Open mike 04/07/2014
Written By:
- Date published:
6:35 am, July 4th, 2014 - 291 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 …
291 comments on “Open mike 04/07/2014”
- Comments are now closed
Links to post
- Comments are now closed
Recent Comments
- Post Series: Should Indigenous economies take the LEAP? (3)
In the previous two posts, I laid out the context and set the theoretical framework to answer a question: whether indigenous economies should take the LEAP. This final part outlines ways to conceive of practicing mana motuhake within the existing legal system by carving out special jurisdictions that enable Indigenous ...12 hours ago - Paying For Your Party’s Promises.
Fully Informed? Labour’s 2017 promises raised expectations that were little short of revolutionary. Unfortunately, they were never adequately shaken through the fiscal sieve. The hard economic work was not done – and it shows. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s critics have long complained that her grasp of the way the New ...17 hours ago - “The politics of despair”: The road back won’t be easy, but our very survival demands we try.
You cannot expect to pound communities into the ground day after day, year after year, decade after decade and just expect them to take it lying down. There’s a point at which the place will explode. And we’re faced with some very big ructions on both sides of the Atlantic ...2 days ago - Not destined to be
Back in May, Destiny Church leaders Brian and Hannah Tamaki launched another political party. Despite consisting entirely of followers of their religion, they grandly called it "Coalition New Zealand", in a vain effort to suggest it was something broader. But when they applied for registration, submitters opposed the name, as ...3 days ago - A real mayoral raceLast local body elections, the race for Palmerston North mayor was pretty boring - basicly being the incumbent rugby meathead vs the convicted child-beater. As a result, 1500 people (including myself) simply left that part of the ballot paper blank (vs less than 300 for the council elections). The good ...3 days ago
- Mass mobilisations shake up Algeria
The following article is excerpted and translated from two articles in recent issues of Lutte de Classe (Class Struggle), the magazine of Lutte Ouvrière (Workers Struggle), the revolutionary workers group active in France. We don’t necessarily agree with everything in it – for instance, the 1956-62 war for independence involved rather more revolutionary forces than ...3 days ago - Climate Change: Fuck AustraliaThe Pacific is on the front line of climate change, and if we don't cut emissions quickly, some countries are literally going to be underwater. Because of this, small Pacific states had tried to use this week's Pacific Islands Forum meeting to get Pacific countries to agree to ending coal ...3 days ago
- Upholding The Accused’s Right To Write.
3 days ago - Simon Bridges Leads National Down Into The Dark.
Going Down? Once truth and propaganda become fused in the minds of one’s followers, debate and discussion become redundant. If one’s opponents are all outrageous liars, then engaging with them in any way is pointless. Rather than waste its time, a political party should, instead, target all its messages at ...3 days ago - Post series: Should indigenous economies take the LEAP? (2)This section builds on Part 1 of this series to provide a theoretical basis for the final instalment (part 3 – to come). Self-determination: law or resurgence — or both? International law promotes the principal of equal treatment and self-determination, which includes peoples’ rights to freely pursue their social, cultural and ...3 days ago
- Nazis, prisons and mailEveryone was outraged yesterday to learn that the Christchurch shooting accused had been able to send mail from prison to his Nazi fans, apparently pushing more hate. "How could this possibly happen", people asked. Simple: because New Zealand is a civilised country, and so we let prisoners send and receive ...4 days ago
- A good startIf we are to avoid dangerous anthropogenic climate change, we need to rapidly decarbonise our transport fleet. The good news: its starting to happen:The number of electric vehicles on New Zealand's roads have nearly tripled in the past two years. There are currently 15,453 registered electric vehicles (EVs), up ...4 days ago
- Against facial recognitionYesterday, we learned that Auckland Transport wanted to turn Auckland into a surveillance state, with an extra 8,000 cameras equipped with facial recognition technology. Today, we learned that the police want to use those cameras:The new cameras are capable of facial recognition but Auckland Transport (AT) said this function was ...4 days ago
- Report: Equality Network Hui 2019
We need to fundamentally reframe our systems settings to address the drivers causing and underpinning inequality; structural change in systems especially financial. The Equality Network Hui was held in Wellington on 27 June 2019. The hui covered important topics such as child poverty; a living wage; taxation; public health; mental ...4 days ago - Anti-Semitism and Tommy Robinson = views
The views-per-page for some of my recent postings:Depressing, isn't it? Provide thoughtful and wise commentary on the mainstream of British politics and no-one notices. Make a passing reference to Tommy DICKHEAD Robinson in a thread title and you get hundreds of views. Write something about anti-Semitism and you get another ...4 days ago - Drowning our taonga
The government has announced plans to move the Treaty of Waitangi and other taonga to a new site. Great news! So where are they going? Right next to the old one:The new plan will see a new 22,000-square-metre archive built on the former site of Defence House - the former ...5 days ago - Data Ventures: StatsNZ plays startup
Back in June, StatsNZ went public about a project to track population data on an hourly level by using people's cellphones. It wasn't as bad as it initially looked - they were receiving no individual data, only counts by suburb - but there was still a huge consent problem, so ...5 days ago - More Courage Needed
Most economists agree that a currently slowing economy could do with some stimulus – and they would also agree that there is no shortage of infrastructure projects which could be brought to productive fruition with help from that stimulus. In view of the current practice of sub-contracting economic policy decisions ...5 days ago - The Hong Kong protests as a mass collective action problem.
I did an interview on the TVNZ Breakfast Show about the situation in Hong Kong. I tried to frame the issue as a collective action problem between two sides with very different end games. The video is here. Because of time constraints we could not discuss the fact that the ...5 days ago - Anti-fluoride activists misrepresent a new kidney/liver study
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ... 5 days ago- Anti-fluoride activists misrepresent a new kidney/liver study
Image Credit: Wild Rose College A new study reporting the ranges of values for kidney and liver parameters in a healthy population is being actively misrepresented by anti-fluoride campaigners. The Fluoride Action Network’s (FAN) latest ... 5 days ago- Open Letter : World Leaders must stop fuelling Inequality
AN OPEN LETTER FOR SIGN ON BY ORGANISATIONS AND MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD, ALLIED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST INEQUALITY. This letter was released at the UN Political Forum on 9 July, where the Sustainable Development Goal on inequality was reviewed. The purpose of the letter is to call out the ...5 days ago- Woke misogyny and homophobia: a gay critique of trans ideology
We asked a young gay science student and critic of trans ideology and the trans activists’ assault on women’s and gay rights to outline his views on Redline. Thanks to him for his article. by Cian Ó Catháin Gender identity ideology (Gender ID) is ripping through western society at full ...5 days ago- Climate Change: Say no to carbon cheats
The Environment Committee is currently hearing submissions on the Zero Carbon Bill, and Stuff is reporting on the submissions. Today, they're covering yesterday they heard from "NZ" Steel:NZ Steel has told MPs it may be forced to close with the loss of thousands of jobs if changes aren't made to ...5 days ago- Strike for a future on September 27
Students are striking against climate change on September 27. And this time, they're asking everyone to join them:Students are taking to the streets, beaches and parks on 27 September, and we're inviting everyone to join us. That's right, this is an intergenerational issue, and you're all invited to put pressure ...6 days ago- We need to clean up local body politics
Peter McKenzie has a piece on Newsroom this morning about how local body politics is awash with property developer cash. 70% of all the donations in the 2016 Wellington mayoral election came from property developers. And its pretty obvious what they want in exchange:That’s particularly important in local government, according ...6 days ago- Post series: Should indigenous economies take the LEAP? (1)
Source: Unknown, twitter user Recently, I wrote a (relatively) short paper titled as above, to explore what self-determination could like in a practical sense. Maybe I’m a bit of an international trade truther or something, but I absolutely believe trade is at the heart of achieving peace and self-determination. Since ...6 days ago- A Post-Brexit Europe
In the 1960s, after I had graduated with a first-class Oxford postgraduate law degree, I joined the British Foreign Office as the top entrant of my year. There, I worked for a couple of years on European affairs and was eventually posted to the Embassy in Brussels. After this exposure ...6 days ago- We Have A Problem
Alone, Alone. All, All Alone: Will it be a good or a bad thing, when humanity’s bright blue spacecraft is stricken by the civilisation-destroying problem of Climate Change, that no Huston Control will be standing-by to rescue the crew?“WE HAVE A PROBLEM, HUSTON.” These were the words used by the ...6 days ago- Monica Lewinsky – a long echo of trauma leading to such wisdom
I heard a 45 minute interview with Monica Lewinsky talking to TED’s Chris Anderson on BBC Radio 4 over the weekend, and have listened to it another two times out walking. I recommend it. Highly. Man, I am so impressed with how this woman has integrated her life experiences and ...6 days ago- In Review: The Coddling of the American Mind
Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff, The Coddling of the American Mind: how good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure, London, Penguin, 2019, 352pp; reviewed by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff’s book The Coddling of the American Mind is a timely book, whose ...6 days ago- Scandalised
When the Justice Committee reported back on the Administration of Justice (Reform of Contempt of Court) Bill, free speech advocates breathed a sigh of relief. As originally introduced, the Bill reitered the ancient offence of "scandalising the court" - basicly, a special sedition law protecting judges from criticism. The select ...6 days ago- A reminder
Eighteen months ago, the government promised to strengthen the Bill of Rights Act, by explicitly affirming the power of the courts to issue declarations of inconsistency and requiring Parliament to formally respond to them. Since then - crickets. Which raises the obvious question: are they actually going to do this, ...7 days ago- Fix the OIA
Back in March, the Ministry of Justice conducted a public consultation exercise on whether to hold a review of the Official Information Act. 285 people submitted on it. Now, Stuff has trawled through those submissions, and the case for reform is strong:The Justice Ministry asked Kiwis what they thought was ...7 days ago- National’s prisoner voting ban breaches the Treaty
National's prisoner voting ban has gone down as one of the worst laws in New Zealand history. Passed after a farcical debate (including this farcial speech from ACT MP Hilary Calvert), it has subsequently been found to be inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act by the High Court, Court ...7 days ago- Dining With A Long Spoon.
Divided Loyalties: Can the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, be relied upon? That’s what the boys and girls at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon needed to be reassured about. Because, from the perspective of Washington, it’s looking more and more like Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party comrades are getting ready ...7 days ago- Queer Theory Glossary
This handy Queer Theory Glossary is from thetranswidow.com In case you’ve had trouble keeping up with the spate of new queer theory terms, here’s a handy glossary for your reference. Queer – A straight person with an interesting haircut. Non-binary/genderqueer – A chubby young female, typically 16-28, who has ...1 week ago- Jonathan Haidt in Auckland – a quick recap
by Daphna Whitmore US social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt spoke on 1 August in Auckland to a crowd of around one thousand people. He is best known for his bookThe Coddling of the American Mind which examines the new climate of trigger warnings and acute sensitivity of Gen Z. ...1 week ago- A No-Deal Brexit
What an extraordinarily depressing experience it is to be compelled to watch, at 12,000 miles distance, the contortions and machinations of the British political class as they set about their determined attempt to overturn the decision taken by the British people that they wish to leave the European Union. The ...1 week ago- The muddied waters of the winter grazing debate
The winter grazing issue is becoming a highly sensitised one that I hope will not become so politicised that it delays solutions and results in the suicides of some very stressed farmers.Winter grazing has hit the headlines after a determined campaign, including the release of a video of some very ...1 week ago- The Gift – film review
by Don Franks Way back when British guitar virtuoso Joe Brown was a beginning session guy he got to back a visiting American artist. Young Joe was an able technician but had yet to learn some points of professionalism. Part way through “Five foot high and rising” Joe tired of ...1 week ago- Climate Change: Chickening out on a fossil-fuel vehicle cutoff
When the government announced its timid and unambitious vehicle "feebate" policy, my first question was why they hadn't coupled it with announcing a cutoff date for fossil fuel vehicle imports. Such a policy would turn off the tap of transport emissions, while providing lead time for us to electrify the ...1 week ago- Climate Change: The cost of sea-level rise
We've had some grim projections about sea-level rise in the last week, with Wellington Regional Council notifying storm surge risks for a 1m sea-level rise, and Wellington City Council expecting 1.5m by the end of the century. How much is all this going to cost us? A shit-ton:Every 10cm of ...1 week ago- Climate Change: Don’t starve
Since scientists started studying climate change, they have warned that it will reduce food production. And now, its happening:The climate crisis is damaging the ability of the land to sustain humanity, with cascading risks becoming increasingly severe as global temperatures rise, according to a landmark UN report compiled by some ...1 week ago- 94-23
The Abortion Legislation Bill just passed its first reading, 94-23. Its a far bigger margin than I expected, even allowing for the Winston factor, and it reflects the overwhelming support there is in this country for reform. but that support isn't a new thing - it has existed for literally ...1 week ago- Submit!
The Justice Committee has called for submissions on the Referendums Framework Bill. The Bill does what it says on the label - establishes a framework for referenda. Things you may want to address in your submission: Whether the bill should apply only at the 2020 election, or whether it should ...1 week ago- Time to repeal the Anadarko Amendment
The Thompson and Clark / MBIE spying scandal continues to result in fallout, this time in the form of a report on the implementation of MBIE's "Operation Exploration", its internal operation to enforce the infamous Anadarko Amendment which criminalised protests against the oil industry. MBIE's enforcement operation was tainted by ...1 week ago- “Blindsided”
So, Winston Peters is defending his last-minute demand for a referendum on abortion by claiming he was "blindsided" by the bill. Really? The bill is a government bill. It has been working through the cabinet approval process since December last year. As part of that process, NZ First was consulted, ...2 weeks ago- Waikato’s dirty farmers
Five years ago, the Waikato Regional Council ended aerial monitoring of dairy farms, ostensibly because it caused stress to the poor sensitive little farmers. What were they stressed about? Being caught breaking the law, of course:Waikato's dairy farmers again delivered a grim record of environmental compliance for the region. The ...2 weeks ago- Abortion reform has the numbers
The Abortion Legislation Bill will have its first reading tomorrow, and while NZ First is making noises about a referendum, it appears the bill will pass regardless of what they think:The Government's abortion bill will pass its first hurdle with an overwhelming majority, with or without NZ First's support. Stuff ...2 weeks ago- Green Party’s tranparency questioned
The Green Part has been accused of lack of transparency in two recent situations. The first was the claimed media lockdown during Green's annual conference and the second was Julie Ann Genter's refusal to release a letter she had sent to Phil Twyford.I do get frustrated when journalist's succumb to ...2 weeks ago- Green Party’s tranparency questioned
The Green Part has been accused of lack of transparency in two recent situations. The first was the claimed media lockdown during Green's annual conference and the second was Julie Ann Genter's refusal to release a letter she had sent to Phil Twyford.I do get frustrated when journalist's succumb to ...2 weeks ago- Standing up for kiwi values
Last week, the ongoing democracy protests in Hong Kong saw a pro-Hong Kong student assaulted at the University of Auckland. The Chinese consulate in Auckland followed this up with a press release "express[ing] its appreciation to the students for their spontaneous patriotism" - effectively condoning the assault and inciting further ...2 weeks ago- What’s the Point of a Climate Change Emergency Declaration?
Only those who close their eyes and minds to the evidence can still be in any doubt that we are facing a climate change crisis. The evidence is conclusive that the world is not only getting inexorably hotter, but also that the rising temperatures are creating a number of other ...2 weeks ago- Climate Change: The double benefit of forestry conversions
Rural communities are wailing about forestry conversions "taking land out of production" and putting it into locking up carbon. Its driven purely by economics: there's more money and lower costs in carbon than in sheep or beef, and if carbon prices rise, there'll be more net money than dairy even. ...2 weeks ago- A referendum on abortion?
This week, the government introduced its (underwhelming) Abortion Legislation Bill. And despite having negotiated the text of the bill through the coalition process, Winston Peters is now suggesting that he will demand a referendum on it:NZ First leader Winston Peters has hinted that his party may only support the Government's ...2 weeks ago- Endgame: Will Winston Peters Blow Up The Coalition Over Ihumatao?
Blowing-Up The House: Is Winston Peters planning to put himself at the head of all those New Zealanders who refuse to countenance the Coalition Government caving-in to the Ihumatao protesters? The most effective way of doing this would be to issue Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with an ultimatum. If she ...2 weeks ago- People power wins the night
Last night the police dramatically incresed their numbers at Ihumātao, shoving over protestors and threatening them with arrest. Despite police talk about the need to maintain "public order" and prevent a "breach of the peace", there appeared to be absolutely no justification for this: the protest camp is, was, and ...2 weeks ago- 17,000 employed under Labour
The labour market statistics have been released, and unemployment has dropped again to 3.9%, the lowest level in 11 years. There are currently 109,000 people looking for work - 17,000 fewer than when Labour took office. This drop in unemployment has been combined with workers getting their biggest payrises in ...2 weeks ago- Dangerous Human Ending Cult Sweeping through Civilisation
A Cult, that many actors, politicians, and those with a low IQ are joining is sweeping across civilisation, with one main intention – ending humans reign on Earth. Starting as a well meaning though deeply flawed theory, that the Earth was warming due to mankind emitting greenhouse gasses, it was ...2 weeks ago- Government of disappointment
Today's abortion reform announcement is just the latest in a long line of disappointing decisions or outright failures from the Labour government. The 90-day law. KiwiBuild. A capital gains tax. Climate change. Every time they make one of those decisions, we hope for better next time. No repeal of the ...2 weeks ago- Labour chickens out on abortion
When she was standing for office, Jacinda Ardern promised she would take abortion out of the Crimes Act. Labour followed up on that by referring the issue to the Law Commission, which duly produced a series of options. Health professionals were crystal clear in supporting complete decriminalisation. But instead of ...2 weeks ago- A stillborn policy
The Greens used their party conference over the weekend to push for a rent-to-own scheme, where people would be able to work towards home ownership by renting from the government. Its a sensible policy, and one which could make a real difference to home ownership rates. But its also basicly ...2 weeks ago- Ihumātao reignites the power of land protests
by Daphna Whitmore Over the past fortnight, thousands of people have come to the Ihumātao land protest in South Auckland. On 23 July police prepared to evict a few dozen people who had maintained the encampment at Ihumātao for the past three years. As hundreds of supporters arrived the ...2 weeks ago- US-China trade war: not in any workers’ interests
The following article is translated from an article in Lutte de Classe (Class Struggle), the magazine of the French revolutionary workers’ organisation Lutte Ouvrière (Workers Struggle). The United States’ blacklisting of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, which took shape in Google’s ban on Huawei using its systems on its phones, marks a ...2 weeks ago- The militarization of the mind and the rabid push to discredit dissenters on it
There is a military phrase: “Full spectrum dominance”. It refers to the all-encompassing policy to dominate across all spheres of war. Lately, that has come to include the internet – in other words, cyberwarfare initiatives. That is in addition to land, sea, air and the like. Now, if ...2 weeks ago- National supporters excited about that IMF Report is comedy at its best… and most tragic.
The IMF issued a Report on the state of the Economy as it is at present. Some of it points out significant issues that certainly warrant attention, but that we know already exist. Some of it is very much tied to the very obvious context of global concerns, that everyone ...2 weeks ago- Brecon and Radnor by-election
I'm glad to see the Lib Dems won.I had a moment of terror yesterday thinking that the Conservatives might cling on, due to a combination of Johnson's elevation to the premiership, the apparent uselessness of the Lib Dem candidate (who had failed to be elected in other constituencies) and the ...2 weeks ago- Recycling – National Party style. Something embarrassing about Mr Bridges conference speech uncove...
. . Current Leader of the National Party, Simon Bridges gave the usual rah-rah speech to the Loyal & Faithful in Christchurch today (27 July). With National’s party polling and his own personal popularity sliding steadily in the polls, Mr Bridges has not much left to reverse his fortunes. ...2 weeks ago- Protester standing outside Parliament every day until climate action accepts he will eventually drow...
Those concerned for Langridge’s wellbeing say they hope he’ll change his mind when he sees the ocean coming. The protester who has vowed to stand outside Parliament every day until the Government announces a climate emergency says he accepts that his quest will most likely end in drowning. Ollie Langridge, ...2 weeks ago- New Fisk
2 weeks ago- Disappointing
Back in April, the Remuneration Commission allowed local authorities to pay childcare costs for councillors and community board members. It promised to be a significant step forward for local democracy, which would enable parents and would-be parents (as opposed to grandparents) to stand for council. But councils have to vote ...2 weeks ago- Climate Change: Wellington expects to go under
What will climate change do to our capital city? The Wellington City Council has updated its projections, ditching its optimistic 0.6m estimate for sea-level rise in favour of a more realistic 1.5m. And the result is devastating:Wellington City Council has unofficially ditched an optimistic sea-level rise scenario in favour of ...2 weeks ago- July ’19 – NZ blogs sitemeter ranking
Image Credit: How To Start a Blog – Beginner’s Guide for 2019 I notice a few regulars no longer allow public access to the site counters. This may happen accidentally when the blog format is altered. ... 3 weeks ago- Climate Change: NZ’s subsidised polluters
Yesterday, the government announced that it planned to continue ETS pollution subsidies for our dirtiest industries until well beyond 2050, when we're supposed be carbon neutral. So who gets these subsidies, and how much are they? The industrial subsidy scheme is laid out in s81 of the Climate Change Response ...3 weeks ago- Swiss tax agreement tightens net
Opportunities to dodge tax are shrinking with the completion of a new tax agreement with Switzerland, Revenue Minister Stuart Nash announced today. Mr Nash and the Swiss Ambassador David Vogelsanger have today signed documents to update the double tax agreement (DTA). The previous DTA was signed in 1980. “Double tax ...2 weeks ago - Maintaining momentum for small business innovationSmall Business Minister Stuart Nash says the report of the Small Business Council will help maintain the momentum for innovation and improvements in the sector. Mr Nash has thanked the members of the Small Business Council (SBC) who this week handed over their report, Empowering small businesses to aspire, succeed ...2 weeks ago
- Seventy-eight new Police constablesExtra Police officers are being deployed from Northland to Southland with the graduation of a new wing of recruits from the Royal New Zealand Police College. “The graduation of 78 constables today means that 1524 new constables have been deployed since the government took office,” says Police Minister Stuart Nash. ...3 weeks ago
- Tax refund season ends near $600 millionAlmost $600 million has been paid into taxpayers’ bank accounts in the past two months, after the first season of automatic tax assessments. Revenue Minister Stuart Nash says the completion of this year’s tax refund season is a significant milestone. “The ability of Inland Revenue to run auto calculations for ...3 weeks ago
- Children’s Commissioner calls on government to consult
30 years of child rights: Children’s Commissioner calls on government to consult with children and young people ...9 hours ago - Call For Inquiry Into Southern ResponseA light must be shone into every crack and crevice of government-owned Southern Response. ...9 hours ago
- Race to save Māui dolphins to land on Parliament stepsSunday, 18 August, 2019 - Environmental groups and well known New Zealanders are preparing to deliver a 55,000 strong petition to the steps of Parliament tomorrow, calling on the Government to protect the world’s smallest dolphin. ...12 hours ago
- Last chance to save Māui dolphinsThe Government’s proposed rescue plan must be strengthened because it is the last chance to save Māui dolphins from extinction and secure the future for Hector’s dolphins, Forest & Bird says. ...17 hours ago
- The Nation: Dr Chris Wilson and Aliya DanzeisenOn Newshub Nation: Simon Shepherd interviews conflict & terrorism expert Dr Chris Wilson and Muslim community leader Aliya Danzeisen ...2 days ago
- The Nation: Infrastructure Minister Shane JonesSimon Shepherd: Roads, schools, hospitals, prisons, the building blocks that keep society functioning. And we don't have enough. It's called the infrastructure deficit and will be the focus of a major conference this coming week. The man charged with ...2 days ago
- Ardern must meet Pacific callsNew Zealand has been issued a stark challenge from Pacific leaders to dramatically upscale its action to address climate breakdown, Oxfam says, after a clear rallying cry from nations at this week’s Pacific Islands Forum. ...2 days ago
- Support for Recreational Dope Going ‘Up in Smoke’Support for Recreational Dope Going ‘Up in Smoke’ Family First NZ is welcoming yet another poll showing plummeting support for legalising cannabis in New Zealand. The Horizon Research poll shows support for legalising has plummeted from 60% last ...2 days ago
- Support to legalise recreational cannabis in declineThe prospect of ending wider cannabis prohibition looks increasingly unlikely. Over the last nine months, the percentage of New Zealanders who would vote for legalising the personal use of cannabis has declined at a near linear rate of around 10% per ...2 days ago
- News coverage hinders Smoke-free, says vaping boss“It’s disappointing that news out of the United States of hospitalisations linked to illegal street drugs is somehow seen as relevant to the New Zealand vaping scene,” says Ben Pryor, Director of Alt New Zealand – the largest Kiwi-owned vaping company. ...2 days ago
- NZ Psychiatrists tautoko handling of synthetic drugs billThe Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) welcomes the successful passing of Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill through parliament, by the New Zealand Government. ...2 days ago
- The system, not social workers, are the issue at OTThe Association is disappointed at comments made by Minister for Children Tracey Martin about Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Children, this week. ...2 days ago
- Coalition NZ response to Electoral Commission outcomeToday’s news from the Electoral Commission has provided the party with the clarity it was seeking around use of the word “Coalition” being used as the brand name of the party. ...2 days ago
- Why are we still building cold and damp homes?A recently released Otago University study has provided further evidence that low-quality housing is a significant problem in Aotearoa. This has prompted the Chief Executive of the Association of Consulting Engineers (ACENZ) Paul Evans to question “why ...3 days ago
- Manufacturing contraction bolsters case for tax reliefWith the BNZ-Business NZ PMI signaling manufacturing is contracting , the Government needs to seriously consider tax relief, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . ...3 days ago
- Maori Council calls for a public service executive overhaulThe New Zealand Maori Council has called for an overhaul of the Public Services executive ranks as the Corrections debacle shows mis-management and incompetence at the highest level. Matthew Tukaki, Executive Director of the New Zealand Maori Council has said ...3 days ago
- Consumer Survey findings lean to supporting workers rightsFindings from the 2018 New Zealand Consumer Survey have been released and the results are in; 48 per cent of respondents consider their purchases based on how ethically employees are treated. ...3 days ago
- Government responsible for Westland Milk saleThe responsibility for the fact that Westland Milk Products is now in the hands of an overseas conglomerate 25% owned by the Chinese government can be laid fair and square at our government's doorstep. ...3 days ago
- Big losses for dairy giant as plant milk popularity increaseAs Fonterra is projecting multi million dollar losses for the second year in a row, it is clear the writing is on the wall for dairy as more and more Kiwis turn to plant milks. 22nd August is International Plant Milk Day and there is now a different plant ...3 days ago
- Firearms owners hand in 12,183 firearmsNZ Police have now held 104 collection events and collected 12,183 firearms from around New Zealand so far. ...3 days ago
- “Low emissions fund” helps burn bunker oilThe $65,000 granted to Interislander so it can install electric vehicle chargers on its ferries is the most absurd waste of money yet to be delivered by the “Low Emissions” vehicle fund, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. ...4 days ago
- Child rights experts to speak at Wellington seminarWellingtonians will have the chance to hear international child rights experts from Ireland, Scotland and Samoa speak at the Making Child Rights Real in Aotearoa New Zealand seminar to be held in the city on Wednesday 21 August. ...4 days ago
- NPS on productive land – a balanced approach is neededPaul Evans, Chief Executive of the Association of Consulting Engineers (ACENZ), is advocating a balanced approach to the development of productive land. ...4 days ago
- New research supports CPAG’s call for a housing WOFCPAG (Child Poverty Action Group) says that new research from the University of Otago provides a solid foundation for why the Government must not delay instating a comprehensive Warrant of Fitness for tenanted homes in Aotearoa-New Zealand, and ...4 days ago
- Police collision with motorcycle following pursuit in ChchThe Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that an officer drove carelessly during a pursuit and that this was the primary cause of a collision with a motorcycle that injured the rider. ...4 days ago
- Funding for Pacific nations needs proper oversightResponding to the Prime Minister’s commitment of $150 million in funding for climate change response in the Pacific, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says: “It is no secret that many Pacific nations lack serious oversight when it ...4 days ago
- Central affiliation linked to success in local electionsAUT research not only shows an increase in political affiliation, but that candidates affiliated to a central political party are more likely to win seats in Auckland local government. ...4 days ago
- School Strike 4 Climate NZ stands with OllieOn the 23rd of August School Strike NZ will join Ollie Langridge in his 100th day of sitting outside of New Zealand Parliament calling for the government to declare a climate emergency. School Strike 4 Climate NZ also demand that Parliament acknowledge ...4 days ago
- A distress call from Kashmiri community in NZYou have stood up for what is fair, and I am sure you will speak for over 7 million people who have been muted and rendered voiceless in Indian occupied Kashmir for more than a 10 days now. I am writing to bring to your notice the plight of Kashmiri ...4 days ago
- Nine New Parliamentary Petitions launched for vital medicineIn the last 10 months alone, 11 petitions have been delivered to Parliament calling for medicines to be funded by Pharmac. Today, another nine petitions have been launched by Patient Voice Aotearoa (PVA) members asking that life changing, saving and extending ...4 days ago
- Miscanthus – Political lack of interestWhen we were first working to get Miscanthus approved for import into New Zealand, the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) waived the fee for their work because they thought that having Miscanthus in New Zealand was so very much in the ...4 days ago
- Dunne Speaks: A Better Way to Fund Medicines?PHARMAC’s recent decision to fund two additional drugs from December this year has been widely welcomed by patients and the general public alike. The drugs, Kadcyla and Ibrance, are used in the treatment of advanced lung and breast cancers and will ...4 days ago
- SAFE urges Minister to appoint non industry expertsAnimal rights organisation SAFE is urging the Government to include experts and advocates from outside the agriculture industry on its newly announced winter crop grazing taskforce. ...4 days ago
- Nick Rogers to Retire from NZTA BoardNick Rogers is to retire from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Board on 17 September 2019. ...4 days ago
- Anti-housing rules to keep Kiwis locked outThe Government’s plans to prohibit housing on ‘productive’ farmland will serve as yet another regulatory tax on housing, and is a shameful breach of Jacinda Ardern’s promise to fix housing supply, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union . ...4 days ago
- A little can go a long wayThe latest round of the Ethnic Communities Development Fund opens today, supporting projects that grow the leadership and capability of ethnic groups, improve cultural understanding, and ensure our ethnic communities are a vibrant and celebrated part ...4 days ago
- Hiking booze tax a terrible mistakeThe New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is warning of the dangers of hiking excise tax, in response to calls from a former Prime Minister for stronger action on alcohol harm. Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “It seems inevitable ...4 days ago
- LGNZ cautious as government pits potatoes against housesLGNZ will be cautiously assessing the wider implications of the newly proposed National Position Statement on Highly Productive Land (NPS-HPL), noting that that it traverses a number of highly complex policy areas including housing affordability and property ...5 days ago
- HortNZ welcomes safeguarding of country’s best growing soilsHorticulture New Zealand has welcomed the Government’s draft National Policy Statement on Highly Productive Land, saying it will help ensure that New Zealand can grow its own vegetables and fruit. ...5 days ago
- Publication of background documents for Budget 2019Background documents for Budget 2019 are now available from on the Treasury website: https://treasury.govt.nz/publications/information-release/budget-2019-information-release ...5 days ago
- Census undercount of Pacific families a serious concernPacific experts warn of the dangers of utilising census data that inadequately represents Pacific communities. ...5 days ago
- Inquiry welcomes confidentiality waiverThe Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry has welcomed a move by Crown agencies to lift confidentiality obligations on survivors of abuse in State care arising from settlement agreements with the Crown. ...5 days ago
- Sexual Violence Court reduces lead-up times and traumaAn evaluation of New Zealand’s first sexual violence court has confirmed that the approach taken in the judge-led pilot considerably reduces the time that cases take to reach trial. ...5 days ago
- National’s Campaign Chair AnnouncedThe National Party is pleased to announce the appointment of Paula Bennett as our Campaign Chair for the 2020 General Election, President Peter Goodfellow says. ...5 days ago
- Business Leaders to Judge NZ’s Fairest Employers14 August 2019 – 18 senior business leaders and employment experts have been appointed as judges for New Zealand’s sixth annual Equal Pay Awards reflecting the breadth of companies who have entered. The Awards added three new categories in 2018: Innovation, ...5 days ago
- Digital transport project has become a black holeTaxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “This is more proof that bureaucrats do not make good tech tycoons, no matter how much taxpayer money they throw at geeks in Silicon Valley.” ...5 days ago
- 5-year milestone reached by ethical lenderAugust marks five years of the Community Finance initiative. In addition to its well established Financial Mentoring service, The Salvation Army has held more than 5800 financial conversations with Community Finance clients. The loan program helps ...5 days ago
- National response to climate change is ‘RONS’Today 14/8/19 on news hub AM show Duncan Garner asked National Party leader Simon Bridges ‘what would he do to combat climate change and improve the economy again if he is the next PM”. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/08/simon-bridges-says-most-kiwis-believe-system-gamed-at-last-election.html ...5 days ago
- Government urged to work with farmers to reduce emissionsDairyNZ Chief Executive Dr Tim Mackle is urging the Government to work with agricultural groups to drive real behaviour change on farm, instead of imposing a broad-based tax. Sector organisations have put forward an alternative Primary Sector Climate ...5 days ago
- Iwi forging closer relationship with Stats NZIwi forging closer relationship with Stats NZ over Māori data solutions The Data Iwi Leaders Group supports the findings of an independent review into the 2018 New Zealand Census – but says its failings provide a unique opportunity to co-design ...5 days ago
- Scott Morrison tells public servants: keep in mind the ‘bacon and eggs’ principle
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Scott Morrison has a sharp lecture for bureaucrats about their KPIs, in a comprehensive speech laying down how he expects the Australian Public Service to operate under his government. Morrison stresses the service must be ...3 hours ago - Frydenberg outlines financial sector reform timetableSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has issued a timetable for the government’s dealing with the recommendations from the royal commission into banking, superannuation and financial services, which aims to have all measures needing legislation introduced by the ...3 hours ago
- Indonesian police raid Papuan student dormitory with tear gas, arrest 43
By Ghinan Salman in Surabaya As many as 43 Papuan students were taken to the district police headquarters after Indonesian police fired teargas and forced their way into a student dormitory in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya at the weekend. The Papuan students were forcibly removed from ...3 hours ago - For the first time in centuries, were setting up a generation to be worse off than the one before it
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Griffiths, Senior Associate, Grattan Institute Each new generation of Australians since Federation has enjoyed a better standard of living than the one that came before it. Until now. Today’s young Australians are in danger of falling behind. A new Grattan Institute ...4 hours ago - Review: Jonah is a troubled story of a tragic legend
Jamie Wall reviews Jonah, the two-part Three telefeature that follows the life of our most famous All Black, and finds it an effective but mixed retelling of the legend.Honestly, it’s a wee bit disappointing that the only notable on-screen dramatisation of the All Blacks in recent years was centred on replacement ...7 hours ago - Cheat sheet: The trouble with tarakihi
We love it battered and served with chips, but tarakihi stocks aren’t doing well and another big cut to commercial catch limits is in the works. Ah yes, terrakee, that’s a fish, right?Well, first things first, let’s say it correctly. Pronounce every syllable, remember the Māori vowel sounds (A-E-I-O-U), roll the ...9 hours ago - Government announces an extra $54m to stop homelessness
The government will spend $54 million on fresh initiatives aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness. ...13 hours ago - Lack of transparency hampers cancer drug debate
The debate over cancer drug funding us further complicated by lobby groups and opaque agenda. ...13 hours ago - Government announces more measures to prevent homelessnessThe government has announced extra measures to prevent and reduce homelessness. ...17 hours ago
- Recipe: Seedy crackers
Good on their own, even better with cheese – these crisp, moreish crackers are destined to become your new go-to savoury snack.These crackers have been on high rotation in our household – they’ve filled lunchboxes, accompanied fine cheeses on evening platters and been eaten by the fistful straight from the jar. ...19 hours ago - The Sunday List: 12 headlines about Adrian OrrLists are good and so are Sundays. We combine both those things in a new Spinoff feature. This week: Headlines from the past six months about the the Reserve Bank governor, Adrian OrrRBNZ prepares to stick its Orr inASB, March 29Banks Orr-struck yet againThe Australian, April 10Big banks brace for ...20 hours ago
- They made the culture: An interview with the man behind Funny As
Over 300 hours of interviews condensed into five episodes that cover the entirety of New Zealand’s comedy history – how do you even start to approach that? Sam Brooks interviews Paul Horan, the documentarian behind the show.It’s one of those projects that sounds utterly futile – how does one cover ...23 hours ago - Stereotypes and stigma: Drug use in the LGBTQ community
Judgement prevents understanding, which in itself is a barrier to preventing unsafe behaviour. Are different approaches to harm reduction in the Rainbow community needed? Sex. Drugs. Carly Rae Jepsen. This is the iconography that tends to be massaged into mainstream conceptions of gay culture. Depictions in TV/film see us railing lines ...23 hours ago - Inside the enclave of old that may win John Tamihere the mayoralty
The Spinoff is covering local elections across the country with a new pop-up section. To kick things off, Hayden Donnell went to a mayoral debate at Grey Power on the North Shore of Auckland.John Tamihere walked into the mayoral debate at North Shore Grey Power on Friday just minutes after ...1 day ago - Inside the enclave of old that may win John Tamihere the mayoralty
The Spinoff is covering local elections across the country with a new pop-up section. To kick things off, Hayden Donnell went to a mayoral debate at Grey Power on the North Shore of Auckland.John Tamihere walked into the mayoral debate at North Shore Grey Power on Friday just minutes after ...1 day ago - Two’s company, three’s a crowd
The three parties in the coalition have to negotiate compromises, concessions and conquests week after week. ...2 days ago - Things I Learned at Art School: Simon Denny
Things I Learned at Art School is a new series featuring artists discussing how they do what they do and know what they know. In the second instalment, Megan Dunn talks to Berlin-based New Zealander Simon Denny about Michael Parekowhai, teaching and technology, and an idea involving the online shoe ...2 days ago - The best matchup in rugby is a long way from the field
With the acquisition of global rugby streaming leader RugbyPass, Sky might have just secured its future, writes Trevor McKewen.For several months now, the war between Sky and Spark Sport for the peerless prize of All Blacks and New Zealand rugby rights from 2021 onwards has been escalating. Every week, one ...2 days ago - Saturday short story: The closed fist, by Eileen Duggan
Today, a short story from the late 1920s, published in a posthumous new collection by Marlborough writer Eileen Duggan. Photo by Peter Black. ...2 days ago - Twiice: the family business making edible coffee cups
The Lightbulb asks innovators and entrepreneurs how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Jamie Cashmore, co-founder of Auckland-based edible packaging company Twiice. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Twiice.Twiice is a company making edible coffee cups with plans to progress into other areas ...2 days ago - Black Ferns’ cowgirl proves doctors wrong
Black Fern Aleisha-Pearl Nelson was told by doctors, twice, that her rugby days were over - after serious horse-riding accidents. ...2 days ago - The giant parrot proves we have to save Foulden Maar
The recent discovery of a fossil parrot the size of a human toddler is even more reason for Foulden Maar to be protected, writes the chairperson of Save Foulden Maar, Kimberley Collins.Last week, scientists discovered a new species of extinct parrot in the St Bathans Fauna. Weighing in at seven ...2 days ago - Assessing the TVNZ, RNZ and Māori TV merger that everyone is talking aboutCould a new hybrid of all the government’s major media holdings solve multiple media and government problems? Duncan Greive assesses the case.The media industry, despite what some of us might like to believe, really doesn’t matter all that much economically. Doesn’t employ all that many people. Relatively low wage. ...2 days ago
- The three parties of power are taking their marks for the 2020 election
The three governing parties are turning their attention to next year’s general election. RNZ‘s Jo Moir surveys the field.The night New Zealand First formed a government with Labour and the Greens, its leader Winston Peters quoted the song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”.Almost two years later all three ...2 days ago - The coming crisis in Taiwan
Protests in Hong Kong have attracted worldwide attention - but are we ignoring a more serious situation across the sea? ...2 days ago - Week in Politics: Political row follows chief statistician’s resignationAnalysis: The botched census brings down a chief executive, there's another wave of speculation about Christopher Luxon standing for National and NZ First could sink an attempt to reverse the ban on prisoner voting. ...2 days ago
- Australia has coal removed from PIF documentation
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk Wording has played a crucial role in a reportedly “fierce” Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu with Australia allegedly managing to alter documental terms to downplay its commitment to climate change mitigation. According to RNZ Pacific, a communiqué and separate statement on climate change was released ...2 days ago - ‘Bullying’ Australia disregards Pacific over climate crisis, says 350 Pacific
Australia’s coal policy and its use of carry over credits to fulfill its obligations under the Paris Agreement have come under fire and been major points of contention at this year’s 50th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Meeting in Funafuti, Tuvalu. READ MORE: ‘We should have done more for our ...2 days ago - Pacific Island nations will no longer stand for Australia’s inaction on climate change
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael O’Keefe, Head of Department, Politics and Philosophy, La Trobe University The Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Tuvalu this week has ended in open division over climate change. Australia ensured its official communique watered down commitments to respond to climate change, gaining ...2 days ago - Glamorising violent offenders with ‘true crime’ shows and podcasts needs to stop
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Xanthe Mallett, Forensic Criminologist, University of Newcastle Even in death, the voice of Carl Williams is louder than that of his victims. Intimate prison letters written by the convicted murderer and drug trafficker to his ex-wife, Roberta – herself arrested this month ...2 days ago - Case in Victoria could set new legal precedent for stealthing, or removing condom during sexSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brianna Chesser, Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Justice, RMIT University In September 2018, a prominent Melbourne surgeon and academic was charged with rape and sexual assault for alleged offences committed a year earlier against a male doctor. The surgeon and doctor had ...2 days ago
- The exquisite blotched butterfly orchid is an airy jewel of the Australian landscape
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Dearnaley, Associate Professor, University of Southern Queensland The blotched butterfly orchid (Sarcochilus weinthalii) looks fairly unremarkable when it’s not flowering, generally resembling the far more common orange blossom orchid. But when it flowers, it is exquisite. Dark purple blotches stand out ...2 days ago - Why do different cultures see such similar meanings in the constellations?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Cropper, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne Almost every person throughout the existence of humankind has looked up at the night sky and seen more than just a random scattering of light. Constellations of stars have helped ...2 days ago - No, eating chocolate won’t cure depression
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ben Desbrow, Associate Professor, Nutrition and Dietetics, Griffith University A recent study published in the journal Depression and Anxiety has attracted widespread media attention. Media reports said eating chocolate, in particular, dark chocolate, was linked to reduced symptoms of depression. Unfortunately, we ...2 days ago - Hannah Tamaki’s Coalition New Zealand political party registration rejectedThe Electoral Commission has refused to register Hannah Tamaki's political party Coalition New Zealand because the name could create confusion. ...2 days ago
- He’s so precious when he cries: Why Bazzi is so much more than a great memeHe’s the artist who launched a million memes and over a billion streams. Sam Brooks picks out Bazzi’s best moments so far, from his career-making breakthrough to his mature new mixtape Soulsearching.1. ‘Mine’“You’re so fuckin’ precious when you smile.”It’s the line that didn’t just launch a million memes, it’s the ...2 days ago
- What is an inverted yield curve? Why is it panicking markets, and why is there talk of recession?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Crosby, Professor, Monash University Since President Trump tweeted about imposing new tariffs on China, global equity markets have gone into a tailspin. Trump’s more recent announcement that the new tariffs would be delayed has not calmed the markets, with recent days ...3 days ago - The Friday Poem: to convince myself we’re dreaming by Loren ThomasA new poem by Waikato poet Loren Thomas. to convince myself we’re dreamingwe were walking through suburbia houses kissing front lawns copied one after anotheryou tasted like mint leaves and chlorophyll that’s been pissed on by catsI held your hand and we walked towards the ocean dodging planks from dead train ...3 days ago
- 14 times Alan Jones revealed himself to be basically just an utter cretinThe ancient Australian shock-jock yesterday targeted Jacinda Ardern, urging Australia’s PM to ‘shove a sock down her throat’. It’s all in keeping with a substantial history of being an arse.The plucky nation of Australia excels in a range of endeavours, but nowhere more than the angry, anguished howls of bloated, ...3 days ago
- The latest TVNZ OnDemand figures reveal a TV-watching nation divided
Today, TVNZ released its latest findings on who is watching what on TVNZ OnDemand. Sam Brooks analyses the results.Today, TVNZ released the 2019 figures for who is watching TVNZ OnDemand, what they’re watching and in what kind of numbers. The big numbers are hopeful – over 1.4 million people reached ...3 days ago - The regions can take more migrants and refugees, with a little help
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jock Collins, Professor of Social Economics, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney The federal government wants to boost the number of migrants moving to regional areas in Australia to fill job vacancies and reduce the pressure on our cities. That’s why ...3 days ago - The latest action plan to tackle violence against women isn’t perfect, but it takes a much-needed ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Powell, Associate Professor, Criminology and Justice Studies, RMIT University There can be no doubt violence against women is a national crisis. On average in Australia, one woman every week is killed. A 2016 survey found one in four women experienced violence ...3 days ago
- Yesterdaze: A race to the bottom
One dignified resignation was a bouquet in a sea of brickbats this week as low levels of accountability had eyes rolling. James Elliott has the news of the week. ...3 days ago - Police investigating another Tarrant letter
Corrections has referred a letter written by the alleged Christchurch terrorist to police for further investigation. ...3 days ago - Sky TV bets big on rugby with $62m streaming
Sky Television is purchasing online rugby streaming service RugbyPass for $US40 million ($NZ62m). ...3 days ago - Michael Hill International posts $17m profit
Jewellery retailer Michael Hill International has reported a lift in profit but is feeling the pinch of lower sales and squeezed margins. ...3 days ago - Carrie Brownstein: ‘People get very precious about what Sleater-Kinney is capable of’
Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein on the band’s ninth studio album, working with St Vincent, and the departure of bandmate and drummer, Janet Weiss.It’s been almost five years since Sleater-Kinney broke their decade-long hiatus with an album that received almost near-universal praise. It was “raw”, “bristling”, “emotive”, “taut” – all adjectives you’d ...3 days ago - Sydney stabbing shows reporters should not censor what they report on Twitter – as long as it’s ...Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Colleen Murrell, Associate Professor, Journalism, Swinburne University of Technology When news of the stabbings in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon came through, one of the first tweets about the incident came from Sky News reporter Laura Jayes. Immediately it got retweeted and sent ...3 days ago
- Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending August 16The 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 Normal People by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, $23)Sally Rooney Sally Rooney Sally Rooney Sally Rooney2 An ...3 days ago
- How to orgasm in four easy steps
When Emily Writes reviewed a life-changing sex toy, the response from orgasm-starved women was huge. So why are so many having so few orgasms, and what can be done?For the last two years I’ve been running a pretty small – about 600-odd member – group for mostly New Zealand women ...3 days ago
- Anti-fluoride activists misrepresent a new kidney/liver study
‘
Save The Straights
jettison the stoners..!
Todays NZ Herald editorial shows it has no concern for low income!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11287190
As a BOT member, collecting school donations are a pain in the arse, so getting rid of them is a great policy, and the extra funding will be appreciated as well.
NZ Herald misses the mark…again.
They have an article on DC tomorrow, I guess they are going to make another attack against Labour…not looking forward to it. What a piece of shit the NZH is.
i wonder if it was roughan or o’sullivan who penned this tripe..
..the writer says that ‘free-education-zealots’…would be the only ones who wd support this policy..(!)
..so..suddenly..if you support free-education..
..in the eyes of these rightwing pricks..
,.you are a fucken ‘zealot’..?
” i wonder if it was roughan or o’sullivan who penned this tripe..”
..um…!..still handwringing..?
..eyes still fixed on the usual..?
yr point..?..from one side of yr mouth you peddle yr chimera..and bewail the lack of ‘critiqued-information’..
..and out of the other you sneer at ‘critiqued-information’..(!)
..the one-eyed-zealotry runs deep in that one..
my point..?
If you write k?, then the angels sing and the heavens rejoice in the righteousness of your words.!…
If someone speaks, not with you.. Then beelzebub himself has stirred to cloud their minds and blur the truth… Eh?!
With each exhale their every breath aye, are condemned by your RIGHTeousness and with each and every inhale your truthful certainty is confirmed.
Your religiosity of your own views leads you to believe that saying we are not zealots is a critique. Bah!
have you got an inferiority-complex-on-steroids going on there..?
..’angels sing’..?..whoar..!
and what cd be illuminating for you..
..would be to go back and read the attacks on those who fought against human-slavery..
..back when opposing that was considered ‘crazy’/’economic-suicide’..by most..
..go and read yrslf…
..in an earlier incarnation..
..’religiosity’-allegations/accusations..and all..
The fact you equate human slavery with animal husbandry is just a bit wow!
That you don’t get called for it more often, even more so.
Add you think you are on a par with anti slavers and it’s wow, with an added cringe of disbelief.
Tracey has you down pat. It’s a fair cop guvnor.
And the inferiority complex jibe – I hit you with that the other day. Glad something stuck.
The way animals are treated is related to the way people are treated – can you not see that?
We treat animals as commodities to be used by us for our own ends as we used to, and often still do, treat people as commodities to be used by us for our own ends.
agree.
However phil is putting himself on a par with those that fought the slave trade… Thank god those folks didnt wait til the threshold dropped to actually do something.
There is very little crossover, by and large, between people and animals.
We shouldn’t treat people as commodities.
But nor should we treat animals like people.
For the same reason we shouldn’t give goats a vote.
Funny though one of the likely indicators of children suffering abuse is if they are cruel to animals or in other words if a child is cruel to animals (and this is often pets) then that is a danger sign that they may have suffered/be suffering from abuse or neglect.
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/abuse_neglect/qa/cruelty_violence_connection_faq.html
So maybe the crossover is a little more than a little.
And if they throw their teddy bear across the room it doesn’t mean that the bear is sentient and has moral agency.
Not sure if your sentence works with a kitten or puppy rather than a toy.
Why would cruelty to animals be an indicator if the cries of the kitten and /or puppy are just like the squeaking of a hinge?
because projection is not indicative of the level of sentience (or lack thereof) of the thing projected upon.
Look, animal cruelty is bad, m’kay? It’s just not the same level of bad as cruelty against people. Because most species of animals do not have the same level of sentience as people. So yes, a sea sponge is almost certainly morally equivalent to a rock. Cow, not so much. Gorilla or elephant, almost certainly not. Human – certainly not.
“Look, animal cruelty is bad, m’kay? It’s just not the same level of bad as cruelty against people.”
Yet one is an indicator of the other so “The way animals are treated is related to the way people are treated” is correct.
@mcflock..
“..Because most species of animals do not have the same level of sentience as people..”
that is just an outright lie..
..are you claiming those animals don’t suffer unimaginable horrors..?
..even fish have a central nervous system very similar to humans..f.f.s..!
..and the pigs..the cows..the chickens..
..they also don’t ‘suffer’..eh..?
“..sentience is the ability to experience sensations (known in philosophy of mind as “qualia”).
The concept is central to the philosophy of animal rights – because sentience is necessary for the ability to suffer – which is held to entail certain rights..”
..but you just claim there is no ‘sentience’..eh..?
..whoar..!
not if it follows “The fact you equate human slavery with animal husbandry is just a bit wow!”.
Slavery and farming are nowhere near moral equivalents.
You’re also putting the cart before the horse: Y being one of several reactions to X does not make X and Y morally equivalent, or even directly related.
edit:
phil – too garbled, didn’t read.
human-slavery also used to be called just-‘farming’..
..’slave-husbandry’..
..(‘ungarbled’ enough for you..?..)
..and you get pissweak-avoidance-of-sentient-fact-award for the week..
tg:dr
“Slavery and farming are nowhere near moral equivalents.”
To any rational person, of course they’re not, and any one who thinks they are is not only fooling themselves, but doing a great disservice to all those who stood firm, opposing the trading of human beings.
Up themselves is a ‘fucken’ underestimation.
“..Thank god those folks didnt wait til the threshold dropped to actually do something..”
well..i haven’t exactly been ‘doing nothing’…
..presenting the evidence in forums such as this is ‘doing something’..
..and this ’cause’ was one of the main reasons i started whoar
..to mix this message in amongst the quality-journalism etc linked-to..
..credibility by association..as it were..
..and over time i have built a sizeable resource on matters vegan/animal-rights..
http://whoar.co.nz/category/vegan-stuff/
y’know..!..i do what i can..
..and when that threshold drops..
..i think you will see some movement in that animal-rights political party area..
..with the aim of standing/winning seats in parliament in ’17…
@mcflock
“We treat animals as commodities to be used by us for our own ends as we used to, and often still do, treat people as commodities to be used by us for our own ends.”
they are connected – it’s the commodity bit.
You may say that it doesn’t matter much because animals are commodities – I can’t quite remember the term you’ve used in the past – meatwalkers? meatjackets? Something like that anyway. That’s your opinion and I disagree m’kay?
You and allen draw the line under human – I have a wider view of who or what should be treated with respect and humanely. Guess what? It doesn’t diminish my belief in human rights – somehow I can hold both of those ideals in my head at the same time – who’d a thunk it eh.
meatbots. Not all animals.
I believe in human rights too. Hell, I’m also against animal cruelty.
But I believe extending human rights to animals is not just farcical; I believe that when slavery is equated with cattle farming (for example), it belittles and insults those people who stood against and/or were/are real victims of slavery.
Fair enough but for me seeing the connections doesn’t diminish or belittle all of the efforts good people made to ‘end’ slavery or the victims of that foul practice. I also agree that extending human rights to animals is wrong – animals should have animal rights – rights accruing because they deserve them as living entities sharing this spinning rock we live on, rights that protect them from being exploited and commodified by the bigbrained bipeds.
most of the farmed ones wouldn’t exist if they weren’t comodified or exploited. But they shouldn’t be treated cruelly.
and speaking of things ‘religious’..
..i just attained a new level of porridge-nirvana..
i did all this http://whoar.co.nz/2014/porridge-gets-a-facelift-comment-ed-and-make-sure-you-dont-forget-the-dates/
..and i added a handful of chopped-up prunes as well..
..and stuck a stick of cinnamon into the whole..
..whoar..!
..i stopped eating it 20 mins ago..
..yet my taste-buds are still afire..
..belting out serial-renditions of the ‘hallelujah-chorus’..
..it’s quite the ‘religiosity’-experience..eh..?
..to be recommended for all..
and ya can stick yr bacon and eggs as well..!…heh..!
..this sucker blows them right out of the room..
..i feed ‘the boy’ this b4 he heads off to university..
..he sez it keeps him running on all cylinders until mid-afternoon..
..and i wont eat again until evening…
..there’s half yr uber-healthy vegan-diet..
..right there in that link..
..master that one..and you’ll wow! people for the rest of yr life..
Dates not prunes. Nothing can describe the hatred I have for prunes.
both..bg..both..
..the prune-pieces..after the cooking..are little taste-grenades tat explode in yr mouth..
….and dates do indeed rock..
..but all recipies are variable to taste/availability….
..with that porridge-upgrade the slow-cooking/just-walk-away..!..no stirring after initial mix..!..wholegrain-porridge..!..cinnamon-stick..!
..are the key-imperatives..
..and the ideal time to ‘walk-away’ for..is 20-25 mins..
..the longer you leave it to do its’ slow-cook thing..
,.the more like a pudding it becomes..
..that’s what makes it so brilliant to try to get kids to have healthy-breakfasts..
..instead of that sugar-laden crap that sends them out the door on a sugar-high..
..and soon after to crash..
….if they are ‘difficult’..fill it up with what they like..and emphasise the pudding-for-breakfast treat aspect of it..
..it’s a winner..!
and re yr last line..i posted an op-ed on that @ 7.01 am..
..some of that ‘critiqued-information’ you serially bewail the lack of..
Means nothing to me without a link.
“so..suddenly..if you support free-education..”
Despite, it seems, what the Education Act says! Education must be “free, secular and compulsory”…
i’m still shaking my head at that one..
..it couldn’t be a clearer indication of what a rightwing-rag the herald is..
..and what rightwing-hacks their editorial-writers are..
..that they will go into print..in a masthead-editorial..not just some loons’ op-ed..
..calling anyone who supports free-education..
..a ‘zealot’…
“..synonyms: fanatic, enthusiast, extremist, radical, Young Turk, diehard, activist, militant;
bigot, dogmatist, sectarian, partisan;
fiend, maniac, ultra, nut..’
..the real ‘zealots’ are the rightwing-rand-ite-fucktards who have so screwed over our country/people..
..’rightwing-rand-ite-fucktards’ in both national and labour..
I’m filled with foreboding about that. It probably won’t be a direct hatchet job, too obvious. More likely damn with faint praise and filled with snide remarks.
Herald brings up,= how the minority of schools make “excessive demands and become petulant”.
Sums up the extreme zealots of neo-liberalism, who routinely want us all to cheer that they do it hard, paying school fees on top of top up donations, to their ‘choice’ of schooling.
As if the herd is supposed to be thankful for the herd leader taking command, doing it tough by not being payed enough, paying too much tax, etc. When we all know excessive pay, high burden of taxation on lower to middle incomes, is harming our economy and its efficiency.
Take the housing debate, we’re told that housing is unaffordable. But not why. Something about incomes but thats a distraction. The real way to measure affordability is to measure the time it takes mortgage holders to pay off their house. Given that many now use their homes to support businesses, and even reverse mortgages, its clear that even the medium income earners are being stretched by the current financial regulation straitjacket that squeezes every low to middle earning citizen in order to sustain and perpetuate a, what was the term, neo-liberal zealots in the wealth and standing they have come accustomed to.
They have an article on DC tomorrow, I guess they are going to make another attack against Labour…not looking forward to it. What a piece of shit the NZH is.
It will be interesting to see who does the article – but I am also expecting it will be (at the least) a ‘soft hatchet’ job, possibly along the lines of Michelle Hewitson’s interview of Laila Harre last Saturday.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=11283264
A few days ago the author was said to be Phil Taylor and one other… Phil Taylor is a good journalist who seems reasonable and objective.
Thanks. Here’s hoping, Anne.
I’m picking it will be a soft hatchet job with an unflattering photograph.
Completely unlike their love fest with John Key, which has been summed up beautifully by neetflux:
http://neetflux.tumblr.com/post/90645655137
Claire Trevett…sucks up to her boss and publishes plenty of anti Labour trash.
Have you seen Franks letters of complaint to the NZH? Now they make interesting reading.
https://fmacskasy.wordpress.com/2014/07/04/the-liu-affair-the-first-step-to-a-complaint-to-the-press-council/
Got a way with words that I envy there, Frank.
Thanks, I had not caught up with that one. I have very high regard for Frank Macskasy. And he is great at documenting and listing all relevant facts, articles etc – an invaluable source.
‘
Nice work by Frank, thank you sir.
This snippet from Tim Murphy’s casual dismisal of the concerns raised jumped out at me . . .
. . . what a very stupid thing to say. No one is expecting “all documents” to be made available, only those from which “facts” have been extracted for publication. In meatspace its called “providing references”, on the interwebz its called “DOX or STFU”. Tim Murphy would do well to turn from his current mentor of accountability, John Key, and look towards the example of an actual journalist like Glen Greenwald. Of course, such a suggestion relies on the assumption that Tim Murphy’s view of what constitutes “news” is not synonymous with “entertainment” and/or “propaganda”.
+1
People only start demanding documentary proof from a paper when they have lost trust for its work.
ditto re macskasy…
Brilliant Frank. Truly in awe at the detail and the referencing.
I have not had a reply from the Herald so will send my complaint to the Press Council, though much more modest in content.
that hewitson/haare one should be seized upon by media-studies courses..
..as a stellar example of how not to do an interview..
..and/or..how to do a really crap interview..
..and/or..how to make the interview all about the interviewer..
..it’s a three-fer…
At least it is very clear to everyone what political colours fly on The Herald’s flag – those of its big business corporate owners. Hard core right wing is The Herald’s politics.
Again, why do we expect anything independent or objective – the rag is owned by big business ffs. The Herald is conflicted to all hell.
As for the actual article I started coming across too many items of shit in it to keep count. Dribbly shit with not an inkling of understanding of the political philosophy driving the policy.
Too right vto – not only the editorial, the ongoing drip, drip, drip by Jared Savage and the introduction of Warren Kydd [ex Nat MP for Hunua, replaced by Judith Collins] but a op ed by that bastion of journalism or should that be jonolism, Mike Hosking http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11287241 and now we have been informed that Rolf Harris groped Maggie Barry about 30 years ago.
and not a single comment on that one published all day – interesting
This is the kind of self serving pap Labour should be addressing more IMO, might give a hint as to why so many in the lower socio-economic groups don’t bother voting.
“Landlords say low taxes cap rents ”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/10228984/Landlords-say-low-taxes-cap-rents
In one breath he says they pay $500 mil in tax and in another he says removing depreciation costs landlords $700 mil. So if it’s restored they’ll be paying minus $200 mil in tax.
He also conveniently ignores the taxpayer’s $1.2 billion in accommodation supplements of which I have no doubt more than $500 million goes to pay rent. And that’s not even counting the massive social welfare bill of which a large part also goes in rents. So no, they don’t pay any nett tax… to use a euphemism so favoured by the Nats.
His comments about landlords losing money, keeping rents low rah rah are utter crap. Rents always lag behind property inflation so they can seem low from a new investors perspective but in fact are not low for established investors.
MPs have been given a proposal for a $4000 accomodation increase in wellington. How many have decided to donate their $4000 to the local mission or similar.
http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10200416/MPs-may-get-4000-more-for-housing
Government ministers will get close to the median wage in housing perks after yet another review of expenses.
The Remuneration Authority, which sets MPs’ pay, is proposing increasing a Wellington housing allowance for the Executive by $3500 to $41,000. MPs will get an extra $4000 to take theirs to $28,000.
The median weekly income is $844. Ministers will get $789 a week to put to their housing costs. Some out-of-town MPs, including Energy Minister Simon Bridges, own a Wellington property. They can use the cash to pay the interest on their mortgage.
A backbench MP earns about $150,000 a year, which rises to about $250,000 for ministers.
Public Service Association president Richard Wagstaff said doctors, nurses and hospital clerical staff had received a wage rise of just 0.7 per cent. Other civil servants were fighting for between 1 and 2 per cent raises.
“That’s more than a 10 per cent increase,” he said. “The Government says the economy is growing and working New Zealanders can expect those improvements to flow through to them. On the other side of their mouth, they say to their government departments: ‘You’ve got to cut spending and are not to give out wage rises.’
We need to ask a couple of questions about these housing allowances:
The answer to #4 is fairly obvious – it most definitely would be cheaper to hire a few people full time to look after a single building than it would be to pay each minister tens of thousands of dollars each year. Especially considering that the MPs also get to claim for cleaning. Which brings up the next question:
Why are we paying so much to house our ministers in Wellington?
I believe it to be nothing more than a way to direct taxpayers money out into the private sector to boost profits for the few some of which happen to be MPs. Bill English’s rort comes to mind.
Extensive Accommodation Supplements certainly haven’t kept rents low.
And what specifically is the NZPIF definition of a “low” rent? I’m guessing it is based around the investment being cashflow positive rather than something people can actually afford.
“And what specifically is the NZPIF definition of a “low” rent?”
They work it out on current market values. Since rent increases lag behind housing inflation by a year or two rents will always seem to be low as a percentage return on current value.
The point is these investors didn’t pay current market price for their properties so their returns are (mostly) very good based on their actual investment. Even someone who bought property a year ago is up to 10% better off than what these bozos are claiming.
And in the style of A(n)nals of Online Dating….
…to the investors for trying to induce fear among their tenants of their landlord/overlords being subjected to brutal taxation regime that would in turn be responsible for them becoming homeless.
So the herald posted some letters from damien oconnor when he was minister of immigration overriding some criteria for Mr Liu. Why didnt Labour pre empt this when the cunliffe letter surfaced? They must have known it was a matter of time so why not come clean.
The herald has waited til now, drip, drip, drip. So, is it really National being smeary? Surely no party can be smeary, from any side without a press that decides to run with it in a certain way.
David bain’s wife being pregnant was the heralds full page story a couple of days ago, with a reference to the diplomat on the top banner. My partner said
“when papers change to the smaller size do they have to go tabloid?”.
So, who is really setting the tone?
I am NOT saying this stuff is not reportable (although i dont consider david bain becoming a father is newsworthy let alone front page). I am saying people can only vote based on what they know, and knowing that damien oconnor and national both are happy to waive rules for the wealthy is important but so is what parties have planned for us.
The herald has done a follow up on diplomatic immunity and revealled a few other instances including one of domestic assault
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11287226
In melbourne over anzac weekend, the govts proposed changes to the superannuation were full front page, followed by analysis in the following pages.
Where do we go for this, two and a half months before an election? Party sites and affiliates dont help much. Having hooton and williams on radio advances nothing.
And to finish the day i read that the liar in chief is so disappointed about being misinformed cos he tries so hard to be honest to NZers.
BLiP, that may be his biggest lie of all.
VOTE GREEN
Gee Tracy there are a few dedicated staffers who do not have the ability to track down every single piece of paper signed by a Labour MP in the past decade. And outside this there are a few dedicated amateurs doing what they can to help. On the other side there is resources galore and a public service who has been terrified into being compliant to Ministerial instructions. This really is a David vs Goliath battle. And rather than preparing to counter every single smear that may be thrown at the party we would prefer that it gets on with completing and releasing policy.
gee micky, a minister of immigration, damien oconnor, intervened three times in Liu’s PR. Did Labour not do an OIA of this itself, or have its own ministerial records, and did oconnor forget? That you put oconnors actions in the same league as an electorate letter says more about you and nothing about resources.
Yeah DC’s letter was proforma (and we’ve heard the excuses), O’Connor’s was ministerial intervention that everyone knew about, it should be much easier to track, it’s worrying that this wasn’t preempted in any way.
Nope Tracey I did not put O’Connor’s letter in the same league as an electorate letter. I was expressing the thought that I would prefer that the party put effort into getting policy releases right than digging through files which are nearly ten years old.
cool mickey. How is it working for Labour so far?
Is o’connor rated in Labour? (genuine question, not sarcasm)
i question that logic..m.s..
..surely it isn’t a case of either/or being the only option..?
..and surely you must have known you wd be eventually bashed with this one..?
..(could it have been more heralded..?..(pun intentional..)..
..i mean..o’conner pushed it thru..the day before the election..?..)
..so why aren’t you prepared/ducks all in a row..?
..who’se doing the strategic-thinking there..?
..at times..it seems nobody is..
“This really is a David vs Goliath battle.”
Really?. It is more like a David versus David battle . Are you also sorry for being a man , Greg?.
John Key should be sorry for not being a man. He’s more like a megalomaniac head prefect, who accepts responsibility for nothing. He misrepresented totally what Cunliffe said, and belittled the importance of addressing violence against women. With Goodfellow, and the recent ex-army forceful casanova appointed to run a new government unit, it’s pretty obvious NAct don’t put stopping this violence high on their agenda. To spout such juvenile crap at Cunliffe when he makes an attempt, which reportedly went down well with his audience, is nothing more than disgusting. Vote NAct for the preservation of rape culture.
I can’t believe Cunliffe put is foot in it so badly with that one.
Sorry for being a man?? FFS! Honestly! Not only does this sound awful to any intelligent sensitive thinking person, it gives all the haters a chance, rightly or wrongly, to call Cunliffe something that no leader ever wants to be called: weak.
And of course Jonky comes in with the obvious response that makes him sound sensible.
“The problem isn’t being a man, the problem is if you’re an abusive man, and I think it’s a bit insulting to imply that all men are abusive.”
Key’s comment is note-perfect and tbh this is one of the extremely rare times I actually agree with something that came out of Key’s mouth.
David vs David indeed. Someone slipped something in Cunliffe’s tea? Because this was just about as bad a gaffe as you can get.
Yeah I read the bit about Damien O’Connor too. To be honest I think the article kind of cancels itself out as an effective attack on Labour ‘cash for favours’ with the revelations about ex Nat MP Warren Kyd lobbying for Liu.
It’s pretty hard to insinuate Labour was taking cash from Liu when the person Mr O’Connor was dealing with was an ex National MP, so I’m struggling to see just what point the NZH are trying to make there. What are they trying to imply, that Kyd was in on it too?
Dh
i wondered about the kyd connection too. Clearly they have not found cash for favours against labour but there are a couple of strands;
Labour will waive rules for the very wealthy
Once national, always national n, do thy bidding (kyd)??
@DH: “What are they trying to imply, that Kyd was in on it too?”
Freedom raised the same point yesterday. Kyd was the advocate for Mr Liu. He therefore knew every bit of the transactions. We might easily join the dots between the inside knowledge supplied by Kyd and the mates back at National and the mystery statement as yet unpublished by Jared Savage.
Therefore maybe Jared has been a little, a very little helpful in illuminating the possible origin of this story of Liu. The O’Connor story is just a vehicle?
‘
Thanks Tracey. That link also points to collusion by the police in that they too have been keeping things under the radar. Perhaps if the media actually employed dedicated police and court reporters we might know a little more about these sorts of things.
I havn’t had much time lately for my list keeping activities so any and all tips are welcome. I can’t see the link to that whopper about John Key trying to be honest. Also, would you happen to know the exact lie John Key told about the diplomatic situation? John Key has become even more tricksy lately by prefacing his comments with slippery “outs” like “so far as I am aware” and “as I have been advised” or, his greatest one yet, “within that context, as far as I know, to be honest, based on the information available at that time, to the best of my recollection, so I understand, in the end”.
Yes – VOTE GREEN.
What did you expect?
The paper has shown its FOX news colours after the Liu donation story.
People starting to see the corporate media for what it is. A shill for the elite.
Boycott this rag and other mainstream propaganda outlets for the 1%.
If you want to see who dictates editorial policy, follow the money. See who owns them.
It’s usually a foreign banking interest.
i understand that paul. I havent paid for a herald in over 8 years. I saw the cover at a supermarket.
I also notice who is reporting the hard news right now, about policy, about mp perks about the diplomat and its not armstrong, young… So there IS heart for such stories…
My main point of posting, is where do the masses turn for critiqued information?
I will dig out news viewing numbers to see how many actually watch tv news.
“.. where do the masses turn for critiqued information?..”
..um…!..still handwringing..?
..eyes still fixed on the usual..?
um… Still a dickhead?
This from the man who is waiting for others to form a vegan animal rights party rather than do it himself. You must be really conflicted over KFCs hash burger
what a strange ‘attack’ from you..?
..is that yr only response to what i said..?..about ‘news’..?
factcheck:..i am actually waiting for the threshold to drop..
..i don’t really want to piss into the wind..
..but when that threshold does drop..i hope the various threads of the the animal-rights movement will coalesce into a political-force..
..to give a voice with power/influence..to those concerns..
..to give a voice to those slave-animals..
..and if there is anything i can do to make that come about..
..i shall lean in..i won’t be ‘waiting for others’..
..(and ‘hash-burger’..?..i geddit..!..druggie-jibe..it’s not that crash-hot..but i do get it..
..really ‘grasping’ there..aren’t you..?..)
you know phil, that you think your intial response to me was not an attack simple reinforces my view that sometimes you are blinded by your self righteousness, deigning to drop you version of wisdom into our less than perfect lives. Imagine your surprise when one day you open your eyes and find you are down in the gutter with the rest of us.
Fact check. I am waiting for the threshold to drop
Reality check:when we had fpp you were probably waiting for mmp.
‘still handwringing’ is ‘an attack’..?
..and deserving of a ‘dickhead’-response..drug-jibes..?..attack on my animal-rights stands..?
..have you not had yr bacon yet today..?..bit ‘edgy’..?..hanging out for it..?
Human rights for all viciously abused vegetables is what i say…
I am the angel of death. I put the ground up immature babies of the black pepper plant on my chips last night. Mwahaha
Have you no pity Alien, spare a thought for the poor abused Pepper Plant as it is cruelly ripped from the ground…
What is required is a joint agency (not that sort of joint, Philip) to deal with animal eaters and vege abusers, when they have sausage, egg, chips and peas.
The food nazis could could drive around in detector vans at meal times with flashing lights and a sign on the side reading ‘caution, may contain nuts’.
Lolz Alien, will put up a link tomorrow which discusses ‘new research on plant intelligence,’
It discusses the beanstalk experiment, one i like coz anyone can do it at home,(without creating mayhem), the version in the link tho should have been taken to its next logical step, which in my opinion definitely shows some form of ‘thought process’ having occurred in the beanstalk…
I always talk to my plants, so perhaps best not test them for intelligence.
Like the hunter in the pig topic the other day, I also take only what I need, thank and pay respects to my food.
Sentient or not, I think it makes them taste a little sweeter, like a frost or two on a parsnip does before harvest.
We are getting into Reductio ad absurdum and dialectical contradictions territory here on “Open phil” today.
In a cold indifferent quantum universe why care about anything perhaps? Let alone animal rights. Meat particles/vegetable particles.
But some people do care, meat is murder, as much as some of our number tilt the duality of human existence–conscious social being slash rutting beast in favour of the latter.
Water has soul too you know. As I swallowed my mouthful of water I heard a faint scream. Is there nothing left to eat or drink? Fading, fading fa………
As arguments to absurdity go, we nailed it.
“As I swallowed my mouthful of water I heard a faint scream”
All those micro organisms, gone in a gulp. You callous sod.
Plus 1 TM
…some people do care…
Lolz it is my evil plot to have you all guilt tripped into eating nothing, and then, the bad’s shall rule the world…
I have seen the broccoli killing fields myself.
I have been part of the machine (bit like the pinball wizard really) and I have seen the slaughter of some 13 million buttercup squash one warm Gisborne summer. In order to cover our tracks from the vegans, we rebranded as Kabocha and for two years, they had no idea what we were up to. I think the vegans lacked the “Bacon gene” so they werent too smart.
When we finally got sprung, we went back to calling it buttercup squash. And eating bacon.
MMMMM Bacon
Mmmmm Bacon, i totally agree, while in taiho mode as far as eating the stuff goes, its more or less a given that when i reach my target weight Bacon’n’egg burgers will once again be on the menu and i was lost in reverie for quite some time yesterday dreaming of a yummy fried rice with bacon, eggs, tomatoes, and, spring onions…
Its just a pity that a diet of bacon (mmmm bacon), and chocolate milk wont get my weight down to the healthy zone.
Will have to get the bike out again.
other factcheck:..
..aren’t we all ‘in the gutter’..?..but just ‘some of us’ etc etc..?
“um… Still a dickhead?”
Chortle
A pro chicken party – That will never fly.
A pro cow party – What a load of bull.
A pro sheep party – Just a baaad idea.
Within the wider context of people that care about those less fortunate can you not see that for some, animals are included within that category – it’s not a joke, it’s not fake – it is real, sincere and imo valid.
I certainly do, and have on a number of occasions, shown my admiration for their dedication to their cause.
found this from august 2013
Primetime average audience – 25-54 demographic
6pm-10.30pm TV One 153,900 TV2 150,900 TV3 160,500
That’s very depressing – 3 News stinks!
How much of it is involuntary? Until I got a new TV a few weeks ago, I could get ONLY ONE CHANNEL for nearly a year – yes, the awful TV3. Lucky I can now avoid it as much as possible.
Still putting the boot into ministry workers, and trying to sidestep that McCully and himself are responsible for that ministry. What idiots.
Something rots from the top down.
At this stage just before an election Mr Key, loyal and efficient leader and PM, cannot afford another Minister loss. Williamson? Collins? and McCulley? He is trapped and must just hang on regardless.
Actually though, how will it look if in spite of confidence in McCulley, Key asks him to stand down as MP for East Coast Bays? Perception can be ramped up.
Googling for TOR or any encryption software lands you on the NSA grid as an
extremist
Well, this is where the growing paranoia and self serving nature of a massive secret police/surveillance apparatus becomes more and more obvious. Remember we are paying for these Stazi-like activities (x10,000) while people live in the cold and in poverty.
Article mentions one of the benefits of NZ being aligned with Empire.
To be fair, if you are going on Tor, it’s generally only for a few things.
All of the illegal.
Also:
XKeyscore exposed: How NSA tracks all German Tor users as ‘extremists’
Not quite the headline you posted.
Yes, in China, it’s illegal to know about your own country’s history, for example. In Egypt, it’s illegal to provide legal services to those accused of terrorism.
Good to see you toeing the line.
and drugs.
Not that I think drugs should be illegal but you can guarantee that such people aren’t paying taxes either.
On that basis we should monitor everyone who uses a telephone.
Actually, I tend to view things the other way. No one should be monitored unless they get noticed in a criminal action. Then the police monitor their communications and those they communicate with. And, yes, that will mean that some innocent people will have their meta-data collected.
We can’t just go after one criminal else the rest of them just continue on.
I believe the legal term is probable cause.
But have you now considered what things like the Tor Network do to those investigations?
From my wireless this morning, Slippery the Prime Minister quoted thus: ”the person at MFAT who gave the Malaysians conflicting advice had better look for a new job”,
You will be Slippery, after the election in September, looking for a new job that is…
Great. So some MFAT person is condemned as guilty without a fair trial?
That appears to be the attitude of the Prime minister karol, ‘find’ that someone else other than Him and Murray McCully are responsible for the fiasco and then look around for a suitable scapegoat to hang,
The pair of them, McCully and Slippery the PM would have both been informed of the arrest and charges against the Malaysian diplomat soon after that arrest occurred,
Did either of them publicly disclose this arrest or show an iota of concern for the victim and the ramifications upon that victim which would have ensued by simply sweeping the whole incident as far under the carpet as they could???,
Not likely, swish swish went the brooms and the pair of them quite happily went about their day thinking that ”the problem” was to all extents dead and buried,
It is my opinion, considering the time-frame, how the public eventually became aware of the incident, and, the fact that both McCully and the PM were informed at the earliest opportunity of the incident that they, McCully and the PM, had every intention of having the diplomat spirited out of the country and having the public remain unaware that the incident had taken place…
+1 bad12
That’s the attitude of National and right-wingers in general. They will always blame someone else shifting the responsibility from themselves. It seems to be what they mean by personal responsibility – someone else taking the blame for what they’ve done such as the increasing poverty brought about by the neo-liberal paradigm which they put the blame for on the poor themselves. As far as they’re concerned, they can never do anything wrong.
Investigation hopelessly compromised
You don’t blame someone before an investigation unless that investigation is going to be a whitewash.
i wonder if rawdon christie will be as outraged as he is over the maori kings’ son getting discharge-without-conviction..
..when john banks gets his promised discharge-without-conviction..?
If he is… that outrage should have been expressed when the other two defendants got discharge-without-conviction.
Else it would be prejudiced and biased to claim outrage now…. oh…Rawdon Christie..
christie is permanently shortlisted for oink-of-the-year…any year..
Yeah Dover Samuels is banging on with the same theme, that the kid got special treatment because of who He is,
That’s absolute rubbish, as has been continuously pointed out, the other kids involved, and, its hardly the crime(s) of the century that they committed, got the exact same treatment,
Any kids with what the judiciary see as ”a bright future’, given the same level of offending, would undoubtedly receive the exact same treatment,
Even a thuggish lout like the 13–14 year old me was, had this privilege extended a number of times in the kiddies court, it is only a pattern of continued offending that sees the courts begin to harden the sanctions against the individual and that is how it should be…
The review and comments on last night’s episodes of Hope and Wire are worth reading. I did think it was good drama, but it’s important to read responses from people in Christchurch – a northern view of the quakes, and doesn’t represent what happened very well at all.
I liked the old socialist geezer, and his partner – she was excellent in pulling up her sleeves and getting on with doing what needed to be done, and helping others.
i loathe docu-drama with an intensity that is almost visceral..
..it is the worst of both worlds..
..and is often lies dressed up as some sort of pretence at truth/accurate-account..
..pure-documentary performs that task much better..
..rather than turning it all into some kind of pap-smeared/heart-string plucking soap-opera..
..preserving/building ‘plucky’-myths..
..i wd rather a small proportion of the eye-watering cost of this be addressed to a doco examining what a clusterfuck the whole govt-response to the earthquake has been..
..since the eartquake in chch..china has used more concrete..than america used in the whole of the 20th century..
..and here..?..with these fucken clowns in charge..?..we still have a demolition-site..people shivering in cold/broken houses..
..and this docu-drama is too soon..
..too many people in chch are still going thru the real-drama..
..and this soap-treatment is an insult to them..
Did you watch it phil? Serious question.
I was going to ask the very same question.
no rosie….i didn’t watch it…for all the reasons stated..
..i am not that much of a masochist..
..it may well have been ‘well-done/acted’..
(and a clutch of under-employed luvvies got some work..so that’s all good..)
..it is the genre itself that has me running for the door..’bio-pics’..(shudder..!..)
Lolz@ Phillips elongated critique of something He didn’t bother to watch, must be great to have such a crystal ball right Phillip…
Criticising something for being in a soap format, without viewing the actual programme, shows a real lack of understanding of the way the soap genre has had a bad press – usually because it is seen as a conventionally feminised format.
Soaps are a subset of the melodrama format. They focus on people and relationships – pretty much something that gets relegated to the under-rated, and subjugated “feminine” sphere.
Would you have prefer a disaster/action format? (usually coded as “masculine”)
Melodrama, while not necessarily presenting the detailed nuances of surface “reality”, operates at a level of reality that focuses on emotional, moral and/or social realities/truths. Soaps and melodramas can be done well or badly. It’s not enough to dismiss something because it is done in a soap format.
Brecht showed how a focus on the detail of surface realities, can misrepresent deeper realities. This is particularly because experiences that happened over days and months are collapsed into a couple of hours of a stage presentation. Showing a riot as it happened, can just show us people breaking windows, and shows nothing of the social, emotional and political context. The rioters can just look like a bunch of thugs.
Brecht preferred dramas that broke the flow of the narrative, to stop people getting sucked into an unreal presentation; eg the use of characters talking directly to the audience. He thought bad acting, and clunky presentations can sometimes be better at generating discussion about the realities the presentation is trying to address.
People are certainly “talking”/writing about how well Hope and Wire has so far represented the experiences of the people of Christchurch, with many talking about how it falls short, and what the experience was actually like.
well..yes to most of that..(are you doing or have you ever done..’media-studies’..?..)
..”..Would you have prefer a disaster/action format? (usually coded as “masculine”)..”
um..!..no..!..i dislike ‘disaster/action’..as much as doco-drama..
..bruce willis..?..(shudder..!..haven’t seen one of them..)
..i said a considered doco wd have served a far greater purpose..
..and if you want the very best in ‘soap’…dripping with life/charcter-lessons..
..and the very best soap-acting ever..
..check out the very early kitchen-sink dramas of mike leigh..
..esp those with timothy spall in them..
..unalloyed-genius..!
..utterly fucken brilliant! examples of all that you extoll about soaps..
..with what must be the best collection of character actors..
..while i also like leighs’ later stuff..
..this early stuff is what really rings my soap-bells…
I was just about to reply to phil but karol has put my basic thoughts into a far more intelligent expression than I could muster
I would add that an audience will receive the format in different ways. So phil, you prefer a doco format, that would be your ideal way of absorbing the info. Others may prefer drama, they may be able to understand and begin to relate to the events through the relationships that play out between the characters. Folks learn and relate in different ways.
On a bit of a tangent – phil – but given your preferences, you may enjoy the recent “The Internet’s Own Boy” about Aaron Schwartz. Trailer here.
Very interesting watch, especially considering his young age and political views and advocacy, especially around Open Source.
chrs 4 that molly..yeah..that is a very interesting story too..
(..i’ve noticed it on my daily news-trawls..)
..especially how the govt. screwed him over/persecuted him..
..he has a huge online presence..
…it’s on the list..
The Punk Singer about Kathleen Hanna was very good as well.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_punk_singer_2013/
I was initially wary of how Hope and Wire would come across. Would it be cringe worthy or sensationalising grief? Would it be a copy of the drama Treme, set in post Hurricane Katrina New Orleans? Would it be lame?
When Gaylene Preston’s name came up as the director in the opening credits I relaxed a little and went into it with an open mind.
I agree that it is a good drama and also liked the characters of Joycie and Len. There is an interesting mix of characters from different backgrounds. Joel Tobeck is good as the landlord with an eye out for an opportunity and a buck to made – he plays the part well. Will be interesting to see how it progresses.
Joel Tobeck! Who does with a character what Shayne Carter can do with a guitar 😎
I have always liked Joel Tobeck. He can play so many different types of characters but always retains that element of quirk.
Funny you should mention Shane Carter. I was listening to some old straightjacket fits the other day, followed by Dimmer. I had temporarily forgotten about one of our best guitar icons and was very satisfied upon listening again.
Rosie… have you heard and or seen The Adults?
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAdultsNZ
Got to see them in Wellington a while back and it was astoundingly brilliant noise
here’s a treat with Shayne on bass
more on topic is their wonderful performance with the CSO as well
Yes I have, but until now only knew “Nothing to lose”. That song I put into my new favourites songs list for 2011. I love it. And the band is of course made up of stock from NZ rock royalty.
Anniversary day, from your link, is a beautiful song. I’d have to say though, song discovery of the day would have to be “One Million Ways”.
Thank you 🙂
All those bloody ads diminish a brave program.
I identify with the community of spirit. My 80+ sister and her husband became a rallying point for the houses around them. Fix. Repair. Tea. Reassure. Suggest. And manage scones cooked on a wood burner.
Much respect to them ianmac, for showing such a generosity of spirit and resilience. And really admirable skills too, scones cooked on the log burner!
Community spirit lives on, often in the form of people like your sister and her husband.
Only hope their woodburner is under ECAN guidelines – ianmac…
ECAN’s current priority is making sure that no-one is warm who hasn’t upgraded. And they’ll fine you $300 if you can’t explain why your chimney was sending out heat, and you don’t have a permit for the new type of logburner.
Rig up a camera, mount a hose out front and blast the chimney police as they spy on your home with their heat sensing device, farking fascists.
Fining people is so counter-productive, it’s preventing people from getting the cash together to upgrade their burner. Does someone have to freeze to death before common sense prevails…
Agree.
Had the same thought about fining, when I kept reading about the police fining people for not having carseats.
Thought to myself that if the priority was actually child safety, the best outcome would be that the police continued (if they had to) with the fine, but the fine would only be charged with the provision and fitting of an appropriate childseat, and would just cover the costs of doing so.
People don’t usually choose not to keep their children safe – they are often making hard budget choices. Fining those that could not afford carseats just penalises them for being financially restricted – AND – moves that possibility of child safety just that much further away.
+1 Molly and +1 fender.
It’s real face palm policy from ECAN. At it’s core is pure mean spiritedness, as if people haven’t suffered enough. It’s not a sensible way to solve an air pollution problem. All you do is create a health problem in it’s place, and resentment.
Why don’t they look at ways to help people install a new regulation log burner instead of punishing them for trying to stay warm? What about offering a zero interest loan that can be added to their rates bill and paid off over a maximum of x amount of years to be agreed upon depending on the landlord or home owners ability to pay?
What about a solution focus instead of a punishment focus?
And what about authorities (eg, EPA) paying as much attention to the industrial and agricultural pollution of our land, waterways and air? If they applied the same amount of zeal as the ECAN air quality monitoring officers do to the chimneys of CHCH then we’d have a much healthier environment.
I saw a report on Al Jazeera News this morning, about the spread of measles among an Ohio Amish community. They are a community that has rejected getting immunised. The report said that, if the large majority of a community is immunised, it tends to create a buffer against measles spreading. But it will spread like wildfire in an unimmunised community.
Here is a report on it from a local Cincinnati news channel.
not just the Amish…a number of medical doctors query mass vaccination for things like measles, which were once a common childhood virus with very little side effects for most children…these doctors dont regard measles as generally a life threat unless in undernourished populations which lack certain vitamins eg A and D….
MMR vaccinations are big business….and make huge profits…the long term side effects are not well studied
I am of one of the generations that experienced measles as one of the common experiences of childhood – a kind of rite of passage. We were never aware that it was a fatal illness – just something unpleasant to be lived through.
Nevertheless, the statistics do show it is now avoidable via vaccination, and that catching measles can lead to death.
who compiled those statistics?…because a lot of kids who have been vaccinated against measles are getting measles… a sure sign that the measles vaccine is not working
….anything can lead to death if you look hard enough…including vaccinations
Bullshit.
In case you’re scared of the link:
84 confirmed cases. 76 not immunised at all. 4 only partially immunised.
Now compare those stats with the proportion of the population who are fully immunised.
If you really want to know what life was like for kids before vaccination, fire up your local council web site and have a look at the records for any pre-1900 cemetery. And be shocked at all the records of little kids who would have died from things like polio, measles, smallpox, diphtheria etc.
Anti-vaxx insanity: New study highlights the dangers of science denialism
not so much “science denialism” …. as skepticism of multi billion dollar medical business ‘science’ …which does not examine side effects or long term effects and sweeps adverse reactions under the carpet
when you get doctors and scientists also skeptical about the efficacy of some of these vaccinations then maybe there is problem???!!!!!
bullshit
Yes, but is any specific disagreement the result of a problem with the vaccine or a problem with the doctor or scientist?
Usually it’s the doctor.
You mean like the doctor mentioned in the article?
Yeah, I think ignoring him is probably good for your health.
there are many doctors/scientists besides Wakefield who question the need for some vaccinations…so no I wasnt referring to Wakefield ..( i was referring to at least two doctors I know personally)
….however you should consider who Wakefield has been discredited by…and whether that organisation has been discredited
http://www.vaccinationcouncil.org/2014/06/24/measles-and-measles-vaccines-fourteen-things-to-consider-by-roman-bystrianyk-co-author-dissolving-illusions-disease-vaccines-and-the-forgotten-history/
More on measles:
http://vran.org/in-the-news/measles-what-health-officials-arent-telling-you/
http://business.financialpost.com/2014/04/16/lawrence-solomon-the-untold-story-of-measles/
more on Dr.Wakefield:
http://vran.org/in-the-news/dr-andrew-wakefield-the-medical-inquisition/
🙄
More on the specialist gastroenterologist Dr Wakefield and how he was set up by a now ‘disgraced’ journalist working for Murdoch media which was in cahoots with big vaccination business and British Pharma…
http://vran.org/in-the-news/so-who%E2%80%99s-disgraced-now/
“It was a journalist, Brian Deer, who filed charges against Wakefield with the British Medical Council; Deer had been hired to investigate and write reports about Wakefield in the NI newspaper, the Sunday Times by Rupert Murdoch’s son and CEO of NI, James Murdoch; in 2009 James Murdoch had been made a director of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), one of the makers of MMR vaccine; the safety of MMR vaccine came into question when a 1998 study by Wakefield and co-researchers found chronic bowel disease in twelve children described in the paper as having “a history of normal development followed by loss of acquired skills, including language, together with diarrhoea and abdominal pain…In eight children, the onset of behavioural problems had been linked, either by the parents or by the child’s physician, with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination.”
….Deer’s research was assisted by Medico-Legal Investigations, a private eye company whose only source of funding is the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry; judge, Sir Nigel Davis, denied parents whose children Wakefield treated the right to be heard in court about claims against vaccine manufacturers; judge Davis’ brother is an executive board member of Elsevier (publishers of the Lancet which removed Wakefield’s 1998 paper on the discovery of the new bowel disease) and is also on the Board of GSK; the Chairman of the General Medical Council Fitness to Practice Panel who ruled against Wakefield, Dr Kumar, refused to answer questions about his shareholdings in GSK.”……
I see you’re still spreading your lies Chooky – I suspect most people if they are even tempted by the rubbish you spout will go to the link and realise that the sites you link to are fact free zones.
Lies?!…i am increasingly thinking that you are sexist and patronising…I do hope people will check the links and make their own minds up….i am increasingly thinking that you are sexist and patronising…God help your patients…that is if you really are a doctor….because many New Zealand doctors would disagree with you and be appalled at your attitudes!
Actually Chooky well over 99% of Medically qualified doctors would agree with me that vaccination with two doses of MMR vaccine is the best and safest way to protect oneself and society in general against measles.
They would likely also agree with me that you are a complete moron.
Here are the consequences of your anti-science stupidity Chook.
Can you provide scientific evidence that I caused the outbreak of measles in the Waikato?…do you even know what dispassionate scientific inquiry means?…i doubt it!
http://business.financialpost.com/2014/05/01/lawrence-solomon-vaccines-cant-prevent-measles-outbreaks/
Safety aside, vaccines repeatedly failed worldwide in the 1980s and 1990s. As described in “Measles Elimination in Canada”, a 2004 report authored by Canadian government officials and academics, “despite virtually 100% documented one-dose coverage in some regions, large outbreaks of measles involving thousands of cases persisted … Clearly, because of primary vaccine failure, Canada’s one-dose program was insufficient.”
The solution finally arrived at — adding a second dose for children — initially seemed to tame measles outbreaks. But in recent years, the new vaccination regime, too, has been failing, with widespread outbreaks again occurring, including among those who have received the recommended dose and especially among infants too young to be vaccinated, and thus unprotected because their mothers had been vaccinated. Now health experts, scrambling to find solutions, are suggesting numerous reforms, including earlier child vaccinations and second doses for adults.
Clearly, the science is not settled, making for parents a numbers game of the decision to vaccinate their children. Some parents rely on the press or health authorities to interpret the numbers. Others defy the authorities and weigh the risks in the numbers differently, in deciding what’s best for their own families. Who are these others? According to a survey in Pediatrics, unvaccinated children in the U.S. have a mother who is at least 30 years old, who has at least one college degree and whose household has an annual income of at least $75,000. In the absence of studies showing vaccinated children to be healthier than those unvaccinated, the parents in these educated households have determined that the numbers argue against vaccination.
The outbreaks occur due to lack of vaccination you idiot.
The scientific evidence is uncontroversial and conclusive if you vaccinate with two doses of MMR vaccination your are vastly less likely to develop measles if you come into contact with an infectious vector.
“In the absence of studies showing vaccinated children to be healthier than those unvaccinated”
What absence of studies?
Obviously you live in a fact free zone.
Did you miss the disappearance of smallpox, polio, diphtheria, and, until anti-vaccination nutters popped up we were on the verge of getting rid of TB, measles, whooping cough and mumps.
The many children including my mother who had serious side effects from polio, which is unheard of these days.
Like all non-emergency medical treatment, vaccinations should be purely voluntary and require patients to be fully informed before they are asked for their consent.
Re: science. Today it serves corporate greed more than anyone else. So fuck having blind faith in it.
the math angle didn’t work out for you, huh?
I see the two anti vaccination lunatics are at it again – good on you for trying to talk sense to them McFlock – not sure why you bother as they refuse to listen to the scientific data.
What, reducing the chance of death by 1 in 20,000?
In a population of 4 million, with zero immunisation somehow giving the same population immunity as 84% immunisation, and if your math isn’t complete shit, then yes. But it would suck to be one of those 200 dead.
CV +100
As the evidence shows that Chiropractors are infinitely more dangerous than vaccination, I think you should reconsider that.
I agree with you on many things CV, but being anti-science is not one of them.
Oh fuck off KJT, your maths and judgement are both pretty good, but do you want me to start listing all the major mishaps which have occurred around vaccinations, including millions of people in the 50’s and 60’s infected with monkey viruses, or the UK having to pull the measles vaccine in the 1990’s due to many many reports of dangerous fevers in children, the Canadian vaccine factory which was found to not meet safety standards but which all the reports on have been kept secret, or maybe a NZ example where parents of infants were assured that the $200M MeNZ B vaccine would protect their babies but it turned out the immunity only lasted 6 months or less.
On the other hand, chiropractors have been practicing in NZ since post World War 1 and the number of deaths caused by chiropractic care over that time period is probably less than that caused by lightning.
One other fast fact: a healthy person who uses neurofen or voltaren frequently increases their risk of stroke by ~100%.
Pick your poison.
NB “ibuprofen” / “diclofenac” are the non-trade names there
so how many lives has vaccination saved, compared to chiropracty?
Happy 4th July Independence Day to all US citizens
The land of the free home of the brave that picket a bus full of immigrant children with such hatred and national pride.
How far you’ve come. 🙄
Choking on demographics.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/06/30/americas-evolving-look-census-shows-white-deaths-outpace-white-births
So those most like the rulers are buying into a politics that means their population is shrinking.
Like keeping up with the Jones means having less children.
Only way to keep the car on the road, have less children.
‘
Heh! Big brave men defending their nation . . . what heroes. And as for “land of of the free” – http://youtu.be/yiaqgFDwOjs
Hey baby, it’s the fourth of July …
So much to celebrate …
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-27986425
Not possible FizzyAnus, cheap contemptible creep you more facile than a budget greetings card. Happiness ? How the fuck could that be possible for many, many fold scores of millions in the Good Ole U S of One Percenters and Crooks ? Seven dollars something per hour minimum wage ?
Who are now more fully ruled by the rich than they were under the yoke of Britain.
I always have trouble sharing your posts on Google+ not sure why.
Can anyone else share the standard posts on Googles social network Google+ ?
I don’t have any problems sharing on Google+ through the link on the page.
I don’t see that link when I read via RSS.
Just tried that on page g+ to share and it failed too.
Tried with adblock disabled and no luck.
Using Win7 and Chrome browser.
Sounds like it’s the RSS feed having the problem which I don’t use.
I would have thought that too but I get the same results using the +1 chrome extension and when I use the share on google that you mentioned that is on the page.
I’ve tried 3 different browsers. Looking at old blog posts I see there are no G+ shares.
I also notice that the G+ share is trying to link to the front page of the standard that mentions the story, it uses that text and those pictures on the g+ attempted share and not the text of the picture from the stories page itself.
Ok, further experimentation shows that Google+ won’t share any pictures or the first few lines of the article. In other words, Google+ won’t share anything from The Standard unless you remove the preview.
Not many people using G+? But by the look of it it also doesn’t list the number of people sharing in the same way that facebook/twitter buttons do.
Works for me with chrome on linux.
I have chrome with a +1 extension, it reports that /lets-play-blame-the-public-servant/ has 3 +1’s but the count on the page shows zero.
I think there are a few people using G+
The only way I can share is to only share link and remove the microdata markups richsnippets.
Someone who had this issue reported that it was WordPress theme’s authorship information conflicted with Google+. Once they removed the relevant section of their theme, it worked again. He had edited something in the footer but didnt say what.
http://undead-seo.blogspot.co.nz/2014/03/solution-for-your-post-was-not-shared-post-to-multiple-communities.html#.U7ZUdJ2SzcQ
Testing tools.
http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets
Did some more testing, I wrote a greasemonkey script to show the number of G+ +1 each page has. While the share button stays blank the +1 counter often does have +’s.
Script is here http://pastebin.com/pHm0mwR6
I’m still not sure but I don’t think this is satire.
I don’t even know where to start on sharing some of the wisdom that was expressed by our state legislators during this hearing. No, actually I do. I give you the honorable Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard:
First of all, I did not make up that quote, it’s quite real.
http://fatlip.leoweekly.com/2014/07/03/sen-brandon-smith-has-important-things-to-say-about-climate-change-mars/
All that talk earlier about bacon and roasts and fried onions got me salivating. Luckily I’m a vegetarian, I only eat things that eat grass.
wouldn’t that make you a vegetarianian?
Wouldn’t it be fair of the Herald to print that this article by Muttonous/Lambus/Hosking/Man is from a contributor who is a vigorous GodKey shill ? Of course. But I can see the Herald’s two fingers vigorously gesturing. The Herald wants to do what it does, it can, and it will. “Democracy Under Attack” (or whatever the exact words were) defines that suppurating smear sheet.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11287241
Hosking is disgusting, but we already knew that. My question is why hasn’t Labour got rid of Mallard? He’s one of the best weapons National has. Every time any of the others start gaining some traction, he comes up with something stupid.
And the winner of this years election by a huge majority
John Key and National.
Wow, doesn’t that speak volumes about Cunliffe and the culture within Labour.
Much as I’d like this to be true not even Cunliffe would be that stupid (he wouldn’t would he?) so I’ll need to see a transcript or recording
Though it would explain a few things about Labour and the left in general I suppose
I’m sure Amanda Gillies wouldn’t have lied.
That was the way she took what Cunliffe said and now Cunliffe has to some how explain that he didn’t mean what she interpreted.
If the media runs with this, it could get really bad, really fast for Cunliffe.
Men like you let us all down.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10232457/David-Cunliffe-I-m-sorry-for-being-a-man
“It needs to stop,” he said .
“I don’t often say it – I’m sorry for being a man,” Cunliffe said, “because family and sexual violence is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men.”
I stand corrected BM, Cunliffe really is thicker then two short planks or he doesn’t really want to be PM
Stop the press! Labour leader’s remarks fail to find favour with partisan Tory hack!
Fail to find favour with any clear-thinking individual, I would hope.
Seriously, I seriously want the National goons to GTFO out of my parliament.
And here’s David putting his foot in his mouth and failing yet again to show he is a leader. Everything else he said was great, then he apologises for being a man.
Nobody should ever apologise for what they are.
Only for what they do.
Christ, what a fucking idiot.
National really lucked in, when Cunliffe took over, the man doesn’t have a political bone in his body.
Puckish Rogue may be many things, but he isn’t a fucking idiot. No, wait … maybe you’re right.
I’m pretty sure if I was trying to become leader of the country I wouldn’t insult half the population
…because personal responsibility means it’s someone else’s fault anyway.
I assume you’re referring to Cunliffe’s openness about the problem of male violence. If he insulted anyone, it was the percentage of men who abuse women and kids. I’m hoping a lot of Kiwi men are going to see the essential truth in what he has said, just as most Australians understood Rudd when he said sorry to the indigenous peoples of Australia.
Look, I get that empathy is not your strong suit, PR, but it doesn’t mean your knackers are going to fall off if you commit yourself to doing the right thing for the majority of Kiwis. And, yes, children and women are the majority. And women have the vote these days, so in electoral terms, it may be a decider, just not in the way you are hoping for.
It was a stupid thing to say because it’s obvious ammunition for the papers and the talkback Taliban, who will use it to rark up and mislead voters that Labour probably needs.
Cunliffe could have made the same point in any number of ways that wouldn’t have provided ready ammunition to the loonies. Now we’ll get another two weeks of pointless shite about feminazis and man hating instead of policy discuss. Another two weeks closer to an election that Labour will almost certainly lose. Along with Mallard’s moa nonsense, it’s just another own goal.
I think it’s time to face the fact that Cunliffe is just not good enough. Unfortunately, there’s nobody else on the left of politics in NZ who is any good either. New Zealand workers deserve better than these useless cretins.
Agree with you Tom Jackson. Apologizing for being a man is not being a man. His following remarks made more sense “man up and stop the bs”. If David had said only that so much the better for his credibility as PM material.
If you think this is going to play well to the majority of the voting public then you’re going to be sorely disapointed
Nothing wrong with a man feeling sorry and ashamed to belong to the group that most often perpetuates violence.
On behalf of all men I accept Cunliffe’s apology.
He didn’t apologise to you, dick. He apologised for you.
He should apoligise for getting labour supporters hopes up that he might actually win the next election
Why, because he expressed a common feeling that many men before him have articulated? Especially in this context:
“I’m sorry to be a man” Shahrukh Khan
I expect if I search I can find quite a few of you wingnuts paying lip service to such things, but why bother? It’s not like you’d take personal responsibility for past comments anyway.
I’m not sorry to be a man because theres no reason to be sorry, there are certainly a lot of men that need to apoligise but not because of their gender
Hes suggesting that being man means we do bad things well speak for yourself Cunliffe because I don’t do what hes suggesting
Sounds quite similar to suggesting all men are rapists which is a road we don’t want to go down
Yes, I understand that you simply don’t get it.
Then again, your political bias relies on you not getting it, so there’s that too.
If you think that lumping all men in with those that hurt their families is a good idea then good on you but there’ll be a lot of men and women out there insulted by this
the thing is, pr, that not a lot of people work as hard as you do at being offended by everything someone in Labour says or does.
It’s a problem across all strata of society from MFAT to Titford, trivialised and under-reported; I’m sure you tut-tut and feign outrage when the media presents their cherry-picked examples for you to dwell on, and I’m equally sure that when it comes to the hard yards (like now) you’re down the road with Key and McCully.
Personal responsibility means it’s not my problem.
He could have said I’m proud to be the type of man that doesn’t commit domestic violence, a real man doesn’t harm his family a real man protects and nurtures his family but I’m ashamed of the men that don’t
Something like that but no “Yeah, Nah” Cunliffe has to lump all men in together
He’d be a moron if he did:
headline: “Cunliffe denies beating his wife”.
Yes it is, but saying dumb stuff like this doesn’t help.
Sure enough, I had to pop out to the supermarket and it was all over the radio and everyone was having a laugh.
It’s bad enough having a hostile media, but when the leader says stupid things, it’s hopeless.
Yes, much better to sweep rape culture under the carpet for the moment, we can discuss this later at a more appropriate time.
Ir’s fine to talk about male problems with domestic violence, but a faux apology is risible. There personal apologies and institutional apologies make sense, but apologising on behalf of a gender is incoherent.
The worst thing is that everyone appears to agree that men should do something about domestic violence, but Cunliffe’s idiotic apology has managed to overshadow that.
Another loss for the identity politics clowns.
If he’d said that, it would have been on topic.
What he said was “I’m sorry for being a man right now.”
What man, representing his party, wouldn’t feel a little bit foolish to be addressing a group of women about rape culture?
I bet I can quote-mine some choice stuff out of John Key if I’m allowed to just delete the end of his sentences.
Let’s play.
“We would love to see wages drop.”
1) What man with a brain wouldn’t find some way of phrasing it that didn’t undermine the whole point he was trying to make?
2) Because “rape culture” is an airy fairy piece of unempirical 70s nonsense dreamed up in womens’ studies seminar rooms, and promoted by people who are more interested in imposing their crackpot theories on society than in actually doing something about rape or domestic violence. They’re not interested in actual victims, but in promoting their weird, quasi-religious views. It’s the sort of thing that gets airtime in the less rigorous of the social sciences where things like evidence and argument are secondary to righteousness and fervour.
The National Party’s response to a 40% rise in sexual violence in Christchurch is to close the Christchurch rape crisis centre.
I feel sorry to be a man right now.
Oh don’t be silly OAB. You haven’t cut anything off that sentence.
There is a BUNCH of reasons why a man who wishes to be the next leader of the country should not apologise for being a man.
R.I.P The NZ Labour party 4 June 2014.
After a short ongoing battle with gaffes and in fighting finally passed away quietly into insignificance.
‘
So says a commentator who doesn’t know what month we’re in.
😆
Not as funny as what sparked it 🙂
John Key suggests the person should be looking for another job … I think the speech writer should too.
“I’m sure Amanda Gillies wouldn’t have lied.”
Seriously? Amender Gullies as she used to pronounce her name, would need intensive education in order to become a moron.
Key should apologise for not being a man. A man takes responsibility, a word which seems lacking in the NAct dictionary. But then Key’s government just appointed a sex offender ex-army thing to an important government position, and a bit of spousal abuse is not unknown within the wider party.
Key’s response to Cunliffe’s speech shows that keeping rape culture going is high on the NAct agenda.
Excellent commitment from Labour on proper funding for education, support and prevention around family violence. Makes an interesting contrast to National’s attitude of bashing the Women’s refuge movement and pretending that sexual violence doesn’t happen.
“Labour says it will spend $60 million over four years to halt family and sexual violence if it gets into government.
Leader David Cunliffe is in Auckland today where he will release the party’s policy on reducing family violence.
“On average 35 New Zealanders are killed by a member of their family every year, and one in three women experience intimate partner violence. Last year 20,000 women and children sought the help of Women’s Refuge,” Mr Cunliffe said.
“This is totally unacceptable. It has a devastating physical and emotional impact on the lives of a great many of our women and children. Labour will work towards its elimination.”
Mr Cunliffe will announce a package of measures for immediate action, as well as longer-term solutions.
“We will adopt an action plan to eliminate violence against women and children.We will provide $60 million over four years for family and sexual violence to support front-line services, primary prevention and education,” Mr Cunliffe said.
Labour would reform the justice system to provide “real justice to survivors while upholding the right to be presumed innocent” and review prosecution guidelines and the operation of protection orders.
“As Labour Party leader, I am determined that we address the causes and consequences of family violence but this cannot be achieved in a piecemeal manner or without a unified effort across government agencies and NGOs,” he said.
The action plan would be led from within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. “
During QT questions were asked of National about how come some millions were being spent on high tech surveillance but front-line services were having their services cut. Answers underwhelming.
78 days till John Key gets three more years.
Your credibility is shot, only yesterday you said he only had 79 days left in the job…
Cunliffe needs to go for the trifecta.
1.Apologize for being a man2.Apologize for being a white man
3.Apologize for being a wealthy white man
C’mon David we know you can do it.!
Fuck off
Should he first apologize to the poor…
…the victims of bad government.
Instead of being a apologize to the wrong person, prime mover, PM.
What was Key thinking? That Malaysia would invade?
I’m just stoked that David and Grant now have something in common.
The take-home message from Jester today is: Homophobic Bigotry.
Bigots: embodying National Party values every day.
here is the bit of the quote that scares BM + co the most
“”So the first message to the men out there is: wake up, stand up and man up and stop this bullshit!””
I don’t beat my partner, I don’t rape women.
There’s nothing I have to man up over.
Cunliffe can go shove this collective guilt bullshit up his arse.
Only you know the amount of times in your own life where your inaction has accommodated violence on others. If you choose to restrict the idea Cunliffe is highlighting only as applying to women and children, you fail to fully understand what it means to man up.
I know of no men who would walk away from a situation where a guy is beating/raping a woman.
Outside of a gang environment it just doesn’t happen.
Gang environments and MFAT*. FIFY
*and Parker/Hales and Clint Rickards.
If you read what I said BM, I said “violence on others” I do not restrict my comments on violence to just that violence perpetrated against women and children.
BM and violence: /open-mike-03072014/#comment-843794
nuff said.
nuff said
nuff is enuff.
this issue is over your head if your comment reflects what you think this is about.
prime presented his full comment in context followed by keys poor attempt at humour and rugby clubs comment revealled more about key than cunliffe, like some here key doesnt “get” that the culture that allows such levels of domestic and sexual violence is far wider than just those doing the beating and raping.
cunliffe tried to treat the issue with respect. key made a blokey rugby joke.
nuff said .
Not guilt, responsibility. Remember that? It’s that thing you pay lip service to.
Or what? Will he be picking up teeth? Bahahaha. Internet tough guy. Bloody moron.
That message was completely obscured by the stupid apology – a campaigner against violence even complained about this on the radio, and she was right.
Cunliffe was an utter numpty for saying that. It’s tipped him over the “unelectable” line. What a plonker.
No election is ever decided on one topic in isolation, but it is fair to say the violence exploding across our society will play a bigger role in this election than any previously seen.
The thing is Tom, despite the MSM believing that NZ is full of brainless stimulus-response automatons, I give kiwis more credit. Many people do still have their own thoughts. In a week or so once the “numpty” is scraped off the top, those people will personally revisit the message underneath and when put against the user-pays ambulance at the bottom of the cliff which is National’s policy, Labour come out of this offering a strong prevention-focused policy which can accommodate the other policies of the left and should quickly yield tangible long term and long overdue results. “Unelectable?” Don’t bet the house on it mate.
I had a thought about this.
I don’t think Davids quite as thick as what’s been shown.
What I think were seeing here is David Cunliffe thinking beyond the election, he knows the chances of the left winning are unbelievably slim so he’s going to spend his time consolidating his position as the labour party members number choice as labour leader.
He knows he won’t win the election so his focus has gone on winning the upcoming leadership challenge.
Live to fight another day.
That’s not a thought, BM.
Keep trying though. One day.
Thicko!
@bm
You need to apologise for being a jerk and a waste of space.
why are you here.
why are you anywhere?
everywhere you go becomes foul immediately.
How can you win when the fail is so strong in the leader ?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10232457/David-Cunliffe-I-m-sorry-for-being-a-man
[lprent: Doesn’t relate to anything in the post. Looks like an astroturf by a troll. Moved to OpenMike. Banned 4 weeks. ]
Nothing fail about that. Very brave & impressive in my opinion.
I don’t know – I thought it could be more positive. “I’m sorry for being a man” sounds defeatist.
Personally I am proud and unapologetic to be a man because as a man I can try and affect positive change among other men.
@contrarian
oh. so you are perfect huh.
typical tory.
always trying to tell other people what to do.
Far from perfect
Far from a tory
Telling no-one what to do.
Thanks anyway.
Is the rest of the Cunliffe quote positive enough for you?
“”So the first message to the men out there is:
wake up, stand up and man up and stop this bullshit!””
Indeed, that is.
‘
[groan] . . . why, Cunliffe, why? First, the issue isn’t all about you and, second, you know exactly what the MSM is going to do with a statement like that. This isn’t the time for self-indulgent public displays of white, middle-class, touchy-feely, male angst . . . this is a time to be proud about being a New Zealander and facing up to the tough issues with resolve, not sorrow. FFS!
(yeah, yeah – I’ll shut up about Labour until after the election but, seriously, get your shit together.)
It is ok, BLiP, and I am fine with Cunliffe’s speech.
If it wasn’t for that line, his speech at the Women’s Refuge symposium and the funding pledge for family violence services would likely not have been reported or gone on the mainstream media.
It would be a good opportunity for Women’s Refuge and similarly aligned bodies to issue press releases to build on the publicity .
Two additional points to that which you raise, BLiP.
Firstly, these Labour policies won’t win Labour any net votes because there are no net votes to be won on the basis of gender issues. This election is all about the economy. Or it should be.
It’s a long standing trend in this country that women prefer to vote National instead of Labour (National Mum and Labour Dad). Will this speech noticeably sway female voters away from National and towards Labour? Doubtful. It may harden already existing support for Labour though.
IIRC NZ women were twice as likely to vote National as Labour in 2011.
Secondly, the policy released to day has a significantly less than zero chance of ‘eliminating violence against women and children’. Engage in positive campaign hyperbole by all means, but that’s all it is.
The Central Paradox of the 21st Century
People are waking up to the fact that our present socio-economic system doesn’t work. It leaves many living in poverty while a few live like gods.
This means that we need to change the system but what should we base those changes upon?
Just what we need in these shaky isles .. from the Guardian today re proof of earthquakes’ relationship with fracking in Oklahoma …
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jul/03/oklahoma-earthquakes-fracking-waste-water-wells
Graham Bell continues to run amok on The Panel
Radio NZ National, Tuesday 1 July 2014
Jim Mora, Graham Bell, Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, Zara Potts
PART ONE OF TWO
Incredibly, this show just keeps on getting worse. The talent pool is clearly down to rock bottom: today was the second time in three weeks that the bellyaching old ex-cop Graham Bell was on. That’s too often; he doesn’t have much interesting to say at the best of times, and he’s getting increasingly irrational in his statements and bullying in his behaviour. If you’ve ever wondered what the moral and intellectual tenor of the police after-hours drinking session might be like, tune in when Bell is on. In the enforced absence of strong personalities like Gordon Campbell or Bomber Bradbury, none of the other Panelists dares to contradict him….
It’s not just worse in terms of quality, but it’s even more callous, more depraved, and more shameless. Today, however, the early part of the pre-show segment (the 15 minutes of light chat from 3:45 p.m., billed by host Jim Mora as “What the WOOOOOORLD’s talking about”) was simply vacuous, as they discoursed in lighthearted fashion about a range of topics….
ZARA POTTS: Now we all know that after-hours access to emails and ever-increasing reach of technology means that we’re all working longer and harder, but China is facing an epidemic of overwork which is leading to employees literally working themselves to death. According to China Radio International, sixteen hundred people in China work themselves to death every day.
JIM MORA: Every DAY?
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: Sixteen HUNDRED?
ZARA POTTS: Sixteen hundred. Which equates to more than six hundred thousand people a year.
MORA: I know it’s a big country, but that sounds….
ZARA POTTS: That’s MASSIVE, isn’t it.
MORA: That sounds ridiculous.
The light-heartedness continued for the next few topics. A few minutes later, they focused on fashion, in particular the return of the pocket….
MORA: I like pockets, but there was a trend away from pockets, wasn’t there, and for a while you couldn’t buy a shirt with a pocket in it.
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: I LIKE pockets!
MORA: Yep. I like pockets.
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: I think they’ve been treated quite badly, pockets.
GRAHAM BELL: Modern shirts, you’ve got nowhere to put your pens.
….[A long pause, then on to the next topic. They maintain the same light-hearted tone, but this time it’s for something altogether more serious. Like fearful, obedient commissars in Maoist China, these people know the correct stance to take towards an officially designated target]….
MORA: Now, Julian Assange on the catwalk.
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: [highly amused] Yes!
MORA: How’s he going to manage this?
ZARA POTTS: Well, it hasn’t stopped him, his asylum claim hasn’t stopped him from doing all sorts of things. Even last week he opened rapper MIA’s New York concert with a ten minute Skype chat, so he’s pretty busy.
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: I thought he couldn’t leave though.
ZARA POTTS: He does it all on his computer.
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: Oh, right.
ZARA POTTS: This is Vivienne Westwood’s son Ben, and as part of London Fashion Week, he is going to take the catwalk to Julian Assange in the Ecadorian embassy.
GRAHAM BELL: [derisive snort] Ha!
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: [querulous tone] Howwwww?
GRAHAM BELL: Some people will do ANYTHING to get publicity.
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: Ha ha ha ha ha!
ZARA POTTS: Ha ha ha ha ha! Yes, it’s not because he cuts a particularly dashing figure or wears clothes THAT well. The whole thing is a little bit more political than that. Ben Westwood is saying that he wants Julian Assange in his show so that Assange doesn’t slip into obscurity.
MORA: There’s not much danger of that though, is there.
ZARA POTTS: No. He’s wanting to highlight his plight.
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: So he’s going to be modeling the clothes.
ZARA POTTS: Yes.
GRAHAM BELL: It’ll be the look for the very OILY character. Hm hm hm hm hm.
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: Yeowww!
GRAHAM BELL: Hm hm hm hm hm.
MORA: How do they put a runway into an embassy? It’s basically just a big HOUSE, isn’t it.
ZARA POTTS: Maybe they’ve got a big hallway. The collection has been influenced by Clint Eastwood’s Western films and also Assange’s “combat beret look”.
….[General snickering, snorting and guffawing]….
ZARA POTTS: And there is also a garment with Julian Assange’s image printed on it. He he he he he!
DENISE L’ESTRANGE-CORBET: Ha ha ha ha ha!
GRAHAM BELL: Ho ho ho ho ho! Can’t WAIT!
MORA: Ha ha ha ha ha!
ZARA POTTS: The soundtrack is from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, so that will be something to, uh, see….
….Mercifully, the time pips sound. Time for the four o’clock news….
END OF PART ONE.
I sent Jim Mora the following message during the show….
What’s so funny about the plight of political dissidents?
Dear Jim,
I was extremely disappointed to hear you and your guests, yet again, making light of the state persecution of Julian Assange.
If The Panel had been on the air thirty years ago, no doubt you would have been guffawing at the plight of another designated enemy, Nelson Mandela.
Yours sincerely,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
“I sent Jim Mora the following message during the show….”
Was there any response or acknowledgement?
Was there any response or acknowledgement?
No there wasn’t. Although, to be fair, I must acknowledge that Jim Mora does reply sometimes, and has even, on a couple of memorable occasions, read my emails out live during the show.
Honestly, who writes Mr Cunliffe’s speeches? That person is a true saboteur.
Perceptions matter and in politics that is essential.
Your perceptions are the problem.
You are free to believe whatever you want, but that apology for being a man is a big, big mistake.
I insist: his speechwriter is doing much harm.
Just read the comments http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10232457/David-Cunliffe-I-m-sorry-for-being-a-man
Clean-power, what does your perception of politics say about this?
@clean power
any one who starts with honestly is not honest!
Lucy Lawless in today’s NZ Herald, on climate change:
So beavers are getting themselves resettled in Britain against the wishes of the government there. But in reading that I noticed this passage which relates very well to what the government just did to our forests:
We’ve been doing a lot of damage to our ecosystem for a long, long time. About time we started to let it regrow.
Rolf Harris sentenced to 5 years 9 months.
Judges sentencing notes: (TW for descriptions of sexual assaults of minors)
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sentencing-remarks-mr-j-sweeney-r-v-harris.pdf