Character references are not what they used to be and psycho-metric evaluations have taken over but these don’t work well with outliers, i.e. individuals who deviate from the norm so much that they’re off the scale. The saying that you can’t manage what you can’t measure does apply in this context. Good fodder for future historians and cartoonists.
It's a curious thing but back in the day I was told psychometrics were best at finding the outliers (or strong indicators), and least reliable with folk who demonstrated fewer outlying traits. Then again, language is treated as a psychometric trait for testing purposes (for profit testing that is), and I repose no particular trust in the likes of TOEFL, the leader in that class. Their current use in HR is probably not quite as robust as horoscopes, which they no doubt displaced.
Brexit has made this country as anxious as I have ever known it
I have been listening to people in focus groups since the late 1980s and I cannot recall a time when the national mood was more despairing. “Broken”, “sad”, “worried”, “angry”– the negatives tumble out, as does the long list of grievances.
I’m hearing anxieties voiced in a way I haven’t heard since the 1990s: a rundown NHS, job insecurity, teacher shortages. Seven out of 10 feel pessimistic about homelessness, 68% are gloomy about rising poverty, and a staggering one in five think it likely that they, or someone close, will be a victim of violent crime in the next year. This rises to almost a third in London.
We’re a deeply divided nation, too – and nearly three-quarters of us expect that to get worse in the year ahead. Forty-eight per cent self-identify as a “have-not” while 52% see themselves as a “have”. We’re torn apart by social class, by geography, and by how we vote – especially on Brexit.
The starkest divide, though, is age: 52% of over-65s feel optimistic about the future of the UK, contrasting with just 23% of under-34s.
Need a hip or knee replaced to keep you mobile? Cataracts sorted to save your sight? Paid your taxes, so relieved NHS is there for you when you need it? Err, not if you’re in Warrington or Halton & coming to your hometown soon: Hip £7,050; Knee £7,179; Cataracts £1,624 #GTTOpic.twitter.com/E7mhekhxjj
But according to an article in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz and multiple reports in the Israeli press, it’s more Potemkin village than Trump Heights. No actual town or village has actually been founded at all. It appears to be little more than a PR stunt to curry favor with the President who continues to openly support Netanyahu as the country moves toward new elections in September. No money has been budgeted for the new town. Nor is there specific location. Indeed, there’s no commitment to build a town at all. The decision will be left to the government that takes power after the next election. In the words of Israeli journalist Barak Ravid: “A settlement by the name of “Trump Heights” or “Ramat Trump” doesn’t exist. It my exist in the future but the Israeli cabinet still hasn’t even decided to do it. For now there’s only a sign.“
Racking my brain trying to come up with other times a secretary of state has visited CENTCOM HQ and not coming up with many. Perhaps it's because the secretary of state isn't in the chain of command https://t.co/pFe81Zm3kQ
1. a hole above the waterline in two tankers and a mine attached to one of them. The crew of the tanker said the mine was one reason why they got off the tanker.
2. an Iranian patrol boat arriving afterwards and taking the mine off the tanker.
3. the more evidence is a photo of supposedly the same patrol boat travelling afterward.
Removing a mine off a tanker, which was a danger to it, is the same evidence that occurs when a fire crew put out a fire (as if that proves they started it earlier). And a photo of the fire engine being driven away afterwards is not furhter evidence of guilt of being involved in arson.
This is another WMD farce, to justify another act of war by a nation with a UN veto.
PS How do mines cause a hole above the waterline? The original reports were of "torpedos" in the air. How does a magnetic mine get to be attached to a hull that far above the waterline?
The problem with the Trump regime is that you can't believe anything they say. It's just lies, lies and more lies plus 'fake' news.
If Trump is desperate enough he would arrange for faked pictures of Iranian hostilities as a pretext to go to war with Iran. And enough of the impossibly gullible Yanks will believe it and hail him as a war hero.
I'm not saying this is what is happening, but nothing can be ruled out with this lot.
The only plausible scenario from reports so far, is a lobbing of magnetic mines at these tankers, they either hit, or they fall short and if close enough then jump out of the water onto the hull.
This would explain why some reported something come through the air (another early report was of a torpedo). But we have no coverage of the attacks to note any actual evidence of who did this.
Just the usual suspects, Pompeo … (Tea Party into Congress, funded by Koch forever), wanting to pin it on Iran. Hilarious that a CIA Director got to be Secretary of State. I wonder how, "it would be nice if we could pin something on Iran to get the world onside with our programme" said before the right former colleague might play out. We might well be watching.
For NZ & Chinese people, it would be good for both if we can have a added value win win cultural province to province approach of relationship identities & go about things that way i'd say.
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh goloing@gmail.com (19/09/2020) Che Guevara said that a true revolutionary is motivated by love i.e. love of the oppressed, the poor, the children dying from preventable illnesses. This phrase of his is true but has been used by reformists and their more hippy wing have taken advantage ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 13, 2020 through Sat, Sep 19, 2020Editor's ChoiceGet to Net-Zero by Mid-Century? Even Some Global Oil and Gas Giants Think it Can Be DoneA report by a ...
With the National Party this week announcing a new policy of tax cuts to spice up the election campagin. MyThinks went along to the launch and afterwards we spoke to the party’s finance spokesperson Paul “Golden Touch” Goldsmith. MT: Thanks for speaking to us Mr Goldsmith. PG: No. Thank you. ...
Always to islanders danger Is what comes over the seas ‘Landfall in Unknown Seas’ (Allen Curnow)Six economic issues external to New Zealand, which will greatly impact upon us. 1. The Diminishing Global Dominance of the US. Since 1941 America has dominated the world economically and politically. Probably it could ...
By Geoffrey Miller New Zealand should continue to champion human rights in Belarus amidst an ongoing crackdown on protests by the country’s regime, former Prime Minister Helen Clark says. Protests in the country often referred to as ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’ erupted after the country’s disputed presidential elections on August 9 ...
Jacqui Maguire, registered clinical psychologistThis podcast episode highlights how difficult it is to have effective conversations about euthanasia due to how polarised people’s views are. I’m a clinical psychologist, with a passion for science communication. In early 2020 I founded the podcast Mind Brew, with an aim to make psychological ...
In case anyone needed further convincing, there's another example today of why we need cameras on fishing boats: reported seabird bycatch doubled during a camera trial: Commercial fishers operating off Auckland's coast around vulnerable seabirds are twice as likely to report accidentally capturing them when cameras are on ...
In the leadup to the euthanasia referendum, an array of conservative Christian political organisations is running an expensive campaign to sow doubt about the safety of assisted dying. Graham Adams argues that these religious forces know that Christian arguments aren’t convincing the public, but that it is in the public ...
Dangerous Times: This will be the choice confronting those coming of age in the 2020s. Embrace Neoliberalism’s belief in racial and sexual equality; adopt its secular and scientific world view; and cultivate the technocratic, multicultural, global outlook required of those who keep the machinery of hyper-capitalism humming. Or, throw your ...
It would be a great time to reform the benefit system, according to former Deputy Chief Economic Advisor at the Treasury, Tony Burton. He argues the complexity of benefit system means that it’s failing to achieve its difficult three core objectives, which form an “iron triangle”.New Zealand’s benefit ...
Tax Justice UK, September 2020 Serious tax reform is on the political agenda for the first time in decades due to the coronavirus crisis. As this debate hots up it is important to understand what people think about public spending, wealth and tax. Tax Justice UK, along with Survation and ...
Not Mucking Around: With upwards of 800 dead from the virus’s resurgence in the Australian state of Victoria, leniency is not on Premier Daniel Andrews’ agenda. The Victorian Police are cracking down hard on the protesters the Australian press has labelled "Covidiots".IMAGES OF POLICE, some in riot gear, others on ...
Although I had the fortune of being a graduate student of some of the foremost US nuclear strategists of the day (1970s) and later rubbed shoulders with Air Force and Naval officers who were entrusted with parts of the US nuclear arsenal, I seldom get to write or speak about ...
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Marie BecdelievreJanuary 2020. The number of news article mentioning coronavirus exploded and anxious voices whispered about a global pandemic.Whisper? To me, it was only a whisper. I tend to learn about the world through non-fiction books, conferences, and academic research rather than news and social media, so ...
Barbados is planning to remove the queen as head of state and become a republic in time for the 55th anniversary of its independence in 2021: Barbados has announced its intention to remove the Queen as its head of state and become a republic by November 2021. [...] Reading ...
At the 2017 election, the New Zealand Labour Party promised a Fees Free Policy for tertiary students. Basically, it would make the first year of university education free in 2018, with a second year in 2021, and a third in 2024. It also promised to restore Post-Graduate access to the ...
Climate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nzWhat is the impact of temperature increases in the tropics? ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Daisy Simmons It felt like 100 degrees in my in-laws’ Grass Valley, California, kitchen, but at least the lights were on and for the moment we were safely “distanced” from the Jones Fire. We’d just finished dessert, after pizza and a movie ...
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On “In Defense of Looting” Matt Taibibi takes an entertaining look at this generation of woke activists and how they compare with Abbie Hoffman the iconic anti-Vietnam war counter-culture figure of the 1960s On Thursday, August 27th, the same day Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican nomination, National Public Radio ...
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By Claire Grant, Genomics Aotearoa Communications ManagerCommunity consultation is becoming an increasingly important aspect of research programmes in New Zealand, and with that comes the art of relationship building. Engagement between scientists and user-groups is certainly nothing new. But as stakeholder involvement becomes more of a requirement for science, ...
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Media Statement For Immediate Release 10th September 2020 The income and wealth inequality lobby group, “Closing the Gap” thinks the Labour proposal a great start says Peter Malcolm, a spokesperson for the group. But they need to be aware of what many of the rich do and of what do ...
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Over the weekend, Labour released its welfare policy: an increase in benefit abatement thresholds. And that's it. Faced with clear evidence of ongoing hardship among beneficiaries and a call from its on Welfare Expert Advisory Group to raise core benefits by between 12 percent and 47 percent, Labour's response is ...
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Story of the Week... La Niña Update... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Humans exploiting and destroying nature on unprecedented scale – reportAnimal populations have plunged an average of 68% ...
Gabrielle Po-Ching In November 1918, the cargo and passenger ship Talune travelled to Apia, Samoa from Auckland, carrying a number of passengers who had pneumonic influenza. From these passengers stemmed the biggest pandemic Samoa had ever seen. With around 8,500 deaths, over 20% of the country’s population at the ...
Prof Nick Wilson*, Prof Michael Baker In this blog the arguments for and against shifting all COVID-19 related isolation/quarantine facilities to a single air force base at Ōhakea are considered. The main advantage would be a reduction in the risk of border control failures, which can potentially involve outbreaks ...
So the Greens co-leader James Shaw recently made a mistake. In his role as Associate Finance Minister approving funding for “shovel-ready” projects, he fought hard for a private “Green school” to get funding to expand their buildings and, therefore, their student capacity. There are many problems with what he did: ...
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Dear Sir, As we head into the run up to the upcoming election I feel it is my duty to draw your attention to the lack of fun we are currently forced to ensure by the Adern regime. In their efforts to keep the nation’s essential workers, health compromised people, ...
It finally happened: about 13 years after first watching Al Gore’s documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” (AIT) in 2007 when it became available in Germany, I recently completed the Climate Reality Leadership Corps Training! Participating in this particular training had been on my to-do list for quite some time but it ...
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I am feeling a bit impish today and so for no particular reason I thought I would share this thought, which I first posted over on twitter: “Hurricanes, wildfires, floods, heatwaves, street protests, armed vigilante militias, a lethal pandemic and a corrupt authoritarian using the federal government for partisan and ...
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Today AstraZeneca pushed the pause button on its late-stage trials of a COVID-19 vaccine. A clinical trial participant has experienced a serious health event and an investigation is underway to determine the cause. What does it mean? A cautious approach – trials can halt to assess safety data With over ...
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Dr Ben Gray* This blog discusses what will be needed to operationalise the End of Life Choice Act in the event that it is approved at referendum. It argues that this will take significant resources. Judging by the experience in Oregon it is likely that this may only benefit ...
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I'm grappling with my sheer fucking anger over Labour's pathetic tax policy. Yes, it utterly contradicts their pretence of being a "centre-left" party and shows that they have no interest whatsoever in fixing any of the problems facing New Zealand. Yes, its self-inflicted helplessness, which will allow them to cry ...
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Labour announced its tax policy today: a new top tax rate of 39% on income over $180,000. And that's it. No intermediate rate between the current top rate of 33% at $70,000 and the new one. No land tax. No wealth tax. Nothing (in fact worse than nothing, because they ...
The Green Party has released its Thriving Oceans Plan, which would dramatically increase marine protected areas and ban bottom trawling on seamounts. ...
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National’s ‘alternative budget’ that includes huge cuts to the government’s operating allowance would risk gutting critical public services, and put health, education and nature at dire risk. ...
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PREFU has given a good insight into what was required to ensure New Zealanders were largely supported to continue work and remain healthy during COVID-19, but it is clear we need additional revenue raising measures ongoing, Green Party Co-leader James Shaw said today. ...
The Green Party is disappointed with the Labour Party’s decision to reverse their three free years education policy and back down on their commitment to postgraduate student allowances. ...
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The Government is investing $39.7 Million over four years to support the educational needs of Pacific learners and families in the regions hardest hit by COVID-19, with Auckland getting an immediate boost, Associate Minister of Education Jenny Salesa says. “Like all New Zealanders Pacific families want learners to do well ...
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Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter announced today that the Government has reached its target of 50 percent on women on state sector board and committees – setting a new record level of women on state sector boards. “This Government is committed to having more women in leadership roles - ...
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Three ambitious and cutting-edge research programmes that will lift New Zealand’s advanced energy technology research capability over seven years, have been supported by Government today, says Research, Science and Innovation Minister Megan Woods. The projects will each receive a share of $40.7 million investment from the Strategic Science Investment Fund. ...
The critical area for forensic examination known as Pit Bottom in Stone has been reached in what is a major milestone for the Pike River re-entry project, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little announced. “The infrastructure located in Pit Bottom in Stone is of very significant interest in ...
The Government is working on how New Zealand’s retirement income policies and settings can best support Kiwis in light of the COVID-19 economic recovery, with the help of the Retirement Commissioner’s latest review, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Kris Faafoi said. “The Retirement Commissioner’s three-yearly review into New Zealand’s retirement ...
A new digital hub and development centre in Murupara will be instrumental in growing the region’s productivity, said Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau at the official opening of two community initiatives today. “I’m pleased to be here celebrating a significant milestone for two projects set to make a ...
PREFU shows economy doing better than forecast Unemployment to peak at 7.8%, down from 9.8% forecast in the Budget Year-to-June accounts show tax revenue, debt and OBEGAL better than forecast Global forecast downgraded as COVID-19 second waves and uncertainty grows Balanced plan to support critical public services, manage debt and ...
The Kāpiti Coast town of Ōtaki will receive $1.4 million in Government funding for two projects providing scores of jobs for locals while improving community facilities, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. The Māoriland Charitable Trust will receive a $900,000 Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) grant to upgrade the ...
The Provincial Growth Fund will provide $11.88 million to fund fencing and waterway projects nationwide that will improve the environment and create jobs in their communities, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. “These projects will create more than 100 jobs nationwide with work starting within the next couple ...
As part of the COVID-19 recovery, the Government has strengthened its procurement rules to ensure its annual $42 billion spend creates more jobs, uses more sustainable construction practices and results in better outcomes for Māori and Pasifika, Government Ministers announced today. Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford says the $42 ...
The Government is supporting a major upgrade of Timaru’s iconic Theatre Royal and the construction of a new connected Heritage Facility museum and exhibition space with $11.6 million from the Government’s Infrastructure Fund, Jacinda Ardern announced today. “We heard the call from the community and the council. The Theatre Royal ...
Chrissy Montague (formerly Armstrong), barrister of Auckland has been appointed as a District Court Judge with Family Court jurisdiction to be based in Wellington, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Ms Montague commenced practice in Auckland in 1987 and went into general practice dealing with Wills, Estates, Trusts, Conveyancing, Relationship Property ...
A Proposal to provide for the development and operation of commercial film and video production facilities in areas of Christchurch has been given the go ahead. Hon Poto Williams, Associate Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration, has approved the Proposal, which was prepared and submitted by Regenerate Christchurch. Minister Williams ...
As part of the Government’s focus on building closer partnerships with Māori and enhancing the quality of, and access to, Māori medium education, a payment of $8 million will be made to Te Wānanga o Raukawa in partial recognition of its Waitangi Tribunal claim (WAI 2698), Associate Education Minister Kelvin ...
The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage has announced a $19 million investment over four years in an important forest restoration project involving a partnership between the Department of Conservation, iwi/hapū, the Bay of Plenty and Waikato Regional Councils, community conservation groups and organisations such as Forest and Bird across the ...
New Zealand will be the first country in the world to require the financial sector to report on climate risks, the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw announced today. The changes build on the huge progress this Government has made to tackle the climate crisis. “Today is another step on ...
Economic activity across the Auckland region and the country bounced back to levels experienced under Alert Level 1 following Auckland’s move out of Alert Level 3, analysis in the Treasury’s latest Weekly Economic Update shows. The analysis of economic data since Auckland’s move out of Level 3 shows: Auckland card ...
Takiri mai te ata, ka ao, ka ao, ka awatea, tihei mauriora! Tātou katoa ngā iwi o Aotearoa, tēnā koutou! Tēnā tātou e whakanuia ana i te wiki nei, te wiki o te reo Māori Greeting to you all from Otepoti, Dunedin. This week is the Māori Language week and ...
More mental health and addiction services are available for young New Zealanders in Rotorua and Taupō, Wairarapa, South Canterbury, Dunedin and Southland from next month, Health Minister Chris Hipkins and Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter say. “The Government is serious about making sure New Zealanders struggling with mental health ...
The Manuherekia catchment in Central Otago is the third exemplar catchment to be targeted as part of the Government’s plan to clean up waterways by supporting community-led programmes. Environment Minister David Parker said the Manuherekia catchment is vitally important to the people of Central Otago. “The Manuherekia rises in the ...
The Government has agreed on a preferred design for the new Dunedin Hospital featuring two separate buildings, and has provided funding for the next stages of work. Minister of Health Chris Hipkins says Cabinet has approved in principle the detailed business case for the new hospital, giving people in ...
New Zealanders across the country are set to mark history as part of the Māori Language Week commemorations led by Te Taura Whiri i te reo Māori this year. Māori Development Minister, Nanaia Mahuta says the initiative will mark history for all the right reasons including making te reo Māori ...
More than 1000 teachers, support staff and school leaders have graduated from a programme designed to grow their capability to use te reo Māori in their teaching practice, as part of the Government’s plan to integrate te reo Māori into education, Associate Education Minister Kelvin Davis announced today. Being trialled ...
The Minister for Pacific Peoples, Aupito William Sio, says the Toloa Tertiary Scholarships which aims to encourage more Pacific student numbers participating and pursuing STEM-related studies in 2021, are now open. “These tertiary scholarships are administrated by the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP), and are part of MPP’s overall Toloa ...
Four Bay of Plenty timber businesses will receive investments totalling nearly $22 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to boost the local economy and create jobs, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Rotorua-based sawmill Red Stag Wood Solutions will receive a $15 million loan to develop an engineered ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced that New Zealand is exploring the viability of working with partners to conduct a search for the black box on the Gulf Livestock 1. “We know how much it would mean to the families of those on the ship to understand more about ...
Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has today announced the Government is supporting the creation of new marine infrastructure in northern Te Tairāwhiti on the North Island’s East Coast. The Government has approved in principle an allocation of up to $45 million to support the construction of a marine transport facility at ...
E Epineha. Ka tangi te iwi, ki a koe e ngaro nei i te kitenga kanohi. Kua mokemoke to whānau, to iwi, te motu whanui. Haere ki o matua, tipuna. Haere ki te okiokinga tuturu mo te tangata. Haere i runga i te aroha o ngā reanga kei muri i ...
Catch limits will be increased for 26 fisheries and reduced for three fisheries as part of a regular round of reviews designed to ensure ongoing sustainability of fisheries resources. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash has announced decisions following a review of catch limits and management controls for 29 fish stocks. The ...
The Sport and Recreation Minister Grant Robertson says while it is disappointing the Rugby Championship will not be held in New Zealand, the country will host two Bledisloe Cup games in October and has the capacity in managed isolation facilities to host other international sporting events. “We offered flexible quarantine ...
Up to 350 more people in regional New Zealand will gain a pathway to trades training through a $14 million government investment in apprenticeships, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced today. The apprenticeships are part of the $40 million Regional Apprenticeship Initiative (RAI) announced in June. The funding comes ...
A Government brokered solution to the parking woes at Christchurch Hospital will deliver more than 1000 new car parks near the Hospital for staff and visitors while also ensuring the completion of the Metro Sports Facility, say Minister for Christchurch Regeneration, Dr Megan Woods. The new parking package is made ...
For her Loading Docs short Going Home, film-maker Ashley Williams paid tribute to her late uncle Clive by learning to fly.Some people say I was brave to fly. I tell them my Uncle Clive was the one who had courage.He was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer at the age of ...
As if the UK doesn’t have enough trouble negotiating Brexit with the European Union, it has now entered the US presidential election campaign. Democrat candidate Joe Biden says there will be “no US-UK free trade agreement” if London tampers with the exit arrangements over Northern Ireland. House speaker Democrat Nancy ...
After the second lockdown came to Auckland, Nick Atkinson dusted off and spruced up his bicycle, touring from Pukekohe to Otorohanga.Two bikes slowly rusted in the back yard. One seized up completely, the other possibly salvageable. The traffic had dried up for periods this year and many Aucklanders took to ...
Charges have been laid over historic offending at Dilworth, but former students say it could be just the beginning, writes the NZ Herald’s Isaac Davison in this Herald Premium article.Two years ago, a former Dilworth School student approached the school with a warning.The old boy – a victim of alleged ...
“Early results from ACT’s Debt Destroyer suggest most New Zealanders are more fiscally responsible than Grant Robertson and want to reduce Government spending,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “ACT launched the Debt Destroyer last week, an interactive ...
New Zealand's semi-official poet laureate Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. Today: Billy Te KahikaConnecting the dots Good evening all! I hope you don’t easily scare. For what I will tell you will pin back your ears. I’m Billy T K (Junior), servant of truth. I’m all about ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s Election Live for September 20, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other NZ news. The essential campaign dates are here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Explore the parties’ pledges at Policy. 7.15am: National ...
In the second of a weekly election diary, National's Hutt South MP Chris Bishop enjoys the culinary delights of the south and prepares for the party's fiscal plan launch. Labour MP Deborah Russell will also contribute each week. Trite but true: it’s been a funny old election campaign. Level 2 for ...
As the Māori Party prompts debate around whether New Zealand should be officially named Aotearoa, Professor Kerry Howe examines our common usage and understanding of the term Should the name New Zealand be replaced by, or co-exist with Aotearoa? For Aotearoa, is it widely assumed, is the original ‘indigenous name’ for ...
Over the last few months, Linda Burgess has cheered herself up by watching food television. And saying fuck.For fuck’s SAKE! I say as my husband grates the broccoli. And I think, when did fuck become tame like – well, like for god’s, or even for goodness, sake? I listen to ...
Esther Ng is the most successful New Zealand designer you’ve never heard of. Her label, Prix, has been seen on celebrities like Ariana Grande and Kylie Jenner, she has over 150,000 Instagram followers and she’s currently working from her bedroom.On any regular weekday you’d likely find Esther Ng playing games ...
“Labour’s ‘Let’s Get Wellington Moving’ project has so far been a failure. Nothing has been delivered, the funding for the programme is still unclear, and Wellington is drifting while congestion continues to choke the region,” National Spokesperson ...
Winston Peters must have been confused this morning when he made the bizarre claim that tax cuts are a ‘bribe’ and, ironically, criticised another party for promising to scrap his provincial vote fund in the next breath. Taxpayers’ Union spokesman ...
Eamonn Marra has been trying to get help for his mental health problems for two years. It shouldn’t take hitting absolute rock bottom for him to receive it.Content warning: This story contains discussion of mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. Every time mental health is back in the news it comes ...
By RNZ News New Zealand today reported one new community case of covid-19 – the first in five days. There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Health Ministry said the source of the community case was still being investigated. Auckland Regional Public Health Service has identified all ...
Analysis by Dr Paul G Buchanan – 36th Parallel Assessments. News that Zhenhua Data, an arm of China Zhenhua Electronics Group, a subsidiary of the military-connected China Electronic Information Industry Group (CETC), maintains a list of 800 New Zealanders on a “Overseas Key Information Database” that contains personal information on ...
The Green Party’s plan to support community gardens and composting would help promote a stronger understanding of sustainable ecosystems and food production in places like Nelson. “One of our priorities in the next Government is to support ...
Greenpeace is calling the National Party’s newly announced energy policy blatant climate denial and an affront to all the people and communities already suffering the impacts of climate change. It has been reported that the National Party will ...
The Public Service Association says industrial relations policies announced by Labour today will, if implemented by a Labour-led government, make New Zealand a fairer and better place to live. "Under the Labour-led government of the past three ...
NZEI Te Riu Roa is welcoming Labour's announcement today that it would double minimum sick leave entitlements to 10 days per year if returned to Government. President Liam Rutherford says inadequate sick leave is an issue across the education sector, ...
NZEI Te Riu Roa says Kōhanga Reo kaiako can’t afford to be left out in the cold when pay and funding gaps in ECE are addressed. This week Labour joined the Green Party in including pay parity for early childhood teachers in their election pledges. ...
17 registered political parties and 677 candidates will be contesting the 2020 General Election Nominations have now closed and the Electoral Commission has released the electorate and party list candidates for 2020 online at vote.nz . Advance voting ...
Recently I was invited by a friend to watch a three hour YouTube discussion between Joe Rogan of the Joe Rogan Experience and Johann Hari on the topic of drug law reform. I thought it would be very relevant on our referendum issue coming up. After watching ...
The charity running the Māngere Markets makes close to half a million a year from a business centred on a publicly owned carpark, but distributes less than a third of its income in grants. That’s left some locals wondering whether the trust could be doing more to support the community, ...
A new poll shows Green MP Chloe Swarbrick is coming third in the contest for the Auckland Central seat, which could be crucial in ensuring her party stays in Parliament. ...
The Government has made another pitch for the Maori vote (presumably with borrowed money) by dipping into the One Billion Trees trough. It has proclaimed it is backing Maori landowners with this contribution to their wellbeing (and the environment’s) and it is fair to suppose it would appreciate the landowners ...
Apple has finally announced its long-anticipated content bundle Apple One. So what do you get, and for how much?What is Apple One? Apple One is a new content “bundle” that gives you access to the company’s music, TV, games and storage offerings via a single subscription. It was announced this week ...
It’s one of the most high-profile, and marginal, electorates in the country, and is jam-packed with hospitality and retail businesses. So which Auckland Central haunts do the three front-runners like to frequent?This story was originally published by EnsembleWhat do your favourite things say about you? Where you buy your regular ...
Published on the behalf of the Labour Party Union Affiliates The Labour Party Union Affiliates are celebrating today’s release of the party’s 2020 workplace relations policy, which reflects the hard work of the wider labour movement. Highlights of ...
The Labour Party’s Workplace Relations and Safety policy release today will see workers across the country being much better off. Policies announced include doubling minimum sick leave entitlements, continued minimum wage increases, implementing Fair ...
The Council of Trade Unions is applauding today's launch of the Labour Party’s industrial relations 2020 election policy by spokesperson Andrew Little. "Working people in unions have been campaigning for better treatment at work. Labour’s industrial ...
By Zedaiah Kanau in Port Moresby A Papua New Guinean businessman who caused the death of his girlfriend by punching her, forcing her to jump out of the car he was driving, has been jailed for 15 years. Richard Namaliu, 28, of Vunapope village in Kokopo, East New Britain was ...
By France 24 Since coming to power in 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched an unprecedented crusade against press freedom. Facing censorship, threats from police and sometimes jail, the last few independent reporters – those who do not work for state media serving Communist Party propaganda – are no ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By C Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Global Biosecurity, NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW Production of the reality TV show The Masked Singer was shut down last month after several crew members were infected with COVID-19. It’s one of ...
In the latest in our series chronicling the ins and outs of dating in 2020, Alie Benge explains her reliance on the ‘friend committee’ to judge the suitability of every love interest.Abby came to my desk in a panic. She was meeting Sia that weekend. For the first time, she’d ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s Election Live for September 19, bringing you the latest on election 2020 and other NZ news. The essential campaign dates are here. For all you need to know about the cannabis referendum click here. For the assisted dying referendum click here. Explore the parties’ pledges at Policy. I’m ...
In the second of a weekly election diary, Labour MP Deborah Russell eases back into campaign mode after a Covid-enforced break. Tomorrow is National's Chris Bishop. This week the on-again, off-again election campaign is on again. Well, sort of. Politicians are out and about all over the country, suitably bemasked ...
National's surprise tax cut announcement has given the party a burst of relevance, even though it's far from clear how the policy will sit with voters, Sam Sachdeva writes For much of the Covid-interrupted election campaign to date, the National Party has been sleepwalking towards defeat. The party’s plethora of ...
On this week's Extra Time, White Ferns cricketer Suzie Bates reckons the trials and tribulations of quarantine in Brisbane ahead of matches against Australia are all worth it. It may take them an hour a day to get the team up and down the service lift in their hotel, they're only ...
"Coffee plus office equals coffice": a short story set in a deranged New Zealand of stern baristas and rebel forces, by Auckland writer Sharni Wilson “This is not an office.” The barista’s voice was hard and cold with aggression, with a frighteningly wide smile: the kind of smile that you ...
Labour says this will be the Covid election. National says it’s about the economy. There’s something big being missed in the middle, writes Justin Giovannetti.It was the week the economy took centre stage. The scene was set in the pre-election fiscal update, which on Wednesday offered a sobering snapshot of ...
What do a mosque shooting victim in Christchurch and a Hollywood supermodel have in common? Anke Richter looks at the mental health fallout of cult-like conspiracy movements.Three weeks ago, I sat in the High Court in Christchurch for the sentencing of the mosque terrorist and listened to 91 victim impact ...
By RNZ News New Zealand reported no new cases of covid-19 today – for the first time since early August. There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Health Ministry said the number of active cases had dropped to 70, with seven more people now recovered from the ...
By RNZ Pacific Pro-independence advocates in New Caledonia say a vote for full sovereignty next month would allow the country to step up onto the international stage. The next referendum on independence from France will be held on October 4 and determine whether New Caledonia will obtain the powers still ...
With the Māori Party and the Advance Party both vying to push out Labour's Kelvin Davis from the northern-most Māori seat, RNZ asked Te Tai Tokerau voters who they would vote for. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Marcus Carter, Senior Lecturer in Digital Cultures, SOAR Fellow., University of Sydney Facebook has announced the latest version of its successful standalone virtual reality (VR) headset, the Oculus Quest 2. The new device packs more computing power and a sharper screen than ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andrew Hayen, Professor of Biostatistics, University of Technology Sydney A preliminary study, posted online this week by researchers at the Australian National University and elsewhere, estimates 71,000 Australians had COVID-19 by mid-July — 60,000 more than official number of cases diagnosed by ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Israel, Czechia, and French Polynesia. Chart by Keith Rankin. In mid-September, new cases of Covid19 are higher than they have ever been. (See here for previous weekly charts, which included the ‘little’ countries.) While this still-rising incidence is partly due to more testing, ...
News about the Provincial Growth Fund, which often features in our daily Latest from the Beehive reports, typically involve announcements of the latest grants or loans. Today Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones announced a battle site of the 1860s Land Wars will receive ...
Labour’s attack on National’s prudent plan to grow the economy, pay down debt faster, and put more money in Kiwis’ pockets shows how clueless they are when it comes to plotting a roadmap out of this economic crisis, National’s Finance spokesperson ...
Netflix drama Ratched aims to rehabilitate the villain from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but would do better in the electric chair.Nurse Ratched is, quite rightly, one of the most famous movie villains of all time. The source of all of McMurphy’s despair and angst in One Flew Over ...
Board chair Simon Gutschlag in a statement said they would contribute "vast, real-world experience to steering New Zealand out of the trouble it's in". ...
Learning Māori is first and foremost about having fun, according to Precious Clark, director of Maurea Consulting LTD, in a Newshub report on learning te reo Maori and embracing tikanga. “It’s about giving people the tools so they can pronounce our words correctly and it’s about giving them the confidence ...
The Fold host Duncan Greive speaks to NZ On Air’s new chief executive Cameron Harland about his first six months in the job and the findings of the recent Where Are the Audiences? report.Cameron Harland started his new job as the chief executive of NZ On Air in March, the ...
New Conservative is incredibly proud to announce its 24-strong party list for the 2020 General Election, and to confirm that the party is standing a candidate in every electorate. This includes candidates in every Maori electorate, at the request of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra University of Canberra Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan and University of Canberra Assistant Professor Caroline Fisher discuss the week in politics. This week the pair discuss the numerous energy announcements made by the government, including a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Catherine Speck, Professor, Art History, University of Adelaide Review: If the future is to be worth anything, curated by Patrice Sharkey and Rayleen Forester, ACE Open “If the future is to be worth anything” rings true as a question for many in ...
The Forest Owners Association says taxpayers are likely to have to pay billions of dollars for imported carbon credits, if planting production forests is to be restricted with the idea of protecting farming. The Environment Minister, David Parker has said ...
The Electoral Commission has said 2564 voting places will be available for the 17 October general election, though more are being finalised in hopes to get that number above 2800. ...
Analysis: The recession draws strong criticism from opposition parties, Labour dumps its fees-free policy, Jami-Lee Ross decides to try to slip into Parliament as a list MP and National delivers its health policy. ...
Tara Ward chats to Farmer Harry, one of the Australian bachelors looking for love on reality series The Farmer Wants a Wife. All Farmer Harry wants is a woman as reliable as his John Deere tractor, and Farmer Wants a Wife might be the answer to his farmy prayers. A chaotic ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Larisa Labzin, Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland People infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can spread the virus when they speak, sing, cough, sneeze or even just breathe. Scientists think face masks help limit virus ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexandra Louise Uitdenbogerd, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, RMIT University You might have seen a recent article from The Guardian written by “a robot”. Here’s a sample: I know that my brain is not a “feeling brain”. But it is capable ...
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling out RNZ for not having a single right wing voice amidst its chorus of left wing political commentators announced for its election night coverage . The panellists include: Tau Henare (Independent Maori Statutory ...
Some party leaders are adjusting better than others on a campaign trail troubled by Covid-19 restrictions. RNZ political reporters give a perspective from the campaign trail. ...
Covid-19 and its economic impacts have wreaked havoc on New Zealanders’ mental health – especially in the workplace. But amid all the chaos and noise, there are small ways to keep yourself present and calm.It’s been nearly a year since Covid-19 first emerged into our lives, and the devastating mental ...
By RNZ Pacific Bougainville’s retiring president says some candidates are bullying or offering inducements to buy their way into the new parliament. John Momis first raised his concerns while speaking during Papua New Guinea’s 45th anniversary celebrations on Wednesday. Momis praised the success of PNG’s constitution, and contrasted this with ...
In the first of a weekly column on the campaign trail, James Elliott looks at the art of the slogan during a Covid election, and warns not to count political chickens before they've hatched There’s an election campaign on. Apparently. It’s an election campaign unlike any other. Shopping malls are not ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle O’Shea, Senior Lecturer Management, Western Sydney University The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has long tried to insulate itself from politics in society, but wider issues have always been a part of sport – including the Olympics. Sometimes political statements have been ...
More than 2,800 voting places locations have been reconfirmed for the 2020 General Election and referendums. Voting Services National Manager Graeme Astle says reconfirmation of election plans has gone well since the election date was changed and preparations ...
Daily review 18/06/2019 
Daily review is also your post.
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh goloing@gmail.com (19/09/2020) Che Guevara said that a true revolutionary is motivated by love i.e. love of the oppressed, the poor, the children dying from preventable illnesses. This phrase of his is true but has been used by reformists and their more hippy wing have taken advantage ...2 hours ago
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Sep 13, 2020 through Sat, Sep 19, 2020 Editor's Choice Get to Net-Zero by Mid-Century? Even Some Global Oil and Gas Giants Think it Can Be Done A report by a ...5 hours ago
With the National Party this week announcing a new policy of tax cuts to spice up the election campagin. MyThinks went along to the launch and afterwards we spoke to the party’s finance spokesperson Paul “Golden Touch” Goldsmith. MT: Thanks for speaking to us Mr Goldsmith. PG: No. Thank you. ...1 day ago
Always to islanders danger Is what comes over the seas ‘Landfall in Unknown Seas’ (Allen Curnow)Six economic issues external to New Zealand, which will greatly impact upon us. 1. The Diminishing Global Dominance of the US. Since 1941 America has dominated the world economically and politically. Probably it could ...2 days ago
By Geoffrey Miller New Zealand should continue to champion human rights in Belarus amidst an ongoing crackdown on protests by the country’s regime, former Prime Minister Helen Clark says. Protests in the country often referred to as ‘Europe’s last dictatorship’ erupted after the country’s disputed presidential elections on August 9 ...2 days ago
Jacqui Maguire, registered clinical psychologist This podcast episode highlights how difficult it is to have effective conversations about euthanasia due to how polarised people’s views are. I’m a clinical psychologist, with a passion for science communication. In early 2020 I founded the podcast Mind Brew, with an aim to make psychological ...2 days ago
In case anyone needed further convincing, there's another example today of why we need cameras on fishing boats: reported seabird bycatch doubled during a camera trial: Commercial fishers operating off Auckland's coast around vulnerable seabirds are twice as likely to report accidentally capturing them when cameras are on ...2 days ago
Dangerous Times: This will be the choice confronting those coming of age in the 2020s. Embrace Neoliberalism’s belief in racial and sexual equality; adopt its secular and scientific world view; and cultivate the technocratic, multicultural, global outlook required of those who keep the machinery of hyper-capitalism humming. Or, throw your ...2 days ago
Tax Justice UK, September 2020 Serious tax reform is on the political agenda for the first time in decades due to the coronavirus crisis. As this debate hots up it is important to understand what people think about public spending, wealth and tax. Tax Justice UK, along with Survation and ...2 days ago
Although I had the fortune of being a graduate student of some of the foremost US nuclear strategists of the day (1970s) and later rubbed shoulders with Air Force and Naval officers who were entrusted with parts of the US nuclear arsenal, I seldom get to write or speak about ...3 days ago
At the 2017 election, the New Zealand Labour Party promised a Fees Free Policy for tertiary students. Basically, it would make the first year of university education free in 2018, with a second year in 2021, and a third in 2024. It also promised to restore Post-Graduate access to the ...4 days ago
On “In Defense of Looting” Matt Taibibi takes an entertaining look at this generation of woke activists and how they compare with Abbie Hoffman the iconic anti-Vietnam war counter-culture figure of the 1960s On Thursday, August 27th, the same day Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican nomination, National Public Radio ...5 days ago
In a couple of months, the 53rd Parliament will meet in Wellington, and approximately 120 MPs will be sworn in, many of them for the first time.They will all have political goals, some aligning with their party platforms, some not, some complex, and some simple, but they will gain one ...5 days ago
My wife and I, through a combination of good luck and good management, have managed to retire in comfortable circumstances. We celebrate our good fortune by making relatively small but regular donations to a range of good causes – to rescue services like the rescue helicopters, St John’s Ambulance and ...6 days ago
So the Greens co-leader James Shaw recently made a mistake. In his role as Associate Finance Minister approving funding for “shovel-ready” projects, he fought hard for a private “Green school” to get funding to expand their buildings and, therefore, their student capacity. There are many problems with what he did: ...7 days ago-1f82146fa0d95608c5d921931b8dd46e7f0c9b1b/537110292.jpg?format=1500w)
Windows 95 is famous for requiring the shutting down the system by clicking ‘start, like stopping your car by turning the ignition key on. Why are so many interfaces so user-unfriendly? The Covid app to register your entering premises can be so clumsy. Sometimes I have signed in, sat down ...1 week ago
If there was any doubt left, we can surely call it now. Time and date. End of. Finito. Perhaps you thought you saw a flickering eyelid or a finger move? You were wrong. Labour has given up on tax reform for the foreseeable future. One of the key remaining left/right ...1 week ago
When we last left our intrepid Drow Rogue, he was sitting in a tavern with his companions, only for a crazy Paladin to burst in, and start screaming about the Naga. It soon turned out that ... 2 weeks ago
The Green Party has released its Thriving Oceans Plan, which would dramatically increase marine protected areas and ban bottom trawling on seamounts. ...1 hour ago
It was another busy week out on the campaign trail, with Labour focused on jobs, training, and supporting Kiwi workers. As we continue to roll out our five-point plan for recovery, we’re investing in our people, businesses, communities and vital services, so we can keep our economy moving as we ...18 hours ago
The Government will provide up to $1.69 million through the One Billion Trees programme to Māori landowners to make their whenua more productive through the planting of forests, both native and exotic, and improve economic and environmental outcomes, Forestry Minister Shane Jones has announced. “Around 1.5 million ha of land ...1 day ago
For her Loading Docs short Going Home, film-maker Ashley Williams paid tribute to her late uncle Clive by learning to fly.Some people say I was brave to fly. I tell them my Uncle Clive was the one who had courage.He was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer at the age of ...16 mins ago
The Green Party wants at least 30 percent of New Zealand's oceans to be protected by 2030. ...1 hour ago
As if the UK doesn’t have enough trouble negotiating Brexit with the European Union, it has now entered the US presidential election campaign. Democrat candidate Joe Biden says there will be “no US-UK free trade agreement” if London tampers with the exit arrangements over Northern Ireland. House speaker Democrat Nancy ...2 hours ago
“Early results from ACT’s Debt Destroyer suggest most New Zealanders are more fiscally responsible than Grant Robertson and want to reduce Government spending,” says ACT Leader David Seymour. “ACT launched the Debt Destroyer last week, an interactive ...4 hours ago
New Zealand's semi-official poet laureate Victor Billot pens topical verse every Sunday. Today: Billy Te Kahika Connecting the dots Good evening all! I hope you don’t easily scare. For what I will tell you will pin back your ears. I’m Billy T K (Junior), servant of truth. I’m all about ...5 hours ago
In the second of a weekly election diary, National's Hutt South MP Chris Bishop enjoys the culinary delights of the south and prepares for the party's fiscal plan launch. Labour MP Deborah Russell will also contribute each week. Trite but true: it’s been a funny old election campaign. Level 2 for ...7 hours ago
As the Māori Party prompts debate around whether New Zealand should be officially named Aotearoa, Professor Kerry Howe examines our common usage and understanding of the term Should the name New Zealand be replaced by, or co-exist with Aotearoa? For Aotearoa, is it widely assumed, is the original ‘indigenous name’ for ...7 hours ago
By RNZ News New Zealand today reported one new community case of covid-19 – the first in five days. There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Health Ministry said the source of the community case was still being investigated. Auckland Regional Public Health Service has identified all ...21 hours ago
In the second of a weekly election diary, Labour MP Deborah Russell eases back into campaign mode after a Covid-enforced break. Tomorrow is National's Chris Bishop. This week the on-again, off-again election campaign is on again. Well, sort of. Politicians are out and about all over the country, suitably bemasked ...1 day ago
National's surprise tax cut announcement has given the party a burst of relevance, even though it's far from clear how the policy will sit with voters, Sam Sachdeva writes For much of the Covid-interrupted election campaign to date, the National Party has been sleepwalking towards defeat. The party’s plethora of ...1 day ago
On this week's Extra Time, White Ferns cricketer Suzie Bates reckons the trials and tribulations of quarantine in Brisbane ahead of matches against Australia are all worth it. It may take them an hour a day to get the team up and down the service lift in their hotel, they're only ...1 day ago
"Coffee plus office equals coffice": a short story set in a deranged New Zealand of stern baristas and rebel forces, by Auckland writer Sharni Wilson “This is not an office.” The barista’s voice was hard and cold with aggression, with a frighteningly wide smile: the kind of smile that you ...1 day ago
Learning Māori is first and foremost about having fun, according to Precious Clark, director of Maurea Consulting LTD, in a Newshub report on learning te reo Maori and embracing tikanga. “It’s about giving people the tools so they can pronounce our words correctly and it’s about giving them the confidence ...2 days ago
In the first of a weekly column on the campaign trail, James Elliott looks at the art of the slogan during a Covid election, and warns not to count political chickens before they've hatched There’s an election campaign on. Apparently. It’s an election campaign unlike any other. Shopping malls are not ...2 days ago
God Bless Megan Rapinoe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfL-nH2oeNI&ab_channel=TYTSports
The Peter principle personified.
Character references are not what they used to be and psycho-metric evaluations have taken over but these don’t work well with outliers, i.e. individuals who deviate from the norm so much that they’re off the scale. The saying that you can’t manage what you can’t measure does apply in this context. Good fodder for future historians and cartoonists.
It's a curious thing but back in the day I was told psychometrics were best at finding the outliers (or strong indicators), and least reliable with folk who demonstrated fewer outlying traits. Then again, language is treated as a psychometric trait for testing purposes (for profit testing that is), and I repose no particular trust in the likes of TOEFL, the leader in that class. Their current use in HR is probably not quite as robust as horoscopes, which they no doubt displaced.
Body language is where it’s at nowadays, just ask Simon the Prosecutor.
Brexit has made this country as anxious as I have ever known it
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/15/brexit-made-country-angry-as-i-have-ever-known-it
The fix is in.
Surprise surprise…
But according to an article in the Israeli daily Ha’aretz and multiple reports in the Israeli press, it’s more Potemkin village than Trump Heights. No actual town or village has actually been founded at all. It appears to be little more than a PR stunt to curry favor with the President who continues to openly support Netanyahu as the country moves toward new elections in September. No money has been budgeted for the new town. Nor is there specific location. Indeed, there’s no commitment to build a town at all. The decision will be left to the government that takes power after the next election. In the words of Israeli journalist Barak Ravid: “A settlement by the name of “Trump Heights” or “Ramat Trump” doesn’t exist. It my exist in the future but the Israeli cabinet still hasn’t even decided to do it. For now there’s only a sign.“
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/israeli-town-named-after-trump-appears-to-be-fake-news
Bolton and the end-times loons are going to war.
The "evidence" so far is
1. a hole above the waterline in two tankers and a mine attached to one of them. The crew of the tanker said the mine was one reason why they got off the tanker.
2. an Iranian patrol boat arriving afterwards and taking the mine off the tanker.
3. the more evidence is a photo of supposedly the same patrol boat travelling afterward.
Removing a mine off a tanker, which was a danger to it, is the same evidence that occurs when a fire crew put out a fire (as if that proves they started it earlier). And a photo of the fire engine being driven away afterwards is not furhter evidence of guilt of being involved in arson.
This is another WMD farce, to justify another act of war by a nation with a UN veto.
PS How do mines cause a hole above the waterline? The original reports were of "torpedos" in the air. How does a magnetic mine get to be attached to a hull that far above the waterline?
The problem with the Trump regime is that you can't believe anything they say. It's just lies, lies and more lies plus 'fake' news.
If Trump is desperate enough he would arrange for faked pictures of Iranian hostilities as a pretext to go to war with Iran. And enough of the impossibly gullible Yanks will believe it and hail him as a war hero.
I'm not saying this is what is happening, but nothing can be ruled out with this lot.
The only plausible scenario from reports so far, is a lobbing of magnetic mines at these tankers, they either hit, or they fall short and if close enough then jump out of the water onto the hull.
This would explain why some reported something come through the air (another early report was of a torpedo). But we have no coverage of the attacks to note any actual evidence of who did this.
Just the usual suspects, Pompeo … (Tea Party into Congress, funded by Koch forever), wanting to pin it on Iran. Hilarious that a CIA Director got to be Secretary of State. I wonder how, "it would be nice if we could pin something on Iran to get the world onside with our programme" said before the right former colleague might play out. We might well be watching.
are we not lucky that Clinton is not president?
It's quite sad your continual support of one warmonger over another.
How about you start opposing this war, rather than partake in partisan shit-fuckery?
This is quite a revealing arrangement in a number of ways
https://www.rt.com/business/462058-uk-firms-china-stock-market/
For NZ & Chinese people, it would be good for both if we can have a added value win win cultural province to province approach of relationship identities & go about things that way i'd say.