Open mike 03/06/2024

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 am, June 3rd, 2024 - 20 comments
Categories: open mike - Tags:


Open mike is your post.

For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose.

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

Step up to the mike …

20 comments on “Open mike 03/06/2024 ”

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  1. Ad 1
    3 June 2024 at 9:30 am

    Theresa Gattung the '90s grandee, Damed, redeemed.

  2. PsyclingLeft.Always 2
    3 June 2024 at 10:08 am

    Former chief executive Theresa Gattung, who infamously suggested in 2006 that "confusion" had been the chief marketing tool of telecommunications companies – and also forecast just six weeks before the Government revealed its plans to regulate, that it would not do so – has left the company. So have former chairman Rod Deane and many of the executives who successfully opposed regulation for so long.

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/comment/editorials/340139/Editorial-Telecom-split-a-credit-to-minister

    https://www.nbr.co.nz/telecom-fined-12m-over-data-tails-case/

    • AB 2.1
      3 June 2024 at 10:56 am

      Gattung has always looked line a fine example of the intellectual and moral feebleness of NZ's business class. However, the award mentions "philanthropy" – whereby some of the undeserved wealth that has been extracted from the population is returned to selected portions of it who are deemed to be worthy. I would rather see a just economic order that was "philanthropic" (humanity-loving) in its operation, rather than rely on such a fragile device as charity.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 2.1.1
        3 June 2024 at 11:22 am

        Yep, "philanthropy" sadly often just a guilt assuaging means to comfort their souls. As in a nice little feelgood after the often terrible People/Environment impacting deeds some have done.

        And IMO yea some Charities are well decent …others…mean as fuck and "nothing so cold as charity".

    • Hunter Thompson II 2.2
      4 June 2024 at 9:39 am

      In January 2003 NZ Herald columnist Brian Gaynor bemoaned Gattung's need for specialist communications advice after she delivered a load of word fog attempting to describe Telecom group's business strategy (she wanted to offer Australian customers "our unique trans-Tasman footprint").

      He also noted that after she became head of Telecom, the share price had dropped markedly, dividends paid fell by more than half and net earnings had declined.

      Admittedly, factors causing these problems had started before she took over but the overall record is not a good one. Despite all this, media reports indicate she left the company in 2007 with a bonus (said to be performance-based) of more than NZ 1 million.

      • PsyclingLeft.Always 2.2.1
        4 June 2024 at 12:54 pm

        performance-based

        Of course, it was for telecom and shareholders. NZ telecommunications was held back for many years by their absolutely anti competition drive….

  3. joe90 3
    3 June 2024 at 11:08 am

    Don't blame the bots.

    Jay Van Bavel, PhD

    @jayvanbavel

    New research finds that only 2107 registered US voters accounted for 80% of the fake news shared on Twitter during the 2020 US election! (in a panel of 664,391 voters). https://science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl4435

    A small number of extreme accounts are causing most of the problems on social media: https://osf.io/preprints/psya

    https://x.com/jayvanbavel/status/1796266165171318891

    Editor’s summary

    Most fake news on Twitter (now X) is spread by an extremely small population called supersharers. They flood the platform and unequally distort political debates, but a clear demographic portrait of these users was not available. Baribi-Bartov et al. identified a meaningful sample of supersharers during the 2020 US presidential election and asked who they were, where they lived, and what strategies they used (see the Perspective by van der Linden and Kyrychenko). The authors found that supersharers were disproportionately Republican, middle-aged White women residing in three conservative states, Arizona, Florida, and Texas, which are focus points of contentious abortion and immigration battles. Their neighborhoods were poorly educated but relatively high in income. Supersharers persistently retweeted misinformation manually. These insights are relevant for policymakers developing effective mitigation strategies to curtail misinformation.

    https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl4435

  4. SPC 4
    3 June 2024 at 11:47 am

    Canada – of the single dwelling and the apartment blocks – move towards the 4 plex.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjjjvnq4665o

  5. joe90 5
    3 June 2024 at 1:11 pm

    Nope, dual loyalty here…

    /

    AIPAC’s Disgraceful War on Jamaal Bowman

    The congressman from New York has been a remarkably effective champion for climate policy. Now, because he’s critical of Israel, AIPAC and local Democrats are supporting his opponent.

    […]

    Bowman’s opponent, George Latimer, is an unremarkable Westchester County executive prone to racist gaffes. Without AIPAC’s and its allies’ interference, he would certainly not be poised to defeat a congressman of Bowman’s accomplishments. Much of the local Democratic establishment—including the county Democratic committees and the more conservative wing of the labor movement—has lined up behind Latimer, despite the long-standing norm in New York City Democratic politics of supporting incumbents.

    For many reasons, it’s disgraceful for New York Democrats to be so cowed by a lobby that works on behalf of a foreign country committing mass murder of civilians. But it’s especially deplorable considering how central climate should be for Democrats in this election cycle. Faced with an urgent climate crisis and a Democratic base hungry for climate action, Latimer has said, “There is not going to be a George Latimer climate change bill.”

    https://newrepublic.com/article/181919/jamaal-bowman-israel-aipac-climate-2024?

  6. Drowsy M. Kram 6
    3 June 2024 at 2:02 pm

    A new ruling says countries – including NZ – must take action on climate change under the law of the sea [2 June 2024]
    The tribunal’s answer was an emphatic yes. This means countries, including New Zealand, must now address climate change under both the law of the sea and international climate agreements.

    Are the climate wars really over, or has a new era of greenwashing just begun? [2 June 2024]
    The most urgent thing we need to do is phase out our use of fossil fuels and invest heavily in renewables like our life depends on it. Because it does. What we do during the 2020s will make or break humanity’s ability to live safely on the planet.

    We have world-class knowledge and know-how right here in Australia; we can do this if we have the political will.

    Dig this [Richard Harman, Politik, 16 Feb 2024]
    “And that’s all of the work that my colleague, Shane Jones, is doing around oil and gas to ensure that our top priority is keeping the lights on.” [- Simeon Brown]

    “In 2040, if I [Shane Jones] have anything to do with it, there will be a flourishing mining sector employing all my nephews who are currently going to the figurative Kalgoolies of the world, and I will have served my penance for having acquiesced in the closure of oil and gas off the coast of Taranaki.”

    New climate minister defends searching for more fossil fuels [6 Dec 2023]
    Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says the Government is committed to NZ’s climate targets, but won’t explain how they will be met or promise not to reduce climate finance to the Pacific

    National vows to go back to drawing board on policy [3 May 2023]
    It’s a case of slower to go faster. … It’s a watch this space. – Luxon

    Just watchin', and waitin', and hopin', and prayin'…

    NZ to 'sharpen focus and engagement in the Pacific' – Luxon on his first visit to the region [2 June 2024]
    The Fiji government said Luxon and Rabuka are expected to discuss prospects to further strengthen cooperation on bilateral, regional, and multilateral priorities with emphasis on economic sustainability and growth, climate change, labour mobility, health and education, defence and security, people to people links, regional peace and prosperity.

    Hmm, no "climate change" here though, but rugby gets a mention.

  7. adam 7
    3 June 2024 at 2:51 pm

    Impressed,

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/chinese-scientists-achieve-world-s-first-diabetes-cure-using-cell-therapy-report/ar-BB1n84y7

    Why is I'm finding out about this from a comedian, making a joke about US health care?

  8. joe90 8
    3 June 2024 at 8:08 pm

    Climate scientist Claudia Sheinbaum is the first woman to be elected president of Mexico.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/02/world/americas/mexico-election.html (nyt freebie)

    • PsyclingLeft.Always 8.1
      3 June 2024 at 9:06 pm

      Wow that is so fantastic ! Please let her make a difference for the People of Mexico.

      Maybe too….a wind change for the Americas ?