Daily review 03/07/2019
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5:30 pm, July 3rd, 2019 - 25 comments
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Happy birthday to you …
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- Dance Magic
Well, I've been there, sitting in that same chairWhispering that same prayer half a million timesIt's a lie, though buried in disciplesOne page of the Bible isn't worth a lifeThere's nothing wrong with youIt's true, it's trueThere's something wrong with the villageWith the villageSomething wrong with the villageSongwriters: Andrew Jackson ...8 hours ago - Government Forces Universities to Enforce “Free Speech” While Limiting Universities̵...
ACT would like to dictate what universities can and can’t say. We knew it was coming. It was outlined in the coalition agreement and has become part of Seymour’s strategy of “emphasising public funding” to prevent people from opposing him and his views—something he also uses to try and de-platform ...8 hours ago - Fact brief – Are we heading into an ‘ice age’?
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Are we heading ...20 hours ago - As Our Power Lessens: Published
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The Natural Choice: As a starter for ten percent of the Party Vote, “saving the planet” is a very respectable objective. Young voters, in particular, raised on the dire (if unheeded) warnings of climate scientists, and the irrefutable evidence of devastating weather events linked to global warming, vote Green. After ...1 day ago - Bernard’s last Saturday Soliloquy for 2024
The Government cancelled 60% of Kāinga Ora’s new builds next year, even though the land for them was already bought, the consents were consented and there are builders unemployed all over the place. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that mattered in Aotearoa’s political ...1 day ago - Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes for Saturday, December 21
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- ZB’s Power Couple
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Our economy has experienced its worst recession since 1991. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMōrena. Long stories short, the six things that matter in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, climate and poverty on Friday, December 20 in The Kākā’s Dawn Chorus podcast above and the daily Pick ‘n’ Mix below ...2 days ago
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At the 2023 election, National basically ran on a platform of being better economic managers. So how'd that turn out for us? In just one year, they've fucked us for two full political terms: The government's books are set to remain deeply in the red for the near term ...5 days ago
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AUSTERITYText within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedMy spreadsheet insists This pain leads straight to glory (File not found) Read more ...5 days ago - Minimum wage ‘increase’ is an effective cut
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This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Bob Henson In this aerial view, fingers of meltwater flow from the melting Isunnguata Sermia glacier descending from the Greenland Ice Sheet on July 11, 2024, near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. According to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), the ...5 days ago
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Iain Rennie, CNZMSecretary and Chief Executive to the TreasuryDear Secretary, Undue restrictions on restricted briefings This week, the Treasury barred representatives from four organisations, including the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi, from attending the restricted briefing for the Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update. We had been ...6 days ago
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- Thank You
Hi all,I'm pretty overwhelmed by all your messages and emails today; thank you so very much.As much as my newsletter this morning was about money, and we all need to earn money, it was mostly about world domination if I'm honest. 😉I really hate what’s happening to our country, and ...7 days ago - 2024 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #50
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I started writing this morning about Hobson’s Pledge, examining the claims they and their supporters make, basically ripping into them. But I kept getting notifications coming through, and not good ones.Each time I looked up, there was another un-subscription message, and I felt a bit sicker at the thought of ...1 week ago - Nothing here but the shadows
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Hi,“What I love about New Zealanders is that sometimes you use these expressions that as Americans we have no idea what those things mean!"I am watching a 30-something year old American ramble on about how different New Zealanders are to Americans. It’s his podcast, and this man is doing a ...1 week ago - Chris Penk’s Hate Parade
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All those tears on your cheeksJust like deja vu flow nowWhen grandmother speaksSo tell me a story (I'll tell you a story)Spell it out, I can't hear (What do you want to hear?)Why you wear black in the morning?Why there's smoke in the air? Songwriter: Greg Johnson.Mōrena all ☀️Something a ...1 week ago - As Our Power Lessens: Accepted
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Returning to the model that was failing for most polytechnics and Institutes of Technology is not the answer. ...2 days ago
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The Government’s planned changes to the freedom of speech obligations of universities is little more than a front for stoking the political fires of disinformation and fear, placing teachers and students in the crosshairs. ...3 days ago - Release: Nicola Willis spirals country deeper into recession
The economy shrank 1% this quarter and New Zealand has tumbled into the depths of a recession of Nicola Willis’ making. ...3 days ago
- Release: Hikes for company directors but not ordinary Kiwis
Working people are going backwards while company directors are being given huge pay hikes. ...4 days ago
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The Ministry of Regulation’s report into Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Aotearoa raises serious concerns about the possibility of lowering qualification requirements, undermining quality and risking worse outcomes for tamariki, whānau, and kaiako. ...4 days ago
- Release: Strengthening Justice Services for New Zealanders
A Bill to modernise the role of Justices of the Peace (JP), ensuring they remain active in their communities and connected with other JPs, has been put into the ballot. ...4 days ago
- Release: Labour will continue fight against destructive projects
Labour will continue to fight unsustainable and destructive projects that are able to leap-frog environment protection under National’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. ...5 days ago
- Green Government will revoke dodgy fast-track projects
The Green Party has warned that a Green Government will revoke the consents of companies who override environmental protections as part of Fast-Track legislation being passed today. ...5 days ago
- Government for the wealthy keeps pushing austerity
The Green Party says the Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update shows how the Government is failing to address the massive social and infrastructure deficits our country faces. ...5 days ago
- Release: Visa changes let migrant workers be paid less
The Government’s latest move to reduce the earnings of migrant workers will not only hurt migrants but it will drive down the wages of Kiwi workers. ...5 days ago
- Release: Nightmare before Christmas for Nicola Willis
With more debt and a larger deficit, Nicola Willis’ reputation is in tatters after her failure to return the Government’s books to surplus. ...5 days ago
- Warning to Fast-Track Applicants – ‘Exploit the Whenua, Face the Consequences’
Te Pāti Māori has this morning issued a stern warning to Fast-Track applicants with interests in mining, pledging to hold them accountable through retrospective liability and to immediately revoke Fast-Track consents under a future Te Pāti Māori government. This warning comes ahead of today’s third reading of the Fast-Track Approvals ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt cuts wages for lowest paid NZers… again
For the second year running, the government has effectively cut wages for the lowest paid workers in New Zealand. ...5 days ago
- Govt’s miserly 1.5% minimum wage will take workers backwards
The Government’s announcement today of a 1.5 per cent increase to minimum wage is another blow for workers, with inflation projected to exceed the increase, meaning it’s a real terms pay reduction for many. ...5 days ago
- Release: Govt shirking responsibility for rate hikes
All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates. ...5 days ago
- Luxon’s ‘localism’ strikes again
The Government has used its final post-Cabinet press conference of the year to punch down on local government without offering any credible solutions to the issues our councils are facing. ...6 days ago
- Release: Govt breaks promise on EV chargers
The Government has failed to keep its promise to ‘super charge’ the EV network, delivering just 292 chargers - less than half of the 670 chargers needed to meet its target. ...6 days ago
- Greens call for end to subsidies for Methanex
The Green Party is calling for the Government to stop subsidising the largest user of the country’s gas supplies, Methanex, following a report highlighting the multi-national’s disproportionate influence on energy prices in Aotearoa. ...6 days ago
- Govt child poverty targets allow for increase in poverty
The Green Party is appalled with the Government’s new child poverty targets that are based on a new ‘persistent poverty’ measure that could be met even with an increase in child poverty. ...1 week ago
- Release: Four weeks annual leave under threat
The Government’s attack on workers continues with news it is scrapping work on the Holidays Act. ...1 week ago
- Govt’s emissions plan for measly 1% reduction
New independent analysis has revealed that the Government’s Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) will reduce emissions by a measly 1 per cent by 2030, failing to set us up for the future and meeting upcoming targets. ...1 week ago
- Greens stand in solidarity with Whakaata Māori on sad day
The loss of 27 kaimahi at Whakaata Māori and the end of its daily news bulletin is a sad day for Māori media and another step backwards for Te Tiriti o Waitangi justice. ...1 week ago
- Sanctions regime to create more hardship for families
Yesterday the Government passed cruel legislation through first reading to establish a new beneficiary sanction regime that will ultimately mean more households cannot afford the basic essentials. ...1 week ago
- Govt gifts renters housing anxiety for Christmas
Today's passing of the Government's Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill–which allows landlords to end tenancies with no reason–ignores the voice of the people and leaves renters in limbo ahead of the festive season. ...1 week ago
- Release: National Party urged to support modern slavery legislation
Labour is urging the Prime Minister to walk the talk and support legislation combating modern slavery. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour has lost confidence in the Speaker
The Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament made an unprecedented decision on the government amendment to the Fast Track Approvals Bill last night. ...1 week ago
- One year on, still no progress on new ferries
Today’s announcement from the Government on its plan for new ferries throws more uncertainty on the future of the country’s rail network. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Nicola Willis’ smaller ferries will cost more
After wasting a year, Nicola Willis has delivered a worse deal for the Cook Strait ferries that will end up being more expensive and take longer to arrive. ...2 weeks ago
- Bill to sanction unlawful occupation of Palestine
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Southland doesn't care (more to come)
http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2019/07/climate-change-southland-doesnt-care.html
Commiserations Robert. Shame there are still dinosaurs around the place.
Guest post?
Didn't you know Robert, that making money is more important than the climate.
The most chilling thing in the age of climate change
A capitalist was once someone prepared to sell the rope used to hang them.
In the age of climate change a capitalist is someone knowingly prepared sell the rope to hang his grandchildren.
This makes better viewing.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/113951238/southland-climate-emergency-motion-voted-down
‘
An 'emergency' or a 'concern'. You decide.
P.S. Thanks for the leadership Robert, much appreciated.
Disappointing. The most worthy causes can be some of the toughest ones too. A tree that gets battered by the elements becomes weathered and strong and produces many offspring. Kia kaha, Robert.
Thank you, all. Batterings from my fellow councillors, I'm well used to and shrug them off. The uplift from the community, however, has been exhilarating! They came together and saw for themselves where the problem lies. The game has just begun.
…and grab your ankles…
https://twitter.com/billmckibben/status/1146100993366646785
I am not renewing my passport. Somehow the idea of spewing out CO2 in order to drag my aging carcass round the world for ultimately trivial and forgettable 'experiences' seems like a reprehensible theft of the future from the young.
Amen to that.
Thank you for trying Robert.
The stupid is strong in Southland. I performed to a rugby crowd in Invercargill once, spent the whole time deflecting hecklers. Crappiest show we did that tour, but they thought it was the best time ever.
Up here in the civilised world hecklers STFU or we taser them.
No climate emergency declaration, but we feel as though we're on a winning run – wonder how that could be?
On the right side of history. I half-heard the PM discussing the possibility of govt declaring a climate change emergency, think it was earlier yesterday. Sydney did it the other day, I heard on the news. ScoMo must have been consternated.
Belief systems are like monocultures in ecology. Dissenters in Southland haven't yet got the numbers to shift the status quo, that's all. Crisis, what crisis? is a powerful syndrome because most people base their reality on what local culture tells them so `it can't happen here' is embedded in their subconscious until climate change local effects become evident.
Incidentally, before Zappa's Mothers of Invention made a pseudo-rock song out of it (1966), the stance was a novel – warning Americans about fascism (1935)… https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/books/review/classic-novel-that-predicted-trump-sinclar-lewis-it-cant-happen-here.html
I failed to renew mine years ago AB. Been there, done that… and see no point in repeating the experiences just so that I can say I have.
Don't go into any building or on any structure made of concrete, greater CO2 emissions than fossil fuels.
First it was Russian spy plane, and now Cyprus. What's next, a civilian airliner?.
https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2019/07/01/missile-that-hit-northern-cyprus-russian-made-s-200-fired-from-syria-foreign-minister-says
Well he is right about the gettos. Pity more people haven't taken a stand because they'd save buyers desperate to get into debt from ruining their financial future.
The suburb of Cromwell…yeah…nah.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/113970403/landowner-refuses-to-sell-to-developers-of-largescale-satellite-town
Cromwell's an odd place. Every cycle it goes like mad and almost gets there, then crashes down to nothing again. It could be the administrative and service centre for Central Otago, Queenstown and Wanaka. But it's in Central Otago district, which is administered from Alexandra, and about the same distance to Wanaka and Queenstown (roughly, very). Tradies and professionals based in Cromwell will work in all three towns.
About 10 years ago the good burghers of Cromwell decided the best thing for the town was a motorsport park (racetrack) on the edge of town. Right where their town would logically expand. Which is all good because all the tradies that are doing well out of all the activity around them are having a great time going down to Highlands and thrashing their toys around the track.
So Cromwell gets to be a boom bust town for the foreseeable. Which it really has been forever, and really in the big scheme of things, may not be all that bad.
But from when I lived there working on the Dam, I've seen Cromwell as a potential giant that could have ruled all of Central and the Lakes.
Europe responds to a black Muslim immigrant who dared to get himself elected.
https://twitter.com/MagicMagid/status/1146022757580386306
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/may/28/green-mep-refugee-far-right-salvini-farage-le-pen
Meanwhile, Brexit Party MEPs turn their backs as the EU's anthem is played.
https://twitter.com/davidjwbailey/status/1145992098145062914
What a great similarity of bad, irrational behaviour in these images.
Thank you to the person who found the 1930's one to match with the present – thank you Joe90.
Thread on the racist populism of Istanbul’s new mayor.
1/10
https://twitter.com/DNawzar/status/1145924899543953410
https://twitter.com/DNawzar/status/1145926569296314368
Re Katie Hopkins' rant the comments are revealing.
All I can say is imagine England without immigration!
No Celts, Romans, Vikings, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Welsh, Scots, Irish, Norman French, no German or Dutch aristocracy,……..
No towns like London, Whitby, York,
No names ending in -gate, -thwaite, -chester. No names starting with Mac, Mc, O', Fitz,
No tea, potatoes, spices, Swiss chard, French perfume, Welsh rarebit, no poulet, beef, mutton, venison, pork, no lard, Worcester sauce or any other sauce for that matter, No port, sherry, whiskey, wine, Guiness, lager,
As the Bard wrote,"sans everything"!
All that's left are barrows, henges and fish……………
How old are you? 8! How long did Trump leave you in a cell after he heard about your incarceration? Too long. Trump brings America into disrepute. Christian Conservatives can't vote for him and claim to protect family values. They haven't much moral authority, but that would be the nail in the coffin for any claims of morality.