The future dystopia
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Date published: 11:28 am, January 21st, 2025 - 37 comments
Categories: climate change, Donald Trump, energy, science, us politics
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He’s baack. The man least suited to running the world’s most powerful country is now President again.
Open mike 21/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 21st, 2025 - 110 comments
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Luxon’s panicked reshuffle
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Date published: 1:12 pm, January 20th, 2025 - 60 comments
Christopher Luxon has conducted a major Cabinet Reshuffle with the stand out feature the demotion of Shane Reti and the transfer of Health from Reti to Simeon Brown.
Open mike 20/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 20th, 2025 - 31 comments
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The World has too many Oligarchs
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Date published: 3:27 pm, January 19th, 2025 - 14 comments
In his final speech Joe Biden has warned the world about the dangers posed by Oligarchs supporting the right into democratic power. He is right.
Open mike 19/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 19th, 2025 - 73 comments
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Open mike 18/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 18th, 2025 - 22 comments
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Clearing the Decks: Government replaces half of the Waitangi Tribunal
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Date published: 10:07 pm, January 17th, 2025 - 33 comments
The government has replaced half of the Waitangi Tribunal, removing three of NZ’s most highly regarded experts in mātauranga Maori.
Latest opinion poll – Labour overtakes National
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Date published: 2:21 pm, January 17th, 2025 - 62 comments
That grinding noise you can hear from the Parliamentary precinct is the sound of National backbenchers sharpening their knives getting ready for a change of leadership. Because the latest Curia poll shows National has fallen behind Labour in the preferred party stakes.
Open mike 17/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 17th, 2025 - 33 comments
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NZ: The Final Atlas Network Puzzle Piece Has Arrived
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Date published: 6:41 pm, January 16th, 2025 - 28 comments
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention from media or opposition. The implications are stark.
Reviewing the Cook Strait Ferry fiasco
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Date published: 1:07 pm, January 16th, 2025 - 35 comments
A review of the history of the Ferries issue suggests that this could be coalition ending and career ending.
Open mike 16/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 16th, 2025 - 36 comments
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Open mike 15/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 15th, 2025 - 30 comments
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The Left Went That Way
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Date published: 8:38 am, January 14th, 2025 - 37 comments
In the past two decades, election results in western Europe, Australasia, and North America have been framed as a crisis of the left. But in reality are things that bad?
Open mike 14/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 14th, 2025 - 65 comments
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Open mike 13/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 13th, 2025 - 70 comments
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Open mike 12/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 12th, 2025 - 20 comments
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Labour’s Long-Sightedness and the Opposition’s Opprobrious Omniabsence
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Date published: 4:05 pm, January 11th, 2025 - 52 comments
New Zealand is sleepwalking to an unmitigated constitutional, societal, and environmental disaster under the smokescreen of culture wars.
The Los Angeles fires – could they happen here?
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Date published: 12:02 pm, January 11th, 2025 - 20 comments
With large parts of Los Angeles burning and the right still trying to divert attention and blame the question arises, could the same thing happen here?
President Biden’s Accomplishments
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Date published: 9:37 am, January 11th, 2025 - 33 comments
It’s common these days to see the rapid 2024 exit of multiple global social democrat leaders as just a post-COVID symptom of democratic impatience. But Biden achieved far more than his age-related decline obscures.
Open mike 11/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 11th, 2025 - 19 comments
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Winston’s Next Job
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Date published: 8:30 am, January 10th, 2025 - 18 comments
While he scoops up behind Minister Willis’s Cook Strait ferry disaster, he’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and our primary lead on the rise of President Trump and boy does he have a job ahead of him.
Open mike 10/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 10th, 2025 - 22 comments
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Open mike 09/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 9th, 2025 - 60 comments
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Who funds the Taxpayer’s Union?
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Date published: 9:03 am, January 8th, 2025 - 31 comments
Six months late and in the middle of the Holiday Period the Tax Payers Union has filed its election year accounts suggesting that it received $2,628,721 in donations that year. And there is no indication of who from.
Open mike 08/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 8th, 2025 - 46 comments
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Interesting Yanis Varoufakis.
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Date published: 8:48 am, January 7th, 2025 - 27 comments
That Star Trek depicts a communist society, without of course calling it that, is crystal clear.
Open mike 07/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 7th, 2025 - 47 comments
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Open mike 06/01/2025
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Date published: 6:00 am, January 6th, 2025 - 19 comments
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President Trump makes a new Middle East Possible
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Date published: 6:04 pm, January 5th, 2025 - 23 comments
U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump makes more things possible in the Middle East than the Biden administration.
- Finally
Back in March, Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier resigned after hitting the age limit for his office. And now, almost a year later, parliament has finally gotten around to appointing a replacement: John Richard Allen is likely to take over the role of chief ombudsman from Peter Boshier, who still ...8 hours ago - Close To The Edge.
California Burning: The veteran firefighters of California and Los Angeles called it “a perfect storm”. The hillsides and canyons were full of “fuel”. The LA Fire Department was underfunded, below-strength, and inadequately-equipped. A key reservoir was empty, leaving fire-hydrants without the water pressure needed for fire hoses. The power companies had ...9 hours ago - Sabotaging te Tiriti
The Waitangi Tribunal has been one of the most effective critics of the government, pointing out repeatedly that its racist, colonialist policies breach te Tiriti o Waitangi. While it has no powers beyond those of recommendation, its truth-telling has clearly gotten under the government's skin. They had already begun to ...10 hours ago
- National Hugging Day
I don't mind where you come fromAs long as you come to meBut I don't like illusionsI can't see them clearlyI don't care, no I wouldn't dareTo fix the twist in youYou've shown me eventually what you'll doSong: Shimon Moore, Emma Anzai, Antonina Armato, and Tim James.National Hugging Day.Today, January ...12 hours ago - Rwanda’s Kagame: from Saviour to Tyrant?
Is Rwanda turning into a country that seeks regional dominance and exterminates its rivals? This is a contention examined by Dr Michela Wrong, and Dr Maria Armoudian. Dr Wrong is a journalist who has written best-selling books on Africa. Her latest, Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder ...12 hours ago - NZ now frozen, listless, mean & hopeless
The economy isn’t cooperating with the Government’s bet that lower interest rates will solve everything, with most metrics indicating per-capita GDP is still contracting faster and further than at any time since the 1990-96 series of government spending and welfare cuts. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short in ...13 hours ago - Welcome to American Hell
Hi,Today is the day sexual assaulter and alleged rapist Donald Trump officially became president (again).I was in a meeting for three hours this morning, so I am going to summarise what happened by sharing my friend’s text messages:So there you go.Welcome to American hell — which includes all of America’s ...14 hours ago - Moving away from high-end emissions scenarios
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink I have a new paper out today in the journal Dialogues on Climate Change exploring both the range of end-of-century climate outcomes in the literature under current policies and the broader move away from high-end emissions scenarios. Current policies are defined broadly as policies in ...17 hours ago - A silver lining for cycling?
Long story short: I chatted last night with ’s on the substack app about the appointment of Chris Bishop to replace Simeon Brown as Transport Minister. We talked through their different approaches and whether there’s much room for Bishop to reverse many of the anti-cycling measures Brown adopted.Our chat ...18 hours ago - Will swapping Shane Reti for Simeon Brown make any difference?
Last night I chatted with Northland emergency doctor on the substack app for subscribers about whether the appointment of Simeon Brown to replace Shane Reti as Health Minister. We discussed whether the new minister can turn around decades of under-funding in real and per-capita terms. Our chat followed his ...20 hours ago
- The cabinet metastasises
Christopher Luxon is every dismal boss who ever made you wince, or roll your eyes, or think to yourself I have absolutely got to get the hell out of this place.Get a load of what he shared with us at his cabinet reshuffle, trying to be all sensitive and gracious.Dr ...1 day ago - Puberty blockers
The text of my submission to the Ministry of Health's unnecessary and politicised review of the use of puberty blockers for young trans and nonbinary people in Aotearoa. ...1 day ago - Why the TikTok Ban Was Just a Stunt
Hi,Last night one of the world’s biggest social media platforms, TikTok, became inaccessible in the United States.Then, today, it came back online.Why should we care about a social network that deals in dance trends and cute babies? Well — TikTok represents a lot more than that.And its ban and subsequent ...2 days ago - Arrange and Rearrange
Sometimes I wake in the middle of the nightAnd rub my achin' old eyesIs that a voice from inside-a my headOr does it come down from the skies?"There's a time to laugh butThere's a time to weepAnd a time to make a big change"Wake-up you-bum-the-time has-comeTo arrange and re-arrange and ...2 days ago - Luxon flicks Reti’s hospital pass to Brown
Former Health Minister Shane Reti was the main target of Luxon’s reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short to start the year in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate: Christopher Luxon fired Shane Reti as Health Minister and replaced him with Simeon Brown, who Luxon sees ...2 days ago - Can we have a normal Minister of Transport now?
Yesterday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a cabinet reshuffle, which saw Simeon Brown picking up the Health portfolio as it’s been taken off Dr Shane Reti, and Transport has been given to Chris Bishop. Additionally, Simeon’s energy and local government portfolios now sit with Simon Watts. This is very good ...2 days ago - Signs of panic
The sacking of Health Minister Shane Reti yesterday had an air of panic about it. A media advisory inviting journalists to a Sunday afternoon press conference at Premier House went out on Saturday night. Caucus members did not learn that even that was happening until yesterday morning. Reti’s fate was ...2 days ago - Gordon Campbell On The Rise Of Simeon Brown
Yesterday’s demotion of Shane Reti was inevitable. Reti’s attempt at a re-assuring bedside manner always did have a limited shelf life, and he would have been a poor and apologetic salesman on the campaign trail next year. As a trained doctor, he had every reason to be looking embarrassed about ...2 days ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #03
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 12, 2025 thru Sat, January 18, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...2 days ago
- The ‘Martin With Thirty-One Queens’ Chess Challenge
After another substantial hiatus from online Chess, I’ve been taking it up again. I am genuinely terrible at five-minute Blitz, what with the tight time constraints, though I periodically con myself into thinking that I have been improving. But seeing as my past foray into Chess led to me having ...2 days ago - Don’t You Know Who I Am?
Rise up o children wont you dance with meRise up little children come and set me freeRise little ones riseNo shame no fearDon't you know who I amSongwriter: Rebecca Laurel FountainI’m sure you know the go with this format. Some memories, some questions, letsss go…2015A decade ago, I made the ...3 days ago - In Defence of Golriz Ghahraman
In 2017, when Ghahraman was elected to Parliament as a Green MP, she recounted both the highlights and challenges of her role -There was love, support, and encouragement.And on the flipside, there was intense, visceral and unchecked hate.That came with violent threats - many of them. More on that later.People ...3 days ago - Too tiny to matter; enough to change everything
It gives me the biggest kick to learn that something I’ve enthused about has been enough to make you say Go on then, I'm going to do it. The e-bikes, the hearing aids, the prostate health, the cheese puffs. And now the solar power. Yes! Happy to share the details.We ...3 days ago - Fact brief – Can CO2 be ignored because it’s just a trace gas?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Can CO2 be ...3 days ago
- Bastards Abound
The old bastard left his ties and his suitA brown box, mothballs and bowling shoesAnd his opinion so you'd never have to choosePretty soon, you'll be an old bastard tooYou get smaller as the world gets bigThe more you know you know you don't know shit"The whiz man" will never ...3 days ago - Latest Poll- Nats in a slo-mo death spiral?
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Numbers2024 could easily have been National’s “Annus Horribilis” and 2025 shows no signs of a reprieve for our Landlord PM Chris Luxon and his inept Finance Minister Nikki “Noboats” Willis.Several polls last year ...4 days ago - Clearing the Decks: Government replaces half of the Waitangi Tribunal
This Friday afternoon, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced an overhaul of the Waitangi Tribunal.The government has effectively cleared house - appointing 8 new members - and combined with October’s appointment of former ACT leader Richard Prebble, that’s 9 appointees.[I am not certain, but can only presume, Prebble went in ...4 days ago - Back on Track?
The state of the current economy may be similar to when National left office in 2017.In December, a couple of days after the Treasury released its 2024 Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HEYFU24), Statistics New Zealand reported its estimate for volume GDP for the previous September 24 quarter. Instead ...4 days ago - Handbags and Gladrags
So what becomes of you, my love?When they have finally stripped you ofThe handbags and the gladragsThat your poor old granddadHad to sweat to buy you, babySongwriter: Mike D'aboIn yesterday’s newsletter, I expressed sadness at seeing Golriz Ghahraman back on the front pages for shoplifting. As someone who is no ...5 days ago - Weekly Roundup 17-January-2025
It’s Friday and time for another roundup of things that caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join ...5 days ago
- How the Far Right Weaponised the Grooming Gangs Story
Note: This Webworm discusses sexual assault and rape. Please read with care.Hi,A few weeks ago I reported on how one of New Zealand’s richest men, Nick Mowbray (he and his brother own Zuru and are worth an estimated $20 billion), had taken to sharing posts by a British man called ...5 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #3 2025
Open access notables Long-term trends in heat wave gaps for the New York City metropolitan area, Lin & Colle, Urban Climate: Heat waves occurring in close succession to one another are hazardous because of the prolonged stress on the human body and energy demand. A heat wave gap metric, the ...5 days ago
- NZ: The Final Atlas Network Puzzle Piece Has Arrived
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention. The implications are stark.Today, writes Dr Bex, the submission for the Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill closes: 11:59pm January 16, 2025.As usual, the language of the ...5 days ago - Not getting any younger
Excitement in the seaside village! Look what might be coming! 400 million dollars worth of investment! In the very beating heart of the village! Are we excited and eager to see this happen, what with every last bank branch gone and shops sitting forlornly quiet awaiting a customer?Yes please, apply ...5 days ago - Political societies and economic preferences.
Much discussion has been held over the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB), the latest in a series of rightwing attempts to enshrine into law pro-market precepts such as the primacy of private property ownership. Underneath the good governance and economic efficiency gobbledegook language of the Bill is an interest to strip ...5 days ago - Submission on Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill
We are concerned that the Amendment Bill, as proposed, could impair the operations and legitimate interests of the NZ Trade Union movement. It is also likely to negatively impact the ability of other civil society actors to conduct their affairs without the threat of criminal sanctions. We ask that ...5 days ago - The Ol’ Switcheroo
I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?And I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?Song: The Lonely Biscuits.“A bit nippy”, I thought when I woke this morning, and then, soon after that, I wondered whether hell had frozen over. Dear friends, ...6 days ago - Nobody’s insurance rates are safe from climate change
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Asheville, North Carolina, was once widely considered a climate haven thanks to its elevated, inland location and cooler temperatures than much of the Southeast. Then came the catastrophic floods of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. It was a stark reminder that nowhere is safe from ...6 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On More Threats To Democracy From David Seymour
Early reports indicate that the temporary Israel/Hamas ceasefire deal (due to take effect on Sunday) will allow for the gradual release of groups of Israeli hostages, the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails (likely only a fraction of the total incarcerated population), and the withdrawal ...6 days ago
- Choosing your fights
My daily news diet is not what it once was.It was the TV news that lost me first. Too infantilising, too breathless, too frustrating.The Herald was next. You could look past the reactionary framing while it was being a decent newspaper of record, but once Shayne Currie began unleashing all ...6 days ago - Hit The Road Jack
Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no moreHit the road Jack and don't you come back no moreWhat you say?Songwriters: Percy MayfieldMorena,I keep many of my posts, like this one, paywall-free so that everyone can read them.However, please consider supporting me as ...7 days ago - Review: The Narnia books, by C.S. Lewis (1950-1956) – Part One
This might be the longest delay between reading (or in this case re-reading) a work, and actually writing a review of it I have ever managed. Indeed, when I last read these books in December 2022, I was not planning on writing anything about them… but as A Phuulish Fellow ...1 week ago - Sabin 33 #11 – Is solar energy more expensive than energy from fossil fuels?
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...1 week ago
- Our Health Isn’t Your Wealth, Shane Reti & Lester Levy
Kia Ora,I try to keep most my posts without a paywall for public interest journalism purposes. However, if you can afford to, please consider supporting me as a paid subscriber and/or supporting over at Ko-Fi. That will help me to continue, and to keep spending time on the work. Embarrassingly, ...1 week ago
- No one could save me but you
There was a time when Google was the best thing in my world. I was an early adopter of their AdWords program and boy did I like what it did for my business. It put rocket fuel in it, is what it did. For every dollar I spent, those ads ...1 week ago - The disinformation grift in NZ.
A while back I was engaged in an unpleasant exchange with a leader of the most well-known NZ anti-vax group and several like-minded trolls. I had responded to a racist meme on social media in which a rightwing podcaster in the US interviewed one of the leaders of the Proud ...1 week ago
- Anna Wilding, Bullshit Master
Hi,If you’ve been reading Webworm for a while, you’ll be familiar with Anna Wilding. Between 2020 and 2021 I looked at how the New Zealander had managed to weasel her way into countless news stories over the years, often with very little proof any of it had actually happened. When ...1 week ago - Summertime in Aotearoa
It's a long white cloud for you, baby; staying together alwaysSummertime in AotearoaWhere the sunshine kisses the water, we will find it alwaysSummertime in AotearoaYeah, it′s SummertimeIt's SummertimeWriters: Codi Wehi Ngatai, Moresby Kainuku, Pipiwharauroa Campbell, Taulutoa Michael Schuster, Rebekah Jane Brady, Te Naawe Jordan Muturangi Tupe, Thomas Edward Scrase.Many of ...1 week ago - 2024 sets some new road safety records
Last year, 292 people died unnecessarily on our roads. That is the lowest result in over a decade and only the fourth time in the last 70 years we’ve seen fewer than 300 deaths in a calendar year. Yet, while it is 292 people too many, with each death being ...1 week ago
- The role of climate change in the catastrophic 2025 Los Angeles fires
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building at Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire had destroyed thousands of structures and ...1 week ago
- Submission on Regulatory Standards Bill
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Regulatory Standards Bill, as I understand it, seeks to bind parliament to a specific range of law-making.For example, it seems to ensure primacy of individual rights over that of community, environment, te Tiriti ...1 week ago - There’s a solution in there, there really is
Happy New Year!I had a lovely break, thanks very much for asking: friends, family, sunshine, books, podcasts, refreshing swims, barbecues, bike rides. So good to step away from the firehose for a while, to have less Trump and Seymour in your day. Who needs the Luxons in their risible PJs ...1 week ago - Hamilton Central Station: Britomart 2.0
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the Auckland City Centre Advisory Panel and a director of Greater Auckland In 2003, after much argument, including the election of a Mayor in 2001 who ran on stopping it, Britomart train station in downtown Auckland opened. A mere 1km twin track terminating branch ...1 week ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Christopher Luxon’s important trip to the Middle East
For the first time in a decade, a New Zealand Prime Minister is heading to the Middle East. The trip is more than just a courtesy call. New Zealand PMs frequently change planes in Dubai en route to destinations elsewhere. But Christopher Luxon’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ...1 week ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #02
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 5, 2025 thru Sat, January 11, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...1 week ago
- Gordon Campbell On The History Of Doo Wop Music
The decade between 1952 and the early 1960s was the peak period for the style of music we now call doo wop, after which it got dissolved into soul music, girl groups, and within pop music in general. Basically, doo wop was a form of small group harmonising with a ...1 week ago
- If You Tolerate This
The future teaches you to be aloneThe present to be afraid and coldSo if I can shoot rabbits, then I can shoot fascists…And if you tolerate thisThen your children will be nextSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Do you remember at school, studying the rise ...1 week ago - Elon Musk Adores Chris Luxon
When National won the New Zealand election in 2023, one of the first to congratulate Luxon was tech-billionaire and entrepreneur extraordinaire Elon Musk.And last year, after Luxon posted a video about a trip to Malaysia, Musk came forward again to heap praise on Christopher:So it was perhaps par for the ...1 week ago - American Carnage
Hi,Today’s Webworm features a new short film from documentary maker Giorgio Angelini. It’s about Luigi Mangione — but it’s also, really, about everything in America right now.Bear with me.Shortly after I sent out my last missive from the fires on Wednesday, one broke out a little too close to home ...1 week ago
- Careless Memories
So soon just after you've goneMy senses sharpenBut it always takes so damn longBefore I feel how much my eyes have darkenedFear hangs in a plane of gun smokeDrifting in our roomSo easy to disturb, with a thought, with a whisperWith a careless memorySongwriters: Andy Taylor / John Taylor / ...1 week ago - A Bully of Billionaires
Can we trust the Trump cabinet to act in the public interest?Nine of Trump’s closest advisers are billionaires. Their total net worth is in excess of $US375b (providing there is not a share-market crash). In contrast, the total net worth of Trump’s first Cabinet was about $6b. (Joe Biden’s Cabinet ...2 weeks ago - Weekly Roundup 10-January-2025
Welcome back to our weekly roundup. We hope you had a good break (if you had one). Here’s a few of the stories that caught our attention over the last few weeks. This holiday period on Greater Auckland Since our last roundup we’ve: Taken a look back at ...2 weeks ago
- L.A. Burns
2 weeks ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #2 2025
Open access notables Large emissions of CO2 and CH4 due to active-layer warming in Arctic tundra, Torn et al., Nature Communications: Climate warming may accelerate decomposition of Arctic soil carbon, but few controlled experiments have manipulated the entire active layer. To determine surface-atmosphere fluxes of carbon dioxide and ...2 weeks ago
- Local government in Wellington – what’s been achieved
It's election year for Wellington City Council and for the Regional Council. What have the progressive councillors achieved over the last couple of years. What were the blocks and failures? What's with the targeting of the mayor and city council by the Post and by central government? Why does the ...2 weeks ago
- 300,000!
Over the holidays, there was a rising tide of calls for people to submit on National's repulsive, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, along with a wave of advice and examples of what to say. And it looks like people rose to the occasion, with over 300,000 ...2 weeks ago
- Who’s Getting Annexed?
The lie is my expenseThe scope of my desireThe Party blessed me with its futureAnd I protect it with fireI am the Nina The Pinta The Santa MariaThe noose and the rapistAnd the fields overseerThe agents of orangeThe priests of HiroshimaThe cost of my desire…Sleep now in the fireSongwriters: Brad ...2 weeks ago - Exploring the drivers of modern global warming
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink Global surface temperatures have risen around 1.3C since the preindustrial (1850-1900) period as a result of human activity.1 However, this aggregate number masks a lot of underlying factors that contribute to global surface temperature changes over time. These include CO2, which is the primary ...2 weeks ago
- Wayne Wright Jr Celebrates His Increasing Political Fortunes with Sean Plunket – Who Does Your...
2 weeks ago
- Missive from the Fires
Hi,Right now the power is out, so I’m just relying on the laptop battery and tethering to my phone’s 5G which is dropping in and out. We’ll see how we go.First up — I’m fine. I can’t see any flames out the window. I live in the greater Hollywood area ...2 weeks ago
- Mood of the Workforce Survey 2025
2024 was a tough year for working Kiwis. But together we’ve been able to fight back for a just and fair New Zealand and in 2025 we need to keep standing up for what’s right and having our voices heard. That starts with our Mood of the Workforce Survey. It’s your ...2 weeks ago
- Pumpkin Day
Time is never time at allYou can never ever leaveWithout leaving a piece of youthAnd our lives are forever changedWe will never be the sameThe more you change, the less you feelSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan.Babinden - Baba’s DayToday, January 8th, 2025, is Babinden, “The Day of the baba” or “The ...2 weeks ago - How Do We Fight Back?
Hi,New Zealand multi-billionaire Nick Mowbray continues to tweet at me, seemingly still unhappy about my Webworm story covering his apparent enthusiasm for far right, anti-Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson.Mowbray can be a bit hard to follow at the best of times, but I think this is a billionaire sort of dangling ...2 weeks ago - Submission on Treaty Principles Bill
..I/We wish to make the following comments:I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill."5. Act binds the CrownThis Act binds the Crown."How does this Act "bind the Crown" when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Act refers to, has been violated by the Crown on numerous occassions, resulting in massive loss of ...2 weeks ago - Sabin 33 #10 – Will utility-scale solar farms destroy the value of nearby homes?
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...2 weeks ago
- Aotearoa must step up as Trump plays with climate fire
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...12 hours ago - Release: Cabinet reshuffle a futile exercise from failing government
National's Cabinet reshuffle is a futile attempt to turn around a failing government. ...15 hours ago - Greens welcome Gaza ceasefire, but say more work to do
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...5 days ago
- Release: Labour mourns passing of Dame Tariana Turia
Ka kohukohu te awa o Whanganui!Ka tau te kākahu taratara ki runga I te maunga o Whānau Ora!Ka tangi hotuhotu tō iwi Māori! ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour acknowledges Lyn Fleming’s death
Labour expresses its shock and sadness at the death of widely respected Police Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming. ...1 week ago
- Greens welcome deadline extension but reiterate call for Bill to be binned
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...2 weeks ago
- Green Party pays respects to Dame Tariana Turia
The Green Party acknowledges the enormous life, contribution and passing of Dame Tariana (Kahurangi) Turia, the co-founder of Te Pāti Māori. ...3 weeks ago
- KO disruptive tenants’ easy ride over
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...2 weeks ago - 80% reduction in building determination wait times
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...2 weeks ago
- Top baby names for 2024
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...2 weeks ago
- Enabling works to begin on Westgate Bus Station
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...2 weeks ago
- A nationwide shift towards acting together to stop family and sexual violence
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...2 weeks ago
- He poroporoaki ki a Kahurangi Tariana Turia
Uia te pō, rangahaua te pō, whakamāramatia mai he aha tō tango, he aha tō kāwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rātā whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pō, ngū te pō, ue hā! E te kahurangi māreikura, ...3 weeks ago
- New qualification a step forward for diabetes care
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. “It sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...3 weeks ago
- Albanese finally summons national cabinet to consider antisemitism epidemic
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra After rejecting calls for months, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese finally summoned a Tuesday national cabinet meeting to discuss Australia’s rising wave of antisemitic attacks and other incidents. This followed the torching of a childcare ...2 hours ago - Marwan Barghouti – the world’s most important hostage – must be freed
COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle A litmus test of Israel’s commitment to abandon genocide and start down the road towards lasting peace is whether they choose to release the most important of all the hostages, Marwan Barghouti. During the past 22 years in Israeli prisons he has been beaten, tortured, sexually ...4 hours ago
- Making aluminium uses 10% of Australia’s electricity. Will tax incentives help smelters go green?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tessa Leach, Research Manager, Industry, at Climateworks Centre, Monash University Maksim_Gusev/Shutterstock Aluminium is an exceptionally useful metal. Lightweight, resistant to rust and able to be turned into alloys with other metals. Small wonder it’s the second most used metal in the ...4 hours ago
- Executive orders show Trump’s power and political theatre, but their impact may be limited
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Garrett, Research Associate, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney In a piece of pure political theatre, Donald Trump began his second presidency by signing a host of executive orders before a rapturous crowd of 20,000 in Washington on Monday. ...5 hours ago
- Trump’s meme coin is nothing new: it takes a page out of the ancient world’s playbook
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gil Davis, Associate Professor and Director, Ancient Israel Program, Australian Catholic University Roman coins circa 8 BCE-7 BCE, during the rule of Augustus (Octavian). © The Trustees of the British Museum, CC BY-NC-SA Nowadays, we probably never stop to think about why ...6 hours ago
- Vanuatu risks return to all-male parliament in snap election in spite of strong ‘ vot woman’ cam...
By Leah Lowonbu in Port Vila Vanuatu’s only incumbent female parliamentarian has lost her seat in a snap election leaving only one woman candidate in contention after an unofficial vote count. The unofficial counting at polling locations indicated the majority of the 52 incumbent MPs have been reelected but also ...6 hours ago
- What are plyometric exercises? How all that hopping and jumping builds strength, speed and power
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Justin Keogh, Associate Dean of Research, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University Photo by cottonbro studio/Pexels If you’ve ever seen people at the gym or the park jumping, hopping or hurling weighted balls to the ground, chances are they ...6 hours ago
- The $Trump memecoin is reaping billions – but like the man himself, it’s extremely volatile
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra Freshly elected US president Donald Trump has exercised his usual degree of modesty and named his newly launched cryptocurrency or memecoin, $Trump. And like the man himself, the ...6 hours ago
- Executive orders show Trump’s power and political theatre, but his honeymoon period may be short-l...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Garrett, Research Associate, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney In a piece of pure political theatre, Donald Trump began his second presidency by signing a host of executive orders before a rapturous crowd of 20,000 in Washington on Monday. ...7 hours ago
- This K-pop band just made US Billboard history. Here’s how Stray Kids conquered the music world
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dominique Falla, Associate Professor, Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University JYP Entertainment A South Korean boy band you’ve probably never heard of recently made history by becoming the first act to debut at No. 1 on the US Billboard ...7 hours ago
- Trump promises a second term focused on immigration and nationalism – as well as revenge and retri...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Shortis, Adjunct Senior Fellow, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University Today, in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington DC, the 47th President of the United States was sworn into office. The second Trump era has begun. In his inaugural ...8 hours ago
- The Fold: On Meta going Maga, TikTok’s perilous future and NZ media in 2025
Anna Rawhiti-Connell joins Duncan Greive to recap a big month for social media, and make some predictions for the year ahead. You could say it’s been an epochal month in the geopolitics of social media. As The Fold returns for 2025, The Spinoff’s resident social media philosopher queen, Anna Rawhiti-Connell, ...8 hours ago - Game, set, debate: why do women only play 3 sets in tennis?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sophia Nimphius, Professor of Human Performance, Edith Cowan University Tennis fans are once again filling Melbourne Park for the 2025 Australian Open, after setting an all-time attendance record in 2024. The Australian Open is one of four annual Grand Slam events, alongside ...9 hours ago
- Treaty Principles Bill Cannot Proceed – NZCER
The proposed principles are inconsistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, they are unsupported by the text of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and seriously breach Te Tiriti o Waitangi with implications for the education sector, adds Tumuaki Graeme Cosslett. ...9 hours ago - Trump Exit From Paris Agreement Means NZ Must Rally With World To Save Climate
Greenpeace is calling on the Government to significantly strengthen its climate target, in particular the goal to cut methane emissions. This is what the independent Climate Change Commission advised in its report at the end of last year. ...9 hours ago
- Friend or foe? How Trump’s threats against ‘free-riding’ allies could backfire
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicholas Khoo, Associate Professor of International Politics and Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs (Christchurch), University of Otago Getty Images Donald Trump is an unusual United States president in that he may be the first to strike greater anxiety in ...10 hours ago
- Allen likely to take-over from Boshier as Chief Ombudsman
John Richard Allen has been recommended for the role Peter Boshier still holds - despite a law requiring his resignation at age 72. ...10 hours ago - High-flying Governor-General Rolling Out The Royal Treatment
The Governor-General is already taking home $447,900 a year, plus an allowance of $40,551. Totalling almost seven times the median wage, no one can accuse Dame Cindy Kiro of being underpaid, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said. ...10 hours ago
- One simple trick to conquer your reading goals: read shorter books
Ten brilliant – and brilliantly short – books to kickstart the year. Whoever said “If you love something, you should let it go” was way off base. Anyone who sets a yearly reading goal knows the truth: if you love something, you should quantify it with a numerical target to ...10 hours ago
- PM, deputy congratulate Trump, Vance; keen to deepen ties with US
The prime minister and his deputy have also congratulated Donald Trump and JD Vance who have been sworn in as president and vice president today. ...10 hours ago
- Gaza ceasefire: RSF calls for open borders for journalists – end to impunity for Israel’s war cr...
Al Jazeera journalist Fadi al-Wahidi, who was gravely injured on 9 October 2024 while reporting from the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip, is fighting for his life as the Israeli authorities continued to refuse his transfer to a hospital abroad, despite repeated calls from RSF. Also, two Palestinian ...11 hours ago
- A review of the two new ice blocks vying for the Cyclone’s crown
Can either newbie beat the best ice block in New Zealand? When I crowned the Cyclone the best ice block in New Zealand in 2023, I argued that it had earned the crown by being singular. As a Streets product, the Cyclone had no competitors, not from Tip Top and ...12 hours ago
- Great, there are microplastics in our compost now too
A new study from the University of Canterbury has found that not even our humble compost is safe from the scourge of microplastics. At first, you could be looking at a beautiful piece of abstract art, or a collection of precious gemstones extracted from a distant planet. There’s what appears ...14 hours ago
- Conservative Party Update
The New Conservative Party will now be campaigning under the name Conservative Party, dropping the "New." This change reflects our confidence in the enduring strength of our Conservative values – principles that speak for themselves without the need ...14 hours ago
- Green hydrogen: Is it time to switch off the taxpayer tap?
Green hydrogen - which has been described by fans as the "swiss army knife" of clean energy - has enjoyed a wave of private investment and government subsidies. ...14 hours ago
- Donald Trump to sign orders ending diversity programs, proclaim there are only two sexes
As part of the executive orders, federal funds will not be used to promote "gender ideology," an official said. ...15 hours ago
- The red flowering gum: a perennial favourite and a summer stunner
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, The University of Melbourne ChWeiss/Shutterstock If you’ve been on a summertime stroll in recent weeks, chances are you’ve seen a red flowering gum, Corymbia ficifolia. This species comes from ...15 hours ago
- Urban studies: Doing research when every city is different
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sandra Breux, Démocratie municipale, élections municipales, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) In Canada, urban studies is just over 50 years old. In this respect, the field is still in the process of defining itself. (Shutterstock) Urban studies is sometimes considered ...15 hours ago
- Fake podcast clips are misleading millions of people on social media. Here’s how to spot them
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Finley Watson, PhD Candidate, Politics, La Trobe University Shutterstock Podcasting is the medium of choice for millions of listeners looking for the latest commentary on almost any topic. In Australia, it’s estimated about 48% of people tune in to a podcast ...15 hours ago
- The cost of being: A 19-year-old studying in the US on a full scholarship
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a student abroad shares his approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Male. Age: 19. Ethnicity: Tongan/European. Role: Student, research assistant at a ...15 hours ago
- Despite fears of falling trust in expert knowledge, a global survey shows New Zealanders value scien...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Kranz, Assistant Lecturer in Psychology, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Shutterstock/Volha_R Five years since the start of the COVID pandemic, it can feel as if trust in the knowledge of experts and scientific evidence is in crisis. ...15 hours ago
- Oyster ‘blood’ holds promise for combating drug-resistant superbugs: new research
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Summer, Early Career Researcher, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University Ken Griffiths/Shutterstock Superbugs that are resistant to existing antibiotics are a growing health problem around the world. Globally, nearly five million people die from antimicrobial resistant infections each ...15 hours ago
- Don’t rely on social media users for fact-checking. Many don’t care much about the common good
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Andrejevic, Professor of Media, School of Media, Film, and Journalism, Monash University, Monash University Shutterstock In the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg fired the fact-checking team for his company’s social media platforms. At the ...15 hours ago
- People on Ozempic may have fewer heart attacks, strokes and addictions – but more nausea, vomiting...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland myskin/Shutterstock Ozempic and Wegovy are increasingly available in Australia and worldwide to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. The dramatic effects of these drugs, known as GLP-1s, on ...15 hours ago
- Why I quit a $500,000-a-year role in real estate
Mike Harvey says that once he saw the problems with real estate, he had to make a change. ...16 hours ago
- Reintroducing Donald Trump, president of the United States
The 45th president becomes the 47th, while the 46th had one final trick up his sleeve. The Bulletin’s Stewart Sowman-Lund explains what just happened. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...17 hours ago
- Reimagining the retirement home: how changing demographics transformed the face of aged care
There are about to be a whole lot more older folks in New Zealand.Data from Stats NZ suggests the country’s population pyramid is set to look more like a rectangle in coming decades, with a greater proportion of Kiwis living into the upper reaches of a century due to a ...18 hours ago - Significant challenges ahead for new Minister for Economic Growth
A recovering economy is likely to give the new Minister for Economic Growth some momentum through 2025, but there are concerns about the longer-term outlook. ...18 hours ago
- The rise and fall of Shane Reti
The doctor who patiently waited for his dream role, then lasted barely a year in it. If you’ve ever lived in Whangārei, chances are you’ve seen Shane Reti out and about in the city. Whether it was at Jimmy Jack’s on a Friday night, or Whangārei Growers Market on Saturday ...19 hours ago
- Windbag: Why I was wrong about the Well_ngton sign
How a big sign on the Wellington waterfront exposed a problem with local news. Cringeworthy. Childish. Trashy. Embarrassing. Tacky. Encouraging illiteracy. Stupid. Piece of junk. Unimpressive. Hideous. Trite. Frivolous. Unimpressive. Pathetic. Ugly. Dumb. An eyesore. The biggest waste of money yet. Those are all direct quotes from mainstream media coverage ...19 hours ago
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