Black Hole

Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, April 11th, 2019 - 126 comments
Categories: class war, Deep stuff, energy - Tags: ,

The image of the black hole was revealed during a live-streamed press conference.

The first image of a black hole has been released. It’s a composite built by the observations of 8 telescopes and confirms the existence of a massive Eye of Sauron in space.

In short, a black hole is what you get when a star collapses in on itself and creates a feedback loop that entraps everything that comes near it. All substance, all light and all energy disappears into the void, crushed and atomised.

Once you’ve entered the black hole, there is nothing but darkness and no hope of escape.

However, NASA have confirmed that, despite the similarities, there is no truth to the rumour that the black hole is to be named Simon.

 

126 comments on “Black Hole ”

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  1. Sabine 1
    11 April 2019 at 8:23 am

    you mean it was not a hollywood production?

    gosh, who would have thought?

  2. mickysavage 2
    11 April 2019 at 8:26 am

    Heh.

  3. vto 3
    11 April 2019 at 8:32 am

    Perhaps one day when science explains everything religious…

    it will be that light is heaven and the black hole is hell

    and that will be it.

    ‘god’ was never anything but physical matters twisted and warped in space.

    proving, like dolly the sheep did, that the spiritual is a subset of the physical and not the other way around

    • One Two 3.1
      11 April 2019 at 8:48 am

      Perhaps one day when science explains everything religious

      If you reckon ‘science’ could explain any such thing then you do not understand what ‘science’ is…and what it is not…

      • vto 3.1.1
        11 April 2019 at 9:21 am

        much ‘religion’ has already been explained, and it is increasing exponentially. Example: the sun

        • One Two 3.1.1.1
          11 April 2019 at 9:25 am

          Define ‘religion’ for the context of your comment…

          Define ‘explained’…

          Genuinely interested in your original comment and the sheep analogy, for which you have use ‘the sun’ as an example of …religion being explained …sun…’god’…I am assuming…

          • vto 3.1.1.1.1
            11 April 2019 at 10:29 am

            gotta fly but..

            if you accept that dolly the sheep had a spirit/soul, then it becomes apparent that that was created by man through physical means. Dolly’s spirit/soul arose from the physical

            • One Two 3.1.1.1.1.1
              11 April 2019 at 11:28 am

              When you get back, if you feel so inclined…

              Perhaps you could have a go at articulating the two definitions I asked about…

              Religion
              Explained…

              So, I’m reading…

              1. You accept dolly had a spirit/soul – you see these things as the same..
              2. However, because dolly was supposedly a ‘lab creation’…science experiment..
              3. That there is no ‘spirituality’ which can exist outside of the physical being body/mind (single entity)…
              4. Therefore there is no external ‘spirituality’ ergo no ‘god/religion’…
              5. Because ‘science’ says so ….

              About right?

              • vto …
                11 April 2019 at 12:39 pm

                Plus or minus…

                The spiritual sprung from the physical. The spiritual is an as yet unnamed and undiscovered physical state.

                I suspect one day ‘religious features’ will all be described as ‘physical features’. Same example; the sun.

                as a tangent – as far as I’m aware no space exploration (by rocket or telescope) to date has discovered any new elements in outer space. Everything found to date out in space is made of materials that are found on earth. Everything…

                There is something in that too.

                • One Two …
                  11 April 2019 at 12:56 pm

                  Argh…ok….scientism…

                  That’s what my presumption was…thanks for the response to affirm…

                  Do you consider yourself an atheist ?

                  • vto …
                    11 April 2019 at 1:05 pm

                    If I might ask you a question now – assuming you are of a religious view, how then did dolly the sheep acquire the spiritual? From where did it come? (all on the assumption dolly had such)

                    • One Two …
                      11 April 2019 at 1:19 pm

                      You’ve not answered the any of the questions…generally speaking…answering the asked question before coming back with some of your own is the sequence…

                      In a gesture of good faith, I’ll respond to one of yours… ‘where did dolly acquire the spiritual from’…

                      I am not for or against any religious persuasion…

                      …and in response to the question…if the ‘science’ you believe in had the answers…then you would not need to ask such a question…because the ‘science’ would already have provided you with an answer…

                      Which you could then use to confirm internal and external bias…

                      So …do you consider yourself an atheist ?

                    • vto …
                      11 April 2019 at 1:26 pm

                      “if the ‘science’ you believe in had the answers…then you would not need to ask such a question…because the ‘science’ would already have provided you with an answer…”

                      This makes no sense in the context of science and its rising position within the world… Science hasn’t been able to describe everything yet – it takes time…

                      …for examples, plate tectonics were only discovered in the 1950’s. Anthropology is also only a very young science. Black holes were only recently discovered. It has only recently been accepted that it is now a matter of if, not when, life is found elsewhere (only 20 years you would be laughed at in suggesting such).

                      So imo to suggest that science would have provided the answer already is a nonsense.

                      To your question as to whether I am an atheist – reserving my position. I suspect that ‘god’ will end up being a physical state/thing somewhere which can be measured and described. Like the sun now can be.

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 1:49 pm

                      Fair play on ‘reserving your position’ vto…

                      Measured and described…

                      The examples you provide are physical world…the belief in identifying measuring and describing the supposed ‘non physical’ … is pure scientism…among other things…cult like belief in ‘the science’…

                      ‘Science’ cannot and will not explain everything…not ‘the science’ you’re refering to…not on an infinite timeline…absolutely not on a human timeline…

                      If you understood the limitations of ‘science’…then you would have appreciated what I was saying…

                      Einstein understood limitations…the so called ‘greatest minds’ did…

                      Many of them were deeply religious…Einstein was…

                      Perhaps you were not aware…

                    • Psycho Milt …
                      11 April 2019 at 2:01 pm

                      The examples you provide are physical world…the belief in identifying measuring and describing the supposed ‘non physical’ … is pure scientism…

                      Oh, the religious things that people just make up can be measured and described alright, just not in a way that the people believing the made-up stuff would find very flattering.

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 2:11 pm

                      Depends on the definition of made up stuff…

                      So many examples in ‘science’… is made up stuff…best guess…

                      You know, milt…those things which ‘science’ leaves gaping holes while explaining…

                    • vto …
                      11 April 2019 at 2:11 pm

                      “The examples you provide are physical world…”

                      No. The examples were not ‘physical world’. They may be physical world now, because science has measured them, but they were not physical world in the past. The sun was not considered a ‘physical’ – that only came later…

                      .. which can be applied to the rest of the supposed non-physical today, like a ‘spiritual world’. i.e. they too will get measured… which brings me back to dolly the sheep and any spirit/soul she may have had…

                      We are not at any end-point one two.
                      …

                      and this: “‘Science’ cannot and will not explain everything”

                      I don’t see how it is possible to say that. Especially on the trajectory of science over the last 200 years, and especially the last 20 years…

                      Science is explaining more, while religion is explaining less.

                      Note the tangent referred to previously – no new physical matter has been found in space yet.

                      BTW, where do you suppose Dolly’s spirit/soul came from? How did it arise? You haven’t answered that yet.

                      …
                      As to your limitations point etc, sure I can see how religion and science may converge one day, but imo it will be by way of a scientific proof.. Based on current trajectory that is

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 2:38 pm

                      they may be physical world now because science has measured them…

                      Vto..I think I get where you’re coming from…science ia not the apex of anything which your comments indicate you believe it to be…

                      Unless you’re referring to science as having ‘god like’ status…which again…pure scientism…not science at all…

                      You’re indicating a faith based belief that ‘science’ …’knows’ all…and what it doesn’t yet ‘know’…doesn’t yet exist…but surely will…because science…

                      You’re practicing a religion…vto…faith based scientism…not scientific at all..

                      You keep repeating..’no new physical matter has been found in space…yet…

                      As if that can at some point on a timeline ever prove that what…pointlessness of religion’…will that prove anything at all…if such a thing could ever be proven…which it can’t…

                      But …but…just not yet..

                      You’re practising a form of religious faith…vto…

                      Why are you still asking about dolly and a soul…I don’t have the answer…neither does ‘science’…and it never will…not as you believe it can…

                      I’m not an absolutist…except on the cult of scientism…because proving something existential does not exist…

                      Is impossible vto…think it through…you’ve got some ‘time’…

                    • vto …
                      11 April 2019 at 3:03 pm

                      One Two, you keep putting words in my mouth which aren;t there. Examples;
                      1- “science ia not the apex of anything which your comments indicate you believe it to be”. Never said that. It is not an apex, but it is certainly pointing towards an apex I think at the moment in the world.
                      2- “Your indicating a faith based belief that ‘science’ …knows all…and what it doesn’t yet ‘know’…doesn’t yet exist…but surely will…”. No, I am simply extrapolating the last 200 years of scientific advancement. Such extrapolation is of course a ‘forecast’ only, with associated uncertainty and risk.
                      3-“You’re practicing a religion” No – see above.
                      4-“still asking about dolly and a soul…I don’t have the answer…neither does ‘science’…and it never will…not as you believe it can…”. Not correct. Science created Dolly. Did Dolly have a soul/spirit? Can science measure a soul/spirit? There are already such suggestions…

                      You say you are not an absolutist, yet there you are being absolutist.

                      You need to think about what science has learned, especially in the last 20 years, and even the last 2 years. What science has learned has already debunked countless ‘religious’ matters. It is on an exponential rise.

                      The problem science has today, are the religious and others amongst us who act like conspiracy theorists and trump supporters in this age of fake news and bullshit… they say “how can you know anything?”… waste of space comment that one.

                      That is what you are doing.
                      …………
                      Finally, the point about no new material yet being discovered in outer space – it seems to flummox you. Come back to me later when thoughts occur about what that might mean..

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 3:24 pm

                      I’m seeking to interpret your comments, vto…if I am not interpreting as you intend…you can clarify…as you’re trying to do here..

                      To your numbered points.

                      1. Your comments indicated enough for me to make the ‘apex’ remark…and you’ve confirmed it with your own words…previously…and again…
                      certainly pointing towards apex I think in the world…

                      2. How are you extrapolating…what method are you using…send links…give quantified examples…provide the authors you’re reading etc…

                      3. You don’t yet understand that you’re practicing a faith based religion…built on ‘forecasts’…extrapolations’…suggestions…

                      4. Post links to the studies ‘suggesting’ measuring soul/spirit…go right ahead…or are you being suggestive only…

                      If it is not defined…it can’t be measured…again…provide definitions…your own…not someone else’s…science can’t define the spirit or soul…science can’t measure it…no matter what ‘science’ says…

                      On the cult of scientism…I am absolutist…I stated exactly that…

                      As for the remainder of your comment…it reads like you have a long journey ahead…and alot of time to learn and grow…

                      I wish you all the very best, vto…thanks for the responses…

                    • JohnSelway …
                      11 April 2019 at 3:16 pm

                      Both science and religion are models of reality however only one of these models has predictive capability….

                      The three basal starting points of models of reality (and the philosophy of reality) are:
                      1. We assume the universe exists.
                      2. If we assume the universe exists then we can assume that we can learn something about it
                      3. That which has most predictive power is a better model than that which does not.

                      Science predicts, religion does not so religion is a defunct model of reality

                    • vto …
                      11 April 2019 at 3:23 pm

                      replying to my own: “Finally, the point about no new material yet being discovered in outer space – it seems to flummox you. Come back to me later when thoughts occur about what that might mean..”

                      I find this fascinating, though don’t know where it might end up…

                      What I suspect, in one short sentence, is that this means there is in fact a knowable end point to everything in the universe.

                      The end.

                    • vto …
                      11 April 2019 at 3:28 pm

                      But wait there’s more… “What I suspect, in one short sentence, is that this means there is in fact a knowable end point to everything in the universe.”

                      Which would make sense given that we can glean as much about everything from looking down and inwards, as we can looking up and outwards. For example, the riddles of the universe can be solved probably by looking at the atom as much as looking at distant stars. And this ties in with there being nothing new out in space. It is all here right now.

                      The second end ha ha.

                    • JohnSelway …
                      11 April 2019 at 3:36 pm

                      Telescopes probe the universe while the Large Hadron Collider probes the particles

                      I think in the grand scheme of the universe size is irrelevant and is a human construct

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 3:44 pm

                      Selway…you returned…to share more of the ‘selway science’…

                      You made a grandiose exit…twisted up many commemts…your own involvment…and now you’ve flip floped back…

                      It’s ‘all’ human construct…except you know…the immeasursble volume of what isn’t known…

                      See if you can ‘selway science’ that….

                    • vto …
                      11 April 2019 at 3:40 pm

                      Third end herewith, sorry;

                      “this means there is in fact a knowable end point to everything in the universe”

                      and therein lies God

                      the convergence is complete

                    • vto …
                      11 April 2019 at 3:51 pm

                      One Two: “It’s ‘all’ human construct”

                      But if everything out in space is the same as what is on earth, then it is clearly not “all human construct” is it…. It is “all earth construct”

                      the whole universe is made of the same stuff that earth is made of

                      humans have nothing to do with it

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 3:59 pm

                      The tools used to ‘define and measure’…are 100% human constructs…

                      Aren’t they…

                    • JohnSelway …
                      11 April 2019 at 4:01 pm

                      If by “selway science” you mean “mainstream science” then yes.

                      I’m not sure what else you could be talking about but if you think I have made an error please point it out rather than just puffing out your chest. I will gladly retract any errors I have made if you could be a dear and show them to me.

                      Basically put up or shut up

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 4:18 pm

                      Your (selway science) errors were called out…not just by me…and then a short time after you went on an abusive tirade on a different thread with a bunch of others…

                      You then got on a soapbox and announced you were moving on…seeking to absolve yourself of responsibility…a fewer number of handles corrected your written nonsense…and waved you goodbye…

                      Lacking of conviction…you’ve decided to come back…or are you someone else ?

                      Again…off topic…so I’ll leave it at that…

                    • Dukeofurl …
                      11 April 2019 at 5:03 pm

                      Plate tectonics was ‘described’ well before the 1950s
                      ‘in 1912 the meteorologist Alfred Wegener amply described what he called continental drift, expanded in his 1915 book The Origin of Continents and Oceans’.. wiki

                    • JohnSelway …
                      11 April 2019 at 5:30 pm

                      While Selway Science has a nice ring to it I prefer mainstream science. You know, shit that can be demonstrated and repeated.

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 7:06 pm

                      Mainstream science is shit…you have that right on…

                      Corporatized, lobbied, corrupted, fraudulant, privarized and paid for…

                      Sound bites repeated ad nauseum for easy digestion…low cpu cycle requirements…narrow bands of thought…

                      Explains your pre soapbox commentary ‘I know the scientific method’…et al…

                      Mainstream ‘shit’ science…selway science…

                      A symbiotic embrace…

                    • vto …
                      11 April 2019 at 6:10 pm

                      One Two “The tools used to ‘define and measure’…are 100% human constructs…”

                      Misses the point by a large margin – doesn’t matter whose or what tools are used to describe, the fact is that all the stuff out there is the same as the stuff here on planet earth. Use a martian or some mountain guru to measure it for all I care, it is the same stuff. That was the point, no matter how much you try to pull it back to the current shortcomings of humanity and their uninformed brains.

                      Humans have nothing to do with it. Perhaps re-read the point.

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 6:29 pm

                      Vto…you appear to have missed that my response was to selways comment about universe size and human construct…

                      So in the context of my response…your question and my answer…about tools and definitions…that you are maligned…and off track…

                      Now…your eagerness to enforce that planet earth is same same…’star dust’…sure…but only to the best of human knowledge using human understanding of physics and maths etc…invented by human beings…

                      You’re rushing…a little lost…and keen to share your knowledge…that’s great…keep at it…

                      Will the Martians use science to gain ‘infinite knowlege’…

                      Or is that a uniquely egoistic human endevour…you reckon…

                    • marty mars …
                      11 April 2019 at 6:45 pm

                      Hey vto welcome to the one two black hole. Lol – use maximum thrusters NOW before it’s too late man.

                    • vto …
                      11 April 2019 at 6:52 pm

                      One Two, appreciate swapping notes with you but I’m going to stop now as the cry “nobody can ever know anything for sure because human” is a waste of time and can, by its own definition, never get anywhere.

                      And that has been the sole response from you at each point.

                      Your view is self-defeating and ever-decreasing-circulary.

                      See you in outer space one day, if it actually even exists… those stars tonight I guess I am seeing with my human eyes so may not even exist, how would I know, eh ………

                      Good luck

                      edit: @marty, heh yeah I think I finally clicked onto that. Have thrustered out now and cruising in my own orbit again …..

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 7:18 pm

                      Cheers vto…your comments are positive and in good faith…I appreciate that…

                      The core of your comments as I read them was…science will eventually measure and explain ‘everything’…that is your stated position as I interpreted it…

                      I simply highlighted where that perspective has gaps in logic…we kept it light…

                      It reads like you have genuine curiosity which is such a cool trait to have…

                      Imagination is another amazing power to possess…

                      Science, will never be able to explain imagination…sure it can tell you which synapses are firing and even claim to be able to read thoughts…

                      But science will never be so apex,that it can explain imagination, where it comes from…

                      Nor will science rationally be able to measure or describe human spirit or soul…nor dolly the sheeps…

                      Cheers again vto…I’ve enjoyed swapping notes too…your style is open and friendly…

                      Stargazing and stardust…amazing…

                    • JohnSelway …
                      11 April 2019 at 6:52 pm

                      @Marty

                      It’s one hell of a black hole. Lucky for me though following mainstream science is now “Selway Science”. I want a nobel prize now.

                    • Andre …
                      11 April 2019 at 7:09 pm

                      Here’s a couple of sites to help you understand the nature of what you’re up against.

                      http://sebpearce.com/bullshit/

                      http://wisdomofchopra.com/

                    • One Two []
                      11 April 2019 at 7:35 pm

                      Vto has been around this site for some time, and reads as too positive to be interested in joining the ‘angry little mans’ group, Andre…

                      Vto reads as far more capable than requiring bad advice from your grudge carrying quater…

                      Selways back…reckon you should sign him up…regardless the numbers in the group…none of you provide any challenge…individually or collectively…

                      Post some more on OM…you know the stuff I mean…

                    • JohnSelway …
                      11 April 2019 at 7:23 pm

                      Yeah – fuck mainstream science!

                      (Says the guy whose whole life is dependant on the work of mainstream science)

                    • McFlock …
                      11 April 2019 at 7:34 pm

                      (Says the guy whose whole life is dependant on the work of mainstream science)

                      lol me too.

                      Depending on when the apocalypse hits, a week from when one med runs out I’ll be screaming in agony, and as the others run out various chronic conditions will start clocking off.

                      I might live another twenty years without them, but those years will totally suck until I have an event that kills me outright (if I’m lucky) or leaves me to starve where I fall if I’m unlucky.

                      With science… who knows how long I’ll hang around 🙂

                    • maggieinnz …
                      12 April 2019 at 3:53 am

                      Reading through this conversation it becomes apparent at this point that One Two is so named because they like to dance. No straight answers, just manipulation, twisting of words and general shit talk.

  4. Nick 4
    11 April 2019 at 8:32 am

    Soimon… Is that you?

  5. WeTheBleeple 5
    11 April 2019 at 8:49 am

    “Where the laws of physics break down”

    Look, in the center, that’s where real magic happens.

    I’ve heard tell you can turn lead into gold. We should send a delegation of investment bankers to investigate.

  6. Phil 6
    11 April 2019 at 9:48 am

    I feel like you’re all not fully grasping how mind-blowing this image actually is. The light in those images is from 54 million years ago!

    When that light started heading toward us, the Himalayan mountain range was still 4 million years away from rapidly (geologically speaking) springing up. The European and North American continents were only just starting to break apart. Almost the entire world from pole to pole was covered in dense forests.

    The earliest forms of ‘modern’ mammals (ancestors of elephants, primates, rodents etc) were only just starting to emerge. The earth was not particularly far past having dinosaurs dominate the ecosystem.

    • Andre 6.1
      11 April 2019 at 10:01 am

      Well, more like microwaves than light. The EHT detects 1.3mm wavelengths, which is roughly 230 GHz.

      https://eventhorizontelescope.org/

    • Anne 6.2
      11 April 2019 at 10:07 am

      Impossible to get one’s head around but still truly remarkable.

      So, that image was reality 54 million years ago! What is the likely reality today?

      • Andre 6.2.1
        11 April 2019 at 10:24 am

        Cue discussion of relativity and what “today” means in terms of information travelling vast distances etc etc.

        In terms of what we are likely to observe from earth in 54 Million years’ time, I suspect the answer is “not much different to what we observe today”. 54 million years really isn’t much in terms of the lifetimes of galaxies, stars, black holes. It might be a bit brighter if it manages to snarf down a few more stars in the meantime, or maybe a bit dimmer if our observation now isn’t long after it’s had a snack.

        But if you want some real eyes-glazed-over stuff, here’s a goodie about the life and times of supermassive black holes.

        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4561239/

        • Anne 6.2.1.1
          11 April 2019 at 10:31 am

          Thanks Andre. I suspected as much.

          I will check out the link later. Too early still….

          That’ll teach all the Fundies’ mumbo jumbo claims that God made heaven and earth (presumably with his bare hands) in ten days around 12,000 years ago. 😈

          • Poission 6.2.1.1.1
            11 April 2019 at 10:41 am

            often overlooked is the formidable mathematical theory on black holes formulated by NZ Roy Kerr.

            “Nobel laureate S. Chandrasekhar, who said that in his entire scientific life, “the most shattering experience has been the realization that [the Kerr metric] provides the absolutely exact representation of untold numbers of massive black holes that populate the Universe.”

            https://physics.aps.org/articles/v7/18

            And the Bald wig wearing black holes.

            https://astrobites.org/2017/07/27/bald-black-holes-wearing-wigs/

            • Anne 6.2.1.1.1.1
              11 April 2019 at 7:48 pm

              often overlooked is the formidable mathematical theory on black holes formulated by NZ Roy Kerr.

              He was given full recognition on both TV1 and TV3 this evening. Such a humble person too.

          • The Al1en 6.2.1.1.2
            11 April 2019 at 11:01 am

            “That’ll teach all the Fundies’ mumbo jumbo claims that God made heaven and earth (presumably with his bare hands) in ten days around 12,000 years ago.”

            You’d think so, right, but if common sense, carbon dated fossils and some brilliant scientific minds can’t break the grip of the 6,000 year old earth lie, sadly, a fuzzy photo of space aint got a hope.

            • Anne 6.2.1.1.2.1
              11 April 2019 at 11:10 am

              I should have added a (sarc).

              Quite agree but then Fundies sit on the lowest bar of the human IQ range.

              No surprise most of them live in the US.

                • Anne …
                  11 April 2019 at 11:38 am

                  My late Dad was saying the same sort of thing as far back as the 60s and 70s but nowhere near as eloquently as Carl Sagan.

              • The Al1en …
                11 April 2019 at 11:32 am

                I knew where you were coming from so no need for a (sarc).

                My personal opinion isn’t generally favourable to religions or the religious, but the really stupid ones, well they’re like flat earthers, anti vaxers and all the other weirdo conspiracists rolled into one giant nutbar.

                That aussie meat head rugby player being a prime example.

                • halfcrown …
                  11 April 2019 at 12:17 pm

                  Also remember Al1en something I read somewhere the other day, could have been on here

                  “Flat earthers have nothing to fear but sphere itself.”

                  Well I laughed

                • One Two …
                  11 April 2019 at 12:36 pm

                  In using dismissive comments, abusive language, terminologies and pejoratives…

                  You are exhibiting many of the most negative personality traits…

                  How many can you list ?

                  Make a start, and I will continue the list for you…

                  • The Al1en …
                    11 April 2019 at 12:42 pm

                    I don’t give a flying f*ck what point you’re failing to make.

                    Though if you want to make a case for religion, 5g mind melting, flat earthers, anti vaxers and all the other weirdo conspiracists rolled into one giant nutbar, you go for it.

                    It’s you’re right to make a laughing stock of yourself.

                    • One Two …
                      11 April 2019 at 12:51 pm

                      I thought I had made it simple enough that you could understand…

                      Use of insults and other dismissive language serves only to illustrate the negative traits of the user…

                      All highly transparent…and separate from any specific subject matter…

                      Unsurprising you’d rather seek to deflect/project…using more abusive language…

                      This is getting off topic, so I’ll leave it at that..

                    • The Al1en …
                      11 April 2019 at 12:54 pm

                      Thanks for stopping by on your way to your next ill fated cause de jour.

                      It’s still your* right to make a laughing stock of yourself.

                      *Misspelling corrected from above.

                    • McFlock …
                      11 April 2019 at 1:10 pm

                      I thought I had made it simple enough that you could understand…

                      immediately followed by

                      Use of insults and other dismissive language serves only to illustrate the negative traits of the user

                      lols

                      What a fucking tool

                  • Poission …
                    11 April 2019 at 1:27 pm

                    “Make a start, and I will continue the list for you…”

                    1 1,2.. are you related to 3,5, n

                    2 if so would you be a bunny?

                  • marty mars …
                    11 April 2019 at 10:48 pm

                    “You are exhibiting many of the most negative personality traits…

                    How many can you list ?

                    Make a start, and I will continue the list for you…”

                    wow that is sad that you’d want to list out someones negative personality traits – pretty cruel shit that. Your commentary has really changed over the last few months – you seem really angry and nit-picky and judgmental and on some kind of mission. WTF is going on with you?

                    • One Two …
                      11 April 2019 at 11:04 pm

                      Give it up marty…your weak attempts to project onto my comments are transparent…are you trawling comments looking for something you latch onto…

                      Alien handed over the negative traits…maybe take it up at the source…or more likely the aggressive swearing style appeals to you on a visceral level…and as a tacit endorsement of TA’s ‘style…you’ve tried to hang it on me…its not worked…you’re not able to pull that off marty…not with me…

                      You’re looking for something from me…you need to find things for yourself…stop talking your internal BS so openly…stop needing to apologize…stop promising to vaccinate your kids and hold someone else responsible…and then ignore repeated requests to show the certs…or admit you were simply mouthing off..again…

                      How many times have you apologized to me recently…and to others here for your angry foul mouthed insults…plenty…

                      And you are deluded enough to pass judgement on my comments…using a poorly thought out approach…

                      Move along marty…I’m not the target you should keep engaging with…it’s pointless for you…

                    • The Al1en …
                      11 April 2019 at 11:13 pm

                      I wouldn’t worry about it MM. You, like most here, know what 12 is like.

                      Don’t waste your time with bitter game players. Stick to knowledgeable debate and good conversation with those open to both.

                    • Drowsy M. Kram …
                      11 April 2019 at 11:15 pm

                      Just an observation, 1-2; yours is a fairly demanding comment (@11:04 pm), quite poetic in its own way.

                      “Give it up marty”

                      “you need to find things for yourself”

                      “stop talking your internal BS so openly”

                      “stop needing to apologize”

                      “stop promising to vaccinate your kids”

                      “admit you were simply mouthing off”

                      “Move along marty”

                    • marty mars …
                      11 April 2019 at 11:21 pm

                      come on The Al1en – turn that shit into a hit – you got the skills – I’ve listened to your shit. There you go mate a bit more lyric for ya lol

                    • The Al1en …
                      11 April 2019 at 11:24 pm

                      I do remember doing ‘Link Whore’ for the original Phil. 😆

          • Phil 6.2.1.1.3
            11 April 2019 at 12:13 pm

            mumbo jumbo claims that God made heaven and earth

            Whatever last vestiges of religion remained in my brain from Catholic schooling, they were wiped away when I read Sagan’s “Cosmos”.

            • Anne 6.2.1.1.3.1
              11 April 2019 at 1:16 pm

              My local Presbyterian minister (long since passed this mortal coil) was always running down the Catholic Church and by inference anyone who was a Catholic. Around 17 years of age I started to realise he was talking a load of codswallop. That got me to thinking about all the rest of the stuff and I came to the conclusion it was all a load of cods…….. 😉

              Having said that, I have known over the years some truly good people who were/are devout Christians and were representative of all the Christian denominations.

              • Andre …
                11 April 2019 at 2:03 pm

                At 17 years old I was just jealous of my catholic mate who went to a catholic school because the parties put on by his schoolmates were much rowdier and raunchier than the ones put on by my secular schoolmates.

            • JohnSelway 6.2.1.1.3.2
              11 April 2019 at 3:18 pm

              Cosmos is one of my favourite books (and Sagan my favourite popular scientist. Tyson can fuck right off….Sagan is king)

  7. marty mars 7
    11 April 2019 at 10:09 am

    More interesting info

    “The iconic image offers humanity its first glimpse at the gas and debris that swirl around its event horizon, the point beyond which material disappears forever. A favorite object of science fiction has finally been made real on screen.

    Their target was a nearby galaxy dubbed M87 and its supermassive black hole, which packs the mass of six and half billion suns. Despite its size, the black hole is so far from Earth – 53 million light-years – that capturing the image took a telescope the size of the planet.”

    http://www.astronomy.com/news/2019/04/event-horizon-telescope-releases-first-ever-black-hole-image

    • Dukeofurl 7.1
      11 April 2019 at 11:21 am

      Theres a massive black hole at the centre of our universe , the Milky Way, too.
      “oday’s image is just the first astronomers expect EHT to produce. The observatory’s other main target is the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*. While it sits 1,000 times closer than M87, it’s also roughly 1,000 times smaller, so it takes the same amount of observing power. But because it’s smaller, the material swirling around its event horizon moves much faster, completing one circuit every few minutes, as opposed to a few days to circle M87”

      Too much data even for the internet for the M87 telescopes
      “Another complication is just the logistics of moving around so much data. Each station takes data over a range of wavelengths, resulting in massive amounts of information, as much as 5,000 hours of mp3 music files – too much to transmit. For instance, to transport data back from the South Pole Telescope, scientists had to wait until Antarctic spring when the planes finally started flying out again. A shipping pallet packed with the hard drives had to be sent back to the Northern Hemisphere, where data analysis was done ..” Astronomy.com

      • marty mars 7.1.1
        11 April 2019 at 11:25 am

        Yeah I’ve just been marvelling at the science in that article – who knew you could weigh a black hole – mindblowing.

        • McFlock 7.1.1.1
          11 April 2019 at 12:43 pm

          weight ain’t mass 😉

          It’s one of the nice things about science and astronomy in particular that great efforts often rest on a rather elegant application of basic physical laws. As soon as you can lock down one or two values (like an orbital trajectory and distance from the body being orbited) the rest of the math fall into place and a schoolkid can do it.

          It just takes someone really smart to lock down, with a decent model, experimental evidence, and the ability to explain their reasoning, those initial few values.

          • Andre 7.1.1.1.1
            11 April 2019 at 1:24 pm

            But marty didn’t say “weight”, he said “weigh”. Using the verb “weigh” as a shorter version of “determine the mass of” seems just fine to me.

            • McFlock 7.1.1.1.1.1
              11 April 2019 at 1:34 pm

              Hmmmm

              I’m not sure I agree with you, but it’s a fair point. I might have over-smartarsed myself 🙂

              • marty mars …
                11 April 2019 at 1:49 pm

                I will say I created the sentence to try and get people to read the article

                • Andre …
                  11 April 2019 at 1:54 pm

                  And it should be noted the article did use “weight” incorrectly at least once to refer to a black hole’s mass.

  8. Ad 8
    11 April 2019 at 11:10 am

    National’s new logo design.

  9. Ad 9
    11 April 2019 at 11:37 am

    New National Party logo.

  10. maggieinnz 10
    11 April 2019 at 11:41 am

    Haha, nicely done Te Reo.

    The parallels between black holes and National are interesting to say the least – A massive gassy ball of energy that isn’t sustainable and eventually runs out of fuel and implodes. What’s left is the void, a great gaping vortex of nothingness that’s infinitely dense. In this dying phase a black hole emits Hawking radiation affecting hapless particles that get too close to its event horizon – kinda like what we see with National ATM.

    This topic is fine fuel for poetry 🙂

    Death of a Gassy Giant

    Do black holes grieve as Nats
    for lost days of blazed trails
    and spiraling companions.
    Are they stained by death as Nats
    now left to hawking their wares
    to woeful passerby’s;
    the lack of which
    keeps Simon in the cold,
    or will they learn as others have
    that greatness isn’t girth.

  11. Stuart Munro. 11
    11 April 2019 at 11:57 am

    “You know of what I speak, Gandalf — a great Eye… lidless… wreathed in flame.”

  12. AB 12
    11 April 2019 at 12:02 pm

    The universe is so strange and has no discernible purpose.
    So how then do we conduct ourselves?
    The rain has cleared from the south and I am watching a kingfisher on the fence.

    • McFlock 12.1
      11 April 2019 at 1:08 pm

      We try, in general, to not be dicks.

      The abscence of an overarching meaning to the universe doesn’t have to result in a vicious, abusive society, any more than being asocial means one has to become a predatory wolf rather than a protecting sheepdog.

      As social animals, we try to get along with each other, and we tend to ostracise the abusers. So from an enlightened self interest point of view, it’s usually best to try to avoid being a dick.

      As social animals, we enjoy helping each other, being of service. We tend, to greater and lesser degrees, to avoid wanting to be dicks to others.

      And if the dinosaur bones, laws of physics, and black holes are all just god playing hard to get, then as long as we’re not too much of a dick, we’ll probably be okay in the eyes of god, anyway. So not being a dick hedges the bet against the existence of an afterlife. And if not, then god’s a bit of a dick, too.

      • AB 12.1.1
        11 April 2019 at 1:15 pm

        Yeah – that’ll do for now. Thanks McFlock.

      • One Two 12.1.2
        11 April 2019 at 2:01 pm

        Mcflock, you’re a self proclaimed bit of a dick…and certainly abusive through your comments on this blog site…following the bouncing ball…you’re contributing to an abusive society…

        Through being a bit of a dick…

        Enlightenment via self awareness …?

        Hypocrisy?

        • McFlock 12.1.2.1
          11 April 2019 at 2:11 pm

          Nobody’s perfect.

          The vast bulk of your comments consist of belittling others while pretending to be working at some “higher level” than everyone else. Is that really any less dickish than calling someone a “fucking tool”?

          At least I’m honest about my imperfections, dick.

          • One Two 12.1.2.1.1
            11 April 2019 at 2:20 pm

            Nobody is perfect…absolutely agree…we’re all a work in progress…

            The rest of your musing is, as I have expressed to you before…flawed interpretations of my comments…but you can’t or won’t accept that…

            You’re threatened in some way…and like others with a long archive of abusive history on this site…you go looking for ways to make the abuse sound as it it was somehow warranted or deserved…

            If you were being even slightly honest with yourself…you’d have managed away from posting abuse on this site (your handle goes back a very long way…little change)…anonymous or not…it is a part of your contribution to society…

            • McFlock 12.1.2.1.1.1
              11 April 2019 at 2:24 pm

              You prefer to write three paragraphs belittling another commenter and telling them how to live their lives.

              I prefer to say “fuck off, you fucking tool”.

              Potayto, potahto.

              • Bazza64 …
                11 April 2019 at 10:22 pm

                One Two is not only a wifi nut, but anti-vax & probably a bible banger as well, but too scared to admit it. He suffers from a writing affliction where he can’t finish his sentences …….
                Thinks it makes him look superior to everyone else when he is none too bright. As for The claim that Einstein was deeply religious, what a load of bollocks. But he provides good entertainment for this website that can be a tad serious at times.

                • McFlock …
                  11 April 2019 at 10:31 pm

                  Didn’t Einstein shag his cousin? that’s pretty biblical…

                  • The Al1en …
                    11 April 2019 at 10:33 pm

                    Albert Einstein may have been a genius but his brother Frank was a monster

                    • McFlock …
                      11 April 2019 at 10:47 pm

                      ugh 🙂

                      … and both of them were cheap drunks, getting hammered on one german mug of beer apiece.

                    • The Al1en …
                      11 April 2019 at 10:59 pm

                      Einstein walks into a bar and says to the bartender, “I’ll take a beer, and a beer for my friend, Heisenberg.”

                      The bartender looks around and asks, “Is your friend here?”
                      “Well,” says Einstein, “he is and he isn’t.”

                    • McFlock …
                      11 April 2019 at 11:16 pm

                      Enrico Fermi walks into a bar, looks around, and says “where the bloody hell is everybody?”

                    • The Al1en …
                      11 April 2019 at 11:20 pm

                      Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar.
                      One says, “I think I’ve lost an electron.”
                      The other says, “Are you sure?”
                      The first replies, “Yes, I’m positive…”

                      And finally

                      A neutron walks into a bar and orders a drink. Upon being asked the price, the bartender responded, “For you? No charge.”

                  • Andre …
                    12 April 2019 at 12:33 pm

                    She was his first and second cousin. Family games indeed.

  13. joe90 13
    11 April 2019 at 1:04 pm

    Katie Bouman, lady nerd de jour.

    https://twitter.com/Miss604/status/1116071474786234368

    It’s been a big day for science. And an even bigger day for women scientists.

    On Wednesday, we Earthlings got our first direct look at a black hole, thanks to the Event Horizon Telescope, an array of eight radio telescopes around the world working together to create the image. But in the midst of making jokes about how that photo kinda sorta looks the eye of Sauron and wondering how this newfound information could impact Albert Einstein’s theories of gravity, social media focused on making sure one of the women behind the project gets credit for her contributions.

    Katie Bouman, an MIT grad, helped develop a computer program while still in school. Along with others, it helped create the image of the black hole. She also led testing to verify the images.

    https://www.cnet.com/news/katie-bouman-was-key-to-that-black-hole-photo-and-the-internet-loves-her/

  14. JohnSelway 14
    11 April 2019 at 3:11 pm

    “….but kinda underwhelming….”

    WTF? I know I said I wasn’t going to post here again but after reading that…WTF?

    It’s a picture of a Black Hole! That, by definition, cannot be underwhelming!

    • te reo putake 14.1
      11 April 2019 at 3:59 pm

      Lovely to see you back commenting, John. I agree entirely about the awesomeness of the black hole. However the ‘kinda underwhelming’ line needs to be read in context of the post, particularly the last word 😉

      • JohnSelway 14.1.1
        11 April 2019 at 4:07 pm

        I left for awhile because of the abuse really. People who seemed to think disagreement/fact checking claims etc = YOU’RE A RWNJ!
        (I’m far from Right-Wing).
        Sometimes it is a distracting and overwhelmingly negative. Particularly when people who say such things won’t back it up, just believing that shouting it loudly at someone makes it true.

        Anyway – this is a great day for humans and a great day for scientific advancement.

        • WeTheBleeple 14.1.1.1
          12 April 2019 at 7:01 am

          If I contributed to you going in any way – my apologies. I do recall butting heads over the usefulness of meta-analysis. It was not important. What is important (for me) is owning my own foibles and screw ups.

          We might disagree again, but I will TRY not to be such a dick.

          Apologies.

          • JohnSelway 14.1.1.1.1
            12 April 2019 at 7:45 am

            I can handle butting heads – its all good.

            It was people like Muttonbird (who repeatedly called me an RWNJ just because I disagreed with him/her) and One Two he resorts to ad homs instead of any real argument

    • bwaghorn 14.2
      11 April 2019 at 5:27 pm

      I like space but that photo didnt get me fizzing at all . Looks like a soft focus pic of the top of an apple.

  15. WILD KATIPO 15
    11 April 2019 at 5:35 pm

    So its a black hole,… so is this.

    The Black Picture – YouTube

  16. Rae 16
    11 April 2019 at 11:14 pm

    They photoshopped out the Starship Enterprise, didn’t they?

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    There’s been a change in Myers Park. Down the steps from St. Kevin’s Arcade, past the grassy slopes, the children’s playground, the benches and that goat statue, there has been a transformation. The underpass for Mayoral Drive has gone from a barren, grey, concrete tunnel, to a place that thrums ...
    Greater AucklandBy Connor Sharp
    4 days ago
  • A major milestone: Global climate pollution may have just peaked

    This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Global society may have finally slammed on the brakes for climate-warming pollution released by human fossil fuel combustion. According to the Carbon Monitor Project, the total global climate pollution released between February and May 2024 declined slightly from the amount released during the same ...
    Skeptical Science
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Tuesday, July 23 are:Deep Dive: Penlink: where tolling rhetoric meets reality BusinessDesk-$$$’s Oliver LewisScoop: Te Pūkenga plans for regional polytechs leak out ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Tuesday, July 23

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Tuesday, July 23, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:Health: Shane Reti announced the Board of Te Whatu Ora- Health New Zealand was being replaced with Commissioner Lester Levy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    4 days ago
  • HealthNZ and Luxon at cross purposes over budget blowout

    Health NZ warned the Government at the end of March that it was running over Budget. But the reasons it gave were very different to those offered by the Prime Minister yesterday. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon blamed the “botched merger” of the 20 District Health Boards (DHBs) to create Health ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    4 days ago
  • 2500-3000 more healthcare staff expected to be fired, as Shane Reti blames Labour for a budget defic...

    Long ReadKey Summary: Although National increased the health budget by $1.4 billion in May, they used an old funding model to project health system costs, and never bothered to update their pre-election numbers. They were told during the Health Select Committees earlier in the year their budget amount was deficient, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    4 days ago
  • Might Kamala Harris be about to get a 'stardust' moment like Jacinda Ardern?

    As a momentous, historic weekend in US politics unfolded, analysts and commentators grasped for precedents and comparisons to help explain the significance and power of the choice Joe Biden had made. The 46th president had swept the Democratic party’s primaries but just over 100 days from the election had chosen ...
    PunditBy Tim Watkin
    5 days ago
  • Solutions Interview: Steven Hail on MMT & ecological economics

    TL;DR: I’m casting around for new ideas and ways of thinking about Aotearoa’s political economy to find a few solutions to our cascading and self-reinforcing housing, poverty and climate crises.Associate Professor runs an online masters degree in the economics of sustainability at Torrens University in Australia and is organising ...
    The KakaBy Steven Hail
    5 days ago
  • Reported back

    The Finance and Expenditure Committee has reported back on National's Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Bill. The bill sets up water for privatisation, and was introduced under urgency, then rammed through select committee with no time even for local councils to make a proper submission. Naturally, national's select committee ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Vandrad the Viking, Christopher Coombes, and Literary Archaeology

    Some years ago, I bought a book at Dunedin’s Regent Booksale for $1.50. As one does. Vandrad the Viking (1898), by J. Storer Clouston, is an obscure book these days – I cannot find a proper online review – but soon it was sitting on my shelf, gathering dust alongside ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell On The Biden Withdrawal

    History is not on the side of the centre-left, when Democratic presidents fall behind in the polls and choose not to run for re-election. On both previous occasions in the past 75 years (Harry Truman in 1952, Lyndon Johnson in 1968) the Democrats proceeded to then lose the White House ...
    WerewolfBy lyndon
    5 days ago
  • Joe Biden's withdrawal puts the spotlight back on Kamala and the USA's complicated relatio...

    This is a free articleCoverageThis morning, US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the Presidential race. And that is genuinely newsworthy. Thanks for your service, President Biden, and all the best to you and yours.However, the media in New Zealand, particularly the 1News nightly bulletin, has been breathlessly covering ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    5 days ago
  • Why we have to challenge our national fiscal assumptions

    A homeless person’s camp beside a blocked-off slipped damage walkway in Freeman’s Bay: we are chasing our tail on our worsening and inter-related housing, poverty and climate crises. Photo: Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Existential Crisis and Damaged Brains

    What has happened to it all?Crazy, some'd sayWhere is the life that I recognise?(Gone away)But I won't cry for yesterdayThere's an ordinary worldSomehow I have to findAnd as I try to make my wayTo the ordinary worldYesterday morning began as many others - what to write about today? I began ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • A speed limit is not a target, and yet…

    This is a guest post from longtime supporter Mr Plod, whose previous contributions include a proposal that Hamilton become New Zealand’s capital city, and that we should switch which side of the road we drive on. A recent Newsroom article, “Back to school for the Govt’s new speed limit policy“, ...
    Greater AucklandBy Guest Post
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 7:00 am on Monday, July 22 are:Today’s Must Read: Father and son live in a tent, and have done for four years, in a million ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Monday, July 22

    TL;DR: As of 7:00 am on Monday, July 22, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:US President Joe Biden announced via X this morning he would not stand for a second term.Multinational professional services firm ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #29

    A listing of 32 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, July 14, 2024 thru Sat, July 20, 2024. Story of the week As reflected by preponderance of coverage, our Story of the Week is Project 2025. Until now traveling ...
    Skeptical Science
    6 days ago
  • I'd like to share what I did this weekend

    This weekend, a friend pointed out someone who said they’d like to read my posts, but didn’t want to pay. And my first reaction was sympathy.I’ve already told folks that if they can’t comfortably subscribe, and would like to read, I’d be happy to offer free subscriptions. I don’t want ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • For the children – Why mere sentiment can be a misleading force in our lives, and lead to unex...

    National: The Party of ‘Law and Order’ IntroductionThis weekend, the Government formally kicked off one of their flagship policy programs: a military style boot camp that New Zealand has experimented with over the past 50 years. Cartoon credit: Guy BodyIt’s very popular with the National Party’s Law and Order image, ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    6 days ago
  • A friend in uncertain times

    Day one of the solo leg of my long journey home begins with my favourite sound: footfalls in an empty street. 5.00 am and it’s already light and already too warm, almost.If I can make the train that leaves Budapest later this hour I could be in Belgrade by nightfall; ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    6 days ago
  • The Chaotic World of Male Diet Influencers

    Hi,We’ll get to the horrific world of male diet influencers (AKA Beefy Boys) shortly, but first you will be glad to know that since I sent out the Webworm explaining why the assassination attempt on Donald Trump was not a false flag operation, I’ve heard from a load of people ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    6 days ago
  • It's Starting To Look A Lot Like… Y2K

    Do you remember Y2K, the threat that hung over humanity in the closing days of the twentieth century? Horror scenarios of planes falling from the sky, electronic payments failing and ATMs refusing to dispense cash. As for your VCR following instructions and recording your favourite show - forget about it.All ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Bernard’s Saturday Soliloquy for the week to July 20

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts being questioned by The Kākā’s Bernard Hickey.TL;DR: My top six things to note around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the week to July 20 were:1. A strategy that fails Zero Carbon Act & Paris targetsThe National-ACT-NZ First Coalition Government finally unveiled ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Pharmac Director, Climate Change Commissioner, Health NZ Directors – The latest to quit this m...

    Summary:As New Zealand loses at least 12 leaders in the public service space of health, climate, and pharmaceuticals, this month alone, directly in response to the Government’s policies and budget choices, what lies ahead may be darker than it appears. Tui examines some of those departures and draws a long ...
    Mountain TuiBy Mountain Tui
    1 week ago
  • Flooding Housing Policy

    The Minister of Housing’s ambition is to reduce markedly the ratio of house prices to household incomes. If his strategy works it would transform the housing market, dramatically changing the prospects of housing as an investment.Leaving aside the Minister’s metaphor of ‘flooding the market’ I do not see how the ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • A Voyage Among the Vandals: Accepted (Again!)

    As previously noted, my historical fantasy piece, set in the fifth-century Mediterranean, was accepted for a Pirate Horror anthology, only for the anthology to later fall through. But in a good bit of news, it turned out that the story could indeed be re-marketed as sword and sorcery. As of ...
    A Phuulish FellowBy strda221
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā's Chorus for Friday, July 19

    An employee of tobacco company Philip Morris International demonstrates a heated tobacco device. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The top six things I’ve noted around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy on Friday, July 19 are:At a time when the Coalition Government is cutting spending on health, infrastructure, education, housing ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Pick 'n' Mix for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: My pick of the top six links elsewhere around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day or so to 8:30 am on Friday, July 19 are:Scoop: NZ First Minister Casey Costello orders 50% cut to excise tax on heated tobacco products. The minister has ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Roundup 19-July-2024

    Kia ora, it’s time for another Friday roundup, in which we pull together some of the links and stories that caught our eye this week. Feel free to add more in the comments! Our header image this week shows a foggy day in Auckland town, captured by Patrick Reynolds. ...
    Greater AucklandBy Greater Auckland
    1 week ago
  • Weekly Climate Wrap: A market-led plan for failure

    TL;DR : Here’s the top six items climate news for Aotearoa this week, as selected by Bernard Hickey and The Kākā’s climate correspondent Cathrine Dyer. A discussion recorded yesterday is in the video above and the audio of that sent onto the podcast feed.The Government released its draft Emissions Reduction ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Tobacco First

    Save some money, get rich and old, bring it back to Tobacco Road.Bring that dynamite and a crane, blow it up, start all over again.Roll up. Roll up. Or tailor made, if you prefer...Whether you’re selling ciggies, digging for gold, catching dolphins in your nets, or encouraging folks to flutter ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • Trump’s Adopted Son.

    Waiting In The Wings: For truly, if Trump is America’s un-assassinated Caesar, then J.D. Vance is America’s Octavian, the Republic’s youthful undertaker – and its first Emperor.DONALD TRUMP’S SELECTION of James D. Vance as his running-mate bodes ill for the American republic. A fervent supporter of Viktor Orban, the “illiberal” prime ...
    Bowalley Road
    1 week ago
  • The Kākā’s Journal of Record for Friday, July 19

    TL;DR: As of 6:00 am on Friday, July 19, the top six announcements, speeches, reports and research around housing, climate and poverty in Aotearoa’s political economy in the last day are:The PSA announced the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) had ruled in the PSA’s favour in its case against the Ministry ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • The Hoon around the week to July 19

    TL;DR: The podcast above of the weekly ‘hoon’ webinar for paying subscribers last night features co-hosts and talking with:The Kākā’s climate correspondent talking about the National-ACT-NZ First Government’s release of its first Emissions Reduction Plan;University of Otago Foreign Relations Professor and special guest Dr Karin von ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    1 week ago
  • Skeptical Science New Research for Week #29 2024

    Open access notables Improving global temperature datasets to better account for non-uniform warming, Calvert, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society: To better account for spatial non-uniform trends in warming, a new GITD [global instrumental temperature dataset] was created that used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to combine the land surface ...
    Skeptical Science
    1 week ago

  • Joint statement from the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand

    Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue.  We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    16 hours ago
  • AG reminds institutions of legal obligations

    Attorney-General Judith Collins today reminded all State and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records relevant to the safety and wellbeing of those in its care. “The Abuse in Care Inquiry’s report has found cases where records of the most vulnerable people in State and faith‑based institutions were ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    19 hours ago
  • More young people learning about digital safety

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Government’s online safety website for children and young people has reached one million page views.  “It is great to see so many young people and their families accessing the site Keep It Real Online to learn how to stay safe online, and manage ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    20 hours ago
  • Speech to the Conference for General Practice 2024

    Tēnā tātou katoa,  Ngā mihi te rangi, ngā mihi te whenua, ngā mihi ki a koutou, kia ora mai koutou. Thank you for the opportunity to be here and the invitation to speak at this 50th anniversary conference. I acknowledge all those who have gone before us and paved the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    22 hours ago
  • Employers and payroll providers ready for tax changes

    New Zealand’s payroll providers have successfully prepared to ensure 3.5 million individuals will, from Wednesday next week, be able to keep more of what they earn each pay, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Revenue Minister Simon Watts.  “The Government's tax policy changes are legally effective from Wednesday. Delivering this tax ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    24 hours ago
  • Experimental vineyard futureproofs wine industry

    An experimental vineyard which will help futureproof the wine sector has been opened in Blenheim by Associate Regional Development Minister Mark Patterson. The covered vineyard, based at the New Zealand Wine Centre – Te Pokapū Wāina o Aotearoa, enables controlled environmental conditions. “The research that will be produced at the Experimental ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Funding confirmed for regions affected by North Island Weather Events

    The Coalition Government has confirmed the indicative regional breakdown of North Island Weather Event (NIWE) funding for state highway recovery projects funded through Budget 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Regions in the North Island suffered extensive and devastating damage from Cyclone Gabrielle and the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods, and ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Indonesian Foreign Minister to visit

    Indonesia’s Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, will visit New Zealand next week, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.   “Indonesia is important to New Zealand’s security and economic interests and is our closest South East Asian neighbour,” says Mr Peters, who is currently in Laos to engage with South East Asian partners. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 day ago
  • Strengthening partnership with Ngāti Maniapoto

    He aha te kai a te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. The government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the aspirations of Ngāti Maniapoto, Minister for Māori Development Tama Potaka says. “My thanks to Te Nehenehenui Trust – Ngāti Maniapoto for bringing their important kōrero to a ministerial ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Transport Minister thanks outgoing CAA Chair

    Transport Minister Simeon Brown has thanked outgoing Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, Janice Fredric, for her service to the board.“I have received Ms Fredric’s resignation from the role of Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority,” Mr Brown says.“On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Ms Fredric for ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Test for Customary Marine Title being restored

    The Government is proposing legislation to overturn a Court of Appeal decision and amend the Marine and Coastal Area Act in order to restore Parliament’s test for Customary Marine Title, Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says.  “Section 58 required an applicant group to prove they have exclusively used and occupied ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Opposition united in bad faith over ECE sector review

    Regulation Minister David Seymour says that opposition parties have united in bad faith, opposing what they claim are ‘dangerous changes’ to the Early Childhood Education sector, despite no changes even being proposed yet.  “Issues with affordability and availability of early childhood education, and the complexity of its regulation, has led ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Kiwis having their say on first regulatory review

    After receiving more than 740 submissions in the first 20 days, Regulation Minister David Seymour is asking the Ministry for Regulation to extend engagement on the early childhood education regulation review by an extra two weeks.  “The level of interest has been very high, and from the conversations I’ve been ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government upgrading Lower North Island commuter rail

    The Coalition Government is investing $802.9 million into the Wairarapa and Manawatū rail lines as part of a funding agreement with the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), KiwiRail, and the Greater Wellington and Horizons Regional Councils to deliver more reliable services for commuters in the lower North Island, Transport Minister Simeon ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 days ago
  • Government moves to ensure flood protection for Wairoa

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced his intention to appoint a Crown Manager to both Hawke’s Bay Regional and Wairoa District Councils to speed up the delivery of flood protection work in Wairoa."Recent severe weather events in Wairoa this year, combined with damage from Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 have ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • PM speech to Parliament – Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Report into Abuse in Care

    Mr Speaker, this is a day that many New Zealanders who were abused in State care never thought would come. It’s the day that this Parliament accepts, with deep sorrow and regret, the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.  At the heart of this report are the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges torture at Lake Alice

    For the first time, the Government is formally acknowledging some children and young people at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital experienced torture. The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith-based Care “Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light,” was tabled in Parliament ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Government acknowledges courageous abuse survivors

    The Government has acknowledged the nearly 2,400 courageous survivors who shared their experiences during the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State and Faith-Based Care. The final report from the largest and most complex public inquiry ever held in New Zealand, the Royal Commission Inquiry “Whanaketia – through ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Half a million people use tax calculator

    With a week to go before hard-working New Zealanders see personal income tax relief for the first time in fourteen years, 513,000 people have used the Budget tax calculator to see how much they will benefit, says Finance Minister Nicola Willis.  “Tax relief is long overdue. From next Wednesday, personal income ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Paid Parental Leave improvements pass first reading

    Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says a bill that has passed its first reading will improve parental leave settings and give non-biological parents more flexibility as primary carer for their child. The Regulatory Systems Amendment Bill (No3), passed its first reading this morning. “It includes a change ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Rebuilding the economy through better regulation

    Two Bills designed to improve regulation and make it easier to do business have passed their first reading in Parliament, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. The Regulatory Systems (Economic Development) Amendment Bill and Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Bill make key changes to legislation administered by the Ministry ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • ‘Open banking’ and ‘open electricity’ on the way

    New legislation paves the way for greater competition in sectors such as banking and electricity, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly says. “Competitive markets boost productivity, create employment opportunities and lift living standards. To support competition, we need good quality regulation but, unfortunately, a recent OECD report ranked New ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    3 days ago
  • Charity lotteries to be permitted to operate online

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says lotteries for charitable purposes, such as those run by the Heart Foundation, Coastguard NZ, and local hospices, will soon be allowed to operate online permanently. “Under current laws, these fundraising lotteries are only allowed to operate online until October 2024, after which ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Accelerating Northland Expressway

    The Coalition Government is accelerating work on the new four-lane expressway between Auckland and Whangārei as part of its Roads of National Significance programme, with an accelerated delivery model to deliver this project faster and more efficiently, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “For too long, the lack of resilient transport connections ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Sir Don to travel to Viet Nam as special envoy

    Sir Don McKinnon will travel to Viet Nam this week as a Special Envoy of the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced.    “It is important that the Government give due recognition to the significant contributions that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made to New Zealand-Viet Nam relations,” Mr ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Grant Illingworth KC appointed as transitional Commissioner to Royal Commission

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says newly appointed Commissioner, Grant Illingworth KC, will help deliver the report for the first phase of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons, due on 28 November 2024.  “I am pleased to announce that Mr Illingworth will commence his appointment as ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ to advance relationships with ASEAN partners

    Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.    “ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.   “This will be our third visit to ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Backing mental health services on the West Coast

    Construction of a new mental health facility at Te Nikau Grey Hospital in Greymouth is today one step closer, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says. “This $27 million facility shows this Government is delivering on its promise to boost mental health care and improve front line services,” Mr Doocey says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • NZ support for sustainable Pacific fisheries

    New Zealand is committing nearly $50 million to a package supporting sustainable Pacific fisheries development over the next four years, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced today. “This support consisting of a range of initiatives demonstrates New Zealand’s commitment to assisting our Pacific partners ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Students’ needs at centre of new charter school adjustments

    Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources. “Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    4 days ago
  • Commissioner replaces Health NZ Board

    In response to serious concerns around oversight, overspend and a significant deterioration in financial outlook, the Board of Health New Zealand will be replaced with a Commissioner, Health Minister Dr Shane Reti announced today.  “The previous government’s botched health reforms have created significant financial challenges at Health NZ that, without ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Minister to speak at Australian Space Forum

    Minister for Space and Science, Innovation and Technology Judith Collins will travel to Adelaide tomorrow for space and science engagements, including speaking at the Australian Space Forum.  While there she will also have meetings and visits with a focus on space, biotechnology and innovation.  “New Zealand has a thriving space ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change Minister to attend climate action meeting in China

    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will travel to China on Saturday to attend the Ministerial on Climate Action meeting held in Wuhan.  “Attending the Ministerial on Climate Action is an opportunity to advocate for New Zealand climate priorities and engage with our key partners on climate action,” Mr Watts says. ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    5 days ago
  • Oceans and Fisheries Minister to Solomons

    Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is travelling to the Solomon Islands tomorrow for meetings with his counterparts from around the Pacific supporting collective management of the region’s fisheries. The 23rd Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee and the 5th Regional Fisheries Ministers’ Meeting in Honiara from 23 to 26 July ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Government launches Military Style Academy Pilot

    The Government today launched the Military Style Academy Pilot at Te Au rere a te Tonga Youth Justice residence in Palmerston North, an important part of the Government’s plan to crackdown on youth crime and getting youth offenders back on track, Minister for Children, Karen Chhour said today. “On the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    7 days ago
  • Nine priority bridge replacements to get underway

    The Government has welcomed news the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has begun work to replace nine priority bridges across the country to ensure our state highway network remains resilient, reliable, and efficient for road users, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“Increasing productivity and economic growth is a key priority for the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Update on global IT outage

    Acting Prime Minister David Seymour has been in contact throughout the evening with senior officials who have coordinated a whole of government response to the global IT outage and can provide an update. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has designated the National Emergency Management Agency as the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • New Zealand, Japan renew Pacific partnership

    New Zealand and Japan will continue to step up their shared engagement with the Pacific, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.    “New Zealand and Japan have a strong, shared interest in a free, open and stable Pacific Islands region,” Mr Peters says.    “We are pleased to be finding more ways ...
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    1 week ago
  • New infrastructure energises BOP forestry towns

    New developments in the heart of North Island forestry country will reinvigorate their communities and boost economic development, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones visited Kaingaroa and Kawerau in Bay of Plenty today to open a landmark community centre in the former and a new connecting road in ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • 'Pacific Futures'

    President Adeang, fellow Ministers, honourable Diet Member Horii, Ambassadors, distinguished guests.    Minasama, konnichiwa, and good afternoon, everyone.    Distinguished guests, it’s a pleasure to be here with you today to talk about New Zealand’s foreign policy reset, the reasons for it, the values that underpin it, and how it ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago

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