The “resolute and courageous” Sir Wilson Whineray
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Watched an obituary item on “Sir” Wilson Whineray on TV1’s Te Karere this morning. They mentioned that the racially selected All Black team team he led to apartheid South Africa in 1960 was disparagingly called “Whineray’s Whites”. Against archival footage of massive anti-tour marches (“No Maoris No Tour”), Māori football historian Malcolm Mulholland claimed that “the decision was out of his hands” and that the people who should bear the blame for the farcical situation were “the administrators”.
Mulholland’s implication, clearly, was that Whineray, a thoroughly decent man who found himself leading a racially selected team to play according to the dictates of an apartheid regime, was actually far better than that, and would no doubt have been opposed to the tour—-but “the decision was out of his hands”.
Well, let’s fast-forward a couple of generations. Whineray, now impressively titled “Sir” Wilson Whineray, after retiring from football in 1965, has carved out a distinguished business career, most notably with the forest products conglomerate Carter Holt Harvey, where he was deputy managing director and then, for ten years, chairman. It’s 2003, and Sir Wilson is retiring from Carter Holt Harvey. He’s being interviewed by TV3’s John Campbell, who mentions that Carter Holt Harvey had continued to trade with Chile, in defiance of a worldwide trade union ban on trade with Pinochet’s U.S.-backed terror regime.
Whineray did not miss a beat. “To continue to trade in such a situation,” he intoned slowly and carefully, “took considerable resolution and courage. We just did what we thought was the right thing.”
There you have it: Sir Wilson Whineray, powerful administrator of a powerful international conglomerate, thinks he was resolute and courageous to defy human rights protests and trade bans and trade with a fascist regime. So much for Malcolm Mulholland’s theory about Whineray’s innate decency being over-ruled by “the administrators”.
Oh, and what was John Campbell’s reaction, you ask. Campbell nodded his head, gravely, respectfully, thoughtfully, clearly overawed by the mana of the great man.
Sir Wilson ticks all the boxes really for this rugby hating leftie–conservative, tory, supporter of apartheid and Pinochet and not beloved of some NZ unionists either at CHH.
The main argument I have with rugby is the reactionary cultural streak it has represented since colonisation. The hard man, keep playing with a broken arm or ball sack ripped open. Women bring a plate, no poofters please. Whaddarya! This style still exists in Northland for sure.
Yet Morrisey, any critics of Sir Wilson will most likely be wasting their time as the media and the sporting orthodoxy have decided this guy deserves Ed Hillary treatment which he does not.
Tiger Mountain…….yes, the style you refer to does exist in Northland (my pseudonym might tell you something) but the truth and unashamedly being whom one is are mighty insurance and weapons if needs be.
I have repeated personal experience, coast to coast north of Hikurangi – not so sure about Whangas wannabee Aux, of the caricature you invoke and man, people ain’t hard to turn around. Even the seeming gorillas.
God Bless you and your brothers.
It is very sad that a brother who has served a very long time here is still being hounded by the media and those who want another pound of flesh (we have met),
yet,
his colla egue has not been adjacent to him since departing
Rod Oram has some interesting comments on Tiwai Point in the latest SST but I cannot find it online …
Interesting snippets were as follows:
“The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter has no future. We can deal with its demise in an orderly and economically positive way over the next few years; or chaotically and damagingly later.
It shares its fate with scores of other old smelters around the world. They were built 30-40 years ago to exploit very cheap electricity in remote places. But big changes in technology, electricity markets and the aluminium industry in the last decade have killed their economic lives.
…
[China] … has … become the technology leader in smelting. One New Zealand industry expert reckons the best Chinese plant is at least twice as energy efficient as Tiwai Point, and enjoys cheaper electricity.
…
At around US$2,000 a tonne currently, [Aluminium’s] price has changed little since 1980. It is by far the worst-performing mined commodity. In contrast over the same period the price of copper price has trebled and iron ore has increased eight fold, according to the IMF.
…
Rio Tinto, which owns 79% of the Tiwai Point smelter, is a big loser thanks to an astonishingly bad deal it did in 2007. It lost its head in a bidding war for Alcan, the Canadian-based smelter, paying US$38bn, a 65% premium over the market price. Financed almost entirely by debt, it was the biggest takeover ever in the mining sector and the burden has dragged it down ever since. The assets are performing so poorly, some 80% of Rio’s profits come instead from iron ore.
…
Tiwai Point, one of the assets for sale, was once a jewel of its kind, exploiting since 1971 very cheap, captive electricity. The government of the day built the Manapouri hydro scheme to supply the smelter, which has only ever paid a fraction of the price for electricity that other industrial users have.
But Rio says it must have even cheaper electricity to restore Tiwai’s viability. …
…
There is … a very good case that the electricity [freed by Tiwai’s closure] would create greater economic benefit if it were available to all users across the country. Manapouri, which has by far the most reliable water storage of all our hydro schemes, generates just the sort of electricity we need: renewable, base-load.
…
So, it’s time for Rio and Meridian, Southland and New Zealand to face up to the harsh reality of Tiwai Point. The plant is no longer economically viable and, at a mere 0.8% of world aluminium output, it is irrelevant to the global industry. Subsidising it further would be a very serious economic mistake.”
The unasked question is would you buy shares in a power company where there was likely to be a 15% glut of power on the market in the next couple of years?
No he thought the Chinese were far too efficient. Rio Tinto have upgraded a couple of plants but have not upgraded Tiwai. It seems they are either hoping for really, really, really cheap energy or they are going to bail.
Ouch oh the pain of a fact based logical argument up against the NACT flog it, drill it, mine it, charter it, privatise it ethos.
Rio and BHP Billiton have made some horrendous stuff ups, all rolled under the carpet of Iron/Gold etc covering up executive incompetance, much like Fletcher, telecom etc etc, the bigger they are …..
She would have to resign today, if Labour had taken my advice (but they didn’t, because they’re useless).
Last week Bennett said of the WINZ fiasco … It ain’t gonna happen twice. (Radio Live interview). I pointed out that Labour MPs simply had to ask her in Parliament if she stood by that. Quietly get it on the record. For the next time.
Instead, they shouted a lot. What fun for them! … and how pointless for us.
Now it’s the next time – as predicted. And Jacinda Adern has another question for Bennett in Parliament today. Expect more shouting. No answers. And no resignation.
On Monday Fairfax Media reported the personal identification numbers (Pins) for the payment cards being rolled out to 2600 young beneficiaries were the last four digits of the card numbers.
A signature was also required but security experts said that was no longer considered sufficient safeguard.
Bennett has asked for a full briefing from MSD this week.
”But to be honest, they’re as secure as a credit card really.”
A lot of people still verified their credit card with a signature and, while it was not the most modern practice, MSD did not have concerns about security, she said.
The pin was used to open the account but identity was verified by signature.
MSD was ”quite sure” that was safe. She did not believe it raised concerns about ongoing security issues within MSD.
Right. So if I lose my credit card, I can report it lost/stolen 24 hours a day, and I am not liable for any of the money stolen using it. Is Bennett going to guarantee that any if an 18 yr old loses their WINZ card on the weekend, someone spends an hour practicing the signature and then uses up the remaining credit at the local supermarket, that the beneficiary is going to be reimbursed that money?
“A lot of people still verified their credit card with a signature and, while it was not the most modern practice, MSD did not have concerns about security, she said.”
Yep WINZ are real experts on security.
“The pin was used to open the account but identity was verified by signature.
MSD was ”quite sure” that was safe. She did not believe it raised concerns about ongoing security issues within MSD.”
I reckon that most members of this cabinet could be caught by a 6pm news crew live on air with their dick in a sheep and they’d still not resign or even be sacked.
Which makes me wonder what Richard Worth actually did.
If Bennett gets kicked or resigns it’s possible that this government would collapse as she would most likely be replaced by Sepuloni so neither is likely to happen.
A great article here regarding the doublespeak term of “freedom” that seems so effective in getting people to vote in the rope that will hang them and cheer while doing so.
The neoliberal battle cry of “liberty” and “freedom” through “personal responsibility” sounds wonderful on the surface, but we have to ask ourselves as individuals and as a collective nation, what are the costs of this alleged “liberty” and “freedom”?
There was a great comment from a plant after the 7/7 bombings in London. A A stall holder at a market ( who other stall holders said they had never seen) was interviewed saying she would happily give up her liberty for freedom.
Yeah when “freedom” is mentioned I always ask myself freedom from what? Sadly the answer usually falls into the category of “freedom from considering the effects of one’s actions on anyone else.” 🙁
I wonder why Winston would ask this question unless he knows something that could be embarrassing to the PM?
Q7: “Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: When did he first learn of a German resident living in the Chrisco mansion in the Prime Minister’s electorate?”
…and another chocolate fish placed on the bets that Mr Key will be allowed a few minutes for relaying fallacious put-downs of one or more opposition parties/members after having let us all know he can’t remember.
Haven’t got time right now to check/find link, but IIRC at the beginning of Key’s video interview on 24 January re Dotcom (when he later went on to talk at length about DC’s resident status) Key talked about having heard “about a German resident living in the Crisco mansion”. So think Peters’ wording is taken straight from that interview. So this could be interesting in QTime.
The video of the 24 Jan interview has been put up on TS several times – think is was included in a Herald article on 24 Jan.
And my memory was correct – Key’s response to the first question talks about him being “aware of a German resident living in the house”.
The fact that Key referred to a “German resident” stuck out for me as being rather odd – ie if the person was living here in NZ, why call him a German resident? Also the way Key lights up when he mentions having been to/or seen the Crisco mansion (pre Dotcom) made me wonder whether he had “aspirations” in respect of the property. Bit beyond his means, though. It has crossed my mind several times that Key could be jealous of Dotcom’s much bigger fortune of over $1 billion by the time DC was 38 years old – vs Key’s worth of c $50 Million.
Amusing! However your article requires a correction methinks. I believe the quiz master, Mr Lockwood Smith would give Mr Key a top score after having answered the questions in such a manner.
Well done that man Sprout! John Key seems to be a long way ahead of Helen for whom a painting and being in a passenger car was the worst that could be ranged against her. So 10/10 for Key in the the Mis-speak race.
Put it this way, the Greeks are calling up their nationals from abroad to serve. I know a guy who recently got called back to Greece from London – It was not optional, he is going, I’m unsure what is service status was.
Can’t be good, but yet Europe gets little to no coverage here
Thank goodness for an independent judiciary: when the police break the law, the case gets thrown out.
And the judge didn’t hold back criticising the police use of a false search warrant and “fake” prosecution. Judges get pissy when you take the courts for a ride.
Lockwood ties himself up in knots on “hypocrisy” versus “hypocrite”. Farcical.
Winston and Robertson turn the screws on Key (Dotcom and Banks respectively). Bennett escapes again. Norman annoys Key (as usual), Shearer doesn’t (as usual).
Unfortunately today was the last real chance for the opposition in Parliament. Coming up: recess, Hobbits, Christmas and the summer memory hole.
Too many opportunities have been wasted. Too many MPs can’t think on their feet, can’t work as a team (e.g. Peters attacks Key on Dotcom, no back-up from Labour), and generally under-perform. It took 20 minutes for an MP (Robertson) to use the “hypocrisy” line that Lockwood had fed them.
New Year’s resolution for the Opposition, especially Labour – do much better.
Lament for a Single Part Question
(sung to Three Little Boys)
Two little boys had one little toy
Each had a wink to use
Slyly they played each sitting day
Warriors both of course
One little chap then had a mishap
absentia of the head
American toy then cried with joy
As his quizmaster said
Across the House they should be crying
but they seem more concerned with the few
Climb up here, we’ll soon be flying
Back to the ranks so blue
Can you feel John I’m all a tremble, perhaps it’s the lack of noise
But I think its they haven’t noticed I mentioned three little words
Very soon we’ll both be leaving
And our history will just be noise
before then will they remember
To use use those three little words
Dunnokeyo had a moment of self-confession when he referred to himself in the third person in reply to Winston today:
“the member makes up lots of things as he goes along”
* * * **
Rt Hon Winston Peters: … If and when it is proven that the Prime Minister’s knowledge of Kim Dotcom was far earlier than he has said, will he step down from his role as Prime Minister; if not, why not?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No, and the reason is that—
Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why not?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well, because the member makes up lots of things as he goes along.
“Well, because the member makes up lots of things as he goes along”
Yes I thought this was a remarkable moment of lucidity from Mr Key.
Also found Mr Foss’s statement very dubious:
“Hon CRAIG FOSS: It is such a good and large number—$1 billion will be spent by this Government in Christchurch on schools over the next 10 years.”
How can “this government” spend money over 10 years when “this Government” can only ever last for 3 years? It appears that DunnoKeyO & co not only continue to place all blame for all wrongs on previous Governments; now they are starting to take credit for money that is going to be spent by future governments too.
Maybe wishful thinking but I suspect that Winston does have something in hand and as he has done before he likes to get repeated statements from the PM on record. At the least it might cause a little niggle in the sleep patterns of John Key.
“I wonder what Winston actually knows? Nah. Couldn’t be – could it?”
I would be very surprised if Winston doesn’t have something up his sleeve and he’ll milk it for all it’s worth.
Remember the “great ferry bottom grounding incident” when he spent months harrying the then Minister of Transport (Richard Prebble from memory) about one of the inter islander ferries touching bottom ” going aground” in the Tory channel and Prebble couldn’t prove otherwise..
Long after the noise died down I believe the ferry went in for it’s dry dock and “lo and behold there was a large dint in the bottom.” Better than the movies….
Same with the winebox, he kept at it until it blew.
He’s good at it and because of this people leak to Winston. He doesn’t shove it under the carpet.
Don’t bother McFlock…its a waste of your time.
Its about an arrogant school principle who subscribes to the belief of disentitlement and doesn’t care about hungry children. Unsurprisingly, whale blubber holds him/her up as some sort of ethical guiding light.
You know the old mantra…we are here to teach not feed, its the parents responsibility, I’m a selfish & crappy school principle…blah, blah, blah.
Its interesting to hear an opinion from the education sector (a principle no less) that goes against the general feeling of that profession.
Listening to the media or reading these blogs would have you believe that 100% of the education profession is totally on song with the same message (basically the message is National bad)
He’s probably got a better grasp of the situation then anyone here so he should be listened to
The sad fact is that it trips a couple of major wires that raise doubt as to whether I should waste my time even reading it:
1: the greasy cetacean is plugging it. More often than not that site is not so much “opinion” than “slanted, distorted and factually fucked up propaganda”.
2: a professional who “goes against the feeling” of their profession might be a great person with a valid idea, or might just be a kook or shill. Infomercials are full of them. This takes time and more importantly concentration to determine. And sometimes a degree or two in the area. Do I really care that much in order about whether teachers are entitled to sulk about feeding hungry kids?
With both of those lines tripped, I don’t care to waste my time, expose myself to the bile on that site, or indeed put my computer at risk of lso cookies.
Here you go McFlock, saves you visiting the site yourself.
I am genuinely interested in your thoughts on this, as this letter IMO is almost direct dividing line between the left and the right in NZ on a number of issues, those who agree with this principal (real or not) being right leaning, and those that disagree being left leaning.
Hi Cam
Thought you would be interested in an exchange that took place in my office earlier today that illustrates the utter nonsense of this “Schools Should Feed Kids’ campaign.
We are a rural, decile 2 school. As with every school, the decile rating only tells a very small part of the story. We have some very wealthy families at our school and a number of families that live in a very deprived setting.
A group from one of our Maori whanau arrived in my office this morning. They had a complaint. I’m not going to go into the detail of the complaint because they were very respectful about the way that they conveyed it and to some degree I could see where they were coming from. It was a relatively minor matter (in my view), but could see that it was very important to them, and is largely brought about by different cultural values.
After I (genuinely) apologised for the unintended offence caused by the actions of one of my staff the anger in the room dissipated. We got to talking about other ‘grievances’ that they wanted to bring to the surface.
[lprent: Don’t cut’n’paste here. McFlock can go to the site if he cares to or not. But we do not like people dropping stuff they have dragged off the net whenever they feel the urge. It starts making the site a target for dumping crap.
If you want to draw peoples attention to something elsewhere on the net then say why (as you did) put in a few relevant quotations (I chopped your quoted down to (at most a few) succinct paragraphs and made it a blockquote) and provide a link. ]
Iprent, I can understand your point on this, and did re-read the website policy prior to posting as I thought it would be pushing my luck a bit posting the entire letter, however, I felt that taking the first half of the letter (the part you have left above) out (which would have been my preference), would leave McFlock without the context in which the Whanau’s questions around school breakfasts came to the forefront and could sidetrack the debate.
As McFlock hasn’t replied, I can only assume that your edit was completed prior to his/her reading the full letter, or s/he decided not to engage in the debate so I’ll leave it.
Two words do come to mind through this though, Penny Bright.
Actually missed the comment. Finally soiled myself and read the WO letter – seemed to be a pile of unattributed self-contradictory bullshit that went back to “parental responsibility”, but it was okay because he said it to some murrays and they agreed with him.
Even if it was. There is no doubt, even going by this letter, that food in schools would help this family mentioned.
Just after the family said that they sometimes had to send their children to their aunty’s when they had no food, – in reply to this right wing imperious bully’s demand; “So are you telling me that you have no real problem having food in the house?”
“Yeah, we always have something,” came the reply.
This anonymous principle comes across as pompous hectoring self important prat with a political agenda. The fact that he sees himself as some sort of crusader presenting “the alternative message to the socialist propaganda” speaks volumes.
No wonder he wouldn’t give his name, in my opinion he is not fit to teach let alone head a school.
No. He denies what is reality for many families, ignoring evidence for ideology. That does make his teaching suspect. He sounds from his post like a smug patronising prat.
Chalupa – no – until I got to the line about “socialist propaganda” the email seemed fine(ish) – a personal opinion, not one I agree with, but you get that.
But the political reference blows that all out of the water. This man clearly displays his prejudice. What part of “socialist propaganda” are The Lancet’s revelations of infectious disease admissions to our hospitals? Or the clear correlation between family income and education outcomes?
Just another witless Tory who thinks he’s entitled to his own facts.
Is there a way to disable the annoying and intrusive “more info” pop-ups that serve no purpose other than to interfere with comments in the middle of authoring them?
In Our Fathers House are many mansions
(each has a fire-proof door)
It is Not made by Great Men
( “natural” is not in it)
wotta ’bout these pills to avoid hangovers?; hangovers being a natural negative reinforcer (take away ya Sunday) freakin science and food and beverage priests again!
Effective endogenous male contraception has been a long time coming though!
the things ya learn in a day; apparently Franciscans are often characterized as “Gods Fools”; well I’ll be a monkeys’ uncle 🙂
according to a Brother, during the world wars, the information MI5 had on the Franciscans portrayed them as “beneath consideration”; who cares about the politics of lowly monks Right?
“…ra ra Rasputin….”
anyway, Sun is Shining and I been gardening.
btw, a letter from this lady at tlig.org fell out of the heavens today.
Apparently there has been a fairly major sun flare in the past day or so. I guess the climate change deniers will be expecting to see a lift in global temperatures, given that climate change is down to sun flares they say.
Moderately interesting, but they’re talking about levels of flouride exposure to get high levels of flourosis, only to get a possible 0.45 IQ point decrease. And their review criteria excluded less obscure studies that showed the reverse.
Possibly adverse, possibly not, large samples seem to bounce negligibly either way.
Not something I’d be stroking off about, myself. But the chemtrailvaccineautism brigade obviously feel confident it’s a serious threat to life, limb and inbreeding.
Not something I’d be stroking off about, myself. But the chemtrailvaccineautism brigade obviously feel confident it’s a serious threat to life, limb and inbreeding.
Its inbred central down your way eh McFlock, so no wonder you have decided that “stroking yourself” is the better option
Your smugness, and self certainty that you understand the world, and whats going on around you, for someone who is possibly bright, is unfortunate, but standard M.O for the average person, so not especially surprising!
Nah, the students top up the gene pool regularly (and some of us try to reciprocate if one can tolerate The Monkey Bar or The Break).
Yeah, I tend to be smug when I look at studies touted by known nutbars. For example, the first thing one looks for in relation to effects of chemical exposure is a dose-response relationship (at the most serious level, something like “dosage doubled, observed deaths quadrupled”). No levels reported in that descriptive study, so any observable effect might only occur in areas with natural flouridation well above maximum WHO recommendations. At which point all the study says is “exposure to hazardous levels of chemical A might have negative effects, almost as if there were hazards associated with those levels of chemical A”.
It’s the lack or critical thinking alongside the massive levels of spin that I find funny. Fl might well be an unacceptable hazard. But touting bumper stickers and studies without data tables isn’t going to convince me of that.
Yup, and you will have noticed that all I did was post a link, which was to the reuters site, no commentary, no opinion!
What I find funny, is people who think that their ‘critical thinking”, and sources allows them to be smug and believe they know best. There are a few on this site, and plenty in real life too, too many actually.
Generally speaking, the world is getting worse off because attitudes of such people, but that’s the way it will be I guess, as people are generally beyond stupid already, but believe they’re not, thats the clincher!
Monkey bars, must be a global chain of some sort, most places ive been seem to have one, and interestingly offer up the same sort of “options”.
Use of the term “article” implies some manner of editorial review, whereas this came directly from the tinfoil hat brigade. You linked to a wire service press release that can’t even cite an article properly, let alone report its contents with any accuracy.
Clue: “SOURCE NYS Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.”
Another clue: “PRESS RELEASE” occurs twice at the top of the release.
Another clue: “Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release” is written just below the headline.
I assumed that you linked to this drivel because you agreed with its contents. If not, feel free to correct that assumption.
If my assumption was correct, would you similarly post a press release from the Koch brothers just because it was on Reuters?
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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 “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ 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 ...
It’s 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 media’s 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 – Last week saw two significant developments in the debate over the treatment of trans-identifying children and young people – the release in Britain of the final report of Dr Hilary Cass’s 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 “holiday highway” 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 – There’s a crisis in the news media and the media are blaming it on everyone except themselves. Culpability is being deflected elsewhere – 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 media’s 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 Māori 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 won’t compromise Beijing’s 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 Māori 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, you’d think the public service was being eviscerated. While the media’s view of the cuts is incomplete, it’s 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 Iran’s 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 Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
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 Tāmaki 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 Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s 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 country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ 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 member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s 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 Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s 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. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s 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. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
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 sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I 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 Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s 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. “The 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. “My 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 Singapore’s 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 counterpart’s 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 today’s 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. “I 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. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s 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 Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These 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 – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s 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. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We 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. “This 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. “The 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 it—rule ...
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. “New 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 ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ 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 — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — 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 Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s 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 “re-imagined” 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-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s 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 Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
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 Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re 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 doesn’t 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 Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s 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 people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s 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 Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, 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 Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
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The “resolute and courageous” Sir Wilson Whineray
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Watched an obituary item on “Sir” Wilson Whineray on TV1’s Te Karere this morning. They mentioned that the racially selected All Black team team he led to apartheid South Africa in 1960 was disparagingly called “Whineray’s Whites”. Against archival footage of massive anti-tour marches (“No Maoris No Tour”), Māori football historian Malcolm Mulholland claimed that “the decision was out of his hands” and that the people who should bear the blame for the farcical situation were “the administrators”.
Mulholland’s implication, clearly, was that Whineray, a thoroughly decent man who found himself leading a racially selected team to play according to the dictates of an apartheid regime, was actually far better than that, and would no doubt have been opposed to the tour—-but “the decision was out of his hands”.
Well, let’s fast-forward a couple of generations. Whineray, now impressively titled “Sir” Wilson Whineray, after retiring from football in 1965, has carved out a distinguished business career, most notably with the forest products conglomerate Carter Holt Harvey, where he was deputy managing director and then, for ten years, chairman. It’s 2003, and Sir Wilson is retiring from Carter Holt Harvey. He’s being interviewed by TV3’s John Campbell, who mentions that Carter Holt Harvey had continued to trade with Chile, in defiance of a worldwide trade union ban on trade with Pinochet’s U.S.-backed terror regime.
Whineray did not miss a beat. “To continue to trade in such a situation,” he intoned slowly and carefully, “took considerable resolution and courage. We just did what we thought was the right thing.”
There you have it: Sir Wilson Whineray, powerful administrator of a powerful international conglomerate, thinks he was resolute and courageous to defy human rights protests and trade bans and trade with a fascist regime. So much for Malcolm Mulholland’s theory about Whineray’s innate decency being over-ruled by “the administrators”.
Oh, and what was John Campbell’s reaction, you ask. Campbell nodded his head, gravely, respectfully, thoughtfully, clearly overawed by the mana of the great man.
Sir Wilson ticks all the boxes really for this rugby hating leftie–conservative, tory, supporter of apartheid and Pinochet and not beloved of some NZ unionists either at CHH.
The main argument I have with rugby is the reactionary cultural streak it has represented since colonisation. The hard man, keep playing with a broken arm or ball sack ripped open. Women bring a plate, no poofters please. Whaddarya! This style still exists in Northland for sure.
Yet Morrisey, any critics of Sir Wilson will most likely be wasting their time as the media and the sporting orthodoxy have decided this guy deserves Ed Hillary treatment which he does not.
All rise for the flag salute.
Tiger Mountain…….yes, the style you refer to does exist in Northland (my pseudonym might tell you something) but the truth and unashamedly being whom one is are mighty insurance and weapons if needs be.
I have repeated personal experience, coast to coast north of Hikurangi – not so sure about Whangas wannabee Aux, of the caricature you invoke and man, people ain’t hard to turn around. Even the seeming gorillas.
You get my meaning ?
😉
Hope Campbell reads your excellent post Morrissey. Email it to him.
God Bless you and your brothers.
It is very sad that a brother who has served a very long time here is still being hounded by the media and those who want another pound of flesh (we have met),
yet,
his colla egue has not been adjacent to him since departing
Rod Oram has some interesting comments on Tiwai Point in the latest SST but I cannot find it online …
Interesting snippets were as follows:
“The Tiwai Point aluminium smelter has no future. We can deal with its demise in an orderly and economically positive way over the next few years; or chaotically and damagingly later.
It shares its fate with scores of other old smelters around the world. They were built 30-40 years ago to exploit very cheap electricity in remote places. But big changes in technology, electricity markets and the aluminium industry in the last decade have killed their economic lives.
…
[China] … has … become the technology leader in smelting. One New Zealand industry expert reckons the best Chinese plant is at least twice as energy efficient as Tiwai Point, and enjoys cheaper electricity.
…
At around US$2,000 a tonne currently, [Aluminium’s] price has changed little since 1980. It is by far the worst-performing mined commodity. In contrast over the same period the price of copper price has trebled and iron ore has increased eight fold, according to the IMF.
…
Rio Tinto, which owns 79% of the Tiwai Point smelter, is a big loser thanks to an astonishingly bad deal it did in 2007. It lost its head in a bidding war for Alcan, the Canadian-based smelter, paying US$38bn, a 65% premium over the market price. Financed almost entirely by debt, it was the biggest takeover ever in the mining sector and the burden has dragged it down ever since. The assets are performing so poorly, some 80% of Rio’s profits come instead from iron ore.
…
Tiwai Point, one of the assets for sale, was once a jewel of its kind, exploiting since 1971 very cheap, captive electricity. The government of the day built the Manapouri hydro scheme to supply the smelter, which has only ever paid a fraction of the price for electricity that other industrial users have.
But Rio says it must have even cheaper electricity to restore Tiwai’s viability. …
…
There is … a very good case that the electricity [freed by Tiwai’s closure] would create greater economic benefit if it were available to all users across the country. Manapouri, which has by far the most reliable water storage of all our hydro schemes, generates just the sort of electricity we need: renewable, base-load.
…
So, it’s time for Rio and Meridian, Southland and New Zealand to face up to the harsh reality of Tiwai Point. The plant is no longer economically viable and, at a mere 0.8% of world aluminium output, it is irrelevant to the global industry. Subsidising it further would be a very serious economic mistake.”
The unasked question is would you buy shares in a power company where there was likely to be a 15% glut of power on the market in the next couple of years?
Very interesting, thanks.
Seems he didn’t address the possibilities of an upgrade for the plant?
No he thought the Chinese were far too efficient. Rio Tinto have upgraded a couple of plants but have not upgraded Tiwai. It seems they are either hoping for really, really, really cheap energy or they are going to bail.
From memory Tiwai constructed 1/2 a pot line in the very late1990’s, I did have some involvement in a support industry at the time.
Ouch oh the pain of a fact based logical argument up against the NACT flog it, drill it, mine it, charter it, privatise it ethos.
Rio and BHP Billiton have made some horrendous stuff ups, all rolled under the carpet of Iron/Gold etc covering up executive incompetance, much like Fletcher, telecom etc etc, the bigger they are …..
The bigger they are …
The more they take
More excuses and distraction from Paula Bennett …
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/7854125/Privacy-blunders-mount-at-Winz
She would have to resign today, if Labour had taken my advice (but they didn’t, because they’re useless).
Last week Bennett said of the WINZ fiasco … It ain’t gonna happen twice. (Radio Live interview). I pointed out that Labour MPs simply had to ask her in Parliament if she stood by that. Quietly get it on the record. For the next time.
Instead, they shouted a lot. What fun for them! … and how pointless for us.
Now it’s the next time – as predicted. And Jacinda Adern has another question for Bennett in Parliament today. Expect more shouting. No answers. And no resignation.
Right. So if I lose my credit card, I can report it lost/stolen 24 hours a day, and I am not liable for any of the money stolen using it. Is Bennett going to guarantee that any if an 18 yr old loses their WINZ card on the weekend, someone spends an hour practicing the signature and then uses up the remaining credit at the local supermarket, that the beneficiary is going to be reimbursed that money?
Who will be asking Bennett that question?
“A lot of people still verified their credit card with a signature and, while it was not the most modern practice, MSD did not have concerns about security, she said.”
Yep WINZ are real experts on security.
“The pin was used to open the account but identity was verified by signature.
MSD was ”quite sure” that was safe. She did not believe it raised concerns about ongoing security issues within MSD.”
The PIN is PRINTED on the card!!
AND
HT Frank
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/119000/youth-payment-card-misuse-reported-to-minister
“Mrs Bennett says she’s been told by retailers and others in the community that people using the cards have been selling on food or batteries. “People buy 10 cooked chickens and then go and sell them in the carpark. ”
DUH
Well that wasn’t expected was it!!!!!!
So the Work and Income card cannot be used at the self service checkout as it requires the signature to be verified.
The comment about bulk buying chickens, next checkout operators will be required to notify Work and Income if a person buys in bulk!
I reckon that most members of this cabinet could be caught by a 6pm news crew live on air with their dick in a sheep and they’d still not resign or even be sacked.
Which makes me wonder what Richard Worth actually did.
lol (& the polls would still be good too)
If Bennett gets kicked or resigns it’s possible that this government would collapse as she would most likely be replaced by Sepuloni so neither is likely to happen.
A great article here regarding the doublespeak term of “freedom” that seems so effective in getting people to vote in the rope that will hang them and cheer while doing so.
There was a great comment from a plant after the 7/7 bombings in London. A A stall holder at a market ( who other stall holders said they had never seen) was interviewed saying she would happily give up her liberty for freedom.
Yeah when “freedom” is mentioned I always ask myself freedom from what? Sadly the answer usually falls into the category of “freedom from considering the effects of one’s actions on anyone else.” 🙁
I like it!
We haven’t heard much from David Shearer since the Christchurch speech last week.
He’s been busy …
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/central-leader/7851879/MP-to-kick-start-festival
DS is currently in the wrong job.
Grant Robertson should tell him that and thank him for keeping the seat warm.
I wonder why Winston would ask this question unless he knows something that could be embarrassing to the PM?
Q7: “Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS to the Prime Minister: When did he first learn of a German resident living in the Chrisco mansion in the Prime Minister’s electorate?”
Yes, interesting choice of words, because Key always focused on not remembering the Dotcom name.
I’ll bet a chocolate fish that Key “can’t recall”, and Winston gets thrown out for telling him he bloody well does.
…and another chocolate fish placed on the bets that Mr Key will be allowed a few minutes for relaying fallacious put-downs of one or more opposition parties/members after having let us all know he can’t remember.
Haven’t got time right now to check/find link, but IIRC at the beginning of Key’s video interview on 24 January re Dotcom (when he later went on to talk at length about DC’s resident status) Key talked about having heard “about a German resident living in the Crisco mansion”. So think Peters’ wording is taken straight from that interview. So this could be interesting in QTime.
The video of the 24 Jan interview has been put up on TS several times – think is was included in a Herald article on 24 Jan.
Update – it was annoying me so here is the link to the 24 Jan interview from Eddie’s post on 4 October.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/video.cfm?c_id=1&gal_objectid=10781209&gallery_id=123534
And my memory was correct – Key’s response to the first question talks about him being “aware of a German resident living in the house”.
The fact that Key referred to a “German resident” stuck out for me as being rather odd – ie if the person was living here in NZ, why call him a German resident? Also the way Key lights up when he mentions having been to/or seen the Crisco mansion (pre Dotcom) made me wonder whether he had “aspirations” in respect of the property. Bit beyond his means, though. It has crossed my mind several times that Key could be jealous of Dotcom’s much bigger fortune of over $1 billion by the time DC was 38 years old – vs Key’s worth of c $50 Million.
Dotcom is also a Finnish citizen
So? I knew that – it has no relevance to the Parliamentary question or to what Key said on 24 Jan.
So what if DC is/was also a Finnish resident Fortan ? Are you writing Dunnokeyo’s lines or something ?
How many questions can he answer correctly?
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2012/10/john-key-mastermind-contestant.html
Amusing! However your article requires a correction methinks. I believe the quiz master, Mr Lockwood Smith would give Mr Key a top score after having answered the questions in such a manner.
Well done that man Sprout! John Key seems to be a long way ahead of Helen for whom a painting and being in a passenger car was the worst that could be ranged against her. So 10/10 for Key in the the Mis-speak race.
word from Greece; it is dark there. and it is getting darker here, “day by day” according to the Greeks
“and they are trying to cover it up here”.
Shearer honing his precision.
(well, I’m off to begin my franciscan journey on the bus)
Be Well 🙂
Put it this way, the Greeks are calling up their nationals from abroad to serve. I know a guy who recently got called back to Greece from London – It was not optional, he is going, I’m unsure what is service status was.
Can’t be good, but yet Europe gets little to no coverage here
Baaa
Thank goodness for an independent judiciary: when the police break the law, the case gets thrown out.
And the judge didn’t hold back criticising the police use of a false search warrant and “fake” prosecution. Judges get pissy when you take the courts for a ride.
So … a lively question time.
Lockwood ties himself up in knots on “hypocrisy” versus “hypocrite”. Farcical.
Winston and Robertson turn the screws on Key (Dotcom and Banks respectively). Bennett escapes again. Norman annoys Key (as usual), Shearer doesn’t (as usual).
Unfortunately today was the last real chance for the opposition in Parliament. Coming up: recess, Hobbits, Christmas and the summer memory hole.
Too many opportunities have been wasted. Too many MPs can’t think on their feet, can’t work as a team (e.g. Peters attacks Key on Dotcom, no back-up from Labour), and generally under-perform. It took 20 minutes for an MP (Robertson) to use the “hypocrisy” line that Lockwood had fed them.
New Year’s resolution for the Opposition, especially Labour – do much better.
Lament for a Single Part Question
(sung to Three Little Boys)
Two little boys had one little toy
Each had a wink to use
Slyly they played each sitting day
Warriors both of course
One little chap then had a mishap
absentia of the head
American toy then cried with joy
As his quizmaster said
Across the House they should be crying
but they seem more concerned with the few
Climb up here, we’ll soon be flying
Back to the ranks so blue
Can you feel John I’m all a tremble, perhaps it’s the lack of noise
But I think its they haven’t noticed I mentioned three little words
Very soon we’ll both be leaving
And our history will just be noise
before then will they remember
To use use those three little words
-sorry Rolf
p.s. why the moderation?
Let the dead bury the dead.
Unfortunately today was the last real chance for the opposition in Parliament. Coming up: recess, Hobbits, Christmas and the summer memory hole.
There’s still time for the Opposition parties to score a few bulls-eyes before the House rises for the year.
Sitting days:
October
16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25
November
6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 27, 28 and 29
December
4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20
I had the impression in Q time today that Winston Peters is setting Key up for something. If it’s true, it will surely be before the end of the year.
Dunnokeyo had a moment of self-confession when he referred to himself in the third person in reply to Winston today:
“the member makes up lots of things as he goes along”
* * * **
Rt Hon Winston Peters: … If and when it is proven that the Prime Minister’s knowledge of Kim Dotcom was far earlier than he has said, will he step down from his role as Prime Minister; if not, why not?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: No, and the reason is that—
Rt Hon Winston Peters: Why not?
Rt Hon JOHN KEY: Well, because the member makes up lots of things as he goes along.
@ Jim Nald,
“Well, because the member makes up lots of things as he goes along”
Yes I thought this was a remarkable moment of lucidity from Mr Key.
Also found Mr Foss’s statement very dubious:
“Hon CRAIG FOSS: It is such a good and large number—$1 billion will be spent by this Government in Christchurch on schools over the next 10 years.”
How can “this government” spend money over 10 years when “this Government” can only ever last for 3 years? It appears that DunnoKeyO & co not only continue to place all blame for all wrongs on previous Governments; now they are starting to take credit for money that is going to be spent by future governments too.
Maybe wishful thinking but I suspect that Winston does have something in hand and as he has done before he likes to get repeated statements from the PM on record. At the least it might cause a little niggle in the sleep patterns of John Key.
“I wonder what Winston actually knows? Nah. Couldn’t be – could it?”
Here is Winston’s question:
http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/15726
Well worth a listen.
Also had the impression Charles Chauval might have something up his sleeve too.
http://inthehouse.co.nz/node/15729
I would be very surprised if Winston doesn’t have something up his sleeve and he’ll milk it for all it’s worth.
Remember the “great ferry bottom grounding incident” when he spent months harrying the then Minister of Transport (Richard Prebble from memory) about one of the inter islander ferries touching bottom ” going aground” in the Tory channel and Prebble couldn’t prove otherwise..
Long after the noise died down I believe the ferry went in for it’s dry dock and “lo and behold there was a large dint in the bottom.” Better than the movies….
Same with the winebox, he kept at it until it blew.
He’s good at it and because of this people leak to Winston. He doesn’t shove it under the carpet.
This is the smoke but odds on there is a fire.
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2012/10/thanks-john-campbell/
This may be of interest to some
what’s it about? I try not to soil my computer with that site unless absolutely necessary.
Don’t bother McFlock…its a waste of your time.
Its about an arrogant school principle who subscribes to the belief of disentitlement and doesn’t care about hungry children. Unsurprisingly, whale blubber holds him/her up as some sort of ethical guiding light.
You know the old mantra…we are here to teach not feed, its the parents responsibility, I’m a selfish & crappy school principle…blah, blah, blah.
Cheers, thanks for that 🙂
Where would parasites be if they weren’t praised by bottom-feeders…
Thats certainly one way of looking at it
Passive aggressive much? Have you the fortitude to express an opinion on the matter or are your comments simply a bag of air?
the answer to that question might be of interest to some 😉
Its interesting to hear an opinion from the education sector (a principle no less) that goes against the general feeling of that profession.
Listening to the media or reading these blogs would have you believe that 100% of the education profession is totally on song with the same message (basically the message is National bad)
He’s probably got a better grasp of the situation then anyone here so he should be listened to
Nope.
The sad fact is that it trips a couple of major wires that raise doubt as to whether I should waste my time even reading it:
1: the greasy cetacean is plugging it. More often than not that site is not so much “opinion” than “slanted, distorted and factually fucked up propaganda”.
2: a professional who “goes against the feeling” of their profession might be a great person with a valid idea, or might just be a kook or shill. Infomercials are full of them. This takes time and more importantly concentration to determine. And sometimes a degree or two in the area. Do I really care that much in order about whether teachers are entitled to sulk about feeding hungry kids?
With both of those lines tripped, I don’t care to waste my time, expose myself to the bile on that site, or indeed put my computer at risk of lso cookies.
Paranoid much?
Nope.
Here you go McFlock, saves you visiting the site yourself.
I am genuinely interested in your thoughts on this, as this letter IMO is almost direct dividing line between the left and the right in NZ on a number of issues, those who agree with this principal (real or not) being right leaning, and those that disagree being left leaning.
[deleted]
Link again in case you are interested http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2012/10/thanks-john-campbell/
[lprent: Don’t cut’n’paste here. McFlock can go to the site if he cares to or not. But we do not like people dropping stuff they have dragged off the net whenever they feel the urge. It starts making the site a target for dumping crap.
If you want to draw peoples attention to something elsewhere on the net then say why (as you did) put in a few relevant quotations (I chopped your quoted down to (at most a few) succinct paragraphs and made it a blockquote) and provide a link. ]
Iprent, I can understand your point on this, and did re-read the website policy prior to posting as I thought it would be pushing my luck a bit posting the entire letter, however, I felt that taking the first half of the letter (the part you have left above) out (which would have been my preference), would leave McFlock without the context in which the Whanau’s questions around school breakfasts came to the forefront and could sidetrack the debate.
As McFlock hasn’t replied, I can only assume that your edit was completed prior to his/her reading the full letter, or s/he decided not to engage in the debate so I’ll leave it.
Two words do come to mind through this though, Penny Bright.
Looked at the letter. Couldn’t see a great few fully on point paras, so left the first part in as a teaser.
Penny is on my development list. I wonder how she will like the automatic twitter limit when I have time to finish testing it.
Actually missed the comment. Finally soiled myself and read the WO letter – seemed to be a pile of unattributed self-contradictory bullshit that went back to “parental responsibility”, but it was okay because he said it to some murrays and they agreed with him.
Everything else has been covered by others here.
I feel dirty. Time to scrub my machine.
@McFlock,…you can’t say you weren’t warned…. 😀
lol
I know, I know…
contrary to what some here might think, I do actually feel remiss at disregarding something purely on the basis of its source.
The trouble is that every time (like now) I listen to that instinct, I end up having my bias confirmed with extreme weight.
lolz 😀
Principal!
We have only the word of whaleoil that the email is genuine.
Even if it was. There is no doubt, even going by this letter, that food in schools would help this family mentioned.
Just after the family said that they sometimes had to send their children to their aunty’s when they had no food, – in reply to this right wing imperious bully’s demand; “So are you telling me that you have no real problem having food in the house?”
“Yeah, we always have something,” came the reply.
This anonymous principle comes across as pompous hectoring self important prat with a political agenda. The fact that he sees himself as some sort of crusader presenting “the alternative message to the socialist propaganda” speaks volumes.
No wonder he wouldn’t give his name, in my opinion he is not fit to teach let alone head a school.
Yup he spoke against what is agreed upon by the left therefore he must be a bad teacher
No. He denies what is reality for many families, ignoring evidence for ideology. That does make his teaching suspect. He sounds from his post like a smug patronising prat.
Chalupa – no – until I got to the line about “socialist propaganda” the email seemed fine(ish) – a personal opinion, not one I agree with, but you get that.
But the political reference blows that all out of the water. This man clearly displays his prejudice. What part of “socialist propaganda” are The Lancet’s revelations of infectious disease admissions to our hospitals? Or the clear correlation between family income and education outcomes?
Just another witless Tory who thinks he’s entitled to his own facts.
Romnesia’s gone viral…..ironic, Keynesia far more deserving…..
Nah, Romnesia is pretty good, but Dunnokeyo does the lying+ignorant twofer.
Is there a way to disable the annoying and intrusive “more info” pop-ups that serve no purpose other than to interfere with comments in the middle of authoring them?
Actually yes, I find these things very annoying too. I’ve just been putting up with it.
In Our Fathers House are many mansions
(each has a fire-proof door)
It is Not made by Great Men
( “natural” is not in it)
wotta ’bout these pills to avoid hangovers?; hangovers being a natural negative reinforcer (take away ya Sunday) freakin science and food and beverage priests again!
Effective endogenous male contraception has been a long time coming though!
helpful view
helpful intention
helpful speech
helpful action
helpful effort
helpful livelihood
helpful concentration
helpful Mindfulness
the things ya learn in a day; apparently Franciscans are often characterized as “Gods Fools”; well I’ll be a monkeys’ uncle 🙂
according to a Brother, during the world wars, the information MI5 had on the Franciscans portrayed them as “beneath consideration”; who cares about the politics of lowly monks Right?
“…ra ra Rasputin….”
anyway, Sun is Shining and I been gardening.
btw, a letter from this lady at tlig.org fell out of the heavens today.
😉
Liking it mate.
Apparently there has been a fairly major sun flare in the past day or so. I guess the climate change deniers will be expecting to see a lift in global temperatures, given that climate change is down to sun flares they say.
Harvard Study Finds Fluoride Lowers IQ – Published in Federal Gov’t Journal
That report from reuters told us very little about the methodology.
For example how many children, over what time scale, what was the IQ difference and its statistical significance for a start.
I tried to find the original article but couldn’t.
This seems to be it, but without charts.
Moderately interesting, but they’re talking about levels of flouride exposure to get high levels of flourosis, only to get a possible 0.45 IQ point decrease. And their review criteria excluded less obscure studies that showed the reverse.
Possibly adverse, possibly not, large samples seem to bounce negligibly either way.
Not something I’d be stroking off about, myself. But the chemtrailvaccineautism brigade obviously feel confident it’s a serious threat to life, limb and inbreeding.
Its inbred central down your way eh McFlock, so no wonder you have decided that “stroking yourself” is the better option
Your smugness, and self certainty that you understand the world, and whats going on around you, for someone who is possibly bright, is unfortunate, but standard M.O for the average person, so not especially surprising!
Stroke on!
Nah, the students top up the gene pool regularly (and some of us try to reciprocate if one can tolerate The Monkey Bar or The Break).
Yeah, I tend to be smug when I look at studies touted by known nutbars. For example, the first thing one looks for in relation to effects of chemical exposure is a dose-response relationship (at the most serious level, something like “dosage doubled, observed deaths quadrupled”). No levels reported in that descriptive study, so any observable effect might only occur in areas with natural flouridation well above maximum WHO recommendations. At which point all the study says is “exposure to hazardous levels of chemical A might have negative effects, almost as if there were hazards associated with those levels of chemical A”.
It’s the lack or critical thinking alongside the massive levels of spin that I find funny. Fl might well be an unacceptable hazard. But touting bumper stickers and studies without data tables isn’t going to convince me of that.
Yup, and you will have noticed that all I did was post a link, which was to the reuters site, no commentary, no opinion!
What I find funny, is people who think that their ‘critical thinking”, and sources allows them to be smug and believe they know best. There are a few on this site, and plenty in real life too, too many actually.
Generally speaking, the world is getting worse off because attitudes of such people, but that’s the way it will be I guess, as people are generally beyond stupid already, but believe they’re not, thats the clincher!
Monkey bars, must be a global chain of some sort, most places ive been seem to have one, and interestingly offer up the same sort of “options”.
Stroke on McFlock, until the next outing I guess!
Use of the term “article” implies some manner of editorial review, whereas this came directly from the tinfoil hat brigade. You linked to a wire service press release that can’t even cite an article properly, let alone report its contents with any accuracy.
Clue: “SOURCE NYS Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.”
Another clue: “PRESS RELEASE” occurs twice at the top of the release.
Another clue: “Reuters is not responsible for the content in this press release” is written just below the headline.
I assumed that you linked to this drivel because you agreed with its contents. If not, feel free to correct that assumption.
If my assumption was correct, would you similarly post a press release from the Koch brothers just because it was on Reuters?
I wondered reason why Reuters disclaimed any responsibilty for the accuracy of the press release!!
It was a poke at Reuters, of which I have made a few lately, around its link/ownership by AP, thats all!
Assumption – Common error made by the smug!