have the faster boat. In 3 of the 4 races so far we made BIG sailing blunders… only one of them resulted in a loss.
The predicted huge response from the public and a financial bonanza, has been a huge fizzer. So if NZ should win will it be a poisoned chalice for Auckland?
If you look at our high end boat building industry the bonanza is happening. One of nationals few good investments.
sporting public loves a winner. So if the team wins the public will be temporarily happy, imo.
given the lead of TNZ seems to be the result of the designers, then the spin-off tot he boat building industry should continue provided the designers are based in NZ.
I also understand if TNZ wins they might move to the 45s and dump the 75s. The other day I saw the youth Amercias cup or something in the 45s and there were far more countries and log jams at the marks. Looked exciting.
Always thought it should be in 45’s.
The 40′ multihull racing in Europe, with their tight courses and thrills and spills, is awesome.
Even as a sailing enthusiast I have to admit that watching 12 metres was like watching grass grow.
I just hope they do not revert to monohulls.
me too @ monohulls. 45s are like dodgems on water. I havent seen 40s multi hulls.
Raising the minimum wage leads to more unemployment???, only if your economic education stopped at 101,
Yet another in the series of links which whips those with an infants education into silence over their false claims on the effects of raising the minimum wage…
http://www.policymic.com/…/minimum-wage-bill-obama-s-9-proposal-won-t-i...
The link is broken
here you go
http://www.policymic.com/articles/41325/minimum-wage-bill-obama-s-9-proposal-won-t-increase-unemployment
Studies
http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/min-wage-2013-02.pdf
http://www.irle.berkeley.edu/workingpapers/157-07.pdf
http://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jecsur/v22y2008i1p187-212.html
How raising the minimum wage will boost the economy
http://www.epi.org/files/2012/ib341-raising-federal-minimum-wage.pdf
Nice to see you here bright an early on a Monday morning.
“Nice to see you here bright an early on a Monday morning.”
It is hardly early at 0957. Or were you drunk yet again last night?
9:29am in NZ but not in Australia where you live.
Oh, and you are welcome for the fresh links.
Well that made me smile this morning, thanks Tracey.
What is broken SSLands is your self made delusion of economic genius, of more import of course is that not inconsiderable fact that after November 2014 the Neoliberal consensus will have been finally smashed,
Now if you have been reading the many links that have been provided to you over the past week we here at the Standard might have moved your economic education past that of a simpleton’s 101 level,(tho i have my doubts about your ability to do so as you give every appearance of having a love of wallowing in a simpletons level of intellect,
For your further education i will kindly provide you with this:
”Out-put growth in the measured sector averaged 2.6% per annum from 1978 to 2007″,
The main driver of this out-put growth was LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY of +2% per annum”,
http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/tprp/08-02/05.htm
Seeing as you consider yourself to be the economic genius perhaps you could explain this little gem for us all,
”In Nevada USA where the minimum is $7.25 an hour the jobless rate is 10.2 percent”,
”In Vermont USA where the minimum is $8.60 an hour the unemployment rate is 5.1 percent’,
My explanation of that glaring difference in minimum wages and unemployment figures in 2 different states of the USA would simply say that those on the higher minimum are spending that money into their local economy thus creating the far better figures for unemployment than what the other State suffers,
What’s your explanation SSLands…
Lolz, thanks Tracey, saved me again, i have a dream as per M.L. King, nothing so lofty as Martin tho, i just want my links to work…
got your back
for Bill owed sails,
Toads.
Why should I let the toad work
Squat on my life?
Can’t I use my wit as a pitchfork
And drive the brute off?
Six days of the week it soils
With it’s sickening poison-
Just for paying a few bills!
That’s out of proportion.
Lots of folk live on their wits:
Lecturers, lispers,
Losels, loblolly-men, louts-
They don’t end as paupers;
Lots of folk live up lanes
With fires in a bucket,
Eat windfalls and tinned sardines-
They seem to like it.
Their nippers have got bare feet,
Their unspeakable wives
Are skinny as whippets- and yet
No one actually starves .
Ah, were I courageous enough
To shout Stuff your pension !
But I know, all too well, that’s the stuff
That dreams are made on:
For something sufficiently toad-like
Squats in me, too;
Its hunkers are heavy as hard luck,
And cold as snow,
And will never allow me to blarney
My way to getting
The fame and the girl and the money
All at one sitting.
I don’t say, one bodies the other
One’s spiritual truth;
But I do say it’s hard to lose either,
When you have both.
just Larkin’ about. 🙂
They fuck you up, your boss and supervisor …
Plan B for Syria:
5 or 6 prime targets identified. (A palace, a communication centre or two, barracks etc)
A date set.
The general area surrounding the targets swamped with leaflets/broadcasts warning civilians to leave the areas before target date.
Missiles fired as warned on date given.
Damage done with minimal collateral damage.
How about that as my plan?
Anyone heard anything from Mrs Assad recently?
the lady from Wainuiomata?
I wonder if visa mastercard could remove her cards as a protest??
or Britain could revoke her citizenship…
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/the-controversial-life-of-syrian-first-lady-asma-al-assad-193241101.html
But they won’t they’ll prob go for the usual list of targets, which if the Syrians have any common sense are now just empty buildings.
From what’s being said, the list is growing. Once you decide to hit, you start looking for ways to get more bang for your buck. More birds to kill with the stone, as it were.
the talk now about changing the outcome of the war, in favour of moderate elements of the FSA suggests that Assad’s assets won’t be the only thing targeted. The FSA can’t compete with the extremist groups.
It’s looking more and more like Lebanon in the eighties, with w whole bunch of wars being faught in the sme place and between the same people.
eg, Iran + Hezb +Assad + US + FSA vs AQ.
Iran + Assad + Hezb vs FSA + AQ +US
AQ + Hezb + Assad Vs FSA + US
In Lebanon the different fights wern’t just in theory. Groups actively killing each other in one of the wars, were trading weapons and intelligence and co-operating on the battlefield in another.
Babylon 5
With a sprinkling of The Shadow and dim lights for atmosphere indicating the forces of evil and smiling assassins with madness and megalomania in their eyes.
What’s in it for the USA apart from more armament sales to the government? Are they working their way along the Middle East? Is it a practice place to trial their latest weaponry? Is the Defence budget too big to fall over? Is it a proxy war for Israel, and what have Israel done for them as a quid pro quo? Where are the Saudis in this? Bush was supposed to be close to some Saudis who were close to Al Queda.
Now that is confusing. Don’t anybody try to provide me a rational answer, in fact anything at all. I don’t want to know acshually. It’s an idle thought and I already have my worrying time all allocated. Some mathematician could provide some interesting stats on the permutations of all the countries in the world who are involved in war at some level at any one time.
Here is a link to a page from the Daily Mail. No it is no longer on the official site (funny that) but on the waybackwhen site. (awesome archive of stuff we wouldn’t otherwise have access too anymore) the page is an article published on 29th of January 2013 and tells of a leaked email and gives us a view into the secret machinations leading up to the pending attack on Syria and whattayaknow… they were gagging for a false flag chemical attack on Syrian civilians to force an invasion into Syria!
No wonder that page has been removed from the official DM site and replaced with the most hideous war mongering propaganda.
But conspiring? No Sir never! Not our modern enlightened governments in our “really” Democratic countries! They would never do that to us!
Yeah, nah. An unproven email from people who may or may not exist sarcastically referring to Washington’s supposed support for a single CW bombing is hardly evidence of anything. Ev.
I think the clues that this reference is bullshit can be found in the names ‘Daily Mail’ and ‘Infowars’.
Infowars seems to bother you doesn’t it. You keep mentioning it in relation to links while I probably linked to well backed up and linked articles from that site about maybe 5 times over the last 8 years. Or do you mention INFOWARS in the hope to smear whatever I post?
The quote that forms the basis for the Mail article comes from Infowars. Do you not read your own links before posting them?
And a well linked to other sources article it was too so no problem there for me but again it is a problem for you. Ok, maybe 6 times in the last 8 years? Dipshit.
Ha! I think you and I both know who the didpshit is here, Ev. Next time read the link before posting. Or, better, yet, save the right wing fantasies for your own site.
Funny how you do that right wing fantasy thing again. Just smearing and trolling. I think many would actually classify me as left wing as my preference for the MANA party is no secret. Not that it matters to me. I think that left and right are a paradigm pushed on us to keep us separated from each other and to stop us from fighting the 0.01% owning everything and you are a dumbass for complying. Have a nice day dipshit! 😈
Sorry, pal, having no class understanding is not a defence. You are right wing. You run a right wing website. You publish right wing comments here and get abusive when the narrow perspective you push gets highlighted. Like it or not, using rightwing sites such as the Daily Mail and Infowars to back your fantasies does not make you left wing. Funny that. Particularly so when you don’t even appear to have read the link you posted. Here’s a clue for ya; the headlines don’t always tell the full story.
Pal assumes a gender I am not.
For those of you not familiar with TRP smearing and trolling techniques here is what I believe in and stand for:
I believe in a just society where there is far more equality than there is now. I believe in workers rights and the need to protect them. I believe in fair taxes and that includes the rich. I believe that the weak and poor should be protected and that in a civilized country there should be free healthcare and a social support system. I believe in open and accountable government. I believe in the protection of our ecosystems and the protection of them. I believe in equality and marriage rights for all regardless of their gender. I believe that greed is serious disease and that people suffering from the obsessive need to have more than they could possibly need should be in hospitals for the criminally insane and expect that some day they will be.
In my ideal world there would be no war, no corruption and peace based on respect, love and compassion.
So tell me again why I am right wing? And to show I understand this should come from both sides I’ll refrain from calling you a dipshit again, how’s that?
Purgatory? Must have been the T=words I used.
Cheers about the restraint, Ev. I hope you stick to it.
My estimation of your politics is based entirely on what you write. That’s the only way I know you. The list above is all very well, but it’s not backed up by what you do online, which primarily is run a rightwing blog narrowly focussed on absurd conspiracy theories. You are a climate change denier, a supporter of the racist theory that Barack Obama is not an American and a fevered believer that 9/11 was an inside job. These last 3 are all righty obsessions and they define your digital presence.
When your blog starts regularly featuring articles about workers’ rights, healthcare etc., I might reassess my view of you. But for the moment your output is overwhelmingly right wing. And, btw, if you deny the need for class analysis (your right/left paradigm), then why are you upset as being identified as right wing anyway?
I am not. It says more about you and your need to classify me than about me. Absurd is the fact that you deny the science which tells us that buildings do not collapse in freefall speed into dust clouds after an office fire.
But other than that. What do you find so right wing about my writings?
Ok, I’ll bite. Can you cite any comment of mine that denies the science? I’m picking not, because it’s the science that proves 9/11 deniers wrong. That and the intervening 12 years without any actual evidence of a gummint/NWO/illuminati conspiracy 😉
So not a single one of my writings then? And I don’t think you ever gave good solid evidence to the contrary. You are a troll who smears and throws mud in the hopes that something will stick. You are what I would call a sad case
When NZ Labour get in they should speak to the Oz government in their regular confabs and stress that we want to be treated fairly when we are in Oz. Then they should ask when they will be changing those laws that discriminate against us, their friends and allies. And if they won’t do anything by a certain time, then we should withdraw social assistance for Oz people here.
Why should we be paying for the health treatment of Oz managers and their families, who come here to utilise our ‘sub-human’ resources (less developed beings than those in Oz). Education, would no doubt be a choice of free or private (which includes government funding) up to tertiary, and then they can study in Oz or if in NZ pay on the same basis that we do in Oz. They won’t even let NZ students have student transport travel concessions I understand. Also there are people that have NZ family (Mr Abbott!) who may be able to utilise health treatment if they can organise themselves around our regulations. I have heard of that being considered.
We can’t afford to carry these shiralees. (Oz Swag, burden, load. Etymology: From one of the Australian Aboriginal languages).
And we don’t want the same rotten treatment that Oz has meted out to their Aborigines in the past. They have made some attempt to respect, repair past wrongs and honour them lately. But then having all that racism and negativism loose and available, they have combined it, focussed it and fired it at us.
Do you really think the OZ Labor or Liberal government gives a f… about this especially as this is a significant budget item.
I am not supporting what the OZ labor and Liberal government are doing but I do understand the what is happening.
Sometime down the track the OZ government will say this is unfair (maybe via a court decision) and the solution will be Kiwis will be entitled to the same benefits and right as say a Brit moving to OZ by something along these lines:
Kiwi’s will need a work visa (i.e meet OZ immigration selection policy) if they want to stay beyond say 2 years. To uphold previous agreement with NZ kiwis will be allowed open travel to OZ BUT the open work visa will now have a time frame. It allows OZ to pick off the qualified and those with money in their pocket (especially Kiwis returning down under).
Yeah Watching wasn’t that what we had. You had to be in Oz for a while before you qualified, you had to be working. And do I think that Oz gives it time of day? Well I already commented on the possibility of them not doing so, as they apparently have when the matter has been raised with them. Or that’s what we are told, I haven’t got any spy info on that, no tapes over the teacups, no gps over the glasses, no leaks from the lagers. So who knows what has been said by our pollies apart from sqawk or sfa.
The point is that it is easy for the Aussies to find excuses for not reversing this discriminatory abuse of our political ally relationship. And for our own respect, and savings on expenditure on the undeserving, we should follow suit. And put the money instead into an insurance scheme that NZs there and/or family can pay into which will provide the wherewithal to get them back here when the dream of better opportunities crashes. The stories of destitution are building up.
Aye!
In Australians’ eyes, since Howard – we’ve become lesser beings than bloody Tasmanians! (unless of course we achieve some sort of fame and can be claimed as an Okker).
I remember as a kid growing up in Victoria, thinking that NZ was another state until I was put right. A journey to Sydney by road meant a mandatory stop at the border where one’s boot was searched for fruit and any contraband. Kiwis owned half of Bondi (now by South Africans, who are treated somewhat better than the Kiwis in the ‘ANZAC brotherhood’). The Kiwi dollar was on a par or worth more, and my primary school contemporaries were somewhat jealous.
(That was because the only “bloody Abbos” they encountered were those living rough in the park, or during school holidays when parents would send their kids to the big smoke for us t babysit, and they had to deal daily with greesers and bloody spiks daily)
Nah – fuk ’em. Let em rot in their bigotry and mine themselves to death. Thank God I no longer have an Australian passport (not that one ever required a passport to travel between Australia and NZ).
Agreed – and until they do, they should drop the NZ in “ANZAC”. Supposedly something that represents a fair suck of the save for Kiwi and Okker brothers and sisters alike. Instead, all it represents is a morning one day a year to acknowledge hard times during war, a statue or two, and a way of forgetting that only 40 or so years ago – the tables were turned and opposite (with NZ being a more attractive prospect)
It’s not all bad. There are possibly more Kiwi PhD students in Australia on Australian scholarships than there are in Aotearoa on Kiwi scholarships. Any Kiwi gets free hospital care in Oz, on the same basis that Aussies get it in Aotearoa. Although I couldn’t access any benefits if I had to stop working, I get free medical care under Medicare. This is probably better than what I’d get back home. Since I’ve got liver cancer and am now waiting for a transplant, this means something significant to me.
There is discrimination against us, but not really in the health area. Benefits, yeah, and lack of access to student loans, plus we can’t go and help them fight for Amerika unless Key sends us, but I think you’ve got some of the details a bit wrong, GW. Anyway, I agree that it stinks that we pay tax and don’t receive all the things paid for by that tax.
I am trying to find a speaker for my students on the Privacy Act. Specifically I am trying to find someone who can talk to them about why “nothing to fear so nothing to hide” is NOT a good reason to breach privacy?
Anyone have any ideas and contact details of
potential speakers. My students are first and foremost sport students, not law students.
I am in Auckland
Maybe try the Rev. Mua Strickson-Pua, Tracey. He can do a good rendering of Pastor Niemoller.
Here is a link to a trailer for a 5 hour (English) documentary released by Luogocomune.net named The new Pearl Harbor. The makers of this film are keen for it to be shared far and wide and don’t hold on to copyrights so I’m happy to oblige.
At least I’m not the only one. Your’e on to it.
Cheers for bringing that to my attention.
But wait, there’s more.
SYRIA.
Don’t turn off your TV. Keep watching.
WW3 in real time.
Pacific leaders’ meeting exposes hypocrisy of US rhetoric about Syria and WMDs:
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2013/09/wmds-sinful-in-syria-but-forgettable-in.html
I don’t know if many of you actually watch Russia Today but yesterday a 12 minutes segment aired world wide actually alleges that 9/11 was indeed a false flag event.
Russian TV? Oh well, chances are good that they’d know.
Got through most of the report. Same old bunk. Gladio led to some interesting reading, though.
An answer for CV. who asked me You say that “printing” money (in reality, electronically crediting it to a Treasury account) will cause the debt loading to go up. Why?
The reason CV this creates debt is because credit gets spent by real people for real goods and real services.
Credit does not exist in a vacuum, if it is generated to pay for existing interest on debt made possible by prior credit creation somewhere somebody has a claim against it. Credit is either for expenditure for something real, or more latterly something to enable debts to be propped up whilst current expenditure continues.
Its about that point when things get really strange….logically if you print dollars the total available against goods and services in exchange should by rights diminish the value of the dollar (inflation) but as we know recessions are deflationary….I could explain but Illargi at theautomaticearth.com does better.
Firstly the issuance of money can be done debt free and it is not the same as extending, or creating credit.
If the government prints 100 x $100 notes, it has created $10,000 in money, with no associated creation of debt.
That $10,000 in cash can then be used to destroy $10,000 worth of existing debt. Interestingly, the physical cash still exists at the end of this process, and can continue to circulate in the economy.
A high level of monetary inflation is extraordinarily hard to achieve. It usually requires some or all of the following:
– Massive war.
– Currency collapse.
– Massive destruction of infrastructure and productive capavity.
– Failure of government tax and tax enforcement systems.
The bit you have missed is that money (once created) gets spent….whether you classify it as a debt or a credit is debatable. The goods it is spent on must be paid for somewhere some how with good / services / work etc….are you proposing to pay for everything with thin air?
He also doesn’t get that the money created increases the supply of money and therefore lowers its speculative value. So it will work when used with a deft touch, but increasing use exponentially increases the probability of a currency collapse.
Currently the government/RB simply use interest rates as a method of adjusting the money supply, but the shortcoming there is that it doesn’t really circulate the new money outside of the banking sector.
Reference please. Relating to any one of the major central banks openly acknowledged to be printing money in the last few years eg. BoJ, BoE, Fed, ECB etc. will be fine.
How’s the USD going again?
That’s why you have Government spend the money into circulation.
Indeed.
My point is not that it shouldn’t be done, just that it’s not a consequence-free blank cheque for all our economic and inequality ills. It requires more skill and subtlety than your anti-intellectualism is capable of.
Which happens every day/year as the private banks print huge amounts of money. Of course, most of that just goes back to the bankster sector making them richer and neither causing the currency collapse or inflation.
EDIT:
To be more precise, what you see is inflation in mortgages and share prices – areas where a few people (the rich) get access to the tools of high finance for speculative gambling but this is seen as a Good Thing.
Which doesn’t work because the private banks then add extra interest on top of that. The real effect is that the private banks are incentivised to massively over produce money and they do so with little or no constraint.
Doesn’t that contradict itself? If interest rates provide an incentive one way or another to banks to overproduce $$$, then they do affect the money supply, if indirectly.
That is exactly how it is done now, apart from a small % of transactions which occur with physical cash.
I’m not stating anything theoretical, just what is happening now, every day.
just getting back to the really serious stuff for a mo’…
..this is really something everyone should hear..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i93-hlwULUk
..it’s a singer called little willie john..(unsure if that is a hookers’ in-joke/typecast..or what..)..
..and he is doing the standard ‘fever’ like you have never heard it done before..
..i just found it..and it has jumped to the top of my shake-people-by-the-shoulders-and-say:’you must listen to this!’-music-list..
..and it is so good i am putting out there with a money back guarantee..
..and i am just trying to un-peel myself from the ceiling – after listening to it twice in a row..
..(i think i need a cup of tea..and a you-know-what..)
..and i mean it when i say..’enjoy,..!’
phillip ure..
it aint the size, it’s what you do with IT
“People and their visions, you’ll see them everywhere
Atomic people, they’ll all move away
It’s a mass Exodus day, today; Non Stop Sex (or, “What Lesbians think about penises”).
“..it aint the size, it’s what you do with IT..
i pulled this out of my archives..
..and i think you need to listen to this guy..
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/sep/06/norm-macdonald-me-doing-standup
..he starts off ruminating on death..and then moves onto penis size..
..and in particular..
..that chimera you quote..
(he is also very very funny..with it..)
phillip ure..
so..so; I’m a Jimeoin fan (and other Irish comedians). Michael McIntyre’s observations can be very funny. 😉
Nah There is only one version of Fever Just Miss Peggy Lee with drums and bass.
Absolutely amazing singer
yes..of course ron..you can’t go past peggy lee doing it..
..but (good as it is) we have all heard that multiple times..
..didn’t this one have the shock/delight of the new..?..
..for you..?
..i mean..hasn’t he got the most fucken amazing voice..?..
..and his timing..?
..and the minimalism/tightness of the backing/production..?
..whoar..!..
..phillip ure..
But those were Foreign Children and really didn’t matter.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/sarin-syrian-chemical-weapons-cameron
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/world/middleeast/with-the-world-watching-syria-amassed-nerve-gas.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
saw Kerry on the newz off drumming up more Tin Soldiers in Britain to jump into the fire.
sigh
This site translates the key remarks this way: “The Syrian people have suffered much during the past two years. More than 100,000 were killed and seven to eight million have become displaced. Prisons are overflowing with people and they have turned stadiums into prisons. On the one hand the people have suffered a chemical attack by their own government. On the other, they have to await for US bombs today”
http://www.juancole.com/2013/09/president-gassing-divisions.html
and another little hate-piece in the MSM today:
http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Robertson-vs-Cunliffe/tabid/674/articleID/37760/Default.aspx
Deniers:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/10294082/Global-warming-No-actually-were-cooling-claim-scientists.html
I already dealt with the crock of crap the other day. But really, linking to *the* home of really stupid jonolists (now that the News of the world is dead)..
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09092013/#comment-693411
Basically in classic Telegraph style, it adopts an attitude that thin ice extent similar to the average for the last decade (apart from the last two years) is astonishing and essentially repudiates a decades long thinning of the ice volume in in Arctic.. It poses a single person Curry as being of equal weight as the whole IPCC.
Basically written by a scientifically illiterate gormless fool, and now linked to by another one…
So did Grant Robertson ever bother to turn up and respond to any of the many questions his post triggered?
Nah, didn’t think so. He must have one of those one-way internets.
He did not answer questions individually, but he did answer several in one go:
http://thestandard.org.nz/grant-robertson-2/#comment-693066
felix
http://thestandard.org.nz/grant-robertson-2/#comment-693066
He had to fight his way through a lot from QoT duelling with a Ramsay and others at the beginning. Is that then trielling or quatelling or quarelling? Abortion etc. Very important but I wish that discussion about the Constitution could arouse as much heat, which could then be piped to my house and save a day’s electricity.
There were also some very long and detailed ones. It’s asking a bit much of these pollies rushing around NZ and trying to remember where and who they are each morning to pick out too many queries.
Yeah it’s probably impossible. I wonder how Cunliffe managed it?
Not that blogs matter anyway, of course…
I hope your curtains are pulled tight.
Why’s that CV?
Must conform to the stereotype…
Ah, so.
Here is Bryce Edwards on the media circus around this ‘primary’ and Jones etc. The Standard gets a link.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11121797
“Brighter Future”?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11121457
“nearly 2/3, that’s Two Thirds , 66% (or thereabouts) of young New Zealanders showing signs of depressed mood”.
Was discussing the national well-being later yesterday with a manager of a Youth Health centre; like Alice, the funders are ‘going the wrong way’. According to her, “they (Ministry, DHB’s) are not allowing them to do what needs to be done”: Integrated case-management.
Then the pollies wonder why kids self medicate.
It’s not just integrated case management though – it’s the constrained life we’re presenting to them, imo.
and Manufacturing dips in June 1/4 (Drought)
Said , Assad to Charlie Rose ( Ivan to G.I Joe); “there is no evidence, and if there is, the US administration should show it” (para.)
“Anything but sleep you rogue
glow’ring at the moon…
skirlin’ like a kenna-what…
waukenin’ sleepin’ folk
Wearit is the mither that has a stoorie wean”.
+1 ghostrider….sounds good
http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/maori-voters-want-shane-jones-labour-leader-poll-5577770
Would be interesting to compare Jones with Nanaia in a poll of Maori voters.
Well done Clare Curran, you’ve cemented your title as Captain Stupid.
Interesting typo on the TV3 website.
Looks like slippery’s already in training for his next career move!
I dislike Greg O’Connor. He is supposed to represent the Police trade union and has always seemed quite right wing and an apologist for all their new useful tools for hitting shooting people etc. But when the police do need some advocacy as now, he is all uncertain and equivocal.
It’s a yes for police to work in pairs especially when working from a car. It’s no time for police to be macho, or spout that crap you hear too often, ‘If the crims did what they were supposed to do, it (whatever) wouldn’t be needed’. That’s the very reason we have police.
The pollies have to either allow for this in the budget or stop this mass netting of the thousands of the public with road blocks and breath testing and looking into police records hoping to get 100 unpaid fines and people over the alcohol limit. And then there’s the causing damage and injury chasing the excitable ones to prevent them causing damage and injury.
Stop this (expensive) madness, this setting of unreasonable targets by pollies many of whom are themselves not meeting the expectations of the public because of their incompetency. It’s dumbarse right wing economics. The sort that wanted to penalise a funeral director in the 1980’s I think, for not calculating his likely future earnings right so he could pay tax in advance of such earnings. Which of course were mostly gathered from the estates of people who had just died. Which can only be guessed at in advance, unless you are the Syrian government.
Anyone who doesn’t suspect that O’Connor is a paid mouthpiece for the weapons industry first and a union rep second is naive in the extreme.
I’ll include most of the media in that too, as they usually introduce him as the “Police Commissioner”. He never corrects them btw.
So has anyone seen the evidence the US says it has that the Syrian Government chemicaled their people?
Has John Kerry done anything to provide that evidence to an open and transparent third party for verification by that party and the public?
Has John Kerry said what the evidence is?
Has the USA said anything which is not hyperbole?
Where is the evidence?
What is the evidence?
Is it the same as that for Iraq and WMD?… because it sounds so far exactly like Iraq and WMD.
Where is it? Where is the evidence?
+1 vto….reckon they are blaming the wrong side …ie the rebels did it …they have more reasons to
……more to the point, where is the evidence the rebels didnt do the gassing?
….and if the US backed rebels did the gassing …..how wicked is that, if the US bombs Syria?
The crucial question: Where is the evidence?
There is also a possibility that a rogue unit of the Syrian government forces, or some mid level commanders were responsible – i.e. nothing to do with Assad or the senior levels of the Syrian govt.
So what is the US going to do? Strike at and degrade Syria’s command and control infrastructure, because there was chemical weapons use due to unsatisfactory command and control?
It’s dumbass day.
I was reading a Jane’s defence article today work that was updated over the weekend and all arrows/ evidence points to the Assad regime as the FSA does not have the capacity to mount a CW attack. But in saying that the report also stated there are Hard-core elements of the FSA that are openly seeking WMD’s (CW and BW argents) and if they did conduct that attack last week then its now gotten very untidy or heading that way very fast.
I’m starting to think this Civil war could the West’s Munich moment “dam with do and dam if we don’t”.
Chris Trotter better be wrong. He thinks caucus may attempt to ‘fix’ the leadership vote.
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/09/09/is-someone-planning-to-fix-labours-leadership-election/
I thought there will be one deadline for all the votes and then they will be counted up so caucus does not, before voting, get advance information of the membership and affiliates votes.
If otherwise, then the rules would have explicitly stated that.
Hipkins should not be involved in counting votes. That’s the concern.
That too.
I think it’s correct that the two section of the party are represented.
Is it the position or symbol or just that its an ABC Hipkins doing the counting.
Actually look to tims barnetts background if one is concerned, not that I am.
The count will go in the second round to cunliffe then the real fight begins…can’t wait.
Who is overseeing the conuting process?
What are the checks and balances?
I don’t trust Hipkins to count my online vote, or to maintain confidentiality about the tally from the caucus.
Cleverly, Labour have subcontracted out the process to electionz.
If this become a stitch up job by the old hands welding the power of the old party behind the scenes then the new found democratic rights of the members have been tramples upon.
What are they so scared of…unsettling the staus quo and the trough perhaps.
Time to see off the old non reactionaries and then the Tory raiders…
It wouldnt suprise me if they did.
I think Shane Jones name being announced as leader of the NZLP is a very realistic possibility. An SJ led party would have no real difference to the 5th Labour and 5th National governments, which some of the establishment wouldnt mind.
Six days to go and it’s all rumours, speculation, gossip, sniping. Time for nerves of steel, folks. Let’s not get caught up in all the crap that’s flying around. That’s just playing into the Nats’ hands, and the likes of Duncan Garner. No time for galloping paranoia
Also, I haven’t got my voting papers yet, or the email with a pin number. I desperately want to vote so it’s hard to be patient. Got to thinking about people in other countries where democracy is much more fragile. Asked myself how far would I walk to be able to cast my vote? How long would I stand in the rain? Answers: 25 miles; 4 hours. (I hope I don’t ever have to prove it.)
I would get on phone to head office and demand that they send you an email immediately. How hard can it be to ensure emails go out the day you contact them
Just caught up with an episode of Backbenches from a couple of weeks ago in which Trevor Mallard claimed that The Standard is an “anti-Labour” website.
Which is a bit like a borer claiming that the pesticides are anti-timber.
😀 (Mallard is such a sitting duck).
If the ABC Labour MPs are successful in dumping Cunliffe who will they select as the deputyJones?