Open mike 05/03/2024
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6:00 am, March 5th, 2024 - 41 comments
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- Skeptical Science New Research for Week #13 2025
Open access notables New coasts emerging from the retreat of Northern Hemisphere marine-terminating glaciers in the twenty-first century, Kavan et al., Nature Climate Change: Accelerated climate warming has caused the majority of marine-terminating glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere to retreat substantially during the twenty-first century. While glacier retreat and changes ...4 hours ago - Trump’s critical minerals order may harm Australian interests
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Aotearoa has an infrastructure shortage. We need schools, hospitals, public housing. But National is dead set against borrowing to fund any of it, even though doing so is much cheaper than the "public-private partnership" model they prefer. So what will National borrow for? Subsidising property developers: The new scheme, ...6 hours ago - Late Capitalism / Early Dystopia FAQ
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- Will Labour take on the oligarchs?
David Parker gave a big foreign policy speech this morning, reiterating the party's support for an independent (rather than boot-licking) foreign policy. Most of which was pretty orthodox - international law good, war bad, trade good, not interested in AUKUS, and wanting a demilitarised South Pacific (an area which presumably ...8 hours ago
- Louise Upston ensures beneficiaries can’t pay rent or utilities while Matt Doocey undermines p...
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- More F-35s, more tankers: a reliable way to strengthen Australian deterrence
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- Big Business
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Kiwis working while physically and mentally unwell is costing businesses $46 billion per year, according to new research. The Tertiary Education Commission is set to lose 22 more jobs, following 28 job cuts in April last year. Beneficiaries sanctioned with money management cards will often be unable to pay rent, ...12 hours ago - No, You Don’t Deserve a Second Term
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- NZ missing a primary health care opportunity
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- Pressure Points: The importance of Australia’s military presence in East and Southeast Asia
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- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes on Thursday, March 27
In short: New Zealand is spending just a third of the OECD average on primary health care and hasn’t increased that recently. A slumlord with 40 Christchurch properties is punished after relying on temporary migrant tenants not complaining about holes in the ceiling. Westpac’s CEO is pushing for easier capital ...16 hours ago - Australia surveys volatile and unpredictable geoeconomics
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Sea state Australian assembly of the first Multi Ammunition Softkill System (MASS) shipsets for the Royal Australian Navy began this month at Rheinmetall’s Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Redbank, Queensland. The ship protection system, ...1 day ago
- The five-domains update
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- Wednesday 26 March
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- Bernard’s Picks ‘n’ Mixes on Wednesday, March 26
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Bargaining between the PSA and Oranga Tamariki over the collective agreement is intensifying – with more strike action likely, while the Employment Relations Authority has ordered facilitation. More than 850 laboratory staff are walking off their jobs in a week of rolling strike action. Union coverage CTU: Confidence in ...4 days ago
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- Release: Govt’s continued lack of action on Gaza condemned
Hundreds more Palestinians have died in recent days as Israel’s assault on Gaza continues and humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, is blocked. ...6 days ago
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- Release: National standards returning by stealth
It’s been revealed that the Government is secretly trying to bring back a ‘one-size fits all’ standardised test – a decision that has shocked school principals. ...1 week ago
- Release: Kiwis still struggling as economy stumbles along
Kiwis aren’t feeling any better off despite figures showing a very slight growth in GDP in the December quarter. ...1 week ago
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Health Minister Simeon Brown’s claim that the Government has put $16.68 billion into the health system over three years is wrong. ...2 weeks ago
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Workers will now be able to go to the Police and report their employer if they are not being paid wages they’re owed. ...2 weeks ago
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lol!
Luxo's first big gig and he has to catch the bus.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has flown to Melbourne commercially because of a fault with the Defence Force plane.
Luxon headed across the Tasman to meet leaders of Southeast Asian nations, on the sidelines of a special Australia-ASEAN summit.
He was due to fly out on a Defence Force Boeing 757 aircraft about 6am on Tuesday.
After several delays, media were told the Defence Force had identified a "maintenance fault" with the plane and advised the Prime Minister to fly on a commercial service.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/510870/maintenance-fault-on-defence-force-plane-forces-luxon-to-fly-to-australia-commercially
RumpleLuxon, the guy spins gold into straw, everything he touches at the monent breaks.
Anyone interested in why we are about to get:
– 15 new Roads of National Significance,
– massive cuts in cycleways and pedestrian protection,
– big fuel tax increases next term, and
– a true gutting of the ability of local government to consult with their citizens about their priorities,
well this is all ably summarised by Matt Lowry over at Greater Auckland here:
https://www.greaterauckland.org.nz/2024/03/05/the-governments-ideological-transport-policy/
Mickey may well have thoughts on how this will alter the power imbalance between local government and central government and its agencies.
Anyone with a non-RONS project to lock down with signed contracts better get it done fast.
2017 estimated cost of the East-West route $327 per km, that's 2017 remember. Does simple simeon think construction costs have declined? the $2 billion figure I have seen quoted in the media is a joke, probably closer to $2.5 billion or more. there is something they can immediately put back on the scrap heap and save the tax payers a huge wedge of cash. Hopefully the next Labour-Green maybe TPM government will immediately cancel any work on that dud of a road
Here is a video of Simeon giving a press conference
Heavy freight (trucking) companies are delighted of course. It's what their election donations bought. The minister claims the policy will open up vast areas for green fields development while informed opinion says that cities such as Auckland need to go up, not out. Developers will be delighted to of course. Amazing how the money can be found while Labour's brilliant plan to enhance the rail connection between the two islands has to be scrapped. Future generations will curse this government.
Taxpayers as a bottomless ATM.
/
The corporate tax cuts that President Donald J. Trump signed into law in 2017 have boosted investment in the U.S. economy and delivered a modest pay bump for workers, according to the most rigorous and detailed study yet of the law’s effects.
Those benefits are less than Republicans promised, though, and they have come at a high cost to the federal budget. The corporate tax cuts came nowhere close to paying for themselves, as conservatives insisted they would. Instead, they are adding more than $100 billion a year to America’s $34 trillion-and-growing national debt, according to the quartet of researchers from Princeton University, the University of Chicago, Harvard University and the Treasury Department.
The researchers found the cuts delivered wage gains that were “an order of magnitude below” what Trump officials predicted: about $750 per worker per year on average over the long run, compared to promises of $4,000 to $9,000 per worker.
https://archive.li/ThnEa (nyt)
If only we could compare this data to a different case where similar largesse is distributed exclusively to people at the bottom of the wealth-power pyramid. But we can't, because it never is distributed that way.
It’s likely that most of the money dished out went into the speculative purchasing of assets, including housing, rather than any productive activity.
A grumble about our 'print' media:
I'm picking the number of staff at both stuff and nz herald…is quite high..
And I am mildly astonished by the paucity of product they produce…each and every day..
When you go to a website like the guardian…you get a website full of new.. intelligent news/analysis..each and every day..
You go to stuff and herald…if you are lucky you might get 4-5 new stories..the rest of the websites you are scrolling through what you have already seen…with some stories there for weeks on end..
(An example was a new police car submerged in lake…that was there seemingly forever..)
So..if we go back to that large number of journos…and their paucity of actual output..
Ya hafta ask: w.t.f. do they all do all day..?
Are they unable to find any interesting stuff from scraping o/s sites..?
Way back in the day when I was doing whoar..I would find about thirty stories a day worthy of lodging..
W.t.f. is going on with stuff/herald..?
All those journos..putting out about 10% of what they did when they were serious print offerings..?
We deserve better…
As far as I can tell, Stuff and Herald are there to serve their paymasters, ie the real estate industry.
That applies to all media not under a public model.
Look across the ditch where kerry stokes has created another outlet for 'economically conservative' views online in WA.
It would appear his TV outlet isn't doing enough to further his interests.
This is the important bit about the settings. Despite the fact that Jackson could have also included rent when he said MPs have mortgages to pay, the thing is loan and grant applications for everyone else are dependant on outgoings. I think they should also be dependant on assets because you can easily convert assets to outgoings to pay for stuff, but the is another story.
I've been helping the kid apply for a student loan and the questions they must answer honestly and truthfully about their circumstances including and specifically, the outgoings the loan is intended to cover.
Why must students taking on debt on the path to improve their contribution to themselves and society be bound by proof of outgoings, yet egg-head multimillionaires are exempt from that requirement?
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350194489/nz-politics-live-christopher-luxons-allowance-saga-shows-entitlement-mentality
Because the country is run by and for rich sadists.
Willie Jackson has been a List MP for all of his nearly 10 years in Parliament.
Why doesn't he just face up to the truth that he has no reason to live anywhere outside of Wellington and he should do so. Move here Willie. This is where your job is.
He, like all the other List members, shouldn't get any accommodation allowance at all and he should refund everything he has ever collected. Willie is far too greedy to do that of course.
National's Michael Woodhouse was a Dunedin-based List MP for years. Katherine Rich before him. He'd never win the electorate, of course, but him being a list MP based out of Dunedin provided the city with extra representation that wasn't just Labour.
List MPs aren't simply about making up the numbers in Wellington. They also provide an important service at the local level.
Desperate repeating of the same post over and over.
Minor Party list MP's represent their members nationwide. They do not just work in Wellington.
Major Party list MP's, are often Ministers – if they own a house they live in with their family in Wellington – like English they do not claim. If their family live elsewhere they can claim. If they claim they might try and own – use the money for mortgage payments and not rent.
When someone owns property in Wellington – with no rent or mortgage cost, they have no need for the housing allowance.
So does Mitchell own outright. Does Bayly own outright. Does Collins own outright. Does Kuriger own outright?
Who are you protecting?
Please tell me. Is Mitchell a List MP or an MP whose electorate is in the Wellington area?
If the answer is Yes he shouldn't get an accommodation allowance. If the answer is No because he is an Electorate MP from outside the Wellington area he should get the allowance.
The same evaluation should be done Bayly, Collins and Kuriger.
Nothing further needs to be considered.
A world where all List MPs live in Wellington is a world where half of Parliament is made up of Wellingtonians. That's not exactly a representative Parliament, is it?
A List MP from outside Wellington ought to get the allowance too.
They can choose where they live, if they are a List MP. Well let them choose Wellington and if they also want a place somewhere else let them pay for it themselves.
I can't be sure of the numbers, and I really can't be bothered tracking them down but at one stage there were {I think) 3 List MPs who chose to live on Waiheke Island. There were also 4 or 5 who claimed to be an MP for Tauranga. Tauranga was a nice place to live of course.
I once met an MP at a family do who told me he was the National MP for Otaki. I was a bit rude to him and told him the MP for Otaki was Darren Hughes and he was just a List MP who chose to live in Otaki. If and when he won the seat he could claim to be the MP
For what housing cost? Rent or mortgage only for mine.
I can't see anything wrong with the current scale. Cabinet Ministers spend much mor time in Wellington and ought to be allowed to have their families with them so it should be more than a back bencher.
The PM also has to entertain a bit so should get more. I don't care who owns it. Do you remember when Delahunty and Fitzsimmons shared a place and they both claimed the maximum allowance? It was actually owned by the Green Party Super fund. Now, at the time that was a rort. I wouldn't see anything wrong with it though if there was a fixed rate and no real way to rort the budget. Of course they wouldn't be eligible under my scheme as they were on the List.
At the time they claimed it was all just an accident!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/2930084/Greens-give-back-6000-in-housing-mistake
English lived in Wellington with family and eventually stopped claiming the allowance.
He also owned property back in his electorate.
Greens should place all their MP's in Green Party owned housing.
If eligibility were based on whether you had financial prudence or you had squandered everything, that would make it a benefit like the dole you moron. A point clearly lost on muppet Jackson too.
What housing cost do those who own property in Wellington – without rent or mortgage liability have, that requires $52,000 for a Minister and 36,400 for an MP?
Don't you dare call Jackson a muppet? My kids when young loved the muppets.
Q. Why do some of my comments go into moderation???
it’s not your comment, it’s a keyword in the filter that is catching some extra things atm.
Rare moment of honesty/Freudian slip from seymour in q-time..
'we're up to.it..'
Not just lack of new investment in making Auckland a liveable city, but action to make it less liveable.
It was fish mouth to fish butt, with each rainfall sewage is flowing into the harbour and onto beaches but now … its either blowing in the wind, or you're walking with it.
Making Auckland a place for those with cars, windows shut.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/residents-up-in-arms-over-rubbish-bins-removal-by-auckland-council/UW6I3A7TZRBCJJE4QPP5H6LMU4/
Medicine must be evidence based – not ideologically based. Especially when it comes to children and young people.
"Newly leaked files from within the leading global transgender healthcare body have revealed that the clinicians who shape how “gender medicine” is regulated and practiced around the world consistently violate medical ethics and informed consent. The files, which were leaked from within the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), were published today by the US-based think tank Environmental Progress.
WPATH is considered the leading global scientific and medical authority on “gender medicine,” and in recent decades, its Standards of Care have shaped the guidance, policies and practices of governments, medical associations, public health systems and private clinics across the world.
However, the WPATH Files reveal that the organization does not meet the standards of evidence-based medicine, and members frequently discuss improvising treatments as they go along. Members are fully aware that children and adolescents cannot comprehend the lifelong consequences of “gender-affirming care,” and in some cases, due to poor health literacy, neither can their parents.
“The WPATH Files show that what is called ‘gender medicine’ is neither science nor medicine,” said Michael Shellenberger, President and founder of Environmental Progress. “The experiments are not randomized, double-blind, or controlled. It’s not medicine since the first rule is to do no harm. And that requires informed consent.”
https://environmentalprogress.org/big-news/wpath-files?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Shellenberger's overview on twitter,
https://twitter.com/shellenberger/status/1764799914918490287
just reading the twitter thread, I will say that we live in a society that socialises us all to 'doctor know best'. It's a very strong socialisation and across the board. So when they talk about parents not understanding implications, I don't think that is unusual in medicine especially complex medicine. There are whole swathes of people that want to hand over their health care to the experts.
That doesn't excuse what the WPATH people and doctors taking their advice do. I'm pointing out that the problem isn't limited to trans health care. The additional issues here are the age and vulnerability of the patients, and the strong No Debate/Affirmation Only environment which they are living in.
Yeah, I've repeatedly said this will end up as a massive medical scandal but I picked it being about 3-5 years away. But the wheels are falling off the clown cart so fast. I may need to revise my estimate.
I'm not so sure. The things those doctors are saying will sound normal to many genderists.
Agree it's a massive medical scandal.
Luxon travels public coach civilian.
Making our lack of modern infrastructure – from PM housing to PM travel, world famous.
There is nothing wrong with the plane.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_757
It was made before Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas.
Only a fool would look at anything they have made since.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=boeing+merger+mcdonnell+douglas+
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2024/03/world-reacts-to-prime-minister-christopher-luxon-s-nzdf-plane-drama.html
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350194489/nz-politics-live-landing-gear-issue-delayed-pms-trip-australia
Has cutting 3 waters and the uncertainty in response to the floods cost us large scale Amazon investment?
Concerns about waste water in West Auckland…
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/03/01/amazons-7-5b-nz-data-centre-plan-quietly-put-on-hold/
The centres need spare "power, water and waste water" capacity – resources they will not find in an infrastructure deficit zone – with storm water problems.
Amazon will use any excuse it can muster. They're the same guys that pulled out of a major Lord of the Rings deal three years ago with no excuse at all.
Don't for a moment blame NZ. Amazon do not give a fuck.
Cheers to the Hurricanes Poua rugby team daring to publicly call out the redneck divisive NACTZ government for what they are.
They can add one more to their fan list.
I disagree. Surely they can comment on politics and take political sides all they want in a personal capacity, but here they are representing the Hurricanes and therefore shouldn't be doing politics. Maybe they should focus on their jobs instead because they got thrashed.
Not to mention the fact that they receive taxpayer funding, talk about biting the hand(s) that feed them….
I wouldn't be surprised at all if in the next few days the Hurricanes organization will end up having to apologize because I very much doubt the people in charge there would have approved this.
Really amateur stuff from supposed professional athletes.
Bingo
"The Hurricanes will apologise to the government over a haka performed by its women's side…."
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/510919/hurricanes-to-apologise-over-redneck-haka
Please give details of the taxpayer funding that they receive.
I am interested to know.