Daily review 13/01/2022

Written By: - Date published: 5:30 pm, January 13th, 2022 - 49 comments
Categories: Daily review - Tags:

Daily review is also your post.

This provides Standardistas the opportunity to review events of the day.

The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy).

Don’t forget to be kind to each other …

49 comments on “Daily review 13/01/2022 ”

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  1. weka 1
    13 January 2022 at 5:35 pm

    “a little encoding of agency in graphical form”

    Lovely. Can see why it’s such a hit going into 2022

    https://twitter.com/add_hawk/status/1481386437559795713?s=21

    • Matiri 1.1
      13 January 2022 at 6:01 pm

      I've played it a few times – an ingenious yet simple, little game with a QWERTY keyboard that slightly throws your train of thought each time you look at it.

      • weka 1.1.1
        13 January 2022 at 6:43 pm

        I really like it.

        Amazing that no-one tweets spoilers. There's a kind of camaraderie.

        • Pingao 1.1.1.1
          13 January 2022 at 8:37 pm

          There is a māori version of wordle called "panga". It is a bit of a challenge for me : ) but lots of fun.

  2. joe90 2
    13 January 2022 at 6:16 pm

    Our manufactured scarcity story started a way earlier.

    A Simple Plan to Solve All of America’s Problems

    The U.S. doesn’t have enough COVID tests—or houses, immigrants, physicians, or solar panels. We need an abundance agenda.

    […]

    Zoom out yet more, and the truly big picture comes into focus. Manufactured scarcity isn’t just the story of COVID tests, or the pandemic, or the economy: It’s the story of America today. The revolution in communications technology has made it easier than ever for ordinary people to loudly identify the problems that they see in the world. But this age of bits-enabled protest has coincided with a slowdown in atoms-related progress.

    […]

    In the past few months, I’ve become obsessed with a policy agenda that is focused on solving our national problem of scarcity. This agenda would try to take the best from several ideologies. It would harness the left’s emphasis on human welfare, but it would encourage the progressive movement to “take innovation as seriously as it takes affordability,” as Ezra Klein wrote. It would tap into libertarians’ obsession with regulation to identify places where bad rules are getting in the way of the common good. It would channel the right’s fixation with national greatness to grow the things that actually make a nation great—such as clean and safe spaces, excellent government services, fantastic living conditions, and broadly shared wealth.

    This is the abundance agenda.

    Let’s start by diagnosing our scarcity problem. Take a look at this graph of prices in the 21st century, which shows that some products have become cheaper, such as TVs and computers, while many essentials have become more expensive, such as health care and college.

    Mark Perry, AEI

    A mainstream liberal might look at the red lines and think: The government isn’t spending enough money to help people out; spend more! The typical conservative might think: The government is spending too much money and inflating the cost of these services; slash taxes and spending! What I’d prefer to focus on is perhaps the real problem: a national failure to increase the supply of essential goods.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/scarcity-crisis-college-housing-health-care/621221/

  3. Dennis Frank 3
    13 January 2022 at 6:52 pm

    360Info is an open access global information agency of journalists working with academics to address the world's biggest challenges and offer practical solutions

    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/ethical-cities-could-fix-post-covid-struggles

    Brendan F.D. Barrett is currently professor at Osaka University, Japan. He is an urban planner by training and a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce. He is co-author of the 2020 book on Ethical Cities with Ralph Horne and John Fien.

    it is estimated that post-pandemic between 20 to 25 percent of the total workforce in advanced economies could continue to work from home three to five days a week.

    One recent survey of nearly 20,000 people in G20 countries revealed that 75 percent of respondents favour rapid societal transformation and a shift towards ‘wellbeing economies’.

    In April 2020, Amsterdam became the first city to formally adopt ‘doughnut’ economics. This kind of economy is composed of a social foundation and an ecological ceiling. Implicit in the idea is that no one should fall short of life’s essentials (the foundation), while respecting planetary boundaries (the ceiling). This approach has been downscaled to work at both the city and neighbourhood level. The Amsterdam City Doughnut strategy is described as a tool for transformative action. Several other cities quickly followed Amsterdam’s lead.

    At the city level, Community Wealth Building 2.0 has emerged, seeking to foster recovery and resilience by redirecting wealth back to communities… There are many other important initiatives such as local digital currencies like Bristol Pay, technological sovereignty and local control over digital platforms as found in Barcelona, sharing economies with the example of ShareMelbourne and participatory budgeting, with one of the best examples found in Porto Alegre, Brazil. These initiatives manifest the common objective of giving power back to people, communities, towns and cities.

    Good to see such innovative strategic plan templates emerging. Stories about early adopters will be required to counter anal retention of BAU by mainstreamers.

    • Blazer 3.1
      13 January 2022 at 8:14 pm

      'address the world's biggest challenges and offer practical solutions'

      What solution have they got to address 25,000 people dying of ..starvation…every day?

  4. Dennis Frank 4
    13 January 2022 at 7:02 pm

    Kiwis have long been allergic to pointy-heads. That, apparently, is the reason a censorship controversy raging in academia doesn't feature in the msm here.

    Freshwater felt compelled in her statement last week to remind us that her university is “a world-class, research-led university” — just in case anyone mistook it for a parochial institution struggling to understand the difference between science, myth and creationism.

    Certainly, being blasted by Jerry Coyne — professor emeritus in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the highly ranked University of Chicago — would have helped focus her mind about the damage to Auckland University’s international reputation.

    New Zealand’s mainstream media has almost entirely avoided covering the debate but the society’s disciplinary action — and its earlier statement rejecting the professors’ views as “misguided” with the potential to cause “harm” — has sparked international outrage and condemnation from heavyweight public intellectuals.

    But hey, the only outrage that's allowed in our msm is that provided by the woke, right? Gotta obey the unwritten rule. Only way to maintain tacit bias is to not talk about it because doing so will alert everyone and an equal and opposite reaction will form – as it always does in such situations!

    https://www.fsu.nz/dawn_freshwater

    • Blade 4.1
      13 January 2022 at 8:17 pm

      Maori would not allow such a forum to take place in an orderly fashion in my opinion. Anyone suggesting the professors had a point would be shouted down. I use the Alan Duff debate a few years back, moderated by Lind Clark, as an example. Duff was continually shouted down by an obnoxious Maori. Things have got worse since then.

      • Pete 4.1.1
        13 January 2022 at 9:34 pm

        Duff was continually shouted down by an obnoxious Maori? Things have got worse since?

        Yeah, obnoxious shouting people down Maori are common. Obnoxious any-other-ethnicities shouting people down are very rare. In fact do they exist at all?

        • Blade 4.1.1.1
          13 January 2022 at 11:52 pm

          When you understand something about Maoridom give us a buzz. Don't forget Maori also have wokism on their side. That's a double whammy, You don't by any chance remember the public debate I'm talking about do you?

    • Puckish Rogue 5.1
      13 January 2022 at 8:04 pm

      https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-clarke-gayford-and-jacinda-ardern-close-ranks-on-test-controversy/RRJ2R5J5AGYMKSBUHCLF4KR7TE/

      'When asked whether Gayford had made similar calls on any other occasion, his management said they would not be commenting further.'

      So thats a yes then.

      • Blazer 5.1.1
        13 January 2022 at 8:15 pm

        What call did he make…again?

      • Anne 5.1.2
        13 January 2022 at 8:16 pm

        A load of hyperbole over a minor incident embellished upon by a Nat voting chemist and picked up by the rat of the Nat pack, whatshisname wot worked for a tobacco company.

        There was some confusion over a Covid regulation and Gayford got it a bit wrong for which he has apologised. No attempt at subterfuge or bending rules for mates as is being alleged by the unhappy chemist and his Nat mates, who know the wedding is going to get a lot of publicity both in NZ and overseas.

        Why do they call them pharmacists now? Is it because they think it sounds more important?

        • higherstandard 5.1.2.1
          13 January 2022 at 8:21 pm

          They call them pharmacists because that is their professional qualification.

          • Anne 5.1.2.1.1
            13 January 2022 at 8:40 pm

            Well, why did they use to call themselves chemists. Exactly the same qualifications. Pleased to note my local chemists still call themselves chemists.

            • higherstandard 5.1.2.1.1.1
              13 January 2022 at 9:20 pm

              In NZ, Australia and the UK the term Chemist used to refer to pharmacies and pharmacists. Now we typically distinguish between a chemist (person who has studied chemistry), a pharmacist (a health professional) and the place where pharmacists work (often a pharmacy).

              Chemists are experts in Chemistry, a branch of physical science, that is the study of the properties and building (synthesis) of molecules. You can find chemists working in such diverse industries as paint formulation, drug development and the food industry.

              Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use.

            • nzlemming 5.1.2.1.1.2
              14 January 2022 at 12:44 am

              Because we used to buy raw chemicals from them.

            • Sabine 5.1.2.1.1.3
              14 January 2022 at 7:45 am

              Pharmacist – Careers NZ
              https://www.careers.govt.nz › jobs-database › health › p…

              Pharmacists prepare, mix and dispense prescribed medicines. They also give patients advice about their medication and medical conditions.

              chemist
              /ˈkɛmɪst/
              Learn to pronounce

              See definitions in:
              All
              Pharmaceutics
              Chemistry
              noun

              1.
BRITISH
a shop where medicinal drugs are dispensed and sold, and in which toiletries and other medical goods can be purchased.

"antihistamine tablets are freely available in chemists"

2.
a person engaged in chemical research or experiments.
"chemists have developed catalysts that can turn low-grade fuels into petrol"

              And you know what, Clarke has no, non, zilch, nada, nix business to peddle covid falsehoods in order to try and bully a Pharmacist to dispense a test that legally the Pharmacist is not allowed to dispense.

              Honestly that is about the most pathetic attempt at whitewashing this person so far.

              You should really simply just come out and complain about the fact that the pharmacist complaints make Clarke look like a bit of an entitled buffon who peddles covid falsehoods based on his association with the PM.

        • Puckish Rogue 5.1.2.2
          13 January 2022 at 8:23 pm

          laugh

        • mpledger 5.1.2.3
          13 January 2022 at 8:43 pm

          Medical advice should be confidential between the practioner, the patient and his/her support person/people. We need people to be able to be comfortable talking about medical things with their health care worker without fear of ridicule or disparagement and it should remain confidential. The thing we don't want is for people to be afraid and to leave treatable things to become untreatable things.

          If the pharmacist reported any health advice s/he gave a patient to the media and identified the people involved in that conversation then s/he, I would hope, will be in a shit load of trouble.

          • Anker 5.1.2.3.1
            13 January 2022 at 8:52 pm

            You have a point there Mpledger

          • Sabine 5.1.2.3.2
            14 January 2022 at 7:56 am

            I there any evidence that hte pharmacist divulged 'patient imformation', or is the fact that he called Clarke Gayfoyle (after they dropped their name) by his name that breach that you are so worried about?

            And then was Clarke Gayfoyle the 'patient'? And were the musicians 'patients' or just walk ins that wanted that test, and when they could not get one, called Clarke and asked him to name drop and see if they could compel the Pharmacist to drop that sacred unavailable to the public test?

            Two things come to mind.

            1. I hope that Clarke learned a lesson here, namely that just because your future spouse is the PM, does not mean that provides any privilege and importance to Clarke. And next time someone calls them for a favor i hope that they – Clarke, have the good sense to say : No, thank you.

            2. This could have been washed away yesterday with a simple and plain and above all honest excuse like' I was a bit carried away' and 'sorry, future spouse, but my actions make you and I look a bit dodgy, and that is all on me'.

            But thanks to Clarke and his future spouse this will props take up air for another two days or so, and hopefully we will get these darned tests in Pharmacies for everyone to use before Omicron hits.

            Last, can we please make this person as invisibile as are all the other spouses of PMs.

          • Anne 5.1.2.3.3
            14 January 2022 at 10:28 am

            Thanks mpledger. Always a voice of reason and sensible logic.

            If the pharmacist reported any health advice s/he gave a patient to the media and identified the people involved in that conversation then s/he, I would hope, will be in a shit load of trouble.

            Gayford gets hammered for making a mistake (Gosh! Are all the nay-sayers so clever they have never misunderstood something?) and he promptly apologises to the chemist concerned. The chemist goes to the Herald with the story and the Herald run it in flashing lights.

            The chemist on the other hand may have committed a serious ethical misdemeanour yet the Herald have stayed silent. That tells me a lot about the poor judgement of certain Herald reporters.

        • alwyn 5.1.2.4
          13 January 2022 at 9:47 pm

          "embellished upon by a Nat voting chemist".

          And your evidence for this is what precisely?

          Oh, that's right. Nothing.

        • Puckish Rogue 5.1.2.5
          14 January 2022 at 7:34 am

          What was the confusion?

          • Sabine 5.1.2.5.1
            14 January 2022 at 8:02 am

            That someone who is associated with the good and can do no wrong left ,was trying to get access to something that is legally not available and was trying to do so by name dropping and playing the card of do you know who i am, and more importantly do you know whom i am going to be marrying soon?

            Now if that same call in the same circumstance would have been placed by the ACT leaders spouse, or by the spouse of one of the Nationalistas in parliament, then that would be different and outrage at such bad, unpolite behaviour would be based on 'being right, and being act/national/nzfirst/ and would be used as a reason to vote for the Left cause they would never abuse privileges that are given to them on the accounts of their future spouse.

      • Pete 5.1.3
        13 January 2022 at 9:40 pm

        No, that's saying they would be not commenting further. No doubt to stop the mindless continuation of the story.

        But of course that would inevitably lead to other mindlessness.

    • observer 5.2
      13 January 2022 at 8:31 pm

      From the Newshub link:

      Newshub has contacted the Prime Minister for comment.

      Which is exactly why the liars on social media tell the lies. They want the media to pick them up and run with them.

      "Today the Prime Minister has refused to comment on the rumour that she ate deep fried kakapo for breakfast, with a sauce made from kittens' tears."

      Real journalism is not repeating the lies, but tracking down the source of them, and exposing the liars. But that would be work.

    • alwyn 6.1
      13 January 2022 at 9:27 pm

      It could be worse. He could have pointed out that a degree of Bachelor of Communications Studies isn't a qualification to be PM and that a degree in Political Studies does not equip anyone to be the Minister of Finance.

      • Pete 6.1.1
        13 January 2022 at 9:45 pm

        Or that failing papers in economics at university and graduating in zoology makes you God's gift to economics and makes you the best Minister of Finance ever. As well as a political guru for the age.

        (Steven Joyce)

      • Nic the NZer 6.1.2
        13 January 2022 at 9:56 pm

        Which qualifications should be included on your CV when applying to be PM?

      • Jan Morrison 6.1.3
        13 January 2022 at 10:52 pm

        In view of your rather obvious political leanings I would say you are skating on rather thin ice, alwyn

      • weka 6.1.4
        13 January 2022 at 11:03 pm

        … a degree of Bachelor of Communications Studies isn't a qualification to be PM and that a degree in Political Studies does not equip anyone to be the Minister of Finance.

        Why not? It's not the only thing they've both done.

        • Sabine 6.1.4.1
          14 January 2022 at 11:37 am

          What else was done?

          Seriously, what else was achieved by J.A before being elevated by Labour to win an election they were bound to lose with MP Little at the helm.

          During the John Key years, Jacinda made herself known for good words in parliament and losing every single time to Nikki Kaye. What else did she avieve that would have anyone given the idea that she would tackle housing, poverty, fucked up healthcare sector, inhumane treatment at Winz and so on and so forth. And what of these things did she achieve since she has been given the mantle?

          This is not to say that there is a lack of other achievements, but then what other achievements are there that would have compelled anyone to vote for Jacinda other then 'lets get rid of John Key' and the designated white pale and stone hard stale male that is Andrew Little did not cut it with the public, and frankly after the last few years it is clear as why he was unelectable by the country.

          She is to some extend a good emergency manager, but she is nigh on useless on the day to day staff, and i would like to point out that poverty, homelessness and hunger is still a daily occurance in NZ.

  7. Reality 7
    13 January 2022 at 10:13 pm

    Or Alwyn, having worked peddling tobacco qualifies one to be a Covid spokesperson. Don't be pathetic and petty. Ability to communicate and relate to people is a vital requirement in this day and age. Just look at Judith's inability to communicate in an acceptable way for example. Now what happened to her again – oh yes, she lost her job.

  8. Shanreagh 8
    13 January 2022 at 11:52 pm

    We speak and think, some of us more deeply and with greater concern, about Long Covid.

    Here is a very sad case. It also gives more detail about some of the symptoms that the sufferers of Long Covid endure.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/12/long-covid-wife-suicide-give-others-hope