Good chat in the first part of this video (about 5 minutes) about they why and how of Hurricane Florence. Then it goes into more general stuff about climate change and some of the political problems. Total video time 20 min.
Good vid, Adam. I just saw Trump on the news and I swear he thinks that having the most brutal beating ever is something to look forward to. We have the best disasters! The bigliest!!! DEMS said it couldn’t be done. Sad!
And thanks for giving some time/content detail; too many folk just drop a link and expect the reader to wade through the waffle to get to the relevant bit.
I got caught out – ate some non meat ones 25 years ago then realised they put beef fucken fat in ice cream and everything – felt like puking for weeks.
yes – could be worse – in the corporate world I worked in for years I got fed asparagus rolls as my vegetarian meal – grew quite fond of tinned asparagus I have to say.
“When you became a vegetarian, you quickly learned it wasn’t just about skipping pepperoni on that pizza. You had to start scanning labels for ingredients like capric acid, tallow, rennet, glycerin, whey, suet, stereate, and emulsifiers—because eating animal fat by any other name would be just as carnivorous. What you may not know is that plenty of common foods widely considered to be vegetarian-friendly (or perhaps we should say veg-adjacent) actually contain animal fat, not just dairy fat. That means flesh. Read on to learn more.
1. Ice Cream
Ice cream is the one comfort food that temporarily heals all wounds. Unfortunately, you may be noshing on Bessie under all that chocolate sauce. Many brands of ice cream contain capric acid, a fatty acid that’s obtained from animal fats. Check the label.”
Stop listening to and viewing the corporate media, designed to dumb you down, distract you and misinform you.
Instead raise your IQ and listen to this intelligent, informed, brave and decent person.
Morans like Hosking, Garner, Richardson, Soper – disconnect from them.
And hear the pearls of wisdom from Noam Chomsky.
50 minutes you will not regret spending unlike all those hours where your brain and ears were bombarded by the hate speech of New Zealand’s extreme right media.
Thanks Ed, I willll give this a squizz when I get home later.
Chomsky has always impressed me with his calm reasoned approach.
He always skewers his subjects.
Not that one yet. I have watched others including the Netflix one – quite like a lot of what he says to be fair.
I am cautious in who i read and what I believe from them. Even people i love like russell brand I still am circumspect rather than just like all they say because i really like something they say.
I agree, be wary.
Yet to be shown were Chomsky goes wrong.
Bill Hicks for me is a voice I can rely on.
So often his cynical questioning approach seems relevant 20 years down the track.
What he would have made of the three towers, 17 years ago….
Richard Harman on Politik drew this conclusion in regard to the Curran saga: “lack of political management”. I did likewise in commenting on the shambles this week with regard to Mahuta’s announcement, and now TVNZ led tonight with a story about discord between Labour & NZF which the leaders of both seemed unworried by.
At best, a mixed message. At worst, perception may prevail over reality. It’s now a pattern. Nats are trying to get traction on it without noticeable success. Most journos seem not to have noticed yet.
The coalition needs to put someone in charge of their workload coordination, someone with sufficient authority to give direct advice to the leaders about how to organise solutions to process problems. Presenting as shambolic will start to lower their poll ratings so they need to get their act together fast.
Its wedge politics. The Nats have no other option but to try and fabricate the perception of a split in the coalition. The Nats think this strategy will win them back into govt in 2020. What will most likely sink that strategy is demographics and the resultant emerging age and gender voter patterns. Jacinda Ardern is an inclusive, compassionate and intelligent leader, relatively young and a woman.
As Winston implies just a bit of “tidying” up required for the coalition, perhaps.
Well said………the opposition is of course aided and abetted by a largy ‘ignorant’ media who continue to treat politics as a matter of so called ‘winners and losers’, rather than a contest of issues and ideas.
The ignorance displayed about the realities of coalition/confidence and supply government seems beyond so many supposed journalists these days.
I can’t see Peters taking direction from “someone with sufficient authority” on “how to organise solutions to process problems”.
If you have been following the events that have led to a “lack of political management” in the coalition you will have noticed that Peter’s deliberately waits until Labour believes it can go ahead with a particular policy and then at a time that causes maximum embarrassment pulls the rug out of from under Labour. Examples include refugee numbers, the Labour proposed Maori partnership body; employment law changes (opting out options for provincial businesses).
He does this to maximise NZ First’s political position – not the coalition’s.
He is not going to concede power to a third party to manage any process in the best interests of the coalition.
I imagine that Peters assumes that, so long as the government can make headway with some significant actual policy implementation, his high-profile differentiation of NZFirst from Labour will raise his party’s profile without meaningfully harming the government.
Fran O’Sullivan’s rerun of the coalition agreement in relation to the failure to achieve consensus on the refugee quota gives us helpful context:
” What the refugee affair does illustrate is that Labour cannot take for granted that what it believes are prime policies will be supported by NZ First outside of Coalition commitments. The preamble to their Coalition agreement states that the parties will work collaboratively and in good faith to reach agreement on particular policy and legislative initiatives.
“As provided for in the Cabinet Manual, the parties will ‘agree to disagree’ where negotiated between party leaders, and in such circumstances the parties will be free to express alternative views publicly and within Parliament …
“President Donald Trump has told Puerto Rico officials they should be “proud” they did not lose thousands of lives as in “a real catastrophe like Katrina”.
“In the Commons today, I said that – if there are reports of a chemical weapons attack in Idlib over the coming weeks – the government must ensure the reports are independently verified and that Parliament has given its approval, before escalating British involvement in the war.”
Speaking of pouring out the propaganda, why are you linking to 21st century wire, Ed? They’re a right wing fake news site with a sideline in climate change denial. They’re part of the problem, not the solution.
Er, no. Beeley is a right wing troll, with some pretty obvious links to the Putin regime. A bit of research might help you get a handle on how this stuff works. Or even better, read some Marx.
By the way, even if you can, that doesn’t mean she’s not a right wing troll. I rate Boris Johnson for the LOL’s. Doesn’t mean he’s not a Tory toff (something he has in common with Beeley).
I guess my point would be that you appear to have some good left wing instincts, but your critical faculty is lacking. You need to look at the class interests of the people you pluck quotes from. Beeley, the daughter of a diplomat, comes from the right, was in business for years and later in life got sponsored by the Russians to write bollocks. She’s your enemy, Ed, not your friend.
For example, here’s her own list of where her ‘work’ can be found. Ron Paul, FFS.
“My work is re-published at the Ron Paul Institute, Global Research, Dissident Voice, Sott., Greanville Post, The London Journal among others.
I have appeared on RT Cross Talk, RT News, Press TV, Ron Paul Liberty Report, Sunday Wire, Sputnik Radio”
Generally, your opinions are left wing, Ed. It’s just weird that you keep defaulting to right wing troll sites for cites, when there are so many good left wing ones to use. As I wrote earlier, read some Marx. That’ll clear that problem up quick smart.
But Russian sponsored bloggers are? There’s your problem right there. Lack of critical thinking.
Ask yourself why the right are saying things that sound believable to you. Things that resonate.
The answer is that the right invented and perfected political propaganda. And the best propaganda starts with a kernel of truth and then grinds that kernel to dust.
Or to put it another way, you appear to know the world is not geared for the interests of the majority, however you are taking the oppressor’s word for why that is. As ol’ Bob Zimmerman once sang, you know something is going on, you just don’t know what it is 😉
Start to think for yourself, Ed. Don’t rely on the other side’s spruikers. They’re lying to you and laughing at you while they do it.
Doesn’t make much sense if you think Beeley is a right wing troll. Right wingers wants Assad gone at any cost to Syria. Beeley is arguing from an opposite viewpoint.
Assad is right wing. Some other right wingers want him gone, but that doesn’t change Assad’s politics. Of course, some other rather prominent right wingers want him to stay in charge and that doesn’t change him either. He’s still right wing.
As is Beeley.
Is Assad an arsehole? Yes. Are people who are paid to promote him also arseholes? Yes. Are naive people on blogs who can’t work out what’s going on arseholes? No.
Assad’s politics and economic agenda were/are a mix of pan-Arab nationalism and statism. Not right wing – ie, liberal or neo-liberal or free market.
Beeley, who’s broader political perspective/analysis I disagree with, has nevertheless produced some very good reports from Syria.
Eva Bartlett (you mention Ch4’s discredited take-down of her above) has also provided very good reports from Syria. It kind of amuses how she was a hero to some when she reported from Palestine, but became a devil incarnate to many of those same people when she reported on Syria. Go figure.
21st Century Wire (and other sites) may be less than “sterling”, but when a person is reporting on stuff and no-one will pick them up because what they’re highlighting goes smack against accepted and unexamined “truths”, what are they meant to do? Take whatever outlet is on offer? Or shut themselves down?
We can agree that right wing propagandists use innuendo and just enough (twisted) truth to make their message appealing. (They also steal a fair amount of what would pass for left wing sensibility and mash it fit their agenda – ACT in NZ did the same “back when”) Some of them are very good at it. And when mainstream media are largely a busted flush who “no-one” believes any more, the audience is there for the taking, yes?
“As the families affected grieve the anniversary of the terrorist atrocity of #9/11 ponder this: #Britain and the #US are now at #war in #Syria in defence of #AlQaeda
Just think about that….”
And another fine entry, this time from Angelis Dania
“Assad: I’m close to victory. The US, UK, France, and now Germany have threatened to attack me if I use chemical weapons. A chemical attack won’t gain me any real strategic advantage, and I’ll lose support from my people. I’ll do it.
A clear and present danger.
Peter Hitchens is very concerned.
Not my political flavour, but he is certainly a thinker.
“Please write to your MP now without delay – War, terrible war, may be on the way again. WMD All Over Again: Our Government moves stealthily towards a new war of choice.
This week, the Middle East is in a state of grave and dangerous tension. The huge Sunni Muslim oil power, Saud Arabia, armed and/or backed diplomatically by Britain, France and the USA, is ever more hostile to Shia Muslim Iran, another oil power not as great but still as important, which is close and growing closer to Russia and China.
Bear in Mind as you consider this that Russia is also a European power, and engaged in a conflict with the EU and NATO in formerly non-aligned Ukraine, after the EU’s aggressive attempt to bring Ukraine into the Western orbit and NATO’s incessant eastward expansion into formerly neutral territory. There are several points at which Western troops are now remarkably close to Russian borders, for instance they are about 80 miles from St Petersburg (the distance from London to Coventry) , and the US Navy is building a new Black Sea base at Ochakov, 308 miles from the Russian naval station at Sevastopol. Just as the First World War (at root a conflict between Russia and Germany) spread like a great red stain over much of Europe and the Middle East , an Iran-Saudi war could easily spread into Europe itself.
The two powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are not yet in direct combat with each other, but fight through proxies in Yemen and Syria.
…….Our ally, Saudi Arabia, has used appalling methods in its attacks on Yemen and these have had appalling results. The moralistic bloviation of Western leaders about Syria, Russia and Iran’s parallel war against much the same sort of enemy as Assad and Russia face in Idlib is colossal hypocrisy and I am amazed that they can bring themselves to emit it, though I suspect that they are genuinely ignorant of the facts, not so much by wilfully avoiding them as by lacking the will to discover them. Even more infuriating is their ridiculous insistence, (simply not backed by reliably researched facts, obtained through secure custody chains, a standard set by the OPCW for itself) that the Assad state is guilty of previous chemical weapon use in Khan Sheikhoun and Douma.
…….There are many straws in the wind which suggest that we are being prepared for war. War is hell. At the very least, a decision which could have such far-reaching consequences, which could reach into every life and home, and embroil us for years, should be considered properly. The very fact that our government appears not to want us to consider it properly make sit all the more urgent that we insist on it.”
Galloway spot on, as ever.
‘An excellent piece of writing by the honourable @georgegalloway on #Skripal, #Russia and the illegal war in #Syria. A must read for anybody who wants to know the truth.’
“According to the Wall St Journal, the US has concluded that the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad is about to unleash a “chemical weapons attack” on the very last stronghold of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) fighters in Syria. We are asked to believe that having won the war Assad seeks to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by bringing the axis powers back full-scale into the Syrian war.
Whilst no-one but the least savvy of sheep is likely to believe that casus belli it is nonetheless all that the war-party has got to justify an expected new blizzard of cruise missiles and maybe more. Behind the Syrian Army stands of course the Russian Armed Forces, the very same Russia that has already ‘started chemical weapons warfare’ on the streets of Salisbury. ”
“Christchurch Progressive Network
12 September 2018
Media Release:
Protest tomorrow at Council Meeting – a travesty of democracy is in the making
Members of the Christchurch Progressive Network will attend tomorrow’s Christchurch City Council Meeting from 8.30am to protest the proposal to spend an extra $220 million on a rugby stadium ahead of rebuilding council rental housing destroyed in the earthquakes.
The extra $220 million would come from the $300 million allocated by the government for Christchurch priorities. This despite the housing crisis for low-income tenants and families exacerbated by the council’s failure to rebuild over 400 council rental units destroyed in the earthquakes.
It is a travesty of democracy when the Christchurch City Council refuses to allow public consultation on the spending of this $300 million after the Prime Minister told Christchurch voters during the election campaign “You and your city know exactly what your priorities are and that is why you will decide how that $300m is spent. It’s over to you.”
The mayor refused to answer earlier questions about the need for public consultation and then out of the blue has sprung this proposal on the city with just a few days’ notice. It’s a cynical attempt to override public opinion.
Christchurch residents have repeatedly said the stadium is a low priority compared to roads, footpaths and rebuilding council rental units but the Mayor and vested interests tell us the priority is a covered rugby stadium at a cost of $473 million.
This proposal is undemocratic, unprincipled and uncompassionate.
CPN supporters will be gathering at the council meeting from 8.30am, City Council Building, 53 Hereford Street.
John Minto
Convenor
Christchurch Progressive Network”
“In the Commons today, I said that – if there are reports of a chemical weapons attack in Idlib over the coming weeks – the government must ensure the reports are independently verified and that Parliament has given its approval, before escalating British involvement in the war.”
Craig Murray points out a dangerous development and a salient fact.
“China participating in giant Russian military exercise. Tells you all you need to know about the ham-fisted ineptitude of recent Western diplomacy. Far from isolating Russia, it has drawn much closer to the next dominant superpower.”
Challenge nothing
Change nothing
Tinker round the edges
Enable the status quo
Keep their position at the top of the political pile.
Stand for nothing.
Mean nothing.
Devoid of ideas
Devoid of solutions.”
Sounds like significant parts of the Labour Party in NZ as well.
ha ha – old vlad eh – just admitted that THERE WAS a poisoning. All of the people on here saying it was bullshit – Vlads just proven you all idiots!
“The two men accused by the UK of carrying out a nerve agent attack in Salisbury have been identified and are civilians, not criminals, Vladimir Putin has said.
“We know who they are, we have found them,” Putin said at an economic forum in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, adding that the two men – named by the UK as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov – may soon make appearances in the media to protest their innocence.
“These are civilians,” Putin said in remarks reported by Russian news agencies. “There is nothing criminal here.”
… The Russian’s president’s words marked a departure from his country’s earlier position, which was to disregard the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication.”
Two Russian guys went to an iconic tourist attraction. Stonehenge is 15km from Salisbury.
Where does Putin say or imply they carried out any poisoning? And where are the ongoing and official Russian statements claiming that no poisoning had ever occurred?
And why, when the UK government has stated the investigation surrounding the affair is done and finished – that it was drawing a line under things with the naming of those two men – would the Russian government seek to open it up again, unless the two guys actually are innocent?
“The Russian’s president’s words marked a departure from his country’s earlier position, which was to disregard the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication.”
If Putin, or an official spokesperson has stated that Russia (ie – the Russian government) was “disregarding the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication“, (ie- all of the evidence) then there would be something to The Guardian’s claims.
But (as I suspect the case to be) the Guardian is attempting to build a mountainous picture from someone raising reasonable and understandable doubts because date stamps on video stills appeared to be from the same place and time, then nah.
Why would the Russian govt… ? Nationalism is popular in Russia. By defending ‘innocents’ victimized by a foreign state Putin’s popularity will only grow.
Innocence may not rate high among Putin’s motivations – didn’t stop him killing Nemtsov.
Well Stuart, obviously a visitor from Russia or elsewhere, who visited Britain but didn’t leave London (maybe most of anyone from anywhere?) wouldn’t be visiting Stonehenge or any other place outside of London – or getting up to deadly mischief outside of London.
Arkaim looks pretty cool. So is Skara Brae. But I doubt Orcadians would be all “seen it, done that” about Stonehenge “because Skara Brae”, or that any other person living near standing stones (lot’s of them in Britain) would either.
State murders and nationalism. Russia doesn’t have exclusive rights, you know?
Stonehenge should not be created out of whole cloth. It should be possible to determine whether the men concerned were in fact megalithic grave enthusiasts, or not. If so you have a sort of argument – if not you just made a Кра́сный herring.
No one is suggesting Russia has exclusivity on state sanctioned murder – but they certainly have plenty of form. In this instance however, the kind of political convenience that attended the demise of David Kelly is not in evidence.
If I was to put money on two men traveling to Salisbury from London by train to take in Stonehenge, against two men traveling to Salisbury from London by train to slap some goop on a door handle, I’d be putting my money on Stonehenge.
I mean. They might not have gone to Stonehenge. There are a multitude of imaginable reasons why two Russian nationals would fly to London and then travel on to a place like Salisbury. And yes, poisoning a father and daughter is part of the list. But the odds?
If it was me (on the poisoning scenario), I’d be hitting London by an indirect route. I’d be traveling on a dodgy and non-Russian passport (assuming I had the connections to get one), and I wouldn’t be traveling up the country using public transport.
If it was me (on the poisoning scenario), I’d be hitting London by an indirect route. I’d be traveling on a dodgy and non-Russian passport (assuming I had the connections to get one), and I wouldn’t be traveling up the country using public transport.
Personally and politically there’s no reason to use an indirect route to get in, and getting out needs to be as direct as possible because you’re only vulnerable when you’re arrestable or extraditable. Gotta be wary of a Neighbourhood Watch volunteer making notes…
There’s no need to use a fake or stolen or fraudulently obtained passport because you have access to a legitimate one in a name that is not your own. Indeed, getting picked up with a dodgy passport coming in would be a major liability for your operation, and the poison could even be discovered simply because you were arrested for the passport.
Public transport is convenient, uses cash, and doesn’t require ID of any sort. Heck, the French Rainbow Warrior operation support pair were caught while returning their rental car (bloody stupid move) – and their dodgy Swiss passports were no protection, either.
Note to self. Never engage in any dodgy illegal shit with McFlock unless the objective is to secure some years worth of three guaranteed meals a day. 🙂
Those two will only see a jail cell if Putin wishes it.
That’s the difference between committing a crime but you want to stay in the country, and committing a crime where if you leave immediately you will never be caught.
Seriously, what does private or rented transport give you that public transport doesn’t? Sure, maybe a bit more speed, but also another scene for the cops to examine, another identity check in the process to confirm it was you, and an increase in the statistical likelihood you’ll hit another car or something and jeapordize the operation.
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Health authorities in Norway are reporting some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Is this causally related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are the things to consider. According to the news there have been 23 deaths in Norway shortly after vaccine administration and ...
Happy New Year! No, experts are not concerned that “…one of New Zealand’s COIVD-1( vaccines will fail to protect the country” Here is why. But first I wish to issue an expletive about this journalism (First in Australia and then in NZ). It exhibits utter failure to actually truly consult ...
All nations have shadows; some acknowledge them. For others they shape their image in uncomfortable ways.The staunch Labour supporter was in despair at what her Rogernomics Government was doing. But she finished ‘at least, we got rid of Muldoon’, a response which tells us that then, and today, one’s views ...
Grigori GuitchountsIn November, Springer Nature, one of the world’s largest publishers of scientific journals, made an attention-grabbing announcement: More than 30 of its most prestigious journals, including the flagship Nature, will now allow authors to pay a fee of US$11,390 to make their papers freely available for anyone to read ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Gary Yohe, Henry Jacoby, Richard Richels, and Benjamin Santer Imagine a major climate change law passing the U.S. Congress unanimously? Don’t bother. It turns out that you don’t need to imagine it. Get this: The Global Change Research Act of 1990 was passed ...
“They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”WHO CAN FORGET the penultimate scene of the 1956 movie classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers? The wild-eyed doctor, stumbling down the highway, trying desperately to warn his fellow citizens: “They’re here already! You’re next! You’re next! You’re next!”Ostensibly science-fiction, the movie ...
TheOneRing.Net has got its paws on the official synopsis of the upcoming Amazon Tolkien TV series. It’s a development that brings to mind the line about Sauron deliberately releasing Gollum from the dungeons of Barad-dûr. Amazon knew exactly what they were doing here, in terms of drumming up publicity: ...
Since Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, US presidents have joined an informal club intended to provide support - and occasionally rivalry - between those few who have been ‘leaders of the free world’. Donald Trump, elected on a promise to ‘drain the swamp’ and a constant mocker of his predecessors, ...
For over a decade commentators have noted the rise of a new brand of explicitly ideological politics throughout the world. By this they usually refer to the re-emergence of national populism and avowedly illiberal approaches to governance throughout the “advanced” democratic community, but they also extend the thought to the ...
The US House of Representatives has just impeached Donald Trump, giving him the dubious honour of being the only US President to be impeached twice. Ten Republicans voted for impeachement, making it the most bipartisan impeachment ever. The question now is whether the Senate will rise to the occasion, and ...
Kieren Mitchell; Alice Mouton, Université de Liège; Angela Perri, Durham University, and Laurent Frantz, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichThanks to the hit television series Game of Thrones, the dire wolf has gained a near-mythical status. But it was a real animal that roamed the Americas for at least 250,000 ...
Tide of tidal data rises Having cast our own fate to include rising sea level, there's a degree of urgency in learning the history of mean sea level in any given spot, beyond idle curiosity. Sea level rise (SLR) isn't equal from one place to another and even at a particular ...
Well, some of those chickens sure came home bigly, didn’t they… and proceeded to shit all over the nice carpet in the Capitol. What we were seeing here are societal forces that have long had difficulty trying to reconcile people to the “idea” of America and the reality of ...
In the wake of Donald Trump's incitement of an assault on the US capitol, Twitter finally enforced its terms of service and suspended his account. They've since followed that up with action against prominent QAnon accounts and Trumpers, including in New Zealand. I'm not unhappy with this: Trump regularly violated ...
Peter S. Ross, University of British ColumbiaThe Arctic has long proven to be a barometer of the health of our planet. This remote part of the world faces unprecedented environmental assaults, as climate change and industrial chemicals threaten a way of life for Inuit and other Indigenous and northern ...
Susan St John makes the case for taxing a deemed rate of return on excessive real estate holdings (after a family home exemption), to redirect scarce housing resources to where they are needed most. Read the full article here ...
I’m less than convinced by arguments that platforms like Twitter should be subject to common carrier regulation preventing them from being able to decide who to keep on as clients of their free services, and who they would not like to serve. It’s much easier to create competition for the ...
The hypocritical actions of political leaders throughout the global Covid pandemic have damaged public faith in institutions and governance. Liam Hehir chronicles the way in which contemporary politicians have let down the public, and explains how real leadership means walking the talk. During the Blitz, when German bombs were ...
Over the years, we've published many rebuttals, blog posts and graphics which came about due to direct interactions with the scientists actually carrying out the underlying research or being knowledgable about a topic in general. We'll highlight some of these interactions in this blog post. We'll start with two memorable ...
Yesterday we had the unseemly sight of a landleech threatening to keep his houses empty in response to better tenancy laws. Meanwhile in Catalonia they have a solution for that: nationalisation: Barcelona is deploying a new weapon in its quest to increase the city’s available rental housing: the power ...
A growing public housing waiting list and continued increase of house prices must be urgently addressed by Government, Green Party Co-leader Marama Davidson said today. ...
The green light for New Zealand’s first COVID-19 vaccine could be granted in just over a week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today. “We’re making swift progress towards vaccinating New Zealanders against the virus, but we’re also absolutely committed to ensuring the vaccines are safe and effective,” Jacinda Ardern said. ...
The Minister for ACC is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to join the Board of ACC on 1 February 2021. “All three bring diverse skills and experience to provide strong governance oversight to lead the direction of ACC” said Hon Carmel Sepuloni. Bella Takiari-Brame from Hamilton ...
The Government is investing $9 million to upgrade a significant community facility in Invercargill, creating economic stimulus and jobs, Infrastructure Minister Grant Robertson and Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene have announced. The grant for Waihōpai Rūnaka Inc to make improvements to Murihiku Marae comes from the $3 billion set ...
[Opening comments, welcome and thank you to Auckland University etc] It is a great pleasure to be here this afternoon to celebrate such an historic occasion - the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This is a moment many feared would never come, but ...
The Government is providing $3 million in one-off seed funding to help disabled people around New Zealand stay connected and access support in their communities, Minister for Disability Issues, Carmel Sepuloni announced today. The funding will allow disability service providers to develop digital and community-based solutions over the next two ...
Border workers in quarantine facilities will be offered voluntary daily COVID-19 saliva tests in addition to their regular weekly testing, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. This additional option will be rolled out at the Jet Park Quarantine facility in Auckland starting on Monday 25 January, and then to ...
The next steps in the Government’s ambitious firearms reform programme to include a three-month buy-back have been announced by Police Minister Poto Williams today. “The last buy-back and amnesty was unprecedented for New Zealand and was successful in collecting 60,297 firearms, modifying a further 5,630 firearms, and collecting 299,837 prohibited ...
Upscaling work already underway to restore two iconic ecosystems will deliver jobs and a lasting legacy, Conservation Minister Kiri Allan says. “The Jobs for Nature programme provides $1.25 billion over four years to offer employment opportunities for people whose livelihoods have been impacted by the COVID-19 recession. “Two new projects ...
The Government has released its Public Housing Plan 2021-2024 which outlines the intention of where 8,000 additional public and transitional housing places announced in Budget 2020, will go. “The Government is committed to continuing its public house build programme at pace and scale. The extra 8,000 homes – 6000 public ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has congratulated President Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th President of the United States of America. “I look forward to building a close relationship with President Biden and working with him on issues that matter to both our countries,” Jacinda Ardern said. “New Zealand ...
A major investment to tackle wilding pines in Mt Richmond will create jobs and help protect the area’s unique ecosystems, Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor says. The Mt Richmond Forest Park has unique ecosystems developed on mineral-rich geology, including taonga plant species found nowhere else in the country. “These special plant ...
To further protect New Zealand from COVID-19, the Government is extending pre-departure testing to all passengers to New Zealand except from Australia, Antarctica and most Pacific Islands, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “The change will come into force for all flights arriving in New Zealand after 11:59pm (NZT) on Monday ...
Bay Conservation Cadets launched with first intake Supported with $3.5 million grant Part of $1.245b Jobs for Nature programme to accelerate recover from Covid Cadets will learn skills to protect and enhance environment Environment Minister David Parker today welcomed the first intake of cadets at the launch of the Bay ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown have announced passengers from the Cook Islands can resume quarantine-free travel into New Zealand from 21 January, enabling access to essential services such as health. “Following confirmation of the Cook Islands’ COVID ...
Jobs for Nature funding is being made available to conservation groups and landowners to employ staff and contractors in a move aimed at boosting local biodiversity-focused projects, Conservation Minister Kiritapu Allan has announced. It is estimated some 400-plus jobs will be created with employment opportunities in ecology, restoration, trapping, ...
The Government has approved an exception class for 1000 international tertiary students, degree level and above, who began their study in New Zealand but were caught offshore when border restrictions began. The exception will allow students to return to New Zealand in stages from April 2021. “Our top priority continues ...
Today’s deal between Meridian and Rio Tinto for the Tiwai smelter to remain open another four years provides time for a managed transition for Southland. “The deal provides welcome certainty to the Southland community by protecting jobs and incomes as the region plans for the future. The Government is committed ...
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has appointed Anna Curzon to the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). The leader of each APEC economy appoints three private sector representatives to ABAC. ABAC provides advice to leaders annually on business priorities. “ABAC helps ensure that APEC’s work programme is informed by business community perspectives ...
The Government’s prudent fiscal management and strong policy programme in the face of the COVID-19 global pandemic have been acknowledged by the credit rating agency Fitch. Fitch has today affirmed New Zealand’s local currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook and foreign currency rating at AA with a positive ...
The Government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said today. “Given the high rates of infection in many countries and evidence of the global spread of more transmissible variants, it’s clear that ...
$36 million of Government funding alongside councils and others for 19 projects Investment will clean up and protect waterways and create local jobs Boots on the ground expected in Q2 of 2021 Funding part of the Jobs for Nature policy package A package of 19 projects will help clean up ...
The commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Ruapekapeka represents an opportunity for all New Zealanders to reflect on the role these conflicts have had in creating our modern nation, says Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan. “The Battle at Te Ruapekapeka Pā, which took ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Véronique Duché, A.R. Chisholm Professor of French, University of Melbourne In this series, writers pay tribute to fictional detectives on the page and on screen. When I first heard that Rowan Atkinson was to put on Maigret’s velvet-collared overcoat, I wondered ...
Auckland writer Olivia Hayfield* explains how she resurrected 16th-century playwright Christopher Marlowe to star in her new novel, Sister to Sister. Olivia Hayfield is a pen name. Real name: Sue Copsey. When I’m planning my modern retellings of historical tales, I read widely on the characters and see who leaps out at ...
The Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine could be approved as early as next week, Marc Daalder reports Medsafe will be asked to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine against Covid-19 on February 2, the Government has announced. The Medicines Assessment Advisory Committee (MAAC) is an independent panel that provides advice on some medicine approvals in ...
COMMENT:By Bryan Kramer, PNG’s Minister of Police who has defended Commissioner Manning’s appointment today in The National My last article, announcing that I intend to make a submission to the National Executive Council (NEC) to amend the Public Service regulation to no longer require the Commissioner of Police to ...
The Point of Order Trough Monitor was triggered today by the announcement of a $9 million handout for Southlanders – sorry, some Southlanders. The news came from the office of Grant Robertson who, as Minister of Finance, prefers to invest public money rather than give it away – especially when ...
Few people outside of her campaign team gave Chlöe Swarbrick any chance of winning in Auckland Central this year – but the Green Party MP was too busy to listen. Here’s how they turned the electorate green.First published November 12, 2020.Three Ticks Chlöe is part of Frame, a series of short ...
Interactions between parents and healthcare providers could have a big impact on the wellbeing of our children, according to new research. The way parents and healthcare providers interact has lasting implications for children’s health, new research has found – and that includes immunisation uptake.Released today, the report is based on research ...
The Opposition starts the political year calling for emergency, temporary legislation to free up house building National leader Judith Collins has set five priorities for her party over the next three years - but excluded climate change, education and Crown-Māori relations. Giving her first 'state of the nation' speech as party ...
One of the biggest challenges facing the Ardern government is in public health. New Zealand may have escaped the pressures heaped on other health systems by the Covid-19 pandemic but its health service has had its problems, not least those exposed in the first report from Heather Simpson and her ...
New Zealand’s Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins has revealed that 14 close contacts of the Northland community case have returned negative test results. Yesterday he announced two close contacts – her husband and hair dresser – were negative. In his tweet, Hipkins described the news as “encouraging”. However, New ...
Pacific Media Watch newsdesk Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned the arbitrary and opaque experiments that Google is conducting with its search engine in Australia, with the consequence that many national news websites are no longer appearing in the search results seen by some users. The Australian, ABC, Australian Financial ...
Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta says councils can take stronger action against companies dumping contaminated waste water, even though they have identified loopholes in the law on fines. ...
Drag Race Down Under, part of the popular RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, is filming in New Zealand. In their own words, local drag talent share what drag means to them and how it might be impacted by the show.RuPaul’s Drag Race is, quite simply, a television phenomenon. Love it or ...
For a long time, weighted blankets were considered a specialist device. Now they’re popular with even the most normal sleepers.Growing up, Temple Grandin spent time on her aunt’s cattle ranch in America, watching cow after stressed cow enter a squeeze chute and come out calm as the dead sea. She ...
Increased provisional tax thresholds, immediate low-value asset write offs and allowing the deferral of tax payments and use of money interest (UOMI) write offs were the most popular tax measures introduced by the Government to help businesses survive ...
The latest fleeing driver statistics show the numbers of incidents sky-rocketing out of control through 2020 with Police deciding the only tactic is to give up on chasing altogether, says Sensible Sentencing Trust. “The inconvenient truth is ...
With new revelations of the appalling racism behind Israel’s refusal to provide Covid-19 vaccines to 4.5 million Palestinians under its occupation and control, PSNA has renewed our call for the government to speak out alongside the United Nations ...
The Youth of NZ will be standing up for climate action once again, on January 26th outside of Parliament for School Strike 4 Climate NZ’s 100 Days 4 Action campaign rally. “COVID-19 may have stopped us in our tracks in the past. However, I tend ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Parwinder Kaur, Associate Professor | Director, DNA Zoo Australia, University of Western Australia Koalas are unique in the animal kingdom, living on a eucalyptus diet that would kill other creatures and drinking so little their name comes from the Dharug word gula, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By S. Anna Florin, Research fellow, University of Wollongong Archaeological research provides a long-term perspective on how humans survived various environmental conditions over tens of thousands of years. In a paper published today in Nature Ecology and Evolution, we’ve tracked rainfall in northern ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Binoy Kampmark, Senior Lecturer in Global Studies, Social Science & Planning, RMIT University Since 2005, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has been one of the most stable and enduring of political forces, both in Europe and on the global stage. During her 16 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Véronique Duché, A.R. Chisholm Professor of French, University of Melbourne In this series, writers pay tribute to fictional detectives on the page and on screen. When I first heard that Rowan Atkinson was to put on Maigret’s velvet-collared overcoat, I wondered ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. Experts are calling for hotels with sub-par ventilation systems to no longer be used as managed isolation facilities as health officials investigate how a Northland woman became infected with Covid-19 while staying at the Pullman hotel, Rowan Quinn reports. ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 26, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nzOur Members make The Spinoff happen! Every dollar contributed directly funds our editorial team – click here to learn more about how you can support us ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Questions to be answered about case in the community, major companies flagrantly breaching wastewater consents, and Tenancy Tribunal decisions harming abuse survivors.As of this morning, we’re still waiting on some crucial information about the situation in Northland, after a person travelled ...
With democracy what now separates the US from its adversaries, Wellington can bet on more continuity than change in Washington’s hardline view of China. ...
We continue our week-long examination of writer Roderick Finlayson. Today: his daughter Kate on his doomed love for Poti Mita, whose family inspired him to write short stories about Māori life in the 1930s We all knew of Poti Mita and how important Pukehina was to Dad. He wanted ...
Sleepyhead is chopping and changing its ambitious plan to build a super-factory and a community of 1100 medium density houses on a block of farmland in the north Waikato. Sydney Turner set his grandsons Craig and Graeme to work on the factory floor, building mattresses. Now Craig and Graeme Turner own ...
Helen Petousis-Harris looks at the potential complications of vaccinating older New Zealanders - and how we should prepare Two weeks ago health authorities in Norway reported some concerns about deaths in frail elderly after receiving their Covid-19 vaccine. Are these deaths related to the vaccine? Probably not but here are ...
A change of plans for round-the-world single-handed sailor Elana Connor means she's helping Kiwi kids in foster care to go sailing - as she also seeks to 'demystify' the sport for women. Elana Connor wears a silver necklace engraved with the word “Fearlessness”. As she sails solo around the globe, it reminds her that ...
New Zealand rose to the occasion in its response to Covid-19. Will it do the same for climate change? Jack Santa Barbara looks ahead to the Climate Change Commission report. New Zealand’s management of the Covid pandemic clearly demonstrated the benefits of paying attention to the science and prioritising human wellbeing ...
Was Covid-19 and lockdown the catalyst for a new future for healthcare or did it just expose systemic inequity? In the latest of a series on the country's future infrastructure needs, Tim Murphy looks at how the long push to shift health's focus from hospitals to the community might have received a nudge ...
Not only is the New Zealand summer in danger of coming to a grinding halt, but we increase the risk that an almighty wreck might follow shortly afterwards. Here's what we can do, writes Dr Sarb Johal. While the rest of the world is wrestling with virulent new strains of the ...
For two decades, under both National and Labour governments, housing costs have risen far faster than wages. Here’s a horrific graph that shows by just how much.Last Thursday saw the first of what will no doubt be dozens of housing-related set pieces from Labour, wherein they announced 8,000 public and ...
The new Northland case has been linked to the South African strain of Covid-19, one of a number of new, more contagious Covid variants. Here’s how they emerge and why.Let’s start with the basics. The genetic material of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for Covid-19 is a strand of RNA made ...
New Zealand’s richest citizen, Graeme Hart, has seen his fortune increase by NZ$3,494,333,333 since March 2020 – a sum equivalent to over half a million New Zealanders receiving a cheque for NZ$6,849 each, reveals a new analysis from Oxfam today. The New Zealand ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tauel Harper, Lecturer, Media and Communication, UWA, University of Western Australia With a vaccine rollout impending, key groups have backed calls for the Australian government to force social media platforms to share details about popular coronavirus misinformation. An open letter was put ...
Selling out ACT’s Waitangi Day State of the Nation Address is set to sell out again. If you’d like to start the political year right over brunch with fellow ACT supporters (Saturday 6 February 10am-12pm, Mt Eden), please buy your tickets ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Kirkness, Postdoctoral research fellow, Macquarie University As government COVID updates have become a daily part of our lives over the past 12 months, so too has the sight of sign language interpreters on our screens. This has understandably had a huge ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Dwyer, Associate Professor, Department of Media and Communications, University of Sydney Executives from Google and Facebook have told a Senate committee they are prepared to take drastic action if Australia’s news media bargaining code, which would force the internet giants to ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. Hundreds of companies have dumped contaminants - like blood, fat, and toxic chemicals such as ammonia and sulphides - into sewers in breach of their trade waste consents over the past year, RNZ can reveal. Anusha Bradley reports. Frank ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Morag Kobez, Associate lecturer, Queensland University of Technology In this series, our writers explore how food shaped Australian history – and who we are today. The history of cheese in Australia has, until recent decades, been a rather tasteless affair. Not so ...
On the edge of the Mataura River, a disused paper mill is filled with thousands of bags of toxic waste. Locals want to find out who’s responsible for it – and they want it gone before disaster strikes.First published November 10, 2020.The Paper Mill is part of Frame, a series ...
At the Chorus Fibre Lab, José Barbosa peeked behind the curtain of the internet and found something beautiful and very, very fast. The human mind is a daily swarm of notions, speculations, ruminations, thoughts and otherwise base-level brain puffs. Just to get through the grind of survival, we’ve evolved to mentally ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. The Ministry of Health is confident the Northland community case came directly from the Pullman Hotel and there is no missing link. In a press conference this afternoon, Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield confirmed the strain of Covid in the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Thomas Longden, Fellow, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Heat is more dangerous than the cold in most Australian regions. About 2% of deaths in Australia between 2006 and 2017 were associated with the heat, and the estimate increases to ...
Levin GP Glenn Colquhoun talks with books editor Catherine Woulfe about his new collection of poetry, Letters to Young People.Glenn Colquhoun is an acclaimed and accomplished poet. He has published four collections, including Playing God, in December 2002, which sold a massive 10,000 copies. He’s won a clutch of Montanas ...
Contrasting reactions to news of Grainne Moss’s resignation as Oranga Tamariki chief executive inevitably can be found in the blogosphere. Lindsay Dawson has recorded the ACT Party’s response to the resignation and hailed it as “spot on”. The statement was made in the name of Karen Chhour, described as a ...
Zendaya has been around for a decade, but she’s gone from Disney prodigy to pop star to acclaimed actress. Here are the highlights of the 24-year-old’s already impressive career.Shaking it up: Zendaya on DisneyThe world’s first encounter with Zendaya was a little Disney show called Shake It Up, a series ...
What’s it like to have your life governed by your gut? It’s crap, frankly.On my birthday last year I was given a bottle of fancy Aesop post-poo drops which clear the air after rigorous bowel activity – though on reflection, it may have been more of a gift for my ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission. Negative tests results for two of the closest contacts of a woman who tested positive for Covid-19 after leaving managed isolation is a good sign, says Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins. Two of the closest contacts of a woman ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Dyer, Associate Professor, RMIT University At a dinner party, or in the schoolyard, the question of favourite colour frequently results in an answer of “blue”. Why is it that humans are so fond of blue? And why does it seem to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Davis, Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous UNSW and Professor of Law, UNSW We are on the eve of the nation’s annual ritual of celebrating the arrivals, while not formally recognising the ancient peoples who were dispossessed. Each year the tensions spill over, rendering ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bright, Senior Lecturer of Addiction, Edith Cowan University While the public focus remains on COVID vaccines, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) continues to evaluate a range of proposals around the provision of medical treatments in Australia. The regulatory body is currently ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sara Wilkinson, Professor, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney Many of us who endured lockdowns in Australia are familiar with the surge in energy bills at home. But for older Australians who depend on the Age Pension for income, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael P. Cameron, Associate Professor in Economics, University of Waikato Population growth plays a role in environmental damage and climate change. But addressing climate change through either reducing or reversing growth in population raises difficult moral questions that most people would prefer ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Sonnemann, Fellow, School Education, Grattan Institute School is back for 2021, and some students will get extra help this year. Students who fell behind in their learning during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 will be eligible for extra tutoring in Victoria ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Duffy, Lecturer, School of Business, Western Sydney University Australia Day used to be an obvious and uncontroversial occasion for brands to endear themselves to Australian consumers. No longer. There has been a decided shift over the past decade in commercial attitudes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joanna Mendelssohn, Principal Fellow (Hon), Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, University of Melbourne In January 1971, Art News published Linda Nochlin’s Why have there been no great women artists? Her ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s live updates for January 25, keeping you up to date with the latest local and international news. Reach me on stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.40am: Two close contacts of new Covid case test negativeThe husband of the new Northland case of Covid-19 has tested negative for the virus, along with ...
*This article first appeared on RNZ and is republished with permission Hundreds of staff won't come into work on Monday after a 56-year-old woman who later tested positive for Covid-19 visited about 30 locations in Northland and Auckland - a blow to businesses desperately holding on after a hard year. Harry ...
Good chat in the first part of this video (about 5 minutes) about they why and how of Hurricane Florence. Then it goes into more general stuff about climate change and some of the political problems. Total video time 20 min.
Good vid, Adam. I just saw Trump on the news and I swear he thinks that having the most brutal beating ever is something to look forward to. We have the best disasters! The bigliest!!! DEMS said it couldn’t be done. Sad!
And thanks for giving some time/content detail; too many folk just drop a link and expect the reader to wade through the waffle to get to the relevant bit.
Chocolate fish for whoever guesses the significance of this photo …
It’s Te Reo Maori week and McDonalds told a staff member to stop speaking in Te Reo to customers.
Never go.
Never will.
never have?
I was young….
wasn’t that long ago mate lol
I got caught out – ate some non meat ones 25 years ago then realised they put beef fucken fat in ice cream and everything – felt like puking for weeks.
Yes it would over 25 years ago since I had something from McDonalds.
I wasn’t a vegetarian then, obviously!
yes – could be worse – in the corporate world I worked in for years I got fed asparagus rolls as my vegetarian meal – grew quite fond of tinned asparagus I have to say.
hahahahahahahahahaha
Last time I looked most cream used in ice-cream comes from cows so it’s most definitely going to have cow fat in it.
And, no, they don’t put chicken fat in it either. What would be the point when it’s already got fat in it?
Sounds to me that you’ve been listening to too many lies.
lolz indeed – you really are as stupid as animal fat eh
“The whipped ice cream squirted out of a nozzle to make the cones which you buy from an ice cream van, used to contain pig fat or lard.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-393432/The-chilling-truth-ice-cream.html
“When you became a vegetarian, you quickly learned it wasn’t just about skipping pepperoni on that pizza. You had to start scanning labels for ingredients like capric acid, tallow, rennet, glycerin, whey, suet, stereate, and emulsifiers—because eating animal fat by any other name would be just as carnivorous. What you may not know is that plenty of common foods widely considered to be vegetarian-friendly (or perhaps we should say veg-adjacent) actually contain animal fat, not just dairy fat. That means flesh. Read on to learn more.
1. Ice Cream
Ice cream is the one comfort food that temporarily heals all wounds. Unfortunately, you may be noshing on Bessie under all that chocolate sauce. Many brands of ice cream contain capric acid, a fatty acid that’s obtained from animal fats. Check the label.”
https://www.more.com/lifestyle/exercise-health/seven-common-foods-made-animal-fat
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/māori-language-week/366290/mcdonald-s-worker-told-to-stop-using-te-reo
Staff have to speak english at work
OK, now define english in a New Zealand context…
Aye. I can’t believe that someone would complain. At this time …
Good coverage from RNZ.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/māori-language-week/366290/mcdonald-s-worker-told-to-stop-using-te-reo
W for whitey.
Jimmy Dore is a breath of fresh air in a world where the msm (here, in the UK and in the US) spouts 24/7 corporate propaganda.
Learn today about Venezuela.
Something on the TV1 News tonight about Brownlee harassing a lawyer re steel mesh.
Anyone?
‘National’s Gerry Brownlee accused of ‘phone bullying’ after conversation with junior lawyer about steel mesh class action’
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/national-s-gerry-brownlee-accused-phone-bullying-after-conversation-junior-lawyer-steel-mesh-class-action
Brownlee’s behaviour is totally unacceptable.
BM, James, Chris73, Chris T, Pukish Rogue, Indiana, Grantoc, Alan and Alwyn must be outraged.
Daily Review will be busy tonight.
Now you list them, there are a lot of trolls.
There seems to be a pattern…..
‘ ‘What a pillock!’ Gerry Brownlee hammered for trying to play victim in front of frustrated Kaikoura locals.’
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/video-pillock-gerry-brownlee-hammered-trying-play-victim-in-front-frustrated-kaikoura-locals
This week.
Turn off the radio.
Turn off the TV.
Stop listening to and viewing the corporate media, designed to dumb you down, distract you and misinform you.
Instead raise your IQ and listen to this intelligent, informed, brave and decent person.
Morans like Hosking, Garner, Richardson, Soper – disconnect from them.
And hear the pearls of wisdom from Noam Chomsky.
50 minutes you will not regret spending unlike all those hours where your brain and ears were bombarded by the hate speech of New Zealand’s extreme right media.
Thanks Ed, I willll give this a squizz when I get home later.
Chomsky has always impressed me with his calm reasoned approach.
He always skewers his subjects.
Frankly I am surprised he hasn’t come to harm.
I really enjoyed listening to the talk.
what bits?
The history of close calls with nuclear weapons.
You’ve watched the Chomsky video Marty?
Not that one yet. I have watched others including the Netflix one – quite like a lot of what he says to be fair.
I am cautious in who i read and what I believe from them. Even people i love like russell brand I still am circumspect rather than just like all they say because i really like something they say.
I agree, be wary.
Yet to be shown were Chomsky goes wrong.
Bill Hicks for me is a voice I can rely on.
So often his cynical questioning approach seems relevant 20 years down the track.
What he would have made of the three towers, 17 years ago….
Richard Harman on Politik drew this conclusion in regard to the Curran saga: “lack of political management”. I did likewise in commenting on the shambles this week with regard to Mahuta’s announcement, and now TVNZ led tonight with a story about discord between Labour & NZF which the leaders of both seemed unworried by.
At best, a mixed message. At worst, perception may prevail over reality. It’s now a pattern. Nats are trying to get traction on it without noticeable success. Most journos seem not to have noticed yet.
The coalition needs to put someone in charge of their workload coordination, someone with sufficient authority to give direct advice to the leaders about how to organise solutions to process problems. Presenting as shambolic will start to lower their poll ratings so they need to get their act together fast.
Its wedge politics. The Nats have no other option but to try and fabricate the perception of a split in the coalition. The Nats think this strategy will win them back into govt in 2020. What will most likely sink that strategy is demographics and the resultant emerging age and gender voter patterns. Jacinda Ardern is an inclusive, compassionate and intelligent leader, relatively young and a woman.
As Winston implies just a bit of “tidying” up required for the coalition, perhaps.
Well said………the opposition is of course aided and abetted by a largy ‘ignorant’ media who continue to treat politics as a matter of so called ‘winners and losers’, rather than a contest of issues and ideas.
The ignorance displayed about the realities of coalition/confidence and supply government seems beyond so many supposed journalists these days.
Dennis
That’s not going to happen
I can’t see Peters taking direction from “someone with sufficient authority” on “how to organise solutions to process problems”.
If you have been following the events that have led to a “lack of political management” in the coalition you will have noticed that Peter’s deliberately waits until Labour believes it can go ahead with a particular policy and then at a time that causes maximum embarrassment pulls the rug out of from under Labour. Examples include refugee numbers, the Labour proposed Maori partnership body; employment law changes (opting out options for provincial businesses).
He does this to maximise NZ First’s political position – not the coalition’s.
He is not going to concede power to a third party to manage any process in the best interests of the coalition.
I imagine that Peters assumes that, so long as the government can make headway with some significant actual policy implementation, his high-profile differentiation of NZFirst from Labour will raise his party’s profile without meaningfully harming the government.
Parasites are often not great at judging how much to harm their host without killing it.
Comments relying on snappy metaphors are often not that great at making a point.
The sun rises in the East.
Hmmm…. Did i see you on the above list …. @ 4.1.1 ?
Fran O’Sullivan’s rerun of the coalition agreement in relation to the failure to achieve consensus on the refugee quota gives us helpful context:
” What the refugee affair does illustrate is that Labour cannot take for granted that what it believes are prime policies will be supported by NZ First outside of Coalition commitments. The preamble to their Coalition agreement states that the parties will work collaboratively and in good faith to reach agreement on particular policy and legislative initiatives.
“As provided for in the Cabinet Manual, the parties will ‘agree to disagree’ where negotiated between party leaders, and in such circumstances the parties will be free to express alternative views publicly and within Parliament …
“The Labour and New Zealand First parties agree to identify policies and roles in a way that maintains and promotes the distinct identity of each party.”
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=12121255
Its gonna be tremendous folks. I’m gonna stay up all night to watch it. The biggest and the most tremendous ever.
Jesus wept!
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/11/florence-trump-latest-government-prepared-storm
“President Donald Trump has told Puerto Rico officials they should be “proud” they did not lose thousands of lives as in “a real catastrophe like Katrina”.
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/340809/trump-compares-hurricane-death-tolls
YET ….
“Hurricane Maria killed more than 4600 people in Puerto Rico, 70 times the official toll, according to estimates in a Harvard University study.”
https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/358521/hurricane-killed-4600-in-puerto-rico-70x-offical-toll-study
Somewhere today… heard the Orange meme wanking on about “how it was … “an ncredible success” …
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/11/trump-hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-success
Looks like things are brewing in Idlib.
The fake chemical attack is being foreshadowed.
Just after the rehash of the novochok story.
Problem, Reaction, Solution: US Bait Arrived in Idlib, ISIS Now in Position
https://21stcenturywire.com/2018/09/12/problem-reaction-solution-us-bait-arrived-in-idlib-isis-now-in-position/
Good on Emily Thornberry.
“In the Commons today, I said that – if there are reports of a chemical weapons attack in Idlib over the coming weeks – the government must ensure the reports are independently verified and that Parliament has given its approval, before escalating British involvement in the war.”
Meanwhile CNN keep pumping out the propaganda…….
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/10/middleeast/syria-idlib-white-helmets-intl/index.html
Speaking of pouring out the propaganda, why are you linking to 21st century wire, Ed? They’re a right wing fake news site with a sideline in climate change denial. They’re part of the problem, not the solution.
Vanessa Beasley is a brilliant and fearless reporter.
It is her account I linked to.
Er, no. Beeley is a right wing troll, with some pretty obvious links to the Putin regime. A bit of research might help you get a handle on how this stuff works. Or even better, read some Marx.
Er, no.
Many left wing commentators rate Beeley.
Name them.
By the way, even if you can, that doesn’t mean she’s not a right wing troll. I rate Boris Johnson for the LOL’s. Doesn’t mean he’s not a Tory toff (something he has in common with Beeley).
I guess my point would be that you appear to have some good left wing instincts, but your critical faculty is lacking. You need to look at the class interests of the people you pluck quotes from. Beeley, the daughter of a diplomat, comes from the right, was in business for years and later in life got sponsored by the Russians to write bollocks. She’s your enemy, Ed, not your friend.
For example, here’s her own list of where her ‘work’ can be found. Ron Paul, FFS.
“My work is re-published at the Ron Paul Institute, Global Research, Dissident Voice, Sott., Greanville Post, The London Journal among others.
I have appeared on RT Cross Talk, RT News, Press TV, Ron Paul Liberty Report, Sunday Wire, Sputnik Radio”
You’re a long time advocate of the establishments version of events TRP…
Numerous articles and countless comments…same same…
Don’t be scared…it stunts personal development…
Projecting onto Ed…nuff said eh…
Thanks one two.
I definitely feel in debates on this site my opinions are way to the left than trp.
Generally, your opinions are left wing, Ed. It’s just weird that you keep defaulting to right wing troll sites for cites, when there are so many good left wing ones to use. As I wrote earlier, read some Marx. That’ll clear that problem up quick smart.
Hi Ed…
As I’ve previously said…don’t take my comment as endorsement for your ‘debating style’…that’s your choice…
Pointing out the rank hypocrisy of TRP…was the comments purpose…
Hi one two
I still appreciate your entry into the discussion.
It stops the bullies.
Your view on Eva Bartlett?
Russian asset.
https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-eva-bartletts-claims-about-syrian-children
Channel 4 is not reliable.
But Russian sponsored bloggers are? There’s your problem right there. Lack of critical thinking.
Ask yourself why the right are saying things that sound believable to you. Things that resonate.
The answer is that the right invented and perfected political propaganda. And the best propaganda starts with a kernel of truth and then grinds that kernel to dust.
Or to put it another way, you appear to know the world is not geared for the interests of the majority, however you are taking the oppressor’s word for why that is. As ol’ Bob Zimmerman once sang, you know something is going on, you just don’t know what it is 😉
Start to think for yourself, Ed. Don’t rely on the other side’s spruikers. They’re lying to you and laughing at you while they do it.
Works both ways trp.
You trust the corporate media way too much.
I rely on independent sources.
George Galloway is superb.
Great. I hope you start quoting independent sources in your comments too. Never too late to start.
btw, is that Rupert Murdoch owned George Galloway you reckon is superb? Never buy the Sun, son. They’re Maccas for the mind.
Galloway is independent.
Nah, he’s not. He used to make serious money working for RT and later Press TV, but now works exclusively for Murdoch.
Doesn’t make much sense if you think Beeley is a right wing troll. Right wingers wants Assad gone at any cost to Syria. Beeley is arguing from an opposite viewpoint.
Assad is right wing. Some other right wingers want him gone, but that doesn’t change Assad’s politics. Of course, some other rather prominent right wingers want him to stay in charge and that doesn’t change him either. He’s still right wing.
As is Beeley.
Is Assad an arsehole? Yes. Are people who are paid to promote him also arseholes? Yes. Are naive people on blogs who can’t work out what’s going on arseholes? No.
Assad’s politics and economic agenda were/are a mix of pan-Arab nationalism and statism. Not right wing – ie, liberal or neo-liberal or free market.
Beeley, who’s broader political perspective/analysis I disagree with, has nevertheless produced some very good reports from Syria.
Eva Bartlett (you mention Ch4’s discredited take-down of her above) has also provided very good reports from Syria. It kind of amuses how she was a hero to some when she reported from Palestine, but became a devil incarnate to many of those same people when she reported on Syria. Go figure.
21st Century Wire (and other sites) may be less than “sterling”, but when a person is reporting on stuff and no-one will pick them up because what they’re highlighting goes smack against accepted and unexamined “truths”, what are they meant to do? Take whatever outlet is on offer? Or shut themselves down?
We can agree that right wing propagandists use innuendo and just enough (twisted) truth to make their message appealing. (They also steal a fair amount of what would pass for left wing sensibility and mash it fit their agenda – ACT in NZ did the same “back when”) Some of them are very good at it. And when mainstream media are largely a busted flush who “no-one” believes any more, the audience is there for the taking, yes?
George Galloway nails it on Twitter.
“As the families affected grieve the anniversary of the terrorist atrocity of #9/11 ponder this: #Britain and the #US are now at #war in #Syria in defence of #AlQaeda
Just think about that….”
And another fine entry, this time from Angelis Dania
“Assad: I’m close to victory. The US, UK, France, and now Germany have threatened to attack me if I use chemical weapons. A chemical attack won’t gain me any real strategic advantage, and I’ll lose support from my people. I’ll do it.
Yes. They really do think you’re that stupid.”
A clear and present danger.
Peter Hitchens is very concerned.
Not my political flavour, but he is certainly a thinker.
“Please write to your MP now without delay – War, terrible war, may be on the way again. WMD All Over Again: Our Government moves stealthily towards a new war of choice.
This week, the Middle East is in a state of grave and dangerous tension. The huge Sunni Muslim oil power, Saud Arabia, armed and/or backed diplomatically by Britain, France and the USA, is ever more hostile to Shia Muslim Iran, another oil power not as great but still as important, which is close and growing closer to Russia and China.
Bear in Mind as you consider this that Russia is also a European power, and engaged in a conflict with the EU and NATO in formerly non-aligned Ukraine, after the EU’s aggressive attempt to bring Ukraine into the Western orbit and NATO’s incessant eastward expansion into formerly neutral territory. There are several points at which Western troops are now remarkably close to Russian borders, for instance they are about 80 miles from St Petersburg (the distance from London to Coventry) , and the US Navy is building a new Black Sea base at Ochakov, 308 miles from the Russian naval station at Sevastopol. Just as the First World War (at root a conflict between Russia and Germany) spread like a great red stain over much of Europe and the Middle East , an Iran-Saudi war could easily spread into Europe itself.
The two powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are not yet in direct combat with each other, but fight through proxies in Yemen and Syria.
…….Our ally, Saudi Arabia, has used appalling methods in its attacks on Yemen and these have had appalling results. The moralistic bloviation of Western leaders about Syria, Russia and Iran’s parallel war against much the same sort of enemy as Assad and Russia face in Idlib is colossal hypocrisy and I am amazed that they can bring themselves to emit it, though I suspect that they are genuinely ignorant of the facts, not so much by wilfully avoiding them as by lacking the will to discover them. Even more infuriating is their ridiculous insistence, (simply not backed by reliably researched facts, obtained through secure custody chains, a standard set by the OPCW for itself) that the Assad state is guilty of previous chemical weapon use in Khan Sheikhoun and Douma.
…….There are many straws in the wind which suggest that we are being prepared for war. War is hell. At the very least, a decision which could have such far-reaching consequences, which could reach into every life and home, and embroil us for years, should be considered properly. The very fact that our government appears not to want us to consider it properly make sit all the more urgent that we insist on it.”
https://t.co/weyCP0XmAT?amp=1
Galloway spot on, as ever.
‘An excellent piece of writing by the honourable @georgegalloway on #Skripal, #Russia and the illegal war in #Syria. A must read for anybody who wants to know the truth.’
“According to the Wall St Journal, the US has concluded that the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad is about to unleash a “chemical weapons attack” on the very last stronghold of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) fighters in Syria. We are asked to believe that having won the war Assad seeks to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by bringing the axis powers back full-scale into the Syrian war.
Whilst no-one but the least savvy of sheep is likely to believe that casus belli it is nonetheless all that the war-party has got to justify an expected new blizzard of cruise missiles and maybe more. Behind the Syrian Army stands of course the Russian Armed Forces, the very same Russia that has already ‘started chemical weapons warfare’ on the streets of Salisbury. ”
https://t.co/m7CyVoIMb6?amp=1
Good stuff
“Christchurch Progressive Network
12 September 2018
Media Release:
Protest tomorrow at Council Meeting – a travesty of democracy is in the making
Members of the Christchurch Progressive Network will attend tomorrow’s Christchurch City Council Meeting from 8.30am to protest the proposal to spend an extra $220 million on a rugby stadium ahead of rebuilding council rental housing destroyed in the earthquakes.
The extra $220 million would come from the $300 million allocated by the government for Christchurch priorities. This despite the housing crisis for low-income tenants and families exacerbated by the council’s failure to rebuild over 400 council rental units destroyed in the earthquakes.
It is a travesty of democracy when the Christchurch City Council refuses to allow public consultation on the spending of this $300 million after the Prime Minister told Christchurch voters during the election campaign “You and your city know exactly what your priorities are and that is why you will decide how that $300m is spent. It’s over to you.”
The mayor refused to answer earlier questions about the need for public consultation and then out of the blue has sprung this proposal on the city with just a few days’ notice. It’s a cynical attempt to override public opinion.
Christchurch residents have repeatedly said the stadium is a low priority compared to roads, footpaths and rebuilding council rental units but the Mayor and vested interests tell us the priority is a covered rugby stadium at a cost of $473 million.
This proposal is undemocratic, unprincipled and uncompassionate.
CPN supporters will be gathering at the council meeting from 8.30am, City Council Building, 53 Hereford Street.
John Minto
Convenor
Christchurch Progressive Network”
Great work by John and the team.
Why don’t you do something like that ed?
Emily Thornberry is a courageous woman.
“In the Commons today, I said that – if there are reports of a chemical weapons attack in Idlib over the coming weeks – the government must ensure the reports are independently verified and that Parliament has given its approval, before escalating British involvement in the war.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/EmilyThornberry
where is the link?
Craig Murray points out a dangerous development and a salient fact.
“China participating in giant Russian military exercise. Tells you all you need to know about the ham-fisted ineptitude of recent Western diplomacy. Far from isolating Russia, it has drawn much closer to the next dominant superpower.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/CraigMurrayOrg
forgot the link
Are you stalking me?
just wanted to read the link you forgot to post – are you stalking me?
No
Hey, Bill, here’s one for you!
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/holyrood-honour-for-scots-workers-who-grounded-general-pinochet-s-fighter-jets-1-4798391
Did a post on that a while back. 😉
duncanpoundcake OnTwitter.
“The simplistic worldview of all Blairites:
Challenge nothing
Change nothing
Tinker round the edges
Enable the status quo
Keep their position at the top of the political pile.
Stand for nothing.
Mean nothing.
Devoid of ideas
Devoid of solutions.”
Sounds like significant parts of the Labour Party in NZ as well.
ha ha – old vlad eh – just admitted that THERE WAS a poisoning. All of the people on here saying it was bullshit – Vlads just proven you all idiots!
“The two men accused by the UK of carrying out a nerve agent attack in Salisbury have been identified and are civilians, not criminals, Vladimir Putin has said.
“We know who they are, we have found them,” Putin said at an economic forum in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, adding that the two men – named by the UK as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov – may soon make appearances in the media to protest their innocence.
“These are civilians,” Putin said in remarks reported by Russian news agencies. “There is nothing criminal here.”
… The Russian’s president’s words marked a departure from his country’s earlier position, which was to disregard the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/12/skripal-poisoning-suspects-are-civilians-not-criminals-says-putin-novichok
big mistake Vlad – it won’t end well for you.
The Guardian is a rag. It runs daily propaganda.
At the moment they’re pimping for war in Idlib.
I’d really be wary of trusting it on much nowadays.
Vlad said it not me. You cannot be trusted.
Just innocent travelling perfume spruikers, guv.
Two Russian guys went to an iconic tourist attraction. Stonehenge is 15km from Salisbury.
Where does Putin say or imply they carried out any poisoning? And where are the ongoing and official Russian statements claiming that no poisoning had ever occurred?
And why, when the UK government has stated the investigation surrounding the affair is done and finished – that it was drawing a line under things with the naming of those two men – would the Russian government seek to open it up again, unless the two guys actually are innocent?
“The Russian’s president’s words marked a departure from his country’s earlier position, which was to disregard the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication.”
Not fabricated. Seems some got it all wrong.
So…how does “a country” adopt a position?
If Putin, or an official spokesperson has stated that Russia (ie – the Russian government) was “disregarding the evidence released by Scotland Yard as a fabrication“, (ie- all of the evidence) then there would be something to The Guardian’s claims.
But (as I suspect the case to be) the Guardian is attempting to build a mountainous picture from someone raising reasonable and understandable doubts because date stamps on video stills appeared to be from the same place and time, then nah.
Ha I doubt you’d believe anything which doesn’t fit your preconceived ideas bill.
What are these preconceived ideas you speak of marty?
Not sure Stonehenge is especially likely – It doesn’t rate highly among Russian visitors, most of whom go no further than London.
https://www.visitbritain.org/markets/russia
And of course the geeks have Arkaim: https://mysteriousearth.net/2016/05/23/arkaim-the-most-enigmatic-archaeological-site-within-the-territory-of-russia/
Why would the Russian govt… ? Nationalism is popular in Russia. By defending ‘innocents’ victimized by a foreign state Putin’s popularity will only grow.
Innocence may not rate high among Putin’s motivations – didn’t stop him killing Nemtsov.
Well Stuart, obviously a visitor from Russia or elsewhere, who visited Britain but didn’t leave London (maybe most of anyone from anywhere?) wouldn’t be visiting Stonehenge or any other place outside of London – or getting up to deadly mischief outside of London.
Arkaim looks pretty cool. So is Skara Brae. But I doubt Orcadians would be all “seen it, done that” about Stonehenge “because Skara Brae”, or that any other person living near standing stones (lot’s of them in Britain) would either.
State murders and nationalism. Russia doesn’t have exclusive rights, you know?
Stonehenge should not be created out of whole cloth. It should be possible to determine whether the men concerned were in fact megalithic grave enthusiasts, or not. If so you have a sort of argument – if not you just made a Кра́сный herring.
No one is suggesting Russia has exclusivity on state sanctioned murder – but they certainly have plenty of form. In this instance however, the kind of political convenience that attended the demise of David Kelly is not in evidence.
And then there’s this: https://www.stuff.co.nz/world/europe/107049033/pussy-riot-activist-treated-for-possible-poisoning
Must be something in the water.
If I was to put money on two men traveling to Salisbury from London by train to take in Stonehenge, against two men traveling to Salisbury from London by train to slap some goop on a door handle, I’d be putting my money on Stonehenge.
I mean. They might not have gone to Stonehenge. There are a multitude of imaginable reasons why two Russian nationals would fly to London and then travel on to a place like Salisbury. And yes, poisoning a father and daughter is part of the list. But the odds?
If it was me (on the poisoning scenario), I’d be hitting London by an indirect route. I’d be traveling on a dodgy and non-Russian passport (assuming I had the connections to get one), and I wouldn’t be traveling up the country using public transport.
Personally and politically there’s no reason to use an indirect route to get in, and getting out needs to be as direct as possible because you’re only vulnerable when you’re arrestable or extraditable. Gotta be wary of a Neighbourhood Watch volunteer making notes…
There’s no need to use a fake or stolen or fraudulently obtained passport because you have access to a legitimate one in a name that is not your own. Indeed, getting picked up with a dodgy passport coming in would be a major liability for your operation, and the poison could even be discovered simply because you were arrested for the passport.
Public transport is convenient, uses cash, and doesn’t require ID of any sort. Heck, the French Rainbow Warrior operation support pair were caught while returning their rental car (bloody stupid move) – and their dodgy Swiss passports were no protection, either.
.
Note to self. Never engage in any dodgy illegal shit with McFlock unless the objective is to secure some years worth of three guaranteed meals a day. 🙂
Those two will only see a jail cell if Putin wishes it.
That’s the difference between committing a crime but you want to stay in the country, and committing a crime where if you leave immediately you will never be caught.
Seriously, what does private or rented transport give you that public transport doesn’t? Sure, maybe a bit more speed, but also another scene for the cops to examine, another identity check in the process to confirm it was you, and an increase in the statistical likelihood you’ll hit another car or something and jeapordize the operation.
Brazen insouciance is how you get away with dodgy illegal shit, Bill.