“This is a classic scenario you’ve seen in non-scifi epics from Dances With Wolves to The Last Samurai, where a white guy manages to get himself accepted into a closed society of people of color and eventually becomes its most awesome member.”
I haven’t seen it yet but I’m pretty sure brownlee wouldn’t be a blue one.
But before trying to answer these questions, let me expand on just what I mean by leadership.
Leadership can mean many things, but REAL leadership the kind we need — is primarily this: the ability to align the human sphere with biophysical reality.
Anything less than this is merely opportunism, and will be exposed as such in short order probably very short order at this point. Historically, the Earth has had little reservation in punishing civilizations for violations of biophysical reality; for their foolish opportunism. I see no reason why we should be spared the same fate.
And contrary to popular sentiment among our civilization’s intellectuals, biophysical reality is not defined by humans; it is defined by the Earth and the Laws of Nature. Humans can only hope to incompletely illuminate some essential parts of it. And then we must obey it as best we can. It is not optional. And there are consequences.
Somebody actually gets it. We have no choice, we must constrain ourselves to living within the ecological limits of the Earth. We can’t end poverty by continuing to grow our economy. If we want to end poverty then we need to ensure that the resources that are available (just because they exists doesn’t mean that they’re available either) are properly distributed and that we don’t over populate the world.
Of course, we are now far past that point. I’d say that we passed it before the beginning of the 20th century.
Just watched Blind Spot. Full length low res preview and transcript through the link
An interesting and frightening point is made near the beginning in relation to how much energy we get from oil ; to what it extent it has replaced and superseded human and animal muscle power ; and just how bloody complacent…how nonchalant we are.
Imagine pushing your car 20 or 30 miles, that’s what we get from a single gallon of gasoline that we pay maybe $2.50 for, that amount of work is roughly equivalent to 6 to 8 weeks of hard human labour. Imagine getting 6 to 8 weeks of hard human labour for $2.50. That’s what we have gotten used to.
Try ‘ Capitalism Hits the Fan’ preview by Rick Wolff ( Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts.) since you aint doing TV. Very good stuff.
Thaks for the links
I have always struggled with NZTV ,having been brought up with the BBC watching great docos and political progs Question time for example
In the last year NZTV has become completely unwatchable , I despair
I hear the BBC has nosedived over recent years too. Panorama is gone, I think. I wouldn’t be surprised if Horizon is a dumbed down monkey of what it used to be….if it’s still going, that is.
But then, since TV is a delivery system for corporate agendas, I guess if you are advertising dumb stuff in an intelligently critical environment then the effectiveness of your advertising will diminish. So corporates dumb down the environment their message is delivered through and up those sales figures. Do that long enough and even a moderately critical programme on a non-commercial station looks ‘out of place’ and insofar as it could become a point of reference or a bar for programme makers, it becomes a target to be shut down by those self same corporates…even if it exists on a public broadcaster network.
Yeah, there’s a sad lack of decent documentaries on TVNZ during prime time, and when there is one in a prime-time slot, all we get are the real-life-doco’s, which like reality TV, are typically bloody shallow infotainment.
Remember all those people who excused the coup in Honduras arguing all types of shit about legality of constitutional referenda and claiming that the exiled President had been trying to set himself up for life?
And remember how a lot of the people making those arguments claimed to belong to ‘the left’? Wonder what those fuckers will be saying now the assassination of activists in Honduras is under way?
Thanks Bill, I had that sick feeling earlier this year that this would follow the longer term trends of their regional history. One gets used to being regarded as a Jeremiah in these matters, especially when the “our side is innocent and would never do such a thing” response is coming from the ideologues from both ends of the spectrum. As I always say, read the real history (as written by the losing side especially) and you get a fairly good ability to forecast this type of inhumanity.
Yeah….sort of, I guess. But then again….nah. Here’s why.
I went to the transition stuff for my city and all my worst fears were realised. The bureaucratic hell zone of committees and secretaries ( ie crystallised and hierarchical structures)…same old dirty orthodox projects and undertakings dressing themselves in the garb of transition thinking and oodles of sincere insincerity dripping off my computer screen.
Having said that, there’s nothing wrong with what Rob Hopkins was saying as such. Just that it’s all very surface level stuff and not at all new. ( Gardeners have always shared their expertise and produce for example and people have always helped out or shared skills and knowledge around non-monetised social networks.)
I had the impression that it would appeal to the pot luck dinner liberal middle class brigade. It doesn’t really confront underlying issues and offers a feel good conscience salving programmes of spare time action that are mostly, ultimately pointless.
Substantive points and matters are not, it seems, being confronted. Questions of ownership and control. Questions of financial input and how any necessary transitional finances should be generated. Organisational structures…questions of equity and reward and sanction. Questions of production….how, why and what. The (soft airbrush) focus seems to be on distribution and consumption…..easy ‘feel good’ matters that allow you to continue your 9 to 5 and your accumulation of (ethical) goods and profit while defending notions of sense as viewed through a lens of material well being.
Just that meaningful transition would involve addressing the points I raised. It doesn’t mean that everyone would then change their life utterly overnight, but points of compromise would be identified and acknowledged…desired end points identified and possible paths mapped out (subject to ongoing modifications and revisions)
But this transition thing appears to be wilfully blind to the fact that post oil is post capitalist; that we have to transition out of capitalism. Fast.
Ak47’s turning suburbias into death zones or an end to electricity, pumped water and individual transport options turning suburbias into death zones?
I reckon the latter…with of course, a little cannibalism on the side.
The tv situation is a reflection of the world view and priorities of youngish men and women whose interest is materialistic as in making or getting money and status, and things. They have little interest in the welfare of other people or the environment if there is no advantage to themselves in so doing.
It is a working example showing what the politicians will do to our broader society if able to proceed further with their personal visions which colour their chosen policies.
It makes your heart drop when you hear Clive Geddis of Queenstown get exercised about having a macron over the first a in Hawea. And stupidly say that its been that way for one hundred years. If it was a Maori name, it will date back further than that. The macron could be introduced over time, thus limiting the inconvenience and cost to organisations. It’s Whanganui all over and is an example of the too many petty, inadequate people who yet can strut their stuff enough to impress and get elected to take the role of a supposed thoughtful and clever leader, pragmatic planner and communicator.
How can we handle important things when every little improving idea has to be considered by a tight-minded elite. While the decision makers are worrying about this and other problems there are huge concerns – leaky buildings, New Zealand’s unofficial colour changing from green to khaki, an inability to take definite steps on climate change by introducing car emission measures…….
There are still a few good programmes ,but one has to search .
Have a look at channel 7. A couple of good programmes .”Back Benches” is one. Then if you can get Central have a look at Euromaxx.
Channel 6 has a couple of nature programmes well worth the time;
However if you are a clasical music devotee then the only place (believe it or not) ) is to keep an eye open at the Warehouse where now and then some top class DVDs turn up. Opera, chamber music ect,
Im afraid the idea of a “public TV channel has been lost for ever the money bags have won the day. A lose to us all and certainly a lose to the many talented stars we have in Aotearoa .
I just wish they’d stop autotuning the music already. I’m kind of sick of changing the radio whenever I hear it’s awfulness intrude, and those that do like it are no doubt sick of changing it back again. We need to end this pointless war. But I’m not having it, I don’t care how allegedly good the beats are, if it’s got an autotuned vocal we need to kill it. Kill it with fire.
Autotune the news is definitely for you. Bag the slick politicians and music all in one. They combine
well into a singing and dancing less-than-spectacular. Roll up and enjoy the ridiculously clever or the clever ridiculed.
(Warning – there may be some small traces of clever and good politicians being ridiculed which could be irksome to the highly sensitive who think they should be treasured and increased and taken from their nests and bred in controlled surroundings before being released to the wild parliament.)
I have not yet seen Al Gore’s Nobel prize winning film “An Inconvenient Truth”. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I was a AGW skeptic when it came out and now that I accept AGW I don’t feel the need to go rent it. Regardless, I think the title is brilliant. It perfectly sums up why I think people have trouble accepting AGW. AGW truly is an inconvenience. If it were true, not only would we have to consume less, but more importantly it can shake our very core beliefs. The sorts of beliefs that AGW would trouble include political/economic and religious beliefs.
Looking at a secondhand book giving helpful advice on self defence for teeagers I noticed from the library card that it had never been checked out, the card was totally clear. The book and its helpful info and photos had hardly been looked at. The same thing will happen about our future problems and only determined action will cause change.
The idea of being precautionary, acting now for future gain is all pretty boring for our marshmallow generation. Im talking here about the well known experiment with these sweeties testing the tendency of toddlers to apply control for delayed gratification instead of the more satisfactory immediate buzz.
I think the present style of government mitigates against making decisions of future importance, the politicians are limited by their fixed term and the inability to communicate with the incurious and unwilling thinkers of most of the citizens. We don’t want inconvenient truths and will punish a government that tries to persuade us, or worse raises taxes to provide revenue and economic signals guiding our actions to a better course.
I have been thinking of the advantages of another representative body apart from and less than government, perhaps chosen at random, but being drawn from people of a certain criteria to ensure a mix of capable thinkers with diverse backgrounds. This group could be petitioned for changes to legislation to achieve better effectiveness. Government continually passes legislation that is found to be flawed when tested in reality. The group would be working with law, though it may also be deemed regulations I think they are called, where a body can impose certain rules under the aegis of government.
As well there needs to be a Planning Body that we hear about, separate from government and its appointees, which looks at our future problems providing an overview.
This is all rather long and rambling but its so easy to throw mudpies and run away when disputing something. Thinking about how to improve, do better, takes time, like that cheese on tv ads.
Not just Auckland passengrs but those in Wellingtaon also mised out on free travel on Christmas day. The drivers down here (of whom I am one) didn’t get a hamper either despite our being the only business group of NZ Bus to actually increase profit in the quarter. And the pens? adding insult to injury as far as I and many other drivers here in Wgtn are concerned. Go NZ Scrooge
WASHINGTON – A new report finds that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a poor job of screening medical experts for financial conflicts when it hired them to advise the agency on vaccine safety, officials said.
Most of the experts who served on advisory panels in 2007 to evaluate vaccines for flu and cervical cancer had potential conflicts that were never resolved.
Some were legally barred from considering the issues but did so anyway.
In the report, Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that the centers failed nearly every time to ensure that the experts adequately filled out forms confirming they were not being paid by companies with an interest in their decisions.
As numerous medicines have been pulled from the market in recent years, worries have grown that experts may be recommending medical products – even ones they know to be unsafe – in part because manufacturers are paying them
Surely better to have a properly controlled vendor system than ad hoc speculators in pristine spots. Why not? People want it or they wouldn’t buy the stuff. Wrappers and waste need to be sternly controlled of course. Let’s not be so doctrinaire you environmental zealots.
You don’t get it. The concession itself is not the issue, it is a manifestation of the mindset which reframes the environment as some sort of vast strip mall waiting for retailers and their neon signs. If DoC were to run the icecream stand, I would still have significant concerns but not the sense of dread I have now about what’s in store for the future.
Keeping animals in cages all their lives – as some think we ought to do with cows – surely has its pros and cons. On the plus side it’s more compact, more profitable, probably less hassle in lots of ways.
The Americans do it so maybe we should be doing it too.
Animals in cages – this concept can and has been widened to include humans. Reminds me of the affordable sleeping accommodation that gets provided in some Asian cities. You have a small ‘cave’ which has a door in a wall of such ‘nests’, sleeping bag size with a lockable grill.
You can sleep in comfort and safety from thieves etc. I seem to remember Billy Connolly or someone saying they had similar in Scottish tenements, where the bed space was divided up in two rooms, one having the lower space, on the other side of the wall, the mattress would be on the top and people would climb up to their space.
Then there are criminal cells where we can’t even allow enough personal space for one person alone, the cells must be shared with an unchosen cell partner and their habits.
Gorbals tower blocks was referred to on that accommodation clip. Think that was what Billy C was talking about. The tenement room in the clip was pretty cramped but it had a window, a fire, electricity, and furniture. All that is needed, plus the funds to pay for the fuel. Could be worse. When the Roxburgh dam was being built workers were brought out from Brit but didn’t like the corrugated iron whares that were provided. Possibly they weren’t up to the same standard as the room in the clip.
Its shades of the Pythons piece on who had the worst conditions as children, but I think Orwell talked about Welsh miners whose cottages were over mineshafts on land that was moving. A miner might have to free his family or get into his cottage, by taking an axe to the door panels at the end of his working day, because doors and windows had jammed tight as the house moved slowly and continually.
I’d suggest the stench of rats (hence the cat?) and dampness would have been the first things to hit you in the miners tenement. That and the fact that there is no running water in a permanent place of residence…in the 1950s…in a ‘first world’ country.
Contrasted with Dam construction workers who were in temporary accommodation….converted trams etc which had water and light….and were situated in a climate generally a goodly few degrees warmer than that enjoyed by the miner….
Yes. It all has shades of Python…which was based on the premise that things got better as we moved forward. The only point of contention was over who should have the badge of honour for having emerged from the ‘worst’ of the ‘good old days.’
Meanwhile, I notice that the weekend or holiday baches and cribs of yesteryear are now somebodys permanent accommodation….
edit. The only reference I recall Connelly making to the high rise was the fact that you couldn’t throw jam sandwiches to the kids from 20 storeys up like you used to from the tenement window…
REminds me of a funny little poem I read once about a jam butty and its adventures as it travelled from the top of one of those extreme high rises to the little chap waiting for it on the ground. Probably the one mentioned.
I am trying to draw together the strands of “Re-run: Benefits, wages and anger”, the discussion of NZ broadcasting and the holiday season.
I’m struck by the deep denial of it all.
Not just on TV, but Radio NZ has shut down for five weeks. Why? The whole meme from all our mainstream media organisations is that New Zealand is “on holiday”. And not just on holiday, but specifically at the bach or beach. This is a total fiction propagated to Orwellian levels by our media. The vast majority of New Zealanders don’t own a bach and won’t be at the beach for endless weeks of lazy summer fun this holiday season. The whole coverage of Xmas/New Year is the starkest possible demonstration of a middle class media utterly out of touch with the reality of life in New Zealand. It’s a farrago of Pakeha middle class wishful thinking and longing for a non-existant golden age of the 1950’s-70’s.
Which brings me to Phoenix. For this poor women the penny has clearly not dropped. Phoenix imagines herself one day owning a pink McMansion at Omaha, BBQ’ing with that all round nice guy John Key just over the back fence. She lives in a media fuelled fantasy where she identifies herself as a member of the master’s class rather than as someone who will be much more likely to spend her Christmas Holiday working at cleaning John Key’s bach as a servant than eating with him as an equal. Brainwashed by a media that has convinced her she is something she is not, in her denial she struggles against her class interest. To get ahead Phoenix best chance lies in collective action. Hard work is not a virtue that is an end unto itself.
The “New Zealand on holiday” fantasy of the media and the depth of desire of Phoenix to be part of that fantasy perfectly illustrates how the mythology of the “Kiwi way of life” obstructs any real and objective assessment of the reality of life for most New Zealanders over Xmas/New year 2009/10.
Anyway, here is to 2010 and another twelve months to lay these Tory bastards low and ensure the Labour-left coalition that replaces isn’t just another pale pink “third way” administration.
I’ve wondered and felt uneasy about this ‘shut down’ malarky too.
Doesn’t happen anywhere else as far as I’m aware. You think it might have something to do with a left over colonial attitude? I mean it’s not as if the world stops, but ‘back in the day’ most important matters would have been fielded back in the ‘mother country’ anyway and trade was kind of rote and guaranteed….so, maybe government of small colonies allowed themselves the luxury of knocking off for the summer as they saw themselves as nothing much more than sub-committees.
An infectious lazy fair of sun,sand and bull shit that belongs to a bye gone era when any inadequacy in the democratic practices of NZ would have merely amounted to a noted bye line of empire?
This lapse in accountability…this hooray holiday for (it seems) everybody but the workers is beneficial to the unfettered operation of something though, innit?
Or is it merely an expression of how tied up with, how shallow and empty the media are without parliament?
This forensic hacking analysis of a victoria secret photo is intriguing. Once all the layers are taken off, including whitening her skin – what is left? Can we trust any visual image?
nothing is going to happen till the mass consciousness is raised.
while the population is excited about the world cup and having a reason to go mental then anything else is a waste of time.
look how brash excited everybody about catching up with australia in 20205 even though that meeans surpassing france and germany.
as long as wea re susceptible to being blinded by the rights rhetoric with no examination then we wil swallow anything.
all this point scoring on a blog in cyber space will not get anyone anywhere unless the facts are outed and hammered home.
this government is a con but a con that we all fall for .
why is that?
Have a browse through the fifty one fans and see if anyone can spot which sewer blogger and well known fearless defender of public morals is an early fan…
Buzz from the Beehive A significant decline in natural gas production has given Resources Minister Shane Jones an opportunity to reiterate his enthusiasm for the mining and burning of coal. For good measure, he has praised an announcement from Genesis Energy that it will resume importing coal. He and Energy ...
“Follow the money” is the classic directive to journalists trying to understand where power and influence lie in society. In terms of uncovering who influences various New Zealand political parties and governments, it therefore pays to look at who is funding them. The political parties are legally obliged to make ...
Rob MacCullough writes – Here is my subjective ranking on a “most-left” to “most-right” scale of most of our major NZ Universities, with some anecdotal (and at times amusing) evidence to back up the claim.Extreme Left Auckland University of TechnologyEvidenceThe ...
Eric Crampton writes – I hadn’t thought about this one until a helpful email showed up in my inbox.It’s pretty obvious that income tax thresholds should automatically index with inflation – whether to anchor the thresholds in percentiles of the income distribution, or to anchor against a real ...
Jacqui Van Der Kaay writes – Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National ...
Gary Judd writes – The Dean of the law school at the Auckland University of Technology is someone called Khylee Quince. I have been sent her social media posting in which she has, over the LawNews headline “Senior King’s Counsel files complaint about compulsory tikanga Maori studies for ...
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With hindsight, it was inevitable that (a) Hamas would agree to the ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar and that ( b) Israel would then immediately launch attacks on Rafah, regardless. We might have hoped the concessions made by Hamas would cause Israel to desist from slaughtering thousands more ...
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Parliament’s speaker had no option but to refer Green MP Julie Anne Genter to the Privileges Committee for her behaviour in the House last Wednesday evening. The incident, in which she crossed the floor to wave a book and yell at National Minister Matt Doocey, reflects poorly on Genter and ...
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 ...
Who likes being sneered at? Nobody. Worse yet, when the sneerer has their facts all wrong, and might well be an idiot.The sneer in question is The adults are in charge now, and it is a sneer offered in retort to criticism of this new Government, no matter how well ...
When in government, Labour pushed to extend the Parliamentary term to four years, to reduce accountability and our ability to vote out a bad government. And now, they're trying to do it through the member's ballot, with a Four-Year Parliamentary Term Legislation Bill. The bill at least requires a referendum ...
A ballot for a single Member's Bill was held today, and the following bill was drawn: Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill (Hūhana Lyndon) The bill would prevent the government from stealing Māori land in breach of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It ...
Simeon Brown, alongside Wayne Brown, is favouring a political figleaf now in exchange for loading up tens of millions in extra interest costs on Auckland ratepayers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s is pushing back hard at suggestions from Local Government Minister Simeon Brown and Mayor Wayne Brown ...
Buzz from the Beehive One headline-grabber from the Beehive yesterday was the OECD’s advice that the government must bring the Budget deficit under control or face higher interest rates. Another was the announcement of a $1.9 billion “investment” in Corrections over the next four years. In the best interests of ...
Chris Trotter writes – Had Zheng He’s fleet sailed east, not west, in the early Fifteenth Century, how different our world would be. There is little reason to suppose that the sea-going junks of the Ming Dynasty, among the largest and most sophisticated sailing vessels ever constructed, would have failed ...
David Farrar writes – Two articles give a useful contrast in balance. Both seek to be neutral explainer articles. This one in the Herald on Social Investment covers the pros and cons nicely. It links to critical pieces and talks about aspects that failed and aspects that are more ...
The tikanga regulations will compel law students to be taught that a system which does not conform with the rule of law is nevertheless law which should be observed and applied…Gary Judd KC writes – I have made a complaint to Parliament’s Regulation ...
The future of Te Huia, the train between Hamilton and Auckland, has been getting a lot of attention recently as current funding for it is only in place till the end of June. The government initially agreed to a five year trial, through to April 2026, but that was subject ...
TL;DR: Hamas has just agreed to Israel’s ceasefire plan. Nelson hospital’s rebuild has been cut back to save money. The OECD suggests New Zealand break up network monopolies, including in electricity. PM Christopher Luxon’s news conference on a prison expansion announcement last night was his messiest yet.Here’s my top six ...
A homicide in Ponsonby, a manhunt with a killer on the run. The nation’s leader stands before a press conference reassuring a frightened nation that he’ll sort it out, he’ll keep them safe, he’ll build some new prison spaces.Sorry what? There’s a scary dude on the run with a gun ...
Hi,I know it’s been awhile since there’s been any Webworm merch — and today that all changes!Over the last four months, I’ve been working with New Zealand artist Jess Johnson to create a series of t-shirts, caps and stickers that are infused with Webworm DNA — and as of right ...
The OECD’s chief economist yesterday laid it on the line for the new Government: bring the deficit under control or face higher Reserve Bank interest rates for longer. And to bring the deficit under control, she meant not borrowing for tax cuts. But there was more. Without policy changes—introducing a ...
After a hiatus of over four months Selwyn Manning and I finally got it together to re-start the “A View from Afar” podcast series. We shall see how we go but aim to do 2 episodes per month if possible. … Continue reading → ...
In 2008, the UK Parliament passed the Climate Change Act 2008. The law established a system of targets, budgets, and plans, with inbuilt accountability mechanisms; the aim was to break the cycle of empty promises and replace it with actual progress towards emissions reduction. The law was passed with near-universal ...
Buzz from the Beehive Local Water Done Well – let’s be blunt – is a silly name, but the first big initiative to put it into practice has gone done well. This success is reflected in the headline on an RNZ report:District mayors welcome Auckland’s new water deal with ...
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Lindsay Mitchell writes – The Children’s Minister, Karen Chhour, intends to repeal Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 because it creates conflict between claimed Crown Treaty obligations and the child’s best interests. In her words, “Oranga Tamariki’s governing principles and its act should be colour ...
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TL;DR:Winston Peters is reported to have won a budget increase for MFAT. David Seymour wanted his Ministry of Regulation to be three times bigger than the Productivity Commission. Simeon Brown is appointing a Crown Monitor to Watercare to protect the Claytons Crown Guarantee he had to give ratings agencies ...
The gloves are off. That might seem to be the undertone of surprisingly tough talk from New Zealand’s foreign and trade ministers. Winston Peters, the foreign minister, may be facing legal action after making allegations about former Australian foreign minister Bob Carr on Radio New Zealand. Carr had made highly ...
I could be a florist'Round the corner from Rye LaneI'll be giving daisies to craziesBut, baby, I'll wrap you up real safe Oh, I can give you flowers At the end of every dayFor the center of your table, a rainbowIn case you have people 'round to stay Depending on ...
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The price of the foreign affairs “reset” is now becoming apparent, with Defence set to get a funding boost in the Budget. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has confirmed that it will be one of the few votes, apart from Health and Education and possibly Police, which will get an increase ...
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Rob MacCulloch writes – Can’t remember the last book by a Kiwi author you read? Think the NZ government should spend less on the arts in favor of helping the homeless? If so, as far as Newsroom is concerned, you probably deserve to be called a cultural ignoramus ...
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Buzz from the Beehive Much more media attention is being paid to something Winston Peters said about former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr than to a speech he delivered to the New Zealand China Council. One word is missing from the speech: AUKUS. But AUKUS loomed large in his considerations ...
Is the economy in another long stagnation? If so, why?This is about the time that the Treasury will be locking up its economic forecasts to be published in the 2024 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update (BEFU) on budget day, 30 May. I am not privy to what they will be ...
The annual list of who's been bribing our politicians is out, and journalists will no doubt be poring over it to find the juiciest and dirtiest bribes. The government's fast-track invite list is likely to be a particular focus, and we already know of one company on the list which ...
In the weeks after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Southern Israel I wrote about the possible 2nd, 3rd and even 4th order effects of the conflict. These included new fronts being opened in the West Bank (with Hamas), Golan … Continue reading → ...
Peter Dunne writes – It is one of the oldest truisms that there is never a good time for MPs to get a pay rise. This week’s announcement of pay raises of around 2.8% backdated to last October could hardly have come at a worse time, with the ...
David Farrar writes – Newshub reports: Newshub can reveal a fresh allegation of intimidation against Green MP Julie-Anne Genter. Genter is subject to a disciplinary process for aggressively waving a book in the face of National Minister Matt Doocey in the House – but it’s not the first time ...
The Treasury has published a paper today on the global productivity slowdown and how it is playing out in New Zealand: The productivity slowdown: implications for the Treasury’s forecasts and projections. The Treasury Paper examines recent trends in productivity and the potential drivers of the slowdown. Productivity for the whole economy ...
Winston Peters’ comments about former Australian foreign minister look set to be an ongoing headache for both him and Luxon. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for subscribers features co-hosts and , along with regular guests on Gaza and ...
These puppet strings don't pull themselvesYou're thinking thoughts from someone elseHow much time do you think you have?Are you prepared for what comes next?The debating chamber can be a trying place for an opposition MP. What with the person in charge, the speaker, typically being an MP from the governing ...
The land around Lyme Regis, where Meryl Streep once stood, in a hood, on the Cobb, is falling into the sea.MerylThe land around Lyme Regis, around the Cobb that made it rich, has always been falling slowly but surely into the sea. Read more ...
Buzz from the Beehive Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters was bound to win headlines when he set out his thinking about AUKUS in his speech to the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. The headlines became bigger when – during an interview on RNZ’s Morning Report today – he criticised ...
The Post reports on how the government is refusing to release its advice on its corrupt Muldoonist fast-track law, instead using the "soon to be publicly available" refusal ground to hide it until after select committee submissions on the bill have closed. Fast-track Minister Chris Bishop's excuse? “It's not ...
As pressure on it grows, the livestock industry’s approach to the transition to Net Zero is increasingly being compared to that of fossil fuel interests. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / Getty ImagesTL;DR: Here’s the top five news items of note in climate news for Aotearoa-NZ this week, and a discussion above ...
The New Zealand Herald reports – Stats NZ has offered a voluntary redundancy scheme to all of its workers as a way to give staff some control over their “future” amidst widespread job losses in the public sector. In an update to staff this morning, seen by the Herald, Statistics New Zealand ...
On Werewolf/Scoop, I usually do two long form political columns a week. From now on, there will be an extra column each week about music and movies. But first, some late-breaking political events:The rise in unemployment numbers for the March quarter was bigger than expected – and especially sharp ...
David Farrar writes – The Herald reports: TVNZ says it is dealing with about 50 formal complaints over its coverage of the latest 1News-Verian political poll, with some viewers – as well as the Prime Minister and a former senior Labour MP – critical of the tone of the 6pm report. ...
Muriel Newman writes – When Meridian Energy was seeking resource consents for a West Coast hydro dam proposal in 2010, local Maori “strenuously” objected, claiming their mana was inextricably linked to ‘their’ river and could be damaged. After receiving a financial payment from the company, however, the Ngai Tahu ...
Alwyn Poole writes – “An SEP,’ he said, ‘is something that we can’t see, or don’t see, or our brain doesn’t let us see, because we think that it’s somebody else’s problem. That’s what SEP means. Somebody Else’s Problem. The brain just edits it out, it’s like a ...
Our trust in our political institutions is fast eroding, according to a Maxim Institute discussion paper, Shaky Foundations: Why our democracy needs trust. The paper – released today – raises concerns about declining trust in New Zealand’s political institutions and democratic processes, and the role that the overuse of Parliamentary urgency ...
This article was prepared for publication yesterday. More ministerial announcements have been posted on the government’s official website since it was written. We will report on these later today …. Buzz from the BeehiveThere we were, thinking the environment is in trouble, when along came Jones. Shane Jones. ...
New Zealand now has the fourth most depressed construction sector in the world behind China, Qatar and Hong Kong. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: These are the six things that stood out to me in news and commentary on Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy at 8:46am on Thursday, May 2:The Lead: ...
David Seymour has failed to get the sweeping cuts he wanted to the free and healthy school lunch programme, Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said. ...
Hon Willie Jackson has been invited by the Oxford Union to debate the motion “This House Believes British Museums are not Very British’ on May 23rd. ...
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon says her Public Works (Prohibition of Compulsory Acquisition of Māori Land) Amendment Bill is an opportunity to right some past wrongs around the alienation of Māori land. ...
A senior, highly respected King’s Counsel with decades of experience in our law courts, Gary Judd KC, has filed a complaint about compulsory tikanga Māori studies for law students - highlighting the utter depths of absurdity this woke cultural madness has taken our society. The tikanga regulations will compel law ...
The Government needs to be clear with the people of the Nelson Marlborough region about the changes it is considering for the Nelson Hospital rebuild, Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said. ...
Ministers must front up about which projects it will push through under its Fast Track Approvals legislation, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
The Government is again adding to New Zealand’s growing unemployment, this time cutting jobs at the agencies responsible for urban development and growing much needed housing stock. ...
With Minister Karen Chhour indicating in the House today that she either doesn’t know or care about the frontline cuts she’s making to Oranga Tamariki, we risk seeing more and more of our children falling through the cracks. ...
The Labour Party is saddened to learn of the death of Sir Robert Martin, a globally renowned disability advocate who led the way for disability rights both in New Zealand and internationally. ...
Labour is calling for the Government to urgently rethink its coalition commitment to restart live animal exports, Labour animal welfare spokesperson Rachel Boyack said. ...
Today’s Financial Stability Report has once again highlighted that poverty and deep inequality are political choices - and this Government is choosing to make them worse. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to do more for our households in most need as unemployment rises and the cost of living crisis endures. ...
Unemployment is on the rise and it’s only going to get worse under this Government, Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds said. Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate grew to 4.3 percent in the March quarter from 4 percent in the December quarter. “This is the second rise in unemployment ...
The New Zealand Labour Party welcomes the entering into force of the European Union and New Zealand free trade agreement. This agreement opens the door for a huge increase in trade opportunities with a market of 450 million people who are high value discerning consumers of New Zealand goods and ...
The National-led Government continues its fiscal jiggery pokery with its Pharmac announcement today, Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall says. “The government has increased Pharmac funding but conceded it will only make minimal increases in access to medicine”, said Ayesha Verrall “This is far from the bold promises made to fund ...
This afternoon’s interim Waitangi Tribunal report must be taken seriously as it affects our most vulnerable children, Labour children’s spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government will be delivering a more efficient Healthy School Lunches Programme, saving taxpayers approximately $107 million a year compared to how Labour funded it, by embracing innovation and commercial expertise. “We are delivering on our commitment to treat taxpayers’ money ...
New research on the impacts of extreme weather on coastal marine habitats in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay will help fishery managers plan for and respond to any future events, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. A report released today on research by Niwa on behalf of Fisheries New Zealand ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will lead a broad political delegation on a five-stop Pacific tour next week to strengthen New Zealand’s engagement with the region. The delegation will visit Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Tuvalu. “New Zealand has deep and ...
There has been a material decline in gas production according to figures released today by the Gas Industry Co. Figures released by the Gas Industry Company show that there was a 12.5 per cent reduction in gas production during 2023, and a 27.8 per cent reduction in gas production in the ...
Defence Minister Judith Collins tonight announced the recipients of the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry, saying they all contribute to New Zealanders’ security and wellbeing. “Congratulations to this year’s recipients, whose innovative products and services play a critical role in the delivery of New Zealand’s defence capabilities, ...
Welcome to you all - it is a pleasure to be here this evening.I would like to start by thanking Greg Lowe, Chair of the New Zealand Defence Industry Advisory Council, for co-hosting this reception with me. This evening is about recognising businesses from across New Zealand and overseas who in ...
It is a pleasure to be speaking to you as the Minister for Digitising Government. I would like to thank Akolade for the invitation to address this Summit, and to acknowledge the great effort you are making to grow New Zealand’s digital future. Today, we stand at the cusp of ...
New Zealand is urging both Israel and Hamas to agree to an immediate ceasefire to avoid the further humanitarian catastrophe that military action in Rafah would unleash, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The immense suffering in Gaza cannot be allowed to worsen further. Both sides have a responsibility to ...
A new online data dashboard released today as part of the Government’s school attendance action plan makes more timely daily attendance data available to the public and parents, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. The interactive dashboard will be updated once a week to show a national average of how ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced Rosemary Banks will be New Zealand’s next Ambassador to the United States of America. “Our relationship with the United States is crucial for New Zealand in strategic, security and economic terms,” Mr Peters says. “New Zealand and the United States have a ...
The Government is considering creating a new tier of minerals permitting that will make it easier for hobby miners to prospect for gold. “New Zealand was built on gold, it’s in our DNA. Our gold deposits, particularly in regions such as Otago and the West Coast have always attracted fortune-hunters. ...
Minister for Trade Todd McClay today announced that New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will commence negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). Minister McClay met with his counterpart UAE Trade Minister Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, where they announced the launch of negotiations on a ...
New Zealand Sign Language Week is an excellent opportunity for all Kiwis to give the language a go, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. This week (May 6 to 12) is New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Week. The theme is “an Aotearoa where anyone can sign anywhere” and aims to ...
Six tertiary students have been selected to work on NASA projects in the US through a New Zealand Space Scholarship, Space Minister Judith Collins announced today. “This is a fantastic opportunity for these talented students. They will undertake internships at NASA’s Ames Research Center or its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where ...
New Zealanders will be safer because of a $1.9 billion investment in more frontline Corrections officers, more support for offenders to turn away from crime, and more prison capacity, Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says. “Our Government said we would crack down on crime. We promised to restore law and order, ...
The OECD’s latest report on New Zealand reinforces the importance of bringing Government spending under control, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The OECD conducts country surveys every two years to review its members’ economic policies. The 2024 New Zealand survey was presented in Wellington today by OECD Chief Economist Clare Lombardelli. ...
The Government has delivered on its election promise to provide a financially sustainable model for Auckland under its Local Water Done Well plan. The plan, which has been unanimously endorsed by Auckland Council’s Governing Body, will see Aucklanders avoid the previously projected 25.8 per cent water rates increases while retaining ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters discussed the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and enhanced cooperation in the Pacific with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her first official visit to New Zealand today. "New Zealand and Germany enjoy shared interests and values, including the rule of law, democracy, respect for the international system ...
The Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Chris Bishop today released his decision on four recommendations referred to him by the Western Bay of Plenty District Council, opening the door to housing growth in the area. The Council’s Plan Change 92 allows more homes to be built in existing and new ...
Thank you, John McKinnon and the New Zealand China Council for the invitation to speak to you today. Thank you too, all members of the China Council. Your effort has played an essential role in helping to build, shape, and grow a balanced and resilient relationship between our two ...
The Government is modernising insurance law to better protect Kiwis and provide security in the event of a disaster, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly announced today. “These reforms are long overdue. New Zealand’s insurance law is complicated and dated, some of which is more than 100 years old. ...
The coalition Government is refreshing its approach to supporting pay equity claims as time-limited funding for the Pay Equity Taskforce comes to an end, Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says. “Three years ago, the then-government introduced changes to the Equal Pay Act to support pay equity bargaining. The changes were ...
Structured literacy will change the way New Zealand children learn to read - improving achievement and setting students up for success, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. “Being able to read and write is a fundamental life skill that too many young people are missing out on. Recent data shows that ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay says Canada’s refusal to comply in full with a CPTPP trade dispute ruling in our favour over dairy trade is cynical and New Zealand has no intention of backing down. Mr McClay said he has asked for urgent legal advice in respect of our ‘next move’ ...
The rights of our children and young people will be enhanced by changes the coalition Government will make to strengthen oversight of the Oranga Tamariki system, including restoring a single Children’s Commissioner. “The Government is committed to delivering better public services that care for our most at-risk young people and ...
The Government is making it easier for minor changes to be made to a building consent so building a home is easier and more affordable, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “The coalition Government is focused on making it easier and cheaper to build homes so we can ...
New Zealand lost a true legend when internationally renowned disability advocate Sir Robert Martin (KNZM) passed away at his home in Whanganui last night, Disabilities Issues Minister Louise Upston says. “Our Government’s thoughts are with his wife Lynda, family and community, those he has worked with, the disability community in ...
Good evening – Before discussing the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s foreign policy, we’d like to first acknowledge the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. You have contributed to debates about New Zealand foreign policy over a long period of time, and we thank you for hosting us. ...
From today, passengers travelling internationally from Auckland Airport will be able to keep laptops and liquids in their carry-on bags for security screening thanks to new technology, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Creating a more efficient and seamless travel experience is important for holidaymakers and businesses, enabling faster movement through ...
People with an interest in the health of Northland’s marine ecosystems are invited to a public meeting to discuss how to deal with kina barrens, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones will lead the discussion, which will take place on Friday, 10 May, at Awanui Hotel in ...
Kiwi exporters are $100 million better off today with the NZ EU FTA entering into force says Trade Minister Todd McClay. “This is all part of our plan to grow the economy. New Zealand's prosperity depends on international trade, making up 60 per cent of the country’s total economic activity. ...
There are heartening signs that the extractive sector is once again becoming an attractive prospect for investors and a source of economic prosperity for New Zealand, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The beginnings of a resurgence in extractive industries are apparent in media reports of the sector in the past ...
The return of the historic Ō-Rākau battle site to the descendants of those who fought there moved one step closer today with the first reading of Te Pire mō Ō-Rākau, Te Pae o Maumahara / The Ō-Rākau Remembrance Bill. The Bill will entrust the 9.7-hectare battle site, five kilometres west ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has announced 25 new high-speed EV charging hubs along key routes between major urban centres and outlined the Government’s plan to supercharge New Zealand’s EV infrastructure. The hubs will each have several chargers and be capable of charging at least four – and up to 10 ...
The coalition Government will not proceed with the previous Government’s plans to regulate residential property managers, Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “I have written to the Chairperson of the Social Services and Community Committee to inform him that the Government does not intend to support the Residential Property Managers Bill ...
The Government has announced an independent review into the disability support system funded by the Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha. Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston says the review will look at what can be done to strengthen the long-term sustainability of Disability Support Services to provide disabled people and ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has attended the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva and outlined the Government’s plan to restore law and order. “Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council provided us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while responding to issues and ...
The Government and Rotorua Lakes Council are committed to working closely together to end the use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua. Associate Minister of Housing (Social Housing) Tama Potaka says the Government remains committed to ending the long-term use of contracted emergency housing motels in Rotorua by the ...
Trade Minister Todd McClay heads overseas today for high-level trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris. Mr McClay will travel to Riyadh to meet with counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). “New Zealand’s goods and services exports to the Gulf region ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford has outlined six education priorities to deliver a world-leading education system that sets Kiwi kids up for future success. “I’m putting ambition, achievement and outcomes at the heart of our education system. I want every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning so they ...
RNZ News As Israel presses ahead with strikes in Rafah and seizing the Rafah crossing from Egypt, aid agencies are sounding the alarm of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation”. Rafah was “significant” because it was the only part in Gaza that had not been terribly damaged by the conflict, United Nations ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Cooke, Honorary Fellow, School of the Environment, The University of Queensland We feel ecological grief when we lose places, species or ecosystems we value and love. These losses are a growing threat to mental health and wellbeing globally. We all see ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shauna Brail, Associate Professor, Institute for Management & Innovation, University of Toronto A shift to hybrid and remote work continues to affect worker presence in Toronto’s downtown.(Shutterstock) Downtown Toronto, the core of Canada’s largest city, continues to reel from the lingering ...
Responding to an Auditor-General's report slamming failures in the administration of the 2023 General Election, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said: ...
The Taxpayers’ Union says the Beehive need to lead by example, following reports of more than $50,000 spent upgrading video conferencing equipment and furniture in the Prime Minister’s office. Taxpayers’ Union Campaign Manager, Connor Molloy, ...
An objective list of the 50 most powerful people in New Zealand, as judged by the Spinoff Editorial Board. It’s power list season, baby, and we want in on the action. Sure, there’s the rich list and the powerful “c-suite” list and the young people with power (hmmm) but here, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thalia Anthony, Professor of Law, University of Technology Sydney ShutterstockThis article contains information on deaths in custody and the names of deceased people, and describes ongoing colonial violence towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. First Nations people in Australia ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Simpson, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Macquarie University Netflix Baby Reindeer’s phenomenal success has much to do with its writer and lead, Richard Gadd, who plays Donny in a tender semi-autobiographical account of sexual abuse, harassment and stalking. Gadd’s story has ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Clare Collins, Laureate Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Newcastle KarolinaGrabowska/Pexels If you didn’t have food allergies as a child, is it possible to develop them as an adult? The short answer is yes. But the reasons why are much ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Moon, Professor of History, Auckland University of Technology Ans Westra, self-portrait, c. 1963. National Library ref AWM-0705-F They try but invariably fail – those writers who believe they are capable of encapsulating in prose or verse the essence of ...
Stewart Sowman-Lund looks at the growing concern around the world in this extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. What’s all this? When Covid-19 arrived on our shores in early 2020, some argued we were too slow, or crucially, ill-prepared for a pandemic. So ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Franco Montalto, Professor of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and Director, Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Laboratory, Drexel University Water runs into a storm drain in a Los Angeles alley on Aug. 19, 2023, during Tropical Storm Hilary.Citizen of the Planet/Universal Images ...
The inquest into the death of Gore toddler Lachlan Jones has turned up a new witness who says he saw two teenagers and a small child in a high vis vest in the area where the boy’s body was found the day he died. Lachie’s body was discovered face up ...
Stories from the tenancy trenches, featuring spider infestations, cupboard rats and same-sex discrimination. Lucy’s brother was living in a damp 1930s building in Mt Eden where “he had to tie the cupboard doors closed so the rats didn’t get in”. Although he shared custody of his six-year-old son, his property ...
Simeon Brown, Chris Luxon, and Wayne Brown climbed into a hole and announced a plan to solve Auckland’s water woes. This is how it’ll work. New Zealand’s pipes are munted. They’re cracked and leaking, and struggling to handle all the extra poos excreted by our rising population. It’s a big, ...
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Opinion: ‘Reference-class forecasting’ is at the heart of improving pricing a project and identifying the expected timeframe but it doesn’t appear to be in use here The post ‘Think fast and act slowly’ is failing big projects appeared first on Newsroom. ...
What do a sombrero in Argentina and cognitive driving tests have in common? Don’t worry, we’re not setting up a bad joke. Hinengaro Clinic dementia clinician Gregory Winkelman has the answer on today’s episode of The Detail. “We ask a patient’s spouse or son or daughter: If you went to ...
Wellington long jumper Phoebe Edwards is back and she’s having fun again. Until this year, Edwards, a top athlete in her teens, had never competed as a senior athlete in New Zealand. In March, the 26-year-old won a national long jump title in a lifetime best of 6.28m after ...
After replacing a fifth of their caucus in just four months, the Greens’ opportunity to reset, reshuffle and refocus on the Government is quickly slipping away The post Persistent Green Party scandals delay caucus reset appeared first on Newsroom. ...
I knew Taika Waititi quite well when he was a kid. His mother lived in a tall narrow house in Aro St, and my youngest sister had a similar house two doors along. They were both single mums, they each had a son aged seven. Taika and my nephew Stepan ...
Opinion: “As time passes, knowledge of the circumstances of the August 2016 outbreak will fade and its immediate impact will be lost.” This statement is from the 2017 report of the Official Inquiry into the Havelock North campylobacteriosis outbreak. The then National-led government established the inquiry after the outbreak left ...
Opinion: Nicholas Khoo looks at two key points in the high-stakes foreign policy pact debate – and asks if NZ can engage with as little drama as possible. The post Where to next for the Aukus ruckus? appeared first on Newsroom. ...
ANALYSIS:By Olli Hellmann, University of Waikato When New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day today on April 25, it’s not only to honour the soldiers who lost their lives in World War I and subsequent conflicts, but also to mark a defining event for national identity. The battle of Gallipoli against ...
By Robin Martin, RNZ News reporter A New Zealand local authority, Whanganui District Council, has passed a motion calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, condemnation of all acts of violence and terror against civilians on both sides of the conflict and the immediate return of hostages. It comes as ...
Asia Pacific Report The Aotearoa chapter of the Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has appealed to the New Zealand government to call out Israel over the “cruel and barbaric use of force” in Gaza and demand a permanent ceasefire. The league’s open letter was sent to Prime ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Albanese government will invest $566 million over a decade on data, maps and other tools to promote exploration and development in Australia’s resources industry. The project will fund “the first comprehensive map of what’s ...
Asia Pacific Report Following an open letter by Auckland University academics speaking out in support of their students’ right to protest against the genocidal Israeli war on Gaza, a group of academics at Otago University have today also called on New Zealand academic institutions to “repair colonial violence” and end ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Linda J. Graham, Professor and Director of the Centre for Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology Ryan Tauss/ Unsplash, CC BY Two male students have been expelled from a Melbourne private school for their involvement in a list ranking female students. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Martin, Visiting Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The Reserve Bank is now assuming Australians will see no interest rate cuts this year – and quite possibly none before the next federal election, due next May. That’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Hayward, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy, RMIT University The Victorian budget offered more of the same on Tuesday, with the only change being how the budget papers were packaged. The usual shrink wrap was gone, hinting at savings in the pages ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition is demanding extensive amendments to the government’s legislation targeting non-citizens who refuse to co-operate with their removal. In a dissenting report to the senate inquiry into the legislation, the Coalition says it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vanita Yadav, Senior Research Fellow, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Brett Boardman/Belvoir The complex and grappling issue of violence against women takes centre stage in the soul-stirring solo dance drama Nayika: A Dancing Girl. During a dinner conversation ...
Disruption to patient care from a nationwide junior doctors strike is bordering on unsafe, a senior doctor claims, despite what health officials say. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Diepstraten, Senior Research Officer, Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Ground Picture/Shutterstock The anti-cancer drug abemaciclib (also known as Vernezio) has this month been added to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) to treat certain ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominic McAfee, Postdoctoral researcher, marine ecology, University of Adelaide Robbie Porter, OzFish Unlimited Around Australia, hundreds of people are coming together to help a once-prized, but decimated and largely forgotten marine ecosystem. They’re busy restoring Australia’s native oyster and mussel reefs. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Webb, Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology Austin Human/Unsplash How does Earth stop meteors from hitting Earth and hurting people? –Asher, 6 years 11 months, New South Wales Alright, let’s embark on a meteor ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rory Mulcahy, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of the Sunshine Coast Professional sports organisations regularly promote and develop initiatives to support diversity, equity and inclusion. While sport has the power to change attitudes by sparking conversations about political issues and social ...
Comment: The weekly Monday post-Cabinet press conference is a useful forum for observing Christopher Luxon and how he is developing into the job of Prime Minister. He attempts to convey the impression of a man of action, speaking fast, delivering memorised National Party strategies in a connect-the-slogans kind of way, ...
Double votes, missing ballot boxes, tired tech and stressed staff: how tick-tallying went astray at last year’s election. Cast your mind back to November 2023, that bleary-eyed post-election period duringwhichwewaited, andwaited, for a coalition deal to be hammered out. A distraction from the hotel-hopping of our ...
International audiences are starting to discover what New Zealand already knew about After the Party.When After the Party aired in New Zealand last year, the response was fast and furious. In his preview for Rec Room, Duncan Greive said it was a “gritty, wrenching and highly confronting” series. By ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Shahram Akbarzadeh, Convenor of the Middle East Studies Forum (MESF), and Acting Director the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University Iran’s leadership has been a direct beneficiary of the months-long war in Gaza. With every missile that Israel fires ...
Claire Mabey reviews the haunting and sexy debut novel from Sinéad Gleeson, who is about to touch down in Aotearoa for a string of live events.When Irish writer Sinéad Gleeson was in Aotearoa in 2018 with her spectacular collection of essays, Constellations, she told me she was working on ...
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Where some saw the worst press conference given by the government to date, Anna Rawhiti-Connell recognised girl maths game.Nicola Willis, recently exasperated by comparisons to Ruth Richardson, said she was “a bit sick of being compared with every female finance minister that’s ever been out there.”Some think that’s ...
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Jamie Arbuckle, the district councillor who became an MP but decided to keep getting paid for both roles, will instead donate one salary to charity. ...
Adding gender to the Human Rights Act would simply make the implicit explicit. So why is it so controversial? Paul Thistoll explain. At present, Aotearoa’s 1993 Human Rights Act (HRA) includes sex, marital status, religious belief, ethical belief (meaning a lack of religious belief), colour, race, ethnicity or national origin, ...
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane Kelsey, Emeritus Professor of Law, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Resources Minister Shane Jones has reportedly asked officials for advice on whether oil and gas companies could be offered “bonds” as compensation if drilling rights offered by ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Gleeson, Associate Professor of Law, Macquarie University Shutterstock The Albanese government is weighing up the costs of delivering an election promise to protect religious people from discrimination in Commonwealth law. Such protections were relatively uncontroversial when included in state anti-discrimination ...
for an interesting take on avatar try this article and comment thread http://gawker.com/5422666/when-will-white-people-stop-making-movies-like-avatar – quote
“This is a classic scenario you’ve seen in non-scifi epics from Dances With Wolves to The Last Samurai, where a white guy manages to get himself accepted into a closed society of people of color and eventually becomes its most awesome member.”
I haven’t seen it yet but I’m pretty sure brownlee wouldn’t be a blue one.
Or it could be that, under all the delusional egotism, the “white” race realises that we have to live as one people…
…but I doubt it.
Liked this from the above link
http://www.energybulletin.net/51070
Somebody actually gets it. We have no choice, we must constrain ourselves to living within the ecological limits of the Earth. We can’t end poverty by continuing to grow our economy. If we want to end poverty then we need to ensure that the resources that are available (just because they exists doesn’t mean that they’re available either) are properly distributed and that we don’t over populate the world.
Of course, we are now far past that point. I’d say that we passed it before the beginning of the 20th century.
“Somebody actually gets it”
Tthere are a few of us that “get it”, about 6% in NZ
According to Mike Moore we are from the planet Zog
Just watched Blind Spot. Full length low res preview and transcript through the link
An interesting and frightening point is made near the beginning in relation to how much energy we get from oil ; to what it extent it has replaced and superseded human and animal muscle power ; and just how bloody complacent…how nonchalant we are.
(Richard Heinberg)
watched it a couple of days ago
a good doco but it was interpersed with walmat adverts which was kinda ironic
i have just about given up watching TV so much shit
and so many good docos on the net
Don’t know where you watched it oob, but the link is completely advert free.
I’m going to guess there are about 100 docos that can be pre-viewed through the Media Education Foundation. Here’s the link to their list. No adverts.
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&keywords=all&template=PDGCommTemplates/HTN/SearchResult_TitlesAZ.html
brilliant! thanks.
most welcome. enjoy.
Try ‘ Capitalism Hits the Fan’ preview by Rick Wolff ( Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts.) since you aint doing TV. Very good stuff.
http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=139&template=PDGCommTemplates/HTN/Item_Preview.html
Yeah thats good too
“Instead of paying higher wages we lend them the money”
Thaks for the links
I have always struggled with NZTV ,having been brought up with the BBC watching great docos and political progs Question time for example
In the last year NZTV has become completely unwatchable , I despair
I hear the BBC has nosedived over recent years too. Panorama is gone, I think. I wouldn’t be surprised if Horizon is a dumbed down monkey of what it used to be….if it’s still going, that is.
But then, since TV is a delivery system for corporate agendas, I guess if you are advertising dumb stuff in an intelligently critical environment then the effectiveness of your advertising will diminish. So corporates dumb down the environment their message is delivered through and up those sales figures. Do that long enough and even a moderately critical programme on a non-commercial station looks ‘out of place’ and insofar as it could become a point of reference or a bar for programme makers, it becomes a target to be shut down by those self same corporates…even if it exists on a public broadcaster network.
So I guess we are just dumbed down consumer units then.
Strange, I thought NZTV became unwatchable at least a decade back.
Yes but completely unwatchable now
Can’t even watch the news
Anyone want my telly?
Free to a bad home
Yeah, there’s a sad lack of decent documentaries on TVNZ during prime time, and when there is one in a prime-time slot, all we get are the real-life-doco’s, which like reality TV, are typically bloody shallow infotainment.
And in more ‘jolly, jolly’ news.
Remember all those people who excused the coup in Honduras arguing all types of shit about legality of constitutional referenda and claiming that the exiled President had been trying to set himself up for life?
And remember how a lot of the people making those arguments claimed to belong to ‘the left’? Wonder what those fuckers will be saying now the assassination of activists in Honduras is under way?
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2278/1/
Thanks Bill, I had that sick feeling earlier this year that this would follow the longer term trends of their regional history. One gets used to being regarded as a Jeremiah in these matters, especially when the “our side is innocent and would never do such a thing” response is coming from the ideologues from both ends of the spectrum. As I always say, read the real history (as written by the losing side especially) and you get a fairly good ability to forecast this type of inhumanity.
http://www.ted.com/talks/rob_hopkins_transition_to_a_world_without_oil.html
worth watching
Yeah….sort of, I guess. But then again….nah. Here’s why.
I went to the transition stuff for my city and all my worst fears were realised. The bureaucratic hell zone of committees and secretaries ( ie crystallised and hierarchical structures)…same old dirty orthodox projects and undertakings dressing themselves in the garb of transition thinking and oodles of sincere insincerity dripping off my computer screen.
Having said that, there’s nothing wrong with what Rob Hopkins was saying as such. Just that it’s all very surface level stuff and not at all new. ( Gardeners have always shared their expertise and produce for example and people have always helped out or shared skills and knowledge around non-monetised social networks.)
I had the impression that it would appeal to the pot luck dinner liberal middle class brigade. It doesn’t really confront underlying issues and offers a feel good conscience salving programmes of spare time action that are mostly, ultimately pointless.
Substantive points and matters are not, it seems, being confronted. Questions of ownership and control. Questions of financial input and how any necessary transitional finances should be generated. Organisational structures…questions of equity and reward and sanction. Questions of production….how, why and what. The (soft airbrush) focus seems to be on distribution and consumption…..easy ‘feel good’ matters that allow you to continue your 9 to 5 and your accumulation of (ethical) goods and profit while defending notions of sense as viewed through a lens of material well being.
Ak47’s it is then
Nah.
Just that meaningful transition would involve addressing the points I raised. It doesn’t mean that everyone would then change their life utterly overnight, but points of compromise would be identified and acknowledged…desired end points identified and possible paths mapped out (subject to ongoing modifications and revisions)
But this transition thing appears to be wilfully blind to the fact that post oil is post capitalist; that we have to transition out of capitalism. Fast.
Ak47’s turning suburbias into death zones or an end to electricity, pumped water and individual transport options turning suburbias into death zones?
I reckon the latter…with of course, a little cannibalism on the side.
The tv situation is a reflection of the world view and priorities of youngish men and women whose interest is materialistic as in making or getting money and status, and things. They have little interest in the welfare of other people or the environment if there is no advantage to themselves in so doing.
It is a working example showing what the politicians will do to our broader society if able to proceed further with their personal visions which colour their chosen policies.
It makes your heart drop when you hear Clive Geddis of Queenstown get exercised about having a macron over the first a in Hawea. And stupidly say that its been that way for one hundred years. If it was a Maori name, it will date back further than that. The macron could be introduced over time, thus limiting the inconvenience and cost to organisations. It’s Whanganui all over and is an example of the too many petty, inadequate people who yet can strut their stuff enough to impress and get elected to take the role of a supposed thoughtful and clever leader, pragmatic planner and communicator.
How can we handle important things when every little improving idea has to be considered by a tight-minded elite. While the decision makers are worrying about this and other problems there are huge concerns – leaky buildings, New Zealand’s unofficial colour changing from green to khaki, an inability to take definite steps on climate change by introducing car emission measures…….
Took me far too long to get it.
they all came at once ?
There are still a few good programmes ,but one has to search .
Have a look at channel 7. A couple of good programmes .”Back Benches” is one. Then if you can get Central have a look at Euromaxx.
Channel 6 has a couple of nature programmes well worth the time;
However if you are a clasical music devotee then the only place (believe it or not) ) is to keep an eye open at the Warehouse where now and then some top class DVDs turn up. Opera, chamber music ect,
Im afraid the idea of a “public TV channel has been lost for ever the money bags have won the day. A lose to us all and certainly a lose to the many talented stars we have in Aotearoa .
Has everyone else caught up with Autotune the News? Its on youtube. I’ve just found it – new, clever way of looking at politics when you need a laugh.
I just wish they’d stop autotuning the music already. I’m kind of sick of changing the radio whenever I hear it’s awfulness intrude, and those that do like it are no doubt sick of changing it back again. We need to end this pointless war. But I’m not having it, I don’t care how allegedly good the beats are, if it’s got an autotuned vocal we need to kill it. Kill it with fire.
Autotune the news is definitely for you. Bag the slick politicians and music all in one. They combine
well into a singing and dancing less-than-spectacular. Roll up and enjoy the ridiculously clever or the clever ridiculed.
(Warning – there may be some small traces of clever and good politicians being ridiculed which could be irksome to the highly sensitive who think they should be treasured and increased and taken from their nests and bred in controlled surroundings before being released to the wild parliament.)
Jonathan Abrams: Why I am no longer a skeptic on climate change
One mans journey from denial to reality.
Looking at a secondhand book giving helpful advice on self defence for teeagers I noticed from the library card that it had never been checked out, the card was totally clear. The book and its helpful info and photos had hardly been looked at. The same thing will happen about our future problems and only determined action will cause change.
The idea of being precautionary, acting now for future gain is all pretty boring for our marshmallow generation. Im talking here about the well known experiment with these sweeties testing the tendency of toddlers to apply control for delayed gratification instead of the more satisfactory immediate buzz.
I think the present style of government mitigates against making decisions of future importance, the politicians are limited by their fixed term and the inability to communicate with the incurious and unwilling thinkers of most of the citizens. We don’t want inconvenient truths and will punish a government that tries to persuade us, or worse raises taxes to provide revenue and economic signals guiding our actions to a better course.
I have been thinking of the advantages of another representative body apart from and less than government, perhaps chosen at random, but being drawn from people of a certain criteria to ensure a mix of capable thinkers with diverse backgrounds. This group could be petitioned for changes to legislation to achieve better effectiveness. Government continually passes legislation that is found to be flawed when tested in reality. The group would be working with law, though it may also be deemed regulations I think they are called, where a body can impose certain rules under the aegis of government.
As well there needs to be a Planning Body that we hear about, separate from government and its appointees, which looks at our future problems providing an overview.
This is all rather long and rambling but its so easy to throw mudpies and run away when disputing something. Thinking about how to improve, do better, takes time, like that cheese on tv ads.
Merry Christmas from NZ Bus.
Not just Auckland passengrs but those in Wellingtaon also mised out on free travel on Christmas day. The drivers down here (of whom I am one) didn’t get a hamper either despite our being the only business group of NZ Bus to actually increase profit in the quarter. And the pens? adding insult to injury as far as I and many other drivers here in Wgtn are concerned. Go NZ Scrooge
WASHINGTON – A new report finds that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a poor job of screening medical experts for financial conflicts when it hired them to advise the agency on vaccine safety, officials said.
Most of the experts who served on advisory panels in 2007 to evaluate vaccines for flu and cervical cancer had potential conflicts that were never resolved.
Some were legally barred from considering the issues but did so anyway.
In the report, Daniel R. Levinson, the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that the centers failed nearly every time to ensure that the experts adequately filled out forms confirming they were not being paid by companies with an interest in their decisions.
As numerous medicines have been pulled from the market in recent years, worries have grown that experts may be recommending medical products – even ones they know to be unsafe – in part because manufacturers are paying them
More here: http://tinyurl.com/yej6xao
100% pure spin…
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10617650
Well our ETS doesn’t reduce emissions and we’re going to mine the crap out of our pristine parks so we’d better change our brand…
And what’s more there are Asians on your beach. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10598655
Should Asians be banned from beaches in New Zealand? Have your say.
Never mind the Asians, what about the icecream vendors. What’s next, a McDonalds atop Aoraki?
Thank’s National Ltd® – I’m lovin’ it.
Surely better to have a properly controlled vendor system than ad hoc speculators in pristine spots. Why not? People want it or they wouldn’t buy the stuff. Wrappers and waste need to be sternly controlled of course. Let’s not be so doctrinaire you environmental zealots.
You don’t get it. The concession itself is not the issue, it is a manifestation of the mindset which reframes the environment as some sort of vast strip mall waiting for retailers and their neon signs. If DoC were to run the icecream stand, I would still have significant concerns but not the sense of dread I have now about what’s in store for the future.
Just in case you missed Sean’s Christmas awesome:
http://seanmakescrafts.tumblr.com/post/297531732/merry-christmas-and-goodbye-from-me-for-now
Keeping animals in cages all their lives – as some think we ought to do with cows – surely has its pros and cons. On the plus side it’s more compact, more profitable, probably less hassle in lots of ways.
The Americans do it so maybe we should be doing it too.
And we’re doing such a wonderful job with the animals in paddocks.
Animals in cages – this concept can and has been widened to include humans. Reminds me of the affordable sleeping accommodation that gets provided in some Asian cities. You have a small ‘cave’ which has a door in a wall of such ‘nests’, sleeping bag size with a lockable grill.
You can sleep in comfort and safety from thieves etc. I seem to remember Billy Connolly or someone saying they had similar in Scottish tenements, where the bed space was divided up in two rooms, one having the lower space, on the other side of the wall, the mattress would be on the top and people would climb up to their space.
Then there are criminal cells where we can’t even allow enough personal space for one person alone, the cells must be shared with an unchosen cell partner and their habits.
Ah! The dream time of those 19 50s when we sure knew how to accomodate one another.
No 2 in the sequence is ‘pretty’ telling too.
Gorbals tower blocks was referred to on that accommodation clip. Think that was what Billy C was talking about. The tenement room in the clip was pretty cramped but it had a window, a fire, electricity, and furniture. All that is needed, plus the funds to pay for the fuel. Could be worse. When the Roxburgh dam was being built workers were brought out from Brit but didn’t like the corrugated iron whares that were provided. Possibly they weren’t up to the same standard as the room in the clip.
Its shades of the Pythons piece on who had the worst conditions as children, but I think Orwell talked about Welsh miners whose cottages were over mineshafts on land that was moving. A miner might have to free his family or get into his cottage, by taking an axe to the door panels at the end of his working day, because doors and windows had jammed tight as the house moved slowly and continually.
I’d suggest the stench of rats (hence the cat?) and dampness would have been the first things to hit you in the miners tenement. That and the fact that there is no running water in a permanent place of residence…in the 1950s…in a ‘first world’ country.
Contrasted with Dam construction workers who were in temporary accommodation….converted trams etc which had water and light….and were situated in a climate generally a goodly few degrees warmer than that enjoyed by the miner….
Yes. It all has shades of Python…which was based on the premise that things got better as we moved forward. The only point of contention was over who should have the badge of honour for having emerged from the ‘worst’ of the ‘good old days.’
Meanwhile, I notice that the weekend or holiday baches and cribs of yesteryear are now somebodys permanent accommodation….
edit. The only reference I recall Connelly making to the high rise was the fact that you couldn’t throw jam sandwiches to the kids from 20 storeys up like you used to from the tenement window…
REminds me of a funny little poem I read once about a jam butty and its adventures as it travelled from the top of one of those extreme high rises to the little chap waiting for it on the ground. Probably the one mentioned.
I am trying to draw together the strands of “Re-run: Benefits, wages and anger”, the discussion of NZ broadcasting and the holiday season.
I’m struck by the deep denial of it all.
Not just on TV, but Radio NZ has shut down for five weeks. Why? The whole meme from all our mainstream media organisations is that New Zealand is “on holiday”. And not just on holiday, but specifically at the bach or beach. This is a total fiction propagated to Orwellian levels by our media. The vast majority of New Zealanders don’t own a bach and won’t be at the beach for endless weeks of lazy summer fun this holiday season. The whole coverage of Xmas/New Year is the starkest possible demonstration of a middle class media utterly out of touch with the reality of life in New Zealand. It’s a farrago of Pakeha middle class wishful thinking and longing for a non-existant golden age of the 1950’s-70’s.
Which brings me to Phoenix. For this poor women the penny has clearly not dropped. Phoenix imagines herself one day owning a pink McMansion at Omaha, BBQ’ing with that all round nice guy John Key just over the back fence. She lives in a media fuelled fantasy where she identifies herself as a member of the master’s class rather than as someone who will be much more likely to spend her Christmas Holiday working at cleaning John Key’s bach as a servant than eating with him as an equal. Brainwashed by a media that has convinced her she is something she is not, in her denial she struggles against her class interest. To get ahead Phoenix best chance lies in collective action. Hard work is not a virtue that is an end unto itself.
The “New Zealand on holiday” fantasy of the media and the depth of desire of Phoenix to be part of that fantasy perfectly illustrates how the mythology of the “Kiwi way of life” obstructs any real and objective assessment of the reality of life for most New Zealanders over Xmas/New year 2009/10.
Anyway, here is to 2010 and another twelve months to lay these Tory bastards low and ensure the Labour-left coalition that replaces isn’t just another pale pink “third way” administration.
I’ve wondered and felt uneasy about this ‘shut down’ malarky too.
Doesn’t happen anywhere else as far as I’m aware. You think it might have something to do with a left over colonial attitude? I mean it’s not as if the world stops, but ‘back in the day’ most important matters would have been fielded back in the ‘mother country’ anyway and trade was kind of rote and guaranteed….so, maybe government of small colonies allowed themselves the luxury of knocking off for the summer as they saw themselves as nothing much more than sub-committees.
An infectious lazy fair of sun,sand and bull shit that belongs to a bye gone era when any inadequacy in the democratic practices of NZ would have merely amounted to a noted bye line of empire?
This lapse in accountability…this hooray holiday for (it seems) everybody but the workers is beneficial to the unfettered operation of something though, innit?
Or is it merely an expression of how tied up with, how shallow and empty the media are without parliament?
This forensic hacking analysis of a victoria secret photo is intriguing. Once all the layers are taken off, including whitening her skin – what is left? Can we trust any visual image?
http://www.hackerfactor.com/blog/index.php?/archives/322-Body-By-Victoria.html
nothing is going to happen till the mass consciousness is raised.
while the population is excited about the world cup and having a reason to go mental then anything else is a waste of time.
look how brash excited everybody about catching up with australia in 20205 even though that meeans surpassing france and germany.
as long as wea re susceptible to being blinded by the rights rhetoric with no examination then we wil swallow anything.
all this point scoring on a blog in cyber space will not get anyone anywhere unless the facts are outed and hammered home.
this government is a con but a con that we all fall for .
why is that?
Oh! Oh! Pop onto facebook peeps and checkout Steve Crow’s NZX magazines newly established facebook presence.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/NZX-Magazine/239306762528?ref=nf
Have a browse through the fifty one fans and see if anyone can spot which sewer blogger and well known fearless defender of public morals is an early fan…
Happy New Year to us all. Any resolutions?
Gave me a bit of a fright there, BLiP 😉