70 years after they were forcibly removed from Crimea, and 20 years after many returned, the Crimean Tatars face increasing persecution by Russian authorities as they continue to resist the Russian annexation of their homeland. Turkey is to send unofficial monitors:
After the tragic German plane crash there is a lot of paranoia from passengers. Not meaning to be disrespectful to those poor souls that died, however here is a funny little tale I heard while having a beer with a 2 of my family members who are pillots last night. They were saying it is quite noticeable the hard stare pilots are receiving these days and there all feeling a bit rattled by it. One of them my nephew who is quite a character cracked me up when he told us a story from the other day.
He was on a plane and the head of the flight crew comes into the flight deck bemoaning some smart arses were giving a bit of stick about you pilots. So my nephew says I’ll go make their flight memorable.
He leaves the deck, reckons the whole lot of these stuck up pricks in first class were sitting there giving him the look up and down, so he stops in his tracks and starts shaking his head back and forth like he had a nervous twitch, then carries on walking on down the plane whistling.
Nice one, Skinny! I have a similar tale from my youth: A mate’s Dad used to work at the local airport. He found out I was flying for the first time ever and just before take off he walked out to the six seater plane with a clipboard, and walked around the side I was sitting on. He ran his hand over the edge of the wing, waggled the prop, wrote something down, and walked away shaking his head from side to side. He then made a throat slitting gesture to another staffer as he left the tarmac. I was petrified!
That’s a good reason why it is an appropriate location for the capital.
Our representatives should be reminded every now and then about their mortality so that there is a slim chance they will think of the state of our human condition.
However, I’ve just flown into Hamburg – Austrian Air – Hadn’t checked since the disaster and just today notice the flight was subcontracted to…. Germanwings!
Yes, we did think about, acknowledged the tragedy… and then made inappropriate comments to each other. Grateful that there would not be only one person in the cockpit during the flight. Even though you know the chances are next to nothing that something will happen it is kind of surreal. I feel for the crew.
The big kangaroo coobah, he changes airlines like I change my undies after flying, which is often. He was mooting taking an offer to fly for some rich cat, one of those French jets.
Funny I once went to a pilots party in Davenport, seem like the first question any of these pretentious boy Jettsons would ask is what do ya do (boring) so to add a bit of humour I told this ACT man that I was a pilot too . Next question was the obvious, who for, my replywas Kiwi Experience, he scratched his head and said isn’t that a bus company? I said yeah I am a bus driver just like you pal, only difference’s are you guys have the tiitle ‘Glorified’ in fr ont of bus driver, and unbelievably are paid 130 k more than me.
Then taking the piss right out him, I put up the argument that with technology planes fly themself and pilots were for passengers piece of mind only. His trophy wife thought my joke was hilarious, less impressed were the pilots, bar an ex airforce pilot who joined in on the mocking by saying my job was more skilled than theirs. A great entertaining night 🙂
Jesus wasn’t a Christian, he was a Jewish revolutionary, suggests Jack Conrad. It was Paul who invented Christianity and, in doing so, he erased chunks of Jesus’ legacy, including Jesus’ family – people like his brother and successor, James.
Actually there is no real evidence that Jesus ever existed. Outside of scripture and three dubious references (Josephus and Tacitus) there is no other historical evidence.
That is in itself is surprising when one considers the Roman preoccupation with recording things.
We don’t have Roman administrative records for Palestine and the trial & execution of a (minor?) Jewish religious figure who didn’t pose any direct threat to the Roman authorities is unlikely to have caused much of a ripple outside of Judea/Palestine.
Of course and many of those that are so emphatic about the existence seem to be in the business of faith propagation.
The two sources you supplied the first I had a quick look at and it is really a mishmash of christian apologia. The minute it started talking about Intelligent Design under Evolution I gave up.
The second source is really the usual wiki source which tells us nothing except some people believe in the Jesus myth.
You could try this site if you would like to read more about the subject http://www.nobeliefs.com/exist.htm
?? What census if you are thinking of Quirinius then that leaves much to be desired. The idea in the Gospels that Joseph and Mary had to return to Joseph’s home town is ridiculous. No census required that. Could you just imagine the whole of the Roman Empire if everyone had to return to their birthplace. Bit tough for the Legions overseas.
The whole census story was probably thrown into the Q (The probable sources of the synoptic Gospels) to try and give some validity to the myth. This was a common method in the stories eg moving Jesus’s birth to Bethlehem instead of where he was born Nazareth. The putting the words of Psalm 22 in Jesus’s mouth at the crucifixion etc etc.
While a lot of the old industrial-manufacturing sector of the NZ economy has gone, distribution workers have become more important – they circulate the (often imported) commodities which keep capitalist profits going. While the article here is about the US it is very relevant to NZ. It’s on the importance of distribution workers in 21st century capitalism: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/the-importance-of-circulation-workers-in-21st-century-capitalism/
You mean the Bawshark 2, chooky. Macro has continued to comment regular since you invented this fantasy ‘strike’. Still, feel free to keep crossing the digital picket line to remind us how little support there is for misogynist bullying. You’ve got us over a barrel, guy.
Personally, I think that easter is more of an issue myself. I think that the authors are on strike by ruthlessly taking advantage of the remaining sunlight of summer.
But hey, if people like to practice, then it doesn’t worry me that much.
Having caught up on my sleep again and enjoying the lower humidity at night, I’m setting up my TS test environment again for some coding.
I was just looking over the page view figures from last year and the year before for a possible post..
They are essentially the same +/- a couple of kpage views. Couple of thousand more this year in thursday, thousand less friday, and it looks to my experienced eye like a few thousand more today.
Yes comments are important. But after a site has been running for quite a while they get rather resiliant towards people trying to influence direction. Both from the commentary side and the author side.
Easter and the time leading up to it is usually a dead time for TS. Unless it is pouring down with rain of course.
TRP is right about the; Rawshark 2, being a better descriptor at this time (though seldom about much else), I should have changed that yesterday. Seeing as you were holding the line today, I took the opportunity to get in touch with PU on his whoarsite:
phillip ure
I don’t know if you’ve been following TS Open Mike this past week, but Chooky and I have been maintaining a vigil for those who withdrew their commentary in solidarity with Murray Rawshark. The main development is that MR posted a comment on Tuesday saying that he’d be continuing his break even after the ban ends:
Are you staying away at this point as a matter of principle? Or is it simply because you have found better things to do (you seemed quite thrilled by twitter the last few times you posted)?
Send a reply to my email, or simply make a reply to Chooky’s comment on today’s Open Mike (as he’s the one holding the picket placard today).
I will send a similar message to CR via facebook soon too (once I either; remember my last login, or; invent a new one, which’ll mean creating a new email ident too). Though I’ve no idea when they’ll read it, and if, or how they’ll respond.
lol…Parsupial…well we are still holding the line…but the point has/is being made…that people are not happy …. and that is the main thing
…people may come back in dribs and drabs before the end date…and/or they may drift away
…when the last person comes back then i guess it is time to end the picket …so it is up to pu and CR now….
(btw…i usually find trp offensive.. i dont think he is exactly a feminist ( check his record)…irony because he has led the attack on others emphasising and highlighting people here being branded /called “rape apologists” as a put down ( I am one of them!…check out his followup to Bill’s ‘Julian Assange Post’ which trp put up next day )
….and I dont think this is a feminist issue at all …I think it is an attempt to put down the more Left amongst us…eg I have never found MR or CV to be misogynist …quite the contrary …they are intelligent ,sensitve and very acute and effective observers from a real Left perspective )
….and anyone who says a chook is a “guy” is plain dumb or trying to mislead
….for the record….yet again!…I am female and a long time feminist ( why is it assumed by some that I am a male?…sexism in itself?)
PS …add to that list of REAL Lefties is pu ….and the others who have been involved in the walk out….. because they havent liked the treatment they have received or others have received
This site has taken a downward turn in recent times
It appears to coincide with new authors and moderators who show little to no desire to hide their personal issues through author posts and moderating tactics
In one instance posting the initial inflammatory comment on another authors article and using infantile tactic of announcing no further involvement in the discussion having crapped all over it
Further degradation then continued via the ‘all apologies’ article
It is my contention these same individuals seek to impose their personal issues by way of their ‘status’ onto other here and in doing so ironically propagating the very diatribe they they claim to be authoring commenting and moderating against
Yes, I had my own issues with that certain author/commenter on TRP’s; All Apologies, post myself. Even getting them to admit that making the first comment on a thread contradicted a later statement that they; “avoided the previous thread”, was like pulling teeth. Apparently it was all; “a coincidence of timing”.
However, I’ve been trying to steer clear of making this about individuals as much as possible. It would be easy to suggest that particular decisions were payback for earlier conflicts on unrelated posts, but that implies a conscious intent which may not have been present. There are larger issues which we can address without provoking unnecessary conflict.
It is an admirable intention Pasupial so all the best with identifying and implementing how to encourage individuals to search for improved self awareness
The individual (all of us) is the starting point and solely responsible for the manner in which we conduct ourselves regardless of the communications medium employed
So my response was too individual for Weka, and not individual enough for The Murphy. Balance remains elusive.
If I’d wanted to make it personal I could easily have used; names, blockquotes, and provided a link (as I was over on that post to get the quotes I did use anyway). It’s not something I would have brought up at this point, but seeing as the conversation was going that way, worth addressing.
Not using the author’s name doesn’t hide who you are talking about, and many of the regular commenters and readers will know who you are referring to. If you don’t want it to be about individuals then stop talking about her. Or just be honest about what you are doing, which to me looks like undermining an author.
Anyway, I take Bill’s point about the pokey stick so will try and refrain from commenting, as it feels like it’s feeding something and I have no idea what the something is.
Chooky, mi amigo, don’t you think it’s time to reconsider the picket action?
Sometimes we get caught in conflicts where a small number against the many can seem noble, correct and the principled thing to do. From where I’m standing, I just can’t see this as one of those times.
You may feel like you’re acting in solidarity with Murray but instead it ends up looking just……….a bit silly. Like an antagonistic little protest in the rain. What do you think might be achieved by your actions?
I can’t see how striking out against an author is productive. Without authors who volunteer their time there would be no Standard. I think we need to give them some credit and gratitude for the work they do. Authors such as Stephanie, who banged out a great post in record time last Saturday night when this all began.
Isn’t this action you are enthusiastically supporting way out of proportion to what a few of you perceived as an injustice? (I’m not entering that topic, it’s unnecessary as it’s been debated to death this week).
I’m just thinking about the action of the picket and the futility of it.
And Chooky, sis, as an aside you must be a very forgiving and gentle soul if you are supporting Philip, he has been really rotten to you in the past. No matter what you think of his input here, ask yourself whether he deserves your support, given the way he has spoken to you previously.
I’m guessing that backing down would entail a degree of humiliation.
So I’m suggesting that what would allow everyone to continue with some dignity as well as take some of the heat out of things, would be if future days of this count-down were marked by a simple number.
ie, tomorrow’s comment simply consists of the number “7”. Nothing more.
You guys want to give the suggestion some thought?
To be honest, I’m sick and tired of, firstly, the pokey stick this count-down has come to represent for some, and secondly the pokey stick it elicits from some in their…well, pokey stick responses.
“I’m guessing that backing down would entail a degree of humiliation.”
I think so too Bill. That’s why I think that if a back down where to occur, other readers of TS should meet them in their action to back down by being gracious and refrain from expressing any cynicism.
backing down will not entail “humiliation” from my point of view…but feel free to blush for me…i will stand at the picket countdown as long as Parsupial does
Colonial Rawshark is maintaining his absence on principle, I haven’t heard back from Phillip Ure yet. So we’re still on the picket line for the duration.
In deference to Bill’s suggestion I will confine myself to a single line of text in the next placard; as we don’t really have to list the remaining Rawsharks at this stage. That should save wear and tear on scrolling fingers as they zip past our trudging vigil.
But for now there’s a lunar eclipse to observe (if the clouds cooperate). See you in the morning.
@ Rosie…i am with Parsupial on this one….and if it looks silly to you then that is your problem….quite frankly i am surprised at the amount of animosity this simple countdown has caused….guilty consciences ?….herd mentality?
pu is f…king annoying particularly when it comes to Veganism….but he is a genuine Lefty and passionate about Veganism which I respect….most often he has a valuable contribution to make …he has never been sexist /mysogynist imo….quite the contrary ….he has gone out in support of mr…and yes why shouldnt he have support?…
And just to let you know you shouldn’t count me as one who carries any animosity towards this conflict, it’s not worth it, I keep my animosity for the real enemy.
I simply view the picket as a misguided action, and wonder about the goal of it all, and as such, I’ve only commented twice on it.
“La Católica”, as everybody calls the university, is a conservative institution that claims to impart distinctive moral values to its students. This was the place where the economic orthodoxy from the University of Chicago started to spread into every corner of the country. Délano and Lavín not only embodied the virtues of the Chilean model from its very origin, they also carried the Chilean miracle to its last horizon (and paradoxically, to its grave): the control of politics through money.
Pretty much the inevitable result of RWNJ policies. Control of government by the rich who got that way through massive corruption.
To be fair there are moves to de-commodify some education.
In late January, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed into law the most significant educational reform the country has seen in 30 years. Enacted after an eight-month legislative battle, the new law will gradually ban profits, tuition fees and selective admissions practices in privately owned primary and secondary schools that receive state subsidies.
“An economic historian is calling for the benefit system to become more flexible to allow people to function within traditional subsistence economies.
Keith Rankin from Unitec was responding to a challenge from Mana leader Hone Harawira that the Abbott Government’s removal of support from remote Australian Aboriginal communities was similar to Work and Income’s policy of not paying benefits to Maori who return to their home rural villages.”
+1 Can’t have people being happy outside of the neoliberal agenda.
People on the dole and other benefits are also an important part of the unpaid workforce that keeps communities strong and healthy. Govt policy on benefits is all about making sure people are ready to serve an economy that exists irrespective of community wellbeing.
Yep sometimes I think it would be interesting to add up the cost of supplying an “off the neo lib grid village” with the houses. some of the basic foodstuffs needed, internet at the community hall ( to cut down any looming porn addictions) basic medical care, solar locally generated power and see what they do for the wider world vis what they take – ill formed thoughts –
Early 90s in UK. Workers’ Collective (printers) with a gross turnover of around NZ$100 000. That paid off the mortgage on 18 houses and fed, watered etc (on average) 12 – 15 adults + children.
Dunno what that turn-over is in today’s money, but it wasn’t much then and was more than enough. Oh – and the average working week for each adult was around 8 hours. 🙂
I know how lucky I am but it has nothing to do with this PM or Finance Minister. Most of the praise they get is from bank economists and world banking type organisations. hardly impartial.
For those who may be interested I’ve started blogging again on my blog mars2earth as usual I’ll’ focus on “Ngāi Tahu – environment – people – kaitiakitanga – space – indigenous rights – politics – Māori – earth – and anything else that catches my eye”. I started the blog way back in March 2009 and for a while I had a lot to say on lots of things and now after taking a year or so off I find I still have some things I want to blog about. I am a left blogger and proud of that.
No problem. It is a lot less work with the feed because I don’t have to remove the ‘dead’ links. It just doesn’t pick them up. So I can leave them on indefinitely.
Thanks weka and Tracey – both of your opinions and kind words are valuable to me. And thanks to Lynn to – without inspiration like you I doubt I’d even be blogging.
Being Saturday I opened the latest TV Guide to see what is on the box. There was an article about Henry returning to TV3. This modest dick stated that “The people who dislike me the most can’t wait to watch or listen to me”
I have a message for this prat, Here’s a person who certainly will not watch or listen to any programme you are associated with.
I’m gonski. How can a channel that has John Campbell pushing issues that matter turned to a fellow who was rejected in NZ, then rejected in Australia, who was beaten easily by Georgina Beyer, and whose only positive is that he is a favourite with redneck NZ??
Where do I go? Radio NZ? I have some worries. Sky News??
TV3 Morning Report was great: excellent reporting; credible journalists. What is going on?
Ditto with TVNZ, Sky-Prime etc.
What really gets me upset this weekend is TVNZ-Sky suddenly protesting about people that watch Netflix direct from USA. Of course Sky would be worried it might reduce thei massive profits so they get their good pals TVNZ to join the protest. This is the same TVNZ that makes programmes for SKY using the resources owned by all New Zealanders and then give the programmes for Broadcasting on SKY pay tv networks. We cannot see Heartland or Kidzone unless we join Sky.
SKY might not be in this position if it listened to its customers rather than just regarding them as trapped chickens and move on to the next sales pitch.
“Pretty much anywhere but the radio, tv or the newspapers.”
The Standard might be a good port of call, even if you don’t agree with the contributors point of view, at least at times they refer you to other sites that really tell what’s going on.
Another alternative is Al Jazeera or that other station the poms are getting upset about because of their alleged biased reporting (laugh) RT News.
Interesting the channel that dumped two “judges” for being abusive, rude and bullying is promoting Paul henry on the same basis. Sadly I suspect it suggests the young demographic wont’ tolerate bullying but some in the 35+ category enjoy it.
No more tv3 mornings for me and I will not go BACK to Crawlin Christie
A “bigger majority” in Epsom I assume. No, actually, I believe ACT will do less well in Epsom in 2017 as National will need all the votes it can get. However, at the same time I think ACT will do better nation-wide and pick up votes from the rotting corpse AKA #TeamKey. Can’t you smell the putrescence? The signs are obvious to the trained clinical eye and the death certificate just needs to signed and dated – by us, the voters.
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Both of Parliament’s watchdogs have now ripped into the Government’s Fast-track Approvals Bill. Photo: Lynn Grieveson / The KākāMy pick of the six newsey things to know from Aotearoa’s political economy and beyond on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 are:The Lead: The Auditor General,John Ryan, has joined the ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Sarah SpengemanPeople wait to board an electric bus in Pune, India. (Image credit: courtesy of ITDP) Public transportation riders in Pune, India, love the city’s new electric buses so much they will actually skip an older diesel bus that ...
The infrastructure industry yesterday issued a “hurry up” message to the Government, telling it to get cracking on developing a pipeline of infrastructure projects.The hiatus around the change of Government has seen some major projects cancelled and others delayed, and there is uncertainty about what will happen with the new ...
Hi,Over the weekend I revisited a podcast I really adore, Dead Eyes. It’s about a guy who got fired from Band of Brothers over two decades ago because Tom Hanks said he had “dead eyes”.If you don’t recall — 2001’s Band of Brothers was part of the emerging trend of ...
Buzz from the Beehive The 180 or so recipients of letters from the Government telling them how to submit infrastructure projects for “fast track” consideration includes some whose project applications previously have been rejected by the courts. News media were quick to feature these in their reports after RMA Reform Minister Chris ...
It would not be a desirable way to start your holiday by breaking your back, your head, or your wrist, but on our first hour in Singapore I gave it a try.We were chatting, last week, before we started a meeting of Hazel’s Enviro Trust, about the things that can ...
Calling all journalists, academics, planners, lawyers, political activists, environmentalists, and other members of the public who believe that the relationships between vested interests and politicians need to be scrutinised. We need to work together to make sure that the new Fast-Track Approvals Bill – currently being pushed through by the ...
Feel worried. Shane Jones and a couple of his Cabinet colleagues are about to be granted the power to override any and all objections to projects like dams, mines, roads etc even if: said projects will harm biodiversity, increase global warming and cause other environmental harms, and even if ...
Bryce Edwards writes- The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. ...
Michael Bassett writes – If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have ...
Without a corresponding drop in interest rates, it’s doubtful any changes to the CCCFA will unleash a massive rush of home buyers. Photo: Lynn GrievesonTL;DR: The six things that stood out to me in Aotearoa’s political economy around housing, poverty and climate on Monday, April 22 included:The Government making a ...
Sunday was a lazy day. I started watching Jack Tame on Q&A, the interviews are usually good for something to write about. Saying the things that the politicians won’t, but are quite possibly thinking. Things that are true and need to be extracted from between the lines.As you might know ...
In our Weekly Roundup last week we covered news from Auckland Transport that the WX1 Western Express is going to get an upgrade next year with double decker electric buses. As part of the announcement, AT also said “Since we introduced the WX1 Western Express last November we have seen ...
TL;DR: The six key events to watch in Aotearoa-NZ’s political economy in the week to April 29 include:PM Christopher Luxon is scheduled to hold a post-Cabinet news conference at 4 pm today. Stats NZ releases its statutory report on Census 2023 tomorrow.Finance Minister Nicola Willis delivers a pre-Budget speech at ...
A listing of 29 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, April 14, 2024 thru Sat, April 20, 2024. Story of the week Our story of the week hinges on these words from the abstract of a fresh academic ...
The ability of the private sector to quickly establish major new projects making use of the urban and natural environment is to be supercharged by the new National-led Government. Yesterday it introduced to Parliament one of its most significant reforms, the Fast Track Approvals Bill. The Government says this will ...
This is a column to say thank you. So many of have been in touch since Mum died to say so many kind and thoughtful things. You’re wonderful, all of you. You’ve asked how we’re doing, how Dad’s doing. A little more realisation each day, of the irretrievable finality of ...
Identifying the engine type in your car is crucial for various reasons, including maintenance, repairs, and performance upgrades. Knowing the specific engine model allows you to access detailed technical information, locate compatible parts, and make informed decisions about modifications. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a step-by-step approach to ...
Introduction: The allure of racing is undeniable. The thrill of speed, the roar of engines, and the exhilaration of competition all contribute to the allure of this adrenaline-driven sport. For those who yearn to experience the pinnacle of racing, becoming a race car driver is the ultimate dream. However, the ...
Introduction Automobiles have become ubiquitous in modern society, serving as a primary mode of transportation and a symbol of economic growth and personal mobility. With countless vehicles traversing roads and highways worldwide, it begs the question: how many cars are there in the world? Determining the precise number is a ...
Maintaining a safe and reliable vehicle requires regular inspections. Whether it’s a routine maintenance checkup or a safety inspection, knowing how long the process will take can help you plan your day accordingly. This article delves into the factors that influence the duration of a car inspection and provides an ...
Mazda Motor Corporation, commonly known as Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automaker headquartered in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The company was founded in 1920 as the Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd., and began producing vehicles in 1931. Mazda is primarily known for its production of passenger cars, but ...
Your car battery is an essential component that provides power to start your engine, operate your electrical systems, and store energy. Over time, batteries can weaken and lose their ability to hold a charge, which can lead to starting problems, power failures, and other issues. Replacing your battery before it ...
In most states, you cannot register a car without a valid driver’s license. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Exceptions to the RuleIf you are under 18 years old: In some states, you can register a car in your name even if you do not ...
Te Pāti Māori are demanding the New Zealand Government support an international independent investigation into mass graves that have been uncovered at two hospitals on the Gaza strip, following weeks of assault by Israeli troops. Among the 392 bodies that have been recovered, are children and elderly civilians. Many of ...
Our two-tiered system for veterans’ support is out of step with our closest partners, and all parties in Parliament should work together to fix it, Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said. ...
Stripping two Ministers of their portfolios just six months into the job shows Christopher Luxon’s management style is lacking, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said. ...
Tonight’s court decision to overturn the summons of the Children’s Minister has enabled the Crown to continue making decisions about Māori without evidence, says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Children, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. “The judicial system has this evening told the nation that this government can do whatever they want when ...
It appears Nicola Willis is about to pull the rug out from under the feet of local communities still dealing with the aftermath of last year’s severe weather, and local councils relying on funding to build back from these disasters. ...
The Government is making short-sighted changes to the Resource Management Act (RMA) that will take away environmental protection in favour of short-term profits, Labour’s environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said today. ...
Labour welcomes the release of the report into the North Island weather events and looks forward to working with the Government to ensure that New Zealand is as prepared as it can be for the next natural disaster. ...
The Labour Party has called for the New Zealand Government to recognise Palestine, as a material step towards progressing the two-State solution needed to achieve a lasting peace in the region. ...
Some of our country’s most important work, stopping the sexual exploitation of children and violent extremism could go along with staff on the frontline at ports and airports. ...
The Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill will give projects such as new coal mines a ‘get out of jail free’ card to wreak havoc on the environment, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins said today. ...
The government's decision to reintroduce Three Strikes is a destructive and ineffective piece of law-making that will only exacerbate an inherently biased and racist criminal justice system, said Te Pāti Māori Justice Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris, today. During the time Three Strikes was in place in Aotearoa, Māori and Pasifika received ...
Cuts to frontline hospital staff are not only a broken election promise, it shows the reckless tax cuts have well and truly hit the frontline of the health system, says Labour Health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall. ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
Te Pāti Māori is disgusted at the confirmation that hundreds are set to lose their jobs at Oranga Tamariki, and the disestablishment of the Treaty Response Unit. “This act of absolute carelessness and out of touch decision making is committing tamariki to state abuse.” Said Te Pāti Māori Oranga Tamariki ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi, and Mema Paremata mō Tāmaki-Makaurau, Takutai Tarsh Kemp, will travel to the Gold Coast to strengthen ties with Māori in Australia next week (15-21 April). The visit, in the lead-up to the 9th Australian National Kapa haka Festival, will be an opportunity for both ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Hon Paula Bennett has been appointed as member and chair of the Pharmac board, Associate Health Minister David Seymour announced today. "Pharmac is a critical part of New Zealand's health system and plays a significant role in ensuring that Kiwis have the best possible access to medicines,” says Mr Seymour. ...
Hundreds of New Zealand families affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) will benefit from a new Government focus on prevention and treatment, says Health Minister Dr Shane Reti. “We know FASD is a leading cause of preventable intellectual and neurodevelopmental disability in New Zealand,” Dr Reti says. “Every day, ...
Regional Development Minister Shane Jones today attended the official opening of Kaikohe’s new $14.7 million sports complex. “The completion of the Kaikohe Multi Sports Complex is a fantastic achievement for the Far North,” Mr Jones says. “This facility not only fulfils a long-held dream for local athletes, but also creates ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ engagements in Türkiye this week underlined the importance of diplomacy to meet growing global challenges. “Returning to the Gallipoli Peninsula to represent New Zealand at Anzac commemorations was a sombre reminder of the critical importance of diplomacy for de-escalating conflicts and easing tensions,” Mr Peters ...
Ambassador Millar, Burgemeester, Vandepitte, Excellencies, military representatives, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – good morning and welcome to this sacred Anzac Day dawn service. It is an honour to be here on behalf of the Government and people of New Zealand at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood – a deeply ...
Distinguished guests - It is an honour to return once again to this site which, as the resting place for so many of our war-dead, has become a sacred place for generations of New Zealanders. Our presence here and at the other special spaces of Gallipoli is made ...
Mai ia tawhiti pamamao, te moana nui a Kiwa, kua tae whakaiti mai matou, ki to koutou papa whenua. No koutou te tapuwae, no matou te tapuwae, kua honoa pumautia. Ko nga toa kua hinga nei, o te Waipounamu, o te Ika a Maui, he okioki tahi me o ...
Paul Goldsmith will take on responsibility for the Media and Communications portfolio, while Louise Upston will pick up the Disability Issues portfolio, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced today. “Our Government is relentlessly focused on getting New Zealand back on track. As issues change in prominence, I plan to adjust Ministerial ...
Recreational catch limits will be reduced in areas of Fiordland and the Chatham Islands to help keep those fisheries healthy and sustainable, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says. The lower recreational daily catch limits for a range of finfish and shellfish species caught in the Fiordland Marine Area and ...
Energy Minister Simeon Brown has welcomed an important milestone in New Zealand’s hydrogen future, with the opening of the country’s first network of hydrogen refuelling stations in Wiri. “I want to congratulate the team at Hiringa Energy and its partners K one W one (K1W1), Mitsui & Co New Zealand ...
The coalition Government is delivering on its commitment to improve resource management laws and give greater certainty to consent applicants, with a Bill to amend the Resource Management Act (RMA) expected to be introduced to Parliament next month. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop has today outlined the first RMA Amendment ...
Overseas models for regulating the oil and gas sector, including their decommissioning regimes, are being carefully scrutinised as a potential template for New Zealand’s own sector, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. The Coalition Government is focused on rebuilding investor confidence in New Zealand’s energy sector as it looks to strengthen ...
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has today released the Report of the Government Inquiry into the response to the North Island Severe Weather Events. “The report shows that New Zealand’s emergency management system is not fit-for-purpose and there are some significant gaps we need to address,” Mr Mitchell ...
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is today travelling to Europe where he’ll update the United Nations Human Rights Council on the Government’s work to restore law and order. “Attending the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva provides us with an opportunity to present New Zealand’s human rights progress, priorities, and challenges, while ...
Associate Agriculture Minister, Mark Patterson, formally reopened the world’s largest wool processing facility today in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project. “The reopening of this facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which already accounts for 20 per cent of ...
Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing At the Southland Otago Regional Engineering Collective (SOREC) Summit, 18 April, Dunedin Ngā mihi nui, Ko Andrew Bayly aho, Ko Whanganui aho Good Afternoon and thank you for inviting me to open your summit today. I am delighted ...
The Government is delivering on its commitment to bring back the Three Strikes legislation, Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today. “Our Government is committed to restoring law and order and enforcing appropriate consequences on criminals. We are making it clear that repeat serious violent or sexual offending is not ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today announced four new diplomatic appointments for New Zealand’s overseas missions. “Our diplomats have a vital role in maintaining and protecting New Zealand’s interests around the world,” Mr Peters says. “I am pleased to announce the appointment of these senior diplomats from the ...
New Zealand is contributing NZ$7 million to support communities affected by severe food insecurity and other urgent humanitarian needs in Ethiopia and Somalia, Foreign Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters announced today. “Over 21 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance across Ethiopia, with a further 6.9 million people ...
Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Paul Goldsmith is congratulating Mataaho Collective for winning the Golden Lion for best participant in the main exhibition at the Venice Biennale. "Congratulations to the Mataaho Collective for winning one of the world's most prestigious art prizes at the Venice Biennale. “It is good ...
The Government is reforming financial services to improve access to home loans and other lending, and strengthen customer protections, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Andrew Bayly and Housing Minister Chris Bishop announced today. “Our coalition Government is committed to rebuilding the economy and making life simpler by cutting red tape. We are ...
“China remains a strong commercial opportunity for Kiwi exporters as Chinese businesses and consumers continue to value our high-quality safe produce,” Trade and Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says. Mr McClay has returned to New Zealand following visits to Beijing, Harbin and Shanghai where he met ministers, governors and mayors and engaged in trade and agricultural events with the New ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
“Our exporters should, therefore, be deeply concerned that the Fast-track Approvals Bill was not assessed for consistency with any of our free trade commitments prior to being introduced to the House,” says Gary Taylor, Chief Executive of the Environmental ...
NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff is calling on all political parties to support the new Member’s Bill from Labour’s workplace relations and safety spokesperson Camilla Belich MP that would ensure negligent companies are held accountable when their employees ...
A historian with a track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go wrong for him. ...
A historian with an uncanny track record of predicting US election winners tells RNZ's Sunday Morning that President Biden looks to be on track for another term, but things could still go very wrong for him. ...
Ngaio Marsh House is one of Christchurch’s best kept secrets – and contains more than a few mysteries of its own.Trust Ngaio Marsh to leave more than a few mysteries scattered through her house long after her departure. For a start, there’s the curious concrete portal in the garden, ...
Appointment viewing has been lost to the mists of time, but memories of Montana Sunday Theatre can still be conjured by hitting play on a particular piece of classical music. “You’re not going to be able to sell it.” Over 30 years on, Karen Bieleski still recalls how the task ...
Performance Review King Luxon sat behind His massive polished oak desk. It is Performance Review time. There is a knock on the door. “Enter!” says the King. In steps Minister of Disabilities and Carer Pedicures, Penny Simmonds. “I can explain everything …” she begins. “Fine,” says King Luxon, pressing the ...
The pair opened their first fully collaborative exhibition, Nina for Flowers, last Saturday. Gabi Lardies visited their studio to find out who Nina is and what working together was like.‘It didn’t start out like, ‘This is a show about Nina,’” says Josephine Jelicich, gripping a thermos of peppermint tea. ...
Thank you, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner, for your brilliant invention. I’m another mid-20s Kiwi who had an OE last year. I hopped on my bicycle where France meets the Atlantic and cycled east. I pedalled through the Loire Valley, down rivers lined with willows and ancient wisteria-draped chateaus. I relished ...
Asia Pacific Report From France to Australia, university pro-Palestine protests in the United States have now spread to several countries with students pitching on-campus camps. And students at Columbia and other US universities remain defiant as campuses have witnessed the biggest protests since the anti-Vietnam war and anti-apartheid eras in ...
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project (https://democracyproject.nz)New Zealand Government’s Fast Track legislation. Many criticisms are being made of the Government’s Fast Track Approvals Bill, including by this writer. But as with everything in politics, every story has two sides, and both deserve attention. It’s important to understand what the Government ...
Tara Ward talks to presenter Naomi Toilalo about the new TV show that turns food waste into a three course feast. Naomi Toilalo is standing in the warehouse at Good Neighbour Tauranga, helping unpack the two-and-a-half tonnes of rejected food that will arrive at the community support hub that day. ...
Scout is our latest Dog of the Month. This feature was offered as a reward during our What’s Eating Aotearoa PledgeMe campaign. Thank you to Scout’s human, Avril, for her support. Dog name: Scout (named after the little girl in To Kill a Mockingbird – she inherited the independent spirit ...
Megan Alatini takes us through her life in TV, including ‘terrible’ daytime TV, the class of Carol Hirschfeld and her most embarrassing TrueBliss moment. When she responded to a vague newspaper ad asking “do you have what it takes to be a popstar?” 25 years ago, Megan Alatini never guessed ...
A new exhibition in Wellington showcases the faces behind your local goods and services. Back in 1977, when I was a fine arts student at the University of Canterbury, I took a series of photographs of Christchurch shopkeepers. The photos were for a calendar – a project for my end ...
Toomaj and his resistance to tyranny through his songs have become an icon for the youth of Iran, so his sentence has hit the nation hard. Toomaj Salehi is not the first artist to pay the price for standing with the people. ...
My cousin Dylan and I spotted these big eels under the bridge that summer. We watched them lounging under the dark weed, facing into the flow of water, their mouths frozen open. Dylan and I couldn’t stop thinking about those eels. The night we went down to the creek, we ...
Newsroom, home of satire. My long-running weekly satirical series The Secret Diary has moved to Newsroom and will appear every Saturday, with Victor Billot’s wildly popular satirical Odes continuing to appear every Sunday. Diaries, Odes – while serious political columnists toil at meaningful opinions and stroke their chins to an ...
Tara Ward unravels the many nuanced layers of a cartoon about talking dogs.This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. It’s not often an episode of a children’s cartoon has adults sobbing into their sleeves, but that’s exactly what happened this week when ...
Working as a doctor in developing countries to help communities achieve better health outcomes is nothing short of a life goal for Jessica Tater. The University of Otago medical student has her sights firmly set on joining the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) when she qualifies ...
There’s an island in the far reaches of Auckland’s territory, sitting off the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula, 30 minutes by air from the city or four hours on the slow boat. Aotea Great Barrier is off-grid, it has a population of fewer than a thousand people … and most ...
Asia Pacific Report An Australian author and advocate, Jim Aubrey, today led a national symbolic one minute’s silence to mark the “blood debt” owed to Papuan allies during the Second World War indigenous resistance against the invading Japanese forces. “A promise to most people is a promise,” Aubrey said in ...
Asia Pacific Report The Freedom Flotilla is ready to sail to Gaza, reports Kia Ora Gaza. All the required paperwork has been submitted to the port authority, and the cargo has been loaded and prepared for the humanitarian trip to the besieged enclave. However, organisers received word of an “administrative ...
Pacific Media Watch Palestine solidarity protesters today demonstrated at the Auckland headquarters of Television New Zealand, accusing the country’s major TV network of broadcasting “propaganda” backing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. About 50 protesters targeted the main entrance to the TVNZ building near Sky Tower and also picketed a side ...
Opinion by Lynley Hood. Forty years on from my 1985 Fulbright Grant, my disquiet over the war in Gaza evoked some troubling questions. The answer to my first question – What is the primary purpose of the Fulbright Programme? – was on the Fulbright NZ website. It says: US Senator, ...
The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Professor, Family and Sexual Violence, RMIT University It has been a particularly distressing start to the year. There is little that can ease the current grief of individuals, families and communities who have needlessly lost a loved one to men’s ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne Lichen, the first described example of symbiosis.AdeJ Artventure/Shutterstock Once known only to those studying biology, the word symbiosis is now widely used. Symbiosis is the intimate ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hemsley, Head, Childhood Dementia Research Group, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Olena Ivanova/Shutterstock “Childhood” and “dementia” are two words we wish we didn’t have to use together. But sadly, around 1,400 ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Whiteford, Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University The government’s Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has just published its second report. It was set up by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth in 2022 to provide: ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne The Queensland state election will be held in October. A YouGov poll for The Courier Mail, conducted April 9–17 from a sample ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Naeni, PhD candidate at Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University There’s been much talk in recent months about what a possible second Donald Trump presidency in the United States could mean for Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ...
A brief round-up of submissions on the controversial proposed law. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week, submissions on the controversial Fast-track Approvals Bill closed just hours after the government released a list of stakeholder organisations who were sent letters advising how they could ...
A poem from Robin Peace’s new collection Detritus of Empire: feather / grass / rock. Cereal giving I see a woman’s hands, see her curious hands break a stalk as she walks through the tall prairie, the savannah, the steppe, wherever it was. See her idly bite the grass that ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)A handsomely produced (debossed cover, lovely ...
The Commissioner's decision validates the longstanding efforts of the local community and ensures that Awataha Marae will be managed to serve the needs of the local community, particularly for hosting tangihanga. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tristan Salles, Associate professor, University of Sydney Examples of Australian landscapes.Unsplash Seventy thousand years ago, the sea level was much lower than today. Australia, along with New Guinea and Tasmania, formed a connected landmass known as Sahul. Around this time – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Felicity Castagna, Lecturer, Creative Writing, Western Sydney University Day Day Market, ParramattaPhoto: Garry Trinh I live on the edge of Parramatta, Australia’s fastest-growing city, on the kind of old-fashioned suburban street that has 1950s fibros constructed in the post-war housing boom, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Ryan, Teaching Fellow in Economics, University of Waikato GettyImagesfatido/Getty Images There is an ongoing global debate over whether the high inflation seen in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic can be lowered without a recession. New Zealand is not ...
The ‘Wicked Game’ heartthrob is in his late 60s now. That didn’t stop him putting on a lively, goofy and very sparkly show. Apart from ‘Wicked Game’, which graces a sultry playlist of mine simply called 💋, my last sustained Chris Isaak listening session took place when I was about ...
Analysis - Two ministers were stripped of portfolios in a warning to Cabinet, drama broke out at the Waitangi Tribunal, and the gang patch ban bill ran into opposition. ...
Tara Ward makes an impassioned plea for some vital pop culture merch. In April 1999, I became obsessed with a new reality television show called Popstars. Every Tuesday night, five strangers transformed into music royalty before my very eyes as Joe, Keri, Carly, Erika and Megan were chosen to form ...
PNG Post-Courier In the early hours of ANZAC Day, aerial photographs captured an impressive gathering of Australians and Papua New Guineans at Isurava in the Northern (Oro) Province. The solemn dawn service yesterday was held at a site steeped in history, where some of the fiercest battles of World War ...
The PSA is shocked that Oranga Tamariki has used the cost cutting drive to downgrade its commitment to Te Ao Māori and remove many specialist Māori roles. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland There can be no more powerful symbol of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea than the prime ministers of these neighbouring countries walking together on the ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharon Robinson, Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director of ARC Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF), University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong Andrew Netherwood Over the last 25 years, the ozone hole which forming over Antarctica each spring has started to shrink. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Viktoria Kahui, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Economics, University of Otago Getty Images/Amy Toensing Biodiversity is declining at rates unprecedented in human history. This suggests the ways we currently use to manage our natural environment are failing. One emerging concept focuses on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy Colin Bednall, Associate Professor in Management, Swinburne University of Technology marvent/Shutterstock Finding the best person to fill a position can be tough, from drafting a job ad to producing a shortlist of top interview candidates. Employers typically consider information from ...
Wondering where to host your next BYO? Whether its a small gathering or a massive party, we’ve got some recommendations. I was first introduced to the concept of BYOs at Dunedin’s India Gardens, a legendary but sadly defunct establishment, which purveyed enormous quantities of mango chicken to Aotearoa’s drunkest future ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julien Cooper, Honorary Lecturer, Department of History and Archaeology, Macquarie University Julien Cooper The hyper-arid desert of Eastern Sudan, the Atbai Desert, seems like an unlikely place to find evidence of ancient cattle herders. But in this dry environment, my new ...
The sector says it’s hopeful her replacement Paul Goldsmith will be able to throw it a lifeline, after six months with a minister deemed missing in action, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign ...
The government can't just rely on axing public sector jobs and has to do more to cut spending, says the chief economist at a free market think tank. ...
Rock The Vote NZ, known for its advocacy for minor party unity and its role within the Freedoms NZ Coalition during the 2023 General Election, celebrates this merger as a strategic enhancement of its operational strength and outreach. ...
70 years after they were forcibly removed from Crimea, and 20 years after many returned, the Crimean Tatars face increasing persecution by Russian authorities as they continue to resist the Russian annexation of their homeland. Turkey is to send unofficial monitors:
http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/258723.html
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/amanda-paul/crimean-tatars-persecuted-and-harassed_359285.html
http://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/osw-commentary/2014-07-02/crimean-tatars-after-russias-annexation-crimean-peninsula
After the tragic German plane crash there is a lot of paranoia from passengers. Not meaning to be disrespectful to those poor souls that died, however here is a funny little tale I heard while having a beer with a 2 of my family members who are pillots last night. They were saying it is quite noticeable the hard stare pilots are receiving these days and there all feeling a bit rattled by it. One of them my nephew who is quite a character cracked me up when he told us a story from the other day.
He was on a plane and the head of the flight crew comes into the flight deck bemoaning some smart arses were giving a bit of stick about you pilots. So my nephew says I’ll go make their flight memorable.
He leaves the deck, reckons the whole lot of these stuck up pricks in first class were sitting there giving him the look up and down, so he stops in his tracks and starts shaking his head back and forth like he had a nervous twitch, then carries on walking on down the plane whistling.
He heard one of these suits that were being a fools mutter to his mate “you reckon that guy is alright to fly… nah he is suspect as” was the reply.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11427535
Nice one, Skinny! I have a similar tale from my youth: A mate’s Dad used to work at the local airport. He found out I was flying for the first time ever and just before take off he walked out to the six seater plane with a clipboard, and walked around the side I was sitting on. He ran his hand over the edge of the wing, waggled the prop, wrote something down, and walked away shaking his head from side to side. He then made a throat slitting gesture to another staffer as he left the tarmac. I was petrified!
Haha classic, yeah I’m a chicken shit when it comes too flying, many a flight in and out of windy Welly has had me filling my jocks in terror 🙁
windy Welly has had me filling my jocks in terror
That’s a good reason why it is an appropriate location for the capital.
Our representatives should be reminded every now and then about their mortality so that there is a slim chance they will think of the state of our human condition.
+1 and said with love for my favourite NZ city 😉
However, I’ve just flown into Hamburg – Austrian Air – Hadn’t checked since the disaster and just today notice the flight was subcontracted to…. Germanwings!
Yes, we did think about, acknowledged the tragedy… and then made inappropriate comments to each other. Grateful that there would not be only one person in the cockpit during the flight. Even though you know the chances are next to nothing that something will happen it is kind of surreal. I feel for the crew.
Which Airline does he fly for?
The big kangaroo coobah, he changes airlines like I change my undies after flying, which is often. He was mooting taking an offer to fly for some rich cat, one of those French jets.
Funny I once went to a pilots party in Davenport, seem like the first question any of these pretentious boy Jettsons would ask is what do ya do (boring) so to add a bit of humour I told this ACT man that I was a pilot too . Next question was the obvious, who for, my replywas Kiwi Experience, he scratched his head and said isn’t that a bus company? I said yeah I am a bus driver just like you pal, only difference’s are you guys have the tiitle ‘Glorified’ in fr ont of bus driver, and unbelievably are paid 130 k more than me.
Then taking the piss right out him, I put up the argument that with technology planes fly themself and pilots were for passengers piece of mind only. His trophy wife thought my joke was hilarious, less impressed were the pilots, bar an ex airforce pilot who joined in on the mocking by saying my job was more skilled than theirs. A great entertaining night 🙂
BTW hope your not a glorified bus driver ?
Jesus wasn’t a Christian, he was a Jewish revolutionary, suggests Jack Conrad. It was Paul who invented Christianity and, in doing so, he erased chunks of Jesus’ legacy, including Jesus’ family – people like his brother and successor, James.
See: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/jesus-wasnt-a-christian-he-was-a-jewish-revolutionary/
Phil
Actually there is no real evidence that Jesus ever existed. Outside of scripture and three dubious references (Josephus and Tacitus) there is no other historical evidence.
That is in itself is surprising when one considers the Roman preoccupation with recording things.
Who made it up then?
There would be many scholars who disagree though:
http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2012/12/24/3660194.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus
We don’t have Roman administrative records for Palestine and the trial & execution of a (minor?) Jewish religious figure who didn’t pose any direct threat to the Roman authorities is unlikely to have caused much of a ripple outside of Judea/Palestine.
Of course and many of those that are so emphatic about the existence seem to be in the business of faith propagation.
The two sources you supplied the first I had a quick look at and it is really a mishmash of christian apologia. The minute it started talking about Intelligent Design under Evolution I gave up.
The second source is really the usual wiki source which tells us nothing except some people believe in the Jesus myth.
You could try this site if you would like to read more about the subject
http://www.nobeliefs.com/exist.htm
Census?
?? What census if you are thinking of Quirinius then that leaves much to be desired. The idea in the Gospels that Joseph and Mary had to return to Joseph’s home town is ridiculous. No census required that. Could you just imagine the whole of the Roman Empire if everyone had to return to their birthplace. Bit tough for the Legions overseas.
The whole census story was probably thrown into the Q (The probable sources of the synoptic Gospels) to try and give some validity to the myth. This was a common method in the stories eg moving Jesus’s birth to Bethlehem instead of where he was born Nazareth. The putting the words of Psalm 22 in Jesus’s mouth at the crucifixion etc etc.
“Jesus wasn’t a Christian…”
That seems self evident, given our linear perception of time 😀
How could he be a Christian? he didn’t worship himself, didn’t wear a cross and Christianity wasnt invented til after he “died.”
Some more meaty reading for the weekend:
Kenan Malik on why young people in Europe, including from liberal and even secular Muslim backgrounds are joining the jihadis: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/why-are-young-people-in-european-joining-jihadi-groups/
While a lot of the old industrial-manufacturing sector of the NZ economy has gone, distribution workers have become more important – they circulate the (often imported) commodities which keep capitalist profits going. While the article here is about the US it is very relevant to NZ. It’s on the importance of distribution workers in 21st century capitalism: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/04/01/the-importance-of-circulation-workers-in-21st-century-capitalism/
And another meaty piece, on the political economy of low-wage labour: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/03/06/the-political-economy-of-low-wage-labour/
Lots more to mull here and discern how the world is steadily moving towards its own annihilation:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
8 days remaining until the scheduled return of the Rawshark 3:
phillip ure
Colonial Rawshark
Macro
I feel like there’s going to be a parade or something. Probably with Key gatecrashing looking for a 3-way (or is it a 4-way) handshake! 😈
An old bar joke is when a guy gets up to take a piss saying “I’m gonna shake hands with the Devil” 😉
You mean the Bawshark 2, chooky. Macro has continued to comment regular since you invented this fantasy ‘strike’. Still, feel free to keep crossing the digital picket line to remind us how little support there is for misogynist bullying. You’ve got us over a barrel, guy.
Q. Do you seek to deliberately mislead or is it your natural state to misinterpret and misrepresent ?
Personally, I think that easter is more of an issue myself. I think that the authors are on strike by ruthlessly taking advantage of the remaining sunlight of summer.
But hey, if people like to practice, then it doesn’t worry me that much.
Having caught up on my sleep again and enjoying the lower humidity at night, I’m setting up my TS test environment again for some coding.
I was just looking over the page view figures from last year and the year before for a possible post..
They are essentially the same +/- a couple of kpage views. Couple of thousand more this year in thursday, thousand less friday, and it looks to my experienced eye like a few thousand more today.
Yes comments are important. But after a site has been running for quite a while they get rather resiliant towards people trying to influence direction. Both from the commentary side and the author side.
Easter and the time leading up to it is usually a dead time for TS. Unless it is pouring down with rain of course.
Chooky
TRP is right about the; Rawshark 2, being a better descriptor at this time (though seldom about much else), I should have changed that yesterday. Seeing as you were holding the line today, I took the opportunity to get in touch with PU on his whoarsite:
I will send a similar message to CR via facebook soon too (once I either; remember my last login, or; invent a new one, which’ll mean creating a new email ident too). Though I’ve no idea when they’ll read it, and if, or how they’ll respond.
lol…Parsupial…well we are still holding the line…but the point has/is being made…that people are not happy …. and that is the main thing
…people may come back in dribs and drabs before the end date…and/or they may drift away
…when the last person comes back then i guess it is time to end the picket …so it is up to pu and CR now….
(btw…i usually find trp offensive.. i dont think he is exactly a feminist ( check his record)…irony because he has led the attack on others emphasising and highlighting people here being branded /called “rape apologists” as a put down ( I am one of them!…check out his followup to Bill’s ‘Julian Assange Post’ which trp put up next day )
….and I dont think this is a feminist issue at all …I think it is an attempt to put down the more Left amongst us…eg I have never found MR or CV to be misogynist …quite the contrary …they are intelligent ,sensitve and very acute and effective observers from a real Left perspective )
….and anyone who says a chook is a “guy” is plain dumb or trying to mislead
….for the record….yet again!…I am female and a long time feminist ( why is it assumed by some that I am a male?…sexism in itself?)
PS …add to that list of REAL Lefties is pu ….and the others who have been involved in the walk out….. because they havent liked the treatment they have received or others have received
( I was interrupted before I could finish)
This site has taken a downward turn in recent times
It appears to coincide with new authors and moderators who show little to no desire to hide their personal issues through author posts and moderating tactics
In one instance posting the initial inflammatory comment on another authors article and using infantile tactic of announcing no further involvement in the discussion having crapped all over it
Further degradation then continued via the ‘all apologies’ article
It is my contention these same individuals seek to impose their personal issues by way of their ‘status’ onto other here and in doing so ironically propagating the very diatribe they they claim to be authoring commenting and moderating against
TM
Yes, I had my own issues with that certain author/commenter on TRP’s; All Apologies, post myself. Even getting them to admit that making the first comment on a thread contradicted a later statement that they; “avoided the previous thread”, was like pulling teeth. Apparently it was all; “a coincidence of timing”.
However, I’ve been trying to steer clear of making this about individuals as much as possible. It would be easy to suggest that particular decisions were payback for earlier conflicts on unrelated posts, but that implies a conscious intent which may not have been present. There are larger issues which we can address without provoking unnecessary conflict.
It is an admirable intention Pasupial so all the best with identifying and implementing how to encourage individuals to search for improved self awareness
The individual (all of us) is the starting point and solely responsible for the manner in which we conduct ourselves regardless of the communications medium employed
It is very much about the individual
“However, I’ve been trying to steer clear of making this about individuals as much as possible.”
And yet here you are making undermining comments about one of the individual authors. Again.
So my response was too individual for Weka, and not individual enough for The Murphy. Balance remains elusive.
If I’d wanted to make it personal I could easily have used; names, blockquotes, and provided a link (as I was over on that post to get the quotes I did use anyway). It’s not something I would have brought up at this point, but seeing as the conversation was going that way, worth addressing.
Not using the author’s name doesn’t hide who you are talking about, and many of the regular commenters and readers will know who you are referring to. If you don’t want it to be about individuals then stop talking about her. Or just be honest about what you are doing, which to me looks like undermining an author.
Anyway, I take Bill’s point about the pokey stick so will try and refrain from commenting, as it feels like it’s feeding something and I have no idea what the something is.
+100 The Murphey
@ Chooky @ 5
Chooky, mi amigo, don’t you think it’s time to reconsider the picket action?
Sometimes we get caught in conflicts where a small number against the many can seem noble, correct and the principled thing to do. From where I’m standing, I just can’t see this as one of those times.
You may feel like you’re acting in solidarity with Murray but instead it ends up looking just……….a bit silly. Like an antagonistic little protest in the rain. What do you think might be achieved by your actions?
I can’t see how striking out against an author is productive. Without authors who volunteer their time there would be no Standard. I think we need to give them some credit and gratitude for the work they do. Authors such as Stephanie, who banged out a great post in record time last Saturday night when this all began.
Isn’t this action you are enthusiastically supporting way out of proportion to what a few of you perceived as an injustice? (I’m not entering that topic, it’s unnecessary as it’s been debated to death this week).
I’m just thinking about the action of the picket and the futility of it.
And Chooky, sis, as an aside you must be a very forgiving and gentle soul if you are supporting Philip, he has been really rotten to you in the past. No matter what you think of his input here, ask yourself whether he deserves your support, given the way he has spoken to you previously.
I’m guessing that backing down would entail a degree of humiliation.
So I’m suggesting that what would allow everyone to continue with some dignity as well as take some of the heat out of things, would be if future days of this count-down were marked by a simple number.
ie, tomorrow’s comment simply consists of the number “7”. Nothing more.
You guys want to give the suggestion some thought?
To be honest, I’m sick and tired of, firstly, the pokey stick this count-down has come to represent for some, and secondly the pokey stick it elicits from some in their…well, pokey stick responses.
“I’m guessing that backing down would entail a degree of humiliation.”
I think so too Bill. That’s why I think that if a back down where to occur, other readers of TS should meet them in their action to back down by being gracious and refrain from expressing any cynicism.
backing down will not entail “humiliation” from my point of view…but feel free to blush for me…i will stand at the picket countdown as long as Parsupial does
Chooky
Colonial Rawshark is maintaining his absence on principle, I haven’t heard back from Phillip Ure yet. So we’re still on the picket line for the duration.
In deference to Bill’s suggestion I will confine myself to a single line of text in the next placard; as we don’t really have to list the remaining Rawsharks at this stage. That should save wear and tear on scrolling fingers as they zip past our trudging vigil.
But for now there’s a lunar eclipse to observe (if the clouds cooperate). See you in the morning.
+100 Pasupial…and my utmost regards to CV and pu and all the others who have taken a stand
@ Rosie…i am with Parsupial on this one….and if it looks silly to you then that is your problem….quite frankly i am surprised at the amount of animosity this simple countdown has caused….guilty consciences ?….herd mentality?
pu is f…king annoying particularly when it comes to Veganism….but he is a genuine Lefty and passionate about Veganism which I respect….most often he has a valuable contribution to make …he has never been sexist /mysogynist imo….quite the contrary ….he has gone out in support of mr…and yes why shouldnt he have support?…
“guilty consciences ?….herd mentality?”
Neither. I just don’t agree with you on this.
Ok Chooky.
And just to let you know you shouldn’t count me as one who carries any animosity towards this conflict, it’s not worth it, I keep my animosity for the real enemy.
I simply view the picket as a misguided action, and wonder about the goal of it all, and as such, I’ve only commented twice on it.
From the Financial Times blog:
— Chile, the star pupil of the Chicago school, has turned out to be a dope-smoking shoplifter –
http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2015/04/03/chile-the-star-pupil-of-the-chicago-school-has-turned-out-to-be-a-dope-smoking-shoplifter
A work around for those who can’t be arsed registering – Chile, the star pupil of the Chicago school, has turned out to be a dope-smoking shoplifter and the first result is a google referral which more often than not will by-pass the login/register.
Pretty much the inevitable result of RWNJ policies. Control of government by the rich who got that way through massive corruption.
To be fair there are moves to de-commodify some education.
In late January, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed into law the most significant educational reform the country has seen in 30 years. Enacted after an eight-month legislative battle, the new law will gradually ban profits, tuition fees and selective admissions practices in privately owned primary and secondary schools that receive state subsidies.
http://upsidedownworld.org/main/chile-archives-34/5248-education-as-a-commodity-chile-seeks-to-break-with-a-dictators-legacy
“An economic historian is calling for the benefit system to become more flexible to allow people to function within traditional subsistence economies.
Keith Rankin from Unitec was responding to a challenge from Mana leader Hone Harawira that the Abbott Government’s removal of support from remote Australian Aboriginal communities was similar to Work and Income’s policy of not paying benefits to Maori who return to their home rural villages.”
Waatea Interview
So remind we why do we dis the idea of living a simple life in a remoter area – at least these people aren’t trashing the planet
+1 Can’t have people being happy outside of the neoliberal agenda.
People on the dole and other benefits are also an important part of the unpaid workforce that keeps communities strong and healthy. Govt policy on benefits is all about making sure people are ready to serve an economy that exists irrespective of community wellbeing.
Yep sometimes I think it would be interesting to add up the cost of supplying an “off the neo lib grid village” with the houses. some of the basic foodstuffs needed, internet at the community hall ( to cut down any looming porn addictions) basic medical care, solar locally generated power and see what they do for the wider world vis what they take – ill formed thoughts –
Early 90s in UK. Workers’ Collective (printers) with a gross turnover of around NZ$100 000. That paid off the mortgage on 18 houses and fed, watered etc (on average) 12 – 15 adults + children.
Dunno what that turn-over is in today’s money, but it wasn’t much then and was more than enough. Oh – and the average working week for each adult was around 8 hours. 🙂
You don’t know how lucky we are.
The best Prime Minister and the Best Finance Minister
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-magazine/revenge-of-the-kiwis-the-tide-turns-in-new-zealands-favour/story-e6frg8h6-1227288377781 http://bit.ly/1P6j09s
Only if, like you, you’re willingly blind to the fact that they’re lying scum.
That article is subscriber only. Are you selling newspapers now?
Bill’s probably got a taxpayer funded subscription.
//
I know how lucky I am but it has nothing to do with this PM or Finance Minister. Most of the praise they get is from bank economists and world banking type organisations. hardly impartial.
For those who may be interested I’ve started blogging again on my blog mars2earth as usual I’ll’ focus on “Ngāi Tahu – environment – people – kaitiakitanga – space – indigenous rights – politics – Māori – earth – and anything else that catches my eye”. I started the blog way back in March 2009 and for a while I had a lot to say on lots of things and now after taking a year or so off I find I still have some things I want to blog about. I am a left blogger and proud of that.
http://mars2earth.blogspot.co.nz/
Cool. I am pretty sure that is on the feed. Let me know if it isn’t.
Thanks mate – coming through well – appreciate it.
No problem. It is a lot less work with the feed because I don’t have to remove the ‘dead’ links. It just doesn’t pick them up. So I can leave them on indefinitely.
Great to see you writing again marty 🙂
I think it was you who directed me to ngai tahu website and work over a year ago. Really edifying, Can’t thank you enough. I learned heaps.
Thanks weka and Tracey – both of your opinions and kind words are valuable to me. And thanks to Lynn to – without inspiration like you I doubt I’d even be blogging.
Surprise surprise, ISIS-inspired ‘terror suspects’ were provided a bomb making manual by an undercover informant.
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/04/03/alleged-isis-inspired-plotters-provided-bomb-making-manual-informant/
Being Saturday I opened the latest TV Guide to see what is on the box. There was an article about Henry returning to TV3. This modest dick stated that “The people who dislike me the most can’t wait to watch or listen to me”
I have a message for this prat, Here’s a person who certainly will not watch or listen to any programme you are associated with.
Me too. If he turns up on breakfast tv on 3, that’s me gone.
He’s replaced breakfast tv on 3 what I thought was a good news team starting Tuesday 7th at 6.00 to 9.00 am each day.
I’m gonski. How can a channel that has John Campbell pushing issues that matter turned to a fellow who was rejected in NZ, then rejected in Australia, who was beaten easily by Georgina Beyer, and whose only positive is that he is a favourite with redneck NZ??
Where do I go? Radio NZ? I have some worries. Sky News??
TV3 Morning Report was great: excellent reporting; credible journalists. What is going on?
Ditto with TVNZ, Sky-Prime etc.
What really gets me upset this weekend is TVNZ-Sky suddenly protesting about people that watch Netflix direct from USA. Of course Sky would be worried it might reduce thei massive profits so they get their good pals TVNZ to join the protest. This is the same TVNZ that makes programmes for SKY using the resources owned by all New Zealanders and then give the programmes for Broadcasting on SKY pay tv networks. We cannot see Heartland or Kidzone unless we join Sky.
SKY might not be in this position if it listened to its customers rather than just regarding them as trapped chickens and move on to the next sales pitch.
Pretty much anywhere but the radio, tv or the newspapers.
“Pretty much anywhere but the radio, tv or the newspapers.”
The Standard might be a good port of call, even if you don’t agree with the contributors point of view, at least at times they refer you to other sites that really tell what’s going on.
Another alternative is Al Jazeera or that other station the poms are getting upset about because of their alleged biased reporting (laugh) RT News.
Interesting the channel that dumped two “judges” for being abusive, rude and bullying is promoting Paul henry on the same basis. Sadly I suspect it suggests the young demographic wont’ tolerate bullying but some in the 35+ category enjoy it.
No more tv3 mornings for me and I will not go BACK to Crawlin Christie
Tracey and halfcrown – On Henry- “The people who dislike me the most can’t wait to watch or listen to me” is not true.
There are words and phrases for people who say things like that :
e.g. ‘delusions of grandeur’ – a false impression of one’s own importance.
I don’t waste brain cells listening to him either.
Yup, more lies to keep him in his delusion. At least 4 people here who dislike him won’t be watching him…
Hosking, Williams Smith, Henry … clones all who think that wealthy middle aged white mens views represent everyone.
Paul Henry is as irrelevant as Kim Kardashian’s butt but that doesn’t stop people having a morbid fascination with either (and likely with both).
The currently 9 charter schools will be evaluated but superficially and inappropriately according to some.
Even David Seymour is not happy but doesn’t want to admit it.
Interestingly, the final report will be presented in Oct/Nov 2017, i.e. very likely after the next elections. How convenient.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11427584
By then Seymour will have a bigger majority will he not? And knuckles more calloused (from door knocking not dragging on the ground.)
A “bigger majority” in Epsom I assume. No, actually, I believe ACT will do less well in Epsom in 2017 as National will need all the votes it can get. However, at the same time I think ACT will do better nation-wide and pick up votes from the rotting corpse AKA #TeamKey. Can’t you smell the putrescence? The signs are obvious to the trained clinical eye and the death certificate just needs to signed and dated – by us, the voters.
Lunar eclipse livestream
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2015Apr04T.pdf