Daily Review 01/05/2018
Written By:
- Date published:
5:18 pm, May 1st, 2018 - 66 comments
Categories: Daily review -
Tags:
Daily review is also your post.
This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.
The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).
Don’t forget to be kind to each other …
66 comments on “Daily Review 01/05/2018 ”
- Comments are now closed
- Comments are now closed
CommentsOpinions
Recent Comments
FeedsPartyGovtMedia
- Bastards Abound
The old bastard left his ties and his suitA brown box, mothballs and bowling shoesAnd his opinion so you'd never have to choosePretty soon, you'll be an old bastard tooYou get smaller as the world gets bigThe more you know you know you don't know shit"The whiz man" will never ...16 hours ago - Latest Poll- Nats in a slo-mo death spiral?
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Numbers2024 could easily have been National’s “Annus Horribilis” and 2025 shows no signs of a reprieve for our Landlord PM Chris Luxon and his inept Finance Minister Nikki “Noboats” Willis.Several polls last year ...1 day ago - Clearing the Decks: Government replaces half of the Waitangi Tribunal
This Friday afternoon, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced an overhaul of the Waitangi Tribunal.The government has effectively cleared house - appointing 8 new members - and combined with October’s appointment of former ACT leader Richard Prebble, that’s 9 appointees.[I am not certain, but can only presume, Prebble went in ...1 day ago - Back on Track?
The state of the current economy may be similar to when National left office in 2017.In December, a couple of days after the Treasury released its 2024 Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HEYFU24), Statistics New Zealand reported its estimate for volume GDP for the previous September 24 quarter. Instead ...1 day ago - Handbags and Gladrags
So what becomes of you, my love?When they have finally stripped you ofThe handbags and the gladragsThat your poor old granddadHad to sweat to buy you, babySongwriter: Mike D'aboIn yesterday’s newsletter, I expressed sadness at seeing Golriz Ghahraman back on the front pages for shoplifting. As someone who is no ...2 days ago - Weekly Roundup 17-January-2025
It’s Friday and time for another roundup of things that caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join ...2 days ago - How the Far Right Weaponised the Grooming Gangs Story
Note: This Webworm discusses sexual assault and rape. Please read with care.Hi,A few weeks ago I reported on how one of New Zealand’s richest men, Nick Mowbray (he and his brother own Zuru and are worth an estimated $20 billion), had taken to sharing posts by a British man called ...2 days ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #3 2025
Open access notables Long-term trends in heat wave gaps for the New York City metropolitan area, Lin & Colle, Urban Climate: Heat waves occurring in close succession to one another are hazardous because of the prolonged stress on the human body and energy demand. A heat wave gap metric, the ...2 days ago - NZ: The Final Atlas Network Puzzle Piece Has Arrived
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention. The implications are stark.Today, writes Dr Bex, the submission for the Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill closes: 11:59pm January 16, 2025.As usual, the language of the ...2 days ago - Not getting any younger
Excitement in the seaside village! Look what might be coming! 400 million dollars worth of investment! In the very beating heart of the village! Are we excited and eager to see this happen, what with every last bank branch gone and shops sitting forlornly quiet awaiting a customer?Yes please, apply ...2 days ago - Political societies and economic preferences.
Much discussion has been held over the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB), the latest in a series of rightwing attempts to enshrine into law pro-market precepts such as the primacy of private property ownership. Underneath the good governance and economic efficiency gobbledegook language of the Bill is an interest to strip ...3 days ago - Submission on Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill
We are concerned that the Amendment Bill, as proposed, could impair the operations and legitimate interests of the NZ Trade Union movement. It is also likely to negatively impact the ability of other civil society actors to conduct their affairs without the threat of criminal sanctions. We ask that ...3 days ago - The Ol’ Switcheroo
I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?And I can't take itHow could I fake it?How could I fake it?Song: The Lonely Biscuits.“A bit nippy”, I thought when I woke this morning, and then, soon after that, I wondered whether hell had frozen over. Dear friends, ...3 days ago - Nobody’s insurance rates are safe from climate change
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Asheville, North Carolina, was once widely considered a climate haven thanks to its elevated, inland location and cooler temperatures than much of the Southeast. Then came the catastrophic floods of Hurricane Helene in September 2024. It was a stark reminder that nowhere is safe from ...3 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On More Threats To Democracy From David Seymour
Early reports indicate that the temporary Israel/Hamas ceasefire deal (due to take effect on Sunday) will allow for the gradual release of groups of Israeli hostages, the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails (likely only a fraction of the total incarcerated population), and the withdrawal ...3 days ago - Choosing your fights
My daily news diet is not what it once was.It was the TV news that lost me first. Too infantilising, too breathless, too frustrating.The Herald was next. You could look past the reactionary framing while it was being a decent newspaper of record, but once Shayne Currie began unleashing all ...3 days ago - Hit The Road Jack
Hit the road Jack and don't you come backNo more, no more, no more, no moreHit the road Jack and don't you come back no moreWhat you say?Songwriters: Percy MayfieldMorena,I keep many of my posts, like this one, paywall-free so that everyone can read them.However, please consider supporting me as ...4 days ago - Review: The Narnia books, by C.S. Lewis (1950-1956) – Part One
This might be the longest delay between reading (or in this case re-reading) a work, and actually writing a review of it I have ever managed. Indeed, when I last read these books in December 2022, I was not planning on writing anything about them… but as A Phuulish Fellow ...4 days ago - Sabin 33 #11 – Is solar energy more expensive than energy from fossil fuels?
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...4 days ago
- Our Health Isn’t Your Wealth, Shane Reti & Lester Levy
Kia Ora,I try to keep most my posts without a paywall for public interest journalism purposes. However, if you can afford to, please consider supporting me as a paid subscriber and/or supporting over at Ko-Fi. That will help me to continue, and to keep spending time on the work. Embarrassingly, ...4 days ago - No one could save me but you
There was a time when Google was the best thing in my world. I was an early adopter of their AdWords program and boy did I like what it did for my business. It put rocket fuel in it, is what it did. For every dollar I spent, those ads ...4 days ago - The disinformation grift in NZ.
A while back I was engaged in an unpleasant exchange with a leader of the most well-known NZ anti-vax group and several like-minded trolls. I had responded to a racist meme on social media in which a rightwing podcaster in the US interviewed one of the leaders of the Proud ...5 days ago
- Anna Wilding, Bullshit Master
Hi,If you’ve been reading Webworm for a while, you’ll be familiar with Anna Wilding. Between 2020 and 2021 I looked at how the New Zealander had managed to weasel her way into countless news stories over the years, often with very little proof any of it had actually happened. When ...5 days ago - Summertime in Aotearoa
It's a long white cloud for you, baby; staying together alwaysSummertime in AotearoaWhere the sunshine kisses the water, we will find it alwaysSummertime in AotearoaYeah, it′s SummertimeIt's SummertimeWriters: Codi Wehi Ngatai, Moresby Kainuku, Pipiwharauroa Campbell, Taulutoa Michael Schuster, Rebekah Jane Brady, Te Naawe Jordan Muturangi Tupe, Thomas Edward Scrase.Many of ...5 days ago - 2024 sets some new road safety records
Last year, 292 people died unnecessarily on our roads. That is the lowest result in over a decade and only the fourth time in the last 70 years we’ve seen fewer than 300 deaths in a calendar year. Yet, while it is 292 people too many, with each death being ...5 days ago
- The role of climate change in the catastrophic 2025 Los Angeles fires
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters and Bob Henson Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building at Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The fast-moving wildfire had destroyed thousands of structures and ...5 days ago
- Submission on Regulatory Standards Bill
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Regulatory Standards Bill, as I understand it, seeks to bind parliament to a specific range of law-making.For example, it seems to ensure primacy of individual rights over that of community, environment, te Tiriti ...5 days ago - There’s a solution in there, there really is
Happy New Year!I had a lovely break, thanks very much for asking: friends, family, sunshine, books, podcasts, refreshing swims, barbecues, bike rides. So good to step away from the firehose for a while, to have less Trump and Seymour in your day. Who needs the Luxons in their risible PJs ...5 days ago - Hamilton Central Station: Britomart 2.0
Patrick Reynolds is deputy chair of the Auckland City Centre Advisory Panel and a director of Greater Auckland In 2003, after much argument, including the election of a Mayor in 2001 who ran on stopping it, Britomart train station in downtown Auckland opened. A mere 1km twin track terminating branch ...6 days ago
- Geoffrey Miller: Christopher Luxon’s important trip to the Middle East
For the first time in a decade, a New Zealand Prime Minister is heading to the Middle East. The trip is more than just a courtesy call. New Zealand PMs frequently change planes in Dubai en route to destinations elsewhere. But Christopher Luxon’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ...6 days ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #02
A listing of 23 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 5, 2025 thru Sat, January 11, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...6 days ago
- Gordon Campbell On The History Of Doo Wop Music
The decade between 1952 and the early 1960s was the peak period for the style of music we now call doo wop, after which it got dissolved into soul music, girl groups, and within pop music in general. Basically, doo wop was a form of small group harmonising with a ...6 days ago
- If You Tolerate This
The future teaches you to be aloneThe present to be afraid and coldSo if I can shoot rabbits, then I can shoot fascists…And if you tolerate thisThen your children will be nextSongwriters: James Dean Bradfield / Sean Anthony Moore / Nicholas Allen Jones.Do you remember at school, studying the rise ...7 days ago - Elon Musk Adores Chris Luxon
When National won the New Zealand election in 2023, one of the first to congratulate Luxon was tech-billionaire and entrepreneur extraordinaire Elon Musk.And last year, after Luxon posted a video about a trip to Malaysia, Musk came forward again to heap praise on Christopher:So it was perhaps par for the ...7 days ago - American Carnage
Hi,Today’s Webworm features a new short film from documentary maker Giorgio Angelini. It’s about Luigi Mangione — but it’s also, really, about everything in America right now.Bear with me.Shortly after I sent out my last missive from the fires on Wednesday, one broke out a little too close to home ...7 days ago
- Careless Memories
So soon just after you've goneMy senses sharpenBut it always takes so damn longBefore I feel how much my eyes have darkenedFear hangs in a plane of gun smokeDrifting in our roomSo easy to disturb, with a thought, with a whisperWith a careless memorySongwriters: Andy Taylor / John Taylor / ...1 week ago - A Bully of Billionaires
Can we trust the Trump cabinet to act in the public interest?Nine of Trump’s closest advisers are billionaires. Their total net worth is in excess of $US375b (providing there is not a share-market crash). In contrast, the total net worth of Trump’s first Cabinet was about $6b. (Joe Biden’s Cabinet ...1 week ago - Weekly Roundup 10-January-2025
Welcome back to our weekly roundup. We hope you had a good break (if you had one). Here’s a few of the stories that caught our attention over the last few weeks. This holiday period on Greater Auckland Since our last roundup we’ve: Taken a look back at ...1 week ago
- L.A. Burns
1 week ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #2 2025
Open access notables Large emissions of CO2 and CH4 due to active-layer warming in Arctic tundra, Torn et al., Nature Communications: Climate warming may accelerate decomposition of Arctic soil carbon, but few controlled experiments have manipulated the entire active layer. To determine surface-atmosphere fluxes of carbon dioxide and ...1 week ago
- Local government in Wellington – what’s been achieved
It's election year for Wellington City Council and for the Regional Council. What have the progressive councillors achieved over the last couple of years. What were the blocks and failures? What's with the targeting of the mayor and city council by the Post and by central government? Why does the ...1 week ago - 300,000!
Over the holidays, there was a rising tide of calls for people to submit on National's repulsive, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill, along with a wave of advice and examples of what to say. And it looks like people rose to the occasion, with over 300,000 ...1 week ago - Who’s Getting Annexed?
The lie is my expenseThe scope of my desireThe Party blessed me with its futureAnd I protect it with fireI am the Nina The Pinta The Santa MariaThe noose and the rapistAnd the fields overseerThe agents of orangeThe priests of HiroshimaThe cost of my desire…Sleep now in the fireSongwriters: Brad ...1 week ago - Exploring the drivers of modern global warming
This is a re-post from the Climate Brink Global surface temperatures have risen around 1.3C since the preindustrial (1850-1900) period as a result of human activity.1 However, this aggregate number masks a lot of underlying factors that contribute to global surface temperature changes over time. These include CO2, which is the primary ...1 week ago
- Wayne Wright Jr Celebrates His Increasing Political Fortunes with Sean Plunket – Who Does Your...
1 week ago
- Missive from the Fires
Hi,Right now the power is out, so I’m just relying on the laptop battery and tethering to my phone’s 5G which is dropping in and out. We’ll see how we go.First up — I’m fine. I can’t see any flames out the window. I live in the greater Hollywood area ...1 week ago
- Mood of the Workforce Survey 2025
2024 was a tough year for working Kiwis. But together we’ve been able to fight back for a just and fair New Zealand and in 2025 we need to keep standing up for what’s right and having our voices heard. That starts with our Mood of the Workforce Survey. It’s your ...2 weeks ago
- Pumpkin Day
Time is never time at allYou can never ever leaveWithout leaving a piece of youthAnd our lives are forever changedWe will never be the sameThe more you change, the less you feelSongwriter: William Patrick Corgan.Babinden - Baba’s DayToday, January 8th, 2025, is Babinden, “The Day of the baba” or “The ...2 weeks ago - How Do We Fight Back?
Hi,New Zealand multi-billionaire Nick Mowbray continues to tweet at me, seemingly still unhappy about my Webworm story covering his apparent enthusiasm for far right, anti-Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson.Mowbray can be a bit hard to follow at the best of times, but I think this is a billionaire sort of dangling ...2 weeks ago - Submission on Treaty Principles Bill
..I/We wish to make the following comments:I oppose the Treaty Principles Bill."5. Act binds the CrownThis Act binds the Crown."How does this Act "bind the Crown" when Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which the Act refers to, has been violated by the Crown on numerous occassions, resulting in massive loss of ...2 weeks ago - Sabin 33 #10 – Will utility-scale solar farms destroy the value of nearby homes?
On November 1, 2024 we announced the publication of 33 rebuttals based on the report "Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles" written by Matthew Eisenson, Jacob Elkin, Andy Fitch, Matthew Ard, Kaya Sittinger & Samuel Lavine and published by the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia ...2 weeks ago
- Q&A with Nick
Everything is good and brownI'm here againWith a sunshine smile upon my faceMy friends are close at handAnd all my inhibitions have disappeared without a traceI'm glad, oh, that I found oohSomebody who I can rely onSongwriter: Jay KayGood morning, all you lovely people. Today, I’ve got nothing except a ...2 weeks ago - 2025 – The Year Ahead
Welcome to 2025. After wrapping up 2024, here’s a look at some of the things we can expect to see this year along with a few predictions. Council and Elections Elections One of the biggest things this year will be local body elections in October. Will Mayor Wayne Brown ...2 weeks ago
- Gordon Campbell On Justin Trudeau’s Demise, In A Global Context
Canadians can take a while to get angry – but when they finally do, watch out. Canada has been falling out of love with Justin Trudeau for years, and his exit has to be the least surprising news event of the New Year. On recent polling, Trudeau’s Liberal party has ...2 weeks ago
- Climate news to watch in 2025
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Much like 2023, many climate and energy records were broken in 2024. It was Earth’s hottest year on record by a wide margin, breaking the previous record that was set just last year by an even larger margin. Human-caused climate-warming pollution and ...2 weeks ago
- Submitted!
Submissions on National's racist, white supremacist Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill are due tomorrow! So today, after a good long holiday from all that bullshit, I finally got my shit together to submit on it. As I noted here, people should write their own submissions in their own ...2 weeks ago
- The Treaty Principles Bill
My submission - made at the last moment because I'm a neurodivergent millennial - on David Seymour's terrible legislation. ...2 weeks ago - Rich Opinions
Ooh, baby (ooh, baby)It's making me crazy (it's making me crazy)Every time I look around (look around)Every time I look around (every time I look around)Every time I look aroundIt's in my faceSongwriters: Alan Leo Jansson / Paul Lawrence L. Fuemana.Today, I’ll be talking about rich, middle-aged men who’ve made ...2 weeks ago - 2025 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #01
A listing of 26 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, December 29, 2024 thru Sat, January 4, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...2 weeks ago
- “It’s Sad Watching Desperate Dave”
Hi,The thing that stood out at me while shopping for Christmas presents in New Zealand was how hard it was to avoid Zuru products. Toy manufacturer Zuru is a bit like Netflix, in that it has so much data on what people want they can flood the market with so ...2 weeks ago - RIP Dame Tariana Turia
And when a child is born into this worldIt has no conceptOf the tone of skin it's living inAnd there's a million voicesAnd there's a million voicesTo tell you what you should be thinkingSong by Neneh Cherry and Youssou N'Dour.The moment you see that face, you can hear her voice; ...2 weeks ago - Quality Ministers
While we may not always have quality political leadership, a couple of recently published autobiographies indicate sometimes we strike it lucky. When ranking our prime ministers, retired professor of history Erik Olssen commented that ‘neither Holland nor Nash was especially effective as prime minister – even his private secretary thought ...2 weeks ago - Tennis Court
Baby, be the class clownI'll be the beauty queen in tearsIt's a new art form, showin' people how little we care (yeah)We're so happy, even when we're smilin' out of fearLet's go down to the tennis court and talk it up like, yeah (yeah)Songwriters: Joel Little / Ella Yelich O ...2 weeks ago - Skeptical Science New Research for Week #1 2025
Open access notables Why Misinformation Must Not Be Ignored, Ecker et al., American Psychologist: Recent academic debate has seen the emergence of the claim that misinformation is not a significant societal problem. We argue that the arguments used to support this minimizing position are flawed, particularly if interpreted (e.g., by policymakers or the public) as suggesting ...2 weeks ago
- My Year In Recall
What I’ve Been Doing: I buried a close family member.What I’ve Been Watching: Andor, Jack Reacher, Xmas movies.What I’ve Been Reflecting On: The Usefulness of Writing and the Worthiness of Doing So — especially as things become more transparent on their own.I also hate competing on any day, and if ...2 weeks ago - The forgotten story of Jimmy Carter’s White House solar panels
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by John Wihbey. A version of this article first appeared on Yale Climate Connections on Nov. 11, 2008. (Image credits: The White House, Jonathan Cutrer / CC BY 2.0; President Jimmy Carter, Trikosko/Library of Congress; Solar dedication, Bill Fitz-Patrick / Jimmy Carter Library; Solar ...2 weeks ago
- Medley
Morena folks,We’re having a good break, recharging the batteries. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday period. I’m not feeling terribly inspired by much at the moment, I’m afraid—not from a writing point of view, anyway.So, today, we’re travelling back in time. You’ll have to imagine the wavy lines and sci-fi sound ...2 weeks ago - 2024 Reading Summary: The List
Completed reads for 2024: Oration on the Dignity of Man, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola A Platonic Discourse Upon Love, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola Of Being and Unity, by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola The Life of Pico della Mirandola, by Giovanni Francesco Pico Three Letters Written by Pico ...2 weeks ago - New Year Resolution: 2025 cannot simply be a repeat of what made 2024 an intolerable farce.
Welcome to 2025, Aotearoa. Well… what can one really say? 2024 was a story of a bad beginning, an infernal middle and an indescribably farcical end. But to chart a course for a real future, it does pay to know where we’ve been… so we know where we need ...2 weeks ago - 2024 – Blog views by country
Welcome to the official half-way point of the 2020s. Anyway, as per my New Years tradition, here’s where A Phuulish Fellow’s blog traffic came from in 2024: United States United Kingdom New Zealand Canada Sweden Australia Germany Spain Brazil Finland The top four are the same as 2023, ...3 weeks ago
- 2024 Reading Summary: December (+ Writing Update)
Completed reads for December: Be A Wolf!, by Brian Strickland The Magic Flute [libretto], by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder The Invisible Eye, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Owl’s Ear, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Waters of Death, by Erckmann-Chatrian The Spider, by Hanns Heinz Ewers Who Knows?, by Guy de Maupassant ...3 weeks ago
- 2024 – A Year in Review
Well, it’s the last day of the year, so it’s time for a quick wrap-up of the most important things that happened in 2024 for urbanism and transport in our city. A huge thank you to everyone who has visited the blog and supported us in our mission to make ...3 weeks ago
- Nick’s Awards – 2024
Leave your office, run past your funeralLeave your home, car, leave your pulpitJoin us in the streets where weJoin us in the streets where weDon't belong, don't belongHere under the starsThrowing light…Song: Jeffery BuckleyToday, I’ll discuss the standout politicians of the last 12 months. Each party will receive three awards, ...3 weeks ago - Webworm’s 2024 Year In Review
Hi,A lot’s happened this year in the world of Webworm, and as 2024 comes to an end I thought I’d look back at a few of the things that popped. Maybe you missed them, or you might want to revisit some of these essay and podcast episodes over your break ...3 weeks ago - Those Metal Motherfuckers: Cinema in the Year of AI
Hi,I wanted to share this piece by film editor Dan Kircher about what cinema has been up to in 2024.Dan edited my documentary Mister Organ, as well as this year’s excellent crowd-pleasing Bookworm.Dan adores movies. He gets the language of cinema, he knows what he loves, and writes accordingly. And ...3 weeks ago
- Greens welcome Gaza ceasefire, but say more work to do
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...3 days ago - Release: Labour mourns passing of Dame Tariana Turia
Ka kohukohu te awa o Whanganui!Ka tau te kākahu taratara ki runga I te maunga o Whānau Ora!Ka tangi hotuhotu tō iwi Māori! ...6 days ago - Release: Labour acknowledges Lyn Fleming’s death
Labour expresses its shock and sadness at the death of widely respected Police Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming. ...6 days ago
- Greens welcome deadline extension but reiterate call for Bill to be binned
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...1 week ago
- Green Party pays respects to Dame Tariana Turia
The Green Party acknowledges the enormous life, contribution and passing of Dame Tariana (Kahurangi) Turia, the co-founder of Te Pāti Māori. ...2 weeks ago
- KO disruptive tenants’ easy ride over
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...1 week ago - 80% reduction in building determination wait times
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...2 weeks ago
- Top baby names for 2024
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...2 weeks ago
- Enabling works to begin on Westgate Bus Station
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...2 weeks ago
- A nationwide shift towards acting together to stop family and sexual violence
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...2 weeks ago
- He poroporoaki ki a Kahurangi Tariana Turia
Uia te pō, rangahaua te pō, whakamāramatia mai he aha tō tango, he aha tō kāwhaki? Whitirere ki te ao, tirotiro kau au, kei hea taku rātā whakamarumaru i te au o te pakanga mo te mana motuhake? Au te pō, ngū te pō, ue hā! E te kahurangi māreikura, ...2 weeks ago
- New qualification a step forward for diabetes care
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti says people with diabetes and other painful conditions will benefit from a significant new qualification to boost training in foot care. “It sounds simple, but quality and regular foot and nail care is vital in preventing potentially serious complications from diabetes, like blisters or sores, which can take a long time to heal ...2 weeks ago
- New year, new medicines
Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the government,” says Mr Seymour. “When this government assumed ...3 weeks ago
- Māori excel in New Year Honours 2025
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora e mua - Those who lead give sight to those who follow, those who follow give life to those who lead. Māori recipients in the New Year 2025 Honours list show comprehensive dedication to improving communities across the motu that ...3 weeks ago
- Stay fire safe this summer in 2025
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is wishing all New Zealanders a great holiday season as Kiwis prepare for gatherings with friends and families to see in the New Year. It is a great time of year to remind everyone to stay fire safe over the summer. “I know ...3 weeks ago
- Aid agencies set to boost humanitarian help for Gaza – MSF says ‘too late’
Asia Pacific Report The United Nations tasked with providing humanitarian aid to the besieged people of Gaza — and the only one that can do it on a large scale — says it is ready to provide assistance in the wake of the ceasefire tomorrow but is worried about the ...1 hour ago - Gaza genocide protesters welcome ceasefire but will fight on for justice
Asia Pacific Report About 200 demonstrators gathered in the heart of New Zealand’s biggest city Auckland today to welcome the Gaza ceasefire due to come into force tomorrow, but warned they would continue to protest until justice is served with an independent and free Palestinan state. Jubilant scenes of dancing ...3 hours ago
- Gene technology bill fails to recognise Treaty partnership
The Government has released the first draft of its long-awaited Gene Technology Bill, following through on the election promise to harness the potential of biotechnology by ending the de facto ban on genetic engineering in Aotearoa New Zealand.While the country does not and has never completely banned genetic engineering (GE), ...3 hours ago - Combining the aspiration of a young generation with the power of our own
Comment: Graduation ceremonies are energising. Attending one recently, I felt the positivity from being surrounded by hundreds of young people at their career-launching point.Among them was one of my sons. He struggled through school and left before his mates. As a 21-year-old he qualified as a sparky, and I was ...4 hours ago
- Joe Biden’s presidency will be remembered as one that did not match the times, and a leader who fa...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liam Byrne, Honorary Fellow, School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne Should a US president by judged by what they achieved, or by what they failed to do? Joe Biden’s administration is over. Though we have an extensive ...12 hours ago
- Decision on proposed Waikato medical school taking too long – union
The school aimed at producing more GPs to plug dire shortages, particularly in rural and regional areas. ...13 hours ago - Samoa’s political future hangs in balance with Fiame leadership challenge
COMMENTARY: By Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson and Junior S. Ami With just over a year left in her tenure as Prime Minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa faces a political upheaval threatening a peaceful end to her term. Ironically, the rule of law — the very principle that elevated her to ...16 hours ago
- The Weekend: Is 2025 the year we all slow down?
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. A year ago I met a lovely older gentleman at a Christmas party who owned racehorses. He wasn’t “in the business”, as he said, he just enjoyed horses and so owned a couple as a hobby. After a dozen questions from me ...22 hours ago - Pacific profiles: Meet the three friends behind Ōtautahi collective Brown Town
The Pacific profiles series shines a light on Pacific people in Aotearoa doing interesting and important work in their communities, as nominated by members of the public. Today, Grace Colcord, Shea Wātene and Devyn Baileh, co-founders of Brown Town. All photos by Geoffery Matautia. Brown Town is an Ōtautahi community ...23 hours ago
- ‘You belong to the people’: Kura Forrester on becoming Ferndale famous
The actor and comedian takes us through her life in television, from early Shortland Street rejection to the enduring power of the Gilmore Girls. Browse local telly offerings and you’ll likely encounter Kura Forrester soon enough. Whether you know her best as loveable Lily in Double Parked or Puku the ...23 hours ago
- The life lessons hidden in the tangy, chewy world of rēwana bread
Making rēwana is about more than just a recipe – it’s a journey of patience, care and persistence. A subtle smell is filling our living room as my son crawls around playing with his nana. It has the familiar scent of freshly baked bread, with a slight hint of sweetness. ...23 hours ago
- Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 18 January
Loading…(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp');Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions.The post Newsroom daily quiz, Saturday 18 January appeared first on Newsroom. ...23 hours ago
- Daily crossword, Saturday 18 January
.wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-title { font-size: 1.2em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .entry-meta { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; margin-top: 0.5em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-meta { font-size: 0.8em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .avatar { height: 25px; width: 25px; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .post-thumbnail{ margin: 0; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } .wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .post-thumbnail img { height: auto; width: 100%; ...23 hours ago
- A soul-destroying attempt to report scam Facebook ads
From dubious health claims to too-good-to-be-true deals to bizarre clickbait confessions from famous people, scam ads are filling Facebook feeds, sucking users in and ripping them off. So why won’t Meta do anything about it? I’ve had a Facebook account since 2006, when it first became available to the ...23 hours ago
- Vanuatu one month on: aftershocks, a no-go zone and anxiety
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Port Vila Today marks one month since a 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, claiming 14 lives, injuring more than 200 people, and displacing thousands more. Downtown Port Vila remains a no-go zone. Star Wharf, the international port, is still out of ...1 day ago
- To those in power, treat others with dignity
A year out from leaving the bear pit that is the pinnacle of our democracy, I have returned to something familiar. A working life in litigation, mainly in employment law, has brought me full circle, refreshed old skills and exposed me to some realities and values which have stunned me.But ...1 day ago
- The Secret Diary of .. horoscopes (part 2)
2025 is the Year of the Snake, so it should be another productive year for the David Seymours of the world by which I mean of course people with an enigmatic and introspective nature. Those born in previous Snake years – 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001 – will flourish in ...1 day ago
- ‘The complicated zone where the beautiful and the damned collide’: remembering David Lynch
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney The acclaimed American filmmaker David Lynch has died at the age of 78. While a cause of death has yet to be publicly announced, Lynch, a lifelong tobacco enthusiast, revealed ...1 day ago
- What should I do if I can’t see a psychiatrist?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monika Ferguson, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health, University of South Australia People presenting at emergency with mental health concerns are experiencing the longest wait times in Australia for admission to a ward, according to a new report from the Australasian College of ...1 day ago
- Minister overhauls Waitangi Tribunal membership
The Minister for Māori Development has appointed eight new members to the Waitangi Tribunal. ...1 day ago
- Taller tennis players have a natural advantage – but shorter athletes shouldn’t despair
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Blazevich, Professor of Biomechanics, Edith Cowan University We’re nearing the halfway point of this year’s Australian Open and players like the United States’ Reilly Opelka (ranked 170th in the world ) and France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (ranked 30th) captured plenty of ...1 day ago
- Pacific media perspectives featured by authors in new communication book
Asia Pacific Report Four researchers and authors from the Asia-Pacific region have provided diverse perspectives on the media in a new global book on intercultural communication. The Sage Handbook of Intercultural Communication published this week offers a global, interdisciplinary, and contextual approach to understanding the complexities of intercultural communication in ...1 day ago
- What is an oligarchy, and is the United States poised to become one?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Benjamin T. Jones, Senior Lecturer in History, CQUniversity Australia In his farewell address, outgoing US President Joe Biden warned “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy”. The comment suggests ...1 day ago
- Why is one half of Mars so different to the other? ‘Marsquakes’ may have just revealed the answe...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hrvoje Tkalčić, Professor, Head of Geophysics, Director of Warramunga Array, Australian National University A map showing the ‘Martian dichotomy’: the southern highlands are in yellows and oranges, the northern lowlands in blues and greens. NASA / JPL / USGS Mars is home ...2 days ago
- Labour passes National in new poll
This marks the first point Labour has led in the Taxpayer's Union-Curia polls since April 2023. ...2 days ago
- The Friday Poem: ‘Field-notes: Midsummer, 9pm, walking barefoot in the reserve after a storm, the ...
A new poem by Niamh Hollis-Locke. Field-notes: Midsummer, 9pm, walking barefoot in the reserve after a storm, the sky still light, the city strung out across backs of the hills Dunes of last week’s cut grass washed downslope against the bracken, drifts of pale wet stems rotting into one ...2 days ago
- NEW POLL: Labour Leapfrogs National In Taxpayers’ Union–Curia Poll For First Time Since Apri...
The poll, conducted between 9-13 January, shows National down 4.6 points to 29.6%, while Labour have risen 4.0 points from last month, overtaking them with30.9%. ...2 days ago - How is Antarctica melting, exactly? Crucial details are beginning to come into focus
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Madelaine Gamble Rosevear, Postdoctoral Fellow in Physical Oceanography, University of Tasmania The front of the Ross Ice Shelf floats in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Matt Siegfried/Scripps Institution of Oceanography, CC BY-NC The size of the Antarctic ice sheet can be hard to ...2 days ago
- What Twin Peaks meant to 10-year-old me
As the world farewells visionary director David Lynch, we return to this 2017 piece by Angela Cuming about escaping into the haunting world of Twin Peaks. I was only 10 years old when Twin Peaks – and the real world – found me. Once a week, in the dark, I ...2 days ago
- Why the Australian Open’s online tennis coverage looks like a Wii sports game
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marc C-Scott, Associate Professor of Screen Media | Deputy Associate Dean of Learning & Teaching, Victoria University Screenshot/YouTube The 2025 Australian Open (AO) broadcast may seem similar to previous years if you’re watching on the television. However, if you’re watching online ...2 days ago
- ‘Enough is enough – halt this reckless expansion’, Fiji NGO tells Rabuka
By Anish Chand in Suva A Fiji community human rights coalition has called on Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to halt his “reckless expansion” of government and refocus on addressing Fiji’s pressing challenges. The NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR) said it was outraged by the abrupt and arbitrary reshuffling of ...2 days ago
- The best things we watched (and listened to) over summer
A selection of the best shows, movies, podcasts and playlists that kept us entertained over the holidays. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. Leo (Netflix) My partner and I watched exactly one thing on the TV in our Japan accommodation while ...2 days ago
- Move fast: The best TV show of the century so far returns today
Toby Manhire tells you everything you need to know ahead of season two of Severance. After an agonising wait – nearly three years between waffles, thanks to US actor and writer strikes and, some say, creative squabbles – Severance returns today, Friday January 17. For my money the first season ...2 days ago
- Should we aim to bulk-bill everyone for GP visits? We asked 5 experts
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ruth McHugh-Dillon, Assistant Health Editor Rose Marinelli/Shutterstock A new report by a GP listing company made headlines this week showing low rates of bulk billing for GP visits across Australia. Bulk billing means the consultation is free for the patient ...2 days ago
- From cod logs to frog bogs: we catalogued 400 ways to help species survive a warmer world
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jess Melbourne-Thomas, Transdisciplinary Researcher & Knowledge Broker, CSIRO ‘Cod logs’ placed in the Mary River can give fish a safe place to shelter. © Caitlin Jones, Burnett Mary Regional Group (BMRG) Australia’s natural environment is changing rapidly as the world warms, and ...2 days ago
- The cost of being: A ‘conscious and curious’ mum who works in insurance
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a 32-year-old mother of a one-year-old shares her approach to spending and saving. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 32. Ethnicity: East Asian – NZ ...2 days ago
- Climate change is forcing us to rethink our sense
of ‘home’ – and what it means to lose it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Talia Fell, PhD Candidate, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland The Los Angeles wildfires are causing the devastating loss of people’s homes. From A-list celebrities such as Paris Hilton to an Australian family living in LA, thousands ...2 days ago - The specialist removing insects from ears at least once a week
When Marg Hunt heard there were hundreds of cockroach-linked ACC claims, she laughed: "That's bread and butter for me." ...2 days ago
- Union mulls stab-proof vests, personal alarms after nurse attacked
Mental health nurses are "so worried about their safety" and more needs to be done, union says. ...2 days ago
- Biden prepares to leave the White House. Will Gaza ceasefire seal his legacy?
The outgoing and incoming presidents have both claimed credit for the historic deal, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund for The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. ...2 days ago
Apologies everyone. Authors were all busy today and had no time for posts. Normal transmission will be resumed tomorrow.
We are always on the lookout for guest posts. If you feel the urge drop us a line with a post.
I will drop you a line either this week or next week about doing some posts? Was hoping to find some time during last couple of weeks between moving house, ANZAC Day at my bush block, the in-laws visiting, cleaning up the new house/ surrounds (about 10yrs worth of dry fuel) and cleaning up my bush block prior to ban of open fires before the start of the fire (dry) season.
A couple of readers here and few more readers that I know who visit here, have been poking me to get involved on some Defence related issues, and the other 3 issues that are linked in with Defence.
Sounds good.
Weka has got a Guest Post from me but it can wait.
Whoa sinkhole
First heard on RNZ but couldn’t find pic
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503438&objectid=12042984
Whoa herdld. Not going there.
Israel takes the world back to 2002 so it can think again about the nuclear agreement with Iran (fake WMD “evidence”, let’s regime change in Iraq – 2002).
There is no effort to fake evidence this time, just manipulate the record of history.
Iran was looking at nuclear weapons development before 2003 but has only been acquiring knowledge since then (cue no one is surprised).
However this is being presented as new information to justIfy American GOP/Trump sentiment (and timed for the embassy move to Jerusalem) to withdraw from an international agreement.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43958205
The nuclear deal halting nuclear power development by Iran was always based on preventing development towards (a suspected ambition) nuclear weapons capability – otherwse it would have been gross interference in a nations sovereignty.
The White House and Israel are attempting to justify their intended exercise of unilateralism by prev enting this is new inforamtion and we never knew/suspected any of this – when it was the whole reason for sanctions and the subsequent nuclear agreement.
Someone in Israel needs to remember the words about Petain (and later de Gaulle himself), old age is a shipwreck. The longer a fool remains in office the more likely this is to being exposed.
Re caption:
Nothing’s changed in 300 years has it. Pompous pratts.
TV male presenters when standing by their digital screens now adopt the same spreadeagled pose. Pompous pratts no.2. 😈
Sajid Wonder Woman.
I don’t think photography existed when chaps dressed like those in the bottom photo. It’s probably taken from a stage production.
Don’t Mention Macbeth – Blackadder
Mrs Marbuckle’s Fantabulous Pantaloons.
Yes it was. But that’s an exaggerated version of how they did behave. Oh I see joe90 has linked.
25 homeless families booted for tourists attending Art Deco festival
https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/2018643007/homeless-families-evicted-from-motel-for-tourists
Tinder, huh? Might explain a few things.
If you thought the Facebook data harvesting scandal was bad, you probably don’t live in Russia.
For many Russians reading about the story, it was a case of “welcome to our world.”
Data harvesting is a booming and highly competitive business here, with a host of companies offering ways of “scraping” up details on your likes, shares and comments for commercial gain, with barely any regulatory or legislative control.
There are now companies offering advertisers—and anyone else who can pay—the ability to target almost any group imaginable.
[…]
One such firm is Moscow-based “Social Data Hub.” It proudly lists the Russian government as a client and boasts that it has a copy of the activity on every Russian social media network going back for the past seven years.
But their online hoovering also includes all the traffic generated by Russian-based users of U.S. and other international online giants such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. The company also covers sites such as the Tinder dating app, and the Airbnb accommodation service. What this means in practice, for example, is that some swipes on Tinder profiles could actually have been made by bots.
Codaru.com tried out the “parsing” capabilities of one of these companies, to find out just how much they know about Russians. And it’s surprisingly cheap. For one ruble (slightly more than one U.S. cent), you get a complete copy of someone’s online profile (including their name, home region, phone number and date of birth), with a minimum order of 1000 accounts.
https://codastory.com/disinformation-crisis/information-war/why-facebook-data-harvesting-scandal-nothing-new-for-russians
A different perspective….
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/04/30/syrian-cisis-escalates/
There’s another neo-liberal, pro-segregation apologist for slavery called Paul Craig Roberts?
/
Shoot the messenger.
Ignore the message.
Your usual style.
Another messenger for you to shoot down,
Peter Hitchens.
So, neo-liberal, pro-segregation apologist[s] for slavery are okay if they tell you what you want to hear?.
Neo-liberalism is not okay and apologists for slavery are to be condemned.
In short, Ed thinks murderous thugs called Assad are good, murderous thugs not called Assad are bad, Chinese authoritarian thugs are bad, Russian authoritarian thugs are good, imperialism is bad, Russian imperialism is good, neo-liberal, pro-segregation apologist[s] for slavery are bad, neo-liberal, pro-segregation apologist[s] for slavery that Ed agrees with are good.
Am I right?
Wow! that Craig Paul Robert’s is a weirdo! Can see why Ed likes him.
Here he is casting incredulity on the victims of the Parkland massacre:
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/04/07/parkland-obituaries/
Roberts’ writes for a right-wing Russian think tank that takes it’s name from Orthodox theology, κατέχον, he who resists the Antichrist.
He fits right in with the menagerie of racists, anti-Semites, Islamaphobes, far right xtians and assorted loons.
http://katehon.com/article/conversation-race
http://katehon.com/person/paul-craig-roberts
Whatever, joe.
Sorry your hatred of Russia makes it impossible for you to discuss this subject rationally.
Yeah, my hatred for neo-liberal, pro-segregation apologist[s] for slavery, racists, anti-Semites, Islamaphobes, far right xtians and assorted loons and their patron is the problem.
/
You have commented before that you do not like Russia,
Please do not divert.
Best stick to Vice or Politico Joe they’re more your style, where you can get an endless stream of anti-trump material.
Leave Roberts for those of us who want to find out what’s really going on in the world.
Oh that’s right, you’re a big fan the of sexual predator, alleged rapist, and probable child abuser currently occupying the big house, because her emails.
btw, these links to Vice or Politico, cite?.
Yes Joes, you’re wrong…
You’ve openly explained the source of your ‘Russophobia’…so you’ve disqualified yourself…
No need to put such a bare faced false dichotomy onto Ed…
+1
And another messenger who must be wrong.
Peter Ford, the previous British ambassador of Syria.
Craig Murray?
Peter Ford?
Robert Fisk?
George Galloway?
Peter Hitchens?
Quite a long list….
What happened to Lebanon’s Christian community eddy?
Do you know the answer to that?
My perspective is different.
The argument I feel the most compelling is that the war on Syria is all about money and pipelines.
And that is why Iran is now under the gun.
https://www.rt.com/news/425497-iran-drops-dollar-war/
Not exactly.
The military capability of the USA is premised on its access to cheap debt (reserve currency status), otherwise it would be unaffordable. All empires are mammon AND fortresses – imperial coin is central.
The socialist (anathema to the capitalist corporate global market order) nation, and in particular ones with large scale commodity/oil production (enabling self-sufficiency), is a centre of resistance to an imperial order.
But Moslem identity resistance to Judeo-Christian power would be enough of itself to cause conflict and if the imperial power depends on the coin, so why sustain it rather than undermine it?
So what came first, the socialism or the Moslem identity, or the resistance to the means of their capitalist Judeo-Christian rival asserting imperial power over them?
Some interesting points.
Thank you.
“My perspective is different.”
Your “perspective” is cut and pasted from RT.
My perspective on the issue of money and/or pipelines being the cause of war in Iraq, Libya and Syria came from elsewhere.
But I am not arrogant enough to think my ideas are original.
Are you?
“There’s a recurring theme throughout these scientists’ findings in Antarctica: What we do now will determine how quickly Pine Island and Thwaites collapse. A fast transition away from fossil fuels in the next few decades could be enough to put off rapid sea-level rise for centuries. That’s a decision worth countless trillions of dollars and millions of lives.
“The range of outcomes,” Bassis says, “is really going to depend on choices that people make.”
https://grist.org/article/antarctica-doomsday-glaciers-could-flood-coastal-cities/
Thanks to cleangreen
Craig Murray is a rare beacon of light in an ever dimming world. Dissent is being shut down. So here is one of the few independent voices in an increasingly closed minded world.
Read the whole article here.
It will blow your mind.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/04/where-they-tell-you-not-to-look/
And on the matter of the infamous establishment shill Mr Harding.
The Real News Network’s (TRNN) Aaron Maté politely and professionally dismantles shameless Guardian reporter and author Luke Harding.
A chance to see a propagandist shown up for whom he is.
Genter’s expression when Davidson sings a waiata for the royal baby!!!
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2018/05/green-co-leader-sings-m-ori-waiata-for-royal-baby-louis-in-parliament/_jcr_content/par/video/image.dynimg.360.q75.jpg/v1525148989610/marama-davidson-PARLTV.jpg
Absolutely top of the government’s to do list….ensuring that the new royal sprog feels loved and wanted down here under southern skies.
Yes, a Māori women should never convey the joy of the arrival of another human.
/
Yes, and you’d think a Maori woman MP would put the bulk of her energies into ensuring Maori mothers here in New Zealand are not having to live with their children in cars, rather than buttsnorkling the privileged.
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2018/04/auckland-phd-student-has-to-sleep-in-van-with-kids.html
If that’s her thing, serenading the babes of royalty in a far off land, then Ms. Davidson is welcome to do that in her own time and in her own space. In the House…she’s at work.
IMHO
Sorry kids, you’re on your own.
In a closed-door meeting with heads of Jewish organizations in New York on March 27th, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) gave harsh criticism of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), according to an Israeli foreign ministry cable sent by a diplomat from the Israeli consulate in New York, as well three sources — Israeli and American — who were briefed about the meeting.
The bottom line of the crown prince’s criticism: Palestinian leadership needs to finally take the proposals it gets from the U.S. or stop complaining.
According to my sources, the Saudi Crown Prince told the Jewish leaders:
— MBS
MBS also made two other points on the Palestinian issue during the meeting:
He made clear the Palestinian issue was not a top priority for the Saudi government or Saudi public opinion. MBS said Saudi Arabia “has much more urgent and important issues to deal with” like confronting Iran’s influence in the region.
Regardless of all his criticism of the Palestinian leadership, MBS also made clear that in order for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to normalize relations with Israel there will have to be significant progress on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
https://www.axios.com/saudi-crown-prince-tells-jewish-leaders-palestinians-should-take-what-they-are-offered-or-stop-complaining-1525025098-e7f0faf8-4f3f-442c-8478-6737ddb5a553.html
Been that way since 1970 when Arafat convinced the Arab League to recognize him as a separate leader from Jordan’s King Hussein, and for the Palestinians to go it alone with Jordan renouncing what used to be its territory:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_State_of_Palestine#Rift_between_Jordan_and_Palestinian_leadership_(1970)
The King of Jordan wasn’t amused but had no choice.
Saudi Arabia has a whole bunch more in common with Israel than they do with Palestine, namely: Iran.
Same with Egypt and Israel. Nothing focuses the mind like a US$15 billion gas deal:
https://www.ft.com/content/724ea59c-1599-11e8-9e9c-25c814761640
The Arab League still protests about whole bunches of stuff, but it’s long since become a mere release-valve:
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180402-arab-league-to-hold-emergency-meeting-on-palestine/
The West Bank was never recognised as territory of Jordan.
Jordan disagrees with you, having fought several wars on the point.
Just not the UN, in international law.
No one else recognised the WB as part of Jordan..oh wait the UK (the nation of the White Paper perfidity) and Pakistan did (probably because they wanted Kashmir).
Is this your way of recognising Israel’s unilateral annexation of East Jerusalem? A nation can define its own territory after military conquest – same opine on Crimea?
Came close with Rabin, until he was shot.
Maybe the whole point of the regime change in Baghdad was to create a Sunni Shia divide internally and then export this across the region (deposing left wing socialist/Baath Party regimes to do so).
Then
1. bond Sunni regime autocrats to confronting Iran (and its support for the Damascus regime) and take the eye off Palestine as more and more WB land is occupied.
2. committ the USA to the struggle with Iran rather than a just Israeli-Palestinian peace.
A new cold war, whereby the West supports undemocratic “Sunni” regimes (during the struggle with Teheran/Damascus/Moscow) and they do not make much of an issue about Israel’s actions and US support for them.
The crown prince…. kushners buddy lololz
Joe90, check this out… all bibi needs to do next is appoint himself as defence minister… freaking scary.
“The Israeli parliament has voted in favour of granting Israel’s prime minister the power to declare war, solely with the approval of the defence minister.
The vote on Monday amended a law which previously required the whole cabinet to vote on such a move, transferring that authority to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman, his defence chief.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/05/knesset-power-pm-declare-war-single-vote-backing-180501073134283.html
Very interesting in deed and we really don’t need another two religious crackpots to be added as there is a enough of them already within MER two start a major war without these two jokers.
I think it’s time old Jandals withdraws the NZDF out of the MER before these two Muppets get a itchy tigger finger and start throwing around a few cans of instant sunshine to brighten up the place.
Where are all the multi-megaton nuclear accidents when you need them.
A Saudi Arabian man who renounced Islam and made disparaging remarks about the prophet Muhammad has been sentenced to death.
Authorities became aware of Ahmad Al-Shamri in 2014 after he uploaded a series of videos reflecting his views on social media. He was subsequently arrested on charges of atheism and blasphemy, faced trial and was sentenced to death in February 2015.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/saudi-arabia-execute-apos-atheist-124114852.html
It one of the reasons why I have a love hate relationship with MER and this case of this poor individual is one of them. Between my travels of SEA and Sandpit, I’ll take the sandpit any day but SEA is a lot safer to visit with the other half.
Australia and the NZ should pull it troops out of the MER and let them unleash the dogs on MER with a winner take all. As we have more important things do in our own region than pop up these lunatics.
There is a few villages within the MER missing their village idiots ATM.
Great to see Cardinal Pell facing trial for historic sex crimes.
Gutsy New South Wales Commissioner of Police for going for him.
In hell Pell will be put to death by small boys with rocks.
As a liberal practicing Catholic myself, I never understood why Pope Francis made this guy his chief economic advisor.
Now, in my darker moments, I think Pope Francis hired Pell as a leader of the hard core conservative Cardinals. So Francis put him up to one of the key jobs, ostensibly buying support with them, but know that he had a sex-crime storm looming. The conservatives now get to see their key player hang at high noon.
At least, as Pope, that’s what I would have done, were i in a machievellian mood.
Either way Pope loses a major opponent.
Lapidation by small boys does sound rather apt.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stoning_of_Saint_Stephen#/media/File:Rembrandt-Lapidation-Saint-%C3%89tienne-MBA-Lyon.jpg
Why do we allow foreigners to take our resources?
We are fools.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/bay-of-plenty/103504559/resource-consent-for-chinese-water-bottling-giant-begins-in-whakatane
We are fools..
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/95670283/chinese-company-seeks-consent-to-draw-580-million-litres-of-pristine-spring-water-to-bottle-and-export
Should nitrate leech into underground acquifers (say Canterbury), one hopes there is still a large reserve of such (and thus affordable) water available to supply to vulnerable regions locally.
Speak for yourself.
Excellent feature on Clarke in the Telegraph, it’s been reprinted in full on the herald. Fantastic PR for NZ, good buzz.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/fatherhood/meet-new-zealands-first-bloke-man-wholl-become-stay-at-home/?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1525122889
And good for him. I was the stay-at-home dad with our two though I called myself ‘him indoors’. Great chance to get close to the children, and allowed Mrs Mac1 to follow her career, and increased the earning power, too.
PlayCentre, school committees, Saturday morning sport, school fairs, nappies, house cleaning, gardening, 10 washes of clothes a week, shopping, pets, after school dancing, sport- loved it all.
And in the afternoon, ten minutes of utter joy to watch Bill and Ben, the Flowerpot men or The Wombles et al, with the kids.
And 6000 meals, 2000 jars and bottles of fruit, jam, chutneys, sauces, and home brew, too, bread-making, though not many scones, baking.
Enjoy your time, Clarke. I did.
The author was killed by a suicide bomber in Kabul on Sunday. He wrote this a couple of years ago.
But there is no more hope. Life seems to be even more difficult than under the Taliban because of the insecurity. I don’t dare to take my children for a walk. I have five and they spend their time cooped up inside the house. Every morning as I go to the office and every evening when I return home, all I think of are cars that can be booby-trapped, or of suicide bombers coming out of a crowd. I can’t take the risk. So we don’t go out. I remember all too well my friend and colleague Sardar, who was killed with his wife, a daughter and a son while on an outing at a hotel, with only his small son somehow surviving the attack.
I have never felt life to have so little prospects and I don’t see a way out. It’s a time of anxiety.
https://correspondent.afp.com/when-hope-gone