It is a very modern predicament. Denialism is a post‑enlightenment phenomenon, a reaction to the “inconvenience” of many of the findings of modern scholarship. The discovery of evolution, for example, is inconvenient to those committed to a literalist biblical account of creation. Denialism is also a reaction to the inconvenience of the moral consensus that emerged in the post-enlightenment world. In the ancient world, you could erect a monument proudly proclaiming the genocide you committed to the world. In the modern world, mass killing, mass starvation, mass environmental catastrophe can no longer be publicly legitimated.
Yet many humans still want to do the same things humans always did. We are still desiring beings. We want to murder, to steal, to destroy and to despoil. We want to preserve our ignorance and unquestioned faith. So when our desires are rendered unspeakable in the modern world, we are forced to pretend that we do not yearn for things we desire.
Or an enlightened entity pretending they don’t long for enlightenment? May they surprise us next week with evidence of evolution, and give us an essay on how to obtain the sufferings of post-denialism.
Denialism is not a barrier to acknowledging a common moral foundation; it is a barrier to acknowledging moral differences. An end to denialism is therefore a disturbing prospect, as it would involve these moral differences revealing themselves directly.
The essay then meanders through Irving-style traditional denialism (lots of research that supports bunk) into post-denialism (“Whereas denialism explains – at great length – post-denialism asserts. Whereas denialism is painstakingly thought-through, post-denialism is instinctive. Whereas denialism is disciplined, post-denialism is anarchic”).
The possibility of an epochal shift away from denialism means that there is now no avoiding a reckoning with some discomfiting issues: how do we respond to people who have radically different desires and morals from our own? How do we respond to people who delight in or are indifferent to genocide, to the suffering of millions, to venality and greed?
Denialism, and the multitude of other ways that modern humans have obfuscated their desires, prevent a true reckoning with the unsettling fact that some of us might desire things that most of us regard as morally reprehensible. I say “might” because while denialism is an attempt to covertly legitimise an unspeakable desire, the nature of the denialist’s understanding of the consequences of enacting that desire is usually unknowable.
It is hard to tell whether global warming denialists are secretly longing for the chaos and pain that global warming will bring, are simply indifferent to it, or would desperately like it not to be the case but are overwhelmed with the desire to keep things as they are. It is hard to tell whether Holocaust deniers are preparing the ground for another genocide, or want to keep a pristine image of the goodness of the Nazis and the evil of the Jews. It is hard to tell whether an Aids denialist who works to prevent Africans from having access to anti-retrovirals is getting a kick out of their power over life and death, or is on a mission to save them from the evils of the west.
If the new realm of unrestrained online discourse, and the example set by Trump, tempts more and more denialists to transition towards post-denialism and beyond, we will finally know where we stand. Instead of chasing shadows, we will be able to contemplate the stark moral choices we humans face.
If it’s better for counter-revolution to incite revolution, then Trump is a really effective Trotskyist.
Once the mid-terms are over I am definitely going to write the Hillary Clinton Presidency counterfactual history, together with all the epistemic reverses.
The National opposition obviously believes in tedious repetition….. woof woof woof….bark bark bark…..”oh look another passing car, quick”…… woof woof woof…..bark bark bark………
Note the fun Winston provides when questioned by the new slim Paula as she labours away at having her tedious questions ridiculed. She thinks that she is going to Wow. Winston thinks that she is just setting herself as a Target. Chuckle. Chuckle.
Its the “gotcha” mentality, Bennett is doomed along with most of the entire Nat front bench. The Nats firmly believe that Jacinda Ardern and the coalition govt can be ousted in 2020 and all they have to do is “get them” as many times as possible. Sadly for the Nats (happily for the rest of us) nine years of neglect in govt means at least nine years of being in opposition.
That was great fun. Paula was obviously not expecting Winnie to be back and in top form. I think she thought she was going to walk all over Kelvin Davis, and she just does not have the flexibility to adjust her questions to changing situations. Interesting that Simon was missing yesterday and no news of him today. Seemed to be struggling with a sore throat on Tuesday, though.
PMs are never at QT Thursdays.
Was the forced debate on Clare Curran after QT Tuesday a chance for Bridges to strut his stuff? Yes and what a shouty shambles that was. 15 minutes of incoherant rubbish from Bridges rambling all over and away from the topic. (Wonder if they were not prepared for their own forced debate because they didn’t expect Trevor to approve it?) https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=202326
As you say, I had not expected to see the PM, but I also not expected to see Peters either, as they both left Nauru together (with officials and press people) on the B757 at about midnight Weds for the 5 -6 hour flight back to NZ. (NZ and Nauru time/dates are the same.) Peters has also been on the move on overseas trips almost continuously since JA returned from maternity leave.
Re the urgent debate, it was Bridges who called for it – but as you say, a shambles. LOL. You’re probably right that they thought Mallard would not allow it.
Re Paula, I am beginning to think that she really thinks she has a chance at replacing Bridges. She did have a reasonable run in QT on Wednesday with Davis, but not all onesided.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.
No better example than Penny.
We should all admire, feel shame and hope her spirit will live on.
And if not (like me) we should prepare ourselves to fuck off somewhere where the social always trumps the economic. (I’ve got a nice little nestle in mind – and its equipped with fibre connectivity and an endless supply of veges and the purest of water – (going forward) – kind of like an American Wanker’s bolt hole
Harris: Can you think of any decisions that give the government the power to make a decision about a man's body?Kavanaugh: Uh, (asks for clarification), no I'm not aware of any.— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) September 6, 2018
As the Kavanaugh hearings dragged into the night, Kamala Harris delivered another one of those withering prosecutorial beatdowns just like the one she dropped on Neil Gorsuch that catapulted her into the 2020 frontrunner discussion. But this time she kicked it off with a curious interlude.
Right off the bat, Harris dropped an entirely general inquiry: had Kavanaugh ever discussed the Mueller investigation with anyone. Obviously, he had generally discussed it… he lives in the real world, not a bubble as he’d quipped earlier in the day. Was this another line of questions, like those Senator Blumenthal asked earlier, trying to pin Kavanaugh into recusing himself from a future Mueller-related case?
Then… this all happened:
Harris didn’t confront him with a document, so whatever this is, her sources for this conversation are outside of the paltry email dump the committee got. She continues to press him on whether or not he’s spoken with anyone at Kasowitz about the Mueller investigation and he keeps asking her to identify who she’s thinking of. She delivers a remarkably cold: “I think you’re thinking of someone and you don’t want to tell us.”
What in the hell was all that?!? Was Kavanaugh covertly counseling Kasowitz on Trump’s defense? It would seem as though she could have dropped the hammer and gotten more specific. Not for nothing, but my immediate reaction was this may have had nothing to do with Mueller at all. Harris seemed less interested in building a case for recusal than making sure Kavanaugh knew that she knew that he knew someone at Kasowitz and that she could introduce that fact into the record at any given moment between now and the final vote on the floor.
Yep – She really has some excellent probing questions:
CSPAN has posted the entire nearly 8-minute exchange between Kamala Harris and Kavanaugh on the Mueller probe. It is worth your time.
CSPAN has posted the entire nearly 8-minute exchange between Kamala Harris and Kavanaugh on the Mueller probe. It is worth your time. pic.twitter.com/ezJVEuDeUK
No Ad that is where you are wrong. Harris may have something on Kavanaugh whereby he either has to withdraw, or at least recuse himself from from any case involving Mueller.
You might like to watch the video of the hearings and questions I linked to above. Kavanaugh is caught like a deer in headlights – he’s sweating on this one. Of course the repugnants will vote him in if he does not withdraw his nomination – but the Harris has something on him, and if he is caught in a lie here – it wont go well for him past the mid terms.
Spox for Kasowitz law firm Mike Geller on Kamala Harris questions:"There have been no discussions regarding Robert Mueller’s investigation between Judge Kavanaugh and anyone at our firm.”(per the great @CarolLeonnig)— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlake) September 6, 2018
Still waiting on Kasowitz firm to answer this question:How do they know — in less than 24 hours — that none of their staff in 9 offices across the country spoke to Brett Kavanaugh? https://t.co/DziodeiMKt— Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) September 6, 2018
Update: – Kavanaugh acknowledges close friendship with Kasowitz atty Ed McNally- White House and Kasowitz firm say McNally neither helped prep Kavaugh nor discussed Mueller probe with him. https://t.co/o41jnTDhoQ— Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) September 6, 2018
I was going to post this question tomorrow along with an Antarctic Treaty one while this mornings Oz paper, I’ll leave the Antarctic one for tomorrow.
I just received my birthday present a book called “Mad on Radium, New Zealand in the Atom Age”.
Page 95, mentions the USA 9 Jul 1962 conducted a bomb test at Johnston Atoll, where the US lanuch a rocket fitted with 1.2 Mt H Bomb which the USA exploded above Johnston Atoll at a height of 320km, which was designed to test the effects of a nuclear explosion on radio- and radar- communication, it also disrupted NZ’s telecommunications systems and created an artificial aurora across the northern hemisphere.
Did anyone here witness the aurora or experience issues with their radios etc and would to share their experience, thoughts or feelings on what they saw that night.
“One-planet living means not only seeking to reduce our own consumption, but also mobilising against the system that promotes the great tide of junk. This means fighting corporate power, changing political outcomes and challenging the growth-based, world-consuming system we call capitalism.
As last month’s Hothouse Earth paper, which warned of the danger of flipping the planet into a new, irreversible climatic state, concluded: “Incremental linear changes … are not enough to stabilise the Earth system. Widespread, rapid and fundamental transformations will likely be required to reduce the risk of crossing the threshold.”
Disposable coffee cups made from new materials are not just a non-solution: they are a perpetuation of the problem. Defending the planet means changing the world.”
“However all the tree cover data comes with an important caveat: tree cover is not necessarily forest cover. Industrial timber plantations, mature oil palm estates, and other non-natural “planted forests” quality as tree cover. For example, cutting down a 100-hectare tract of primary forest and replacing it with a 100-hectare palm plantation will show up in the data as no net change in forest cover: the 100-hectare loss is perfectly offset by the 100-hectare gain in tree cover. Yet, that activity would be counted as “deforestation” by FAO. Therefore tree cover loss does not directly translate to “deforestation” in all cases.”
“This is currently the splash on a major New Zealand website. It is dangerous and utterly dishonest.
This guy is one of the most gullible, uncurious people I’ve ever encountered. He’s going but the damage has been done.”
The frantic hunt for any clue, however weak, that might exonerate the Russian government continues … https://t.co/5Klhph0y7g— GeorgeMonbiot (@GeorgeMonbiot) September 5, 2018
One of the great mysteries of life is why people who claim to be on the left go to such lengths to defend Vladimir Putin's hard-right, authoritarian, corrupt, homophobic, misogynistic, fascist-supporting government.— GeorgeMonbiot (@GeorgeMonbiot) September 5, 2018
A note of appreciation and a changing of the guardFor the past over eight years Skeptical Science staff volunteer Ari Jokimäki has produced a weekly list of links to recent academic publications concerning the fundamental science of climate change, global ...
The article below first appeared in the April 7, 1978 issue of the fortnightly left-wing workers’ paper Socialist Action. The article is referred to in Maire Leadbeater’s new book on NZ and West Papua – we’ll be reviewing the book ...
If humanity is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid making the Earth uninhabitable, we need to stop burning fossil fuels. Transport is a key emitter, so this means we need to stop using fossil fuelled vehicles. A number of ...
The government's Operation Burnham whitewash has become a farce, with the SAS's victims refusing to participate any further:Afghani villagers are turning their backs on a Government inquiry into allegations six civilians were killed and a further 15 injured in a ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The world’s oceans are deeply affected by climate change – and vice versa. But until recent years, ocean advocates throughout California had long tackled issues like over-fishing ...
There’s so much one could say about Key’s assessment of Hisco right now… Suffice to say it was definitely the following: A) Perfectly reflective of the ...
New Zealand's spy agencies are supposedly subject to the rigorous oversight of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, an independent watchdog appointed to keep an eye on them and ensure they don't break the law again. But that watchdog depends ...
. . This morning, a little after 4am, Sharlene lost her brave fight against cancer. Rest in peace, Sharlene. You were always one of my brightest stars… . . Advertisements ...
Just Following Orders: None of the awfulness associated with Family Court "Uplift" orders exposed by Melanie Reid and Newsroom would be possible without the active assistance and institutional protection afforded to Oranga Tamariki by the nation’s DHBs. These latter, through ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 9 through Sat, June 15, 2019 Editor's Pick Costa Rica Doubled Its Forest Cover In Just 30 Years! Costa ...
Conflicting Messages: With so few publicly available opinion polls being conducted in this country, we really do need to know how one reputable polling agency can put National on 46 percent, while the other puts it on 37 percent. Nine ...
The End Of Civilisation: Despairing of the major powers ever agreeing to take the steps necessary to slow global warming, The Daily Blog Editor, Martyn Bradbury, has drawn up what amounts to a survivalist agenda for New Zealand. Quite rightly, ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeffrey Kiehl Life makes us wake up to needed changes. A visit to the doctor’s office and accompanied tests indicate you have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Your doctor indicates two pathways to ...
New Zealand needs to decarbonise its electricity supply, while also increasing it to cope with the extra demand from electric vehicles. Wind energy is an obvious solution for this: we have an excellent wind resource, and its cheaper than fossil ...
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh The coca issue has gained a new lease of life in Duque’s Colombia, although to be truthful it never really lost its importance to the state. Trump’s scolding of Duque for not doing enough to halt ...
Director-General of OPCW Fernando Arias Gonzales admits Douma engineers report was legit and he was part of the FFM – but attempts to justify suppression of the report. France 24 reports that the head of the Organisation for the ...
When teachers demanded more time and more money to do their jobs, Education Minister Chris Hipkins was adamant: there was no more money and they should expect disappointment. No, after a joint strike and facing five weeks of rolling stoppages, ...
Ecuador's Constitutional Court has legalised same-sex marriage:Ecuador's highest court has approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic country. The vote at the nine-member Constitutional Court came as they ruled on the lawsuits by two same-sex couples ...
Arundhati Roy is speaking at the Auckland Writers Festival on July 17. In this interview in The Guardian Roy discusses her writing and political activism. Gary Younge: One of the things I’m intrigued by at this moment is the way ...
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Daisy Dunne The record-breaking 2018 summer heatwave in Japan in which more than 1,000 people died “could not have happened without human-induced global warming”, a study finds. And the extreme heat felt in ...
I've had a bit to say of late about YouTube, its algorithms and the escalating allure of certain facile "creators" to young men. I worry about this stuff. But I think it's also important to acknowledge that the alt-lite and ...
OMV's application for resource consent for drilling offshore exploration wells has highlighted a major flaw in our environmental legislation. Climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, is our most pressing environmental threat. But the EPA, which is deciding the application, ...
I saw an interesting article from FOIMan - a UK-based fredom of information site - on the subject of agencies googling requesters. This is apparently a common practice, but their short advice is "don't": its not just creepy and intimidating, ...
The article below is part of our ‘From the Vaults’ series and first appeared in the fortnightly left-wing NZ paper, Socialist Action, February 10, 1978. We hope to be expanding our Pacific coverage in future. The Republic of Vanuatu came ...
There are a number of ways of reading Sarah Gaitanos’s biography Shirley Smith: An Examined Life. In my view – I knew Shirley a little – she would want to you to read it as her struggle to be recognised, ...
Multiple motivations are behind my various attempts to reduce involvement in online life. The preciousness of time is a big one. The pointlessness of digital feuds is another. The inevitable temptation to meanness is a third.read more ...
Botswana's High Court has ruled that colonial laws outlawing homosexuality are unconstitutional:High court judges in Botswana have ruled that laws criminalising same-sex relations are unconstitutional and should be struck down, in a major victory for gay rights campaigners in Africa. ...
by Don Franks In his June 8th piece “Jacinda Ardern looks unbeatable” journalist Martin van Beynen appeared unbeatable himself – at fawning praise. This week I was reading about John F Kennedy, the American president assassinated in 1963, and saw ...
I am fortunate enough to be a citizen of three countries – New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Ireland – which gives me the right to live in all three places. So, let’s imagine I am a very bad person. ...
We see regular stories from farmers and orchards complaining that no-one wants to work long hours in terrible conditions for poor pay in their shitty industry. And now, its fishers. But in the process, they neatly explain why:"It's a hard ...
New Zealand's largest city has just declared a climate emergency. And its not just a symbolic move:While the declaration is largely symbolic, it signals the start of a more urgent and focussed approach by councillors to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. ...
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Josh Gabbatiss Political lobbying in the US that helped block the progress of proposed climate regulation a decade ago led to a social cost of $60bn, according to a new study. Environmental economists Dr ...
The Wellbeing Budget opens with, “What is wellbeing?”, a question that has been widely posed and little understood. Treasury says “Wellbeing is when people are able to lead fulfilling lives with purpose, balance and meaning to them.” Long-term challenges facing ...
Who would have thought that so many different groups of public sector workers would have discovered at roughly the same time that they have been underpaid and under-resourced to such an extent? No one doubts that teachers of different kinds ...
by Don Franks Rocket Man is a glitzy spectacle, scooping up on the extravagant showmanship side of Elton John. Two hours of energy and flair. The relentlessly full on song and dance sequences mostly work, especially the fantasy sequence where ...
When National gutted the ETS in 2009, one of the ways they did it was to hand out huge subsidies to big polluters. Now the climate crisis is here, but the polluters want their subsidies to continue:The latest climate pleaders ...
School board of trustees elections were held last week. Unfortunately, NZ Post seems to have sabotaged them:Voting in the triennial elections for most school boards closed at noon on Friday, June 7. But Ponsonby Primary School principal Dr Anne Malcolm ...
Second Time Lucky? Perhaps it was the abject failure of his Destiny NZ Party (2003-2007) which lay behind Brian’s clumsy attempt to relaunch his “brand” by having "Coalition NZ" reach out to those he had so trenchantly attacked in the ...
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 2 through Sat, June 8, 2019 Editor's Pick White House Tried to Stop Climate Science Testimony, Documents Show Rod ...
Since March 30 2018 Palestinians have protested along the fenced border with Israel calling for a return to the lands they were expelled from in 1948. Israel maintains direct external control over the territory’s air and maritime space, most of ...
I was interviewed as part of an Al Jazeera documentary on the aftermath of the March 15 terrorist attacks in Christchurch. The program is well worth watching because it addresses subjects that most of the NZ media do not want ...
Our fishing industry is pervasively criminal, with widespread under-reporting, dumping, and other illegal behaviour. The most effective way of stopping this crime is to put cameras on fishing boats to watch catches as they are brought aboard, enabling under-reporting, dumping ...
One of the core ideas underlying the Zero Carbon Act is the idea of policy durability: that in order to be effective, climate change policy has to survive multiple changes of government. As a result, the Bill has been watered ...
Saving What We Could: Had the United States and the British Empire not intervened in June 1944, it is almost a certainty that the Red Army would have rolled on all the way to the English Channel. That was not ...
On the Friday morning previous to Budget Thursday, the Prime Minister gave what amounted to a pre-budget speech. It was not welcomed by the listeners, even though most New Zealanders may have found it promising But the audience was from ...
New Zealand is currently in the process of enacting legislation to set us on a pathway to carbon neutrality (except for cows) by 2050. Meanwhile, Chile - not a country we think of as being especially rich - is going ...
How bad is the threat of climate change? Existential risk to civilisation bad:A new climate report co-authored by a former fossil fuel executive has painted a bleak outlook for the future of human civilisation - including nuclear war. Existential climate-related ...
How are people reducing their ecological impact to deal with climate change? In Sweden, they're giving up flying:The number of Swedes taking the train for domestic journeys has risen as plane journeys inside the country have fallen, reflecting rapidly growing ...
The Labour Party has always been an uncomfortable alliance between those on the one hand who are content to seek a politics that declines to accept the infallibility of market-driven outcomes and accordingly seeks to achieve greater social justice within ...
“Keep things as they are,” is always the catch-cry of those who are happy with their lot. “Change is a waste of time” makes sense to those who are doing well and see no reason to disturb their privileged existence. ...
Last month, when the government released its Zero Carbon Bill, I highlighted how it contained an odious expansion of secrecy which throw a veil over practically all decisions made by the Independent Climate Change Commission. I wanted to see how ...
National leader Simon Bridges laid it on pretty think last week when he did his big reveal and showed that the supposed 'hack' of the Treasury website and early release of some Budget information nothing more than some Google searches ...
So, the “Wellbeing Budget” that the New Zealand Government signaled would be a marked shift in the priorities of the country under this Coalition Government has finally come out. What did it tick? What did it steer away from?If ...
Last year, Australian journalist Annika Smethurst broke the news that the government was plotting to allow the Australian Signals Directorate - their equivalent of the GCSB - to spy on Australian citizens and hack their computers. The plans were shelved ...
In 2017, journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey released the documentary No Stone Unturned. The documentary investigated the 1994 Loughinisland massacre in which six people were murdered by the Ulster Volunteer Force, a crime for which no-one has ever been ...
NeoLiberal austerity is a cruel policy which robs the state of its ability to help people. In the UK, it is also mass-murder:More than 130,000 deaths in the UK since 2012 could have been prevented if improvements in public health ...
The government's Zero Carbon Bill, which would establish a framework to drive New Zealand towards net-zero emissions of everything but methane by 2050, is currently in select committee. The government is spinning this as an ambitious plan to fight climate ...
Happiness Relocated: The revelation that the model, and her young daughter, whose smiling faces adorned the cover of Grant Robertson's "Wellbeing Budget" had departed New Zealand in search of a better life on Australia's Gold Coast, provided a powerful symbol ...
I first came across the concept of New Times when I was browsing a newsstand at Piccadilly Station in London in October 1988. The words were splashed across the cover of a special issue of what was then the go-to ...
Inland Revenue is to gain greater oversight of land transfer information to ensure those buying and selling properties are complying with tax rules on property speculation. Cabinet has agreed to implement recommendation 99 of the Tax Working Group’s (TWG) final ...
The Government is taking action to expand and strengthen the protection for Māui and Hector’s dolphins with an updated plan to deal with threats to these native marine mammals. Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage and Minister of Fisheries Stuart Nash ...
Commercial fishing vessels at greatest risk of encountering the rare Māui dolphin will be required to operate with on-board cameras from 1 November, as the next step to strengthen our fisheries management system. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Fisheries Minister ...
A new record for the number of Police officers deployed to the regions in a single year has been created with the graduation today of Recruit Wing 326. Police Minister Stuart Nash says the graduation of 78 new constables means ...
New Zealand is pushing on with efforts to ensure multinational companies pay their fair share of tax, with the release of proposed options for a digital services tax (DST). In February Cabinet agreed to consult the public on the problem ...
DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle is welcoming yesterday’s announcement of the Farm Debt Mediation Bill as an example of an initiative that will mean a lot to farmers who may be feeling financial pressure. ...
Christine Rose, Campaign Manager, World Animal Protection says: “The New Zealand Ministers for Conservation and Fisheries today (11/06/19) launched the long awaited Threat Management Plan (TMP) for Māui and Hector’s dolphins. But the consultation ...
On Thursday 13 June, Waimakariri Labour Electrorate Committee (LEC) hosted Dr David Clark, Health Minister for an update on the Governents progress on mental health support for the people of North Canterbury. ...
The Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand says the withdrawal of the villagers of Naik and Khak Khudday Dad from the Operation Burnham Inquiry is a sad indictment of the way the Inquiry has been conducted. The lawyers for ...
ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa said the abortion statistics released today by Stats NZ show little change in the general abortion numbers, but point to opportunities for improvement in health care if abortion law reform passes. ...
OSOF welcomes the public consultation of the Threat Management Plan Review for protecting Hector’s and Māui dolphins from fishing-related and other threats. ...
“Recent changes in Government Overseas Development Assistance ODA and its support of New Zealand International NGO’s is of concern” says Rotary’s Stuart Batty. Prior to past Foreign Affairs Minister Murry McCully taking office, about eight of ...
The International Whaling Commission is calling on the government to stop commercial fishing with set nets and trawling in the range of Maui dolphins. ...
New parent advocacy group Whanau First is calling for the Government to start looking seriously at the cause of the issues which have led to the crisis over state separation of children from their families. ...
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that an off-duty officer unnecessarily involved himself in a dispute between his friend, Mr V, and the friend's former partner, Ms S, in Christchurch in November 2015. When the dispute escalated, the officer ...
Fisheries New Zealand wants public feedback on proposals to change catch limits for 20 fish stocks around the country. The proposals are part of a rolling set of annual reviews to ensure sustainability for current and future generations, says Fisheries ...
Attempts to improve safety by banning the import of older vehicles may actually keep older vehicles on the road longer, says the car review website dogandlemon.com. ...
The government’s proposals to protect Maui and Hector’s dolphin are far too weak, are over- complicated, and do not include proposals for dolphin protection to the 100m countour that have been endorsed by many including international organisations, ...
"Self-appointed Bishop and prosperity-gospel confidence trickster of the poor and vulnerable, Brian Tamaki is using anti-Muslim racism to gain a political profile," says Sina Brown-Davis spokesperson for Tāmaki Anti Fascist Action (TAFA). ...
Open Letter to Prime Minister, Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern Re: Urgent need for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into New Zealand Family Court and Oranga Tamariki We are writing on behalf of the women and children of New Zealand in ...
The Health Committee is seeking submissions on the Support Workers (Pay Equity) Settlements Amendment Bill. The bill aims to address historical inequalities and ensure support workers receive fair pay. It seeks to do this by clearly defining the role of ...
Judith Collins talks to Jack Tame about what National would do about our housing affordability problem. It’s her first big interview since she took the lead over Simon Bridges in our preferred Prime Minister poll. ...
It's the even bigger inconvenient truth! Eating meat is killing our planet! Although Kiwis have reduced their red meat intake over the last 10 years, dropping from 85 to 72kg, p.a, it's still way above new world health guidelines which ...
New Zealand Maori Council calls Hobson’s Pledges claims that they would accept an invitation for a hui LIES – after the organisation declines mediation over Human Rights Commission complaint. ...
In early May 2019, and partly as a result of the accelerating impacts of climate change, a loose association of independent analysts determined that there was a need to highlight what we perceive to be significant national security risks and ...
“It’s time for change… The founder and Executive Chairman of NEW NZ, David Moffett, announced today that Marc Alexander has been appointed as the Leader of the party. ...
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is sending a strong message to tourism operators that they must comply with the law when operating on public conservation land. ...
Monday, 17 June: Greenpeace is calling the Government’s latest proposal to save Māui and Hector’s dolphins a "pathway to extinction for the world’s rarest dolphin species". ...
Family First NZ is repeating its call for a fully independent watchdog for Oranga Tamariki. Family First has been calling for such a watchdog since 2011, including 2018 , 2017 , 2015 , 2013 , 2012 , 2011 , and ...
This is a complex document and we need time to consider its implications. The industry is concerned about dolphin protection and has worked hard to minimise risk, with demonstrable success. We are also concerned about the wellbeing of our members. ...
"New Zealand has a clear choice to make. We can change the way we do things and save Maui dolphins, or we can be the generation that allows them to go extinct," Forest & Bird says of DOC and MPI’s ...
The Children’s Commissioner has announced that his Office will be carrying out a thematic review of Oranga Tamariki’s policies, processes and practice relating to care and protection issues for tamariki Māori aged 0-3 months. ...
The Building Act and Building Code need radical and urgent reform to make them fit for purpose to tackle New Zealand’s housing crisis, says Auckland Mayor Phil Goff. ...
The ACT Party’s 17.5 percent flat tax policy would cause an economic boom and finally bring New Zealand into line with our international competitors' corporate tax rates, says the Taxpayers’ Union . ...
Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated (NKII) leaders are pleased to have met today with Ministers Martin, Davis and Mahuta to find solutions to the incident that occurred on the 1st May 2019. Minister Martin has agreed to conduct an inquiry into ...
A report yesterday of a woman, 86, moving because of a 73 percent rent hike illustrates the crisis created by Housing Minister Phil Twyford, Tenancies War spokesman Mike Butler said today. ...
National Maori Authority puts forward a response to Oranga Tamariki "As this national conversation unfolds - we need to plot a path that sees no more Maori children in care and everything we do and say must always put our ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has come out swinging against ACT MP David Seymour and called him out for his comments when it comes to hate speech: “David Seymour is doing nothing more the running a ...
14th July 2019 was a great day for HB/Gisborne, giving us all a real deep feeling of hope for our future health, wellbeing, safety, security and environmental sustainability for all who call HB our home. This was the first train ...
Tova O’Brien: With me now are survivors of abuse in state care. Tanya Sammons, Tyrone Marks who also sits on the commission’s Survivor’s Advisory Group. Kia ora, kōrua. Thank you very much for joining us. Tanya, perhaps we could start ...
Tova O’Brien: The ACT Party will unveil its grand rebrand at the party conference this weekend, complete with a suite of new policies. David Seymour, the ACT Party leader, hopes it will transform his minor party into a major political ...
The Labour Party-NZ First-Greens coalition government announced on June 10 that New Zealand’s deployment of about 100 soldiers to Iraq will be extended for another 12 months. The deployment of about a dozen troops to Afghanistan will last for at ...
Emissions from cow’s milk here are half the global average. Land use is 1/9th, and water use beats the global average using less than both almond and soy milk. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Several unions made a concerted strong stand of support for John Setka on Tuesday, as the executive of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy ...
To celebrate the eighth season of this local institution, Hussein Moses goes behind the scenes of the series putting New Zealand rappers to the test.David Dallas is waiting. It’s mid-morning on a weekday in May and as he sits in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Walker, Adjunct Professor, School of Communications, La Trobe University Let’s start with a number. On any given day, more than 17 million barrels of oil pass through what is known as ...
New Zealand has condemned the "provocative" attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and expressed "on-going and deep concern", but stopped short of blaming Iran. ...
On the Wellington waterfront, over several dark and stormy nights, a documentary is being filmed – and they need extras. Josie Adams, who had blood to spare, spent the night at Second Unit’s new, undead theatre experience.The only thing I ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jane McAdam, Scientia Professor and Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, UNSW Nearly six years into the revival of its offshore detention policy, Australia’s government is facing a story ...
Shock, horror! An extremely wealthy CEO has been using chauffeur services, and the bank that he runs has been paying for it. Furthermore, that bank has been paying for the storage of his wine in Australia because they re-located him ...
By RNZ Pacific Clinging to to the top of a swaying coconut tree, Vanuatu journalist Edgar Howard carefully plucks out his phone from his pocket. He’s clambered up there looking for a strong enough signal, so he can file ...
Onehunga is one of the most eccentric suburbs in the supercity. Josie Adams got a tour of the beating heart of Auckland from its inventive locals.Onehunga sits at the very centre of Auckland, nestled between Mangere and Cornwall Park. Major ...
Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk A prominent Cook Islands lawyer intends to take a court challenge against the censor’s impending ban of the film Rocketman, reports the Cook Islands News. Lawyer Heinz Matysik announced he would challenge the ban, if it ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Williamson, Research Officer, Australian National University Sydney Morning Herald reporter Jacqueline Maley evoked the spectre of the Orwellian surveillance state recently when discussing how library staff had been implicated in the ...
Māori having their children removed by the state is just another example of their disproportionate representation in every negative statistic, Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare says ...
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, ACT has launched a podcast called Politics in Full Sentences as part of their party-wide rebrand. Media and politics nerd Alex Braae watched the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica C Lai, Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law, Victoria University of Wellington Unhealthy diets cause multiple physical and mental health problems. To help consumers make healthier choices, Australia and New Zealand introduced ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoltan Szabo, Cellist and musicologist, University of Sydney Review: The return of Ulysses, Pinchgut Opera, Sydney. Claudio Monteverdi entered the 73rd year of his life when he composed his opera, Il ritorno ...
Parent to a fussy toddler? The “I’m Not Hungry For Fruit Mum Bag” is the only meal kit service you’ll ever need!Delivery meal kits seem to be everywhere at the moment. Every company insists they have the food that your ...
The Minister of Finance was accused of imprudence when he suggested the Government's next debt target could be as high as 25 percent, but he actually undercut Treasury's suggestion by as much as $50b. ...
In the first episode of The Spinoff’s new monthly podcast, Actually Interesting, Russell Brown explores the world of A.I. and the way it’s already affecting our lives. When you hear the words “Artificial Intelligence” your mind might turn to science ...
Sam Rutledge dives into Arthur, the 90s animated classic making headlines for a recent gay rat wedding, because of course it is.Remember that absolutely delightful kids TV show Arthur? Chances are, if you’ve spent any time on the internet in recent weeks, ...
Will Pukekohe continue to be a food bowl for Auckland and New Zealand, or yet another victim of the Super City’s metropolitan sprawl? Stephen Forbes for interest.co.nz looks at the small rural town at the frontline of the battle between sustainable development and ...
ANZ CEO David Hisco felt entitled to claim around $50,000 worth of personal chauffeur and wine storage costs as business costs. So John Key pushed out his friend and NZ's most influential banker to protect ANZ's position and try to ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s contentANZ, banking Sam Stubbs (Stuff): ANZ’s David Hisco debacle ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Fellow in Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University The size of the first ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Deverell, Director, CSIRO Futures, CSIRO Australia’s future prosperity is at risk unless we take bold action and commit to long-term thinking. This is the key message contained in the Australian National ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Musker, Senior Research Fellow, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute At least one in ten of us suffer some sort of troublesome, long-term (chronic) pain. But not all have fibromyalgia. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt McDonald, Associate Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland After a recent foray into the debate over Australia’s so-called “climate election”, I received plenty of critical replies to my argument ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sergio Brodsky, Sessional Lecturer, Marketing, RMIT University Noisy, ugly and dirty. Advertising has polluted cities, annoyed consumers, and jeopardised its own existence. Beyond a mass-media cacophony, brand communications’ significant carbon footprint and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Kirchner, Program Director, Trade and Investment, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney With its official cash rate now expected to fall below 1% to a new extraordinarily low close to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Media Studies, University of Notre Dame Australia A “top five” list from a major film festival will inevitably annoy many people, because, by necessity, there are many films ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Sir John Key fronts up over bank boss departure, social workers defend Oranga Tamariki actions, and major proposed Wellington festival falls over.Anyone who watched politics over the last decade will have ...
One of the country’s highest paid chief executives has lost his job after an embarrassing brouhaha over personal expenses. Business editor Maria Slade tries to make sense of the mess.Who is David Hisco?David Hisco was the CEO of ANZ New ...
Flamingo and the Uber-owned Jump launch in the capital today, with the city becoming New Zealand’s fifth to see shareable e-scooters Eight months after the invasion of the Limes scandalised the previously 100% safe streets of Auckland, Wellington is to get ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne At the May 18 election, the size of the lower house was expanded from 150 to 151 seats. The Coalition ...
Cantabrians have shown great compassion and generosity to Muslim and migrant communities following the terrorist attacks. But properly healing the wounds of March 15 also requires facing up to the city’s racist history, writes Dr Rawiri TaonuiContent warning: this post ...
Daily Review 06/09/2018 
A note of appreciation and a changing of the guardFor the past over eight years Skeptical Science staff volunteer Ari Jokimäki has produced a weekly list of links to recent academic publications concerning the fundamental science of climate change, global ...9 hours ago
...12 hours ago
This morning I had a chat to RNZ’s Morning Report about the ACT Party’s “plan to protect freedom of expression”.read more ...14 hours ago
If humanity is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid making the Earth uninhabitable, we need to stop burning fossil fuels. Transport is a key emitter, so this means we need to stop using fossil fuelled vehicles. A number of ...15 hours ago
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The world’s oceans are deeply affected by climate change – and vice versa. But until recent years, ocean advocates throughout California had long tackled issues like over-fishing ...19 hours ago
There’s so much one could say about Key’s assessment of Hisco right now…
Suffice to say it was definitely the following: A) Perfectly reflective of the ... 1 day ago
. . This morning, a little after 4am, Sharlene lost her brave fight against cancer. Rest in peace, Sharlene. You were always one of my brightest stars… . . Advertisements ...2 days ago
3 days ago
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 9 through Sat, June 15, 2019 Editor's Pick Costa Rica Doubled Its Forest Cover In Just 30 Years! Costa ...3 days ago
3 days ago
3 days ago
Director-General of OPCW Fernando Arias Gonzales admits Douma engineers report was legit and he was part of the FFM – but attempts to justify suppression of the report. France 24 reports that the head of the Organisation for the ...5 days ago
Arundhati Roy is speaking at the Auckland Writers Festival on July 17. In this interview in The Guardian Roy discusses her writing and political activism. Gary Younge: One of the things I’m intrigued by at this moment is the way ...5 days ago
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Daisy Dunne The record-breaking 2018 summer heatwave in Japan in which more than 1,000 people died “could not have happened without human-induced global warming”, a study finds. And the extreme heat felt in ...5 days ago
I've had a bit to say of late about YouTube, its algorithms and the escalating allure of certain facile "creators" to young men. I worry about this stuff. But I think it's also important to acknowledge that the alt-lite and ...5 days ago
Jonathan Bamber, Professor of Physical Geography, University of Bristol and Michael Oppenheimer, Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs, Princeton University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Antarctica is further from ...7 days ago
This is a re-post from Carbon Brief by Josh Gabbatiss Political lobbying in the US that helped block the progress of proposed climate regulation a decade ago led to a social cost of $60bn, according to a new study. Environmental economists Dr ...1 week ago
The Wellbeing Budget opens with, “What is wellbeing?”, a question that has been widely posed and little understood. Treasury says “Wellbeing is when people are able to lead fulfilling lives with purpose, balance and meaning to them.” Long-term challenges facing ...1 week ago
Who would have thought that so many different groups of public sector workers would have discovered at roughly the same time that they have been underpaid and under-resourced to such an extent? No one doubts that teachers of different kinds ...1 week ago
1 week ago
A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week, i.e., Sun, Jun 2 through Sat, June 8, 2019 Editor's Pick White House Tried to Stop Climate Science Testimony, Documents Show Rod ...1 week ago
I was interviewed as part of an Al Jazeera documentary on the aftermath of the March 15 terrorist attacks in Christchurch. The program is well worth watching because it addresses subjects that most of the NZ media do not want ...2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, has been in the news over the past year for its proposals to restructure the number and roles of staff managing its collections. Scientists, both local and overseas, voiced their opposition, and ...2 weeks ago
Last month, when the government released its Zero Carbon Bill, I highlighted how it contained an odious expansion of secrecy which throw a veil over practically all decisions made by the Independent Climate Change Commission. I wanted to see how ...2 weeks ago
So, the “Wellbeing Budget” that the New Zealand Government signaled would be a marked shift in the priorities of the country under this Coalition Government has finally come out. What did it tick? What did it steer away from? If ...2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
Inland Revenue is to gain greater oversight of land transfer information to ensure those buying and selling properties are complying with tax rules on property speculation. Cabinet has agreed to implement recommendation 99 of the Tax Working Group’s (TWG) final ...13 hours ago
Minister Jones is both wrong in fact and totally out of court with his accusations against the conservation lobby group 50 Shades of Green. ...10 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Several unions made a concerted strong stand of support for John Setka on Tuesday, as the executive of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy ...3 hours ago
The government is standing firm it will address commercial water bottling as previously promised before the election. ...9 hours ago
To celebrate the eighth season of this local institution, Hussein Moses goes behind the scenes of the series putting New Zealand rappers to the test.David Dallas is waiting. It’s mid-morning on a weekday in May and as he sits in ...9 hours ago
Grant Robertson has said ANZ shareholders and staff will judge David Hisco's expenses dispute, and censured former PM John Key. ...9 hours ago
The latest study of New Zealand's primary sector shows booming exports for the second year in a row. ...10 hours ago
The majority of first home buyers would be uncomfortable asking their parents for help to purchase property, a new survey suggests. ...10 hours ago
Consumers remain downbeat about the future of the economy, but are more upbeat about their own financial situations. ...11 hours ago
On the Wellington waterfront, over several dark and stormy nights, a documentary is being filmed – and they need extras. Josie Adams, who had blood to spare, spent the night at Second Unit’s new, undead theatre experience.The only thing I ...11 hours ago
By RNZ Pacific Clinging to to the top of a swaying coconut tree, Vanuatu journalist Edgar Howard carefully plucks out his phone from his pocket. He’s clambered up there looking for a strong enough signal, so he can file ...11 hours ago
After a week of silence, New Zealand has finally made a statement on the unrest in Hong Kong. ...12 hours ago
Onehunga is one of the most eccentric suburbs in the supercity. Josie Adams got a tour of the beating heart of Auckland from its inventive locals.Onehunga sits at the very centre of Auckland, nestled between Mangere and Cornwall Park. Major ...12 hours ago
Pacific Media Watch Newsdesk A prominent Cook Islands lawyer intends to take a court challenge against the censor’s impending ban of the film Rocketman, reports the Cook Islands News. Lawyer Heinz Matysik announced he would challenge the ban, if it ...12 hours ago
ReadingRoom literary editor Steve Braunias offers a giveaway of a very large coffee-table book about Auckland. ...13 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rebecca Williamson, Research Officer, Australian National University Sydney Morning Herald reporter Jacqueline Maley evoked the spectre of the Orwellian surveillance state recently when discussing how library staff had been implicated in the ...13 hours ago
We review the entire country and culture of New Zealand, one thing at a time. Today, ACT has launched a podcast called Politics in Full Sentences as part of their party-wide rebrand. Media and politics nerd Alex Braae watched the ...15 hours ago
Eric Crampton explains how we have a chance at fixing our broken housing markets despite the failure of KiwiBuild. ...15 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zoltan Szabo, Cellist and musicologist, University of Sydney Review: The return of Ulysses, Pinchgut Opera, Sydney. Claudio Monteverdi entered the 73rd year of his life when he composed his opera, Il ritorno ...15 hours ago
Parent to a fussy toddler? The “I’m Not Hungry For Fruit Mum Bag” is the only meal kit service you’ll ever need!Delivery meal kits seem to be everywhere at the moment. Every company insists they have the food that your ...15 hours ago
The Minister of Finance was accused of imprudence when he suggested the Government's next debt target could be as high as 25 percent, but he actually undercut Treasury's suggestion by as much as $50b. ...15 hours ago
The party's Māori caucus says it has not been gagged by leadership over Oranga Tamariki concerns. ...16 hours ago
In the first episode of The Spinoff’s new monthly podcast, Actually Interesting, Russell Brown explores the world of A.I. and the way it’s already affecting our lives. When you hear the words “Artificial Intelligence” your mind might turn to science ...16 hours ago
Sam Rutledge dives into Arthur, the 90s animated classic making headlines for a recent gay rat wedding, because of course it is.Remember that absolutely delightful kids TV show Arthur? Chances are, if you’ve spent any time on the internet in recent weeks, ...16 hours ago
Will Pukekohe continue to be a food bowl for Auckland and New Zealand, or yet another victim of the Super City’s metropolitan sprawl? Stephen Forbes for interest.co.nz looks at the small rural town at the frontline of the battle between sustainable development and ...18 hours ago
ANZ CEO David Hisco felt entitled to claim around $50,000 worth of personal chauffeur and wine storage costs as business costs. So John Key pushed out his friend and NZ's most influential banker to protect ANZ's position and try to ...18 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Matthew Flinders Fellow in Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University The size of the first ...20 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Deverell, Director, CSIRO Futures, CSIRO Australia’s future prosperity is at risk unless we take bold action and commit to long-term thinking. This is the key message contained in the Australian National ...20 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Musker, Senior Research Fellow, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute At least one in ten of us suffer some sort of troublesome, long-term (chronic) pain. But not all have fibromyalgia. ...20 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt McDonald, Associate Professor of International Relations, The University of Queensland After a recent foray into the debate over Australia’s so-called “climate election”, I received plenty of critical replies to my argument ...20 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sergio Brodsky, Sessional Lecturer, Marketing, RMIT University Noisy, ugly and dirty. Advertising has polluted cities, annoyed consumers, and jeopardised its own existence. Beyond a mass-media cacophony, brand communications’ significant carbon footprint and ...20 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Kirchner, Program Director, Trade and Investment, United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney With its official cash rate now expected to fall below 1% to a new extraordinarily low close to ...20 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ari Mattes, Lecturer in Media Studies, University of Notre Dame Australia A “top five” list from a major film festival will inevitably annoy many people, because, by necessity, there are many films ...20 hours ago
Something doesn’t make sense about the departure of ANZ Bank CEO David Hisco. ...20 hours ago
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Sir John Key fronts up over bank boss departure, social workers defend Oranga Tamariki actions, and major proposed Wellington festival falls over.Anyone who watched politics over the last decade will have ...21 hours ago
How should the media cover next year’s terror trial? Academics, many of them ex-journalists, weigh in. ...22 hours ago
One of the country’s highest paid chief executives has lost his job after an embarrassing brouhaha over personal expenses. Business editor Maria Slade tries to make sense of the mess.Who is David Hisco?David Hisco was the CEO of ANZ New ...22 hours ago
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne At the May 18 election, the size of the lower house was expanded from 150 to 151 seats. The Coalition ...23 hours ago
Cantabrians have shown great compassion and generosity to Muslim and migrant communities following the terrorist attacks. But properly healing the wounds of March 15 also requires facing up to the city’s racist history, writes Dr Rawiri TaonuiContent warning: this post ...23 hours ago
Today The Detail looks at the latest council to declare a Climate Change Emergency - what does it mean, and will it change anything? ...23 hours ago
An interesting essay on the nature of denialism:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/aug/03/denialism-what-drives-people-to-reject-the-truth
The Guardian is in denial of its sell out to neoliberalism.
Or an enlightened entity pretending they don’t long for enlightenment? May they surprise us next week with evidence of evolution, and give us an essay on how to obtain the sufferings of post-denialism.
Oh no it’s not! (couldn’t resist 😛 )
I liked this bit:
The essay then meanders through Irving-style traditional denialism (lots of research that supports bunk) into post-denialism (“Whereas denialism explains – at great length – post-denialism asserts. Whereas denialism is painstakingly thought-through, post-denialism is instinctive. Whereas denialism is disciplined, post-denialism is anarchic”).
Something to mull over.
If it’s better for counter-revolution to incite revolution, then Trump is a really effective Trotskyist.
Once the mid-terms are over I am definitely going to write the Hillary Clinton Presidency counterfactual history, together with all the epistemic reverses.
The National opposition obviously believes in tedious repetition….. woof woof woof….bark bark bark…..”oh look another passing car, quick”…… woof woof woof…..bark bark bark………
Claire might object to being called a passing car, she is very important you know
Clare
Opleasegod give us a reshuffle by Christmas.
Note the fun Winston provides when questioned by the new slim Paula as she labours away at having her tedious questions ridiculed. She thinks that she is going to Wow. Winston thinks that she is just setting herself as a Target. Chuckle. Chuckle.
Question Time can be entertaining. Q1
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=202377
Sorry. Wrong track. Winston V Paula:
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=202454
Its the “gotcha” mentality, Bennett is doomed along with most of the entire Nat front bench. The Nats firmly believe that Jacinda Ardern and the coalition govt can be ousted in 2020 and all they have to do is “get them” as many times as possible. Sadly for the Nats (happily for the rest of us) nine years of neglect in govt means at least nine years of being in opposition.
Sadly for you not all the “rest of us” Actually agree with you.
That’s why national poll so high.
Fuck off James, it’s tribal and you know it. It’s like Trump’s core support, unthinking, tub thumping, slogan waving and unwavering allegiance.
Winston really enjoyed that. Not sure who could coach Paula, but Wayne could tell her, and someone needs to.
That was great fun. Paula was obviously not expecting Winnie to be back and in top form. I think she thought she was going to walk all over Kelvin Davis, and she just does not have the flexibility to adjust her questions to changing situations. Interesting that Simon was missing yesterday and no news of him today. Seemed to be struggling with a sore throat on Tuesday, though.
PMs are never at QT Thursdays.
Was the forced debate on Clare Curran after QT Tuesday a chance for Bridges to strut his stuff? Yes and what a shouty shambles that was. 15 minutes of incoherant rubbish from Bridges rambling all over and away from the topic. (Wonder if they were not prepared for their own forced debate because they didn’t expect Trevor to approve it?)
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=202326
As you say, I had not expected to see the PM, but I also not expected to see Peters either, as they both left Nauru together (with officials and press people) on the B757 at about midnight Weds for the 5 -6 hour flight back to NZ. (NZ and Nauru time/dates are the same.) Peters has also been on the move on overseas trips almost continuously since JA returned from maternity leave.
Re the urgent debate, it was Bridges who called for it – but as you say, a shambles. LOL. You’re probably right that they thought Mallard would not allow it.
Re Paula, I am beginning to think that she really thinks she has a chance at replacing Bridges. She did have a reasonable run in QT on Wednesday with Davis, but not all onesided.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=202377
She was also in full flight in opening the General Debate on Weds.
https://www.parliament.nz/en/watch-parliament/ondemand?itemId=202388
This is what passes for thinking in the National Party; repetitive and narrow.
Thanks Hale and Pace for the example.
Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.
No better example than Penny.
We should all admire, feel shame and hope her spirit will live on.
And if not (like me) we should prepare ourselves to fuck off somewhere where the social always trumps the economic. (I’ve got a nice little nestle in mind – and its equipped with fibre connectivity and an endless supply of veges and the purest of water – (going forward) – kind of like an American Wanker’s bolt hole
“-kind of like an American Wanker’s bolt hole”
Gulp! What an image that conjures.
Got to go and scrub my brain…
Boom.
and!
https://abovethelaw.com/2018/09/and-now-marc-kasowitz-shows-up-in-these-hearings-on-to-day-3/
Harris replaced Barbara Boxer. Perhaps Feinstein should take the hint.
Yep – She really has some excellent probing questions:
CSPAN has posted the entire nearly 8-minute exchange between Kamala Harris and Kavanaugh on the Mueller probe. It is worth your time.
He has all the needed votes locked.
This is just sad theatre.
No Ad that is where you are wrong. Harris may have something on Kavanaugh whereby he either has to withdraw, or at least recuse himself from from any case involving Mueller.
… he’ll be in without so much as a hair out of place.
Trump may well get three, or even four slots within the one term.
You might like to watch the video of the hearings and questions I linked to above. Kavanaugh is caught like a deer in headlights – he’s sweating on this one. Of course the repugnants will vote him in if he does not withdraw his nomination – but the Harris has something on him, and if he is caught in a lie here – it wont go well for him past the mid terms.
Oh.
I was going to post this question tomorrow along with an Antarctic Treaty one while this mornings Oz paper, I’ll leave the Antarctic one for tomorrow.
I just received my birthday present a book called “Mad on Radium, New Zealand in the Atom Age”.
Page 95, mentions the USA 9 Jul 1962 conducted a bomb test at Johnston Atoll, where the US lanuch a rocket fitted with 1.2 Mt H Bomb which the USA exploded above Johnston Atoll at a height of 320km, which was designed to test the effects of a nuclear explosion on radio- and radar- communication, it also disrupted NZ’s telecommunications systems and created an artificial aurora across the northern hemisphere.
Did anyone here witness the aurora or experience issues with their radios etc and would to share their experience, thoughts or feelings on what they saw that night.
“One-planet living means not only seeking to reduce our own consumption, but also mobilising against the system that promotes the great tide of junk. This means fighting corporate power, changing political outcomes and challenging the growth-based, world-consuming system we call capitalism.
As last month’s Hothouse Earth paper, which warned of the danger of flipping the planet into a new, irreversible climatic state, concluded: “Incremental linear changes … are not enough to stabilise the Earth system. Widespread, rapid and fundamental transformations will likely be required to reduce the risk of crossing the threshold.”
Disposable coffee cups made from new materials are not just a non-solution: they are a perpetuation of the problem. Defending the planet means changing the world.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/06/save-earth-disposable-coffee-cup-green
Could this be the answer? 35years of satellite images show climate change is causing net global reforestation, driven by regrowth in the extratropics.
More trees is a surprise to me. Also surprised to learn there is a region called the extratropics.
Published in that Nature rag though, probably just more dodgy science.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0411-9
More trees, sort that global financial debt shit and go organic. No worries mate.
“However all the tree cover data comes with an important caveat: tree cover is not necessarily forest cover. Industrial timber plantations, mature oil palm estates, and other non-natural “planted forests” quality as tree cover. For example, cutting down a 100-hectare tract of primary forest and replacing it with a 100-hectare palm plantation will show up in the data as no net change in forest cover: the 100-hectare loss is perfectly offset by the 100-hectare gain in tree cover. Yet, that activity would be counted as “deforestation” by FAO. Therefore tree cover loss does not directly translate to “deforestation” in all cases.”
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/08/earth-has-more-trees-now-than-35-years-ago/
Charlie Mitchell on Twitter.
Tweets by comingupcharlie
“This is currently the splash on a major New Zealand website. It is dangerous and utterly dishonest.
This guy is one of the most gullible, uncurious people I’ve ever encountered. He’s going but the damage has been done.”
https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/leighton-smith-show/opinion/leighton-smith-we-need-to-push-back-on-climate-change-hoax/
Monbiot, huh.
/
Monbiot keeping on track for a Knighthood. He’ll be able to do dinner with the likes of John Key, Mick Jagger and all those other British patriots.
Yeah, give us a sign, please?
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js