Caption competition
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3:16 pm, July 31st, 2015 - 75 comments
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A nice bit of news to end the year… I’ve had another pagan-themed horror story accepted by Eternal Haunted Summer (https://eternalhauntedsummer.com/), for their upcoming (northern hemisphere) Winter Solstice edition. As you may recall, I had my Madness and Dionysus story, The Last Libation, accepted for their Summer edition, ...42 mins ago - 2020 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #49
2020A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 29, 2020 through Sat, Dec 5, 2020 Editor's Choice UN secretary general: humanity faces climate 'suicide' without US rejoining Paris agreement Joining China and other big polluters, Biden’s pledge of ...8 hours ago - Sinful or Harmful?
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- Deed of Settlement signed with Ngāti Rangitihi
I pānuitia i te rangi nei e te Minita mō ngā Whiriwhiringa Tiriti o Waitangi, e Andrew Little, kua tāmokohia tētahi Whakaaetanga Whakataunga i waenga i te Karauna me Ngāti Rangitihi, e whakatau ana i ngā kerēme hītori Tiriti o Waitangi a taua iwi. Ko Ngāti Rangitihi tētahi o ngā ...22 hours ago - World Soil Day: valuing our soils key to a better worldAgriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has marked World Soil Day (5 December) with a $6.25 million investment in mapping New Zealand’s most valuable soils which are vital to our economic, environmental and social wellbeing. “The more we know about our natural resources, including soils, the better we can make good sustainable ...1 day ago
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- Pacific Health Scholarships 2021 about improving access to healthcare for Pacific communitiesAssociate Minister of Health, Aupito William Sio is calling on any Pacific students studying health or disability-related courses to apply now for a Ministry of Health Pacific Health Scholarship. “These scholarships acknowledge the vital role Pacific people play in our health workforce. This was most visible through our Pacific workforce's ...2 days ago
- Speech to Auckland Trade and Economic Policy SchoolCHECK AGAINST DELIVERY Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. I want to recognise the hard work of the University of Auckland’s Public Policy Institute in putting on this event. Bringing together internationally recognised leaders and thinkers on trade and economic policy, with exporters, business leaders, diplomats, economists, ...2 days ago
- NCEA Level 1 changes give students a broader foundationThe Government is making changes to NCEA Level 1 to ensure it remains a strong, credible qualification that supports young people into employment and further education, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Last term, the Government initiated a wide-scale review of the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA), involving consultation ...3 days ago
- Crown accounts reflect positive economic trendThe Government’s books were again better than expected as the economy continued to recover post COVID lockdown, the Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. The Crown Accounts for the four months to the end of October were far more favourable than what was forecast in the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update ...3 days ago
- Increase to supplier diversity through new procurement target for Maori BusinessMāori enterprises are in line for greater opportunities to do business with government agencies under an initiative to spread the benefits of the economic recovery. The Ministers for Māori Development and Economic and Regional Development have announced a new target to encourage public service agencies to cast the net ...4 days ago
- Climate emergency declaration will be matched with long-term actionToday’s climate emergency declaration will be backed with ambitious plans to reduce emissions, the Minister for Climate Change, James Shaw today. “Our Government has put New Zealand at the forefront of climate action over the last three years. Declaring a climate emergency and backing this with long-term action to reduce ...4 days ago
- Celebrating the success of Prime Minister’s Oranga Tamariki Award winners28 young achievers who have been in the care of Oranga Tamariki or involved with the youth justice system have received Oranga Tamariki Prime Minister Awards in recognition of their success and potential, Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. At the awards ceremony in Parliament, Kelvin Davis congratulated the rangatahi ...4 days ago
- Public sector to be carbon neutral by 2025Public sector to be carbon neutral by 2025 Immediate focus on phasing out largest and most active coal boilers Government agencies required to purchase electric vehicles and reduce the size of their car fleet Green standard required for public sector buildings The Government has launched a major new initiative to ...4 days ago
- Government fulfils election undertaking on new top tax rateThe Government will today keep its election promise to put in place a new top tax rate of 39 per cent on income earned over $180,000. “This will only affect the top two per cent of earners. It is a balanced measure that is about sharing the load so everyone ...4 days ago
- Sir Robert Martin re-elected to UN CommitteeNew Zealand welcomes the news that Sir Robert Martin has been re-elected to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni. “Sir Robert has been a lifetime advocate for persons with disabilities and his experience brings a ...4 days ago
- New rules to protect Kiwis from unaffordable loansThe Government is making sure all consumers who borrow money get the same protections, regardless of where they get their loans. “Building on the work to crack down on loan sharks last year, we’re now making the rules clearer for all lenders to help protect borrowers from unaffordable loans” ...4 days ago
- New visitor attraction to boost tourismThe opening of the first major new tourism attraction since the global outbreak of COVID-19 closed borders to international travellers will provide a welcome boost to visitor numbers in our largest city, says Tourism Minister Stuart Nash. Mr Nash has this afternoon taken part in the official opening ceremony of ...5 days ago
- Govt moves on drug checking to keep young New Zealanders safer this summerThe Government will pass time limited legislation to give legal certainty to drug checking services, so they can carry out their work to keep New Zealanders safer this summer at festivals without fear of prosecution, Health Minister Andrew Little says. Next year the Government will develop and consult on regulations ...5 days ago
- Public Service Commissioner reappointedMinister for the Public Service Chris Hipkins announced today that Public Service Commissioner Peter Hughes CNZM has been reappointed for three years. The Public Service Commissioner is appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. “Mr Hughes’ reappointment reflects the need for strong leadership and continuity to ...5 days ago
- Pōwhiri marks the start of a critical year for APECNew Zealand kicked off its APEC host year today, with a pōwhiri taking place on Wellington’s waterfront with local iwi Te Atiawa, and a number of Government ministers welcoming representatives from the other 20 APEC economies. “APEC is a hugely important international event, and New Zealand is hosting amidst the ...5 days ago
- Speech at APEC 21 Opening Pōwhiri9am, Tuesday 1 DecemberTe Whare Waka o Pōneke, Wellington Central He Mihi Kei aku rangatira no ngātapito e whā o te ao huri noa, tātou e huihui mai nei. Tēnā rā kōutou katoa. He tangiapakura ki ngā tini aituā kei waenganui i a tātou, ka tangi tonu te ngākau ki ...5 days ago
- Government extends business debt relief to October 2021To assist with the ongoing economic recovery from COVID-19, rules allowing affected businesses to put their debt on hold have been extended by 10 months. “New Zealand’s economy is recovering better than we expected, but the impacts of the pandemic are far-reaching and some businesses need continued support to keep ...5 days ago
- Bill introduced to support workers with 10 days sick leaveThe Government is delivering on a key commitment by introducing a Bill to Parliament to expand sick leave entitlements from five days to ten days a year, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood announced today. “COVID-19 has shown how important it is to stay at home when people are ...6 days ago
- Progress on pay equity for DHB staffToday’s initial agreement between DHBs and the PSA on pay equity for clerical and administration staff is an important step toward better, fairer pay for this crucial and largely female workforce, Health Minister Andrew Little says. If ratified, the agreement between the Public Service Association and the country’s 20 District ...6 days ago
- Iconic Milford Track officially reopensOne of New Zealand’s premier hikes and a cornerstone of the Te Anau community, the Milford Track has officially reopened, “From today, hikers booked on the popular Great Walk will be able to complete the walk end-to-end for the first time since early February,” Minister of Conservation Kiri Allan says. ...6 days ago
- Support for farmers beefed up ahead of La NiñaFurther funding for feed support services and new animal welfare coordinators will help farmers who continue to feel the effects of an extended drought, says Rural Communities Minister Damien O’Connor. “In March this year, I classified the drought in the North Island, parts of the South Island and the Chathams ...1 week ago
- Next steps for Christchurch Hospital campus redevelopmentCanterbury DHB will be better placed to respond to future demand for services and continue to deliver high quality care, with the next stage of the campus redevelopment programme confirmed, Health Minister Andrew Little says. The Government has approved $154 million in funding for the construction of a third tower ...1 week ago
- Five Power Defence Arrangements Defence Ministers’ Joint StatementThe Defence Ministers from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and United Kingdom reaffirmed their nations’ continued commitment to the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), and commended the achievements over the past 49 years as the FPDA moves towards its 50th Anniversary in 2021. The Ministers recognised the FPDA’s significant role ...1 week ago
- Jobs for Nature funding protects health of Hawke’s Bay waterwaysA joint Government and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council project will invest $4.2 million to protect local waterways, enhance biodiversity and employ local people, Environment Minister David Parker announced today. Over two years, the Hāpara Takatū Jobs for Nature project will fence 195km of private land to exclude stock from vulnerable ...1 week ago
- New Year border exception for seasonal workers in the horticulture and wine industries2000 additional RSE workers to enter New Zealand early next year employers must pay these workers at least $22.10 an hour employers will cover costs of managed isolation for the RSE workers RSE workers will be paid the equivalent of 30 hours work a week while in isolation From January ...1 week ago
- Government increases support for New Zealanders to work in seasonal jobsThe Government is offering further financial support for unemployed New Zealanders to take on seasonal work. These new incentives include: Up to $200 per week for accommodation costs $1000 incentive payment for workers who complete jobs of six weeks or longer increasing wet weather payments when people can’t work to ...1 week ago
- Government receives Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mos...Minister for Internal Affairs Jan Tinetti has today received the Royal Commission of Inquiry report into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques, and will table it in Parliament on Tuesday December 8. “I know this will have been a challenging process for whānau, survivors and witnesses of the terrorist attack ...1 week ago
- New Zealand Government to declare a climate emergencyThe Government will declare a climate emergency next week, Climate Change Minister James Shaw said today. “We are in the midst of a climate crisis that will impact on nearly every ...1 week ago
- Call for urgent action on Pacific conservationA declaration on the urgency of the global biodiversity crisis and the need for immediate, transformative action in the Pacific was agreed at a pan-Pacific conference today. The 10th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas is taking place this week across the Pacific. Minister of Conservation Kiritapu ...1 week ago
- Speech from the throneE aku hoa i te ara o te whai, Kia kotahi tā tātou takahi i te kō, ko tōku whiwhi kei tō koutou tautoko mai. Ko tāku ki a koutou, hei whakapiki manawa mōku. He horomata rangatira te mahi, e rite ai te whiwhinga a te ringatuku, me te ringakape ...1 week ago
- Keynote address to Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand conferenceSpeech to the CAANZ conference - November 19, 2020 Thank you, Greg, (Greg Haddon, MC) for the welcome. I’d like to acknowledge John Cuthbertson from CAANZ, the Commissioner of Inland Revenue Naomi Ferguson, former fellow MP and former Minister of Revenue, Peter Dunne, other guest speakers and CAANZ members. I ...2 weeks ago
- Expert independent advisory group appointed to strengthen the future of Māori broadcastingA panel of seven experts are adding their support to help shape the future of Māori broadcasting, Minister for Māori Development Willie Jackson has announced today. “Today I will meet with some of the most experienced Māori broadcasters, commentators and practitioners in the field. They have practical insights on the ...2 weeks ago
- Government to review housing settingsNew Zealand’s stronger-than-expected economic performance has flowed through to housing demand, so the Government will review housing settings to improve access to the market, the Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced today. “Our focus is on improving access to the housing market for first home buyers and ensuring house price growth ...2 weeks ago
- Crown accounts reflect Govt’s careful economic managementThe better-than-expected Crown accounts released today show the Government’s careful management of the COVID-19 health crisis was the right approach to support the economy. As expected, the Crown accounts for the year to June 2020 show the operating balance before gains and losses, or OBEGAL, was in deficit. However that ...2 weeks ago
- Community launch marks next step in addressing racism in educationThe launch of Te Hurihanganui in Porirua today is another important milestone in the work needed to address racism in the education system and improve outcomes for Māori learners and their whānau, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis says. Budget 2019 included $42 million over three years to put Te Hurihanganui ...2 weeks ago
- Covid antibody testing needed to counter false negatives
Donald Rumsfeld once said it was the unknown unknowns that were the greatest risk. Dr Parmjeet Parmar examines that threat in Covid-19. ...3 hours ago - The Unremembered, a short story by Patricia Grace
This short story, The Unremembered, appears in the new collection Scorchers: A Climate Fiction Anthology, alongside stories from celebrated Australian and New Zealand writers such as Tulia Thompson, Renee Liang and Witi Ihimaera.There was this woman named Rona. She was the one pulled up to the moon for swearing.Rona was ...3 hours ago - Everything you need to know about the new brainbox on The ChaseThere’s a new Chaser in town, and it’s finally time to meet them. At the start of every episode of The Chase, amiable host Bradley Walsh introduces the Chasers. Only one of these five quiz brain boxes can stroll through the giant C, ready to smash hopes and dreams with their ...3 hours ago
- When I am farther awayMichelle Langstone runs away to the Marlborough region to find some peace in the quiet.There are things you can learn from the wild. If you go farther away, the messages get clearer, delivered uninterrupted down the wires of birdsong and through the swift-running currents of rivers. Where I stay, there is ...5 hours ago
- Live updates, December 5-6: Royal Commission report goes to familiesWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for December 5. Get in touch at info@thespinoff.co.nz9.30am: March 15 report given to familiesAdvance copies of the 792-page Royal Commission report into the Christchurch mosque attacks of 2019 has today been provided to families of victims, RNZ reports. The report, with significant passages redacted, ...5 hours ago
- Recipe: Coconut chocolate ice blocksTis the season for ice blocks – and if you have a stash of these in the freezer, you won’t even need to venture out to the dairy.While here in Taranaki it feels as though the rain might never stop, the temperature at least is warm and conducive to enjoying ...5 hours ago
- A poem for .. Winston Peters
New Zealand's semi-official poet laureate Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. Today: former politician Winston Peters. Winston’s Grin Mr Peters is fading. Has hung up his bat. A century scoring pin striped old Cheshire Cat. A smooth operator. Stature: concise. Political strategy a game of rolling the ...7 hours ago - Racism and stuff
Journalism lecturer Greg Treadwell says Stuff's 'sorry' for its past treatment of Māori could now lead to it holding to account those behind all kinds of structural racism and inequity Imagine how the news executives at Stuff must have felt, sitting there, looking at each other, having just decided to ...7 hours ago - What happens to summer festivals if Covid-19 returns?Despite an incredibly rough year for the events industry, some organisers are feeling optimistic about the upcoming season. Others, however, are choosing to err on the side of caution.There’s no doubt this year has involved more risk than usual for event producers. With no insurance available for Covid-related financial losses, ...9 hours ago
- Jakarta ‘regrets’ Morning Star flag protest at Melbourne consulate after video goes viral
Pacific Media Centre newsdesk Indonesia’s Presidential Staff Office says it regrets the raising of the Morning Star flag – which is identified with Papuan independence – at the Indonesian Consulate General (KJRI) in Melbourne, Australia, this week. Presidential Staff Office deputy for political, legal, security and human rights affairs Jaleswari ...13 hours ago - Ngāti Rangitihi Signs Deed Of Settlement With Crown
Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, Hon Andrew Little and Te Mana Chairman and Lead Negotiator, Leith Comer at the signing of the Deed of Settlement. Te Mana o Ngāti Rangitihi Trust (Te Mana) has today signed a Deed of Settlement with the ...21 hours ago - We must wait to measure export growth on O’Connor’s watch, but the Three Rs of trade strategy ha...
A fourth pillar has been added to the government’s Trade Recovery Strategy. When the strategy was launched in June by former Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker, it had “three inter-related elements”. They were: supporting exporters; reinvigorating international trade architecture; and refreshing key trade relationships. Someone deftly turned this ...1 day ago - Live updates, December 5: Nine new cases of Covid-19, all in isolationWelcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for December 5. Get in touch at info@thespinoff.co.nz1.05pm: Nine new Covid casesHere’s the full text of the press release from the Ministry of Health:There are nine new cases of Covid-19 to report in managed isolation in New Zealand today. There are no new community ...1 day ago
- Tauranga councillor: Government intervention 'political move'
Tauranga city politicians call the decision by the Local Government Minister to appoint a commission to run the council a disappointing 'political move' and a loss of democracy. ...1 day ago - Rival OPM leaders dispute Papuan ‘independence’ declarationPacific Media Centre Newsdesk A renewed declaration of independence by an exiled West Papuan leader has stirred a negative response from other Papuan independence fighters who are part of the West Papua liberation army force clashing with Indonesian security troops. The rival fighters have rejected the peaceful unilateral claim of ...1 day ago
- Mystery monoliths: why conspiracists are ‘meh’ about the phenomenon — and how you can start a ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Ellerton, Senior Lecturer in Critical Thinking; Curriculum Director, UQ Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland The three recent appearances (and two subsequent removals) of “monoliths” in Romania, Utah and California are intriguing examples of what can capture the public’s imagination. ...1 day ago
- The 1999 doco that shows how affordable Auckland home ownership once wasLet’s travel back in time to 1999, when Location Location Location was a Mike Hosking-fronted documentary about Auckland property – and a three-bedroom house there cost $159,000.Great news New Zealand – the best time to buy a house was 20 years ago. A recent report found that if you bought ...1 day ago
- Review: The Modern Māori Quartet is a celebration of the magic of a crowdImagine a raucous garage party, with better talent, lighting and sound: welcome to the Modern Māori Quartet’s new show at Auckland’s Civic. There are many lessons to learn from 2020, but if there’s one I hope sticks, it’s the lesson to not to take shit for granted. Seize the day, ...1 day ago
- SFO tight-lipped over probe of Goff's election expensesThe SFO says an investigation into Auckland Mayor Phil Goff's election expenses is still a work in progress and it's not giving much away about exactly what it is looking at. ...1 day ago
- It’s gonna hit ya! All the Frujus, reviewed and rankedSimon Day celebrates the arrival of summer by ranking the five flavours of New Zealand’s most beloved frozen treat. The Fruju is the perfect accompaniment to the New Zealand summer. While I fully endorse the role of the scooped ice cream in the Kiwi culinary cultural canon, when the asphalt starts to ...1 day ago
- Is watching cricket at the pub a thing of the past?With venues slow to pick up Spark Sport, New Zealand cricket fans might have trouble finding places showing the games. Alex Braae reports.For decades, any sports bar worth the name will have had a Sky Sports subscription. Long hazy days at the pub could be spent watching a test match ...1 day ago
- Short story: Advice, by Elspeth Sandys
"Our husbands were both charmers. Seducers. I say were. Yours still is": a short story by Elspeth Sandys I hadn’t intended to approach her. I’d never even met her before. Like most other people I knew her only by reputation. Bethany Gallagher, poet, widow of Joshua Gallagher whose fame - ...1 day ago - Hero for active girls runs solo ultramarathon
A Kiwi trailblazer in getting girls active, Fran McEwen is running a 220km ultramarathon of her own creation through the forests of the lower North Island to help more young women. Around about now, Fran McEwen should have been running 100km through the sands of the Sinai desert, along a ...1 day ago - Covid tests a way of life for squash queen Joelle King
LISTEN: In this week's Extra Time podcast, Kiwi squash star Joelle King says she's become a "professional at Covid-19 testing", while living in the UK hoping to get time on court. World No.8 squash player Joelle King has undergone close to 40 Covid-19 tests this year, having decided to stay put in ...1 day ago - Turning tragedy and trash into business triumph: The Saia Latu storySaia Latu has experienced enough ups and downs for several lifetimes. The man behind one of New Zealand’s most successful recycling companies – and the recently named Pacific business entrepreneur of the year – tells Justin Latif how he made it to the top. Saia Latu’s life reads like a ...1 day ago
- I’m the 13th star sign, Ophiuchus. And I’m ready to live this lifeAfter discovering he’s been living a Sagittarian lie, Eli Matthewson learns to embrace life under his strange new sign.Sagittarius season and for me, a once proud Sagi, it started badly. I was pointed to the direction of an announcement from Nasa – yes, that Nasa – which described how incremental ...1 day ago
- National security review recommends complete overhaul of electronic surveillance – but will it wor...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Ananian-Welsh, Senior Lecturer, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland The most extensive review of Australia’s intelligence sector since the 1970s has released its public report. The Comprehensive Review of the Legal Framework of the National Intelligence Community – ...2 days ago
- Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Covid-19: Transmission and ConvergenceAnalysis by Keith Rankin. Note Spain, United Kingdom and Germany. Chart by Keith Rankin. This week, Covid19 cases in most large European countries are passing their peak following four months of exponential growth, thanks to belated new ‘lockdown’ restrictions. The exception – or laggard – is Germany, which has generally been ...2 days ago
- Papuan flag day protests in Yogya, Jakarta reject ‘special autonomy’Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk December 1 flag day protests have taken place in several cities around Indonesia including the capital Jakarta, Yogyakarta (Central Java), Ternate (North Maluku) and Sinjai (South Sulawesi), reports Arah Juang. The actions were launched to commemorate West Papua Independence Day. But even before the actions were ...2 days ago
- Week in Politics: Labour shows what a majority government can doAnalysis - Jacinda Ardern's majority government was on the charge this week, Parliament voted to declare a climate emergency and the Māori Party let everyone know it was back. ...2 days ago
- For sale: the original artwork from the webseries Two Sketches with Toby MorrisWe’re selling original art from some of New Zealand’s top artists and illustrators to raise money for a great cause. Browse the artwork and other merch at The Spinoff Shop now.Two artists. Two drawings. One good long conversation. It was a simple idea, and one we were lucky enough to ...2 days ago
- Review: In Mank, David Fincher tells the possibly true story behind Citizen KaneDavid Fincher marks his feature film Netflix debut with Mank, a biopic about the man who may or may not have written the bulk of Citizen Kane, and it’s his loosest effort yet, writes Christopher Smol. Can one word explain a whole life? Citizen Kane is structured around that question, ...2 days ago
- The meaning behind Dame Whina Cooper, the boring machine breaking ground in AucklandToday’s official unveiling of the tunnel boring machine (TBM), named after one of New Zealand’s most iconic civil rights leaders, wasn’t just for ceremonial purposes, but a sign of the genuine relationship City Rail Link wants to forge with Māori.It would be easy to become bogged down by the plethora ...2 days ago
- New Campaign Launched Calling On Grant Robertson To Stay True To His WordThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has today launched its ‘ Stick to Your Word ’ campaign calling on Grant Robertson to keep his promise made six weeks ago not to touch the bright line test. Union Campaigns Manager, Louis Houlbrooke, said: “Despite ...2 days ago
- VIDEO: Michelle Grattan on the difficult bilateral relationship between Australia and ChinaSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Paddy Nixon discuss the week in politics. This week Michelle and Paddy discuss the bilateral relationship between Australia and China, ...2 days ago
- The Friday Poem: Leftovers by Fardowsa MohamedA new poem from Auckland poet Fardowsa Mohamed.LeftoversI burned the bariis on the bottom of the pot my mother shakes her head, and we joke that I am a failed girl At lunchtime the next day I don’t remove the lid fully but they still said I smell burnt and ...2 days ago
- Human reproductive technologies like sperm freezing and IVF could be used to save threatened speciesSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lachlan G. Howell, Casual Academic and PhD Candidate | School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle More and more threatened species are relying on captive breeding to avoid extinction. Some species on the brink only exist in captivity, and others ...2 days ago
- Film review: the immoderate adventures of Oliver SacksSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Wade, Lecturer in Social Inquiry, La Trobe University Review: Oliver Sacks: His Own Life, directed by Ric Burns Apropos of nothing but a bowl of jello placed before him, a stifled laugh escapes from Oliver Sacks, the famed neurologist, writer and ...2 days ago
- LGNZ Supports Tough Tauranga City Council DecisionLocal Government New Zealand’s National Council says it supports Minister of Local Government Nanaia Mahuta’s decision to seek the appointment of a Commission at Tauranga City Council, saying it is a tough call that puts the interests of the community ...2 days ago
- It’s Been A Bad Year So Let’s Put Up Our PricesAuckland Council’s new 10-year Recovery Budget proposes to do what no business would or could do, if it wants to survive, and “say it’s been a bad year so let’s put up our prices”. We know Council is looking at a billion dollar income hole, ...2 days ago
- The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending December 4The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hiakai: New Māori Cuisine by Monique Fiso (Godwit, $65)Meri kirihimete!2 A Promised Land by Barack Obama (Penguin Random ...2 days ago
- NZ First Foundation defendants lose right to name suppressionThe two people charged over the handling of donations to the New Zealand First Foundation have lost a legal bid to keep their names secret. ...2 days ago
- Yesterdaze: A state of great urgency
A climate emergency declaration, a swiftly passed tax hike and a last minute pill-testing law. It was a week of urgency and brutal put-downs, writes James Elliott in his news of the week. You may not have noticed but we’ve been living under a state of emergency since Wednesday. And it’s ...2 days ago - Anti-conspiracist campaigners take aim at ‘Mothers for Freedom’ eventThe gathering at the Grey Lynn Library Hall promises to take on a ‘corrupted election’, 5G, Covid-19 and ‘Satanic ritual abuse’.A new online group has formed to combat conspiracy and disinformation, and their first project is challenging an event scheduled for a council-run venue in the Auckland suburb of Grey ...2 days ago
- Stuff and more nonsense – the perturbing case of political adverts being rejected
Having declared its intention to be guided by a set of treaty principles, Stuff has set about suppressing the views of a political group which questions the establishment of special seats for Maori on local local authorities. Or rather, two publications in the Stuff stable have got into the suppression ...2 days ago - Almost half a million tests, zero positives: how statistics shows we can be confident COVID-19 is go...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael P.H. Stumpf, Professor for Theoretical Systems Biology, University of Melbourne How do you know that something you are looking for is not there? Looking for a needle in a haystack is fundamentally easy – however laborious and tedious – if you ...2 days ago
- Financial Incentive Such As ‘feebate’ Scheme Urgently NeededMedia Statement by Neeraj Lala, Chief Executive Officer, Toyota New Zealand If we are not careful, New Zealand will become the Cuba of the South Pacific, a dumping ground of Europe’s dirty diesels and high carbon-emitting petrol-fuelled cars. ...2 days ago
- Toyota warns NZ will become 'Cuba of South Pacific' with dumped diesels
Car company Toyota has asked the new transport minister to set in place financial incentives for electrified vehicles Toyota New Zealand's chief executive has issued a strongly-worded call for a "feebate scheme" to bring electric vehicles within the reach of business and household budgets. "If we are not careful, New Zealand will ...2 days ago - Newsletter: New Zealand Politics Daily – December 04 2020Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage. Today’s content Climate change Peter Dunne: It is now stand and deliver time for Labour on climate change Rachel Thomas (RNZ): Carbon neutrality by 2050 requires taking a financial hit – economist ...2 days ago
- September 2020 Quarter Gross Domestic Product And COVID-19 – Methods PaperSeptember 2020 gross domestic product and COVID-19 provides technical users with information about our approach to measuring COVID-19 in the forthcoming release of Gross domestic product: September 2020 quarter (scheduled for 17 December 2020). ...2 days ago
- Siouxsie Wiles: Britain’s emergency rush to a vaccine rollout, explainedBoris Johnson has announced that the Pfizer vaccine will be distributed from next week. How did that happen, and are they cutting corners? Siouxsie Wiles explains.The UK has become the first country in the world to approve a Covid-19 vaccine. It’s an emergency approval but means they’re likely to start ...2 days ago
- Mayor Urgently Needs Lessons About Ratepayer MoneyThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is offering Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDouall free financial literacy training after his extraordinary comment which demonstrated complete disregard for ratepayers and the sacrifices they make to fund councils. Union spokesperson ...2 days ago
- Chloe Gong is 21, she’s from the North Shore, and she just wrote a US bestsellerYoung adult novel These Violent Delights was released in the US three weeks ago and is already a massive hit. Sherry Zhang introduces a star. Chloe Gong wrote These Violent Delights in her childhood home in Auckland in May 2018. As in: that month she started writing it, and also finished. ...2 days ago
- Hamilton Councillors Must Vote “no” To Five Rates IncreasesThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union Says Hamilton City Council Needs To Reject Their Staff’s Proposed 4.9% Rates Hike And The Imposition Of Another Additional Four ‘targeted Rates.’ Union spokesperson Louis Houlbrooke said: “The proposed rate ...2 days ago
- The Fold: Turning words into action, with Laura O’Connell RapiraThe outgoing director of grassroots community campaigning organisation ActionStation joins Duncan Greive to talk about a busy, and effective, few years in the job.ActionStation was formed in 2014, but it feels like it’s been around much longer than that. The independent, crowdfunded community organisation has led a number of highly ...2 days ago
- Tokophobia is an extreme fear of childbirth. Here’s how to recognise and treat itSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Jomeen, Professor of Midwifery and Dean in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Southern Cross University Many pregnant women worry about birth. Some, however, suffer from a much more serious condition called tokophobia: a severe and unreasoning dread of childbirth, which is ...2 days ago
- Humour over rumour: How South Auckland is pushing back against 5G conspiracy theoriesA new series of videos uses comedy to debunk misinformation that’s proved to be particularly visible in South Auckland. Justin Latif spoke with local community leaders about why these theories find South Auckland such fertile ground, and what can be done to curtail their spread. “I have family who believes in ...2 days ago
- Northern Marianas gets vaccine freezers for covid-19 treatmentBy RNZ Pacific The Northern Marianas is ready for its allocation of covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer after acquiring 10 ultra-cold freezers from South Korea. The acquisition of the freezers came as the CNMI waits for the Pfizer vaccines to get Emergency Use Authorisation approval from the US Food and Drug ...2 days ago
- Update On Managed Isolation Emergency ApplicationsThe Range Of Circumstances For Those Who Need To Apply For An Emergency Allocation In Managed Isolation To Travel Home To New Zealand Urgently Has Been Widened. ...2 days ago
- Māori Party's Rawiri Waititi says there's appetite for transformationMāori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi says there is public appetite for unapologetically Māori voices and it is his party's job to provide them. ...2 days ago
- As Air NZ is buffeted by turbulence, let’s think about returning it to public ownershipAir NZ is in a parlous state. Its long-haul Boeing 777 fleet is in storage in the US and few people in the company expect them to return to service. They are heavy, less fuel-efficient than the 787 Dreamliners. The company has been hammered by the Covid-19 pandemic with international ...2 days ago
- The forgotten environmental crisis: how 20th century settler writers foreshadowed the AnthropoceneSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Philip Steer, Senior Lecturer in English, Massey University Just as writers and artists today are responding to the Anthropocene through climate fiction and eco art, earlier generations chronicled an environmental crisis that presaged humanity’s global impact. The Anthropocene is a proposed geological ...2 days ago
- The endemic playground attacks of New Zealand, revisitedDo your childhood memories include being randomly attacked by your classmates? Josie Adams looks back at the strangely violent schoolyard culture of dead arms, noogies, tabletops and more. Illustrated by Toby Morris.They say your school years are the best of your life. Remember being nine, playing marbles, and swapping your ...2 days ago
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jeepers John, but the label said there might be a blue tinge from those pills ….
“It’s a recessive gene trait, John, called hitchhiker’s thumb; you’ll be needing it in 2017.”
They said that in 2008, and 2011, and 2014 …. its getting old.
Remember though, James, that this is Simon Bridges saying it…….. 🙂
The other Smurfs preferred not to talk about Evil Smurf with strangers.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key tries Colloidal silver in a bid to reverse his near-terminal rampant narcissism.
You may like the following book very much…
http://manipulism.com/
or
You have the choice of paperback, ebook, or audio-book.
Enjoy.
Beam me up E.T I’m all done here with exterminating the human race!
“So John you know how it goes… the temptation was too much…so I just grabbed her ponytail and just cut it like this.’
“Oh nice…not only are you a great pollster David but your very creepy too.. I like your style.”
Key laughs off a real builder’s thumb with “mine looks a lot worse than that!”
Hahahaha, I think his/its thumb would look the same as a builders thumb, except not from being hit by a hammer, but rather from being sucked his/its whole life.
I mean, he really is a SUCKer who is not growing up.
“Willy Wonka’s? Never heard of the place!”
JK preparing for new role in Las Vegas
But Blue Man Group believe in climate change …
John Key demonstrates his firefly GE patch.
Admits that Bronwyn may problems sleeping, but says that he is relaxed about that.
Prime Minister stuck inside Novopay system in real life TRON thriller.
Its the worse case of “Blue Balls” they had ever seen.
Better to have the Blues than be green with envy.
As a Labour party member I see this as lame/petty and probably functions to turn away people from the Labour party. The party still needs to figure out what went so wrong in 2014 and shit like this ain’t going to help. Childish (sorry to children) and lame lame lame. Grow up, look inside the party and figure it out. Stop with this externalizing shit.
[This is not a Labour Party blog, Simon. TRP]
Are you envisaging something along these lines, Simon ?
Scenario One
NZ Labour Party Council member 1: “We need to figure out what went so wrong in 2014 and fast !!!”
NZ Labour Party Council member 2: “Believe me, we’re trying to but a relatively obscure Caption Contest on THE STANDARD blogsite is making it all but impossible !!!”
Scenario Two
Ordinary Punter: “I feel like it’s time to join the Labour Party and get active. I’ve had it up to here with this friggin government.”
Ordinary Punter’s Spouse: “Whoa there !!!, You do realise a Left-leaning Blog has recently posted a relatively obscure Caption Competition illustrated by a photo of John Key bathed in fluorescent blue light ?”
Ordinary Punter: “Awwww, for the love of God !!! They just blew it BIG TIME !!! I’m voting National.”
NZ Labour Party Council Member 1: I wonder why blue collar workers, students, teachers etc. are voting National?
NZ Labour Party Council Member 2: I’m not sure, but what I do know is that it has nothing to do with the widely held perception that we are a dysfunctional party, and the belief that a dysfunctional party will be disastrous for the country.
NZ Labour Party Council Member 3: I agree, the public understands that a collection of career politicians is exactly what the country needs. I mean, just look at the traction that Jacinda Ardern has made on the child poverty issue in the last 7 years. At this rate, it will only be a few decades before the government may be pushed to DEFINE poverty…imagine that.
Ordinary Punter: Nothing like seeing long time Labour party members posting links on twitter to childish caption competitions for the PM. Not at all congruent with the perception that the Labour party is a college of self interested sycophants who seem totally unable to get their collective heads out of their collective asses and do what needs to be done to make the party relevant again.
PM or Blue Waffle
I want you to roll John Beaurgarde into the boat and take him along to the Juicing Room at once. ‘Kay?
PM eyes up thumb now that ponytail out of bounds.
+1 vote for this
Good TPPA deal? John Key Blue it
+ 100% – best caption yet, R@DS
John Key denies taking the money even though the dye pack discharge was sort of obvious.
Smurfin’ USSA
“I have worn the National Ring of Power on for so long now…”
I’m bluer than blue…..
http://www.metrolyrics.com/bluer-than-blue-lyrics-barry-manilow.html
man takes love of Avatar to absurd lengths with permanent full body paintjob – when asked he said, “Nahfin to she hay mate”.
‘The Blue Man, also known as Eternal Evil, is a 1985 Canadian film directed by George Mihalka.’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BinWA0EenDY
Ear worm
Look, at the end of the day, there wont be any side effects from the TPPA to worry about, I’m very comfortable with that.
Buy the way, luvin that fully erect thumb mate…
I find it amusing when people use the word “look” in their sentences. It happens when people are trying to assert a false sense of authority into their words.
I giggle to myself, knowing that the person using it in sentences, is insecure about themselves, so hide that insecurity by ensuring to inject false authority into their speech.
Once again, I just laugh to myself when I hear it.
Navi expelled from the tribe for deviance have their hair cut off, and can no longer form Tsaheylu.
I’m fine if I sit on a rock in the sun every morning for a hour or so…..
King Kull is here to see me? No, I’m not nervous in the least…
Wanker meets muppet
There’s no global warming, honest, look
Breaking news: Smurfs acquire rights to Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.
http://smurfs.wikia.com/wiki/Greedy_Smurf
http://smurfs.wikia.com/wiki/Clumsy_Smurf
“Whatever. We kiwis only take yeah, nah, maybe for an answer” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2uCNd1AVJo
Or
“In the Court of the Blue King” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnQATA2jPXY
Cat’s foot iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
At paranoia’s poison door.
Twenty first century schizoid man.
Blood rack barbed wire
Politicians’ funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty first century schizoid man.
Death seed blind man’s greed
Poets’ starving children bleed
Nothing he’s got he really needs
Twenty first century schizoid man
Cameron thanks Key for lenient tax laws with part in new Avatar movie.
Do I look bald in this light?
Instead of a caption, I’ll do some song lyrics (based on the crooked thumb in the image)
Verse 1
There was a crooked man
with a crooked little grin,
He had a crooked shirt
from a crooked rubbish bin,
He had a crooked view
with a crooked little back,
Lets all get together and give the
crooked man the sack.
Verse 2
He had a crooked “friend”
with a crooked little smile,
He had some crooked money
for a crooked little while,
They all lived together on a
crooked little earth
When all is said and done,
he had such little worth.
Verse 3
There was a crooked day
when he sold his crooked soul,
Attaining massive wealth
was his one and only goal,
He pushed all others down just to
put himself on top,
There surely comes a time when
all of this must stop.
Please add your own verse if you can, but make sure it rhymes.
There’ll come a looked for day
when we all will well agree
That we put full and final paid
to this crooked little spree;
We all go down to the polling place
on that day before it’s dark,
and upon the voting paper
we place our crooked mark.
The box for crooked National
We intentionally leave blank,
cos to vote for them we still get all
the same collective wank;
our crooked little tick we place
in some progressive box,
and with red or green or pinkish hue
give blue the crooked pox.
Haha, nice one.
chorus,………..
Ah ha
Oh oh don’t let the public know
Ah ah
Oh oh don’t let the public know
Ah ha
Oh oh don’t let the pubic know..
Oh yes Johns truths got a hole in it and John will frown.
Oh yes Johns truths got hole in it to bring him down.
Anything to Please Gargamel
ACT is not the only party with a holographic leader!
John Key doing an uncanny improvisation of “lying till you’re blue in the face”.
The Hitchhiker to the Galaxy trying to get away from John Key reciting Vogon poetry.
John Key overindulged on Fonterra’s blue cheese.
Reptilians prefer blue light.
Eyes are windows to the Soul.
John Key sees the Invisible Hand for the first time!
Dennis Hopper hooks his thumb left and says, “Get the fuck out of my movie”.
Robert A. Heinlein was right, as John Keys corporate alien puppet-master exposed in blue light of Trans Pacific Partnership Alert-ray beam.
You Muppets,,,I said i wanted to appear in a Blue Movie……!
Keys penis enhancement operation, went a tad awry!
Blue Loon, you saw me standing alone,
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own…….
Keys set a very bad example,,after not donning his protective goggles at the sun bed convention
Take 34, Phewww, Lets try again John? Rock, Paper, Scissors???? Come on John…u must have a clue?
Flunkey offers privilege of rank to Keys…..Suck on My Thumb John……not your own!!!
Speak to the thumb John!!!!!!!
Only a few more minutes to go John…..Keep holding!!!!……..1001 1002 1003………….keep holding 1004 1005 1006 1007……………..
John relieves himself at new human Urinal and get the auto thumbs up to shake…
Noooooo it isn’t a book or a film of a play…..its you!…the thumb’s a dickhead.
RhapCatasophy In Blue
NZ PM, first to get Fired on The PM’s of the World Apprentice..show
Right John….if i add one thumb to one thumb and i take away one thumb what am i left with?
Now think!