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Comment: President Biden’s Accomplishments
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 3:20 pm, January 11th, 2025
Biden bought back the "prestige" factor back to America by quietly getting on with it and not looking like a clown. Immigration will go down but it will be the wealthy and the highly-educated who will stay away. The poor will continue to come because where ...Comment: Wage theft – now that is a real crime
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 7:10 pm, January 1st, 2025
I really, really hate tipping but ... I hope this bill includes employers stealing worker's tips. Now that tipping has gone electronic (i.e. paid via eftpos) there is no way employees can find out how much they were supposed to earn by tipping because it ...Comment: Daily review 17/12/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 8:48 am, December 18th, 2024
All they appear to do is pillage and destroy. And the pillaging isn't even for their benefit (or for minor benefit like campaign funds), it appears to be for overseas interests. Olden times National would do stupid stuff but at least it was for the best ...Comment: Daily review 17/12/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 8:43 am, December 18th, 2024
The classic rules are that in a downturn you don't cut govt spending and you don't give tax cuts to the rich. The former stifles the economy and the rich put the money in the bank for safety, to wait for better times - both things take money out of ...Comment: Police private trip to China – who to believe?
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 8:19 am, December 18th, 2024
Social Credit Systems and Mass surveillance - according to Wikipedia there is one lens for every two citizens. Knowledge from experience is always worth more than knowledge from facts, and maybe outdated facts.Comment: Open mike 11/12/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 2:58 pm, December 11th, 2024
I am from Miramar, I don't want a second tunnel. The busses are fine because they go through the bus tunnel not the car tunnel. The problem isn't the tunnel, it's the traffic lights by St Marks School because there are a ton of people trying to go E-W and ...Comment: Daily review 06/12/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 11:50 am, December 7th, 2024
This guy talks about his health insurance costs - for him and 3 dependents (prob wife and two kids). https://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/12/rage-against-the-insurance-machine He pays $30,846 per year for insurance of which his employer contributes $ ...Comment: Daily review 06/12/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 10:20 am, December 7th, 2024
There was a graph in the video that showed the insurance company where the guy was CEO was denying 32% of claims. A near identical graph is on the Boston Globe website. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/05/data/unitedhealthcare-claim-denial-rates/ There ...Comment: Open mike 07/12/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 9:59 am, December 7th, 2024
The "expert" panel just means if things go wrong then it doesn't track back to the minister. The minister can pre-pick the panel then when things go wrong s/he can just say "it wasn't my decision".Comment: Reti secretly wants to privatise Health
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 11:44 pm, November 30th, 2024
They don't do it more cheaply, they do the easy types of operations for people with few complications which have lower cost.Comment: National’s dodgy health announcements
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 10:00 am, November 28th, 2024
It's the American Republican playbook. Stop measuring stuff so that people don't know how bad things are getting. Their other play is to stop speaking about the stuff that is measured so politicians can lie with impunity.Comment: Open mike 12/11/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 12:16 pm, November 12th, 2024
Illegal immigrants have often been there a very long time. They fit in and don't look illegal. The Pew Research analysis finds that 35% of unauthorized adult immigrants have resided in the U.S. for 15 years or more. (https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and- ...Comment: What happened?
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 3:47 pm, November 10th, 2024
I think a lot more leaders will have got his handle by now. They'll placate him face to face and do nothing. Even friendly leaders will be less invested in keeping American relationships humming - they'll see no economic value when there are tarriffs ahead ...Comment: What happened?
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 3:17 pm, November 10th, 2024
When you look at the two people who tried to assassinate Trump, you would have expected them to have some major manifesto with detailed justifications about why it was necessary. But one was barely connected to politics and the other to a really fringe ...Comment: US Election 2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 1:39 pm, November 7th, 2024
Musk didn't spend a boat load of money on Trump to let Theil's man gain all the power.Comment: US Election 2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 1:36 pm, November 7th, 2024
I'm not sure how much gerrymanding they can do. It's pretty much optimal for the Republicans now.Comment: When a right becomes a wrong
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 11:05 am, November 1st, 2024
The best ideas will rise to the top more quickly and more easily if bad ideas are not around in the first place. Debating bad ideas just takes up resources. We don't owe a non-resident any of our resources.Comment: Daily review 29/10/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 9:24 am, October 30th, 2024
The person leasing the building can build dodgy to save money. Then when the problems show up they can stall and stall and stall and then declare bankruptcy. And then the govt has to pick up an even bigger bill.Comment: Seven days and counting
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 10:41 pm, October 28th, 2024
Of course, the other interpretation of that is that she changes her opinion when new evidence comes to light.Comment: Is the Epsom seat goneburger?
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 12:34 am, October 26th, 2024
The thing is that Epsom can be split into multiple electorates. Rongotai is at the edge of the island and can only eat into Wellington central who in turn would have to eat into Ohariu or Hutt South. There are a lot of geographical features in Wellington ...Comment: Luxon Tells The World Andrew Bayly Lied
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 10:46 am, October 22nd, 2024
It all sounds like the ... The Narcissist's Prayer That didn't happen. _______________________(I didn't call him a fuckwit) And if it did, it wasn't that bad. ____________(I had a brief interaction) And if it was, that's not a big deal. _________(They were ...Comment: Open mike 21/10/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 11:41 am, October 21st, 2024
With Elon Musk virtually taking over Trump's electioneering and Thiel setting up JD Vance as the vice-president nominee (R), it will be interesting to see which puppeteer wins out post-election if the Republicans win. Maybe Musk until Thiel can organise an ...Comment: Open mike 16/10/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 11:21 am, October 16th, 2024
They probably do it at the electorate level - this electorate voted 85% Labour and has an average income of $50,000 (so 85% of people have an income of $50,000), this electorate voted 23% Labour and had an average income of $30,000 (so 23% had an average ...Comment: Latest poll result – National is being cleaned out by NZ First and Act
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 11:39 am, October 12th, 2024
Luxon better stop being a non-entity or ACT and NZF will suck National's life-blood. (It seems like he wanted the job title and not the job - he is never prepared.) NZF will be looking to screw Seymour while he is deputy PM and if they bring down the govt ...Comment: Latest poll result – National is being cleaned out by NZ First and Act
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 11:25 am, October 12th, 2024
All well and good, but it's just another thread in a tapestry that includes entries in the Dirty Politics book.Comment: Open mike 10/10/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 6:12 pm, October 11th, 2024
Actually, I can across an interesting reference. Basically, it says that a more virulent strain of scarlet fever increased death rates in children to such an extent that the average life expectancy dropped. But also other things mattered "including the ...Comment: Open mike 10/10/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 4:17 pm, October 11th, 2024
You picked out two particular years with the implication that their were many similar years. Given you mentioned 1851 specifically, the potato famine fits within the timeframe. According to Wikipedia, in 1851, 20% of Liverpool's population was Irish. My ...Comment: Open mike 10/10/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 3:55 pm, October 11th, 2024
I am pointing out the silliness of trying to get recompence from the Roman Empire, which no longer exists, for a group of people who can't now be distinguished from further waves of colonisation and invasion. And that the "English" were violently colonised ...Comment: Open mike 10/10/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 4:38 pm, October 10th, 2024
But the English have had wave after wave of colonisation - Celts, Romans, Vikings, Jutes, Angels, Saxons, Normans. Try dis-entangling that. And how long should the last lot of colonizers live there before getting compensation from the next group of ...Comment: Open mike 10/10/2024
Written By: mpledger - Date published: 3:45 pm, October 10th, 2024
There were huge population influxes to Northern England from the Irish escaping the potato famine. Picking Manchester and Liverpool is purposefully picking the worst cities. (But that sets me up for a recommendation - North and South (2004) - a romance set ...
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- Working people will pay for static inflation
Data released by Statistics New Zealand today showed that inflation remains unchanged at 2.2%, defying expectations of further declines, said NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi Economist Craig Renney. “While inflation holding steady might sound like good news, the reality is that prices for the basics—like rent, energy, and insurance—are still rising. ...2 hours ago - DB Punches Down.
I never mentioned anythingAbout the songs that I would singOver the summer, when we'd go on tourAnd sleep on floors and drink the bad beerI think I left it unclearSong: Bad Beer. Songwriter: Jacob Starnes Ewald.Last night, I was watching a movie with Fi and the kids when I glanced ...3 hours ago - What Trump’s second inauguration means for us
Last night I spoke about the second inauguration of Donald Trump with in a ‘pop-up’ Hoon live video chat on the Substack app on phones.Here’s the summary of the lightly edited video above:Trump's actions signify a shift away from international law.The imposition of tariffs could lead to increased inflation ...5 hours ago - Growing Auckland
An interesting article in Stuff a few weeks ago asked a couple of interesting questions in it’s headline, “How big can Auckland get? And how big is too big?“. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t really answer those questions, instead focusing on current growth projections, but there were a few aspects to ...5 hours ago - “That would never happen here!”
Today is Donald J Trump’s second inauguration ceremony.I try not to follow too much US news, and yet these developments are noteworthy and somehow relevant to us here.Only hours in, parts of their Project 2025 ‘think/junk tank’ policies — long planned and signalled — are already live:And Elon Musk, who ...14 hours ago - Gordon Campbell On The Looming Conflicts Within The Trump Presidency
How long is it going to take for the MAGA faithful to realise that those titans of Big Tech and venture capital sitting up close to Donald Trump this week are not their allies, but The Enemy? After all, the MAGA crowd are the angry victims left behind by the ...15 hours ago - 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 ...21 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 ...23 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 ...24 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 ...1 day 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 ...1 day 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 ...1 day 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 ...1 day 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 ...1 day 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 ...1 day 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 ...1 day 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 ...2 days 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. ...2 days 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 ...3 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 ...3 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 ...3 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 ...4 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 ...5 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 ...5 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 ...5 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 ...6 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 ...6 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 ...6 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 ...6 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 ...6 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 ...7 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 ...7 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 ...1 week 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 / ...2 weeks 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
- 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. ...1 day ago - Release: Cabinet reshuffle a futile exercise from failing government
National's Cabinet reshuffle is a futile attempt to turn around a failing government. ...1 day 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. ...6 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
- Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Marie Brennan, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Waikato Shutterstock/KV4000 Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates ...57 minutes ago - Gone By Lunchtime: Luxon launches reboot for 2025
New year, same friendly local politics podcast. The political year kicked off with a dramatic reshuffle that sees Shane Reti removed from health in favour of Simeon Brown, James Meager made minister for the fiefdom that is the South Island and Nicola Willis in the renamed role of minister for ...1 hour ago - A serious and urgent briefing for the first minister for the South Island
Alex Casey and Tara Ward assemble a list of demands for James Meager, the first minister for the South Island. South islanders, rejoice, for there is now one man dedicated to ensuring that each and every 1,260,000 of us has our voices heard in parliament. This week Rangitata MP James ...2 hours ago
- Gaza and the Western media – complicit in genocide
COMMENTARY: By Steven Cowan, editor of Against The Current New Zealand’s One News interviewed a Gaza journalist last week who has called out the Western media for its complicity in genocide. For some 15 months, the Western media have framed Israel’s genocidal rampage in Gaza as a “legitimate” war. Pretending ...2 hours ago
- No change to abortion laws, new Health Minister Simeon Brown promises
Simeon Brown's opposition to abortion as been on the public record for years, having led a pro-life group at university and voted reform in 2020. ...3 hours ago - Christopher Luxon defends government’s economic growth record
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the government has been taking the problem of economic growth seriously, and its work on that so far has been "significant". ...3 hours ago
- Buyers have more power in ‘deep’ property downturn, new figures show
REINZ stats show sales down 27.4 percent in December compared to November and up 1.8 percent from a year earlier. ...4 hours ago
- It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marta Yebra, Professor of Environmental Engineering, Australian National University Picture this. It’s a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike ...4 hours ago
- ‘Should I let my kid play Roblox?’ New safety features reduce risks – but more are needed
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanne Orlando, Researcher, Digital Literacy and Digital Wellbeing, Western Sydney University Wachiwit/Shutterstock Roblox isn’t just another video game – it’s a massive virtual universe where nearly 90 million people from around the world create, play and socialise. This includes some 34 ...5 hours ago
- Why do some young people use Xanax recreationally? What are the risks?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicole Lee, Adjunct Professor at the National Drug Research Institute (Melbourne based), Curtin University Dragana Gordic/Shutterstock Anecdotal reports from some professionals have prompted concerns about young people using prescription benzodiazepines such as Xanax for recreational use. Border force detections of ...5 hours ago
- Trump has begun dismantling America’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Here’s why Au...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Judy Lundy, Lecturer in Management, Edith Cowan University Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock It’s been a significant day for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the United States. Such initiatives are about providing equality of opportunity and a sense of being valued ...5 hours ago
- What challenges does 2025 have in store for the local screen industry?
Filmmaker Ahmed Osman reflects on the many challenges the screen industry is facing this year – and what needs to change. I grew up in front of the TV. For me, it was more than just background noise: it was connection. Shows like bro’Town, Street Legal, and Outrageous Fortune weren’t ...5 hours ago
- New Zealand Government Moves To Scrap Regulations That Constrain Corporate Profit
The government last year created a new Ministry for Regulation, with ACT leader David Seymour in charge, to review regulations and, in Seymour’s words, “to look for red tape to cut.” ...5 hours ago - History under the floorboards: decoding the diets of institutionalised women in 19th century Sydney
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kimberley Connor, Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford Archaeology Center, Stanford University Sydney’s Hyde Park Barracks photographed in 1871, when the building served as a women’s immigration depot and asylum. City of Sydney Archives. Sydney’s Hyde Park Barracks was built between 1817 and ...5 hours ago
- Nicola Willis hints at visa changes to grow economy
Finance Minister Nicola Willis was recently given the new responsibility of economic growth minister. ...6 hours ago
- Here’s when you should consider a longer home loan fix
The time may be coming to lock in a longer rate, here's how you can spot it. ...6 hours ago
- NZ’s climate policies are no longer enough to keep warming at 1.5°C – here’s what needs to ha...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert McLachlan, Professor in Applied Mathematics, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University NASA/Earth Observatory, CC BY-SA It’s now official. Last year was the warmest year on record globally and the first to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. This doesn’t mean ...6 hours ago
- NZ political parties gear up for a busy 2025
Analysis - The political year is kicking off with a flurry of gatherings and speeches after the Prime Minister used Wellington Anniversary weekend to get his team in order. ...8 hours ago
- Clean-out at the Waitangi Tribunal: Who’s in and who’s out?
There’s been a major shake-up at the Waitangi Tribunal, with more than half of the current members, including some esteemed Māori academics, losing their places to make way for some controversial new appointments. Established in 1975, the Waitangi Tribunal investigates alleged Crown breaches of the promises made to Māori in ...9 hours ago
- Are we doing enough about ‘forever chemicals’?
PFAS chemicals are omnipresent, enduring, and almost certainly in your bloodstream. Here’s a guide to where they come from, why there are concerns about their use and what regulations are in place to help you avoid exposure. Your raincoat, beading with water. The slippery smooth surface of your non-stick pans. ...9 hours ago
- Willis’ greater economic powers could come at a cost
Prime Minister Christoper Luxon has turned Finance Minister Nicola Willis into a ‘super minister’ by adding the rebranded economic portfolio to her plate and bolstering her ability to implement change.Luxon announced his decision to appoint Nicola Willis to the role of Minister for Economic Growth as part of a wider ...9 hours ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 22 January
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Wednesday 22 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...9 hours ago
- Harvey Crewe’s cousin speaks out
When I reflect on my life, I look at how everything changed on the evening of June 22, 1970.I was lying in bed when the phone went late one night. My father picked it up. He was on the phone for what seemed like an eternity, and I could tell ...9 hours ago
- New privacy code: gold-plated gift or a banana skin?
Opinion: After an exhaustive period of consultation spanning almost two years, the Privacy Commissioner, in the week before Christmas, released the draft version of the Biometric Processing Privacy Code he intends to issue under the Privacy Act.Biometric information, collected through the likes of facial recognition technology, is personal information covered ...9 hours ago
- Why some are working against public transport and rail
Opinion: With a freshly minted transport minister taking the helm this week, it’s a good time to consider why we lack a fair and objective conversation about transport in New Zealand.The main reason for opposing investment in public transport and rail is that these modes reduce the reliance on and ...9 hours ago
- Record-breaking Kiwi swimmer goes out on her terms
After 23 years following a black line at the bottom of a swimming pool, Aquablack and Olympian Helena Gasson has retired from competitive swimming on her terms.She now wants to share her expertise and give back to the sport after being the only New Zealander to compete at an Oceania ...9 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Wednesday 22 January
The post Daily crossword, Wednesday 22 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...9 hours ago
- Judge grants Māori six more customary marine titles as Govt second guesses its coastline reform
A temporary impasse between the executive and the courts over the Marine and Coastal Areas Act has now seen six more Māori groups granted customary rights by the High Court.The judge in the latest case says the courts can’t wait for what might eventuate from Parliament but must decide applications ...9 hours ago
- The corporate class takes over America
Comment: If you’ve ever wondered how Omni Consumer Products became the government in the 1987 Paul Verhoeven film, Robocop, you’re about to find out. As Donald J. Trump, a convicted felon and a man who tried to violently seize power through a failed coup in 2020, begins his second term ...9 hours ago
- Europe’s far-right dominoes knock down democracy
Opinion: Austria is poised to become the next European country to fall to the far right. There is only one option for mainstream parties to break this cycle. The post Europe’s far-right dominoes knock down democracy appeared first on Newsroom. ...9 hours ago
- Ethnic community leaders slam Lee’s removal from diversity portfolio
After sitting on the back benches as an MP for five terms, Lee was given the ethnic communities, economic development, and media and communications portfolios after the coalition government won the 2023 election. Lee was demoted from Cabinet in April last year, with Luxon stripping her of the media and ...10 hours 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 ...16 hours ago
- Surprise at Lee’s removal from ethnic communities’ role
Police Minister Mark Mitchell is set to take up the ethnic communities' portfolio from Lee. ...16 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 ...17 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 ...18 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. ...19 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 ...19 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 ...19 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 ...20 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 ...20 hours ago
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