@happynz
Not bad enough to get out of bed for though I’m told from westside Christchurch. And it’s not likely to break anything. That’s all been done and dusted by past equakes.
Tomorrow at the Stop Child Abuse memorial in Dunedin (12.30pm, Cenotaph, Queens Gardens) I’m going to speak about the unspoken problem – men’s non-violent code of silence.
Non-violent men are at least as a big a part of the problem as violent men, through their complicity of silent approval.
Cherie Kurarangi Sweeney has spoken up with the NARK campaign, and she is getting a lot of support – mostly from women.
Non-violent men need to NARK too, more than anyone.
I hope you mean non-violent men who have someone to nark on, and not just most of us in general. I’m certainly not complicit and 111 is always one thumb away.
If a non-violent man has never listened to another man talking about his viiolent behaviour without speaking up about it then he is not a part of the problem.
If non-violent men bite their lip, cringe inside and turn away in silence then they are a part of the problem.
This can be hard to accept, it was for me, but it needs to be said.
PG “Anger is an emotional response to discomfort.” “Stop and think before you react when angry.” I would like to see magnets sent to every home with the above comments including a free helpline number where people can be connected to the most appropriate agency.
“Be a nark when you know of harm” or similar worded magnet would help to reinforce that narking when violence is occurring especially where children are involved is necessary to protect them from harm, would be a direction I would go in.
Money to print political party manifestos but not to prevent child murder/manslaughter is so disgraceful.
I believe that neglect causes abuse and abuse causes either a physical and/or a emotional/psychological injury or a fatality.
Stress due to the cost of living or illness also plays a part as well as intergenerational abuse, but this is no excuse for violence, however some people are unable to change without intensive resources.
Shonkey missing in action again on Radio NZ this morning re the new Hagar book. If there were any journalists with guts the Beehive theaterette seats would all be empty for a couple of weeks while they went and did some proper research. TV equipment would be mysteriously faulty, John who? editors would say until the PM shows some due respect and deigns to appear more regularly for open media discussion rather than either managed “spout and run” or not fronting at all.
NZ’s media think that John Key is there to be fawned over, not questioned.
As long as his PR staff keep them well-supplied with fluffy stories and photos, they’re not too fussed over him ducking any serious issues. Serious issues are boring, don’t ya know – much better to have a big pic of Key with a dog/child/famous person wearing his signature cheesy grin.
It sells better than actually having to do something called ‘journalism’.
What a load of bollocks! You have to despair about the state of the MSM.
Why would you expend time and money to ask voters this sort of question?
It perpetuates the “personality over policy” evil that is undermining our democracy.
Makes me want to pull the covers over my head with a torch, a good book and a nice bourbon.
*sigh*
Why would you expend time and money to ask voters this sort of question?
It perpetuates the “personality over policy” evil that is undermining our democracy.
oh my god – and the contextual “headlines” menu on the right brings up “John Key a Hit with Female Voters” from July. The man is the sexiest, most sensitive, and most trustworthy politician in NZ, according to the supposedly impartial pollsters. Better than a Big Brother, because you’re allowed to date him!
I thought the “I’d be a bit disappointed if one of my ministers was caught vomiting” was the hight of class and leadership. I was surprised that made it through, probably appeals nicely to his good old bloke voter base…
Corporate excess and tax dodging is a time-honored tradition in America. Indeed, it is a matter of public record that many of the largest corporations pay no taxes at all. The IPS report, however, comes at time when budget deficits at the federal and state level have been exploited to implement massive cuts in social services and worker pay, all on the grounds that there is simply “no money.”
The IPS found that the 25 CEOS who were paid more than their companies paid in taxes took home on average $16.7 million a piece. This is 50 percent more than the average CEO compensation for S&P 500 companies, of $10.8 million. These 25 companies received a tax rebate of, on average, $304 million.
Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg was compensated to the tune of $18.1 million in 2010, even as the company received a $705 million tax refund. “In effect,” according to the report, “every Verizon phone customer paid more in federal telephone excise taxes than Verizon paid in federal income taxes.”
Friday is a great day to plan what to do with the well earned time off. I will be looking at the fruits of spring this weekend out around the hills searching out suitable places to seed guerilla style. Here in NZ we need never go short of food but it does behove us to look for non market based methods of replenishment, because lest we forget we have hungry children en masse in our poorer communities. The dollar based food and goods distribution has failed them.
What if the dollar and market were to fail you? How would you feed and warm yourself? Better get thinking because the scenario is entirely plausible. Those great military planners the German Bundswer (the same people responsible for Blitzkreig and Tiger tanks) have this to say on the chances of this event….
is that for real ??
maybe we should get city councils to approve planting them on a wide scale.
with another term of this lot in power, the fuschsias will be enthusiastically feasted on.
we could keep this lot in power and look forward to being truly fuchsiased.
That new foo bill, linked here recently, don’t have it with me on my phone, would suggest councils may not be that supportive of us growing much food on their land. Get in the way of monsanto’s profits.
In our household we get most of our leafy greens in the form of wild radish, wild turnip, puha, and chickweed.
IMO I think at least 50% of NZ sports fields should be converted into garden allotments. Unfortunately, in Wellington we have several councillors who are dead-set on astroturfing all the sports fields. Can’t grow cabbages on plastic astroturf.
You’d be better off growing out the hutt anyways, the place was awash with market gardens for years, I’ve got over a metre of silt loam at my place in Taita. I can grow anything even had edible strawberries against the house on the north side over winter….
Yeah we have been thinking about moving to Otaki (friends tell us they have never found the bottom of the topsoil yet), but the Hutt could be the go from what you’re saying…
Otaki is better, cheaper housing and a warmer climate give you more range…. But on the flat in Naenae, Taita & Pomare is certainly the best area south of Horowhenua…
Great link thanks Uke, find most of those mentioned but thats a bonus for people who dont know whats what. I will be planting the JB spuds, jerusalem artichokes, and some carrots. Got broad beans in the garden, plus beet and celery. Cold frame has the zuchinnis, tomatoes and spring brassicas going plus some amaranth. Gonna direct seed spring onions, beetroot and radish…got to keep the girls (hens) off. Runner beans to plant October.
In a city garden there is no reason you cant grow allyour greens but you cant expect to feed yourself a lot more, so you will always be buying carbs and protein from the shop, damn it.
I do find it hard to understand why every school, particularly every decile one school doesn’t have a dozen fruit trees on it’s grounds. Or, I noticed as I drove past a recently upgraded state housing complex, whole bunch of new planting, nothing that produces food.
What you planting Bored? And what sort of places, how do you avoid council sprays and mowers?
If I were back at school today, with the foresight of a wiser, more experienced and knowledgeable head and the aim of being prepared for the future, I would want to have some valuable life skills imparted like being taught home science (eg how to cook, and especially to make the most of my budget) and garden science (eg how to grow food in the garden).
Btw, there were (still are?) feijoa trees at the school which my nephew went to. There was a feijoa tree or maybe more near the rector’s house. I used to pick him up after school to find him sucking feijoa and drenched with them (too sour for me but lotsa Vit C!). This was at Southwell Boys (Hamilton) … I think his mum spent a bit to have him schooled there!
Totally, they should remove imported trees and plant natives or food bearing trees.
I went to a small school (40 kids total) and the Fijoa was awesome when it was in season.
I’m in the landscaping trade, You’ll be pleased to know that in the last two new schools I’ve landscaped have had orchards consisting of apples, pears, plums, peaches, lemons, apricots and grapes and the local body in Upper Hutt have planted numerous nut trees.
That said near my place in Taita there are around a dozen peach trees planted in the railway land, last year I collected @ 20kg from them for bottling, the remaining fruit rotted on the trees.
Trouble is the skill of preserving foods when they are cheap and plentiful is dying fast. I pickle cauliflower cabbage broccili carrott pepper as well as bottle fruit. It’s not hard and it makes a difference when you’re feeling the pinch. How we get people back into this I don’t know.
Off site pumpkins go well in water courses / gullies, spud peelings seem to grow anywhere, toatoes like hot spots with good moisture, pretty much every extra seedling can find a home. Whoever picks them good luck, well spotted.
Trouble is those that need them most don’t spot them… Hell there are lots of people the that don’t know what a potato plant looks like…
I hate to say it but there really is no excuse not to be able to supplement your diet with homegrown vege, You need bugger all room and if you’ve got lawn you could have a years worth of spuds instead.
My grandparents were much worse off than most people now but they grew there own food, same goes with my family in law in eastern Europe, they eat well on wages of less than 400nzd per month by growing and preserving there own food.
People here have become to dependant on the super market to get there food.
I hate to say it but there really is no excuse not to be able to supplement your diet with homegrown vege, You need bugger all room and if you’ve got lawn you could have a years worth of spuds instead.
You seem a wee bit judgemental, there Gareth. My ‘excuses’ are an uncooperative landlord who believes that anything other than lawn is untidy and therefore a breach of the tenancy agreement – and the fact that I am 154 cm tall, 43 kg in weight, and have a disability/disease that means that digging and planting are beyond me. I’d love a garden – have you got someone who’ll create it for me for free? If the answer’s no, then don’t judge everyone by your own abilities.
There are several excellent books available about no dig gardens available, or it’s amazing what you can grow in a bucket on your porch,
It’s a common misconseption that gardening requires alot of digging and is too much hard work,
Whilst you may not be able to have an A1 show vege patch, if you can put a seed in the ground you can grow veges.
It’s amzing how much food you can get off a cherry tomato or Zucchini growing in a pot, certainly enough to make a difference.
If you,re in the Hutt valley I would be more than happy to supply some old planter bags full of recycled potting mix.
Good work and kind offer Gareth. Nice to see people like yourself and Uke getting practical and helpful. Lifts the level and spirits. Vicky see if you can get some assistance to get things growing because the upkeep is easy.
If you,re in the Hutt valley I would be more than happy to supply some old planter bags full of recycled potting mix.
I wish I was in the Hutt Valley for so many reasons, Gareth… and thank you so much for the advice! My late father had a wonderful vege garden, and in defiance of the Rotorua council he even kept chickens.. That was in the 1960s and we lived in the CBD! (He was an early survivalist and our neighbours thought he was a nutbar.. The apple doesn’t fall far etc, hey?)
I was thinking of buying my mother a mobility scooter but I think I will put a bid in for one of the Ministerial BMW’s that are up for tender.
I think she will appreciate the heated seat.
Anyone else thinking of putting a bid in? You’ve got until 4 pm today.
BTW – are these the “asset sales” that will reduce our government debt? Perhaps I only need to buy 49% of a BMW. Perhaps we can create consortia of people from Otara, Manurewa or Canon’s Creek who can each buy less than the 10% cap and together 49% means that they could timeshare a car.
A sort of community bemmer that is big enough to get the extended family into and go for day trips to Karori or Remmers to see how the other half lives (did I say other half – I mean 1%).
It could be a called “The Road Trip of Aspiration” for those from a single parent state house who want to grow up to be rich by fucking with other peoples economy and jobs by speculating on their currency. (all to the tune of “I want to be a gangster bankster”
@William Joyce I think some of the BMWs have back massagers too. Or is that the newer ones? Mother would probably like that touch of luxury.
The idea of setting up groups of investors, if run to rules with treasurers who don’t abscond with the dosh, would be a good way for those ordinary mums and dads to amass enough money to share in the profitable investments that at present just float above their reach. Throw up a rope with a grappling hook on it and haul these financial opportunities down so we can get a hand on them I reckon.
Community investors need to start up (or take over) local businesses and make them democratic enterprises. The workers become the owners, and profits made yearly are controlled by the workers. This is how communities start controlling their destinies, taking power back from distant board rooms.
@Colonial Viper – This sounds good but can be hard to do in practice. I spent a considerable time talking to a bloke last night about community initiatives, swopping my own experiences also. He had been in on the start of a group community project, which is still operating successfully, and had to leave before it started because he couldn’t bear the interminable discussions. And these will happen throughout the life of the business whenever there is a new idea. Once started, many of those involved will cling like limpets to the same model, carried out in the same way, despite obvious signs of diminishing use and returns. So there needs to be good, reliable, informed leadership with consultation with the community but to leave it to the community to run it, is like that saying “When it’s everybody’s responsibility, it’s ends up nobody’s’.
So a good management committee and a practical manager need to be in place with a mission wide enough to make necessary decisions and have them respected and followed by the others.
And some might have to be excluded from working in the shop if they won’t follow the controls and systems. It won’t work as a viable business unless there are sanctions and the need to have these must be realised, though the use would be rare.
There are many who go for a great ideal or dream and who can’t concentrate on fitting them into the practical needs. In the end if the operation fails, largely as a result of them, they are sad because their dream didn’t work never considering any contribution on their own part, but they lack the commitment to make it work – to find a better way of doing business and to flourish.
Sigh…apathetic sheeples organise, nah. Trotter points to just how redundant the people have become in the political process when he notes how between 1984 and 1990 Labour party membership went from 85,000 to less than 10,000.
and had to leave before it started because he couldn’t bear the interminable discussions. And these will happen throughout the life of the business whenever there is a new idea. Once started, many of those involved will cling like limpets to the same model, carried out in the same way, despite obvious signs of diminishing use and returns. So there needs to be good, reliable, informed leadership with consultation with the community but to leave it to the community to run it, is like that saying “When it’s everybody’s responsibility, it’s ends up nobody’s’
These kinds of organisations can be extremely quick and rapid moving ones. A CEO and senior management team is voted in by the workers on an annual basis, from amongst their own membership. These senior management powers have significant executive powers to conduct business according to priorities and policies set annually by the shareholders (who also happen to be workers themselves).
Any extraordinary events or changes in direction would need to be put to the shareholders, perhaps via an elected Board of Directors (some of whom will also be ordinary workers).
In other words, a democratically run and owned workplace is not about daily committee meetings where everyone has an equal say, it is about getting a job done to goals and priorities agreed to say once or twice a year, and where management is accountable to the owners (i.e. the workers) for their performance perhaps monthly.
That should read ‘since the September 11 controlled demolition of three buildings (at a profit) to provide a false flag pretext for invasions of states vital to US companies, such as Halliburton, in the control of global oil supplies’.
NZ has been part of a global empire which achieves its goals via lies, manipulation and violence since the first British government was established here. Nothing has changed in over 160 years.
[lprent: too far off topic. Moved to OpenMike ]
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell 8.1
Thanks for the link, Ev, it’s a pretty kewl site. I particularly like how the blogroll is divided into ‘conspiracy theorists’ and ‘voices of reason’! And no, before anyone asks, it has nothing to do with me, first time I’ve heard of it.
LOL, Have you seen the voices of reason links? Either their non existent or they have exactly the same style as the Nutjobnz site. But I agree it fits your emitonal rather than factual debating style.
Hi nadis
That a controlled demolition happened is supported by many professionals in the U$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for the following reasons:
1. Very tall buildings hit by aircraft in the past did not collapse despite the damage to their tops
2. The Towers fell at the speed of “Free Fall” something that only happens with controlled demolition and they fell neatly into their base levels!!!
3. Traces of explosive material have been detected in the rubble.
4.WTC7 was not hit yet collapsed in the exact manner of a controlled demolition.
The above is not to say they were not hit by airliners.
AFKTT is backed in his conclusions by Richard Gage who heads a large body of professionals who looked into this historic event.
AFKTT is not a dick or a mentally disturbed person although seeing the realities of our f*cked up World could lead to mental disturbance!
This won’t be the last mention of 911 TVOR, I am not a major supporter of the ‘controlled collapse’ theories or of the official “just accept what happened” school, and am happy to leave it to those with more scientific expertise and ultimately time to argue the toss. But there is enough element of doubt there to keep a free thinker interested.
It is just hard to believe that the amount of fuel on the airplanes had enough oomph to cause that type of damage in that particular way to three, count’em, buildings. It will be interesting to see if the international meeting comes up with any new leads.
The biggest stretch is the why, but who would have thought a lot of things would have been done by the USA ruling class in relation to the way they interfere with both the US and other sovereign states-Chile 1973, Cuba-bay of pigs (beard drop out powder in Fidels boots, and all heh), JFK assassination, Iran, Iraq,Vietnam, China, USSR etc. you surely know the roll call.
International capital has operated beyond borders for many years, why should capital’s political representatives have genuine loyalty to a nation state beyond convenient tactical reasons. It is partly the point of Hagar’s book from the extracts I have read.
lprent maybe we should have a weekly post like Weekend social where the actual events of 9/11 can be debated in depth.
I acknowledge many passionate views on the subject and admit I have not had the time or headspace to thing about the issues but the subject tends to contaminate a lot of threads …
Monthly possibly (weekly seems rather too much)? Entering comments disables after a month…
But I’d prefer that it just confined itself to OpenMike. In the absence of new information I literally can’t see what else there is to argue about. We just seem to have people going over the same material without any resolution (which is why I can’t be bothered arguing about it).
I’ve already looked at the available data and links for alternate explanations several times and find them unconvincing. It reminds me of the other “old chestnuts” (as Lyn puts it) of the net. Like if there were lunar landings, or who was the better captain of the Enterprise (as I was reminded about last night).
Unfortunately in this post it is kind of on-topic (even though I think it is a fatuous sidetrack) because it bears on why we have troops in Afghanistan. But I’m sure that there will be some comment threads in here that I will bump as delving outside the post.
The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell …
Go to Ev’s site if you want to discuss nothing but 911 and depleted uranium and the international banking conspiracy. Since Ev thinks everything in the world comes back to these three issues, that is all that is there.
Actually while everybody is welcome of course to inform themselves with the info on my site I am very happy with the traffic as I seem to attract about 30 new readers on average a day according to my stat counter.
1: He created a cannon out of bamboo and diamonds;
2: He wasn’t afraid of taking inter-species cooperation to the next level;
3: He hated hippies and nazis with the same intensity;
4: anything that offered unfettered fun, peace and joy to his crew was identified as a threat to civilisation that should be immediately destroyed, unless it could prove otherwise pretty damned quickly.
Yeah might be time to move on from the Twin Towers and move on to the deliberate demolition of the US Dollar. And deliberate demolition of economic sovereignty in the Eurozone.
Sorry lprent, i know its off topic and this will be my only post on the matter:
I have actually been waiting for someone to bring up the WTC vs Empire state building (presumed) line. This is a response that i sent to a person i know that asked the same question on FB. I’m just going to paste it all:
“a number of factors explain why the Empire State Building suffered relatively minor damage while the twin towers were catastrophically destroyed. First, the energy of impact sustained by the buildings differed by orders of magnitude. The B-25 that struck the Empire State Building weighed approximately 21,500 lb (9,760 kg) and was traveling around 200 mph (320 km/h). The kinetic energy it created in the collision was about 30 million ft-lb (40 million Joules).
The twin towers of the World Trade Center, by comparison, were struck by Boeing 767 airliners traveling over twice as fast and weighing nearly 15 times as much as a B-25. The energy of impact for the two planes ranged from 2 billion ft-lb (2.6 billion Joules) to 3 billion ft-lb (4.1 billion Joules), some 60 to 100 times greater than that absorbed by the Empire State Building. This estimate is also conservative since it does not account for the energy released by the exploding jet fuel, which greatly exceeded the energy released by the much smaller B-25 fuel supply as well. The greater kinetic energy allowed the 767 aircraft to penetrate much further into the twin towers than the B-25 was able to do at the Empire State Building. Most of the B-25 impact was absorbed by the building’s exterior wall leaving very little to damage the interior structure. The 767 impacts, however, not only produced gaping holes in the WTC exterior but also destroyed much of the structural core at the center of each tower.”
Last Friday I blogged about the National Business Reviews article on Hone Harawira that was inaccurate and misquoted what the Mana party leader had said. Unfortunately similar cases of incorrect reporting are not isolated. The main stream media is awash with inaccuracies, discrimination and subterfuge that discourages proper debate and ensures the public is not properly informed…
Not wanting to give Brash airtime but he said that Labour’s canning the Youth Employment Pay caused 13,000 growth in unemployment. What? Why doesn’t anyone challenge that?
“Dr Brash. Please give us the data for your assertion.”
Nah. Who cares.
yeah, tories have brought that up here, too. I believe it’s a rough estimate of a figure Eric Crampton came to. The thing being that if we’re talking 13,000 youth unemployed jobs, then the youth unemployment rate (according to the 13,000 out of 39,000 current youth unemployed) would not have changed significantly as we entered our economic malaise (15% – 18%, as opposed to 15% – 27%), which seems a bit unlikely.
Haven’t read Cramptoin’s paper, but I find the c3% increase in youth unemployment estimate suspiciously close to a naive “overall unemployment rose c3%, therefore youth unemplyment would rise c3%”. In reality, overall unemployment doubles, so you’d expect youth unemployment to roughly double, if you were doing a simple naive comparison.
The problem is that it’s a retarded assertion that immediately moves the debate into “minimum wages increase unemployment” – even if you win without getting bogged down in calculus, you’re back where you started with “so what are you going to do about youth unemployment?”
Better to just say “bullshit – move on”.
It’s so good to see that the heroes of freedom in Libya (France and the UK) are not backward in coming forward when it comes to a little bit of ‘compensation‘ for their efforts.
The most interesting/revealing/worrying aspect of the poll was that 57.6% would look to Key for financial advice and 5% to Bill English. That 5% is less than for Goff (7.5%). Don Brash is favoured by 4.5%.
Oddly, in part of the text they claim that Brash is ‘third’ in this category behind English and Key. That is, Goff’s ranking at no. 2 on this dimension is ignored. Quite a telling ‘Freudian slip’.
The Dom-Post has the big photo of Mr. Sincerity along with the bullshit re the ‘poll’. Just below the photo is a piece by the editor about their new ‘charter of independence and commitment to the highest professional standards.(!!!) Meanwhile the editorial is a patronising smear job on Labour and dog-whistle doubt-casting on The Greens. Wonder if Crosby Textor write these editorials, no wait isn’t Mr Impartial himself, that Hollow Man Richard Long back from Vietnam?
History is on President Obama’s side as the 2012 elections approach.
And by “history” we mean Allan Lichtman, an American University professor who has gone 7-for-7 at predicting presidential elections since he developed his candidate-picking system roughly two decades ago.
Lichtman says that based on the 13 criteria he has used to correctly forecast every presidential election since Ronald Reagan’s re-election victory in 1984, Team Obama can rest easy. “Even if I am being conservative, I don’t see how Obama can lose,” Lichtman told US News
As a taxpaying New Zealander who has money invested into the Superannuation fund, I am disgusted at my hard earned dollars funding despicable companies that cause untold death and mayhem around the world…
One month after major disturbances were provoked by the August 4 police killing of Mark Duggan in north London, the Metropolitan Police in the capital are intensifying raids on working class communities.
Entire neighbourhoods have been sealed off, with riot police smashing down doors and dragging people away. So far this has resulted in over 2,000 arrests in London alone, averaging approximately 100 a day since the riots began. The media, tipped off in advance, has filmed the build-up, the actual raids and the spectacle of youth being thrown into police vans.
A police source told the Sunday Times that the police are hunting 30,000 people they say were involved in the disturbances. Nationally, 40,000 hours of CCTV footage will be examined and senior police officers are expecting the investigation to last for years.
But wait a 2nd, didn’t John Key list on of the reasons for getting the new BMW’s was because NZ didn’t have enough Limos to cater to the demand of the RWC and the expected numbers of international diplomats.
Federated Farmers are suggesting that scientists are conspiring to present false information regarding river quality to ensure themselves of future employment.
It seems to be well established pattern by the National Government/ Federated Farmers Dave.
Denial.
Rubbish the messenger.
Ignore the science.
Key leads by example.
Don Cheadle is obviously the best person to play Captain Planet in the movie version of the popular cartoon, hopefully they make his character a nicer guy…
Journalist Katie Bradford just tweeted that Labour completely denies the assertion made in the DF’s blog. Labour has no plans to release EQ policy in CHCH this Friday, on the anniversary of the quake.
Looks like Farrar’s bullshit holds about as much water as Slater’s recent claim Labour MP’s are ringing him up all the time. What a couple of douche bags!
To a certain degree Farrar is just pretending to be a clairvoyant: by keeping it vague all he’s really saying is that there could well be a major policy announcement in the lead-in to an election (wow), on a Sunday (a common occurrence to try and nab slow news days not packed with market reports, and good for the major papers) in September as the first quake anniversary approaches when the govt is taking flak for doing nothing about accommodation prices in the city. . .
It’s a punt – if he’s right he says he’s got inside knowledge, if he’s wrong then he says LP read his prediction and chickened out from such blatant bribery. And he conveniently ignores the latest govt business bribe, say tax laws.
Frankly, a land swap isn’t a bad idea, and I think was mentioned in the chch interview Brownlee did where he was bollocked by homeowners. I believe Key was at a thing there earlier in the day, but strangely had to leave before encountering any of the peasantry face to face…
What follows is a list of 25 mega corporations that paid one guy—their CEO—more money than what they spent on their entire federal tax bills last year. The same companies averaged $1.9 billion each in profits—money that was earned, in many cases, by cutting thousands of American jobs.
On the subject of the banks, ceo bonuses, Bank of America etc…
U.S. Is Set to Sue a Dozen Big Banks Over Mortgages
The federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to file suits against more than a dozen big banks, accusing them of misrepresenting the quality of mortgage securities they assembled and sold at the height of the housing bubble, and seeking billions of dollars in compensation.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency suits, which are expected to be filed in the coming days in federal court, are aimed at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, among others, according to three individuals briefed on the matter.
And last month, the insurance giant American International Group filed a $10 billion suit against Bank of America, accusing the bank and its Countrywide Financial and Merrill Lynch units of misrepresenting the quality of mortgages that backed the securities A.I.G. bought.
I know where they can recover some $50 million from a prominent NZdr and a property in Hawaii they slap a court order on.
Image, an impoverished John Key claiming welfare because of “life style choices”.
Some of the posts questioning that 9/11 was a terrorist attack, is pretty pathetic. You must have a real chip on your shoulder about the USA to think like that.
It is love for the American, Iraqi, Pashtun victims and all those American, English, Canadian, Dutch and New Zealand soldiers (the Americans now have more soldiers dying of suicide than dying in battle) who are trying to do the right thing that makes me keep on doing what I’m doing.
It is love for the brave American first responders who are still dying as the result of those attacks (and not invited to the commemoration of the events when they behaved like heroes) and the citizens of New York the majority of whom want a new and independent investigation.
A name to remember – Polly Higgins. A smart woman who speaks sense with an idea for turning us all from our present collision course. Something concrete to get our teeth into and good for counteracting that ‘But what can we do’ feeling. Book link – http://www.eradicatingecocide.com
Agree. Polly will be giving two more talks – in Auckland on Sunday and Monday.
Would be good for someone to do a write-up about her work re ‘ecocide’.
Google her and I have also made a comment previously:
Sunday 4th September 1- 9pm, Auckland
Eradicating Ecocide
Earthsong, 457 Swanson Road, Ranui, Waitakere, Auckland
Please email Helen McNeil, bagend (at) clear.net.nz to book a place ($20 includes dinner)
Monday 5th September, 7 – 9pm, Auckland University
Ecocide, the missing 5th Crime Against Peace (Facebook), Auckland
Lecture Theatre 260-098, Owen Glenn Building, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
@Jim Nald
Query – The time for Polly’s Auckland meeting wouldn’t be 1 to 9 pm would it? She would be worn out being on tap for all afternoon and evening. And people turning up at the wrong time wouldn’t be happy.
I’m guessing that you mean 7 to 9 pm. Though perhaps it’s 1 to 3 or 4 pm, though 1 pm is a bad time being straight after normal lunchtime. I would think in a big city where people have to drive for at least half-hour it would be too early a start. Could you check and confirm on this, thanks.
@JimNald
I’ve looked up info and it does seem that 1-9pm (if you book for dinner) is the time. It’s a lovely trip to I think the Waitakeres to an eco-village so well worth a visit and to meet this very experienced, good speaker on ways to move our laws to serve our present and future needs to conserve our place and the rest of the world.
The earlier details were copied from the permaculture.org.au … and you know what our Aussie cossies are like … prolly something they consumed the evening before … or while typing. Haha.
Oh ok, more seriously, maybe the details were originally handwritten and 1 was misread as 7 and then typed as such.
I did wonder when I copied and pasted .. but I thought – let’s see if anyone is interested enough and asks 😉
Have fun. Polly is cool (or ‘hot’ depending on the slang one prefers). “Ecocide” may sound a bit zany or quirky .. but she is anything but that. Polly has real legal – commercial and civil litigation experience – and she is a smart, practical and strategic person. She has a positive, optimistic, generous, cheery and inspirational attitude. Her ideas and words reflect the good sense of where she is coming from – her mind.
Give her a hug from me. Say it is from the invisible keyboard hands that have been busy drawing attention to her talks about the important issues. And we should get her back for a longer visit.
Declaration of interest: No commission. Polly’s proposal, research and her qualities stand on their own merits.
@Jim Nald – I was talking about Sunday’s times and have worked out why they are 1 to 9 pm – perhaps she can relax and talk to visitors at the eco-village before the dinner in the evening. She seems to have reserves of energy beyond the norm so perhaps she doesn’t need as much time off as others would. I think to her talking to people about her ideas and spreading the word and enthusiasm is not hard work.
Ok, all signs that I can pick up are pointing that there was no mistake.
I take my comment back about our Aussie cousins. Looks like permaculture is correct.
Confirming the following and Google tells me the phone number for the contact person for the Sunday event, ie Helen McNeil, is (09) 832 8181:
Sunday 4th September 1- 9pm, Auckland
Eradicating Ecocide
Earthsong, 457 Swanson Road, Ranui, Waitakere, Auckland
Please email Helen McNeil, bagend (at) clear.net.nz to book a place ($20 includes dinner)
Open access notables Multiple studies indicate changes in the properties of Antarctic bottom water (AABW) over the past half century. These changes involve density and hence will affect both local and distant circulation of the oceans, not least overturning effects that are vital for marine biology but also climate and ...
Completed reads for May: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne Round the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne The Secret of the Island, by Jules Verne From the Earth ...
Ben Roberts-Smith is apparently "Australia’s most decorated living soldier", having won a Victoria Cross for killing people in Afghanistan. But today, after a stupendous self-own defamation case, he's also been proven to be a war criminal who committed multiple murders: Ben Roberts-Smith VC, Australia’s most decorated living soldier, has ...
Hey Uncle Dave, My house got wrecked in the summer floods. Do you know if the government’s got any plans to help me, or are they too busy making bilingual road signs?Noah InsuranceYou picked a good day to ask, Noah, the Govt has just announced there’ll be an offer of ...
The government has looked at imposing a tax on nitrogen fertiliser, used heavily in NZ agriculture, but yesterday Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor conceded he had not convinced farming leaders to go ahead with it. ACT”s Mark Cameron claimed credit in Parliament for “killing” the plan. Both Federated ...
Are women the new Māori?Since Christopher Luxon has been leader National have shown they’re prepared to throw Māori under a bus. Be it not wanting them to have a seat at the table on water management, referring to the Treaty as a “little experiment”, or the monocultural candidate selection polices ...
Are women the new Māori?Since Christopher Luxon has been leader National have shown they’re prepared to throw Māori under a bus. Be it not wanting them to have a seat at the table on water management, referring to the Treaty as a “little experiment”, or the monocultural candidate selection polices ...
Buzz from the Beehive An email from Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta had yet to be posted on the government’s official website, when Point of Order made its morning check on our ministers and what they are (officially) up to. She was providing us with an account – a ...
Multiple reviews are examining options to address a $25M to $40M funding hole in its operating budget and a reported $300M, 70,000 hour maintenance backlog for huts, tracks and visitor assets.Thomas Cranmer writes – Following Friday’s revelation that Budget 2023has left the Department of Conservation ...
Property values fell a further 0.7% in May from April across Aotearoa, but Core Logic sees evidence in the data “the current downturn is winding up.” Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: There are fresh signs this morning the housing market-with-bits-tacked-on economy is brightening up going into winter, and just ...
This is a cross post by Malcom McCracken at Better things are possible. It was from between when National signalled their change in housing policy but before they announced it but highlights why the Medium Density Residential Standards are important. Yesterday, the leader of the National Party, Christopher Luxon, ...
Do the global climate models (GCMs) we use for describing future climate change really capture the change and variations in the region that we want to study? There are widely used tools for evaluating global climate models, such as the ESMValTool, but they don’t provide the answers that I ...
This video includes conclusions of the creator climate scientist Dr. Adam Levy. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). The world is getting hotter and the headlines are scary. So does climate change mean the world is about to pass ...
Politik (paywalled) reports that He waka eke noa, the farmers' scam to have the rest of us subsidise their emissions forever, so they can keep on destroying the planet, is dead: Reality appears to be about to shatter Jacinda Ardern's dream that New Zealand could lead the world in ...
Buzz from the Beehive Two ministerial press statements today draw attention to the Government’s incorporation of mātauranga Māori in its science policies and programmes. One of these announced the launch of the national space policy, which will oblige our space boffins to bring indigenous knowledge into their considerations. The ...
The Stations of the Cross, as all of us know from our devout and Godly ways, is a series of fourteen stations that depict the final hours in the story of Christ our Lord - appearing before Pilate, shouldering the wooden cross, whistling the Monty Python tune, so on and ...
The Stations of the Cross, as all of us know from our devout and Godly ways, is a series of fourteen stations that depict the final hours in the story of Christ our Lord - appearing before Pilate, shouldering the wooden cross, whistling the Monty Python tune, so on and ...
The Herald reports on a trivial but telling incident from Parliament: Labour Cabinet Minister Kiri Allan read the wrong speech at the third reading of a freedom camping bill in Parliament last night. She re-read almost word for word a speech given at the Self-contained Motor Vehicles Legislation bill’s ...
Barrie Saunders writes – Very well-intentioned politicians, judges and others have taken New Zealand down into a Treaty rabbit hole, from which few know how to exit without creating more social divisions. The modern interpretations of the Maori version of Treaty have set aside a common understanding of ...
It’s like deja-vu all over again. House prices are primed to surge 10-20% soon after any clear National-ACT win on October 14. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: There are increasing signs in economists’ forecasts, auction clearance rates, migration rates, divergent tax policies and house building rates that a clear ...
I did something yesterday that I hadn’t done in ages. Watch Oral Questions in parliament. I’m not sure what happened in all the episodes I missed, but nothing much seemed to have changed.For those unfamiliar, Question Time takes place in parliament at 2pm each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the ...
Slow Learner: Effective leaders develop a political “muscle memory” of their own. The National Party should get one.SPEAKING IN PUBLIC tops most people’s list of fearful situations. There are some careers, however, for which public fluency is a non-negotiable pre-requisite. There’s little point in pursuing an acting career, for example, ...
Reality appears to be about to shatter Jacinda Ardern’s dream that New Zealand could lead the world in showing how to deal with farm emissions. The Government is facing a breakdown in negotiations over its much-vaunted He Waka Eke Noa deal with farmers to price greenhouse gas emissions and ...
Hi,Webworm won a Voyager media award over the weekend for “Best Team Investigation”! This would not have been possible without readers. Without you. Thank you.Also, there’s a new Flightless Bird out today, where I look at drug rehab clinics in Florida. I talk to three former addicts, and their stories ...
On February 14, 2023 we announced our Rebuttal Update Project. This included an ask for feedback about the added "At a glance" section in the updated basic rebuttal versions. This weekly blog post series highlights this new section of one of the updated basic rebuttal versions and serves as a ...
Buzz from the Beehive The Government is coy about some aspects of its relationship with China – and with the United States. Earlier this month, the PM spent a hectic 23 hours in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, where he responded to the superpower security deal just ...
What do Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and your daily newspaper all have in common? They all tell tales of imaginary worlds.In Game of Thrones the honourable Stark family find themselves in deadly conflict with the ruthless House of Lannister.In the NZ Herald the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins finds himself ...
What do Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings and your daily newspaper all have in common? They all tell tales of imaginary worlds.In Game of Thrones the honourable Stark family find themselves in deadly conflict with the ruthless House of Lannister.In the NZ Herald the Rt Hon Chris Hipkins finds himself ...
In 2022 the government announced a periodic review of the Intelligence and Security Act, the legislation governing New Zealand's spies. Yesterday the review presented its report, Taumaru: Protecting Aotearoa New Zealand as a Free, Open and Democratic Society. Its a chunky read, and I'm not finished yet, but from the ...
The Charities Services decision to require the Waipareira Trust to claw back $385,000 of interest-free loans from John Tamihere brings renewed attention to the links between Whānau Ora and the Trust.Thomas Cranmer writes – Revelations earlier this month in the Herald that the social services charity Waipareira ...
National has developed a novel election strategy. It involves being both for and against almost every issue that comes down the pike. The use of te reo on public signage? Recently National Party leader Christopher Luxon came out against the bi-lingual use of te reo in the naming of government ...
Anti-densification residents’ and ratepayers’ groups are cock-a-hoop over National’s partial backflip on MDRS over the weekend and have ramped up their campaigns to stop densification in their areas. Photo: Lynn Grieveson/Getty ImagesTL;DR: NIMBY groups are cock-a-hoop this morning, calling on councils and the Government to completely abandon the MDRS housing ...
It’s been two months but today the Auckland Transport board meet for again. There’s a lot on the agenda so I can’t cover it all in this post but here are some of the highlights from their regular board papers. The open session starts at 9am and can be watched on ...
This story by Aaron Cantú was originally published in Capital & Main and is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. Monic Uriarte was thrilled to get approved for an affordable apartment in Los Angeles’ University Park, close to USC. But soon after she and her ...
This incomplete picture speaks of everything we love most about a summer holiday in Aotearoa: The bach, the beach, the barbecue, the sand, the christmas ham sandwiches, the serenity.We love it, don’t we, Aotearoa? Getting away to somewhere warm and quiet with a high tide and a hammock. And if ...
Buzz from the Beehive Ministers who took time out from the Labour Party congress to attend to portfolio duties were focused largely on promoting the country’s interests overseas. The statements with the widest implications dealt with: Trade – Damien O’Connor joined ministerial representatives at a meeting in Detroit, USA, ...
In the last year of a second term in government. the election outcome shouldn’t even be close. All that’s required for a competent Opposition to be streets ahead in the polls, is an ability to look like a credible government-in-waiting. Instead, we’ve got a very tight contest. There’s a reason ...
The Herald reports that WINZ debt has reached the staggering total of $2.4 billion, with the usual racism and sexism in who owes and how much they pay: Anti-poverty groups say the poorest Kiwis are caught in a debt trap as the total amount of money owed to the ...
There was a poll last week which asked if now was the right time for a tax cut. Which is quite an odd thing to ask really, don’t you think?We’ve got to pay back the money used to keep paying people and stop businesses going under during the pandemic. Our ...
The Treasury released its budget economic forecasts. What do they say about the economy over the next four months?Brian Easton writes – Let me begin me with an irritation. One post-budget headline was ‘Treasury optimistic over recession risk in Budget 2023‘. Treasury being optimistic is almost an ...
As a politician swallowing a rat under a very public spotlight, Chris Bishop gave a spirited and relatively smooth account of himself yesterday. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: Chris Bishop has detailed National’s new housing policy for Election 2023 that confirms a National Government would not force councils ...
After signalling it a week ago, yesterday National launched their new housing policy which abandons their support for the Medium Density Residential Standards (MDRS) that they had worked with the government to deliver back in 2021 and shifts the focus to more sprawl. Overall there are three key areas National ...
The audacity of National’s “u-turn” over housing intensification is an extraordinary slap in the face for Chris Bishop and Nicola Willis. If it does nothing else, it raises questions about their political judgement, not for the first time.. Some in the Caucus have still not forgiven them for their ...
As the general election approaches, the Association of Former Members of the Parliament of New Zealand has organised an essay competition to to foster democracy. Secondary school students are being challenged to identify the important elements of a successful democracy, explain their value and consider whether they can be improved ...
Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: For paying subscribers, here's my pick of the week’s top six news developments, quotes and charts of the week with my personal reflections, plus my suggestions for Sunday reading and listening. There’s also one fun thing. In summary this week, my six takeaways were:Christopher ...
With Open Arms: Is it at all reasonable to suppose that a colonial society in which whites traditionally occupied all the upper rungs of the ethnic hierarchy, and where the colonised were relegated to the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, will respond positively to a concerted indigenous push from below, ...
Hi,Just a quick online-only update that Webworm won “Best Team Investigation” last night at the Voyagers.This means a lot, especially considering we were up against giant newsrooms like Stuff and TVNZ:WINNER: David Farrier and Hayden Donnell | Webworm – The Downward Spiral of Arise ChurchJUDGES: Alan Sunderland and Ali Ikram“This ...
May 28, 2025.Ladies and gentlemen. It’s a beautiful clear morning here in Auckland City. We’re heading for a maximum temperature of 14 degrees, and the local time is now 10:30am. Please remain seated if you’d like to, or get up and walk around the plane if you prefer. New regulations ...
Somebody has made a new survey and it tells us this little waterlogged nation of ours is rocketing up the misery charts. Maybe they took it before the sun came back out.Or maybe they took it any time in the last two years. Because negativity is quite surely the new ...
The appointment of Elizabeth Longworth as Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO was one of just two press statements on the government’s official website today. Perhaps that’s because ministers have been busy preparing speeches for the Labour Party faithful who have gathered in Wellington for the party’s ...
Alarm bells have been rung by the department after its Deputy Director-General for Operations warns, ‘the initial view shows that we do not have sufficient funding to cover our basic running costs’.Thomas Cranmer writes – Following last week’s budget, alarm bells have been rung by the Department ...
Luxon went after the NIMBY vote, declaring National’s 2021 bipartisan deal with Labour to make it much easier to put three townhouses on a regular section ‘wrong’. File Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTLDR: The week’s news in Aotearoa’s political economy I covered via The Kākā for subscribers included:The Labour ...
Hello! This is the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the week.Here’s what you may have missed.Last Sunday’s column was about the budget A big chunk of this year’s budget coverage was brought to us by the words crass, gauche and venal. The big questions ...
Hi,Usually Webworms are quite focussed — this one is the opposite. No rhyme or reason. A bit like my brain: sometimes ultra-focussed, other times utterly unable to settle on a goddamn thing. And as we head into the weekend, there are a bunch of things buzzing around in my head ...
The Mainstream Media, and especially the New Zealand Herald, regularly carry misinformed columns on the causes of the country’s low-grade economic performance over recent years. One old codger, John Gascoigne, who describes himself as “a Cambridge-based economic commentator” (not the university, alas!) correctly told us early this week that New ...
The Treasury released its budget economic forecasts. What do they say about the economy over the next four months?Let me begin me with an irritation. One post-budget headline was ‘Treasury optimistic over recession risk in Budget 2023'. Treasury being optimistic is almost an oxymoron. They fire down the centre.It is ...
Photo by Ron Fung on UnsplashIt’s that time of the week again when and I co-host our ‘hoon’ webinar with paying subscribers to The Kākā for an hour at 5 pm. Jump on this link on YouTube Livestream for our chat about the week’s news with special guests:5.00 pm ...
1. Who most likely gave LOTO Luxon the idea to pull the rug on the urban density policy?a. A leading thinker on affordable housing b. A leading thinker on 15 minute cities c. A leading thinker on sustainable urban planning d. National-Party-supporting property developers2 . With what was this illustration made?a. Artificial inseminationb. ...
Buzz from the BeehivePoint of Order tallied $314.4 million of spending in the latest ministerial statements posted on the government’s official website. This includes a lump of money to – yes, really – help identify businesses in tourism and hospitality which treat their staffs well and to fund the ...
It’s that time of the week for an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session for paying subscribers about the week that was for an hour from midday (my apologies for the late start today), including:the Government’s payment of $130 million of Climate Emergency Fund money to NZ Steel to help it cut ...
National/ACT would have 62 seats in a 120 seat Parliament if the latest poll results were replicated in the October election, but micro-movements around the median and the size of Te Pāti Māori’s caucus will decide who governs. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāTL;DR: National/ACT could govern alone after October ...
Welcome to Friday – again! Hard to believe we’re almost in June. Here’s our latest roundup of stories that caught our eye this week. The Week in Greater Auckland On Monday, Matt covered the transport highlights from this year’s Budget. On Tuesday, Matt asked if the end is ...
What should one make of the Reserve Bank Governor’s extraordinary donation of a hostage to fortune in forecasting an end to interest rate hikes? Conspiracy theorists will be scratching their tinfoil hats and mumbling about positioning for a whacking great payoff on being forced out by a new government. ...
Shocking The Pakeha: An entirely forgivable impulse, some might say, given how easily so many Pakeha are shocked. Merely to suggest that Te Tiriti o Waitangi should be taken seriously is sufficient to set some Pakeha off. Others are shocked by the inclusion of more than a word or two ...
During New Zealand First coalition negotiations our policy was to train and resource 1800 new frontline police. We secured this coalition policy win to ensure our streets had a police force that could tackle crime - after years of neglect. Remember those previous nine years of neglect saw a ‘tag ...
Katie Kenny from Stuff published an article today with a lazy attempt at so-called ‘fact checking’ my recent comments on the World Health Organisation’s concerning new regulations being developed. What is most surprising is that throughout this entire ‘fact checking’ process, Kenny never once rang me asking for my side ...
The National Party has released another confused and rushed policy that will only further worsen the inequality that is driven by unaffordable housing. ...
Welcome to sunny and calm Wellington, which I know those of you who are visiting would of course expect to be the case. It’s been a busy week since we put forward the 2023 Budget. Labour MPs have been out across the motu giving the good oil on the Budget. ...
Kia orana, Talofa lava, Mālo e lelei, Taloha ni, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Noa’ia e mauri, Ni sa bula vinaka, Kia ora, Tena Koutou Katoa. Labour Party President Jill Day, Prime Minister Hipkins, Party faithful, delegates and comrades, whānau and friends, it’s a privilege to be here today. I begin my ...
One of my kaumātua up North stood before the Waitangi Tribunal and said: ‘He aha kē ahau, te tangata kore hara i mua i te Atua, e tu nei kia whakawaatia e koe, te tangata tāhae, te tangata hara, te tangata kore tikanga?Ko koe kē te tika, kia tū ...
New Zealanders will be highly concerned that the World Health Organisation proposes to effectively take control of independent decision making away from sovereign countries and place control with the Director General. W.H.O International Health Regulations on future outbreaks of disease aim to give the Director General extraordinary and wide-sweeping powers. ...
The Green Party is calling on the Government to take responsibility for reducing inflation by taxing wealth instead of leaving RBNZ to continue hiking the Official Cash Rate. ...
The Green Party has released its list of candidates for the 2023 election. With a mix of familiar faces, fresh new talent, and strong tangata whenua voices, this exceptional group of candidates are ready to set the direction of the next Government. ...
Thank you for your invitation to be here, after yesterday's budget, and for the opportunity to talk with you. In the economic and social turmoil following the arrival of COVID 19 in New Zealand many concerns emerged. How would we keep our economy going and maintain our exports which are ...
At the heart of Budget 2023 is a cost of living package, designed to ease the pressure on New Zealanders in the face of global inflation and the challenges of rebuilding from extreme weather events. It provides practical cost of living relief across some of the core expenses facing Kiwis ...
A long standing Green Party policy has been extended yet again in this year’s Budget. This will deliver warmer homes for thousands of people, lower power bills, and cut climate pollution. ...
The Green Party is fully on board with free bus and train travel for under 12s and half price travel for under 25s - next stop, free travel for all under 18s, students, and apprentices. ...
Earlier this week, the Prime Minister announced a billion dollar flood and cyclone recovery package as part of Budget 2023. This is about doing the basics - repairing and rebuilding what has been damaged and making smart investments, including $100 million of protection funding to ensure future events don’t cause ...
The Fuel Industry (Improving Fuel Resilience) Amendment Bill would: boost New Zealand’s fuel supply resilience and economic security enable the minimum stockholding obligation regulations to be adapted as the energy and transport environment evolves. “Last November, I announced a six-point plan to improve the resiliency of our fuel supply from ...
The Government is making sure those on low incomes will no longer have to wait five weeks to get the minimum weekly rate of ACC, and improving the data collected to make the system fairer, Minister for ACC Peeni Henare said today. The Accident Compensation (Access Reporting and Other Matters) ...
A compulsory code of conduct will ensure school board members are crystal clear on their responsibilities and expected standard of behaviour, Minister of Education Jan Tinetti said. It’s the first time a compulsory code of conduct has been published for state and state-integrated school boards and comes into effect on ...
Tena koutou katoa and thank you, Mayor Nadine Taylor, for your welcome to Marlborough. Thanks also Doug Saunders-Loder and all of you for inviting me to your annual conference. As you might know, I’m quite new to this job – and I’m particularly pleased that the first organisation I’m giving a ...
The Government will enter into a funding arrangement with councils in cyclone and flood affected regions to support them to offer a voluntary buyout for owners of Category 3 designated residential properties. It will also co-fund work needed to protect Category 2 designated properties. “From the beginning of this process ...
The Government has announced changes to strengthen requirements in venues with pokie (gambling) machines will come into effect from 15 June. “Pokies are one of the most harmful forms of gambling. They can have a detrimental impact on individuals, their friends, whānau and communities,” Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds said. ...
The total Police workforce is now the largest it has ever been. Police constabulary stands at 10,700 officers – an increase of 21% since 2017 Māori officers have increased 40%, Pasifika 83%, Asian 157%, Women 61% Every district has got more Police under this Government The Government has delivered on ...
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Nanaia Mahuta met with Korea President Yoon, as well as Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna, during her recent visit to Korea. “It was an honour to represent Aotearoa New Zealand at the first Korea – Pacific Leaders’ Summit. We discussed Pacific ambitions under the ...
The Government’s Research and Development Tax Incentive has supported more than $2 billion of New Zealand business innovation – an increase of around $1 billion in less than nine months. "Research and innovation are essential in helping us meet the biggest challenges and seize opportunities facing New Zealand. It’s fantastic ...
The next ‘giant leap’ in New Zealand’s space journey has been taken today with the launch of the National Space Policy, Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds announced. “Our space sector is growing rapidly. Each year New Zealand is becoming a more and more attractive place for launches, manufacturing space-related technology ...
A new Year 7-13 designated character wharekura will be built in Pāpāmoa, Associate Minister of Education Kelvin Davis has announced. The wharekura will focus on science, mathematics and creative technologies while connecting ākonga to the whakapapa of the area. The decision follows an application by the Ngā Pōtiki ā Tamapahore ...
Protecting the environment by establishing a stronger, more consistent system for freedom camping Supporting councils to better manage freedom camping in their region and reduce the financial and social impacts on communities Ensuring that self-contained vehicle owners have time to prepare for the new system The Self-Contained Motor Vehicle ...
A new law passed last night could see up to 25 percent of Family Court judges’ workload freed up in order to reduce delays, Minister of Justice Kiri Allan said. The Family Court (Family Court Associates) Legislation Bill will establish a new role known as the Family Court Associate. The ...
New Zealand businesses will begin reaping the rewards of our gold-standard free trade agreement with the United Kingdom (UK FTA) from today. “The New Zealand UK FTA enters into force from today, and is one of the seven new or upgraded Free Trade Agreements negotiated by Labour to date,” Prime ...
The Government will reform outdated surrogacy laws to improve the experiences of children, surrogates, and the growing number of families formed through surrogacy, by adopting Labour MP Tāmati Coffey’s Member’s Bill as a Government Bill, Minister Kiri Allan has announced. “Surrogacy has become an established method of forming a family ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little departs for Singapore tomorrow to attend the 20th annual Shangri-La Dialogue for Defence Ministers from the Indo-Pacific region. “Shangri-La brings together many countries to speak frankly and express views about defence issues that could affect us all,” Andrew Little said. “New Zealand is a long-standing participant ...
Research, Science and Innovation Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall and the Chinese Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang met in Wellington today and affirmed the two countries’ long-standing science relationship. Minister Wang was in New Zealand for the 6th New Zealand-China Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation. Following ...
5 percent uplift clearer and simpler to navigate Domestic productions can access more funding sources 20 percent rebate confirmed for post-production, digital and visual effects Qualifying expenditure for post-production, digital and visual effects rebate dropped to $250,000 to encourage more smaller productions The Government is making it easier for the ...
Deputy Prime Minister and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs (Pacific Region) Carmel Sepuloni will represent New Zealand at Samoa’s 61st Anniversary of Independence commemorations in Apia. “Aotearoa New Zealand is pleased to share in this significant occasion, alongside other invited Pacific leaders, and congratulates Samoa on the milestone of 61 ...
The Government is continuing to support retailers with additional funding for the highly popular Fog Cannon Subsidy Scheme, Police and Small Business Minister Ginny Andersen announced today. “The Government is committed to improving retailers’ safety,” Ginny Andersen said. “I’ve seen first-hand the difference fog cannons are making. Not only do ...
The Government has received the first independent review of the Intelligence and Security Act 2017, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says. The review, considered by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, was presented to the House of Representatives today. “Ensuring the safety and security of New Zealanders is of the utmost ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed condolences on behalf of New Zealand to the Kingdom of Tonga following the death of Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili. “New Zealand sends it’s heartfelt condolences to the people of Tonga, and to His Majesty King Tupou VI at this time ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta have today announced the extension of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) deployment to Solomon Islands, as part of the regionally-led Solomon Islands International Assistance Force (SIAF). “Aotearoa New Zealand has a long history of working alongside the Royal Solomon ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to the Republic of Korea today to attend the Korea–Pacific Leaders’ Summit in Seoul and Busan. “Korea is an important partner for Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific region. I am eager for the opportunity to meet and discuss issues that matter to our ...
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor joined ministerial representatives at a meeting in Detroit, USA today to announce substantial conclusion of negotiations of a new regional supply chains agreement among 14 Indo-Pacific countries. The Supply Chains agreement is one of four pillars being negotiated within the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework ...
Our most spoken Pacific language is taking centre stage this week with Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa – Samoa Language Week kicking off around the country. “Understanding and using the Samoan language across our nation is vital to its survival,” Barbara Edmonds said. “The Samoan population in New Zealand are ...
Over 90 per cent of New Zealanders are expected to receive this year’s nationwide test of the Emergency Mobile Alert system tonight between 6-7pm. “Emergency Mobile Alert is a tool that can alert people when their life, health, or property, is in danger,” Kieran McAnulty said. “The annual nationwide test ...
ENGLISH: Whakatōhea and the Crown sign Deed of Settlement A Deed of Settlement has been signed between Whakatōhea and the Crown, 183 years to the day since Whakatōhea rangatira signed the Treaty of Waitangi, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little has announced. Whakatōhea is an iwi based in ...
Elizabeth Longworth has been appointed as the Chair of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, Associate Minister of Education Jo Luxton announced today. UNESCO is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting cooperative action among member states in the areas of education, science, culture, social science (including peace and ...
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
Tourism and hospitality employer accreditation scheme to recognise quality employers Better education and career opportunities in tourism Cultural competency to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces Innovation and technology acceleration to drive satisfying, skilled jobs Strengthening our tourism workers and supporting them into good career pathways, pay and working conditions ...
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
Greater access to primary care, including 193 more front line clinical staff More hauora services and increased mental health support Boost for maternity and early years programmes Funding for cancers, HIV and longer term conditions Greater access to primary care, improved maternity care and mental health support are ...
The Government continues progress on the survivor-led independent redress system for historic abuse in care, with the announcement of the design and advisory group members today. “The main recommendation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s Abuse in Care interim redress report was for a survivor-led independent redress system, and the ...
Aotearoa New Zealand is providing NZ$7.75 million to respond to urgent humanitarian needs in the Horn of Africa, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. The Horn of Africa is experiencing its most severe drought in decades, with five consecutive failed rainy seasons. At least 43.3 million people require lifesaving and ...
Health Minister Ayesha Verrall has opened two new state-of-the-art mental health facilities at the Christchurch Hillmorton Hospital campus, as the Government ramps up its efforts to build a modern fit for purpose mental health system. The buildings, costing $81.8 million, are one of 16 capital projects the Government has funded ...
The Government is continuing to invest in our regional economies by announcing another $24 million worth of investment into ten diverse projects, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan says. “Our regions are the backbone of our economy and today’s announcement continues to build on the Government’s investment to boost regional economic ...
An $8 million boost to New Zealand Māori Tourism will help operators insulate themselves for the future. Spread over the next four years, the investment acknowledges the on-going challenges faced by the industry and the significant contribution Māori make to tourism in Aotearoa. It builds on the $15 million invested ...
Defence Minister Andrew Little has marked the arrival of the first 18 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles for the New Zealand Army, alongside personnel at Trentham Military Camp today. “The arrival of the Bushmaster fleet represents a significant uplift in capability and protection for defence force personnel, and a milestone in ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra nitpicker/Shutterstock By coincidence, the furore around the consultancy firm PwC is raging just as the National Anti-Corruption Commission is gearing up for its start of business on July 1. The PwC scandal, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ricardo Villegas, Senior Lecturer of Law, University of South Australia Today, Federal Court Justice Anthony Besanko handed down his long-awaited judgment in the defamation case that Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living former SAS soldier, brought against the Age, the Sydney Morning ...
Wayne Brown has named and attempted to shame councillors who oppose the sale of the council's airport shares, but some are returning fire, saying he does not have the votes to pass his plan. ...
Some certainty has arrived for those impacted by severe weather events earlier this year but the bulk of the detail for a buyout scheme affecting at least 700 homes is a work in progress, writes political editor Jo Moir.Analysis: Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson has been determined since February ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Rolph, Professor of Law, University of Sydney At the heart of the spectacular defamation trial brought by decorated Australian soldier Ben Roberts-Smith were two key questions. Had the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times damaged his reputation ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Bateson, Professor of Practice, University of Sydney Shutterstock Australians’ access to a range of contraceptive options depends on where they live and how wealthy they are. A recent parliamentary inquiry recommends ways to end this “postcode lottery” for people ...
Labour's campaign chair is standing by a social media post which likens National's prescriptions policy to dystopian TV show and novel The Handmaid's Tale. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Coalition’s decision to oppose the Voice to Parliament has put its moderate members in a jam. Some moderates are active yes advocates, while others are trying to keep low profiles. Bridget Archer, the outspoken ...
Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling out the agriculture industry’s "undue influence" over the Government’s agricultural emissions policy, saying that " predatory denial and delay " have stalled the development of plans to price and reduce ...
“The huge fire in South Auckland illustrates the serious human health risks of incinerating flock, the residual material left over from the scrap metal process. It is one reason we will be opposing the building of a waste incinerator in Te Awamutu ...
It’s reassuring to think that by paying for private treatment you’re ‘freeing up a bed’ in a public hospital. But the reality is private beds don’t free up public beds, they replace them. Ethicists argue that healthcare is special. Unlike other consumer goods, its availability and accessibility should be based ...
The office of mayor Wayne Brown has hit back at criticism journalists were “cherry-picked” for this morning’s budget announcement. A number of media outlets, including The Spinoff, Stuff, TVNZ and Newshub, were not invited to hear Brown’s budget address. Some, however, made it into the room after Brown had started ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Klugman, Research Fellow, Institute for Health & Sport, member of the Community, Identity and Displacement Research Network, and Co-convenor of the Olympic Research Network, Victoria University Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains mention of the Stolen ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sudyumna Dahal, PhD Student, Australian National University Shutterstock The human costs of tobacco and smoking worldwide are huge. 1.3 billion people use tobacco, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. More than 8 million people die prematurely because of tobacco, at ...
Today, the Government released a discussion document: Safer Online Services and Media Platforms. It aims to reduce people’s exposure to harmful content, and create a system that is easier to navigate if people need to report harmful content. The ...
The Act Party’s compared a proposal to improve online safety to the government’s doomed hate speech laws, and pledged to “kill” it off as well. Consultation is set to begin on a Department of Internal Affairs proposal to change how online content is regulated in New Zealand. But David Seymour ...
A new report from the Auditor-General on four initiatives to improve outcomes for Māori has highlighted the importance of strong relationships between public organisations and Māori, and of taking the time needed to build these relationships. However, ...
The Broadcasting Standards Authority welcomes today’s launch of the public discussion document, Safer Online Services and Media Platforms, on a proposed new content regulation framework. The Authority has long been an advocate for a more flexible regulatory ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alice Clement, Research Associate in the College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University Virtual Australian Museum of Palaeontology, Author providedPalaeontology is the study of evolution and prehistoric life, usually preserved as fossils in rocks. It combines aspects of geology ...
Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono welcomes the release of the Safer Online Services and Media Platforms report from Te Tari Taiwhenua, dealing with content regulation for media and social media. “We welcome the move to an independent regulator that ...
The drearily titled “Safer Online Services and Media Platforms” document has just been released. Here’s a TLDR summary from The Spinoff’s Shanti Mathias: The suggested changes are pretty different from what we have right now. All digital industries that publish content, including overseas companies like Meta and Google and local ...
The drearily titled “Safer Online Services and Media Platforms” document has just been released. Here’s a TLDR summary from The Spinoff’s Shanti Mathias: The suggested changes are pretty different from what we have right now. All digital industries that publish content, including overseas companies like Meta and Google and local ...
The Safer Online Services and Media Platforms document has just been released by the government’s Content Regulatory Review. It does more than capitalise nouns – here’s what you need to know about what’s inside. What is this document with the world’s most boring name?It’s a proposal from the Department ...
The Safer Online Services and Media Platforms document has just been released by the government’s Content Regulatory Review. It does more than capitalise nouns – here’s what you need to know about what’s inside. What is this document with the world’s most boring name?It’s a proposal from the Department ...
The 2010s musical theatre phenomenon has finally made it to Spark Arena. Does does it live up to the years of expectation? This Angelica Schuyler is transcendent Full disclosure: I am overly familiar with Hamiton without being a full-on Hamilstan. I’ve listened to the cast recording countless times, watched it ...
The 2010s musical theatre phenomenon has finally made it to Spark Arena. Does does it live up to the years of expectation? This Angelica Schuyler is transcendent Full disclosure: I am overly familiar with Hamiton without being a full-on Hamilstan. I’ve listened to the cast recording countless times, watched it ...
Members of the press being turned away from the door distracted from the announcement of asset sales and inflation-pegged rates in Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s final budget proposal Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown didn’t mince words at a fiery press conference this morning where he confirmed he’d be calling for a ...
During New Zealand First coalition negotiations our policy was to train and resource 1800 new frontline police. We secured this coalition policy win to ensure our streets had a police force that could tackle crime - after years of neglect. Remember those ...
The government and councils will offer a buyout option to property owners whose land is too risky to rebuild on, and co-fund protection works for those who need it. ...
The government will work with councils to offer a “voluntary buyout” for owners of homes written off by Cyclone Gabrielle and other recent severe weather. About 700 category three properties – those where it’s deemed the risk of future severe weather cannot be sufficiently mitigated – are expected to be ...
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s proposed budget presents a dangerous false choice between cutting public services and privatising Auckland’s assets. The proposal to councillors offers to reinstate funding for public services and increase the pay ...
A leaked consultation document from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) shows plans to draft and introduce legislation that would entirely restructure the New Zealand censorship regime, bringing online speech, such as material on social media ...
A crucial day for the future of the city, and the mayor’s message to hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders: I don’t want to talk to you. Wayne Brown was right. The media is awash with drongos. I personally have behaved drongoistically – to borrow a Winstonism – at least twice ...
The PSA is pleased Te Whatu Ora has listened to its concerns and is seeking further consultation with unions on a major restructuring as it seeks to remove duplication and centralise services. "This will be a huge relief for workers," said ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Antje Deckert, Associate Professor (Criminology), Auckland University of Technology Getty Images When TVNZ cancelled reality TV show Police Ten 7 earlier this year, it certainly rattled some law-and-order cages. The show’s former host Graham Bell, who described suspects variously ...
A new survey from Consumer NZ has once again found customer’s prefer the country’s smaller power providers. For the third year in a row, Powershop has come out on top with a satisfaction score of 74% – the sixth time overall it has achieved the accolade. Frank Energy received a ...
Applications to mine in the ocean could begin in July. Why are scientists and activists so concerned?Far from the light of the surface, animals are pale; some glow in the dense darkness, have translucent shells; grow very big or very small. Even the most comprehensive list of deep ocean ...
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that a Police dog handler was not justified in using his dog to bite a man who was resisting arrest but was justified in using the dog against a second man who threatened Police. At a Whanganui suburb ...
The interdisciplinary artist from Te Whanganui-a-Tara shares all the mahi that happens behind the scenes. Ana (Ngāti Tāwhaki, Ngāi Tūhoe) has won multiple awards for her theatre work, and has been the recipient of the Te Tumu Toi New Zealand Arts Foundation Springboard Award, where she was mentored by ...
Sustainable Tarras (ST) supports today’s commitment from the new Christchurch City Holdings (CCHL) board seeking increased transparency and community engagement on the Tarras airport, as debated with Christchurch City Council (CCC) at today’s ...
This Sunday, 4 June, Wellington and Christchurch will join over 300 cities worldwide in observing the National Animal Rights Day. The events remember the billions of animals who lose their lives each year due to human actions, and acknowledge the ...
EDS has lodged its submission on “ Strengthening National Direction on Renewable Electricity Generation and Electricity Transmission ”, a consultation document prepared by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment and the Ministry ...
Auckland’s mayor snubbed most journalists from a morning launch of his new budget. While the Herald was among a select few allowed in the room, reporters from outlets like Stuff weren’t sent an invitation. In a story headlined “Wayne Brown snubs Stuff readers on major Auckland Council budget update”, a ...
A nationwide poll on pay gaps shows nearly 2 out of every 3 New Zealanders consider pay gaps to be a ‘significant’ or ‘very significant’ issue (64%), with a similar number supporting new pay transparency policies to address the issue (63%). ...
I said we could still be friends but now I just want him to leave me alone.Want Hera’s help? Email your problem to [email protected]Dear HeraTowards the end of last year, I was surprised to see a university acquaintance from a different city – we’d had one tutorial together – at ...
Wayne Brown’s proposed budget will see rates increases pegged to inflation – but it requires his desired sell-off of Auckland Airport shores. The mayor is presenting his budget in Auckland today. Few were invited to witness the moment live, with media like Stuff reportedly left out (The Spinoff was not ...
When it was first unveiled, the government’s extension in this year’s Budget of 20 hours free early childhood education to 2-year-olds from next March was hailed as a masterstroke. The Minister of Finance said it would save qualifying households ...
I didn’t know this but because we have reciprocal health agreements with Australia and the United Kingdom, visitors from those countries will not have to pay for prescriptions once the $5 fee is removed here in July. Naturally that means New Zealanders enjoy reciprocity in their experience of local health ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Pang, Research Fellow in Psychology, Monash University Shutterstock The human brain is made up of around 86 billion neurons, linked by trillions of connections. For decades, scientists have believed that we need to map this intricate connectivity in detail ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Gapps, Historian and Conjoint Lecturer, University of Newcastle Benjamin Duterrau, The Conciliation 1840, oil on canvas. Purchased by the Friends of TMAG and the Board of Trustees, 1945. Collection: Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, AG79.Note of warning: This article ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Magdalena Plebanski, Professor of Immunology, RMIT University Philippe Leone/Unsplash Influenza, or the flu, is a virus transmitted by respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing. It can cause the sudden onset of a fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, headache, muscle ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven J Lade, Resilience researcher at Australian National University, Australian National University Shutterstock People once believed the planet could always accommodate us. That the resilience of the Earth system meant nature would always provide. But we now know this is ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vera Weisbecker, Associate Professor, Flinders University Shutterstock Australia’s dingo fence is an internationally renowned mega-structure. Stretching more than 5,600 kilometres, it was completed in the 1950s to keep sheep safe from dingoes. But it also inadvertently protects some native ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Reza M. Monem, Professor of Accounting, Griffith University In 2008 Australia’s federal, state and territory governments set the goal of halving the employment gap between First Nations Australians and others within a decade. That required, by 2018, lifting the employment rate for ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Barrett, Associate Professor in Commercial Law and Taxation, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington Getty Images It’s no secret that Revenue Minister David Parker has long been interested in tax reform in New Zealand. In 2022, he ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lily Moore, PhD Candidate in Classics and Archaeology, The University of Melbourne A Woman Drinking, Andrea Mantegna. about 1495-1506 The National Gallery, London. The ancient Romans venerated wine. It was accessible to the masses, a fundamental staple of mainstream life ...
Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown is making a list ditch appeal to councillors he claims are holding up a potential sell-off of airport shares. The Herald’s reported that councillors were called to two confidential meetings yesterday, one on the sale of the airport shares and another to discuss a draft of ...
Time is running out to nail down an alternative pricing scheme before the election. Ministers are said to be fed up with the lack of movement and the sector is calling for a delay, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive ...
Objectors continue to push for the canning of a mooted new Central Otago airport as the company pushing it buys the critical final piece of the site A Christchurch City Council committee has expressed concern about one of its subsidiary companies, Christchurch International Airport, pushing ahead with a proposed airport ...
While your grocery bills suggest otherwise, high inflation is not all bad news – especially if you’ve got a New Zealand student loan, Emma Vitz explains. High inflation sucks. The price of lettuce appears to be doubling every time you go to the supermarket. People who bought into the property ...
Welcome to the authors, illustrators and publishers on the shortlist for this year’s New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. Books editor Claire Mabey offers her thoughts, alongside comments from student readers.It’s hard to write a great children’s book. The kind that will be reprinted and re-gifted ...
Paddy Richardson is swept away by a magical new novel I love novels that you fall into and languish, trusting that each word will be perfectly placed, that each action will be either consistent or surprising, that each character will be rounded and real. Fiona Farrell’s sumptuously written, ...
Why would – and how does – a bank get involved in dealing with private capital? In our final podcast in conjunction with BNZ, we meet a woman who introduces fledgling businesses with committed, long-term investors. Head of Private Capital, BNZ, Linda Sturgess tells Emile Donovan why paying it forward is a ...
‘Kia kaha, kia māia, be brave and lean into it.' Newsroom speaks to Spark's Māori development lead Riki Hollings about what it means to be on a te ao Māori journey – and the best way to support that | Content Partnership Riki Hollings is a descendant of Ngāti Ranginui and Ngai ...
03:30, lurch, chikka chikka chikka, 4.9
Good morning!
Just another morning here in Christchurch.
@happynz
Not bad enough to get out of bed for though I’m told from westside Christchurch. And it’s not likely to break anything. That’s all been done and dusted by past equakes.
…yeah, that’s about the size of it…
Something more important than politics: NARK the Non-Violent Code of Silence
Tomorrow at the Stop Child Abuse memorial in Dunedin (12.30pm, Cenotaph, Queens Gardens) I’m going to speak about the unspoken problem – men’s non-violent code of silence.
Non-violent men are at least as a big a part of the problem as violent men, through their complicity of silent approval.
Cherie Kurarangi Sweeney has spoken up with the NARK campaign, and she is getting a lot of support – mostly from women.
Non-violent men need to NARK too, more than anyone.
I hope you mean non-violent men who have someone to nark on, and not just most of us in general. I’m certainly not complicit and 111 is always one thumb away.
If a non-violent man has never listened to another man talking about his viiolent behaviour without speaking up about it then he is not a part of the problem.
If non-violent men bite their lip, cringe inside and turn away in silence then they are a part of the problem.
This can be hard to accept, it was for me, but it needs to be said.
PG “Anger is an emotional response to discomfort.” “Stop and think before you react when angry.” I would like to see magnets sent to every home with the above comments including a free helpline number where people can be connected to the most appropriate agency.
“Be a nark when you know of harm” or similar worded magnet would help to reinforce that narking when violence is occurring especially where children are involved is necessary to protect them from harm, would be a direction I would go in.
Money to print political party manifestos but not to prevent child murder/manslaughter is so disgraceful.
I believe that neglect causes abuse and abuse causes either a physical and/or a emotional/psychological injury or a fatality.
Stress due to the cost of living or illness also plays a part as well as intergenerational abuse, but this is no excuse for violence, however some people are unable to change without intensive resources.
Shonkey missing in action again on Radio NZ this morning re the new Hagar book. If there were any journalists with guts the Beehive theaterette seats would all be empty for a couple of weeks while they went and did some proper research. TV equipment would be mysteriously faulty, John who? editors would say until the PM shows some due respect and deigns to appear more regularly for open media discussion rather than either managed “spout and run” or not fronting at all.
NZ’s media think that John Key is there to be fawned over, not questioned.
As long as his PR staff keep them well-supplied with fluffy stories and photos, they’re not too fussed over him ducking any serious issues. Serious issues are boring, don’t ya know – much better to have a big pic of Key with a dog/child/famous person wearing his signature cheesy grin.
It sells better than actually having to do something called ‘journalism’.
You mean like this :
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/polls/election-poll/5551633/PM-trusted-to-babysit-the-children
John Key is a class clown.
What a load of bollocks! You have to despair about the state of the MSM.
Why would you expend time and money to ask voters this sort of question?
It perpetuates the “personality over policy” evil that is undermining our democracy.
Makes me want to pull the covers over my head with a torch, a good book and a nice bourbon.
*sigh*
You answered your own question.
oh my god – and the contextual “headlines” menu on the right brings up “John Key a Hit with Female Voters” from July. The man is the sexiest, most sensitive, and most trustworthy politician in NZ, according to the supposedly impartial pollsters. Better than a Big Brother, because you’re allowed to date him!
Fairfax are becoming the new Pravda.
First class shit! I’d rather have Uncle Hone, even though my kids are pakeha – at least they would learn something from him.
I thought the “I’d be a bit disappointed if one of my ministers was caught vomiting” was the hight of class and leadership. I was surprised that made it through, probably appeals nicely to his good old bloke voter base…
Top US Corporations paid CEOs more than they paid in taxes
the same was applicable to Banking bonuses after the bailouts
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aHURVoSUqpho
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2867946/As-RBS-dishes-out-13bn-in-bonuses-we-ask-whether-they-deserve-it.html
We are all serfs working for a few elite, and most are unawarem of this
So who did the stimulus packages 1,2 (and most probably 3) as well as the bailouts in the US, EU and most other countries assist excl Iceland ???
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/America:_Freedom_to_Fascism
Friday is a great day to plan what to do with the well earned time off. I will be looking at the fruits of spring this weekend out around the hills searching out suitable places to seed guerilla style. Here in NZ we need never go short of food but it does behove us to look for non market based methods of replenishment, because lest we forget we have hungry children en masse in our poorer communities. The dollar based food and goods distribution has failed them.
What if the dollar and market were to fail you? How would you feed and warm yourself? Better get thinking because the scenario is entirely plausible. Those great military planners the German Bundswer (the same people responsible for Blitzkreig and Tiger tanks) have this to say on the chances of this event….
http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2011-08-30/complete-english-translation-german-military-analysis-peak-oil-now-available
Be prepared.
Out of interest, what are you planning to plant?
PS. You may already know, but there are also lots of wild foods growing in town belts and forest margins.
is that for real ??
maybe we should get city councils to approve planting them on a wide scale.
with another term of this lot in power, the fuschsias will be enthusiastically feasted on.
we could keep this lot in power and look forward to being truly fuchsiased.
That new foo bill, linked here recently, don’t have it with me on my phone, would suggest councils may not be that supportive of us growing much food on their land. Get in the way of monsanto’s profits.
In our household we get most of our leafy greens in the form of wild radish, wild turnip, puha, and chickweed.
IMO I think at least 50% of NZ sports fields should be converted into garden allotments. Unfortunately, in Wellington we have several councillors who are dead-set on astroturfing all the sports fields. Can’t grow cabbages on plastic astroturf.
You’d be better off growing out the hutt anyways, the place was awash with market gardens for years, I’ve got over a metre of silt loam at my place in Taita. I can grow anything even had edible strawberries against the house on the north side over winter….
Yeah we have been thinking about moving to Otaki (friends tell us they have never found the bottom of the topsoil yet), but the Hutt could be the go from what you’re saying…
Otaki is better, cheaper housing and a warmer climate give you more range…. But on the flat in Naenae, Taita & Pomare is certainly the best area south of Horowhenua…
Great link thanks Uke, find most of those mentioned but thats a bonus for people who dont know whats what. I will be planting the JB spuds, jerusalem artichokes, and some carrots. Got broad beans in the garden, plus beet and celery. Cold frame has the zuchinnis, tomatoes and spring brassicas going plus some amaranth. Gonna direct seed spring onions, beetroot and radish…got to keep the girls (hens) off. Runner beans to plant October.
In a city garden there is no reason you cant grow allyour greens but you cant expect to feed yourself a lot more, so you will always be buying carbs and protein from the shop, damn it.
Whoah – the vege garden king! You’re inspiring me to go and turn over some of those fallow patches and do some planting tomorrow.
I do find it hard to understand why every school, particularly every decile one school doesn’t have a dozen fruit trees on it’s grounds. Or, I noticed as I drove past a recently upgraded state housing complex, whole bunch of new planting, nothing that produces food.
What you planting Bored? And what sort of places, how do you avoid council sprays and mowers?
Fruit trees at schools. Great idea! Even a vegetable and herb garden, teaching basic survival skills.
Or even simply picking an apple at luck time cause mum didn’t put one in your lunch box
If I were back at school today, with the foresight of a wiser, more experienced and knowledgeable head and the aim of being prepared for the future, I would want to have some valuable life skills imparted like being taught home science (eg how to cook, and especially to make the most of my budget) and garden science (eg how to grow food in the garden).
Btw, there were (still are?) feijoa trees at the school which my nephew went to. There was a feijoa tree or maybe more near the rector’s house. I used to pick him up after school to find him sucking feijoa and drenched with them (too sour for me but lotsa Vit C!). This was at Southwell Boys (Hamilton) … I think his mum spent a bit to have him schooled there!
There’s a fijoa tree at my sons school, it just that he kept gettin in trouble for eating them. Go figure..
But there should be enough to go round the school, and as you say, they could then take them into the kitchen and turn them into things.
There is a garden to table initiative in some schools, but fruit am nut orchards in every school I reckon, given the already available space.
They probably wouldn’t want the kids climbing the trees. And wouldn’t want to deprive the local Woolworth o ita profits.
Totally, they should remove imported trees and plant natives or food bearing trees.
I went to a small school (40 kids total) and the Fijoa was awesome when it was in season.
Hahmmm, with the current lot in power, there are lotsa nuts and fruit in Cabinet.
But the advice is to avoid going near them, let alone touch them.
I’m in the landscaping trade, You’ll be pleased to know that in the last two new schools I’ve landscaped have had orchards consisting of apples, pears, plums, peaches, lemons, apricots and grapes and the local body in Upper Hutt have planted numerous nut trees.
That said near my place in Taita there are around a dozen peach trees planted in the railway land, last year I collected @ 20kg from them for bottling, the remaining fruit rotted on the trees.
Trouble is the skill of preserving foods when they are cheap and plentiful is dying fast. I pickle cauliflower cabbage broccili carrott pepper as well as bottle fruit. It’s not hard and it makes a difference when you’re feeling the pinch. How we get people back into this I don’t know.
Eating a school feijoa is its own punishment! god those things are disgusting!
We need a Friday gardening column……..
Off site pumpkins go well in water courses / gullies, spud peelings seem to grow anywhere, toatoes like hot spots with good moisture, pretty much every extra seedling can find a home. Whoever picks them good luck, well spotted.
Trouble is those that need them most don’t spot them… Hell there are lots of people the that don’t know what a potato plant looks like…
I hate to say it but there really is no excuse not to be able to supplement your diet with homegrown vege, You need bugger all room and if you’ve got lawn you could have a years worth of spuds instead.
My grandparents were much worse off than most people now but they grew there own food, same goes with my family in law in eastern Europe, they eat well on wages of less than 400nzd per month by growing and preserving there own food.
People here have become to dependant on the super market to get there food.
You seem a wee bit judgemental, there Gareth. My ‘excuses’ are an uncooperative landlord who believes that anything other than lawn is untidy and therefore a breach of the tenancy agreement – and the fact that I am 154 cm tall, 43 kg in weight, and have a disability/disease that means that digging and planting are beyond me. I’d love a garden – have you got someone who’ll create it for me for free? If the answer’s no, then don’t judge everyone by your own abilities.
There are several excellent books available about no dig gardens available, or it’s amazing what you can grow in a bucket on your porch,
It’s a common misconseption that gardening requires alot of digging and is too much hard work,
Whilst you may not be able to have an A1 show vege patch, if you can put a seed in the ground you can grow veges.
It’s amzing how much food you can get off a cherry tomato or Zucchini growing in a pot, certainly enough to make a difference.
If you,re in the Hutt valley I would be more than happy to supply some old planter bags full of recycled potting mix.
Good work and kind offer Gareth. Nice to see people like yourself and Uke getting practical and helpful. Lifts the level and spirits. Vicky see if you can get some assistance to get things growing because the upkeep is easy.
I wish I was in the Hutt Valley for so many reasons, Gareth… and thank you so much for the advice! My late father had a wonderful vege garden, and in defiance of the Rotorua council he even kept chickens.. That was in the 1960s and we lived in the CBD! (He was an early survivalist and our neighbours thought he was a nutbar.. The apple doesn’t fall far etc, hey?)
hhahahah enjoy
http://i.imgur.com/CZhIH.png
I was thinking of buying my mother a mobility scooter but I think I will put a bid in for one of the Ministerial BMW’s that are up for tender.
I think she will appreciate the heated seat.
Anyone else thinking of putting a bid in? You’ve got until 4 pm today.
BTW – are these the “asset sales” that will reduce our government debt? Perhaps I only need to buy 49% of a BMW. Perhaps we can create consortia of people from Otara, Manurewa or Canon’s Creek who can each buy less than the 10% cap and together 49% means that they could timeshare a car.
A sort of community bemmer that is big enough to get the extended family into and go for day trips to Karori or Remmers to see how the other half lives (did I say other half – I mean 1%).
It could be a called “The Road Trip of Aspiration” for those from a single parent state house who want to grow up to be rich by fucking with other peoples economy and jobs by speculating on their currency. (all to the tune of “I want to be a gangster bankster”
… other half lives – you mean Oz? (oh, aspirationally 99% there soon)
@William Joyce I think some of the BMWs have back massagers too. Or is that the newer ones? Mother would probably like that touch of luxury.
The idea of setting up groups of investors, if run to rules with treasurers who don’t abscond with the dosh, would be a good way for those ordinary mums and dads to amass enough money to share in the profitable investments that at present just float above their reach. Throw up a rope with a grappling hook on it and haul these financial opportunities down so we can get a hand on them I reckon.
Community investors need to start up (or take over) local businesses and make them democratic enterprises. The workers become the owners, and profits made yearly are controlled by the workers. This is how communities start controlling their destinies, taking power back from distant board rooms.
@Colonial Viper – This sounds good but can be hard to do in practice. I spent a considerable time talking to a bloke last night about community initiatives, swopping my own experiences also. He had been in on the start of a group community project, which is still operating successfully, and had to leave before it started because he couldn’t bear the interminable discussions. And these will happen throughout the life of the business whenever there is a new idea. Once started, many of those involved will cling like limpets to the same model, carried out in the same way, despite obvious signs of diminishing use and returns. So there needs to be good, reliable, informed leadership with consultation with the community but to leave it to the community to run it, is like that saying “When it’s everybody’s responsibility, it’s ends up nobody’s’.
So a good management committee and a practical manager need to be in place with a mission wide enough to make necessary decisions and have them respected and followed by the others.
And some might have to be excluded from working in the shop if they won’t follow the controls and systems. It won’t work as a viable business unless there are sanctions and the need to have these must be realised, though the use would be rare.
There are many who go for a great ideal or dream and who can’t concentrate on fitting them into the practical needs. In the end if the operation fails, largely as a result of them, they are sad because their dream didn’t work never considering any contribution on their own part, but they lack the commitment to make it work – to find a better way of doing business and to flourish.
Sigh…apathetic sheeples organise, nah. Trotter points to just how redundant the people have become in the political process when he notes how between 1984 and 1990 Labour party membership went from 85,000 to less than 10,000.
and had to leave before it started because he couldn’t bear the interminable discussions. And these will happen throughout the life of the business whenever there is a new idea. Once started, many of those involved will cling like limpets to the same model, carried out in the same way, despite obvious signs of diminishing use and returns. So there needs to be good, reliable, informed leadership with consultation with the community but to leave it to the community to run it, is like that saying “When it’s everybody’s responsibility, it’s ends up nobody’s’
These kinds of organisations can be extremely quick and rapid moving ones. A CEO and senior management team is voted in by the workers on an annual basis, from amongst their own membership. These senior management powers have significant executive powers to conduct business according to priorities and policies set annually by the shareholders (who also happen to be workers themselves).
Any extraordinary events or changes in direction would need to be put to the shareholders, perhaps via an elected Board of Directors (some of whom will also be ordinary workers).
In other words, a democratically run and owned workplace is not about daily committee meetings where everyone has an equal say, it is about getting a job done to goals and priorities agreed to say once or twice a year, and where management is accountable to the owners (i.e. the workers) for their performance perhaps monthly.
‘since the September 11 attacks’
That should read ‘since the September 11 controlled demolition of three buildings (at a profit) to provide a false flag pretext for invasions of states vital to US companies, such as Halliburton, in the control of global oil supplies’.
NZ has been part of a global empire which achieves its goals via lies, manipulation and violence since the first British government was established here. Nothing has changed in over 160 years.
[lprent: too far off topic. Moved to OpenMike ]
Fuck you are a dick.
“September 11 controlled demolition”
Comments like this are why returning mental health patients to the community rather than institutionalizing them is a bad idea.
Oi Gormy and N,
You’ll feel right at home here !!!
Thanks for the link, Ev, it’s a pretty kewl site. I particularly like how the blogroll is divided into ‘conspiracy theorists’ and ‘voices of reason’! And no, before anyone asks, it has nothing to do with me, first time I’ve heard of it.
LOL, Have you seen the voices of reason links? Either their non existent or they have exactly the same style as the Nutjobnz site. But I agree it fits your emitonal rather than factual debating style.
Hi nadis
That a controlled demolition happened is supported by many professionals in the U$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for the following reasons:
1. Very tall buildings hit by aircraft in the past did not collapse despite the damage to their tops
2. The Towers fell at the speed of “Free Fall” something that only happens with controlled demolition and they fell neatly into their base levels!!!
3. Traces of explosive material have been detected in the rubble.
4.WTC7 was not hit yet collapsed in the exact manner of a controlled demolition.
The above is not to say they were not hit by airliners.
AFKTT is backed in his conclusions by Richard Gage who heads a large body of professionals who looked into this historic event.
AFKTT is not a dick or a mentally disturbed person although seeing the realities of our f*cked up World could lead to mental disturbance!
1. So what?
2. No, they didn’t.
3. No, they haven’t.
4. WTC7 was hit. By a falling building.
Righto, are we all ready for another 200 comment, evidence free circle jerk from the tinfoil hat brigade?
This won’t be the last mention of 911 TVOR, I am not a major supporter of the ‘controlled collapse’ theories or of the official “just accept what happened” school, and am happy to leave it to those with more scientific expertise and ultimately time to argue the toss. But there is enough element of doubt there to keep a free thinker interested.
It is just hard to believe that the amount of fuel on the airplanes had enough oomph to cause that type of damage in that particular way to three, count’em, buildings. It will be interesting to see if the international meeting comes up with any new leads.
The biggest stretch is the why, but who would have thought a lot of things would have been done by the USA ruling class in relation to the way they interfere with both the US and other sovereign states-Chile 1973, Cuba-bay of pigs (beard drop out powder in Fidels boots, and all heh), JFK assassination, Iran, Iraq,Vietnam, China, USSR etc. you surely know the roll call.
International capital has operated beyond borders for many years, why should capital’s political representatives have genuine loyalty to a nation state beyond convenient tactical reasons. It is partly the point of Hagar’s book from the extracts I have read.
oh god not again. think ill stay on the sidelines for this one.
lprent maybe we should have a weekly post like Weekend social where the actual events of 9/11 can be debated in depth.
I acknowledge many passionate views on the subject and admit I have not had the time or headspace to thing about the issues but the subject tends to contaminate a lot of threads …
Monthly possibly (weekly seems rather too much)? Entering comments disables after a month…
But I’d prefer that it just confined itself to OpenMike. In the absence of new information I literally can’t see what else there is to argue about. We just seem to have people going over the same material without any resolution (which is why I can’t be bothered arguing about it).
I’ve already looked at the available data and links for alternate explanations several times and find them unconvincing. It reminds me of the other “old chestnuts” (as Lyn puts it) of the net. Like if there were lunar landings, or who was the better captain of the Enterprise (as I was reminded about last night).
Unfortunately in this post it is kind of on-topic (even though I think it is a fatuous sidetrack) because it bears on why we have troops in Afghanistan. But I’m sure that there will be some comment threads in here that I will bump as delving outside the post.
Go to Ev’s site if you want to discuss nothing but 911 and depleted uranium and the international banking conspiracy. Since Ev thinks everything in the world comes back to these three issues, that is all that is there.
And she could do with the traffic.
Actually while everybody is welcome of course to inform themselves with the info on my site I am very happy with the traffic as I seem to attract about 30 new readers on average a day according to my stat counter.
Kirk, obviously.
1: He created a cannon out of bamboo and diamonds;
2: He wasn’t afraid of taking inter-species cooperation to the next level;
3: He hated hippies and nazis with the same intensity;
4: anything that offered unfettered fun, peace and joy to his crew was identified as a threat to civilisation that should be immediately destroyed, unless it could prove otherwise pretty damned quickly.
Kirk for me too – anyone but picard.
Yeah might be time to move on from the Twin Towers and move on to the deliberate demolition of the US Dollar. And deliberate demolition of economic sovereignty in the Eurozone.
Hey nutbarsnz.blogspot.com! Nutbar infestation detected, loss of logic and reason at Threat Level amber!
Sorry lprent, i know its off topic and this will be my only post on the matter:
I have actually been waiting for someone to bring up the WTC vs Empire state building (presumed) line. This is a response that i sent to a person i know that asked the same question on FB. I’m just going to paste it all:
“a number of factors explain why the Empire State Building suffered relatively minor damage while the twin towers were catastrophically destroyed. First, the energy of impact sustained by the buildings differed by orders of magnitude. The B-25 that struck the Empire State Building weighed approximately 21,500 lb (9,760 kg) and was traveling around 200 mph (320 km/h). The kinetic energy it created in the collision was about 30 million ft-lb (40 million Joules).
The twin towers of the World Trade Center, by comparison, were struck by Boeing 767 airliners traveling over twice as fast and weighing nearly 15 times as much as a B-25. The energy of impact for the two planes ranged from 2 billion ft-lb (2.6 billion Joules) to 3 billion ft-lb (4.1 billion Joules), some 60 to 100 times greater than that absorbed by the Empire State Building. This estimate is also conservative since it does not account for the energy released by the exploding jet fuel, which greatly exceeded the energy released by the much smaller B-25 fuel supply as well. The greater kinetic energy allowed the 767 aircraft to penetrate much further into the twin towers than the B-25 was able to do at the Empire State Building. Most of the B-25 impact was absorbed by the building’s exterior wall leaving very little to damage the interior structure. The 767 impacts, however, not only produced gaping holes in the WTC exterior but also destroyed much of the structural core at the center of each tower.”
The National Business Review’s Biased Reporting
Last Friday I blogged about the National Business Reviews article on Hone Harawira that was inaccurate and misquoted what the Mana party leader had said. Unfortunately similar cases of incorrect reporting are not isolated. The main stream media is awash with inaccuracies, discrimination and subterfuge that discourages proper debate and ensures the public is not properly informed…
Not wanting to give Brash airtime but he said that Labour’s canning the Youth Employment Pay caused 13,000 growth in unemployment. What? Why doesn’t anyone challenge that?
“Dr Brash. Please give us the data for your assertion.”
Nah. Who cares.
yeah, tories have brought that up here, too. I believe it’s a rough estimate of a figure Eric Crampton came to. The thing being that if we’re talking 13,000 youth unemployed jobs, then the youth unemployment rate (according to the 13,000 out of 39,000 current youth unemployed) would not have changed significantly as we entered our economic malaise (15% – 18%, as opposed to 15% – 27%), which seems a bit unlikely.
Haven’t read Cramptoin’s paper, but I find the c3% increase in youth unemployment estimate suspiciously close to a naive “overall unemployment rose c3%, therefore youth unemplyment would rise c3%”. In reality, overall unemployment doubles, so you’d expect youth unemployment to roughly double, if you were doing a simple naive comparison.
The problem is that it’s a retarded assertion that immediately moves the debate into “minimum wages increase unemployment” – even if you win without getting bogged down in calculus, you’re back where you started with “so what are you going to do about youth unemployment?”
Better to just say “bullshit – move on”.
It’s so good to see that the heroes of freedom in Libya (France and the UK) are not backward in coming forward when it comes to a little bit of ‘compensation‘ for their efforts.
Surprised no one’s posted about this puff piece yet:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/polls/election-poll/5551633/PM-trusted-to-babysit-the-children
That little yellow sliver on 0.9 is Don Brash.
Banter also mentioned the link above.
The most interesting/revealing/worrying aspect of the poll was that 57.6% would look to Key for financial advice and 5% to Bill English. That 5% is less than for Goff (7.5%). Don Brash is favoured by 4.5%.
Oddly, in part of the text they claim that Brash is ‘third’ in this category behind English and Key. That is, Goff’s ranking at no. 2 on this dimension is ignored. Quite a telling ‘Freudian slip’.
The Dom-Post has the big photo of Mr. Sincerity along with the bullshit re the ‘poll’. Just below the photo is a piece by the editor about their new ‘charter of independence and commitment to the highest professional standards.(!!!) Meanwhile the editorial is a patronising smear job on Labour and dog-whistle doubt-casting on The Greens. Wonder if Crosby Textor write these editorials, no wait isn’t Mr Impartial himself, that Hollow Man Richard Long back from Vietnam?
Slate: “Never-Wrong” Pundit Predicts 2012 Win for Obama.
History is on President Obama’s side as the 2012 elections approach.
And by “history” we mean Allan Lichtman, an American University professor who has gone 7-for-7 at predicting presidential elections since he developed his candidate-picking system roughly two decades ago.
Lichtman says that based on the 13 criteria he has used to correctly forecast every presidential election since Ronald Reagan’s re-election victory in 1984, Team Obama can rest easy. “Even if I am being conservative, I don’t see how Obama can lose,” Lichtman told US News
Asshole of the Week Award – David May
As a taxpaying New Zealander who has money invested into the Superannuation fund, I am disgusted at my hard earned dollars funding despicable companies that cause untold death and mayhem around the world…
Welcome to David Cameron’s police state:
30, 000 arrests planned – London neighbourhoods terrorized by police raids
Out of those 30,000 potential arrests, how many are aimed at the City of London Bankster looters who made of with billions of pounds?
Oh, none. Just the chavs down the road who nicked 10 quids worth of alcohol. Figures.
I hear National are selling off the old BMW’s http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/mnr/mnr-20110901-0858-governments_cast-off_bmws_up_for_sale_this_week-048.mp3
But wait a 2nd, didn’t John Key list on of the reasons for getting the new BMW’s was because NZ didn’t have enough Limos to cater to the demand of the RWC and the expected numbers of international diplomats.
Looks like another Key lie.
Bookmarking
Still less than what they would have got if they were brown and wearing balaclavas, but it’s a good result anyway.
Federated Farmers are suggesting that scientists are conspiring to present false information regarding river quality to ensure themselves of future employment.
http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.com/2011/09/federated-farmers-discredit-waituna.html
It seems to be well established pattern by the National Government/ Federated Farmers Dave.
Denial.
Rubbish the messenger.
Ignore the science.
Key leads by example.
Friday Fun With Photos #14
Don Cheadle is obviously the best person to play Captain Planet in the movie version of the popular cartoon, hopefully they make his character a nicer guy…
Any gossip around the campfire on DPF’s blog that the LP is gonna put something BIG out on Sunday?
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2011/09/labours_biggest_bribe_ever.html
Journalist Katie Bradford just tweeted that Labour completely denies the assertion made in the DF’s blog. Labour has no plans to release EQ policy in CHCH this Friday, on the anniversary of the quake.
Looks like Farrar’s bullshit holds about as much water as Slater’s recent claim Labour MP’s are ringing him up all the time. What a couple of douche bags!
ok but DPF said something would come out on Sunday not this Friday (today or next week?) like Bradford denied..
so …. ?
so wot??
who cares
hes a fatass liar
Where’s the like button? Well said Kris!
I started to read the DPF tripe, but had to quit as it was simply repulsive!
To a certain degree Farrar is just pretending to be a clairvoyant: by keeping it vague all he’s really saying is that there could well be a major policy announcement in the lead-in to an election (wow), on a Sunday (a common occurrence to try and nab slow news days not packed with market reports, and good for the major papers) in September as the first quake anniversary approaches when the govt is taking flak for doing nothing about accommodation prices in the city. . .
It’s a punt – if he’s right he says he’s got inside knowledge, if he’s wrong then he says LP read his prediction and chickened out from such blatant bribery. And he conveniently ignores the latest govt business bribe, say tax laws.
Frankly, a land swap isn’t a bad idea, and I think was mentioned in the chch interview Brownlee did where he was bollocked by homeowners. I believe Key was at a thing there earlier in the day, but strangely had to leave before encountering any of the peasantry face to face…
Well its going to be interesting on Sunday to see if anything happens.
I wonder however about the purposefully incorret denial from Katie Bradford.
But I love a good concpiracy.
Have a good Friday evening.
… believe Key was at a thing there earlier in the day, but strangely had to leave before encountering any of the peasantry face to face…
What is strange about that? He is always a bit gutless in dealing with people with more on their mind than mindless idolatry.
Saw this on a mates page
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/09/25-giant-corporations-paid-their-ceos-more-uncle-sam
Sounds ever so familiar, dairy farmers, etc….
On the subject of the banks, ceo bonuses, Bank of America etc…
NYTimes Link
A further thought…
I know where they can recover some $50 million from a prominent NZdr and a property in Hawaii they slap a court order on.
Image, an impoverished John Key claiming welfare because of “life style choices”.
Where did you find this quote?
New York Times, 1 Sep 2011
Here?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/02/business/us-is-set-to-sue-dozen-big-banks-over-mortgages.html
Cheers
Gold!
Some of the posts questioning that 9/11 was a terrorist attack, is pretty pathetic. You must have a real chip on your shoulder about the USA to think like that.
15% of the US population on food stamps. And a real underemployment rate of roughly 25%. Is that more to your liking?
Au contraire dear Brett,
It is love for the American, Iraqi, Pashtun victims and all those American, English, Canadian, Dutch and New Zealand soldiers (the Americans now have more soldiers dying of suicide than dying in battle) who are trying to do the right thing that makes me keep on doing what I’m doing.
It is love for the brave American first responders who are still dying as the result of those attacks (and not invited to the commemoration of the events when they behaved like heroes) and the citizens of New York the majority of whom want a new and independent investigation.
It is for Kristen Breitweiser, Patty Casazza, Lorie Van Auken, and Mindy Kleinberg and Bob Mcgilvaine who lost husbands and sons on that day ansd never got answers to their questions that I will keep on braving riducule and trolling for just so I can get the truth out and and maybe one day we will get a new and independent investigation and justice for the victims
A name to remember – Polly Higgins. A smart woman who speaks sense with an idea for turning us all from our present collision course. Something concrete to get our teeth into and good for counteracting that ‘But what can we do’ feeling. Book link – http://www.eradicatingecocide.com
Agree. Polly will be giving two more talks – in Auckland on Sunday and Monday.
Would be good for someone to do a write-up about her work re ‘ecocide’.
Google her and I have also made a comment previously:
http://thestandard.org.nz/open-mike-01092011/#comment-370409
Sunday 4th September 1- 9pm, Auckland
Eradicating Ecocide
Earthsong, 457 Swanson Road, Ranui, Waitakere, Auckland
Please email Helen McNeil, bagend (at) clear.net.nz to book a place ($20 includes dinner)
Monday 5th September, 7 – 9pm, Auckland University
Ecocide, the missing 5th Crime Against Peace (Facebook), Auckland
Lecture Theatre 260-098, Owen Glenn Building, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
See:
http://permaculture.org.au/2011/08/18/polly-higgins-speaking-tour-australia-new-zealand-eradicating-ecocide-laws-and-governance-to-prevent-the-destruction-of-our-planet/
@Jim Nald
Query – The time for Polly’s Auckland meeting wouldn’t be 1 to 9 pm would it? She would be worn out being on tap for all afternoon and evening. And people turning up at the wrong time wouldn’t be happy.
I’m guessing that you mean 7 to 9 pm. Though perhaps it’s 1 to 3 or 4 pm, though 1 pm is a bad time being straight after normal lunchtime. I would think in a big city where people have to drive for at least half-hour it would be too early a start. Could you check and confirm on this, thanks.
@JimNald
I’ve looked up info and it does seem that 1-9pm (if you book for dinner) is the time. It’s a lovely trip to I think the Waitakeres to an eco-village so well worth a visit and to meet this very experienced, good speaker on ways to move our laws to serve our present and future needs to conserve our place and the rest of the world.
Yo Bro!
Looks like it will be 7 – 9 pm for Polly’s Monday talk.
That’s what I can tell from googling (again) and found this:
http://sustahood.com/eradicating-ecocide-advocate-polly-higgins-speaking-in-australia/2090/?319c1000
The earlier details were copied from the permaculture.org.au … and you know what our Aussie cossies are like … prolly something they consumed the evening before … or while typing. Haha.
Oh ok, more seriously, maybe the details were originally handwritten and 1 was misread as 7 and then typed as such.
I did wonder when I copied and pasted .. but I thought – let’s see if anyone is interested enough and asks 😉
Have fun. Polly is cool (or ‘hot’ depending on the slang one prefers). “Ecocide” may sound a bit zany or quirky .. but she is anything but that. Polly has real legal – commercial and civil litigation experience – and she is a smart, practical and strategic person. She has a positive, optimistic, generous, cheery and inspirational attitude. Her ideas and words reflect the good sense of where she is coming from – her mind.
Give her a hug from me. Say it is from the invisible keyboard hands that have been busy drawing attention to her talks about the important issues. And we should get her back for a longer visit.
Declaration of interest: No commission. Polly’s proposal, research and her qualities stand on their own merits.
@Jim Nald – I was talking about Sunday’s times and have worked out why they are 1 to 9 pm – perhaps she can relax and talk to visitors at the eco-village before the dinner in the evening. She seems to have reserves of energy beyond the norm so perhaps she doesn’t need as much time off as others would. I think to her talking to people about her ideas and spreading the word and enthusiasm is not hard work.
argh. .. i meant to say Sunday.
will check the Sunday starting time via another way.
I’ll confirm the starting time when I get a text back. If I don’t hear back in the next couple of hours, I will make a few phone calls to ask.
Ok, all signs that I can pick up are pointing that there was no mistake.
I take my comment back about our Aussie cousins. Looks like permaculture is correct.
Confirming the following and Google tells me the phone number for the contact person for the Sunday event, ie Helen McNeil, is (09) 832 8181:
Sunday 4th September 1- 9pm, Auckland
Eradicating Ecocide
Earthsong, 457 Swanson Road, Ranui, Waitakere, Auckland
Please email Helen McNeil, bagend (at) clear.net.nz to book a place ($20 includes dinner)
Have fun at Polly’s talks.