“The chief reason that we are waking up to our entanglement with the world we have been destroying, Morton says, is our encounter with the reality of hyperobjects – the term he coined to describe things such as ecosystems and black holes, which are “massively distributed in time and space” compared to individual humans. Hyperobjects might not seem to be objects in the way that, say, billiard balls are, but they are equally real, and we are now bumping up against them consciously for the first time.
Global warming might have first appeared to us as a bit of funny local weather, then as a series of independent manifestations (an unusually torrential flood here, a deadly heatwave there), but now we see it as a unified phenomenon, of which extreme weather events and the disruption of the old seasons are only elements.”
No brighter future for those workers and their families.
Interesting that some RWNJs want to blame the Grenfell fire on the tenants instead of the owners. They’re that same sort who blame workers for their own deaths.
A bit like the ‘ unsinkable ‘ Titanic’ and J Bruce Ismay, – president of the company that built the Titanic, who jumped into one of the half filled life boats and sat with his back to the Titanic as it went down…
Titanic builder J Bruce Ismay: doomed the moment he jumped ship … http://www.telegraph.co.uk › Culture › Books
‘ Same as it ever was , same as it ever was ‘…
Always reminds me of this song :
Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime (Full Length Version) (1980/ 2013 …
There will always be jobs that involve danger and if people forget or don’t follow procedure, they end up badly injured or dead, this is why there’s such a push for automation.
Unfortunately, human beings are rather suspectable to life-threatening lapses of judgement.
Sooner these types of jobs are replaced by robots or unmanned units the better.
Yep. As night follows day I knew there’d be one of them blaming the worker instead of the procedure. Even though it is incumbent upon the employer to ensure the worker is in a safe environment.
I wasn’t blaming the worker, I have no idea how she died or what caused her death.
Just pointing out that working around large moving machinery is inherently dangerous and because of that, these sort of jobs should be automated out of existence.
‘ Just pointing out that working around large moving machinery is inherently dangerous and because of that, these sort of jobs should be automated out of existence.’
I can understand that sentiment. Ive worked in construction most of my life – as a grunt.
Six years in the ARA as a ‘ Headworks assistant’ in the Waitakere Ranges ( I was proud of those years 🙂 ) whereby we often used 19th century equipment to get the job done in rugged back country so all the townies could enjoy the wonderful scenery – while not giving a thought to who maintained it.
Whats a frog? …
No… its not an animal that croaks on a lily pad,… its a U shaped 80 pound iron instrument with a thread that you place a bar ( no – not a BAAAA – that’s what sheep do ) into to lever it to bend the rail line with. Then you use a dogging hammer ( nothing to do with disciplining a sheep dog with when its snuck off with the workers lunch ) to drive a dog ( its a type of 4 – 6 inch spiked ‘nail ‘ – so take it easy all you animal activists- relax ! ) into the sleeper ( again – not a worker who takes a nap at work after a hard night out on the piss … )
We literally poured tonnes and tonnes of concrete in the most primitive of bush conditions.
Later on , I became a qualified Painter and Decorator. Still working with my hands and still bloody hot sweat type work on a construction site.
The point of all this,… is that there are many many times… when automation , although desirable, is not feasible. Perhaps in a yard where events are predictable , a flat ground operation , or even a quarry or factory situation. But there are many occupation where it is simply not and never will be.
AND THAT ,… is precisely the POINT.
That automation is NO PANACEA for human diligence and regulation.
And if those who are in charge or responsible for a situation in which large loss of life has occurred – despite ‘ automation’ – then ‘automation’ should NOT BE USED as a diversion to their negligence or incompetence.
I don’t mind BM, I can see a little of where he / shes coming from.
The difference is I’m a nationalist. Not an opportunist or a globalist . And that’s not inferring BM ‘s an opportunist or a globalist , either.
I just believe we need to moderate and regulate the excesses of human greed so all can have a jolly good outlook.
If that means the rising of taxation brackets , so be it. If that means the rising of wages , so be it. Not all can be innovators, not all can be business owners,… but for those who are not,- they should not be fiscally penalized because of their station in life though they help to produce that wealth , either. Nor should those who through infirmity , age or circumstance be excluded from the benefits of a prosperous society .
The world is divided up into society’s and communities whether we like to admit it or not , and the proper ideal is the strong providing for the weak in all situations. And despite the protestations of the aberrant to those principles , we are , as human beings , reliant on those very same principles of group security as when we first formed the earliest of society’s in Sumeria…
Nothing, … has ever changed throughout the millennia…
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams [with lyrics] – YouTube
Video for fleetwood mac when the rain washes you clen youll know you tube▶ 4:14
‘ There will always be jobs that involve danger and if people forget or don’t follow procedure, they end up badly injured or dead, this is why there’s such a push for automation.’
* Very true. However , under our Health and Safety laws it is up to both party’s – Employers and employees / contractors to follow procedures in a way that minimizes risk. And all too often – as in Pike River – we see that principle abused. And as at Pike River , the fault lay squarely with company management. To which in this country NO ONE was ever prosecuted , – simply a deal done with Peter Whittalls Insurance by WORKSAFE for Whittall to buy his way out of prosecution.
And its that sort of weasel like elitist culture that breeds the sort of cynicism and calls for vengeance from the average worker every time these right wing wankers try that shit on.
As for the push for automation?… so whats the answer for compensation in causing the mass unemployment of hundreds of thousands of people in society’s worldwide ? Can you honestly tell me the elite are suddenly going to come over all gushy , grow a conscience and become conciliatory and consent to paying higher taxes to ensure a UBI?
Or even start pay the taxes they SHOULD have been paying for decades and haven’t ?
And the wages they SHOULD have been paying but haven’t?
I think not.
And as for this :
” Sooner these types of jobs are replaced by robots or unmanned units the better.”
Have you really thought that statement through to its final conclusion?
Really?
Then good luck at getting a robot to crawl up and down a high rise building construction site without some sort of human control , then.
Then good luck at getting a robot to crawl up and down a high rise building construction site without some sort of human control , then.
Which is why I also mentioned unmanned units.
Saw an interesting video of a chap operating some sort of forestry delimbing machinery by remote control.
Looked a hell of a lot safer having him at the top of the hill out of harm’s way while the machinery he was controlling was doing the business down at the bottom of this steep bank.
There’s a point in automation – its always been around, always will be. We enjoy many benefits from technology , no doubt.
It can be a great labour saving device and definitely increase safety, no doubt.
But there are many areas where it just isn’t feasible. Again… the robots at Pike River. Not a good example but pretty illustrative. There are many industry’s where there is no way around having boots on the ground.
And I guess that there will always be an interface between the robot and human control. A simple illustration is the guy on the bulldozer versus the guy using the shovel.
But there are other times whereby an industry or company is in its infancy and simply cannot afford automation. And the human quotient is still the most efficient one.
Now here’s the rub :
Hypothetically at least , and taken to its extreme, – if all was automated and an excess of product entered the markets – it would , eventually , decrease profits to the point where because of the glut of market produce available… the question then would be,… are the profits derived equal to the costs of the raw materials extracted needed to produce that product?
And if there is no UBI , would there be the consumer base left remaining to be able to sustain the produce so manufactured by the virtue of consumerism ?
How many fridges, heaters, cars, laptops, flat screen TV’s and houses of quality are those in the third world renowned for be able to purchase to illustrate the point even further ?
But all of that is a different beast to what we are talking about than some rich fat privileged prick trying to weasel their way out of accepting culpability for blame and instead trying to pin the blame on residents of a burnt out building or a worker who will never come home to their family’s in the evening…
Good answer,… and indeed , interesting times ahead.
However, I suspect that what we will see,… is a relocation to the third world of many of the production and manufacturing jobs currently undertaken in the west, – including the IT jobs, – meanwhile… mass un employment occurring in the west and large scale social unrest.
Some occupations, a ‘skeleton’ of its former self ,… so to speak ,… will always be needed for maintenance, and basic services. I should imagine a shift in the west towards the FIRE economy , but even that will not assuage the unrest of by – then decimated middle classes .
I see a general unrest in the intended resetting of the economy ( predictions are September 2017 –
or later in an effort to dislodge Trump- which is predicted to make the Great Depression look like a mere ripple in economic history and to which Trump will ot be able to control ) redistribution of wealth of the global economy and the introduction of the cashless society. Following that , martial law introduced by increments to quell disquiet about the loss of civil freedoms and adherence to the requirements of the state.
However it will not be the requirements of a sovereign ‘ nation state’.
It will be the requirements of a supranational and internationalist ‘globalist cabal’ that uses regional ‘ free trade deals ‘ to enforce by manner of corporate laws such things as the Investor-State Dispute Settement’s .
THIS IS WHERE this is all heading.
And one of the more blatant groups who hide this in plain sight are this group :
Have a wee listen , then my old mate.
Bilderberg Elites Panic As Trump Dismantles Climate Change Hoax …
Video for climate change bilderberg you tube▶ 7:48
Caught a bit of Full House on Netflix just now. The family were going out and Michelle (Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen) asks why the family were taking two cars. Danny (Bob Saget) explains that they couldn’t all fit in one car to which Michelle replies, ‘we could all fit on the Subway and that’s better for the planet.’
Circa 1992.
Were those writers ahead of their time? Not on the US seaboards perhaps, but safe to say none of it got through to the National Party government.
Can’t quite work out Katie Hopkins here except to say she’s an unhinged shock jock who I hope has suddenly turned a corner.
She’s spent a lifetime attacking the very types of people who lived and died in the Grenfell building but now seems to have had an epiphany.
She seems to be advocating for corporate manslaughter law, which I must say is a welcome change in attitude from her. The language in this article is straight out of a left wing activist’s manual.
So I guess the right wing wankers will have no more need for all the imported Filipino workers to work for slave labour in the rural sector anymore , then , eh?
I guess Bulldust English is hoping he is happily retired on a governmental pension by that time…
Too many questions , Old Boy , too many questions…
latest poll
When it comes to seats in the House, National is set to get 58. With its three support partners, it reaches the required 61 to govern.
For the Labour/Green alliance set to get 48 seats total.
Even if it got New Zealand First’s 12 seats, the Left would only get to 60
Greens 12.5%, Labour 26.4% http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/06/poll-labour-crumbles-falling-towards-defeat.html
I reckon National could actually get an outright majority under Bill English.
Safe solid dependable, that appeals to an all mighty chunk of New Zealanders.
Little cannot compete against English they’re far too similar.
No , no , no,… BM … your starting to sound like all the other desperate wide eyed leftist fanatics about climate change here…
The numbers dont add up simply on the strength of the ‘ rouge ‘ polls numbers presented by Enough is Enough… who sadly is still thinking in terms of FPP.
That’s precisely the type of thinking that led to the virtual wiping out of Teresa May.
This is not England , it is New Zealand.
And here we have Labour , NZ First and the Greens.
Which , by sheer mathematical equation , means that a Labour led govt is a certainty. Despite the waning fortunes of the Maori party , Peter Dunne and ACT, the latter which is of course… a zombie walking…
Nay ,… tis not so much ‘ personality politics’ but those temporary media personality mercenary’s paid for and stationed deliberately by the Rupert Murdoch MSM CEO’s to influence our opinions…
As for a ‘ Trump tweet ‘… I assure you ,… it is the product of a real, live undead human being expressing their opinions,… un – choreographed, un scripted , and yes,… spontaneously constructed. With all its faults and fallibility’s.
The ‘ media personality mercenary’s paid for and stationed deliberately by the Rupert Murdoch and other MSM CEO’s to influence our opinions’ often use personality politics as their method.
Have to laugh at ACT more than doubling support by increasing by 0.5% but still not breaking 1%. Truely a party no one likes yet has still not been put out of its misery.
Or even 0.69% which is what they got in 2014. The rest is publicity (I love the Coq), parliamentary support (the suicide bill being picked ‘randomly’), and dirty politics (Farrar’s lobby group blogging).
Epsom voters not having an independent bone in their body.
They’ll still worried about Banks’ prophecy that brown people are going to come through their windows at night.
Where’s Banks now? Embroiled in a 40 year old paternity case. Through to courts on corruption charges. Separated from the wife who defended him. Still a racist fuck.
Then you get to Jamie White. An evil ideologue which New Zealand should be deporting back to Her Majesty’s Britain.
joe90 …
15 June 2017 at 11:40 pm
And the Jews are in on it, too. Am I right?.
Your pathetic suggestions , not mine.
edit: btw, other than grammar corrections, editing without annotating verges on dishonesty
* btw, other than grammar corrections
** that should read ‘ grammatical ‘ corrections for a start. I was not aware I was in the presence of a grammar NAZI who lacks formal education in correct grammatical prose. I am so humbly sorry for your first year degree lack of inadequacies … but still ,… no fault of mine.
* ‘ editing without annotating verges on dishonesty’
** You can gaff on as much as you like but The Guardian itself has outed you. So again … are you some sort of closet fascist?
You have failed the test despite your attempts at academic / intellectual superiority. Which was always so easily , yes so easily ,… seen right through for what it is…
Come back when you’ve put a few years more fat on your political / academic growth, please. Lightweights are an embarrassment to have to belt around.
The corporate media want you to think that.
Switch them off.
Use social media and bypass the right wing billionaires who own the media and control their filters.
You know it's not going to be good when your told to write your name on you helmet before you go in! pic.twitter.com/qToYAXa1k8— Mick (@crispymick) June 14, 2017
Hi Mick, can we use this image on our site please?— The Sun Picture Desk (@SunPictureDesk) June 14, 2017
Nope… Not in in your shitrag— Mick (@crispymick) June 14, 2017
The landlord of Grenfell Tower had already been given legal warnings over fire safety in two other tower blocks.
‘The landlord in charge of Grenfell Tower, where a fire broke out in the early hours on Wednesday 14 June, had been issued legal warnings over fire safety in two other tower blocks prior to the blaze that engulfed the West London property.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) is the landlord of Grenfell Tower. The 24-storey tower block with 120 flats was reported to be on fire at 12.54am on Wednesday 14 June. At the time of publishing, 50 people had been taken to hospital and six people had been confirmed dead.
Previous history
But this is not the first fire in a KCTMO-managed tower block. Because the London Fire Brigade (LFB) had previously issued it with two legal enforcement notices over fire safety, as a result of another fire.
In October 2015, a fire broke out in Adair Tower and 50 people had to be rescued from their flats. As a result, LFB issued an enforcement notice not only on Adair Tower but on the neighbouring Hazelwood Tower. And it shows a catalogue of failings.
A catalogue of failings?
The LFB notice said KCTMO had shown a:
Failure to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
Failure to apply the principles of prevention to the implementation of the preventative and protective measures identified by the risk assessment.
Failure in the effective management of the preventive and protective measures.
Failure to eliminate or reduce, so far as is reasonably practicable, dangerous substances present in or on the premises.
Failure to provide and/or maintain adequate and clearly indicated emergency routes and exits that lead to a place of safety.
Failure to establish an appropriate emergency plan.
Failure to ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices are maintained in an efficient state, in effective working order and in good repair.
A similar notice was issued for Hazelwood Tower.’
Blogger gagged by council after warning about Grenfell Tower fire threat
‘A blogger who warned the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council of the dangers lurking in Grenfell Tower was threatened by local officials for writing about problems in the building.
Home to over 600 people, Grenfell Tower, in the Lancaster West estate, west London, was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The true scale of the tragedy is only gradually becoming clear.
As early as 2013, a man named Francis O’Connor, a member of the Grenfell Action Group (GAG), urged councillors and landlord Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organization (KCTMO) to address the fire safety risks that new works on the building would cause.
GAG had several times tried to warn the council and the landlord that the building of a school and gym next to the estate would restrict emergency services’ access, including firefighting vehicles.
But a leaked letter reveals that officials at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea tried to silence the campaigners, sending a lawyer to threaten O’Connor.’
‘The cladding that might have led to the horrifying blaze at Grenfell Tower was added partly to improve its appearance.
During a refurbishment aimed at regeneration last year, cladding was added to the sides of the building to update its look. The cladding then seems to have helped the fire spread around the building, allowing it to destroy almost the entirety of the structure and kill people inside.
And that cladding – a low-cost way of improving the front of the building – was chosen in part so that the tower would look better when seen from the conservation areas and luxury flats that surround north Kensington, according to planning documents, as well as to insulate it.’
Don't politicize the Grenfell Fire.. people are literally screaming in the streets we told you so!!!! pic.twitter.com/UvHwn2zsrf— ARTIST TAXI DRIVER (@chunkymark) June 14, 2017
‘Theresa May’s new Police and Fire Minister, Nick Hurd, was among the 72 Tory MPs – who are also residential landlords – that voted against a motion to make homes “fit for human habitation.”
Many people have been reposting articles about the debate in Parliament last January in light of today’s tragedy at Grenfell Tower.
Labour submitted an amendment to the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill designed to ensure all rental properties were “fit for human habitation.”
The need to improve fire prevention was explicitly set out by then Shadow Housing Minister Teresa Pearce. Proposing the amendment, she said:
“New clause 53 is about safety and would introduce a requirement for landlords to undertake electrical safety checks. Many organisations from across the sector support the measure, such as the Local Government Association, the London fire brigade, Shelter, the Association of Residential Letting Agents, British Gas, Crisis and the Fire Officers Association. They have all given their support in the past to measures that will see the introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks.
“It is estimated that electricity causes more than 20,000 house fires each year, leading to about 350 serious injuries and 70 deaths across the UK. Carbon monoxide, gas leaks and other fires and explosions cause fewer deaths and injuries, with 300 injuries and 18 deaths—these risks remain serious and it is right that we should continue to monitor them, but that shows what is at stake as regards electrical fires in the home.”
Labour’s amendment was defeated with the help of the 72 Tory MPs who top up their Parliamentary salaries as landlords.’
Grenfell Tower fire is ‘corporate manslaughter’ and arrests must be made, MP David Lammy says
‘We should call it what it is, it’s corporate manslaughter, that’s what it is and there should be arrests made, frankly,’ the Tottenham MP said
Yes … it wouldn’t take much for those indentured contractors CEO’s to consult with local business heads to know EXACTLY what the weak points of that building was… we read that the tower was surrounded by affluent property owners with an eye to increasing the values of their already existing property’s…
We cant have a bunch of dark skinned / poor white trash holding up progress and our pecuniary gain , can we now , old bean ?
Time to move them on , time to move them on… without any fuss, quietly and quite justifiably so… just a nudge , a short sharp shock and they’ll never do it again…
Short Sharp Shock – YouTube
Video for pink floyd a short sharp shock you tube▶ 0:24
Even fellow right wing journalist Stacey Kirk manages to do a decent bit of reporting, unlike Jenna Lynch. Here she has done some actual research work instead of sitting with the Newshub video editor all day trying to mock Andrew Little.
Tories, voting in their own best interests forever.
/
At least 71 of the Tory MPs who voted against an amendment to force landlords to make sure their properties are “fit for human habitation” are private landlords themselves.
The Conservatives voted against a Labour amendment to the current Housing and Planning Bill to ensure houses were kept to a decent standard by 312 votes to 219, a majority of 93.
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California Burning: The veteran firefighters of California and Los Angeles called it “a perfect storm”. The hillsides and canyons were full of “fuel”. The LA Fire Department was underfunded, below-strength, and inadequately-equipped. A key reservoir was empty, leaving fire-hydrants without the water pressure needed for fire hoses. The power companies had ...
The Waitangi Tribunal has been one of the most effective critics of the government, pointing out repeatedly that its racist, colonialist policies breach te Tiriti o Waitangi. While it has no powers beyond those of recommendation, its truth-telling has clearly gotten under the government's skin. They had already begun to ...
I don't mind where you come fromAs long as you come to meBut I don't like illusionsI can't see them clearlyI don't care, no I wouldn't dareTo fix the twist in youYou've shown me eventually what you'll doSong: Shimon Moore, Emma Anzai, Antonina Armato, and Tim James.National Hugging Day.Today, January ...
Is Rwanda turning into a country that seeks regional dominance and exterminates its rivals? This is a contention examined by Dr Michela Wrong, and Dr Maria Armoudian. Dr Wrong is a journalist who has written best-selling books on Africa. Her latest, Do Not Disturb. The story of a political murder ...
The economy isn’t cooperating with the Government’s bet that lower interest rates will solve everything, with most metrics indicating per-capita GDP is still contracting faster and further than at any time since the 1990-96 series of government spending and welfare cuts. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short in ...
Hi,Today is the day sexual assaulter and alleged rapist Donald Trump officially became president (again).I was in a meeting for three hours this morning, so I am going to summarise what happened by sharing my friend’s text messages:So there you go.Welcome to American hell — which includes all of America’s ...
This is a re-post from the Climate BrinkI have a new paper out today in the journal Dialogues on Climate Change exploring both the range of end-of-century climate outcomes in the literature under current policies and the broader move away from high-end emissions scenarios. Current policies are defined broadly as policies in ...
Long story short: I chatted last night with ’s on the substack app about the appointment of Chris Bishop to replace Simeon Brown as Transport Minister. We talked through their different approaches and whether there’s much room for Bishop to reverse many of the anti-cycling measures Brown adopted.Our chat ...
Last night I chatted with Northland emergency doctor on the substack app for subscribers about whether the appointment of Simeon Brown to replace Shane Reti as Health Minister. We discussed whether the new minister can turn around decades of under-funding in real and per-capita terms. Our chat followed his ...
Christopher Luxon is every dismal boss who ever made you wince, or roll your eyes, or think to yourself I have absolutely got to get the hell out of this place.Get a load of what he shared with us at his cabinet reshuffle, trying to be all sensitive and gracious.Dr ...
The text of my submission to the Ministry of Health's unnecessary and politicised review of the use of puberty blockers for young trans and nonbinary people in Aotearoa. ...
Hi,Last night one of the world’s biggest social media platforms, TikTok, became inaccessible in the United States.Then, today, it came back online.Why should we care about a social network that deals in dance trends and cute babies? Well — TikTok represents a lot more than that.And its ban and subsequent ...
Sometimes I wake in the middle of the nightAnd rub my achin' old eyesIs that a voice from inside-a my headOr does it come down from the skies?"There's a time to laugh butThere's a time to weepAnd a time to make a big change"Wake-up you-bum-the-time has-comeTo arrange and re-arrange and ...
Former Health Minister Shane Reti was the main target of Luxon’s reshuffle. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāLong stories short to start the year in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate: Christopher Luxon fired Shane Reti as Health Minister and replaced him with Simeon Brown, who Luxon sees ...
Yesterday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a cabinet reshuffle, which saw Simeon Brown picking up the Health portfolio as it’s been taken off Dr Shane Reti, and Transport has been given to Chris Bishop. Additionally, Simeon’s energy and local government portfolios now sit with Simon Watts. This is very good ...
The sacking of Health Minister Shane Reti yesterday had an air of panic about it. A media advisory inviting journalists to a Sunday afternoon press conference at Premier House went out on Saturday night. Caucus members did not learn that even that was happening until yesterday morning. Reti’s fate was ...
Yesterday’s demotion of Shane Reti was inevitable. Reti’s attempt at a re-assuring bedside manner always did have a limited shelf life, and he would have been a poor and apologetic salesman on the campaign trail next year. As a trained doctor, he had every reason to be looking embarrassed about ...
A listing of 25 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, January 12, 2025 thru Sat, January 18, 2025. This week's roundup is again published soleley by category. We are still interested in feedback to hone the categorization, so if ...
After another substantial hiatus from online Chess, I’ve been taking it up again. I am genuinely terrible at five-minute Blitz, what with the tight time constraints, though I periodically con myself into thinking that I have been improving. But seeing as my past foray into Chess led to me having ...
Rise up o children wont you dance with meRise up little children come and set me freeRise little ones riseNo shame no fearDon't you know who I amSongwriter: Rebecca Laurel FountainI’m sure you know the go with this format. Some memories, some questions, letsss go…2015A decade ago, I made the ...
In 2017, when Ghahraman was elected to Parliament as a Green MP, she recounted both the highlights and challenges of her role -There was love, support, and encouragement.And on the flipside, there was intense, visceral and unchecked hate.That came with violent threats - many of them. More on that later.People ...
It gives me the biggest kick to learn that something I’ve enthused about has been enough to make you say Go on then, I'm going to do it. The e-bikes, the hearing aids, the prostate health, the cheese puffs. And now the solar power. Yes! Happy to share the details.We ...
Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. This fact brief was written by Sue Bin Park from the Gigafact team in collaboration with members from our team. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Can CO2 be ...
The old bastard left his ties and his suitA brown box, mothballs and bowling shoesAnd his opinion so you'd never have to choosePretty soon, you'll be an old bastard tooYou get smaller as the world gets bigThe more you know you know you don't know shit"The whiz man" will never ...
..Thanks for reading Frankly Speaking ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.The Numbers2024 could easily have been National’s “Annus Horribilis” and 2025 shows no signs of a reprieve for our Landlord PM Chris Luxon and his inept Finance Minister Nikki “Noboats” Willis.Several polls last year ...
This Friday afternoon, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka announced an overhaul of the Waitangi Tribunal.The government has effectively cleared house - appointing 8 new members - and combined with October’s appointment of former ACT leader Richard Prebble, that’s 9 appointees.[I am not certain, but can only presume, Prebble went in ...
The state of the current economy may be similar to when National left office in 2017.In December, a couple of days after the Treasury released its 2024 Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HEYFU24), Statistics New Zealand reported its estimate for volume GDP for the previous September 24 quarter. Instead ...
So what becomes of you, my love?When they have finally stripped you ofThe handbags and the gladragsThat your poor old granddadHad to sweat to buy you, babySongwriter: Mike D'aboIn yesterday’s newsletter, I expressed sadness at seeing Golriz Ghahraman back on the front pages for shoplifting. As someone who is no ...
It’s Friday and time for another roundup of things that caught our attention this week. This post, like all our work, is brought to you by a largely volunteer crew and made possible by generous donations from our readers and fans. If you’d like to support our work, you can join ...
Note: This Webworm discusses sexual assault and rape. Please read with care.Hi,A few weeks ago I reported on how one of New Zealand’s richest men, Nick Mowbray (he and his brother own Zuru and are worth an estimated $20 billion), had taken to sharing posts by a British man called ...
The final Atlas Network playbook puzzle piece is here, and it slipped in to Aotearoa New Zealand with little fan fare or attention. The implications are stark.Today, writes Dr Bex, the submission for the Crimes (Countering Foreign Interference) Amendment Bill closes: 11:59pm January 16, 2025.As usual, the language of the ...
Excitement in the seaside village! Look what might be coming! 400 million dollars worth of investment! In the very beating heart of the village! Are we excited and eager to see this happen, what with every last bank branch gone and shops sitting forlornly quiet awaiting a customer?Yes please, apply ...
Much discussion has been held over the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB), the latest in a series of rightwing attempts to enshrine into law pro-market precepts such as the primacy of private property ownership. Underneath the good governance and economic efficiency gobbledegook language of the Bill is an interest to strip ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to stand firm and work with allies to progress climate action as Donald Trump signals his intent to pull out of the Paris Climate Accords once again. ...
The Green Party has welcomed the provisional ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reiterated its call for New Zealand to push for an end to the unlawful occupation of Palestine. ...
The Green Party welcomes the extension of the deadline for Treaty Principles Bill submissions but continues to call on the Government to abandon the Bill. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced three new diplomatic appointments. “Our diplomats play an important role in ensuring New Zealand’s interests are maintained and enhanced across the world,” Mr Peters says. “It is a pleasure to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ...
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te Iwi – without a vision, the people will perish. The Government has achieved its target to reduce the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 per cent five years early, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. The number of households ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced the new membership of the Public Advisory Committee on Disarmament and Arms Control (PACDAC), who will serve for a three-year term. “The Committee brings together wide-ranging expertise relevant to disarmament. We have made six new appointments to the Committee and reappointed two existing members ...
Ka nui te mihi kia koutou. Kia ora, good morning, talofa, malo e lelei, bula vinaka, da jia hao, namaste, sat sri akal, assalamu alaikum. It’s so great to be here and I’m ready and pumped for 2025. Can I start by acknowledging: Simon Bridges – CEO of the Auckland ...
The Government has unveiled a bold new initiative to position New Zealand as a premier destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) that will create higher paying jobs and grow the economy. “Invest New Zealand will streamline the investment process and provide tailored support to foreign investors, to increase capital investment ...
Science, Innovation and Technology Minister Judith Collins today announced the largest reset of the New Zealand science system in more than 30 years with reforms which will boost the economy and benefit the sector. “The reforms will maximise the value of the $1.2 billion in government funding that goes into ...
Turbocharging New Zealand’s economic growth is the key to brighter days ahead for all Kiwis, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says. In the Prime Minister’s State of the Nation Speech in Auckland today, Christopher Luxon laid out the path to the prosperity that will affect all aspects of New Zealanders’ lives. ...
The latest set of accounts show the Government has successfully checked the runaway growth of public spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “In the previous government’s final five months in office, public spending was almost 10 per cent higher than for the same period the previous year. “That is completely ...
The Government’s welfare reforms are delivering results with the number of people moving off benefits into work increasing year-on-year for six straight months. “There are positive signs that our welfare reset and the return consequences for job seekers who don't fulfil their obligations to prepare for or find a job ...
Jon Kroll and Aimee McCammon have been appointed to the New Zealand Film Commission Board, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says. “I am delighted to appoint these two new board members who will bring a wealth of industry, governance, and commercial experience to the Film Commission. “Jon Kroll has been an ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis has hailed a drop in the domestic component of inflation, saying it increases the prospect of mortgage rate reductions and a lower cost of living for Kiwi households. Stats NZ reported today that inflation was 2.2 per cent in the year to December, the second consecutive ...
Two new appointed members and one reappointed member of the Employment Relations Authority have been announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today. “I’m pleased to announce the new appointed members Helen van Druten and Matthew Piper to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and welcome them to ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has delivered a refreshed team focused on unleashing economic growth to make people better off, create more opportunities for business and help us afford the world-class health and education Kiwis deserve. “Last year, we made solid progress on the economy. Inflation has fallen significantly and now ...
Veterans’ Affairs and a pan-iwi charitable trust have teamed up to extend the reach and range of support available to veterans in the Bay of Plenty, Veterans Minister Chris Penk says. “A major issue we face is identifying veterans who are eligible for support,” Mr Penk says. “Incredibly, we do ...
A host of new appointments will strengthen the Waitangi Tribunal and help ensure it remains fit for purpose, Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka says. “As the Tribunal nears its fiftieth anniversary, the appointments coming on board will give it the right balance of skills to continue its important mahi hearing ...
Almost 22,000 FamilyBoost claims have been paid in the first 15 days of the year, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. The ability to claim for FamilyBoost’s second quarter opened on January 1, and since then 21,936 claims have been paid. “I’m delighted people have made claiming FamilyBoost a priority on ...
The Government has delivered a funding boost to upgrade critical communication networks for Maritime New Zealand and Coastguard New Zealand, ensuring frontline search and rescue services can save lives and keep Kiwis safe on the water, Transport Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey say. “New Zealand has ...
Mahi has begun that will see dozens of affordable rental homes developed in Gisborne - a sign the Government’s partnership with Iwi is enabling more homes where they’re needed most, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. Mr Potaka attended a sod-turning ceremony to mark the start of earthworks for 48 ...
New Zealand welcomes the ceasefire deal to end hostilities in Gaza, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Over the past 15 months, this conflict has caused incomprehensible human suffering. We acknowledge the efforts of all those involved in the negotiations to bring an end to the misery, particularly the US, Qatar ...
The Associate Minster of Transport has this week told the community that work is progressing to ensure they have a secure and suitable shipping solution in place to give the Island certainty for its future. “I was pleased with the level of engagement the Request for Information process the Ministry ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour says he is proud of the Government’s commitment to increasing medicines access for New Zealanders, resulting in a big uptick in the number of medicines being funded. “The Government is putting patients first. In the first half of the current financial year there were more ...
New Zealand's first-class free trade deal and investment treaty with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been signed. In Abu Dhabi, together with UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, New Zealand Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, witnessed the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and accompanying investment treaty ...
The latest NZIER Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion, which shows the highest level of general business confidence since 2021, is a sign the economy is moving in the right direction, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says. “When businesses have the confidence to invest and grow, it means more jobs and higher ...
Events over the last few weeks have highlighted the importance of strong biosecurity to New Zealand. Our staff at the border are increasingly vigilant after German authorities confirmed the country's first outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in nearly 40 years on Friday in a herd of water buffalo ...
Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee reminds the public that they now have an opportunity to have their say on the rewrite of the Arms Act 1983. “As flagged prior to Christmas, the consultation period for the Arms Act rewrite has opened today and will run through until 28 February 2025,” ...
Complaints about disruptive behaviour now handled in around 13 days (down from around 60 days a year ago) 553 Section 55A notices issued by Kāinga Ora since July 2024, up from 41 issued during the same period in the previous year. Of that 553, first notices made up around 83 ...
The time it takes to process building determinations has improved significantly over the last year which means fewer delays in homes being built, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “New Zealand has a persistent shortage of houses. Making it easier and quicker for new homes to be built will ...
Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is pleased to announce the annual list of New Zealand’s most popular baby names for 2024. “For the second consecutive year, Noah has claimed the top spot for boys with 250 babies sharing the name, while Isla has returned to the most popular ...
Work is set to get underway on a new bus station at Westgate this week. A contract has been awarded to HEB Construction to start a package of enabling works to get the site ready in advance of main construction beginning in mid-2025, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says.“A new Westgate ...
Minister for Children and for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour is encouraging people to use the resources available to them to get help, and to report instances of family and sexual violence amongst their friends, families, and loved ones who are in need. “The death of a ...
ACT leader David Seymour is being slammed for his "extreme right-wing policies" after saying Aotearoa needs to get past its "squeamishness" about privatisation. ...
By Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor, RNZ Pacific manager RNZ International (RNZI) began broadcasting to the Pacific region 35 years ago — on 24 January 1990, the same day the Auckland Commonwealth Games opened. Its news bulletins and programmes were carried by a brand new 100kW transmitter. The service was rebranded as RNZ ...
If you believe Prime Minister Chris Luxon economic growth will solve our problems and, if this is not just around the corner, it is at least on the horizon. It won’t be too long before things are “awesome” again. If you believe David Seymour the country is beset by much greater ...
Opinion: New Zealand’s universities are failing to prepare students for the entrepreneurial realities of the modern economy. That is a key finding of the Science System Advisory Group report released Thursday as part of the Government’s major science sector overhaul.The report highlights major gaps in entrepreneurship and industry-focused training. PhD ...
I first met Neve at a house party in Mount Maunganui. She was tall, blonde and tanned. An influencer typecast. She wore a string of pearls and a shell necklace that sat around her collarbones, and a silk dress that barely passed her crotch. Her hair was in tight curls—I ...
The Angry LeftSummer in New Zealand, and what does Christopher Luxon do about it? He goes fishing. Unbelievable.And worse, he does it in a boat. How tone-deaf is that? There he is, fishing, at sea, in a boat that would be better put to some practical use, like housing. How ...
A Complete Unknown may be fictionalised but it gets the key parts right. What is biography for? Especially the biopic, in which years and people and facts must be compressed into a mass-audience-friendly, sub-three-hour format. And what does biography do with an artist as immortal, inimitable and unwilling as Bob ...
The pool is a summery delight for swimmers and a smart move from the mayor. Last week I walked through Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter, commando and braless. After smugly setting off that morning for my second swim at the Karanga Plaza pool, dubbed Browny’s Pool by mayor Wayne Brown, I realised ...
Following his headline act in the Christchurch Buskers Festival, Alex Casey chats to Sam Wills about spending two decades as the elusive Tape Face. It’s a Thursday night at The Isaac Theatre Royal in Ōtautahi, and the fly swats, rubbish bags, and coat hangers littered across the stage make it ...
In my late 50s, I discovered long-distance hiking – and woke up to a new life infused with the rhythms of nature. The Spinoff Essay showcases the best essayists in Aotearoa, on topics big and small. Made possible by the generous support of our members.It began innocuously, just before my ...
The comedian and actor takes us through his life in television, including the British sitcom that changed his life and the trauma of 80s Telethons. You may know him best as Murray from Flight of the Conchords, or Stede Bonnet from Our Flag Means Death, but Rhys Darby is taking ...
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. Nearly every piece of advice or social trend can be boiled down to encouraging people to say “yes” more or “no” more. Dating advice has a foundation of saying yes, putting yourself out there, being open to new people and possibilities. The ...
Asia Pacific Report The Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network (FPSN) and its allies have called for “justice and accountability” over Israel’s 15 months of genocide and war crimes. The Pacific-based network met in a solidarity gathering last night in the capital Suva hosted by the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and ...
Analysis - There needs to be recognition of the significant risks associated with focusing on mining and tourism, Glenn Banks and Regina Scheyvens write. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Patrick Taylor, Chief Environmental Scientist, EPA Victoria; Honorary Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Andriana Syvanych/Shutterstock Most of us are fortunate that, when we turn on the tap, clean, safe and high-quality water comes out. But a senate inquiry ...
Analysis: Try as they might, Christopher Luxon and his partners in NZ First have been unable to distance themselves from the division caused by the Treaty Principles Bill, hampering the potential for further progress in areas where the Prime Minister believes the Crown and tangata whenua can collaborate.While the celebration ...
The Treaty Principles Bill continues to dog the National Party despite Luxon's repeated efforts to communicate the legislation will not go beyond second reading. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julia Richardson, Professor of Human Resource Management, Head of School of Management, Curtin University Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock US President Donald Trump has called time on working from home. An executive order signed on the first day of his presidency this week requires all ...
The prime minister says he can mend the relationship with Māori after the bill is voted down, and he would refuse a future referendum in the next election's coalition negotiations. ...
Forest & Bird will continue to support New Zealanders to oppose these destructive activities and reminds the Prime Minister that in 2010, 40,000 people marched down Queen Street, demanding that high-value conservation land be protected from mining. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Glenn Banks, Professor of Geography, School of People, Environment and Planning, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University Getty Images Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s state-of-the-nation address yesterday focused on growth above all else. We shouldn’t rush to judgement, but at least ...
RNZ Pacific Fiji’s Minister for Health and Medical Services has declared an HIV outbreak. Dr Ratu Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu announced 1093 new HIV cases from the period of January to September 2024. “This declaration reflects the alarming reality that HIV is evolving faster than our current services can cater for,” ...
Acting PSA National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons says the ACT proposals would take money from public services and funnel it towards private providers. Privatisation will inevitably mean syphoning money off from providing services for all to pay profits ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claudio Bozzi, Lecturer in Law, Deakin University Shutterstock On his way to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte to officially open a new US$3.6 billion (A$5.8 billion) deepwater ...
A new poem by Zoë Deans. Fleeced just call me Hemingway because I’m earnest get it? I’m always falling for it, always saying “really?” mammal-eyed me, begging for the next epiphany, gagging for the magic, hot for sweetness and spring. tell me the stories of the world bounding along all ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (Piatkus, $38) “Get your leathers, we have dragons to ride,” goes ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Toby Murray, Professor of Cybersecurity, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne Before the end of its first full day of operations, the new Trump administration gutted all advisory panels for the Department of Homeland Security. Among these was ...
Pacific Media Watch The Al Jazeera Network has condemned the arrest of its occupied West Bank correspondent by Palestinian security services as a bid by the Israeli occupation to “block media coverage” of the military attack on Jenin. Israeli soldiers have killed at least 12 Palestinians in the three-day military ...
Nice, but longish read, about the relationship between the Anthropocene Era and philosophy:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/15/timothy-morton-anthropocene-philosopher
“The chief reason that we are waking up to our entanglement with the world we have been destroying, Morton says, is our encounter with the reality of hyperobjects – the term he coined to describe things such as ecosystems and black holes, which are “massively distributed in time and space” compared to individual humans. Hyperobjects might not seem to be objects in the way that, say, billiard balls are, but they are equally real, and we are now bumping up against them consciously for the first time.
Global warming might have first appeared to us as a bit of funny local weather, then as a series of independent manifestations (an unusually torrential flood here, a deadly heatwave there), but now we see it as a unified phenomenon, of which extreme weather events and the disruption of the old seasons are only elements.”
Here’s alink to a Doug Lain interviewing Timothy morton. It’s a bit old but worth a listen.
http://douglaslain.net/diet-soap-podcast-197-hyperobjects-neurotic-ecology/
Also this lecture series is also really good
https://archive.org/details/Romanticism1
Poor audio quality but
Woman dead after accident at industrial site in Hastings
Another death at work in what was obviously dangerous machinery without the proper safeguards.
Will the shareholders and directors be held properly to account for this?
Was that today? There was another in Penrose.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11876742
No brighter future for those workers and their families.
Interesting that some RWNJs want to blame the Grenfell fire on the tenants instead of the owners. They’re that same sort who blame workers for their own deaths.
A bit like the ‘ unsinkable ‘ Titanic’ and J Bruce Ismay, – president of the company that built the Titanic, who jumped into one of the half filled life boats and sat with his back to the Titanic as it went down…
Titanic builder J Bruce Ismay: doomed the moment he jumped ship …
http://www.telegraph.co.uk › Culture › Books
‘ Same as it ever was , same as it ever was ‘…
Always reminds me of this song :
Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime (Full Length Version) (1980/ 2013 …
There will always be jobs that involve danger and if people forget or don’t follow procedure, they end up badly injured or dead, this is why there’s such a push for automation.
Unfortunately, human beings are rather suspectable to life-threatening lapses of judgement.
Sooner these types of jobs are replaced by robots or unmanned units the better.
Dance on her grave all you like, BM.
Yep. As night follows day I knew there’d be one of them blaming the worker instead of the procedure. Even though it is incumbent upon the employer to ensure the worker is in a safe environment.
I wasn’t blaming the worker, I have no idea how she died or what caused her death.
Just pointing out that working around large moving machinery is inherently dangerous and because of that, these sort of jobs should be automated out of existence.
Oh, so it was just sheer innocent coincidence that you elected to share these victim-blaming insights in response to DtB’s comment?
On the one hand I’m disgusted, but not surprised, that you sink so low, and on the other it’s always worth being reminded what the National Party is.
‘ Just pointing out that working around large moving machinery is inherently dangerous and because of that, these sort of jobs should be automated out of existence.’
I can understand that sentiment. Ive worked in construction most of my life – as a grunt.
Six years in the ARA as a ‘ Headworks assistant’ in the Waitakere Ranges ( I was proud of those years 🙂 ) whereby we often used 19th century equipment to get the job done in rugged back country so all the townies could enjoy the wonderful scenery – while not giving a thought to who maintained it.
Whats a frog? …
No… its not an animal that croaks on a lily pad,… its a U shaped 80 pound iron instrument with a thread that you place a bar ( no – not a BAAAA – that’s what sheep do ) into to lever it to bend the rail line with. Then you use a dogging hammer ( nothing to do with disciplining a sheep dog with when its snuck off with the workers lunch ) to drive a dog ( its a type of 4 – 6 inch spiked ‘nail ‘ – so take it easy all you animal activists- relax ! ) into the sleeper ( again – not a worker who takes a nap at work after a hard night out on the piss … )
We literally poured tonnes and tonnes of concrete in the most primitive of bush conditions.
Later on , I became a qualified Painter and Decorator. Still working with my hands and still bloody hot sweat type work on a construction site.
The point of all this,… is that there are many many times… when automation , although desirable, is not feasible. Perhaps in a yard where events are predictable , a flat ground operation , or even a quarry or factory situation. But there are many occupation where it is simply not and never will be.
AND THAT ,… is precisely the POINT.
That automation is NO PANACEA for human diligence and regulation.
And if those who are in charge or responsible for a situation in which large loss of life has occurred – despite ‘ automation’ – then ‘automation’ should NOT BE USED as a diversion to their negligence or incompetence.
EVER.
I would get stuck into bm too but I have showered already this evening.
You feel dirty engaging with some folk.
I don’t mind BM, I can see a little of where he / shes coming from.
The difference is I’m a nationalist. Not an opportunist or a globalist . And that’s not inferring BM ‘s an opportunist or a globalist , either.
I just believe we need to moderate and regulate the excesses of human greed so all can have a jolly good outlook.
If that means the rising of taxation brackets , so be it. If that means the rising of wages , so be it. Not all can be innovators, not all can be business owners,… but for those who are not,- they should not be fiscally penalized because of their station in life though they help to produce that wealth , either. Nor should those who through infirmity , age or circumstance be excluded from the benefits of a prosperous society .
The world is divided up into society’s and communities whether we like to admit it or not , and the proper ideal is the strong providing for the weak in all situations. And despite the protestations of the aberrant to those principles , we are , as human beings , reliant on those very same principles of group security as when we first formed the earliest of society’s in Sumeria…
Nothing, … has ever changed throughout the millennia…
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams [with lyrics] – YouTube
Video for fleetwood mac when the rain washes you clen youll know you tube▶ 4:14
Repulsive views, as ever..
Cyber Scum. They exist.
‘ There will always be jobs that involve danger and if people forget or don’t follow procedure, they end up badly injured or dead, this is why there’s such a push for automation.’
* Very true. However , under our Health and Safety laws it is up to both party’s – Employers and employees / contractors to follow procedures in a way that minimizes risk. And all too often – as in Pike River – we see that principle abused. And as at Pike River , the fault lay squarely with company management. To which in this country NO ONE was ever prosecuted , – simply a deal done with Peter Whittalls Insurance by WORKSAFE for Whittall to buy his way out of prosecution.
And its that sort of weasel like elitist culture that breeds the sort of cynicism and calls for vengeance from the average worker every time these right wing wankers try that shit on.
As for the push for automation?… so whats the answer for compensation in causing the mass unemployment of hundreds of thousands of people in society’s worldwide ? Can you honestly tell me the elite are suddenly going to come over all gushy , grow a conscience and become conciliatory and consent to paying higher taxes to ensure a UBI?
Or even start pay the taxes they SHOULD have been paying for decades and haven’t ?
And the wages they SHOULD have been paying but haven’t?
I think not.
And as for this :
” Sooner these types of jobs are replaced by robots or unmanned units the better.”
Have you really thought that statement through to its final conclusion?
Really?
Then good luck at getting a robot to crawl up and down a high rise building construction site without some sort of human control , then.
Then good luck at getting a robot to crawl up and down a high rise building construction site without some sort of human control , then.
Which is why I also mentioned unmanned units.
Saw an interesting video of a chap operating some sort of forestry delimbing machinery by remote control.
Looked a hell of a lot safer having him at the top of the hill out of harm’s way while the machinery he was controlling was doing the business down at the bottom of this steep bank.
There’s a point in automation – its always been around, always will be. We enjoy many benefits from technology , no doubt.
It can be a great labour saving device and definitely increase safety, no doubt.
But there are many areas where it just isn’t feasible. Again… the robots at Pike River. Not a good example but pretty illustrative. There are many industry’s where there is no way around having boots on the ground.
And I guess that there will always be an interface between the robot and human control. A simple illustration is the guy on the bulldozer versus the guy using the shovel.
But there are other times whereby an industry or company is in its infancy and simply cannot afford automation. And the human quotient is still the most efficient one.
Now here’s the rub :
Hypothetically at least , and taken to its extreme, – if all was automated and an excess of product entered the markets – it would , eventually , decrease profits to the point where because of the glut of market produce available… the question then would be,… are the profits derived equal to the costs of the raw materials extracted needed to produce that product?
And if there is no UBI , would there be the consumer base left remaining to be able to sustain the produce so manufactured by the virtue of consumerism ?
How many fridges, heaters, cars, laptops, flat screen TV’s and houses of quality are those in the third world renowned for be able to purchase to illustrate the point even further ?
But all of that is a different beast to what we are talking about than some rich fat privileged prick trying to weasel their way out of accepting culpability for blame and instead trying to pin the blame on residents of a burnt out building or a worker who will never come home to their family’s in the evening…
ISN’T IT .
Who’s going to buy all the stuff the robots make in your grave-dancing future?
No idea, interesting times ahead.
Good answer,… and indeed , interesting times ahead.
However, I suspect that what we will see,… is a relocation to the third world of many of the production and manufacturing jobs currently undertaken in the west, – including the IT jobs, – meanwhile… mass un employment occurring in the west and large scale social unrest.
Some occupations, a ‘skeleton’ of its former self ,… so to speak ,… will always be needed for maintenance, and basic services. I should imagine a shift in the west towards the FIRE economy , but even that will not assuage the unrest of by – then decimated middle classes .
I see a general unrest in the intended resetting of the economy ( predictions are September 2017 –
or later in an effort to dislodge Trump- which is predicted to make the Great Depression look like a mere ripple in economic history and to which Trump will ot be able to control ) redistribution of wealth of the global economy and the introduction of the cashless society. Following that , martial law introduced by increments to quell disquiet about the loss of civil freedoms and adherence to the requirements of the state.
However it will not be the requirements of a sovereign ‘ nation state’.
It will be the requirements of a supranational and internationalist ‘globalist cabal’ that uses regional ‘ free trade deals ‘ to enforce by manner of corporate laws such things as the Investor-State Dispute Settement’s .
THIS IS WHERE this is all heading.
And one of the more blatant groups who hide this in plain sight are this group :
Have a wee listen , then my old mate.
Bilderberg Elites Panic As Trump Dismantles Climate Change Hoax …
Video for climate change bilderberg you tube▶ 7:48
Why is this kind of repugnant trolling permitted by the mods? If the answer is it’s ok by the policy then the policy is an ass.
No
Caught a bit of Full House on Netflix just now. The family were going out and Michelle (Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen) asks why the family were taking two cars. Danny (Bob Saget) explains that they couldn’t all fit in one car to which Michelle replies, ‘we could all fit on the Subway and that’s better for the planet.’
Circa 1992.
Were those writers ahead of their time? Not on the US seaboards perhaps, but safe to say none of it got through to the National Party government.
Can’t quite work out Katie Hopkins here except to say she’s an unhinged shock jock who I hope has suddenly turned a corner.
She’s spent a lifetime attacking the very types of people who lived and died in the Grenfell building but now seems to have had an epiphany.
She seems to be advocating for corporate manslaughter law, which I must say is a welcome change in attitude from her. The language in this article is straight out of a left wing activist’s manual.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4604942/KATIE-HOPKINS-Jail-blame-Grenfell-fire.html
Can we say that RWNJs are never, ever brought to the table on social issues until they are forced to, often by loss of life?
Change the government in September.
A newly-developed robotic rover could become the workhorse of New Zealand’s fruit industry (video)
Article
They’re saying about two years before it’s in the field.
So I guess the right wing wankers will have no more need for all the imported Filipino workers to work for slave labour in the rural sector anymore , then , eh?
I guess Bulldust English is hoping he is happily retired on a governmental pension by that time…
Too many questions , Old Boy , too many questions…
latest poll
When it comes to seats in the House, National is set to get 58. With its three support partners, it reaches the required 61 to govern.
For the Labour/Green alliance set to get 48 seats total.
Even if it got New Zealand First’s 12 seats, the Left would only get to 60
Greens 12.5%, Labour 26.4%
http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2017/06/poll-labour-crumbles-falling-towards-defeat.html
Clearly a rouge poll. There is no way labour can be going backwards
I wonder if this poll will get its own thread….
Wonder Girl Ardern sounds like she is ready to throw in the towel. This poll certainly won’t help.
Going by the sexist BS in that comment you must be a National voter.
Do you care about child poverty?
http://www.childpoverty.co.nz/
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/93583589/unicef-report-wellbeing-of-kiwi-kids-languishes-behind-other-developed-countries
I hear all the cool kids are sporting rouge polls.
/
YES ,… I quite like the idea of being part of a ‘ rouge ‘ poll… sounds exciting !!!
What the dickens is a ‘ rouge’ poll???
Did you mean a ‘ rogue’ poll?
What do you think?
I reckon National could actually get an outright majority under Bill English.
Safe solid dependable, that appeals to an all mighty chunk of New Zealanders.
Little cannot compete against English they’re far too similar.
“that appeals to an all mighty chunk of New Zealanders”
Really?
https://infogr.am/after_the_next_general_election_which_outcome_do_you_most_want
I love the way your hubris means you assume you can speak for others,
No , no , no,… BM … your starting to sound like all the other desperate wide eyed leftist fanatics about climate change here…
The numbers dont add up simply on the strength of the ‘ rouge ‘ polls numbers presented by Enough is Enough… who sadly is still thinking in terms of FPP.
That’s precisely the type of thinking that led to the virtual wiping out of Teresa May.
This is not England , it is New Zealand.
And here we have Labour , NZ First and the Greens.
Which , by sheer mathematical equation , means that a Labour led govt is a certainty. Despite the waning fortunes of the Maori party , Peter Dunne and ACT, the latter which is of course… a zombie walking…
BM’s puppet master has given him his lines to repeat fore the day.
If he can bore the younguns out of the will to vote, and Bingles is the go to guy for that.
Personally politics.
That’s all you neoliberals know.
Sad.
That could be close to a trump tweet lol
Nay ,… tis not so much ‘ personality politics’ but those temporary media personality mercenary’s paid for and stationed deliberately by the Rupert Murdoch MSM CEO’s to influence our opinions…
As for a ‘ Trump tweet ‘… I assure you ,… it is the product of a real, live undead human being expressing their opinions,… un – choreographed, un scripted , and yes,… spontaneously constructed. With all its faults and fallibility’s.
What would you rather have?
The ‘ media personality mercenary’s paid for and stationed deliberately by the Rupert Murdoch and other MSM CEO’s to influence our opinions’ often use personality politics as their method.
Lol I just meant the word sad at the end but please do carry on
Typo..personality politics.
Have to laugh at ACT more than doubling support by increasing by 0.5% but still not breaking 1%. Truely a party no one likes yet has still not been put out of its misery.
Yet they get so much coverage…….much more than 1%
Or even 0.69% which is what they got in 2014. The rest is publicity (I love the Coq), parliamentary support (the suicide bill being picked ‘randomly’), and dirty politics (Farrar’s lobby group blogging).
Mora’s Panel has a lot of support from ACT ideologues.
Epsom voters not having an independent bone in their body.
They’ll still worried about Banks’ prophecy that brown people are going to come through their windows at night.
Where’s Banks now? Embroiled in a 40 year old paternity case. Through to courts on corruption charges. Separated from the wife who defended him. Still a racist fuck.
Then you get to Jamie White. An evil ideologue which New Zealand should be deporting back to Her Majesty’s Britain.
Are libertarians deluded ideologues or pragmatic thieves?
100% Globalists and lackeys of the anti sovereign New World Order of which George Bush Senior so often liked to include in so many of his speeches…
And to which President Trump has just dealt a kick in the nuts to when he pulled out of the Paris Accords…
George H.W. Bush New World Order Speech – YouTube
Video for george bush senior speeches about the new world order you tube▶ 1:14
Fake.
Oh really … another one uneducated and in denial…
Read this then , … you fool.
How Bush’s grandfather helped Hitler’s rise to power | World news …
https://www.theguardian.com › World › Second world war
And in case you are wondering how… copy and paste the whole title to google. Are you some sort of closet fascist sympathizer ?
And the Jews are in on it, too. Am I right?.
edit: btw, other than grammar corrections, editing without annotating verges on dishonesty
joe90 …
15 June 2017 at 11:40 pm
And the Jews are in on it, too. Am I right?.
Your pathetic suggestions , not mine.
edit: btw, other than grammar corrections, editing without annotating verges on dishonesty
* btw, other than grammar corrections
** that should read ‘ grammatical ‘ corrections for a start. I was not aware I was in the presence of a grammar NAZI who lacks formal education in correct grammatical prose. I am so humbly sorry for your first year degree lack of inadequacies … but still ,… no fault of mine.
* ‘ editing without annotating verges on dishonesty’
** You can gaff on as much as you like but The Guardian itself has outed you. So again … are you some sort of closet fascist?
You have failed the test despite your attempts at academic / intellectual superiority. Which was always so easily , yes so easily ,… seen right through for what it is…
Come back when you’ve put a few years more fat on your political / academic growth, please. Lightweights are an embarrassment to have to belt around.
Oh dear, the semi literate cretin fancies himself.
And the vain victim of their superiority complex doesn’t even realize their own mental prison.
As I said… come back when you’ve grown up a little bit more… lightweight.
Cubs have Momma bear to protect them… so who’s your Daddy?
Don’t waste my time.
The corporate media want you to think that.
Switch them off.
Use social media and bypass the right wing billionaires who own the media and control their filters.
Yes but the problem , old boy , is that MSM is horrific in getting it wrong these days…
And according to Enough is Enough , … this is the findings of a ‘ rouge ‘ poll… whatever that is…
Winston will go with Labour and the Greens will too… and that means a Labour led govt despite Peter Dunne’s protestations…
Mick is a London firefighter.
https://twitter.com/crispymick/status/874999483326754817
good for him.
The landlord of Grenfell Tower had already been given legal warnings over fire safety in two other tower blocks.
‘The landlord in charge of Grenfell Tower, where a fire broke out in the early hours on Wednesday 14 June, had been issued legal warnings over fire safety in two other tower blocks prior to the blaze that engulfed the West London property.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) is the landlord of Grenfell Tower. The 24-storey tower block with 120 flats was reported to be on fire at 12.54am on Wednesday 14 June. At the time of publishing, 50 people had been taken to hospital and six people had been confirmed dead.
Previous history
But this is not the first fire in a KCTMO-managed tower block. Because the London Fire Brigade (LFB) had previously issued it with two legal enforcement notices over fire safety, as a result of another fire.
In October 2015, a fire broke out in Adair Tower and 50 people had to be rescued from their flats. As a result, LFB issued an enforcement notice not only on Adair Tower but on the neighbouring Hazelwood Tower. And it shows a catalogue of failings.
A catalogue of failings?
The LFB notice said KCTMO had shown a:
Failure to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
Failure to apply the principles of prevention to the implementation of the preventative and protective measures identified by the risk assessment.
Failure in the effective management of the preventive and protective measures.
Failure to eliminate or reduce, so far as is reasonably practicable, dangerous substances present in or on the premises.
Failure to provide and/or maintain adequate and clearly indicated emergency routes and exits that lead to a place of safety.
Failure to establish an appropriate emergency plan.
Failure to ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices are maintained in an efficient state, in effective working order and in good repair.
A similar notice was issued for Hazelwood Tower.’
https://www.thecanary.co/2017/06/14/landlord-grenfell-tower-already-given-legal-warnings-fire-safety-two-tower-blocks-video/
Blogger gagged by council after warning about Grenfell Tower fire threat
‘A blogger who warned the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council of the dangers lurking in Grenfell Tower was threatened by local officials for writing about problems in the building.
Home to over 600 people, Grenfell Tower, in the Lancaster West estate, west London, was engulfed in flames in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The true scale of the tragedy is only gradually becoming clear.
As early as 2013, a man named Francis O’Connor, a member of the Grenfell Action Group (GAG), urged councillors and landlord Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organization (KCTMO) to address the fire safety risks that new works on the building would cause.
GAG had several times tried to warn the council and the landlord that the building of a school and gym next to the estate would restrict emergency services’ access, including firefighting vehicles.
But a leaked letter reveals that officials at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea tried to silence the campaigners, sending a lawyer to threaten O’Connor.’
https://www.rt.com/uk/392272-council-grentfell-blogger-fire/
Pilgrim Tucker, of #GrenfellTower Action details how residents concerns over safety have been treated. All for profit.
https://twitter.com/EL4JC/status/875109518107193344
Grenfell Action Group warned the local authority that their estate was at risk of fire.
From 2016 –
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/kctmo-playing-with-fire/
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/
Criminal.
And as with the CTV building and Pike River, dollars to donuts they’ll get away with it, too.
Pike River.
Our Grenfell.
David Lammy says ‘We should call it what it is, it’s corporate manslaughter,
Did they die so the rich would have a nicer view?
‘The cladding that might have led to the horrifying blaze at Grenfell Tower was added partly to improve its appearance.
During a refurbishment aimed at regeneration last year, cladding was added to the sides of the building to update its look. The cladding then seems to have helped the fire spread around the building, allowing it to destroy almost the entirety of the structure and kill people inside.
And that cladding – a low-cost way of improving the front of the building – was chosen in part so that the tower would look better when seen from the conservation areas and luxury flats that surround north Kensington, according to planning documents, as well as to insulate it.’
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/grenfell-tower-cladding-fire-cause-improve-kensington-block-flats-appearance-blaze-24-storey-west-a7789951.html
Dude says it all.
https://twitter.com/chunkymark/status/875005091199283200
edit:
https://twitter.com/chunkymark/status/875225908831019008
‘Theresa May’s new Police and Fire Minister, Nick Hurd, was among the 72 Tory MPs – who are also residential landlords – that voted against a motion to make homes “fit for human habitation.”
Many people have been reposting articles about the debate in Parliament last January in light of today’s tragedy at Grenfell Tower.
Labour submitted an amendment to the Government’s Housing and Planning Bill designed to ensure all rental properties were “fit for human habitation.”
The need to improve fire prevention was explicitly set out by then Shadow Housing Minister Teresa Pearce. Proposing the amendment, she said:
“New clause 53 is about safety and would introduce a requirement for landlords to undertake electrical safety checks. Many organisations from across the sector support the measure, such as the Local Government Association, the London fire brigade, Shelter, the Association of Residential Letting Agents, British Gas, Crisis and the Fire Officers Association. They have all given their support in the past to measures that will see the introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks.
“It is estimated that electricity causes more than 20,000 house fires each year, leading to about 350 serious injuries and 70 deaths across the UK. Carbon monoxide, gas leaks and other fires and explosions cause fewer deaths and injuries, with 300 injuries and 18 deaths—these risks remain serious and it is right that we should continue to monitor them, but that shows what is at stake as regards electrical fires in the home.”
Labour’s amendment was defeated with the help of the 72 Tory MPs who top up their Parliamentary salaries as landlords.’
https://politicalscrapbook.net/2017/06/new-fire-minister-was-among-72-tory-landlords-who-voted-against-homes-fit-for-human-habitation/
Grenfell Tower fire is ‘corporate manslaughter’ and arrests must be made, MP David Lammy says
‘We should call it what it is, it’s corporate manslaughter, that’s what it is and there should be arrests made, frankly,’ the Tottenham MP said
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/grenfell-tower-fire-corporate-manslaughter-arrests-david-lammy-mp-labour-london-kensington-a7790911.html
Yes … it wouldn’t take much for those indentured contractors CEO’s to consult with local business heads to know EXACTLY what the weak points of that building was… we read that the tower was surrounded by affluent property owners with an eye to increasing the values of their already existing property’s…
We cant have a bunch of dark skinned / poor white trash holding up progress and our pecuniary gain , can we now , old bean ?
Time to move them on , time to move them on… without any fuss, quietly and quite justifiably so… just a nudge , a short sharp shock and they’ll never do it again…
Short Sharp Shock – YouTube
Video for pink floyd a short sharp shock you tube▶ 0:24
Even fellow right wing journalist Stacey Kirk manages to do a decent bit of reporting, unlike Jenna Lynch. Here she has done some actual research work instead of sitting with the Newshub video editor all day trying to mock Andrew Little.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/93710597/migrants-coming-into-new-zealand-at-a-faster-rate-of-knots-compared-to-other-countries-figures
Tories, voting in their own best interests forever.
/
At least 71 of the Tory MPs who voted against an amendment to force landlords to make sure their properties are “fit for human habitation” are private landlords themselves.
The Conservatives voted against a Labour amendment to the current Housing and Planning Bill to ensure houses were kept to a decent standard by 312 votes to 219, a majority of 93.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/full-list-landlord-tory-mps-who-voted-against-making-properties-fit-human-habitation-1537725?
There are words for people like this.
Yes and unfortunately , it has nothing to do with people humorously sung about in songs like this :
Irish Rovers – Patsy Fagan – YouTube
Video for patsy fagan irish rovers you tube▶ 2:01