Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step right up to the mike…
The High Court disallows Dow/Monsanto to appear as a witness on its own behalf to corrupt our environment ( for now) but how has it come to this ?????
Terrifying thoughts to begin a sweet spring morning that Dow/Monsanto already holds sufficient surreptitious sway in NZ to have received the authority to proceed with non-notifiable GM tampering outside our very strict GM controls! Kia Kaha to the Sustainability Council on our behalf. (And it makes the interference on Ruataniwha seem modest by comparison imho.)
Oh my, just how corrupt is this govt willing to be ?? And all powers of local councils to prevent these developments have been removed.
NB — almost certainly this denial of permission to appear as witness could NOT have occurred under TPPA. In fact, likely it could never have gotten to the High Court !!!
Lyn filmed it. Lynn says it’ll take a day or so to get it online. But it will go online. It was an important debate, and needs to be seen and discussed widely.
Bearing in mind Lyn’s workload at present (and mine for that matter) I wouldn’t expect it before the weekend. Last I saw as she was offloading the GB of video was that she was muttering all three mic’ed being pen-clickers đ I got the impression that pen-clicker was some kind of newly discovered swear word. đ
I liked that debate. Wayne was pretty clear on the how and why. Jane was as sharp as usual. Getting a much clearer view about why it is being pushed for and what the benefits are, and the downsides.
The quality of education (literacy and numeracy) in the countries whose education systems gave us National Standards and Charter Schools. A scroll down to the bottom of the lists is required to see what it’s done for their people aged 16-24. A bit of movement from their results for all adults.
Great debate last night. Some may find it hard to believe but I wanted wayne to put some doubt in my mind about wanting to know more he didnt. He said ftas and tppa bring us prosperity pointing to increased trade with those countries we have them with. His second argument was would we really want to not be in it if the others are in.
Yes. Wayne is knowledgeable on the issues, but I disagree with his underlying philosophy (which reminded me so much of my Dad’s way back when I argued with him – heated debates at the dinner table). My dad was also knowledgeable and very smart, but he didn’t convince me back then, and neither did Wayne last night.
Wayne argued that TPP is a very significant agreement involving all Pacific nations, and as a “trading nation” NZ cannot afford to be left out. But s Kelsey showed, there are already many concerns in other countries about the TPP, and it looks to me that there are a lot of cracks where pressure can be applied so that the TPP will start to crumble.
“it looks to me that there are a lot of cracks where pressure can be applied so that the TPP will start to crumble.”
It will be interesting if one of the first cracks appear in what the pork-barrelling in the U.S. dishes up to resolve the government shutdown. Or at the very least whether the shutdown delays negotiations.
Gormless. I thought I heard joyce saying no. It just seems such a strange thing for the nats to dig their toes in. Perhaps it tells us much of their vote sits amongst baby boomers?
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 6.1
Te Reo Putake, Populuxe and others who slavishly follow the party line will no doubt be amplifying some or all of the latest anti-protestor messages. Promising new targets for Te Reo et al. include:
Watch Niall Ferguson get schooled by real economists
Brad Delong, Paul Krugman and Dean Baker all beat up on Niall Ferguson for making the kind of embarrassing error that would badly damage his career if he were not peddling lies that the rich and powerful want people to believe….
Excellent link: I have often thought that Fergusson was a wannabe Galbraith, Kenneth Clark or Brunowski, acting as a legitimate teller of the tale on a major BBC doc series. In a strange way he reminds me of the very talented Brannagh attempting to don the Shakespearean mantle of Olivier, and never quite succeeding. At-least his attempts were honest, by contrast Niall appears to work on the principle that if a statement is so sweeping it will be received by we humble viewers as true. I don’t mind him being partisan, no amount of eloquence however can make a false proposition any more real.
Yesterday’s Panel with Mora.
The ever-so-reasonable-sounding-Franks was on and began subtly spouting his party line on topics of justice, Supreme court etc and on ACC. Mora invited Dr Duncan Webb to discuss issues and he appeared to progressively dismantle most of Franks points.
I didn’t accuse you of lying, Moz, but of being grossly inaccurate. I provided the link to what was actually said, which bore little resemblance to your fictional ‘transcript’.
At least in earlier exchanges about your inability to transcribe accurately you had the wit to acknowledge that they were just an impression. Which is fine.
I think you need to make up your mind as to whether they are intended to accurately reflect what is said or whether they are just a pisstake. If it’s the latter, I look forward to a few sniggers at the expense of those you target. If its the former, well, you’re just another jonolist. Though an decidely amateur one, obviously.
1.) I didnât accuse you of lying, Moz, but of being grossly inaccurate.
You and a couple of others have repeatedly accused me of “making shit up”. Last night you claimed that “itâs all bullshit from Moz. Nothing in the âtranscriptâ has anything but a passing resemblance to the truth. Ok, Moz gets the names of the participants correct, but the rest is made up.” Yet a few hours later you brazenly claim that you didn’t accuse me of lying. I think you have just been hoist by your own canard.
2.) I provided the link to what was actually said, which bore little resemblance to your fictional âtranscriptâ.
On the contrary, the link shows my rendition of that conversation was accurate. Not word-perfect, of course, and I never pretended it was.
3.) At least in earlier exchanges about your inability to transcribe accurately you had the wit to acknowledge that they were just an impression. Which is fine.
It would be obvious to even the meanest intelligence that my rendition was an impression of what was said. I never claimed it was a transcript. Your quibbling is nothing more than spurious, captious obstinacy.
4.) I think you need to make up your mind as to whether they are intended to accurately reflect what is said or whether they are just a pisstake.
My script was accurate. Not word-perfect, but accurate. I believe I captured Franks’s sneering malevolence, and Mora’s mealy-mouthed flippancy. I didn’t write down everything Chris Wikaira said, because he was well into his speech before I even picked up a piece of paper. Certainly the words are not verbatim, but I made up none of it.
5.) If itâs the latter, I look forward to a few sniggers at the expense of those you target. If its the former, well, youâre just another jonolist. Though an decidely amateur one, obviously.
You mean I’m not professional, like those outstanding specimens at the BBC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, the Grauniad and all the other government-approved cheerleaders and megaphones. I’m a little bit better than that, I think.
Could you explain what you mean please? I’m mystified. It seems that you’re having a sly dig at me, judging by the response of our friend McFlock, but it’s all very obscure.
You’d think they’d have a word or phrase for this by now. Someone who sucks all the attention out of a group of online commentators, so that most of the effort on the blog goes into inanity and discussing inanity and defending inanity and defending/discussing meta-inanity, instead of discussing the things that the blog is actually about. And someone who does this repeatedly in a predictable fashion.
Hence my comment about Jenny leaving and vaccums being filled.
Youâd think theyâd have a word or phrase for this by now. Someone who sucks all the attention out of a group of online commentators, so that most of the effort on the blog goes into inanity and discussing inanity and defending inanity and defending/discussing meta-inanity, instead of discussing the things that the blog is actually about.
The entire raison d’ĂȘtre of my transcripts/reconstructions is to highlight the utter inanity of a significant sector of media commentators in this country. You seem to have mistaken me for my targets. Perhaps you need to ease up on the hallucinogens.
And someone who does this repeatedly in a predictable fashion. Hence my comment about Jenny leaving and vaccums [sic] being filled.
Your comparison is invalid, glib, and stupid. Sadly that’s something that could be said of most of your posts. Hence the general lack of regard for your efforts on this forum.
Cobblers, cobber. You can keep bullshitting all day, but it doesn’t make your dismal effort any more accurate. You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. It’s great that you now accept it’s only an “impression”. But so is the mark the farmer leaves when he steps in a cowpat. The gumboot still stinks though.
One of the nastier strategies employed by John Key and his parliamentary cronies is to bray “He’s making stuff up” whenever they are confronted with something embarrassing. Here’s a typical example from one of the intellectual powerhouses in the National Party…. http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/10/shearer_makes_it_up.html
I’m sure others on this mostly excellent forum have noticed one or two of the resident thugs around here using the same formula. As an example, look at how our thuggish friend Te Reo Putake behaves….
Cobblers, cobber. You can keep bullshitting all day,
There he goes again!
….but it doesnât make your dismal effort any more accurate.
First the allegation that I have been dishonest, then the derogatory epithet (“dismal effort”). I am sure that this bloke manages to intimidate a few locals around Whanganui with such behaviour but, as always, on a forum like this he only ends up making himself look bereft of ideas.
You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. Itâs great that you now accept itâs only an âimpression”.
I’ve never suggested otherwise. I’ve always admitted that my transcripts are a mix of verbatim recording and reconstruction from memory. They are usually done in haste but they are always true to the character and tenor of the conversation. Only a few naysayers have objected, and that has been, in every case, because they have objected to my reminding them that someone they have worshipped is a fraud or an empty bag of wind. In the case of Te Reo Putake, I recall he was incandescent with indignation when I pointed out the rank hypocrisy of this fraud’s putrid method acting here…. http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jul/01/barack-obama-nelson-mandela-robben-island-video
Ooooh, reduced to identity speculation. And so typically inaccurate!
No speculation at all. You do live in Whanganui, as you have repeatedly reminded us on this forum. And far from speculating who you are, I merely suggested that your inept attempts to bully and intimidate people on this site are no doubt a continuation of the way you behave in your everyday life. That’s speculating on your behaviour, not on your identity.
I don’t live in Whanganui, Moz. More made up stuff from you. If only your memory was up to your ambition, eh?
And losing arguments does not make you a victim, it just makes you someone who can’t succesfully argue their corner. Of course, if you took more care to be accurate in the first place, you wouldn’t be called on it and you wouldn’t feel as lousy as you obviously do today.
You could always wait until RNZ put up the recording and check your impression against it before posting. That’s called fact checking, it’s really useful for keeping your integrity intact.
Now, now, TRP – mozz has pointed out that you have repeatedly “reminded us” that you live in Wh. I’m sure, having such accurate recollection, links to the comments where you’ve admitted living in Wh will be along presently.
Indeed, it will be a wonderful demonstration of mozz’s outstanding recollective abilities. We will all have to adopt a more humble deference to his important authority when he proves you wrong.
if a transcript is not word-perfect, then it is not accurate.
My renditions are usually pretty close to word-perfect. I even make sure to include every time someone like Hekia Parata uses fillers like “ummmm”, “ahhhh” and “y’know”. The objections to my renditions are ideological.
The matter under debate seems, therefore, to be the level of inaccuracy.
I might get the odd word out of order, or transpose sentences, but I am very particular at rendering the tenor and the essence of these conversations. You know that very well, of course.
You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. Itâs great that you now accept itâs only an âimpressionâ.
Iâve never suggested otherwise. Iâve always admitted that my transcripts are a mix of verbatim recording and reconstruction from memory. They are usually done in haste but they are always true to the character and tenor of the conversation.
They are either “pretty close to word-perfect” transcripts, or the wording is off but the tenor or impression of the conversation is accurate (or is your memory “near perfect”?). I’m thinking the difference between a photograph and a Monet. The trouble is that the tone is subjective, especially when reading text that is skewed with disparaging names for some of the participants, so really it comes under satire rather than recording.
It seems to me that you sort of want it both ways – when people take the trouble to prove that your transcripts aren’t word perfect (and the ones I’ve compared have not been anywhere close), you concede and claim that even so the tenor is correct, but then you go back to claiming they are near-perfect transcripts for the next one.
I have shown many times the wording of your impressions to be a long, long way from the words actually spoken. You frequently invent entire sentences.
I have even demonstrated this after you have claimed that your impression was an exact transcript.
I’ve also questioned your impression of the tone of conversations before, and found that you add colours like “yell” and “screech” and “awkward silence” when nothing of the like can be heard in the recording.
My conclusion is that you don’t bother to listen back to recordings after writing your impressions to check what you’ve written. Nothing wrong with that but it makes a mockery of any claim to accuracy, either of colour or content.
1.) I have shown many times the wording of your impressions to be a long, long way from the words actually spoken. You frequently invent entire sentences.
I occasionally have to reconstruct sentences for the purpose of continuity. Although I get most of it word-perfect, it’s not always the case.
2.) I have even demonstrated this after you have claimed that your impression was an exact transcript.
We have agreed on this point already. You weaken your case by overstating how wrong I get it, however.
3.) Iâve also questioned your impression of the tone of conversations before, and found that you add colours like âyellâ and âscreechâ and âawkward silenceâ when nothing of the like can be heard in the recording.
Now you’re questioning my judgement. The fact is, there are many awkward and embarrassing silences on Jim Mora’s programme. Sometimes this is because people are too stunned or too disgusted to say anything; that happens when someone like Nevil Breivik Gibson or Dr. Michael Bassett is a guest. Other times it comes from an inability to formulate a response to something inane that Mora or one of his more foolish guests, like Christine (Spankin’) Rankin, has said. Whatever the reason, those silences happen. It says a lot that you are now pretending they don’t happen. And I have not used either “yell” or “screech” to denote the tone of anyone. You’re struggling to make your point as it is, and misquoting me like that is just another dent to your credibility.
4.) My conclusion is that you donât bother to listen back to recordings after writing your impressions to check what youâve written. Nothing wrong with that but it makes a mockery of any claim to accuracy, either of colour or content.
There you go again—wildly overstating your case. I don’t always get things verbatim, and I have always conceded that. Instead of chiding me for it, which would be a reasonable thing to do, you make a crazed and extreme statement, showing me no respect and grossly misrepresenting my character and the calibre of my work.
This spurious quibbling of yours is cynical and dishonest; you were a fan of my transcripts/reconstructions/dramatizations—call them what you will—until I started to target people and organizations and governments who you have, unwisely, chosen to align yourself with.
Mozza, just because silences exist on a program doesn’t mean you can insert them wherever you like and say you’re being accurate.
And no, nothing to do with your choice of target. The truth is I was a fan until I listened to one of the interviews while reading your impressions and noticed that it was about 50% fantasy.
And yes, of course I’m questioning your judgement. I’m also questioning your hearing, your attention span, your understanding of many of the words you throw around, and your sense of importance.
Once again, felix, I am afraid the very good points you make are submerged in a blizzard of extreme statements and distortions. You are obviously an intelligent and discerning fellow, but your determination to portray my (admittedly imperfect) reconstructions/transcripts as “50% fantasy” seriously undermines your credibility.
As a matter of interest, could you cite the occasion on which I apparently falsified half of my transcript? And when have I not understood a word I have “thrown around”? Once again, this looks like a case of belittlement and distortion.
argh shit – any chance of a moderator rolling back my “just out of time” edit? I was trying to change “12m30s” to “12min”, and must have submitted the edit with half a second to spare, or royally bollocked the comment up.
[lprent: Looks like there was an occasional bug in this mornings update of the re-edit. Looks like it is working most of the time, otherwise I’d turn it off until I can get to the backups. ]
Most round-about way of phrasing âmake shit upâ Iâve seen in a long while.
I made up nothing. As we can see from your vicious campaign of misrepresenting and distorting my contributions, you are the one in the business of lying. Not that you do it very well, mind you.
The fact is, there are many awkward and embarrassing silences on Jim Moraâs programme. Sometimes this is because people are too stunned or too disgusted to say anything; that happens when someone like Nevil Breivik Gibson or Dr. Michael Bassett is a guest. Other times it comes from an inability to formulate a response to something inane that Mora or one of his more foolish guests, like Christine (Spankinâ) Rankin, has said. Whatever the reason, those silences happen. It says a lot that you are now pretending they donât happen
those italics indicate the parts of your pieces where you make shit up.
You don’t know what those silences mean. You project meaning into them though, and claim that what you interpret them to mean, is what actually happened.
The classic example of something similar was when someone was talking about someone else, and you claimed that she was actually talking about her husband.
those italics indicate the parts of your pieces where you make shit up.
Nonsense. Your comments are completely spurious. I interpreted their comments, and their awkward and embarrassed silences, fairly and correctly. You know that, too, of course, but you’ve embarked on a course of bloodymindedly backing up the destructive behaviour of a few people determined to sabotage any dissenting voices on this forum.
You donât know what those silences mean. You project meaning into them though, and claim that what you interpret them to mean, is what actually happened.
Okay then, let’s pretend that the long silence that followed after Michael Bassett snarled that Nicky Hager “is a holocaust-denier” was because everyone was simply appreciating Bassett’s wit, eloquence and moral authority. I think most people will agree with me that the silence indicated something else, just as the silences that follow some of Mora’s more inane utterances indicate that something has gone wrong. By all means take a benevolent view of that. Just make sure you let us know when the space shuttle has returned from orbit, will you?
The classic example of something similar was when someone was talking about someone else, and you claimed that she was actually talking about her husband.
Of course, anyone with half a brain could have seen I was taking the michael, but poor old felix and bad12 obviously missed the humour in it. More to the point: so do you, all this time later, which is a worry.
Obviously just another joke. Which is the point. If you want to make jokes, make jokes, but don;t present them as transcripts and get haughty when people say that they aren’t accurate representations of what happened.
It is never the readers’ fault when so many of them don’t get what a writer is doing. It just means the writing doesn’t work.
You see Morrissey, you have nothing but this tiresome bluster. It’s all you ever respond with.
I said your things aren’t worth bothering with. And that’s what I meant. There’s nothing to form a coherent response to. They aren’t realistic descriptions or critiques of what were said, and as humour then they are merely personal attacks on people. What is so grand about saying that you don’t like Wilson’s husband?
Awesome piece there, pointing out that you feel the same way about her husband as she feels about someone else. That was the ‘joke’ right?
Fill yer boots, but like I said, getting on your high horse claiming that it is an accurate depiction of what happened is just rubbish. It does no one any good. It’s better written than kiwiblog comments, if overwrought for my taste, but the level of what is going on is about the same.
1.) You see Morrissey, you have nothing but this tiresome bluster. Itâs all you ever respond with.
That’s not true. I have responded in good faith to every point you made, yet your only rejoinder is to dismiss it all as “tiresome bluster”. That’s laziness on your part, pure and simple. Judging by most of the stuff you’ve written on this forum, you’re far better than that. Maybe you need a good sleep, my friend.
2.) I said your things arenât worth bothering with. And thatâs what I meant. Thereâs nothing to form a coherent response to.
Nonsense. You are simply making no sense.
3.) They arenât realistic descriptions or critiques of what were said, and as humour then they are merely personal attacks on people.
So I don’t critique these people? My evocations of them aren’t realistic? You either: (a) just don’t understand what I’m doing; (b) think that there is something commendable about Jim Mora’s laughing at the victims of state repression or Chris Trotter’s windy admonitions to respect lynch law in the Deep South; or (c) you are deliberately misrepresenting my work.
4.)What is so grand about saying that you donât like Wilsonâs husband?
That’s not what I said. My piece was far more nuanced and serious than that.
5.) Awesome piece there, pointing out that you feel the same way about her husband as she feels about someone else. That was the âjokeâ right?
No, there was more to it than that. I was critiquing one half of a hideous right wing husband-wife team. My purpose was utterly serious, even though my method was, as others have said, satirical.
6.) Fill yer boots, but like I said, getting on your high horse claiming that it is an accurate depiction of what happened is just rubbish. It does no one any good. Itâs better written than kiwiblog comments, if overwrought for my taste, but the level of what is going on is about the same.
I appreciate your positive comparison of my modest oeuvre to Farrar’s miserable, crappy blog. I actually think your writing is very good, most of the time; I’m just mystified as to why you are so truculent in your criticism of what I do. I appreciate I am not always correct and am often overly harsh, but I am absolutely prepared to modify my views.
It is never the readersâ fault when so many of them donât get what a writer is doing.
What on earth are you wittering about? “So many of them”? Even my mortal enemies around here—Te Reo, McFuck, Populuxe—understood I was taking the piss. Only you seem to have been incapable of appreciating the joke.
It just means the writing doesnât work.
It worked fine. If I operated on making my work completely comprehensible to the lowest common denominator (i.e. you and Brett Dale) there would be no point in carrying on. I’m interested in engaging more substantial characters.
The well monied Board and Senior Managers of Might River having bought into the shares big-time with the aid of multi-million dollar bank loans, now in a situation of ongoing negative equity USING the profits, of which 51% belong to you and me, in an attempt to pump up the value where they can safely unload???,
Not to mention the ‘blind trust managers’ who bought into Mighty River en masse on behalf of their very public figure beneficiaries facing the prospect of an ongoing very large loss demanding those in charge of Mighty River do something???,
Bock, Bock, Bock, the chickens have come home to roost early this year Wilbur…
Aaaah losers, the National Party is full of them, the small time ‘i own shares brigade’, how much of that useless paper are you holding,
What’s your dollar losses so far, not quite time to panic just yet, BUT, think September 2015 and the Labour/Green Government should be well on the way to introducing Legislation for the power sector reforms,(of course they may already have it in draft form which will change the above to well on the way to Passing Legislation),
Now you can ‘Gamble’, will your piddling little parcel of shares by September 2015 have regained their original price enabling you to unload them and still keep your shirt, or will the Labour/Green electricity reforms pass through the Parliament befor this can occur and bite another 1/3 off of the share price,
You ‘gamble’, you ‘lose’, thank your mates over at National Party HQ for selling you a ‘Lemon’…
Is the Daily Mail correct in this reporting, or just stirring it up? It reckons Kuwait has developed medical test to detect gays and prevent them from entering the country. Futile or what? Or is it just a way to keep out anyone they choose?
He [Yousouf Mindkar, the director of public health at the Kuwaiti health ministry] told Kuwait newspaper Al Rai: âHealth centres conduct the routine medical check to assess the health of the expatriates when they come into the GCC countries. However, we will take stricter measures that will help us detect gays who will be then barred from entering Kuwait or any of the GCC member states.â
Apparently you can check the hip bones for unusual wear, which is a sure sign of exaggerated mincing. They also put on show tunes and check for elevated heart rate.
Without me this place would be as funny as a Russian bread queue which, if you boyfriend has his way and nationalises the supermarkets, people will discover is not very funny at all.
Actually that comment IS pretty funny (the Russian bread queue one). The problem with most of your other comments that would otherwise be funny is that they’re either cruel, mean or just plain obnoxious. Makes it harder to laugh.
And let’s not forget that the destitution which befell millions of citizens of the former USSR in the 10 years after Gorbachev was largely due to self-serving advice from investment banks like Goldman Sachs and neoliberal institutions like the IMF.
Would that be why ShonKey Python’s booked into Mercy Hospital in Epsom then ? A job lot on the hips AND the simper for oh so busy Baby Churchill World Leader ?
“You are trying to get me banned tempting me like that”
Oh go on, take the bait monkey boy….it was great without you last time, but the funniest part was when you tried to come back too early, and Felix summed you up perfectly
Qatar, another GCC member, will host the men’s soccer world cup in 2022. In 2018, Russia will be the host. Looks like the FIFA has an agenda for the future. So much for sport bringing people together..
There is no way qatar or russia should’ve gotton the next two world cups after Brazil, Blatter is the most corrupt man in sports, all countries should tell fifa they wont contest 2022.
The construction workers and the women who service the Qatari population.
The abuses of foreign workers have been going on for years. If FIFA intended on making Qatar clean up it’s act, it might have been worth awarding the games there, but all they seem worried about is playing in the heat…. oh, and the money (and they’d give up the wellbeing of the players for the money too, I reckon).
3rd Degree Burns
Marie Dyhrberg
-1/3 of crime not reported
-20000 IPCA complaints per year; 5% investigated.
-“seeing a slippery slope” develop
-implementation of Curruther’s reform recommendations should produce greater openness
Ian Lambie
-“I see some inappropriate / illegal behaviour”.
36% of police staff lack confidence that their superiors will action (in-house) complaints.
surprisingly, considering the studio audience, before the ‘debate’ they were split 50/50 over whether “the public are losing trust in the Police”.
Overall ‘Vote’ for the country- 56% Yes, the police are losing our trust.
Well, this old dog can come in from the cold and rest his bone.
Exclamation of the evening: “Only Jesus is beyond reproach, and he’s got His detractors” (Same)- Pam Corkery.
(excellent to see the lawyers giving Garner and Espinor a tune-up) đ
The police prosecutor struck me as having the same intonations and simplistic analogies as the police association guy (name escapes me at moment). Must be a cop thing. But when she likened confidence in the police to still supporting the All Blacks even if a player fumbled the ball, the line screaming to be used was the damage match-fixing did to cricket, or even championship wrestling in the US. The last thing we need is a police force with the credibility of WWE.
Have to agree with you there mate. Every time he surfaces I’m left wondering if he has that job for life or will they update for the modern world one day.
Some of you may have seen a short item on 3news about a factory fire that killed (as was reported last night), 10 workers in Bangladesh. You might have said to yourself, “Bloody hell, not again”.
Turns out that once again it is a factory that has contracts with Gap and Walmart. You would think they would have acted to ensure their workplaces were safe after over 1000 workers died in the Rana Plaza collapse and fire several months ago.
“While 90 other companies have joined together in the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, an agreement between companies and unions, Walmart has refused. Instead, Walmart teamed up with Gap to create a corporate-controlled program that is hardly more than a facelift of the programs that have failed Bangladeshi workers in the past. Meanwhile, the death toll continues to climb. Please take action now â join with us in calling on Walmart and Gap to stop putting profits over peopleâs lives”.
According to a new report by the Congressional Research Service, cutting taxes for the wealthiest does not cause economic growth, despite constant conservative claims that it will. Instead, tax cuts for the rich merely exacerbate income inequality,
Which is what we on the left have been saying for decades.
Barking – and one day they could have their finger on the button.
So to pull all this logic together, God anoints priests to work in the church directly and kings to go out into the marketplace to conquer, plunder, and bring back the spoils to the church. The reason governmental regulation has to disappear from the marketplace is to make it completely available to the plunder of Christian “kings” who will accomplish the “end time transfer of wealth.” Then “God’s bankers” will usher in the “coming of the messiah.” The government is being shut down so that God’s bankers can bring Jesus back.
Ted Cruz may well be barking mad about a lot of stuff, but he is close to the mark here:
When you hear this attack on religion, it’s not really an attack on religion. The fundamental basis is this. Socialism requires that government becomes your God. That’s why they have to destroy your concept of God. They have to destroy all your loyalties except loyalty to the government. That’s what’s behind homosexual marriage. It’s really more about the destruction of the traditional family than about homosexuality, because you need also to destroy loyalty to the family.
An example of this is the state’s removal of all reference of obligations owed to deity in law. The state is happy enough to pay lip service to deity and exercise the benefit of making oath, but when it comes to obligations, the rules of the state are given the status of law while the real law is ignored.
sadly, I was sighing with you over the direction UT takes. (well-meaning is possible though…still, wotteva ewe say is generally OK with me) đ All Good This End đ
The creative field behind. The revelation of such ( not exclusively) to the historic figures of
Christ, John, Thomas. A syncretic Way , of course, my friend.
absolutely (and don’t forget the LDS).
anyway joe, this has been a central tenet of my thesis all through.
However, thanks to TS commentators, some helpful books and an enquiring mind…
so, here’s a mousetrap;
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”
-Mark 10:42-
so simple really đ
was reading yesterday of more RC cover-ups (from the highest levels) in the St Paul-Minnesota region.
@ Tony Parker….reasons for closure seem spurious, unfathomable and cooked ..at least to the School Principal interviewed on National Radio…which makes one wonder ….did Nact plan to replace this state school community with Nact’s own special Charter School imposition?…ie usurp the buildings for a Charter School?….Was this the hidden agenda for the illegitimate closure?
Activity is King. Doesn’t matter that bad law is rushed onto the books, that govt gets more accomplished at choosing lawyers that given them the decisions they want, oh, no, the cost are left to future parliaments to pay. Take Howards policies regards kiwis in OZ. The upper chamber in Australia doesn’t work, and we in NZ don’t have one, hopefully as money becomes scare society may again feel the need to write good law.
Is this going to be your daily comment, pr?
The Herald is a right wing rag and constantly writes puff pieces in support of their corporate mates.
Show me a more independent source lauding this government please.
The IMF must be expecting the Christchurch rebuild to be getting up to full speed then. For the sake of the people who live there, I hope so. They’ve been waiting far too long.
pukesh roque the only reason GDP is up is because the US dollar is sliding on a downward spiral.
If the debt ceiling in the US is not solved its bubble bursting time!
The US stock market is already in free fall the property bubble in NZ will follow our dollar will increase in value reducing our exports!
Leading back to 2008 scenarios!
Sorry, can’t find the comment which alerted me to Gordon Campbell’s article as it relates to the need for an independent body to identify and refer back to appropriate appellate courts, potential miscarriages of justice:
The considered views of Professor Graham Zellick* recounted in Campbell’s article really do underline what an hubristic, dangerous philistine is Judith Collins in Justice.
This government more and more resembles the crazed Tea Party backwoodsmen of the US.
*Professor Zellick – the man who headed the equivalent UK body 2003-2008.
Change clocked. Nature: abstract (paper pay walled) and summary.
The Indonesian city of Manokwari is poised to become an unwitting icon for climate change. In about 2020, the coastal location will become one of the first places in recent history to adopt an entirely new climate â one in which its coldest years will be consistently hotter than any of the past 150 years.
That is one finding of a study published today in Nature1, which attempts to create a region-specific index of climate change. Researchers sought to identify the point at which temperature oscillations in each area will exceed the bounds of historical variability. Such âclimate departuresâ are predicted to start in the tropics and then spread to higher latitudes. If carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated, Earthâs mean climate could depart from historical averages in 2047.
– Well maybe Sonny Bill you should stop whatever it is your manager tells you to do and start using your head, yes I’m sure you feel bad for the guy whos place you took however if you had declared your availability before the announcement none of this would have happened
But then that’d be less publicity for you I suppose…
In just 2 daysâ time, African leaders could kill off a great institution, leaving the world a more dangerous place. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the worldâs first and only global court to adjudicate crimes against humanity. But leaders of Sudan and Kenya, who have inflicted terror and fear across their countries, are trying to drag Africa out of the ICC, allowing them the freedom to kill, rape, and inspire hatred without consequences. I know that together we can change this. But we have to join hands and call on the voices of reason at the African Union (AU) â Nigeria and South Africa â to speak out and ensure that the persecuted are protected by the ICC. Join me by adding your name to the petition now and share it with everyone — when we have hit 1 million our petition will be delivered straight into the AU conference hall where Africaâs leaders are meeting in Addis Ababa. –Desmond Tutu
Although the governmentâs initiative promotes a separation between Islam and politics, opponents say that the new push serves the decidedly political purpose of casting a divine glow on the brutal crackdown against supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Hundreds of Morsiâs backers in the Muslim Brotherhood have been killed and thousands arrested by authorities, who describe them as âterrorists.â
âThis is the new regime trying to create an official Islam, a state Islam, which doesnât exist within the Islamic tradition,â said Emad Shahin, a professor of public policy at the American University in Cairo. âItâs providing a religious justification to tolerate the killing of possibly thousands of people, and it is sending alarming signals into many segments of society. This is exactly what you call fa**ism.â
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. Matt. 12:28- imho, a lovely piece of scripture.
As Adam Smith (a fellow Scot) said in his “scripture” “all wealth comes from labour”. He is right, whether physical or mental, labour is the source of all wealth. Unrest , wars, political upheaval and inequality are a product of the struggle for control of the wealth. What is recent is simply that it is now globally apparent thanks to global communications.
A peaceful protester holds up a sign on the side of the footpath or pedestrian walk along Queen Street for a while, then gets approached by two yellow vested “City Crew” or “City View” staffers employed by Council. One wore a security firm’s sign on his shirt too. They approached the person and asked: “Have you been here for long?” The protester answered: “A while”, so they asked: “Will you be here any much longer?” The person facing them answers with: “Well, I have set myself some time, but probably not all that much longer”. Then the two City Council staffers ask: “Do you mind me asking me for your name?” The protester answers: “Why, what is the problem, this is freedom of expression, democracy?” Also the person says: “I do not feel I need to give you any details.” Then the senior person of the Council staff says (he is Pakeha, his colleagues Polynesian of large build): “Well, do you mind me taking a photo then?” The protester says: “Well, no that is your choice, I have no problem with that”. So the Council staffer steps back a bit, takes a photo and after that they walk on. He also said before that, they were concerned with “City Profile”.
What I also noticed is: Auckland City has suddenly been “cleansed” of ALL beggars and other persons, that I used to see in Queen Street and thereabouts. Now, what is going on, I ask?
To me this is: FASCISM in the making!!! There are under Mayor Len Brown and his Council now efforts made to remove “undesired” out of the CBD and possibly other areas, no matter whether they are begging, sitting around too long, or daring to stage a quiet, peaceful, sidewalk kind of “protest”!!!
This is highly concerning, and it is worth mentioning here, as we have also here in New Zealand too many that are SILENT in their majority, and most are the typical “law abiding”, “hard working”, “decent” and “peaceful” MIDDLE CLASS.
Do you, as middle class member, or other Aucklander find that this is acceptable, what I just described? If so, or if not, I ask for your feedback, please, a worried Auckland, with a migrant background, from a “free view” kind of culture,
No, it’s not acceptable. It’s entirely unacceptable. From what you’ve described Auckland is not as far down the track of restricting the right of protest as the US. So I’m guessing there will be a few battles to fight to keep the right to protest on a footpath if there are bureaucrats worried about the ‘tone’. Maybe they should be worrying about how to fix the problems that cause the protests.
There was NO issue about the “tone”, as the person just stood there, did not even speak to people, unless being asked for a flyer, some of which he had! So I found it appalling, when I heard about it.
I didn’t mean to imply there was a problem with the tone of the protester, I meant the snobby ‘tone of the neighbourhood’ meme that some people, and the bureaucrats drag out when things they don’t like confront them. I think the officials being concerned about the “city profile” pretty much fits the bill.
Exhibit #1 You can’t even build a Bunnings store on a shithole site on Great North Road without upsetting themiddle class liberal folk of Grey Lynn – an unkempt guy with a sign could lower property values!
Exhibit #2 We have a homeless person who comes into our work a couple of times a week. He goes into the loos open to visitors and washes himself, he never takes more than his shirt off and he is quiet and tidy. Someone mentioned this to our manager (a nice, earnest, middle class cookie cutter middle manager type who lacks a sense of humour or an imagination and spends most of his life re-measuring and re-weighing the pig) and he called security. Most of the staff were appalled. This guy isn’t harming anyone. So now we conspire to keep the old guys visits secret.
Given those two examples of our middleclass groupthink, what chance do you think has beggar has in Queen Street?
Sanctuary, I don’t think the Bnnings protest is at all in the same bag as the harrassment of street protestors and the guy washing himself.
There is an issue in my area of how commercial and retail interests are getting the prime sites in terms of the regeneration of the area. There is far less provision for community activities in the sites being allocated – it all smacks of money talking in the direction local councils are taking towards local developments.
OTOH, not allowing the guy to wash, or protests or begging in Queen Street is an issue of middle classes wanting to colonise and protect spaces in their own interest.
McFlock – yes, I know all that, but the attempt was made to challenge, and get answers, without even identifying themselves. So naturally the person refused to state name and so forth. The whole attitude of those persons was disgusting, I feel, as they should just have left the guy alone, as he was just standing there, and I saw it, doing NO harm or disturbance at all.
It seems they just personally disliked the fact someone was standing there with a controversial sign, raising question, that were not really offensive either, just challenging an office’s handling of something.
And yes, the middle class are dangerous in my view, that is to Sanctuary, as they are blinded by generated “fears” and mindless “narrow thinking” how things should be, they also fear to take a stand, so condone authoritarian approaches by authorities.
There was research done many years ago, in Los Angeles and also in Sweden, showing that about 80 per cent of human beings in any society rather put up with abuse, or even collectively join abuse to others, merely to protect themselves from being “different” or in danger of risking their “security”.
That is human behaviour, and the Nazis knew that you can intimidate and manipulate, so do others, nowadays.
But having been on both sides of the petty security fence, I’ve also found that pieces of paper scare enforcers as much as they intimidate the populace.
The guards were either deployed (my guess is by a shopkeeper who made a complaint) or came across the protestor on their travels – in the first case, they’d be annoyed at having to do work; in the second case they’d just be bored. The knack is to be more trouble than it’s worth without raising their hackles (vengeance can motivate an awful lot of paperwork and dot-connecting in the depths of the graveyard shift đ ).
Mind you, doing security in Dunners my preferred tactic was generally to have a cup of tea and a chat before/ratherthan demanding name rank and serial number, unless the situation demanded prickface from the get-go.
This is Andean music in its original form, and those not appreciative of this better take no notice. This is about Latin America and the REAL people living there and that deserve all rights and respects, and many to fight for them, all in line with revolutionary solidarity.
There is much more at stake, there are established presidents and forces, and they are voted for, they cannot be thrown out, but some here on this and other forums pretend that there is major change possible, while that all depends on what other people and countries do.
Get a wake up call, please, I am despairing anyway. X
The biggest enemy of New Zealand are your OWN PEople!!!
I see and hear this every day, I witness it all the time, at work, at open spaces, at social events, New Zealanders are NO LONGER ONE, you are ALL divided and full of suspicion and hatred towards each other, this makes you weak and vulnerable. The enemy knows this, that is the employers, the bosses, the admin and so, so they take you to the cleaners.
Also one major is migration without much cohesion, so anybody can come, sell skills, investment, even just buy a house and get PR, but they do NOT connect and have little expectation to be part of NZ.
I have hundreds of stories, and you lefties better wake up to this too, as the politically correct approach has long been redundant.
We are screwed, sold and shat on, that is NZ 2013, and I am a damned migrant myself saying this, I should not have to, as you Kiwis should be speaking up, but almost nobody does.
What a shame and shambles this country has become. I feel sorry and sick and ashamed!
xtasy
You make good points and are onto it. But there is a strange psychological process in one’s mind that I discovered some years back. That is, on the day that you are out of sorts, everyone else seems dull and unfriendly. I think it’s called transference or something.
And for the sake of your health you will need to take some time off thinking how things are, worrying and sad as it is. Have a book to read about something else, some fiction with some good happy bits in it, or look at Yes Minister and then Eddie Izzard or the like and have a soothing drink and go to bed so you wake refreshed to worry and again present facts and solutions the next day. Things are happening and we can only run alongside the moving present and try to remove most of the rotten material before it reaches its destructive potential.
While others just concentrate on themselves, looking at the ground around them, someone has to look up and talk about the obstacles looming. But it’s tiring and dispiriting, and we all have to give ourselves a break. Remind yourself that there are good people trying to make a breakthrough, and while the thinkers are (probably a large) minority, it’s not something to bear on your own. Watch Babylon 5 for a different slant even.
Thatâs interesting Morrissey, who are you apologising to?
I was apologising to my old friend Te Reo Putake, whom I had erroneously accused of living in … (shudder) … Whanganui.
You probably have quite a choice, being fairly free-ranging in your egg throwing.
Actually, I’m pretty precise, but I take your larger point, and think this is the perfect time to make a broad apology to everyone I may have offended over the last two and a half years….
…it has a restricted jurisdiction which must not be abused: it is not an inquisition  NOTE – this article was published before the High Court ruled that Karen Chhour does not have to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal Gary Judd writes – The High Court ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – One of reasons Oranga Tamariki exists is to prevent child neglect. But could the organisation itself be guilty of the same?Oranga Tamarikiâs statistics show a decrease in the number and age of children in care. âThere are less children ...
David Farrar writes: Graeme Edgeler wrote in 2017: In the first five years after three strikes came into effect 5248 offenders received a âfirst strikeâ (that is, a âstage-1 convictionâ under the three strikes sentencing regime), and 68 offenders received a âsecond strikeâ. 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 doesnât normally happen in politics. Thatâs refreshing and will be extremely ...
TL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the two days to 6:06am on Thursday, April 25:Politics: PM Christopher Luxon has set up a dual standard for ministerial competence by demoting two National Cabinet ministers while leaving also-struggling ...
Hi,Today I mainly want to share some of your thoughts about the recent piece I wrote about success and failure, and the forces that seemingly guide our lives. But first, a quick bit of housekeeping: I am doing a Webworm popup in Los Angeles on Saturday May 11 at 2pm. ...
It is hard to see what Melissa Lee might have done to âsaveâ the media. National went into the election with no public media policy and appears not to have developed one subsequently. Lee claimed that she had prepared a policy paper before the election but it had been decided ...
Open access notablesIce acceleration and rotation in the Greenland Ice Sheet interior in recent decades, Løkkegaard et al., Communications Earth & Environment:In the past two decades, mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet has accelerated, partly due to the speedup of glaciers. However, uncertainty in speed derived from satellite products ...
Buzz from the Beehive A statement from Children’s Minister Karen Chhour – yet to be posted on the Governmentâs official website – arrived in Point of Orderâs email in-tray last night. It welcomes the High Court ruling on whether the Waitangi Tribunal can demand she appear before it. It does ...
Mr Bombastic:Ironically, the media the academic experts wanted is, in many ways, the media they got. In place of the tyrannical editors of yesteryear, advancing without fear or favour the interests of the ruling class; the New Zealand news media of today boasts a troop of enlightened journalists dedicated to ...
It's hard times try to make a livingYou wake up every morning in the unforgivingOut there somewhere in the cityThere's people living lives without mercy or pityI feel good, yeah I'm feeling fineI feel better then I have for the longest timeI think these pills have been good for meI ...
In 1974, the US Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Nixon, finding that the President was not a King, but was subject to the law and was required to turn over the evidence of his wrongdoing to the courts. It was a landmark decision for the rule ...
Every day now just seems to bring in more fresh meat for the grinder.In their relentlessly ideological drive to cut back on the “excessive bloat” (as they see it) of the previous Labour-led government, on the mountains of evidence accumulated in such a short period of time do not ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Megan Valére SosouMarket gardening site of the Itchèléré de Itagui agricultural cooperative in Dassa-Zoumè (Image credit: Megan Valère Sossou) For the residents of Dassa-Zoumè, a city in the West African country of Benin, choosing between drinking water and having enough ...
Buzz from the Beehive  Melissa Lee â as may be discerned from the screenshot above â has not been demoted for doing something seriously wrong as Minister of ...
Morning in London Mother hugs beloved daughter outside the converted shoe factory in which she is living.Afternoon in London Travelling writer takes himself and his wrist down to A&E, just to be sure. Read more ...
Mike Grimshaw writes – The recent announcement of the University Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Peter Gluckman, makes very clear where the Governmentâs focus and priorities lie. The remit of the Advisory Group is that Group members will consider challenges and opportunities for improvement in the university sector including: ...
Eric Crampton writes – The Reserve Bank of New Zealand desperately wants to find reasons to have workstreams in climate change. It makes little sense. They’ve run another stress test on the banks looking to see if they could find a prudential regulation case. They couldn’t. They ...
Rob MacCullough writes –Â Pundits from the left and the right are arguing that National’s Fast Track Bill that is designed to speed up infrastructure decisions could end up becoming mired in a cesspool of corruption. Political commentator ...
Looking at the headlines this morning it’s hard to feel anything other than pessimistic about the future of humanity.Note that I’m not speaking about the future of mankind, but the survival of our humanity. The values that we believe in seem to be ebbing away, by the day.Perhaps every generation ...
Swabbing mixed breed baby chicks to test for avian influenzaUh oh. Bird flu â often deadly to humans – is not only being transmitted from infected birds to dairy cows, but is now travelling between dairy cows. As of last Friday, Bloomberg News reports, there were 32 American dairy herds ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
What is it with the mining industry? Its not enough for them to pillage the earth - they apparently can't even be bothered getting resource consent to do so: The proponent behind a major mine near the Clutha River had already been undertaking activity in the area without a ...
Photo # 1 I am a huge fan of Singapore’s approach to housing, as described here two years ago by copying and pasting from The ConversationWhat Singapore has that Australia does not is a public housing developer, the Housing Development Board, which puts new dwellings on public and reclaimed land, ...
Buzz from the Beehive Reactions to news of the governmentâs readiness to make urgent changes to âthe resource management systemâ through a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) suggest a balanced approach is being taken. The Taxpayers’ Union says the proposed changes donât go far enough. Greenpeace says ...
I’m starting to wonder if Anna Burns-Francis might be the best political interviewer we’ve got. That might sound unlikely to you, it came as a bit of a surprise to me.Jack Tame can be excellent, but has some pretty average days. I like Rebecca Wright on Newshub, she asks good ...
Chris Trotter writes – Willie Jackson is said to be planning a âmedia summitâ to discuss âthe state of the media and how to protect Fourth Estate Journalismâ. Not only does the Editor of The Daily Blog, Martyn Bradbury, think this is a good idea, but he has also ...
Graeme Edgeler writes –Â This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than ...
Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
 Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for âfast trackâ consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill â currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes-Â The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you arenât wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said âSince we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Mazda, a Japanese automotive manufacturer with a rich history of innovation and engineering excellence, has emerged as a formidable player in the global car market. Known for its reputation of producing high-quality, fuel-efficient, and driver-oriented vehicles, Mazda has consistently garnered praise from industry experts and consumers alike. In this article, ...
Struts are an essential part of a car’s suspension system. They are responsible for supporting the weight of the car and damping the oscillations of the springs. Struts are typically made of steel or aluminum and are filled with hydraulic fluid. How Do Struts Work? Struts work by transferring the ...
Car registration is a mandatory process that all vehicle owners must complete annually. This process involves registering your car with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and paying an associated fee. The registration process ensures that your vehicle is properly licensed and insured, and helps law enforcement and other authorities ...
Zoom is a video conferencing service that allows you to share your screen, webcam, and audio with other participants. In addition to sharing your own audio, you can also share the audio from your computer with other participants. This can be useful for playing music, sharing presentations with audio, or ...
Building your own computer can be a rewarding and cost-effective way to get a high-performance machine tailored to your specific needs. However, it also requires careful planning and execution, and one of the most important factors to consider is the time it will take. The exact time it takes to ...
Sleep mode is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume operation without having to boot up from scratch. This can be useful if you need to step away from your computer for a short period of time but don’t want to shut it down completely. There are ...
Introduction Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) has revolutionized the field of translation by harnessing the power of technology to assist human translators in their work. This innovative approach combines specialized software with human expertise to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and consistency of translations. In this comprehensive article, we will delve into the ...
In today’s digital age, mobile devices have become an indispensable part of our daily lives. Among the vast array of portable computing options available, iPads and tablet computers stand out as two prominent contenders. While both offer similar functionalities, there are subtle yet significant differences between these two devices. This ...
A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to carry out a set of instructions. The basic components of a computer are the processor, memory, storage, input devices, and output devices. The Processor The processor, also known as the central processing unit (CPU), is the brain of the ...
Voice Memos is a convenient app on your iPhone that allows you to quickly record and store audio snippets. These recordings can be useful for a variety of purposes, such as taking notes, capturing ideas, or recording interviews. While you can listen to your voice memos on your iPhone, you ...
Laptop screens are essential for interacting with our devices and accessing information. However, when lines appear on the screen, it can be frustrating and disrupt productivity. Understanding the underlying causes of these lines is crucial for finding effective solutions. Types of Screen Lines Horizontal lines: Also known as scan ...
Right-clicking is a common and essential computer operation that allows users to access additional options and settings. While most desktop computers have dedicated right-click buttons on their mice, laptops often do not have these buttons due to space limitations. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on how to right-click ...
Powering up and shutting down your ASUS laptop is an essential task for any laptop user. Locating the power button can sometimes be a hassle, especially if you’re new to ASUS laptops. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on where to find the power button on different ASUS laptop ...
Dell laptops are renowned for their reliability, performance, and versatility. Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who needs a reliable computing device, a Dell laptop can meet your needs. However, if you’re new to Dell laptops, you may be wondering how to get started. In this comprehensive ...
Two-thirds of the country think that âNew Zealandâs economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerfulâ. They also believe that âNew Zealand needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerfulâ. These are just two of a handful of stunning new survey results released ...
In today’s digital world, screenshots have become an indispensable tool for communication and documentation. Whether you need to capture an important email, preserve a website page, or share an error message, screenshots allow you to quickly and easily preserve digital information. If you’re an Asus laptop user, there are several ...
A factory reset restores your Gateway laptop to its original factory settings, erasing all data, apps, and personalizations. This can be necessary to resolve software issues, remove viruses, or prepare your laptop for sale or transfer. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to factory reset your Gateway laptop: Method 1: ...
Our two-tiered system for veteransâ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veteransâ affairs spokesperson Greg OâConnor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxonâs management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonightâs court decision to overturn the summons of the Childrenâs Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about MÄori without evidence, says Te PÄti MÄori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. âThe judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last yearâs severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labourâs environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our countryâs most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Governmentâs Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a âget out of jail freeâ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te PÄti MÄori Justice Spokesperson, TÄkuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, MÄori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealandâs good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National governmentâs lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te PÄti MÄori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. âThis act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.â Said Te PÄti MÄori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for TÄmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te PÄti MÄori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mĆ TÄmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with MÄori 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 ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Governmentâs democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Governmentâs 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. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change thatâs great for the planet and great for consumers after her memberâs bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the countryâs books after Teanau Tuionoâs membersâ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his memberâs bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Todayâs advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
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. ...
Distinguished guests - Â It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Â Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Â Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. âOur Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealandâs hydrogen future, with the opening of the countryâs first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. âI want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
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 Zealandâs own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealandâs 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. âThe report shows that New Zealandâs emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,â Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where heâll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Governmentâs work to restore law and order. âAttending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealandâs human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the worldâs largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. âThe reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealandâs 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  NgÄ 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. âOur 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 Zealandâs overseas missions.  âOur diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealandâs interests around the world,â Mr Peters says.  âI 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. Â âOver 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. âIt 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. âOur coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
âChina remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,â 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. âRecently 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 Teachersâ 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.  âThe 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. âScience, 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 todayâs 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. âThe Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in TaupĆ as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the TaupĆ International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. âAnticipation for the ITM TaupĆ 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. âThe 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. âThis project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sectorâs productivity,â Mr Jones says. âThe project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Governmentâs plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. âBenefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Governmentâs commitment to doubling New Zealandâs 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 Zealandâs 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. âOur 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. âNew 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 Governmentâs intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. âThe introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Todayâs 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 Governmentâs plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. âInflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sectorâs role in the export-led recovery of the economy. âI am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
I was initially resistant to the idea often suggested to me that the Government should deliver an arts strategy. The whole point of the arts and creativity is that people should do whatever the hell they want, unbound by the dictates of politicians in Wellington. Peter Jackson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Eleanor ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Governmentâs support for the revitalisation the sector.  "New Zealandâs wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
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 â ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australiaâs fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
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 âWicked Gameâ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didnât stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from âWicked Gameâ, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called đ, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
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 MÄori and remove many specialist MÄori 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, weâve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedinâs India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoaâs 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 itâs 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 Spinoffâs 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. Itâs 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 donât 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.Iâm going to do it, right now. Iâm going to say ...
Itâs 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 ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 26 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 Muskâs vociferous opposition to ...
Asia Pacific Report Chief Mandla Mandela, a member of the National Assembly of South Africa and Nelson Mandelaâs 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 ...
Pacific Media Watch Journalists who report on environmental issues are encountering growing difficulties in many parts of the world, reports Reporters Without Borders. According to the tally kept by RSF, 200 journalists have been subjected to threats and physical violence, including murder, in the past 10 years because they were ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)Political scientist, Dr Bryce Edwards. 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 doesnât normally happen in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australiaâs inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and itâs now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
ACT's Rural Communities and Veterans spokesman Mark Cameron responds to cancellations and protests of ANZAC Day commemorations in Wellington. He says, "These pitiful attempts to detract from ANZAC Day are not at all indicative of the feelings of mainstream ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
PĆneke based peace activists staged a silent protest at the ANZAC day service to highlight New Zealandâs complicity in war and genocide, and urge the government to take concrete steps to stop the genocide in Palestine. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena M.E. Bunbury, Postdoctoral Researcher, James Cook University Burial with a horse at the RĂĄkĂłczifalva site, Hungary (8th century AD).SĂĄndor HegedƱs, Hungarian National Museum, CC BY How do we understand past societies? For centuries, our main sources of information have been ...
Amanda Thompson doesnât really do Anzac Day. But what she does do is remember the people she knew who had a lifetime to remember stuff they didnât really want to, because of a war they didnât ask for. And she does make Anzac biscuits.First published in 2021.All my ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Willis, Postdoctoral Researcher, CSIRO Xavier Boulenger/Shutterstock In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon ...
With our collective remembrance, and steadfast belief in our common humanity, we strengthen our hope and resolve to do what we can to foster dialogue and understanding, and to heal divisions in our pursuit of peace. ...
Principal reasons for the opposition is the loss of the publicâs democratic right to have âa fair sayâ and the vital need for a government free from corruption, said Casey Cravens of Dunedin, president of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater ...
Never mind the scoreboard â in the 2000 Bledisloe Cup decider, the real trans-Tasman battle was won before kickoff.First published in 2016. The dawn of the new millennium was a dark time for the All Blacks. Their final game pre-Y2K was a 22-18 loss to South Africa in the ...
Iâm on the wrong side of 40, I never pursued creative work and now my job is killing my soul. Help! Want Heraâs help? Email your problem to helpme@thespinoff.co.nzDear Hera,May I start with the least original conversation opener youâre likely to hear around the motu at the moment, particularly in Wellington: ...
âNever again - No AUKUSâ was the message of the wreath laid at this morningâs national ANZAC Day commemorative service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park this morning by the Stop AUKUS group. ...
Until this month, Auckland swimmer Hazel Ouwehand had never met a qualifying time in an Olympic event for a New Zealand team, even as a junior. Now sheâs very likely off to the Paris Olympics after swimming well under the qualifying standard in the 100m butterfly twice â both in ...
While Anzac Day has experienced a resurgence in recent years, our other day of remembrance has slowly faded from view.The Sunday Essay is made possible thanks to the support of Creative New Zealand. Original illustrations by Hope McConnell.First published in 2022.The high schoolâs head girl and ...
Australian and New Zealand volunteers fought together in the Waikato War, yet still its place in the Anzac tradition is unacknowledged by our defence forces or Returned Services Association.First published in 2018.When I was a boy cub I attended Anzac Day services in the South Auckland suburb of ...
A poem by Wellington writer Tayi Tibble. Â Hoki Mai She kisses him goodbye with her eyes still wet and alight from their last swim in the Awatere river. At the train station celebration, she leads the Kapa Haka but her voice keeps breaking under and over itself like waves. ...
A poem from Bill Manhireâs 2017 book of verse Some Things to Place in a Coffin.  My World War I Poem  Inside each trench, the sound of prayer. Inside each prayer, the sound of digging.  Image courtesy of Auckland War Memorial Museum. ...
There are three books I have wolfed down in one sitting over the last two years. Colleen Maria Lenihanâs gorgeous and sad debut KĆhine, Noelle McCarthyâs memoir Grand about becoming her mother and then unbecoming her, and now Hine Toa, a staunch yet gentle self-portrait by living legend NgÄhuia te ...
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question?Send Newsroom your questions. The post Newsroom daily quiz, Thursday 25 April appeared first on Newsroom. ...
Asia Pacific Report Students and activist staff at Australiaâs University of Sydney (USyd) have set up a Gaza solidarity encampment in support of Palestinians and similar student-led protests in the United States. The camp was pitched as mass graves, crippled hospitals, thousands of civilian deaths and the near-total destruction of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James B. Dorey, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger! James Dorey Photography Most of us have been stung by a bee and we ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jen Roberts, Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong Aussie~mobs/FlickrVictor Farr, a private in the 1st Infantry Battalion, was among the first to land at Anzac Cove just before dawn on April 25 1915. Victor Farr ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Gregory Moore I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourneâs Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra BagzhanSadvakassov/Upsplash, CC BY-SA Australiaâs inflation rate has fallen for the fifth successive quarter, and itâs now less than half of what it was back in late 2022. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Ong ViforJ, ARC Future Fellow & Professor of Economics, Curtin University Just when we think the price of rentals could not get any worse, this weekâs Rental Affordability Snapshot by Anglicare has revealed low-income Australians are facing a housing crisis like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meighen McCrae, Associate Professor of Strategic & Defence Studies, Australian National University American and Australian stretcher bearers working together near the front line during the Battle of Hamel in 1918.Australian War Memorial While the AUKUS alliance is new, the Australian-American partnership ...
WTF and OMG !!!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11137661
The High Court disallows Dow/Monsanto to appear as a witness on its own behalf to corrupt our environment ( for now) but how has it come to this ?????
Terrifying thoughts to begin a sweet spring morning that Dow/Monsanto already holds sufficient surreptitious sway in NZ to have received the authority to proceed with non-notifiable GM tampering outside our very strict GM controls! Kia Kaha to the Sustainability Council on our behalf. (And it makes the interference on Ruataniwha seem modest by comparison imho.)
Oh my, just how corrupt is this govt willing to be ?? And all powers of local councils to prevent these developments have been removed.
NB — almost certainly this denial of permission to appear as witness could NOT have occurred under TPPA. In fact, likely it could never have gotten to the High Court !!!
And is last night’s debate Prof Jane Kelsey vs Dr Wayne to be available online please ?? many thx LPrent.
Lyn filmed it. Lynn says it’ll take a day or so to get it online. But it will go online. It was an important debate, and needs to be seen and discussed widely.
Bearing in mind Lyn’s workload at present (and mine for that matter) I wouldn’t expect it before the weekend. Last I saw as she was offloading the GB of video was that she was muttering all three mic’ed being pen-clickers đ I got the impression that pen-clicker was some kind of newly discovered swear word. đ
I liked that debate. Wayne was pretty clear on the how and why. Jane was as sharp as usual. Getting a much clearer view about why it is being pushed for and what the benefits are, and the downsides.
thx so much for making the efforts to have it available .. and yes, pen clickers are trouble to sound techies !!
The quality of education (literacy and numeracy) in the countries whose education systems gave us National Standards and Charter Schools. A scroll down to the bottom of the lists is required to see what it’s done for their people aged 16-24. A bit of movement from their results for all adults.
Wonder where NZ lies as not on the List.
Here’s the data for NZ on the OECD website
http://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=NZL&treshold=10&topic=EO
Good to hear Cunliffe re-affirming the very sensible policy to increase the age of super eligibility gradually.
Great debate last night. Some may find it hard to believe but I wanted wayne to put some doubt in my mind about wanting to know more he didnt. He said ftas and tppa bring us prosperity pointing to increased trade with those countries we have them with. His second argument was would we really want to not be in it if the others are in.
Yes. Wayne is knowledgeable on the issues, but I disagree with his underlying philosophy (which reminded me so much of my Dad’s way back when I argued with him – heated debates at the dinner table). My dad was also knowledgeable and very smart, but he didn’t convince me back then, and neither did Wayne last night.
Wayne argued that TPP is a very significant agreement involving all Pacific nations, and as a “trading nation” NZ cannot afford to be left out. But s Kelsey showed, there are already many concerns in other countries about the TPP, and it looks to me that there are a lot of cracks where pressure can be applied so that the TPP will start to crumble.
Don’t mind being ‘in’ … but ‘in’ what? (And how deep?)
And as I said yesterday…why handcuff ourselves to a “diminishing superpower” (as the front page of the Jakarta Globe read).
“it looks to me that there are a lot of cracks where pressure can be applied so that the TPP will start to crumble.”
It will be interesting if one of the first cracks appear in what the pork-barrelling in the U.S. dishes up to resolve the government shutdown. Or at the very least whether the shutdown delays negotiations.
http://stoptpp.org/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-cohen/tpp-is-a-race-to-the-bott_b_4058743.html
Gormless. I thought I heard joyce saying no. It just seems such a strange thing for the nats to dig their toes in. Perhaps it tells us much of their vote sits amongst baby boomers?
National are stuck. They have been so unequivocal that they can’t go back, even though it makes perfect sense.
and so do you, today.
ÂżQue?
/niet/
New Targets for Our Willing Executioners
Te Reo Putake, Populuxe and others who slavishly follow the party line will no doubt be amplifying some or all of the latest anti-protestor messages. Promising new targets for Te Reo et al. include:
(1) Those dirty hippies at Greenpeace…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24461644
(2) The outrageous Yelena Mizulina….
http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-duma-activist-defamation/25059748.html
(3) The troublemaker Baba Jukwe….
http://www.voanews.com/content/baba-jukwe-zimbabwes-elusive-whistleblower/1702810.html
Happy hunting, democracy-haters.
Watch Niall Ferguson get schooled by real economists
Brad Delong, Paul Krugman and Dean Baker all beat up on Niall Ferguson for making the kind of embarrassing error that would badly damage his career if he were not peddling lies that the rich and powerful want people to believe….
http://members5.boardhost.com/medialens/msg/1381318334.html
Excellent link: I have often thought that Fergusson was a wannabe Galbraith, Kenneth Clark or Brunowski, acting as a legitimate teller of the tale on a major BBC doc series. In a strange way he reminds me of the very talented Brannagh attempting to don the Shakespearean mantle of Olivier, and never quite succeeding. At-least his attempts were honest, by contrast Niall appears to work on the principle that if a statement is so sweeping it will be received by we humble viewers as true. I don’t mind him being partisan, no amount of eloquence however can make a false proposition any more real.
Yesterday’s Panel with Mora.
The ever-so-reasonable-sounding-Franks was on and began subtly spouting his party line on topics of justice, Supreme court etc and on ACC. Mora invited Dr Duncan Webb to discuss issues and he appeared to progressively dismantle most of Franks points.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player/2572168 (from about 11:19 in)
Careful, logie: Te Reo Putake will accuse you of lying….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-09102013/#comment-707482
I didn’t accuse you of lying, Moz, but of being grossly inaccurate. I provided the link to what was actually said, which bore little resemblance to your fictional ‘transcript’.
At least in earlier exchanges about your inability to transcribe accurately you had the wit to acknowledge that they were just an impression. Which is fine.
I think you need to make up your mind as to whether they are intended to accurately reflect what is said or whether they are just a pisstake. If it’s the latter, I look forward to a few sniggers at the expense of those you target. If its the former, well, you’re just another jonolist. Though an decidely amateur one, obviously.
1.) I didnât accuse you of lying, Moz, but of being grossly inaccurate.
You and a couple of others have repeatedly accused me of “making shit up”. Last night you claimed that “itâs all bullshit from Moz. Nothing in the âtranscriptâ has anything but a passing resemblance to the truth. Ok, Moz gets the names of the participants correct, but the rest is made up.” Yet a few hours later you brazenly claim that you didn’t accuse me of lying. I think you have just been hoist by your own canard.
2.) I provided the link to what was actually said, which bore little resemblance to your fictional âtranscriptâ.
On the contrary, the link shows my rendition of that conversation was accurate. Not word-perfect, of course, and I never pretended it was.
3.) At least in earlier exchanges about your inability to transcribe accurately you had the wit to acknowledge that they were just an impression. Which is fine.
It would be obvious to even the meanest intelligence that my rendition was an impression of what was said. I never claimed it was a transcript. Your quibbling is nothing more than spurious, captious obstinacy.
4.) I think you need to make up your mind as to whether they are intended to accurately reflect what is said or whether they are just a pisstake.
My script was accurate. Not word-perfect, but accurate. I believe I captured Franks’s sneering malevolence, and Mora’s mealy-mouthed flippancy. I didn’t write down everything Chris Wikaira said, because he was well into his speech before I even picked up a piece of paper. Certainly the words are not verbatim, but I made up none of it.
5.) If itâs the latter, I look forward to a few sniggers at the expense of those you target. If its the former, well, youâre just another jonolist. Though an decidely amateur one, obviously.
You mean I’m not professional, like those outstanding specimens at the BBC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, the Grauniad and all the other government-approved cheerleaders and megaphones. I’m a little bit better than that, I think.
You know how nature abhors a vacuum…?
You know how nature abhors a vacuum�
That’s an intriguingly gnomic comment, weka. Could you elucidate for those of us that aren’t quite as smart as you?
Yeah, sorry, just a comment on the space left by Jenny which you have so promptly and generously filled.
oooooh
zing
Could you explain what you mean please? I’m mystified. It seems that you’re having a sly dig at me, judging by the response of our friend McFlock, but it’s all very obscure.
You’d think they’d have a word or phrase for this by now. Someone who sucks all the attention out of a group of online commentators, so that most of the effort on the blog goes into inanity and discussing inanity and defending inanity and defending/discussing meta-inanity, instead of discussing the things that the blog is actually about. And someone who does this repeatedly in a predictable fashion.
Hence my comment about Jenny leaving and vaccums being filled.
Youâd think theyâd have a word or phrase for this by now. Someone who sucks all the attention out of a group of online commentators, so that most of the effort on the blog goes into inanity and discussing inanity and defending inanity and defending/discussing meta-inanity, instead of discussing the things that the blog is actually about.
The entire raison d’ĂȘtre of my transcripts/reconstructions is to highlight the utter inanity of a significant sector of media commentators in this country. You seem to have mistaken me for my targets. Perhaps you need to ease up on the hallucinogens.
And someone who does this repeatedly in a predictable fashion. Hence my comment about Jenny leaving and vaccums [sic] being filled.
Your comparison is invalid, glib, and stupid. Sadly that’s something that could be said of most of your posts. Hence the general lack of regard for your efforts on this forum.
Cobblers, cobber. You can keep bullshitting all day, but it doesn’t make your dismal effort any more accurate. You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. It’s great that you now accept it’s only an “impression”. But so is the mark the farmer leaves when he steps in a cowpat. The gumboot still stinks though.
One of the nastier strategies employed by John Key and his parliamentary cronies is to bray “He’s making stuff up” whenever they are confronted with something embarrassing. Here’s a typical example from one of the intellectual powerhouses in the National Party….
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2012/10/shearer_makes_it_up.html
I’m sure others on this mostly excellent forum have noticed one or two of the resident thugs around here using the same formula. As an example, look at how our thuggish friend Te Reo Putake behaves….
Cobblers, cobber. You can keep bullshitting all day,
There he goes again!
….but it doesnât make your dismal effort any more accurate.
First the allegation that I have been dishonest, then the derogatory epithet (“dismal effort”). I am sure that this bloke manages to intimidate a few locals around Whanganui with such behaviour but, as always, on a forum like this he only ends up making himself look bereft of ideas.
You are the Stephen Franks of jonolism. Itâs great that you now accept itâs only an âimpression”.
I’ve never suggested otherwise. I’ve always admitted that my transcripts are a mix of verbatim recording and reconstruction from memory. They are usually done in haste but they are always true to the character and tenor of the conversation. Only a few naysayers have objected, and that has been, in every case, because they have objected to my reminding them that someone they have worshipped is a fraud or an empty bag of wind. In the case of Te Reo Putake, I recall he was incandescent with indignation when I pointed out the rank hypocrisy of this fraud’s putrid method acting here….
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jul/01/barack-obama-nelson-mandela-robben-island-video
and here….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-07072013/#comment-659198
But so is the mark the farmer leaves when he steps in a cowpat. The gumboot still stinks though.
Should have quit while you were behind. That only makes you look crude. Then again, maybe it plays well in Whanganui….
Ooooh, reduced to identity speculation. And so typically inaccurate!
Ooooh, reduced to identity speculation. And so typically inaccurate!
No speculation at all. You do live in Whanganui, as you have repeatedly reminded us on this forum. And far from speculating who you are, I merely suggested that your inept attempts to bully and intimidate people on this site are no doubt a continuation of the way you behave in your everyday life. That’s speculating on your behaviour, not on your identity.
I withdraw and apologize, and skulk back to my corner.
That’s interesting Morrissey, who are you apologising to? You probably have quite a choice, being fairly free-ranging in your egg throwing.
I don’t live in Whanganui, Moz. More made up stuff from you. If only your memory was up to your ambition, eh?
And losing arguments does not make you a victim, it just makes you someone who can’t succesfully argue their corner. Of course, if you took more care to be accurate in the first place, you wouldn’t be called on it and you wouldn’t feel as lousy as you obviously do today.
You could always wait until RNZ put up the recording and check your impression against it before posting. That’s called fact checking, it’s really useful for keeping your integrity intact.
Now, now, TRP – mozz has pointed out that you have repeatedly “reminded us” that you live in Wh. I’m sure, having such accurate recollection, links to the comments where you’ve admitted living in Wh will be along presently.
Indeed, it will be a wonderful demonstration of mozz’s outstanding recollective abilities. We will all have to adopt a more humble deference to his important authority when he proves you wrong.
if a transcript is not word-perfect, then it is not accurate.
The matter under debate seems, therefore, to be the level of inaccuracy.
if a transcript is not word-perfect, then it is not accurate.
My renditions are usually pretty close to word-perfect. I even make sure to include every time someone like Hekia Parata uses fillers like “ummmm”, “ahhhh” and “y’know”. The objections to my renditions are ideological.
The matter under debate seems, therefore, to be the level of inaccuracy.
I might get the odd word out of order, or transpose sentences, but I am very particular at rendering the tenor and the essence of these conversations. You know that very well, of course.
cf:
They are either “pretty close to word-perfect” transcripts, or the wording is off but the tenor or impression of the conversation is accurate (or is your memory “near perfect”?). I’m thinking the difference between a photograph and a Monet. The trouble is that the tone is subjective, especially when reading text that is skewed with disparaging names for some of the participants, so really it comes under satire rather than recording.
It seems to me that you sort of want it both ways – when people take the trouble to prove that your transcripts aren’t word perfect (and the ones I’ve compared have not been anywhere close), you concede and claim that even so the tenor is correct, but then you go back to claiming they are near-perfect transcripts for the next one.
I have shown many times the wording of your impressions to be a long, long way from the words actually spoken. You frequently invent entire sentences.
I have even demonstrated this after you have claimed that your impression was an exact transcript.
I’ve also questioned your impression of the tone of conversations before, and found that you add colours like “yell” and “screech” and “awkward silence” when nothing of the like can be heard in the recording.
My conclusion is that you don’t bother to listen back to recordings after writing your impressions to check what you’ve written. Nothing wrong with that but it makes a mockery of any claim to accuracy, either of colour or content.
1.) I have shown many times the wording of your impressions to be a long, long way from the words actually spoken. You frequently invent entire sentences.
I occasionally have to reconstruct sentences for the purpose of continuity. Although I get most of it word-perfect, it’s not always the case.
2.) I have even demonstrated this after you have claimed that your impression was an exact transcript.
We have agreed on this point already. You weaken your case by overstating how wrong I get it, however.
3.) Iâve also questioned your impression of the tone of conversations before, and found that you add colours like âyellâ and âscreechâ and âawkward silenceâ when nothing of the like can be heard in the recording.
Now you’re questioning my judgement. The fact is, there are many awkward and embarrassing silences on Jim Mora’s programme. Sometimes this is because people are too stunned or too disgusted to say anything; that happens when someone like Nevil Breivik Gibson or Dr. Michael Bassett is a guest. Other times it comes from an inability to formulate a response to something inane that Mora or one of his more foolish guests, like Christine (Spankin’) Rankin, has said. Whatever the reason, those silences happen. It says a lot that you are now pretending they don’t happen. And I have not used either “yell” or “screech” to denote the tone of anyone. You’re struggling to make your point as it is, and misquoting me like that is just another dent to your credibility.
4.) My conclusion is that you donât bother to listen back to recordings after writing your impressions to check what youâve written. Nothing wrong with that but it makes a mockery of any claim to accuracy, either of colour or content.
There you go again—wildly overstating your case. I don’t always get things verbatim, and I have always conceded that. Instead of chiding me for it, which would be a reasonable thing to do, you make a crazed and extreme statement, showing me no respect and grossly misrepresenting my character and the calibre of my work.
This spurious quibbling of yours is cynical and dishonest; you were a fan of my transcripts/reconstructions/dramatizations—call them what you will—until I started to target people and organizations and governments who you have, unwisely, chosen to align yourself with.
Mozza, just because silences exist on a program doesn’t mean you can insert them wherever you like and say you’re being accurate.
And no, nothing to do with your choice of target. The truth is I was a fan until I listened to one of the interviews while reading your impressions and noticed that it was about 50% fantasy.
And yes, of course I’m questioning your judgement. I’m also questioning your hearing, your attention span, your understanding of many of the words you throw around, and your sense of importance.
All have been found lacking on many occasions.
Once again, felix, I am afraid the very good points you make are submerged in a blizzard of extreme statements and distortions. You are obviously an intelligent and discerning fellow, but your determination to portray my (admittedly imperfect) reconstructions/transcripts as “50% fantasy” seriously undermines your credibility.
As a matter of interest, could you cite the occasion on which I apparently falsified half of my transcript? And when have I not understood a word I have “thrown around”? Once again, this looks like a case of belittlement and distortion.
%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.radionz.co.nz%2Faudio%2Fplayer%2F2572169%22%20rel%3D%22nofollow%22%3EThis%20recording%3C%2Fa%3E(about%2012m%20in%20for%20the%20ToW%20discussion)%0Aversus%20%0A%3Ca%20href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fthestandard.org.nz%2Fopen-mike-09102013%2F%23comment-707380%22%20rel%3D%22nofollow%22%3Ethis%20summary%3C%2Fa%3E%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%0A50%25%20fantasy%20would%20be%20a%20highly%20conservative%20estimate.
[translates as]
This recording(about 12m30s in for the ToW discussion)
versus
this summary
50% fantasy would be a highly conservative estimate.
[lprent: fixed and confirmation that it is in the edit. ]
argh shit – any chance of a moderator rolling back my “just out of time” edit? I was trying to change “12m30s” to “12min”, and must have submitted the edit with half a second to spare, or royally bollocked the comment up.
[lprent: Looks like there was an occasional bug in this mornings update of the re-edit. Looks like it is working most of the time, otherwise I’d turn it off until I can get to the backups. ]
thanks muchly đ
đ
Most round-about way of phrasing “make shit up” I’ve seen in a long while.
Most round-about way of phrasing âmake shit upâ Iâve seen in a long while.
I made up nothing. As we can see from your vicious campaign of misrepresenting and distorting my contributions, you are the one in the business of lying. Not that you do it very well, mind you.
sorry, where’s the links to trp claiming they live in Whanganui?
those italics indicate the parts of your pieces where you make shit up.
You don’t know what those silences mean. You project meaning into them though, and claim that what you interpret them to mean, is what actually happened.
The classic example of something similar was when someone was talking about someone else, and you claimed that she was actually talking about her husband.
those italics indicate the parts of your pieces where you make shit up.
Nonsense. Your comments are completely spurious. I interpreted their comments, and their awkward and embarrassed silences, fairly and correctly. You know that, too, of course, but you’ve embarked on a course of bloodymindedly backing up the destructive behaviour of a few people determined to sabotage any dissenting voices on this forum.
You donât know what those silences mean. You project meaning into them though, and claim that what you interpret them to mean, is what actually happened.
Okay then, let’s pretend that the long silence that followed after Michael Bassett snarled that Nicky Hager “is a holocaust-denier” was because everyone was simply appreciating Bassett’s wit, eloquence and moral authority. I think most people will agree with me that the silence indicated something else, just as the silences that follow some of Mora’s more inane utterances indicate that something has gone wrong. By all means take a benevolent view of that. Just make sure you let us know when the space shuttle has returned from orbit, will you?
The classic example of something similar was when someone was talking about someone else, and you claimed that she was actually talking about her husband.
You mean this little episode….
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-22032013/#comment-607420
Of course, anyone with half a brain could have seen I was taking the michael, but poor old felix and bad12 obviously missed the humour in it. More to the point: so do you, all this time later, which is a worry.
Yeah, that’s the one.
And I remember it because that’s when I decided your little things aren’t worth bothering with.
And here you are claiming it wasn’t a joke at all:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-18042013/#comment-621262
Obviously just another joke. Which is the point. If you want to make jokes, make jokes, but don;t present them as transcripts and get haughty when people say that they aren’t accurate representations of what happened.
It is never the readers’ fault when so many of them don’t get what a writer is doing. It just means the writing doesn’t work.
Iâm a little bit better than that, I think. I think so too, even if (I think) I know more about rugby than you!!!!! Carry on amusing me please.
Yeah, thatâs the one. And I remember it because thatâs when I decided your little things arenât worth bothering with.
You mean: that’s when you realized you didn’t have a hope of formulating a coherent or intelligent response.
Word of advice, my flustered, bewildered friend: quit while you’re behind.
You see Morrissey, you have nothing but this tiresome bluster. It’s all you ever respond with.
I said your things aren’t worth bothering with. And that’s what I meant. There’s nothing to form a coherent response to. They aren’t realistic descriptions or critiques of what were said, and as humour then they are merely personal attacks on people. What is so grand about saying that you don’t like Wilson’s husband?
Awesome piece there, pointing out that you feel the same way about her husband as she feels about someone else. That was the ‘joke’ right?
Fill yer boots, but like I said, getting on your high horse claiming that it is an accurate depiction of what happened is just rubbish. It does no one any good. It’s better written than kiwiblog comments, if overwrought for my taste, but the level of what is going on is about the same.
1.) You see Morrissey, you have nothing but this tiresome bluster. Itâs all you ever respond with.
That’s not true. I have responded in good faith to every point you made, yet your only rejoinder is to dismiss it all as “tiresome bluster”. That’s laziness on your part, pure and simple. Judging by most of the stuff you’ve written on this forum, you’re far better than that. Maybe you need a good sleep, my friend.
2.) I said your things arenât worth bothering with. And thatâs what I meant. Thereâs nothing to form a coherent response to.
Nonsense. You are simply making no sense.
3.) They arenât realistic descriptions or critiques of what were said, and as humour then they are merely personal attacks on people.
So I don’t critique these people? My evocations of them aren’t realistic? You either: (a) just don’t understand what I’m doing; (b) think that there is something commendable about Jim Mora’s laughing at the victims of state repression or Chris Trotter’s windy admonitions to respect lynch law in the Deep South; or (c) you are deliberately misrepresenting my work.
4.)What is so grand about saying that you donât like Wilsonâs husband?
That’s not what I said. My piece was far more nuanced and serious than that.
5.) Awesome piece there, pointing out that you feel the same way about her husband as she feels about someone else. That was the âjokeâ right?
No, there was more to it than that. I was critiquing one half of a hideous right wing husband-wife team. My purpose was utterly serious, even though my method was, as others have said, satirical.
6.) Fill yer boots, but like I said, getting on your high horse claiming that it is an accurate depiction of what happened is just rubbish. It does no one any good. Itâs better written than kiwiblog comments, if overwrought for my taste, but the level of what is going on is about the same.
I appreciate your positive comparison of my modest oeuvre to Farrar’s miserable, crappy blog. I actually think your writing is very good, most of the time; I’m just mystified as to why you are so truculent in your criticism of what I do. I appreciate I am not always correct and am often overly harsh, but I am absolutely prepared to modify my views.
Pb, your style works for me.
Chin up Morrissey.
Obviously just another joke.
Obviously. But not to you, obviously.
It is never the readersâ fault when so many of them donât get what a writer is doing.
What on earth are you wittering about? “So many of them”? Even my mortal enemies around here—Te Reo, McFuck, Populuxe—understood I was taking the piss. Only you seem to have been incapable of appreciating the joke.
It just means the writing doesnât work.
It worked fine. If I operated on making my work completely comprehensible to the lowest common denominator (i.e. you and Brett Dale) there would be no point in carrying on. I’m interested in engaging more substantial characters.
1: no,I don’t know that
2: “mortal enemy”? Get over yourself.
But it’s obvious that you can’t engage, Morrissey. You never do.
All you do is say:
‘I’m too clever for you and I am obviously correct. fapfapfapaboutmyownstaidproseforahundredwordsfapfap.’
But itâs obvious that you canât engage, Morrissey. You never do.
Actually, the precise opposite is the case, my friend.
All you do is say: âIâm too clever for you and I am obviously correct. fapfapfapaboutmyownstaidproseforahundredwordsfapfap.â
Again, I don’t do that, and I certainly don’t think that I’m cleverer than you or anyone else here.
…without a trace of irony đ
Can’t wait to see what the MOM fans spin is on the fact that MRP can’t think of anything better to do with its profits than buy shares in itself.
Rod Oram tweeted:
The well monied Board and Senior Managers of Might River having bought into the shares big-time with the aid of multi-million dollar bank loans, now in a situation of ongoing negative equity USING the profits, of which 51% belong to you and me, in an attempt to pump up the value where they can safely unload???,
Not to mention the ‘blind trust managers’ who bought into Mighty River en masse on behalf of their very public figure beneficiaries facing the prospect of an ongoing very large loss demanding those in charge of Mighty River do something???,
Bock, Bock, Bock, the chickens have come home to roost early this year Wilbur…
This is what Warren Buffet prefers, the less shares there are the more valuble the remaining shares are
This is good
3/10 must try harder
I own shares in MRP and I approve of this action
Aaaah losers, the National Party is full of them, the small time ‘i own shares brigade’, how much of that useless paper are you holding,
What’s your dollar losses so far, not quite time to panic just yet, BUT, think September 2015 and the Labour/Green Government should be well on the way to introducing Legislation for the power sector reforms,(of course they may already have it in draft form which will change the above to well on the way to Passing Legislation),
Now you can ‘Gamble’, will your piddling little parcel of shares by September 2015 have regained their original price enabling you to unload them and still keep your shirt, or will the Labour/Green electricity reforms pass through the Parliament befor this can occur and bite another 1/3 off of the share price,
You ‘gamble’, you ‘lose’, thank your mates over at National Party HQ for selling you a ‘Lemon’…
Is the Daily Mail correct in this reporting, or just stirring it up? It reckons Kuwait has developed medical test to detect gays and prevent them from entering the country. Futile or what? Or is it just a way to keep out anyone they choose?
Apparently you can check the hip bones for unusual wear, which is a sure sign of exaggerated mincing. They also put on show tunes and check for elevated heart rate.
I know I shouldn’t but I did LOL at your sarcasm.
KK actually demonstrated funniness for once…
…it’s a sub. – routine they’ve learned.
For once…my arse.
Without me this place would be as funny as a Russian bread queue which, if you boyfriend has his way and nationalises the supermarkets, people will discover is not very funny at all.
Actually that comment IS pretty funny (the Russian bread queue one). The problem with most of your other comments that would otherwise be funny is that they’re either cruel, mean or just plain obnoxious. Makes it harder to laugh.
klueless klutz waiting in a russian bread que is better than the 4 million sleeping under tarpaulins in the US the home of the free market.
And let’s not forget that the destitution which befell millions of citizens of the former USSR in the 10 years after Gorbachev was largely due to self-serving advice from investment banks like Goldman Sachs and neoliberal institutions like the IMF.
23 years CV poverty in Russia is worse than ever!
And roger douglas gave advice too, apparently
intercontinental economic fuckup.
Would that be why ShonKey Python’s booked into Mercy Hospital in Epsom then ? A job lot on the hips AND the simper for oh so busy Baby Churchill World Leader ?
and women?
You are trying to get me banned tempting me like that.
I will show restraint, but it is a shame as I did have a good gag about Persian rugs.
Hiding behind the drapes? mouse got your tongue?
“You are trying to get me banned tempting me like that”
Oh go on, take the bait monkey boy….it was great without you last time, but the funniest part was when you tried to come back too early, and Felix summed you up perfectly
I think the funniest part is how my presence seems to have such a massive affect on you.
LOL….if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask someone else first
don’t give ’em an aneurysm; “for all have sinned and fallen short…”
Gape me! đ
“Uh uh ah…Afternoon Delight!”.
I can’t see that s/he has any affect(ion) for you as that have connotations of being a pleasurable event.
However you may have meant that you have a massive effect on them – probably mostly disgust?
What are they teaching children these days about language…. đ
Probably the same thing they’re teaching monkeys.
Qatar, another GCC member, will host the men’s soccer world cup in 2022. In 2018, Russia will be the host. Looks like the FIFA has an agenda for the future. So much for sport bringing people together..
Hundreds of workers (slaves) have died in Qatar getting ready for the FIFA 2022 blood games. And more are dying every day.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/02/qatar-workers-deaths-fifa-world-cup-2022
There is no way qatar or russia should’ve gotton the next two world cups after Brazil, Blatter is the most corrupt man in sports, all countries should tell fifa they wont contest 2022.
Blatter has some competition for that “most corrupt” title.
BD thats your free market working
The construction workers and the women who service the Qatari population.
The abuses of foreign workers have been going on for years. If FIFA intended on making Qatar clean up it’s act, it might have been worth awarding the games there, but all they seem worried about is playing in the heat…. oh, and the money (and they’d give up the wellbeing of the players for the money too, I reckon).
Bloody good reason for avoiding their airlines and their countries. I will spend my pink dollars elsewhere.
3rd Degree Burns
Marie Dyhrberg
-1/3 of crime not reported
-20000 IPCA complaints per year; 5% investigated.
-“seeing a slippery slope” develop
-implementation of Curruther’s reform recommendations should produce greater openness
Ian Lambie
-“I see some inappropriate / illegal behaviour”.
36% of police staff lack confidence that their superiors will action (in-house) complaints.
surprisingly, considering the studio audience, before the ‘debate’ they were split 50/50 over whether “the public are losing trust in the Police”.
Overall ‘Vote’ for the country- 56% Yes, the police are losing our trust.
Well, this old dog can come in from the cold and rest his bone.
Exclamation of the evening: “Only Jesus is beyond reproach, and he’s got His detractors” (Same)- Pam Corkery.
(excellent to see the lawyers giving Garner and Espinor a tune-up) đ
The police prosecutor struck me as having the same intonations and simplistic analogies as the police association guy (name escapes me at moment). Must be a cop thing. But when she likened confidence in the police to still supporting the All Blacks even if a player fumbled the ball, the line screaming to be used was the damage match-fixing did to cricket, or even championship wrestling in the US. The last thing we need is a police force with the credibility of WWE.
He’s “need a gun on every hip” Greg O’Conner, police union broken record guy.
that’s the chappie. Bit of a dick, really.
Have to agree with you there mate. Every time he surfaces I’m left wondering if he has that job for life or will they update for the modern world one day.
Outage was due to a MSNbot from redmond going apeshit scanning the site
I’d increased the limits the other day, evidently too far. Dropped them back and increased the block time from 10 minutes to an hour
Pablo Honey .
Some of you may have seen a short item on 3news about a factory fire that killed (as was reported last night), 10 workers in Bangladesh. You might have said to yourself, “Bloody hell, not again”.
Turns out that once again it is a factory that has contracts with Gap and Walmart. You would think they would have acted to ensure their workplaces were safe after over 1000 workers died in the Rana Plaza collapse and fire several months ago.
“While 90 other companies have joined together in the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, an agreement between companies and unions, Walmart has refused. Instead, Walmart teamed up with Gap to create a corporate-controlled program that is hardly more than a facelift of the programs that have failed Bangladeshi workers in the past. Meanwhile, the death toll continues to climb. Please take action now â join with us in calling on Walmart and Gap to stop putting profits over peopleâs lives”.
From International Labor Rights Forum
http://action.laborrights.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=7262
Ach! Nothing’s changed then? Shame on companies like Gap and Walmart.
Oh wow, even tories are coming around to Keynesianism.
Another plank of credibility removed from those who want to see inequality and hardship persist in the world.
Ha, this sub-link is good:
Which is what we on the left have been saying for decades.
Barking – and one day they could have their finger on the button.
So to pull all this logic together, God anoints priests to work in the church directly and kings to go out into the marketplace to conquer, plunder, and bring back the spoils to the church. The reason governmental regulation has to disappear from the marketplace is to make it completely available to the plunder of Christian “kings” who will accomplish the “end time transfer of wealth.” Then “God’s bankers” will usher in the “coming of the messiah.” The government is being shut down so that God’s bankers can bring Jesus back.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/morgan-guyton/the-theology-of-governmen_b_4020537.html
Ted Cruz may well be barking mad about a lot of stuff, but he is close to the mark here:
An example of this is the state’s removal of all reference of obligations owed to deity in law. The state is happy enough to pay lip service to deity and exercise the benefit of making oath, but when it comes to obligations, the rules of the state are given the status of law while the real law is ignored.
Ah, got it, you’re actually a religious loony who wants to bring back god’s law.
Another Koch Bros funded politician.
Buyers regret.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/the-kochs-cant-control-the-monster-they-created/280435/
The deity can always challenge their eviction in the court of the hundred, so who gives a shit.
deep Sigh Crumpy
‘sokay.
I don’t know about your one, but I’m pretty sure UT’s deity doesn’t really exist.
sadly, I was sighing with you over the direction UT takes. (well-meaning is possible though…still, wotteva ewe say is generally OK with me) đ All Good This End đ
The creative field behind. The revelation of such ( not exclusively) to the historic figures of
Christ, John, Thomas. A syncretic Way , of course, my friend.
Itâs really more about the destruction of the traditional family than about homosexuality, because you need also to destroy loyalty to the family.
hahahahahahahh… tell that to the families of many homosexual people.
religious zealots are the same as junkies !
Tut tut.
Yeah, anointed.
/
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/rafael-cruz-declares-son-ted-cruz-anointed-
WOBH may be anointed (with some concoction)
absolutely (and don’t forget the LDS).
anyway joe, this has been a central tenet of my thesis all through.
However, thanks to TS commentators, some helpful books and an enquiring mind…
so, here’s a mousetrap;
“You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”
-Mark 10:42-
so simple really đ
was reading yesterday of more RC cover-ups (from the highest levels) in the St Paul-Minnesota region.
oops, St Paul-Minneapolis
So another school closure has been ruled as unlawful.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11138079
That’s 2 now that have been challenged and found to be unlawful. She’s not doing well with this.
@ Tony Parker….reasons for closure seem spurious, unfathomable and cooked ..at least to the School Principal interviewed on National Radio…which makes one wonder ….did Nact plan to replace this state school community with Nact’s own special Charter School imposition?…ie usurp the buildings for a Charter School?….Was this the hidden agenda for the illegitimate closure?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11137643
– Well done John Key and Bill english, you don’t have to be flashy you just need to get the job done
and ignore the current account balance (amongst other indicators).
Activity is King. Doesn’t matter that bad law is rushed onto the books, that govt gets more accomplished at choosing lawyers that given them the decisions they want, oh, no, the cost are left to future parliaments to pay. Take Howards policies regards kiwis in OZ. The upper chamber in Australia doesn’t work, and we in NZ don’t have one, hopefully as money becomes scare society may again feel the need to write good law.
sigh
Growth is unsustainable so it’s certainly nothing to be crowing about. Bringing about the destruction of our environment isn’t what we need to do.
A “Toast” , My Friends. đ
Is this going to be your daily comment, pr?
The Herald is a right wing rag and constantly writes puff pieces in support of their corporate mates.
Show me a more independent source lauding this government please.
PR knows how to link to whale-snot too… if you’d prefer… đ
The IMF must be expecting the Christchurch rebuild to be getting up to full speed then. For the sake of the people who live there, I hope so. They’ve been waiting far too long.
pukesh roque the only reason GDP is up is because the US dollar is sliding on a downward spiral.
If the debt ceiling in the US is not solved its bubble bursting time!
The US stock market is already in free fall the property bubble in NZ will follow our dollar will increase in value reducing our exports!
Leading back to 2008 scenarios!
Sorry, can’t find the comment which alerted me to Gordon Campbell’s article as it relates to the need for an independent body to identify and refer back to appropriate appellate courts, potential miscarriages of justice:
http://gordoncampbell.scoop.co.nz/2013/10/10/gordon-campbell-on-the-cunliffe-speech-and-the-mark-lundy-decision/
The considered views of Professor Graham Zellick* recounted in Campbell’s article really do underline what an hubristic, dangerous philistine is Judith Collins in Justice.
This government more and more resembles the crazed Tea Party backwoodsmen of the US.
*Professor Zellick – the man who headed the equivalent UK body 2003-2008.
Change clocked. Nature: abstract (paper pay walled) and summary.
The Indonesian city of Manokwari is poised to become an unwitting icon for climate change. In about 2020, the coastal location will become one of the first places in recent history to adopt an entirely new climate â one in which its coldest years will be consistently hotter than any of the past 150 years.
That is one finding of a study published today in Nature1, which attempts to create a region-specific index of climate change. Researchers sought to identify the point at which temperature oscillations in each area will exceed the bounds of historical variability. Such âclimate departuresâ are predicted to start in the tropics and then spread to higher latitudes. If carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated, Earthâs mean climate could depart from historical averages in 2047.
Visualised.
http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/mora/PublicationsCopyRighted/Cities%20Timing.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/league/9268153/Sonny-Bill-I-would-ve-had-lifelong-regrets
– Well maybe Sonny Bill you should stop whatever it is your manager tells you to do and start using your head, yes I’m sure you feel bad for the guy whos place you took however if you had declared your availability before the announcement none of this would have happened
But then that’d be less publicity for you I suppose…
(Sorry just had to get that of my chest)
lightweight
Well some blame Kearney’s handling of the situation.
“(Sorry just had to get that of my chest)”
Good idea, your wife was looking for her undergarment.
In just 2 daysâ time, African leaders could kill off a great institution, leaving the world a more dangerous place. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is the worldâs first and only global court to adjudicate crimes against humanity. But leaders of Sudan and Kenya, who have inflicted terror and fear across their countries, are trying to drag Africa out of the ICC, allowing them the freedom to kill, rape, and inspire hatred without consequences. I know that together we can change this. But we have to join hands and call on the voices of reason at the African Union (AU) â Nigeria and South Africa â to speak out and ensure that the persecuted are protected by the ICC. Join me by adding your name to the petition now and share it with everyone — when we have hit 1 million our petition will be delivered straight into the AU conference hall where Africaâs leaders are meeting in Addis Ababa. –Desmond Tutu
The proposed new yoke – same as old yoke.
Although the governmentâs initiative promotes a separation between Islam and politics, opponents say that the new push serves the decidedly political purpose of casting a divine glow on the brutal crackdown against supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Hundreds of Morsiâs backers in the Muslim Brotherhood have been killed and thousands arrested by authorities, who describe them as âterrorists.â
âThis is the new regime trying to create an official Islam, a state Islam, which doesnât exist within the Islamic tradition,â said Emad Shahin, a professor of public policy at the American University in Cairo. âItâs providing a religious justification to tolerate the killing of possibly thousands of people, and it is sending alarming signals into many segments of society. This is exactly what you call fa**ism.â
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-egypt-a-campaign-to-promote-an-egyptian-islam/2013/10/09/45060fca-29b3-11e3-b141-298f46539716_story.html
New best friends.
http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/09/libya-approves-u-s-operations-to-get-benghazi-suspects/
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. Matt. 12:28- imho, a lovely piece of scripture.
As Adam Smith (a fellow Scot) said in his “scripture” “all wealth comes from labour”. He is right, whether physical or mental, labour is the source of all wealth. Unrest , wars, political upheaval and inequality are a product of the struggle for control of the wealth. What is recent is simply that it is now globally apparent thanks to global communications.
Yup, depressed.
http://grist.org/list/this-video-will-get-you-off-factory-farmed-meat-or-depress-you-or-both/
Today in Auckland City:
A peaceful protester holds up a sign on the side of the footpath or pedestrian walk along Queen Street for a while, then gets approached by two yellow vested “City Crew” or “City View” staffers employed by Council. One wore a security firm’s sign on his shirt too. They approached the person and asked: “Have you been here for long?” The protester answered: “A while”, so they asked: “Will you be here any much longer?” The person facing them answers with: “Well, I have set myself some time, but probably not all that much longer”. Then the two City Council staffers ask: “Do you mind me asking me for your name?” The protester answers: “Why, what is the problem, this is freedom of expression, democracy?” Also the person says: “I do not feel I need to give you any details.” Then the senior person of the Council staff says (he is Pakeha, his colleagues Polynesian of large build): “Well, do you mind me taking a photo then?” The protester says: “Well, no that is your choice, I have no problem with that”. So the Council staffer steps back a bit, takes a photo and after that they walk on. He also said before that, they were concerned with “City Profile”.
What I also noticed is: Auckland City has suddenly been “cleansed” of ALL beggars and other persons, that I used to see in Queen Street and thereabouts. Now, what is going on, I ask?
To me this is: FASCISM in the making!!! There are under Mayor Len Brown and his Council now efforts made to remove “undesired” out of the CBD and possibly other areas, no matter whether they are begging, sitting around too long, or daring to stage a quiet, peaceful, sidewalk kind of “protest”!!!
This is highly concerning, and it is worth mentioning here, as we have also here in New Zealand too many that are SILENT in their majority, and most are the typical “law abiding”, “hard working”, “decent” and “peaceful” MIDDLE CLASS.
Do you, as middle class member, or other Aucklander find that this is acceptable, what I just described? If so, or if not, I ask for your feedback, please, a worried Auckland, with a migrant background, from a “free view” kind of culture,
Xtasy
No, it’s not acceptable. It’s entirely unacceptable. From what you’ve described Auckland is not as far down the track of restricting the right of protest as the US. So I’m guessing there will be a few battles to fight to keep the right to protest on a footpath if there are bureaucrats worried about the ‘tone’. Maybe they should be worrying about how to fix the problems that cause the protests.
There was NO issue about the “tone”, as the person just stood there, did not even speak to people, unless being asked for a flyer, some of which he had! So I found it appalling, when I heard about it.
I didn’t mean to imply there was a problem with the tone of the protester, I meant the snobby ‘tone of the neighbourhood’ meme that some people, and the bureaucrats drag out when things they don’t like confront them. I think the officials being concerned about the “city profile” pretty much fits the bill.
Exhibit #1 You can’t even build a Bunnings store on a shithole site on Great North Road without upsetting themiddle class liberal folk of Grey Lynn – an unkempt guy with a sign could lower property values!
Exhibit #2 We have a homeless person who comes into our work a couple of times a week. He goes into the loos open to visitors and washes himself, he never takes more than his shirt off and he is quiet and tidy. Someone mentioned this to our manager (a nice, earnest, middle class cookie cutter middle manager type who lacks a sense of humour or an imagination and spends most of his life re-measuring and re-weighing the pig) and he called security. Most of the staff were appalled. This guy isn’t harming anyone. So now we conspire to keep the old guys visits secret.
Given those two examples of our middleclass groupthink, what chance do you think has beggar has in Queen Street?
Sanctuary, I don’t think the Bnnings protest is at all in the same bag as the harrassment of street protestors and the guy washing himself.
There is an issue in my area of how commercial and retail interests are getting the prime sites in terms of the regeneration of the area. There is far less provision for community activities in the sites being allocated – it all smacks of money talking in the direction local councils are taking towards local developments.
OTOH, not allowing the guy to wash, or protests or begging in Queen Street is an issue of middle classes wanting to colonise and protect spaces in their own interest.
ask to see their ID. And security licence/certificate of approval if they’re wearing a security uniform.
McFlock – yes, I know all that, but the attempt was made to challenge, and get answers, without even identifying themselves. So naturally the person refused to state name and so forth. The whole attitude of those persons was disgusting, I feel, as they should just have left the guy alone, as he was just standing there, and I saw it, doing NO harm or disturbance at all.
It seems they just personally disliked the fact someone was standing there with a controversial sign, raising question, that were not really offensive either, just challenging an office’s handling of something.
And yes, the middle class are dangerous in my view, that is to Sanctuary, as they are blinded by generated “fears” and mindless “narrow thinking” how things should be, they also fear to take a stand, so condone authoritarian approaches by authorities.
There was research done many years ago, in Los Angeles and also in Sweden, showing that about 80 per cent of human beings in any society rather put up with abuse, or even collectively join abuse to others, merely to protect themselves from being “different” or in danger of risking their “security”.
That is human behaviour, and the Nazis knew that you can intimidate and manipulate, so do others, nowadays.
aye, true enough.
But having been on both sides of the petty security fence, I’ve also found that pieces of paper scare enforcers as much as they intimidate the populace.
The guards were either deployed (my guess is by a shopkeeper who made a complaint) or came across the protestor on their travels – in the first case, they’d be annoyed at having to do work; in the second case they’d just be bored. The knack is to be more trouble than it’s worth without raising their hackles (vengeance can motivate an awful lot of paperwork and dot-connecting in the depths of the graveyard shift đ ).
Mind you, doing security in Dunners my preferred tactic was generally to have a cup of tea and a chat before/ratherthan demanding name rank and serial number, unless the situation demanded prickface from the get-go.
From Chilean Illapu Blog:
“Top Comments
jaime contreras 9 months ago
En 1977 , con 17 años de edad,y elemento del grupo Fulano de tal de la ciudad de san Luis PotosĂ, MĂ©xico, cantamos las canciones de Illapu, los aplausos nunca los olvidarĂ©. Mi padre me dijo entonces, queï»ż habĂamos descubierto una hermosa mĂșsica y desde luego identidad. Las cantamos en plazas y fuimos felices y hoy mĂĄs. GRACIAS ILLAPU…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXRTfOy4EVY
This is Andean music in its original form, and those not appreciative of this better take no notice. This is about Latin America and the REAL people living there and that deserve all rights and respects, and many to fight for them, all in line with revolutionary solidarity.
Viva, el pueblo de Chile y Peru!
Awesome!
Respeto a Camilla Vallejo, la Comunista y Socialista de Chile, por la educacion libre:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q84DTTsKHrs
I am struggling to get sense into some people here, I know, but the following just shows the bloody challenge we face, few here even get it (if ever):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSukitimNdo
There is much more at stake, there are established presidents and forces, and they are voted for, they cannot be thrown out, but some here on this and other forums pretend that there is major change possible, while that all depends on what other people and countries do.
Get a wake up call, please, I am despairing anyway. X
The biggest enemy of New Zealand are your OWN PEople!!!
I see and hear this every day, I witness it all the time, at work, at open spaces, at social events, New Zealanders are NO LONGER ONE, you are ALL divided and full of suspicion and hatred towards each other, this makes you weak and vulnerable. The enemy knows this, that is the employers, the bosses, the admin and so, so they take you to the cleaners.
Also one major is migration without much cohesion, so anybody can come, sell skills, investment, even just buy a house and get PR, but they do NOT connect and have little expectation to be part of NZ.
I have hundreds of stories, and you lefties better wake up to this too, as the politically correct approach has long been redundant.
We are screwed, sold and shat on, that is NZ 2013, and I am a damned migrant myself saying this, I should not have to, as you Kiwis should be speaking up, but almost nobody does.
What a shame and shambles this country has become. I feel sorry and sick and ashamed!
Perhaps you ought to consider earlier nights. Just saying. đ
lol
xtasy
You make good points and are onto it. But there is a strange psychological process in one’s mind that I discovered some years back. That is, on the day that you are out of sorts, everyone else seems dull and unfriendly. I think it’s called transference or something.
And for the sake of your health you will need to take some time off thinking how things are, worrying and sad as it is. Have a book to read about something else, some fiction with some good happy bits in it, or look at Yes Minister and then Eddie Izzard or the like and have a soothing drink and go to bed so you wake refreshed to worry and again present facts and solutions the next day. Things are happening and we can only run alongside the moving present and try to remove most of the rotten material before it reaches its destructive potential.
While others just concentrate on themselves, looking at the ground around them, someone has to look up and talk about the obstacles looming. But it’s tiring and dispiriting, and we all have to give ourselves a break. Remind yourself that there are good people trying to make a breakthrough, and while the thinkers are (probably a large) minority, it’s not something to bear on your own. Watch Babylon 5 for a different slant even.
Thatâs interesting Morrissey, who are you apologising to?
I was apologising to my old friend Te Reo Putake, whom I had erroneously accused of living in … (shudder) … Whanganui.
You probably have quite a choice, being fairly free-ranging in your egg throwing.
Actually, I’m pretty precise, but I take your larger point, and think this is the perfect time to make a broad apology to everyone I may have offended over the last two and a half years….
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twGsynRkcck/T-ZJ60GmKjI/AAAAAAAAAmU/NxR0af4EyKs/s1600/cute-sad-kitten06.jpg