Every party complains about the media coverage they get, but not too loudly in case they lose favour and coverage. Media reports commonly don’t seem accurate to those being reported on. Mostly that is a natural effect of someone else looking at things differently.
In our democratic system the media hold a lot of power.
Just as most politicians mean well and work hard, the same for journalists. Personal views and preferences must influence how stories are chosen and covered but most journalists try to provide width and balance to their coverage.
Actually Peter it’s down to the management editing and controlling what’s published by setting agendas and employing kids just look at the fresh young faces doing stories on drunken sport heads on the TV.
To quote a good mate, also a senior experienced journo, ‘too few employers and the editors have preconceived yarns to get out there, cross them and you’re out of a job’
Games is rigged dude…..watch Oz news to get a stark contrast in how balanced reporting is done.
I know it’s rigged. A few people are looking at what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least. Power of the ‘net may be able to apply some pressure.
what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least.
Geez Pete. You are standing for a party headed by a hairpiece that backs this current rabble like a bad smell. This is not “holding them to account”. Your party is part of the problem.
It is part of this contrived gerrymander that gives the right an undue advantage. Basically if the hairpiece wins National gets 1.2% more of the party vote than it actually won.
Your comments are hypocritical. If you truly want to “hold them to account” then resign and join a real party, one determined to do something for ordinary people, not for millionaires.
But that’s the problem, the millionaries are loosing their shirts because they are running the country so badly.
But worse they’ve locked in the tax system to make any company that grows (or farm, crafer) into a target for foreign take over.
NZ is digging itself faster into serfdom, and that’s what’s so astonishing about the elite here, that they really are that incredibly self-destructive.
The culture is set by media and the jerk elite has decided it doesn’t care what nonsense is peddled, or by whom.
Am STILL awaiting a âprogress reportâ (promised Friday morning 18 November 2011) from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
ARE THE NZ SFO GOING TO EQUALLY LAY CHARGES AGAINST ACT CANDIDATE FOR EPSOM JOHN BANKS, AND ACT LEADER DON BRASH, AS WERE LAID AGAINST FORMER FELLOW DIRECTOR OF HULJICH WEALTH MANAGEMENT (NZ) LTD â PETER HULJICH FOR SIGNING âREGISTERED PROSPECTUSESâ WHICH CONTAINED UNTRUE STATEMENTS â OR NOT?
IF NOT â WHY NOT?
How come ACTâs âONE LAW FOR ALLâ â apparently doesnât apply to the ACT Leader Don Brash, and ACT candidate for Epsom John Banks?
Whereâs ACTâs âZERO TOLERANCEâ for âwhite collarâ CRIME?
Will be following up with the SFO this morningâŠ..
Of course this issue is being given the mainstream media coverage one would expect in election yearâŠâŠ
Not.
(Situation normal)
Penny Bright
CENSORED
Independent Candidate for Epsom
Campaigning against âwhite collarâ CRIME, CORRUPTION (and its root cause â PRIVATISATION) and âCORPORATE WELFAREâ [email deleted]
The teapot scandal will break National
Rena will scupper them
Labours policys will bring them back
NZ will have a collective wakening to what John Keys about
The Greens, Mana, Winston First and Labour will get enough votes
The worm turned
Attacking the Mad Butcher will get votes
Playing the personality politics is the way to go (not that Labours doing that of course)
Any one of the above is a game changer so don’t give up hope just yet
Strange lack of empathy from Joanne Black, in the latest Listener, for Bradley Ambrose. Remember she has admitted to leaving a tape running hidden behind a bunch of flowers after a press conference with then PM Geoffrey Palmer. Then she played it to other journalists and possibly politicians including Ruth Richardson who then used it in the house to mock the PM.
Bradley Ambrose was pushed away, with a scrum of other journalists, from a public meeting in a cafe, to a position a few feet away. Whether or not it was accidental, he left the mike in full view of several DPS staff and the two politicians, none of whom noticed it. When he realised it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
When he realized it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
Hmm more like he rubbed his hands together and thought ha ha pay day is coming!
Deleted it – don’t you mean copied it and sold to who ever would buy it?
His argument that it was all an accident and he didn’t mean to tape the conversation would be like you or me walking out of a supermarket with groceries without paying for them, going home and eating the groceries.
When Plod comes around to have a chat you say, oh yes I realized after I got home that I hadn’t paid for the groceries so it wasn’t stealing – but I decided to eat them anyway as it was ok to.
Wouldn’t hold up in court as the consumption proves the intent. I think Mr Ambrose is going to find out this afternoon that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.
Your last point is incorrect, Jimmie, because the judge is not being asked to rule on the question of the selling of the conversation, just whether it was a private conversation or not. If not, that lets the cameraman off the hook, if it is private, then the cops have to then make the decision about prosecution.
By the way, who said he sold the tape? I haven’t seen it reported anywhere that he was paid for it.
“that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.”
Granny Herald has returned to form pushing propaganda and disinformation for the Nats in on it’s front page with article from chief cheerleader John sycophant Armstrong. The editor busied himself with talking up the dangers of earthquakes prone buildings in Auckland (FFS!) demanding ‘the public have a right to know’ but has nothing to say on the suppression of information involved in the ombudsman withholding advice that the government received from treasury wrt asset sales, or the lack of any concrete evidence to back up Nationals claim that ownership will be retained by
New Zealanders.
Inside the political pages the talk (excepting Rudman) was all about how Shonkeys charm is like the sun and without it we would all surely wither and die.
And Kathryn Ryan gets bored quickly has an idea she just has to express right then and talks over the top of Key rather than waiting for a natural pause. Just done it 3 times in 30 seconds. (it’s not just Key she does it all the time as does Kim Hill end rant. RANt continues – she also talks way too quick. It’s like dealing with an 8 year old who has to blurt everything out in one go. Key and Goff have a much more moderate pace and the contrast really grates).
Key said something really interesting right up front after the introduction when Ryan said that Nats could govern alone based on recent polls, the first party to do so under MMP. He then said something like ‘that [Fairfax] poll could be overstating things’.
Katherine is the interviewer. She asks the question. Key goes off on a tangent and avoids the question. Katherine attempts to return to the question. Key shouts over her and continues to avoid.
Pity. Key could have answered some good questions but failed.
It’s a long form interview – she doesn’t have to rush. But she does it all the time. No doubt she’ll be as irritating with Goff tomorrow. It appears like it is more about her and her voice getting airspace. Kim Hill has developed the same problem.
I didn’t hear the whole interview, but a part of it I did hear, Key was wandering off the question that was asked and started talking about Goff, so Kathryn had to interrupt to get him back on track.
In the interview Key admitted that they are planning to spend 4 billion dollars on the power grid/network.
So let’s get this straight. He is going to spend billions upgrading the lines and wants to sell the power generation plants that need the lines to deliver their product.
We are paying to build the trucks, and the roads, that takes their goods to market for us to buy
================
How can the host not have the basic treasury and budget figures on hand.
Key says National just delivered a zero budget – i hear crickets-
key says labour left hundreds of billions of debt – more crickets –
Key said they have not lumped NZ with new debt – i swear i heard a black hole open up –
The 4b is old news and probably accounted for as it is 100% funded by consumers. It has meant Transpower has not been giving the govt a dividend in recent years despite making 100m or so a year. I think Labour started the ball rolling in about 2007. Oh and Labour allowed Transpower to ‘sell’ the national grid to Wachovia in a buy and lease back arrangement to rort US taxpayers.
But your analogy doesn’t hold. The govt already builds and owns the roads. But it doesn’t try and own the cars and trucks that run on them, or the factories that fill the trucks, or the office blocks filled by people who drive their cars on the roads. Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?
it is a very clear and simple metaphor of what is represented by NZ paying to build new power grid systems and transmission lines and then selling the companies that produce the electricity that will use those very lines to sell power back to NZ. or were you just wanting to waste my time?
the whole structure is corrupt and the more we all look into it the murkier the whole story becomes.
Left , Right, doesn’t matter, the deals done in NZ the last thirty years have to be brought to light and those responsible have to be held to account.
It’s a completely odd ‘metaphor’ because it’s not one.
But that aside, what you are saying is that it is strange and illegitimate for the government to build a road to develop some crown land at the end of it, and then sell that land to private enterprises (like farmers, builders and developers), who will then turn it into a housing estate or warehousing or farms and use that same crown owned road to service the area and bring produce and people out of it to other places served by the same crown owned roading network. Strange, because that is how much of NZ was developed and they are still doing it today http://www.primecommercial.co.nz/1657269
“Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?”
Why not? The idea probably gives you an aneurysm, but as my late brother used to say “If you’re going to sin, might as well make it an original one!” đ
(PS I think you meant wholesale though wholescale is orignal, and almost fits!)
Lew has an interesting observation over on Kiwipolitico:
The other day David Farrar got in a pre-emptive whinge about Bryan Bruceâs Inside New Zealand documentary on child poverty that aired last night on TV3.
Yeah, itâs election week, and yeah, Labour are emphasising their poverty alleviation focus on the back of this documentary. But isnât it more telling that National and its proxies immediately and reflexively go on the defensive, rather than acknowledging the problems of child poverty and renewing its commitment to resolving them?
But National are the government now, and their defensiveness, I think, signals that they know they bear some responsibility for child poverty. And yet theyâre not willing to do much about it, beyond the tired old saw of âa rising tide lifts all boatsâ, and announcements that they will further constrict the welfare state to force the parents of these sick children to seek jobs that arenât there. (And yes; National bought time during the documentary as well: the âcracking down on benefit fraudâ ad was a particularly cynical form of irony.)
So, when the psychopaths in National heard that there was a documentary showing just how bad the poverty in NZ had become over the last three decades of neo-liberalism they called it a Labour advert, said it wasn’t their fault and then promised to make it worse by cracking down on beneficiaries?
The other side of that is that most of the poverty statistics you see variously quoted as appalling, third world etc date from Labour’s time in power, a period of apparantly massive growth and success. That’s just the nature of the time it takes to collate and analyse this stuff. We are not going to know the impact of National on the trend for some time, like it or not.
Did you see the bit where I mentioned the last three decades of neo-liberalism? Yes, Labour’s to blame as well.
The point was that, given the evidence, National whinge and whine and don’t do anything to get rid of the poverty. Of course, they don’t want to because having large amounts of poverty pushes wages down just as John Key said he wanted.
Key was interviewed by Katherine Nine to Noon. (Try hard to be open minded.)
Katherine shouted down.
Key: Slippery. Evasive. Devious.
(Comparing his performance with that of other leaders in terms of honesty credibility trust. Awful!)
Shonkey could get caught with two 13 year old girls in the back of the limo and his fan club would still be relaxed. The rabid and rapid response of the Kiwiblog gargoyle re one widely perceived advantage to Phil Goff following the TV3 debate shows these people are on maximum wind.
Judge Helen Winkelmannâs phone would possibly have been busy last nite.
Really the likes of Key, Farrar and Joyce can only be considered as traitorous swine running a continuous âdark opâ on behalf of capital in NZ.
You are spot on, Key could do anything and it would not matter. The basic issue is that NZers (as pointed out in Trotters latest column) want reassurance and parenting from their lovely leader. Facts and policies are of no real issue, we just want to be lead by nice daddy John.
Upshot is that we will as a nation ignore that nice daddy John will sell of the house and then have an affair with a merchant bankster mistress, all so long as we feel reassured. And in 3 years we will wont get letters from Hawaii from runaway daddy because we wont have our own address, we will be out in the street.
Which begs the question: when will we grow up and become adults assessing our own futures? When will we leave political infancy?
Any chance you explaining to me the point and its value of always attacking the PM. Hasn’t he also gotten a heap of ministers and MPs running things.. so what’s with the obsession.. don’t you see how counter-productive this is.. and how excellent JK is fending it off.. looks to me a lot of the time like he’s inviting it so he can deflect scrutiny from the others..
Cheers, I’ve got so used to the tags and automatic logons that I even forgot to re-enter the data on the comment above and had to go back and reload it.
Yep. Unfortunately I’ve spent the last week pushing data for election day targeting which is more time dependent.
I know how to fix the problem to get around the new cache, but it takes time to dig out the old code from javascript. I just haven’t had time to do so. But I’m almost done. However I also have to stop my holiday and go back to the paying job…
I’d revert it back to the normal system, but we’re getting read peaks that are quite high. Tonight for instance we did about a quarter of the days page views in just over an hour after the debate (and surprise surprise we just made another record for highest page view day and highest visitor day – the second this week). The cache was the only thing that made the system operate without falling unresponsive. It was feeding the same cached page to multiple readers rather than regenerating it for each reader.
That generates a separate page for each logged in user (whilst serving up cached copies for non-logged in) and therefore has all of that stuff operational without issues (it is the readers that cause the peak issues)
Prior to the last election in 2008, National promised that New Zealander’s would Wave goodbye to higher taxes⊠however National increased GST to 15%. The broken promise ensured that socially negative statistics kept growing.
National’s pledge card also said: Not your loved ones⊠meaning that New Zealanderâs would stop leaving en mass. However weâve seen the first net migration loss in ten years and the increasing exodus has continued to grow under National over the last three years.
Some people have argued that the Christchurch earthquakes are the reason for the continued exodus⊠however only a small percentage of those leaving come from Christchurch. The vast majority of people are leaving because National has mismanaged the economy and things are getting worse here in New Zealand.
Get it right Jackal, National did not mismanage the economy, they did not even attempt to do anything other than transfer wealth to their mates, scrap social expenditure and plan to sell off the silver to themselves.
Incorrect. National has
– deliberately skewed the economy in favour of the wealthy elite,
– generated a massive government debt
– overseen an embarrassing credit downgrade
All in preparation for the privatisation of our juicy public assets.
Another wealth grab by the insatiable banksters and their useful idiots…
That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.. try for more REAL in your comments please.
“That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.”
That’s gurble, really! What does ” fiscally risk neutral” even mean? It’s jargon of some sort, each of the words makes sense on its own, but together? No… ?????
More great Poll results for National despite all the personal Mudslinging from Labour. I know Iprent is not in favour of this as I have read his comments on it before. That the Election should always be fought on a Policy basis. There are two real problems for Labour in this Election that I see.
1) The associated link with Winston Peters as shown by the contrived worm,and polls the Public dont trust him even though Phil Goff says he does.
2) The rise of the Greens this party is appearing as fresh full of new ideas and the voters choice for the left vote. While Labour throws out its same old same old. I believe within 3 more Elections that the Greens will have a bigger voter base than Labour unless Labour can revitalise itself.
To do that they need to attract some smart Business people to their ranks who can show some comercial nouse. This means there will be a direct or indirect conflict with the Union power base in Labour.At the moment they cant show any credible way how they are going to grow the Economy without over taxing a smaller ,and smaller base of people. Sooner or later the leaves all fall off the money tree, and labour has no plans to show how it can create wealth in the Economy so Businesses will invest money ,and hire more people
Hi Bill,
I just spent a couple of minutes puzzling how the ‘Bill of old’ could have changed his attitude so drastically, and concluded that you are a new commenter. I think you need a new handle.
At least I assume it’s not you Bill – Standard author and parecon proponent?
At least I assume itâs not you Bill â Standard author and parecon proponent?
Yep….I mean no. Not me. And the person signing in as ‘bill’ on another thread isn’t me either. (Have commented beneath the comments with those handles asking that the handles be changed.)
I don’t think Bill actually logged in to comment. That’s the problem. You can comment without logging in, all you need to do is provide a name (say “Bill”) and an email address.
Probably the only way to avoid this is to require commenters to log-in, because I believe all login usernames are unique.
I believe within 3 more Elections that the Greens will have a bigger voter base than Labour unless Labour can revitalise itself.
That I kinda agree with. The rest of your comment was complete delusional BS. With Peak Oil already here the economy can’t be grown so all we’re left with is correcting the misallocation of resources that capitalism has caused. NAct, wants to do the opposite and make things worse.
big ups to Rob Guyton – constantly posting on good green issues and with a wicked sense of humour – exhibit 1 this headline – “This man suffers from worms” guess who?
It has many in-text links, which I intend to follow up on. One crucial aspect is the recent disclosure of a 1987 EPA report which found:
‘…fracking contaminated well and groundwater in West Virginia. For decades, the industry had been able to deny this critical case study and insist fracking was perfectly safe because, as the New York Times notes, the caseâs details âwere sealed from the public when energy companies settled lawsuits with landowners.â Now, though, the oil and gas industry cannot issue such denials with impunity…’
I’m not sure what you are getting excited about. The report interesting and well written but comes pretty much to the same conclusion as others – it’s the integrity of the casings that are the issue not the fracking process. This is a known issue and applies to any well of any sort going through ground water. The report is very clear that the fracked zone does not directly affect the aquifer.
âŠitâs the integrity of the casings that are the issue not the fracking process.
/facepalm
The fracking process forces apart the rock so we can assume that “the integrity of the casings” has no bearing whatsoever on if the fracking compound enters the ground water. Physics ensures that it will.
No because the fracking (usually) happens thousands of feet below any ground water. The fractures themselves are millimetres wide which is why sand is use as a proppant to keep the cracks open. and they wouldn’t/shouldn’t intersect say with an aquifer in these circumstances because they primarily travel laterally within a geological formatin rather than vertically between formations.
The casings are supposed to contain fluids and gas as they pass through other geological formations from the source rock to the well head. It is these failing that seem to be the issue. Like a hose getting a hole in it while you are running a siphon. If you’ve done it a thousand times before and it fails once, it’s likely the hose is the problem not the siphoning method.
There’s also been an increase in stranding’s closer to the MV Rena disaster, which is known to have released over 2000 barrels of heavy crude oil into the ocean. 3150 Litres of Corexit 9500 was also applied throughout the cleanup operation and 23,240 kgs of Alkylsulphonic Acid was lost overboard.
Quick question to moderators : why am I having to type in user name and mail address for every comment? It used to store them. Problem at my end or yours?
so kweewee is going to sell Kiwibank.
it doesnt belong to him or his party either (the john kee and matthew hooton party).
It belongs to New Zealanders and Phill Goff should make that quite clear to New Zealanders tonight on teevee.
They have edited their site. What they had (up until yesterday afternoon) was:
National and Labour serve foreign interests not New Zealand. They will both swamp us with immigration, they will both serve the wealthy on the backs of the poor, donât be fooled by them again, vote for the other parties. get blue and red out. If you want traditional Kiwi life vote NZ First.
“In this country we must vote for the smaller parties…” replaced “If you want traditional Kiwi life vote NZ First.”
Over the last week or so, it has been reported in several media articles that he is a National supporter – that probably should now be “was” in the past tense.
I feel, especially in these last days leading up to our elections, that it is vital that New Zealanders see this. Actually, stuff the elections, this is something that every person in Aotearoa needs to watch and think about because this is about us as a community, this is about us taking responsibility as human beings. This is about us putting people before corporations and profits.
After my initial surge of rage, disgust, and extreme sadness at watching this clip, my main three questions are these:
Firstly, what on EARTH are they teaching at the police colleges that produce policepeople that are so eager to inflict serious harm on other humans? When I was at primary school, even at high school, to want to become a policeperson came out of a desire to help, protect and generally do good in a community. Not sit on a desperate and upset man and calmly beat him around the head and ribs with a police-issue baton in front of his extremely pregnant partner SO THAT A LUCRATIVE POWER COMPANY WHO TURNS OVER MILLIONS EACH YEAR CAN SAVE A FEW BUCKS!! (which turned out to be a mistake on the power company’s part anyway!)
Secondly, what lack of humanity allows contractors to carry on their job when they can see the result it is having? What is this crazy hold over people that lets them use the excuse ‘I was just doing my job’ when they can see that doing their job is causing a man to receive head injuries? When it is causing immense distress to a woman who is overdue to give birth?
And, in conclusion to the first two questions I guess, as it was so VERY obvious that things weren’t going so well in this situation (to put it lightly) why on earth could the police and contractors not take the sensible approach, pull back, and reassess the situation?? I cannot think of any reason why the disconnection of power had to happen at that specific time, given the resulting circumstances. Not exactly a life-or-death situation for the power company was it? Are we really the type of society who would rather see another human beaten till they bleed rather than have a company lose out on a few profits?? Do we truly worship money that much? Should we really let it control us in that way?
To those of you who say, regarding the police, that they were only doing their jobs, then I say – well, if that is their job, then I think it’s time we thought about what sort of system we’re living under. Because I don’t want any part of it.
OMG! That is one of the most outrageous abuses of police plus corporate power toward an individual in NZ that I have ever seen – and all this is completely legal???? (call me sheltered, but Wow!). There was no crime that warranted that sort of treatment (and not even an unpaid power bill, in the end).
seeing a lot of calls for the death penalty, if any country ever commits to arresting them.
I say no to the death penalty for these architects of misery.
Incarceration in a penitentiary, life sentences, no house arrest, no quick deaths, no easy out for these murderers, let their long final days be spent in fear and regret.
Good God. We have had 20 plus years now of “Tomorrow’s Schools” and ERO.
Parents have been free to join boards of trustees in open and free elections.
They have had screeds of information available to them.
One has to wonder just who is driving this attitude.
One thing is for certain – Delorus Umbridge is going to create an extremely demoralised teaching profession. Of course, she is a here-today-gone-tomorrow politician and will not be subject to any scrutiny herself – in fact apart from the infamous Merv Wellington and David Lange, people would be hard pressed to name the succession of Ministers of Education.
Why has she got such a snitch on teachers? Is she holding a grudge against her 1960’s teachers and schools. Did she fail School Cert?
Did a teacher guest in one of her hotels do something untoward in a room?
Not really, Greens will only grow until they risk leaving behind the activist base. So the question for the Greens is; are you an activist party or one for the middle classes?
Oh fuck, we’ve got ads from the anti-MMP brigade playing at the top of the page. They’re really going all out now in splurging on ads focusing on Winston, even stooping as low as to buy ads on facebook.
When you’re up to your neck in shit it’s tempting to try to get out of it.
However, the ‘Lucky Country’ isn’t so lucky these days, especially for new arrivals.
‘According to press release from the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia, âFirst time home buyers have little confidence in the Australian economy, as they baulk at property purchases and hoard their cashâ.’
‘SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — The world’s second-largest iron ore miner Rio Tinto PLC /quotes/zigman/182541/quotes/nls/rio RIO -1.35% will boost its fleet of driverless trucks 15-fold to 150 vehicles over the next four years, as part of a bid to increase margins at its mines in Australia’s Pilbara region.’
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The operating system (OS) is the heart and soul of a computer, orchestrating every action and interaction between hardware and software. But have you ever wondered where on a computer is the operating system generally stored? The answer lies in the intricate dance between hardware and software components, particularly within ...
Laptops have become essential tools for work, entertainment, and communication, offering portability and functionality. However, with rising energy costs and growing environmental concerns, understanding a laptop’s power consumption is more important than ever. So, how many watts does a laptop use? The answer, unfortunately, isn’t straightforward. It depends on several ...
Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to âdefend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.â To achieve this, they have pledged they âwill not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes –Â The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workersâ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
Mariupol, on the Azov Sea coast, was one of the first cities to suffer almost complete destruction after the start of the Ukraine War started in late February 2022. We remember the scenes of absolute destruction of the houses and city structures. The deaths of innocent civilians – many of ...
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Ten years ago, I wrote the following in a Listener column: Every year around one in five new-born babies will be reliant on their caregivers benefit by Christmas. This pattern has persisted from at least 1993. For Maori the number jumps to over one in three. ...
Climate change is expected to generate more and more extreme events, delivering a sort of structural shock to inflation that central banks will have to react to as if they were short-term cyclical issues. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s ...
Itâs a simple deal. We pay taxes in order to finance the social services we want and need. The carnage now occurring across the public sector though, is breaking that contract. Over 3,000 jobs have been lost so far. Many are in crucial areas like Education where the impact of ...
Hi,A friend had their 40th over the weekend and decided to theme it after Curb Your Enthusiasm fashion icon Susie Greene. Captured in my tiny kitchen before I left the house, I ending up evoking a mix of old lesbian and Hillary Clinton — both unintentional.Me vs Hillary ClintonIf you’re ...
This is a re-post from Andrew Dessler at the Climate Brink blogIn 2023, the Earth reached temperature levels unprecedented in modern times. Given that, it’s reasonable to ask: What’s going on? There’s been lots of discussions by scientists about whether this is just the normal progression of global warming or if something ...
The schools are on holiday and the sun is shining in the seaside village and all day long I have been seeing bunches of bikes; Mums, Dads, teens and toddlers chattering, laughing, happy, having a bloody great time together. Cheers, AT, for the bits of lane you’ve added lately around the ...
Today in our National-led authoritarian nightmare: Shane Jones thinks Ministers should be above the law: New Zealand First MP Shane Jones is accusing the Waitangi Tribunal of over-stepping its mandate by subpoenaing a minister for its urgent hearing on the Oranga Tamariki claim. The tribunal is looking into the ...
Bryce Edwards writes – Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand mediaâs failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. ...
Citizen Science writes –Â Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people â the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cassâs review into gender healthcare, and here in New Zealand, the news that the ...
One night while sleeping in my bed I had a beautiful dreamThat all the people of the world got together on the same wavelengthAnd began helping one anotherNow in this dream, universal love was the theme of the dayPeace and understanding and it happened this wayAfter such an eventful day ...
This is a guest post by Oscar Simms who is a housing activist, volunteer for the Coalition for More Homes, and was the Labour Party candidate for Auckland Central at the last election. ...
Turning what Labour called the âholiday highwayâ into a four-lane expressway from Auckland to Whangarei could bring at least an economic benefit of nearly two billion a year for Northland each year. And it could help bring an end to poverty in one of New Zealand’s most deprived regions. The ...
Tonight’s six-stack includes: launching his substack with a bunch of his previous documentaries, including this 1992 interview with Dame Whina Cooper. and here crew give climate activists plenty to do, including this call to submit against the Fast Track Approvals bill. writes brilliantly here on his substack ...
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 ...
You're in the mall when you hear it: some kind of popping sound in the distance, kids with fireworks, maybe. But then a moment of eerie stillness is followed by more of the fireworks sound and there’s also screaming and shrieking and now here come people running for their lives.Does ...
Karl du Fresne writes –Â Thereâs a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere â mainly to the hapless Minister of Communications, Melissa Lee, and the big social media platforms that are accused of hoovering ...
I don’t normally send out two newsletters in a day but I figured I’d say something about… the news. If two newsletters is a bit much then maybe just skip one, I don’t want to overload people. Alternatively if you’d be interested in sometimes receiving multiple, smaller updates from me, ...
Buzz from the Beehive David Seymour and Winston Peters today signalled that at least two ministers of the Crown might be in Wellington today. Seymour (as Associate Minister of Education) announced the removal of more red tape, this time to make it easier for new early learning services to be ...
Politicians across the political spectrum are implicated in the New Zealand mediaâs failing health. Either through neglect or incompetent interventions, successive governments have failed to regulate, foster, and allow a healthy Fourth Estate that can adequately hold politicians and the powerful to account. Our political system is suffering from the ...
David Farrar writes – The Broadcasting Standards Authority ruled: Comments by radio host Kate Hawkesby suggesting MÄori and Pacific patients were being prioritised for surgery due to their ethnicity were misleading and discriminatory, the Broadcasting Standards Authority has found. It is a fact such patients are prioritised. ...
PRC and its proxies in Solomons have been preparing for these elections for a long time. A lot of money, effort and intelligence have gone into ensuring an outcome that wonât compromise Beijingâs plans. Cleo Paskall writes – On April 17th the Solomon Islands, a country of ...
Is speeding up the trip to and from Wellington airport by 12 minutes worth spending up more than $10 billion? Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me in the last day to 8:26 am today are:The Lead: Transport Minister Simeon Brownannounced ...
You're a fraud, and you know itBut it's too good to throw it all awayAnyone would do the sameYou've got 'em goingAnd you're careful not to show itSometimes you even fool yourself a bitIt's like magicBut it's always been a smoke and mirrors gameAnyone would do the sameForty six billion ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections The June general election in Mexico could mark a turning point in ensuring that the country’s climate policies better reflect the desire of its citizens to address the climate crisis, with both leading presidential candidates expressing support for renewable energy. Mexico is the ...
2024, it feels, keeps presenting us with ever more challenges, ever more dismay.Do you give up yet? It seems to ask.No? How about this? Or this?How about this?When I say 2024 I really mean the state of humanity in 2024.Saturday night, we watched Civil War because that is one terrifying cliff we've ...
Buzz from the Beehive A pet project and governmental tunnel vision jump out from the latest batch of ministerial announcements. The government is keen to assure us of its concern for the wellbeing of our pets. It will be introducing pet bonds in a change to the Residential Tenancies Act ...
A recent report generated from a Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) survey of 1,224 rangatahi MÄori aged 11-12 found: Cultural connectedness was associated with fewer depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and better quality of life. That sounds cut and dry. But further into the report the following appears: Cultural connectedness is ...
David Farrar writes –  The Herald reports: From the gory details of job-cuts news, youâd think the public service was being eviscerated.  While the mediaâs view of the cuts is incomplete, itâs also true that departments have been leaking the particulars faster than a Wellington ...
Remember the good old days, back when New Zealand had a PM who could think and speak calmly and intelligently in whole sentences without blustering? Even while Iranâs drones and missiles were still being launched, Helen Clark was live on TVNZ expertly summing up the latest crisis in the Middle ...
Costello did not pass on analysis of the benefits of the smokefree reforms to Cabinet, emphasising instead the extra tax revenues of repealing them. Photo: Hagen Hopkins, Getty Images TL;DR: The six news items that stood out to me at 7:26 am today are:The Lead: Casey Costello never passed on ...
True loveYou're the one I'm dreaming ofYour heart fits me like a gloveAnd I'm gonna be true blueBaby, I love youI’ve written about the job cuts in our news media last week. The impact on individuals, and the loss to Aotearoa of voices covering our news from different angles.That by ...
While commentators, including former Prime Minister Helen Clark, are noting a subtle shift in New Zealand’s foreign policy, which now places more emphasis on the United States, many have missed a key element of the shift. What National said before the election is not what the government is doing now. ...
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. ...
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. ...
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. ...
The Governmentâs newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealandâs urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
MÄori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, MÄori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Governmentâs refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Changes to minimum wage and benefit indexation means many New Zealanders will get less this year, as the Government gives a big tax break to landlords instead. ...
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 ...
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 Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. âThe inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. âMy meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singaporeâs outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpartâs almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During todayâs meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. âI am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. âPets are important members of many Kiwi families. Itâs estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iranâs shocking and illegal strikes against Israel.  âThese attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says.  "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand â Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board.  âDame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,â says Dr Reti. âI have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Governmentâs 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. âBoosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Governmentâs plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âOur country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,â Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States.  âWe cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. âThis is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.  âThe strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin itârule ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced further New Zealand cooperation with the United States in the Pacific Islands region through $16.4 million in funding for initiatives in digital connectivity and oceans and fisheries research. Â âNew Zealand can achieve more in the Pacific if we work together more urgently and ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new âFast-track Approvals Billâ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister â the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory â gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australiaâs flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But thatâs changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum âre-imaginedâ itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-oldâs seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so itâs wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhardâs rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock Youâd be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesnât require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project Youâre not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesnât fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Booksâ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingwayâs Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans peopleâs self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelonaâs city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoffâs Wellington editor Joel MacManus: âYou can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups âClimate Action VUWâ, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Governmentâs âWar on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiâs popularity has grown exponentially â and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
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Every party complains about the media coverage they get, but not too loudly in case they lose favour and coverage. Media reports commonly don’t seem accurate to those being reported on. Mostly that is a natural effect of someone else looking at things differently.
In our democratic system the media hold a lot of power.
Just as most politicians mean well and work hard, the same for journalists. Personal views and preferences must influence how stories are chosen and covered but most journalists try to provide width and balance to their coverage.
Some journalists abuse their power, framing stories and promoting their own agendas and egos way beyond normal journalistic boundaries.
Actually Peter it’s down to the management editing and controlling what’s published by setting agendas and employing kids just look at the fresh young faces doing stories on drunken sport heads on the TV.
To quote a good mate, also a senior experienced journo, ‘too few employers and the editors have preconceived yarns to get out there, cross them and you’re out of a job’
Games is rigged dude…..watch Oz news to get a stark contrast in how balanced reporting is done.
I know it’s rigged. A few people are looking at what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least. Power of the ‘net may be able to apply some pressure.
what might be able to be done to hold them to account, a bit at least.
Geez Pete. You are standing for a party headed by a hairpiece that backs this current rabble like a bad smell. This is not “holding them to account”. Your party is part of the problem.
It is part of this contrived gerrymander that gives the right an undue advantage. Basically if the hairpiece wins National gets 1.2% more of the party vote than it actually won.
Your comments are hypocritical. If you truly want to “hold them to account” then resign and join a real party, one determined to do something for ordinary people, not for millionaires.
But that’s the problem, the millionaries are loosing their shirts because they are running the country so badly.
But worse they’ve locked in the tax system to make any company that grows (or farm, crafer) into a target for foreign take over.
NZ is digging itself faster into serfdom, and that’s what’s so astonishing about the elite here, that they really are that incredibly self-destructive.
The culture is set by media and the jerk elite has decided it doesn’t care what nonsense is peddled, or by whom.
Murdoch is an Australian.
Murdoch is an American citizen.
Yes, he is but he was born in Australia and, I believe, still carries Australian citizenship.
Are you complaining about the latest FairFax poll in which UF polls at one tenth of one percent?
Pete, I read your article and I must say I’m surprised.
11 paragraphs about parties conniving to assist each other into seats and not one mention of United Future’s deal with National.
Banks and Brash under attack at Epsom candidate meeting last night:
http://i41.tinypic.com/4sbqmo.jpg
I guess TVNZ will be showing some footage:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2816f49.jpg
More pics at:
http://thestandard.org.nz/new-goldsmith-signs-go-up/#comment-405247
Thanks for that ‘Jayman’! đ
22 November 2011 Epsom candidates meeting at the Parnell Jubliee Building 545 Parnell Rd.
I recommended to Epsom voters last night that they do not vote for yet- to- be- charged or convicted âwhite collarâ crook â John Banks.
http://i39.tinypic.com/xkohly.jpg
Am STILL awaiting a âprogress reportâ (promised Friday morning 18 November 2011) from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).
ARE THE NZ SFO GOING TO EQUALLY LAY CHARGES AGAINST ACT CANDIDATE FOR EPSOM JOHN BANKS, AND ACT LEADER DON BRASH, AS WERE LAID AGAINST FORMER FELLOW DIRECTOR OF HULJICH WEALTH MANAGEMENT (NZ) LTD â PETER HULJICH FOR SIGNING âREGISTERED PROSPECTUSESâ WHICH CONTAINED UNTRUE STATEMENTS â OR NOT?
IF NOT â WHY NOT?
How come ACTâs âONE LAW FOR ALLâ â apparently doesnât apply to the ACT Leader Don Brash, and ACT candidate for Epsom John Banks?
Whereâs ACTâs âZERO TOLERANCEâ for âwhite collarâ CRIME?
Will be following up with the SFO this morningâŠ..
Of course this issue is being given the mainstream media coverage one would expect in election yearâŠâŠ
Not.
(Situation normal)
Penny Bright
CENSORED
Independent Candidate for Epsom
Campaigning against âwhite collarâ CRIME, CORRUPTION (and its root cause â PRIVATISATION) and âCORPORATE WELFAREâ
[email deleted]
Bugger the polls. My Ipredict short against National winning isn’t looking too healthy now. đ
16.2 % undecided…!
Now just hang on a minute:
The teapot scandal will break National
Rena will scupper them
Labours policys will bring them back
NZ will have a collective wakening to what John Keys about
The Greens, Mana, Winston First and Labour will get enough votes
The worm turned
Attacking the Mad Butcher will get votes
Playing the personality politics is the way to go (not that Labours doing that of course)
Any one of the above is a game changer so don’t give up hope just yet
You were one of those chumps who thought the All Blacks would win the final by 20 points, weren’t you?
Oh yeah sorry I also should add:
Assett sales
A win by 20 or a win by 1 is still a win (I will admit to some nerves during the match)
Bill English now bullshitting on Morning Report
You mean he actually stopped? Damn – I missed it.
There was a brief interlude in 2008 when he said stuff like
– “we want to get rid of kiwibank”
– “labour left the government accounts in good shape”
but this lapse into reality was soon remedied and the BS is spraying all and sundry once more
bill english = bull egregious
worst Nat leader ever, lost 2002 with 21% or something
National’s deep unpopularity was the only reason NZF/Winston was in parliament.
Winston is National’s problem child (one of many)
Clarification – should have read:
Bill English bullshitting on Morning Report now
He wants folks to swallow his shit recipes
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-election2011-20111123-0708-national_defends_record_on_trans-tasman_exodus-048.mp3
David Cunliffe makes excellent points:
http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-election2011-20111123-0714-labours_finance_spokesman_discusses_emigration_stats-048.mp3
Strange lack of empathy from Joanne Black, in the latest Listener, for Bradley Ambrose. Remember she has admitted to leaving a tape running hidden behind a bunch of flowers after a press conference with then PM Geoffrey Palmer. Then she played it to other journalists and possibly politicians including Ruth Richardson who then used it in the house to mock the PM.
Bradley Ambrose was pushed away, with a scrum of other journalists, from a public meeting in a cafe, to a position a few feet away. Whether or not it was accidental, he left the mike in full view of several DPS staff and the two politicians, none of whom noticed it. When he realised it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
>>>> When he realised it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
Are you sure about that?
Well he definitely did the first half.
Ruth Richardson is only a few degrees to the right of Joanne Black.
HOS is not Ambrose’s employer.
Joanne Blacks husband is one of Key’s advisors. Says it all.
Interesting chart……..
http://tiny.cc/dpjbg
When he realized it was still recording he alerted his contracted employer and deleted it.
Hmm more like he rubbed his hands together and thought ha ha pay day is coming!
Deleted it – don’t you mean copied it and sold to who ever would buy it?
His argument that it was all an accident and he didn’t mean to tape the conversation would be like you or me walking out of a supermarket with groceries without paying for them, going home and eating the groceries.
When Plod comes around to have a chat you say, oh yes I realized after I got home that I hadn’t paid for the groceries so it wasn’t stealing – but I decided to eat them anyway as it was ok to.
Wouldn’t hold up in court as the consumption proves the intent. I think Mr Ambrose is going to find out this afternoon that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.
Your last point is incorrect, Jimmie, because the judge is not being asked to rule on the question of the selling of the conversation, just whether it was a private conversation or not. If not, that lets the cameraman off the hook, if it is private, then the cops have to then make the decision about prosecution.
By the way, who said he sold the tape? I haven’t seen it reported anywhere that he was paid for it.
These sorts of comments are why he now has a defamation case against Key.
“that the judge will decide that his selling of the conversation will allow a prosecution to use this as evidence as to his intention or otherwise of taping the conversation deliberately.”
But as we now know, she didn’t… đ
Granny Herald has returned to form pushing propaganda and disinformation for the Nats in on it’s front page with article from chief cheerleader John sycophant Armstrong. The editor busied himself with talking up the dangers of earthquakes prone buildings in Auckland (FFS!) demanding ‘the public have a right to know’ but has nothing to say on the suppression of information involved in the ombudsman withholding advice that the government received from treasury wrt asset sales, or the lack of any concrete evidence to back up Nationals claim that ownership will be retained by
New Zealanders.
Inside the political pages the talk (excepting Rudman) was all about how Shonkeys charm is like the sun and without it we would all surely wither and die.
Homebrew + Tourrettes’ song ‘Listen to us’ has had almost ten thousand plays in a week.
listen to it here on:
http://soundcloud.com/homebrewcrew/home-brew-listen-to-us-feat
Vote for this song on the bFM top ten here:
http://www.95bfm.com/default,top10.sm
— let’s make the #1 MEAN SOMETHING this year…
Key on RNZ right now, getting all flustered and talking over the host
And Kathryn Ryan gets bored quickly has an idea she just has to express right then and talks over the top of Key rather than waiting for a natural pause. Just done it 3 times in 30 seconds. (it’s not just Key she does it all the time as does Kim Hill end rant. RANt continues – she also talks way too quick. It’s like dealing with an 8 year old who has to blurt everything out in one go. Key and Goff have a much more moderate pace and the contrast really grates).
Key said something really interesting right up front after the introduction when Ryan said that Nats could govern alone based on recent polls, the first party to do so under MMP. He then said something like ‘that [Fairfax] poll could be overstating things’.
It’s an interview, not a party political broadcast.
Not that Key would know the difference.
Katherine is the interviewer. She asks the question. Key goes off on a tangent and avoids the question. Katherine attempts to return to the question. Key shouts over her and continues to avoid.
Pity. Key could have answered some good questions but failed.
It’s a long form interview – she doesn’t have to rush. But she does it all the time. No doubt she’ll be as irritating with Goff tomorrow. It appears like it is more about her and her voice getting airspace. Kim Hill has developed the same problem.
I didn’t hear the whole interview, but a part of it I did hear, Key was wandering off the question that was asked and started talking about Goff, so Kathryn had to interrupt to get him back on track.
Winston’s weird:
http://readingthemaps.blogspot.com/2011/11/winson-takes-deng-xiaoping-for-drive.html
National Front at Christchurch candidates meeting: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=209559
Pieces of chicken shit scum bags is what they are.
In the interview Key admitted that they are planning to spend 4 billion dollars on the power grid/network.
So let’s get this straight. He is going to spend billions upgrading the lines and wants to sell the power generation plants that need the lines to deliver their product.
We are paying to build the trucks, and the roads, that takes their goods to market for us to buy
================
How can the host not have the basic treasury and budget figures on hand.
Key says National just delivered a zero budget – i hear crickets-
key says labour left hundreds of billions of debt – more crickets –
Key said they have not lumped NZ with new debt – i swear i heard a black hole open up –
The 4b is old news and probably accounted for as it is 100% funded by consumers. It has meant Transpower has not been giving the govt a dividend in recent years despite making 100m or so a year. I think Labour started the ball rolling in about 2007. Oh and Labour allowed Transpower to ‘sell’ the national grid to Wachovia in a buy and lease back arrangement to rort US taxpayers.
But your analogy doesn’t hold. The govt already builds and owns the roads. But it doesn’t try and own the cars and trucks that run on them, or the factories that fill the trucks, or the office blocks filled by people who drive their cars on the roads. Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?
it is a very clear and simple metaphor of what is represented by NZ paying to build new power grid systems and transmission lines and then selling the companies that produce the electricity that will use those very lines to sell power back to NZ. or were you just wanting to waste my time?
the whole structure is corrupt and the more we all look into it the murkier the whole story becomes.
Left , Right, doesn’t matter, the deals done in NZ the last thirty years have to be brought to light and those responsible have to be held to account.
Even this single phone call raises more than a few questions as to the legitimacy of the status quo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H-rdrVZqlc
It’s a completely odd ‘metaphor’ because it’s not one.
But that aside, what you are saying is that it is strange and illegitimate for the government to build a road to develop some crown land at the end of it, and then sell that land to private enterprises (like farmers, builders and developers), who will then turn it into a housing estate or warehousing or farms and use that same crown owned road to service the area and bring produce and people out of it to other places served by the same crown owned roading network. Strange, because that is how much of NZ was developed and they are still doing it today http://www.primecommercial.co.nz/1657269
“Are you calling for wholescale nationalisation of the means of production and transport?”
Why not? The idea probably gives you an aneurysm, but as my late brother used to say “If you’re going to sin, might as well make it an original one!” đ
(PS I think you meant wholesale though wholescale is orignal, and almost fits!)
Lew has an interesting observation over on Kiwipolitico:
So, when the psychopaths in National heard that there was a documentary showing just how bad the poverty in NZ had become over the last three decades of neo-liberalism they called it a Labour advert, said it wasn’t their fault and then promised to make it worse by cracking down on beneficiaries?
Yeah, National, really helpful – not.
The other side of that is that most of the poverty statistics you see variously quoted as appalling, third world etc date from Labour’s time in power, a period of apparantly massive growth and success. That’s just the nature of the time it takes to collate and analyse this stuff. We are not going to know the impact of National on the trend for some time, like it or not.
“We are not going to know the impact of National on the trend for some time, like it or not.”
No, but we can make some very educated guesses about whether it’s going to be better, worse, or the same…
Did you see the bit where I mentioned the last three decades of neo-liberalism? Yes, Labour’s to blame as well.
The point was that, given the evidence, National whinge and whine and don’t do anything to get rid of the poverty. Of course, they don’t want to because having large amounts of poverty pushes wages down just as John Key said he wanted.
Key was interviewed by Katherine Nine to Noon. (Try hard to be open minded.)
Katherine shouted down.
Key: Slippery. Evasive. Devious.
(Comparing his performance with that of other leaders in terms of honesty credibility trust. Awful!)
Shonkey could get caught with two 13 year old girls in the back of the limo and his fan club would still be relaxed. The rabid and rapid response of the Kiwiblog gargoyle re one widely perceived advantage to Phil Goff following the TV3 debate shows these people are on maximum wind.
Judge Helen Winkelmannâs phone would possibly have been busy last nite.
Really the likes of Key, Farrar and Joyce can only be considered as traitorous swine running a continuous âdark opâ on behalf of capital in NZ.
You are spot on, Key could do anything and it would not matter. The basic issue is that NZers (as pointed out in Trotters latest column) want reassurance and parenting from their lovely leader. Facts and policies are of no real issue, we just want to be lead by nice daddy John.
Upshot is that we will as a nation ignore that nice daddy John will sell of the house and then have an affair with a merchant bankster mistress, all so long as we feel reassured. And in 3 years we will wont get letters from Hawaii from runaway daddy because we wont have our own address, we will be out in the street.
Which begs the question: when will we grow up and become adults assessing our own futures? When will we leave political infancy?
Any chance you explaining to me the point and its value of always attacking the PM. Hasn’t he also gotten a heap of ministers and MPs running things.. so what’s with the obsession.. don’t you see how counter-productive this is.. and how excellent JK is fending it off.. looks to me a lot of the time like he’s inviting it so he can deflect scrutiny from the others..
Quick note for LP: WYSIWYG and the name and email cookies are no longer working on Firefox.
Edit: or IE.
Lynn’s aware. I thought he was going to fix it but evidently hasn’t done so yet.
Cheers, I’ve got so used to the tags and automatic logons that I even forgot to re-enter the data on the comment above and had to go back and reload it.
Yep. Unfortunately I’ve spent the last week pushing data for election day targeting which is more time dependent.
I know how to fix the problem to get around the new cache, but it takes time to dig out the old code from javascript. I just haven’t had time to do so. But I’m almost done. However I also have to stop my holiday and go back to the paying job…
I’d revert it back to the normal system, but we’re getting read peaks that are quite high. Tonight for instance we did about a quarter of the days page views in just over an hour after the debate (and surprise surprise we just made another record for highest page view day and highest visitor day – the second this week). The cache was the only thing that made the system operate without falling unresponsive. It was feeding the same cached page to multiple readers rather than regenerating it for each reader.
Best suggestion – register and login.
That generates a separate page for each logged in user (whilst serving up cached copies for non-logged in) and therefore has all of that stuff operational without issues (it is the readers that cause the peak issues)
Another broken promise
Prior to the last election in 2008, National promised that New Zealander’s would Wave goodbye to higher taxes⊠however National increased GST to 15%. The broken promise ensured that socially negative statistics kept growing.
National’s pledge card also said: Not your loved ones⊠meaning that New Zealanderâs would stop leaving en mass. However weâve seen the first net migration loss in ten years and the increasing exodus has continued to grow under National over the last three years.
Some people have argued that the Christchurch earthquakes are the reason for the continued exodus⊠however only a small percentage of those leaving come from Christchurch. The vast majority of people are leaving because National has mismanaged the economy and things are getting worse here in New Zealand.
Get it right Jackal, National did not mismanage the economy, they did not even attempt to do anything other than transfer wealth to their mates, scrap social expenditure and plan to sell off the silver to themselves.
“National has mismanaged the economy”
Incorrect. National has
– deliberately skewed the economy in favour of the wealthy elite,
– generated a massive government debt
– overseen an embarrassing credit downgrade
All in preparation for the privatisation of our juicy public assets.
Another wealth grab by the insatiable banksters and their useful idiots…
people leaving en masse because they are worried we are going to get another 3years of Shonkey .
That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.. try for more REAL in your comments please.
“That GST increase was fiscally risk neutral.. go ask any pensioner whose fixed income had to otherwise take a hit on regular grocery for example.”
That’s gurble, really! What does ” fiscally risk neutral” even mean? It’s jargon of some sort, each of the words makes sense on its own, but together? No… ?????
More great Poll results for National despite all the personal Mudslinging from Labour. I know Iprent is not in favour of this as I have read his comments on it before. That the Election should always be fought on a Policy basis. There are two real problems for Labour in this Election that I see.
1) The associated link with Winston Peters as shown by the contrived worm,and polls the Public dont trust him even though Phil Goff says he does.
2) The rise of the Greens this party is appearing as fresh full of new ideas and the voters choice for the left vote. While Labour throws out its same old same old. I believe within 3 more Elections that the Greens will have a bigger voter base than Labour unless Labour can revitalise itself.
To do that they need to attract some smart Business people to their ranks who can show some comercial nouse. This means there will be a direct or indirect conflict with the Union power base in Labour.At the moment they cant show any credible way how they are going to grow the Economy without over taxing a smaller ,and smaller base of people. Sooner or later the leaves all fall off the money tree, and labour has no plans to show how it can create wealth in the Economy so Businesses will invest money ,and hire more people
Please choose or use a different ‘log in’ name. Cheers.
Hi Bill,
I just spent a couple of minutes puzzling how the ‘Bill of old’ could have changed his attitude so drastically, and concluded that you are a new commenter. I think you need a new handle.
At least I assume it’s not you Bill – Standard author and parecon proponent?
Yep….I mean no. Not me. And the person signing in as ‘bill’ on another thread isn’t me either. (Have commented beneath the comments with those handles asking that the handles be changed.)
I don’t think Bill actually logged in to comment. That’s the problem. You can comment without logging in, all you need to do is provide a name (say “Bill”) and an email address.
Probably the only way to avoid this is to require commenters to log-in, because I believe all login usernames are unique.
That I kinda agree with. The rest of your comment was complete delusional BS. With Peak Oil already here the economy can’t be grown so all we’re left with is correcting the misallocation of resources that capitalism has caused. NAct, wants to do the opposite and make things worse.
big ups to Rob Guyton – constantly posting on good green issues and with a wicked sense of humour – exhibit 1 this headline – “This man suffers from worms” guess who?
http://robertguyton.blogspot.com/2011/11/this-man-suffers-from-worms.html
haha excellent!
Salon: Cities, the new hydrofracking victims.
That article should be read by every NZer.
It has many in-text links, which I intend to follow up on. One crucial aspect is the recent disclosure of a 1987 EPA report which found:
‘…fracking contaminated well and groundwater in West Virginia. For decades, the industry had been able to deny this critical case study and insist fracking was perfectly safe because, as the New York Times notes, the caseâs details âwere sealed from the public when energy companies settled lawsuits with landowners.â Now, though, the oil and gas industry cannot issue such denials with impunity…’
I’m not sure what you are getting excited about. The report interesting and well written but comes pretty much to the same conclusion as others – it’s the integrity of the casings that are the issue not the fracking process. This is a known issue and applies to any well of any sort going through ground water. The report is very clear that the fracked zone does not directly affect the aquifer.
/facepalm
The fracking process forces apart the rock so we can assume that “the integrity of the casings” has no bearing whatsoever on if the fracking compound enters the ground water. Physics ensures that it will.
No because the fracking (usually) happens thousands of feet below any ground water. The fractures themselves are millimetres wide which is why sand is use as a proppant to keep the cracks open. and they wouldn’t/shouldn’t intersect say with an aquifer in these circumstances because they primarily travel laterally within a geological formatin rather than vertically between formations.
The casings are supposed to contain fluids and gas as they pass through other geological formations from the source rock to the well head. It is these failing that seem to be the issue. Like a hose getting a hole in it while you are running a siphon. If you’ve done it a thousand times before and it fails once, it’s likely the hose is the problem not the siphoning method.
Nice fancy ideas mate, let down by actual fracking contaminants found in drinking water all over the world.
you’ll be able to list them then…
Toxins to blame for increased whale stranding’s?
There’s also been an increase in stranding’s closer to the MV Rena disaster, which is known to have released over 2000 barrels of heavy crude oil into the ocean. 3150 Litres of Corexit 9500 was also applied throughout the cleanup operation and 23,240 kgs of Alkylsulphonic Acid was lost overboard.
Quick question to moderators : why am I having to type in user name and mail address for every comment? It used to store them. Problem at my end or yours?
Collective disorder tracks Occupy facebook pages, twitter accounts and Reddit subs.
so kweewee is going to sell Kiwibank.
it doesnt belong to him or his party either (the john kee and matthew hooton party).
It belongs to New Zealanders and Phill Goff should make that quite clear to New Zealanders tonight on teevee.
An interesting read.
Google Doc: Private Clearinghouses and the Origins of Central Banking
Actually Key is not selling kiwibank, thats a big lie.
Correct. National will sell KiwiBank after Key resigns.
Is it true or is just bs that Bradley Ambrose has ties to Kyle Chapman?
Look which party Kyle Chapman is supporting.
http://rwrnz.blogspot.com/2011/11/elections.html
Reading things that aren’t there again Pete. He doesn’t say, but he does say to vote for one of the small parties.
Perhaps he means UF. You’re all white aren’t you?
They have edited their site. What they had (up until yesterday afternoon) was:
“In this country we must vote for the smaller parties…” replaced “If you want traditional Kiwi life vote NZ First.”
Pete:
Well they anit voting for national and please give me a headsup, I dont want to go to that
hate site again.
Back to my original question is it true that Bradley Ambrose has ties to this group?
Over the last week or so, it has been reported in several media articles that he is a National supporter – that probably should now be “was” in the past tense.
Bugger all this election nonsense – I’m going bush. Out after the event so will keep fingers crossed ……
Don’t forget to vote!
Well, as of this time it looks like most people have considered leaving for Australia*.
* If you believe those really stupid online polls.
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/11/tanks-in-small-towns/248975/
Can everyone please post this to their social network of choice, please get justice against police brutality in NZ.
Video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQ3XA7KgrY
[Quote]
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2011
[b]where is the humanity?[/b]
I feel, especially in these last days leading up to our elections, that it is vital that New Zealanders see this. Actually, stuff the elections, this is something that every person in Aotearoa needs to watch and think about because this is about us as a community, this is about us taking responsibility as human beings. This is about us putting people before corporations and profits.
After my initial surge of rage, disgust, and extreme sadness at watching this clip, my main three questions are these:
Firstly, what on EARTH are they teaching at the police colleges that produce policepeople that are so eager to inflict serious harm on other humans? When I was at primary school, even at high school, to want to become a policeperson came out of a desire to help, protect and generally do good in a community. Not sit on a desperate and upset man and calmly beat him around the head and ribs with a police-issue baton in front of his extremely pregnant partner SO THAT A LUCRATIVE POWER COMPANY WHO TURNS OVER MILLIONS EACH YEAR CAN SAVE A FEW BUCKS!! (which turned out to be a mistake on the power company’s part anyway!)
Secondly, what lack of humanity allows contractors to carry on their job when they can see the result it is having? What is this crazy hold over people that lets them use the excuse ‘I was just doing my job’ when they can see that doing their job is causing a man to receive head injuries? When it is causing immense distress to a woman who is overdue to give birth?
And, in conclusion to the first two questions I guess, as it was so VERY obvious that things weren’t going so well in this situation (to put it lightly) why on earth could the police and contractors not take the sensible approach, pull back, and reassess the situation?? I cannot think of any reason why the disconnection of power had to happen at that specific time, given the resulting circumstances. Not exactly a life-or-death situation for the power company was it? Are we really the type of society who would rather see another human beaten till they bleed rather than have a company lose out on a few profits?? Do we truly worship money that much? Should we really let it control us in that way?
To those of you who say, regarding the police, that they were only doing their jobs, then I say – well, if that is their job, then I think it’s time we thought about what sort of system we’re living under. Because I don’t want any part of it.
[/quote]
http://commonbravery.blogspot.com/2011/11/where-is-humanity.html
OMG! That is one of the most outrageous abuses of police plus corporate power toward an individual in NZ that I have ever seen – and all this is completely legal???? (call me sheltered, but Wow!). There was no crime that warranted that sort of treatment (and not even an unpaid power bill, in the end).
John Key/Nathan Guy must be panicking re holding the seat of Otaki
I spotted added to most of his billboards in orange
Your vote is crucial this sat
hahaha so dont believe the polls that are cintinuly paraded on tv by the media
Lefties get out there and vote
I’ve seen the same thing today. The Nats are worried!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10768051
So we had Lab MP’s including Phil Goff support this, now as this would have been for me a great green/environmential policy. Not a mention, I even commented that the up comming Labour weekend would have been a great time to promote this. Perhaps this was all just Phil’s opportunity for a smile and wave photo.
Does The Labour party really act on saving our environment, or as I am comming to believe AFKTT, Labour is as indebted to the system as Nation is ;-(
http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/4510990/Coromandel-beach-friends-spell-out-their-opposition
http://blog.labour.org.nz/2011/01/04/preserve-new-chum-wainuiototo-beach-for-everyone/
today is an historic day, and it is the smallest step that can lead the longest march
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/211548.html
Should be true but is it?
yes yes yes it is true
downloaded and watched a dozen times. it keeps getting better and better every time
fact is Fact and The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal
has now shown the world what real strength is all about.
seeing a lot of calls for the death penalty, if any country ever commits to arresting them.
I say no to the death penalty for these architects of misery.
Incarceration in a penitentiary, life sentences, no house arrest, no quick deaths, no easy out for these murderers, let their long final days be spent in fear and regret.
What do folks think about this info?
You certainly won’t get to read it in mainstream media!
Why Epsom voters whouldn’t support ‘white collar’ CRIMINALS?
đ
http://www.pennybright4epsom.org.nz/
Penny Bright
Independent Candidate (CENSORED) for Epsom
Editorial: Trust parents with the facts about schools
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10767804
Good God. We have had 20 plus years now of “Tomorrow’s Schools” and ERO.
Parents have been free to join boards of trustees in open and free elections.
They have had screeds of information available to them.
One has to wonder just who is driving this attitude.
One thing is for certain – Delorus Umbridge is going to create an extremely demoralised teaching profession. Of course, she is a here-today-gone-tomorrow politician and will not be subject to any scrutiny herself – in fact apart from the infamous Merv Wellington and David Lange, people would be hard pressed to name the succession of Ministers of Education.
Why has she got such a snitch on teachers? Is she holding a grudge against her 1960’s teachers and schools. Did she fail School Cert?
Did a teacher guest in one of her hotels do something untoward in a room?
What is it with her?
Not really, Greens will only grow until they risk leaving behind the activist base. So the question for the Greens is; are you an activist party or one for the middle classes?
You can be an activist and middle class.
Why is there an ad for Vote for Change at the top of The Standard? “give MMP the boot”.
Epsom voters could not look themselves in the eye if they voted in “that” man.
bye bye binky.
Oh fuck, we’ve got ads from the anti-MMP brigade playing at the top of the page. They’re really going all out now in splurging on ads focusing on Winston, even stooping as low as to buy ads on facebook.
There’s also an IAG investment ad on the main page. What’s going on?
Key: “National is rolling out ultra fast broadband”
Kiwis leaving for Australia: We’re rolling out ultra fast
JN.
When you’re up to your neck in shit it’s tempting to try to get out of it.
However, the ‘Lucky Country’ isn’t so lucky these days, especially for new arrivals.
‘According to press release from the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia, âFirst time home buyers have little confidence in the Australian economy, as they baulk at property purchases and hoard their cashâ.’
http://www.whocrashedtheeconomy.com/blog/category/australian-housing/
and
‘SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — The world’s second-largest iron ore miner Rio Tinto PLC /quotes/zigman/182541/quotes/nls/rio RIO -1.35% will boost its fleet of driverless trucks 15-fold to 150 vehicles over the next four years, as part of a bid to increase margins at its mines in Australia’s Pilbara region.’
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rio-tinto-boosts-driverless-iron-ore-truck-fleet-2011-11-02
and
http://au.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=%5EAORD
Out of interest, are you allowed to blog or post on blogs on election day about the election??????